Subject:
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Re: World's Smallest Political Quiz
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 17 Aug 2004 20:13:23 GMT
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Viewed:
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920 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Neb Okla wrote:
>
> "Scott A" <dr_scott_arthur@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:I2L399.1nDq@lugnet.com...
> >
> > There is an interesting critique of the quiz
> > <http://world.std.com/~mhuben/rupright.html here>
>
> The site you linked says "Did you discover you were a libertarian? As the
> results show, the overwhelming majority of the 800,000+ people who have
> taken the test at that site are. Even accounting for the fact that this is a
> libertarian political site, so libertarians are more likely than others to
> take this quiz, the results are still remarkable."
>
> This is misleading.
>
> The most current stats are:
>
> 3,197,615 people have taken the Quiz so far.
>
> Libertarian 34.90 %
> Left-liberal 18.90 %
> Centrist 30.11 %
> Right-Conservative 7.44 %
> Statist 8.65 %
Yes, it's a plurality, not a majority, but the point is that if 34.9% of people
are "Libertarian", then why is the Libertarian party so tiny and so
one-dimensional (white, male, middle to upper-middle class)?
> This is not a scientific poll (if for no other reason than the sample being
> non-random). Most scientific polls have a margin of error for +-3% - I'd
> imagine that this one has a higher margin of error - quite possibly as high
> as 5% which would easily account for the difference between Libertarian and
> Centerist.
Truer words were never spoke. It's a propaganda device, not a scientific poll.
Substitute less harsh words than "propaganda" if you wish, but it is designed to
produce a favorable outcome to the writers' viewpoints.
>
> Also, I notice you post from the UK (I assume you are as well). Keep in
> mind that this is a quiz largely intended for folks in the US. You may see
> yourself as a right-conservative within your national or contientental
> political spectrum while being somewhere else on the spectrum in a different
> place.
Most of America would call me a "liberal", but I imagine that Scott views me at
best as a centrist. By world standards, I'm not sure that would be incorrect.
>
> In another post you said:
> "I find it hard to see how a 'Right-Conservative' could be against free
> speech or
> voluntary military service?"
>
> You need only look as far as fascists. They would appear in the "Right"
> area, or just across the border with "Statist".
Actually, just burn a flag and you'll see how the Right/Conservative will be
against free speech. For that matter, try and say a politically uncorrect word
and you'll see how a liberal might be against the same thing.
>
> Later in the other post you said:
> "I'd also love to see how taxes could be cut by 50%..."
>
> I guess to understand you'd have to estimate that at least half of the money
> we pay in taxes is wasted on needless bureaucracy. By eliminating the
> Bureaucracy (or attempting to), it would not be hard to save a lot of tax
> dollars.
Forgive me, but I suspect you pulled that "50%" number out of thin air.
In any case, one can thin out bureaucracy to a point, but then it reaches a
point of diminishing returns (just as bureaucracy itself reaches a point of
diminishing returns).
>
> In one prominent case, by allowing companies other than Halliburton (and
> it's affiliates) to support US forces and assist in rebuilding Iraq. One
> need not look far for other examples of government waste.
That's more a case of individual corruption, and in fact is an argument of more
bureaucracy (that would require competitive bids).
>
>
> > Hmm. I suppose it is a matter of perspective. I enjoyed this perspective;
> > "{Critics have long compared libertarianism with religion in the sense that both
> > are highly ideological and offer easy answers to complex questions. It should
> > not be surprising that both use the same techniques to draw members.}"
>
> Critics often make silly comparisons. Many of the critics of Libertarianism
> are socialists (and we have many glowing examples of how well their system
> works).
I don't feel your response addresses the accusation in the slightest. It simply
says the critics should be dismissed because they are from a different
philosophy.
>
> For one, Libertarianism extols a belief in ones self and personal
> responsibility for the wellbeing of society. The religions I am familiar
> with typically encourage a belief in an imaginary man in the sky who
> protects you from personal responsibility.
>
> And with regards to the "easy answers to complex questions" part. As a
> student in physics, I can say that more often than not, seemingly complex
> phenomenon can often be explained (and predicted) by astoundingly simple
> formulas. Not everything that seems complex actually is.
You dismiss the criticism that Libertarianism can be idealogical simplistic, and
yet argue in favor of that very same simplicity with the correlation to physics.
And in our example on personal responsiblty you dismiss religions as
anti-personal responsiblity and yet the religious right claims to extol a belief
in personal responsiblity. Seems like a simplistic answer to a complex question
to me, at least.
>
> If we're being taxed too much (by our own estimation) and we see a lot of
> government waste going on, and we suggest that the government should "stop
> wasting our money" and take less from us - it seems ridiculous to balk and
> say "That solution is too elegant!".
We need to re-evaluate what we are spending money on, rather than continue to
fund everything that we have currently and simply add more to pay for new stuff.
We had hordes of old WWII related military bases that weren't needed anymore,
for example, but every community wanted the other's base removed, not theirs.
Inertia is a terrible thing at times.
-->Bruce<--
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: World's Smallest Political Quiz
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| "Scott A" <dr_scott_arthur@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message news:I2L399.1nDq@lugnet.com... (...) The site you linked says "Did you discover you were a libertarian? As the results show, the overwhelming majority of the 800,000+ people who have taken (...) (20 years ago, 17-Aug-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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