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The principles that rule this blog

Principles that will govern my thoughts as I express them here (from my opening statement):


  • Freedom of the individual should be as total as possible, limited only by the fact that nobody should be free to cause physical injury to another, or to deprive another person of his freedoms.
  • Government is necessary primarily to provide those services that private enterprise won't, or won't at a price that people can afford.
  • No person has a right to have his own beliefs on religious, moral, political, or other controversial issues imposed on others who do not share those beliefs.

I believe that Abraham Lincoln expressed it very well:

“The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do, at all, or cannot
so well do, for themselves — in their separate, individual capacities.”


Comments will be invited, and I will attempt to reply to any comments that are offered in a serious and non-abusive manner. However, I will not tolerate abusive or profane language (my reasoning is that this is my blog, and so I can control it; I wouldn't interfere with your using such language on your own!)

If anyone finds an opinion that I express to be contrary to my principles, they are welcome to point this out. I hope that I can make a rational case for my comments. Because, in fact, one label I'll happily accept is rationalist.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Romney a "Rockefeller Republican"?

Newt Gingrich recently called Mitt Romney a “Rockefeller Republican.” And I suppose, to Gingrich, this is bad. To me, this is a good reason to support Romney. For, I'm proud to say, I'm also a Rockefeller Republican. Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller was one of the two people whose handling of an executive position inspired me to become a Republican — I was too young to vote, of course, but as soon as I turned 21 (the minimum voting age back in those days) I registered as a Republican, coming from a strong Democratic family. (The other person, besides Rockefeller, was President Dwight D. Eisenhower.)

Of course, I think what Gingrich was trying to say is that Romney could not be nominated because he is too moderate. This may have hurt Rockefeller, but it will not hurt Romney. The fact is that most Republicans are more interested in defeating Barack Obama than in ideological purity this year. And a moderate is exactly what the GOP needs to do this.

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