That's strange because I smoke. I've never heard about this either. Hell, Rush Limbaugh smokes cigars...
Right? Left! Left? Right!
- Thread starter Richard Cribb
- Start date
That's strange because I smoke. I've never heard about this either. Hell, Rush Limbaugh smokes cigars...
Well, there's the possibility of a publicly funded utility, or a regulated monopoly (or an unregulated monopoly or regulated open market). There're not just two options.So you picked a public utility which is a natural monopoly as an example. Please. inventors need to convince venture funds and bankers to get going, no one is trying to change that.
Seriously, I think the question "who do you convince to try a new way to generate power" can be asked of either a public servant or a private employee in the case of power generation.
That's where it gets weird, eh? Transfat bans and public smoking bans seem to be one thing. Smoking bans in private enterprises seems to be another. Finally, pot & porn bans seem (imo) to be an entirely different beastie.
Transfat bans and smoking bans (in private buildings) seems to be more leftwing to me, whereas pot bans and porn bans seem rightwing. Mainly because of the motivations for the bans, I think.
Well, thanks for being rude about it?
Anyway, my point was that if I were to HAVE to pick, I think I'm more rightwinged than not. Additionally, you and I might have similar policy ideas, and use different reasoning to get to that conclusion. Truthfully, we're both rather centrist, and so cutting things in half isn't going to be easy.
amadeus
Apply directly to the forehead
I would fall more greatly into the rightist camp based on the ideas that I agree with and the importance they are relative to me. All of the following are based on common observations of the left-right spectrum:
I strongly in support of free markets and few trade barriers, a rightist position.
I oppose the government attempting to legislate morality, a (sometimes) leftist position.
I support reducing the size of the government, a rightist position.
I oppose massive U.S. aid to Israel and Egypt, a view taken by some in both positions.
I support of abortion rights, a leftist position.
Yet, my views on issues tend to be further on the extreme ends particular spectrum than in the general public (e.g., support for legalizing hard drugs or abolishing the Department of Agriculture) so I don't think it's accurate to place people like myself, MobBoss, and Integral all necessarily in same grouping.
I strongly in support of free markets and few trade barriers, a rightist position.
I oppose the government attempting to legislate morality, a (sometimes) leftist position.
I support reducing the size of the government, a rightist position.
I oppose massive U.S. aid to Israel and Egypt, a view taken by some in both positions.
I support of abortion rights, a leftist position.
Yet, my views on issues tend to be further on the extreme ends particular spectrum than in the general public (e.g., support for legalizing hard drugs or abolishing the Department of Agriculture) so I don't think it's accurate to place people like myself, MobBoss, and Integral all necessarily in same grouping.
I'm a pragmatic who believes in progress and that society and culture either moves forward or regresses, it does not stand still.
That said, I eschew labels. They only serve to caricature, stereotype, and short-circuit any useful dialogue or discussion.
What I find unfortunate about this forum is how many people WANT to be labeled, who WANT to be classified. They self-identify themselves and put stupid warnings in their signatures, etc... Good to know they want to be seen as cartoons rather than individuals.
Not really.
Ms. Coulter, the world is a bit more complicated than that. You know what? Believe what you want. Right and left are subjectively defined, in other words, meaningless, so believe whatever you wish. Please, by all means, continue stratifying humanity into nonexistant categories.
Oruc
Reactionary
When I didn't have a job I was a rightie, now I have one I suppose I would be socialist (considering I support using government money to prop up what would seem to be a failing business).
Basically im selfish, I supported positions that I assumed would help create more chances for me to get a job and now I support positions that I believe will allow me to keep my job for longer.
Basically im selfish, I supported positions that I assumed would help create more chances for me to get a job and now I support positions that I believe will allow me to keep my job for longer.
Stolen Rutters
Deity
It is becoming increasingly clear over the years that the true capitalists are on the "left" side of the spectrum where I live. I normally call myself centrist, but the people to the "right" of me couldn't give a rat's rear end to private enterprise. They just want to transfer wealth to themselves and invest nothing to grow our collective wealth. ergo, I'm now on the left. pro Expanding-health-care-to-the-poorest-and-the-worker. Pro small-business, pro opportunity, anti establishment, anti regulation-that-raises-the-bar-against-new-entrants-into-our-economy.
-We need to make health care more available so people can start businesses instead of being stuck in jobs just because they need good health insurance.
-We need to reduce paperwork and simplify rules on business, yet we also should expect businesses that have multiple perks to provide services in exchange, safe workplaces, retirement contributions, we can give businesses tax breaks to encourage them to train their work force, encourage productivity and allow profit, but expect something in return for the windfall we allow them.
-Reward productive behavior, but extract a return. Devolve and distribute power and control to the citizen entrepreneur, but demand some responsibility. We should be a nation free, yet committed to the greater good. A true and mature capitalist nation. /rant
-We need to make health care more available so people can start businesses instead of being stuck in jobs just because they need good health insurance.
-We need to reduce paperwork and simplify rules on business, yet we also should expect businesses that have multiple perks to provide services in exchange, safe workplaces, retirement contributions, we can give businesses tax breaks to encourage them to train their work force, encourage productivity and allow profit, but expect something in return for the windfall we allow them.
-Reward productive behavior, but extract a return. Devolve and distribute power and control to the citizen entrepreneur, but demand some responsibility. We should be a nation free, yet committed to the greater good. A true and mature capitalist nation. /rant
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
Well, I would characterize that as being authoritarian instead of merely stupid.
I would say that depends. For instance, I think you should be allowed to smoke outdoors. Many anti-smokers go ballistic for merely sniffing tobacco smoke when they are in public. Try moving a few feet away if it bothers you so much...
Hmm. I would characterize that to be a leftist position being so PC, although I'm sure there are at least some authoritarian rightists who would agree.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
You're the one smoking, you should make sure that you're smoking in a place where the smoke won't get in anyone else's face (unless they're smoking too, of course).
But yeah, if you've done all that and people still bug you about it, then they're just being jackasses.
Your right to swing your fist ends at my nose.
aelf
Ashen One
Does. Not. Compute.
ParadigmShifter
Random Nonsense Generator
Leftist pacifist although I do agree with violence against fascists and Neo-Nazis.
You guys didn't get that the private smoking I was refering to is pot where the right-left flips.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
What about violence against baby kidnapping ninjas?
Gustave5436
Emperor
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2008
- Messages
- 1,319
I prefer to refer to specific ideologies (e.g. anarchism, social democracy, Bolshevism...). However, if one insists on a left-right system, I would put libertarian ideologies on the left and authoritarian ones on the right.
However, if I were to refer to the Bolsheviks as "rightist" or "conservative" I imagine a lot of people would disagree, not understanding my classification system, so really it's best to refer to specific ideologies and describe them in sufficient detail so as to see why they are either libertarian or authoritarian.
However, if I were to refer to the Bolsheviks as "rightist" or "conservative" I imagine a lot of people would disagree, not understanding my classification system, so really it's best to refer to specific ideologies and describe them in sufficient detail so as to see why they are either libertarian or authoritarian.
Being violent against them will only end it tears
EnglishEdward
Deity
I am socially conservative, and economically left.
Integralism is however considered a far-right ideology...
Me, I am fine with being labeled right-wing.
History_Buff
Deity
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2001
- Messages
- 6,529
I am a leftist. I believe in the market as an efficient tool for determining pricing and supply, but that to be truly healthy a good amount of government intervention is required. I firmly support universal government-single-payer health care among other things.
Socially I think I would also be rather liberal (left), but I feel Canada has a fairly good social environment, so it's not as big an issue to me beyond viciously enforcing secularism.
Socially I think I would also be rather liberal (left), but I feel Canada has a fairly good social environment, so it's not as big an issue to me beyond viciously enforcing secularism.
