2019 should be the year of the question

Now is the time to ask the important questions about Liberty and individual rights.

This year will be the lead up to the 2020 presidential contest, a time to choose between Liberty or Socialistic slavery. Thus, it is more than appropriate that we designate this year as a time to discuss the big issues of our time. This is in the best Socratic tradition beginning a dialog exploring certain assumptions or sacred cows. In the modern vernacular, ‘starting a conversation’ or ‘speaking truth to power’ [Whatever that means].
Some of these inquiries will cause our friends on the authoritarian socialist Left a bit of discomfort. In other words, lose their collective minds, since for them only certain kinds of ideas are allowed these days. Generally those that only serve to affirm Leftist orthodoxy. Those that call into question certain assumptions on their part or challenge the inevitability of socialism are verboten or call into question the validity of collective punishment or the myriad labels of the Left. These inquires confront collectivist orthodoxy the true version of ‘Speaking truth to power’. Leftist would welcome these questions if they were open to having a true debate.

Philosophical questions.

• What is the correct definition of Justice?
• What is the ‘Ideal State’?
• Are governments trustworthy?
• What is the most important Constitutional amendment?

The last one is to make a point that the most important Constitutional amendment is the one valued the least by someone. For if one doesn’t support someone else’s Rights, why would they reciprocate? The best example would be the media demanding gun confiscation while holding freedom of the press as sacrosanct.

Questions Leftists cannot answer.

• Are you a Leftist or a Liberal?

While this may seem to be innocuous leftists usually dodge it because as Dennis Prager has pointed out, there is a vast difference between the two. In most cases Leftists who advocate the destruction of Liberty with socialistic slavery while claiming to be ‘Liberal’ are merely out to deceive.

Questions on individual or natural Rights.

• Do people have the Right of free speech?
• Do people have the Right of self-preservation?

These are questions that most Leftists will not answer because it reveals too much of their dogmatic personalities. They usually cannot admit to having the common sense Right to self-defense lest they eviscerate their gun confiscation agenda.

Questions on coercive or collective Rights.

• Do people have the Right to free college?
• Do people have the Right to free housing?
• Do people have the Right to free health care?

Similarly, they cannot admit to any of the coercive or collective rights because that would entail enslaving others.

• Has anyone ever really denied existence of the climate? [As in ‘climate denier’]
• Has anyone ever really denied that the climate changes? [As in ‘climate change denier’]

Those are the implications of the phrase they use, despite their incessant rhetoric to the contrary. The odds are they won’t be able to point to some who has done this.

Why do we have to do something about…

These are questions in direct contradiction [or ‘resistance’ if you will..] to the orthodoxy of the authoritarian socialist Left. It should be noted that the corollary questions that are the reverse of these questions are really never asked. It is generally assumed that we must do something about these issues, and we must do it now before we think about the implications to Liberty.

• Why do we have to do something about guns?
• Why do we have to do something about income inequality?
• Why do we have to do something about Global Cooling.. Global Warming…Climate Change.

Questions on every new government program being proposed:

• Has the same thing worked in the past?
• How much of other people’s money will it take?
• Where are the funds for this program supposed to originate?

These are questions that should be asked every time a new version of the Left’s ancient ideas are put forward. It should be obvious that there is no point in trying a new program that will fail if it’s based on the same rationale as an old program. Promises of fantastic new programs should be rejected if they cannot explain how they will be funded.

• Was Hitler a Liberal?

Think of this as a political Koan. Clearly, most people would answer no to that question, but why is that the case? Replace that with any other infamous character from the sordid history of socialism. Was Stalin a Liberal or Was Che Guevara a Liberal? This highlights the reason why at some point along the political spectrum it’s impossible to cast those of the far left as being Liberal. This severe discontinuity illustrates that Liberalism is the antithesis of collectivism. The latter requires the suppression of individual Liberty, thus Leftists cannot be Liberal.

The takeaway

This wasn’t by any means meant to be inclusive, this is just to ‘start a conversation’, on where we are to go as a free people. Do we head down the dead-end road of socialism, or do we stay on the road of Liberty? The answers to these questions and many others to be asked will decide that for years to come. As it is vitally important to ask these questions, it is also manifestly important that we properly debate and find the answers.

 Originally published on the NOQ Report