SC, I'm picking up subtle clues here.  You are thinking of supporting Mr. B., perchance?

;)

Hetty

Can't Git Nothin' Past Hur 

SC, I'm picking up subtle clues here.  You are thinking of supporting Mr. B., perchance?

;)

Hetty

Can't Git Nothin' Past Hur 

[/quote]

Me and a FEW, a VERY FEW others.

I doubt I can win you back SC - though I will keep trying. 

Just a question:  Hypothetically speaking, what if John McCain selected Huckabee as his running mate and made support of FairTax one of his campaign issues.  Would that win you over?  (I concede that is not going to happen - perhaps unfortunately, but it will take more years of laying the groundwork.  But what if it were to happen now?)

MWL

back in 92

I voted for Perot

BushI said read my lips

I did

he lied

I can not vote for McCain he is NOT a conservative.

I must vote for Bob Barr.

Government is the problem NOT the solution.

I am fiscal conservative and socially liberal.

I can not vote for Obama or McCain.

Bob Barr wants to blow away the Federal Reserve and the IRS that is music to my ears. 

Barr implies that the Fed should be politicized. Several times he is critical that the Fed  is unelected. If we politicized the Fed, the results would be disastrous. Barr is dead wrong on this. He said that the economy was fine before the creation of the Fed. Over time, he is right, but what he doesn't tell you is the frequency and the magnitude of the booms and busts in the 1800's. The Fed does have the ability to smooth out the economic cycle through managing the supply of money, which it controls through interest rates.

Mark 

SC, I too voted for Perot in '92.  For pretty much the same reasons you did.

BTW, I also voted for Roger McBride (the Libertarian) in the Ford-Carter race in 1976.

Since I became old enough to vote in 1968, no Republican has ever been elected President without my vote.

If this was four years from now and Iraq (and possibly Afganistan) were more stable, I might just join you.  However, with the nation still in the early, crucial stages of World War IV against Islamist totalitarianism, I simply do not feel we can afford to take the risk of a President Obama this time around.

We are also likely to see two Supreme Court Justices retire in the next four years.  Who would you rather see appoint their replacements?  Someone who holds out Ruth Bader Ginzburg (!!!) as an ideal justice?  Those are desisions that could possibly affect the nation beyond our lifetimes.

McCain nees the support of most conservatives to win.  But he can't win only with conservatives.  He needs support of moderates and independents as well.  He's bucking a headwind - this is no 1980.

All I ask is that you continue to think about it as the campaign rolls on.  Best regards as always.

MWL

Barr implies that the Fed should be politicized. Several times he is critical that the Fed  is unelected. If we politicized the Fed, the results would be disastrous. Barr is dead wrong on this. He said that the economy was fine before the creation of the Fed. Over time, he is right, but what he doesn't tell you is the frequency and the magnitude of the booms and busts in the 1800's. The Fed does have the ability to smooth out the economic cycle through managing the supply of money, which it controls through interest rates.

Mark 

[/quote]

Hi Mark you are quit correct!

But If I was give a choice between the current

Fed , a computer  and NO fed at all.

I would select

1) a computer to set interest rates

or

2) no fed

or

3) fed

I would select the computer or NO fed. 

SC, I too voted for Perot in '92.  For pretty much the same reasons you did.

BTW, I also voted for Roger McBride (the Libertarian) in the Ford-Carter race in 1976.

Since I became old enough to vote in 1968, no Republican has ever been elected President without my vote.

If this was four years from now and Iraq (and possibly Afganistan) were more stable, I might just join you.  However, with the nation still in the early, crucial stages of World War IV against Islamist totalitarianism, I simply do not feel we can afford to take the risk of a President Obama this time around.

We are also likely to see two Supreme Court Justices retire in the next four years.  Who would you rather see appoint their replacements?  Someone who holds out Ruth Bader Ginzburg (!!!) as an ideal justice?  Those are desisions that could possibly affect the nation beyond our lifetimes.

McCain nees the support of most conservatives to win.  But he can't win only with conservatives.  He needs support of moderates and independents as well.  He's bucking a headwind - this is no 1980.

All I ask is that you continue to think about it as the campaign rolls on.  Best regards as always.

MWL

[/quote]

If I was old enough to vote, 72 I think, I would have voted for McGovern I told my Grandfather this he was appalled.

I am sure out of  all the people here my move to the right has been the hardest.

As the great Milton Friedman pointed out, a computer to set monetary policy might just work fine.

Your #1 sounds good to me too.

But we don't get three choices.  We only get two:

1.  Fed (The current fed, with all its imperfections).

2.  No fed  (but with monetary policy set by an agency created by, and acting at the wim, of Congress)

That makes it a tougher choice ;-)

MWL

If I was old enough to vote, 72 I think, I would have voted for McGovern I told my Grandfather this he was appalled.

I am sure out of  all the people here my move to the right has been the hardest.

At least you went in the right direction,  SC.  Though still too young to vote, I supported LBJ in 1964 over Goldwater.  How appaling is that?  I too learned as time went by.

MWL

As the great Milton Friedman pointed out, a computer to set monetary policy might just work fine.

Your #1 sounds good to me too.

But we don't get three choices.  We only get two:

1.  Fed (The current fed, with all its imperfections).

2.  No fed  (but with monetary policy set by an agency created by, and acting at the wim, of Congress)

That makes it a tougher choice ;-)

MWL

[/quote]

You either believe in the free market or you do not.

The Fed does NOT. 

If I was old enough to vote, 72 I think, I would have voted for McGovern I told my Grandfather this he was appalled.

I am sure out of  all the people here my move to the right has been the hardest.

At least you went in the right direction,  SC.  Though still too young to vote, I supported LBJ in 1964 over Goldwater.  How appaling is that?  I too learned as time went by.

MWL

[/quote]

Shouda

coulda

woulda

At least you went in the right direction,  SC.  Though still too young to vote, I supported LBJ in 1964 over Goldwater.  How appaling is that?  I too learned as time went by.

MWL

:) 

Shouda

coulda

woulda

"If a man hasn't become a liberal by the time he's 20, he doesn't have a heart.  If he hasn't become a conservative by the time he's 40, he doesn't have a brain."

- Winston Churchill

MWL

Shouda

coulda

woulda

"If a man hasn't become a liberal by the time he's 20, he doesn't have a heart.  If he hasn't become a conservative by the time he's 40, he doesn't have a brain."

- Winston Churchill

MWL

[/quote]

How could he (Winston Churchill) be so smart and ME be so STUPID!

SC

A computer is not running for President, Bob Barr is, and his idea to politicize the Fed is pretty bad. Friedman won the Nobel prize for his work at the University of Chicago. He showed that the best the Fed can do is to increase the supply of money at a constant rate, somewhere near the growth rate of the economy. During the 60's and 70's, the Fed was constantly missing the targets and timing of interest rate changes. They have come a long way since then, but they do favor inflation over deflation, which is good. No inflation is preferred, but they aren't that good yet. This thing with Barr gives me pause. He should know better. Either McCain or Obama will be President. You may want to think about which of those is worse before you pull the lever for neither.

Mark 

SC

A computer is not running for President, Bob Barr is, and his idea to politicize the Fed is pretty bad. Friedman won the Nobel prize for his work at the University of Chicago. He showed that the best the Fed can do is to increase the supply of money at a constant rate, somewhere near the growth rate of the economy. During the 60's and 70's, the Fed was constantly missing the targets and timing of interest rate changes. They have come a long way since then, but they do favor inflation over deflation, which is good. No inflation is preferred, but they aren't that good yet. This thing with Barr gives me pause. He should know better. Either McCain or Obama will be President. You may want to think about which of those is worse before you pull the lever for neither.

Mark 

[/quote]

Hi Mark,

I could be wrong BUT

Gold and Economic Freedom

by Alan Greenspan

[Editor's note - It may surprise more than a few gold devotees to learn they have an ideological friend in none other than Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan. Starting in the 1950s, in fact, Greenspan was a stalwart member of Ayn Rand's intellectual inner circle. A self-designated "objectivist", Rand preached a strongly libertarian view, applying it to politics and economics, as well as to religion and popular culture. Under her influence, Greenspan wrote for the first issue of what was to become the widely-circulated Objectivist Newsletter. When Gerald Ford appointed him to the Council of Economic Advisors, Greenspan invited Rand to his swearing-in ceremony. He even attended her funeral in 1982.

In 1967, Rand published her non-fiction book, Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal. In it, she included Gold and Economic Freedom, the essay by Alan Greenspan which appears below. Drawing heavily from Murray Rothbard's much longer The Mystery of Banking, Greenspan argues persuasively in favor of a gold standard and against the concept of a central bank.

Can this be the same Alan Greenspan who today chairs the most important central bank of them all? Again, you might be surprised. R.W. Bradford writes in Liberty magazine that, as Fed chairman, "Greenspan (once) recommended to a Senate committee that all economic regulations should have fixed lifespans. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) accused him of 'playing with fire, or indeed throwing gasoline on the fire,' and asked him whether he favored a similar provision in the Fed's authorization. Greenspan coolly answered that he did. Do you actually mean, demanded the senator, that the Fed 'should cease to function unless affirmatively continued?' 'That is correct, sir,' Greenspan responded."

I view the dollar as a place holder for human effort.

Having a fed that with a stoke of a pen take the place of human effort rings false.

And if we have to live with a federal reserve

then we must make bank deposits equal:

deposits = capitol + interest + expansion of money supply. 

So if in 10 years the money supply doubles then so does your deposit in a bank or CD Plus interest

any less is theft. 

True conservatives  should definetly think about voting for Barr.  McCain is way to liberal.
 

But wait: Barr has NO AMERICAN FLAG PIN on his label and NO AMERICAN FLAG on the wall behind. And I'm supposed to trust this guy. I don't think so. He is obviously not a patriot and his glasses look European and elitist to me. And do you see how he moves his hands around like some sort of professor? ELITIST!!  No way would I trust a guy like that. 

I agree with the gist of what Santa Cruz has written.

I remember the day G. Bush Sr. asked me to read his lips and indeed he lied.

Our founding fathers warned us of "entangling alliances" in foreign affairs.  Bob Barr heeds their wisdom.

A consistent 5% of all primary voters (democrat and republican) voted for Ron Paul and contributed heavily to his campaign.  Ron Paul did remarkably well for having so little money.  If Bob Barr gets 5% of all voters to vote for him in the fall he will make a difference.

I believe Bush, McCain, Clinton and Obama as well as many other leaders in Congress have underestimated the seething anger in America over our borders not being secured. By borders I do not mean just the Mexican Border but the Canadian Border and our ports as well.

Bob Barr is going to score big time on this issue and I predict will do surprisingly well in the upcoming election.  Too bad Mayor Bloomburg won't be Bob Barr's running mate.  Bloomburg being from New York City and with billions of dollars to put into a campaign would be a big asset.

thank you

Mr. Purrington

Santa Cruz,

Barr didn't mention the gold standard. His main complaints were "unelected" Fed officials and the bureaucracy.

Mark 

 Barr didn't mention the gold standard.

I agree he did not.