As we have been debating the issues of whether or not policies such as universal health care are or are not Libertarian in philosophy, an interesting subject came up, one that is not unique to the individual advancing the argument, and should not be ascribed solely to that individual, but rather to a flaw in the thinking of many Americans. The argument was that he didn't trust the private sector to provide health care...but he DID trust the government. This statist attitude is as common as it...
As the discussion has raged on about what is or is not a Libertarian, I feel it necessary to rehash some Libertarian platform issues. Although no member of the LP is bound in any way to adhere to these platform issues, these issues are pretty much in line with the LP philosophy of smaller government. Of particular concern to me are the questions that have been raised about Social Security and Universal Health Care. I'll list the party platform position along with my personal comments to ...
Recent GOP scandals have left many liberals dancing on the grave of the GOP. But while the scandals seem to be coming fast and furious, it's fair to say the dancing is premature. The old maxin "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" has never been proven truer than in the realm of American politics, especially in the most recent era. The power that our leaders are too freely given becomes a corrupting influence once they obtain it, and the chips seem to fall on the left and t...
I am sick of hearing Democrats claim that Republicans are the enemies of free speech. While the Republicans certainly have done their part to limit the exercise of free speech, they hardly have a monopoly on the concept. The Democrats, however, have the added burden of hypocrisy as they make a point in condemning Republicans for doing the same thing they're doing. For a recent example, witness the efforts to silence the ABC docudrama "The Path to 9/11". The push has come almost exclusively fr...
OK, I was going to point this out as another inconsistency of the left, but I'm going to be fair on this one, as not all libs fit the bill on the issue, but... I was talking with "ol' bluehair" (see my article on "the culture war" for more on this biddy) about politics, and where I offended her was in my refusal to call George Bush a war criminal and condemn him for everything he's ever done (ironically enough, however, Woody Guthrie, the person with whom we share a common interest, was NOT a...
American liberals have adopted a state sponsored religion. Instead of worshipping a God, however, it is the government they worship, and whom they expect us to worship. When life is good, we are expected to pay tithes to the government, for it is the government that has bestowed upon us the opportunity to earn such money. The more money we make, the more we give the govt, for "the govt. loves a cheerful giver". When life is bad, it is the government who is to blame. It doesn't matter if we...
Whenever politicians make a decision we don't like, we're quick to fall back on democracy to insist that they must always, necessarily vote with the majority. We do so assuming the majority have the same interests we do and that the power given by the majority vote won't be abused. But while it sounds good on paper, majority rule is not always the best way to make a decision. That is why we function better as a Republic than as a Democracy. Let me explain: Assume we ran our country by majorit...
We were discussing the war in Iraq. The opponent, a seasoned Democrat, was appalled at our presence over there. Her comment was blunt, and forceful: "We don't have the RIGHT to force democracy on other people". I rolled my eyes, having encountered another inconsistency of the left. Allow me to illustrate with a few similar observations using the history of our own nation (note: a few of these positions I actually agree with, most I don't. We'll leave it at that): We don't have the RIGHT to ...
I left the end of the title blank because I don't want to be accused of flaming the individual in question. But I had to address a VERY hyperbolic statement by one of our JU regulars. This individual wrote, in response to one of my blogs: Your apparent fixation with Soros is making me start to question your sensibilities. It seems lately every post you make has something to do with Soros. I gather you just got done reading that "Shadow Party" book? My "fixation" with Soros has been large...
I still haven't firmly committed my vote in November's Gubernatorial race. But as time goes by, I would say my vote is increasingly likely to go to Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the current state Comptroller. As Kinky Friedman is running a campaign based on largely ignoring the Texas Panhandle to campaign downstate (a practice I find detestable; it was first used [to my knowledge] by Bill Clinton in 1992 when he ignored completely the states that had no electoral importance to him), and as...
This is a direct quote in a response on an article I wrote recently. I did not edit it or take it out of context: IF SATAN-THE-DEVIL runs this November in CT ... against the incumbent I WILL VOTE FOR HIM. This kind of thinking greatly frightens me. While I certainly appreciate anti-incumbent sentiment, and am, in fact, banking on it in my own campaign, I do not believe in anti-incumbency at all costs. I will give this respondent credit for the rare honest response. At least he is wil...
As Connecticut's Senatorial race begins to heat up, the possibility of a Joe Leiberman victory is looming large. A Leiberman victory would be the ultimate slap in the face to Soros and the radical left "shadow party" that are trying to hijack the Democratic Party and chase the moderates (such as Leiberman) away. A Leiberman victory would mean a Senatorial seat that will go to an Independent, and not to a Democrat. To a party trying to regain seats in November's election, this would be a loss,...
In his summer movie, "An Inconvenient Truth", former Vice President Al Gore demands that we are on the brink of catastrophe, and that only through drastic actions can we avoid suffering the consequences of global warming. He insists that we need to live "carbon neutral lifestyles". This despite the fact that in 8 years as Vice President, he did not do anything meaningful to advance the United States in this pressing issue. This despite the fact that he has never encouraged developing countrie...
As I'm working on analyzing the American left du jour, I'm starting to believe I have the answer for why they are being destroyed. And maybe I'll have to make it all into a sinister plot and write a book about it! I believe that it all started with Ronald Reagan. When people were released from mental hospitals onto the streets in his administration, they went out and began collecting government checks. Anyone collecting a government check is going to naturally vote for those who propose bigge...
We've seen them for forty years, in communities such as Miami's "Little Havana". They have always placed their loyalty to Cuba foremost over their loyalty to the United States, and demanded they be called "exiles". They will not assimilate, as they do not consider this their home. I have my own feelings on this matter. I believe a patriot works to improve things in their country rather than fleeing their country. This, for the record, is why I didn't emigrate to another country long ago. But ...