Where Do We Go From Here?
I am not, and never will be, a democrat voter. The GOP had always come the closest to my beliefs and values. I am realizing now, perhaps too late, that I can no longer throw my support carte blanche to the GOP. Many of them still talk a good game as far was what they stand for, and I'm sure a lot of them sincerely do have those convictions. But I now find myself not fitting any particular party box anymore. So of course, in complete defiance of that logic, I go looking for another party box. Specifically, I have taken a good long look at the Libertarian party.
What brought me to consider the Libertarian party to begin with was something that was pointed out to me by a friend about marriage equality. While this friend is outspoken about being morally opposed to gay marriage and homosexuality in general, he is opposed to any law that allows the government to define marriage. Why? Because that power was not given to the state or federal governments in the Constitution. I found myself agreeing with him about the government trying to interfere in an issue where it clearly had no lawful jurisdiction. From there, I took an interest in the ideas and principles behind the Constitution, and even a casual understanding of what the Framers had in mind reveals gross and blatant departures from that infrastructure, and I really think we'd do well to try and fix this.
Ever since the election, I have poured over the Libertarian party's stated platform on its website. I have read it very carefully, and well...I don't completely fit there either. I'm too much of a mixed bag. I do line up with a lot of what they believe, particularly in the areas of economics and personal freedoms, but there are a few key areas where the party and I see things differently. For example:
• The party takes no stance on whether or not the right to life applies to an unborn child. It quite literally plays the fence.
• The legalization of recreational drugs (notice it's not just marijuana) sounds great in terms of increasing personal freedom, tempered with responsibility. But if we make them legal, we have to decide if they're legal everywhere and at all times. If not, then laws need to be written to define where and when they can be used. Laws require enforcement, and that implies an appropriate, but as yet undefined, punishment for violating those laws, which brings you right back to government intrusion into your life, which you were trying to escape by legalizing drugs in the first place. Many will argue, I'm sure, that private home use is the person's right. Well, what if that home use endangers a child or a neighbor? Doesn't that infringe upon the safety and rights of others, which is specifically where the Libertarian party draws the line?
• The world is becoming more and more of a global community every day, but we're far from a united planet, which means we have enemies out there. But we also have friends. Restricting our military strictly to the defense of our own mainland sounds ideal, but having allies in this world is important. And having allies means that sometimes we will need to fight alongside of them. The more allies we have, the more resources all parties will have access to. That relationship is give and take. If helping those allies means we're "policing the world", so be it. And yes, if a hostile nation or force is arming itself against us, I'd rather fight them now rather than later, and over there rather than over here.
So where do I belong? Both the Democrats and the GOP, and by extension all of us that supported them, got us to this financial crisis we are now facing. I am now convinced that neither of them can get us out of it. We are all about to reap the consequences of what we've allowed to happen. The sad truth is that nothing will change until the desire to do so becomes strong enough in the popular culture. The Democrats and the left have done a far better job of affecting the popular culture than anyone else, and it will be hard to make a dent in their narrative because of it. But no matter what they say, we’re about to meet the crucible. I only hope and pray that what comes out of it resembles America.
What brought me to consider the Libertarian party to begin with was something that was pointed out to me by a friend about marriage equality. While this friend is outspoken about being morally opposed to gay marriage and homosexuality in general, he is opposed to any law that allows the government to define marriage. Why? Because that power was not given to the state or federal governments in the Constitution. I found myself agreeing with him about the government trying to interfere in an issue where it clearly had no lawful jurisdiction. From there, I took an interest in the ideas and principles behind the Constitution, and even a casual understanding of what the Framers had in mind reveals gross and blatant departures from that infrastructure, and I really think we'd do well to try and fix this.
Ever since the election, I have poured over the Libertarian party's stated platform on its website. I have read it very carefully, and well...I don't completely fit there either. I'm too much of a mixed bag. I do line up with a lot of what they believe, particularly in the areas of economics and personal freedoms, but there are a few key areas where the party and I see things differently. For example:
• The party takes no stance on whether or not the right to life applies to an unborn child. It quite literally plays the fence.
• The legalization of recreational drugs (notice it's not just marijuana) sounds great in terms of increasing personal freedom, tempered with responsibility. But if we make them legal, we have to decide if they're legal everywhere and at all times. If not, then laws need to be written to define where and when they can be used. Laws require enforcement, and that implies an appropriate, but as yet undefined, punishment for violating those laws, which brings you right back to government intrusion into your life, which you were trying to escape by legalizing drugs in the first place. Many will argue, I'm sure, that private home use is the person's right. Well, what if that home use endangers a child or a neighbor? Doesn't that infringe upon the safety and rights of others, which is specifically where the Libertarian party draws the line?
• The world is becoming more and more of a global community every day, but we're far from a united planet, which means we have enemies out there. But we also have friends. Restricting our military strictly to the defense of our own mainland sounds ideal, but having allies in this world is important. And having allies means that sometimes we will need to fight alongside of them. The more allies we have, the more resources all parties will have access to. That relationship is give and take. If helping those allies means we're "policing the world", so be it. And yes, if a hostile nation or force is arming itself against us, I'd rather fight them now rather than later, and over there rather than over here.
So where do I belong? Both the Democrats and the GOP, and by extension all of us that supported them, got us to this financial crisis we are now facing. I am now convinced that neither of them can get us out of it. We are all about to reap the consequences of what we've allowed to happen. The sad truth is that nothing will change until the desire to do so becomes strong enough in the popular culture. The Democrats and the left have done a far better job of affecting the popular culture than anyone else, and it will be hard to make a dent in their narrative because of it. But no matter what they say, we’re about to meet the crucible. I only hope and pray that what comes out of it resembles America.