Political Compass!

I've done this thing before but it was suggested... so I headed over and was not at all surprised to get the same results I have gotten time and again. I like to believe I am well read, politically aware and infuriated by the same things that most people are... but every time I take this I realize that the variables are endless and it's doubtful that anyone could say that they see everything EXACTLY the way I do, I think I'm in pretty good company where I land.

Cheers and Viva La FREEDOM!


About The Political Compass™

In the introduction, we explained the inadequacies of the traditional left-right line.

If we recognise that this is essentially an economic line it's fine, as far as it goes. We can show, for example, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot, with their commitment to a totally controlled economy, on the hard left. Socialists like Mahatma Gandhi and Robert Mugabe would occupy a less extreme leftist position. Margaret Thatcher would be well over to the right, but further right still would be someone like that ultimate free marketeer, General Pinochet.

That deals with economics, but the social dimension is also important in politics. That's the one that the mere left-right scale doesn't adequately address. So we've added one, ranging in positions from extreme authoritarian to extreme libertarian.



Both an economic dimension and a social dimension are important factors for a proper political analysis. By adding the social dimension you can show that Stalin was an authoritarian leftist (ie the state is more important than the individual) and that Gandhi, believing in the supreme value of each individual, is a liberal leftist. While the former involves state-imposed arbitary collectivism in the extreme top left, on the extreme bottom left is voluntary collectivism at regional level, with no state involved. Hundreds of such anarchist communities exisited in Spain during the civil war period

You can also put Pinochet, who was prepared to sanction mass killing for the sake of the free market, on the far right as well as in a hardcore authoritarian position. On the non-socialist side you can distinguish someone like Milton Friedman, who is anti-state for fiscal rather than social reasons, from Hitler, who wanted to make the state stronger, even if he wiped out half of humanity in the process.

The chart also makes clear that, despite popular perceptions, the opposite of fascism is not communism but anarchism (ie liberal socialism), and that the opposite of communism ( i.e. an entirely state-planned economy) is neo-liberalism (i.e. extreme deregulated economy)




The usual understanding of anarchism as a left wing ideology does not take into account the neo-liberal "anarchism" championed by the likes of Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman and America's Libertarian Party, which couples social Darwinian right-wing economics with liberal positions on most social issues. Often their libertarian impulses stop short of opposition to strong law and order positions, and are more economic in substance (ie no taxes) so they are not as extremely libertarian as they are extremely right wing. On the other hand, the classical libertarian collectivism of anarcho-syndicalism ( libertarian socialism) belongs in the bottom left hand corner.

In our home page we demolished the myth that authoritarianism is necessarily "right wing", with the examples of Robert Mugabe, Pol Pot and Stalin. Similarly Hitler, on an economic scale, was not an extreme right-winger. His economic policies were broadly Keynesian, and to the left of some of today's Labour parties. If you could get Hitler and Stalin to sit down together and avoid economics, the two diehard authoritarians would find plenty of common ground.
Your political compass
Economic Left/Right: -7.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.15





Now you know where you are on The Political Compass™, you might like to explore the ideas of those with similar (or wildly differing) views on our Reading List.
A Word about Neo-cons and Neo-libs

U.S.neo-conservatives, with their commitment to high military spending and the global assertion of national values, tend to be more authoritarian than hard right. By contrast, neo-liberals, opposed to such moral leadership and, more especially, the ensuing demands on the tax payer, belong to a further right but less authoritarian region. Paradoxically, the "free market", in neo-con parlance, also allows for the large-scale subsidy of the military-industrial complex, a considerable degree of corporate welfare, and protectionism when deemed in the national interest. These are viewed by neo-libs as impediments to the unfettered market forces that they champion.


International Chart

A diverse professional team has assessed the words and actions of internationally known contemporary leaders to give you an idea of how they relate to each other on the political compass.

We regret the present exclusion of some major leaders, especially in the developing world. This is due to our inability so far to contact independent experts.


How You Can Help Us

A great deal of effort lies behind the development of The Political Compass, and the realisation of it in practical form. It has occasionally come to our attention that other sites have tried to exploit our work by copying it, adopting our name, or linking to us in a dishonest fashion.

If you should come across any such sites, please let us know, so that we can take appropriate action.

A few critics believe that we should blow with prevailing political winds and narrow the actual parameters. Please see our FAQ 21.

Thanks from the Political Compass team.
US Primaries 2008
A few words about "The Extreme Right", and a look at the parties in England's local elections
ICONOCHASMS: How well do you know your political icons ?

New material is regularly added to The Political Compass - please keep coming back !

2008: Not the worst year ever! (so far!)

I've been seeing a lot of those retrospective blogs and it made me want to jump on the bandwagon. 2008 brought a lot of change to my world.

Change is a funny word, funny in the ... "What exactly do you mean by that?" kinda way. Some people have a really hard time with change. The transitions get people all jacked up and discombobulated. I've never been one of those people. I learned at a very young age that if you're going to enjoy life you have to learn to roll with it. It rarely does what we plan and never does what we expect, does it?

My mother moved around A LOT when I was little... this of course, meant that I moved around as well. It was an adventure. East Coast, West Coast... we were all over. She was a single mother and really did make a lot of hard choices to make our lives better but all the moving taught me to stay un-rooted. I always knew we'd be moving again, any day so I never really put down roots anywhere --- Until 2005, that is. I have ROOTS, now. (yes the dark ones on my head need tending to as well)... but I have ROOTS, ties to a city, a family a place that I have learned to love. My Home. I have a home. I've lived places, lived with people... but it had been a long LONG time since anything really felt like HOME to me. In 2005 I found a home.

Fast Forward 3 years... Friday night... December 12th 2008... my mother has come to visit with a family friend (Lynn)... We are cleaning and preparing my HOME for visitors that will be coming the following day to help Celebrate my daughter... (yes... MY DAUGHTER, I still love to say it!) turning 2 years old. 2008 watched me watching my little girl turn two, I can hardly believe she's grown so much... I can still remember the first time I laid eyes on her... in O.R. #1 at Magee Women's Hospital... her eyes were wide open, she looked right at me, and melted my heart... took over my world in the most wonderful way.

I didn't think my mother would make it to Piper's party but I was so happy to have her there... We all started filing off to bed around 3am, after putting together her Princess Kitchen and stuffing bags for the little guests... In the morning we'd wake up and Gramma would say "Hi" to Piper... Daddy would rush off to pick up his family and the cakes...and I would have a little bit of time to myself with Piper While my mother and our friend went to find surprises for Piper. I changed her into her Party Dress, played with her, got her a snack and sat on the couch with her watching Phinneas and Ferb... As we sat there cuddling all I thought about was how great it was to be home... with her... in that moment... it was a GREAT moment, a perfect moment.


There were other changes in 2008... I made at least ONE MAJOR change in my life, in my health ... probably the biggest decision I have made in over 15 years... and I am loving it. 2008 brought me health... I feel GREAT and I am so loving passing on the rewards of this choice to my family. 2008 was not easy... I made hard choices, felt sad that my little girl was growing up, missed friends and family, lost a loved one, felt a fear I have never felt in my entire life... and survived... No, it was not easy... but it was GOOD! 2008 was good. What doesn't kill us may not always make us stronger but it sure does make us think! ... and I think... Wow! What a Year! I wonder what 2009 has in store for me.

We have a short list on the burners for 2009 already. Here's the rundown.

Get the HC Biz online.
Going to Minnesota to visit family and taking Piper to The Mall of America. (Lego land, Nickelodeon Theme Park and anything else fun we can find to do there!)
Going to Texas to Visit Shawna (Hopefully also Seeing Kristie and Abbie)

I hope this list grows. But until it does... I'll keep looking for the next adventure... unless it finds me first!

Cheers and Keep On Rockin' (The Baby)!
-Betty

Dear Santa...

Thank you for making my little girl make THIS face!!

Merry Happy Holidays Old St. Nick!
Cheers and Keep On Rockin' (the baby)!

Opposite Baby

Wes and I hired a "Mother's Helper"... she's young but she's super sweet and she likes Piper and Piper likes her. She comes while Wes is working and helps with the heavy lifting. I'm still recovering... Better everyday and already feeling more like myself... but I still need help and Emma (that's her name) is great. We like her.

... anyway, today I NEEDED to get out of the house I was starting to get nice comfy house fever... It's like cabin fever only less people want to hear you complain about it. It was the perfect opportunity (with Emma here) to take our little darling, Piper to get her first haircut.

I have to admit that I did worry a bit... that she would freak out when a stranger came at her with scissors... but my concerns were wasted. Piper is like opposite baby. When other kids cry... she laughs, giggles, investigates and eventually falls in love with whatever force offended the other children... some examples are... Santa Clause, The Easter Bunny, Halloween Props, Strangers, noises... and now... Haircuts.

So, The place we went to is called "Little Snips"... they have fun little car chairs for the wee ones and TV's to keep them occupied so they aren't really paying attention to the cut... but Piper paid attention... she watched looked, laughed and actually enjoyed it.

This is how it started. First, they spray her her hair with a water bottle... (how could they have known that Piper LOVES this... any form of water actually)


Then came the first snips of her lovely baby locks. Piper didn't mind at all.


Piper has some cute little flippy curls in the back so we decided to try and curl them under... just to see if they would cooperate... this required the ... dun dun dun... BLOWDRYER. Piper loved it too...

By BettyRebel

No really, She loved it!!


.... and finally... The ALL DONE FACE!!


I just want to say that I am so proud of her. She was so good and happy... and speaking of happy it's one of her new words... last night she said...

"Mama, I Happy!" I know they are just tiny words but all three hold such power... As parents (good ones) we hope that our children are happy and when they are we are filled with a sense of peace and joy... and to hear my almost two year old tell me she's happy and understand what she was saying... well, I have to admit... I did tear up! She's the source of such joy for me and every day I am reminded of how truly lucky I am to have her.

Here's just a few more photos from today after the haircut!





Cheers and Keep on Rockin' (the baby)!

Hey Punk! You talkin' to me??

So, tonight I was at Target (getting supplies for my hospital stay) when I hear this guy fighting with his teenage son. They were arguing about buying a video game. The son storms away and then I hear the dad talking to another man (who I think was with him). This is what I heard. The kid was all thugged out Drooping pants with his boxers showing, a jacket (in NICE weather), fake bling and he walked like one of his legs was heavier than the other, the dad looked very blue collar to me... very working class... Blue T-shirt, painters paints... (yes, I really am that observant)

Dad: Man, I don't know what's gotten into that kid.
Other man: Is this new?
Dad: No, all these kids are acting like little punks now.
Other Man: Time to lay down the law.
Dad: You can't teach an old PUNK new TRICKS, I've tried.
(both men laugh, and I walk out of eavesdropping range)

Now most of you will look at that and not see anything wrong with it... but me... well I take great offense to my lifestyle being used as an INSULT... I am a PUNK, I have been a punk for a long time, most of my friends are punks... I don't tell people that things I don't like are "gay" or "retarded"... why? Because I know it hurts people. I brought up this to a friend of mine who rationalized it like... "it's just something people say"... well, 50 years ago people used to "just say" a lot of things that they wouldn't dare say now. Racial Slurs weren't frowned on, women were 2nd class citizens and Children should be seen and not heard... Punks and Punk Rock has been around for over 30 years I think it's time to start recognizing that this word "PUNK" should not be used as a descriptive for people who behave badly. Not only is that stereo-type out of date but I can introduce people to large groups of PUNKS who put it to rest. I'll start with me...

"Hi My name is Betty, I'm a Punk!"

UGH! Okay, I feel better now!
Cheers and Viva La Punk Rock!
-Betty

Piper in Polka Dots!

I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to re-do Piper's room. It was cute... and although I can't say there was anything wrong with it... I started to feel like it was too "baby-ish" for her. I think most parents will tell you that there is both pride and pain in the realization that our babies wont be babies forever. I lover her so much and growing with her is a wonderful adventure... every single day... but it still is a reminder that one day... she wont be "growing" she'll be grown... I figured in the meantime I'd give her the best room I could... I want her childhood to be full of wonderful memories and things and places... and her room will hopefully be something she always remember with a smile.

So, here's what sparked my idea! It's called the Snooze N Cruise bed and it was made by Step 2.


I searched and searched for one of these beds but had a really hard time finding one in a) usable condition b)with all the parts c)at a reasonable price. Then one day as I was wasting a few minutes scanning the local postings on Craigslist (which I do fairly often) there it was. ... But $85?? I really believed it was too much and I was pretty sure Wes would agree so I e-mailed the poster to ask a few simple questions. What kind of condition is this in? Do you have ALL the parts? ... and would you be willing to take $70 for this bed? She told me the bed was in GREAT shape, she did have ALL the parts (which she DID NOT, it was missing the support pieced that goes under the mattress) and that she would take $75. I knew that I had seen the bed sell for less on Craigslist but that I had not been fast enough to get it. The seller told me her husband was out of work and they really needed the money so I figured what the hell. Wes Went to pick it up 3 days later and my plan was in motion.

We started by cleaning it... it was FILTHY. He hosed it off and scrubbed with soft scrub... it looked almost new when he was done with it. Then it was a wipe down with degreaser to make sure there was no residue. Then we Prepped it together and I painted it....



Krylon makes a spray paint just for plastics it's called fusion... it works great. As you can see it totally covered the yellow. The outside is "fairytale Pink" and the inside is "eggshell white"

Next I purchased foam mats (the kind people use in playrooms) from an online retailer in ALL purple and we did WALL TO WALL mats... (Wes did the cutting and laying of the tiles!)


We got new drapes for her room...

... and then we started the process of putting everything back together but before I show you that... let me show you what it looked like BEFORE! This is before we got all of her furniture in there... just the crib and her giant Armoire that her daddy made her...but you get the picture!

So... now that you've seen that... here's the slow reveal.

first we got the bed all put together and set in.

The we arranged the room and speckled it with wall art Dots... this is the new room!


Okay... Piper... Meet your new Room!


and she loooooooooooves it! *whew*... so glad it was a success! It's still not quite done... but done enough that I was ready to share it. I need to do a bit more detail painting to her car and there is a rag rug that will be on the floor in her room. We are also currently looking for a Toybox identical to this one, if you come across one PLEASE let us know!


so that was our weekend in a nutshell. While it may LOOK like work we actually had a lot of fun doing it. Piper even helped by laying down on top of the pieces of flooring her daddy was trying to measure and cut. She's such a good helper. Okay, so she didn't so much help as make us laugh... but it was soooooo worth it all. We spent time together and finished a really cool project for Piper.... and BONUS! She likes it!

Cheers and Keep On Rockin' (the baby)!

Strrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike! ... Solidarity!

Verizon is gearing up for a STRIKE!! It's a sad thing that we need Labor Unions to protect the work force. Employers want to take back things that the employees have earned (Health Insurance, Pension, Retiree Benefits) and prevent the expansion of Union Jobs. There are Two large groups of Verizon employees that do not have any UNION and who want to be a part of the Union. Thier pay, jobs and healthcare are NOT protected. The company is fighting the Unionization of these employees. If you are wondering what the big deal is? Why do employees need to Unionize? Think about your own job. Can you be fired spur of the moment with no support or recourse? Is your pay rate, health insurance and Pension (if you even have one) protected? If you said "No!" to any of these questions. You might want to read up on Labor Unions and what they can do for you!! Companies LIKE to have control over their employees and use things like "loss of employment" to motivate employees to work harder for less money. With a Union... Employees still work hard but they get FAIR wages and benefits that they earn and deserve. The power of a strike and the damage it can do to Customer Service Oriented businesses is proven. Strikes don't happen just because a contract expires... They don't happen because the employees need/want time off... They happen because Companies think contract renewal equals "time to take it all back"!!

If Verizon goes on strike... The supervisors will be scrambling to cover the jobs of 1/4 of their work force. To put it into numbers more than 65,000 men and women will hit the streets with picket signs. This is a big deal... and for you... a NON-Verizon employee... do you wonder how this might affect you? Well, fr starters... the number of employees covering trouble and line issues will be drastically reduced. If you have FIOS in your home... TV, PHONE or INTERNET... your service will not stop but there won't be as much support for your problems if you should have any. I also do not think they will be doing ANY production work if there is a strike... meaning if you have an order for FIOS to be installed... or have a date that is anywhere NEAR the Strike you will likely be delayed. For Issues with your phone lines, poles hit or damages. If you lose your service due to an accident or weather... you'll probably be waiting longer than usual for the situation to be handled.

Now, for our part. How can we help them? Do you want to do help them? If you have Verizon LAND LINE and you happen to experience ANY problems beginning Sunday August 2nd... I'd say it's high time you call in and place a work order to have your phone lines looked at. Let's just see for ourselves if Verizon can do this job without it's hard working men and women behind the wheels of their trucks and behind the desks trouble shooting your problems. I think they'll be Crying "UNCLE!"

I am not looking forward to this possibility... But I support it and so should you!!

Cheers and Viva La UNION!







Here's a few Websites... if you wanna fact check!

CWA Locals Voting on Verizon Strike!
Unity@Verizon
Countdown to Strike
Workforce Management


Don't take my word for it!!