United Liberty

“An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile hoping it will eat him last.” - Winston Churchill

Recently, I’ve taken some time to think about what many of my friends have said about being apolitical. From what I can tell, they are so frustrated by the heated way that people of a partisan bent go after each other they want to drop out of the discussion entirely. Previously, when people had a disagreement on something they either tried to find common ground or chose to disagree respectfully. Never did it become personal—until recently.

To be sure, many people of good faith can state their views without ruining friendships or coming to blows. But their numbers are shrinking as the political issues of the day hit home and the anger starts to build.

Why then does this growing incivility matter? It should matter to you because your freedoms are being taken away from you by opportunistic politicians who thrive on anger—your anger. This particular group of politicians feels safe in the knowledge they’ll be sent back to congress regardless of what you think of their actions.

Those feelings are well justified: as history proves, if a politician wins once odds are good they’ll win again. And because of this, they don’t fear you because they won’t be voted out. This only makes matters worse for those who have been silenced because of their distaste for the vigorous, sometimes personal debate that passes for American politics.

Take a look at these charts from the Center for Responsive Politics:

As you can see, politicians don’t fear those that get frustrated with Congress because they do not exist in large enough numbers to cost them reelection. So as a voter, what can you do if you’ve thrown in the towel? Engage in the political process by paying attention to what’s being said apart from the rhetoric to form your opinions. Do not pledge your support to a candidate because they happen to have an (R) or a (D) after their name.

Instead, vote and express your opinion for the candidate that best represents you in terms of maximizing your personal liberty. The penalty for not doing so is tacitly endorsing the status quo and appeases those who would take your freedoms because they count on you just getting frustrated and giving up on effecting meaningful change. You might not be affected today, tomorrow, or in the short term but you will be eventually harmed by doing nothing. As Winston Churchill says, feeding the crocodile will only assure you will (not might) be eaten last.