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Some musings - Political
Dec. 17th, 2002 02:42 pmBy a lot of people's standards I'm a political mutant. And not the kind with cool optic blasts or wings or funny blue fur. My fur's brown. I just checked. Well, OK, a few blond bits.
Some examples: I'm in favor of public schools and private choice but not vouchers. I'm in favor of private ownership of guns. I believe there's too much paperwork for small-scale recipients of government largesse and too little for large scale. I believe that the government is one of the best means of accomplishing a lot of good and has the potential for even more that's bad, and it has also been responsible for lots of things both bad and good.
I describe myself as midway between a Libertarian and a Green. I don't have the view that government is inherently the worst means of getting anything done and I don't have the view that government is inherently the best way to do everything. Government as we have it now is a mix of good and bad, some really good and some really bad. Like most people I want to continue the good and either reform or cut out the bad.
Now for all that I consider myself midway between Libertarian and Green I don't subscribe to either wholeheartedly and both of them in undiluted form make me want to scream. Not the good kind of scream either, I could live with that kind of screaming. Sometimes I even do get to live with that kind of screaming and I tell you it's a lot of fun.
Following some links I ended up looking at this page today and read through the article. It actually sums up my discontent with both Libertarian and Green extremes, even though it's a speech to Libertarians.
I'm an idealist. I have my dreams and aspirations for a promising future. At the same time I live in the now and have to do things in the now. I'm not saying planning isn't needed; but I wonder why it is so many people will either sacrifice the future for the present or sacrifice the present for the future, all in the name of what's supposed to be reason. If whatever it is that's being touted is so reasonable why don't I agree with it? I'm an agreeable sort after all, occasionally even reasonable.
I do rail against political stupidity; but I also know that gradual change is a lot less of a shock to the system than an immediate drastic change.
Some examples: I'm in favor of public schools and private choice but not vouchers. I'm in favor of private ownership of guns. I believe there's too much paperwork for small-scale recipients of government largesse and too little for large scale. I believe that the government is one of the best means of accomplishing a lot of good and has the potential for even more that's bad, and it has also been responsible for lots of things both bad and good.
I describe myself as midway between a Libertarian and a Green. I don't have the view that government is inherently the worst means of getting anything done and I don't have the view that government is inherently the best way to do everything. Government as we have it now is a mix of good and bad, some really good and some really bad. Like most people I want to continue the good and either reform or cut out the bad.
Now for all that I consider myself midway between Libertarian and Green I don't subscribe to either wholeheartedly and both of them in undiluted form make me want to scream. Not the good kind of scream either, I could live with that kind of screaming. Sometimes I even do get to live with that kind of screaming and I tell you it's a lot of fun.
Following some links I ended up looking at this page today and read through the article. It actually sums up my discontent with both Libertarian and Green extremes, even though it's a speech to Libertarians.
I'm an idealist. I have my dreams and aspirations for a promising future. At the same time I live in the now and have to do things in the now. I'm not saying planning isn't needed; but I wonder why it is so many people will either sacrifice the future for the present or sacrifice the present for the future, all in the name of what's supposed to be reason. If whatever it is that's being touted is so reasonable why don't I agree with it? I'm an agreeable sort after all, occasionally even reasonable.
I do rail against political stupidity; but I also know that gradual change is a lot less of a shock to the system than an immediate drastic change.
