Are you a liberal or a conservative?

Question

This is the way i see it. Liberals like to raise taxes and they want government to help people, even people who can help themselves. So they want a bigger government who has a larger role in our lives.
On the other hand, Conservatives want a limited government. They prefer less taxes, less government in our lives. They don't think we should help people who can help themselves.

Answer 1

Your rant, I mean "question" would make more sense if what you defined as a Conservative would be demonstrated by your elected officials.

Does wiretapping citizens sound like less gov't in our lives?
Are record deficits fiscally responsible?
Borrowing money to give tax cuts to the rich seems right to you?

Conservatives don't think they shouldn't help people who can help themselves...they only want to help THEMSELVES, there's a difference.

Answer 2

Here is some more wisdom for you. Conservatives are open and proud of being Conservative. However, notice that all through this Primary Election Campaign, not one Democrat has yet to refer to him or herself as a Liberal. Instead they use the rather ambiguous term of Progressive to describe themselves. Now why do you suppose that is if most of the voters out there like Liberals so much? Seems to me if that were true they would be proudly proclaiming that they are Liberals. On the Republican side they are arguing with each other to prove who is the most Conservative.


Air America went on the air as the Liberal answer to Conservative Talk Radio. No one tuned in. What's going on here? I thought there were so many Liberals in America.

The reality is there are not a lot of truly Liberal people in America and that includes in the Democratic Party. However, the ones with the biggest mouths, lots of free time to attend protest rallies and Billionaire funding to artificially amplify their numbers are Liberal.

Most Republicans are Conservative. For us it is only a matter of degree. Most Moderates are also Conservative but they do not think they are. There are even Conservative leaning Democrats. Look at History. Ronald Reagan was one of the Greatest Conservative Presidents of all time. Jimmy Carter was very Liberal and many Liberals even here on YA think he was great. What were the election results when Reagan ran against Carter? There had never been a landslide of that proportion in modern history, certainly not in the 20th Century. Then Walter Mondale another proud Liberal ran against Ronald Reagan. The resulting landslide was even more lopsided that the first. This after Reagan had been in office for four years and everyone knew him and his policies. They obviously approved very much of Ronald Reagan's leadership.

It is not possible to get such one sided election results unless an awful lot of Democrats voted for Reagan, too. These Reagan Democrats are still out there. They still out number the Liberals.

So, to win this next presidential election, all that the Republicans need to do is put up a real Conservative. That is that.

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Answer 3

Yes, but not always... Thanks to the days of Bush, the conservatives are helping people (in Iraq) that could technically help them selves, the growing national deficient, may call for higher taxes, and acts such as the Patriot Act, makes the government a third party to almost every phone conversation and e-mail, making government power almost limitless...

Now not that I'm complaining, but it just goes to show that a Con doesn't always walk as a Con should walk, neither does a Lib always follow the given mold of Libs... In the end it doesn't even matter, for labels can be deceiving. I suggest you look at the person, don't bother with discerning a Con from a Lib, bother discerning good from the bad, logical from the illogical.

Answer 4

I am a liberal, though not for th reasons you site. Those are just a list, as you said, of your conception of the two. It is very limited and I would hope that there is actually more to it then that. Perhaps you truncated for the sake of brevity. But instead of ascribing buzz-phrases, I would define the terms while asking the question.

A conservative is cautious, prudent, moderate. Someone who is opposed to great or sudden change and supports the existing regime. They believe in established principles.

A liberal is one who is progressive in thinking and principles. They are broadminded, openhanded, and generous, particularly in matters of politics and religion.

That fore goes the characterization by example. The examples can be easily refuted and don't fit except if you are just buying some ones line. In that case you are a conservative.

Answer 5

A linear system does not work. There are two axes.

One is liberal/left-conservative/right which is economic. Liberals believe in a well regulated system where the government acts to control the corporations power. Conservatives believe the market will solve all ills.

The other is libertarian-authoritarian which is governmental. Libertarians believe in complete individual freedom with minimal government interference in private lives. Authoritarians believe the government must intrude to protect society.

Real Democrats believe in regulated capitalism with labor and environmental laws and strong unions. Republicans believe in laissez-faire capitalism with few regulations.

Todays Republicans are more authoritarian believing we must give up some freedoms to protect ourselves. Dems still mostly believe in civil rights.

I myself and in the libertarian left.

Answer 6

Your assessment is pretty much in the ball park.
I seen a few politicians who do not fit quite right into any mold just quite right-----leaning left on some issues and right on other issues----to confound it more you cannot say every single democrat is liberal or that every republican is conservative.
At one time I claimed to be liberal and basically pretty much just listened to the news media and took what they said at face value never suspecting they had hidden agenda---but one day realized -----hummmmm----this is "NOT" how I feel on THIS issue------or this one or that one either-----and then came the big reality check-----the liberal philosophy of 'no enemies on the left' is just plain wrong....and not only is it wrong----it is a dangerous way to conduct ones affairs--a recipe for self-destruction if left unabated--- naturally that was it for me----had to then begin to take a stand for the things I believe in.....

Answer 7

Government debt has gone up far more during Republican administrations than it has under Democrat administrations. They put everything on the "credit card" so that our children will have to pay for it.
During the Clinton years, the government was far leaner than it has been since. You seem to imagine that "welfare" is the only thing that government spends money on. Are you against the GI Bill for veterans? That was welfare. Veteran's hospitals? Also welfare. How about the Hoover Dam, the interstate Highway system....those were government programs. How about weekends? You had no right to a weekend not working until unions fought for them.
If you're going to cut any "government programs", the best thing to cut would be the over-bloated military spending that Republicans seem to like so much.

Answer 8

You're thinking in strict red and blue terms. It's way too simplistic.

I'm liberal in that I want help to be available to people, in that I tend to tout compassion and individual liberties, but conservative in that I would support a candidate like Ron Paul long before I would support the Democratic or Republican so-called front-runners. I don't think the government should have its hand in all aspects of our lives. I'm torn about things like universal health care. I dislike big power at the federal level. I very much dislike the government using its military as the world's police force.

Does this fit either of your scenarios, as you see them?

Answer 9

Republican-Conservative

Answer 10

That sounds right, but Bush increased the size of government to a record amount, and the National Debt to a new record.

I'm a liberal, but I doubt I fit in the neat package everyone assumes about a liberal.