Friday, April 13, 2007

More on Rudy Giuliani

I remember economist/Objectivist Richard Salsman during the 1996 Presidential primaries suggesting during a Q and A that it is so important to weaken the religionists’ impact on the Republican Party, to return the GOP to its more secular identity of the pre-Reagan past, that it is essential to vote for any secular, nontheocratic Republican in the primaries, even if he is a big-government liberal. At the time, he recommended voting for Arlen Specter.

This is another reason why, if we are to have any hope for the Republican Party, which is still the less Marxist/statist/collectivist of the two parties, Rudy Giuliani is the best choice of GOP candidates running now, and even any expected to consider running within the year (e.g., Newt Gingrich). Giuliani is not very religious and strongly supports the separation of church and state.

Yes, as New York Mayor, in the negative column, he welcomed terrorist Gerry Adams, and yes, at times he got government too involved in areas that are not part of its proper function, and yes, he persecuted and prosecuted Michael Milken many years ago. However, in the positive column, he also has been very strong in defending illegal immigrants from deportation, protecting women’s right to have an abortion, he justly and boldly threw terrorist Yasser Arafat out of a concert to which he hadn’t been invited, and according to Wikipedia:

“When Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal suggested that the [9/11] attacks were an indication that the United States ’should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stand toward the Palestinian cause’, Giuliani asserted,
There is no moral equivalent for this [terrorist] act. There is no justification for it… And one of the reasons I think this happened is because people were engaged in moral equivalency in not understanding the difference between liberal democracies like the United States, like Israel, and terrorist states and those who condone terrorism. So I think not only are those statements wrong, they’re part of the problem.

Giuliani subsequently rejected the prince’s $10 million donation to disaster relief in the aftermath of the attack.”

See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Giuliani#_note-62
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/10/11/rec.giuliani.prince/

How many other politicians do you imagine would reject a Saudi’s ten million dollars and give a Palestinian leader like Yasser Arafat the boot? These are very strong indications that Giuliani understands the principle of justice and will act in a non-appeasing manner as President. His positive treatment of Gerry Adams conflicts with these other actions and does trouble me, however.

Steve Forbes, who is usually pro-capitalism in his economics and who is, like Giuliani, very conversant with history, has signed on as a consultant to Giuliani. I think this is a good sign, as Giuliani has not in the past supported Forbes’ Flat Tax idea, but is now embracing it, according to the New York Times. The “FairTax” or National Sales Tax replacing the income tax is probably a better idea, but Forbes’ Flat Tax is the next best thing and a step in the right direction. Overall Forbes is an excellent choice for economics advisor.

By the way, did you know that there is an openly atheist Congressman? It’s Pete Stark, Democrat of California.

See: http://www.secular.org/news/pete_stark_070312.html