Jane Galt Puts the Boots to Michael Badnarik

Jane Galt is not voting Libertarian this time around. She explains why in no uncertain terms:

[. . .] Mr Badnarik is a barking moonbat. He has, if memory serves, been arrested multiple times for driving without a license, because he views getting one as an unwarranted concession to The State. I believe he also has tax protester sympathies. I am not going to encourage the Libertarian Party to nominate more such by voting for this one.

As the Instapundit would say, "Ouch"!

Perhaps Jane and I have different definitions of what a tax protester might be, but normally I'd think that would be a good reason to support someone. I've done my share of futile protests in the political world, I assure you. But perhaps the tax burden is so much lower in New York state than here in Ontaxtario (and they're not as high here as in Quebtaxec and Newfoundtaxland).

The driving without a license thing may just be a personal foible, but most jurisdictions view it with a very disapproving gaze. And, given the number of unlicensed drivers who are involved in accidents (disproportionally high in a lot of areas, from what I hear), they're probably correct from the standpoint of public safety.

I still call myself a libertarian, but I no longer agonize that I'm somehow supporting the machinery of tyranny by getting a passport or a government-issued ID of another sort. Philosophically, I'd love to see government shrunk down to attending only to a very small group of tasks (defence of the realm being one of 'em: a responsibility the Canadian government signally ignores).