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Nolan Chart Survey

The Nolan Chart is a visual representation of the political spectrum that measures not only liberal vs conservative tendencies but also libertarian and statist tendencies. This survey will place your views on the chart based on the answers you give. There are no right or wrong answers. It's fun, it's informative, and it's free!

Click the option which comes closest to your own views for each of the 10 issues listed below. Then click the large button at the bottom of the page. We will score your choices and show how your views appear on the Nolan Chart. We've tried to make the views expressed as comprehensive as possible. There may be some options listed that you may find to be hard to choose between, or perhaps you'll find that none of the options represent your viewpoint perfectly. That's understandable, but try anyway to pick the one that most closely represents your views. We think you will find the results worthwhile.

1. Speech, Assembly, Press, Internet, and Property Rights Government should not restrict speech, press, media or Internet. The rights of free citizens who don't violate other people's rights must be respected and protected at all times. Exercise of eminent domain should be extremely limited and its use avoided whenever possible. Private property and privacy rights should be protected at all times.
Speech, assembly, press, and Internet should be free except when it comes to protecting against terrorism and other threats to public safety. Free speech zones can be established to protect the right of free speech while insuring security at public events. Eminent domain should be maintained in practice, but it should not be available merely as a means to enrich private developers via enforced land transfers.
Speech, assembly, press, and Internet should be free except when controversies such as global warming have already been settled and legitimate public policies would be undermined by its few remaining detractors. Property rights should be subject to the needs of the government but otherwise should be respected.
Government should regulate speech, press, media, Internet, and property rights at its own discretion within reason as needed to meet all of government's many obligations.
2. Guns The Second Amendment only applies to "militias" (such as the National Guard), and thus there is no specific protection afforded by it to individuals. It should be up to the government to decide the degree to which guns should be regulated for the public good.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution clearly protects the right of all individuals to bear arms. Government regulation of guns is a violation of the Second Amendment. Having the right to self-defense is meaningless without also having the means to defend yourself. An armed society is a peaceful society, is the best defense against criminals, and serves as a deterrent against government tyranny. Gun control has encouraged society to become lax and negligent in teaching and training on the safe handling and maintenance of weapons by individuals.
In general, I support the right to bear arms. However, it is prudent to have government regulate arms via registration requirements and other regulations to insure that mentally unstable people can't get guns and go on shooting rampages.
Gun control is essential and must continually be made stronger if we're ever going to reduce and hopefully eliminate gun violence in this country.
3. Homosexual Marriage Homosexual relationships should be granted a civil stature similar to marriage without necessarily calling it "marriage."
The government should pass laws that favor whatever view the majority of the population supports regarding homosexual relationships, including homosexual marriage.
There should be no laws regarding homosexual relationships among consenting adults. It is a private, contractual matter between free, private individuals that should not be regulated.
Homosexuality is an abomination, is banned by the Bible, and should be illegal in all cases.
4. Foreign Policy A strong defense requires playing an active, interventionist role in world affairs. As the last remaining superpower, we have a moral duty to police the world at any cost, or else we will surely pay the ultimate price. If we don't militarily wipe out terrorism, the terrorists will wipe us out. We must resolve to win no matter how long it takes. It's better to strike now than to pay later for our inaction.
America should play an active role in world affairs. We need to move toward more world government, particularly when it comes to issues such as global warming. The war on terror should rely heavily on diplomatic action. Military intervention should be used when there is a threat to our sovereignty, but this position can and should be reversed whenever public opinion turns against it.
The role of our government, and the role of the United Nations, should be constantly expanded to help insure that all of the world moves toward democracy. Complaints that government is too big already are simply counter-productive and should be ignored.
"Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none," said President Thomas Jefferson in his first inaugural address. America's interventionist policies over the past 100+ years have done little or nothing to reduce international instability, have led us into an endless series of wars, and have cost us dearly in American lives and money. The best defense of our borders is to defend our rights and liberty, not to sacrifice them while constantly growing our gigantic military, led by a parade of Presidents who repeatedly stick our nose into other countries' affairs.
5. National ID Card There should be no national ID card. Period. The issuance of required National IDs controlled via interconnected databases will effectively end all privacy in this country.
We need a national ID card in order to prevent events like the attacks of 9/11 but without intruding too far into the personal privacy of the innocent.
National ID cards should be permitted but greatly restricted in scope because the potential for danger to personal liberty is present.
I'm not at all concerned about having a national ID card. Only the guilty need to worry.
6. Corporate Welfare The government has a duty to insure that all individuals have food, clothing, and shelter and should also invest in private industry whenever it deems such investment to be in the public interest.
End "corporate welfare." No government handouts to business.
Government involvement is necessary where private industry can't do the job all by itself. As an example, agricultural subsidies should continue to support small farmers.
Corporate welfare should be eliminated for big business, but the social safety net for individuals should be retained.
7. Trade and Money Trade that isn't fair isn't free. Fair trade practices should be enforced as needed to insure free trade while maintaining reasonably open borders. The Fed's policies should be revised to help the poor rather than the rich.
The government should involve itself in the regulation of trade as needed to insure a healthy economy at all times. The Federal Reserve system has made our money supply the most stable in all history.
End government barriers to international free trade. The regulation of trade tends enrich selected interest groups and industry captains at the expense of everyone else. We must move away from the inflationary approach of the Federal Reserve by re-adopting a hard money approach and dissolving the Federal Reserve system. Ever wonder why prices of everything (including real estate) keep going up over time? The Federal Reserve system is the culprit. President Woodrow Wilson, who signed the Federal Reserve Act into law regretted his decision three years later saying, "I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country."
Trade should be free in general, but it should be controlled as needed to insure that our borders are protected against outside threats. Monetary policy under the Fed has generally been good for our economy. Hard money can't keep up with a modern economy.
8. Social Security Social Security should be maintained and protected by the government, although we do need to offer individuals an alternative government-managed solution if they so choose.
Social Security is a vital part of the social safety net and should be properly funded and protected at all times. If necessary, make big business and the rich pay for any shortfalls.
Government has an obligation to provide for people in their twilight years, and Social security is a proper expression of governmental control. The system is sound and does not need anything more than minor adjustments from time to time.
Let people control their own retirement and they'll retire richer and better off. The Social Security system is already bankrupt, despite what the politicians and bureaucrats keep telling us. Allow individuals to choose for themselves whether to opt out of the Social Security system. If we force everyone to remain in its pyramid scheme, the end result will be disastrous. We must act now before Social Security becomes completely insolvent.
9. Health Care Government regulation of health care is the main cause of the health care industry's upward spiraling costs. The FDA, EPA, Medicare, and a host of other bureaucracies have created mountains of regulations that have led to the deaths of thousands and even millions of people who were denied needed treatments and resources. The cost of creating new treatments is also out of control because of this regulation. The only way to make health care affordable again is to get government out of the health care business.
Health care costs are spiraling primarily due to lawsuits. We need to place caps on these suits while avoiding socialized medicine. Where possible, we should reduce regulation to save money. The rising cost of health care is primarily the fault of Liberal politicians and lobbying groups.
Government regulation has gone a long way toward making health care universally accessible and safe, but there's a long way to go. We need universal health insurance to insure all Americans are adequately protected.
Private enterprise has failed to deliver satisfactory health care. Government's role is clear: fix the problem.
10. Taxes, Spending, and the National Debt There should be no limits placed on the ability of government to raise sufficient revenue to do all the jobs government should be doing better, as expressed via majority rule.
Cut taxes and government spending by 50% or more. This will have an incredibly positive impact on the economy starting at its very lowest and smallest levels. The national debt must be paid down rather than endlessly increased, or we'll soon face national bankruptcy.
The budget should be balanced and fully funded at all times, rather than actually cutting spending on a permanent basis. As needed, the national debt should be expanded to insure that there is sufficient funding for government operation and military growth needs. Occasional, temporary tax cuts should be offered in token amounts to keep the taxpayers mollified.
We should be emphasizing the good that government can do to help people without getting all wrapped up in the costs involved. By spreading the load, such good can be spread out fairly and evenly. Progressive taxation helps insure that the rich don't live at the expense of the poor. However, we want to make sure we don't place too much of a burden on the middle class.