An interesting discussion went on in a libertarian forum where I sometimes post. Libertarians always ask: who is worse, Obama or McCain?

Looking at peoples’ responses, it seems it’s more a matter of internalized priorities. Though I would take serious issue with libertarians who say “let’s support Obama” because “taking over” the Democratic Party is somehow a viable strategy for antiwar libertarians.

Obama is less crazed (in a personal sense) than most of the others, yes. He is probably a little less likely to escalate war and the neocon’s foreign policy. But he is, by far, the biggest redistributionist of them all. THAT’s what scares so many of us. I do not dispute the priority of ending war (and, as I’d add, the Security State). However, support Obama on the basis of some nutty “takeover” of the Dem Party? Some libertarians believe this, and they think that Obamaites can be neutralized and persuaded more easily than the neocon-leaning right.

I can’t possibly compare pro-war foreign policy to domestic socialism and say “I’d take this over that.” I often see people doing that, and, yes, I can appreciate their complete intolerance of war, and thus the notion that the Demopublicans are the “lesser of two evils.” But, I get a strong sense that most of those people do not stand to *lose* oodles on the domestic socialism front. There is no greater personal tragedy than not being able to keep what you earn by the sweat of your brow. One’s time is *valuable* and that time spent earning $$$$$ is time lost to other valuable causes and other humans with whom you have relationships. There is nothing more loathsome than having your money stolen, your money inflated, your property taxed (and having those taxes consistently raised). All so that some supposedly ‘deserving’ parasites can wear nice clothes and have laptops, Internet, and Satellite TV.

How many of you who could tolerate domestic socialism – Obama’s will be the most invasive redistributionist agenda we have ever seen – make in the six figures? How many of you have spent years building a career, working long hours, gaining numerous professional certifications, and essentially, building something for you (and your family), for the long term? How many of you have sacrificed years of your life for future gain, and want to see that gain stolen from you in one sweeping congressional declaration after another? How many of you have worked long hours and have sacrificed other passions and joys so that you could nail down a large bonus payout at the end of the year? How many of you get that bonus only to collect 50 – 60% of it due to taxes? Year after year you have your bonus stolen. You’ve worked a whole year for it, and it’s just gone. And each year you move up into higher tax brackets, and your hard work and great performance is “rewarded” with more work, less pay. Do you have any idea of how that affects the human psyche? I assume many of you can relate to the above, and that’s partly why you are libertarian. Meanwhile, you watch the human parasites sucking the blood from the productive element, all because government policy lay them upon your arm like a mosquito.

People who make $25 – 35 – 45k are a lot less concerned about oppressive taxation. Or, those who haven’t spent years laying the foundation for a future and career obviously don’t have as much to lose within a massive socialist, welfare state. So I notice they tend toward tolerating “bad” domestic policy before “bad” foreign policy.

But I think it’s shoddy to say we can tolerate a massive redistributionist agenda and hopefully recapture wealth. I am so sick and tired of being financially raped – from all ends – in order to fund all of those who lack the ambition gene. I am so sick of working so hard and getting “rewarded” financially, only to see it taken, year after year after year. But it’s easy to say “I’ll take the Dems” when you don’t have a big bucket to steal from, right? There are those who stand to lose *personally* under a massive welfare state. Those people will resist personal theft on a grand scale. Those people tend to think that McCain, because of his constituency, will be a lesser taxmonger than Obama, and therefore less of a threat to personal property.

McCain will keep war going 100 years, but seriously, will Obama be any different on war? Hell no. He won’t battle the powers on that front. Concerning capital gains, taxes, etc., McCain will probably steal less than the for-the-poor Democrats because he will have slightly less of a welfare redistributionist state. Though Obama is not as great a warmonger, and probably wants to reel in America’s war policy, they will both have a similar foreign policy state because the neocons will remain in charge for the most part.

So I can’t say I’d “take” either. They are all evil.

As a last thought: if a miracle happens and Obama does end the war, and all foreign entanglements, are we happy about that as we pay, say, a 70% tax rate and a 75% capital gains rate?

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