Feb 16 2011
The Classic Liberal asks
Do you want Constitutionally-limited government, or do you "miss me yet" George W. Bush? Is the Constitution the law of the land, or do you support the PATRIOT Act? Do you want to "get back to the Constitution," or fight a War on Drugs? Small government, or Utopian nation-building? Constitution, or Executive war powers?
Do you want self-government, or bureaucratic "leaders?" Do you want liberty, or morality down the barrel of a gun? Do you want a free market, or bureaucratic managed trade?
These are all great questions and questions that those who are active in the Tea Party movement need to ask themselves. I am hopeful but not confident that many of the people who self identity as Tea Party Members, or for that matter, as Conservatives are better friends to Liberty then liberals, progressives or socialists. We need not replace one brand of anti-liberty policies with our own. In other words we cannot have it both ways. We either believe in Constitutionally limited government or we don’t. It should be a core principle and not something that depends on which party is in power.
Read the rest of the Classic Liberals post here: Why Do I Pick On Conservatives?.
Is this for me?
This has been one of my problems with the Tea Party and the Republicans.
I watch ‘The Daily Show’ and many times they would be at the rallys asking people what they stood for and they would say smaller government. They would then ask them about cutting social security and they would say no don’t touch that.
The Republicans will admit that there are problems with healthcare in this country but then they don’t actually say how you would address them without Obamacare. Nor will they say out loud that they don’t think there is a problem and that you people who can’t get healthcare are SOL.
The Patriot Act or Homeland Security to wonderful pieces of big government forced down people’s throats because if your not with us your for the terrorists.
Abortion is legal in this country but they constantly want to control a women’s right to her own body.
It is all politics. The republicans are only interested in small government when it suits their agenda and I think the Tea Party people look at things through simplified view of the world.
It’s interesting to watch as they go at each other when anyone strays from the talking points memo they follow. They view any compromise as a failing and move to cut anyone who does.
Extolling the virtue of the constitution but failing to see that the very document they claim to follow is full of compromises. That living in a democracy means that you will not always get everything that you want. That your interests will not always be aligned with everyone else’s and that if we want to live together we will have to find a way for us “to all get along”.
No this is a question I have been asking since the beginning of the L1 site. It is something I have been thinking a lot more about lately, though, because I believe we are getting close to the point of no return.
Its sorta funny that you and I are wondering about the same things but from opposite ends of the political spectrum.
I don’t know about you, but I feel that Michigan has been so busy being the “Motor City” and support of the Motor City, that the whole idea of the constitution and what it means has gone up in smoke. So many looking at the things that the federal government is doing, as if they are God. And it’s just the opposite. We’ve lost the self esteem that we had when we were the Motor City, and we have no principals of a republic whatsoever. The Tea Party movement is certainly something that has awakened some of it. But there is still so much confusion about states right. Or even the difference between a right and a privilege, and what it means to the sovereign individual, that I too often lose hope. But then another day comes, and I am dumb enough to have hope again.
I would love to talk to you Buck. Sounds like you and I have much in common.
I like working with groups around Michigan, and have for a few years now. Helping them to understand such things. And we’re talking about having a Constitution Class, since one hasn’t been in the lower part of Michigan yet. It would be an arranged by Michigan thing. Not arranged by Mr. Badnarik. If you’re interested, email me. Nice to run across you!
TU artist