Almost, Billy,Almost

Billy Beck weighs in on a bit broader front after James Rummel posted his The Debate Would Be Over if the Other Side was Rational piece yesterday. Says Billy:

Consider the subject header, taken from Rummel. Now, extend the logic of it to democracy:

The running political fight would be unnecessary -- "over" -- if the other side were rational.

Billy, when it comes to politics, I'd be happy (or at least happier) if either "side" was rational.

But one is now Statist, and the other is Statist Lite. Somewhere along the way, I suspect not long after the Founding, the rational (which our Founders most definitely were) started getting replaced by people with (obviously) less and less attachment to the real world. The replacement process (which reminds me very much of the plot of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers) is essentially complete.

UPDATE: I'm sorry. I just realized my error. For Billy "the other side" is everyone who still thinks voting can accomplish anything. I'm slow on the uptake this morning, obviously. Theirritablearchitect commented:

I really like Billy, and always enjoy reading his take on things. I agree with him on almost everything, including his point, here, but in a philosophical sense only. His position can only be, if and when the masses (and I'd have to include everyone in this mass) gets enlightened about the prospects of freedom. Until then (never), people will still flock to the voting booth, in an effort to afford themselves the self-satisfaction of forcing others, and you, to live by their own standards, through the mechanics of gummint. Freedom? The statists just can't have that.

Until we can get the morons to wake up, the rest of us are just pissing into the wind, don't you think?

I withdraw my objection. From Billy's perspective, he's exactly right.