Just being helpful to our progressives:
prog·ress (pr
g
r
s
, -r
s, pr
gr
s
)
n.1. Movement, as toward a goal; advance.
2. Development or growth: students who show progress.
3. Steady improvement, as of a society or civilization: a believer in human progress. See Synonyms at
development.
4. A ceremonial journey made by a sovereign through his or her realm.
intr.v. pro·gress (pr
-gr
s
)
pro·gressed,
pro·gress·ing,
pro·gress·es 1. To advance; proceed: Work on the new building progressed at a rapid rate.
2. To advance toward a higher or better stage; improve steadily: as medical technology progresses.
3. To increase in scope or severity, as a disease taking an unfavorable course.
Idiom: in progress Going on; under way: a work in progress.
"
[h=3]Liberalism[/h] The term "progressive" is today often used in place of "
liberal." Although the two are related in some ways, they are separate and distinct political ideologies and should not be used interchangeably. In the US in particular, the term progressive tends to have the same value as the European term
social democrat; which is scarcely used in American political language.[SUP][
citation needed][/SUP]
The reason for this confusion in the US might partly be rooted in the political spectrum being two-dimensional;
social liberalism is a tenet of modern progressivism, whereas economic liberalism (and its associated deregulation) is not. According to John Halpin, senior advisor on the staff of the center-left
Center for American Progress, "Progressivism is an orientation towards politics. It's not a long-standing ideology like liberalism, but an historically-grounded concept... that accepts the world as dynamic.
Cultural Liberalism[SUP][
clarification needed][/SUP] is ultimately founded on the belief that the major purpose of the government is to protect rights. Liberals are often called "
left-wing"[SUP][
citation needed][/SUP], in contrast to "
right-wing" conservatives. The progressive school, as a unique branch of contemporary political thought, tends to advocate certain center-left or left-wing views that may conflict with mainstream liberal views, despite the fact that modern liberalism and progressivism may still both support many of the same policies (such as the concept of war as a general last resort).[SUP][
citation needed][/SUP]
American progressives tend to advocate
progressive taxation and oppose the growing influence of corporations. Progressives are in agreement on an international scale with left-liberalism in that they support organized labor and
trade unions, they usually wish to introduce a
living wage, and they often support the creation of a
universal health care system. In the
United States, liberals and progressives are often conflated, and in general are the primary voters of the
Democratic Party which has a "large tent" policy, combining similar if not congruent ideologies into large voting blocs. Many progressives also support the
Green Party or local parties such as the
Vermont Progressive Party. In
Canada, liberals usually support the national
Liberal Party while progressives usually support the
New Democratic Party, which traditionally has had provincial electorial success in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and since the recent federal election, in Quebec." [SUP]
[11]"[/SUP]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressivism
