Home > Progressive and Libertarian views on common ground in the Fear Age?

Progressive and Libertarian views on common ground in the Fear Age?

by Open-Publishing - Wednesday 15 June 2005
7 comments

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Progressive and Libertarian views on common ground in the Fear Age?

As some of you know, someone close to me is involved in the Libertarian Party. As such is the case, I get to hear quite a bit about them.

While we differ in opinion and belief on many issues with regard to economic justice, environmental policy, or any expansion of government services or regulation, there are a few very critical issues the the LP agrees whole-heartedly with we Progressives on:

1. The need for un-riggable and fairly accessible elections
2. The need to repeal Patriot Act, Real ID, and other encroachments on the rights of all U.S. Citizens.
3. They just sent out an e-mail demanding investigation of the Downing Street Minutes and have stated all along that the U.S. has no legitemate business in Iraq.

I think on these issues, they may well have a greater portion of Conservative America’s ear than many Progressives do.

I think that we should all consider being willing to work on joint efforts in cases where our interests and goals coincide on a case-by-case basis.

I do not believe that I am the only person in this organization that feels that adding our voices to others calling for the same things with appropriate caution would be an effective method of achieving progress on such issues.

As an example, I would say look to the collaboration of the Green and Libertarian presidential candidates in the efforts in Ohio - which played a large part in getting the results of the 2004 Presidential election questioned on the record in the U.S. House of Representatives. The people who had the courage and conviction to cross artificial "party lines" and do what was ethical and necessary should be lauded as heroes, because in the current environment, their actions speak clearly.

By no means do I wish to embrace every principle of Libertarianism nor deviate from goals that are Progressive - however, some goals go beyond such political boundaries to the heart and soul of this country.

Fair and accurate elections are the heart and lungs of this country.

Preserving the rights and freedoms of U.S. Citizens are the lifeblood of this country.

Preserving the ethics and true respect for human life that the vast majority of Americans believe is indelible upon the soul of this country.

These values are truly patriotic, and uniquely American. They have no party affiliation.

The soul of this country has cradled democracy for two hundred years and more, it has birthed the Industrial Age, the Space Age, and the Information Age. These are some of the most progressive achievements in the history of the planet.

Unfortunately, corrupt politicians and criminals have now brought us into the Fear Age. I ride to work and hear speakers on the train asking me to report suspicious persons. I see on the nightly news if I am near a television someone turned on how there are muggers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and other assorted lunatics, mostly of non-caucasian origins, on every street corner and in every alleyway. I see security everywhere, and I see more and more information being gathered on ordinary citizens, and people with a distrusting and "tough" look on their faces everywhere I go.

If someone speaks to you on the street, nods, or smiles, it is considered wierd, strange, dangerous. Even if I speak to you on the street, nod, or smile, and I know I’m not crazed or out to hurt anyone. There was a time when such acts were considered civilized and even expected as common courtesy. They were a part of the emotional environment people lived in. How many of you really believe that the current emotional environment constitutes a better life every day?

In reality, the same percentage of the population has always been a problem, but it wasn’t always shoved in your face every hour of every day - and the crminals and lunatics weren’t always running our country.

When will we see the Courage and Compassion Age? When will we see the Sustainability Age? When will we see the Human Dignity Age?

When we decide to let the voices of reason stand together on every piece of common ground they can find, and when we refuse to take lives for a difference of opinion.

We know who said they would be a uniter and not a divider. It’s well past time we show that person how it is done.

Dan Stafford

Forum posts

  • Amen brother. Your words ring truth. May your words bring to the minds the motivation for action to create the unity to enable the world to live in peace.

    Create Peace to Bring Joy Through Unity Forever. - 7b peace out.

    Remember the War on Terror is really the war against the workers and the unloved of the world by
    the elite monied oligarchy that is self deluded mislead and UNEDUCATED in the ways of Peaceful human relations.
    That is why they toil for profit. The know not what they do. Forgive them. And teach them the ways of peace.

    • And one more thing.

      When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
      – Thomas Jefferson

      Make BUSH FEAR! Make the BANKS fear! MAKE the CORPORATIONS FEAR!
      7b out Peace.

  • This is encouraging. After the election, the notion of a progressive/libertarian alliance at the federal level began to appeal to me greatly (I am on the Libertarian side of the aisle). A fellow member of the local organization has been speaking in similar terms: an alliance with the peace movement for an ethical, non-interventionist foreign policy. I, for one, think that a little time under a Big Business/Big Religion regime may soften progressives toward the notion of lower federal taxes and lower federal involvement, giving more power to localities—including the very progressive big cities.

    • "lower federal taxes and lower federal involvement" - I have longed to hear these words for 35 years. But there’s more.
      The feds are clearly the most egreigious offenders, but states and cities have taken up the cause of elentless taxation.

      When you add up all your taxes - federal, state and local, you end up with less than half of the money you actually earned.

      If you’re a working man or woman, a wage earner, first they take out your taxes by "withholding" without interest, a practice which is commonly known as theft or extortion. Then there’s FICA or Social Security (and Medicare), which used to be known as a "contribution" but now is commonly and rightly called a TAX. They take a percentage off the top of your gross, BEFORE any taxes, and yor employer pays another same percentage which you never see. Adding in the Medicare component, it amounts to over 15% of your gross. And where is most of this money? GONE, spent, mostly on military funding and gross overspending by Congress, not into a fund for your your retirement.

      Face the facts. The Social Security system is already busted. The president’s plans are a farce. When the baby boomers begin collecting (many have already had the age pushed up to 67, so they’ve already screwed you out of two years), the payments will grossly outweigh the income stream. The president has at least identified part of the problem, saying that there are IOUs instead of cash, and that money will be repleaced how? HIGHER TAXES. That’s how. Do the math. Grow up. Stop contributing to a system that is not only flawed, but corrupt and head for insolvency.

      So, what’s your marginal tax rate? For most of you it’s 25-28% Does anybody besides me think that’s a little high? Add in Social Security and Mediare and you’re paying 40% or more of your wages in taxes!

      Add in your state income tax, maybe a local tax if you live in a big city, and then sales tax on a lot of what you buy. Excise taxes on fuel, energy, your phone bill, cable bill, etc. AND THEY’RE STILL RUNNING IN THE RED.

      Those of you who own your homes, aren’t you the least bit concerned about the ever-growing bit of property (and school) taxes? For many of you, it’s approaching as much per year as your interest and principle payments on your mortgages. Most of you will pay more in property taxes than you did for the home you live in if you live in it for 20 years or more. Mortages can be paid off, but those property taxes continue, year after year, and they always go up.

      WHY DON’T WE JUST GIVE THEM ALL OF OUR MONEY AND LIVE OFF AN ALLOWANCE?

      The American public, especially the Baby Boomer generation, is to blame for all of this. We elected the crooks who tax and spend, and tax and spend, and when the money runs out, they tax and spend some more. We allowed it to happen. We did it to ourselves.

      In the 60s, America was a CREDITOR nation. Now we are a DEBTOR nation. Debts need to be REPAID. Higher taxes are sure to come and leave it to the Republicans to hand over a busted government with massive debt to the Democrats, who, instead of lowering taxes will raise them and HAND OUT THE MONEY as social welfare.

      Many of you reading this have less than 20 years before retirement. How sure are you that you’ll actually get your pension or Social Security payments? If you’re under the age of 45, good luck. You stand the highly likely chance of being taxed into poverty to pay for the welfare state. And retiement? Try 70, and when you get there, you’ll get diddly squat.

      Wake up people.

    • I am greatly pleased to read the suggestion that Progressives and Libertarians cooperate.
      I, too, care about the environment, and feeding the poor, and all the things progressives care about. The only way we differ is that I don’t trust government to do any of those things. I want them to let me keep the money I earn so that I can use it to feed the poor or help buy the lands I want to protect, instead of sending money to a politician who only claims to care about those things. Politicians want to hold onto their power first - they ony serve the "causes" when the causes serve their re-election or expansion of power. Too often, the laws they pass with all their hoopla and cheering turn out to do more harm than good.

      Open, free and fair elections? Yes! In fact, if we can’t get that, we can’t get rid of the obscenely misnamed Patriot Act. And if we don’t get rid of the Patriot Act soon, we’ll never see free elections again.

      Let’s work together while we still can.

  • "Why don’t we just give them all of our money and live off an allowance"?

    Better than that, don’t pay any taxes, there are many ways to avoid taxes and still be within the laws, open your own business and deduct EVERYTHING including lunch until you owe nothing, or if you can quit your job and find ways to get by without official employment. Many Americnas work "under the table" for cash. Become a drunk, you would not believe the benefits you are entitled to as a drunk (not a drug addict for that you will go to jail) but if you are a drunk, you will be declared "disabled" and that entitles you to social security, medical, help around the house, help with your bills, help with your errands, etc. I personally know several people who are official drunks and live quite nicely on their "disability" rewards, the point is there are many ways to avoid being liable for taxes, the multi millionaires know how to not pay anything and all citizens should make it their top priority to also not pay any, then and only then will the government take the over taxed average citizen seriously.

  • Florida Libertarians Lead in Work for Cleaner Elections

    By Michael Gilson-De Lemos - 2005-06-10

    St Petersburg—A coalition of local (www.LPPinellas.org) Libertarians, the Democratic Party, Progressives and numerous community groups is spearheading action on local election reform and process improvements. The non-partisan Pinellas Election Reform Coalition (www.ERCPinellas.org) has finished a landmark study of election needs. After a series of public hearings, the coalition agreed on common areas of action from reducing ballot requirements to piloting new voting methods, and targeting voting machine irregularities.

    Interview at 8 AM Saturday at http://www.TheFreedomWorks.org