Shaun Kenney | Politics and Religion in Virginia's Public Square


Thursday, February 16, 2006 Briggman: Back to the Libertarian Party for ME. I was very encouraged to see the emergence of a Republican Liberty Caucus in Virginia, not simply because Virginia was the last one to do so, but because it brightened my hopes for a marriage between libertarian ideas of small government and conservatives who knew how to make it work. More importantly, as the Green Party is demonstrating to the Democratic Party today, if we do not cater to our base, that base simply breaks apart. Libertarians of the Goldwater ideal have always been on the brink, and a much more important consituency to pay attention to than lukewarm moderates. So when the RLCVA got started, I encouraged folks like David Briggman to come speak to the Spotsylvania Republican Commitee, became a member of the RLCVA, and encouraged as often as I could. Now it seems as if Mr. Briggman has pulled up his tent stakes and gone back to the LP, courtesy of Republitarian: It may seem strange to some of you, since I haven't bothered running this by anyone, that my belief in government and what are and what are not it's legitimate functions are not shared by even a vocal minority in the Democrat Party, but are also not shared by the vocal majority in the Republican Party. Of even more concern, is that the Republican Party in the central Shenandoah Valley seems to be subject to a great deal of influence by our own version of the Taliban, the Valley Family Forum. Of those Republicans who are in office, an overwhelming number of them couldn't think of a way to reduce the role of state government in our lives if their lives depended on such a thought process ? let alone reducing that thought to a piece of legislation in furtherance of that thought. Locally, we have Republicans who introduce legislation, which legislation I might happen to agree with, that flies in the face of federal law. The same legislator introduced legislation to increase costs when drivers are cited for speeding on I-81 and legislation in the guise of an unfunded mandate to force taxpayers in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County to pay for foreign language education for up to 50 cops. We've got another legislator in the Senate who wants to grant in-state tuition to a class of illegal aliens after screwing Virginia taxpayers during last year's session, causing over a $1 billion dollar surplus. I can understand the frustration, and while solidarity is not the libertarian's forte, I disagree with Mr. Briggman's approach. If we are serious about reducing the size and power of government, organizations such as the Republican Liberty Caucus are going to be cornerstones of that change. Sure we all get dismayed when conservatives - much less Republicans - don't walk the walk. Walking away resolves nothing and only capitulates to the stubborn FDR-era mentality that government is the only efficient producer of all things. posted by Shaun Kenney \| 2/16/2006 11:54:00 AM \| 3 comments 3 Comments: At 10:37 AM, Joe Friday said... Shawn why haven't you posted on the biggest news to hit your area since the Civil War? http://carolinejustice.blogspot.com/2006/02/deputies-having-sex-all-in-line-of.html At 10:42 AM, Shaun Kenney said... I have: http://www.shaunkenney.com/2006/02/spotsylvanias-finest.htm At 10:42 AM, Shaun Kenney said... This comment has been removed by a blog administrator. Post a Comment Home
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