5 Reasons to Abandon Politics

[ClydeCoulter]

Then you fail in your understanding of economics.



I agree, but unfortunately that is not the way humanity works, at least not presently (and it isn't going to change any time soon).

So you have to work to gain power for yourself however you can, which means stopping the elected officials from running over you. That means having power to get them unelected or cause them pain. If you're not feared, then you're not respected.

Matt, value is created (not out of thin air), exchange is mutual, money is a medium.

So, what you're saying is that because there are assholes in the world and only the system (which employs lots of assholes) can kill or imprison them (that I'm to pay for) and because others have bigger guns to force me to do it, then I need to spend my time, money (more of it) and efforts to watch my back, play games, and then any remaining time, money or effort can be spent taking care of my immediate needs and those of my family. <sarc>Sounds FUN</sarc>

Oh, and what's that system for?

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Good piece. Just remember that there will always be people like Collins who live in denial. Take care of yourself and loved ones. The political junkies will destroy themselves and as many other as possible-just as they always have.

 

[Matt Collins]

Matt, value is created (not out of thin air), exchange is mutual, money is a medium.

You only make an exchange if you get something more than what you give. What you are getting has to be worth more than what you are giving, otherwise you wouldn't participate in the exchange. It's called inertia.

So, what you're saying is that because there are assholes in the world and only the system (which employs lots of assholes) can kill or imprison them (that I'm to pay for) and because others have bigger guns to force me to do it, then I need to spend my time, money (more of it) and efforts to watch my back, play games, and then any remaining time, money or effort can be spent taking care of my immediate needs and those of my family.

Taking care of your family IS being involved in politics. Your kids are saddled with debt because the government overspent. Your kids are going to suffer because you won't have as much money because the government continues to steal it. You can stop a lot of this stuff, but you have to have acquire the power to do it.

 

[Matt Collins]

Good piece. Just remember that there will always be people like Collins who live in denial.

I'm not in denial about anything, people who think politics is meaningless and bury their heads in the sands are the ones who get their butts kicked. Politics is human nature, it is inseparable from humanity. The sooner that people who love liberty understand that and learn how to use it to their advantage, instead of getting taken advantage of, the quicker we can move to a more liberty-based society.

 

[jmdrake]

Abandoning politics is like abandoning economics. You can say you do it, but in the end all you do is make yourself an ignorant slave. But then ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

Activism > politics

Activism= politics.

Really? Activism = politics? Okay. How about a concrete example ripped from recent headlines? Most Americans are upset about NSA spying. Many of us have called and written our congressmen. My own congressman, Jim Cooper, wrote back with the standard "I understand your concerns...we'll get to the bottom of this while striving to maintain a program that claims it has stopped a bunch of terrorist attacks." Translation? I'm not going to do jack about this except try to con you into believing I care both about your privacy and about your security.

So.....what can we do about this other than politics? Well We could all quit pretending that the government gives a damn about our privacy and start taking matters into our own hands by encrypting all of our communications! Sorry for shouting, but geeze, the answer to the NSA scandal is so freaking obvious and it is NOT POLITICS! You are never going to convince the requisite number of Americans that the NSA isn't doing any good in fighting terrorism for there to be the type of change that is needed. But you might convince enough Americans, based on testimony of NSA whistleblowers that fellow agents were listening to phone sex between servicemen and their wives, that maybe, just maybe the might want to encrypt their text, emails and phone conversations. Doing that would bring the NSA system to its knees. Someone might say "Well the NSA can decrypt anything." That's not been proven...but so what? I want the NSA wasting computer cycles decrypting billions of emails, texts and phone calls only to find that the vast majority of the time all they're getting are recipes, stupid jokes, spam, MLM offers etc. But that's not going to happen as long as people concentrate on the "political solution" to the problem that's not ever going to happen.

Oh yeah. It gets worse. Look at how easily we inadvertently spy on each other? Facebook now has this "feature" where it shows where you are on a given date. How does it do that? Well one of your dumbass "friends" just has to take a picture of you, upload it to Facebook and then "tag" you in it. I've been "tagged" as being at an "End The Fed" rally for example. So somebody who thinks the government is involved in a conspiracy to manipulate the financial markets for the benefit of a few has "tagged" me as being at a rally. Great! The government no longer needs informants. We're so stupid we inform on our own dumb selves. And all the time we're "politicking."

If you haven't at least started looking into how to send and receive encrypted information, if you are still "tagging" people on Farcebook, if you haven't taken even the smallest step to fight back against the NSA legally and peacefully through encryption and educating others about it....why are you bothering with "politics?"

/rant

 

[amy31416]

I'm not in denial about anything, people who think politics is meaningless and bury their heads in the sands are the ones who get their butts kicked. Politics is human nature, it is inseparable from humanity. The sooner that people who love liberty understand that and learn how to use it to their advantage, instead of getting taken advantage of, the quicker we can move to a more liberty-based society.

And the more people like you keep opening your yap, the more disillusioned people become with even the "liberty" political movement. More of the same old BS.

 

[Bastiat's The Law]

Opting out only allows your inferiors to rule over you. Throughout human history and earlier hominid history there has always been a hierarchical social structure and power stems from that. Politics is just a more sophisticated version of becoming tribal leader. Even the anarchist seeks to become tribal leaders, whether they realize it or not, by motivating others to follow their ideology; often times coming across rather militant in the process. Why go to the trouble of becoming a Youtube personality, as most of the prominent anarchists have done in recent years, if shifting society toward your direction isn't your goal? It's all vanity and the lust for power in another amalgamation. It's indicative of the human condition.

 

[Matthew5]

Politics is a natural human interaction, people are always trying to persuade people to do things. Whether it be to get donations, increase social status, create a better business deal, politics do exist. Yet these are peaceful, personal interactions; the article is speaking of the political game of governing in America. This is a game that should be shunned and focus should be shifted on how to peacefully coexist without the use of force, aggression, or violence (which is the true power of the state and the end result of all your politicking). It's time to evolve in this regard.

Seeing some statists fallacies here. Example: If men are evil, and therefore I need protection from that evil, why would I consolidate all power and money into a group of the same men?

 

[jmdrake]

Opting out only allows your inferiors to rule over you. Throughout human history and earlier hominid history there has always been a hierarchical social structure and power stems from that. Politics is just a more sophisticated version of becoming tribal leader. Even the anarchist seeks to become tribal leaders, whether they realize it or not, by motivating others to follow their ideology; often times coming across rather militant in the process. Why go to the trouble of becoming a Youtube personality, as most of the prominent anarchists have done in recent years, if shifting society toward your direction isn't your goal? It's all vanity and the lust for power in another amalgamation. It's indicative of the human condition.

Sure. Be political and all. The problem is when you put so much energy into politics, thinking that you're actually accomplishing something, that you don't put energy into things that might actually throw a wrench in the NWO machine.

 

[Matthew5]

Opting out only allows your inferiors to rule over you. Throughout human history and earlier hominid history there has always been a hierarchical social structure and power stems from that. Politics is just a more sophisticated version of becoming tribal leader. Even the anarchist seeks to become tribal leaders, whether they realize it or not, by motivating others to follow their ideology; often times coming across rather militant in the process. Why go to the trouble of becoming a Youtube personality, as most of the prominent anarchists have done in recent years, if shifting society toward your direction isn't your goal? It's all vanity and the lust for power in another amalgamation. It's indicative of the human condition.

Tribalism is human nature. We ban together for survival, mutual aide, common goals, fellowship, and a myriad of other reasons. Politicking as a human interaction will never cease. As a means to control the lives of others through a mechanism known as government, that might be a different story...

 

[LibertyEagle]

+1776 Ron Paul will roll in his grave if this movement ends with political means. People looking to be in politics only do so 99% of the time for power and money. Rand is no exception and our movement has a huge target on our back.

Personally I think the entire system is completely rigged and by joining the system you are basically allowing everything it does and approving of it.

00' rigged 04' rigged 08' rigged 12' rigged -- Why is 2016 any different.

It's like the Einstein insanity quote.

Don't even, TP.

“I have many friends in the libertarian movement who look down on those of us who get involved in political activity,” he acknowledged, but “eventually, if you want to bring about changes … what you have to do is participate in political action.” -- Ron Paul
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2008/sep/22/00019/

Let's take the easy route out and vote for Rons son who is NOTHING like him AT ALL. Then we can watch him for the next 3 years raise money for the establishment and help them regain integrity. Fantastic good thing I donated all that money and time. Yeah, fuck that - I will never donate to Rand again.

So says you. Ron Paul, however, says he and his son agree on 99% of the issues.

 

[LibertyEagle]

Sure. Be political and all. The problem is when you put so much energy into politics, thinking that you're actually accomplishing something, that you don't put energy into things that might actually throw a wrench in the NWO machine.

Good point. We need to be chiseling from multiple directions.

 

[Czolgosz]

Regarding freedom: diplomacy first, then violence.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

I'm not in denial about anything, people who think politics is meaningless and bury their heads in the sands are the ones who get their butts kicked. Politics is human nature, it is inseparable from humanity. The sooner that people who love liberty understand that and learn how to use it to their advantage, instead of getting taken advantage of, the quicker we can move to a more liberty-based society.

State-oriented politics =/= politics generally. In any social order (like a business), there will be politics. Except in those instances, the goal is not for the "power-holders" of the system to lord over and exploit the other members of the system.

Electoral politics is not reality, Collins. It is an illusion that some people like to lie to ourselves about for comfort and to assuage cognitive dissonance.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Good point. We need to be chiseling from multiple directions.

This^^

 

[talkingpointes]

Good point. We need to be chiseling from multiple directions.

No, we don't. We need to wait for this system to collapse. It might be a few more years but that's it. Rand is tied to the Neo-con brand in the publics eyes -- so it's too fucking late to have him as a populist sorry. You cannot beat the media unless you want to actually fight them with weapons.

This movement took the "easy" way out and now were going to pay dearly.

Our so called friend Rand is not a libertarian, just remember that. So when he votes for just a little less war don't complain, don't bitch.

 

[angelatc]

that's what they used to say about slavery

Apparently they were right. Only now we get to vote on who gets to run the plantation. Whee.

 

[LibertyEagle]

No, we don't. We need to wait for this system to collapse. It might be a few more years but that's it. Rand is tied to the Neo-con brand in the publics eyes -- so it's too fucking late to have him as a populist sorry. You cannot beat the media unless you want to actually fight them with weapons.

And then what, TP? The globalists aren't going to just sit there and let us rebuild from the ashes. If they would, I might agree with you, but that is not reality. We will be wholesale ushered into full-on world government.

And the only people I have seen referring to Rand as a neocon are on "libertarian" sites. Go figure.

This movement took the "easy" way out and now were going to pay dearly.

How so?

Our so called friend Rand is not a libertarian, just remember that. So when he votes for just a little less war don't complain, don't bitch.

Well, I don't refer to myself as a libertarian, either. Tell me, did you take Geometry in school? Do you recall that the way to get where you are trying to go is not always the direct path? Rand is doing what his father tried to do, but in a different way. A way that has a much better chance of working with those people that Rand is targeting.

 

[Occam's Banana]

Rand is tied to the Neo-con brand in the publics eyes

Yeah, sure, whatever. I guess that's why the story of Liz Cheney's primary challenge for the Senate in Wyoming is being so widely interpreted in terms of neo-conservatism VS. explicitly "Rand Paulian" anti-establishmentarianism. (It must be a nefarious plot to trick people into thinking that Rand Paul is not really a neo-con cat's pawl!)

"Rand is tied to the Neo-con brand," my ass ...

Our so called friend Rand is not a libertarian, just remember that. So when he votes for just a little less war don't complain, don't bitch.

Perhaps you prefer to behave like the "anti-war" Obamabots do by only expressing approval for anti-war steps when someone you avidly support is taking them - but not me. Being that I am anti-war in principle (rather than in convenience), when Rand (or anyone else) votes for "less war" (whether "just a little" or a whole lot), I will not only NOT "complain" or "bitch" - I will vigorously applaud and loudly cheer.

And I agree 100% with Jeffrey Tucker:

To all people who are sending me evidence of Rand Paul’s various heresies, you can save your bandwidth. I’m not interested in saint making or witch burning. I’m interested in only one thing: progressive reductions of the role of all government power in people’s lives all the way to zero if possible. Whatever brings that about, in whatever sector it happens, and whether it happens slowly by steps or all in one fell swoop, I’m for it. I really don’t care who or what makes a contribution to this end or how it comes about, so long as it is ethical and it actually achieves the aim of human liberation, the mother of all progress, order, and higher civilization.

 

[IDefendThePlatform]

That doesn't work because "the system" has more guns than you do. Doesn't make it right, but there really is no withdrawing from "the system", that concept is a farce.

Actually it's already working right now. People are successfully evading taxes on lots of stuff, doing "illegal" drugs, trading in gold and silver, and generally preparing for the eventual downfall of violence-backed governance.

The real "farce" is wasting your time and resources trying to convince people to vote for a little more freedom here or there. The overwhelming pattern of violence-backed democracy/republics is clear: they grow. How will they eventually be undone? By a vote? Unlikely.


And more to the point of the article, people who get aggravated watching the politicians spew their bs and who don't like the idea of condoning violence are definitely well served to back away and find other uses for their free time.