Like many young Americans, I was a passive recipient of my parents’ political ideology. Parenthetically, while some other young Americans may actively reject their parents political framework, I think one could make a fair argument that this is frequently a reactionary response, and no more informed than those, like me, who simply adopted what was already familiar. After all, how is an 18 year old generally well-equipped to make such judgements? In my opinion, American history and political philosophy are not adequately presented in many primary and secondary school curricula, yet while that is an important matter, I will skip over it for now.
In any case, I became a Republican after completing high school in 1978, despite the political disillusionment of the 1970s following the disastrous Nixon administration and the ongoing ambivalence during the Carter administration. In the 1980s, Reagan became President, the Cold War ended, our economy prospered, and most things seemed to be going well. I was concerned about the direction of the Republican Party under the influence of the “moral majority” during this time, finding it odd that the party of “smaller government” would presume to affect moral behavior through the actions of government, but I was not enough concerned to become involved. Through the 1990s and 2000s, I became preoccupied with my study and practice of medicine to give much thought to politics. In my worldview at the time, nothing was more important than what I was doing, whether that be medical school, two surgical residencies, or developing my surgical skills in private practice. I was only peripherally interested in politics, but continued to vote Republican, when I made the effort to vote at all.
I was initially excited about the George W. Bush’s presidency. His call for “compassionate conservatism” was appealing, and the influence of the “moral majority” had waned. However, with the party of “smaller government” in control, our federal government instead became larger and more intrusive. I supported the invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, but viewed the Iraq war with suspicion. I became increasingly uncomfortable with the reports on our activities abroad, wondering how we could presume to be a moral nation when we failed to live up to our own ideals. Simultaneously, on the domestic front, our civil liberties were also compromised by legislation such as the Patriot Act. Furthermore, in addition to the dramatic growth in government spending on military activities, Medicare Part D, the largest expansion of social welfare since the creation of Medicaid and Medicare in 1965, was passed by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed into law by President Bush.
In 2008, my wife and I had had enough. “Change” and “hope” were in the air! My wife and I switched to the Democratic Party. I supported Barack Obama in the Iowa caucus (my wife supported Hillary Clinton). We both voted for Obama in the general election, and were hopeful that he would make good on his campaign promises, particularly to end our failed military engagements abroad. We have, obviously, been disappointed. Not only has President Obama continued our military adventurism abroad, he has increased the erosion of our public liberties through continuation of the Patriot Act and other activities, and has dramatically expanded upon the $700 billion dollar “bailout” authorized by Bush in the waning days of his presidency. Bush I was followed by Bush II, and now Obama is little more than Bush III!
The above is really a recounting of my political disillusionment with the “two-party” system; my path to political enlightenment actually began in 2007-2008, when I became increasingly concerned about the perils of our economic and monetary system. I will write more about this elsewhere, but suffice it now to say that it gradually became obvious to me that much of our economic and monetary peril was directly related to our “two-party” system of government. I have purposely placed the phrase “two-party” in parentheses, as I believe that in reality we have only a one-party system of government, with different branding for different consumers. If one were to consider carbonated sodas, “Coke” and “Pepsi” are as much different as are “Republican” and “Democrat”.
My first comprehensive introduction to libertarianism came from I book which I can highly recommend, David Boaz’ “Libertarianism: A Primer”. Reading this book, and others to follow, amounted to nothing less than an epiphany. I became further enchanted with the history of this country’s founding. I re-read our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. I read biographies on Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. I became acquainted with the ideas of Austrian economics and the value of a truly free market. When I am not working or spending time with my family, much of my time remains devoted to the study of political theory, philosophy, and economics. What I have learned is that our founders had it laid out a workable plan for self-government, and that we have simply failed to follow their instructions!
I became involved with the Campaign for Liberty, the grassroots organization that developed in the wake of Dr. Ron Paul’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. I became a member of the Libertarian Party, although I briefly changed my party affiliation to vote for liberty-minded candidates in this year’s primary. I have written to President Obama, members of Congress, our Governor, and newspapers. I wrote a brief blog on the subject of healthcare reform, and will import or link to that subject matter here in the near future. I have also posted numerous comments and links to articles on Facebook and other forums regarding politics and economics. However, my “reach” through these efforts has been limited. It is my sincere belief that many Americans are, at heart, libertarians, and that they are looking for answers as I once was. It is my hope that through my candidacy I might reach others who are yearning for answers, who are disillusioned with our current political environment, and who desire to regain our country’s promise of liberty and prosperity.