Maha wonders how conservatives think. In the wake of the unmitigated disaster that is the Bush (II) administration, will conservatives abandon their former principles and support progressive government?
The problem that I think many on the left who are engaged politically have conceptualizing is the idea that government can not only fail to be beneficial to the average family, it can be positively destructive. I have tried to emphasize to her and to others that cannabis is a key issue that we need to address, and that is in fact the main topic of this particular blog (with whatever other tangents that don’t distract too much from that central point).
Many people are in jail, have lost their homes, have been killed. Many people continue to be at daily risk of persecution. For using a natural plant, a medicine, a thing which God has created if you have religious beliefs, or in any case a perfectly useful and beneficial natural herb even if you don’t. Even those who have nothing to do with it are caught in the crossfire.
Is this the main issue that divides the conservative coalition? Not directly, but yes. The non-authoritarians of the right, the libertarians and the constitutionalists, are absolutely offended by the actions of the United States government against the people.
Government should not be against the people. It should be for the people. By the people.
When government is against people who are otherwise peaceful and decent, they will be against the government.
These are your natural allies on the progressive side if you can only convince them you are not going to attack them. They will subscribe to a government if it helps people and doesn’t hurt innocent people here or abroad.
Heck, so would I.
August 28, 2006 at 2:36 pm
I agree, but why do leftie progressives need libertarians and constitutionalists? The latter are few in number generally, and moreso in those willing to get their hands dirty (with street marches, etc. — too intellectual for that). I suppose it’d make for a nice news story if disparate groups from all over the political map could unite for progressive causes. What was your thinking, Whig?
August 28, 2006 at 4:08 pm
There aren’t such a small number of libertarians and constitutionalists. Most of them are still adhered nominally to the Republican Party but are highly disgusted by the present administration. Very few of them are involved in third party movements like the LP, but the same is true on the other side of the spectrum, far more progressives adhere to the Democratic Party than the Greens for instance.
August 28, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Further follow-up to HKyriazi…
The objective is not to gain political power, as far as I am concerned. I don’t want it.
The thing is that the present polity is doing harm, and it needs to stop, and I’m trying to find a way to get people to figure out a way to work together peacefully. And yeah, it’s a pipe dream.
Pipe dreams are actually practical, if you can put something in your pipe.
August 31, 2006 at 12:57 pm
[...] Good government [...]
September 4, 2006 at 11:22 pm
[...] I’m not the same as a lot of them, but they are doing good work for their cause. Whether you agree with them or not, it’s a thoughtful read. [...]
September 18, 2006 at 4:41 pm
[...] The following essay was written by Dan Sullivan. I asked him to explain his position on a progressive land value tax as a means of financing government. There are important differences that exist between Dan’s and my opinions, but I wanted to give him an opportunity to make his own case. I may post a reply later, but it is in any case my hope to encourage a broader discussion of how a well-organized government should work. [...]
October 31, 2007 at 6:08 pm
its a fucked up essay
October 31, 2007 at 6:53 pm
It’s an old essay. Might not be my best. I dunno. Trying to figure out how other people think is never easy.