A slave is a being who allows others to make his choices for him.

I've been a libertarian forever. I don't like the government, except in very small doses, and I especially hate paying taxes. But it's been just recently that I've started reading a lot more; economics books (if you haven't ever read one, get a simple one and read it - The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford is a great place to start), political blogs, etc. The more I read, the angrier I get. Every day, the government encroaches a little more on our freedoms, takes a little more choice away from us. Even more upsetting, few people seem to care. Talk to most people about smoking bans or mandatory seatbelt laws, and they'll say they don't care because "they're for our own good" or "those don't affect me." And granted, these are very small things- if you look at them by themselves.

But if every day, or every month, the government takes a small freedom away from the people... those small freedoms are going to start adding up before too long. Unfortunately, many people are too shortsighted to see this. Others are happy with the government making decisions for them, so they don't mind that they aren't truly free. I mind a lot. And I think we're already at a point where so many small freedoms have been taken from us, that most of us don't even think much of it when another one is taken away. I think something needs to be done now, before it's too late - if it isn't already.

I argue politics when I had an opponent, rage at the TV when I see Hillary Clinton on it, and frequently tell everyone how much I hate the government. And people say to me: "What can you do about it? Stop getting so upset." And while that may be true, I would like to try to do something. This blog isn't much, but it's better than sitting on the couch complaining about the way things are going. I know there are many people that think like I do. If we all get angry enough to start doing something about it, we could change this country for the better. Do something! Start a blog, write a letter to an editor, join a local group that believes as you do. But do something! Apathy will get us nowhere.

~Libertarianista

Reading suggestion: Hologram of Liberty, by Kenneth W. Royce. He argues that the Constituion was never meant to keep the government small, that it was structured in such a way to allow the creeping growth of the federal government that we've seen. Very good book, and more than worth picking up a copy.

Finally: the title of this post is a quote by Aristotle.