Take my 4 question test and see how liberal/conservative you are.

[A HERETIC I AM]

I came up with these questions a few years back and ask them of people occasionally to gage where they stand on social issues. These are "Hot button" topics, prevalent in the national discourse and things that everybody has an opinion on. You can use this simple test to gage the political leanings of an acquaintance of yours.

4 simple questions that require only a yes/no or big deal/no big deal type answer. HOWEVER hedging is not only allowed it is ENCOURAGED! You don't have to go in to any more detail than you would like but how you hedge an answer will push you either right or left.

1) Regarding Abortion - Do you consider yourself Pro-Choice or Anti-Abortion?

2) Prayer in public schools. That is to say, sectarian prayer led by an administrator or teacher. (Big deal or no big deal?)

3) Gun Control. Should there be limits of ANY kind on the purchase and ownership of small handguns and rapid-fire rifles?

4) Gay Marriage (I used to ask "Gays in the Military" during the Clinton era but now the issue has shifted to marriage) Is the idea of same sex marriage a good idea or a bad idea?

You can rate yourselves (Of course, you already know where you stand) on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being fully left or liberal and 10 fully right.

A fully left set of answers is
1)TOTALLY Pro- Choice, no restrictions, it's her body.
2)NO! None, no way no how, the government has no business in religion.
3)Absolutely, Nobody needs a personal weapon.
4)No restrictions whatsoever. They deserve the same rights as everybody.

A fully right set of answers would be:
1) No way, no how no abortions at all
2) Yes, kids need to pray
3) No controls whatsoever.
4) Gays should shut up and get back in the closet.

My answers with my hedges:
1) Totally pro-choice. I don't think abortion should be used as birth control but i have NO business telling a woman what she can do with her body.
2) NO! None. No way, the govt has no business in religion.
3) Some. I am a staunch supporter of the 2nd amendment but i really can't see a problem with something like the Brady Bill. I also don' think anyone needs an Uzi. This question i am the most conflicted about.
4) Let them marry.

By my reckoning, this puts me at about a 2 1/2 or 3. The gun question and my hedge on abortion pushes me toward the right.

I'm curious where a lot of you land.

[Greyhound]

1. with your questions I'm 3/4 liberal. n/t

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. What i find interesting is which question pushed you to the right.

Care to elaborate?

[Greyhound]

34. Guns, what else? n/t

[abluelady]

2. Fully Left

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. My attempt at your questions.....

Using the 10 point scale (though it won't look like it)....

Question 1 - 2
Question 2 - 1
Question 3 - 1
Question 4 - 1

average score 1.25. Pretty liberal!!!!

[longship]

4. Okay.

1. Abortions should be rare and entirely legal.
2. Kids can pray all they wann. Admins and teachers must not lead it.
3. Limits are appropriate at some level.
4. If heterosexuals can marry, gays should be able to marry.

I'm pretty liberal. Close to a 1, if not a 1.

[readmoreoften]

5. I don't think the gun control issue is that liberal.

According to most polls, the overwhelming majority of folks here aren't gun control enthusiasts. I'd add something about supporting LABOR. There's an old school progressive value for ya.

[EFerrari]

10. I remember Labor!

And agree about the gun control issue. I'd never own one myself, would support a ban on certain weapons but wouldn't never support an all out ban on personal weapons.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. I use the gun question because it is, as i said "Hot button"

But i agree entirely with you, a labor question would work very well. Hell! It can be your survey too, so you can add or change questions as you see fit.

Here's another couple that i have used in the past -

Leno or Letterman?
Nascar or Indy/F1?

you get the idea.

[OnionPatch]

13. I don't either

I'm extremely liberal, but I DO choose to have a "personal weapon" and feel I have a right to that. I know a lot of liberals who feel likewise.

[eggman67]

14. I agree

I don't see how favoring a restriction can be considered "liberal"

[A HERETIC I AM]

16. I use that one because it seems to indicate a political mindset.

I know this isnt scientific, by any means. It seems to me, however that the conservative position on guns is more or less the NRA line and the progressive or liberal position favors some sort of controls.
Even if that is not accurate i still base my conclusions using that template.

BTW, like i said, i am conflicted on the gun issue. I personally own an M1 Semi-Auto .30 Carbine and my fathers .38 service revolver.
I have absolutely NO problem with law abiding citizens owning as many guns as they want. But i also dont think any nutcase with $400 should be able to buy something that can shoot 2000 rounds a minute through an engine block.

[calmblueocean]

26. Yeah, gun control is a non-factor for me.

I think it's an political albatross for us, to tell the truth. We oughtts come out as pistol-packing progressives.

[sendero]

7. My answers...

.... match yours almost exactly. I might be slightly less tolerant of gun laws that you, but basically I have no problems with restrictions on ownership of machine guns, no problem with background checks (performed immediately) and other sensible regulations that do not have a serious impact on law-abiding citizens.

So I guess I'm a 3 :)

[imouttahere]

8. Fully left, and because....

most of the country is much closer to the right on these issues, I am taking advantage of an opportunity to leave the country.

[eggman67]

9. On number 4

Where would favoring the elimination of govt sanctioned marriage be?

[A HERETIC I AM]

18. lol...somewhere to the left of 1!

The opposite would be forcing marriage on everyone. At least i would say so.

[eggman67]

20. No

The opposite would be affording the right to marriage to everyone.

My position is that the state should get out of the marriage business and if any two people want to enter into a domestic partnership contract then fine.

Marriage can the revert to being a religious institution deserving of no "special rights" for the religously oriented.

Edited to add:

Good thread BTW.

[A HERETIC I AM]

25. I see your point. And thanks.

n/t

[tx_dem41]

29. I actually agree with you.

And I have some conservative friends that agree as well. I would still assign a 1 to that position.

[mike_c]

11. I only hedge on the second amendment question....

Otherwise I'm completely liberal.

[welshTerrier2]

15. god, guns and gays?

these are the criteria you want to use?

i'm for nationalizing the oil industry, capping wealth, trying bush and his cabal as war criminals, beheading the corporate elite who corrupt our democracy and so on ...

where does that fit in on the political spectrum?

focussing only on the issues you raised is way too narrow ... and what good are the labels anyway?

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. This is a simple, harmless, personal test i have used to determine

where folks i have talked to stand on social issues. It is MEANT to be narrow. It is only 4 questions. Is is scientific? Is it as complete as it could be? Not by any means, but it is a little bit of harmless fun and not to be taken too seriously. You are welcome to ignore or participate as you see fit.

[welshTerrier2]

23. no problem ...

just making a point, that's all ...

[Wcross]

17. 3/4 liberal I guess.

1) Abortion is a matter best left to the individual and her doctor. None of my business as it does not effect my life in any way.

2) Prayer in public schools? What prayer? To which God? If you feel the need to pray at school you can do so by yourself or attend a private religious based school.

3) I firmly believe that I have the right to defend myself with the most effective tools available. I don't know what the anti-gun people are smoking when they claim outlawing gun ownership will magically make them disappear.

4) If two people love each other and want to make a commitment then who am I to judge? Many quote the bible when opposing gay marriage. If our government bans Gay marriage on that basis, wouldn't that be an establishment of a state religion?

So thats where I stand on those questions.

[dr.strangelove]

19. Well, other than hating the labels Pro-choice or Anti-Abortion

1) Regarding Abortion - Do you consider yourself Pro-Choice or Anti-Abortion?
I consider myself both Pro-Choice and Anti-Abortion. I hate abortions and would counsel any friend who sought one not to do it. In my mind, abortions are "wrong" in more circumstances than they are "right" (sorry, but I could not come up with better terms and wrong or right). With all that said, I am a supporter or the Casey decision as far as legality is concerned. Also, my personal views have nothing to do with a woman who I don't know making a medical decision about her health. It is her choice, so I am clearly pro-choice. But, I don't like to be lumped outside a group called anti-abortion. I am very anti-abortion, as I think most people are. I know very few people who think women should go out and get pregnant just for the thrill of getting an abortion.


2) Prayer in public schools. That is to say, sectarian prayer led by an administrator or teacher. (Big deal or no big deal?)
This is a huge deal. Children should be brought up to understand that religion is a deeply personal issue, that many people have many different understandings of religion, and all people should be allowed to freely practice their religion on their own. School is a public forum, not a private one. Religion only belongs in school to discuss its impact on history, culture and current events, but not to endorse religion through prayer in school.


3) Gun Control. Should there be limits of ANY kind on the purchase and ownership of small handguns and rapid-fire rifles?
I tend to support the right to bear arms. I hate it and would gladly vote to remove the second amendment from our Constitution since it is no longer needed. There was a time when all citizens were needed to be called to participate in the protection of the free state. Now we have moved past the need for a militia. However, until we change the constitution, we still have to abide by it. Under our law, a well regulated Militia is necessary to the security of a free State. I think this is nuts and a militia would never be used today. Even with the 2nd, all rights can be limited when there is a danger to others at stake. I support limits on many firearms, mostly on weapons you identified, small handguns and rapid-fire rifles.

4) Gay Marriage (I used to ask "Gays in the Military" during the Clinton era but now the issue has shifted to marriage) Is the idea of same sex marriage a good idea or a bad idea?
Marriage is a personal decision for any adult to make. It is unconstitutional and insane to limit marriage to hetero couples.

[porphyrian]

22. I'm with you almost exactly.

However, with regards to abortion, I think it's completely between the woman and her doctor with the caveat that I believe that if the woman is married, the spouse should have some say (maybe not equal) in the decision, though I'm not really for legislating that. On everything else, you and I see eye to eye. So, my rank would depend on how you interpret my stand on abortion.

[A HERETIC I AM]

28. I'd say thats a pretty narrow but reasonable hedge.

If you and i were talking and i asked the questions, i'd say you were a 2. I've found that some people answer 3 of them just like i do but on one they are well to the right. That of course, pushes them to the cente. Your hedging on abortion isnt drastic at all.

[leftofthedial]

24. 4/4

[damntexdem]

27. I get 5 out of 4 liberal.

Oh, OK, only 4 out of 4. ;)

[northzax]

30. I don't agree with your questions

and here's why:

1) Regarding Abortion - Do you consider yourself Pro-Choice or Anti-Abortion? being pro-choice is not a liberal position, to be perfectly honest. The true conservative position, that medical decisions should be left between a patient and a doctor, is more correct. a liberal position would be that government might have the right to get involved in medical decision making. The fact that the conservative position has been corrupted by religious faith means that those espousing anti-choice positions are not conservatives. You have it backwards. I believe that no government should ever interfere in private medical decisions, that is not a liberal position, inherently.

2) Prayer in public schools. That is to say, sectarian prayer led by an administrator or teacher. (Big deal or no big deal?) Again, not a liberal/conservative issue. it's a religious issue. there is no reading of the Consitition, from either perspective, that makes this a real issue.

3) Gun Control. Should there be limits of ANY kind on the purchase and ownership of small handguns and rapid-fire rifles? here you are right, a liberal postion is to change basic rights to adopt to the times. a classically conservative position is to defer to the basic document.

4) Gay Marriage (I used to ask "Gays in the Military" during the Clinton era but now the issue has shifted to marriage) Is the idea of same sex marriage a good idea or a bad idea? once again, the only issue here is a religious one. There is nothing in the founding documents of this country that forbids, or even mentions marriage. This is a State issue, not a federal one. That is the conservative position. And most states, frankly, didn't bother to address this, leading to the new consitutional amendments. Given that it wasn't addressed anywhere, the conservative position should read: let people do what they want. the liberal position is more activist, changing and enforcing the rules to meet new mores, even if the rules don't need changing.

[freestyle]

31. I am not for many limits on gun ownership, so maybe 2.5 also.

I think background checks are fine, and I would also support gun safety classes and some demonstrated competence with the weapon you are buying as conditions for purchase.

[stop the bleeding]

32. Ditto - and oh yeah Iove trees and animals - does that make me more

"librul"?

[PurityOfEssence]

33. I'm a liberal and I like the tag

1) Some restrictions in the last trimester. Having seen sonograms of my kids, they're struggling and sentient beings at that point. (I have a sonogram of one of them looking right at the imaging device; it's curious, and a fragile creature deserves our protection.) There should be no restrictions EVER in the case of rape, and anything that imperils the life of the host cancels everything. This is only premised upon the given that adequate birth control is taught and available, and since the maniac believers HATE sex, that's probably just not going to happen.

2) No religion of any sort in school. No voluntary prayer, no invocation of the concept of a supreme being (including the pledge) and all background "ceremonial deism" is to be scrupulously kept at a minimum. Sure, celebrate Christmas, but don't get into the reason. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa should always be there if Christmas is. Celebrate Halloween--as my kids can't due to fundamentalist killjoy jesusbots--as a fun dress-up make-believe day. Celebrate Thanksgiving as a celebration of survival. Don't celebrate Easter.

3) I hate guns. Let them have them. Nobody should be allowed to own anything that doesn't provide "retail killing"; this means that something that allows you to kill one or two people (ugly as this is, and as much as I wish it wasn't legal) should be allowed, but no nuclear warheads, machine guns or cluster bombs. (The Constitution only provides the right for arms in a militia, something needed to keep the natives at bay and save the skinflint government from providing adequate protection. This was written before there was an Alabama. I'm not going to fight this right now; there are too many one-issue voters who need to feel virile with their little death device snuggled nearby, so let's leave it alone and let them feel powerful.)

4) Absolutely let them marry. Civil marriage doesn't have anything to do with religion, nor should it. People are people, and they should be able to express their bonds with each other and have indistinguishable rights. A same-sex couple is the same as an opposite-sex couple. In many ways, those of the same sex who are willing to pledge themselves to each other in the face of societal pressure and ostracism have a superior bond than those doing it in the sanctioned way. (Broad strokes here, but I think you get the point.)

I LOVE THE LABEL OF LIBERAL and wear it proudly. If I score less by my willingness to address certain restrictions on abortion or my willingness not to waste energy fighting the gun nuts, then so be it.

I must add, however, that you're not addressing the most important issues: economic fairness, safety regulations, the environment or civil rights. Fun discussion, though...

[JNelson6563]

35. Well let's see here:

1) Regarding Abortion - Do you consider yourself Pro-Choice or Anti-Abortion?

Pro-choice.

2) Prayer in public schools. That is to say, sectarian prayer led by an administrator or teacher. (Big deal or no big deal?)

No prayer.

3) Gun Control. Should there be limits of ANY kind on the purchase and ownership of small handguns and rapid-fire rifles?

Yes, gun controls.

4) Gay Marriage (I used to ask "Gays in the Military" during the Clinton era but now the issue has shifted to marriage) Is the idea of same sex marriage a good idea or a bad idea?

Gay marriage should be allowed. It won't happen in my lifetime and I believe if the Gay&Lesbian community pushed for "civil unions" they'd realize success sooner. I don't see why people shouldn't be allowed to marry whoever they please.

Julie

[foreigncorrespondent]

36. 3/4 left here!

The one that stopped me was gun question.

I'm not a big supporter of guns, but I also believe in a persons right to own guns.

That said, I do believe that these rapid fire weapons should not be allowed in public hands. They should only be for military use.

[WiseButAngrySara]

37. You left out the most important question...Is War justified on pre-emption

and without a provoked attack, or is War justified only after extensive negotiations, etc. if it is not a provoked attack? Maybe someone else can state this better...I'm not thinking clearly tonight!