Tea partiers sound more like anarchists

I'm neither for big government nor small government. I'm for smart government. I'm happy to pay taxes if I think the money is being spent wisely. I'm glad to contribute to our roads, parks, law enforcement and social safety net.

Meanwhile, conservatives and tea partiers who whine about paying taxes are sounding more and more like anarchists, railing against civilization and order. They have no real policy proposals because they dream of doing away with government and letting individuals fend for themselves - which merely sounds like a recipe for chaos and suffering.

What they fail to understand is that individuals are not perfectly self-regulating. Programs such as Social Security exist because if we leave retirement decisions to individuals, many of them will make bad decisions and starve to death. We collectively established a system that decreased liberty a bit to increase security, and that's a good idea. It's clear that this logic also should be extended to health care. If my taxes go up slightly to pay for it, that doesn't bother me.

Smart government is the embodiment of our collective wisdom, fine-tuning the mix of liberty and the common good.

Amandra Crichton

Anamosa