If Boomer hippies tended toward socially-libertarian and economically-statist views, where does grunge lead? It would seem to lead logically (like a lot of Gen X thinking) to great cynicism about “the whole system,” and indeed former Nirvana member Krist Novoselic is now running for local office, as explained by libertarian columnist Paul Jacob, on a voting-system-reform platform. Jacob approves — and has himself fought for term limits and even faced criminal charges in Oklahoma for petitioning there for ballot initiatives despite being from out of state.
I’m increasingly anarchist in my outlook, I think, and while I’m delighted to see numerous avenues to limiting the power of the state pursued simultaneously, I wish people would focus very directly on getting spending cuts and deregulation passed. Reforming campaign and referendum processes smacks a bit of Progressive efforts to make government “good,” a contradiction in terms and a potential distraction from the more appropriate cause of simply disposing of government. But that’s not going to happen anytime soon, so in the interim every little bit helps.
For a less compromising dose of anarchism, though, check out my Book Selection of the Month entry tomorrow, examining a Michael Moorcock novel that mixes anarchism and the Sex Pistols.
And in other political news, my friend and fellow Brown alum Kristen Mulvihill’s husband, New York Times reporter David Rohde, who she just married nine months ago, has escaped from militants after a (largely unreported) seven-month captivity in Afghanistan. So congratulations to them all over again, needless to say.
I hosted a debate dealing with the Middle East this month and partied with a departing Commentary staffer this weekend, and I admit that’s about as close to the Middle East conflict as I want to get personally. Good thing we have some intrepid David Rohdes out there, though. (At the same time, I’m guessing Kristen wouldn’t much mind seeing him switch to a desk job.)
1 comment:
Aside from the inherent problems with instant-runoff voting, proportional representation, among other forms of different electoral systems, the truth is that most of the people advocating these reforms are-as you alluded to in your post-firmly ensconced in the “good” government, Progressive camp.
Novoselic, if I’m not mistaken, is running on the Grange platform, which, in addition to being incredibly anachronistic, is hardly libertarian in nature.
On a completely off-topic note, I found an interesting op-ed by one HuffPo’s more colorful contributors, which I thought you might enjoy,
Republican Mullahs
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