Kudos for week of 4-30-08

Happy Birthday Tracy (bestfriend from gradeschool)

Shelby Steele- Author
Ryan Dobson - son of Dr. James Dobson and Shirley Dobson for his book Be Intolerant because some things are just stupid.
Trace Atkins dealing with the BSB (Backstreet Boys) on The Apprentice.
Jeanette Murphy - mother to 28 children, 24 of whom are adopted, many with special needs.
Marcia Richardson - For visiting Lewis & Clark gradeschool to discuss Organic foods.

Socialized Medicine

-The difference between taxing and owning our own health care.. The difference is choice. If we go universalized or socialized healthcare we will HAVE to pay for it. We will have to pay for it for others also. We will not have a choice of what do use that money for.

I do agree something needs to change.
A couple ideas-
1- Limits on malpractice suits would cause dr's to be able to pay less for their insurance and charge less to the patrons. No I do not think someone's life is worth over 1mill. If they are dead, and it is proved purposeful it is the DR's fault not their insurance company, nor ours. as we (the patrons) are ultimately paying. SO they should loose their license and face possible incarceration. Accidental is different, and yes I think malpractice insurance is good for these instances. But if it is an accident why does the dr get penalized, and in turn us? I agree with the insurance paying the medical costs, but so much is blurry when it comes to pain and suffering. Same goes for all insurance, if someone is following all traffic laws and slips on the ice hitting someone, causing an accident. Should the person that got hit try and get all they can, or get medical paid for, or somewhere in between? By medical I would include paying for longterm care if needed.

One needs to keep in mind.. Where is the money REALLY coming from.

2- Strengthen the Family. Think back to a time before nursing homes. Elderly were taken into their childrens' homes or children came to live and care for them. Family lived closer over the course of their lives.

3- Strengthen the community/Church. Those who are without family their community/church should step in to help.

4- Create lower benefit packages for lower prices. Not sure how low the price could get, but the benefits would be ONLY emergency care, and a deductible of 5k or so. Nothing else. Bare bone it. Ideally 50$ or less per month per family. Then allow us to go in like a smorgusboard and pick and choose what else we want added. If we want Prenatal care we pay X amount, if we want wellbaby checks we pay X amount per kid. etc. Same for Chiropractic or acupuncture etc.

5- All dr's take all insurances.

6- Make it so ALL hospitals/drs take payments of some reasonable amount. I do realize they need to earn a living, and are in charge of life and death. But everyone should be able to access a payment plan of sorts. Reversely we should be able to prepay this amount.


I really like the idea of Health Care spending accounts, as far as I can tell I think it would be a great choice for a lot of people.

Kudos for the week of 3-23-08

Giant microwave turns plastic back to oil

http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn12141-giant-microwave-turns-plastic-back-to-oil.html

Bible Events Proven -ongoing_

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a009.html
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a008.html
http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18327/1589
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v22/i1/creation.asp
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/does-archaeology-support-the-bible
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/does-archaeology-support-the-bible
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/historical-and-scientific-proof-of-jesus-faq.htm
http://www.kingsolomonsgate.com/
http://www.pacinst.com/
http://www.ichthus.info/Creation-Evidence/Polonium-Halos/intro.html
http://www.creationists.org/Robert_Gentry.html

Legalizing Drugs.. What would our forefathers think?

TO BE CONTINUED :)

First what did they think about using substances themselves, and secondly what did they think that government should do about it.
Benjamin Franklin-

"Be temperate in wine, in eating, girls, and cloth, or the Gout will seize you and plague you both."

Believed adhering to temperance in food and drink would aid in making adhering to the other virtues easier.


Other notable figures in History-
I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it. ~ Robert E. Lee
http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/2s.htm - Aristotle



Government control of Temperance-

There is some rumor about what Abe Lincoln actually thought about Temperance.
So lets find out what our Forefathers really thought.

  "Prohibition...goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to
  control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things
  that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very
  principles upon which our government was founded."

     -- Abraham Lincoln
           December, 1840

This quote is said to be false.
Instead this is true
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/LincolnQuote/LPQ006.jpg

As far as I can find this is a legitimate quote
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts as are only injurious to others. But it does no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods or no God. It neither picks my pockets nor breaks my leg. Thomas Jefferson Notes on Virginia (1782)
(It is often used to support the Democratic Party. HOWEVER who is the party that wants more taxes. Are not taxes just legalized stealing? Especially if one has voted against the tax?)


Some interesting websites
http://artofmanliness.com/2008/03/02/the-virtuous-life-temperance/
http://www.all-creatures.org/murti/next-28.html
http://www.school-for-champions.com/character/franklin_virtues.htm
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/samuel-adams/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States

Horton Hears a Who!

Love it love it love it. Go see it.
"A person's a person no matter how small." (though his widow disclaims it should be used for prolifers, it is a valid point and I love it anyway. And will take it as a pro-life message, regardless of what Seuss meant. He was right and didn't even know it ;))
http://www.answers.com/topic/horton-hears-a-who?cat=entertainment

"Even if you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Thanks fox!

Kudos for week of 3-16-08

Regina Solominto - Spelling Bee winner

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080316/LOCAL18/803160393/1304/LOCAL

Bernie Karl - For his innovations in thermal energy
http://www.chenahotsprings.com/index.php?id=proprietors

Homeschooling Autistic Children - References/Resources

Articles about Homeschooling Autistic Children-

Bowman, J. (2002). Ten Steps to Successfully Homeschooling Children with Special Needs. Retrieved July 25,2002 from Brightwood Creations: http://www.brightword.com/homeschooling-special-needs.html

Checklist for autism. (n.d.). Autism/PDD Resource Network: Diagnosing and Evaluating Autism Retrieved July 25,2002, from http://www.autism-pdd.net/checklist.html

DSM-IV (1994). Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, 1994. Retrieved July 25, 2002, from Autism/PDD Resource Network. http://www.autism-pdd.net/DSM4.html

Edelson, S.M. Ph.D.(1999a). Allergies and food sensitivities. Retrieved July 31,2002, from http://www.autism.org/allergy.html

Edelson, S.M. Ph.D.(1999b). Overview of Autism. Retrieved July 31,2002, from http://www.autism.org/overview.html

Glaser, T. (n.d.a). Teaching Autistic Children: Who Aut to Be Home! ADD & Special Kids Community Retrieved July 25,2002, from http://www.homeschoolzone.com/add/autism.htm

Glaser, T. (n.d.b). What is Autism? ADD & Special Kids Community Retrieved July 25,2002, from http://www.homeschoolzone.com/add/autism2.htm

Jefferson, R.(1997, September 4). Children With Learning Disabilities Do Better in Home Schools than in Special Needs Programs at Public Schools. Home School Legal Defense Association. Retrieved July 25,2002 from http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/199709040.asp

Klicka, C.J. (2001, December 28). Home Schooling and Special Needs Children. Home School Legal Defense Association. Retrieved July 25,2002 from http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/200112280.asp

http://www.autism.com

TEACCH-Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children.
http://www.members.tripod.com/~Maaja/teacch.htm


NATTHAN Home Page : Families Home schooling Special Needs and Disabled Children
http://www.natthan.com

The Confession of St. Patrick

http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_patrick.htm

Spiritual Autobiography of St. Patrick.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

The American Flag

To those who think burning an american flag should be a right need to read..
The American Flag by Henry Ward Beecher 1861
http://books.google.com/books?id=gZYAAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA226&lpg=RA1-PA226&dq=the+american+flag+by+henry+ward+beecher&source=web&ots=OjbsD464OC&sig=kD7Oi82oerN1JZjNckWRldr-qNE&hl=en#PRA1-PA229,M1

"It means Liberty; and the galley slave, the poor oppressed conscript, the downtrodden creature of foreign despotism, sees in the American flad that very promise and prediction of God: 'The people which sat in darkness saw a great light; and to them wheich sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.'"

"...Our Flag carries American ideas, American history, and American feelings."

"...it has gathered and stored cheifly this supreme idea; Divine right of liberty in man. Every color means liberty; every thread means liberty; every form of star and beam or stripe of light means liberty : not lawlessness, not license; but organized institutional iberty, - liberty throughout law, and laws for liberty"

"It is not a painted rag."

--- Oh boy I could copy the whole thing there is some great stuff in there. Take a look for yourself. If you dare.---

Biodiversity

In looking at biodiversity one must wonder what is it, how it is determined, why it is valuable, and why some ecosystems or species, or specific animal or plant is more valuable than another.
What is biodiversity? “Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety of the world's organisms, including their genetic diversity and the assemblages they form. It is the blanket term for the natural biological wealth that undergirds human life and well-being. The breadth of the concept reflects the interrelatedness of genes, species, and ecosystems. http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/bri-ntro.html” Biodiversity can be explained for example, when looking at plants. A fir tree and a daffodil would have greater biodiversity than a daffodil and another flower. They are more diverse because they have greater differences in their gene makeup. It is difficult to determine biodiverity because gene makeups are hard to quantify. There are four approaches to estimating genes and characteristics within the environment being tested. They use “genealogy to predict genetic or character richness”, “species richness”, “higher taxa or enviornemntal variables as surrogates”, and a relationship among these estimates to determine biodiversity. According to The Natural History Museum in London, there are three types of biodiversity commonly used to place value, they include genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity. They admit however that, “Many of these relationships remain very poorly understood, so that they must be used with due care for establishing supporting evidence from test samples. (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/science/projects/worldmap/diversity/scale.htm)”
But, what makes biodiversity valuable? According to one website biodiversity is necessary to “maintain and enhance agricultural, forest and livestock productivity” http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/bri-why.html The reasons that I found for biodiversity including making the world more interesting, and protecting weaker species. It seems that if the stronger ones were allowed to spread it would eliminate the weaker species. The destruction of these weaker species would mean a loss of unknown plants that may have medicinal properties for instance.
And why are some species more valued than others? The only reason I could come up with for the answer to this question is rarity of species, which is the supposed reason behind the Endangered Species Act. Value of species was not based upon the “good” the species could do for manknid, which I think would be a valid measure. For example, if the choice was to save a plant that we knew held the cure to cancer, or to save the insect that was destroying them, even if the insect was not found anywhere else, then the logical choice to me would be to save the plant. Even if the plant was in more abundance than the insect.
According to The World Resources Institute there are “Six main obstacles to greater progress in conserving biological diversity need to be addressed:

• National development objectives give insufficient value to biological resources.
• Exploiting biological resources yields the greatest profit for traders and manufacturers (who can externalize environmental costs), not for the local people who have few other sources of livelihood, and who must pay the environmental costs of over-exploitation.
• The species and ecosystems upon which human survival depends are still poorly known.
• The available science is insufficiently applied to solving management problems.
• Conservation activities by most organizations have focused too narrowly.
• Institutions assigned responsibility for conserving biodiversity have lacked sufficient financial and organizational resources to do the job.
http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/cwb-iii.html”

I would go one step further in saying, that these problems lead me to wonder the validity of the Environmental Protection Agency’s actions, and the need for the Endangered Species Act. Since the science is not accurate and we do not know enough about how ecosystems relate, it is hard for me to see where environmental activists can say that one species should be valued above another. For example in the Klamath Falls last summer farmers were denied water that was previously promised by the government. But, the environmental activists did not want them to have the water, so that the bottom feeding sucker fish and two other species of fish would have more water. The problem was that the activists did not look at the valid science before protesting. The facts were that the higher water levels in the upper basin encouraged growth of harmful bacteria, which kills off the same fish they were trying to protect. Instead of helping the fish, they harmed both the fish and the farmers. In harming the farmers the land they had been farming which was lush and green turned into a desolate waste land, and many had to leave their farms because they lost so much money.
This is why I asked the question which species is more important, for in this case not only did the activists not look at scientific facts, they also put a fish above people. The loss of income directly effected the children and their health and well being, because without the income they could not afford healthcare, or to live and attend school in that area. It is also mentioned in this issue of American Enterprise Magazine that the children suffered physically and emotionally because of this act.
Involved in the six obstacles mentioned by The World Resources Institute, there is the issue of bioinvasion, in which species are traveling to other areas from where they originated. For example, this can be seen in Washington State where Gorse was brought over to serve as a dune stabilizer and has taken over the land, choking out native plants. But, again which is more valuable the gorse or the native plants? Currently it has been decided that the native plants are more valuable, but I am not sure the basis of this. The only reasons why I can find, is that gorse is a “noxious weed” and it is spiny and takes over, causing fire hazards. In fact there are towns that have burned to the ground because their was so much dry gorse. It seems though in this bioinvasion issue, that to choose is playing a god-like role, and we should be sure of which species we are placing more value upon.
Is there any way to stop this traveling of flora and fauna around the world? The simple answer is no, eventually there will not be any biodiversity per se. Most of the world will eventually contain the same species, in fact if humans were not here, that may have already happened. Even though people perpetuate the traveling of these species, on purpose and by accident, they also hinder it. It is people that are trying to control the bioinvasions, which if the planet was left by itself spores of these plants would eventually travel globally on their own, via animals, wind currents, and water.
In conclusion, this issue is not a cut and dried one. Who is to say which species is more important that another? It will be left for the future to decide which decisions were right and wrong.

Resources
The World Resources Institute. (July 23, 2002). How and Why Biological Resources are Threatened. Available: http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/cwb-iii.html [Sept, 26, 2002]

The World Resources Institute. (July 23, 2002). Threats to biodiversity. Available:[http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/bri-why.html[Sept, 26, 2002]

The Natural History Museum. (2002). World Biodiversity Map, Available: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/science/projects/worldmap/diversity/scale.htm [Sept, 26, 2002][

Hurst, B. (Oct/Nov 2002) Calamity in Klamath, American Enterprise Magazine

*Originally written in 2003

Deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia

In dealing with this question we should look at a few things. What is causing the deforestation? What is causing the decline in endangered species, if there is a decline? And finally is there a climate change and what is it due to?

What is causing deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia? This is not a simple question, one would think to solve this issue one should just make those cutting trees stop cutting. The problem is that 70% of the logging is illegal, so no matter what bans or laws are passed there will still be lots of logging. This is also a significant issue because those who are logging illegally will not abide by other environmental standards. People who are already breaking the law think nothing of breaking another one. So, more regulations would only hurt those who are legally selling timber. In reading I did find a good point mentioned and that is trying to control the selling of this illegal timber. To control this there would probably have to be an international agreement to punish those who are caught purchasing such timber.
One other cause of deforestation that is not often mentioned is fires. Indonesia and Malaysia have lots of forest fires, and not adequate fire fighting equipment, and manpower to battle them. In February one fire alone burned 15,000 hectares. These countries need more income so they can have the means to get sufficient equipment and manpower. One way in which they currently get income is the selling of timber, so the legal selling of timber may actually be helping to reduce deforestation, and other environmental problems. Odd to think of that way, but it might work out that way if there are less hectares cut legally than are burned every year.

Secondly, What is causing the decline in endangered species? This problem is two fold, reduction in their habitat, and illegal animal trade are both to blame. For the first issue, I think that humans also have the right to live, and that it is their habitat also, and that they should be able to protect their family and livestock from the tigers (who are the most talked about endangered species in the area). On the other side the illegal animal traders should have to face stiffer penalties. If someone purchases the illegally captured animal, or products from them, they should also be held liable, and have to return the animal, or animal products.

Thirdly, is there a climate change and what is it due to? I am not sure that there is a significant climate change. There has been both increases and decreases in precipitation worldwide. However, in the world the precipitation has increased approx 1% in the last decade. There are cycles in climates that go year to year, and ten years to ten years. So, I do not think the deforestation has to do with the “drying up of local climates” if there is such a drying effect, assuming by drying effect we are speaking about precipitation levels. Cutting trees does not cause the local climate to get less precipitation. For example, in the Mt.St. Helens area in 1980 massive amounts of timberland was destroyed, but the climate did not change, and trees are growing back on their own.

What should be done about this issue? I think that the Malaysian and Indonesian governments need to have stiffer penalties for illegal actions, whether they be in the harvesting, buying or aiding of the illegal loggers, and poachers. Also, the international community should not give safe harbor for these people or purchase their wares. If there were not the illegal actions I feel that their timber harvesting would not be creating such controversy and those that were legally harvesting would be willing to replant, and harvest with the environment in mind.

Online References:
Deforestation, shifting cultivation, and tree crops in Indonesia:nationwide patterns of smallholder agriculture at the forest frontier-
http://www.worldbank.org/html/prddr/prdhome/peg/wps04/indexp2.htm
Malaysia hit by fires and haze, sees rain ahead- http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=7987
Indonesia: Hub for Endangered Species -http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=10212
Malaysia target illegal timber- http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=12040
Malaysian tigers under the gun as eco-summit nears-http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=14582
Indonesia struggles to curb rapid deforestation- http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=14818
Exploring the science of Climate change- http://www.rppi.org/environment/peg3.html

*Originally Written in 2002

Political differences between Obama and Clinton

Their stance on Cuba-http://www.alternet.org/election08/77345/

Message difference -http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080223/OPINION03/802230307/-1/ELECTION


More differences-http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/28/080128fa_fact_packer




http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/01...y3775451.shtml

http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/issues.pdf

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/01...nator-in-2007/

Candidates

Total 83%
Social 100%
Economic 71% [Photo] Duncan Hunter
Republican Representative (CA-52) Biographical Profile
Duncan Hunter's answers
Duncan Hunter's stances
Total 68%
Social 75%
Economic 63% [Photo] Fred Thompson
Former Republican Senator (TN) Biographical Profile
Fred Thompson's answers
Fred Thompson's stances
Total 65%
Social 69%
Economic 63% [Photo] Alan Keyes
Former candidate for Senate (R, IL) Biographical Profile
Alan Keyes's answers
Alan Keyes's stances
Total 58%
Social 63%
Economic 54% [Photo] John Cox
Chairman of Cook County (IL) Republican Party Biographical Profile
John Cox's answers
John Cox's stances
Total 55%
Social 75%
Economic 42% [Photo] Mitt Romney
Retiring Republican MA Governor Biographical Profile
Mitt Romney's answers
Mitt Romney's stances
Total 55%
Social 56%
Economic 54% [Photo] Mike Huckabee
Republican AR Governor Biographical Profile
Mike Huckabee's answers
Mike Huckabee's stances
Total 53%
Social 56%
Economic 50% [Photo] John McCain
Republican Sr Senator (AZ); 2000 Primary Candidate for President Biographical Profile
John McCain's answers
John McCain's stances
Total 45%
Social 44%
Economic 46% [Photo] Rudy Giuliani
Former Mayor of New York City; Republican Candidate for 2000 Senate (NY) Biographical Profile
Rudy Giuliani's answers
Rudy Giuliani's stances
Total 30%
Social 25%
Economic 33% [Photo] Ron Paul
Republican Representative (TX-14); Libertarian nominee for President in 1988 Biographical Profile
Ron Paul's answers
Ron Paul's stances
Total 18%
Social 25%
Economic 13% [Photo] John Edwards
2004 Nominee for Vice President; Former NC Senator Biographical Profile
John Edwards's answers
John Edwards's stances
Total 15%
Social 13%
Economic 17% [Photo] Barack Obama
Democratic Jr Senator (IL); previously State Senator Biographical Profile
Barack Obama's answers
Barack Obama's stances
Total 15%
Social 0%
Economic 25% [Photo] Mike Gravel
Former Senator (AK) Biographical Profile
Mike Gravel's answers
Mike Gravel's stances
Total 13%
Social 0%
Economic 21% [Photo] Cynthia McKinney
Green candidate; Former House member (D, GA) Biographical Profile
Cynthia McKinney's answers
Cynthia McKinney's stances
Total 10%
Social 0%
Economic 17% [Photo] Dennis Kucinich
Democratic Representative (OH-10) Biographical Profile
Dennis Kucinich's answers
Dennis Kucinich's stances
Total 8%
Social 0%
Economic 13% [Photo] Hillary Clinton
Democratic Jr Senator (NY); former First Lady Biographical Profile
Hillary Clinton's answers
Hillary Clinton's stances
Click on 'Social' and 'Economic' for analysis of
your answers compared to each candidate's answers. Click on 'Answers' and 'Stances' for complete details
of the sources of each candidate's answers.

VoteMatch

Explore The Results How It Works | Quiz Comments PoliticsMatch Your Political Philosophy The below is a way of thinking about your political philosophy by dividing your PoliticsMatch answers into "personal" and "economic" questions. It is only a theory - please take it with a grain of salt! Personal Questions: Liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers. Economic Questions: Conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictions answers. Your Score You scored the following on the PoliticsMatch questions: Personal Score 0% Economic Score 66% Where You Fit In Where your Personal score meets your Economic score on the grid below is your political philosophy. Based on the above score, you are a Populist-Leaning Conservative . Personal Score This measures how much you believe government should intervene in people's personal lives. Personal issues include health, love, recreation, prayer and other activities that are not measured in dollars. A high score (above 60%) means you believe in tolerance for different people and lifestyles. A low score (below 40%) means you believe that your standards of morality & safety should be enforced by government. Economic Score This measures how much you believe government should intervene in people's economic lives. Economic issues include retirement funding, budget allocations, and taxes. A high score (above 60%) means you believe in personal responsibility for your financial matters, and that free-market competition is better for people than central planning by the government. A low score (below 40%) means you believe that a good society is best achieved by the government redistributing wealth. You believe that government's purpose is to decide which programs are good for society, and how much should be spent on each program. Examples The chart below indicates how four "hard-core" political philosophers would answer the questions. From this example, you can see how you fit in with each philosophy. Your answers are on the left. A "hard-core liberal" would answer personal questions to minimize government involvement, but would answer economic questions to include government intervention. A "hard-core libertarian" would answer both personal and economic questions to minimize government involvement. A "hard-core conservative" would answer personal questions to include government intervention, but would answer economic questions to minimize government involvement. A "hard-core populist" would answer both personal and economic questions with proposals that include government intervention. = Strongly Support = Support = No Opinion = Oppose = Strongly Oppose Personal Issues You Hard-core Liberal Hard-core Libertarian Hard-Core Conservative Hard-Core Populist Abortion Is a Woman's Right Sexual Orientation Protected By Civil Rights Law Teach Family Values in Public Schools Death Penalty Mandatory "Three Strikes" Sentencing Laws Drug Use Is Immoral: Enforce Laws Against It Allow Churches To Provide Welfare Services The Patriot Act harms civil liberties = Strongly Support = Support = No Opinion = Oppose = Strongly Oppose Economic Issues You Hard-core Liberal Hard-core Libertarian Hard-Core Conservative Hard-Core Populist Require Companies To Hire More Women/Minorities More Federal Funding For Health Coverage Privatize Social Security Replace coal and oil with alternatives Decrease overall taxation of the wealthy Illegal immigrants earn citizenship Support and Expand Free Trade Replace US troops with UN in Iraq You Hard-core Liberal Hard-core Libertarian Hard-Core Conservative Hard-Core Populist = Strongly Support = Support = No Opinion = Oppose = Strongly Oppose Issues Not Counted In Philosophy You Hard-core Liberal Hard-core Libertarian Hard-Core Conservative Hard-Core Populist Absolute Right To Gun Ownership Parents Choose Schools Via Vouchers More Spending On Armed Forces Stricter limits on political campaign funds You Hard-core Liberal Hard-core Libertarian Hard-Core Conservative Hard-Core Populist = Strongly Support = Support = No Opinion = Oppose = Strongly Oppose Final Notes To ensure balance among political viewpoints, we arranged the wording of the questions so that half the time, the answer involving more government is answered by "support", and half the time by "oppose." Hence, each of the "hard core" philosophers would choose "support" for 3 or 4 of the Personal questions and for 3 or 4 of the Economic questions. There are four questions which are not counted in your political philosophy. Those questions do not fit this theory -- for example, Democrats typically oppose unrestricted gun ownership, while a 'hard core liberal' would support it on grounds of the government not intervening in a personal issue. These omissions ensure that the theoretical definitions match with current-day politics. Many of these statements cross over the line between personal issues and economic issues. And many people might answer what we call a "Personal" issue based on economic reasoning. But we have tried to arrange a series of questions which separates the way you think about government activities in these two broad scales. Political Map and some content from Advocates for Self-Government. Explore The Results How It Works | Quiz Comments