Anybody here a libertarian?

[WalkingWolf]

I am all for a common sense party, but where would you find politicians? This is one trait they don't seem to have.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
I almost wonder what it would be like if our politicians were picked
using a lottery system. It can't be any worse than the bozos we elect
into power these days.

 

[flopshot]

i know the mods discourage political discussions and that's fine but i really enjoy the viewpoints of my fellow members since this is NOT a political forum. i could go to a number of boards for such discussions but they all tend to lean one way or another. probably why they exist in the first place. at least here we begin with a common interest and discover other attributes through the various threads.
this post is a good example that a discussion can take place in a civil manner.

 

[yotetrapper]

PC talk to me about isolationism. 5 years ago I was completely politically ignorant, and my learning curve has been slow. I'm not sure exactly what isolationism to you, entails.

Here are a few things I've been thinking about. We send millions (billions? trillions?) of dollars to other countries in "foreign aid" while people here at home are finacially suffering. Do the foreign countries we send aid to use it to better themselves? No, they use it to become even more dependant. Foriegn welfare, if you will. Sometimes, they even want to kill us LOL.

It seems to me that America is always sticking their nose in where it isnt wanted to needed. We do this to "improve" things, or maybe make things more "safe". The result? A bunch of countries that are not only ticked off at us, but that seem to be actually breeding and raising generations that would like nothing more that to wipe us off the face of the earth.

My opinion, is that we need to cut off almost all foreign aide, except to maybe some of our very close allies that really would not make it without our help, such as israel. And we need to stop meddling. Can we stick our heads in the sand? No, but I thnk we could cut our foreign interference down by about 90% with no ill affects.

Does that make me an isolationist?

I'm not being sarcastic, I really just dont know exactly was an isolationist IS.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Isolationalism to one is different than that to another. People tend
to go to extremes. There are also many different issues related to
this.

Prior to WW2 the US population had the attitude that if it didn't happen
here is wasn't our problem, hence Nazi Germany was able to almost
conquer the world. This is of course much more complicated than that.

Many say we send too much money overseas in foreign aid. This is
probably true but sometimes that aid is a way to prevent having to
use our military to put out what could become a huge regional fire.

Sticking our nose into other regions is always going to be thankless.
Even our European friends don't like this because they in a lot of
ways are jealous and paranoid of the US. Our rivals such as Russia
and China want us to fail regardless of if what we are doing is just
or not. What about Iran? Do we wait until they are a nuclear nation
or do we deal with them now? Neither choice is a good one but one
will be much worse then the other. The same holds true for Iraq. Is
the world better for it? I believe it is but only time and history will
prove it to be a good or bad thing.

It's also important to draw distinctions between unrelated issues.
It is true we have many in this country who are experiencing financial
hardships. That problem should be addressed but on it's own merits,
not based on where else we are spending money.

There are no easy answers here and I'm not qualified to educate anyone
on it. I will say you seem to have a very open mind and are asking
some good questions. In my mind that makes you an engaged American
and educated voter.

 

[sharp_shepherd]

I am a libertarian but still registered to the Republican Party though i prefer the Constitutional Party. To bad i'm pretty much surrounded by way to many Democrats...but the good news is that they are starting to see the light...unfortunately they are to late.

 

[Reinbeau]

It is never too late. We can't think that way. We need to stand strong and fight for what we think is right. Do you think the original tea party in Boston was a popular movement? It wasn't, they were marginalized, they were ridiculed, for a time, until slowly people began to see they were right. It was treasonous to speak out against the King. They did it anyways. The Constitution was written the way it was expressly to keep power in the hands of The People. They were very wise men, those writers of The Constitution, and they each paid personal prices for their vision. Thankfully they prevailed, and their beliefs did, too, until recent times. We need that focus again, so the America I grew up in is the one will be left to our children and our grandchildren. They deserve no less.

 

[Blue Skys]

Quote:
Very well put. I think many Americans either forget their history studies or do not realize what is possible under such a tyranny.

Don't tread on me!!!

 

[TheOLDNewChick]

Quote:
Kimmie, U ok tonight?

Don, am I ever okay?

...don't answer that.

 

[yotetrapper]

I supported going into Iraq at first, and I still dont regret the decision. And this is an issue that my husband and I disagree on too....but, how long do we stay? I know, and believe, that if every soldier left Iraq today their "gov't" would crumble, and they would most likely be taken over by Iran. I know this. But where he and I disagree is that if the troops leave in 1 year... or 5 or 10 or 25. We can spend money and more money and we c an build up their government and teach them our philosophies and show them our freedom. My husband thinks that once they get a good taste of that freedom and see that countries can be so much better than they were the way they did it before, they will fight to keep their new found freedom. I just don't buy that. I think whether we leave tomorrow, or next year, or 20 years from now they will revert right back to where they were. They are a different breed than we are. They have different beliefs, different religion, different traditions and opinions. They're not us, and although we can try our darnedest to make them like us, I think it's an effort in futility. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.

Should we deal with Iran now or wait? I dont know... do we give them foreign aid now? If we do, we should stop immediately. Do we buy from them? If we do, we need to stop. But should we go further? Should we force them to stop their Nuclear program? I dont think we should. Do I want Iran to have Nukes? Of course not. But until they use them against us, I don't see the need to act. Do I want a Nuke dropped on NY or LA? Of course not. Will it happen? Maybe. Maybe not. I dont know, and I dont think anyone else does either. If it DOES happen, I have no doubt we could make certain it never happened again in no time flat. If this was an isolated instance I would tend to think that we should act now. But it's not, and never will be. It will be one thing have another. Iran, North Korea, China, and how many more? Where do we draw the line?

I dont know. I'm as confused as anyone else is. Makes it even harder to find a party to fit into when you can't even figure out what you believe in yourself LOL.