We are just about out of time before the 2008 election happens so I thought I had better get this post in right away. As some of you may know, I am best characterized as a Libertarian politically. I joke with people that I am borderline anarchist. The less the government meddles in things the better. The government ruins everything it touches. For just a quick example, let's look at two industries:
1. Consumer electronics. The government has very little if anything to do with this industry. As a consequence electronics get better and better and cheaper and cheaper. Computers, televisions, cell phones etc. are all getting more and more advanced, an less and less expensive.
2. Medical Care. Here the government has meddled and continues to meddle. As a result, medical care gets more and more expensive, and less and less efficient.
I could site a number of other examples, but just look around for yourselves. You will find that it is a rule with very few exceptions. When an industry is allowed to work without government interference it flourishes. When the government gets it's fingers in an industry is struggles.
That being said I could not be less excited about either two of the "choices" we have for the Presidency of the United States. I don't see that there is much of a choice at all. When it comes to the real issues, they are more or less carbon copies of each other. They will both expand the size of government, they will both eliminate our civil liberties and neither of them is likely to follow the rule of law which is the Constitution.
I can hear some of you now saying "wait a minute, McCain is against big government. He wants to 'cut the pork' and even proposed a freeze on all government spending for a year."
Others of you may be saying "Wait a minute Obama is all about the common person and their civil liberties."
My answer to those arguments is that actions speak louder than words...
First, Senator McCain. He could have secured himself the election as well as my vote on election day had he opposed the "bailout" of Wall Street. He claims he is going to cut all of this spending, yet when it came down to acting instead of talking, he stood right in line with his twin brother Barack to add another trillion dollars to the taxpayers tab.
Now for Senator Obama. He claims to be a strong backer for civil liberties, yet when it came time to act, he stood right in line with his twin brother John to pass the FISA bill (which negates the 4th amendment, the one that protects us against warrantless searches and seizures). He also supported a new version of the PATRIOT act (he was not a member of congress in 2001 when it was first passed) which is possibly the biggest assault on our civil liberties in the history of America.
As I see it when January 1st comes President G W Bush will be replaced by President J B McBama. Which brings me to the real purpose of this post. The following is an action item. It will put anyone who does it in to the political category number 5 that I talked about in my last post. Those that know, care, know what to do, and DO IT!!
I have been a member of an organization called DownsizeDC for the past six months or so. It is an organization as the name indicates dedicated to reducing the size and power of government. They alert members to legislation that is being proposed and/or coming to a vote in Congress. They provide a medium through which we can easily write all of our representatives simultaneously about the upcoming legislation and let them know where we stand, and how we would like to be represented. It is a way that we can apply tremendous pressure to the government officials that represent us, and effect real change. A great example of the power of public pressure is the REAL ID act. The act was passed in 2005 and in essence required the states to issue a standardized National ID card (we would have to "carry our papers" like they did in Nazi Germany). A May 2008 deadline was set for all of the states to comply. Due to public pressure against the act, not a single state to date has complied with the law. I urge you to follow the steps below to become a member of the DownsizeDC army, and get all of your friends to do the same.
1. Visit www.downsizedc.org
2. Click on "Log In" in the upper right corner of the page
3. Click on "Register"
4. Fill out the Registration Form
5. Browse the active campaigns DownsizeDC is running now
6. Start writing your representatives.
Stop being acted upon and ACT! Join Today!
3 comments:
VERY few Republicans are excited to vote McCain, but even so, along side with your supersized Uncle Sam examples (which are very real and very disturbing), can you admit that one of the two candidates is very much a safer “choice” for our nation, by way of defense and free market? Q: Would you feel you had done well for America if you lived in say California or Florida and voted for the Lib candidate?
-A.H. (Friend of your wife's)
Thanks for the downsizeDC info.
A.H.,
I appreciate your comment. This is exactly the kind of discussion I had in mind when I made the original post. I see a few questions in your response and I will try to answer them the best I can.
1. You asked if I could admit that there is one candidate that is very much a safer "choice."
Yes I can see that there is a lesser of two evils. I would disagree with the phrase "very much." My Father and I discuss this at length quite frequently. He urges me to vote McCain because even though he is not good, he is the lesser of two evils and better than Obama. I agree with that reasoning to an extent. However, the way I see it, we as a country are in a car traveling 200 mph toward a brick wall. If we elect Obama, he will step on the gas and increase our speed to 210 mph. If we elect McCain, he will tap on the break and slow us down to 190 mph, at the end of the day we still hit the wall. UNLESS we change course and steer away from the wall. Neither Obama, nor McCain will do that. Obama is upfront with what he will do (raise taxes, etc). McCain talks a better talk, but he has already shown in recent history that he will not do what he says he will do.
2. Would I feel I had done well by voting for the Lib (I assume you mean Libertarian) candidate.
I feel I have a sacred and moral obligation to vote for those who I believe will best represent me, and will best serve our country. I believe this is accomplished by following The U.S. Constitution. I don't believe that either Obama or McCain will do that, and the have both shown that they will not. So I can't in good conscience throw my support behind either of them. In the short term that may (if you agree that I am in essence voting Obama by not voting McCain) not be doing well for America. In the long term however, that is exactly what America needs. More and more people who believe in Liberty and the rule of Law (the Constitution), who will stand up and vote for someone, not because they are the lesser of two evils, but because they will do the right things. People that will vote based on Principle rather than Politics. Only when there are enough people willing to do THAT will you start to see the change that Barrack and John like to talk about but will never effect.
Finally, you are welcome for the DownsizeDC info. I really hope that you will participate, and participate often. That is both a short term and a long term solution to our national problems.
Again I appreciate your comment, and I welcome further discussion. I'm pretty sure I know who you are from your initials. We should get together and solve the worlds problems sometime. Erin is getting to be quite the defender of Liberty herself, and I'm sure she would love to catch up with you.
Thanks again,
Lex
Thank you friend for your support and interest in this blog and in our Country. Keep asking awesome questions. Talk to you soon.
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