In the summer of 1959, June and I (with our young son) moved from Missouri to Kentucky where we lived for the next seven years. We soon became quite fond of Kentucky and most of the Kentuckians we came to know—there are always exceptions—and we still are.
However, two of my
least favorite U.S. Senators now are the two from Kentucky.
Opposing Libertarianism
Although there are
many negative things I could say about Sen. Mitch McConnell, who became a
Kentucky Senator way back in 1985, this post is mostly about the junior Senator
from Kentucky, Rand Paul, who was first elected to that post in 2010.
Please note: I am
not criticizing Sen. Paul as a person. He is probably a fine man in many ways.
He has long been an active member of a Presbyterian church and of Lions Club International.
But I oppose many of
Paul’s ideas and political positions. Specifically, I am critical of his
libertarianism, which seems to be the basis for his political views.
Libertarianism, according to Britannica.com,
is the “political philosophy that takes individual liberty to be the primary
political value.”
Two weeks ago (on Aug. 4), FoxNews.com (here)
published an opinion piece by Sen. Paul. He forcefully spoke out against
mandates for covid-19 vaccinations and the wearing of masks.
In his strongly-worded article, Sen. Paul implored his
readers to “choose freedom” and declared, “We don’t have to accept the
mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and feckless bureaucrats.”
And, specifically, he criticized “Petty Tyrant Pelosi.”
This wrongheaded libertarianism, even when not so labeled, is
prevalent among numerous Republican politicians. As eminent columnist Eugene Robinson
wrote in an August
5 opinion piece, “Too many Republicans are taking covid-19’s side in the
fight against the pandemic.”
Robinson asserts, “Public enemy number one is Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis,” who “has signed legislation barring
local governments from imposing covid-19 restrictions and prohibiting
businesses from requiring that patrons be vaccinated.”
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| Kearney protester |
And this libertarian view, even when not recognized as such,
is seen in local protests across the country. For example, in the small town of
Kearney, Mo., about 15 minutes from where I live, there was a contentious
school board meeting with some parents vociferously protesting mandatory
masking.
Advocating Liberty
As you regular readers of this blog know, I have long
advocated four foundational words beginning with the letter L: Life,
Love, Light, and Liberty. But in writing/talking about liberty, I have
regularly linked it with responsibility.
Liberty must always be tied to responsibility, so perhaps
libertarianism would be all right if accompanied by an emphasis on
responsibilitarianism. (Yes, the latter is a word used in several sites found
by a Google search.)
It must also be recognized that there are variants of
libertarianism: not all libertarians are as objectionable as Sen. Paul. But, in
general, libertarians seek to live with freedom as individuals without external
restrictions, especially by the government.
Even though they may not be Republicans, as Sen. Paul is,
most libertarians agree with Pres. Reagan: “Government is not the solution to our
problem, government is the problem.” A few years ago, that was a basic position
of the Tea Party Movement, of which Sen. Paul was a part.
But I agree with Pastor Preston
Clegg, who (here)
wrote an August 10 opinion piece titled “Freedom Without Responsibility is Moral
Adolescence.” Clegg asserts,
People are—quite literally—protesting what would save their lives and cheering their own death, all in the name of liberation from what they perceive to be an overreaching government that is advocating for nothing more than our safety from a deadly pandemic.
Such protesters are egged on by
people like Sen. Paul, so that is one strong reason I liberally criticize
libertarianism and ardently advocate liberty with responsibility.
