A Growing Trend: Young, Liberal and Open to Big Government

[flyboy56]

After growing up in the 70's and 80's I don't think there is anything kids will do today that would shock me. I can't see myself ever looking at kids today how parents may have looked at kids in the 60's.

I think the baby boomer generation who had kids had much more in common with them than say kids who were born during the baby boomer era. Music for one. Kids today still enjoy the rock and roll music many of us baby boomers were in to.

[Steveg85321]

its all related to a growing trend of young liberal entitlement they are taught coming out of college.

"Young, Liberal, and Open to Big Government" is, thanks to the influence of out-of-the-real-world academic professionals and the mainstream media, synonymous with "Immature, Entitled, and Lacking in Perspective on Ecomomic Reality and Loss of Freedom."

[Grindelwald]

Not really, they want big government just as much as the Democrats do. It is the Libertarians who honestly want a smaller federal government.

Apparently America disagrees.

They want big SOCIAL government. Don't forget that key word. The Republicans are further right than they have ever been. And that's turned the young crowd off.

Facts suck, I know...

[Smokey 1]

Apparently America disagrees.

They want big SOCIAL government. Don't forget that key word. The Republicans are further right than they have ever been. And that's turned the young crowd off.

Facts suck, I know...

So what? Is that supposed to bother me for some reason?

[Grindelwald]

So what? Is that supposed to bother me for some reason?

You said Republicans also want big government, I assume you meant in general, which means you are badly misinformed.

The Libertarians want small social and economic government.

The Republicans want small economic government.

See the difference?

[flyboy56]

You said Republicans also want big government, I assume you meant in general, which means you are badly misinformed.

The Libertarians want small social and economic government.

The Republicans want small economic government.

See the difference?

I consider myself fiscally conservative and socially moderate. This is how parties define their platform. Can't say I've heard both party platforms expressed the way you did.

[SomeIdiot]

I think this is worrying and reinforces my problem with the self-described progressive movement in the country (I'm totally fine with liberals). There's a tendency to focus on what the state could do with power as opposed to what the state in fact tends to do with power.

I'm not an anarchist and indeed believe we need a state capable of providing an infrastructure for human liberty and prosperity. However, when given power, the government doesn't often do these things. Instead it spies on its own citizens, kills people without due process, incarcerates millions for non-violent political crimes, protects the interests of the rich and well connected, and goes to war creating all manner of human catastrophe for no good reason. Even those programs to help the weak that were implemented in bygone eras are now themselves put on the chopping block by supposedly left of center politicians.

Personally I've never understood how people can see believing in big government for its own sake as liberal, particularly when powerful government is itself often one of the greatest sources of illiberal policies in this country. Further, the bureaucratization of human life isn't any sort of means to attain happiness. The state is a tool, but it's a blunt one whose means and motives should always be severely scrutinized, regardless of whether the head of the executive branch is a well-spoken cosmopolitan or a Texan with a twang.