A co-worker (in Seattle - I don't get these conversations in Texas) was trying to determine what exactly I was politically. While I consider my self a Republican, most Republicans in Washington State are by comparison bleeding heart, moonbatty, liberals.
George W. Bush is in an extremely difficult situation. I appreciate all that he has done given the circumstances and political climate he has had. However, he is about a 25% with me. He spends like a liberal, argues like a mouse, and is willing to lose a war without a fight. (Make no mistake: We can win - definition later - in Iraq but not if we lose in Washington.)
"So you're a libertarian."
I do not support open borders or open immigration. I also believe that the war in Iraq is not only justified, it is good.
"So you're a facist."
Facists are socialists with a flair for the industrial military complex. I support neither. I do desire a strong military. This is different than institutionalized defense spending.
"Oh yeah."
"You're a Constitutional Partyist."
I like many of their tenets, I disagree with them on enough key issues that I cannot support them. It would be better to fix the Republican Party than try to convert them.
"What are you? I need to put you into a bucket!"
I am a conservative. I would do away with individual taxes - not all at once but over time. I would abolish federal minimum wages. I would get rid of federal involvement in education except for the service academies, ROTC programs, and the like. I would get government out of the business of gambling, market statistics, health insurance, life insurance, and death insurance (although I would make provisions for military, civil service, and possibly those who choose to "opt-in"). I would get rid of the ED, HUD, NEA, and BATFE. Some of these I would get rid of sooner than later but I would plan for most to be phased out over the course of 20 years or so.
"How can you be a conservative if you support gay rights?"
I do not like governments to "define marriage." That does not mean I support "gay rights." The term is as ambiguous as "winning the war on terror." Both need to be defined before they can be argued.
While I support the ideal that people may live as well as their abilities allow or as poorly as they choose, I look at homosexuality much like I do drug abuse. It is personally destructive behavior with similiar results. Some drugs I make exception to and think they need to be completely outlawed. They are not only physically dangerous to the users but to the people they happen to be near. Homosexuality is emotionally dangerous.
Talk to women who have lost their husbands to drugs and then to women who have lost their husbands to homosexuality. You will find remarkable parallels.
"So you're an anarchist? Sort of? Or not?"
I believe governments should be only as big as they need to be to do the minimal the majority wants them to do. I realize that this puts me into a minority but that is what I believe.
"I think that makes you different."
Perhaps. But I am not as uncommon as I used to be and the ideas are spreading.
A Dying Spider
15 years ago
4 comments:
Dang. I wish I'd had more time to talk to you at the NoR Shoot. You sound almost exactly like me....or I sound like you.... Well, either way.
If you have time, you might try the political "pigeonholing" quizzes at these sites. It's interesting to see where you fall in relation to others.
Try Political Compass (http://www.politicalcompass.org/) - 60 questions (?) in 6 groups. 5-10 minutes. I get +0.6 economically and +1 on the libertarian/authoritarian scale. I like this one best.
Also http://franz.org/quiz.htm (I get a 34) and http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html (I usually fall on the line between conservative and libertarian.
Weetabix,
The political compass gave me
Economic Left/Right: 6.88
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 1.49
Franz gave me a 38.
And according to the advocates, I'm a Libertarian:
Your PERSONAL issues Score is 80%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 90%.
I very highly doubt that I could be considered a Libertarian for the same reasons that I could not be considered a Constitutional Partier. While there is a lot of over lap between them and the republicans, I did not see examples of people near me in the political compass example. If you got a 6.0 for the economy though, I think we are a lot alike.
I took the Political Compass again today. I got +1.25 economically and +1.69 on the authority scale. I had previously had a 0.6, not a 6.0.
Some of the questions have multiple considerations, and I wonder if you feel more strongly than I do about some.
As to whether these peg you definitively, I'd say no. They're limited ratings. I kind of think they're fun, though.
The questions are a bit vague and if there was any doubt, I erred on the side of business instead of government.
My knee-jerk response is that businesses have a vested interested in maintaining land - especially logging and the like. Whereas government is influenced by people who have neither the interests of the general public or knowledge of the environment.
I realize that is not always the case but given the number of people who have just the opposite reaction, I'm a good counter balance. =)
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