True Love Travels on a Gravel Road

Dorian Davis and Brainwash take the little-explored Liberaltarian route in an interview with Mike Gravel. "I have a Libertarian streak," Gravel says.

DORIAN DAVIS: One question sure to come up in the HRC/LOGO debate on August 9 is the future of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." How do you stand out from the rest of the Democratic field on this?

SENATOR GRAVEL: Hillary promised to solve this problem in 1992 and wimped out. Now her defense is, "It was a transition policy." Transition, hell. It's been here for 14 years. Obama is doing the same thing. He says we need more troops. What we need to do is not throw soldiers out who have a different sexual orientation. Obama is drinking the Kool Aid, like all the other politicians who have bowed to the Military Industrial Complex.

Gravel also speaks a little more about the Green Fair Tax, which he mentioned when I met him in June. It doesn't sound much different than the Boortz-Linder-Thompson(?) tax, actually. (Warning: veiled reason magazine sales pitch.)

Comments

[Brandybuck]

The problem with the Fair Tax, of either Green or Boortz variety, is that it is revenue neutral. In other words, it doens't reduce either spending or the overal taxation level. All it does is replace one tax for another. It does nothing to curb the out of control spending of an ever growing government. It's smoke and mirrors to mislead the public.

Besides which, since this isn't a constitutional amendment, there's nothing stopping congress from bringing back the income tax the day after the FairTax is enacted.

[thoreau]

Every election needs at least one grumpy old man who will call bullshit on everybody else.

[Stephen]

It's revenue neutral, but it makes it a lot more obvious how much you're being taxed. It's easy for a politician to say they're going to raise taxes a bit -- maybe it's not on me, maybe it'll be offset for me, etc. -- but when you hear on the news, "taxes have been lowered by 1 percentage point to 19 from 20," it's a lot more tangible.

I believe, also, part of Gravel's tax idea is to give a rebate of all taxes up to a certain level. So if you were a single person who earned $50,000/yr, you'd get back a check every month for taxes paid on $15,000 of hypothetical spending. There's a chart somewhere online that I once saw, with the various rates and how much would be paid back to each person/household.

[JasonC]

Nick Lowe reference! David, you and I have very similar musical tastes. Next time you're in Chicago, let's hang out.

[VM]

JasonC:

he's supposed to be hier today, but Mr. Steven Crane failed in his planning duties.

[JasonC]

Damn you Mr. Steven Crane!! Damn you all to hell!

[Warren]

like all the other politicians who have bowed to the Military Industrial Complex.

Surely he means something like the Old Guard Military Establishment Culture and not the Military Industrial Complex. I don't think Raytheon's stock holders object to Stinger missiles being used as anal probes.

Maybe I'm being pedantic, but seems like an important distinction to me.

[Jim Anderson]

I preferred Gravel when he was stoking fires and throwing stones in lakes.

[Dave Weigel]

I'm in Chicago from late tonight through mid-day Monday. Interest parties should contact me at dweigel at reason.com.

[JasonC]

You going to lollapalooza, Dave?

[VM]

hokae. have done so, Hr "Weigal"

[crimethink]

The last reason we should allow exposed gays in the military is because we're desperate for troops. Putting myself in their designer shoes for a moment, I would consider that to be insulting to gays.

[Grotius]

It is nice to see that HRC/LOGO invited Gravel to the party.

[Grotius]

Err, link here.

[Ray]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think Gravel supports the regular FairTax plan. He calls it the green fairtax to point out the fact that a tax on only new goods would create incentives for recycling and buying used goods.

[Cesar]

The feds don't care if they run out of revenue, BrandyBuck, they just borrow and/or print more money and charge the balance to the next generation.

Starve the beast just doesn't work.

[Shelby]

Hillary promised to solve this problem in 1992 and wimped out.

And here I thought Bill was president then, not Hillary. If she's already served two terms, she's barred from running again! Does Gravel plan to raise this issue at some point?

[ChicagoTom]

I'm in Chicago from late tonight through mid-day Monday. Interest parties should contact me at dweigel at reason.com.

Reason Happy Hour : Chicago ?

[TrickyVic]

""""Hillary promised to solve this problem in 1992 and wimped out. """"

Shelby kinda beat me to it.

How much power does Gravel think a first lady has or should have?