. . .
Most practical libertarians see two basic functions for government, defending against foreign incursions and enforcing contracts. So some of the critical remarks are really unfair caricature.
Re: Louis and a few others
What libertarians say matters as much as what they or those acting in their name do because ordinary folks hold to libertarian ideas. Because I'm interested in politics I'm interested in offering constructive critiques to these people which go beyond Chile- and Nazi-mongering.
. . .
Offense at the idea of corporations as persons, with reference to freedom of speech or due process is puzzling. Corporations are legal forms of organization by which people receive income from capital. I see no problem in such people having free speech or due process in that capacity. The largesse accorded to corporations, such as the lack of consequences for felonious acts, is a political matter, not one related to the corporation as a person, or even to libertarianism. Of course, since I'm not an L, I see no problem in regulating or taxing corporations either.
I had said:
>Re "Moreover, corporate capital is
>taxed more heavily than unincorporated,
>so limited liability is not free."
to which CR replied:
>Sorry, I missed this point before, and it is at least at wrongheaded as
your defense of libertarians and merits comment. Major corporations have
entire floors of tax attorneys dedicated to ensuring that these
corporations' very limited liability is as free as possible. Your comments
overall seem to have little connection with the real world.>
whereas in actuality:
In 1997 the Feds collected over $100 billion in corporate income tax revenues. In addition, dividends which were included in the corporate tax base are taxed to the person. Now these tax levies could be higher, and corporate attorneys may be useful in keeping them lower than they might otherwise be, but in any case this is double taxation. In this matter, if not others, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Finally, re: Doug's remarks on think tanks, it is true that we have a number of organizations attached to political personalities who do little or no research. But the basic group of 'all purpose' think tanks -- Heritage, Cato, Urban Institute, Brookings, American Enterprise Institute, EPI, and IPS -- all do original research, albeit in varying degrees of volume and quality.
As for media savvy, I'm afraid these groups' responsiveness depends on who is ringing them up. PBS's nightly show unfortunately enjoys closer attention from the bigger outfits (like the Center for B&PP) than Bro. Henwood and WBAI. On the other hand, CTJ's tardiness probably stems from their being understaffed. Their media work is done by one of their data jockeys.
Cheers,
MBS