Here is an article in Reason magazine that claims that Libertarianism is on the rise and not the decline in our society.  While it makes many points about the country’s growth in social areas, I find that its’ points about economic freedom are less convincing.  While many people in our society have taken to heart (especially those who are denizens of the internet) the “social” freedoms that are available in society today, they have never truly embraced the consequences of economic freedom.  Government intervention in the financial lives of Americans is only increasing as this election showed; many people in this country are willing to trade economic freedom for economic “security”. 

The article is highly positive, but I cannot agree with the underlying premise that all signs point to a rise in Libertarian ideals.  There are two strong camps in this country and neither is truly Libertarian.  One is the left who is willing to sacrifice Liberty for economic security and the other is the right that is willing to sacrifice Liberty for cultural security.  Neither group bases its’ policies on the concept of Freedom and Liberty and the willingness to trade Freedom in one area of their lives leads to a willingness to trade Freedom in another. 

The Republicans are ever so willing to give up economic freedom in the current economic crisis, look at which party’s administration is leading this bailout, and that acceptable loss of freedom is rooted in the willingness to give up freedom in social and cultural realms, such as abortion, blue-laws, or forced prayer in schools.  On the other hand we have the Democrats who are willing to give up social freedoms, such as the Fairness Doctrine and gun rights, and that is based upon their willingness to give up freedom in economic realms, such as progressive taxes, price and wage controls, universal healthcare and welfare programs.  These two groups make up the majority of people in this country, even according to the article the number of self-identified Republicans and Democrats make up 61% of the electorate.  Until those numbers are reduced to below 50% the big two parties will manage to retain their power.

If the Libertarian movement is truly going to take hold in this country they need to start at the local level and sweep to office in cities, counties, and state governments.  You have to start by convincing people where they live to give up draconian zoning laws, bans on legal behaviors, stealing property from citizens via eminent domain, and crushing state and local taxation.  That is the first step to making the Libertarian brand a national brand.  Half-baked candidates such as Bob Barr and Ron Paul who appear as out of touch nuts in national elections do nothing to make the Libertarian brand stronger.

Most amusing part of this article was calling Neal Boortz an “in-the-tank Republican talk show host”.  I realize many “die-hard” Libertarians are upset that Boortz has a difference of opinion with them about national security, but it should be obvious to anyone who listens to Boortz that he is not a Republican.  It shows one of the great weaknesses of many Libertarians and the Libertarian party, the unwillingness to accept differences of opinion (something that should be a given for a party and philosophy based in freedom).  Second most amusing part of the article was the praise of “Libertarian” Ron Paul’s candidacy.  Ron Paul made it clear that he was not going to run as a Libertarian and although his views are decidedly Libertarian he refused to advance the party and ideals by running as the party’s candidate.  He chose to place party loyalty to the Republicans about his Libertarian ideals.  In fact the largest weakness in the Ron Paul candidacy was his Libertarian supporters who made their candidate look like a nutcase.

The roots of a rise in Libertarian ideals may exist, but until the people of this country show the willingness to make Freedom and Liberty the central tenet in every aspect of their lives and show a willingness to get government out of every facet of people’s lives the ideals of Libertarianism will never take dominate our society.

Well it looks like the person holding the "Office of President Elect" (OoPE) is trying to take charge of the faltering economy.  So far his economic team appears to be more "centrist" than his rhetoric.  According to the Forbes article, OoPE Obama’s plans may be scaled back when it comes to some of his more risky plans for the economy:

“Perhaps Romer's appointment had something to do with our favorite leak over the weekend, which was that the incoming economic team is seriously considering postponing any tax hikes until 2011. No tax hike on dividends, no tax hike on capital gains, no tax hikes on productive entrepreneurs. This is a huge step in the right direction, and the new team deserves credit for flexibility”

Of course he still plans on “stimulating” the economy with more government spending on so-called “infrastructure” work.  The same sort of make-work jobs that FDR tried with the New Deal and did nothing to really fix the economy.  Not only would they be spending more money that needs to be taken from taxpayers, but that spending is not likely to occur until the need for it is fading.  Quoting the Forbes article again:

“Every dollar of extra government spending has to come from the pocket of someone else who would have spent the money. True, the private sector may not spend that money in the short run given recent "risk-aversion hysteria," but we sense that much of the extra government spending will occur long after the hysteria has passed. For example, we highly doubt that more than one-third of any increase in authorized transportation spending would actually lead to outlays in the next 12 months."

It would seem that even congress is getting in on the act and vowing to send a stimulus bill to a then President Obama on inauguration day.  

All of this just goes to show the hand of the Democrats and the President after inauguration day.  All of the talk of moving immediately and no time to wait in the face of this worst economic crisis since the Great Depression is just an excuse for them to rush to enact their plans.  Much like FDR during the Great Depression, or President GW Bush after 9/11; congress and the President plan on using people’s fears to enact legislation that will trade massive amounts of their freedom for the so-called security of government. 

·         Universal health care will be a must because people are too strapped to afford their own.

·         More corporate bailouts will be needed because there are too many people’s jobs at stake to allow those companies to fail.

·         Government make-work jobs will be needed because all those people out of work need jobs that only the government can provide.

·         There is even the possibility that 401K and pension plans could be nationalized because people’s retirement is too important to leave up to the whims of the market. 

·         Mortgages will be bought or subsidized because people can’t afford to make payments in these tough times.

·         Debts such as student loans or credit cards will be forgiven because people’s budgets are too tight. 

The list goes on.  All of those items can be found in the news as proposals from members of congress or the President over the past few weeks.  Once again there is a drastic change in the attitude of the American people who have been frightened into trading freedom for security and by the time most people realize what has happened it will be too late.

Sorry for the long stretch of dead air.  Several things were keeping me from posting:

 

1) The Election - I wanted to take a step back from politics for a week or so after the election and let things fall in place and to recharge my political batteries.  They are recharged and I am ready to go.

2) Business Trip - I took a business trip down to Chihuahua City in Mexico and had limited time and access to the internet.  I am going to post about this later with some pictures.  It was an interesting trip and gave me some unusual perspective on everything from exporting jobs to the presidential election.

3) The Holidays - We are hitting holiday season and that creates ripples in my free time as early as the beginning of November.  Hopefully it won't stop me from posting regularly through the rest of the year.

 

I am back and ready to go.  The Once and Future King has already made some questionable choices in his "Office of President Elect" and I am sure there will be much more to talk about in the coming months.

 

Oh...and for anyone who was getting the Boortz podcasts, I am sorry about the gaps in last week.  I had my system set up to take care of posting the darn things, but something reset my system while I was away and screwed my whole method up.  I will pick it back up this week.

THE LAW by Frederic Bastiat

In this time of increasing socialistic tendencies in our society this book is a must read for anyone who loves freedom.  Read this book and hone your reasons for love and defense of liberty.  Then pass it on to your friends and family.  Hopefully it will open their eyes and make them call to task those in our government who want to take freedom away in order to control our lives.

 

Here are links to free mp3 downloads of the book it only takes about 3 hours to listen to:

 

I keep hearing in the news and opinion columns that Mr. Obama was elected and will govern: with a moderate mandate, as a radical moderate, with a pragmatic White House, by taking the center road, as a tax cutter, at a balanced pace, and as a pragmatist.  Are you seeing a trend yet?  The same media that has admitted it was in the tank for Mr. Obama and covered the election in a manner that even makes some die-hard lefties uncomfortable now wants to convince us that Mr. Obama is a “moderate” leader with a “center” or “center-left” agenda?

One of the things that amazed me throughout the course of this whole election was that we finally had a liberal candidate who didn’t even try to hide his agenda.  Yes he couched his plans for the tax code in the language of “tax cuts”, but he never made an attempt to truly hide that his tax cuts were simply expanded tax credits and wealth redistribution.  His simple answer to Joe the Plumber that he wanted to “spread the wealth” was a candid admission of his motives for our wealth.

What about his most faithful supporters?  They understand his true agenda and they call it like it is.  From British left-wingers who are salivating that Mr. Obama’s election is going to bring back the liberals to Jesse Jackson’s call to remain true to his campaign and "stay radical" and the call from the New Republic about the secret health care plans of the Democrats these supporters know what Mr. Obama promised and believe he will do what he said.  Just to quote some from these articles:

From Will Hutton’s column:

“Here is a checklist of areas where the discourse is going to move left…Firstly, trade unionism. Barack Obama shares the view of liberal Democrats that the best way to roll back the stagnating real incomes of the squeezed middle of the United States is to strengthen the bargaining power of organized labour…”

“…Obama is a strong supporter of public service broadcasting and caps on media ownership; he wants to see every American television and radio network commit to neutrality…the Fairness Doctrine, requiring equal time between different points of view on broadcast media, should be reinstated…”

“So it goes, too, with tax. This is the president who will redistribute income from the top 5 per cent earners above $200,000 to the other 95 per cent…the point about higher tax rates is not so much the cash they raise but the signal they send about the dominant values of society. Obama has clear views on that…”

“His reforms of Wall Street will be far-reaching…constrain bank bonuses, introduce tough new regulations and…set up a wave of new banking institutions. He is already committed to a National Infrastructure Bank…financing roads, railways, bridges and dams across the US…Obama will try to deliver universal health provision…extend college access... build affordable homes… radically to lower the US's carbon footprint, lower petrol consumption and improve energy efficiency…”

“As for foreign policy, he will be more multilateralist…there will be no Iraqs on his watch…Enlightenment values, democracy and human rights are worth asserting as universal rather than western principles... worth fighting for…”

“For all that, the message is unmistakeable. Barack Obama will change the trajectory of the US.”

“I have found it odd to have been pro-BBC, pro-multilateralist Europe, pro-moderate trade unions, a City of London sceptic, pro-public service, pro-fairness and pro-redistribution for more years than I can remember. Now the leader of the world's hegemonic power, in control of its political, intellectual and cultural levers, is making this cluster of views the mainstream…”

From Jesse Jackson:

“Newly appointed Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told "Face the Nation": "Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste. They are opportunities to do big things.”

“Voters want action; the economy needs bold action. Emanuel encouraged Congress to pass a down payment on a recovery program next week in special session, and promised broader action in January on the economy, energy, health care and a middle-class tax cut. Make no small plans.”

“Ultimately, we are family, and we should all share in the blessings of prosperity. Now, workers of all races, particularly the young, see the American dream moving farther and farther out of reach. And now, for the first time since Lyndon Johnson, they have a president committed to be as bold as the problems we face.”

From the New Republic:

“…not everybody thinks 2009 has to be a repeat of 1994. Since June, staff members from three key Senate committees--Budget, Finance, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions--have been meeting regularly to map out a health care strategy for the coming year. They've formed three working groups: one focused on expanding insurance coverage, one focused on improving the system's functioning, and one focused on financing a new initiative. They've also been meeting with officials representing almost every key stakeholder involved in the health care debate, from doctors to insurers to consumer advocates to employers. The goal of these meetings has been to develop a common vision among Senate Democrats for what universal health care should look like--and how to pass it. Although the discussions still have a ways to go, a rough consensus is starting to take shape.”

His supporters know what he stood and stands for.  They understand what his plans were and are.  So why is it so hard for the media to admit this is the direction he is going to go, especially when unrestrained by a friendly Senate and House of Representatives.  Don’t be surprised when the left-ward tilt moves and moves hard after January 20^th.

 

Well it is finally over.  I've been in kind of a blue daze since the acceptance and concession speeches.  I have been closely following this election since at least the Republican Iowa Straw Poll in the summer of 2007.  My family and I went up there for a fairtax rally and it was my first real introduction to the Republican candidates.  The Democrat race was that interesting yet, it still looked like a Hillary fait accompli.  The big news at the time in the Republican race was how front runner Giuliani was ignoring the straw poll and Iowa and how McCain's campaign seem to be imploding and over before it started.  Well, a year and a half is a lifetime in politics.  So here we are after this long race with a relative unknown and newcomer Sen. Obama as our President-Elect.  It has been a long and interesting campaign and if my intuition is correct it will be an interesting two years till the congressional mid-terms.  So here are some random thoughts about the election:

 

While I find it a true moment in history that the country has finally elected it's first black president, I also find it a shame as well.  There is a sizable portion of the vote for Mr. Obama that was given to him for one reason only, his race.  I am not talking about the black vote for Obama, I understand that.  I am talking about the so-called "white guilt" vote.  There are many people I have heard on radio, television, and in person who expressed an interest in voting for the Senator simply because it was "a moment of history".  My hope is that finally this moment will lead us to a "color-blind" America where people of any stripe judge others on the "content of their character, not the color of their skin".  We're not there yet, but hopefully one day.

 

I am truly upset with the "circular firing squad" of the remnants of the McCain campaign.  In their grand effort to find a scapegoat they are unloading fully on Sarah Palin.  Everything from taking meetings in a towel to sending lawyers to take back those clothes to bubble-headedly not knowing what Africa is or who is in NAFTA, has been tossed out to the major media outlets by "anonymous" sources.  I realize this plays into the Tina Fey inspired SNL chariacature of the Governer from Alaska, but it really just smacks of pettiness and small-mindedness.  Look for this woman to be a national player over the next few years whether the left-wing, media, or "moderate" Republicans like it or not.

 

While it is ironic that the increased turnout for Mr. Obama has sunk all three gay rights bills on the ballot nationally is it really that suprising.  In many ways the black and other minority communities that showed up in increased numbers for Mr. Obama are relatively conservative in many social and moral areas.  So is the LGBT community really that shocked?

 

The media coverage in this campaign was as biased as I have ever witnessed.  I have heard many reasons for the main stream media to justify their position, but it is hard to objectively look at the campaign coverage and come to the conclusion that due dilligence was given.  There has been an increasing trend in movement away from the traditional newpaper and network coverage of politics and news.  I feel this will continue as long as the press ignores half the population and their concerns.  If there is one institution that deserves as much credit as anyone for the election of Mr. Obama it is the Main Stream Press.

 

Mr. Obama is going to face a harsh reality in world politics.  Despite the jubilance and fervor that his election was met with worldwide, the world still dislikes us.  A new president isn't going to really change that.  In fact, it looks like things are going to be heating up around Europe and the situation in the middle east isn't going away.  Whether he likes it or not Mr. Obama may have to play against a harsh world much more than he wants.  Interesting times indeed.

 

Republicans really shot themselves in the foot this time around.  The astounding hari-kiri that the conservative talk radio hosts pulled during the primaries by throwing in their chips behind Mitt Romney and demonizing Mike Huckabee ensured that McCain was going to be the last man standing.  The party was split pretty evenly into three factions all the way through Super Tuesday.  Romney decided to give it up and withdraw, setting the stage for a two-man race.  However, Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Lavine, and Savage had been telling their listeners for months that Huckabee was nothing but a McCain shill and ignoring his record and his stances insisting he was no true conservative.  All of which has been proven wrong over the course of this election.  It worked though.  With their words and those of the media who painted Huckabee as a "religious rightwinger" enough people were scared off or pissed off and they ended up with McCain.  I'm not sure Huckabee as the Republican nominee would have fared any better, but I think he would have been a better candidate for the future of the conservative movement in this country.  As it stands now the conservative brand is damaged and I'm not sure two years of strong left movement by the Democrats will be enough to change that.

 

Evil Out.

A new dawn has risen for us today comrades.  Our new Supreme Leader has been chosen and it is the glorious  Sen. Barak Obama.  He has risen to prominance on a tide of the people, as he put it in his own words:

ALL HAIL THE SUPREME LEADER, ALL HAIL THE CHANGE HE BRINGS, ALL HAIL THE HOPE OF THE PEOPLE, AMERIKA, AMERIKA, AMERIKA!!!

The quiet still of the morning lies over the country.  The smoke and dust of battle have settled in the heavy morning mist.  The soldiers sit motionless waiting for the last charge.  In a few hours it will be over (hopefully) and the country will get its change, no matter who wins.  As for me, I will wait through the day as reports come in and sit glued to my television until victory is won.  See you all on the other side.

Well here we are, the last 48 hours before full national voting starts.  The polls still seem to favor the Chosen One and early voting in certain key states seem to be high, which could favor Sen. Obama.  The McCain campaign is not going down without a fight and have been pressing hard in Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania.  Three states he will need to win in order to eke out a victory.  Obama is most likely going to win New Mexico and Colorado, and if McCain takes all the other 2004 red states Pennsylvania is his only hope of switching a state to give him the victory.  Still it doesn't look good if you look at the Real Clear Politics elctoral map which has Obama at 311 electoral votes they consider solid.  The Zogby map is slightly better for McCain giving Obama only a 286 edge which means McCain needs to take the toss-ups and PA to win. 

The last minute campaigning will be furious and there doesn't seem to be any sort of "October Suprise" that is going to stick, even stories about illegal immigrant relatives, audio interviews from a true Marxist, or even Jeremiah Wright, don't seem to make any mark.  Let's watch with anticipation these last few hours of campaigning, I know I am going to be glued to my TV (much to my spouses annoyance) Tuesday night, I know you probably will be as well.