Here are some of the details:

“TORONTO — The debate over the debate is, well, over.

The Green Party has been given an historic victory after broadcasters airing the federal election debate in October granted leader Elizabeth May a podium at the televised event yesterday, amid a firestorm of controversy.

The leadership debate will mark the first time the Green Party will take to the mic and address Canadians at a federal leadership debate.

The decision came after NDP Leader Jack Layton and Prime Minister Stephen Harper backed down yesterday from their opposition to May’s participation in the Oct.1 and Oct. 2 leadership debates.

A storm of public outrage at attempts to shut May out have followed Harper and Layton, with members of Layton’s own party blasting his position.

A jubilant May cheered after learning late yesterday afternoon of the networks’ decision reversal.

May credited the outpouring of public support for giving her this chance, calling it a triumph for democracy.

“These last few days have proven that democracy doesn’t happen behind closed doors,” May said in a phone conference. “I hope this gives the average Canadian a sense that democracy works.”

The big boys were trying to squelch the voice of one of the smallest political parties in the country and people basically said ‘what are you so afraid of?’ When it appeared that the controversy might ‘cost’ them, they relented. Bravo!

Yeah, not participating is a much more effective way to change things.
Right.

If you don’t feel like voting Dem or Pub, vote for someone YOU think would get the job done. Write them a letter/e-mail/message by way of carrier pigeon telling them to get involved in government because they will make choices that YOU want made. Don’t just sit back because the cookie cutter people that EVERYONE ELSE has pushed into these places of power don’t work for YOU.

DO SOMETHING!
It couldn’t HURT to try, right?

I guess my point is, like a few other posters have said here (much more eloquently than I), Libertarianism is at it’s best, a meaningless philosophy used by anyone that’s angry at the government, and at its worse, dangerous and corrosive to a fully functioning society.

P.S. If someone could give me an accurate account of Libertarian ideas I’d appreciate it. I don’t like not knowing what I’m talking about.

“Anyone who votes for the conservative out of some kind of misguided “Libertarianism” is an idiot, and I’ll gladly back that up with words or, if the occassion demands, fists. Ahistorical, ignorant morons, the lot of them.”

I said this on a different thread, but i’m a libertarian who has been *much* more friendly towards–and has almost always voted for liberals, out of the idea that they were less dangerous, and at least meant well.

Now, i’m no longer so sure. I haven’t seen actual arguments against the libertarian position, just insults. I mean, a discussion of why the war on drugs isn’t racist? Why welfare is better than tax credits?

There have been *several* threats of violence, like the above. Is this really what we ought to expect?

Contra Hemant’s rhetoric, if McCain-Palin get elected, it won’t be so much four more years of Bush, but four more years of the past year and nine months of Bush.

The reasons I will vote for Obama are many, but I only need one. The Supreme Court.
McCain won’t be 4 more years of Bush, he will mean 20+ years of worse than Bush.

Libertarianism is all about protecting the rights of people to make really stupid decisions.

The problem with this is, though, that when you do make those stupid mistakes you expect the government to clean up your mess.

The State is attacking your freedom by prohibiting smoking in places like restaurants and cafés? When smoking was allowed, my freedom was attacked: freedom of breathing freely, of keeping my cancer risk low, etc. The only freedom I had was to just go away. Did libertarians raise a fuss about it?

No they did not. It seems that Libertarians are really only concerned with the rights and privileges that affect them personally. It truly is a selfish, short-sighted ideology.

It’s what convinced to not be a libertarian, after being a rabid libertarian for about two years.

I am one of those people who actually think that going to the polls should be mandatory for everyone, but that they compromise this by adding an “Abstention” box on the ballot. A wasted vote looks lazy, a spoiled vote look apathetic. That makes so much more of a point. If you’re forced to go to the polls, at least you’ll be required to make that choice.

Choosing your elected official is a right and priviledge of citizenship, but it should also be an obligation. It doesn’t matter what your political leanings are.

(BTW I just got selected for jury duty. Happy birthday to me! )