If you came across some unowned ground, you'd claim it as private property and put a fence around it. Furthermore, I'd spend tax dollars on infrastructure, schools, health care and other social programs, as well as National parks I wouldn't let a privateering pirate like you sully. Please, I'm never in the mood to be lectured on economics by an adherent of the Austrian school and I could care less what your father thought. Look how you turned out. Hardly a ringing endorsement.

My, my you are the fine fellow today. I guess attack comments like that are always welcome by the crowd here, as I never see anyone comment on your little tirades.

Where did you see a lecture in my post, grasshopper? I doubt seriously that you even know what the Austrian school of economics is all about. You might, but it is doubtful you ever got past the mischaracterizations leveled by our good socialist friends.

If you ever decide that knowing what the other side is really talking about, and not just venting your deep hatred, I recommend you try "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" which is an a book often used to teach economics to 5th graders. (I do know a stock broker here who thinks it is great for adults)

http://www.amazon.com

/Whatever-Happened-Explanation-Economics-Investments/

dp/0942617525 (was too long)

from a review:

"... "Maybury's forte is explaining economics in an interesting, logical, and easy-to-understand manner no small achievement in economics pedagogy. Equally important, the economics in 'Whatever Happened to Penny Candy' makes such good sense. When government's economic policies make us say 'uncle,' let's hope it's 'Uncle Eric,' Maybury's letterwriter and alter ego." --John G. Murphy, Ph.D., President, National Schools Committee for Economic Education"

It would be the best $15 you ever spent, even if only to work up arguments against the ideas presented in the book. Hate only takes you so far.

Yes. My wife, a life long Democrat, always registers independent because we got married during the Carter years and she is still mad at him for the job market we entered upon graduation from college, inflation, and interest rates when we got that first house. I am not real sure that he could have said anything that would have made us feel better at the time; perhaps, perhaps not.

He has made a fine ex-president, and in many ways he was just the "guy on duty" when the ship ran aground. But, he will always be remembered as a "bad" president due to the economy and the fact our helicopters could not function near sand apparently.

Ron Paul is a conservative. Virtually everyone else in the republican party is a - repeat after me:

Right-Wing Authoritarian.

As Paul proves every time he opens his mouth, the repugs are not in any way, shape or form "conservative," and they have not been since 1992 - possibly since 1980.

Amen, bother; and preach it some more.

I told an entire building full of republican colleges that if the Republican Party nominated that damn *elder* Bush just to keep the white house then it was all over for the party. When you elect an ex-CIA man (plus other unsavory family history) then you have real troubles.

Well, it has come to pass. Now, we are damn close to dictatorship --- hell, an election in 2008 is *not* a guarantee.

So, step up to the plate Dems and swing away.

I beg to differ. I am a classic liberal. The kind of liberal that we had before the socialists made the word "liberal" a cuss word and all decent liberals had to start calling themselves progressives; or later, libertarian. I just go a step further into Robardianism and regretfully conclude that a modern nation-state can not be controlled and must be done away with at some point in time.

These labels mean little in the upcoming election cycle, however --- the Democratic Party has the rare chance to once again become the "big-tent" it was and perhaps forge a ruling coalition that will last for a generation. But, I wager they will blow the chance by letting 20 years of frustration out as hate --- and convince the huge amount of people who call themselves conservatives that the Democratic party is not for them.

I hope history shows me to be wrong.

I have nice things to say about some folks who call themselves conservatives, and I have plenty of nice things to say about the brand of conservatism that cares for the Constitution and the freedom this country has been working towards since the beginning.

Spot on.

Even as we have differences on some issues; we all have to come together to fight for freedom and liberty. Great post.

From the comment of a self-described "centrist liberal" on the Mises blog:

"I recently had a discussion with a group of friends that are much more to the left than I, and all of us had the same feeling about him. I believe that he is honest, that he actually believes in the message that he is saying. You know exactly where he stands on an issue because he tells you where he stands. How refreshing. Granted I don't agree with him on pretty much everything but if by some miracle he were elected president I would be comforted by knowing that I would never be lied to again." (as seen on the rockwell blog)