In Which I Disappoint Half My Audience

Taylor Buley, a real author (published!) who found this blog through my snarky comments on Wonkette, responded to a recent post of mine with the comment, "so you really are a libertarian!" Hate to say it Taylor, because I admire you and your fellow Libertarian Bill Maher, but a Libertarian I am not.

God knows (figure of speech) you guys are better than the Republicans, a party which seems devoted to making sure that people who are rich stay that way. Actually that's the old Republicans, the new ones are considerably more sinister. And it's great that you aren't the Democrats either - what the hell are THEY all about anyway? They can't even settle on being anti-Republicans.

And I like the civil liberty aspect of your party. Of course the Government has no business telling me how to worship or what I can say, and they certainly have no business in my bedroom. Government as moral force is an idea that becomes less appealing with every passing year.

However, the libertarian ideal (I've been told) is "just protect my borders and leave me the hell alone." No business regulation, no social engineering. That bothers me. To not reign in the excesses of capitalism, to not compensate for systemic social injustice - this seems to me a waste of government. I don't mind paying taxes into the big national ante if it means we have people taking care of the big picture.

It just seems that if the goal is to make the most money you can and keep it out of the hands of the government, that's just anti-social and selfish. And again, contrary to the common good.

Besides if government doesn't help the poor people, they tend to get desperate, rise up in revolution and steal all your stuff. You can either help them, or they will help themselves.  Social programs are a safety valve.

So I like some parts of Libertarianism and some ideals of Democratism... what the hell does that make me?

A Democrat, I guess.