Am I a Conservative?

The answer is probably no, although I respect the ideas and agree with conservatives on some issues. I am not a big believer of tradition for the sake of tradition nor do I salute government employees just for serving the people, whatever that really means.

You might say I’m a libertarian, skeptical of government power which I often see as driven by bigotry and a misunderstanding of others rather than an actual desire to do good.

That said, there is a role in government for protecting citizens from misdeeds of large corporations and for investing in the commons that can be enjoyed by all like our wild lands and libraries.

I do worry about the costs of an ever growing government that increasingly is unwilling to confront its own supporters for the sake of what’s right or fair, one that’s unwilling to take on the hard problems like climate change or even the growing debt on all levels of government. Problems don’t go away by ignoring them.

I’m not sure what all the answers are, but I am skeptical of all political power and just see more and more of government driven by biogtry rather than thoughtful debate and discussion.