I am a registered Libertarian. Don't worry Morrigoon, I'm not offended
since I totally agree, it's full of nutjobs.
I used to donate money to them and even attended a local "debate" they put together, but after 9/11 I decided that it was a lost cause. Immediately afterwards everyone gave away their rights without a whimper and was just fine with the creation of more bureaucracy. They want a daddy gov't to take care of them. The Libertarian party doesn't have a chance in that climate.
The recent Katrina events lead me to believe that we are in for a new surge in the size of government...people are scared and want to be taken care of. I find myself even agreeing with some of that.
NPR brought up some good points. There's no way the Republicans can lower taxes or mess with Social Security now that all our cash is being sent to relief. The Democrats have been emboldened by Katrina and as a group are directly criticizing Bush for the first time since 9/11. Bush's approval was at it's worst ever BEFORE Katrina hit due to growing concerns over Iraq and has now dipped even lower. And suddenly polls say people are finally going "oh, huh, maybe this war on terror isn't the most important thing there is."
The Democrats are all set for a rebound. But it's obvious that the news continues to be bad for small-gov't proponents. I predict it'll be a long time before this big gov't surge crests. People only choose freedom when they feel secure. If they feel unsafe they clamor for protection in its myriad forms.
Just my 2 cents
