even if you don't believe in a libertarian society, wouldn't most people agree that our government needs a libertarian push at this point?
I think a lot of what we've been seeing recently is the exact opposite. Both parties are heavy-spenders; neither want to reduce the size or power of the government, and the American people, IMO, see the massive amounts of money being spent on a war they've abandoned all support for, and are thinking, "hey we could be spending that money on something that actually has a tangible and direct benefit for all Americans, like health care." The war in Iraq has made people more comfortable with the idea of spending a crapton of money in handouts, and support for public officials has only dropped because they're not doing enough, not asserting enough control.
Exactly here is a great quote that sums it up.
"Ideology is such a powerful force that it has propped up a policy of inconsistency for more than a century. The left has a massive agenda for the state at home and yet complains bitterly, with shock and dismay that the same tools are used to start wars and build imperial structures abroad. The right claims to want to restrain government spending at home (in some ways) while whooping it up for war and global reconstruction abroad.
It's one thing for the left to grudgingly support international intervention. It makes some sense for the group that believes that government is omniscient enough to bring about fairness, justice and equality at home for the same people abroad. In fact I have never been able to make much sense out of the left-wing antiwar activism, simply because it cuts so much against the ideas of socialism.
What strikes me as ridiculous is the right-wing view that government is incompetent and dangerous domestically- at least in economic and social affairs-but has some sort of midas touch internationally such that it can bring democracy freedom and justice to any land its troops deign to invade..
