Conservatives Should Consider The Libertarian Party

Written by Jean Fritz


The late Ronald Reagan embodiedrepparttar soul of classic liberalism – that’s right, Reagan was a liberal. His unbridled optimism and faith inrepparttar 125958 power ofrepparttar 125959 individual to live his or her life independently, solve problems, and function as a contributing member of society, and his determination to expandrepparttar 125960 cause of freedom restrained only by morality are hallmarks of whatrepparttar 125961 term “liberal” actually means. However, just as socialists usurpedrepparttar 125962 term “liberal” and transformed its meaning to designate a person or party which supports larger, more intrusive government as a mechanism for peace and “prosperity”, Reagan utilizedrepparttar 125963 philosophical underpinnings of classic liberalism to form today’s conservative movement.

Since Reagan, many Republican politicians have donnedrepparttar 125964 “conservative” mantle without an understanding of what wearing that title entails. As a result, both federal and state governments have grown larger, require more of your tax money to exist, and created more cavernous deficits. Even our current president struggles to maintainrepparttar 125965 interest of a conservative base while creating his newest entitlement program which expandsrepparttar 125966 fiscal black hole known as Medicare. Just asrepparttar 125967 Democratic Party abandoned Ronald Reagan,repparttar 125968 Republican Party appears to have abandoned conservatives.

Social and fiscal conservatives do have a viable alternative, and that isrepparttar 125969 Libertarian Party. Libertarianism was initially a reaction against Soviet rule in Russia and eastern Europe, but as our own government grows increasingly more intrusive, more expensive and less effective in its originally defined jobs (defense and law enforcement), Libertarians have discovered a rising popularity in our own country.

Libertarians believe that all power begins withrepparttar 125970 individual and flows up, rather than flowing fromrepparttar 125971 top down. They understand that defense and law enforcement are best done on a collective basis, and support a strong, well-trained and well-funded military, as well asrepparttar 125972 checks and balances we have today in our criminal justice system. However, they do not believe thatrepparttar 125973 FEDERAL government should be responsible for allocating state funds for education, funding for roads based uponrepparttar 125974 state’s “drunk driving” standards, or feeding, housing, clothing and medicating every man, woman and child comprisingrepparttar 125975 loudest voting block during an election year.

Recycling The Mentally Ill

Written by Virginia Bola, PsyD


30 years ago, California, later followed by other states, decided to virtually close downrepparttar State Mental Hospitals.

There had been multiple exposures of abuse throughoutrepparttar 125957 Nation's systems such as over-medicated individuals kept on back wards for years without clinical justification. However,repparttar 125958 primary force leading torepparttar 125959 widespread closures was economic. Providing free room, board, medication and psychiatric care torepparttar 125960 chronic and seriously impaired mental health population was expensive and failed to result in any positive financial or political benefits.

Theoretically, these marginally functional individuals would now be cared for by a network of community service agencies that would spring up on a local basis. Unfortunately, such a network never existed and failed to develop forrepparttar 125961 same economic challengesrepparttar 125962 State Institutions had faced. Counties continued to provide outpatient services, with occasional brief local hospitalizations for those who became unstable, and nonprofit organizations were founded, and often financially foundered, to provide services.

With few resources andrepparttar 125963 cognitive and emotional inability to connect withrepparttar 125964 few programs available,repparttar 125965 mentally ill started to drift intorepparttar 125966 streets where they often self- medicated with illegal drugs. Within 10 years, police and social service agencies estimated that possibly one third ofrepparttar 125967 growing homeless population had mental disabilities.

An increase in street crime,repparttar 125968 resentment of business owners who lost customers who would not crossrepparttar 125969 crowds of homeless onrepparttar 125970 sidewalks, andrepparttar 125971 disgust of working citizens who resentedrepparttar 125972 litter and potential dangers of large numbers of people living onrepparttar 125973 streets, led to a political decision to crackdown onrepparttar 125974 homeless. Sweeps of targeted areas movedrepparttar 125975 homeless away - to other areas whererepparttar 125976 resentment was just as great. Petty street crimes to enablerepparttar 125977 penniless to live, and drug use, providedrepparttar 125978 excuse for more draconian measures. The homeless started moving again, this time intorepparttar 125979 prisons.

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