"10 Reasons Millennials Should Be Wary of Rand Paul’s Libertarianism"

[applegrove]

10 Reasons Millennials Should Be Wary of Rand Paul’s Libertarianism

by Richard Eskow at Our Future.org

http://ourfuture.org/20140404/10-reasons-millennials-should-be-wary-of-rand-pauls-libertarianism

"SNIP.....................


1. His philosophy of deregulation created your jobs problem.

Rand Paul loved to preach the gospel of deregulation. He went so far as to proclaim that Obama was putting his “boot heel” on the neck of—get this—British Petroleum. Why? Because BP was being asked to bear part of the cost for the oil spill it created.

That’s right. Rand Paul believes “regulation” is evil, even when it’s only asking a reckless private corporation to clean up its own messes.

Wall Street deregulation crashed the economy in 2008. As a result, the millennial generation is entering the job market at the worst time in modern history. Millennials are facing record levels of unemployment and under-employment. What’s Rand Paul’s solution? More of the same.

2. He doesn’t believe in jobs programs.

Those of us who are fighting for jobs programs and infrastructure investment—two things that would help the millennial generation significantly—have a fierce opponent in Rand Paul. Paul believes government spending is inherently bad, and tax cuts are inherently good. There are jobs proposals that target millennials for assistance. Rand Paul is against them.




....................SNIP"

[Jamaal510]

1. I especially

liked the last paragraph of this:

"Feel free to admire Rand Paul’s stands on civil liberties and military action, as selective as those stands may be. Then look for politicians who represent the full spectrum of your moral and economic beliefs. Better yet, become those politicians. We need your talents and your energy, to make right what previous generations (in the Paul family and elsewhere) have gotten so tragically wrong."

I agree 100% that if people feel so disgruntled with the political process, then they should take more of an initiative and not only learn more about basic civics, but also step into the ring. Perhaps even try to move one of the two major parties in the direction that they want them to move (like how Rand is trying to do with the GOP).

As far as the other points in this piece, they are also dead on. This guy's candidacy is almost like a kidnapper luring an unsuspecting child to his van, using a bag of candy. With Rand Paul, he uses a few issues that some people around my age are passionate about (e.g. the Drug War, the NSA, drones, etc.) in an attempt to foster more cynicism and lure them over from the evil Democrats. But what he conveniently leaves out in his vision of "ending the Status Quo" is like Eskow says: opposition to jobs programs, more of the same ineffective tax cuts (for the rich), less rights for minorities, and the list goes on. He is just as toxic as Jeb, Ted, Rick (Santorum), and the rest of the RW lot.

[applegrove]

2. +1

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Hopefully

people will note that his "libertarian" ideals don't extend to marriage equality, reproductive rights, things that are significant to millennials, as well as a growing number of people in general. There are plenty of candidates out there to support whom can speak on all of these issues more credibly than Rand Paul. I don't get how somebody who is supposedly more of a "libertarian" can justify intervention in people's bedrooms and reproductive lives?

[Jamaal510]

5. And don't forget...

he also has supported voter ID laws, which also infringe on a basic Constitutional right. I wish more people in the media would mention these inconsistencies in his libertarian beliefs.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. Yeah me too

n/t

[Demo_Chris]

3. Rand is not Libertrian, he is a social con who thinks the Paul name is all it takes. nt