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What are Liberal Beliefs?

Results | Messages
A Poll designed to ask Liberals about their deeply held beliefs. Space is provided to supply your own answers should the provided ones be discovered to be too biased.
Protection of the Diversity found in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is the first object of government
true
false
other:
From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results
true
false
other:
The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.
true
false
other:
A government based on the principles on which constitutional governments arising out of society are established, cannot have the right of altering itself. If it had, it would be arbitrary. It might make itself what it pleased; and wherever such a right is set up, it shows there is no constitution
true
false
other:
There is not a syllable in the Constitution which empowers the national courts to construe the laws according to the spirit of the Constitution. To advocate such a power would be as unprecedented as it is dangerous…
true
false
other:
There are some who would be inclined to regard the servile pliancy of the Executive to a prevailing current, either in the community or in the legislature, as its best recommendation. But such men entertain very crude notions, as well of the purposes for which government was instituted, as of the true means by which the public happiness may be promoted. The republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the community should govern the conduct of those to whom they intrust the management of their affairs; but it does not require an unqualified complaisance to every sudden breeze of passion, or to every transient impulse which the people may receive from the arts of men, who flatter their prejudices to betray their interests.
true
false
other:
The fundamental principle of republican government admits the right of the people to alter or abolish the established Constitution, whenever they find it inconsistent with their happiness, yet it is not to be inferred from this principle, that the representatives of the people, whenever a momentary inclination happens to lay hold of a majority of their constituents, incompatible with the provisions in the existing Constitution, would, on that account, be justifiable in a violation of those provisions; Until the people have, by some solemn and authoritative act, annulled or changed the established form, it is binding upon themselves collectively, as well as individually; and no presumption, or even knowledge, of their sentiments, can warrant their representatives in a departure from it, prior to such an act.
true
false
other:
the way to have good and safe government, is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to. Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man's farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best.
true
false
other:
Everyone should have the same rights and be treated equally under the law
true
false
other:
Equality of outcomes should be obtained through the use of laws that treat people differently; conferring benefits or advantages on some at the expense of others
true
false
other:
Which of the following people are worthy of your respect?
Hitler
Mother Teresa
Ghandi
Martin Luther King
George W. Bush
Obama
Hillary Clinton
Ronald Reagan
All people are worthy of the same level of respect
Cum Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc and Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc are
fallacies where a correlation between two events is taken as proof that one event causes the other one without disproof of other possible causes
illegal sexual acts involving birds of prey
conservative slogans
the fundamental Premises of Liberal Reasoning
other:
Judical Activism is
A myth made up by conservatives
ignoring the meaning of the law as ratified or passed by the people or legistature in order to substitute a personal preference for what it SHOULD mean.
A good way to impose new laws and rights not ratified by the legislature or the people, but which they would ratifiy if only they new better.
The Founding Father’s intended method of allowing the Constitution to deal with the changing needs of the people
A policy advocated by Barrak Obama
A rejection of the principle of “ratification by the people” via the amendment process
other:
A Constitutional Right is
The opposite of a Constitutional Left
A guarantee that prohibits government interference with an individual’s freedoms
A benefit that the government provides to one group at the expense of another group
A guarantee that prohibits the people from interfering with the Government's freedoms
other:
Which of the following are rights protected by the U.S. Constitution
Access to clean water
Access to clean air
Freedom from exposure to religious symbols or thoughts
Insurance against the effects of making bad investments
Insurance against failing to save for retirement
Insurance against the effects of bad health (either self-inflicted or natural)
Insurance against the effects of job loss
Insurance against the effects of natural disasters
Insurance against the effects of anti-social behavior, bad judgement, or a lack of natural ability
Victim hood
Respect
other:
The American Principle that “all men are created equal” means
Men and women are, on average, the same in regards to skills, abilities and interests
Adults and Children should be granted the same rights and abilties to make decisions
Any difference in the performance of one individual from another is caused by some systematic form of discrimination
that everyone should be expected to have the same economic outcomes regardless of ability or behavior
That the laws to should apply to everyone in the same way
other:
More (social) justice for all means
A loss of choice on where your child goes to school, what they are taught, and what values they are indoctrinated with
A loss of choice on what wage an employer may offer, and what a worker may accept
A loss of choice about what qualities are important in hiring
A loss of choices about how to spend income, how much to give to charity, and what types of charity to support
A loss of choice in Medical Practioner and Medicines available
A loss of choices of where and what types of housing an be built
A loss of choice about what fuels will be available
A loss of choice about what kind of foods one can eat
More equality (for certain groups)
More freedom (for certain groups)
other:
Banning Homosexual marriage is a violation of civil rights
Because the current laws single out a group for inequal treatment under the law
Because heterosexual men are allowed to marry each other, while Homosexual men are not
Because heterosexual women are allowed to marry each other, while lesbians are not
Because it dictates who an individual can love and live with
Because those who find Homosexual relationships sinful should be forced to recognize ,accept and respect them in public regardless of their predjudices
other:
Miranda rights prevent police from taking advantage of un-savvy criminals who would otherwise not have the same chances of avoiding punishment as professional criminals
true
false
other:
Which of the following factors increase the crime rate
Poverty
Discrimination against Minorities
Guns
Inprisonment
Delays in the criminal system caused by a liberal appeals process
High standards and difficult procedures for gathering evidence
Light sentencing
Rehabilitation and parole programs without empricial checks on effectiveness
Willingness to report crimes to authorities
other:
Speech Codes at Colleges and Universities that prevent the expression of certain opinions while on campus or enrolled in classes
Prevent Hate Speech against minorities
Prevent hate speech against White Anglo-Saxon Males
Lead to a free exchange of ideas and access to different viewpoints
Encourage a student’s ability to understand and cooperate with others
Create a less hostile learning environment
Are compliant with the 1st Amendment and an individual's right of conscience
other:
Immigrants to the United States come here because
Because they were fooled by the right-wing propaganda machine into leaving Cuba and its perfect health care system only to become the exploited and downtrodden victims of greedy capitalists
Because the United States allows social upward mobility regardless of race or birth (or even legal status)
Because being poor in the United States is better than being poor anywhere else
Because they like risking their lives in the ocean or in the desert and America just happened to be on the other side
other:
War is never the answer because:
In any disagreement, both sides only want what is best for humanity, and open communication will allow the resolution of the conflict without violence
It might result in a free democratic society
It might free millions from totalitarian rule
It might enhance human rights and abolish institutions like slavery
It might prevent genocide and ideological purges
Leaflet campaigns are more effective against a determined enemy
other:
What if they gave a war and only one side came?
If a survey indicates that one in 10 adults lives in poverty, they are always the same adults from survey to survey
true
false
other:
Wages should be based on
effort
productivity
merit
societal contribution
business profits
race
gender
sexual orientation
the needs of the worker's ego
other:
The gap between the wages of CEOs and other high-level executives and the Average Worker should be small because
They do the same work
they take the same risks
They have the same Experience
Investors and Stockholders have no right to hire and pay who they want to grow thier investment
It is more fair that way
other:
Fixing prices or wages at arbitrary levels in a market economy will
Result in a surplus when prices are set too high
Result in shortage when prices are set too low
Require a government bailout or subsidy
Nullify and repeal the laws of supply and demand
other:
If someone got richer, it is only because someone, somewhere got poorer, because the amount of wealth is constant.
true
false
other:
When looking at the United States Income distribution as measure of class inequity what factors need to be considered:
Household distribution in each Income Quintile (Married, Single, Children etc)
How much “Personal Income Tax” comes from Small Businesses
Number of People in each Income Quintile
The effect of income ranges of each quintile differing from year to year
The effect of differing numbers of people in each quintile from year to year
The effect of differing numbers and types of households in each from year to year
The age distribution of people in each quintile
the number of hours worked by different individuals in each household
The frequency with which households move from one Quintile to the next
The after-tax income distribution across the board an in each quintile
The job status (unemployed) of persons within the households over the period
Other forms of wealth and capital (houses) not reported as income until realized
The difference between the maximum amount earned and the minimum amount earned
The average income of each quintile from year to year
other:
Social Security is
An insurance program regulated by same laws that apply to private insurance firms
Insurance for the unwise and/or unlucky paid for by the wise and/or lucky
A retirement saving plan where the reward is commensurate with the money put in.
Necessary to promote fairness
A government run pyramid scheme with mandatory participation that relies on expanding populations to allow each new generation to pay for the previous one
other:
Basketball is a culturally biased game because African-American Basketball Players play better than White, Hispanic and Asian players
true
false
other:
Prejudice is
Any belief a white person has about a minority group
The forming of opinions about a group in the absence of empirical data
The belief that any negative opinion of a minority group is the result of prejudice
other:
One cultural/political system is as good as another because
They all provide the same level of prosperity and standard of living
They all provide for the same amount of individual freedom (speech, beliefs)
They all provide the same protections on property and personal liberty
They all provide the same degree of opportunity to all individuals
They all allow the same range of individual achievement
They are academic constructs with no practical real-world value
We must respect other cultures
other:
If someone invented a machine that would remove racism from society, which of the following would happen
The NAACP, Jesse Jackson and other Civil Rights groups would celebrate, have a party, and disband because they were no longer needed
The academic test scores of Asians would drop to be in line with those of whites, while the test scores of blacks would increase
Civil Rights groups would attempt to maintain their power by citing statistical disparities caused by other non-discrimination related factors to prove the machine did not work, and claim more entitlement programs were needed.
More equality
other
Which factors might affect the pay an individual may receive and should be considered when determining if an individual was given equal pay for equal work
Age, Training, Experience and Education
Profession
Type of work (Part-time, Full Time, Volunteer, Unemployed, Salary, Hourly)
Marital Status, the existence of Children and the effect of these factors on career goals
Professional Reputation and Personal Contacts
Gaps in work history (Time out to raise children)
Willingness to travel
Other Job perks ( summers off, weeks of vacation, on-site child care, insurance and health benefits, schedule flexibility, emotional fullfillment and rewards of the job...)
Inter-personal skills, hygene, work-ethic
Assertiveness (demand a raise, take leadership)
Criminal Record
Gender
Race
other:
What factors might affect the qualified pool of applicants and should be taken into account when determining if there is a “glass ceiling” as determined by the percentage representation of women in advanced positions ?
The years of experience needed for the job
The educational level needed for the job
The career experience needed for the job
The historical demographics of worker participation by gender in the required career
The historical educational levels of men and women in the required career
The number of qualified men and women who have gaps in their work history
The number of qualified men and women who have the ambition to advance to a high level position
the expected percentage is always 50% because women behave exactly the same as men
other:
If an affirmative action program were to place an average African American Golfer in the PGA Masters Golf Tournament which of the following would happen
Tiger Woods would be assumed to be only an average golfer who had received special treatment
The average golfer would now be equal in skill to Tiger Woods and have equal chances of success in the tournament
The average golfer would become discouraged by his poor showing the tournament and may choose not to participate in the next one
The average golfer will have lost opportunities to be successful in tournaments where the other players are closer in skill level
there would be more equality
other:
After a cut in Tax Rates
Tax Receipts go up
Tax Receipts go Down
Tax Receipts either go up or down depending according to the Laffer Curve
other:
Which of the following positions can and should be used to discourage outdated views and promote new social values in the cause of “social engineering”
Public School Teacher
Journalist
Federal or State Justice
Mayor
none of the above
other
Comparative worth is a policy supported by Barrak Obama which allows the government to set wages in an attempt to equalize the pay gap between men and women. Determine the Comparative worth of Garbage Collectors (male dominated field), Executive Assistants (Female dominated field) and Homemakers (female dominated field) . Based on your results, what should be the wage paid to each? Please show all calculations and use correct units.
Height restrictions, zoning laws, environmental protection laws and “open space” requirements on developers
Allow those in an area (the rich) to discriminate against others (the poor) because the restrictions make it uneconomical for developers to provide lower-income housing
Create housing shortages and higher prices by reducing the incentives developers have for building
Allow individuals to more easily discriminate against minorities because there is a surplus of people looking for housing
Encourage urban sprawl, increase commuting time and pollution, and increases the chance of automobile fatalities
Reduce the human consumption of resources and environmental impact on the land while making the earth a better place to live
other:
Global Warming is a dire threat to mankind because
The IPCC review process allows statistical errors to be presented as proof of a Hockey stick effect
Scientists depending on Government funding are altruistic and are unlikely to report there is a problem needing government intervention simply because it will guarantee them additional funding, whereas Scientists being paid by Corporate interests have every reason to lie
Data shows that the magnitude in the Change in temperature is within the margin of error of our instruments
Data shows the Earth has lost a great deal of heat in recent months as a result of a reduction in solar activity
Data shows record ice sheet growth in the Antarctic
The little ice age in the 1800's directly correlates with the period of increased human CO2 emissions and therefore very little of the observed temperature change can be attributed to the earth returning to a more normal temperature and proves that one caused the other
Global Warming theory relies on a feed back loop with water vapor and CO2 which for some reason didn't destroy the planet in the past when concentrations of CO2 were far higher than they are today
Because a consensus of Scientists says that it is happening
the consensus of scientists in Copurnicus' time believed that the Sun went around the earth
other:
Conservatives are hypocritical on their stances involving abortion, the death penalty and war because
they think there is a difference between an innocent fetus and a convicted criminal
they think there is a difference between an illegal violent act commited by a member of a society and a conflict between culturesto determine what acts will be considered illegal in the first place
they don't care that killing is wrong
their thinking is "nuanced"
other:
A set of morals developed for a Kindergarten Class are applicable in the real world because
cupcakes should be given to everyone as a windfall gain regardless of who produced them
The Story of the Little Red Hen is morally bankrupt
True freedom is the freedom from reponsibility, consequences and decision-making that children enjoy
The government should act as everyone's parent or schoolmarm
other:
I would classify myself as a
liberal
conservative
libertarian
communist
socialist
progressive
Democrat
Republican
Green
other:
Did answering this survey provoke an emotional response? If so, please describe it
Anything else you would like to share?
This poll was created on 2008-08-05 13:54:12 by weisshaupt