Politics - Where Do you Stand?

[iacas]

Here's how you vote in the poll:

1. Start with five (5) points.
2. Read the list of 10 issues below.
3. Every time you agree with the Democrat side, subtract 0.5 (1/2) point. Every time you agree with the Republican side, add 0.5 (1/2) point.
4. Vote with your total after all ten issues in the poll above.

You can add or subtract less than 1/2 point, including 0, but never more. Agreement with all ten would be five points, and would take your starting value of 5 to 0 or 10.

If you end up with x.5 points, round to the whole number in the general direction on which you feel you sit for unlisted policies.

Since I don't know enough about the issues themselves, I won't even say where the party line on each of the issues exists. I got the list from this:

Political Platforms Compared

Obviously, it's from 2012. And I can't vouch for how authentic or accurate everything is.

Issue 1: Abortion

Issue 2: Education

Issue 3: Energy

Issue 4: Firearms

Issue 5: Foreign Policy

Issue 6: Healthcare

Issue 7: Immigration

Issue 8: Labor

Issue 9: Marriage

Issue 10: Taxes

The point I hope to make here is that everyone is a lot closer to the center than we tend to think we are, or at least more than party politics seems to make us think we are. Maybe I'm wrong, though.

[Valleygolfer]

[saevel25]

I ended up with a 4.5, which I thought would be correct. I tend to lean more liberal on social issues. I tend to be more conservative on economic and defense issues. 

1. I am slightly more republican because I don't side with abortions. I do think giving out information and contraceptives is a good thing. 

2. I am slightly more liberal on education. Though I think more should be state and locally funded over federally funded. I don't see any issue with granting free education as long as it's actually beneficial degrees instead of degrees created so colleges can just get students to pay for a shit degree. 

3. I am all for alternative energy. I think as much as we can do  on that the better. In the end, coal and oil is a resource and at some point a scarce resource. We need to head towards sustainability. 

4. I am for more fire arm regulations that still allow people to own guns. In terms with what the Republican Party is sided with I would say anybody who believes in any sort of regulation would be considered a liberal stance. 

5. I am more republican on Foreign Policiy. I think we need to have a strong army. I think we need to go after Terrorists before they go after us. I also believe in making life hard for countries that harbor terrorists. 

6. I am not for Obamacare. I am more towards the liberal side because I don't think people should end up in desolation because of an accident or disease. That means there needs to be some sort of catastrophic health insurance for everyone because all the pricing for health care is based around those who are on insurance. The reason why the cancer drugs cost so much is because that cost is spread over the entire health care system pool compared to the people who get cancer. That leaves 15% of the country SOL if they cancer. 

7. I am neutral on this. I think we need to change our immigration laws. 

8. I am not a fan of unions. I am not sure right to work is the answer either. 

9. I am liberal on this agenda. 

10. I am more neutral on this. I think the tax codes needs a major overhaul to make it simpler. I am not sure what consitutes fair in terms of how much people should pay. I am more inline with ending the income tax and going with a consumer tax. 

I ended up voting a 4 in the poll. 

[Golfingdad]

I'm just going to answer the question in the title:. "Where do you stand on politics?"

I am strongly against them.

[Jeremie Boop]

7

[dkolo]

I've grown to hate quizzes like these. I'm a Republican and came out with a 2.5. I don't value each of these topics even close to equally and that leads to absurd results like this one. 

[ghalfaire]

I came out a 5 and that doesn't surprise me.  I am a Libertarian sort of fellow who is fairly liberal on social issues and fairly conservative on money issues.  Neither major political party is my "cup of tea".  

[Golfingdad]

28 minutes ago, dkolo said:

I've grown to hate quizzes like these. I'm a Republican and came out with a 2.5. I don't value each of these topics even close to equally and that leads to absurd results like this one. 

Yup, that's why I didn't take the quiz.  I lean towards the Dem side on almost all of them, but I'm not remotely "extreme".

[jbishop15]

0 for me. I'm further left than Democrats on basically every issue, but I do agree with their stances in principle. 

[mvmac]

4 points. I tend to be fiscally conservative and socially more liberal.

[Patch]

I guess I am in the middle. I favor a few (very few) things both parties are doing.  That said, I feel more strongly that both parties are not doing near enough of what they are elected to do. That they are owned and handled by a select few individuals who finance their campaigns. 

I am going to assume this poll is not meant for me since I consider myself one of those "rational human beings" listed above. 

No, I did not take the quiz. 

Edited December 19, 2015 by Patch

[iacas]

3 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Yup, that's why I didn't take the quiz.  I lean towards the Dem side on almost all of them, but I'm not remotely "extreme".

So vote 3 or something if you "lean" that way. You'd vote maybe "-0.2" on each issue.

[newtogolf]

Scored a 4.5

Socially I agree with many of the democrat positions.  In terms of guns and fiscal policies I'm more in agreement with the Republicans.

Immigration was a wash as I don't agree with either side completely.  Overall I'm against amnesty but I don't see how it's realistic to deport that many people so I guess we're stuck with them.  I would like to see a three year vestment period (starting when they receive a legal SSN) before immigrants are permitted to receive any government assistance.

[boogielicious]

I really didn't like the way the positions were written for either side. It seems more like the far left and far right positions. The conservative side was written in a very accusatory manner, which made it look worse than the real positions I believe most republicans have. The Dem side was less accusatory but not written the way most Dems I know would state it.

I couldn't give +/- a 1/2 point on many because I don't fully agree with the position as written. There were other that was in a middle on. So I would go 3.75.

[9wood]

"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws." Tacitus

"Government gives nothing, but only what it takes."

The New Order, New Freedom, New Day, New Outlook, New Epoch, New Economy, New Deal, New religion, New Liberalism, New War, New policy, and other new things of our nation have been much overworked in trying to get out of our misery. All new things are not good. The practical thing, if we want to make the nation over, is to try out the world "old" for a while. Some "old things" made this country. Some "old things" are slipping. If they slip too far, the light will go out in America. Old virtues, religious faith, whole truth, integrity, honor in public office, economy in government, individual liberty, willingness to sacrifice. We have a cancerous growth of intellectual dishonesty in public office mostly behind law. Our great danger is suicide by complaisance with evil. (Herbert Hoover)

[JonMA1]

6. Closer to the middle than I would have thought.

[metbid]

Richard Nixon: Added $121 billion, a 34% increase to the $354 billion debt level at the end of LBJ's last budget, FY1969.

Gerald Ford: Added $224 billion, a 47% increase to the $475 billion debt level at the end of Nixon's last budget, FY 1974.

Jimmy Carter: Added $299 billion, a 43% increase to the $699 billion debt level at the end of  Ford's last budget, FY 1977.

Ronald Reagan: Added $1.86 trillion, 186% increase to the $998 billion debt level at the end of Carter's last budget, FY 1981.

George H.W. Bush: Added $1.554 trillion, a 54% increase to the $2.8 trillion debt level at the end of Reagan's last budget, FY 1989.

Bill Clinton: Added $1.396 trillion, a 32% increase to the $4.4 trillion debt level at the end of Bush's last budget, FY 1993.

George W. Bush: Added $5.849  trillion, a 101% increase to the $5.8 trillion debt level at the end of Clinton's last budget, FY 2001.

Barack Obama: Added $6.167 trillion, a 53% increase to the $11.657 trillion debt level attributable to President Bush at the end of his last budget, FY 2009.

These are from: http://useconomy.about.com/od/usdebtanddeficit/p/US-Debt-by-President.htm 

The continuous soaring National Debt, now over $18 TRILLION, is pretty evenly split between both parties.

I took the quiz...ended up more conservative, BUT I do not believe either party at the Federal level is anywhere near what local grassroots Americans believe or want.  Big Government by either party, at the current rate of debt increase, is unsustainable.  They have all lost sight of what the founding fathers intended when they wrote the Constitution.  Our last surplus was back in the 1950's during Dwight Eisenhower's administration. They both say they are for the working middle class and will "cut Big Government", but the above shows a different story.  Unfortunately Career Politicians see it as just that, a career, not a calling to help the people, and just use it as a feeding trough.

[Patch]

49 minutes ago, metbid said:

Richard Nixon: Added $121 billion, a 34% increase to the $354 billion debt level at the end of LBJ's last budget, FY1969.

Gerald Ford: Added $224 billion, a 47% increase to the $475 billion debt level at the end of Nixon's last budget, FY 1974.

Jimmy Carter: Added $299 billion, a 43% increase to the $699 billion debt level at the end of  Ford's last budget, FY 1977.

Ronald Reagan: Added $1.86 trillion, 186% increase to the $998 billion debt level at the end of Carter's last budget, FY 1981.

George H.W. Bush: Added $1.554 trillion, a 54% increase to the $2.8 trillion debt level at the end of Reagan's last budget, FY 1989.

Bill Clinton: Added $1.396 trillion, a 32% increase to the $4.4 trillion debt level at the end of Bush's last budget, FY 1993.

George W. Bush: Added $5.849  trillion, a 101% increase to the $5.8 trillion debt level at the end of Clinton's last budget, FY 2001.

Barack Obama: Added $6.167 trillion, a 53% increase to the $11.657 trillion debt level attributable to President Bush at the end of his last budget, FY 2009.

These are from: http://useconomy.about.com/od/usdebtanddeficit/p/US-Debt-by-President.htm 

The continuous soaring National Debt, now over $18 TRILLION, is pretty evenly split between both parties.

I took the quiz...ended up more conservative, BUT I do not believe either party at the Federal level is anywhere near what local grassroots Americans believe or want.  Big Government by either party, at the current rate of debt increase, is unsustainable.  They have all lost sight of what the founding fathers intended when they wrote the Constitution.  Our last surplus was back in the 1950's during Dwight Eisenhower's administration. They both say they are for the working middle class and will "cut Big Government", but the above shows a different story.  Unfortunately Career Politicians see it as just that, a career, not a calling to help the people, and just use it as a feeding trough.

I thought we had surpluses back 98-01? Even when adjusted for inflation. Maybe not. I do agree with you about "career politicians" however.