Why are you a Conservative, Liberal, Socialist, Communist, Centrist etc..

[ugabuga]

I tend to think of liberal and conservative relative to individual rights.

I see conservatives as trying to conserve my individual rights and let me run my life.
I see liberals as working to transfer those rights to the government and reduce my ability to control my own life.

By my definition, anyone who voted for the Patriot Act, Healthcare, DMCA, etc.. is a liberal.

Futurebeachbum,
I think you're on to something & I sorta agree.

In general, conservatives tend to be more concerned w/ individual rights, while liberals tend to be more concerned w/ society as a whole. Humans are social animals & will always live in societies.

Much of the liberal/conservative debate centers around how to strike the balance between individual rights & the overall good of society.

Although I consider myself a liberal, I think the Patriot Act is an unwarranted intrusion into my (our) individual private live(s); on the other hand , I think societies should insure that all its members have access to education, health care and legal protection.

I had to look up DCMA: best I could understand, the act criminalizes use of devices/technology/etc. that attempt to circumvent copyright & intellectual property protection laws. If I understand it correctly, I'd say DCMA is conservative in that it protects individual rights & doesn't give over those rights to society as a whole.

 

[futurebeachbum]

I had to look up DCMA: best I could understand, the act criminalizes use of devices/technology/etc. that attempt to circumvent copyright & intellectual property protection laws. If I understand it correctly, I'd say DCMA is conservative in that it protects individual rights & doesn't give over those rights to society as a whole.

The problem with the DMCA is that it undermines due process and puts the burden of proof on the accused, not the accuser. A provider pretty much must obey a DMCA take-down notice and then let the accused come back later and prove that they have the right to use the content at which point it might be restored.

That part doesn't work for me.

And now ACTA, the treaty being negotiated now is going to make the DMCA look like a tea party. Almost all rights of purchasers are eliminated under ACTA.

 

[Lisa Ruby]

Some of this makes my head swirl so I have permanently adopted views of emeraldcoastkeeper.org

Political views: swimmable water

Religious views: drinkable water