The Best Libertarian Movies

One of the things that I like about being a "small l" libertarian and a "large L" Libertarian is the consistency of the belief system. 

It's almost like being Jewish.... an ethnicity and a religion, should one choose both. 

You can be a libertarian without ever voting Libertarian.  It's all the same package.  Mindset and political party, should you choose both. 

Our political platform changes very little, unlike those of the Rethuglicans or the Demoblicans.   Our message boils down to "Don't hit people and don't take their stuff".   Add a sprinkling of "Leave others alone just as you want to be left alone", and you've got it. 

Therefore, it's fairly easy to come up with great lists of libertarian books.  (More on these later.) 

And libertarian music.  (Ditto.) 

Just for grins and giggles sometime, Google the terms "Liberal Books" or "Democrat Books".  You'll come generally come up with volumes of Hero Worship rather than ideology or philosophy.  Hit this for a typical example.  Lots of stuff about Kennedys who you would never leave your daughter alone with. 

The Republican lists are a little better, but are generally laden with the bi-annual offerings of Fox News hosts, or they co-opt authors who could only be described as libertarian. 

I'll post more on the book lists later, though. 

The point of all this is movies.  If you go here, you can see the best Liberty movie list EVER. 

V For Vendetta,
Braveheart
Hunger Games
Thank You For Smoking
Shenandoah
Wag The Dog

And a special category of my own for:

Idiocracy, and
Team America, World Police 

And a few dozen others that reward repeat viewing. 

Good stuff.  Here's the immortal "Chancellor's Speech" from "V For Vendetta", which I've probably posted a dozen times already.  Think of this every time you here a Political Beauty Contest Winner claim that we need a war, a stimulus, a healthcare plan, a retirement system, or increased regulations on something. 

Brilliant.  Go here for the link to all the movies. 
Go here to sign up for Netflix.  Start watching !!

 

An Alternative To Obamacare

When Libertarians criticize and ridicule Obamacare, they often get slammed for not providing an alternative, or for not caring about the poor, or for not having a plan at all. 

For a moment, please disregard the obvious reality of human action creating a spontaneous order, and the like.  Let's assume that someone has to write down a plan for the benefit of the Secular Theists out there. 

Here's a plan....

Designate a three-square-mile area south of Fort Worth TX as a "Free Market Healthcare Zone".  (Back in the early 80's, China designated four cities as "Free Trade Zones" as an alternative to having citizens starve to death.  These zones were wildly successful, led to the present success of the Chinese economy and standard of living, and everyone is still scrambling to get in.) 

In this Free Market Healthcare Zone, there would be no government regulations, only those regulations agreed to by the caregivers themselves (doctors, nurses, hospitals and pharmaceutical providers), and their customers.  Since the American insurance industry now has more government regulations than a nuclear waste dump, let's make this three-square mile area an Insurance Free Zone also. 

If you walk into a doctor's office or hospital in the Free Market Healthcare Zone, the first thing they'll ask you to do is sign a waiver promising not to sue if things go badly.  (These agreements are currently illegal, BTW.)  Yes, there is a sacred belief in the Libertarian mindset that if someone does you harm, you are entitled to compensation.  But there is another, equally sacred belief about honoring contracts.  Please hang with me for a few more paragraphs....

The second thing you'll do is see a nurse.  I've never known a nurse who didn't believe she could do 90% of what an M.D. can do.  If the nurse thinks you need some penicillin, she'll sell you some penicillin.  Or give you a morphine shot.  Or give you five stitches.  It's up to the nurse.  She might even call in a doctor.  After giving you whatever treatment she thinks you need, you'll walk up to a desk and write a check for the full cost of the visit. 

You might want to go only to a doctor who has been to a traditional medical school, one who will  have a little diploma on the wall stating that he's graduated, and has Rick Perry's permission to be a doctor in Texas.  Or you might be content to go to a doctor who has only been to DeVry.  Your choice.  Your life, your rules.   

But what if someone, or some institution, consistently provides bad service with poor outcomes?  How would the FW TX FMHZ possibly deal with that problem?  It would be done in the same way that we deal with bad grocery stores, bad mechanics, Betamax cassettes, Yugos and failed TV sitcoms.  People would stop purchasing those services. 

Things you will not have to pay for:  1) the involvement of a doctor, unless necessary, and 2) keeping the doctor and nurses safe from lawyers, and 3) a trip to the pharmacist, and 4) insurance overhead, and 5) Barack Obama's fantasies and delusions of being relevant to your health and well-being. 

I have a good friend who is a Marine medic.  If I get cut by a piece of rusty sheet metal, I can get him to give me a tetanus shot and five stitches, as long as we're in the lawyer-free, insurance-free, regulation-free Obama-free Fort Worth, Texas, Free Market Healthcare Zone.  It's none of Barack Obama's business.  Or Rick Perry's.  Or the law firm of Screwem Goode and Harte's. 

The same rules apply if I want to consult with some other dude who doesn't know much about stitches, but he's watched all of the YouTube videos.  I belong to me, you belong to you, and it really is none of your business. 

At this point, no one in the United States can tell you what it costs to treat a broken arm.  It depends on your insurance.  Chances are, no one in the U.S. with a broken arm has personally paid for the treatment in the last ten years.  The check was written by an insurance company or by the government, or the care was provided for, at no charge, by a hospital that can't legally turn anyone away.  Prices will never, ever drop as long as the user isn't negotiating the payment for the service. 

Would this Free Market Healthcare Zone concept cut America's healthcare expenses in half if every city had one?  Yes. 

Would one day in the hospital go back to a level where it equaled about two day's pay?  I bet it would.

Would it force the American Medical Association to start training more doctors?  Yes.  (BTW, things are more expensive when they are scarce, and the AMA creates an artificial scarcity by only releasing so many doctors into the market every year.) 

Would the level of innovation in these Free Market Zones possibly triple that of the current system?  Let's see... Risk wouldn't be punished, regulations wouldn't get in the way, and creativity would actually be rewarded.  I believe that's a yes.  There might even find a cure for cancer in that environment.   

Would more poor people be able to afford healthcare?  You betcha. 

Would more and more doctors and nurses be able to go back to treating indigent patients at no charge?  I bet they would. 

This would be so beautiful, and IMHO, so easy.  Give up the right to sue.  Stop worrying about whether the doctor or nurse has a certification from Rick Perry.  Get the insurance bureaucracy out of the way. 

We could do it next year, but we're just too compassionate to give up the trial lawyers, the insurance execs, and the Department Of Health And Human Services.....

Matthew McConaughey is starring in a new movie that'll be released in December called "Dallas Buyers Club", about a guy with AIDS who battled the bureaucracy to create something of his own very similar to a Fort Worth Free Market Healthcare Zone.  All of it illegal, of course.  Can't wait to see it. 


 

David Nolan's Five Points Of "No Compromise"

Libertarian Party founder David Nolan had 5 points (yeah, a litmus test) that he used to determine if someone was a Libertarian. 

I like 'em. 

YOU OWN YOURSELF      First and foremost, libertarians believe in the the principle of self-ownership. You own your own body and mind; no extermal power has the right to force you into the service of "society" or "mankind" or any other individual or group for any purpose, however noble. Slavery is wrong, period.    Because you own yourself, you are responsible for your own well-being. Others are not obligated to feed you, clothe you, or provide you with health care. Most of us choose to help one another voluntarily, for a variety of reasons -- and that's as it should be -- but "forced compassion" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms.  THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE     Self-ownership implies the right to self-defense. Libertarians yield to no one in their support for our right as individuals to keep and bear arms. We only wish that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution said "The right to self-defense being inalienable..." instead of that stuff about a "well-regulated militia".  Anyone who thinks that government -- any government -- has the right to disarm its citizens is NOT a libertarian!  NO "CRIMINAL POSSESSION" LAWS     In fact, libertarians believe that individuals have the right to own and use anything- gold, guns, marijuana, sexually explicit material- so long as they do not harm others through force or the threat of force. Laws criminalizing the simple possession of anything are tailor-made for police states; it is all too easy to plant a forbidden substance in someone's home, car or pocket. Libertarians are as tough on crime- real crime- as anyone. But criminal possession laws are an affront to liberty, whatever the rhetoric used to defend them.  NO TAXES ON PRODUCTIVITY     In an ideal world, there would be no taxation. All services would be paid for on an as-used basis. But in a less-than-ideal world, some services will be force-financed for the foreseeable future. However, not all taxes are equally deleterious, and the worst form of taxation is a tax on productivity -- i.e., an income tax -- and no libertarian supports this type of taxation.    What kind of taxation is least harmful? This is a topic still open for debate. My own preference is for a single tax on land. Is this "the" libertarian position on taxes? No. But all libertarians oppose any form of income tax.  A SOUND MONEY SYSTEM     The fifth and final key test of anyone's claim to being a libertarian is their support for an honest money system; i.e. one where the currency is backed by something of true value (usually gold or silver). Fiat money -- money with no backing, whose acceptance is mandated by the State -- is simply legalized counterfeiting and is one of the keys to expanding government power.    The five points enumerated here are not a complete, comprehensive prescription for freedom... but they would take us most of the way. A government which cannot conscript, confiscate, or counterfeit, and which imposes no criminal penalties for the mere possession and peaceful use of anything, is one that almost all libertarians would be comfortable with.

All of these seem to be common-sense principles. 
98% of the U.S. population disagrees with me. 

I got to meet the great David Nolan about a year before he passed away.  A really great guy. 

 

The Greatest Collection Of Libertarian Links EVER

A genius called Nobody25864 over at Libertarian Reddit has put together the best collection of Libertarian links that I've ever seen.

It's a monument to unselfish generosity. 

And since there is no such thing as generosity without a recipient, I have stolen it and posted the entire thing here so I can find it later for my own selfish self. 

It would've been the perfect reading companion to fill up the sober moments of my Labor Day weekend, had I seen it sooner. 

Images - Inspirational quotes, cartoons, memes and funny pics

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30 Day Reading List Challenge - A good collection of libertarian articles to get you familiar with theory!

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Principles
The Law by Frederic Bastiat - A fantastic look at the proper place of the law and how it has been perverted into legal plunder, as explained by Bastiat in 1850. Highly recommended.
Anatomy of the State by Murray Rothbard - An explanation of what the state is not, what it is, and how it functions. Highly recommended.
The Science of Justice by Lysander Spooner - Spooner talks of some implications of self-ownership.
The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Libertarian morals broken down into kid stories!
The Philosophy of Liberty
The Philosophy of Liberty: Property
The Philosophy of Liberty: Plunder
Pirates and Emperors
George Ought to Help
You Can Always Leave
The Non-Aggression Principle
Make Mine Freedom
Milton Friedman - Greed
I, Pencil
For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto
The Ethics of Liberty.

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Anarcho-Capitalism
The Production of Security by Gustave de Molinari - The first anarcho-capitalist book ever written. Highly recommended.
No Treason by Lysander Spooner - Possibly the greatest argument for anarchy ever written. A scathing attack on the Constitution, Spooner reveals how the Constitution fails all the requirements for a legal contract, concluding that it is a Constitution of no authority. It does presume a bit of familiarity with legal principles though. Highly recommended.
The State is Not Great by Jacob Spinney
The Market for Security by Robert Murphy
The Tale of the Slave by Robert Nozick - Does voting turn slaves into free men?
If You Were King
Law Without Government - Highly recommended.
The Machinery of Freedom: Illustrated Guide - Highly recommended.
Why Libertarianism is Dangerous - The "horrors" of anarchy!
Top 10 Reasons Why the Mafia Would Be Better Than the State
But Wouldn't Warlords Take Over?
Common Argument Topics

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Economics
How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't by Irwin Schiff - A comic about cavemen that invent economic interaction, going from there to developing a more modern economy, and how the government messes this all up. Highly recommended.
Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt; Video series version (currently ongoing!) - Inspired by Bastiat, Hazlitt explains the economics behind some key political issues.
That Which is Seen and That Which is Not Seen by Frederic Bastiat - The article that inspired the above.
The Candlemaker's Petition by Frederic Bastiat - Bastiat writes a fake petition from the producers of light in France for the government to ban the sun.
Defending the Undefendable - Block looks at different occupations that are frowned upon in society, but are consistent with libertarian principle.
Lessons for the Young Economist by Robert Murphy; a high school textbook for austrian economics.
Economics for Real People: An Introduction to the Austrian School - Brought in by comment by /u/LetThemEatWar32's suggestion! As the title says, its an introduction to the Austrian School.
Capitalism in One Lesson - An explanation of what capitalism is with tons of resources to learn more.
Praxgirl - A cute girl explains basic praxeology.
Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two (this is a sequel to "Fear the Boom and Bust" a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem)
Deck the Halls with Macro Follies
Trade is Made of Win
The Broken Window Fallacy
-Methodological Individualism
That Mitchell and Webb Look - Football - A comedy sketch explaining what's wrong with the excessive use of the word "we".
Friends - A Selfless Good Deed - A clip from Friends in which Joey explains why all purposeful action is selfish as everyone necessarily acts to complete the goals they value most highly, even when this end is normally dubbed "selfless" or "altruistic".
- Money
What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray Rothbard - Rothbard explains what money is, how government messes it up, and gives a brief history of money in western civilization. Highly recommended.
What is Money? by Frederic Bastiat; audio version - Bastiat explains in dialogue form the many evils that come from confusing money with wealth.
The American Dream - A cartoon looking at the problems of the Federal Reserve and fractional reserve banking.
- Austrian Business Cycle Theory
"Fear the Boom and Bust" a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem
The Austrian Business Cycle Explained
America's Great Depression by Murray Rothbard - A bit more lengthy, but definitely worth looking at if you're interested in a simple explanation of business cycle theory and a history lesson on the causes of the Great Depression.
-TEH ROADS?!?!
The Privatization of Roads and Highways by Walter Block
Streets and Roads by Murray Rothbard
- Environmentalism
Law, Property Rights, and Air Pollution
Can Hunting Endangered Animals Save the Species?
Tragedy of the Commons
Ghostbusters Hates the EPA and So Should You
-Intellectual Property
Against Intellectual Property
History of Copyright
- Healthcare
How Government Solved the Healthcare Crisis
A Four-Step Healthcare Solution by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
Healthcare as a Right
- Minimum Wage
Edgar the Exploiter
How the Minimum Wage Creates Unemployment
Jeff's Story
Critique of Objectivism
Ayn Rand on Libertarianism
Mozart was a Red by Murray Rothbard
The Sociology of the Ayn Rand Cult by Murray Rothbard

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Comedy
TAKE JURY DUTY!
eEconomics and the rest - A fantastic video series
Be a Cop
Clint Webb
Crack
Pledge of Allegiance
Teachers Union
Moon Bears
Nerf Nuke
- Yes Prime Minister
Leading Questions
If the Right People Don't Have the Power
- Penn and Teller
Corn Subsidies
On the Second Amendment
Wealth Redistribution

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Fiction
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - The horrors of egalitarianism. For a bit of expansion on it, read Rothbards' Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature
1984 by George Orwell - The ultimate in dystopian literature.
Animal Farm by George Orwell - An allegory for the rise and fall of soviet communism.
Anthem by Ayn Rand - Miraculously, Rand did produce a short fiction story that has a nice look at individualism. A man in a socialist world rediscovers the lightbulb.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein - A science fiction story of the moon revolting against the rule of Earth.
Time Will Run Back by Henry Hazlitt - The world has been taken over by socialism, and the son of the dictator of the Won World Government is suddenly thrust into a position of power in which he accidentally rediscovers capitalism step by step.

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Just the Recommended Ones
The Law by Frederic Bastiat
Anatomy of the State by Murray Rothbard
The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible
The Philosophy of Liberty
The Production of Security by Gustave de Molinari
No Treason by Lysander Spooner
How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't by Irwin Schiff
Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray Rothbard

But in a Libertarian society, who would regulate Monsanto?

My Libertarian credentials and activities are now out there to the point that I'm no longer introduced as Whited, the shipping manager, or Whited, the father of The Aggie. 

I'm now Whited, the Libertarian. 

Here's the conversation that comes up about 50% of the time:

Whited: Nice to meet you!

Statist Slave: You too.  Hey, how can you be a Libertarian when they want to let Monsanto poison people and create Godzilla corn and torture puppies? 

Whited: Who told you that? 

Statist Slave: Well, you guys are always in favor of the big corporations, and....

Whited: No, no, no, we're not in favor of the big corporations.  We're pro-free market. 

Statist Slave: But if you have nothing but unfettered capitalism, corporations like Monsanto will continue to steal our Bibles, and dig up the bodies of our ancestors for target practice. 

And so it goes.....

Seriously, here's what works best.  There's lots of confusion out there about "less regulation" and "holding people to account for harming others".  There's almost total ignorance about Public Choice Theory and Regulatory Capture. 

Ask your friend which corporations he fears.  You're going to hear about Monsanto, some military contractors, Wal-Mart, and global multinationals.  That's it.  Not the agricultural subsidy hawgs, the green energy scammers or G.E. 

Ask why they are afraid of these companies.  You're going to hear about corporate oppression, advertising that allows us no choice because we're so susceptible to marketing, underpaid workers, and harm to the environment. 

Take 'em on one at a time.  Monsanto OWNS the FDA.  And the EPA. There's nothing but a very well-lubricated turnstile between those three organizations.   Go here for details.  (This is called "regulatory capture", but taken to the 10th power in this case.  Most government agencies wind up defending their regulated companies from competitors.  In Monsanto's case, the regulators are Monsanto.  Truly amazing) 

Ask what they want the government to do to Monsanto.  They'll state that they want GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) labeled as such.

 (Full Disclosure: I can't stand Monsanto, but it's because of the Monsanto Protection Act, which essentially states that if a GMO crop goes bad or turns out to be dangerous, Uncle Sam is obliged to purchase the crop.  With your money.  That's why I turn up at every Monsanto protest within 50 miles of Cowtown.)   

There are other ways to do this without getting government munchkins and pygmies involved.  Look to the example of Kosher foods.  Underwriters Laboratories.  The same thing could be put in place for GMO's.  But if they think the FDA (also known as Monsanto) is going to require Monsanto (also known as the FDA) to label GMO's, it ain't going to happen. 

We're getting close to the end here.  Hang with me.  At this point, my new friend, who is going to avoid me until he starts making a lot of money and feeling guilty about seeking tax shelters, is getting uncomfortable. 

Ask about Farmer's Markets, and the Locavore movement (eating foods grown with 100 miles).  Are these little guys going to handle all this paperwork and testing and pay for certification?  How about the Mexican dude selling tacos and burritos from a bicycle?  Will he have to be accountable?  Where would you draw the line?  (Of course they can't.  That's why Big Business loves Big Government.  Big Government stops little guys from getting started.) 

Finally, for those who believe in evolution, mention that 150 years ago, an ear of corn was about an inch and a half long.  Wheat grew at about 25% of its present density and yield.  Ditto for rice.  Some of this was achieved through trial and error, some through traditional hybridization methods, some by accident, and some by guys at Monsanto (and State Ag Colleges) saying "Screw it, I'm just gonna alter the DNA."  Where would you draw the line?  In the messy, random process that resulted in the Big Mac you're currently eating, where do we draw the line? 

Do you say "this is a sesame seed bun".   And it's the official sesame seed bun, starting with 2013.  This is a pickle.  The 2013 variety.  This is the DNA of 2013 lettuce.  Or pick your year.  We could say that the heirloom seeds of 1953 are the non-GMO variety.  Or we could try to define the beef patties that were present in The Garden Of Eden, and declare those to be the non-GMO's. 

But the foods are going to be changing, through human action, or through Natural Selection.  The lawyers will be very, very happy.  Monsanto can afford lots and lots of lawyers. 

At this point the Statist Slave will say "THE USA IS THE ONLY 1ST WORLD NATION THAT DOESN'T HAVE UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE."  and agree to disagree. 

Keep fighting, people.  Keep fighting.  Later on this week, I'll write about how to alienate yourself by defending Wal-Mart. 

On Liberals, Progressives, and using a name until you've defiled it

Here's something from one of George Will's latest rants:

Liberalism’s agenda has been constant since long before liberals, having given their name a bad name, stopped calling themselves liberals and resumed calling themselves progressives, which they will call themselves until they finish giving that name a bad name.

 I think of myself as a "Classical Liberal".  Hit this link for the reason why.  Here's a partial definition:

Classical liberalism is a political philosophy and ideology that emerged as a response to the Industrial Revolution and urbanization in the 19th century in Europe and the United States.  It shares a number of beliefs with other belief systems belonging to liberalism, advocating civil liberties and political freedom, limited government, rule of law, and belief in free marke.  Classical liberalism is built on ideas that had already arisen by the end of the 18th century, such as selected ideas of Adam Smith, John Locke, Jean-Baptiste Say, Thomas Malthus, and David Ricardo, stressing the belief in free market and natural law, utilitarianism, and progress. Classical liberals were more suspicious than conservatives of all but the most minimal government....

When David Nolan started my political party in 1973, he had to call it "Libertarian", because the group already calling themselves "Liberals" had squatters' rights on the name.  Unfortunately, these phony Liberals advocated higher taxes, bigger government, prohibition, protectionism, quotas, tariffs, and a host of other plagues. 

Prior to that, this (mostly Democrat) group had called itself "Progressive".  Hit this link.  The history of the Progressives (eugenics, prohibition, creating the Federal Reserve, etc.) is too depressing to copy and paste.  Anyway, the Progressives had started calling themselves Liberals sometime in the 1930's when FDR started screwing up the world. 

I'm betting that the Statists will stop calling themselves "Progressives" sometime in the next ten years.  By that time the stench of failure should've left the word "Liberal", and libertarians will be able to refer to themselves by that term.  Heck, look at the Latin words "Liber," "Libera," and "Liberum" from the root meaning, "to pour." From these we get the word "Liberty", from the freedom we feel when we get drunk.  (Seriously.  Hit the link.  Liberty comes from the latin root for getting plastered.)  We also get "Liberation".  "Libertarian."  "Liberate."  And of course, "Liberal". 

Liberals need to either change their name, or change their ways.  The good guys want the word back. 

Go here to read more about the Classical Liberal tradition. 

Slave Of The Week

A bar friend of mine that I frequently debate on Facebook recently posted the following definition:
He's a good guy, fun to play guitar with, loves his kids, etc. 
But what in the world could make a rational human being agree with that statement?  Somewhere out there, someone is spreading the idea that Big Business and Big Government don't love each other.  This person must be found and stopped. 

Are citizens worried that in a libertarian society, private insurance companies would force individuals to purchase their product?  i.e. ObamaCare?

Do you think that libertarians want bankrupt auto manufacturers to steal your money for bailouts? 

Does anyone honestly believe that Monsanto could enforce their seed monopolies without tender, loving help from the U.S. Department Of Agriculture? 

I know this has been a staple of TV shows and bad movies for decades, but who all thinks that private businesses can be successful by killing their customers? 

I really don't believe that The Evil Koch Brothers are going to chase me down the street and force me to read The Old Testament. 

Does anyone believe that, in a small government society, automakers would steal your money, use it to purchase old cars, destroy the old cars, and give customers a check for a new car?  i.e. Cash For Clunkers?

This isn't the dumbest thing I've seen a Statist post on Facebook, but it's in my top 20. 

Hope you've had a good weekend.  I'm gonna go make sure that Starbucks hasn't put poison in my espresso, and that Ford hasn't put a bomb in my gas tank. 

You might be a Libertarian....Part Deux

I posted some of this back in 2010.  Here it is again with quite a few updates.  Enjoy!!

If you've ever waited at a stoplight and wondered how much more efficient it would be if stoplights were privatized, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever wondered who told Papa Smurf that he could boss around all the other Smurfs, you might just be a Libertarian.

If you know how to pronounce the name "Ludwig Von Mises", you might be a Libertarian. 

If one of your buddies once "reluctantly called the Fire Department", he might be a Libertarian.

If your dogs know to run out of the room when someone on CNN says the word "stimulus", you might be a Libertarian.

If you think the funniest three words in the English language are "Small Government Republican", you might be a Libertarian.

If you've ever gone camping on Halloween, under a full moon, next to a cemetery, and waited til midnight to build a campfire so you and your buddies can sit around it and read Obama's Jobs Bill, you might be a Libertarian.

If you can't see a Broken Window without thinking of a dead French economist, you might be a Libertarian.

If you can explain why Ben Bernanke should be prosecuted as a counterfeiter, you're a Libertarian.

If you've ever stood behind a podium and boasted that "Our candidate broke 5 percent !", you might be a Libertarian. 

If the audience started applauding madly, they were all Libertarians. 

If you've ever had a dream where you were locked in a room with Alexander Hamilton, a rabid dog, one gun, and two bullets, and in your dream you shot Alexander Hamilton twice....you might be a Libertarian. 

If you win a celebrity lunch with someone named "Hayek" but are secretly disappointed that it is Selma and not Friederich, you're a Libertarian.

If your top three baby names under consideration are Cato, Dagny, and Atlas, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever wondered why we're spending money to have our navy defend Japan and Taiwan from China, using money that we're borrowing from....China, you just might be a Libertarian.

If you root for certain sports teams because they don't play in publicly funded stadiums, you might be a Libertarian.

If you know how many ounces of silver any of your friends own, you might be a Libertarian.

If you've ever been to a Tea Party rally, a NORML meeting, a Gay Rights parade, a Peace Run, and helped staff a gun show all in the same month?  You're probably me.  And you're a Libertarian. 

If you've ever paid twice as much for a black leather jacket instead of a similar brown one, because black is what Nick Gillespie wears, you might be a Libertarian.

If you didn't have to hit the link in the previous joke, you're a Libertarian.

If you think that Barry Goldwater was too soft on Communism, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you think that Karl Marx's quote "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" is a great way to encourage people to hide their abilities and publicize their needs, well, you might be a Libertarian.  (I don't know where I first heard that.  Will give attribution if someone will tell me.)

If you've ever Googled the words "John Stossel DVD Boxed Set", you might be a Libertarian. 

If you think the phrase "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" should apply to almost everything, because after all it's nobody else's damn business as long as nobody else gets hurt, you might be a Libertarian.

If you've ever broken up with someone because she wouldn't say "Federal Reserve Note" instead of "Dollar", you might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever spent an entire damn day going through damn job applications looking for a decent damn employee, and wondered why the damn public schools can't produce graduates who can write or spell, but the Catholic and other parochial schools don't have that damn problem???  You might be a pissed off Libertarian who wishes he didn't have to pay the damn schools to produce more damn illiterates.  Dammit.

If you've ever carried a pistol because policemen are just too damn heavy, you might be a Libertarian. 

If you not only believe that marijuana should be legalized, but that morphine sulfate should be available in five pound bags at the supermarket for a couple of bucks, like sugar... but probably in a different aisle, to avoid confusion, well, if you go that far with it, you're probably a Libertarian. 

If you've ever gone into a singles bar thinking that The Nolan Chart would be a good conversation starter, you just might be a Libertarian. 

If you've ever officiated at a wedding, and began the ceremony by making fun of the marriage "license" concept, you might be a Libertarian.

If you followed that with a refusal to say "by the power vested in me by the state of Texas", you might be a Libertarian.

If everyone in the wedding party and congregations laughed like hell, they were all Libertarians.

If you own one of the rare Milton Friedman action figures, you might be a Libertarian.

And last, but not least, if you understood everything I just wrote, you might be a Libertarian. 

Go here to join the party ! !

The Eleven Questions

I haven't linked to anything over at Counting Cats lately. 
A relatively new contributor called "Single Acts Of Tyranny" is asking various folks eleven questions about politics and liberty. 

The questions have a slight bent toward the U.K., but all still apply to the U.S.A.  To save "Single Acts Of Tyranny" the trouble of emailing me, I'm going to answer the eleven questions now, just for the good of The Republic. 

The Whited Sepulchre is a Fort Worth, TX blogger, shipping manager, inadequate guitarist, dachshund owner, and Chair of the Tarrant County Libertarian Party.  He often requires a helicopter pilot as a designated driver. 

1. Who was the greatest political leader in the Western world?

President Calvin Coolidge.  He grew the U.S. economy, retired a huge chunk of the national debt, was almost an isolationist, spoke out in favor of civil rights, and made no effort at all to be a great political "leader".  Therefore, the nation prospered.  The worst thing that can happen to a nation is for it to be afflicted with a great political leader, as presently defined.  May Coolidge and his tribe increase. 

2. If you could change, introduce or abolish one law, what would it be?

I would eliminate the "General Welfare Clause" from the U.S. Constitution, and tighten up the "Commerce Clause".  These have been slowly misinterpreted to mean that Congress can do whatever the hell it wants. 

3. What advice would you give to a sixteen year-old today?

The same advice that my mother gave me as I was going away to college.  "Don't wash anything in hot water, and watch out for wild women."  I might add: "Invest as much as you can in gold and silver".
 

4. Who do you most admire?

Almost any entrepreneur who has taken the risk of creating something that people will desire more than their money.  Also, my parents. 

5. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of your country?

Incredibly pessimistic.  We're 17 trillion in debt, and are in the hands of Drug Warriors, Crony Capitalists, the Military Industrial Complex, and a machine politician from Chicago.   But I am looking forward to saying "I told you so!!"  

6. If you think voting for establishment parties changes little or nothing, what is the one thing we can do as individuals to cause real change?

Vote for the Libertarian Party.  We will slay the beast and replace it with a puppy.  

  

7. When will we finally say good-bye to the state?

We won't.  Mostly because no matter what Grandmother Stalin said, there really is such a thing as a bad, bad boy. 

8. Should free people have the right to keep and bear arms openly or covertly without government permission, sanction or registration?

Yep. 

9. What annoys you most about current politics?

Oh god....Ok, in spite of serious competition, it's the belief that if someone is opposed to Barack's education, healthcare, charity, relief, energy, and agriculture con games, then that person is opposed to all education, healthcare, charity, relief, energy, and agriculture. 

10. Gold standard or fiat currency and interest rate control?

That question presupposes a false dichotomy.  We could have a gold standard, and a currency issued by a neighborhood bank, and another currency issued by Wal-Mart, and dozens of others.  Let a thousand currencies bloom!!  Anyone foolish enough to want a fiat currency could continue trading with his fiat currency and saving his fiat currency.  But one day he would look in his wallet and realize that his dollars are made of paper. 

11. Do we have an obligation to help the poor?

No, but if you don't help the poor and disabled, you're probably an asshole.  I just wish that government anti-poverty programs left us with more money to help the poor.  Two years ago, the U.S. anti-poverty programs blew through $63,000.00 per poor family in the nation.  I don't think it went to the poor. 

Hope this has been entertaining, Cat Counters!! 

Poverty has won the War On Poverty

Libertarians are often caricatured as uncaring bastards who would throw their grandmothers out on the street if Granny ever stops harvesting her percentage of the wheat crop.  But it really is possible to be in favor of Granny's continued existence in her old age, while opposing John Boehner and Barack Obama being her means of support.

Libertarians generally oppose wealth redistribution by force, therefore we dislike Uncle Sam’s welfare schemes.

Statists claim it’s because we’re greedy. (We are greedy. You are greedy.  We all want more than we have. Lots more. Unlike the Statists, though, we want you to have more also, so you'll spend it on what we produce. We know that your success doesn’t require our failure.) But greed isn’t the reason we oppose mandatory government welfare programs.

Here’s the real reason, folks: Government welfare isn’t an effective method for fighting poverty.  In fact, it looks like welfare is keeping poverty alive. 

Check out the chart, from Economist Daniel Mitchell’s International Liberty website.  LBJ’s War On Poverty was the equivalent of spreading top-notch fertilizer on a weed patch. Poverty was dying until Washington D.C. got involved in killing it.  Incredible, isn't it? 

Folks, poverty was disappearing !!  Dropping like VHS sales!!!  But when anti-poverty programs appeared, poverty stabilized between 11-15%.   How much would you give to learn what woulda happened if the War On Poverty had never been declared????  Think of the fifteen trillion or so that they've spent on anti-poverty programs.  Do you think that might have been better spent by producers rather than D.C. looters? 

People are poor because they can't be productive.  (Or in a few cases, won't be productive.)  Yeah, some prosper because of lotteries, and a few eventually claw their way out and prosper because of handouts. But most of the poor get stuck, generation after generation after generation, sitting by the mailbox waiting on the goodies from Uncle Sugar.

When Washington demonizes success (especially from the entrepreneurial side as opposed to the sports/arts/entertainment side) and demands an ever-increasing cut of the profits from any business or individual, the productive members of society are left with less and less to spend on other things, like employees. George Soros, Warren Buffett, and dotcom jillionaires might be political numbskulls, but their instincts on how to spend money are far superior to John Boehner’s and Barack Obama’s. Let ‘em keep more of their money and the jobs will follow.

If we were to cut the U.S. tax burden in half, poverty in the U.S. would die. There would be a sprinkling of unemployed disabled people who could easily be provided for by using pre-LBJ methods. In that era, we had thousands and thousands of civic, fraternal, and church benevolence funds in place that we’ve almost forgotten how to administer.

We could easily end poverty.

But we’re too compassionate to even consider doing so. 

Note to self:  Create another chart showing how Islamic Extremists were dying off until our government got involved in trying to kill them. 

The Greatest Website In The History Of Everything

So many links...so little time. 

Libertarian News.  Go here.  Bookmark it. 

Liberal vs. Libertarian

On Libertarian Reddit, someone posed the question "What's the difference between Liberal vs. Libertarian?"

Here's the best answer:

I'm not sure if this relates to what you mean, but "liberal" used mean what libertarian means today, but the socialists co-opted the word, and so in now the USA "liberal" means socialism-lite.


Anyhow, to understand the false dichotomy between "liberal" and "conservative" you need to understand it's a divide and conquer strategy. Take those who believe very strongly in personal property rights over their body, and the right to do what they want with their bodies, and play them as enemies against those who believe very strongly in private property rights that are external to the body, and who believe they have the right to use their property in any peaceful way they see fit. And then try to sideline and treat like a loon, anybody who believes in both.

So today the liberals tend to believe very strongly in personal rights, but tend not to give a shit about economic liberties, and today the conservatives tend to believe rather strongly in economic liberties, but tend not to give a shit about personal liberties, and the libertarians believe in both personal liberties, and economic liberties. So in that sense, the conservatives try to treat the libertarians as liberal enemies, and the liberals try to treat libertarians as ultra conservative right-wing enemies. And libertarians tend to think of conservatives and liberals, well, as the same, not giving a shit about peoples' freedoms.

There you have it. 

A Rant

1. I’m tired of seeing Anti-War bumperstickers and Barack Obama stickers on the same car.


2. I’m tired of hearing about tax and budget “plans”, plans that will involve careful allocation of resources for decades, and that don’t take into account new technology, wars, inflation, or other surprises, all from people who haven’t passed a budget in something like 1,300 days.

3. I’m tired of reading about debates where Civil Liberties weren’t discussed.

4. I’m tired of reading about debates where the miserable failure of our public schools isn’t discussed.

5. I’m tired of speeches from Democrats that don’t mention how many black men are in jail for victimless crimes.

6. I’m tired of speeches from Republicans who act horrified at the very thought of cutting out military pork.

7. I am starting to enjoy political discussions in my bar. I’ve had this one three times…. Sincere Young Statist: We as a society owe it to each other to provide a safety net. That’s why we need Social Security. Me: Social Security is broke. I’m older than you are. Cover my bar tab so I’ll have more money for a vacation.

8. I’m tired of hearing about “Jobs Created And Saved” from a man who has never, to the best of my knowledge, created or saved a job in his working life. Private industry creates jobs. Government creates overhead.

9. I’m tired of hearing my Republican friends try to explain why Paul Ryan voted for the bailouts. And TARP.

10. I’m trying to figure out why the G.M. bailout was superior to a controlled bankruptcy. Did those guys have to change anything at all about the way they do business?

11. I’m tired of explaining the Wasted Vote Fallacy to people who don’t support the Drug War, don’t support the Bush Wars, don’t support the Wall Street control of Obama, but who are going to vote for Obama anyway.

12. I’m tired of backing people into logical corners, and then having them say “we’ll just have to agree to disagree”.

13. I’m tired of going to this map of the Stimulus Bill spending in my area, and looking for things that make any sense at all.  (Put in your zip code, and hunt down the pork.) 

14. Yesterday, I got tired of my friends Roger and John trying to convince me to watch the McDonald’s vs. Burger King debates Tuesday night.

That's all for now. Hope you have a GREAT Day !!!!!

What A Wonderful World

One of the first things taught in Libertarianism 101 is that "Utopia Is Not An Option". 

Statists often argue that if Farm Bill 2987234-234E doesn't pass, then what would Libertarians do about the kid with Leukemia whose father was diagnosed with Aids after the plague of locusts destroyed the farm because a family of raccoons chewed threw the electric fence, the very electric fence that Farm Bill 2987234-234E would provide along with the cheese subsidy.  What would you Libertarians do about that if you dared touch the funding for Farm Bill 2987234-234E?? 

This reasoning assumes that if John Boehner/Nancy Pelosi didn't take care of the kid with leukemia, no one else would either.  The private sector and charities would step in.  They did it in the past and they could do it again.  Absence of government subsidies made medicine cheaper and doctors less risk-averse.  It wasn't Utopia then, but it's not Utopia now, and it won't be Utopia (Lord hasten the day) in a more Libertarian future. 

But just imagine with me.....

We could end the Drug War.  The Drug Lords would go belly-up.  People could move freely across the Rio Grande.  Texans hopping down to Mexico would be like hopping up to Oklahoma.  Would it be a Utopia?  No.  Some people might become addicts who wouldn't ordinarily become addicted.  But they would probably be more likely to get treatment.  Hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't be in jail.  They recently legalized everything in Portugal, and addiction rates went down!!   One million government jailer/narc/torturer/DEA jobs wouldn't be necessary.  Barack Obama, George W. Bush, John Kerry, Al Gore, and Bill Clinton could all smoke weed openly, the way they did when they were younger.  Another 40,000 Mexican bystanders wouldn't die in the violence.  It wouldn't be a Utopia, but it would be better than the current disaster. 

We could End The Freakin' Federal Reserve.  A dollar saved wouldn't mean 50 cents lost.  Ben Bernanke wouldn't be allowed to do any more counterfeiting.  Would the absence of a Federal Reserve mean that we'd be at the mercy of the ups and downs of the business cycle?  (Which was part of the rationale for The Fed's creation - LOL.)  Yes, we might see some weirdness because of the ups and downs of the business cycle.  It wouldn't be a Utopia.  But I'd bet my bottom dollar that it would be less screwed up than what we have now. 

I've got a friend named Roger who is going to vote for Obama because of Obama's newly discovered support of gay marriage (among other reasons).  Never mind the total cynicism of Obama's new position on this.  The bigger question is what the hell is the government doing in the marriage business anyway?  If it matters to you who gets elected president, then your government is too big.  Would a smaller government be a Utopia?  Heck no.  But it would be infinitely better than the plague of busybodies currently trying to regulate your diet, health, safety, marriage, drug use, alcohol consumption hours, payroll and gun cabinet. 

If you're a taxpayer, your share of the national debt is $80,000.00.  Your share of the unfunded liabilities is a number so staggering that no one can calculate it properly.  Somewhere around 350K to 500K.  This is a lot of money, and we'll never, ever pay it off.  Imagine that it was your brother-in-law who got you into this much debt, mostly for what he considered to be worthwhile causes.  You'd kill him.  Every serious investor knows we're playing a shell game.  We keep acting as if the problem will go away.  When it crashes, it's going to be horrible.  Absolutely horrible.  Civil unrest, hungry people, and a total breakdown of society. 

I haven't mentioned the money we're spending killing women and children in Pakistan, and how we're going to pay a price for that.  There are some 15-year-old boys in Pakistan watching Obama's drones fly over, and they're plotting their revenge.  On you. 

The alternative would't be a Utopia.  There will be problems. 

But it would be so much better. 

Hey, MSNBC, it coulda been worse !!!

Why all this weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth from MSNBC? 
Do they not understand that if one Obamney lost this "debate", then the other Obamney is winner by default?
You'll still have your welfare state, godawful wars, Federal Reserve, Prohibition, giveways, corporate welfare, cronyism, dead Pakistani babies, mercantilism and tribalism. It's not like a Libertarian candidate was allowed in the room to kick both of their asses....
This video is pretty funny though. 

You Are A Libertarian

You Are A Libertarian - fiscally/economically conservative and socially tolerant. 

Please allow me to explain. 

You think that you are a better judge of how to spend your money than anyone else.  You don't have a personal shopper who handles that kind of thing for a small fee, because you don't trust anyone else to get it right.  You wouldn't let John Boehner pick out your clothes or buy your groceries. 

If you play the stock market, you do some reading and research first.  You try to look at past results to predict future performance.  If Nancy Pelosi knocked on your door with a stock prospectus, you'd probably send her away. 

Chances are, if you have a rich neighbor, you've never gone next door with guns and taken their money to apply it to your pet causes.  If Tim Geithner pulled a gun on your neighbor and took his money, and used it to buy G.M.'s and Chryslers, you'd be angry.   

You probably give some money to charity, but very little of it goes to Jimmy Swaggart or Jim Bakker.  You know that no matter how emotional and weepy their appeals, no matter how they paint themselves as unselfish angels, you know that they're con artists.  You feel very little guilt over denying them your money or support.  You don't think this makes you a bad person. 

You think that if person A robs person B for the benefit of person C, then person A is a scoundrel. 

You're also socially tolerant. 

Chances are, you've never beaten or horse-whipped a gay dude or a lesbian woman.  You'd stop anyone else who tried to do so.   

Unlike my Baptist grandparents and parents, you might take a drink now and then.  You probably believe that the 1920's failed prohibition experiment was a disaster for the country.  When noted slot-machine junkie Bill Bennet goes on a radio rant in favor of the Drug War, you sense a disconnect.   

You have a neighbor down the street who is grossly overweight.  But you don't feel that it's your responsibility to control his diet or make him exercise.  If Michelle Obama broke into his home to take away his two-liter Cokes, you'd probably call the cops on her.   

Chances are, you grew up believing that Jesus walked on water, that Moses parted the Red Sea, and that God made Adam and Eve out of mud pies.  You know that those beliefs won't survive too much cross-examination.  So you cut the Mormons, Muslims, Scientologists and Buddhists a little slack too.  You probably don't want to bomb them or their children.   

You know that you spend waaaaay too much time surfing the 'net, watching sports on TV, playing video games and reading instead of exercising.  You know that you need to cut back on the carbs.  You also know that you would knock the living snot out of anybody who tried to mandate the contents of YOUR refrigerator, or monitor YOUR television.

See, you expect other people to be tolerant of your little vices. 

You are a Libertarian. 

What would it take to change your mind?

Patrick Crozier over at Samizdata asks the great philosophical question "What would it take to change your mind?" 
In the link, Mr. Crozier uses the example of Global Warming.  He believes that Anthropogenic Global Warming isn't falsifiable, as there is no weather condition that isn't occasionally used as proof of AGW.  Therefore, it is a religious belief, rather than a rational one.  He begins his post as follows....   

In the Telegraph, Tom Chivers asks: what would it take to change your mind? It's a good question; I'm forever using it in imagined arguments with socialists. It's good because it helps distinguish beliefs that are rational from those that are religious. If you can answer it without being facetious or coming up with an impossible and improbable test then your beliefs are rational. If not, they're religious. It's a question I ask myself from time to time, as in: what would convince me that freedom is wrong?

So what would it take for me to change my mind about freedom and libertarianism?

Here's what would be required for me to change my mind.  See if this works, if it is falsifiable, if it is non-facetious, and if it is rational.

The Heritage Foundation has long published The Index Of Economic Freedom.  They rank every nation by a standard of Limitied Government (low government spending and high fiscal freedom), Rule Of Law (property rights and freedom from corruption), Regulatory Efficiency (business freedom, labor freedom, and monetary freedom), and Open Markets (trade freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom). 

No nation is perfect.  But the citizens of Hong Kong enjoy much more freedom than those of North Korea. 
 
Not every nation is starting from the same baseline.  The U.S. has enjoyed about four centuries of basic respect for British Common Law.  That helps.  Other places have a government and a citizenry who thumb their noses at any contracts or agreements, and the entire nation is run on bribery. 

China's airport have concession stands where helpful Sherpas will set up your new business in three days.  Try that in France.  You'll die waiting. 

Here's a link to see the ranking of all nations by their relative levels of freedom.  Write down the places that interest you.   

Now, check this out....

The Legatum Institute puts out a World Prosperity Index.  In addition to their overall prosperity rank, the nations are judged by their education systems, safety and security, health, and social capital. 

The nations of the world don't have an exact correlation between freedom (liberty) and prosperity.  But it's close.  Of the top 10 nations in the Freedom Index, there are 5 who make the top 10 in the Prosperity Index.  Find me a correlation like that on every pro football Sunday afternoon, and I'll be a rich man by December. 

Hong Kong, Singapore and Chile are all in the Top 10 of the Freedom Index, but not the Prosperity Index.  But these were all third world hellholes within my lifetime.  Then the great Milton Friedman visited them.  They're coming off a lower baseline than, say Norway, Denmark and Finland, but does anyone doubt that they're going to be more prosperous places than the Scandinavia within 20 years? 

I believe that the relationship I see between prosperity and freedom is rational, falsifiable, and non-religious (regardless of how many people accuse me of swapping extreme Baptist fanaticism with extreme libertarian fanaticism). 

I'll change my mind about libertarianism when the Heritage Freedom Index and the Legatum Prosperity Index no longer have a positive correlation. 

So....what would it take for you to change your mind about the benefits of Obama's Stimulus Package? 

What I want

Here's what I want, and why I put in a good number of hours with the Libertarian Party each week trying to reach these goals

1)  I don't want my tax dollars going toward killing people, exceptions being a declared war on another country. 

2)  I want the U.S. military to defend the U.S.'s borders and not those of Korea, Japan, Germany or anyone else.  Letting Hillary fly all over the place seeking out monsters to destroy is not a value-added activity. 

3)  I want to end the War On Drugs.  I don't want to leave the Mexican or Afghan Drug Lords with a monopoly on anything.   

4)  I want to end regulations and bureaucracies that give privileges and tax breaks for approved behavior.  i.e.- "I propose a tax break of 4% for small businesses who employ...."  or "we will protect American jobs by imposing a tariff of...." 

5)  I want to get  Barack Obama and John Boehner and Harry Reid and Rick Perry out of the marriage business. 

6)  I want to legally bet large sums of money on Dallas Cowboys opponents.  And I want to place those bets in Fort Worth, TX without worrying about the police intervening. 

7)  I want to remove all price ceilings, price floors, subsidies, set-asides, and quotas in the purchase of merchandise and labor.  However, those who like the idea of Barack Obama and John Boehner and Harry Reid and Rick Perry getting up in their bidness should be allowed to pay as much as they want. 

8)  If I want to allow ex-Marine medic Ray Lewis to stitch up my arm, I should be allowed to do so.  I trust Ray Lewis.  However, those who like the idea of doctors approved by Barack Obama and John Boehner and Harry Reid and Rick Perry should be allowed to pay more. 

9)  I want a competitor to the U.S. dollar.  If Starbucks agrees to accept a currency printed by Wal-Mart, that's nobody's business but mine and Starbucks'.  (Prediction:  In five years, Coke machines will accept $5 and $10 U.S. dollar bills.  American paper won't be worth.....paper.) 

10)  I ewant to end asset-forfeiture laws. 

11) Before I die, I want to attend a midnight screening double-feature screening of Reefer Madness and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. 

12)  Since I am pro-choice, I want tax-paying parents to have a choice between public and private education. 

13)  Ok, this one is complicated.  Feel free to skip it if you havne't already skipped all my other caffeine-fueld crap....   I want to briefly exist in an alternative universe where ObamaCare becomes the law of the land, exactly as written.  I want ObamaCare's authors to get everything they wanted.  Especially the part where the penalty for no insurance is much, much cheaper than insurance.  And the part that needs 4,000 more IRS Agents.  And the part that calls itself "Affordable".  I want to take notes in this alternative universe for ten years and then come back to this universe with a full report. 

14)  It would be nice if everyone who advocates School Prayer, Ten Commandments In The Courtroom, etc., to spend just a little time reading about The Dark Ages. 

15)  I would like for the Department Of Transportation's CSA 2010 program to be replaced by two sentences:  "If your vehicle harms someone else, you must compensate them for the damages, the inconvenience, and the loss of future earnings.  Driver and vehicle standards are now enforced by 3rd party insurers, and you must have insurance to drive on our roads." 

That's all I want. 
If I don't get what I want, I'm going to strangle these dachshund puppies. 

Ron Paul: Gateway Drug To Libertarianism

I went to hear Ron Paul speak at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth last night. 
It was pure greatness. 
I tried live-blogging it by cell phone.  If you have the patience to wade through that failed effort, you can go here, and hit "next post" after every 1.875 sentences. 


I saw Anna Tinsley from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in the crowd, and managed to get interviewed again.  Here's Anna's piece that ran today:

FORT WORTH — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul isn't getting out of the presidential race anytime soon.
But the Lake Jackson doctor did say that fellow Republican Rick Santorum's decision to suspend his campaign has led many to ask Paul about his plans.

"There were 12 [GOP candidates] at one time. Now there are three," he told a standing-room-only crowd at the 2,856-seat Will Rogers Auditorium on Wednesday night. "It looks like we are cutting the field down.
"They ask me if I'm going to quit. I thought we were just getting started. We have a revolution to fight, a country to change."

Paul, who trails Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, reiterated his themes of limited government, personal liberty and a balanced budget.

He said that troops should come home, that government should be reduced, that the Patriot Act should be repealed, that foreign policy interactions should decrease, and that the middle class needs to stop shrinking and stop becoming poorer. As for the nation's healthcare plan, "the easiest thing is to repeal the whole thing and start all over," he said.

Many in the crowd, who stood throughout Paul's speech, waited for hours to get in. Once inside, they were quick to show their support.

Four shirtless men had painted "R-O-N-!" on their chests. Others spontaneously chanted "President Paul." And many carried signs or wore promotional buttons and T-shirts.

Cries of "I love you, Ron Paul," could be heard throughout the auditorium once he began speaking.
Paul said such enthusiasm is encouraging.

The people with seats down stairs didn't sit down throughout the entire speech.  Can you imagine someone bothering to stand throughout another Obama lecture?  Or a Mitt Romney Powerpoint Sing-Along?  Ugh...

"People ask, 'When are you going to drop out?' When nobody wants to support the cause of liberty," he said. "There's a lot of people who care about freedom ... so we will keep going until we have victory."

Paul's supporters are expected to be a force at state GOP conventions nationwide -- as they were during his 2008 presidential bid -- trying to become delegates for Paul at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., in August. They hope for a brokered convention that could open the door for Paul to become the nominee.

This is his third bid for the White House. His others were in 1988 as a Libertarian and in 2008 as a Republican.

His goal with this week's three-city Texas tour -- Fort Worth is home to his doctor son Robert -- is likely to make sure that people in his home state hear his message.

"He's trying to preach to people his mission and create a libertarian understanding of politics," said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University.

"The longer this primary season goes forward, the more opportunities he has to preach the message of libertarianism across the United States.

"The people who have heard his message ... are true believers."

Count Allen Patterson, who heads the Tarrant County Libertarian Party, among those believers.

"Ron Paul has been the gateway drug to libertarianism for a lot of people," Patterson said. "His movement has gained an incredible amount of traction in the past eight years."

Lance Kennedy, 24, of Dallas said he is a fan but is afraid that Paul might not be able to win the nomination.
Kennedy, a law student at Southern Methodist University, said that even if Paul doesn't win, his libertarian message will continue -- perhaps through his son U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

"The movement will continue, and I think we could still see a Paul in the White House eventually," Kennedy said.

Marion Hostetler, 45, said his drive from Ovilla was worth it to see Paul.

"Ron Paul is one of the few people I actually believe," he said. "When he says something, I think I can count on it being true.

"Hopefully America will start waking up and see we only have one candidate."

I beg to differ with Marion on that.  The Libertarian Party will select a candidate in a week and a half.  Once RP drops out of the race, and he will drop out of the race, there will be two real choices:  The LP candidate or one of the Obamneys. 

Too Much Candy !!

Go here. 
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Awesome. 

Pic came from here.