Philosophy and Government

Just to kick things off, I am not an expert when it comes to politics, nor will I ever claim to be. That said, at the "political party showoff" I think the student body may have jumped a bit too quickly at the Libertarian Representative's political beliefs. I'll admit that a great deal of the ideas seem quite odd; no taxes, the right to bare arms and the general freedom to do whatever we please, but the platform of the Libertarians to essentially dispose of the government entirely may not be as ridiculous as we think. In fact, there are a few key figures who would even agree with this stance...

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while legislature is in session."
                                                                                 - Mark Twain

"A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave the otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of the labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." - Thomas Jefferson

"A government which robs Peter to pay Paul, can always count on the support of Paul"
                                                                                 - George Bernard Shaw

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
                                                                                 - George Washington

Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."
                                                                                 - John Adams

"The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates."
                                                                                - Cornelius Tacitus

All of the above statements reflect a quite Libertarian way of thinking, either by dismissing the government due to corruption or encouraging the freedom of the individual.  Now not all of these names may be familiar, but for me personally the two that stuck out the most (after Mark Twain of course) were none other than Thomas Jefferson and George Washington... past Presidents of the United States. It really is quite interesting how the first leaders in North America can speak against the foundations of the very government they run. John Adams is non-other than the 2nd President of the United States and he's essentially saying his government is doomed to fail (or perhaps already had).

If you take a minute to theoretically picture a Libertarian government, one maximizing the freedoms of the hardworking individuals and minimizing the governments power over them, it doesn't seem so bad. In fact such a view of the world would actually be optimistic of human nature. I mean the assumption made by such a government relies solely on the belief that human beings are inherently "good" and therefore they can not only survive, but thrive in harmony when unburdened by government.

Personally, I believe that this idea is similar to Communism only in the matter that it looks fantastic on paper, but doesn't necessarily work in practice. It's a great view to have, but I'm not necessarily sure that our wants can mesh perfectly with one another without any flaws. Could a hunter and an animal rights activist really ever see eye-to-eye? (random example I know) Although corrupt at times, government provides a bit of security where otherwise we would all be left to fend for ourselves.

This is just my opinion. After all, this view has apparently become much more mainstream in the United States in recent years. My point is that we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss a new perspective just because it's different than our own. In fact by allowing the consideration of new ideas we can build on our thoughts; picking and choosing what makes the most sense opposed to blindly believing a singular idea out of ignorance.  In terms of political parties, I don't really believe there is any one party that has all the answers.  There are weakness to each and that's why we have many parties in legislature, so they may cover the weaknesses of one another. No party is perfect, so there is always room for improvement, which is only done by allowing new ideas to have a chance to shine.

You don't necessarily have to agree with a radically different line of thought (Libertarianism for instance), but you should at least honour it with some consideration.

Never stop questioning.