Bob Barr : The interview you must read
Posted September 5th, 2008 by bedr1
output
Bob Barr is interviewed at length by Chip Wood in The New American. It is probably the best interview that I’ve read with the Libertarian candidate. Many topics are covered and as usual Barr answers the questions in a direct fashion. His answer regarding changing positions is probably the most sincere I’ve heard him speak on the subject. Below is the section I enjoyed the most, but the entire interview is truly a great read.
TNA: Let’s shift from international issues to a major domestic topic, taxation. Many conservatives are in favor of a flat tax or a national sales tax, the so-called “fair tax.” Meanwhile, Senator Obama wants to increase taxes on the oil companies and wealthy investors. What is the Libertarian Party’s position on the federal income tax?
Barr: Simple. We believe it is an inappropriate, overly oppressive, way-too-complex way to provide necessary funds for the government to carry out its appropriate and necessary activities. We want to abolish the income tax and repeal the 16th Amendment.
As president, the first thing I would do is to dramatically reduce federal spending. That’s first and foremost. If we don’t start reducing spending, then whatever system of taxation we have is going to require too much of the people’s money.
Once we’ve begun to cut spending, I would move dramatically to reform our system of taxation. I would call for the repeal of the 16th Amendment, which allows the federal government to have a progressive income tax. Then we can move toward a much fairer system of taxation. That might be a national sales tax, a version of the fair tax, or something else. But first we must cut spending.
TNA: Earlier you mentioned abolishing the Department of Education. Are there any other federal departments that you want to get rid of? Not reduce. Not streamline. Not make more efficient. But eliminate entirely?
Barr: There are any number of them. As president, I would institute a commission to examine every agency, office, and department of the federal government and to ask, “What is the constitutional justification of that activity — that is, where in the Constitution is it authorized?”
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Blowback - the paradox
Some libertarians are questioning why Barr would sue the State of Texas to keep Obama and McCain off the ballot, when obviously, that's not a libertarian position.
As you may know, the Texas ballot deadlines were missed by both the dominant parties, in part because they scheduled their conventions afterward.
Texas is a micromanager of the parties, telling them when to hold their state conventions, etc.
Barr will be on the ballot, because he made the deadline. They did not. Ron Paul may not be the only one in Texas who won't be voting McBama.
This is a fun situation, because any court will probably side with "the best interests of voters" and say that Obama and McCain can't be kept off because they missed the deadline. This would be a great decision, because so often these rules are used to keep alternative candidates off ballots. Baldwin, Barr and many others would have more time to gather signatures.
In other words, if Barr loses this case, we all win.
I'm hoping he pushes it.
http://campaign.blog.bobb...
IMissLiberty
Not only that but this is why its great that Barr is going after
Not only that but this is why its great that Barr is going after Texas - if the SOS in Texas say that its in the best interest of voters to put Obama and McCain and their respective parties on the ballot, this sets precedent in Texas and what that means is that one of the most difficult states in the union to get on the ballot will become a whole lot easier in the future.
Because precedent is how the law works, once the rabbit is out of the hat it is very hard to put it back in. Not only will a Texas reversal of the law help in Texas, but it could also set precedent for other states. What is the main reason why Ron Paul did not run on a third party ticket - he said its too hard to get ballot access.
We should all do a money bomb for a legal fund for the Libertarian Party of Texas to fight this in court.
I have to say I've set here going over everything that has
happened over the last 18 months. Most people have no clue of any of the things that have been done out of their site. It is so hard to watch Mccain get up there and talk when we have all been here the whole time and we know what these people are really like. WE KNOW THE TRUTH!
They say the truth will set you free! I am wondering how does this feeling of hurt in my heart set me free. I understand the truth of the bible and how it can set me free (if you don't agree with that thats ok not taking a jab at others its an internal reflection). But how does seeing what has happened set me free. How does knowing how corrupt all these two main party bosses are set me free. How does seeing the people who work in these parties and organize them go along with all the backstabbing and manipulation. These people know what they are doing they all circle around and plot and plan on how to protect the bosses they are not innocent people being taken advantage of. If that was true would they stand up and chant USA when someone stood up to voice their opinions. No they have a vested interest in this somehow. whether it be they have alot of time invested, lots of money at stack, or they just truely like the evil activity that goes on in their party. I understand why the poor people will come out and work for the DNC they are protecting there monthly Checks that are sent out each month or their union protection which secures there higher pay. But what makes the supporters for the RNC come out and work so hard and be willing to lie cheat and steal to protect these bosses? It boggles my mind to think about it. What is their payoff. Who are these people? Are they middle class or upper class? Do they work so hard even to the point of lieing in order to make sure that their taxes are the ones that are the lowest. If so; While these same people that toot the horn of war and governmnet agencies and programs to watch every citizen in the world They want to make sure they are not the ones who pay for it. They wish to make the polocies of this nation and start all these costly programs but hold power in order to be sure they will not be the ones who pay for it. So they set the rules. They run up the dept and then the poor sucker who is stiffled and put outside in the rain gets to pay for it. I hate to say this but we are having laws passed to take away or every freedom and at the same time being forced to pay for our own enslavement. Not because we believe in the polocies or the programs but because we have no voice. We have no representation. We have no voice. Yet we all set and pay for the whole thing (taxes). In this country you can not be taxed without representation! whatever It is happening right now. We have went through the process we have come out and participated in this process and we even voted in a voice if that voice was heard then we would have had representation even if we didn't win a majority at least we would have had an input. But our representatives have been silenced so now the reality is in this country you can be taxed without having a voice. You are to be good little subjects and do what you are told. I hate to say this but that is where we are. History has proven that once you have reached this point in a tyranny, once the tyrannt has a taste for getting the whole peice of the pie, they will never be happy with less and they will use every means necessary to continue their lifestyle.
We must take this hand we have been delt we can only work inside what is offered (the aternative is unimaginable). We have all stated that we must try every peaceful means we have to have our voice heard. So lets go through the options.
1.) We have tried the Republican party and we have witnessed for ourself that this is not an option they have been very clear they do not care about our voices. They do not have our interest at heart!
2.) We all know the other party is no diffrent and it is as controlled as this party. (as scary as it is there is the option of voting Democrat to insure a Mcain defeat. However we all know that we really have only one party so while you are stripping Mccain of his victory you have just drove the nail in your own coffin and aloud the communist party full reign Your taxes will go up and chess match for Global governance will begin in earnist. This vote would not be in our interest it would only be for revenge!
This only leaves two options in the deck
3.) Bob barr I hear alot about he is a neo con but I need to know something before I can go any further with this line of thought. If Bob barr was a neocon he is just one man. My bigger question is about the libritarian party. Is this man bound by the platform of the party can he vote outside his platform. If he is bound by his platform We need to know more about its limitations on him are they in our interest do they give us a voice on global government or taxes. bottom line do we get a voice period! I would like someone to address this. This also goes for the constitution party do we get a voice in your government.
4.)Chuck baldwin he is by far the best choice of men based on ideology but can he win or can he pull off enough votes to even make a voice for us to at least be heard. Will he be so overlooked that we will find ourself standing outside in the rain still with no representation will we again find no voice? Do we have the numbers to raise this man up and make him bigger than them all to stand out above the crowd? Will he even be on your ballot in your state? Can we get him on all the ballots?
5.) Ron Paul write in vote. Can we get him on the ballot in all the states how many can we get him on. Will they even be counted (this one actually should be put on each option we really don't know if or vote will be counted no matter which option we choose) How much will this cost. Will it even make a statement at all would this voice just be a peep. If so it would be just as easy to stay at home and watch American idol it would be just as real.
I would like to know what others think. Remember keep in mind its about where can "OUR" voice be heard. Don't get all sidetracked with a bunch of garbage. I am being serious! I don't care about your personal agenda. Put self aside and think about what is best for our group voice. We are in this together. For once humble yourself and think of the group voice. We are a collective of likeminded indivduals whether you like it or not. we are all the in the same boat.
You made me do this:
http://www.chbn.com/Clip....
watch this
Barr/Borat 08
lol
http://www.flickr.com/pho...
LOL
that is too much!! i have to say, i don't trust barr.
~peace
hey hey hey johney come
hey hey hey johney come lately to this movement, with your 12k plus number on here. Knock yourself out voting for McSame. Do you kiss his pic before going to bed at night?
roflmao!
I just about died laughing.
Oh My!
That was hilarious! It was like Candid Camera. Did you see the look on his face when he realized what he said? Classic.
Healthnut4freedom
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6
Ron Paul Press Conference
Ron Paul Press Conference
Ron Paul has invited Chuck Baldwin to a press conference
outlining the positions voters should look for when choosing a presidential candidate.
Date: Wednesday, 9/10/08
Time: 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: National Press Club, D.C.
Dr. Steve Parent
www.whokilledtheconstitut...
www.revolutionbroadcastin...
man, I was totally against
man, I was totally against Barr. Everybody on this board knows it. Baldwin, however, is going nowhere fast. He's getting no money, no interviews, nada. Not one single person I know of has heard of him. I think for the sake of this Revolution I'm going to have to get behind Barr. Perhaps if we could try and help get him in the debates, on TV more etc there might be a chance still to win this thing. I would have thrown all of my support behind Baldwin for the 08 race but it looks like his campaign just stalled out and went nowhere.
I hope everyone doesn't want to stab me in my mouth because of this but man, we REALLY need to keep this message in front and center. After having read that article, I think Barr would be a helluva lot better than either McCain or Obama. I know about his voting record, his CIA background, his neocon ways,....and i don't think he is a complete true convert yet, but i think he stands a much better chance at getting in debates and bringing the message forth than Baldwin does. I honestly don't think we have till 2012 folks. We NEED to get SOMEONE in the debates that at least partially represents our views. Barr seems to be getting more airtime than Baldwin, and that's the only reason I'm even writing this. Please folks, lets focus the eye of the Revolution now towards Barr and the LP to try and keep the fire burning.
I'm TIred of Choosing Between Socialism and Fascism
I'm Tired of Choosing Between Socialism and Fascism. I want to make my voice for liberty heard in the General Election and my vote to count and be clearly visible. I am supporting Bob Barr now. If we have a horse that wants to run in the right direction, lets let him go and not stand in his way. Bob Barr is running full-out. Lets let the liberty horse gallop as far as he can go.
So, rather than work for a candidate based on principle...
... you'll work for a candidate based on the number of votes he/she can get? Why not go work for obama or mccain then?
wrong, ill work for the
wrong, ill work for the candidate that can get the freedom message out. Barr has a better chance at doing that than Baldwin does. If Baldwin were higher up in the ranks money wise, ballot wise, air time wise, political experience wise, I would be busy saying BALDWIN BALDWIN!! but he's not. His campaign has gone nowhere, which really sucks, as he is more closely aligned with Ron Paul than Barr is.
Do we want to show the powers that be that 3rd parties ARE going to be relevant? That is NOT going to happen by voting for somebody that's barely even on half the states ballots. The election is 8 weeks away. NOBODY even knows who Baldwin is. Barr has been on Colbert and multiple other news shows. It will be MUCH easier for us to get the Revolution's message out to the masses using Barr as the conduit. Baldwin will just be flushing our time/effort/message/money down the toilet because there just isnt enough time to bring him name recognition.
'wrong' ... LOL
You're making me laugh.
mcStain says he wants to change washington too, and everyone pretty much knows him. why not work for him instead? it'll get the 'change' message out. even obama wants 'change', and he's got far more name recognition than barr. barr is a has been who hasn't learned how to successfully play both sides of every fence he's ever come across. what kind of support can he possibly muster? ...
I'm starting to see why the ruling class is right. People by and large are to stupid to govern themselves.
I knew the anti-Barr Paulites would start realizing
that supporting Barr is really the only choice unless they're content not having a representative voice at all in the rest of the campaign. If there's nobody giving our political views in the debates they're going to be really sorry they didn't do more to get Barr in. Without him in, those debates are going to be really painful to watch. Hopefully more come to this realization in time.
"I knew the anti-barr paulites..."
Uh, WRONG francis.
Barr BLOWS. He's a career politician who's trying to angle his dangle to finish out his career by saying... 'look, I really wasn't part of the problem' while he was, and is still.
People like you who buy his line of bullshit are even worse than a pusher hounding his ex-junkies. Fuck off!
I want a candidate that's honest, who hasn't violated his/her oath of office, and who isn't full of shit. Guess what? Barr ain't that candidate.
Ha-ha-ha, ha, he, he, he ROTFL
The implication that ANY politician wanting to advance his career, would leave one of the dominant parties to join the LP, is hilarious!
IMissLiberty
Jeff
There's only one guy that fits your criteria and he may be the only guy in the last 50 years. We have to make sure we get the message out as much as possible. Spreading brush fires in the minds of every freedom loving man woman and child.
"It is the responsibility of the patriot to protect his country from its government."
— Thomas Paine
You're right
And you know what, I find it pathetic that we have been forced to choose the 'lesser of two evils' time and time again.
I'm done with that. We all need to dump that mentality...permanantly. We need to, or we're screwed. For as long as we vote for the lesser of two (or three, four..) we'll still get evil.
There is a better way, there are better candidates, we don't have to settle for some guy who voted to screw us over just because he claims to have seen the light and might get part of our message out.
Good article. Even though he
Good article. Even though he is no Dr. Paul, it is comforting to know that my home state of GA can produce some sane minded people. He's got my support
I met him at the Rally
Ok, you Barr supporters have been really getting on my nerves. Really. Some of you have been extremely pushy. Because of that I was ready to vote for Bozo the Clown rather than Bob Barr. So think about your methods.
When I met him, however, I sensed a kindred spirit to Ron Paul. So, I have to vote for someone else and, if he is on the ballot in Arizona, I will probably be voting for him.
Healthnut4freedom
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6
Healthy nut where did you meet him at?
Healthy nut where did you meet him at?
In the lobby
In the lobby before we went into the Rally. He was a very warm person who was genuinely attentive to each person who spoke to him. We took a great picture with him.
Healthnut4freedom
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6
Yeah I was in the lobby that morning.
Saw him and saw the majority of Ron Paul people around him uninterested and not really trying to talking to him. He wasn't getting the warm welcome that he was expecting.
Even after the rally the Barr people were having trouble getting people leaving to take Bob Barr signs.
That is what I saw first hand.
I thought that was disconcerting
Maybe a lot of people did not see him. It was packed and he is not a tall man. Also, a lot of people probably don't even know what he looks like. He was pointed out to me. I knew what he looked like but I might not have even noticed him if someone didn't point him out.
I took a Bob Barr poster. Unfortunately it didn't survive the trip home too well. But, I want people to recognize his name and know there is an alternative.
Healthnut4freedom
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6
Yea that was a good article...
He really has been racking in some good money recently...he's is definitely on track to raise the most money ever by an LP candidate....
You know...
...I wouldn't mind seeing RP endorse him, even if he isn't identical to RP in his views. It'll stick it to the McCain camp good, and the publicity from RP's endorsement will transfer into money for Barr and probably debate spots. I'd love to see him in the debates.