General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: "Why I fled libertarianism and became a liberal." [View all]calimary
(80,699 posts)Amazing piece from this Edwin Lyngar dude.
SNIP
"If you think that selfishness and cruelty are fantastic personal traits, you might be a libertarian. In the movement no one will ever call you an asshole, but rather, say you believe in radical individualism."
SNIP
"The Republican convention didnt turn me off of libertarians, but I started losing respect for the movement while watching the financial meltdown. Libertarians were (rightly) furious when our government bailed out the banks, but they fought hardest against help for ordinary Americans. They hated unemployment insurance and reduced school lunches. I used to say similar things, but in such a catastrophic recession isnt the government supposed to help? Isnt that the lesson of the Great Depression?"
SNIP
"During Obamas first term, I also went to graduate school for creative writing at progressive college, and I settled into my marriage with my wife, a Canadian and goddamn liberal. I cant point to just one thing that pushed me left, but in Obamas first term I had a change of heart, moving from a lifelong extreme into the bosom of conventional liberalism.
I began to think about real people, like my neighbors and people less lucky than me. Did I want those people to starve to death? I care about children, even poor ones. I love the National Park system. The best parts of the America I love are our communities. My libertarian friends might call me a fucking commie (they have) or a pussy, but extreme selfishness is just so isolating and cruel. Libertarianism is unnatural, and the size of the federal government is almost irrelevant. The real question is: what does society need and how do we pay for it?"
No shit, Sherlock. Gee, ya THINK????????
Shit - this whole damn thing is one for my quotes file. And he finishes up with a good one:
"If you believe the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe quote None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free, then libertarians live in a prison of their own ideology."
I guess some souls really CAN be saved. How 'bout that!