I feel real comfortable with having a fellow like this representing us. Even beyond any particular political issues, I'd be happy to have the public think that this is the kind of PEOPLE that we are.
Michael Badnarik from Austin, Texas was selected as the 2004 presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party on Sunday, May 30.…
Article comments
26 - Mac Diva
Thank you for the link, Jeff.
Who declared Badnarik a constitutional scholar? Himself. I've looked at his meanderings and they bear little relationship to actual thinking about our actual constitution. Often, the fellow just wanders off onto one of of his weird obsessions. The sad thing is that some poor souls are apparently paying him to become misinformed by taking his classes.
I anticipated Badnarik's tax problems in Comment 13.
27 - Al Barger
If you actually read the article, you'd see that Badnarik has volunteered to in fact settle with the IRS rather than risk a bad scene on the campaign trail. In fact, refusing to pay income taxes is arguably a perfectly principled and even noble gesture - it's just kind of foolish, as the machine is bigger than you are and can simply crush you.
The driver's license business comes from Texas demanding fingerprints to get a driver's license. Again, having driven without a license might not be the best strategy, but he's got legitimate beef. Fingerprinting is for criminals, not drivers. Again, if you read the Liberty Unbound article, you'd see that he's leaving the driving to others at this point.
He is a self-appointed constitutional scholar, yes, but unlike the other presidential candidates, he's actually read the thing- and takes it seriously.
28 - bhw
Well, if lying about a blow job was grounds for impeachment, I can only imagine what chronic unlicensed driving would do to a president.
Oh wait, presidents don't drive -- they get driven.
Okay, I can only imagine what chronic refusal to pay taxes would do to a president.
29 - Al Barger
Last I heard, simply not filing a return was only a misdemeanor - though they'd still take your money. It's LYING on a tax return that becomes a big ol' felony.
I don't think Badnarik would make much of a liar. It's, shall we say, against his constitution.
30 - Mac Diva
It is a good thing we read the sites describing Badnarik's bizarre views early, bhw. According to the article, they've been, um, cleansed.
The infighting among the libertarians reminds me of the infighting among the neo-Confederates. (Which, incidentally, some of them are also.) They're about as interchangeable as peas in a pod, but see themselves as having great differences from each other.
Badnarik's behavior is that of an irresponsible person. Even if he opposes the tax laws, he is benefitting from using the resources other folks are paying taxes for. Let him protest particular aspects of taxing if he wants, but there is no excuse for not paying taxes at all. That is just plain freeloading. His obsession about zip codes being 'federal territorities' makes no sense. He recognizes other kinds of administrative divisions, such as counties and states, so why single out zip codes? Just two examples of why to anyone not equally a crackpot, Badnarik is wa-a-a-y out there.
31 - Shark
Big Al,
re: the 1995 law requiring a thumb print for every driver's license in Texas
The local Libertarians here in the Lone Star State are debating various ways to get around this. The consensus sounds like a pretty good solution, but it has its down-side:
One of the boyz decided that he'd simply chop off his thumbs, which helps with the license issue, but makes it hard as hell to hold a 357 Magnum while driving.
Life's full of tough choices.
32 - Al Barger
Oh, Badnarik surely pays plenty of taxes, for example sales and excise taxes on gasoline that help fund the roads. Other than that, he's probably note using a lot of these services that you have decided that he should pay for.
See, if "we" decide to have a whole bunch of stuff paid for by the government, then "we" all benefit from it, and "we" should all pay for it.
This is about the point where us folks down on the farm start asking about the mouse you apparently have in your pocket. Badnarik didn't volunteer to pay for every kind of crap that anybody could convince 51% of congress to vote for.
The rest of Diva's attacks are mere name calling, and really quite subjective. I've never heard him so much as mention the zip code issue, so I don't see "obsession." [edited]
33 - Mac Diva
My 'subjective' opinions about Badnarik are apparently shared by other people, including some libertarians. As you all know, I like to read. Would never have stopped with Ayn Rand. I've read enough material about Badnarik to know he is like a wacky adolescent in a grown-up's body. His obsession with zip codes -- he believes they are 'federal territories' and refuses to put them on mail -- is just one of many of his far out beliefs. Persons not afraid to be bored on a nice day can learn about that, and other weird stuff, by reading the article Jeff cited in Comment 25.
Many of the libertarians who fell for what is apparently charisma by odd guy standards, did not know Badnarik's beliefs, according to the sources. He basically glad handed his way into the nomination. Smiling, being affable -- but not making much sense. If you re-read Barger's entry, you can see how that occurred.
34 - Al Barger
Apparently Diva is obsessed with zip codes, cause she seems to be carrying on with them. Badnarik, on the other hand, has not mentioned them anytime I've met him or seen him on television.
Perhaps he doesn't like zip codes. I'm not real fond of Social Security numbers, personally. I try not to give mine out unless I really have to. I suppose that makes me "wacky." Nor do I like being fingerprinted. In the immortal words of Bob Seger, it makes me "feel like a number."
I'd never heard of Badnarik until April. There are a couple of quotes from the old website that do sound a bit wacky, which critics are going to go on and on about.
That'd be fair enough, but they're not the real reasons for opposing him. Socialist pinko types dislike the basic anti-authoritarian message of cutting out the welfare state and rolling back the power of government.
Rather than address the actual major issues though, some would rather pick out two or three ill thought out comments from everything the guy's ever said, and try to use those to discredit not just Badnarik, but the whole party.
Those couple of quotes sound to me like just the kind of thing some blogger would type at 2 am, and then look back at a day or two later and want to reconsider. Who amongst us hasn't written something as bad or worse?
Badnarik was a pretty obscure fellow till he rode in and took that nomination in Atlanta. An occasional silly quote like those is no big deal for an obscure blogger, but as a presidential candidate, it won't do.
He needs to be extra careful about how he presents himself, and not be giving cheap ammunition to the enemies of freedom. He has to step up his game. All indications are that he's doing exactly that.
35 - Mac Diva
[edited]
Zip codes simply make it easier to deliver mail. They also are a way to examine demographics on a community basis. However, I can't think of any way they are particularly likely to be used to do harm by the federal government. Perhaps Badnarik will explain his paranoia about zip codes at some point.
36 - Mac Diva
A Google search for 'Badnarik + zip codes'. Anyone who did even nominal research on him would know about this oddity in his behavior, along with others. [edited]
37 - Schar
Michael Badnarik is getting the word out and is energizing folks! LP members should be proud instead of fighting amongst themselves. The in-fighting will not help to strengthen you, but it will divide you and keep you down.
Michael Badnarik is a great speaker, and because of him, the LP has a new member-- me. Now I share the LP position with my friends and have possibly picked up 2 more new members.
Question: If Badnarik is opposed to Zip Codes, why is it a required field on his site (www.badnarik.org) under Support/Donations?
We all have our quirks. Who agrees 100% with anyone, much less a political candidate anyway?
Cheers!