I'll be the first to admit I have political views, and they can be placed pretty precisely on the left of the political spectrum, about one standard deviation to the left; but I also have a very high suspicion of political rhetoric, even of those who I happen to agree with.

I don't see the world as a vast conspiracy with me as the victim, and when I detect this paradigm, coming from the left or right, I know I've found an ideologue and I keep my hand firmly on my wallet. This doesn't mean that there is any shortage of conspiracies, or for that matter, evil, loose in the world. But it isn't anybody's program, there are individuals, alliances, conflicts. I can understand and even trust the unabashed capitalist, he didn't create the system, but it's been thrust in his lap and he has accepted it and made the best of it, and if he prospers without actually cheating or stealing from anyone then more power to him. On the other hand, don't expect me to accept that God created the system and I am obliged to flow with it because I have no other options. The rich are entitled to spend their money to stay rich, but they are not entitled to spend mine. The Communists, by the way, used the same scam..."trust us, history is on our side, we can prove it scientifically, be patient, now get back to work and shut up, or else".

The problem with discussing political issues as we are now, in the abstract, is that the ideologue cannot tolerate the thought of someone not seeing the world in terms of black and white. He can understand his opponent, but the thought that someone might see little difference
between him and his opponent is a direct threat to his orderly universe of us and them. This is why the Reds in Russia spent as much time fighting other Socialist parties as they did the Whites. They knew that the true challenge came from other socialists because they could not immediately demonize them as capitalists or imperialists or aristocrats. So political discourse eventually degenerates into nit-picking and finger-pointing and name calling and endless arguments about minor doctrinal points, often about issues which should be matters of personal conviction, not political position, like the war in Iraq or whether or not you are a homosexual.

The problem is that political and economic decisions have to be made by societies, and people and classes have different interests and they often tend to conflict. The only way we can make these arrangements (other than violence) is by negotiation, and when someone tells me "I know what's best for you, trust me", I know he's up to something. Especially if he has something to gain by my acquiescing. Well, sometimes we have no choice but to accept what we cannot change, but that doesn't mean we have to embrace it uncritically. I may have to work on Maggie's farm, but I don't need to kiss her ass.