Explain left and right to me (political terms)

[Aegon]

In American terms:  

Left = Large government with a degree of wealth redistribution to social programs for retirement, healthcare, education, social safety nets, etc.
Right= Small government, free markets, minimal regulation, no redistribution of wealth.

These two visions of what government should be are not so compatible with each other.

I'm going to add on to a couple of others and say that this is a bit of a ....fantastical view, though it's the one I was taught growing up. It just really isn't true. Both want big government where they want and small government where they want. Both want regulation of some aspects of the economy / some industries, and deregulation of others. 

I think it's easier to differentiate them based on social terms... or even socio-economic terms, rather than purely fiscal. Because at the end of the day they're virtually the same in regards to government involvement, whether they like it or not. It'd be much clearer (though more complex) to differentiate them on their priorities rather than principles. Because neither of the two parties we have are very principled.

When you get to libertarian-minded folks (who can be left or right), that's where the big vs small govt distinction is clearer. But there are a very few true libertarian Americans (most are generally run-of-the-mill conservatives who aren't super against weed, or something)

[Yonadav]

In American terms:  

Left = Large government with a degree of wealth redistribution to social programs for retirement, healthcare, education, social safety nets, etc.
Right= Small government, free markets, minimal regulation, no redistribution of wealth.

These two visions of what government should be are not so compatible with each other.

I'm going to add on to a couple of others and say that this is a bit of a ....fantastical view, though it's the one I was taught growing up. It just really isn't true. Both want big government where they want and small government where they want. Both want regulation of some aspects of the economy / some industries, and deregulation of others. 

I think it's easier to differentiate them based on social terms... or even socio-economic terms, rather than purely fiscal. Because at the end of the day they're virtually the same in regards to government involvement, whether they like it or not. It'd be much clearer (though more complex) to differentiate them on their priorities rather than principles. Because neither of the two parties we have are very principled.

When you get to libertarian-minded folks (who can be left or right), that's where the big vs small govt distinction is clearer. But there are a very few true libertarian Americans (most are generally run-of-the-mill conservatives who aren't super against weed, or something)

Yes, it is a given that the right has been comically horrible at making government small.
I tend to restrict my use of the term libertarian to the right.

[Anomalocaris]

The right is not interested in making government small.   What they want to do is to tailor the government very narrowly for the role of aggrandizing and enriching their particular constituency.  The first step is to trim all parts of the government that serves primarily the interests of parts of the society that is not their constituency. .

The charade that the right is really interested in Maximizing the collective good in anyway just like anyone else, and merely have a contrarian view of how that can best be done has long since been collapsed in the minds of all but the most obtuse.

[Athene]

The Right wants to shove you over a cliff.
The Left wants to hold hands, and walk and talk with you a bit before shoving you over a cliff.

[Drich]

Both sides believe in big government and a massive welfare state.  The only difference between them is whether they think people or corporations should be the beneficiaries, and who they fully accept as "people" with rights, lol.

ah, no..

Trump has cut almost 8 million recipients out of the system compare to it's world history peak under obama.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opini...get-off-it

Not just big corporations moron dumb asses like you who also want to start your own business. (meaning you and your wife could be potentiall a c corp or an s corp to start)  I know the numbers that your lefties buddies use as a line for the rich sound like lofty unobtainable numbers, but in the business you could be in with in 5 years you will be well on the other side of those numbers. meaning you will be subject to those 50 and 70% taxes.. we had a huge brake when trump came in and it made a monster difference in that we hired 2 more people bough a badly needed fork life and a new auto lift tire machne and balancer as well as opened up a second location with a 15% reduction in tax. plus everyone is over 10 buck a hour with most skilled workers at $32. per hour. 

This is what happens when a mom and pop is left alone. we decided if clinton was going to be elected we would have to down size our shop and cut a few jobs as we could not afford her new rate.

As "we" my wife and I were one of the corporations she was targeting.

[The Grand Nudger]

I'm not interested in your fantasies about how the Killbot was coming to get you.  They have nothing to do with what I said, that you quoted, and responded to.  However, that your new god Trump dropped people from welfare while doling out corporate welfare can only reinforce the point I made, that you quoted, and apparently thought you were disagreeing with?

The right and the left both believe in a massive welfare state. The only difference between them, lol, is whether they think that people or corporations should be the beneficiaries, and who they fully accept as people, with rights.

[Drich]

I'm not interested in your fantasies about how the Killbot was coming to get you.  They have nothing to do with what I said, that you quoted, and responded to.  However, that your new god Trump dropped people from welfare while doling out corporate welfare can only reinforce the point I made, that you quoted, and apparently thought you were disagreeing with?

The right and the left both believe in a massive welfare state.  The only difference between them, lol, is whether they think that people or corporations should be the beneficiaries, and who they fully accept as people, with rights.

I keep asking for citations and never get them but will ask for them any way..

Citation please as google has no idea WFT you are talking about. The only thing close is the bush era bail outs. when General motor become government motors.

and again corporations does not always equal big business. a corporation can be a mom and pop shop where the owner takes their pay out of company profit but legally the shop's assets and owners assets are seperate. so if one fails the assets of the other are not linked. If you plan to do over 100K in sales but can't put aside a specific salary every month then something like an s-corp is what most americans would be classified as with their own business.

These are the people trump is helping. these are the people the blood sucking left want to feed on. The governement knows exactly what to take to keep business owners working their asses off but never really getting anywhere. the more regulation the more the tax the less we can pay employees and buy from other businesses.  And that is all trump has done... is not give us anything but back off on the government's take.

[Anomalocaris]

I'm not interested in your fantasies about how the Killbot was coming to get you.  They have nothing to do with what I said, that you quoted, and responded to.  However, that your new god Trump dropped people from welfare while doling out corporate welfare can only reinforce the point I made, that you quoted, and apparently thought you were disagreeing with?

The right and the left both believe in a massive welfare state.  The only difference between them, lol, is whether they think that people or corporations should be the beneficiaries, and who they fully accept as people, with rights.

Damn, I had a lot vested in drich’s belief that kill bots are coming for him being true!   My Kill bots need practice, man!

[LostLocke]

Left = twats.
Right = cunts.


Although they would vehemently insist it' s the other way around.

To expound on that...

Left = Libtards who belong to the Dumbocrat party
Right = Conservaderps who belong to the Republicunt party

[downbeatplumb]

Left = twats.
Right = cunts.


Although they would vehemently insist it' s the other way around.

To expound on that...

Left = Libtards who belong to the Dumbocrat party
Right = Conservaderps who belong to the Republicunt party

I am a lefty but I am not American so...…..