What would you consider yourself to be?  In modern-day America, most people tend to fall into four camps: liberal, conservative, libertarian, populist (or authoritarian).  But how would you know?  One way is to consider the value of three principles: freedom, order and equality.

Freedom versus Order.  Think about the recent school shootings.  Is that a fluke, a tragedy but blown way out of proportion? Or do you consider it a fundamental breakdown of society and law and order?  Should people trade some of their freedoms, and thus feel more safe and secure, for the following:
  *A 10pm curfew for people under 25 years of age in metropolitan areas?
  *Random drug searches of cars on the highways?
  *Random AIDS testing in the workplace to find potential carriers?
  *Random searches of houses and apartments for illegal firearms and drugs?

Freedom versus Equality.  What does the word "equality" mean to you?  Does it include the use of affirmative action as a remedy for discrimination?  In addition, should the United States:
  *Impose similar pay scales for men and women: equal pay for equal work?
  *Impose a $5 fee increase to promote a women's wrestling team?
  *Impose higher levels of taxes for those who make more than $100,000/year?

The best way to discover is to click here and take the test: "Politics Selector."  It's the simplest method, though not the most sophisticated.  Here is one way to visualize:

                                    Freedom                              Equality
                 Freedom
                                         Libertarian         |           Liberal
                                             ---------------------+-------------------
                                         Conservative      |         Populist
                  Order
 

Depending on your views of social and political issues, you might be one of the following.

Libertarian.  To libertarians, freedom is the most important value to be pursued!  In the words of one bumper sticker, they are "pro-choice on everything"!  Libertarians believe some minimal amount of government isnecessary such as paving the roads, clearing the snow off the streets, defending the nation's borders, and certain traffic laws to avoid fundamental chaos.  Yet they would deny government the opportunity to do much more than that.  To them, assistance to the poor and disabled should come from charity groups, not government.  The government should also not interfere with the nation's economy; antitrust litigation thus is a waste of taxpayers' money.  Besides, if people want to sell their services for $3.00/hour, who is the government to interfere with this contract?  Notable libertarians include P.J. O'Rourke as well as Hugo Black (in his First Amendment opinions for the Supreme Court).  Libertarianism is not without its difficulties.  Can charity groups alone alleviate the problems of poverty?  In addition, what about the demands for justice?  One man cannot fix all problems, yet why should the government remain silent?

Populist.  In contrast to libertarians, populists tend to find government as a quite useful tool.  They tend to be liberal when it comes to economic matters: government should regulate businesses and their working conditions, impact on the environment, and so on.  They become more conservative when it comes to social matters: government should promote law and order, and morality more generally.  Populists will thus favor a strong government to make certain people have at least $5.25/hour minimum wage, and a stronger police to punish drug-related offenders.  They believe strongly in the importance of tradition, law and morality; they are thus likely to complain that morality has all but disappeared.  At the same time, however, does this not contradict the principles of limited government, and both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?  Why should people pay attention to the "right" to "liberty," when populists believe such freedom should be limited?

Liberal.  Derisively known (after the 1988 Presidential race) as the "L-word," liberals tend to find a broad and positive role for government in the everyday lives of its citizens in order to promote social equality in a limited sense.  Liberals tend to see problems as a matter of society: many social problems arise out of bad social conditions (and not because certain people are "bad apples").  Liberals have faith that people should and will grow and prosper, and conventional moral/religious/traditional standards of behavior is not a matter for the state.  Indeed, these traditions (and poverty) keep people from developing their full potential!  In less-than-ideal surroundings such as broken homes and dirt-poor communities, people do react: the poor will turn to crime, teenagers will drop out of school, and people will turn to drugs.  Can they help it, when society does not help them?

When should the government become involved?  According to liberals, government should not step in when it comes to matters of social conduct and civil liberties.  Advocating freedom above order, liberals will ask, "Why should individuals need to listen to society's demand for the continuation of a single set of values?"  Not everyone is a Christian; why should they be forced to listen to conventional Christianity?  Why should the government interfere with the freedom of people to express themselves, when such expression might benefit the greater political community? Playboy isn't that bad; as a matter of fact, it is useful in many ways!  At the same time, liberals believe the government should become involved in matters of economic security and civil rights.  If minority groups cannot emerge from their poverty, the government should help them (such as minimum wages, and affirmative action programs).  Liberals are more likely to support such things as "minority-majority" districts; if a certain minority within a city has no effective representation, re-draw the political map so they can!  Thus, government can indeed be a positive force, but for the right reasons.

Conservative.  Conservatives also find that government has a certain place: to preserve the political, social and economic traditions found in society.  Conservatives are less likely than liberals to believe in the power of reason to guide people's lives; not everyone has that ability to use their brain-power to solve everyday problems.  Thus, conservatives place their faith with the ability of tradition to guide society.  After all, certain important traditions have withstood one of the greatest tests: time.  They did not survive for nothing.  Edmund Burke (1729-1797), for example, argued against the French Revolution.  According to him, the revolutionaries were bent on destroying the French aristocracy and French society/culture altogether; what good is that?  A massive death toll, and a disillusioned populace, and for what?  Burke believed that the character of a society is founded on "customs and traditions" passed down from one generation to the next.  Most American conservatives would not go so far as Burke in maintaining class distinctions; nonetheless, American conservatives agree that traditions and customs are a powerful force in society.  People who break the law are those of bad character, who repudiate important laws considered necessary for American society!  They knew what they were doing when they broke the law!

Conservatives thus tend to assert that government should be used to promote certain values such as moral standards, as well as traditions and laws.  The death penalty? Yes, we should have it!  The government should be used, for example, to limit certain types of acts deemed contrary to morality and tradition such as pornography (because it leads to the breakdown of the American family).  Conservatives would spend more funds on increasing law enforcement and even promoting such things as prayer in schools.  At the same time, government should stay out of economic matters because that limits the incentive to work hard and be rewarded for such efforts.  Why work to become a millionaire when the government could take away 35% of it in taxes, to give to people who don't work as hard?  Thus, government should limit its regulations on corporations because it interferes with the "free market."

Conservatives can also be categorized even further:
"Moral" conservatives.  These conservatives tend to place a high priority on social issues.  They would likely tell you that people in a good society should put "self-restraint" over "self-expression" and "pleasure."  In addition, certain indecent acts (such as obscene materials) threaten important societal values.  Why do we have social ills? Because of the erosion of traditional moral values.

Economic conservatives.  These conservatives tend to focus on the importance of economics, talking about the importance of the work ethic.  They also argue that society must preserve an economic system that rewards initiative, talent and hard work.

Conservatism is also not without its problems.  Should people remain frozen within political traditions simply because they are traditions?  What happened to liberty?  What if the "pursuit of happiness" (found in the Declaration!) interferes with conventional morality?  Should people never question these traditions?  Besides, does hard work mean that everyone will get what they deserve?  Are people working in factories any less hard workers? if not, why do they not get the same reward for their hard work?

If you find yourself as liberal or conservative, double-check with this:

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LIBERALS & CONSERVATIVES (BERMAN AND MURPHY, TABLE 9.4)
Issue                                  Liberal                                          Conservative
Military spending               Spend less (‘dove’)                         Spend more (‘hawk’)
United Nations                  Viewed as positive institution         Viewed with suspicion
Abortion                            Freedom of choice                          Right to life
School prayer                     Oppose                                          Support
Affirmative action               Favor                                             Oppose
Gov't role in economy        Regulate in public’s interest             Free market should prevail
Taxes                                Progressive tax that seeks                Minimize taxes
                                          more from the wealthiest
Social services                    Favor gov't intervention to              Minimize government services;
                                          assist those in need of help             rely on individual achievement
Crime                                A social problem resulting from      Criminals should be severely
                                          poor education, lack of social          punished for violating society’s
                                          services                                         rules