Archive for April 10th, 2009

Many times when people begin to talk about politics they quickly start referring to individuals:

“I think Hank Williams Jr. had it right on gun control…”
“Ya know, Reagan was the best president ever…”
“Ted Kennedy could really run this country well…”
“The Chiquita Banana lady has an incredible grip on international trade…”

Rarely do people actually refer to policies and principles such as:

“Are my rights being violated?”
“What are my rights, and what makes them MY rights?”
“Will I give up all my privacy to be safe?”
“Why do we pay fuel tax?”
“On what grounds could I be fined, imprisoned, and ultimately killed for housing chickens in too small of a cage?”
“Who decides?”

Maybe this is because policies and principles may not have absolutely “right” answers. Or the answers might not be easy to take.

However, thinking of these questions and really examining the policy and the ideas that are behind the policies is the only way to further oneself and a country. It is too easy to defer judgement to a charismatic “expert” so that one never has to make their own decisions or face what it is they believe.

Comic from mattbors.com