**Political compass quiz**

[KingBiscuit]

as an insider view, conservative does not necessarily equal freedom. See: marriage, abortion, drug laws. (Why does turn into a tree?)

also re: south america: liberation theology!!

and for the opposing viewpoint, liberal doesn't necessarily mean freedom if you're getting taxed to hell.

Freedom isn't a left/right concept, it's beyond that.

[Rob Zombie]

That sounds very profound King, and very true now you mention it. I didn't think of it like that, though in a Conservative party England we'd probably have less freedom. I think my opinion's been effected by my location...

[Jack Bauer]

I really don't want to turn this into a left right debate so I'll try and keep this neutral. I can't speak for what the ideologies are like in Europe but if you look at the American conservative ideology it emphasizes a very limited government involvement in peoples lives. Liberalism believes in a large government to push social agendas and Neo Conservatism believes in the large gov't to promote security.

[Euphenics]

I don't think the government should justify spending on wasteful industries by trying to 'create jobs'. If spending can create employment in the arms industry, there is no reason it couldn't create jobs, perhaps even better jobs, in environmently and efficiency oriented industries (maise ethanol and clean coal are in fact neither). I prefer quality over quantity in any case.

as an insider view, conservative does not necessarily equal freedom. See: gay marriage, abortion, drug laws. (Why does gay turn into a tree?)

I don't know why. Perhaps it is related to a meme with an F and ending in tree. I do know how though.

[Jack Bauer]

^Good example of a liberal opinion on Gov't spending. The conservative approach would be to use lower taxes to promote industry and let the free market fix itself.

[Euphenics]

It would be, if I didn't believe that most charities are destructive to society. Research and Development is drasticly more important than teaching intercity kids guitar.

[Jack Bauer]

It would be, if I didn't believe that most charities are destructive to society. Research and Development is drasticly more important than teaching intercity kids guitar.

I understand what you are saying but you are still advocating gov't interference, while it isn't charity you believe the government is needed to facilitate innovation. This differs from the conservative approach which would be to let the free market facilitate innovation, rather than use taxpayer dollars on pipe dreams.

[KingBiscuit]

Pipe dreams, huh? I guess that's why they call the Internet a series of tubes.

[lama]

From eastern-european, recently released from communist chains (it's like 21 years we got a free country) point of view, our division to liberal/conservative is totally different.

Both now major parties in our parliament are definitely right leaning, the more conservative one is also bit more pro-social, as well as not looking forward to state enterprises privatisation for example.

Being pretty young nation on our own conservatism here lies rather in anti-oppression attitude. Since best remembered and fresh oppressor was the communism, all that is anti-communist and was punished by them back then (and right-winged more or less) is bound with those conserved peoples - pro-church, pro-tradition, pro-martyrdom... plus usual rightish pro-life etc.
And we have no left without communist background/history. But still left here revolves mostly about being anti-right.

More or less any option that grabs the power is struggling with polish economy anyways (young, growing and unstable) and they fix this and that, but honestly what can you do during 4 years? The funniest part is, people are mostly disappointed with the outcome and choose opposite option next time they vote. Sorta "pendulum democracy".
In short, our conservatism/liberalism got almost nothing to do with market and economy. Yet. They could stop quarreling over the past, wasting my money, grab their asses together and do something.

[Rob Zombie]

It would be, if I didn't believe that most charities are destructive to society. Research and Development is drasticly more important than teaching intercity kids guitar.

I actually disagree, unless the research is in medicine, not weapons or vehicles. I'd rather have culture over industrial production. But I'd be fine living in the year 3000 BC...

[Euphenics]

The upstart costs of ambient energy solutions such as geothermal, hydro, solar, wind, etc. and eccentric energy solutions such as ammonia, spoiled food, human waste, garbage, etc. are too expensive to compete with fossil fuels on a significant scale. Combined with the fact that energy efficient buildings and machinery are slightly more expensive and that the savings these solutions ultimately afford are usually reached beyond the typical tenure of the executive which chooses them, the intervention of a party planning decades ahead is necessary to ensure that waste is averted.

Photovoltaic panels may be more expensive than building a coal plant, but sunlight is free and there isn't as much maintainance. There is only benefit in being green for the patient.

[AlexanderRM]

Centrist by standards of liberal nations. Though all those nations are liberal by American standards...

Yes. I'd love to know the reason for that.

Well, obviously, a nations' standards are based on the people in that nation, so a liberal (by world average standards, say) nation would see less liberal nations as conservative, and likewise for a conservative nation. If you're asking why America is more conservative than the average nation, to be honest, I really have no idea... we could make a huge number of wacky hypothesis, but really, there's nothing definite I can think of.

b. religiosity is inherently conservative. So then you have to ask why the US has so many evangelicals, and that requires a long answer with reference to its immigration history.

I'm not so certain about this one... I think what you mean is that the U.S. has a lot of CONSERVATIVE religious people, whereas other countries have a lot of liberal religious people (including liberal atheists and agnostics, if those count).
It's entirely possible to have liberal religious people, in fact if you judge by the standards of the religion in question all religious are an even 50-50, counting everyone not a spot-on moderate as either liberal or conservative, but then again that doesn't really tell us much...

and for the opposing viewpoint, liberal doesn't necessarily mean freedom if you're getting taxed to hell.

Only for people who have disgustingly huge amounts of money. For poor people who were unable to make any money due to being poor (seriously, WTF kind of free enterprise is it when you have to spend money to make money?) it definitely means freedom.

Also, if you look back about 200-300 years ish... or really for an incredibly large portion of the past... I'm pretty certain that liberal has had a tendency to mean freedom. I personally think that looking at the past in terms liberalism/conservatism can give you a good, objective idea of today's politics, though I might be rather biased... consider, for example, those conservatives a couple hundred years ago who defended their freedom to own slaves?

^Good example of a liberal opinion on Gov't spending. The conservative approach would be to use lower taxes to promote industry and let the free market fix itself.

Because clearly, a general tax cut (which favors the disgustingly wealthy) is the absolute epitome of timely and targeted.
Also, the free market is the reason why we got into this mess, we've been trying your approach for the past 8 years and look where it got us... no to mention the gigantic national debt which was accrued with the expectation, rightly, that the next administration would have to pay it off.