NationStates Jolt Archive


Political Lables for Your Country

imported_ViZion
12-08-2004, 02:11
Liberal – According to the Columbia Encyclopedia Third Edition, liberalism “is based, in general, onfaith in progress and in the ability and goodness of man, and on firm belief in the important of rights and welfare of the individual.” Also, “liberalism advocates steady change.” Social freedom; Economic encroachment
Conservative – Says the same source, is “the desire to maintain, or conserve, the existing order. Conservatives value highly the wisdom of the past and are generally opposed to widespread reform.” Social encroachment; Economic freedom
Moderates – Between Conservative and Liberal, they believe in social AND economic ENCROACHMENT, to a lesser degree.
Juris Naturalis – This is a long-forgotten belief, in which the Founding Fathers believed in, and based America on. Whereas Moderates are located in the center, Juris Naturalists are in the center, too, though with different beliefs. Instead of social and economic ENCROACHMENT, they believe in social and economic LIBERTY. Notice, I said liberty, not freedom. There is a difference.
Freedom – Freedom is a weak word, it can mean that you have an inalienable right to do something, but it can also mean you have only permission to do it. Permission is necessarily granted by someone, which means freedom can be revoked by that someone. It is different with liberty.
Liberty – Liberty was described by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence when he wrote “all men are endowed by their Creator” which certain rights. Liberty is a right endowed by the Creator. It is a part of you, like your mind and emotions, it cannot be revoked. That is was we have in America. Be careful when you hear people speak of liberty and freedom.
Capitalism – Capitalism is another word for free markets. It is an economic philosophy in which says factories, land, office buildings, and the other sources of production and jobs should be owned by private individuals and companies, not government agencies. Capitalism says trade should be unrestricted, the forces of competition will prevent abuses much more effectively than government officials can it the officials permit competition to exist.
Socialism – No free trade or any other kind of freedom. Socialism, says Marxist theory, is a transitional stage between capitalism and communism. It is a “dictatorship of the proletariat” (dictatorship of the working class) in which everything and everybody is owned and controlled by the government for the “good of society.” The purpose of socialism, says Marxist theory, is to prepare the way for communism; this justifies whatever brutal means are necessary to make socialism work. The nations of the old Soviet Empire were the test beds for various degrees of socialism. They all fell apart.
Communism – This, says Marxist theory, is the utopian end-stage of socialism in which government has vanished and we all live happily ever after under the rule, “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” You work as hard as you can to produce as much as you can, and contribute it all to the “common stock.” You take from the common stock only what you need. The only places where true communism has ever appeared were a few religious monasteries, hippie communes, and other gatherings of idealists. Such cases have rarely lasted long. Realistically, a person can only be a communist only in the sense that he is striving for the Marxist utopia. But the point to emphasize is the communism is an ideal in which there is no government. It’s a form of anarchy, in the original sense of the word – no government. If the old Soviet Union had been genuinely communist, with no government, it would have been the least threatening nation on earth.
Welfare statism A form of socialism; it is the most common kind of leftism in the U.S. Almost everyone has come kind of pet socialist program. If it isn’r Social Security it’s Medicare, Aid to Families with Dependent Children or something else.
Until the 1930’s, few Americans believe in any of this. They supported private charities. In fact, Americans had long been known as the most charitable people of earth. But during the Great Depression they were so deeply shaken by an unemployment rate of 25% that most are now afraid to be without some knid of government “safety net.” This has left a leftward bias on the U.S. economy, and conservatives did little to stop it, they were to busy tilting at communist windmills.
Fascism - This is unique among the "isms" in that it has no intellectual leadership. Conservatives have Adam Smith, socialists have Karl Marx and welfare statists have John Maynard Keyenes; fascists have no one. Fascism is anti-itellectual. Its basic premise is that all truth is a matter of opinion and there's no sense discussing it; what counts is action.
The fascist worships power. Because all truth is mere opinion, right and wrong are, too. There's no real good or evil and no hustice. The onlu thing that counts is who wins. Might makes right. History books are written by the victors. Because they believe right and wrong are opinion, the leader decides what is right and what is wrong. Everything he says, goes.

~ Much of this is parts from the book "Are you Liberal? Conservative? Or Confused?" by Richard J. Maybury - "An Uncle Eric Book" (highly suggested you read his books!)

If you think of something missing, please post and I will add it.
The God Falltothzu
12-08-2004, 02:20
Very Very nice job
imported_ViZion
12-08-2004, 02:21
Thanks :-) But I couldn't have do it w/o Richard J. Maybury's book ("Are you Liberal? Conservative? Or Confused?") and some of his other books...
imported_ViZion
12-08-2004, 03:34
bump
Unified West Africa
12-08-2004, 03:37
Excellent job? A bit biased against non-capitalist forms of economic organization dontcha think? Socialism='teh government owns you' my ass.
imported_ViZion
12-08-2004, 03:39
technicly speaking, this is true. That is what Socialism is... TRUE socialism, not what you see in most countries.

If you went to the Soviet Union though, you would see that most of that would be true.
Independant Turkeys
12-08-2004, 04:00
I personally do not like labels - I prefer Yes/No issues. Left, right, middle, left of middle, right of middle, far right, far left... just noise.

Should there be a death penalty for someone who does 1st degree murder? Yes or NO?

Should the government take money out of the pockets of some people to put it in the pockets of some other people that did not work for it? Yes or No?

Issues not labels - labels are a moving target - Yes/No issues are not.
Unified West Africa
12-08-2004, 04:18
True socialism? Read up on your Marx, buddy, and you'll see that the Soviet Union, if it was ever truly socialist, was only ever so for the briefest of periods.
imported_ViZion
12-08-2004, 04:23
I personally do not like labels - I prefer Yes/No issues. Left, right, middle, left of middle, right of middle, far right, far left... just noise.

Should there be a death penalty for someone who does 1st degree murder? Yes or NO?

Should the government take money out of the pockets of some people to put it in the pockets of some other people that did not work for it? Yes or No?

Issues not labels - labels are a moving target - Yes/No issues are not.
Lables are lables, though. Yes, there are different degrees... most "conservatives" are more moderate, same with most "liberals". But, those are the views that full liberals, full conservatives, etc.
Independant Turkeys
12-08-2004, 04:25
True socialism? Read up on your Marx, buddy, and you'll see that the Soviet Union, if it was ever truly socialist, was only ever so for the briefest of periods.

I believe that is what I_V stated.
Unified West Africa
12-08-2004, 04:27
I was under the impression was that he meant TRUE socialism was, inherently, a system of violence and oppression.
Independant Turkeys
12-08-2004, 04:31
Lables are lables, though. Yes, there are different degrees... most "conservatives" are more moderate, same with most "liberals". But, those are the views that full liberals, full conservatives, etc.

A "moderate" is a "conservative" to a "ultra liberal" - hence a moving target. What is a "conservative" today is not a "conservative" 50 years ago - hence a moving target.

Yes/No issues are the same - today, yesterday, tomorrow.
Independant Turkeys
12-08-2004, 04:36
I was under the impression was that he meant TRUE socialism was, inherently, a system of violence and oppression.

It is, because if everyone believed in the "utopia" (communism), then you would not need socialism to bend/break/oppress the people to get to "communism".
Communist Louisiana
12-08-2004, 05:11
Its trash. You can se easily that you are not fair and unbiased. You can see the difference from your view of socialism. Dictatorship of the Proletariate means the Proletariate dictates themselves. I think your "type" of people will go with your political labels, but other groups wont.
Independant Turkeys
12-08-2004, 05:33
Its trash. You can se easily that you are not fair and unbiased. You can see the difference from your view of socialism. Dictatorship of the Proletariate means the Proletariate dictates themselves. I think your "type" of people will go with your political labels, but other groups wont.

Name one country that has practiced "socialism" for more than 30 days. Name one country that has practiced "communism" for more than 30 days.

I personally like "true communism" (not that silly label put on the Soviets and Chinese). Problem is human nature and flaws. Communism cannot be attained now or in the next 100 years. Crap and cream float to the top -unfortunately there is more crap than cream.
Communist Louisiana
12-08-2004, 05:40
Paris Commune, Early humans(stone-age), Native Americans(befor Christpher(sp?)Columbus)
Independant Turkeys
12-08-2004, 06:02
Paris Commune, )
Not a country, and "communism" nor "socialism" was practiced. More like communalism - barely.

Early humans(stone-age), )
More like 'the person who could kick your butt was the leader' and everyone else toed the line. More like "Darwinism" than "communism".

Native Americans(befor Christpher(sp?)Columbus)
Yeah, right. Not even close.

Christopher
Communist Louisiana
12-08-2004, 15:29
The Paris Commune was I think after the French Revolution. For I short time, it was its own independent "state" I geuss you could call it b/c I cant remember the word I wanted to say b/c I am half way asleep.

Early cavemen actually did work together and shared everything. Capitalism was first created by them when a bigger man said "This mine, stay off mine" but their was probably sum grunting and a half naked moneky looking chick behind him.


What the hell would we classify the amish as?
Holy panooly
12-08-2004, 18:20
small correction about fascism, fascism enforces a strong anti-communist policy as well as radical nationalism. The rest is true.
Unified West Africa
12-08-2004, 18:29
That's a bloody load of nonsense too. Class-based societies came into being when we first developed agriculture and began to develop the concept of the state. Capitalism specifically did not come into vogue until the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
imported_ViZion
12-08-2004, 23:56
bump