In the old days... caution - greatly simplified... ...Left and right referred to where representatives sat (wing) in the French Parliament. In the US (and perhaps elsewhere) it came to mean (generally):
Left - large government with greater power is necessary and desired to solve the nations problems and will not interfere with the liberty of the people. Right - Small government with minimal power is necessary and desired to maintain the liberty of the people and adequate to solve the nations problems. Most folks are really a mixture of the two, with views depending upon the issue. Often you will hear some folks being described as Centrists. A little of each perhaps. Folks are trying to reach a balance between security and liberty and where they sit (assuming they are really knowledgeable - whatever that means) will depend upon which of two noble goals they prize most. Speaking, just for me, liberty for mankind is the greatest prize. I don't find "balance" to be in the center of US politics. I see on side as "weighted". Over the years, left and right became less a description of political philosophy and more a long list of policies whereby folks are judged by their "stand" on each political issue, and caricatures for leftists and rightists evolved. It all became quite confusing. When I say I am "right of center", this is the "scale" I am referring to. Regards, Bob... ---------------------------------------------------------------- They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken. - Anonymous, presumed dead. From: "Tanya Mayer Photography" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > This may seem uneducated of me - but I here you all saying "i'm right of > centre", "he's left", "left winged", "right winged" etc, can someone please > explain to me just what these terms mean? > > From: Bob Blakely [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > I am a Christian & right of center. > > I am continually accused of all manner of things that have nothing to do > with me or anyone I know. It's as though someone made an elaborate > caricature and assigned to it all sorts of ridiculous extremes. Then all > that's necessary for amusement is the accusations. Not as much fun as tar > and feathers, but it's legal.