After getting into an argument the other day about the nature of left-right politics, I came across this:



Here is a link for politicians and there placement on the spectrum as well as a slightly better explanation. (The picture is too big to post.)

I find it to be more congruent with the current political ideologies than with the usual left-right, liberal-conservative, Democrat-Republican paradigm. I also found out the term "liberal" is used differently in Europe than it is in North America. But I hope the picture explains things a little better.

It is my view that both liberals and conservatives want control of the people in whatever form it may be while authoritarian (statists) what complete control of the people in all forms while libertarians and those above them want complete freedom.

Where do you sit on the spectrum and why, or how much freedom do you actually want?

EDIT:

I am going to make an addendum to my above post as I think some may misunderstand the chart.

The more right you go, the more economic freedom you have, but the more legislated morality you have as well.
The more left you go, the more personal freedom (provided it doesn't get in the way of your complete legislated equality).
The more up you go, the more complete personal and economic freedom you have.
The more down you go, the more complete legislated morality and equality you have. Big Brother tells you when to brush your teeth and you say "OK, Bro."

At the very north position, you have complete and utter freedom in every way. Libertarians are still for very limited government, but not Anarchy. You could say no laws and no government would be at the very north position as well.

At the very south position, you would have something worse that Communist Russia, Fascist Germany, and way beyond George Orwell's 1984 in terms of the government controling every aspect of your life.

At the very east position, you would have complete economic freedom, but the government tells you what to do in your personal life like abortion, gay marriage, etc.

At the very west position, you would complete individual freedom as long as you don't upset anyone or infringe on the rights of the group.

Democrats would be left of center, but not extreme left. Republicans would by right of center, but not extreme right. The Green party, signified by the leaf, would be closing in on the extreme left, but not quite there. Fascism and Communism are almost the extreme bottom of pure Statism, but they come at it from different angles. The Libertarian party would be somewhere between the extreme top of political and social anarchism (not chaos, mind you. Look it up if you have to) and centrism.

Obama would be about where the U in equality is and McCain would be about where the middle A is in authoritarian.

I think the picture is somewhat accurate but it can easily be questioned. Such as personal freedom on the left side. Although I cant remember the last time the left has fought for all personal freedoms, only the minorities personal freedoms, basically only for there people the people who vote for them, which obviously isnt everybodies freedom. I agree with you they all want to own us they want total control, and its getting ridiculous. As far as how much freedom do i want, I would take lawless freedom anyday over the freedom i supposively have now in america. Like ive said before, USA was invented by our forefathers, they came here to escape government. When our government was built, it had two duties, to protect our borders, and protect the people from intruders, that was it. Now our government does everything, it even protects us from ourself, it basically does everything except the two things that it was built to do. There is a big difference between the left and the right, but the worst thin is how they are similiar, neither really care about what the people need, or want. They are supposed to be our servants, and work for us, although it has changed and now we work for them, in everyway. Personally i refuse and the consequences definetly catch up to me, they dont like refusal. Most people dont know what Americas forefathers went through to even create this country, many of them, were murdered, by the british, many were forced underground, many went bankrupt, many of there families were murdered, these people went through it. All to one day recieve real freedom, which they succeded in, it is a shame when you look at our countries birth and how far we have came along, and what we have done for the world, since our beggining. Then to look at us now and repeating the same mistakes, and we even have a f***ing handbook to guide us along, and we still cant follow it. To make it worse it seems like all we want to do is make it even worse, fixing it isnt even a suggestion with these people. As they say though, history will repeat itself, we will eventually get back to were we belong after more poverty, and more control, and etc.... after more war. Im ranting sorry, ill leave it alone now lol

Sometimes i think the only thing that makes me a con. is the fact that i think abortion is murder. some of our con. in Canada are friggin wingnuts

they would prob be somewhere a little south of the middle. they go overboard with their laws of morality. i would put file-sharing in that category.

so i'm not really sure where i fit in that diagram. somewhere in the middle i guess. and that is where i wish i could find a politician too.

but they're too busy buying votes from people with one agenda and being their bitches.

John Galt lives....

I'd like to point out that the Objectivism of Ayn Rand is not quite libertarian as her intellectual heir, Leonard Peikoff, founder of the Ayn Rand Institute, supports the policing of the world in order to "protect" Objectivism. I consider that almost paradoxical in how hypocritical it is. Ayn Rand has time and again tried to distance herself and her philosophy from the libertarian movement.

Best I ken do..........hard ta find the right "spot".

Pretty much how it is now in the UK....and I know some will say "here we go again "..but, name me one part of our Lives that the government has not stuck its big,fat unwelcomed nose into?...... and if any one says Sex.. they even tax condoms now and if you work you have to pay for Birth control pills..!
I say shoot ALL politicians and any one with a political ambition and let the people Live their lives as they choose to...humanity would soon find an equilibrium, and after the first couple of years of anarchy life would return to a state of reasonable normality. Just My opinion...

I'm not sure how the term "reasonable normality" can be defined

I believe in a utopian anarchy where everyone can do as they wish which unfortunately in our reality is completely unatainable because once you allow people to start shooting etc those whom you disagree with you begin to have serious problems and it ceases to become a utopia, and more of a life of terror. Human nature simply does not allow such a state to exist because there will always be someone who wants what another person has.

However, A state of anarchy has existed for any length of time in the remote island of Tristan De Cunha, where for around 100 years barter was used instead of money and the people governed themselves. There was no police or authority and no crime of any kind in living memory, according to the explorer Peter Munch in his book, Crisis in Utopia: The Ordeal of Tristan da Cunha

No internet though...