I really shouldn’t be blogging today (post operative), but I had to put in a few words of praise for Stephen Green whose article – I Was a Card-Carrying Libertarian: Confessions of a Black Sheep Republican – is generating a lot of action over on Pajamas today.
A lot younger than I did and coming from the opposite direction, Stephen has discovered that painful, but finally liberating, truth – it ain’t simple. You want to have some ideology to hang onto, some method of organizing everything, but the moment you settle on one thing, if you’re even partially awake, it kicks you in the head.
That is why I am leery of true believers, whether they are trailing in the wakes of Karl Marx or Ayn Rand. But enough for now… I’m supposed to be recuperating from eye surgery (which means for me that I didn’t get on IM with PJM Barcelona editor Jose Guardia until 7:45AM.)
Well Roger, I went to the right and then I settle back down in the middle. I would just like for people to spend less time thinking about ideology and more time thinking about progress, solutions and the future.
Roger, put that computer down for your eye’s sake. Go out to a favorite restaurant and enjoy your lovely wife and daughter.
David
As a self described conservative with libertarian tendencies I found this conversion amusing.
Many years ago as a callow yute I looked into libertarianism in detail. Some of the principles are quite good and can be used practially; others not so much.
Currently I have two points on which I question Libertarians.
First, the pro-choice issue. How is that libertarian? Do libertarians take a pass on murder? Of course not. To me, abortion is purely a meta-physical debate; when does human life start? Once life has started it should not be terminated at private whim (we’ll leave the death penalty out of this).
The other question is politically the more important one.
Libertarians don’t seem to understand the concept of power hungry as it applies to anyone other than their chosen bogey man; the US government. But, what about other power mad individuals or groups? What about multi-national corporations that don’t play nice. Who / how is that power to be held in check?
And here comes the Islamofascist crowd. Just like the left-wing loons the libertarians see everything through their tunnel vision that it’s all the fault of the US government.
These are not serious people; they are simpletons. I’m glad that one of them woke up.
BTW wasn’t Paul once a Larouchie?