Oregonian,

I used to be a semi-Libertarian. Unfortunately it had the effect of wasting my vote and allowing scumbag Republicans get elected who have used their power to help transfer all wealth to the already wealthy. I've been voting for a bevy of Democrats ever since, mainly as a defense mechanism to try to keep Republican slime from over-taking all aspects of American life.

There's a lot about Libertarian philosophy to like, unless you're already deeply wired into either corporate or social welfare. The one thing about Libertarianism I most opposed is the complete lack of public resources. I mean, sure, it would be possible to have private toll roads everywhere, but it's a lot more efficient to have well planned public road systems. I also like the concept of public ownership of national parks, forests, and water, which Libertarianism would convert all of those to private ownership to the highest bidder.

Further, as I've become older, I think my human compassion has increased, and I'm not opposed to a reasonable degree of social welfare. Yeah, I do hate welfare cheats, but we know it's the exceptions to the rule that make the news stories. I do believe that the extensive corporate welfare will bring our nation down long before social welfare does.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.