Wed 7 May 2008
The Populist Party
Posted by Jack under politics
One of the things that keep coming up in my posts is that I feel the Federal government is too big and intrusive. From a simple financial viewpoint it is either too big or we are not taxed enough. The government needs to be able to supply the services it does using just the resources available to it.
In that respect, our federal government should operate no differently than we do. While it is acceptable to occasionally spend more than we make, we need to save up to replace the extra spending or have paid for the 'surge' out of savings that we already have. Constant deficit spending is bad for us and is bad for our government.
I have recently come across the website for a minor political party which seems to have a similar viewpoint: The Populist Party. If you view their basic platform and self explanation, they are actually arguing for politicians at the national level to voluntarily reduce their own power to create a smaller national government and to strengthen state and local governments. The best part is that they argue for personal responsibility and freedom where it does not interfere with others freedoms.
What do you think about this? I am going to look into them further myself. Hopefully the surface view holds upon further review and they are truly mainstream enough that there will be hope of helping them become a major party (because why should we be limited to two parties?)
I definitely see how they could be a fringe group whose idealism and fanaticism far exceeds what is useful or reasonable. At the same time, they could also be a group whose view can be accepted and adopted by Americans across this great country.
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May 8th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
“If you want REAL CHANGE you need to make OUR LEGALLY ELECTED
OFFICIALS understand they are not there to INTERPRET THE WILL OF THE
PEOPLE but to ADMINISTER IT, and the PRESIDENCY is to PRESIDE over
this PROCESS, Not to ADMONISH it.”
May 8th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I can certainly agree with the general statements you make. But, general statements is one of the reasons that we are facing the problems we have. Politicians have mastered the art of the sound bite, and not enough people look into the meat of the matter.
We have to get past short, trite sayings and comments before we will see real change. Once 30 second ads and 8 second sound bites are no longer how public opinion get set, then the American People will be well on their way to controlling our government again.
That is why I could not put down or endorse the Populist Party in this post. On the surface, in those short statements, they seem to have a smart, reasonable outlook for a fiscally responsible national government.
But, short statements on a single, centrally controlled website is not enough to sway me - nor should it sway others. It is enough however to get me to look into it deeper.