Somebody Please Explain

This entry is my personal appeal to a big-L Liberal to please explain your thought process. Once upon a time I felt like I was a pretty (small-l) liberal-minded person. I thought I was compassionate and tolerant and so forth. Actually, I still believe that, although I've learned to define and differentiate between compassion and practicality, and between tolerance and permissiveness.

So in the off chance you are a (big-L) Liberal and happen to be reading this blog, please explain some things to me.

1. If you're poor or concerned about the poor, what outcome do you prefer for helping them out of poverty? Helping them find a decent job, or confiscating money from me to give them? Since the policies of your leaders seem to favor the latter, please explain why this is a reasonable or desirable outcome, and how you expect it to solve the problem of poverty?

2. I know you believe mankind is the cause of global warming, so rather than argue that point, let me ask the questions about what you seem to believe is the best solution to the problem. Your leaders say that burning fossil fuels is the main contributor to the environmental problems related to global warming, so those fuels need to be replaced by clean, renewable sources of energy. But the only truly clean and renewable sources of energy are wind, solar, nuclear, and hydro. Maybe hydrogen will become a viable option someday, but so far nobody's really solved that one to the point where we will see it in this generation.
But you've ruled out nuclear and hydro. Given this, my question: Do you really believe that we can furnish all the energy needs of the nation with only windmills and solar panels? Please explain how that's going to happen.
Your leaders are working to pass a bill called "Cap and Trade", which is designed to add huge costs to energy producers and users who exceed a defined level of CO2 emissions. The idea is that driving costs up will force them to seek cleaner alternatives, because the punitive taxes imposed will make the cost of alternative energy more attractive.
My question is, does the idea that this bill is also designed to enrich and empower a cabal of government bureaucrats and well-connected individuals (like Al Gore) at the expense of every person in the country give you pause?

3. Your leaders believe that if we are more friendly, less threatening, and willing to negotiate with our enemies that we'll be safer in the long run. Here my question is simple.
How exactly does it make us safer to pretend there's no such thing as Islamic terrorism?
If Bush was evil for pursuing and killing terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, then why is it fine with you that Obama so far continues both campaigns?
I know we'll never agree on the definition of torture. But allow me to present a simple scenario for your consideration: Suppose a criminal gang has kidnapped your daughter, and one of the leaders of the gang has been captured. If you don't find your daughter very soon, she will certainly be killed, and most likely she's already being subjected to unspeakable abuse.
If you were permitted 20 minutes alone with the gang leader, what would you be willing to do to extract the information from him that will give you a chance to save her?

4. Your leaders have given no indication that massive national debt levels climbing toward 10 Trillion dollars give them little or no cause for concern. Do you have any conception of how much a trillion is? Have you calculated how much debt that is per citizen? How exactly do you think that debt can be paid? Do you think it's possible or fair to pay all of it through huge tax increases? How much tax, as a percentage of your own annual income, are you willing to pay to help fund the programs your leaders plan to create?

5. Are you indeed comfortable with giving a Federal bureaucracy of political appointees power to dictate what medical treatments you may receive? How much in increased taxes are you willing to pay to support a national health insurance program? How exactly do you think adding a layer of government bureaucracy without any attempt to address root causes of high healthcare costs is going to save money or improve quality, as promised by the president?

6. One more topic. Your leaders are moving rapidly to assume control over the private sector. Banking, Automotive, Energy and Healthcare industries are already substantially government owned and operated or the president is moving rapidly to acquire control.
If that is not de-facto socialist/communist, then how would you define them?
In what way do you believe government has either the right or the ability to run these industries?

The larger question that encompasses all of the above is this: How do you define freedom? Would you say that you're willing to give up your personal freedoms in exchange for a government that promises to meet your needs?

I look forward to answers to my questions. Although it's highly unlikely those answers will change my attitudes toward government in general or Liberal government in particular, I hope at least to understand.