The next installment of Chris Jenkins' discussion with me. In this section, Chris begins addressing specific issues. We'll take a few of blog posts to cover them.

From Chris:

Okay, so let's talk about the Libertarian party for a bit. I have always been a sucker for the political affiliation quizzes on the internet and every time I've taken one I always end up in the Libertarian quadrant. I was a registered Independent for 16 years in Oklahoma and now I'm a registered Democrat in Colorado (I wanted to vote in the primaries). After investigating the Libertarian website and reading their issues stances, I have come to some conclusions. For the most part, yes, I am a Libertarian. I agree with many of the issue stances--ending drug prohibition, being the party of personal responsibility, etc. But I did find a few things that caused me concern. I will address them here:

Iraq: First, let me say--Wow, what an issue. It seems so much bigger than me, it's tough to get a hold on where I stand. I do believe that we went in for the wrong reasons. I do believe that the war is being mismanaged and Haliburton is screwing the American taxpayer. I do believe the war was really about securing Iraqi oil. But there is one part of me that is glad that Saddam Hussein is gone. I can't deny that. I will concede that we need to get out, but we need to get out properly. When asked about the surge a year ago, I said that I favored it and even favored something bigger than that. My gosh, if we are going to do something--let's do it right.

Education: The Libertarians have the proverbial "improve education" platform. Hell, who doesn't? Of course, they are for school choice/vouchers, and I am rather ambivalent about that issue. But as a former teacher and principal, I get a little pissed off with all the education bashing. First, let me ask--what is the proposal to "improve" education? All I ever hear is talk about "improvement" but never any specifics. And I would also like to ask--what is so bad? I had a great public school education and now I have a Ph.D. I'm going to have to call bullshit on all this anti-public education rhetoric. Let's face it, when people talk about public schools failing--they are talking about schools with populations on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. There are not very many unhappy parents in Douglas and Boulder county complaining about the public education in those systems.

Ending foreign aid: I'm cool with that...to an extent. As the leader of the free world, I don't think the United States can afford to be isolationist. We have to set an example that we care about human rights. I think the situation in Zimbabwe is intolerable and if the United Nations won't fix it, then I think we should. I know that is very interventionist, but somebody has to do something. And while I'm on the subject--what should we do about Myanmar, North Korea, and Somalia. Do we not have a duty to help other people on this earth who face oppression?

Ending the welfare system: This is without a doubt, the most troubling area of the Libertarian platform. The party states: "We should eliminate the entire social welfare system. This includes eliminating AFDC, food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest. Individuals who are unable to fully support themselves and their families through the job market must, once again, learn to rely on supporting family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the gap." I understand the basic premise of this statement, but I still have a BIG problem with it. I absolutely refuse to support any platform that makes children suffer. I will pay whatever taxes need to be paid to insure that no child has to "learn to rely on" another entity "to bridge the gap." The people who make these statements seem to be pretty confident that all these other entities will just step in and step up to make sure everybody is taken care of. My question is--how do you know? How are you so sure? It's not worth the risk. Innocent children must be cared for, and if anything, the government must help. When I talk about children, I'm also referring to pregnant women and single women with children. Yes, we shouldn't be paying welfare subsidies to able-bodied men and women, but I believe that the party really needs to soften its tone on this statement or include some language about children. I watched the Denver Christmas parade last night and was surrounded by a group of foster children. I wanted to adopt every one of them, but luckily the government was taking care of them and I will diligently pay taxes to support that effort.

Again, readers, please feel free to comment...I'll try to make sure Chris responds to you.