Written by Justin Hartfield | 02 June 2008

Five Reasons Why Jay-Z Would Make A Better President Than W
By Justin Hartfield

1) Jay-Z lived in the inner city and understands the problems facing the ghetto.

It's hard to imagine two more different upbringings than Jay-Z and President Bush.

Jay-Z, born Sean Carter to a single mother in New York's notorious Marcy Projects, and dropped out of high school to pursue an illustrious career in dealing crack at the age of 17. Comfortable enough in his finances through his illicit hustling, he switched careers and began his ridiculously successful recording career, starting with his first solo album in 1996.

President Bush was born into the most prominent family in the United States and was raised in boarding schools and Ivy League universities. As a child, he always sat in luxury box seats or reserved VIP tables at expensive restaurants. He's had a personal chef and chauffeur most of his adult life.

So is it any wonder President Bush seems so out of touch? How can Bush understand the plight of the common American if he's only known excess?

Personally, I'd rather choose a leader who survived by his own wits alone than one who's been coddled his entire life. Mr. Carter is intimately familiar with squalor and luxury, tragedy and success. He is one of those rare individuals who could bridge the gap between the inner city and the White House.

Advantage: HOV

Written by Eric Plourde | 30 May 2008

My Personal Welfare Story

By Eric Plourde

Being a college student I do not have a ton of spending money to throw around. I am one of the luckier students. I had a scholarship to a smaller school, but because my parents were able and willing to pay I was fortunate enough to attend a much better educational institution. My parents and I have worked out a deal in which I receive spending money from them (as opposed to getting a job and earning my own spending money) so long as I take a heavier course load and graduate in three years (thus getting off their bill an extra year earlier).

Written by Joe Holmes | 28 May 2008

Bob Barr: Libertarian Presidential Candidate…is this a joke?

By Joe Holmes

Some people just rub you the wrong way. For me, Bob Barr is one of those people. And to think he is the torchbearer for the libertarian cause! All libertarians please heed my call – Bob Barr is a hypocrite and the farthest thing from a libertarian.

A little background about Mr. Barr…Bob Barr was a four-term Republican Congressman from Georgia. He gained notoriety in the late 1990’s as one of the most ardent critics of Bill Clinton…calling for his resignation and leading the fight for Clinton’s impeachment. The funny thing is that during Barr’s 1985 divorce he invoked a legal privilege so he could refuse to answer questions on whether he had cheated on his second wife with the woman who is now his third. I guess in Barr’s mind he has the moral high ground because he didn’t lie about it like President Clinton…but something definitely stinks here. I mean, it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.

Written by Justin Hartfield | 27 May 2008

Top Five Reasons Why Libertarianism Isn't Successful

Even though many Americans would agree with libertarian ideas

By Justin Hartfield

1) Libertarians are a grumpy bunch.

Despite offering an ostensibly optimistic pro-freedom message, libertarians are more often found bitterly complaining about the "tyranny" and/or "slavery" of government control. The popular image of a libertarian in the eyes of the public (if there is such a thing) is a Big-Business-touting porn addict whose sole concerns are the ability to legally smoke blunts at the office and squeeze off a few rounds of a fully automatic assault rifle in their backyard. Unfortunately, because they cannot do these things, they are quite angry about it.

Libertarians have been unfairly labeled like this mostly because the leaders in the libertarian movement are, for the most part, unwilling to compromise on their ideology in order to reach a wider audience. There seems to be an unacknowledged contest among prominent libertarians as to who can support the most unrealistic policy proposal in the hopes of being America's Next Top Libertarian.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with ideology, only the strict insistence that one adhere to 100% of one's policy prescriptions, no matter how frivolous, impractical or radical. Misery may love company, but no one else loves misery.