Grass Roots Libertarianism
Have something to say? ADD A NEW POST!
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the newsletter or RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I am a registered Democrat, which has been a losing proposition in Idaho (especially Eastern Idaho) for me these past 25 years.
I started out as an ardent conservative Republican, but before my third presidential election I found I could no longer toe the party line. I couldn’t continue to support the idea that government should stay out of the business of regulating big business, but it had the right to tell you what you could do in your own bedroom, or with your own body.
Democrats had the rights of the common man in their platforms, so I switched. Well, the Democrats are, more and more, amazingly similar to Republicans these days (although for me, they continue to be the lesser of the two evils.)
What about Libertarianism? Per their website: http://www.lp.org/article_85.shtml:
Are Libertarians liberal or conservative?
Libertarians are neither. Unlike liberals or conservatives, Libertarians advocate a high degree of both personal and economic liberty. For example, Libertarians advocate freedom in economic matters, so we’re in favor of lowering taxes, slashing bureaucratic regulation of business, and charitable — rather than government — welfare. But Libertarians are also socially tolerant. We won’t demand laws or restrictions on other people who we may not agree because of personal actions or lifestyles.
Think of us as a group of people with a “live and let live” mentality and a balanced checkbook.
All of these things sound good in theory. But you’ve all heard the party standard bearers, the extremists who advocate shutting down the IRS and the FBI, who advocate isolationism and closing down our borders. They seem too kooky to support.
So I consider myself a grass roots Libertarian. As with most of them, I am against gun control, the death penalty, the war on drugs, the war in Iraq, etc.
I am pro reproductive freedom, homosexual rights to marry, drinking age lowered to 18 (you can’t drink alcohol at the age of 18 but you can go to war and die for your country? I guess you need to be mature to drink but you don’t need to be mature to give your life.)
But…on the other hand, I am for paying federal taxes to get the things we need as a society, like national security, the military, and oversight types of federal agencies that ensure public safety in the areas of food, air, water, infrastructure, etc. Therefore I would simplify the tax system to a flat percentage of income, and simplify other agencies to be more efficient towards those ends.
We’d look out for our citizens first, then if we had anything left over we could see what charitable aid we could give to other countries. I support the right for all persons to have complete and free medical coverage. I support a welfare safety net for those who have fallen on hard times. I want an end to lifelong entitlement, instead having a workfare system so folks can have a way to get by until they can become self reliant again. If the person won’t work toward self reliance (with limited exceptions for disability) then they should lose the right to get the safety net benefits.
I support using only public funding for national office elections. I don’t want ANY private funding, because then the “haves” end up with an unfair advantage over the “have-nots”. I don’t see this as a suppression of the right to free speech. I see this as an end to the sellout cop-out politicians who are beholden to their big-ticket donors instead of their constituency. I’m not sure how to put this in place yet, it could be a pipe dream.
I am also an advocate of mandatory national service. Upon graduation from high school, or by a certain age, you enter into 2 years of paid service to your country. You can choose the military or Ameri-Corps. There would be limited exceptions to this requirement. If you want to give service time to your church, that’s a separate and additional period.
So you see that I have some ideas that are not Libertarian, not Democrat, not Republican. I have a little of all of them in me; I like to think I cherry-picked the best ideas.
So what affiliation do you claim, and why? I want you to write why your ideas are good, or why you would be unwilling to support ideas that others may have. Please show respect even if you don’t agree with someone.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
Vote:
0 
0 I see that the article could have been better written to make a point, then ask questions. Thanks for the feedback.
I agree, I think the founding fathers are rolling over, for sure.
I used to call my self Independent, because I felt that way, even though I registered as a Democrat. But now, I’m probably more in line with Libertarian views, which is why I wrote that.
I was curious, whatever you call or don’t call yourself, how do you stand on some of the political issues of the day? What things are important to you, and what things are you very opposed to?
Vote:
0 0 Joe, this article is a bomb, please post the next one and put us out of my misery! 
Well, I tried. I was truly interested in what people thought about various politcal issues. I guess I’ll just use my critical thinking skills and make educated guesses from what they comment elsewhere…
Vote:
0 0 Don’t sweat it Nemesis! At least you posted something new. I certainly haven’t come up with much lately!
Vote:
0 0 I liked it, Nemesis; honestly? I am afraid to post my “beliefs” because of earlier shout-downs regarding health insurance and global warming and the like; I don’t strictly follow any party lines but have some strongly-held beliefs about personal responsibility or the lack thereof.
Vote:
0 0 I appreciated the post Nemesis. I think a lot along the same lines as you do. I think that many people, myself included, don’t understand much about libertarian philosophy. Politics and religion are hot topics so since religious debates aren’t allowed here it would be great to talk politics without the usual bashing.
However, I’m not saying anything else for the same reason as babs. I don’t need to have everyone agree with me to validate my personal opinions. But disagreeing with some of the people here often seems to generate personal attacks or hostility.
For anyone who doesn’t understand the point of the post: then why even comment? Just leave it alone.
Vote:
0 0 I was worried about the fear of personal attacks if positions were stated, which is why I asked for respect (because we certainly have an active attack mode going, sometimes…)
That being said, I also have to respect some of the people who tend to use controlling attacking language in their comments, because when I have taken them to task and been patient with them, they usually calm down a bit and try to be reasonable again.
I used to be such a hothead, I was full of righteous anger and it was important to me to convince you to renounce your wrongheaded views and be enlightened by my pontificating.
Somewhere along the line I grew to realize that much as I’d like to make the world better, it ain’t gonna happen with my intellectual sarcasm and my need to win the argument.
I ended up realizing that I really LIKE to hear someone else’s opinion, even if it’s 180 degrees off from my own (and sometimes frightening or disgusting to me) because I enjoy the discussion, and hearing all the different possible angles tends to further my own understanding.
But what do I know, I’m just a fat old lady who’s full of herself.
Thanks for your comments, I feel much better about the post now. I’ll try to write something less scary next time!
Vote:
0 0 I agree with you Darlene, this article has bombed out, lets move on the the next article.
Vote:
0 0 I think more often than not, when somebodys “opinion” differs from the norm that’s when the so called “attacks” seem come. Most of the time I don’t see them as attacks on that person per se’, but attacks on their beliefs. With that being said, many of the same people that claim their being “attacked”, also “attack” in their own way by using sarcasm. While sarcasm is a little more subtle, it’s still an attack on one’s beliefs or person.
Take Nemisis’ beliefs on “trying to make the world a better place”. That’s classic liberalism. Where as I’m more of a “realist”. No matter what you do, the world will never be perfect. That’s just the way it is and the way it will always be. People aren’t perfect, so trying to make this a “perfect world” just seems pointless to me. Sure we can do our best to make this world a better place to live. But we have to be realistic about that at the same time. Take this blog for instance. It’s been around for what 2 1/2 years? It will never be “perfect”. People will always have their own opinions and views and we have to be realistic in knowing that we’ll never get other people to believe in exactly what we ourselves believe in. So all we can really do is state our own views as a means of discussion, and leave it at that. Being sarcastic or attacking somebody elses views will not change the way that person feels towards an issue.
So what I’m trying to point out is, don’t “be afraid” to be attacked for posting your views on one topic, and then turn around and use “sarcasm” towards somebody elses views on a different topic. Because when all is said and done, we’re all guilty of being sarcastic or getting heated over a topic on this site at one point or another. I think we can all agree to disagree as long as we still respect the other person for voiceing their opinions and beliefs towards an issue.
Vote:
0 0 Who’s going to write that next article 8^)
tick tock
Who’s going to bump this one off the front page? 8^)
Vote:
0 0 Nemisis - I too am a Libertarian, after having been a Republican, Democrat and Independent. A revolution in thinking and direction is needed immediately.
Libertarian ideals have the focus to effect change for a brighter tomorrow.
Change now or face the ultimatums that will be the outcome of decades of current parties’ rule.
Vote (write in) Ron Paul!
Thanks,
Male, 48 years old
Vote:
0 0 C’mon, Joe, make it an even (420 Articles)!
Tick Tock Bumpity bump bump 8^)
Vote:
0 0 Take Nemisis’ beliefs on “trying to make the world a better place”. That’s classic liberalism.
C’mon CR that isn’t classic liberalism, that’s the way the world should be. That’s the way we all should be. You can be realistic and make the world a better place can’t you?
Vote:
0 0 um, abby? true “liberalism” would allow gay marriage and not claim that gay marriage is not allowed by God.
did you mean to agree with “libertarianism”?
Vote:
0 0 lol
I wondered about that, too……
Vote:
0 0 no, CR went on to say (sorry I forgot the whole quote) that he’s realistic.
So I can’t help but wonder who exactly is this “anonymous” following me from thread to thread twisting my words around. Hmmmm…. Like um the EVIL in homosexual which I didn’t say.
Maybe I should ask Joe to check IPs?
Vote:
0 0 ?????? geez, Abby, you ARE sensitive….no one is following you……how many users have you commented on, called their writing “garbage” etc???
if you don’t like comments on what you post, um, why are you posting????
Vote:
0 0 Maybe you can tell me woo. Lets see, I called a post garbage where? Oh goody the sensitivity issue again. So if you call others sensitive (shift blame) then that excuses poor behavior right?
No, while some of the posts are exasperating and some people love to bait, I prefer to take into account that they probably never passed the teen years emotionally. Yeah I’ve gotten my feathers ruffled by some, but usually after putting it into its proper perspective, I just chuckle at them.
Nice try though woo.
Vote:
0 0 If you have been following the site for as long as other readers, Joe does not give out or check into IP address for other posters. He has been very staunchly protective of users and their privacy. Hopefully the new Joe will continue his legacy or the site will not succeed. I don’t see evidence of stalking here but I guess not being in the hot seat makes me read things differently.
Vote:
0 0 I wouldn’t expect him to give it to me, nor would I want him too. I would expect him to curtail anyone who is just harrassing other posters. From what I’ve heard, a lot of people have left this site due to that. I don’t think this site needs that reputation. It’s a pretty good site when people aren’t just trying to be sarcastic to posters who think differently than they do. Rather those who are having good conversations back and forth and not degrading others because they don’t agree with their opinions. And/or twisting words around to suit their own agendas.
Vote:
0 0 True, but opinions about what people say is all relative. I have watched some over the last year+ say pretty innocent things, firing up another who obviously overreacted. Others, yes, they do get pretty strong and once in a while it’s nice to have the admin or other posters jump in and say “hey - chill” which has happened several times. Other times it’s not worth my comment, I just watch it unfold. Less cooks in a hot soup is better sometimes. Maybe those who volunteer for moderating could jump in now and then and say “hey- relax, watch the rules, etc.” like Joe #1 used to. Either way, this is one of the best sites to discuss local issues. I’ve compared it with several others and they simply don’t compare. Stay on long enough and you’ll recognize posters coming back as other names, writing styles follow many users. In the end, it’s good to take a break from anything in life stressing us out, including the internet!
Vote:
0 0 And by the way, I’m not a liberal nor a liberaterian. I do think you can be realistic and make the world a better place regardless of what you are.
Vote:
0 0 I agree with that. I’ve taken my breaks from here but I use the same name when I return. What bothers me is people twisting words around or inserting words that were never used by the poster. I have always found that very manipulative and I don’t like manipulative people. I’ve gone over posts where someone replied and wondered how the heck they came up with the response. I guess all you can do is shake your head and move on.
Vote:
0 0 response to 18, which mistakenly was posted elsewhere:
comment 106, Savannah Berry post:
Abby: ” I won’t be reading any more of that garbage.”
That is the reference, Abby. Babs simply asked which facts consituted discrepancies…….she (he?) wasn’t baiting or stalking you and yet you immediately accused Babs of being sexist and attacking you. then posted the sentence above…….
Yet now you cry foul because someone disagrees with your opinion??
Abby, at least play fair.
Vote:
0 0 I responded to you back on that thread Woo. You stated I said that several times. I said it once. And yes, I think it was garbage.
I try to be fair woo. Hey, I can’t say I’m perfect.
Vote:
0 0 never said you said it more than once, although now you have tee hee…………..:)
Vote:
0 0 how many users have you commented on, called their writing “garbage” etc???
The “how many users” looks like more than one to me I guess. But whatever the case, I confess, I said it on one post. And you got to admit that thread was out of hand and the sarcasm was ridiculous.
I’m not overly sensitive no. And no, hopefully nobody is “out to get me”. Geez, let’s hope not. You can call me opinionated though. And yes, I do tend to stick up for the underdog at times. I don’t like seeing innocent people treated unfairly. And if I think there is a question about their guilt, Yep, I’ll stand up for them.
Vote:
0 0 I don’t think that thread was out of hand or sarcastic, honestly, until you went into attack mode and started labelling people sexist for asking you a legitimate question about the basis for an opinion you shared.
Sorry you misread or misunderstood the “etc.”.
Have a good night
Vote:
0 0 Everyone is entitled to their opinion I guess.
Vote:
0 0 amen to that……
Vote:
0 0 And they were busted on chat. If anyone would like to request a copy, it’s here for the asking.
Perhaps if Joe would like users to stay on this site, he needs to eliminate those who think harrassing others is a good time.
Vote:
0 0 While I enjoy your comments Abby….I do have to say I too think you’re a bit sensitive at times. You’re too worried about people following you around and disagreeing with you, than you are regarding your actual stance on a topic. Everytime someone disagrees with you it becomes an issue. Why is that? Debate the issue, not the person.
Vote:
0 0 Well thanks Guest House. I’m not sure I really want to stick around though. I guess I don’t call it sensitivity, I call it her inability to let go. This Babs thing is exhausting to me. You think it’s over and up pops another comment from her or her little crew. And seriously, where on earth did I say “evil homosexuals”?? I hadn’t even been on the SB thread for that reason. How many times do you have to answer the same questions lest her cronies and her let go? And why do people grill each other so much here? They just can’t handle your point of view? Honestly.
The reality is, people are free to think whatever they choose. I call it obsessive compulsive disorder and she needs to let go. It’s not too difficult for me to see why some people get exasperated and quit coming here. The excessive use of sarcasm is insane and childlike. Sometimes I think if I don’t respond to sarcasm with sarcasm they aren’t going to understand it. Adults should have discussions, not flip a bunch of sarcastic remarks back and forth. Enough is enough already.
So my sensitivity or her OCD, it doesn’t matter, it takes too much energy. I’ve got better things to do (like have real conversations with real adults). Oh gee, was that sarcastic??
Leave Your Comment
Our Community's Comment Guidelines:- Please stay polite and on topic.
- Your email will never be published.
- No profanity or euphemisms for profanity.
- No personal attacks, name-calls, put-downs, or baiting other guests, races, genders, or religions.
- Express opinions, facts, logic, and reasoning; just don’t argue for argument’s sake.
- No commercial links (unless absolutely relevant to the discussion) and no religious proselytizing.
- No religious discussions (for or against). Go to http://religion.idahofallstoday.com for religious discussions.
- Use the "I" word as much as possible to demonstrate responsibility.
- Limit yourself to using one name per thread to demonstrate responsibility.
- If you think a comment is inappropriate, ask Joe to review it.
Loading ...
Vote:
I enjoy reading your comments even when I don’t always agree with them, but I wasn’t quite sure what the point of this post was. (aside from what party affiliation you claim or support) Didn’t we have a poll on this topic at one time?
And why is it we feel the need to “label” ourselves and/or our beliefs? I don’t side with any one party affiliation. I’d like to say Indenpendant, but I’m more Conservative in many of my beliefs. And then again, I can be Liberal at times. The way party lines have blurred so much over the years and flip flopped their stance regarding numerous issues, its enough to make your head spin. I say vote for the candidate that is best qaulified to run this country. But since we can’t do that, I choose to side with no party affiliation as none of them have the right answer for this country, and our vote doesn’t mean squat anyway. And until we get rid of the electoral college and allow this country to utilize a “popular voting system”, it’s all just a waste of time in my opinion. Get rid of the special interest groups and super delegates and all the BS that goes along with the lunacy that is our electoral process and get back down to basics. Our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves right now!