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Left or Right?

Left or Right?

  • left

    Votes: 25 51.0%

  • right

    Votes: 24 49.0%
  • Total voters
    49
mac

mac

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Based on the American political system would you say you were left of center or right of center?

Specific party affiliation is irrelevant.
 
Neither, I'm a political half-breed. You poll does not recognize my existance. :(
 
Well, I think of myself as more liberal, but every time I do a nolan-chart type thing, I end up smack in the middle of centrist, leaning up towards libertarian. So, I don't fit here =(
 
unless you are absolutely neutral to all issues, you gotta be either left or right of tap dead center. up or down doesn't matter....for this poll anyways.
 
Left, as far left as set left goes.
 
It'd be funny to see if this poll ends up getting jacked up as well
 
mac said:
unless you are absolutely neutral to all issues, you gotta be either left or right of tap dead center. up or down doesn't matter....for this poll anyways.
Click to expand...

Well, according to those graphs, I'm up of direct center. I'm very right on some issues, very left on others.
 
iamitter said:
Well, according to those graphs, I'm up of direct center. I'm very right on some issues, very left on others.
Click to expand...

care to share? And do you mean that most of your views are either extreme left or extreme right and they end up balancing each other out, or do you actually take moderate positions on some issues?
 
StillBallin75 said:
It'd be funny to see if this poll ends up getting jacked up as well
Click to expand...
Actually, since it's not a public poll (i.e. no way to tell who voted how), we'll never know.
 
StillBallin75 said:
care to share? And do you mean that most of your views are either extreme left or extreme right and they end up balancing each other out, or do you actually take moderate positions on some issues?
Click to expand...

Socially, I think I'm about as liberal as it gets. Fiscally, I'd say I'm prudent than conservative. I don't mind the fact that I pay a higher percent of my income than others, 'cause I can afford it (I give a lot to charities in any case). I support most discretionary spending, most adamantly scientific research and education. On the other end of the scale, I would probably dismantle SS and Medicare (I support welfare for those who need it, I don't support these programs as they are not welfare. I think these two programs are incredibly inefficient compared to the returns I could get on my own). I'd probably also cut a good 80-90% of the military.
Some positions, I'd say I'm a moderate on, but not most. All those charts say I'm a libertarian leaning centrist, I think I'm more of an anarchistic liberal :p
 
iamitter said:
Socially, I think I'm about as liberal as it gets. Fiscally, I'd say I'm prudent than conservative. I don't mind the fact that I pay a higher percent of my income than others, 'cause I can afford it (I give a lot to charities in any case). I support most discretionary spending, most adamantly scientific research and education. On the other end of the scale, I would probably dismantle SS and Medicare (I support welfare for those who need it, I don't support these programs as they are not welfare. I think these two programs are incredibly inefficient compared to the returns I could get on my own). I'd probably also cut a good 80-90% of the military.
Some positions, I'd say I'm a moderate on, but not most. All those charts say I'm a libertarian leaning centrist, I think I'm more of an anarchistic liberal :p
Click to expand...

I agree with most of what you said, except for the military. I'm very pro-military but anti-stupid-wars. I think our military should be used as a reaction force in times of crisis, rather than in "preventive war" situations. Clausewitz always said "defense is the stronger form of war."
 
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iamitter said:
Socially, I think I'm about as liberal as it gets. Fiscally, I'd say I'm prudent than conservative. I don't mind the fact that I pay a higher percent of my income than others, 'cause I can afford it (I give a lot to charities in any case). I support most discretionary spending, most adamantly scientific research and education. On the other end of the scale, I would probably dismantle SS and Medicare (I support welfare for those who need it, I don't support these programs as they are not welfare. I think these two programs are incredibly inefficient compared to the returns I could get on my own). I'd probably also cut a good 80-90% of the military.
Some positions, I'd say I'm a moderate on, but not most. All those charts say I'm a libertarian leaning centrist, I think I'm more of an anarchistic liberal :p
Click to expand...
If it helps, that all sounds pretty liberal to me. Cut 80-90 percent of the military, yikes. :shock:
 
mac said:
unless you are absolutely neutral to all issues, you gotta be either left or right of tap dead center. up or down doesn't matter....for this poll anyways.
Click to expand...

Does it matter? I mean what's the difference between a little bit to the left, and a little bit to the right? Also, since those terms don't have concrete definitions what is right, or left, or center to someone, may not mean that to someone else. It seems like a pointless argument to me.
 
X Factor said:
If it helps, that all sounds pretty liberal to me. Cut 80-90 percent of the military, yikes. :shock:
Click to expand...

Well, there's more to it than that. Dismantling SS and Medicare isn't a "liberal" idea by any standards. I'm not pro-union, there's other things, too. I don't think of the military as a liberal or conservative thing, honestly.
 
StillBallin75 said:
I agree with most of what you said, except for the military. I'm very pro-military but anti-stupid-wars. I think our military should be used as a reaction force in times of crisis, rather than in "preventive war" situations. Clausewitz always said "defense is the stronger form of war."
Click to expand...

I agree about the crisis thing. I don't mind ramping up defense spending to today's level if we're being invaded. When we're not, I think 20% should suffice. We're not so big a country that warrants that big a military budget.
 
iamitter said:
I agree about the crisis thing. I don't mind ramping up defense spending to today's level if we're being invaded. When we're not, I think 20% should suffice. We're not so big a country that warrants that big a military budget.
Click to expand...

I think the biggest problems with defense spending are cost overruns, inherent issues with the defense procurement system, and a lot of money spent on contractors and consultants that don't actually do that much to help national security. Compared to the Reagan era, we're now spending a lot more and getting a lot less. In terms of force levels I think our current numbers are justified, but it's the costs of keeping that force in uniform that's skyrocketing.
 
Neither. I'm fairly apolitical except for gay rights issues. I tend to be very economically moderate and socially moderate. The way I see it, the political spectrum is simply a differing prioritization of values.
 
iamitter said:
I agree about the crisis thing. I don't mind ramping up defense spending to today's level if we're being invaded. When we're not, I think 20% should suffice. We're not so big a country that warrants that big a military budget.
Click to expand...

If we wait until we're being invaded, it'll be too late.
 
CriticalThought said:
Neither. I'm fairly apolitical except for gay rights issues. I tend to be very economically moderate and socially moderate. The way I see it, the political spectrum is simply a differing prioritization of values.
Click to expand...
Your avatar sure attests to you being "socially moderate". :roll: Seriously, your answer doesn't pass the laugh test.
 
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X Factor said:
If we wait until we're being invaded, it'll be too late.
Click to expand...

I'd disagree *shrugs*
Anyway, I retook some of those quizzes, and this is where I ended up.
pcgraphpng.php

position.jpg


Economic Left/Right: 1.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.21

Honestly, it's sort of what I expected.
 
StillBallin75 said:
I think the biggest problems with defense spending are cost overruns, inherent issues with the defense procurement system, and a lot of money spent on contractors and consultants that don't actually do that much to help national security. Compared to the Reagan era, we're now spending a lot more and getting a lot less. In terms of force levels I think our current numbers are justified, but it's the costs of keeping that force in uniform that's skyrocketing.
Click to expand...

My perfect scenario - eliminating the costs overruns you mentioned, then cutting the size to 30-40%.
Yeah, I'm not a very pro-military guy.
 
iamitter said:
I'd disagree *shrugs*
Anyway, I retook some of those quizzes, and this is where I ended up.
pcgraphpng.php

position.jpg


Economic Left/Right: 1.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -4.21

Honestly, it's sort of what I expected.
Click to expand...

so what exactly makes you "slightly liberal"?
 
StillBallin75 said:
so what exactly makes you "slightly liberal"?
Click to expand...

Social issues are more important to me than fiscal ones.
If giving up 3-5% of my paycheck means a little more liberty in the world, I'm willing to make that trade.
 
iamitter said:
My perfect scenario - eliminating the costs overruns you mentioned, then cutting the size to 30-40%.
Yeah, I'm not a very pro-military guy.
Click to expand...

To me the military is much more than just a tool of national defense, it's also a valuable social institution (promoting social mobility), and is probably one of the last remaining crucibles/rites of passage to manhood in society in my opinion. I guess I'm just kinda old-fashioned like that.
 
StillBallin75 said:
To me the military is much more than just a tool of national defense, it's also a valuable social institution (promoting social mobility), and is probably one of the last remaining crucibles/rites of passage to manhood in society in my opinion. I guess I'm just kinda old-fashioned like that.
Click to expand...
I guess that's where we differ :p
I believe completely in a society with a non-aggression principle, which the military, in my opinion, does not promote.
I'd be for removing it entirely if possible, but I realize that's not possible in the current state of the world.
 
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