March 16, 2011



Don't Assume I'm A Democrat -- Or A Republican

Some guy wrote me on Facebook:

These never ending cuts by the Rethuglicans remind me of what was said about Robert S. McNamara. "He knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing." Millions of Americans and our economy benefit from many needed and valuable programs.

I wrote back:

I'm neither a fan of the Republicans nor the Democrats, who are quite "thuggish" themselves. Suggest you go on my blog and join the debate there. Appreciate your e-mail, but I get mail for a living and need to put my time toward answering requests for advice -- especially since you don't seem to understand my political thinking: fiscally conservative, socially libertarian, personal responsibilitarian. Per Bastiat, just because we don't think government should do something doesn't mean we're opposed to it being done at all.

I often suspect that the people who complain the most bitterly about cuts in social services do only that -- do nothing to try to help people themselves. Can't say for sure -- I know plenty of good people on both sides. But, it's a suspicion of mine. It's a lot easier to wag your tongue than to get off your ass and do something to, say, help people get on their feet. (That's the sort of help I'm interested in giving -- not the kind that enables helplessness for generations.)

If you aren't 8, or naive like you're 8, it should be clear to you in whose interest most politicians act: Not the Republicans'. Not the Democrats'. Their own.

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