(My Eastern New Mexico News column from November 20, 2019- posted in its entirety now that the paper's exclusivity has expired)
Are you concerned over how divisive politics has become? Do you notice the growing intolerance for opposing opinions? Do you wish everyone could go back to a time when there was civil debate and people could agree to disagree?
Yet, at the same time, do you support using government and its legislation against others in ever-increasing ways?
You can have a civil society or you can have government control; you can't have both. Government has been allowed to get too big, powerful, and noticeable in our daily lives.
The more power you give government to interfere in more facets of life, the more heated the disagreements will be. It will only get worse unless you turn completely around and start taking power away from government.
If you want more "gun control", a border wall, higher taxes, marijuana prohibition, or any other government control, you aren't interested in civil debate. The same goes if you want to ban vaping, plastic grocery bags, carbon dioxide emissions, or pit bulls. You will force others to fight you for the freedom to live their lives as they see fit. And they will fight. They may even turn the tables and use government to stop you from doing things you enjoy.
You can't threaten to use government against other people and then claim the political anger shocks you-- you've caused it.
If people were willing and able to put government back in a tiny box or otherwise rein in its excesses, civil debate could be possible. Until then, political animosity will increase.
A lack of tolerance is self-defense. You shouldn't tolerate those who want to enslave you. Your choices are "fight or flight", and there's nowhere left to flee to anymore. No frontiers remain for those who don't want government regulating every moment of their life and death.
Government should be neither seen nor heard. The more government is noticed, the more people resent those trying to use it against them. It can't be otherwise-- not in the real world.
If you want civil debate, stop looking for things other people do that you want government to regulate. Stop threatening your neighbors with government. It's antisocial.
Politics is based on some people winning at the expense of everyone else. This isn't civil. Political anger will only get worse as long as this trend continues. You can end it by refusing to be part of the problem, or you can keep feeding the political monster like you have been. It's your choice.
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