I realize I have painted myself in a corner politically.  By being an Independent I am usually at odds with whoever happens to be President.  Yes, that can be convenient in that I don’t have to defend “my President”, the guy I voted for.  But honestly I don’t mind that.  I voted for Reagan in 80 and Clinton in 92 and 96.  And I felt then, as I do now, that I voted my conscience given my political mind at the time, my understanding of the issues, and my choices.  However, several unrelated issues coalesced in the late 90s that gave me reason to reevaluate my political thinking.  Partly the statist actions of the Clinton Administration--Waco, Ruby Ridge, Bosnia, Iraq--rubbed me the wrong way.  Another big thing for me was re-reading and understanding Ayn Rand and Thomas Jefferson.  The result for me was a realization that individualism is important, even in a democratic system--in many ways more so in a democratic system.  That being the case I found it important for me to really vote my conscience.  That means voting for the person most likely to represent my political values, rather than settling for the lesser of two evils, even if said person doesn’t have a chance in hell.  I made that decision because I felt it more important to express my values at the polls than to settle for a person I disagree with, but who is definitely better than the other guy.  I just can’t do that anymore.

I have over the years considered myself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal.  My positions have changed over time but mainly to the extremes at the edges.  In other words I have become even more fiscally conservative and more socially liberal over time.  I am registered as unaffiliated, or independent.  Philosophically I consider myself a classical liberal.  My concern with libertarianism is the tendency to anarchy.  I understand the theoretical underpinnings of market anarchy and I find most of it extremely interesting.  But I am at this time in my life a classical liberal.  I still envision some function, albeit limited, for the state.  Contrary to public mythology, that does not make me a conservative.  Conservatives can find all kinds of diabolical uses for the state.  In fact most of the people who in the current political climate consider themselves conservative are more rightly fascist.

This brings me to my current gripe with the political status quo.  I find it hilarious that public conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck are all of a sudden fans of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.  I liken this to the uneducated itinerant preacher who claims all kinds of scientific facts are revealed in the pages of the Bible.  The preacher, like these conservatives, is sincere in his beliefs, but none of them really understand the literary underpinnings of their sources.  Typically these conservatives are doing to Rand what they have done to Thomas Jefferson for years.  They take what is convenient and disregard the rest.  Limited government is only limited government when it’s always limited.  Typically these blow-hards are driving Obama into the ground for big spending and lack of fiscal restraint.  It’s not that I disagree with their arguments, but they speak with forked tongues.  Where were they when “W” was spending like a drunken sailor?  We can all rightly condemn the new Democratic majority as they take the country ever closer to Socialism. But the greatest blame falls on the Republicans for allowing their President to drive this country into the ground to begin with.  If they are unhappy with the way the country is going they should accept the fact that they laid the groundwork for it with eight years of “Neo-conservatism”. 

I don’t like the direction in which the country is heading. I intend to criticize Obama and Congress as they make decisions and take actions I disagree with.  I disagreed with and criticized Bush also.  That doesn’t make for a convenient situation where I can just always criticize those in charge.  It makes for a very inconvenient situation where we still have an administration that doesn’t reflect my values.  I didn’t vote for Obama (or McCain), but I would criticize him even if I did.  That in my opinion is the proper role for citizens in a participative democracy.  The previous eight years almost ruined this country.  It is incumbent on all of us to try to bring this country back to our foundation values again.  Hopefully we can make progress in that direction.