BY SHARON MARTIN

Have you ever contemplated the real reason libertarianism can’t replace democracy? Live and let live is a good idea, unless someone is starving, unless companies are dumping their wastes into common waters, unless you don’t have a job that provides health insurance. Unless you are out of the fold.

Capitalism by itself fares no better. Free enterprise spurs innovation and motivates entrepreneurship and invention. Without a social safety net and strong labor movement, however, a handful of people end up with all the assets.

No pure-ism works. No one philosophy can encompass all the needs of creation. This is why I vote Democrat.

Democrats are seldom all on the same page of the music at the same time. They might not even be singing from the same songbook. But there is a melody that runs through every chorus: people matter.

The only reason Republicans, including the libertarian wing, can possibly win elections is because they find an easily repeated chorus to stir up their voters: Christian nation, right to open carry [it says it right there in the Constitution!], no taxes [on rich folk]. Never mind that most of this is bunkum.

Libertarians have some attractive ideas – legalize pot, reject the corporate/military state. But don’t come to the libertarians for sympathy, health care, or assistance. They buy into the no-taxes, debt-is-out-of-control bull that makes them indistinguishable from the GOP.

Neither the Republicans nor the Libertarians know the difference between expenditure and investment.

So, welcome to the Democratic Party.

Every party attracts thieves and opportunists. That’s why we must have campaign finance reform. Dems can’t win without trying to match the big spenders in other parties. Even those who cry for public financing of elections can’t win without spending much of their time fundraising.

Fix this first. Then, we work on educating voters about the real issues.

Those issues? We pay our fair share of taxes. We do our fair share of work. We receive our fair share in the resources.

What if we all voted our own self-interest? What if we all voted? What if we put the needs of the people first?

That, my friends, is how we get our country back.

– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer