My first blog of the New Year will be about the event that started my blogging career: Bush's surprising win in 2004. I was shocked and angered by the election because I believe Bush's first 4 years have gone against my libertarian principles. I took the World's Smallest Political Quiz on my understandings of Bush's policies so far. Low and behold he is a STATISTS which is opposite of a libertarian!
The social argument is easy. He is against too many individual freedoms:
- patriot act - "giving up freedom for safety will leave you with neither" Ben Franklin
- gay marriage - government taking away one of our most basic rights
- abortion - again he is on the wrong side
- drugs - he also fully supported the "war on drugs"
The last three appeal to his religious right. Appealing to religious influences is a bad thing for politicians! Just look at the Middle East. Bush fails big time on social issues.
Economic issues are also easy if you look at his actions and not at his rhetoric. Bush is a RECORD spender (link takes you to an article by the CATO institute.) Bush also governed over a terrible economy. Bush supporters blame Clinton while opponents blamed Bush. I am not an economist and do not understand how a president can directly effect the economy, but I do know that all of his economic promises leading up to the election were blatantly wrong. Numerous times he told us how many jobs he was creating and he was terribly wrong every time.
Now it is Bush's intangibles that make me the most sick after the election. "At least you know where I stand" is not something I need from a leader. I would prefer having a leader who admitted to mistakes, changed her/his mind when necessary, and considered all sides of an issues before making a decision. None of these describe Bush. I also disdain the international animosity that he has brought the US. This rant could go on a long time so I will just say "Arrogant ignorant cowboys can stay in Texas!"
Libertarians definitely lost this election. I can only hope that the next four years wake up the electorate on the evils of the neo-cons instead of strengthening their power.
ironic, since our country was founded on liberla principles. and from what i can tell, the majority of non-libertarians have NO good idea what a liberla is or stands for.
all the more reason to keep on blogging...
cheers!
Posted by: woodenshoe | January 04, 2005 at 07:12 AM
Good post. Careful or you may become a liberal...
Posted by: justice | January 06, 2005 at 10:57 PM
You should have shortened the name of your blog to MORON - because what I just read was the rants of one.
Posted by: hh | January 10, 2005 at 09:24 PM