Book TV: Ivan Eland "Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty"

Ivan Eland talks about his new book, which ranks the presidents on the merits of their policies and the extent to which those policies contribute to peace, prosperity, and liberty. Commentary is provided by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and Rick Shenkman of the History News Network. This event was hosted by the Independent Institute in Washington, DC.

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[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 Single-payer healthcare, as it is called is a euphemism. Who is the "single-payer" in this case? Turns out it's the government. The government of course does not have any money except what it confiscates. So the "single-payer" turns out the be the worker, the wage earner, the entrepreneur, the small-business owner, the middle class, the tax payer. A bit of socialism here; a little collectivism there; some corporatism thrown in for good measure and soon you have real despotism.

[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 We can all have socialist views, thoughts, hopes and desires. This in itself do nothing to curtail individual liberties. It is when these mere wishes become actual legislation that the trouble begins. Maher once said he didn't believe anyone should eat meat. I happen to agree with him. He went on to say that his take on meat eating was only his opinion and he would never attempt to pass a law against it. That is what libertarianism is all about. Persuasion instead of force.

[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 I agree that turning the abortion matter over to the States may mean that some States will regulate abortion adversely. Some will ban it altogether. Others will make exceptions for rape or incest or the life of the mother. Still others will always permit abortions up until the first trimester. It is disconcerting, yes. But no one will need to travel to Europe to have an abortion, only perhaps to another State. Technological advancements in medicine will also change things,

[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 It's not a far cry if you are making such a fuss about pollution and carbon footprints. We're starting to pick the gnat shit out of pepper here. The main crux is that Maher is marvelous at telling other people how to live their lives, especially those he disagrees with. Meanwhile, no one better dictate to Maher what he can do with his money or his body or about his lifestyle. There is something intrinsically hypocritical in his "do as I say and not as I do" approach to tolerance.

[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 The person Maher took to task for owning multiple dwellings was Senator John McCain. He said it on "Real Time" prior to the 2008 Presidential elections. I am no McCain fan by any stretch but Maher's diatribe was about personal extravagances. It would not matter if McCain owned eight house or eight cars or eight polo ponies. The point is if Maher wanted to purchase eight Teslas, who cares? So long as it is his money. Maher spends and he should therefore let others spend.

[jessc1979]

@jeffersonianideal First of, let's talk about whether it's his right. The discussion is whether buying such a car makes him a hypocrit because he criticizes ppl who buy multiple homes (I've never heard him say that btw).

How do you know he didn't choose to buy the Tesla because he thought it was worth the price? And aren't the Leaf and Volt only just going on sale whereas the Tesla has been available since July? How do u know he wouldn't have purchased it anyway even w/o govt subsidies?

[jessc1979]

@jeffersonianideal But you can have socialist views and not be inevitably dangerous to personal liberties, like some of Maher's views. I don't think single-payer healthcare fits that description for example.

[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 Maher For about $40,000 he could have purchased a Chevy Volt. For about $26,000 he could have purchased a Nissan Leaf. Also, the imperialist Federal Government forced the taxpayers to subsidize part of Maher's purchase. Maher may have thought "what a good boy am I" going "green" but there is little doubt that the Tesla was a way for him and his girlfriend to look cool. Nothing wrong with that. His money, his inherent right of course. Just allow others their own personal choice.

[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 Government is force, pure and simple. It is this inherent characteristic of government that makes any government expansion and intervention at the expense of individual liberties so inevitably dangerous. You can choose not to do business with a particular store or corporation. Try disobeying a government edict and see how far you get. By a barrel of a gun, government will insist that you adhere to their draconian laws and regulations. No individual and no business has that power.

[jeffersonianideal]

@jessc1979 Of course it about more than the issues you mentioned. But it is also about every issue, every personal liberty, every government expansion into the personal lives of its citizens. It does not matter what the individual freedom is. But whenever anything associated with personal liberties is turned over to the government, it instantaneously becomes a political issue to be decided by those with the most political power and influence. That will not be you and it will not be me.