I'm trying to understand why the Tory numbers are dropping.
Dion and Layton didn't perform all that well in the debates. No one is really jumping on the Listeria investigation and deaths. So what's going on?
I would like to submit to you that a significant number of the people who vote Conservative, the people that call themselves "Libertarian", are actually just "selfish when they're winning".
If you have a good job with good benefits, reasonable security and the likelihood of easily changing jobs, you can afford to call yourself "Libertarian". They you vote Conservative and curse the people without jobs as being lazy and irresponsible. You want tax cuts and cuts to social services because, hey, those people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
But the economy is changing. People are becoming a little less sure of their jobs. Sure, it looks like your little company is doing alright, but we could be looking at millions of layoffs across the country. The stock market is plunging. Credit is hard to get. Maybe your boss is walking around shaking his head because he knows how dependent everybody is on overnight lending and venture capital.
Suddenly, your "Libertarianism" doesn't look so good when you might just end up on the outside looking in. You might just end up as the guy without the job. Maybe three months from now, Prime Minister (with a majority) Harper will be looking out at you and saying, "Hey, take care of yourself". Suddenly the shining light of independent, capitalist, free-market glory doesn't look so good.
Maybe you start to realize, in tough times, you would rather have at the helm people who have historically given a damn about other human beings.
Maybe you don't vote Conservative because, quite simply, selfishness points you in other direction. Instead of "Hey, take care of yourself", your cry will become, "Hey, someone take care of me!"
Monday, October 06, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
With all due respect, as a libertarian, I have never supported the CPC. Indeed, anyone that still does, after 8-10% increases in government spending, ideological instead of economic based tax cuts, was probably not really a "libertarian" in the first place. Probably, such as nobs like Dr. Roy, don;t even know the meaning of the word.
Nothing the CPC does is libertarian, but authoritarian with a dash or corporatism - nanny state conservatism and socialism for the rich.
A lot of things, but not libertarian. What is another term for "corportism"?
That is what the CPC is..
Good point.
I was writing about hypocritical Libertarians switching sides with the winds.
I shouldn't have assumed that real libertarians would be found with the CPC. They seem to bill themselves as the the home of the independent-minded, low-tax, low-service party.
I read a post a few months ago in which the Libertarians in the U.S. were finally realizing that the Republicans were taking them for a ride.
Post a Comment