McCain doesn't know much about the economy?

From Barack Obama:

"I haven't looked at all the details of his [John McCain's] capital gains proposal. I will tell you that nobody one really has capital gains right now – so if the idea is the cut capital gains taxes, when I don’t know anybody, even the smartest investors who right now are going to be experiencing a lot of capital gains. That probably is not going to be particularly useful in solving the financial crisis. But I will review the plan and I’m sure that Sen. McCain will have more to say about it tomorrow."

"And I continue to emphasize that this is just one phase of a rescue package that's needed because we still need a rescue package for the middle class. And the proposals I’ve put forward to create jobs, to make sure that families are able to ride though these difficult times, to help homeowners those are all issues that await action by congress and if we don't get it don't in the lame duck session then they’re going to be some of my top priorities when I am president."

We are in a so-called "economic crisis." The way to get out of this crisis is by encouraging investment and strengthening our markets. Obama says it would be useless to cut the capital gains tax, since apparently no one is experiencing capital gains right now. Really? Please tell me how else you plan on convincing people to invest in a market that isn't exactly stunning right now.

And please tell me how the middle class with whom Obama is having this economic love affair is going to benefit from his fabled "job growth" when investors have no incentive to put their money into companies.

What is Neolibertarianism?

From Wikipedia:

Neolibertarianism is a political philosophy combining elements of libertarian and neoconservative thought that embraces incrementalism domestically, and a generally interventionist foreign policy based on self-interest and national defense.

I consider myself a neolibertarian because I don't believe that a person's natural rights stop at the border of his/her country, and that it's our responsibility as a nation to ensure that the liberties we enjoy are spread throughout the world. This is one of the marked differences between neolibertarianism and traditional libertarianism: the lack of support for isolationism. It's been proven many times in the last century that isolationism is an outdated policy that just isn't practical or safe in the modern world. Just ask any of many small "neutral" parties in World Wars I and II.

You could basically say that a neolibertarian is a pragmatic libertarian. Those of us who claim to be neolibertarian realize that holding a staunchly unchangeable, idealist opinion on everything is simply not a feasible way to achieve what needs to be done. In other words, we're practical.

Essentially neolibertarians are liberal when it comes to most social issues, endorsing the path that leaves the people with the most choices and freedoms, and conservative when it comes to ecnomic issues, supporting the plan that leaves situations up to the free market.

Big government is a big no-no for neolibertarianism. We believe that keeping the government out of things not necessary to the smooth functioning of the country is the best solution. This means we support deregulation of the economy, health care, etc.

I must say, though, that I am not a strict neolibertarian, if such a thing even exists. I am very much pro-choice. But, given the pragmatism of neolibertarians, I don't really think they'd disown me for holding one viewpoint that's not traditionally espoused by them.