A libertarian Du'ers view for the rest of you guys

[Castor Troy]

Hey guys,

I have been reading DU for a couple of months, and although I agree with only about half of what gets said on here, it is one of my favorite political Internet sites.

I am not really a democrat, nor a republican, I consider myself a Libertarian. I would appreciate if you guys would not try to get me kicked out, because I enjoy being able to interact with the DU'ers.

Anyway, I wanted to give my viewpoint on the main issues, explain why I think like that, and see what you guys think about it.

CIVIL LIBERTIES: I believe that we, as Americans, must do everything possible to stop the Government from encroaching on our liberties. The Patriot Act can lead us all into slavery to the state, if given enough time.

Moreover, too many times, most Politicians (Republicans AND Democrats) don't mind tossing aside the intent of the Constitution of the United States when it gets in the way of the current political cause.

FOREIGN POLICY: I believe that we have got to reconsider our place in the world now that the Cold War is over. I heard Pat Buchanan say on TV the other night that we "Should have bought our boys home from Europe at the same time that the Russians went home." I totally agree with that. Why in the hell do we have soldiers in Germany? That is costing us billions a year! We should bring our troops and our money home. I personally don't believe that Socialism or Communism is the best systems, especially Communism. It is gonna die out without the USA trying to go into countries and kill it.

ISRAEL: I believe that we should never support something in another country, that is illegal in the United States. I find it hypocritical of the Democrats and lefties who basically support the anti Israel causes in the Middle Eastern countries. If you look at the track record on Human rights and especially Women's rights, Israel stacks up on our side a helluva lot more than the Arab countries like Saudi Arabia or Iran. I realize that many Democrats support the Palestinian cause due to the fact that they don't have a place to go. I think this is incredibly naive. I feel the pain for the Palestinians, but let's be frank: The Arab people don't want peaceful coexistence, the want to destroy Israel. Israel is trying to defend itself in a very tough part of the world. It cannot afford to show weakness. At the same time, I can see the Palestinian viewpoint also. They are a people that are suffering, and they are doing what they think will bring about a better life for themselves. However, I believe that if they practiced a nonviolent path of resistance, they would achieve much more.

Both sides have a valid view. I personally think that the Wall being built over there is a great idea. The sections built so far have dramatically cut down the number of suicide bombers coming from those sections. Comparing this wall to the Berlin Wall is utter nonsense: The Berlin Wall was built to separate a single people into two separate groups. This wall is being built by a single country to protect its people from outsiders. If the wall stops the violence, build the wall.

THE WAR ON DRUGS: Quite possibly the stupidest phrase ever created. We should punish violent criminals, not drug users. A crime is an action that harms others. Although taking drugs is ignorant, it only harms one person: the user. I think the government should stay out of the private vices of its citizens. Besides, the War on Drugs is mostly a war on poor people that made bad decisions. How many rich people that do drugs end up going to jail over it.

Taxes/Welfare: Bad. I think the role of the government is to build roads and protect the country from invaders. Charity should be left to the private sector. I read somewhere that for every dollar of tax money that the government used for operations that are similar to private Charity work, that like 75 cents got tied up in bureaucracy. Private Charities only spend like half as much on the bureaucracy. It would be more efficient for the Private Charities to run things. Furthermore, I believe that people would be more inclined to give money to help the needy, if it knew the government wasn't going to do it.

My main reason for thinking like this has to do with my own personal experience. I grew up extremely poor. Poor kids need to understand that they have to work harder to make it. The government would not have been doing me any favors by shielding me from that fact until I was 18 and then throwing me out into the real world to deal with it.

POLITICS TODAY: The republicans who tried to hang Clinton were assholes who ended up hurting the country. Although definitely not to the same degree, I believe the Democrats are headed down a similar path. I think the democrats would do better to talk about there ideas and what they have to offer, instead of just attacking George Bush for being the devil. Guess what, most people (including myself) don't believe that. The Dem's saying "Vote for us: Bush is the Antichrist", is not going to get the vote of the guy saying that thinks Bush is an OK guy but thinks his policies suck. The better idea would be to say: "Vote for us: We have better ideas for the country". Remember, extremism from either side, scares off most people.

BUSH VS. KERRY: I am leaning toward voting for Kerry, even though I think the guy is stale. The reason being, I think 1 party in total control really f*cks things up. The republicans ain't exactly fiscally conservative in my book.
I would really be excited if someone from the middle would run as an outside candidate with new ideas. I am 95% certain that I would vote for this guy.

BUSH VS GORE: I voted for Bush. Al Gore seemed like an idiot.

CLINTON VS BUSH: I would have voted for Clinton. I liked his views on allot of issues, and he seemed like a cool as shit guy.

VIEWS POSTED ON DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND: I agree with allot of what is said on here. However, I think it is for different reasons than allot of these people.

For example: Foreign Policy,
My view: Mind our own business, because it makes more sense, and it causes us less trouble in the long run.

Many DU'ers view: Mind our own business, because the USA is nothing but a bunch of asshole demons.

MUSLIM TERRORISTS: I think it is a grave mistake to pretend that these guys aren't worthy foes. I know most people will not agree, but these guys are not cowards. They are enemies that must be taking seriously. We must take a long hard look at that fact.


MY VIEW ON AMERICA AS A WHOLE: This is the greatest country in the world. It really pisses me off when pampered individuals on both the extreme left and extreme right try to say otherwise. If you can think of a better place to live, move there.