Alright, let us accept that at the most 20% of US Citizens are of a Libertarian bent. That isn't insignificant and it is likely equivalent to the number that are ardent socialists/communists or other hardcore leftists.
The vast majority of people in the United States are "conservative" in that they are more conservative than even the most conservative people elsewhere in the western...and possibly eastern world. This country is an oddity in that its very founding is built on the notion that government should be limited in scope. In that sense we were founded on radicalism...just not the leftist anarchy kind of radicalism.
Our core values (at least at the end of the 18th century) were Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
So I suppose I will start there.
If you have the right to Life (and like all rights are subject to due process), then one would consider an abortion at least after a certain point in gestational development to be an imposition on that right.
I can see the medical need for abortions for a limited series of scenarios, but oops I didn't mean to get preggers isn't one of them. I believe that women should have access to the service in cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother would be endangered by the pregnancy. In all other cases proper birth control exists and should be used prudently. And ladies...don't trust the guy...supply your own and if he won't wear a condom then just tell him to fuck right off.
The death sentence: As long as due process is observed to the letter and spirit of the law then I'm ok with this.
Life is an essential right for without it none of the others are obtainable. For the oops I got preggers crowd there are plenty of people waiting to adopt a child...help them out and quit being a shit head.
Liberty: Liberty is an interesting concept based on the Locke-ian idea of self-governance. And implied in that also is personal responsibility. Your rights (liberties) are only so valid as to the extent that they do not violate the rights of others to exercise those same exact rights as completely as you would have done.
"The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."
- attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
I may not agree with everything that man said, but it eloquently establishes where rights end. The Bill of Rights (1st 10 Amendments of the US Constitution) only establishes those rights that exist irrespective of your state. Any other rights that we as people deem to take are ours for the taking...the constitution even says so. Implicit again however is the responsible use of those rights.
At one point it was illegal to manufacture, sell or distribute alcohol and in some locales even today there are "dry" counties, campi and even states restrict the abv % that can be sold.
I believe you have a firm right to imbibe, smoke, inject, absorb whatever food or toxin you like. I happen to enjoy nearly every form of alcohol available. I choose not to partake of any others even though I have the option to do so. On the responsibility side I have the duty to not abuse the alcohol, to not put others in danger to my recreational use of it...i.e. don't drink before work, don't drink and drive, don't get so drunk I am impaired (ok that last one...I've not really lived up to once in a while...but I listed it last because it is least important).
The same goes for any drug including those we don't normally associate with being a drug like caffein, aspirin and other mundane drugs. Amphetamines (Speed) have their use when regulated by a doctor. Steroids are often proscribed by doctors for a myriad of conditions including migraine headaches, immune-deficiency, and to aid in recovery from reconstructive surgery. Popularly steroids are viewed negatively thanks to the abusers and some nice fascist campaigns and PR ads warning people away from using them.
Liberties are at risk from abusers. They are the bad apples that cause the rest to rot. Collective punishment strikes even the responsible; this breeds contempt and fosters ill will among men and women who would otherwise be good to each other. There was a time when each citizen was allowed to own without question up to 5 lbs of black powder for their own personal use.
9/11 took that away. Did the terrorists use black powder? Nope...they flew commercial jet liners into commercial towers in NY City. Were they US Citizens? No. They overstayed visas from the US Govt. 17/19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia...our ally don'tcha know. But you lost that ability to own that amount of black powder because of an unrelated incident.
Let us pretend however that there was a rash of incidents across the USA where youngsters were blowing their hands...feet...heads, whatever, off because they didn't know how to handle the stuff properly. What is the solution? Here are 3 options and one I will highlight as the most common.
1) Ban the use
2) License/permit and require training before being able to buy/use
3) Don't be an idiot and educate yourself on how black powder works so you can handle it safely and not die or get injured.
2) makes sense to most people and I can't say that it is a bad idea
3) I prefer over them all. Use your head or suffer the consequences. Some people need to get burned to find out the stove is hot...
1) is the common answer because it appears simple, it signifies action! You are really DOING something about the perceived problem. Except you aren't. The problem wasn't the powder. The problem was the idiot who didn't use it right. Again, self governance is the key. To expand on my earlier point about collective punishment let us talk about mobs and group-think.
Mobs are very easy to persuade via an emotional argument. And when they get whipped up it is dangerous to stand in their way or speak out and attempt to be rational. If you try to be rational you become the enemy and it only gets worse. Communities are like mobs. These towns and villages and even cities have collective identities and a good demagogue can play on this quite effectively as can any family member play politics enough to shut another member out.
Mobs will 99% of the time do the wrong thing. Mobs have leaders. And sometimes mobs will even out mob those people.
Let us examine the recent riots in Britain:
A drug dealing youth (re: gangster, jackass, threat to no one in particular but likes to appear threatening) was shot by London police in the northern end of the city. The family rightfully protests the actions of the police. Then riots break out. The Mob takes over.
They could care less if some guy was shot. Some of them claim to be protesting against the "unfairness" of the cutbacks in govt services in the welfare depts. Others (who probably never paid taxes) were "getting their taxes back" via looting. So...they stole from their own countrymen who paid taxes and paid for their welfare benefits for a long time because the government taxed em...wait no that isn't it.
They were getting their taxes back. These people feel they have an entitlement to YOUR tax money. That is what they meant...not that they had been unfairly taxed, but that you hadn't paid enough of your taxes so they are getting them back through violence. It is laughable if it weren't the fridge logic that these junkies use.
In britain 10% of all its citizens have been on welfare since Bush was first elected back in 2000. Some of these kids rioting had parents who had never had a job! It is astounding! In 2011 Britain spent 16% of all its money on welfare, or roughly 3x that of national defense. There are many here in the USA who would like to see that sort of turn come about. But as we can see it only makes matters worse not better.
A Dumbass Mother of 10 is reported on here.
This is the sort of idiocy that is cropping up here. Govt is responsible for EVERYTHING (as it should be some say). This smacks of totalitarianism...no not evil secret police stepping on you, but rather that there is nothing outside of the state's purview or authority. It is a dangerous attitude for it justifies anything...yes even well intentioned things (especially those) because the people who think them up want to control that aspect of your life...for your own good. You can't be trusted to do it yourself so we have to free you from that responsibility. It is for the good of the community!
I'm not wrong and I'm not an idiot. People are dumb, panicky and irresponsible. Individuals are smart, resourceful and responsible. Just compare the political parties to those individuals you know and associate with every day. yes one or two might be a bit off, but most are reasonable rational human beings. And then they join a group. Then it all goes to hell.
- later
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