Well, according to this survey, that’s how I rank — scoring 276/400, with the average American score 209.5.
I’ll confess that beyond my previous social liberalism, my economic moderate status has been provoked over the last several months. I do believe that central economic control is rarely a good idea, and it’s certainly possible for both “bread & circuises” and wishes-over-reality — not to mention governmental corruption, political hackery, and bureaucratic metastization can do great harm. While, on the other hand, competition, the marketplace of goods and ideas, the promotion of personal responsibility and entrepreneurial spirit can work wonders.
But …
The lesson of the last two decades, come home to roost in the last year, demonstrates that “survival of the fittest” in an economic sense leaves a lot more losers than winners … that corruption can manifest in unaccountable private as well as ostensibly representative public … that a rising tide doesn’t lift all ships, especially when it’s a tsunami.
In sort, there are times when government can, in fact, help. Can prevent exploitation, while not preventing innovation. Can support what individuals cannot, and the profit motive will not — while recognizing that individual achievement, and, yes, profit, can motivate powerfully and foster laudable success.
It’s a dream I have.
339/400
Extremely Progressive
295/400 very (but not extremely) progressive.
344/400. Woot!
So, obviously you-all have been a good (or bad, depending on your perspective) influence on me.
300/400. Very progressive.
Qll that said,look at where the poll is and how the questions are stated. I could have easily pulled 400 on that by answering the way the writers WANT it answered.
I scored 234/400, making me just “progressive”. (Coincidentally, 234 is the number of my office at CSU.) But I answered like a philosopher who is willing to admit his ignorance (I answered 5 when I felt too ignorant to answer a question) rather than answering on the basis of an ideology, so I probably didn’t do it right.
True enough, Arty. And it’s possible that there’s some bias in both the scoring and in the questions themselves.
That said, I don’t think I answered anything to the extremes, and mostly in the 33% / 66% range, with a fair amount even more to the middle. So I was a bit surprised at the final verdict.