Friday, May 15, 2009

Where's My Party?!?

I try not to get too political on BadskiBlog but I must say that I wish I had paid more attention to Ron Paul before the election. My beliefs in meritocracy and the role of government always had me siding slightly to the right of the political spectrum…especially with regard to business and the role of government. However, I am so disenfranchised with the republican party and all they stand for socially and with regard to the moral high ground approach to governance that I can't associate myself with them either. On one hand you have a party that picks and chooses which interest groups are entitled to our nation's tax dollars and on the other hand you have a hypocritical party that screams low taxes and small government but seeks to limit individual liberties because it is "morally" justified or in the interest of national security. WHERE'S MY PARTY? The more I hear and am exposed to libertarian views the more interested I become.

Watch Ron Paul and tell me that he doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense. As for running a successful campaign against the two front runners of the democratic and republican party, I don’t really know how feasible victory is Ron Paul. Couple taking on the two de facto parties with the fact he comes across as a little nerdy and I think it is an uphill battle. But I must say I am beginning to like the way this guy thinks. Instead of arguing about who's right and who's wrong on some of the most divisive issues our country battles over, Ron Paul is looking at whether government even has the right to decide on those issues in the first place. I think some of his arguments really put things into perspective. If you look at the evolution of the federal government since its inception it is pretty frightening to see how it has gradually yet consistently encroached upon the rights which the states initially held sacred.

I may just be overly optimistic, but I imagine that I am not the only one who feels this way; especially amongst the younger generation. With the increased access to information in today's world, more and more young people will begin to become interested and exposed to politics. Like my own journey, I imagine more and more youth will become frustrated with the "leaders" who are serving our nation. If for nothing other than to explore something different than the traditional party views on government I feel that many will explore the libertarian party. Love him or hate him Barack Obama has opened the door to breaching the status quo. However there is a large void that remains unfilled. If a party or candidate can figure out how to fill that void I believe there will be a significant shift in American politics in the years to come. I could be wrong. What do I know? I am just an average young American who is paying attention. One thing that I do know is that I am not the only young American who has recently begun to pay attention. Watch the video and I would love to read some respectful and exploratory discussion in the comments section, especially those with a different world view.

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