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COMMENTS:
There are probably good points about both doctrines and likewise bad points about both doctrines. In my opinion the real problem is in having to vote for one or the other. The Electoral College system tends towards picking one side or the other which leaves some people in a pickle over which side appeals to them the most. In Ireland we have a system of Proportional Representation which allows for a broader use of your vote.
by B_P on Thu Nov 25, 04 10:26am
[+]
Libertarians tend to be fiscally conservative and in favor of small government -- in fact as well as practice, unlike today's Republican party, who merely gives lip-service to such things and expands government dramatically.
Conversely, Libertarians tend to resent government intrusion into their personal lives, unlike Social Conservatives and the Religious Right. They also aren't, to my knowledge, big fans of Religion imposed into Government.
True Libertarians, IMO, would find Bush and Kerry equally distasteful and wouldn't vote for either, at gunpoint. ;-)
(-: Told you I voted for Badnarik, didn't I?
forget what i wrote for that choice, i misread the ballot
Cathexis:
The biggest problem I've had with recent Republican presidents has been their chronic inability to either balance the U.S. budget or deal with the monster debt deficit, which now's becoming a real danger to the long-term economic health of the country. We've already seen the pounding the dollar's taken against the euro and the yen over the past two years, and, more troubling's the fact that foreign investors are approaching majority status in being holders of U.S. debt investments. If there's ever a run on the dollar, I think the economic results could be as bad as that of the Great Depression. I don't think that's hyperbole.
The biggest problems I have with the "Bush Doctrine" of unilaterally invading "terrorist harboring nations" are two-fold: (1) the costs just aren't tenable--Iraq alone's probably already cost us a third of a trillion dollars and weakened the dollar further by driving up both government spending and debt deficits & (2) the U.S., as the ultimate mercantile nation, depends heavily on "goodwill" internationally for its brands and investments. Deliberately going out of the way to piss off a large segment of the globe, regardless of any other sentiments, has already cost us economically and will continue to do so in the future, as the fairly brilliant and nonpartisan Fareed Zakaria has so aptly pointed out.
I don't think Libertarians in power would allow deficit spending, even if it involved slashing entitlement programs and discretionary spending domestically to the bone. The problem's that Republicans are, as a matter of realpolitik, unable or unwilling to make these compensatory cuts for the tax relief that they're providing to others. That's the real problem, IMHO.
"Both are more intelligent than democrats" *snickers*
Come over to the good side Felix. Before you go the wat of Anakin Skywalker.
Hmmm, evil or good, evil or good? Which one should I be? Tell me, do you think good makes me look fat?
I think the fundamental differences lie in the theories or philosophies behind the two different types of government. So it doesn't matter how much they are alike, it would be foolish to submit to the power of the 'good' side Felix. The good force is strong, but our freedom is stronger...
...and yes, that elephant makes you look fat!
Magdalenasdollar:
I was wearing the elephant around my shoulders like a raccoon or fox coat. When I got to my study on the top story, part of the flooring went along with my knees, so I may have to pass for now on this Republicanism.
Last week, I was considering becoming a Dem, so I was out walking a pet donkey I borrowed. I decided against it when I passed some burly construction workers and one of them yelled, "Hey, nice ass!"
I don't think I'm quite ready for that, and my wife was jealous for some reason.
Seriously, I agree with you on one important point: freedom trumps any kind of ideology. I'll *always* choose the party that grants the individual the most autonomy practicable versus the state.
Libertarians are much smarter than Republicans.
Felix: I ahve to agree with the reservations you cited in your first comment. For the lif eof me, I don't see how anyone can be complacent about the economy, given current situations.
And I have to agree: It is not hyperbole.
For just one thing, the Republicans do NOT support the Second amendment. G.W. Bush said he supported the 1994 Assault Weapon Lookalike ban and wished that Congress had extended it, and Reagan said that he would have signed that same ban had he been president in '94.
And that points up the only real difference between the two major parties: they talk differently. The Democrats are at least honest enough to admit they want bigger government, before doing everything in their power to obtain it. The Republicans claim they want smaller government, and once safely in office give us even bigger government than the Democrats would have.
Thus the Repubs have all the same flaws as the Demos plus one more: hypocrisy.
I'll take the Libertarian party. Losing elections is a small price to pay for being able to sleep at night.
You do have a point, Neal. I have been stunned at what I have heard vs what I have seen. And what I have seen is the biggest expansion of federal government in my lifetime, even while talking the opposite.
While Repubs traditionally prefer a smaller government than do the Dems, the Libertarians espouse even less government--at least at the Federal level, than the Repubs. Libertarians are very much in favor of increased state's rights. What a lot of people don;t realize, too, is that Libertarians favor legalized drugs, as the War on Drugs is seen by them as overzealous (and ineffective) government intervention. But since a Libertarian will never win the Presidency--at least in our lifetime--the closest you can get to voting a Lib into office is to vote for a conservative Republican.
That used to be true, Tyler. With the New Republican and expansion of governmenta nd deficits ... I no longer believe that.
Both are more intelligent than Democrats? How about more evil? Exactly what's intelligent in taking away help for a single mother of 4 children who relies on the government for help because she doesn't have the capabilities to take care of things on her own like the Republicans and Libertarians think she does. Being more evil does not make you more intelligent.
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