Every Sunday, political junkie that I am, I wake up, put on the coffee, toast a bagel and top it with cream cheese and Lox (smoked salmon for those of you who didn't grow up in Miami Beach or NYC), and watch the morning news shows.  On ABC, I watch "This Week" because I love their panel discussions featuring my favorite conservative, George Will and my favorite liberal, Donna Brazile.

On NBC, I watch "Meet the Press" who often has the wonderful Peggy Noonan on the panel along with another liberal favorite, Robert Reich. Finally, on "Fox News Sunday" the panel is always great, with a balanced presentation of liberals and conservatives - it’s both spirited and lively.  I pretty much ignore, for the most part, the weekly political guests because to be totally honest, I have become exhausted by the way they answer questions - by using a set of scripted talking points. 

What’s clear to me after watching lineup after lineup, is how many of the political pundits, heck all of them as far as I can tell, just don't get the Tea Party and what it really is. On the left, they are trying to portray this movement as a bunch of wackos, and on the right, they are trying to shoe horn the movement into the Republican Party.  They really don't get it.  These folks, whether or not they identify with the label or not, are Libertarians - by and large.  Many don't like the label purely because the press and pundits have succeeded at equating libertarians with anarchists, but of course, this is just plain wrong. With each political party (and micro-party) blaming the other, it only seems fitting that everyone only becomes more entrenched in the fervor of their own political and economic convictions.  So let me share with you some clear thinking on each political label: liberal, conservative, and libertarian and how they each view and affect the current economic climate.

 Let's start with liberal.  In today's parlance (because today's liberal would be a conservative 100 years ago) being a liberal means that you believe in federal government' imposing solutions for various social problems nationwide.  You don't really trust the state and local governments to fairly govern (in particular as it pertains to the regulation of big business, which you distrust) and are somewhat hostile to, reproductive rights (where you are overwhelmingly pro-choice), civil rights (where you believe in affirmative action), health care (where you favor a national insurance program administered by the government), education (where you passionately believe in public education), union rights to organize, environment, and well, the list goes on and on.  You believe in universal truths in relation to what is fair and you also believe that wealth ought to be shared.  You are basically distrusting of a free market and believe in equal redistribution based upon need.  You often define these needs as "rights".

Conservatives believe that the federal government does not theoretically have the right to legislate all the things that the liberals want, however in the mainstream, they do like their power and perks.  This is evident by how easily they like to spend money and legislate programs (when they have control) as they have for most of the past 30 years.  They may enter political life with high ideals, but their dreams are quickly abandoned when faced with maintaining their own power.  Conservatives have proven time and again that they talk a good game, but when push comes to shove, they will spend with the best of them.  While better on taxes and regulation  than liberals for sure, they have demonstrated no ability to control spending whatsoever and much of our national debt and the printing of worthless money, has led us to where we are now – and responsibility  rests squarely with them, if we are being completely honest about it. 

Ronald Reagan was a great man and the conservative icon, but he utterly failed to control spending in a meaningful way.  No one is perfect.  The conservatives are excited about regaining power this fall, which they plan to do by energizing the Tea Party, telling them to get amnesia about the past and basically selling the notion that while the Republican Party may have been bad, the liberals are worse.  This is basically true but again, let's be honest, having a little tumor is only marginally better than having a big one, as sooner or later it will grow.  It always has before.  What was that famous definition of insanity…..the one about repeating behavior?  I’m sure you can see my point.

Libertarians are what conservative say they are, only for real.  They believe in as little government as possible and as far as governing at the federal level is concerned, that ought to be confined to national defense, foreign policy, printing money backed by gold or a basket of hard commodities, chasing down interstate criminals, and that's pretty much it.  They believe that the rest of the federal government, including all so-called entitlements, is an unfixable mess and should be shut down.

That does not mean that they don't believe in helping the poorest or neediest, but that doing these things are best done privately. Local and state governments, who are much closer to their constituents, would therefore become more efficient and responsive.  Libertarians believe that governing Wyoming and Montana is radically different than governing New York or California and that it should be left to the states.  Libertarians believe that there should be either a low flat federal tax of roughly 10% on everyone or a national sales tax but not both - and with no exemptions.

Libertarians believe that everyone should pay and everyone should succeed or fail on their own merit.  On national defense, Libertarians believe that we should trade freely with friends, ignore enemies that are largely irrelevant to our daily lives (like Hugo Chavez or Fidel Castro), bribe those that we must (wouldn't that be a lot cheaper and more effective than occupation?) and kill those we cannot bribe.  However, under no circumstances would a libertarian advocate occupation and governing of another country.

Now, as is clear, I am a Libertarian and obviously believe in what I just wrote.  That said, my politics are just that, my politics.  I believe that there is no truth most of the time, just perspective and most of all, I believe in everyone having their own opinion.  I have lots of liberal and conservative friends. Heck, if I didn't I would be alone a lot!  I don't believe in making my argument by making the other person wrong.  Instead I believe in the putting-out and respectful release of ideas and letting them sink in - based on their merits.  Time will forge consensus.  For now, I believe that there is neither a liberal or conservative wave in America but a Libertarian one - whether someone self identifies or not.  What do you think?