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CAPSULE COMMENTARY: “Bush and Gore Debate Our Allowance”

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“The debate between presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore over income-tax cuts reflects how far Americans have plunged with respect to their understanding of individual rights. Bush calls for larger income-tax cuts (and assures us that, unlike his father, he really means it) and Gore calls for smaller income-tax cuts. How many Americans ask the fundamental question: Why should either of you be deciding how much of my money I’m going to be permitted to keep? The haggling over the percentage of income we are permitted to keep emphasizes the true nature of income in America: that it’s simply an allowance from the government. One of these days the presidential debate will revolve around not how big or how small our allowance should be but instead around whether a person’s income belongs to him by right.”

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Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. He was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and received his B.A. in economics from Virginia Military Institute and his law degree from the University of Texas. He was a trial attorney for twelve years in Texas. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas, where he taught law and economics. In 1987, Mr. Hornberger left the practice of law to become director of programs at the Foundation for Economic Education. He has advanced freedom and free markets on talk-radio stations all across the country as well as on Fox News’ Neil Cavuto and Greta van Susteren shows and he appeared as a regular commentator on Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show Freedom Watch. View these interviews at LewRockwell.com and from Full Context. Send him email.