tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post6542438603364689563..comments2024-03-04T17:59:07.208-06:00Comments on Liberty or Death: Presidential Candidates - #4 Bernie SandersBethany Carsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-12267721862460277542015-10-26T18:25:02.992-05:002015-10-26T18:25:02.992-05:00Your admiration for my being "firmly planted ...Your admiration for my being "firmly planted in the Republican establishment" is gratuitous. ;) I have no problem with trumping my Republicanism, since I am a registered Republican. But to be honest, I would not have registered as a Republican were it not that I want to vote in the caucuses. My personal views are slightly more libertarian. I want a lot less government than many Republicans are comfortable with. <br /><br />Socialism and libertarianism are basically the two opposite ends of the spectrum...the only things more extreme would be communism and anarchism. <br /><br />If a person believes a primary function of the government is redistribution of wealth, he or she should definitely vote for Bernie Sanders, as Sanders will do a much better job at that than <i>any</i> candidate, Democrat or Republican. <br /><br />I personally believe the duty of government should be to institute justice, as detailed in Bastiat's booklet <a href="http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html" rel="nofollow">The Law</a>. This short book explains that man has inherent rights from God. Men then take their rights and vest them in a government. A man has the right to self-defence; thus the community of men have the right to self-defence. A man does not have the right to steal from his rich neighbor to give to his poor neighbor or vice versa. Therefore the government does not have the right to redistribute the wealth, since all rights of government are derived from the rights of individuals. <br /><br />Murray Rothbard, in his book <i>A New Liberty</i>, gives an argument for the privatization of roads and highways. I do not go that far myself, as I think it would not be practicable here in the U.S. right now. Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-20885883209318389092015-10-26T12:27:35.387-05:002015-10-26T12:27:35.387-05:00Hi Bethany, Another fine report, this time on Bern...<br />Hi Bethany, Another fine report, this time on Bernie Sanders. I admire you for being so firmly planted in the Republican establishment. :-) Honestly, I have trouble seeing it clearly R or D. Well, I guess it's the lesser of two evils to me. Let's take taxes for a moment. In your comments you said, "Bernie Sanders is very clear about where the money for all that he is promising will come from. It will come from the rich--the top 1%. But as Margaret Thatcher said, "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money". When I go back to my Economics class in college, I remember the professor telling us, one of the primary functions of a government is redistribution of wealth. What does that mean? Well, for example, I am not wealthy enough to pay for even one mile of construction of an interstate highway. So somehow we have to get together and put money from all of us together to build the highways. I think what it boils down to is that we have not done a very good job of redistributing the wealth. One of my neighbors here is Jeff Bezos. Last week he made about $2.9 Billion on just one day when Amazon's stock went up. Of course, none of that is taxable, YET. :-) Here is my question for you: Which party will do a better job of resolving the 1% issue? Thanks for another great post.John's Islandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03618219887687125402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-82147651743370333752015-10-25T14:00:06.970-05:002015-10-25T14:00:06.970-05:00Thank you Gracie! :)Thank you Gracie! :)Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-35207973811298680962015-10-20T13:15:33.658-05:002015-10-20T13:15:33.658-05:00Thanks for all the good information, Bethany...you...Thanks for all the good information, Bethany...you are helping me be better informed! Your photo of the eclipse is lovely and your comment following the photo left me laughing out loud :) xxGracie Saylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09499163425742659172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-62382721626343712662015-10-18T21:48:49.021-05:002015-10-18T21:48:49.021-05:00It probably helped to be taking notes for my artic...It probably helped to be taking notes for my article the whole time; I was able to take his line about "rabid right-wing Republicans" somewhat objectively instead of personally. :)Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-82992306874340263952015-10-18T19:44:18.731-05:002015-10-18T19:44:18.731-05:00Oh man I can't believe you were able to sit th...Oh man I can't believe you were able to sit through all that! I would have left in much annoyance and frustration within the first couple of minutes!Julie Arthur // alonewithmytea.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09810046816078845584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-87516623308210494452015-10-17T23:27:38.180-05:002015-10-17T23:27:38.180-05:00Bernie Sanders is very clear about where the money...Bernie Sanders is very clear about where the money for all that he is promising will come from. It will come from the rich--the top 1%. But as Margaret Thatcher said, "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money"<br /><br />Sanders' plan is to give free tuition so that students and their parents don't have to struggle financially...so you could get a "free ride" too for your good behavior. We can all have the government take care of all of our problems and live happily ever after. ;) Doesn't that sound wonderful? jk.<br /><br />Hard work and God's providence are what made our nation great.<br /><br />Glad you decided to become an informed voter. If we don't think deeply about our choices it is easy to swallow the beautiful pictures and lovely promises candidates make. God bless you too, and thanks for stopping by. Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-17698172636565132602015-10-17T23:16:00.703-05:002015-10-17T23:16:00.703-05:00It is good to vote for principles rather than to v...It is good to vote for principles rather than to vote for a candidate just because he or she belongs to a certain party. I actually ended up writing-in a candidate last presidential election because I could not bring myself to vote for Romney (and, of course, voting for Obama would have been unthinkable). It would be very hard for me to vote for a Democrat; any "Democrat" who stands for what I believe in would be <i>way</i> out of touch with the party. <br /><br />Listening to the Democratic debate though I couldn't help but wonder why Jim Webb is running as a Democrat. He answered almost every question the way a Republican would. I guess he's a Southern Democrat. It surprised me that Kim Davis was elected as a Democrat as well. Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-7279493817980484082015-10-17T23:09:47.543-05:002015-10-17T23:09:47.543-05:00Thanks for stopping by, Marie! :)Thanks for stopping by, Marie! :)Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-77317655779751720122015-10-17T23:08:51.174-05:002015-10-17T23:08:51.174-05:00It seems we have a lot more candidates than usual ...It seems we have a lot more candidates than usual this year...and we pretty much do go straight from one election to another. Last year our senate race was the big thing for Iowans. <br /><br />Ahh, you "foreigners" are so much better informed about U.S. politics than most Americans are on the politics in other countries that it can be embarrassing at times. (I better read up on the Canadian government before you quiz me!)Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-73618667254991502872015-10-17T23:00:16.922-05:002015-10-17T23:00:16.922-05:00Blessings to you as well Aimee! Thanks for stoppi...Blessings to you as well Aimee! Thanks for stopping by.Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-85208299603428802492015-10-17T22:59:45.195-05:002015-10-17T22:59:45.195-05:00If elected, Sanders would be the oldest person eve...If elected, Sanders would be the oldest person ever to assume the presidency. Ronald Reagan was 69 years, 349 days old when he became president, and 77 years, 349 days when he left office.Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-58610293323191356762015-10-17T22:51:07.015-05:002015-10-17T22:51:07.015-05:00Indeed, Sanders is one of the most honest candidat...Indeed, Sanders is <i>one</i> of the most honest candidates. He is willing to take positions he believes are right, even if they are unpopular. Another candidate that seems very honest is Rand Paul. He consistently stands for less government regardless of whether that makes him popular or not. A Sanders vs. Paul race would be fascinating, as they are the extremes in both directions. The things they do agree on might be surprising though; I believe they're both against the Patriot Act for one.<br /><br />Before reading any news articles, and after watching the debate, I would have said Sanders won as well. Clinton glossed over and basically said, "Who cares?" about her many faults, and the news articles say she dominated the debate. Chafee seemed irrelevant. Webb sounded like a Republican. O'Malley seemed pretty happy and excited, but he didn't really make a big impression on me.<br /><br />Sanders does seem to want to change this country into more of the European model. He's open enough about what he wants to do: institute socialism and re-distribute the wealth. I don't think the Republicans actually <i>need</i> to do anything more than quote him. <br /><br />Good quote from Steinbeck. <br /><br />Some people believe in socialism, and admit it. A lot of people believe in socialism and won't admit it because they don't like the word. And then there are some of us with utter distaste for everything socialism implies. I would agree with you that FDR was a bit of a socialist. Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-52260404969794334032015-10-17T15:16:00.560-05:002015-10-17T15:16:00.560-05:00I live in Canada, so there's only so much I ne...I live in Canada, so there's only so much I need to know about your candidates. I can't vote for anyone...idiots or not :)Marthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09262406079948479112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-90306315266004830612015-10-17T08:42:14.053-05:002015-10-17T08:42:14.053-05:00Read up on the candidates. Be an informed voter. ...Read up on the candidates. Be an informed voter. It took me into my late 40's to realize how ill informed Americans are on their own government. This is why we keep voting the same idiots into office. : )Wendy McDonagh-Valentinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14501629967265393495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-38789766553941245182015-10-17T08:40:55.176-05:002015-10-17T08:40:55.176-05:00His age is the least of the reasons for him not to...His age is the least of the reasons for him not to be President!!! Wendy McDonagh-Valentinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14501629967265393495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-55668015673562919972015-10-17T08:39:57.870-05:002015-10-17T08:39:57.870-05:00I don't consider myself either a Democrat or a...I don't consider myself either a Democrat or a Republican. I'm embarrassed to say I did vote Democrat in the last two Presidential elections though. I thought this beautiful country that we live in needed a change. Had I known then what I know now I never would've pulled the levers I did. We are moving in a terrible direction with the middle class of this country being squeezed out. Where do all of these Bernie Sanders followers think the money is going to come from to pay for all of the free stuff he is promising?? Where is the incentive to work hard when the less money you make the more you are entitled to?? My son goes to college full time and works 20 plus hours a week on top of all of his school work to enable himself to go to college because we can't afford to help him out as much as we wish we could while other kids whose parents are here illegally in this country get a free ride. I think that everyone deserves to have a good life but you have to work for it. It shouldn't just be handed to you as a reward for bad behavior. I'm so sad for what we are leaving our grandchildren and their children and so on. If Hillary gets into office it will be another four years of Obama for the most part. And if Bernie gets into office, well I just can't go there. I will tell you I will not vote for a Democrat this time. All signs point to another economic disaster like the one in 2008. I think this is going to happen regardless and we need to prepare for it now. War is what I'm most worried about. Putin is a maniac. Pairing him up with al-Assad is an absolute disaster in the making. I have no words for the deal with Iran. It is laughable if anyone thinks they will not be building nuclear weapons the second we're not looking. Israel does not deserve to be thrown to the wolves like this. Obama should be ashamed of himself for doing this to them but he's too much of a narcissist to see this. Netanyahu will obliterate Iran before he ever lets them hurt Israel. At least one good thing would come out of it. Ugghhh!! I'm sorry I'm writing a novel here. I'm so happy to see young people getting involved and educating themselves about our country and how it's run. I was an uninformed voter in every election I've voted in for the most part. It won't happen again though. My husband and my sons have opened my eyes to what goes on. We don't all agree on certain things but we are all informed. : ) God bless!!Wendy McDonagh-Valentinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14501629967265393495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-46240147975038056872015-10-16T13:59:42.271-05:002015-10-16T13:59:42.271-05:00You know Bethany, I don't consider myself eith...You know Bethany, I don't consider myself either Republican or Democrat. If anything I call myself a Constitutionalist. If a Democrat were to believe in the correct things I would not have any qualms voting for him just because he wrote a "D" after his name. Perhaps that is because I live in the South were this is a fairly common occurrence.<br /><br />That said, I do not agree with Sanders and will not be voting for him in the upcoming election. Good for you though for being brave and going to see him in person! :) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-22884876367098622942015-10-15T22:01:17.067-05:002015-10-15T22:01:17.067-05:00I would have a hard time being there. Good for yo...I would have a hard time being there. Good for you for going. I agree with you and would not vote for him.Marihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06289456727508305342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-38139526248084112792015-10-15T21:49:34.294-05:002015-10-15T21:49:34.294-05:00Iowa probably gets the worst/best of it. Since we...Iowa probably gets the worst/best of it. Since we're the first state to caucus,we have a lot of candidates visiting, political phone calls, and surveys, and see a lot of advertisements.Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-16994309167452500212015-10-15T21:43:40.523-05:002015-10-15T21:43:40.523-05:00Indeed, he is interesting...very different from th...Indeed, he is interesting...very different from the Republican candidates.Bethany Carsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06583914285773271009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-61131874884572164652015-10-15T21:22:31.859-05:002015-10-15T21:22:31.859-05:00It certainly astonishes me how many candidates the...It certainly astonishes me how many candidates there are and how long these campaigns go on. I've heard of Bernie Sanders (at least his name) but had no idea he was running. This was a very interesting read.Marthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09262406079948479112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-43337206634886437552015-10-15T19:02:43.593-05:002015-10-15T19:02:43.593-05:00I agree with you Bethany, but it was an interesti...I agree with you Bethany, but it was an interesting read! Thanks:)<br />Blessings, Aimeeaimeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08255823818961459112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-53170813893418939432015-10-15T12:30:18.867-05:002015-10-15T12:30:18.867-05:00I think hew is an interesting canmdidate but too o...I think hew is an interesting canmdidate but too old to be a president of USGosiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14604712540141917583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7376485905771945684.post-21928281533040486682015-10-15T10:10:04.810-05:002015-10-15T10:10:04.810-05:00I think what everyone can agree on about Sanders i...I think what everyone can agree on about Sanders is that he's the most honest candidate out there. You can always see a politician thinking in their head "let me phrase this to be electable" but I never really see that in Sanders. He says the same things I heard him say when he was an Independent Senator that only a few knew about. Also I would say Trump is honest but I can't tell if he's serious about running for president or if he's just enjoying the attention. <br /><br />I thought Sanders did really well at the recent debate, and he won practically every online poll post-debate. But then CNN and other major media sources said Hillary was the winner. The DNC sure wanted to put that crown on her head and is obviously giving her every advantage possible. <br /><br />I think Republicans are really starting to fear Bernie now. They're getting ready to red-bait him with a passion. Maybe calling Obama a socialist-communist dictator every day all day has dulled that affect. The biggest question is "can he win?" which is a ridiculous question in a way. Sanders' platform is more social democracy which is pretty much the standard of every center-left political party in almost every country in the world. Most parties that call themselves democratic socialists can gain a few seats in their parliaments but most coalition with the other center-to-left parties to gain any real power. <br /><br />There's a quote by John Steinbeck that's never been verified (by those who knew the author well can imagine him saying it) "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat (working class), but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." <br /><br />Which is true because red-baiting scare tactics have worked in America. The socialism word is not scary in Europe. Great Britain elected a "socialist" right after World War II to replace a popular Winston Churchill as Prime Minister.FDR was certainly a socialist by European standards. He wanted to implement universal health care but wanted to pass Social Security first and then he passed away before that could happen. Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08051255914419363819noreply@blogger.com