August 27th, 2008 12:46 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Bob Barr, Election, Environment, Free Market, Libertarianism, Liberty, Media, Politics, Video | Comment
Here is Barr’s rather abbreviated appearance on The Colbert Report where Colbert called Barr a “friend of the show”. He discussed global warming and his polling numbers. Not great. Not horrible.
August 8th, 2008 9:00 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Big Government, Bob Barr, Environment, History, Maven Commentary, Politics, Ron Paul, Taxes, energy, john mccain | 3 Comments
No, the Ron Paul supporter I speak of is not someone living in China or Japan loaning George W. Bush money to fund his “illegal” war in Iraq; thereby, giving him “credit”. I am the supporter I speak of, and I think Bush deserves credit for two very important things. It is pretty sad that there are only two things that represent the good in the 8 years of W, but so it goes.
First, George W. Bush has lifted the executive order moratorium on drilling off our coastlines. This action helped lower fuel prices significantly. The price of a single barrel of oil dropped more than 15 dollars in the week following the lifting of the ban. This seems to prove wrong those on the left in Congress (and elsewhere) that claim lifting the coastal ban would not show any immediate relief at the pump. So, thank you President Bush for doing something. Sure, you can do more, but this is a good start.
The second thing I give Bush credit for is his tax cuts. They certainly were not the sweeping cuts we sorely need, but they were fairly substantial. I fear with the potential of a Democrat in the White House beginning next year those cuts will be repealed. They not only should be made permanent, but more cuts should be done. However, cuts are only one part of the equation.
Cutting taxes without cutting spending only increases the yearly deficit and the national debt. This is an area where Ron Paul and Bob Barr rise above every other candidate for President. McCain likes to talk about cutting earmarks, but they are only a drop in the bucket. Doing that without other cuts is the equivalent of removing a single flea from a flea-infested pet.
George W. Bush could have certainly done more in his 8 long years in office, but he has at least done some good. Does his good make up for the bad? Not a chance. But we should at least recognize that there is some good. He even has a few more months in office to do more good things.
What will we think of the Bush Presidency 3 years from now? If history is any guide, once Presidents leave office they become more popular with the American public. Will this be the case for George Bush? Only time will tell.
July 29th, 2008 8:04 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Activism, Constitution, Environment, Free Market, History, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Philosophy, Politics, energy | 1 Comment
Recently Virginia Senator John Warner proposed bringing back the federally mandated 55 MPH speed limit. His argument is that it will reduce carbon emissions and save many thousands of barrels of oil per day. Just about every one-size-fits-all federal government mandate comes with unintended consequences. Is bringing back the 55 MPH speed limit any different? Can other government imposed “green” transportation regulations help us “save the planet”?
Ever since the invention of the automobile governments at all levels have imposed regulations on the industry, drivers, and the roads people drive upon. There have been laws for registering vehicles, mandatory safety standards, licensing, emission controls, speed limits, seat belts, child seats, driving under the influence of various substances, carrying certain materials, using the proper tires for road conditions, traffic signals, and more. As a libertarian I certainly take issue with many of these laws, but I’ve always had a personal conflict between the purist in me who’d like absolutely no regulation and the pragmatist in me that realizes some of these laws may be necessary.
July 24th, 2008 8:53 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Abortion, Civil Liberties, Constitution, Drugs, Economics, Education, Election, Environment, Federal Reserve, Foreign Policy, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, Internet Regulation, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Media, Obama, Politics, Polling, REAL ID, Religion, Ron Paul, Social Security, Socialism, Taxes, War, energy, fisa | 8 Comments
The final Presidential candidate we will be rating on the Paul-O-Meter is the Green Party’s nominee, Cynthia McKinney. For a description of the Paul-O-Meter see this article. We have previously completed ratings for John McCain, Barack Obama, Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin, and Ralph Nader.
You can get in the action too by rating the candidates using our Paul-O-Meter polling application here.
Listed below is our own ratings for Cynthia McKinney.
July 22nd, 2008 8:34 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Abortion, Big Government, Civil Liberties, Constitution, Drugs, Economics, Education, Election, Environment, Federal Reserve, Foreign Policy, Free Market, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, Internet Regulation, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Media, Money, Politics, REAL ID, Religion, Ron Paul, Social Security, Taxes, War, energy, fisa | 1 Comment
It is now Ralph Nader’s turn to be viewed through the Ron Paul colored glasses of the Paul-O-Meter. The Paul-O-Meter rates the candidates on how closely they resemble Ron Paul on the issues. For a complete description and methodology of the Paul-O-Meter please see this article. Thus far we have rated Barack Obama, John McCain, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin.
You can join in the rating fun by using our web based Paul-O-Meter application here. Feel free to check it out and submit your own ratings for all the Presidential candidates.
Find our own ratings for Ralph Nader below.
July 21st, 2008 9:25 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Activism, Banking, Bob Barr, Constitution, Debt, Election, Environment, Libertarianism, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Money, Politics, Ron Paul, Taxes, campaign for liberty, fisa | 2 Comments
Recently Bob Barr has been seen cozying up to left leaning bloggers and everyone’s favorite environmentalist, nobel prize winner Al Gore. He has released statements and been quoted in articles saying things that have upset the Libertarian apple cart. The radical and purist among us seem to have implanted Barr with an ultra sensitive warning device that triggers anytime potential non-libertarian words leave his mouth. Requesting anyone labeled “radical” to relax is like asking a starving man to “eat that cracker slowly”, but in this case calm is what is required.
First, Bob Barr issued a press release “clarifying” his stance on federal government bailing out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The release was entitled, “Privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, End Government Subsidies.” That certainly sounds rather libertarian, but some found decidedly non-libertarian rhetoric within the article.
July 15th, 2008 12:44 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Abortion, Big Government, Civil Liberties, Constitution, Drugs, Economics, Education, Election, Environment, Federal Reserve, Foreign Policy, Free Market, Gambling, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, Internet Regulation, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Media, Philosophy, Politics, REAL ID, Religion, Ron Paul, Social Security, Taxes, War, energy, fisa | 8 Comments
UPDATE: Chuck Baldwin’s Communications Director posted a comment clarifying his position on a few of the issues. This has modified Baldwin’s overall score. Read the comments for more details.
It is now Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin’s turn to be spun through the Paul-O-Meter. So far we have rated Barack Obama, John McCain, and Bob Barr. Will Chuck Baldwin beat Bob Barr’s current high score of 88? Read on to find out.
For a detailed description of the Paul-O-Meter look here.
NEW: If you’d like to rate the candidates on the Paul-O-Meter please do so on our Paul-O-Meter user rating application here.
Continue reading to see our ratings for Chuck Baldwin.
July 11th, 2008 8:48 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Abortion, Big Government, Bob Barr, Civil Liberties, Constitution, Drugs, Economics, Education, Election, Environment, Federal Reserve, Foreign Policy, Free Market, Gambling, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, Internet Regulation, Libertarianism, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Media, Politics, REAL ID, Ron Paul, Social Security, Taxes, War, energy, fisa | 7 Comments
It is now Libertarian candidate Bob Barr’s turn to be spun through the Paul-O-Meter. We rate the candidates on 20 criteria to see how closely they match up with Ron Paul on the issues. Thus far we have rated Barack Obama and John McCain. Read all about the Paul-O-Meter here.
NEW: Now you can submit your own ratings using our new Paul-O-Meter web polling service. Check it out here.
Our rankings for Bob Barr are below.
July 7th, 2008 9:02 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Abortion, Big Government, Civil Liberties, Constitution, Drugs, Economics, Education, Election, Environment, Federal Reserve, Foreign Policy, Free Market, Gambling, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, Internet Regulation, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Media, Politics, REAL ID, Religion, Ron Paul, Social Security, Taxes, War, energy, john mccain | 15 Comments
In the next installment of our Ron Paul Paul-O-Meter effort to rate the Presidential candidates we hold John McCain to the Ron Paul liberty fire. Previously, we rated Barack Obama. For details about the Paul-O-Meter see the description.
Read on for John McCain’s scores on the issues.
July 3rd, 2008 9:59 am | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Abortion, Big Government, Civil Liberties, Constitution, Debt, Drugs, Economics, Education, Election, Environment, Federal Reserve, Foreign Policy, Free Market, Gambling, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, Internet Regulation, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Obama, Philosophy, Politics, REAL ID, Religion, Ron Paul, Social Security, Taxes, War, energy | 9 Comments
A few days ago we introduced the Ron Paul Paul-O-Meter. For a description and overview of the Paul-O-Meter, please read the article here.
Today we begin rating the Presidential candidates with our rating for Barack Obama. The Paul-O-Meter will give us a total score on 20 criteria. The closer a candidate gets to 100 points the more that candidate is like Ron Paul. For each criteria we will give the score and a short justification for that score. Read the results for Barack Obama below.
Liberty Maven
