If you know me, you know it's a Friday night, my wife and son are sleeping, and I still have a few hours left in me. My night of Bill and Ted watching has reached its final climax.
If you know me, you know I've been drinking.
This is Liberty With Reason. Welcome.
For the past few years, I've struggled with my political affiliation. While being a Libertarian sounds like a good idea, I can't ignore the fact that everyone needs Health Care, and that Climate Change is a reality. So as the Tea Party holds its first convention with Sarah Palin as its guest speaker, I publish my first blog on my new website.
The guest speaker: Me; however, all guests are welcome.
If you know me, you know this will blog will deal primarily with politics. I will also tackle sports from time to time, and share my experiences as a first-time father (how exciting, I know.)
I'm going to get the initial conversation started by saying I did vote for our current president, and after one year, I'm happy I did. Has he successfully passed any health care reform? No. Is Guatanamo Bay still open? Unfortunately. Is the War in Iraq over? Not yet. Did he escalate the War in Afghanistan? Yes, and I'm glad he did.
He wants to continue the Bush Administration policy of trying terrorists in civilian courts, and suddenly, the Republicans disagree. I say, go for it, but I know you won't.
As for Domestic Spying, the PATRIOT Act and our overall civil liberties the Bush Administration stole from us, these issues have yet to be acknowledged by the Obama Administration, and as long as the media has forgotten about them, they never will be.
As for the economy, just one politician could really have solved our problem, and the Republicans failed to nominate him.
So after a year, Barack Obama has done exactly one thing I wanted him to, while driving our economy into a hole most politicians would've dragged us into. Still, for the most part, I would say we're no worse off with Obama than we would've been had anyone else been elected, and that includes Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Bob Barr, etc. Obama is proving to be President as usual, which is better than the Execution Artists we had before this.
Thoughts?
1. It is NOT snowing here. What gives. I'm down with weekend blizzards. I've got rum. I'm ready.
ReplyDelete2. Wife & Son sleeping, you drinking = givens.
3. I've been drinking too. Also = given.
4. I agree with like, everything you said. Deep right?
5. This country has some sick amnesia. Forget about teaching 20th century history... everyone needs a crash course in the first decade of the 21st century.
Looking forward to your new blog.
Well i disagree with almost everything that you mentioned about the current president and if i was a liberal i would not be happy with the current president at all since he not able to achieve really anything in his first year as president.
ReplyDeleteJust like GWB Obama has no respect for the Constitution.
Just like GWB Obama does not understand that spending billions and borrowing money from China is just a bad policy because we are stealing our kids future.
I think it is sort of funny that Obama wants to been seen as the guy who stands shoulder to shoulder with the regular americans, however he spend this past year bailing out every major corporation with the tax payers money.
On foreign policy:
1. Iran and North Korea are still a problem. Obama approach to both situations is very much the same as during GWB years.
2.We are not leaving Iraq no matter what he says now or what he said during the election.
2. I think he is wrong about Afghanistan. Nine years later after 9/11 what are we still doing there? We are in the land where no foreign power has ever won any war. The chance to get Bin Laden is long gone and unless you expand the war into Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, and Yemen we really have no chance of capturing Bin Laden or getting rid of his network. What we are doing in Afghanistan right now is nation building which is idiotic as it will kill thousands of Americans and will not make us any safer.
Healthcare:
I'm for healthcare reform because i do think that the system is broken somewhat, however i do not believe any government option is a good idea. Most Americans are happy with their current healthcare so why would we want to change that? How about lets use free market solutions to help those people who dont have healthcare. Americans have always been great at having the private market solve problems!
On global warming: I think the debate is well and alive all over the world. I mean look at India, as of today they are not even going to join any global warming talks anymore.
In conclusion,
I really dont think Obama is that much different than Bush and i think one year later american public can see that. That is why the tea party movement is so popular. United States has always been about the individual and not the expansion of government
Oleg
Well, I guess I'm the opposite of everyone, I am up at 7:17 on a Saturday morning with nothing to do. And with no hang over since I didn't drink last night and went to be bed at the healthly hour of 9, HAHA. Thats not true.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I want to say, good job Doodle! This blog is long over due and it is a great way to get all your thoughts out. Can I post a link to my Libertarian newsletter once a month ? Is that allowed ? The next issue as some really great items in it that I am sure everyone here would love to think about.
I agree with what you said about Obama actually. I think he is doing the same thing as what any nominee would have done if not better. He really is making Americans reconsider the swing vote. If both Democratics and Republicans are basically the same, at least some voters will start to think about maybe another alternative. Hence the Tea Party movement where most participants don't know what party they belong to. (Yes, I've been to some and yes, I've asked them)
I was hostings some foreign visitors last weekend, one was from the UK and the other from Germany. In talking to them I learned something about America that was really interesting.
These two people would be considered liberal BUT they do not have any 'chip' on their shoulder when talking about ideas, nor were they against anything successful, nor against any corporations. It was just in their culture to natually think that everyone should be cared for.
In realizing this, I recognized a huge differance with American culture. American culture from the beginning as always been about independeance, the 'wild west' and going out there and finding your way - on your own. That sense of feeling still remains strongly in this country and it is something I really admire.
My vistors in talking about the layoffs in America said, wow, if we knew we could be fired any day at work, we would be so scared. Here in America, I signed a document when I was hired that said my company can fire or lay me off anytime without warning. In Europe, they basically cannot be fired or laid off. Well, to that I say, there is risk involved in anything whether you admit it or not. I recognize the sense that it is ok to fail and it is ok to start over (why I was so against the bailouts). That American spirit of not counting on someone else to care for you and wanting to be responsible for yourself and say, hey! the world is out there for my choosing, and no, it is not all comfortable, boring, and no! I can't give up on life because it is just so easy to do so little.
America to me says get off your butt and work for yourself because you may not always have a paycheck or you may not always have mommy and daddy there to support you.
These concepts are what make up what I feel is the fundamental value 'war' that has been going on between 'liberals' and 'non-liberals'. On my side, Libertarian, I fight for the freedom and the individual spirit that is American. I fight for the sense of risk and opportunity and only comes with not feeling comfortable.
In Europe, they don't care about those things, because that kind of thinking is long gone with their great great great grandparents.
Nicole
This is the first election I voted in (it's only the 2nd one I was old enough to vote in) and I didn't expect anything special from Obama. What I did want was for the world to have a tiny shred of respect for the US, which I think is happening because the rest of the world seems pretty into Obama. I think it's because they think black guys are cool. I also didn't want Sarah Palin to be on TV anymore, which apparently wasn't going to happen no matter what.
ReplyDeleteKelli, Your comments are very deep and thought provoking. I'll be up all day thinking about them.
ReplyDeleteJenni, I think the whole world can agree black guys are cool. One visit to stuffwhitepeoplelike.com proves that.
Nicole, Of course you can leave a link for your newsletter here. I really do find Libertarian ideas fascinating, and I think when explained properly, i.e. not by Oleg, Libertarian ideas will make anybody think. I hate the disconnect between "Liberals" and "Conservatives" because each side has good ideas to offer. People need to stop using labels and start listening to each other, and I hope that's what this blog can communicate.
Oleg,
Oleg. Oleg. Oleg.
Learn how to write.
No, seriously, learn when to use your rather than you. Life will be so much better when you do.
Health Care, all I'm saying is a government option would ideally force insurance companies to lower their prices to something everyone can afford, thus eliminating the need for a public option at all. If your company goes with the public option, don't get health insurance through them. You can get it independently.
Let's ignore Climate Change, since we will never agree.
The president said we'll start leaving Iraq in August. I'll hold my criticism until on this subject until September.
With Bin Laden, I do believe this war should be expanded to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Yemen. All places we should've been instead of Iraq, and we shouldn't let one serious mistake allow a murderer to get away. I know this is probably my individual opinion, since this would cost a ton of money, of which our country seems to have none, but I think it's worth it, and this is my blog.
As for passing the debt down to the next generation, I've been hearing that since I was a kid. Ronald Reagan said it to my parents, now I'm hearing it, Rocco's going to hear it, and that's the way it will always be, no matter the president or our policies. I expect a lengthy argument on this point.
Thanks for reading guys, and a special thanks to my followers. Remember to tell all your friends.
I feel like a serious slacker. As soon as I find enough time to put some seriously reply into this, I will. I promise.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Doodle's right about Oleg's post being hard to read. I'm sorry if this sounds like a jab, because it's not meant to. It's just something I find interesting about "internet writing." The letter "i" when referring to yourself should be capitalized. My third grade teacher told us that if you don't capitalize "I" then you will appear to have low self worth because you are essentially saying "i don't deserve to be important therefore i am not capitalized." The thing is, I've met Oleg and from everything I've ever heard about him I just can't picture him to have low self worth or him not wanting to talk about himself. That's why his post was so confusing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, "Most Americans are happy with their current healthcare"
...if they have it, and probably don't need to use it, that's probably true.
I don't know why so many people make speculation like that on behalf of the whole country when the topic of health care comes up. I'm not saying it's wrong, but I have no reason to believe that to be true either. Personally I think most people aren't happy with health care... at least the people I know who have health care and have serious medical problems. But I can't speak for the whole country.
So Obama has come home with a report card that contains four F's and a D, and you're taking him out for iced cream?
ReplyDeleteI shouldn't be so hard on him I suppose - he's not actually the problem. The problem is the corrupt, and morally void version of "Democracy" practiced in this country. Politicians, like most people, are extremely selfish and greedy. Companies like to give money to selfish and greedy politicians in order to ensure that the country gets run in a manner that suits them. While Barrack Obama himself might be a stand up guy, the other two branches of our government are staffed by people on the take. That delightful system of checks and balances we have in place ensures that the majority gets what they want, and currently, that majority is completely morally bankrupt, but doing quite well fiscally thanks to large campaign contributions from major oil companies, the financial sector, and the pharmaceutical industry. We have a system in place that allows for any number of political parties to run for office, but lets face it - while that system allows for other parties to run, our only real choice is whether to elect the corrupt democrat, or the corrupt republican. Oh, and let's not forget that now businesses can give as much as they want in campaign contributions - and it's a good thing. Those pesky restrictions have prevented us from changing the national flag to the Pfizer logo for far too long.
On climate change: It's not called global warming anymore - that's because that term was sort of a misnomer - the damage we've done to the planet can cause temperature extremes in either direction, cold or hot. It's not up for debate. Any legitimate member of the scientific community not working for an oil company or an electric company will tell you it's fact, not a debatable opinion.
On healthcare: We have a terrible healthcare system in this country, and the Obama administration took all the teeth out of the healthcare legislation to appease the angry Pfizer employees.... I mean Republicans. For more on this, go back to my first paragraph where I explain why our government fails as a whole. A government option would absolutely force insurance companies to lower their prices, thus ensuring that most people would be able to afford healthcare without resorting to the public option. As it is, insurance companies will do whatever they can to avoid paying a claim, regardless of it's legitimacy, and regardless of how much you've paid into your insurance plan. It should be commonly accepted that if you're sick, you should be able to get medical attention one way or another, but unfortunately opponents of universal healthcare don't see it that way. They see insurance companies stuffing their coffers, Money talks, and sick people die. God bless america.
Mikey, I gave Obama three F's, three D's and a C, to be technical. I also don't want ice cream from him. I mean, it would be nice, but then the Republicans would just so Obama was trying to fatten us all up so that no one would notice we're Socialists now. Obama would say, 'Let me be clear. I'll give him all the ice cream, but I'm taking half of it back.' Then he'd make a joke and everyone would laugh. Then Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid would give me vanilla and skunk flavored ice cream, when Obama was originally planning on giving me Chocolate Chip Mint, and they'd call it a success.
ReplyDeleteAs for all government being corrupt, you're right, and it's discouraging that every time there's a serious movement outside the two party-system, as the conservative movement is currently, it falls apart and most of said movement gravitates back to its "safe party." That's human nature; stick with what you know. It's also why some people are scared of healthcare reform; they're confused as to what the end result would be, and since most never need to use their health care, they're happy with what they have.
And then, some people are just disagreeable. Like the people that ignore the science of climate change.