"The Left/Right scale is a misleading way of comparing political systems. It doesn't measure anything." -- Marshall Fritz

A BRIEF COMPARISON OF SOME POLITICO-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS a general guide to telling the live-and-let-livers apart from the control freaks “Political tags -- such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth -- are never basic criteria.

The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.” -- Robert A Heinlein "In principle, there are only two fundamental political viewpoints. That is, two contradictory

ends of the 'political spectrum.' Those two principles are freedom and slavery." - Mark Da Cunha

“Fascism, Nazism, Communism and Socialism are only superficial

variations of the same monstrous theme—collectivism.” - Ayn Rand

" Any so-called political 'spectrum' with tyranny at both ends is a trap." - Rick Gaber T he old "left-right" spectrum is used to imply that freedom is somehow a “compromise” between two allegedly “opposite” excuses for dictatorship. This is beyond absurd, beyond ridiculous ; i t’s preposterous. And yet that’s what the purveyors of the “left-right” political spectrum want you to believe. Rationality and sanity require rejecting that entire fallacy. Whenever you see a "definition" of fascism that includes "strident, even vicious nationalism and/or racism," realize that this is

an example of DEFINING BY NON-ESSENTIALS, even by style, which is NOT helpful because they're NOT unique to fascism at all.



• •► THIS is the LIVE-AND-LET-LIVER versus CONTROL-FREAK Spectrum ◄••

PRINCIPAL HALLMARKS Founding

Fathers Libertarians American

Conservatives Authoritarian

Populists Fascists American "Liberals" Socialists Demands for High Taxes





X X X X Disrespect for Private Property







X X X Government Control of Banking



X X X X X Government Ownership of Businesses









X Government Control of Businesses and Demands for harsh punishments for victimless commercial behavior (including setting ones' own prices or wages, engaging in so-called "insider trading," moving facilities overseas, competing with protected monopolies and/or setting one's own criteria for selecting customers or employees)



X X X X Demands for Quotas In Private Businesses and Organizations based upon Race, Nationality, Ethnicity or Class Consciousness







X X X Demands for Immigration Quotas based upon Race, Nationality, Ethnicity or Class Consciousness



X X X X X Demands for Personal Sacrifices in the name of "the proletariat," "the master race," national pride, the fatherland, the "common good," "society," "public service," "for 'your own' good," national defense or ANYthing (even when not threatened by foreign aggressors)





X X X X Disrespect for Free Speech; Demands for Speech Codes Among Adults and even censorship in non-government public communications (for "political correctness" or "to protect the children" or whatever)



X X X X X Demands for State-Enforced Restrictions on, and harsh punishments for, victimless personal behavior (including hiring your own doctor, teacher, or sexual partner, using medicines or narcotics not "approved" by the government, etc.)



X

X X X X Demands for Government to be Cut Down to, and Kept Small by, Strictly-Enforced Constitutional Limits X X X



Respect for the Rights of Individuals to Own and Carry Weapons X X X



Respect for Individual Rights in ALL Peaceful Activities

(including influencing peoples' behavior ONLY by PERSUASION , NOT compulsion, taxation or other force of law)

X X























Now, for those defiantly ignorant folks who insist on calling everyone with whom they disagree a "fascist," note that:

Of the 13 hallmarks listed above, FASCISTS share 9 with Socialists, 9 with American "Liberals", 7 with Authoritarian Populists, 4 with American Conservatives, and NONE with the Founding Fathers or the Libertarians.

FASCISTS share the positions taken EITHER in favor OR against the 13 hallmarks listed above with Socialists 12 times, with Authoritarian Populists 11 times, with Conservatives 6 times, with the Founding Fathers twice, with Libertarians once and with American "Liberals" ALL 13 times. Note: Although American Liberals don't usually advocate the outright theft (or "nationalizing" if you prefer) of businesses and other private property by government any more, they often praise, defend and even advocate foreign dictators who still do, especially if those dictators were democratically elected.

It would appear that only the Founding Fathers and the libertarians avoid confusing government with society, have a good grasp of how all government activity has unintended consequences, and whose public policy principles are based on the golden rule -- in other words, on individualist morality, not collectivist legality. "One byproduct of individualism is benevolence -- a general attitude of good will towards one's neighbors and fellow human beings. Benevolence is impossible in a society where people violate each others' rights [as collectivist systems institutionalize]." -- Glenn Woiceshyn



See: OBAMA IS NOT A SOCIALIST by Thomas Sowell, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Economics, Stanford University HERE.



"I'm much interested and deeply impressed by what Mussolini accomplished and by his evidenced honest purpose restoring Italy." - FDR Letter to U.S. Ambassador Breckinridge Long, 16 June 1933; Breckinridge Long Papers, Box 135, Library of Congress.





