Some people I think are very confused about exact what is a conservative versus a liberal. I think a lot of liberals just assume all conservatives are just a bunch of pro-police state totalitarians.
Very much so. I was taught in my high-school "government" class(class of 2000, for reference) that the political spectum is essentially circular, with far-left and far-right eventually meeting at the same point or goal. That point of view fails to see the other axis - liberty - which clearly illustrates the divergence between left and right(or I should say, between liberal and American conservative).
The same class taught me that Nazi Germany and fascist Italy were basically the end result of a far-RIGHT system. I understand how a shallow look at those countries could lead to that conclusion; after all, nationalism, military strength, etc. are more commonly associated with conservatism than liberalism. However, a deeper look brings one to see that, between national control of industry, restricted movement, heavily restricted personal liberty, extremely non-transparent governance(i.e. secret police, etc.), compulsory military service... they had almost nothing in common with American conservatism, and a great deal more in common with leftism(which tends toward totalitarianism) and even some modern leftist nations.
It's ironic that the viewpoint which desires to silence opposition, criminalize profit, and confiscate property(or wealth, if you prefer) considers itself to be benevolent and righteous.
