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Libertarian Saturday Returns!
Author: TriSec    Date: 08/01/2009 11:23:01

Good Morning!

Well...it's a bright, sunny morn here in ol' New England. Heading out to the store in a few for another day at the Outdoor Discovery School....hopefully we won't have a schedule meltdown like last weekend. Seems like everyone is heading for Cape Ann (and the beaches) the second the sun comes out.

In any case....have you been getting the usual flurry of nightmarish anti-healthcare emails from your right wing friends? Mrs. TriSec's Cuban relatives have been mercifully quiet, but then my semi-ocassional newsletter from the Libertarian party popped into my inbox the other day.

Let's keep this website handy as we go through the alarming news.

We'll start this morning with a "free online book" exploring in detail the supposed top-ten healthcare myths. Do any of these sound familiar to you?


Myth One: Government Health Care Is More Efficient
Myth Two: We're Spending Too Much on Health Care
Myth Three: Forty-Six Million Americans Can't Get Health Care
Myth Four: High Drug Prices Drive Up Health Care Costs
Myth Five: Importing Drugs Would Reduce Health Care Costs
Myth Six: Universal Coverage Can Be Achieved by Forcing Everyone to Buy Insurance
Myth Seven: Government Prevention Programs Reduce Health Care Costs
Myth Eight: We Need More Government to Insure Poor Americans
Myth Nine: Health Information Technology Is a Silver Bullet for Reducing Costs
Myth Ten: Government-Run Health Care Systems in Other Countries are Better and Cheaper than America's


Of course, the book is published by the Pacific Research Institute, a noted right-wing think tank that's associated with the American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, The Fraser Institute, and the Cato Institute.



Another alleged Libertarian organization, "Americans for Tax Reform" (Grover Nordquist, founder) has posted a wee little blog about Obama's first six months. One number in particular practically leaps off the page at me. Where were they during the last 8 years as BushCo raped the Republic's coffers?


On Monday, President Barack Obama will mark his first six months in office. Americans for Tax Reform has assembled the following numbers for taxpayers evaluating Obama’s performance:

10
Number of years it will take to double the national debt under the Obama budget

16
Number of days it took Obama to break his central campaign promise to not raise “any form” of taxes on Americans earning less than $250,000 per year by signing an increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco (Smokers’ median income is $36,000 per year)

153
Number of days it took Obama to abandon his campaign promise to allow the public
to view legislation on his desk for five full days : “When there’s a bill that ends up on
my desk as president, you the public will have five days to look online and find out
what’s in it before I sign it, so that you know what your government’s doing.”

500
Number of Fortune 500 companies who would ship jobs abroad as a result of Obama’s
proposed double taxation of American companies overseas

0
Number of developed countries that have a higher corporate income tax rate than the
United States (we’re tied with Japan at 40%)

$50 billion
The amount of tax money raised per year for every one percentage point in a
Value Added Tax (VAT) scheme not ruled out by White House officials

33%
The percentage of families filing a tax return that had zero or less in income taxes paid
(making it mathematically impossible to cut taxes for “95 percent of working families”)

800,000
Minimum number of Americans attending tax tea parties since Obama’s inauguration





Curiously this week, author Michael Cloud uses a couple of government-run agencies as examples to make a point. Remember when everyone hated the Post Office or the Registry of Motor Vehicles? In most states, the government has responded to market pressures and in a lot of places these agencies are the model of efficiency and service. Sure is a curious thing to point them out as examples of bad government then, huh?


Ten or twenty years ago, when you wanted to show how bad a new Big Government program was, you could compare it the Post Office or the Department of Motor Vehicles.

And everybody would get your point.

But those examples don't work today.

First, technology. The Internet dramatically reduced the number of times that people need to show up and stand in line at the Post Office or Department of Motor Vehicles. Email and cheap phone rates slashed the number of letters and post cards that Americans send. Secure servers and Internet payment options slashed the number of checks that Americans mail.

Second, to build goodwill, government copies private business. Government officials and employees adopted and adapted private enterprise methods to make the Post Office and Department of Motor Vehicles a lot faster, friendlier, and customer responsive. Extra clerks during peak customer traffic hours and during peak times of the year. Putting clerks through Dale Carnegie and other human relations trainings.

The results? Most people are no longer p.o.'d at the P.O. A large percentage of them are surprised and happy with the D.M.V.Baloo - discussion

So, if you tell people that the new Big Government program will be as rude or inefficient as the Post Office, or as arrogant and slow as the Department of Motor Vehicles -- a lot of people will think you have lost your mind, and may even look forward to the new Big Government program.




Lastly this morning....it wouldn't be Libertarian Saturday without our long-running feature "Why aren't YOU a Libertarian?" (although that's an increasingly rhetorical question)....featuring the wit and wisdom of Dr. Mary Ruwart, as always.


QUESTION: What common ground do liberals and libertarians have? What are some of their differences?

MY SHORT ANSWER: The best way to learn the similarities and differences between liberals and libertarians is to check out the World's Smallest Political Quiz.

The Quiz chart shows, broadly, where and how liberals and libertarians agree and disagree. Quiz annimationTo simplify a bit, liberals tend to agree with libertarians on many issues of personal freedom, and differ most sharply with libertarians on issues of economic freedom.

For example, Nat Hentoff is one of America's greatest defenders of free speech and the First Amendment. He's a liberal. However, he so strongly agrees with the uncompromising libertarian defense of free speech that he recently became a Senior Fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute.

Libertarians and many liberals want to protect religious liberty, Fourth Amendment rights, sexual freedom, and personal privacy. Many liberals agree with libertarians that the Drug War is a failure and should be ended. The ACLU, like many other liberal organizations, agrees with libertarians that the current effort to impose a national ID upon America is wrong.

For those liberals who oppose a military draft, and U.S. military intervention abroad, libertarians are staunch and reliable allies.

That's a lot of common ground!

Quiz cardsThe Quiz also indicates where liberals tend to disagree with libertarians. Libertarians strongly believe in a free-market economy, where people are free to do as they wish with their labor, their property, their money, and their businesses, as long as they don't initiate force against others. Liberals tend to favor far more government control over people's money, property, and the economy.

Again, the place to begin exploring this issue is the World's Smallest Political Quiz. Enjoy taking the Quiz -- and share it with your friends!

(One final point: In my comments I'm using the word "liberal" in the modern American sense. In the 19th century, the word "liberal" meant something quite different than it does today -- it referred to a broadly libertarian philosophy of small government, free markets, personal freedom and peace. This "liberalism" was the philosophy of the American Revolution. Indeed, even today, many libertarians refer to themselves as "classical liberals." And in Europe, the term "liberal" is often used in this older sense.)


Here's a handy link to the quiz referenced by Dr. Ruwart...


So. Talking-point frittata for sure. I'm very disappointed in the direction the party is going, but they lost me when they picked Bob Barr as their standard-bearer last year anyway.

TTFN!

 

14 comments (Latest Comment: 08/02/2009 03:46:57 by Mondobubba)
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Comment by livingonli on 08/01/2009 14:41:47
Fristy pants.



I'm actually up this morning. After what happened to me yesterday, I am really worried about my blood sugar getting too low since I end up having those side effects. I may be considering moving in with someone who can be a check on me and since I don't cook I need to figure out how I am going to get some proper eating without always going out to eat. All well, right now I have to go pick up a car rental.

Comment by velveeta jones on 08/01/2009 14:42:23
Great post TriSec. And, while I have not kept up with that party as much as you have, I have noticed that while I used to agree with quite of few of the "leaders" on many social and economic issues, they seemed to have of late attracted a few nutjobs. Grove Norquist is certainly one of them. Every party or outskirt of party has their wacko's - the Dem's have Ralph Nadar - but the Republican's can be proud that they still hold that particular record. Thank GOD!

Comment by livingonli on 08/01/2009 19:02:31
Where's everyone else today

Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/01/2009 20:11:43
Quote by livingonli:

Where's everyone else today




Wife dragged me out to take her shopping for a bit, but home again.



My boss does what he calls a "scratchy 45's" show on a community LPFM in Portsmouth NH from 4-6 on Saturdays, so I'm listening to that, I put a request in for this week.



Has a good 128K stream



Portsmouth Community Radio

Comment by Raine on 08/01/2009 20:36:49
What????



I go to the museum and I read this? Sarah and Todd to divorce? (it is ONLY a rumor right now)

Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/01/2009 20:38:17
Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/01/2009 20:39:56
Quote by Raine:

What????



I go to the museum and I read this? Sarah and Todd to divorce? (it is ONLY a rumor right now)




Aw, you beat me to it.



Actually found out when Lizz posted the article on Facebook.

Comment by Mondobubba on 08/01/2009 21:21:01
Quote by Raine:

What????



I go to the museum and I read this? Sarah and Todd to divorce? (it is ONLY a rumor right now)




Oh please let it be true! :pray:

Comment by Raine on 08/01/2009 22:53:10
I'm sure Sarah could do more for her family from outside of the marriage....

Comment by clintster on 08/01/2009 23:24:04
My favorite moment from "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" this morning. When talking about the resignation speech from Sarah Palin, Peter Sagal described the speech as being like she was "narrating her own acid trip."





Comment by livingonli on 08/02/2009 00:50:09
The funniest thing on the Fark page on the Sarah divorce is that the comments includes pitching contributions to SarahPac.

Comment by Raine on 08/02/2009 02:25:02
Comment by Raine on 08/02/2009 03:06:05
Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Raine:

What????



I go to the museum and I read this? Sarah and Todd to divorce? (it is ONLY a rumor right now)




Oh please let it be true! :pray:
Mondo m dear... While I understand your desire to see hypocrisy rear it ugly head. I Must admist I found that comment uncomfortable. I didn't know why, becuase you and I are friends.



But Shannyn Moore, the blogger from Alaska who was targeted specifically by Sarah herself said it WAY than better than I could. Please Read.



If this is true, then she becomes just another family values repub. How many of them ran for office and were serial marriers?



We one the left tried to make it an issue -- and yet we still ended up with John McCain. Family Values just don't really exist for the repubs. They just act like that on TV.

Comment by Mondobubba on 08/02/2009 03:46:57
Quote by Raine:

Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Raine:

What????



I go to the museum and I read this? Sarah and Todd to divorce? (it is ONLY a rumor right now)




Oh please let it be true! :pray:
Mondo m dear... While I understand your desire to see hypocrisy rear it ugly head. I Must admist I found that comment uncomfortable. I didn't know why, becuase you and I are friends.



But Shannyn Moore, the blogger from Alaska who was targeted specifically by Sarah herself said it WAY than better than I could. Please Read.



If this is true, then she becomes just another family values repub. How many of them ran for office and were serial marriers?



We one the left tried to make it an issue -- and yet we still ended up with John McCain. Family Values just don't really exist for the repubs. They just act like that on TV.




Yeah I read that. It is the whole shameful joy thing. As much I enjoy it, I agree with Shanynn Moore too.