Reason Writers on Stossel: Matt Welch Talks Tea Parties, Midterms, and Prop. 19

On Oct. 21, Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch appeared on John Stossel's Fox Business Channel show talking about the 2010 midterm elections. Excerpts in two parts:

Comments

[Com'on man]

The gubment is going to suck up 18% of GDP no matter what. Nothing can be done. Wtf kind of cynical shit is that, Matt?

There is only one way to starve the beast: tax reform (revolt)! I like Dan Mitchell's stategy: flat tax, repeal the income (and all other taxes), then a single, simple national sales tax.

I've been reading this magazine and blog for a long time, and you motherfuckers never talk about tax reform. What's up with that?

[Cyto]

Sounds like a nice idea, until you note the stats for support of Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid in general (over 70%) and even among Tea Party voters (over 60%). As long as the entitlement 3rd rail remains untouchable, no tax formulation is going to work.

At least with a tax that is "singular and simple" you'd readily be able to identify your personal tax burden. Perhaps that alone might be the lever to move people toward considering relinquishing some of their entitlements. For a counter-argument to the "people might let go of entitlements" idea, I offer France.

[Com'on man]

For me, the most appealing aspect to a simple, single tax is removing some of the Congressholes' ability to social engineer and manipulate the economy. Not to mention the capital that flees the country would probably return. Of course, what would politicians run on? "I'm gonna increase/decrease your one national sales tax."

Right now there are 65 cosponsors for H.R. 25.

[MlR]

Yeah, that's crap determinism. Up or down. There's nothing magical about 18%.

[wayne]

Kudos to Matt. I have read lots of your stuff, Matt, but this is the first time I have seen you speak. Maybe you should run for President? We could do worse.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Welch/Cordevilla 2012?

[Com'on man]

Dude, if anyone from Reason is going to be Presidente, it should be The Jacket. Nick clearly has a healthy dose of STFU, you fuckstick asshole, in him. He could be our fashionable equivalent of Ahmadinejad.

[wayne]

Nah, Nick will be secretary of state. Balko will be DOJ, Bailey will head up DARPA.

Al Gore will be VP, always a bride's maid and never the bride, boo hoo.

[ken]

For information on Libertarian action worldwide, please see http://www.Libertarian-International.org

[Spiny Norman]

So what happened to the frogs?

[joshua corning]

Pretty sure they were feed flies and put back into the swamp they came from.

If they were boiled on Fox news we would have seen insane rage erupt already all over the nets, TVs, and newspapers of the world.

[Flex Nasty B.I.G.]

did he seriously boil frogs? that's pretty distasteful.

[Doug]

You're right. Frying is much tastier.

[Fist of Etiquette]

So what happened to the frogs?

I watched the episode last night and I can report by the end of the hour the frogs had cut the gas pipeline to Stossel's studio, set his golf cart on fire and demanded their birthright privilege of not being boiled.

Mythbusters, Stossel ain't.

[Elambend]

Dude, didn't Welch have a bit part in LA Confidential?

[Grandma's Cunt]

Stossel should have let Matt talk more. He kept deferring to that bumbling old dullard while Matt was clearly on his game as always.

[wayne]

Matt was on his game, but the old did pretty damn well, I especially liked the part where they took questions from the studio audience.

[Ram Genis]

"Get thee to a hosery," apologies to Wm Shakespeare - Hamlet Act 3, scene 1, 114?121

[Joe M]

Damn, Matt, you're looking downright respectable.

[Warty]

What's the most appropriate adjective for Matt: debonair, dapper, or dashing?

[Joe M]

Why not all three?

[sage]

debonashepper.

[Solitudinarian]

Really good stuff, Matt. I enjoyed it immensely. But: When's the cameo on Mad Men?

[Suki]

Don't party like it's 1773 yet.

[Yup]

Exactly...

[sage]

Matt,

Are you guys seeing an increase in subscriptions? I was wondering if you and your staff's appearances on TV lately was correlating with that. You guys are out there, no insult intended.