This year, Barack Obama was elected because Americans wanted “change.” Even John McCain ran on the concept of “change” because he knew that Americans wouldn’t vote for “more of the same.” From the libertarian perspective, both candidates were “more of the same” for America. More government spending, perpetuation of wars (both abroad and at home), and a “socialism lite” economy that will continue to erode the our monetary system through inflation and easy money (I learned recently that this is what Bush brought us, so this isn’t an accusation at Obama).
The “change” that we’re about to get is predictable. Both Republicans and Democrats are notorious for proposing and legislating things they feel would be best for Americans. Adding up the representatives in the three branches of government, we have fewer than 1,000 people making decisions on behalf of the entire nation. While I’m sure laws protecting individuals from fraud or harm are useful and moral, for a few people to successfully determine what is best for me and my family is sheer folly.
Our nation is in a financial crisis. We’re aware that something should be “done.” But by whom? Regardless of the reasons one might suggest is the problem (libertarians like myself blame mostly the government for its actions against the people, though I suspect that private enterprise has played at least a small role), the issue is simply this: we can’t afford what we’re doing.
Imagine you and your spouse are crunching the budget, and you make $10,000/month (for most people I know who read this blog, that’s a lot of money). You add up your expenses, and you realize that you’re spending $20,000/month, leveraging your expenses by going further into debt. You’re putting things on credit cards, taking out equity loans, refinancing automobiles, and other false attaining of “income.”
“Wow, Honey, we really need to rethink how our personal economy works!” you say.
“What do you propose we do, Dear?” your spouse asks.
If you were wise, you know the answer. If you were the government, you print more money or raise taxes, neither of which actually give you a greater income, both of which place even more undue burden on taxpayers and citizens.
The point is, any “change” that we were promised is simply going to be more of the same of the last 70 years of American government growth. This isn’t about left vs. right or Democrat vs. Republican… all have unfortunately reached further into our pockets and into our lives and eroded the economy. What needs to happen is a more fundamental shift in how our nation works.
Bill Sardi has written on Lew Rockwell an essay called “The Answers Are Out There.” I recommend reading the full article, because it’s definitely worth thinking about. He deals with the following issues:
The immediate challenges that are being discussed today are:
- To immediately implement a complete overhaul the nation’s currency, banking, investment practices and regulations.
- To produce low-cost energy; reduce or eliminate pollution from fossil-powered energy plants.
- To reduce dependency upon foreign oil imports by increasing the efficiency of gasoline-powered vehicles.
- To reduce the cost of healthcare and to make health insurance affordable for all.
- To create meaningful and substantial jobs for Americans.
Follow Us!