I'll Vote for Barr

Why am I going to vote for Bob Barr?

I'm not a strict Libertarian loon. I think government has its uses. For example, I think the idea of complete laissez faire economics is foolish. Competition, not non-intervention and the inevitable monopolies, greases the market. I also think we need strong infrastructure on a national level, such as trasnsportation and utilities, with the government facilitating the conflicting interests and making everything uniform. Not all Libertarians think those things, but I've met some who do.

I am Libertarian enough to say that state governments do not need a nanny. The federal government should not, for example, use its power over budgets and funding to control things like education that the constitution explicitly gives to the states (by declaring that the states are allotted all rights not directly given by the constitution to the federal government). And, last time I checked, the Congress and the President are both supposed to run a country of the several states, not the President running a country with some convenient lines on the map to take care of some piddling things.

So, what does Bob Barr stand for that I like? Let me shamelessly plagiarize snippets from his campaign website. (These are snippets, not one incoherent position statement. The incoherence is due only to my selective cut-and-paste.)

• Controlling government spending is a necessary step to enact true tax reform, which will reduce the burden on all Americans and allow them to keep more of their hard-earned money.


• We may not yet be in the nightmare world of George Orwell's classic novel “1984”, but time is fast running out for a society that values freedom and liberty. Certainly, the government must be able to confront crime and terrorism, but its powers must be limited to those truly necessary to protect Americans and which are consistent with the Constitution. Also, government officials must always be accountable for their actions.


• America should not be the world’s policeman. The American purpose is to provide a strong national defense, not to engage in nation building or to launch foreign crusades, no matter how seemingly well-intentioned.


• There are many causes of today’s high healthcare cost “crisis”. Medical care costs more than it should; access to insurance is more limited by government than it should be; the practice of medicine is more regulated than it should be. The American health care system desperately needs to be treated for ill health.


• Turning education over to the federal government, as through such legislation as the No Child Left Behind Act has not worked. Trying to fix failing schools with more money and regulations also has failed to do anything other than waste taxpayer money without results. School reform starts by shifting control over education from government to parents. We must abolish the Department of Education, eliminate federal grants and regulations, and begin moving power back to the states and local communities.


• Private property should not be seized absent an overwhelming public interest, including actual use by the public — and even then only with fair compensation that truly reflects the value of the property.


• I oppose any law requiring registration of, or restricting the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition to law-abiding citizens.


• There is no perfect immigration reform. The government must balance security and sovereignty concerns, which necessitate controlling the border, with the economic benefits of immigration. The best policy would be to stop illegal immigrant flows while accepting more of the world’s economically productive who want to come to America.


• Tax reform is desperately needed in the United States; but before we can reform the tax code, we must sharply reduce the tax burden on Americans. Meaningful tax reform begins with reining in government spending. Second, we need a tax code that makes taxation fairer and simpler for all citizens.


• The federal government should neither regulate personal relationships nor discriminate against individuals for their personal preferences. Laws regulating marriage should be left to the states, precisely where the Constitution places the issue.

Really, there are places I disagree. For example, I don't think Bob Barr's position sufficiently addresses the problem of health insurance as an alternate currency rather than true insurance. I don't think he is right in asking a free market to solve all of our problems with education, which, I feel, are at the root a matter of too many students and their families being apathetic about learning. Barr's energy policy lacks depth. The problem isn't just foreign oil, it is a combination of excess consumption and a lack of viable alternatives. And so on. I'm not particularly in the mood to debate with Barr supporters because, frankly, I am already on his side. For all his flaws, Bob Barr stands closer to what I want than either Obama or McCain.

The main reason I want to vote for Bob Barr, above anything else, is that I'm tired of being part of the two-party problem. By that, I mean that I'm tired of being one of millions of people who feel like a minor party supports my view best but must ignore that to vote for one major candidate so that the vote does not effectively go to the other.

The fact of the matter is that, as things are now, a vote for Bob Barr really is effectively a vote for Barak Obama. But that is only true because people who should, by their views, support Bob Barr continue to think that a vote for Barr is a vote for Obama. It is self-fulfilling. If enough people stop playing this silly game then a vote for Bob Barr will really be a vote for Bob Barr. The country as a whole can ignore millions of people who hide their true thoughts and play the two party game. The country cannot ignore millions of people who openly share their real ideals.