What The Hell Do You Stand For?

The problem with Conservatism today is not a failure of ideas, it is a lack of leadership.  The leadership of the Republican party does not seem to respect the foundation of their own party.  The "far-right radical" base stands for Liberty, Freedom, smaller government and Individual Rights and States' Rights; yes, we know....such extreme positions.

Here is the deal within the Conservative and Libertarian movements; we have been abandoned by all possible factions of any powerful party at this time (except the Libertarian Party that currently lacks the pull to make changes desperately needed.)  What is the Republican Party when it lacks its' Conservative and Libertarian roots?  There is no base left in the Republican Party, we are left alone, out here, battling among ourselves while trying to organize in some fashion to make an impact.  And, being the most passionate of the Conservative and Libertarian causes, we argue like brothers and sisters.  Deep down, we know that we share some common causes, yet we lack any semblance of organization.

Dependence or Independence?

America is coming upon a crossroads; choosing dependence or independence.  Recent studies highlight the dependency difficulties we face.  The biggest question is; does anyone in Congress or the President have the spine to do something before it is too late?  Or, is it too late already?  It is up to the voters, our voices, and communication vehicles to change the course of this country. Some have begun to push this knowledge out and share in respectful avenues.  Many Americans may not realize what our dependence issue is, because it is not being seriously addressed. America must make a choice between dependence and independence.

In my recent piece, Base-less...Boehner Shows His True Stripes, I discussed how the top 40% are now paying 106% of the Federal Tax burden.  Meanwhile, the bottom 40% are now saddled with a -9.1% "burden".  This is dependence at its' most extreme, using the government to steal hard-earned income to give away to others.  

An independent solution would be to revise the tax code.  Different groups have different preferences how to accomplish the overhaul.  There are several solutions, but the most popular major overhauls would be the Fair Tax and Flat Tax.  One can advocate for whatever they choose, but most Americans would agree that the Tax Code needs reform.

As discussed in Budget "Battle" Ends on an "Embrace the Suck", 65% of Americans agree that spending needs to be cut.  It is doubtful Americans are tying the spending to government dependence. Most people do not follow the numbers that closely.  Spending is a major driver of the loss of independence in our country.  We are bound by government spending and dependence.

Government dependence is a major driver of our deficit (now near $17 Trillion).  Some of the statistics, when charted, are simply astounding and scary.  For the small portion of the country carrying the weight of these government dependence programs, it is frightful. At 70% of the Federal budget, and growing, this is simply unsustainable.

The only independent solution is to educate those who have not been paying attention.  Every person has their favorite government program or handout or subsidy.  It must be understood that nothing can be off the table; defense, welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.  People have been trying, for years, to accomplish this with some luck.

The following charts illustrate just how expansive growth has been in government dependence.  An extensive study was just released in late November that details even more about government dependence. If you would like to read even more detail, it can be found here.

The choice is, become independent again as a society.  Or, be harnessed and dependent on the government.  If demands are not made, the government will not change course.  And, if the government does not change course, then these programs will be cut harshly when we run out of money.

I am a Left Libertarian….what is that?

I don't know why, but I have this insatiable thirst to understand myself.  It sounds a little odd, as I read that back...but, whatever!   In the political sphere, I suppose we all need reassurance from time to time as to where we fall and why.  After getting no sleep last night, I was sitting here this morning contemplating what to write about.  I must have gotten bored surfing the internet and found myself on openpolitics.ca.  I decided to take their test and find out where I am on the spectrum, from their opinion.  So, I answered all 60 questions in trying to figure out where my ever "evolving" point of view now lies on the political spectrum.  

To my sheer terror, my result came up that I am an Independence Democrat!  What??? I am SO far off from a Democrat.  Just seeing that word appear sent a shiver up my spine; had I been Chris Wallace, it would have been up my leg... I about fell out of my chair.  I also contemplated throwing my computer out the window, but I like my Mac so I decided against it.  I was just about to close out the browser when the thought occurred to me; maybe I should read all the other crap, and not just the label given.  After all, in today's world, we have a LOT of political terms misused; God knows, I misuse them in the traditional sense.  Hmmm, another idea to write about....but, I digress.  As I began to read about being an Independence Democrat, I realized that it was pretty close to what I thought of myself.