Web Search powered by Yahoo! SEARCH
I don't believe Mr. Carlson has much idea of what true libertarians believe. I suggest he may want to start with this link - http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...ism - he should also note that Ron Paul who he mentioned and the platform of the Libertarian Party were in opposition to the Iraq war even when the war was popular with the American people and at least publicly supported by a significant number of populist members of Congress (political expediency?). Mr. Carlson also seems to isolate "bankers bad decisions" as having created the current economic situation. While those bad decisions certainly contributed to the financial meltdown there is plenty of blame to go around. The FHLMC and FNMA are both creations of the federal government and a perfect example of why the federal government should not use its power to encourage lending activities that are not supported by good economics. Finally, many of the borrowers who cannot now repay their loans also made poor decisions by buying houses they could not really afford or by using all the equity in their homes. The American people should not be paying for either the Banks' or the borrowers' greed (yes, they were both greedy) or poor government policy. Libertarians have been consistently against big government and increased federal spending whether pushed by Democrats or Republicans - and not as Mr. Carlson says only when someone proposes spending on the sick, indigent and uneducated.One final thought - I certainly agree that the tea party gatherings included some patently offensive signs and comments. Some of the anti-war gatherings during the Bush years included material just as patently offensive. Both, however, are covered by the first amendment - if we are going to try to eliminate everything that offends someone it's going to become a very quiet, boring world.
