War of the Words...
I'm one that tends to lean towards diplomacy and persuasion instead of violence or force whenever a disagreement between people or ideals arises. I probably didn't always give that approach a chance to work when I was raising my children, but as I've grown a little older, and hopefully a little wiser, it just seems like a better policy.
Besides, looking at things from a more limited government Libertarian angle often puts me on the opposite side of the fence from people who favor a less limited government.
I have realized, and seemingly more so lately, that a lot of people get really upset when they have a difference of opinion with other people.
We are in the middle of a national debate about whether insurance companies should be required by law to provide birth control for women. (I'm not sure if anybody is advocating that insurance companies should be required to provide birth control for men.) Being a Libertarian, I'm of the opinion that insurance companies and the people that buy insurance from those companies should decide what benefits they want to offer and purchase. It really doesn't have anything to do with men or women. It has to do with people and companies making their own decisions.
That opinion makes some people that want a lot of government so mad that they claim people who have that opinion have declared a "War on Women". Now, I can't speak for everybody, but personally, I like women for the most part. Even the occasional attitude adjustment I received from my Mom, and the very rare grief I receive from my wife wouldn't be enough for me to declare war on half of the population of the world.
I'm also a fan of parental choice in education. I think parents have the right to decide what type of education their children should receive, even if we haven't figured out the correct funding formula just yet. People that want the government to decide what kind of education other peoples' children claim that people who support parental choice have declared war on public schools, teachers and even children. Again, while I can't speak for everybody, I'm pretty fond of a lot of public schools, most teachers, and just about all children. I'm certainly not even close to declaring war on any of them. (Except maybe that smart-alec kid that lives down on South Street and makes obscene gestures at me when I drive by.)
Apparently people who like a lot of government believe that anybody who supports individual choice and responsibility are at war with all sorts of groups and people.
Again, I can't speak for everybody, but I'm not at war with anybody. I do get a little irritated at people when they try to use the force of government to make other people comply with their vision of how we should live our lives and conduct our business.
But I'm not at war with them.
Besides, looking at things from a more limited government Libertarian angle often puts me on the opposite side of the fence from people who favor a less limited government.
I have realized, and seemingly more so lately, that a lot of people get really upset when they have a difference of opinion with other people.
We are in the middle of a national debate about whether insurance companies should be required by law to provide birth control for women. (I'm not sure if anybody is advocating that insurance companies should be required to provide birth control for men.) Being a Libertarian, I'm of the opinion that insurance companies and the people that buy insurance from those companies should decide what benefits they want to offer and purchase. It really doesn't have anything to do with men or women. It has to do with people and companies making their own decisions.
That opinion makes some people that want a lot of government so mad that they claim people who have that opinion have declared a "War on Women". Now, I can't speak for everybody, but personally, I like women for the most part. Even the occasional attitude adjustment I received from my Mom, and the very rare grief I receive from my wife wouldn't be enough for me to declare war on half of the population of the world.
I'm also a fan of parental choice in education. I think parents have the right to decide what type of education their children should receive, even if we haven't figured out the correct funding formula just yet. People that want the government to decide what kind of education other peoples' children claim that people who support parental choice have declared war on public schools, teachers and even children. Again, while I can't speak for everybody, I'm pretty fond of a lot of public schools, most teachers, and just about all children. I'm certainly not even close to declaring war on any of them. (Except maybe that smart-alec kid that lives down on South Street and makes obscene gestures at me when I drive by.)
Apparently people who like a lot of government believe that anybody who supports individual choice and responsibility are at war with all sorts of groups and people.
Again, I can't speak for everybody, but I'm not at war with anybody. I do get a little irritated at people when they try to use the force of government to make other people comply with their vision of how we should live our lives and conduct our business.
But I'm not at war with them.
posted by Rex Bell at 11:54 AM
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