Private realm political movement

As I think more about the opposition movement to progressive policies and over-reaching government intervention into our economy and our private lives through healthcare reform and regulations which curtail our choices according to some central planner's ideas of what's best for society, the more I'm convinced that the private realm is the arena in which major change will take place (that was a long sentence).

 

I won't speculate regarding the percentage of libertarians which make up the opposition movement, or how conservative the movement may be, but I will propose that the movement is generally in favor of more limited government. It's my belief that the movement is becoming more diverse. I am also having a difficult time calling it a "movement". I believe it's more of a shift. I will refrain from using "paradigm shift" because that is so trite, but it's something like that.

 

What I really want to write about here is what I see as the flourishing of the private realm regarding what has traditionally been the bailiwick of the political realm. For as long as I can remember politics was the responsibility of those inside the Beltway -- politicians, political pundits, political scientists, economists, bureacrats, political journalists -- and everyone outside this political world merely received the inside wisdom through the media or universities. That was before the Information Age bloomed and before we all became connected on the internet. The insider mindset still exists, but it's being marginalized by growth of private realm political influence, the exuberance of ideas and opinions in the private sector.

 

By political I simply mean -- of or relating to your views about social relationships involving authority or power; "political opinions" -- taken from the online Free Dictionary.

 

There's a political flourishing led by blogs, online social sites, radio talk shows, cable tv political shows, political books, grass roots political action movements and myriad coffee shop conversations across the country. Some fear that society is looking through a political prism, but I believe the political is just one more part of the private realm evolution of freedom and healthy interaction. Political ideas and opinions are no longer sent from above and filtered through experts down to isolated communities -- society is open and connected, communicating directly, with experts and Washington DC political leaders only parts of the whole -- political thought and opinion have been decentralized and the hierarchy destroyed.

 

This creates opportunities for interesting individuals to gain political influence, be they from Kansas, Idaho, Montana, Georgia, New Mexico or from other countries -- it doesn't matter, because the community is connected regardless of nationality, race, religion or geography. Even as we discuss national political concerns, politics will become more and more a universal concern as boundaries are obliterated online and in the global economy.

 

Just as strong, articulate, charismatic individuals have risen in politics through the traditional channels of government, now these individuals have the opportunity to rise throught the channels of the private realm. From my perspective, this is an exciting development, one that I hope influential individuals take advantage of rather than the traditional political office route. Not everyone is suited to hold political office and many good individuals have been destroyed by traditional politics within the shark-infested government. There's now opportunities for political influence in the private realm, and this is where I think true influence lies when it comes to influence designed to limit the power of government. It's a reversal of the 70s' idea of changing the system from within -- it's changing the system from without, free from the corrupting influences within government.

 

Representatives are chosen from without, and it's from without that those within can be managed so they don't abuse power once they are in. We need intelligent, articulate, courageous, colorful individuals in the private realm to uncover corruption, inspire honest public service, chastise intellectual dishonesty and satirize the pompous, arrogant and pretentious -- and, also, to cheer those public servants who understand their limitations and purpose -- the traditional media is now part of the government -- so we need something new, and something new is developing.

 

Not everyone is cut out to serve as an office holder, but they may be perfect for influence in the private realm -- I believe this private realm, political development will save the country from despotism. It's not about a monolithic movement to create a pure ideological group -- it's about a true free market of ideas, and may the best ideas win. I just believe that the end result be better governance, and a more limited government -- a much less overbearing State machine.