Radical Libertarians?

[Milton Bradley]

This weeks NOW, on PBS, was about how Howie Rich ( no idea who this guy is ) is using money, and George Soros like tactics to spread the word about limited government, and the reduction of government intrusion.


Ballot Initiatives . NOW | PBS

( You can watch the show rom the website, or follow the links, and read it yourself. )

In the voting booth this fall, voters in states across the country will find ballot initiatives with titles like "Taxpayers' Bill of Rights" and "SOS - Stop Over Spending." The aim is to slash state spending, with the potential for deep cuts in health care, education, and other social services. But are these local initiatives really "home" grown? This week, NOW investigates how organizations associated with one wealthy New Yorker, Howard Rich, are secretly providing major funding for ballot measures. NOW also takes a look at the questionable tactics used to put these issues on your ballot. Is someone manipulating your state's laws, your vote, and you? Over the past 30 years, New York real estate magnate Howard Rich has steered millions of dollars toward the libertarian causes he has long championed, though he has managed to largely remain under the political radar while doing so. The 66-year-old Republican, who goes by "Howie," serves as chairman of Americans for Limited Government, a national coalition that works with local groups to "protect property rights, stop out-of-control government spending, and hold judges accountable to the rule of law." Organizations associated with Rich have funneled nearly $7 million into 2006 state initiatives aiming to limit government in 12 states, according to an investigation by The Oregonian published last month. Rich has generally declined to reveal how much of the money comes from his personal wealth, and is not required by campaign finance laws to report how much he privately funds his various groups. Early in his career, Rich was active in the Libertarian Party and worked with other leaders of the party, such as powerful billionaire Charles Koch, to promote their small-government, free-market causes. But after an internal party dispute in 1983, Rich left the party and continued his activism with private groups and foundations. Rich also sits on the board of directors of the Cato Institute, an influential libertarian think tank founded and funded by Koch and based out of Washington, D.C. In 1990, Rich and his wife Andrea took over the Libertarian Review Foundation, renaming it the Center for Independent Thought. The Riches have also financially supported the libertarian magazine Reason.

Here we have a Libertarian that is doing no different that the famed Liberal George Soros, but somehow the Libertarian gets labeled a "radical" for doing so.


I would contend that what is radical is that Democrats, which are closer ideologically to Marxists than our Founding Fathers, and Republicans, who are closer ideological to Mussolini, and Hitler that our own Founding Fathers, are going about labeling us as radical.


What is radical is that the average voter does not seem to understand that they are often closer ideologically to the enemies of old, than they are to the founders of this nation.


Sad to hear this take from one of the more prestigious news shows still left on the televised media. Truly disheartening.

[bishop]

radicals come in all different shapes and sizes..

a guy like badnarik who does very peculiar things with his income taxes and support the return to gold, for example, deserves to be labeled as a radical. that doesn't mean that guys like ralph nader can't be considered radicals.. same as the war mongering neocons, or the uberliberal democrats...

[GoldPheonix]

Quote by: Milton Bradley This weeks NOW, on PBS, was about how Howie Rich ( no idea who this guy is ) is using money, and George Soros like tactics to spread the word about limited government, and the reduction of government intrusion. Ballot Initiatives . NOW | PBS ( You can watch the show rom the website, or follow the links, and read it yourself. ) Here we have a Libertarian that is doing no different that the famed Liberal George Soros, but somehow the Libertarian gets labeled a "radical" for doing so. I would contend that what is radical is that Democrats, which are closer ideologically to Marxists than our Founding Fathers, and Republicans, who are closer ideological to Mussolini, and Hitler that our own Founding Fathers, are going about labeling us as radical. What is radical is that the average voter does not seem to understand that they are often closer ideologically to the enemies of old, than they are to the founders of this nation. Sad to hear this take from one of the more prestigious news shows still left on the televised media. Truly disheartening.

It's PBS, what did you expect? PBS is ubber liberal leaning, and libertarians are the few people can hold a debate with them on intellectual issues, so they need to label them "radical".

[Osborn F Enready]

And again, yet more media marginalization based on SQUAT.

The fear of third parties taking over politics solely rests on the shoulders of corporate leaders, lifetime politicians, and the military industrial complex..... hence, gerrymandering, rigged debates, unaccountable voting machines.

[Milton Bradley]

Quote by: GoldPheonix It's PBS, what did you expect? PBS is ubber liberal leaning, and libertarians are the few people can hold a debate with them on intellectual issues, so they need to label them "radical".

Hehehe


In truth, I'm a little uncomfortable with this whole situation. Seems like an issue mired in controversy, and I admit I don't know a lot about government, or the laws at this level.


I did think it sucked that PBS was so quick to affix the label, and I think there might be a little truth to your witty comment above.

[grandpa]

A few points:

1. The Libertarian Party isn't quite as radical as what 'Libertarian" orgically meant, which was basically anarchism.

2. During the debate between Badnarik and Cobb on C-Span, it was quite impressive how much they agreed upon. I think people ought to keep that in mind.

Grandpa h.