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When you come down to it, the government should have a very minor role in our lives. Government isn't responsible for our actions and happiness, we are.
That still strikes me as the ultimate expression of the libertarian ethic.
Yes, that part of your statement is true and I agree with your statement. But apathy is not a characteristic of the Libertarian philosophy. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I suspect that Libertarians are more active in politics on average than any other group.
Disagree. You obviously do not understand the Libertarian philosophy.
Ouch. Do tell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadking2003
Apathy is not a characteristic of any political position that I am aware of.
I do not interpret this as "apathy." I interpret it as government does NOT represent the real United States, government is NOT the economy, government is NOT where we get our rights from, government is NOT the answer to our problems, and government is NOT how we pursue our individual paths and liberties.
Here, this perhaps puts what I got from my co-worker a better way:
The Sleeping Giant
Quote:
I’m a libertarian, which means I want to live peaceably with my neighbor and be left alone. I want the government to enforce and follow rule of law to protect me and my neighbors’ individual liberties from people (either criminals, businesses, or the government) who would infringe upon them. Libertarians believe that individuals not groups have rights. Being the type who want to be left alone to fend for themselves and enjoy the fruits of their labor, in general we ignore the government hoping it will leave us alone, mostly because we're too busy living our lives. In this aspect most people are libertarian and don’t know it.
Your posts make it sound like Libertarians don't care what the government does.
That's not libertarian, that's apathy.
I think libertarians would strive toward a government where the average person doesn't have to care what the government does, because the government is unseen and doesn't do much. SELF-government.
Now, maybe that's a total fantasy, maybe it's idealistic, maybe we're far from that and moving inexorably further away from it, but it strikes me as odd to hear that libertarians are/should be more politically active than any other group.
On the contrary, I think it's big-government liberals who make government have primacy in their lives, who are extremely concerned with making sure government is involved and approves of every business and individual decision, who feel that the rights we have and the actions we're allowed to take and the money we earn are what the government decides to give us, who feel government is the only way out of all of the ills we face today, and who want all aspects of the economy filtered through the lens of the government.
Liberals would be more politically active because you can't get anything done without the government, it is the source of all that is good, and we must appeal to its highness to give us rights, money, social engineering, redistribution, etc.
*Again, I personally think people should know what's going on, and I myself watch politics because I enjoy it. This is more of a conceptual question.*
I think libertarians would strive toward a government where the average person doesn't have to care what the government does, because the government is unseen and doesn't do much. SELF-government.
Now, maybe that's a total fantasy, maybe it's idealistic, maybe we're far from that and moving inexorably further away from it, but it strikes me as odd to hear that libertarians are/should be more politically active than any other group.
On the contrary, I think it's big-government liberals who make government have primacy in their lives, who are extremely concerned with making sure government is involved and approves of every business and individual decision, who feel that the rights we have and the actions we're allowed to take and the money we earn are what the government decides to give us, who feel government is the only way out of all of the ills we face today, and who want all aspects of the economy filtered through the lens of the government.
Liberals would be more politically active because you can't get anything done without the government, it is the source of all that is good, and we must appeal to its highness to give us rights, money, social engineering, redistribution, etc.
*Again, I personally think people should know what's going on, and I myself watch politics because I enjoy it. This is more of a conceptual question.*
The liberals are just more loud about it and usually invoke FEAR to get their way. You have to FEAR the masses.
Libertarians aren't loud. I identify with libertarians in that the FedGov should just be protecting the country and upholding the Constitution.
Give the rest of the jobs to the states along with the money. As states need more services and money they increase taxes.
FedGov's job is not to subsidize our lives or bail out big business or the world for that matter.
But if you don't follow politics in this day and age that is just apathetic.
I know folks who know who the President is but couldn't remember who the Vice President was..he thought it was Hillary. This person is not a libertarian, he just doesn't care one way or another. Only votes every 4 years for the most popular guy.
I'll just chime in and affirm what others have said. The person you described is just a poor soul with her head in the sand. Libertarians tend to be fiercely independent, not lackadaisical.
While you may not see Libertarians as terribly active in national elections it's only because most understand that a single man can have far more impact at the local level than on the national and tend to focus their attention on that. While the average person only seems to have any interest in politics once every 4 years or so, the average Libertarian can tell you at any time what's going on locally and who did what. Most realize that the only way to get a Libertarian into the Oval office is to first get them into local positions... those very spots where the real problems start due to lazy people who only pay attention to national elections.
Libertarians aren't loud. I identify with libertarians in that the FedGov should just be protecting the country and upholding the Constitution.
If the Fed/Gov would JUST uphold the constitution, hell, I would defend the country.
It ain't much worth defending, right now.
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