re: "Funny how libertarians are convinced that they have discovered the "root" of the problem and nobody else can see it."
That IS funny, ktc. Or interesting, anyway. And while it's tempting to say that all the NON "libertarians" are the same way, they aren't. I *DON'T*, for instance, think that liberals understand the "root" of the problem at all or want to. Liberals tend to stop thinking at "RICH PEOPLE ARE TOO GREEDY! SOMEONE'S GOT TO MAKE THEM SHARE!" (while missing the obvious hypocrisy between their two assertions). Then they usually launch into a torrent of insults that show how classless they really are. Conservatives tend to stop at "IF WE STOP BEATING THE CRAP OUT OF THE REST OF THE WORLD, WE'LL ALL DIE!" which is pretty stupid too since we're now spending almost as much annually as the rest of the world ($700 billion, versus $900 billion for everyone else.)
Both sides acknowledge that we're building monumental debts and will eventually need to stop, but neither REALLY wants to stop. They're children going crazy with Dad's credit cards.
By comparison, the Constitutionalists' argument that we did fine when we had a tenth of the government that we have today, comes across as pure genius.
It isn't, of course. And since Constitutionalists are no brighter than their counterparts, *I* think their position is rooted in their desire to make an HONEST attempt to deal with the nation's problems. The others don't. They stop at shallow thinking and sound bites that support their self-serving whims.
Conservatives and Liberals aren't so different. They both want more of what they've had in the past. And I do believe they'll get their way... as they have for decades. We're a democracy/republic, and they're the mindless majority.
But, to quote Reagan (who, in turn, was quoting John Adams), FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS. One fo the facts is that when it comes to debt, the piper must one day be paid. So, if the mindless majority continue to get their way, economic forces beyond anyone's ability to control will one day come crashing down upon their heads. Most of the 'crash' is painfully slow, though... a momentous force that most remain unaware of until it is far too late.
And that's about where we are. Constitutionalists see the crash coming and recognize it for what it is. Others have HEARD that it's coming but probably think it's really no big deal.
Addicts tend to get that way, and both the Republicans and the Democrats in this country have become addicted to government spending.
You know, folks in North Korea were EATING tourists a few years ago. Their leader had killed millions of them. Their country, when photographed at night from space shows as nothing but a dark wasteland. That's how bad conditions are under the North Korean leadership. Yet when Kim Jong Il died, his oppressed subjects despaired. They cried hysterically. Change is what most people fear. Most Americans are that way too.
Actual adherence to the Constitution would represent some pretty serious change. The prospect terrifies people.
| 
