I remember being taught about stereotypes in middle school. A stereotype is an overly simplified description of a class of people. When used as a verb, it means to force people into little boxes into which they really don't fit. It creates a tendency to prejudice and false assumptions.
Such is the case with labeling people as conservative or liberal. Not only are these terms stereotypical, but they are not really that accurate. Today's conservatives can be described as classical liberals. Today's liberals can be described as neo-conservatives.
Furthermore, we have created a one-dimensional notion of Left versus Right. If you take the world's smallest political quiz you'll immediately realize how silly the Left/Right spectrum really is. The Quiz presents an improvement by adding another dimension.
But I think the Quiz authors (Libertarians I believe) miss the mark too. The opposite end of Statism should be Anarchy, not Liberty. This concept was well known to the founders of our republic. The political spectrum as they knew it was one in which being a moderate was a virtue (on the Left/Right spectrum, being a moderate has about as much clarity as the muddled conservative/liberal labels).
And so now I present you with the most concise description of political spectrum which informed the creation of the American standard of liberty:
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