> More and more, I think I'm moving over to the Libertarian side. I've long done away
> with the "Republican" label thanks to Dubya and 9/11. In other words, I don't think I
> can trust any politician. But, there are still a few I like (Rand Paul for instance).
> The main issue I have with Libertarianism is its stance on substance abuse.
If you don't mind me asking, what is the source of your issue with the Libertarian stance on substance abuse?
Personally, I'm in favor of body autonomy. If someone wants to put a substance into his or her body, it's not really the government's job to step in the way and say no. I've never tried anything more hardcore than pot, but if someone wants to go smoke a fat bowl of crack, it's not really my business to tell him or her no, as long as it does not actually impact people around them.
This is an admittedly naïve view, but I think that if the USA took the gargantuan budget for the DEA, and instead put it toward creating a robust support network for people who become addicts and want to get clean, there wouldn't be a heroin epidemic. If drugs were legal, and more importantly regulated, then people wouldn't be dying left and right over overdoses. It's a cruel fact that when you buy something from some sketchy dude on the street, you're unlikely to have any sort of quality control.
We saw exactly this sort of situation with alcohol back during the prohibition era: it didn't stop people from drinking, it just pushed it underground, spawned criminal empires, and caused people to go blind or worse, because people still drank, they just did so from bootleggers who had no reason to ensure that their product was safe.
But again, this is just my take on it. I could be horribly wrong. So please lay some knowledge on me as to your perspective. 
> I contracted JRA when I was in 6th grade. Had it in both of my knees, and had a Knee
> Joint Replacement (Right Knee) in my early 20's. My father, at the time, worked for
> the State. It just so happened that his insurance would also cover any child still
> living at home up to the age of... (whatever it was -- early 20's, which I fell
> under). So, I will always be thankful for that.
In Sweden, it wouldn't have even been a question of whether your dad had insurance or not. It would just be, you need this procedure, pay the standard co-pay of about $50-$100 and we'll fix you right up.
> Last month, I had this persistent pain in my right side just below my rib-cage. That
> went on for like 4 or 5 days. Almost everybody told me that it was probably an
> Appendicitis. So, off the hospital I went. A couple weeks later I get a bill in the
> mail. I owed a little under $950.00 (and already paid $250 up front). My insurance
> paid the rest of it, which was like 7 or 9 thousand.
>
> They never found anything wrong with me, and the pains went away a couple days
> afterwards. I guess next time I'll wait till any pains get excruciating before I go
> to the Dr.
This is one of the core areas where I disagree with the libertarian perspective. Libertarianism seems to involve the belief that left to their own devices, companies will do the right thing. This is despite centuries of evidence showing that the exact opposite is the case. The ACA was an impotent shit-show of a bill thanks to obstructionist tactics from people on the republican side of the aisle, but it was way better than nothing, and yet even now there are people trying to repeal it and replace it with something that's aggressively worse.
Maybe I'm just some rainbow-chasing hippie, but I'm perfectly happy for some of my taxes to go towards ensuring that someone doesn't go into life-altering debt for having the temerity to randomly come down with an illness. It's a two-way street: For all the taxes I pay in, if I happen to randomly contract cancer, I will benefit from other peoples' taxes by being able to get treatment for nothing more than a nominal co-pay. I truly believe that the only people who are against socialized healthcare are those who themselves have never experienced a random and unexpected medical malady with no way to cover it.
> I can't recall when I've ever told anyone on here to "fuck off". Yeah, yeah. That Ear
> gauging topic, but that was only in response to your (measure) of response towards
> me. Honestly, I just don't find myself getting bent out of shape like I used to when
> it comes to things on the internet. Used to be, when I'd make a combative reply, it'd
> weigh on my mind for while, thinking of how so-&-so would reply, how I'd reply to
> that, or how could I have replied differently... And in the end, I've found it's just
> not worth the headaches. If people are gunna hate or dislike me for my opinion,
> that's their problem.
>
> In other words, life is just a bit easier when you don't carry the burden of anger.
I'm slowly getting to that exact point. I'm finding more and more that it's a happier and more exciting world when you're not constantly looking at it through a negative and cynical lens. The flip side is that it makes me despair that much more when I encounter someone who hasn't yet made that change.
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Re: As of this past Monday I'm now a permanent resident of Sweden.
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