Lance  Re: definition of a liberal
 
An excellent post, John.  Did you write that yourself, or did you find it somewhere?
 
Sorry to tell you, it looks to me like you're defining a conservative.  I think both sides would make a claim to your definition.  It's just a question of degree.
 
For example:

 

Equality of opportunity requires all Americans to have access to a basic education

As a conservative, I'm going to make the case that we're already doing that, and more.  At some point, it has to become the responsibility of the student and/or parents to make sure the student is taking advantage of the opportunities we provide through 13 years of free education.  The liberal (actually, the Democrat) side, however, believes we need to spend much much more.
 

a basic social safety net shall be available to all who need it, not as a permanent lifestyle, but rather as a helping hand to get back on one's feet.

Amen.  That's how the welfare system got started, and that's where we tried to get it back to with the welfare reform of the 1990s.  Should a family that makes $40,000 be eligible for the federal reduced lunch program?  They are, under current guidelines.

 

Contrary to some people's opinions, it is possible to both protect the environment and sustain economic growth. We support taking all reasonable and responsible steps to protect the environment and the species contained therein.

See, it depends on what you think "reasonable and responsible" are. 
  
One more:
 

The capitalist economic system is the most efficient solution to providing for peoples' wants and needs.

Amen, Brother!  um, Father!  And now for the rest of that paragraph:

 

any regulation must only be for the good of society as a whole, and not for the benefit of any one entity.

This is where liberals and conservatives will part company: not that we disagree with the statement as it's written, but on how far government has to go for the "good of society."
 
I see the difference between liberals and conservatives thus: conservatives believe people are better off when they do for themselves.  Being a conservative means accepting that we can't remove all pain and suffering from the world, and we can never make everything absolutely equal for everyone.  The best we can do is to create an environment in which everyone can succeed, if everyone takes advantage of their opportunities.
 
Being a liberal means wanting the government to solve everything.  If people are struggling to pay their bills, the government should help financially.  If school kids are struggling to learn decently, the government should provide more resources.  The government should discriminate against one group, if that group is perceived to have an advantage over another group.