Why are all atheists liberals?

[Jenny A]

Definitions are slippery things when it comes to politics.
On gay rights and many other family value issues I'm left or more rightly (pun intended) libertarian. On the capitalist versus socialism scale I'm pretty conservative or more rightly libertarian. But there are atheists who are so conservative they leave in shaking my head. Every so often I voice my opinions about economics, but it takes energy to respond to what sometimes feels like the whole forum.

I think there's plenty of atheists who think like that - In fact, atheists who have taken a degree on economics will probably think like that

It didn't take a degree. Just dipping a toe in the water.

I still think you must be a classic liberal like the other thousands of people who claim to lean libertarian, simply because you probably don't agree with the extremist of non-state intervention some libertarian policies propose.

No, I would not. Somethings simply must be regulated: external costs (such as pollution); and commonly held resources (the ocean, the atmosphere, groundwater). Other things need regulation in order to give everyone the knowledge necessary to make rational financial decisions like securities. And there are things that are really better provided by the government like roadways.

It's not that I think that all government regulation is inherently evil. Most of it's well intended. It's just that so much of it creates problems worse than the diseases it was promulgated to fix. For example, rent control tends to lead to house shortages. Overly free student loans lead to high tuition. If minimum wage is too high, you get unemployment, etc.

Do you think someone should be left to starve if that person doesn't have any money? If you answered "no", then you are not so libertarian.

Yes, and no. Welfare of some kind is a basic duty of the state. Care for the temporarily unemployed, disabled, and minors are all good things. But, if you ask me if the state should pay to keep a person who can, but will not work from starving my answer is no.