@Invictus,
Very keen point. "Liberal" and "Conservative" do refer in most cases to people's attitudes toward the current regime or legal framework. Thus, the particular policies Liberals and Conservatives support vary wildly depending on the political environment in which they operate.

"Personally, I would abolish all federal taxes, and go back the Tariff system, which kept government spending in check until 1913."

I suppose you just are ignorant that the WTO exists.

Why should we abide by the WTO?

"if you were forced to declare as Liberal versus Conservative at gun point, you would be a Liberal. "

Yes, but thankfully we don't live times like those.

Of course I acknowledge that there is such a thing as being closer to one position to another, but if that to you means that everyone can, or should, be boiled down into two camps, then that says a lot about your intellect I think.

@Sbyvl
"Personally, I would abolish all federal taxes, and go back the Tariff system, which kept government spending in check until 1913."

This surprises me. Tariffs are aggressively anti-free-trade, which is pretty aggressively anti-free-market. Would you suggest that the principle of market freedom is valid even within a closed-market system?

Krellin... Though it's cute to see you mount attacks on my use of language, you should maybe know that I teach this stuff and that I have *some* training to back up my claims.

Justice can be heard in a legal sense, absolutely. It can also be a moral concept. And it can even play into ontological considerations (as it did with Platonists, Neo-Platonists, and even some Stoics).

You can disagree with what I'm saying here (which you haven't), but the fact is that the big difference we're after here, on this thread, is the one that spells out in different social organisations. However you choose to organize your community, a certain idea of justice is always presupposed that determines *how* rights and obligations will be shared among the members of that community. That's one sense in which I speak of "distribution of justice".

"@2WL, You're right. That was passed by the Moderates and Liberals. Conservatives (i.e. The Tea Party, was opposed to it)"

But only five TP members voted against the bill...every other Republican voted to pass it.

@hecks: It would still be more affordable for business than having a corporate tax. And tariffs only apply to imports, so it keeps American business booming.

@Cachimbo: I thought you were leaving

Because we signed the treaty. And we pretty much made it and designed it to suit our economic interests. And free trade is good for the economy. And we couldn't afford to have the kind of military we do not with just money from tariffs. Et cetera, et cetera.

12 voted against the bill:
Justin Amash (MI)
Ron DeSantis (FL)
Paul Cook (CA)
John Duncan (TN)
Trent Franks (AZ)
Phil Gingrey (GA)
Tim Huelskamp (KS)
Walter Jones (NC)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ)
Tom McClintock (CA)
Matt Salmon (AZ)
Mark Sanford (SC)

@Invictus:
1) We could nullify the treaty.
2) No, the Socialists did.
3) No it isn't. It benefits foreign nations.
4) Defense should be pretty much all the government spends on anyway. Remember, I want to get rid of all entitlements and subsidies.

12 of the 49 declared members of the TP Caucus...not exactly a strong showing.

There are 234 Republicans in the House. Are you really saying on 12 are conservatives?

Yes.

I will... soon soon... no worries.

Am I annoying you? Is this all making too much sense and, therefore, threatening you in some way?

1) Nullify is the wrong word.
2) You're so wrong I want to scream.
3) You're so wrong I want to scream.
4) I guess you don't want national parks or highways or a space program or federal courts or federal prisons or a diplomatic corps or ports or...

"Yes."

Then you are delusional.

Invi - you can't say "terminology" is meaningless - without a common understand a *what words mean* there is no way people can have a rational conversation. And *that* is why it is so insidious when Liberals co-opt and redefine commonly used language.

Cach -- "I teach this stuff" blah blah blah. I know, and you have a black friend so you aren't racist, either, blah blah blah. No one is impressed by your so-called credentials.

Well, you can't to 1, 2, or 3, so lets discuss 4.

No, I do not want national parks.
States could handle the highways.
Federal Courts do not cost Trillions of Dollars.
Neither does the Diplomatic Corps.
States could handle ports.

I'm not sure what's worse, the ignorance of the general population to political issues, or the wrongheadedness of internet political pontificators such as many found lurking in the WebDiplomacy forums.

Will all the "paleo-conservatives" please stand up. Lmao.

Thucy - we get it...you don't declare anything...You claim to believe in self-responsibility, and also blame the system. You believe in vague philosophical over-lays to cover everything so that you can *never* be nailed down on a point of conversation, because you *always* leave yourself enough wiggle room to not really commit to anything hard and fast. In short, you are unprincipled to the core.

Paleo-Conservatives are also Environmentalists. I am a Reactionary.

@Krellin: In a way, Thucy is just like Lindsay Graham

"Fascism, which did not fear to call itself reactionary... has not today any impediment against declaring itself illiberal and anti-liberal." - Mussolini

And we've all seen how successful the Fascists have been.

"I'm not sure what's worse, the ignorance of the general population to political issues, or the wrongheadedness of internet political pontificators such as many found lurking in the WebDiplomacy forums."

Hive-Mind to Libtards...ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK. Yeah, we get it, Thuc-wad...you have such a vastly superior intellect nobody can understand anythig you say. blah blah blah And women and minorities pray for you White Man help...

Hey 2ndWL, did you know that Mussolini was a Socialist?

http://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-mussolini

That's funny, because from 1914 until his death, he was a member of 5 different Fascist parties. Did you even read what you just linked? "Mussolini was a Socialist...BEFORE becoming a Fascist?"

You're cute.

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs39/f/2008/318/3/2/My_Political_Matrix_by_bobdolefrigginrocks.jpg

Here's the political spectrum.

The Red Dot is not me, the image is from google.

Fascism is on the left, see the picture of Hitler?

Reactionaries are on the right, see Goldwater?