That quiz puts me fairly deeply in the left/libertarian area, there with Ghandi and the Dalai Lama, probably about where I usually stand politically. Lots of questions on there I can see giving opposite results due to what one believes ideally and how one votes based on the real world. I for example, believe the death penalty is a acceptable form of punishment for extreme crimes. However, in practice I tend to stand against it, because the execution of innocents has been done and is simply unacceptable in my mind. So I agreed with that question, due to my beliefs, even though my political beliefs are opposite to those. For this poll I voted "left," but libertarian would not be a bad description of my political beliefs either.
While I took that poll many months ago, it had to have come from Britain and the POV on issues was clearly European. The placement of members on the graph has discrepancies. For instance, they got authoritian right on lamebums, but does anyone think he is a centerist?
http://www.politicalcompass.org/printablegraph?ec=-1.75&soc=-3.44 I guess TODAY I'm a leftist libertarian, I never knew! - Dale
I took it again and used more strongly agree and disagree choices and moved up vertically ONE BLOCK. - Dale 3PM
This is not the same poll, but think it gives a better socio-political portrait for me: [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Your PERSONAL issues Score is 40%. [/FONT](100% is complete personal liberty - 0% is no personal liberty) [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 60%. (100% is completely market-driven - 0% is very govenment-controled)[/FONT] In other words, right of center. I'm considerably more conservative on social issues than economic (as the poll bears out)....if I were outspoken there would be plenty of firefights (so I don't as I'm supposed to help keep the peace ). One exception is narcissism on the highways - I believe that a decline of traditional values has contributed to dangerous and rude driving. On economics, it's no secret I've favored TARP while holding participating companies' feet to the fire so they become profitable. I'm going along with the current government intervention as a temporary measure until the economy improves, then reduce government involvement. Just identifying my views and hope it does not start a firefight.
Yep,, so we end up like the UK with a god awful health care system. Been there looked at it,,, refused to take a job in London to help with repairing the subsystems of a hospital that runs on nothing from the over taxed public. The problem with taxing folks straight is.... Once they get the ball rolling there is no stopping it. Take the current cig tax. Yes I'm a smoker. So once they tax folks off the smokes and there are yet fewer smokers. Where are they going to make up the tax from the dead or quit smokers? Yeah know they have to take care of those uninsured kiddy's some how now that the libs started the ball rolling. So what is it next? A penny added to sales tax. Sure why not! everybody buys stuff. So lets screw the crap out of everybody. Lets tax the crap out of oil. Yeah sounds great! Where you going to get the money after folks all start driving rubber band powered paper cars? Tax every body's electric, gas, wood and lp? Hell my family did not move to America to end up like the UK. Heck of a trip for nothing wouldn't you say. Taxing folks hard will do nothing but lead to blood shed. There will be a breaking point. And it will be ugly. Mark my words on that.
Libertarian. Simply put, I don't believe in top-down intervention into other people's business, and the associated costs and slow, frustrating, and often ineffectual bureaucracies. Some government is necessary, especially as it relates to enabling trade, national defense, and some basic protections against each other (though NOT from our own selves). In the words of Glenn Beck, I want a government so small, I've GOT to do it myself... I would hesitate to say it's necessarily socially left. True, I believe things like sexual orientation and abortion should be YOUR business, as does the left, but remember that some traditionally left-wing causes such as gun control and attacking smoking would also fall by the wayside. It's difficult to classify it as left or right, because it strictly fits the definition of neither...it's simply the less-is-more principle.
In the future we might do a new poll like the one linked of left/right liberatarian/statist. Saying this if I'm busy, so someone else interested can set up a thread and the poll.
Well said. I am a very hard-core right libertarian. I have VERY strong opinions on mariage and those issues that cause a lot of controversy here.. I just don't want laws enforcing my opinions on you. That's where so many of the tests don't work well for me. They either ask about my opinions or what laws I want, but not both.
I have a feeling Taliesin and I don't agree on much politically speaking, but this is something we probably agree on very much. There's a massive difference between personal beliefs, even those shared by a vast majority, and how (or whether) they get enacted as law. That's one of my biggest problems with the limitations of a two-party system. Citizens ultimately don't have a real range of options for electing candidates that represent their views. The broad coalition building of having just two parties mean that a lot of people have to vote contrary to their beliefs or opinions or prioritize those beliefs in a way that seems false to me.
You don't know how happy I am to see differences civil. Outside CleanMPG, I've seen situations like this go into Mortal Combat - not pretty.
Thats for sure! When the personal attacks and name calling starts, no one wins. IMO, that is the fastest way to negate your point of view. I have posted in many forums, and this one is very civil when it comes to political discussions.
Another well-said there. I don't want anyone imposing their belief system upon me, and in exchange it's only fair and right that I not impose mine on anyone else either. Patrick Henry said (with my modification in parentheses like these), "I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say (or do) it."
Actually, the quote you are referring to was credited to Voltaire "I do not agree with a word you say, but i will defend to the death your right to say it." There is some disagreement if he actually wrote this, but it usually is credited to him.
Taliesin, I want to clarify that my agreement with booferama was not with or against his political views but with his and your outlook on what is tolerable between people of different opinions. General statement not directed to anyone: Sometimes I'm a liberal conservative and sometimes I'm a conservative liberal. I know what I believe when I hear my choices and I can be swayed by good honest information if it appeals to my beliefs regardless of what color tie or sandals the speaker is wearing. - Dale
