In the simplistic left/right divide, I'd call myself

The problem with this poll is that the "centre" is different depending on where you live. In the US, the political centre is undoubtedly to the right of centre politics in the UK..

First (past the) Post!

The Political Compass [politicalcompass.org] is a really useful guide to political left-right but works out your position on both an economic scale (left-right) and a social scale. (Authoritarian-libertarian.) It does seem a little biased towards the left-wing but I think much of that is people having different views to the views they think they have.

I'm moderate-left by international standards, but that's far-left by US standards. I voted using international standards.

I live in the States and [...] I pay ludicrously high taxes because not that I'm starting to earn

I doubt you know what "high taxes" are ...

An americna complaining about taxes sounds completely retarded for the rest of the world, sorry, no offense intended.

If I were a "leftist/socialist", I'd say I was not against somebody getting more than others, but I would be against somebody gaming the system to TAKE more than others, without putting anything significant back into the system that enabled them to take in the first place. I would be against the notion of "privatize the profits / socialize the losses". Either do one or the other. "Socialism", in theory is neither good nor evil; it's just a way of things. Socialism is how you act when you "love thy neighbor as thy brother". The entire reason we even HAVE a modern civilization is because of the benefits of "socialism". Humans are social creatures; we assemble into groups and support one another. We don't all live as isolated individuals. When one member of the group is hurt and cannot participate, we take care of him until he can again. If a member refuses to participate, we eventually ostracize/banish/kill him. If a member CANNOT participate, then his fate depends on the charity of others. In more well-off/unstressed groups, he lives as comfortably as fortune will allow. In less well-off/stressed groups, he may not survive. Even still, on the average, humans will lean towards the former than the latter, which is a defining characteristic of "socialism".

Depends on what kind of behavior your trying to reward/punish, doesn't it? Would you reward murderers and thieves or punish honest hard-working folks? If we removed all punishments, what are we supposed to do when someone doesn't want the offered reward but goes after a different, more lucrative one, hurting others in the process?

As for me, I desire to live in a world which has both rewards AND punishments. Doing the correct things nets you a reward. Doing the incorrect thing earns you a punishment. Then the only task (and it's a big one) is to figure out what behavior is correct and what is incorrect, and reward/punish accordingly and fairly.

Was moderate with a little lean to the left, but the current congress and crop of complete moron Republicans is making me lean so hard left that I make Al Gore look like he is a Conservative Right winger.

It's like all of the republicans were transported here from the 1920's when racism was trendy, and hating the poor was a sport.