Hello, DU. I am a libertarian.

[R.Quinn]

12. Thanks for the in-depth reply

I get where you are coming from with that flat tax scenario. I fully agree that $1,000 means something entirely different to a $10,000/year worker than $100,000 means to a millionaire. However, I think the solution would instead be a lower tax rate! 25% seems super, super high (although I know it was just an example). It may not be possible with our government in its current form, but I think a 10% flat tax rate would be fantastic. The wealthy are still going to be paying far more than anybody else. Making laws more complicated instead of simplifying them is where I believe we get into trouble. If we are trying to achieve fairness across the board, this is one way to go about it. Tax everyone the same.

In regards to your first data table on minimum wage, it seems that sometimes unemployment went up, sometimes down, and sometimes flat-lined. I see a lot of varying outcomes there. Early on it's true that unemployment seemed to decrease, but then from '74 thru '91, it generally increased following wage increases. My main objection is out of principle. For the federal government to impose a minimum wage is to damage the employer and employee's abilities to negotiate wages on their own terms, based on each other's needs and skills. An employer cannot hire a worker for $5 an hour, even if the worker would agree to it. That seems like a violation of liberty to me. Lastly, your recent results mention that eight of those states increased their minimum wages due to inflation indexing, which would suggest that wages are only being increased in relation to the worth of the dollar, which is only enough to keep pace. What this truly means is not that people are getting paid "more", but that the dollar is now worth less than it was before!

Now to firearms. Let me clairfy. My opinion on the shoulder-fired missiles is arbitrary. I wouldn't like it, but I would support private ownership. Now let me explain why. In the 70's and 80's, the US sent stinger missiles to Afghani militia to aid them in their fight against the Soviets. Our own government established precedent that, in our modern age, military rocket launchers are in the scope of citizen militias fighting against tyranny - inadvertently making the case that they could be covered under 2nd amendment. The whole point of the 2nd amendment, after all, is to be a check on tyrany, similar to the purpose of the 1st ammendment.

You are correct about my views of freedom of association. It does lead to some ugly conclusions, but not all valid expressions of freedom and liberty are good ones.

Lastly, I have not yet determined where libertarianism meets environmentalism or food safety. I will humbly submit that libertarianism certainly isn't the answer to everything. I would have to look into these matters further before I can give an educated opinion.

Thanks for your time, Scuba.