Up versus Down "Peg" Spectrum
Because of confusions arising from propaganda and contradictory
definitions, perhaps we should abandon the left-right spectrum and
instead have a VERTICAL "spectrum" of UP and DOWN -- Up to the maximum
of individual liberty consistent with law and order, or Down to the
maximum of political interventionism (and minimum of freedom).
 

"Extreme                    |10 Ayn Rand; The Laissez-Faire Republic (Tough on crime; leaving peaceful citizens alone)
Right"                         |
                                   |  9 Frederic Bastiat, Henry Hazlitt, Ludwig von Mises
                                   |
                                   |  8 Thomas Jefferson; U.S.A. prior to 1914 (no income tax, no Federal Reserve)
"Right"                        |
                                   |  7 Rush Limbaugh; National Review; American Spectator; YAF
                                   |
                                   |  6 U.S. Republican Party (Average Position)
                                   |
                                   |  5 Moderate Democrats;  "Liberal" Republicans
                                   |
                                   |  4 European Welfare States; U.S. Democrat Party (Average Position)
"Left"                          |
                                   |  3 Mussolini's Italy; Franco's Spain
                                   |
                                   |  2 Nazi Germany under Hitler; Yugoslavia under Tito
                                   |
"Extreme                    |  1 Red China under Mao; the former USSR; Castro's Cuba; N. Korea
Left"                            |
                                   |  0 "Ingsoc" as described in Orwell's book 1984 (Total control over citizens)
 

Since Individual Liberty is generally inversely proportional to the
Degree of Government Intervention in the private affairs and voluntary
(market) relations of peaceful people, the highest level of freedom is at
the top of the spectrum and the lowest level of freedom is at the bottom
(where maximum government intervention is). Note that the vertical line
comprising this spectrum measures one thing: the degree or extent of
encroachment or intervention by the political state on the private affairs
or voluntary relations of peaceful people, regardless of WHO or HOW MANY
rule the official government (monarchy, oligarchy, democracy, etc). It is
a one-dimensional scale which nmasures the overall SCOPE or extent of
government intervention regardless of the FORM of government.