The one thing that is so often on my mind a lot is conversations I have with people who seem so conservative but vote Democrat, this always bothers me so much, but their general perception of Republicans is that, they are the ones trying to stiffle their freedoms. This always bugs me so much and I try to explain to them that it is the progressive movement Nanny State that does this, but then I listen to Limbaugh, I listen to Hannity and I hear way too many moments when they suddenly turn their back on the idea of freedom and start bashing the idea of, legalizing drugs or something along those lines.
I used to have that stance, and it mostly was out of the fact that nothing annoys me more than a stupid pothead, but later in life I found liberals can be just as stupid and annoying without the drugs, so maybe it's not the governments job to make you a good person. I hate paying income tax, I feel it's just so crappy to have to pay taxes on labor. I'd personally support any "Sin" tax so long as it replaced income tax and was not put on top of it (well, not ANY, only a reasonable amount). And that makes me think to myself if the government could be the only legal source for currently illegal drugs, and they was going to pay for the federal budget, you'd better believe I'd be all over that. In fact the more I think about it, I do want a government who wants to MAKE money as opposed to the current cesspool that only wishes to print and spend it.
It seems what is holding us back is this fear of government mixing with business, let me use the current situation in my own state of Virginia with the rest areas, to cut spending our Slingblade looking governor Tim Kaine closed down most of the rest areas in our state. Why are rest areas an economic drain? do they really think a stop off that is located directly on the interstate can not be profitable? would any gas station chain on the planet not kill for such a primary place to park a gas station? Why are they not forward thinking enough to consider making a deal with a gas station? build this building, include a ton of bathrooms and keep them clean, and you get to do business here at a reasonable price.. and before you know it Rest Areas are making the state money instead of draining it!! (I've been told there are currently states that do this already, is it Delaware maybe? I'm not certain which one)..
Yea I just went way off track, sorry about that.. anyways back to the topic at hand, the older I get, and I know I'm still a spring chicken, I start thinking more and more about the liberties we have allowed ourselves to lose. Every time I click mmy seatbelt I think about how sad it is they can actually give me a ticket and charge me a fine if I don't. My Wife was pulled over last week because she had decorative items hanging from her rear view mirror, is this where the freest nation on the earth has gone? I think about how people flock to that shithole that is New Orleans, do you know why? because it's one of the few places in this nation they can enjoy a beer while walking down the street. I think it's a shame people have to flock to the middle of a dessert in Nevada to Gamble or purchase a prostitute (again I don't have to condone an action to allow it.. it's about freedom).
I think the thing that got me started on this was a comedian and forgive me in that I can not remember his name at this moment, but what he said I thought was great.
"I don't vote for Democrats because I like to spend the money that I make, I don't vote for Republicans because I like to spend that money on Drugs and Hookers"..
Excuse me if I'm off base, but I feel like the Republican party needs to be stronger on the issue of limited government intervention in our lives, I know once they start pushing for actual freedoms some will still call them hypocrites for not supporting Abortion (but last time I checked Murder is not one of those freedoms we tend to support). But I think if we do that, if we truly commit to pulling the Federal government out of our lives, seeking better private sector solutions for some money draining services.. we will see a huge improvement in our economy, and personally I think the Democrats would be dead in the water.
I'm in this stage of over examining everything I've ever believed, I do think I'm leaning a bit more libertarian these days, but I just can't fully go there, the idea of tollbooths on every road to pay for all highway work does not appeal to me.. but many of their ideas do.