Don't vote: It Just Encourages the Bastards

"Politics is a vulgar fucking subject," O'Rourke writes by way of apology for his repeated swearing. "I have resorted to barnyard words because of the amount of bullshit, horseshit and chickenshit involved in politics,"

O'Rourke seems to be channeling his inner George Carlin :)

I heard him earlier this morning on NPR, and absolutely loved the way he described the politics of climate change; I find it at the Guardian, too:

Take his intentionally short chapter on the issue of climate change. It is one page and begins with the words: "There's not a goddamn thing you can do about it." By way of explanation he adds: "There are 1.3 billion people in China and they all want a Buick." He accuses western leftists of being self-deluding hypocrites when they raise taxes on people wealthier than themselves as a way of creating a more just society. It depends on your perspective, he argues, pointing out that even a poor westerner is unimaginably rich to a developing world slum-dweller."You're farting through silk as far as that person in Karachi who's looking for a job as a suicide bomber is concerned ... let he who is without anything anybody wants cast the first vote," he writes.

I have blogged about this many times (like here), and have pointed out the hypocrisy of a few million affluent Westerners telling billions of poorer people around the world that they and their consumption are the problem!

Of course, there are a number of issues where I would part company with O'Rourke.  But, there is a lot of common ground between this libertarian-Democrat and O'Rourke's libertarian-Republican view of the world.

And, BTW, that George Carlin spiel on not voting?  No harm on re-blogging that one; too damn funny and serious all in one