Fascism

"Fascism is definitely and absolutely opposed to the doctrines of liberalism, both in the political and economic sphere." - Benito Mussolini

LIBERTARIANS support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.

The RED DOT on the Chart shows where you fit on the political map.

Above image and description provided by The Advocates for Self Government

Ok, so I admit it. I'm a libertarian (as if that wasn't already obvious from the previous post). See that little red dot? According to the "World's Smallest Political Quiz," I'm about as libertarian as they come. And in my eyes, there is no political philosophy more directly opposed to what I believe than what Mussolini's little gem describes above (see the bottom corner of the "Statist" section).

As with any political philosophy though, fascism probably has its merits. Having the government control nearly all aspects of our lives requires much less effort and provides a sense of security to the general population. It also fulfills the basic human desire to belong and be included; to be part of something bigger than oneself. And what kind of group offers more protection and power than a strong national government with an even stronger moral compass?

Now obviously, I find little value in the arguments I've just made above. I believe that as an individual, I alone should have control over how I live my life, provided I don't step on anyone's rights to do the same in the process. I'm inclined to believe that the average person probably thinks along these same lines. I doubt that Joe Schmoe is going to advocate a near complete lack of control over his life. So my question is this: why are we, as citizens, so willing to cede our liberties in certain realms?

The modern American political structure only really offers two options; you choose the democrats if you want to cede economic liberties and the republicans for social liberties. And lately, due to the inevitable "copy-cat" nature of politics, it seems both parties have been willing to adopt each other's lust for control in areas traditionally controlled by the other. Why are more Americans not outraged?

The only reasonable conclusion I can make is that people are inherently afraid of what they don't know. Think I'm wrong? Ask a young child -- probably the perfect template for an uneducated human -- what they think about money. Or maybe about someone else doing something that they don't enjoy doing themselves. Chances are, you'll get responses like "I think everything should be free" and "They shouldn't do that, because I think it's stupid." Children have a very self-centered view of the world, mainly out of necessity. In general, they are extremely sensitive and rather intolerant of things they don't believe or agree with. They are often afraid of what they don't know, and therefore project their desires and values on other people.

So maybe, just maybe, we're essentially a society of overgrown, unknowing children. People who desire less economic freedom either don't understand economics or could never imagine themselves living life below the poverty line. This explains both the hard working, albeit uneducated blue-collar worker, as well as the elite, yet guilt-filled, upper class intellectual typical of the democratic party. The republican party, on the other hand, is filled with people who have little desire for or understanding of social freedom. A.k.a. the members of the Christian right who are scared to death of a dude getting it on with another dude, and the respectable businessman who long ago lost the need or desire for any kind of alternative life choice.

True, there are always exceptions to the rule. But I believe that most of the other people attracted to the "mainstream" parties can either be written off as party loyalists who just want to belong to something (see my merits of fascism argument) or people who are just misinformed of the true party agendas.

Of course, I've probably offended someone who doesn't fit into the neat, little box I've described above. But that doesn't mean I'm going to apologize for my belief that your party is inherently freedom-hating. I don't claim to be some all-knowing authority on how the world works, but I'll be damned if I support some kind of group that wants to take away what is rightfully mine (read "my life"). /Paranoid Rant