The Occasional Observer

But more libertarian.  The more I read about politics, the more jaded I become.  Whether you have a D or R next to your name, as a politician, you just play the game.  All such games degrade over time as winning strategies are determined and refined, and losing strategies abandoned.  The rules are perverted and changed to exaggerate the effectiveness of the winning strategies, and the game becomes a kabuki show.

The win scenario for almost all politicians is more power, money and longevity of both.  The winning strategies of left and right have degraded into tactics to smear the other side, reward allies and contributors with government largess.  Legislators are the worst.  The feel they need to pass new laws to prove they're doing something when we already have far too many, where many overlap, contradict or supersede existing ones.  This just ends in more ineffective and wasteful government.

The only thing I want to see coming out of Washington in the next decade is stripping back the federal government.  I realize the chance of this happening is near nil, but I won't give up hope yet.  There are a couple of interesting movements happening that give the slightest glimmer of hope.  The Free State Project (new Hampshire) and Free State Wyoming.  They probably won't go far, but their existence would make me want to move and participate if I were to move.

At this point, I think I'm going to vote for Ron Paul over Mitt Romney in the NY primary.  The net positive result of libertarianism would outweigh the net negative IMHO.  I've come around to a degree on his foreign policy.  War should be the absolute last step in foreign affairs.  Our citizens lives are sacred (and all life for that matter).  Our country needs to focus our resources at home - people securing our borders and money climbing our way out of 100% debt/GDP.

I'm also coming around on stopping other wasted government spending and legislation.  If two dudes want to get married, what do I care?  Just don't bother me about it.  If you and your friends want to get stoned in your house, fine.  Don't cause any trouble.  Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone.  Stop taxing the crap out of me and spending it on stuff I don't care about.

To sum up:

GET OFF MY LAWN!