and why?
Tis the season . I often wonder what makes people lean the way they do be it Republican or Democrat Conservative or Progressive leftist . Do we chose our political leanings , are we born with a proclivity towards our world view?
I tend to think maybe it's both.Maybe it's a chemical in the brain that helps drives food preferences except it's for how we see the world ?
I don't know how to label myself in these times. I very much gravitate towards Thomas Jefferson and James Madison way of seeing the world. Those guys knew the propensity of mankind to crave power and given we are flawed creatures , that the desire and lust to control others is very much in our nature and that leads to tyranny. They experienced harsh tyranny first hand. They also knew the best state for human beings to do great things was the state of liberty.
I know ,I know the conundrum of their writings and ideals versus reality of slavery then,but Jefferson did try to address the issue in his first draft of the Declaration of Independence.
I grew up in large family. I have 5 brothers and sisters My mom was a stay at home mom, my dad was a mid level engineer. Imagine Frank Murphy from F is for Family , that's sort of like my old man,but with less cussing. We didn't go to church but knew about God. All 6 of my brothers and sisters you would call conservative today. in our family we didn't talk politics either. it's weird in a way. My dad did talk about his Navy days. He was an officer ,but you never asked how much money somebody made and you never asked who you voted for was my dad's way of thinking.
Growing up I loved Ronald Reagan as President. The guy loved America and he had this kindness towards his political rivals. He would debate Tip O'Neal and disagree yet have dinner with him. Reagan to me was our last true statesman kind of President. Yet, I was a huge Springsteen fan too. Bruce's politics today and then are maybe 50% of my politics.
Over the years I drifted from being A Republican to I guess more of a libertarian, Thomas Jefferson liberal. I read a great deal from Bastiat, Hyack's Road to Serfdom, the Federalist Papers, Karl Marx Communist Manifesto , The American Progressive Platform and movement.
I earned a degree in biology from UCF and masters in environmental planning and resource management from FSU. I worked in government,but it never seemed to feel right, especially when I would go meetings say at the water management district where the staff would openly mock Christiians and Republicans. I eventually left government and a well paid career to do my own thing
I have a disabled child who is now 22. He had meningitis as an infant and it nearly killed him. he has half a brain,is blind and severely disabled. I think that life experience really honed my thinking. There is the academic ideals and then there is reality. I find myself to be more compassionate but also simultaneously more intolerant.
. Kyle has shown me the true difference between can and won't. Kyle genuinely can't do many things in his life while I see many people in our society complaining how they got the shaft, or what ever and I see a bunch of people who simply will not . They will not forgive. They will not pursue their dreams. They will not invest in their own lives either by learning a trade or getting an education. They constantly blame all their failings on somebody else or something else . meanwhile, they are healthy, have a fully developed brain and they live in the greatest place on earth to take risks and succeed. They were not born in Cuba, Iran or Somalia.
So I am compassionate especially towards those who are disabled and I truly believe in serving others especially in my community. I support my local food bank for instance and I employ a moderate to severe autistic young man. I see government has a role and place in our society but it needs to stay in own lane as defined by the Constitution.
Add it all up, I drink a fiscal conservative libertarian Koolaide. Part of it I think I am wired towards it. part of it is growing up in the 70s and 80s and part of its life experience. I trust my local government more because it's closest to me and I have a general distrust of the Federal Government and those who run it. I believe in the maximum amount of freedom with the least amount of government to achieve it. I think a free people in a free market of ideas can and do do amazing things. The 20th Century had shown us the difference between Thomas Jefferson and Karl Marx and which world I would rather live in.
It's a long a post . if you made this far, what say you. how did you arrive at your favorite flavor?
Tis the season . I often wonder what makes people lean the way they do be it Republican or Democrat Conservative or Progressive leftist . Do we chose our political leanings , are we born with a proclivity towards our world view?
I tend to think maybe it's both.Maybe it's a chemical in the brain that helps drives food preferences except it's for how we see the world ?
I don't know how to label myself in these times. I very much gravitate towards Thomas Jefferson and James Madison way of seeing the world. Those guys knew the propensity of mankind to crave power and given we are flawed creatures , that the desire and lust to control others is very much in our nature and that leads to tyranny. They experienced harsh tyranny first hand. They also knew the best state for human beings to do great things was the state of liberty.
I know ,I know the conundrum of their writings and ideals versus reality of slavery then,but Jefferson did try to address the issue in his first draft of the Declaration of Independence.
I grew up in large family. I have 5 brothers and sisters My mom was a stay at home mom, my dad was a mid level engineer. Imagine Frank Murphy from F is for Family , that's sort of like my old man,but with less cussing. We didn't go to church but knew about God. All 6 of my brothers and sisters you would call conservative today. in our family we didn't talk politics either. it's weird in a way. My dad did talk about his Navy days. He was an officer ,but you never asked how much money somebody made and you never asked who you voted for was my dad's way of thinking.
Growing up I loved Ronald Reagan as President. The guy loved America and he had this kindness towards his political rivals. He would debate Tip O'Neal and disagree yet have dinner with him. Reagan to me was our last true statesman kind of President. Yet, I was a huge Springsteen fan too. Bruce's politics today and then are maybe 50% of my politics.
Over the years I drifted from being A Republican to I guess more of a libertarian, Thomas Jefferson liberal. I read a great deal from Bastiat, Hyack's Road to Serfdom, the Federalist Papers, Karl Marx Communist Manifesto , The American Progressive Platform and movement.
I earned a degree in biology from UCF and masters in environmental planning and resource management from FSU. I worked in government,but it never seemed to feel right, especially when I would go meetings say at the water management district where the staff would openly mock Christiians and Republicans. I eventually left government and a well paid career to do my own thing
I have a disabled child who is now 22. He had meningitis as an infant and it nearly killed him. he has half a brain,is blind and severely disabled. I think that life experience really honed my thinking. There is the academic ideals and then there is reality. I find myself to be more compassionate but also simultaneously more intolerant.
. Kyle has shown me the true difference between can and won't. Kyle genuinely can't do many things in his life while I see many people in our society complaining how they got the shaft, or what ever and I see a bunch of people who simply will not . They will not forgive. They will not pursue their dreams. They will not invest in their own lives either by learning a trade or getting an education. They constantly blame all their failings on somebody else or something else . meanwhile, they are healthy, have a fully developed brain and they live in the greatest place on earth to take risks and succeed. They were not born in Cuba, Iran or Somalia.
So I am compassionate especially towards those who are disabled and I truly believe in serving others especially in my community. I support my local food bank for instance and I employ a moderate to severe autistic young man. I see government has a role and place in our society but it needs to stay in own lane as defined by the Constitution.
Add it all up, I drink a fiscal conservative libertarian Koolaide. Part of it I think I am wired towards it. part of it is growing up in the 70s and 80s and part of its life experience. I trust my local government more because it's closest to me and I have a general distrust of the Federal Government and those who run it. I believe in the maximum amount of freedom with the least amount of government to achieve it. I think a free people in a free market of ideas can and do do amazing things. The 20th Century had shown us the difference between Thomas Jefferson and Karl Marx and which world I would rather live in.
It's a long a post . if you made this far, what say you. how did you arrive at your favorite flavor?
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