Coming out of the closet

I’ve decided to come out of the closet.

No, I’m not gay. I’m coming out of the political closet, something that, for some, will be even more controversial. I know it’s difficult to accept, but I must be true to myself and say that my political leanings are decidedly [GASP] libertarian.

Now, I haven’t always been in the closet on this; for many years, I was very vocal about my politics – not that it was of much consequence. Then, about seven years ago now, I traded business for academia, and into the closet I went. The conventional wisdom that our school systems are bastions of liberal thought is largely accurate. Conservative voices are rare and often made to feel unwelcome, and past experience had taught me that in such a climate libertarian views meet even greater disdain. Going “underground” seemed like a good idea at the time, but recent events have made me rethink my position.

Academia isn’t changing, but the overall tenor of American politics seems to be. I have watched with great interest the rise of media figures like Glenn Beck and John Stossel, the increasing popularity of the Tea Party movement, and a near universal concern with out-of-control deficits. While I’ve seen things like these in dribs and drabs over the years, the intensity has been heartening, and I have become cautiously optimistic that America is ready for a real debate of libertarian ideals. With an uncharacteristic lack of cynicism, I have decided that I might actually have something to offer in such a debate.

Of course, that is going to be difficult to do from inside the closet, which brings me back to the original thought.

I’m certainly not new to libertarianism, and as a libertarian, I am certainly ready, willing, and able to discuss political ideas. Libertarians argue with liberals who feel they can legislate a perfect market or with conservatives who think they can legislate a perfect society as a matter of course. We even argue with each other when we can’t find someone better to accost. (I can’t tell you the number of times my eyes have glazed over as the wonders of hemp legalization have been explained to me in unnecessary detail.) This penchant to discuss libertarian ideals made it hard to stay in the closet, but it might be valuable to people who are now finding themselves in unfamiliar territory politically speaking.

I want to use this blog not just to expose people to libertarian ideas, but to try to show how the ideas of a wide variety of Americans can mesh together as we move forward politically. I should point out at the outset that I don’t think the United States will, or should, have a government that meets my own ideology in my lifetime, so readers should be careful not to mistake my personal principles for policy suggestions. For the moment at least, my intent is only to be informative if I can. I hope that others will work on policy that makes sense.

Lastly, I want to invite others to chime in. I want to hear other ideas, and I am happy to defend at least those opinions I agree with. I have some ideas for where to take this blog initially, but I don’t know where it will end up ultimately. I will try to have a major post weekly, and I will try to offer smaller snippets in between.  In the end, though, feedback will probably play a role in content, so feel free to comment or contact me through gmail. The nice thing about writing on the internet is that allows for an unlimited audience to participate in a coffeehouse conversation.