From Libertarian Party to Tea Party

I think you already know that there are Libertarians with a capital "L" and libertarians with a small "l". I used to be a card carrying member of the Libertarian Party until the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks, when I thought that they were too soft on Islamic terrorism. I actually had a previous difference with them over the Waco whacko incident when they sided with the Waco whackos. I let that one slide, but their position on 9-11 was a deal breaker for me. I think that I'm still a small "l" libertarian, although sometimes I think of myself as a reactionary, depending on the issue.

Before I joined the Libertarians, I was a card carrying member of the American Independent Party and the John Birch Society. I came back to the Republicans for Reagan, but I jumped ship when the first Bush came along. I had already decided that the libertarian philosophy was closer to my own beliefs than the American Independent Party. By that time, the AIP had pretty well died out anyway, but I understand that many of the survivors were assimilated into Ross Perot's Reform Party. Perot didn't appeal to me. I saw one of his 30 minute infomercials where he spoke with pride of his boyhood business where he had managed to sell newspapers to a bunch of poor people who couldn't even read, and it made me wonder what else he was trying to sell.

I think that most libertarians consider Ayn Rand to be one of their patron saints although, if she were alive today, I'm not sure that she would call herself one. I suppose you could say the same thing about Marx, Lenin, Mao, Buddha, or Jesus Christ. I think that if any of these guys could see what their followers have done in their names, they would be turning over in their graves. Most libertarians are highly individualistic people anyway, and not prone to hero worship.

What the libertarians and the tea party types have in common is their dislike for big government. It's not just about taxes, it's about reducing the size and scope of government. While I agree with them in principle, I'm not so sure that just reducing government will solve all our problems. I mean, the reason government got so big in the first place was that there were various problems that weren't being effectively addressed by anyone else and, in frustration, people called on government to "do something". Governments, after all, are run by people, and we all know what people are like.What we need is for people to just shape up and do the right things of their own free will, thus rendering governments unnecessary. Lots of luck with that one!