To protect the people and secure their rights

Liberty and Democracy are not opposing ideas. The political center is where all change is made. Let's embrace reason and civility.



Monday, April 25, 2011

Why We Need a Progressive Libertarian Movement in the US

The term "progressive" makes every libertarian squirm.  Every libertarian; even the ones who agree with me.  Quid pro quo:  the term "conservative" makes me squirm.  Let's get to business.

Monetary reform is probably the single change this country could make to improve the lives and well-being of the entire country.  The enslavement of our entire society, our entire world, to a network of private banking interests is reaching a breaking point.  As the ponzi scheme continues to grow, now to include the Islamic countries from Algeria to Syria and beyond, we peons here in the US hold the last remaining hope for change, for freedom.

It is no small surprise that conservatism has embraced libertarian thinking (or the other way around).  The argument that government is evil, that government should be eliminated altogether, and that democracy is a candy-coated word for tyranny is simply absurd.

We have rights, and government should protect us without violating those rights.  It's pretty simple.  We don't need less government, we need better government.  More specifically, we need better control of our government.  And that means looking to another part of our American Heritage:  progressivism.

We have a choice:  to continue to support the plutocracy that owns and controls our government, or we can build a truly grassroots movement on behalf of the people and on the principle of Liberty.  Choose wisely.

The moral arguments of conservatism are designed to keep people divided, keep them politically stupid.  They are easily disproven, but there is no real forum to disprove them once and for all.  There is no final court of public opinion.  And there is a great deal of funding behind the conservative arguments to continue their public relations campaigns.

Instead of arguing about the size of government, we should be discussing the methods of government.  If there is a better idea regarding environmental protection, we should be discussing it.  If we can ensure worker safety better than the games OSHA plays, we should be doing it.  Hating government isn't the answer.  But hating the corruption of our government is both essential and natural.

I've spoken for decades about alternative systems of social welfare, civil protection and infrastructure management.  I've always approached the issue first as a libertaian, and second as a reasonable, progressive individual who cares about the general welfare.  These can be discussed in detail and I'm sure there are acceptable platforms that can be developed.

The core issues that focus my attention, and should be the focus of all our attention (if we regard liberty and prosperity as common values) are currency and taxation.  And while monetary reform is probably enough to build a movement on, it would be in our interest to discuss a tax shift as well.

The progressive side of me wants monetary reform, away from private central banks and toward a public, debt-free currency.   The libertarian side of me wants to shift taxation away from income and trade, and move toward land, severance and pollution taxes.  The politician side of me wants to focus on spending issues, away from corruption and toward popular, democratic control.

As I've always said:  I'm not the smartest person I've ever met.  I'm just doing what I think is best, and I'm hoping folks will understand what it is I'm doing and why I'm doing it.  If you have something to contribute to this, I'd be happy to hear it.