Posted By: willywonka4u
My cultist friend, I didn't say the test was perfect. I just said it was the best on the net. Every question is loaded with these sort of tests.
But compared to the Nolan test...wow.
Here are a few of the questions in the economic section of that test.
"Cut taxes and government spending by 50% or more."
"Replace government welfare with private charity."
and my favorite
"Let people control their own retirement; privatize Social Security."
Notice that these aren't questions, but statements? Notice that it presupposes that if we have social security people don't control their own retirement? Why not ask, "Should Social Security be privatized?"
How about, "Cut taxes and government spending by 50% or more." What if you want spending increased, and taxes to go down? What if you want spending to go down and taxes to go up? No, with this test you either buy cultist indoctrination, or you're labeled the epithet "statist".
This test places me as a moderate liberal leaning slightly statist. Now, would anyone on this board say that I'm moderate? Hell, I don't say that I'm a moderate.
How accurate can a 10 question test with loaded questions be in gaging someone's political disposition? You tell me, my cultist friend.
This whole post demonstrates that you do not even understand what a loaded question is.
A loaded question is one that requires the person answering to agree to unstated assumptions. The classic example is "Have you quit beating your wife?" Whether you answer yes or no, you are admitting that you have beaten your wife in the past.
None of the Nolan chart questions require you to agree to anything in order to give a proper answer.
For instance, the very first question assumes that there is a conflict of interest between corporations and "humanity". Nobody who believes in free markets could answer "agree" or "disagree" to that. To those who see no such conflict of interest, either answer is completely meaningless.
More evidence of the insane level of bias of those who created the "Political Compass" test:
In the FAQ, they try to defend the first question against those who argue against the conflict of interest.
# Your proposition on globalisation suggests that corporations and humanity can't both benefit.
This one sometimes ruffles feathers on right wings. What the proposition actually suggests is that humanity should be the priority.
Critics argue that there's no conflict of interest. Transnational corporations naturally and unfailingly serve humanity by serving themselves. In enriching business, the argument goes, globalisation will always subsequently benefit humanity. Prioritising humanity would only limit the ability of the corporations to inevitably do greater good. So advocates of this trickle down approach should simply click 'strongly disagree' We don't see the problem.
The record, however, makes clear that there have often been spectacular conflicts of interest between coporate enrichment and humantity. Halliburton, Enron and the tobacco industry's research cover-ups are perhaps the best known examples. Others are detailed at The 10 Worst Corporations of 2008 and Corpwatch.org .
On the other hand, for the comparatively few who tell us that corporations can never serve humanity, Milton Friedman argues the case for unfettered market forces.
Lots of strawman fallacies here. Nobody says that corporations "naturally and unfailingly serve humanity". Free market advocates know this is NOT automatic, not absolute, and NOT INFALLIBLE. The one reason we need free markets IS to weed out the corrupt and the mistaken. This is why free markets economists talk about "creative destruction" and "freedom to fail".
There is no way to "prioritize humanity", since corporations are made up of human beings, part of humanity, and because of that no conflict of interest thing. Hurting the corporations IS hurting humanity by limiting the ability of the market to serve human needs.
"Trickle down" is a strawman. Read Thomas Sowell's "Tax Cuts and the 'Trickle Down' Economics Straw Man"
Bringing up Haliburton, ENRON and the tobacco industry shows how little the authors of the quiz understand free market economics. Those companies were not operating in a free market. Their behavior has no bearing on the harmony of self interest in a free market because their interests were in getting special favors from the government. Even the tobacco industry has gotten special subsidies and operates under price controls, which benefits the more corrupt business owners and managers. The government controlled market selects for the corrupt kinds of people who would want to falsify scientific research.
This whole thread, discussion, and the "Political Compass" test simply demonstrate how liberal and progressive ideas corrupt people's minds to the point that they are unable to understand their opponents' ideas.
