In that case, who holds the state and local level officials accountable when they fail to provide the basic minimums we are talking about? I am not saying that the federal government needs to micromanage every single school out there, but I am unclear on what happens to people raising children in the state with the worst educational system. If the responsibility is at the state/local level, is their only recourse to just move away
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Well, just as with the Federal government it is up to the voters to hold those they put into office accountable. If they aren't doing the job, vote them out... and that is far easier on the local level than upon the Federal level. If you don't like what your government is doing, do something about it. Vote them out, help their opponents campaign, or even run for office against them. The problem is that far too people care enough to get involved. We get the government we deserve... good and ill. As for move away? It is an option, but I see it more as a last resort
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I agree that the "politicking" aspect of politicians has made me quite jaded. The compromises they make of their supposed values. The lies or incomplete truths. The wheeling and dealing...
However, part of the job description of a politician IS politicking. And I would fear not putting someone with those skills into the highest office in the land. Washington is a vast machine and I don't think one person could change the way it operates.
That is why I have always been a fan of the dictatorship school of government ;)
While it is important to be able to compromise and adapt to the times, the ease with which most politicians change their positions to the one that garners them the most re-election votes or gets their pet projects passed is disgusting. And I can not remember the last time a politician had the guts to disagree with their own constituency (unless they were also agreeing with their major campaign donors) and do what they needed, as opposed to what they wanted.
There is a large divide between politiking, and reaching an agreement. No single party or political ideology has all the right answers. We can only get to the best solution by working with those we disagree with to find it.
Of the two primary candidates, McCain is the only one I've seen doing that... but as I said, he's become too much a part of the machine to get my vote.
Obama? He's part of the new radical left, planned, packaged, and marketed for our consumption. I just wish they would be up front about it, rather than hiding behind their mantra of change.
Sorry, my response here is a bit loose in and of itself - I'm sure Barr's positions aren't quite this anarchic, but the point is that human society is by definition based upon behavioral restrictions that we place upon ourselves by general agreement in order to allow concepts like money, ownership, and to improve the general efficiency of society.
When someone starts bucking against that concept from an ideological level, I start thinking anarchist. Right now the world is suffering from a severe bout with financial anarchy, I have no urge to see us continue in a similar vein elsewhere. We're already severely tilted towards that side of the boat, to go further would simply be to intentionally capsize the vessel.
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However, part of the job description of a politician IS politicking. And I would fear not putting someone with those skills into the highest office in the land. Washington is a vast machine and I don't think one person could change the way it operates.
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While it is important to be able to compromise and adapt to the times, the ease with which most politicians change their positions to the one that garners them the most re-election votes or gets their pet projects passed is disgusting. And I can not remember the last time a politician had the guts to disagree with their own constituency (unless they were also agreeing with their major campaign donors) and do what they needed, as opposed to what they wanted.
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Of the two primary candidates, McCain is the only one I've seen doing that... but as I said, he's become too much a part of the machine to get my vote.
Obama? He's part of the new radical left, planned, packaged, and marketed for our consumption. I just wish they would be up front about it, rather than hiding behind their mantra of change.
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When someone starts bucking against that concept from an ideological level, I start thinking anarchist. Right now the world is suffering from a severe bout with financial anarchy, I have no urge to see us continue in a similar vein elsewhere. We're already severely tilted towards that side of the boat, to go further would simply be to intentionally capsize the vessel.
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