I believe that libertarianism is a nice way of saying "moronic anarchist". I believe in neither small government nor big government. This is not the 18th century, so we can't pretend that a bare handful of people can run a country with our modern borders and needs. States along the southern border like to whine about how the government isn't helping with immigration, but if you actually HAD small government, they wouldn't be helping anyway. It seems like everyone wants smaller government when they want to do something illegal or immoral, but magically want a big government to clean up the resulting mess, kind of like a kid who wants his parents to leave him alone as he plays in the woods, but then wants the parents to save him from the approaching bear. I believe, likewise, in "efficient" spending. Demand necessities get taken care of, and save up for the "wants". I'm for regulated capitalism. Wesayso is what we get with unfettered capitalism ... AND it's hypocritical. Businesses argue people should pull themselves up by the bootstraps while whining about needing tax breaks in the same breath. Sorry, don't feel sorry for dumb people.
Red, you just made my day and said things better than I could have.
Now, I don't agree with everything the left says, I don't agree with everything the right says, but I'll always find something I can agree with on either count.
Libertarianism is another matter.
If Dems are the Donkey, and the Reps are the elephant, the libertarian symbol should be a fat kid holding a birthday cake screaming MINE! I actually tried listening, and all they can give is a bunch of historical factoids and meandering speeches that justify the fact they selfishly refuse to pay taxes. They don't want government help for fear they have to pay for it, and they want runaway pseudo-capitalism to control the country because... well, if you can't trust a bunch of wealthy people who would cut every conceivable corner or trade everything they own for a little more, who can you trust. These people don't want public schools, net neutrality... they don't want ANYONE to help anyone else... they say... HEY! let's let those companies that build cheap oil rigs and sell us cars with Twinkies for breakpads help us out.
Remember the rich spoiled unpopular musician from a couple years ago that flew his private plane into an IRS building and he became a hero? Re-read that... spoiled, unpopular musician and private plane. Dude was MOOCHING off the government. Everyone's whining about entitlements? Feeling you should not pay taxes IS entitlement.
And even if that stuff does apply, why do we bemoan welfare and yet give big corporations CORPORATE welfare? Why did we spend all this time crying about the bailout when we give massive tax breaks that amount to the same... OH... and they DON'T have to pay back. GE not only managed to work around paying taxes, but the government... no... WE pay them to NOT create new technologies, NOT hire people, and spend a fortune on PR saying "We do GOOD!"
Why should WE pay the taxes for the wealthy investors that make up science fiction fairy stories to rationalize the fact they want to cheat oil prices up so they can artificially jack up their investments? Why should we have to pay wacky taxes and sales and food tax hikes when we're not getting any more money than we were when CEO's continue to get record paychecks for running companies under the ground? Why does everyone think you have to be a liberal to want them to pay up for crap they profit over that we can't share the wealth of?
And above all, I agree nanny stating is BULL! But making sure that the food is edible, doesn't contain disease, and corners aren't cut to our expense IS the healthy food regulation we should have. I've said it a million times... I HATE Commercial Free Childhood with an intense passion. They want the government to take stuff away so they don't have to raise their children or worse... GASP... see FAT people. THAT needs to be silenced. Regulations to make sure corporations play by some rules and not try to gouge prices and give us dangerous materials that we can't even buy since all the jobs went to countries that DON'T like us, and won't thank us for pumping up their economy... Heck YEAH!
Oh... back to the religion thing... uh... did the guy say any specific time zone when the world goes phooey? Cuz it's 6 here, and nothing happened yet. I don't wanna be smug about how stupid they are until I'm sure.