Tax Day Interview with Libertarian Bob Barr

[UberNoob33]

Bob Barr is NOT a Libertarian.

[Chaaarge]

@UberNoob33 From what I've read he used to not be a libertarian, but he is now. He was a supporter for the war on drugs, but is no longer, he voted for the patriot act, but then said he regretts it. So I guess he has learned a lot during the years^^. He did call for the ending of corporate welfare, which is more than one could say about most neocons. But yeah, I would put him somewhere in between an old school conservative and a libertarian

[JustaLibertarian]

‎"Libertarian Bobb Barr" isn't that an oxymoron?

[debatemaniac24]

Barr is seriously cool. He's not a neo-conservative con man like many people say he is. He's a true, die-hard libertarian conservative and he's AWESOME!

Barr 2012!

[TimeWarp66]

Bob Barr is the Al Gore of the Libertarian Party. We can do BETTER!

[ortonfan7]

i am a super super right wing conservative republican but i might try being a libertarian cause there like the more extreme version of republicans. So what im saying is that i am a libertarian who will vote republican.

[justpickanyname]

I did not like McCain or Obama but voted McCain because Barr is a carpet bagger. PLEASE run someone like Ron Paul. Do NOT get someone who is JUST joining the Lib Party because he can't win the nomination in the Dem or Rep Party.

[RSNelsen]

Libertarian Party subscribers 874

White House subscribers 47,857

[Z3H0S]

I was whole heartedly disappointed when Mr. Barr was given the honor of running on the LP platform. Hopefully in 2012 we can all come together and successfully choose a candidate that is hardcore libertarian & unwavering, a candidate of principle.

[DoctorMurky]

Barr says we need a national defense. No we don't. I need a defense. You need a defense but if "we" have a "national defense" then some people have weapons of mass destruction and you and I don't. Real libertarians understand that the government is "them". Real libertarians understand that taxation is theft and that we should should be for the government having weapons as much as we should be for our worst enemy having weapons.

[peterscottfrost]

If the gov't cut back spending to the level of 12 years ago, they could eliminate the income tax and REPLACE IT WITH NOTHING. Why is Bob Barr such a lover of big government that he must constantly plug the oxymoronic "fair tax"? That proves that he's not a small government guy. A tax to replace the income tax can only be for the purpose of maintaining huge spending and empire.

Income taxes could be eliminated, replaced with nothing and the debt slowly paid down. Why won't the LP call for that?

[YaoiHuntressEarth]

But how would we pay for police, ambulances, the postal service and rescue workers if there's another natural disaster? It would look bad if rescue workers were privatized and they could only save their customers and leave others to die. If I read correctly, if the government didn't have any taxes how can they pay off the debt? I'm not saying tax everything or allow big government, but there are somethings I have doubts about.

[peterscottfrost]

The national debt has already reached a point where it will never be paid off. They just keep spending more and more. Nevertheless, the income tax is not the only source of revenue for the federal government. They get more from tariffs and such. We don't need the Post Office, as FedEx and UPS have shown. When disasters occur, people always help one another, whether obligated or not. We would pay for private police and ambulances the same way that we pay for everything else in the private sector.

[peterscottfrost]

The court stated, in the case of Bowers v. DeVito, that "The Constitution...does not require the federal government or the states to provide services, even so elementary a service as maintaining law and order." In Souza v. City of Antioch, CA, the court said, "Police officers have no affirmative statutory duty to do anything." Yikes! When Katrina hit New Orleans, government failed people took in strangers, private companies got food and water in. By contrast, government agencies were inept.

[peterscottfrost]

Of course, the big budget items are not police, which are generally locally paid for, anyway, but entitlement programs which are spiraling out of control: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, federal pensions, prescription drug benefits, and so on, not to mention our international empire and multiple wars. Now they want to add a national health care plan that they have no way of paying for. It is only a matter of time before the government goes bankrupt. It's a matter of when, not if.

[peterscottfrost]

If the Congress were willing to eliminate these programs, 95% or so of the federal government, end their wars, bring troops home from abroad and devote the proceeds of their tariffs to paying down the debt, conceivably, it could happen. But the reality is that it will not happen. Every year the debt grows, the interest on the debt becomes a larger percentage of federal revenue and the politicians do the opposite of what they should do -- they spend even more.

[ReddHeretic]

If I want to analogize just how much you get in return from government for all this money you're forced to pay them, I cite the inferior dryers of the laundromat in my apartment building.

At $2.00 per cycle, they're supposed to tumble-dry my clothes. Well, there seems to be "tumble"; but there is no "dry."

The only thing feeling dry in this whole transaction is my wallet.

[harrybean2006]

I know I paid too much.

[Excelion333]

I don't like taxes but a tea party just sounds funny to me everytime I her tea party I think of little girls playing with dolls.

[biffslide]

It's not a matter of paying too much. It's that government is a monopoly of force, and it's abusing that privledge.

You have no choice but to support Washington's bad decisions. I don't care if the tax rate is 2% or 74%. If you don't pay taxes, you go to jail and "your" property is seized. If you flee from jail, you will be forcefully brought to jail.

Barr got my vote. With him, this country would not be the debtors prison it's becoming.

[allahjihad11]

Ever noticed how much the government is like a gang?

Taxes are just a legalized form of protection money. If you don't pay the gang comes and takes your property. Replace gang with IRS and you have the modern form of government.

[thatmafiaguy]

I've told me friends and family just that: Whenever you send in a 1040 you're just sending protection money. The mafia doesn't have any laws saying you have to pay them, and neither does the IRS. Yet you still have to pay them or you'll get thrown in prison or your house will get invaded.

[SonictheBedHog]

I pay 35%

[sponielib]

Isn't it time we start excepting people from other parties who realize where they belong? I think the fact that Barr is still saying the same things 6 months later and taking a leadership role speaks as to where he is NOW. People are allowed to grow.

[Libertarian150]

I completely agree.

I've grown quite far myself. Its the first time I've been saying the same thing for 6 months as well!

[gratewings]

I don't know, man, lots of people don't like Bob Barr as the LP candidate, considering his past...

[fs2004josh]

LOL, did you guys hear? Libertarians are listed in the "right-wing extreme" DHS report.

Communist News Network (CNN) and MSLSD (MSNBC) both bashed libertarians, conservatives, foxnews and the tea party protests, calling us right-wing teabaggers funded and started by foxnews lol when it was actually started by CNBC.

Typical liberal elites.

Bob Barr 2012! Vote Libertarian!

[BasicEconomics]

Govt. loves to bend over backwards for minority interests, so if just 10% of the people voted libertarian, our voices would be heard and our objectives would be closer to being met.

[LibertarianParty]

We agree.

[sniper6081]

Hey Bob Barr, I voted for you.

[lemonycheese]

Obama's proudly released how they patriotically paid over $850,000 in taxes.

I'm glad Barr gave a more classy answer.

[MooseOfReason]

I think that's mandatory, since he's an elected official, let alone the head of one of the branches of our government.

[lemonycheese]

Oh. Maybe I'm just not used to it since Media didn't show it off every time Bush paid his taxes.