Political Thoughts of Timothy A. Raty

The following article appeared in the " DP International Newsletter " (Vol. 1, Issue 1; 2 June 2025) . It is re-published here (with minor edits) because, while it focuses on Luxembourgish politics, the underlying message is applicable to all democratically-based societies. More accurately, why should anyone be involved in politics? What is the purpose and is the purpose motivation enough? Most people will make the case that the premise of the prime purpose is a duty that is owed to someone else (for example, “it is your civic duty”). I wish to make the case purely from a selfish perspective, leaving aside arguments from duty and focusing exclusively on why politics is of value to you, the individual. Chances are extremely high that if you are reading this, you live in a country. A country is comprised of individuals who interact with each other on a daily basis in a wide variety of activities which, ideally, are based on mutually agreeable terms. We buy and sell goods and se...

  Note: In October 2023, I moved from the United States of America to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. While I hope these articles universally promote the principles of liberty, the expectation is that the context will still be American-centric, though I will delve into European politics at times. Every five years, citizens of the European Union (“EU”) will vote for individuals to represent them in the EU parliament. The elections will take place from June 6 – 9, 2024 and over seven hundred representatives (“Members of the EU Parliament” or “MEPs”) will be elected from twenty-seven countries. While I am not an EU citizen and cannot vote in such elections, they are still important to me because my new home, Luxembourg, is one of those countries and, as such, the policies and laws adopted by the EU have a direct impact upon my individual rights. For the protection of such rights, I will be supporting the Luxembourg Demokratesch Partei (“DP”) and its slate of candidates, for the ...