“Woodrow Wilson. . . He also enacted the first federal income tax. . .”

Actually, that’s not technically true. Lincoln did it in the Revenue Act of 1861 to help pay for the Civil War. It was repealed ten years later.

Actually, it’s not even “non-technically” true. Grover Cleveland allowed a second federal income tax, the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act (no, the “Wilson” in that law wasn’t Woodrow) to become law without his signature in 1894, and the Supreme Court struck down in 1895. It was largely in response to the Pollock decision that the Sixteenth Amendment was passed (a process that doesn’t involve Presidents).

Wilson may have been a crappy President all around, but to single him out on income tax strikes me as more than a bit odd. The worst that can be said of Wilson on this front is that he was the third U.S. President to sign a federal income tax into law, and the first to sign a constitutional one.

And an academic poobah!

John McCain

2. Who did you vote for in 2004 and 2000?

Bush in 2000, and Bush is 2004. 2004 for Bush only because Kerry pissed me off with his comments against the Vietnam War vets

3. Is this the most important election in your lifetime:

No, 1980 was bigger. But this is damned close. The thought of a Obama Presidency with total Dem control of both houses of congress keep me up at night.

4. What will you miss about the Bush administration?

The Bush Daughters.

5. Leaving George W. Bush out of consideration, what former U.S. president would you most like to have waterboarded and why?

I’ll be even more evil and say John Adams for his signing of the Alien and Sedition Acts. Setting precedent for elimination of Civil Liberties.

1. Who are you voting for in November?

Barr, because he’s the best of what’s out there, even though he’s not perfect.

2. Who did you vote for in 2004 and 2000?

Voted for Browne in 2000 but supported Bush among the major-party candidates. Voted Badnarik in 2004 but supported Kerry simply to have a split party government.

3. Is this the most important election in your lifetime:

No. They’re all “the most important” when they happen, then they fade into obscurity.

4. What will you miss about the Bush administration?

I’m gonna miss the comedy it created. That’s about it.

5. Leaving George W. Bush out of consideration, what former U.S. president would you most like to have waterboarded and why?

I’ll be evil and say Abraham Lincoln, for being the most overrated President ever, especially when it comes to his distaste for civil liberties (i.e. revocation of habeas corpus)

Plenty of fine Reason writers are not planning to vote for Obama, as you should note. It’s still a great magazine, one of the most worthwhile magazines there is. I would pay for it, if I didn’t just steal my dad’s copies. I also want to write for it someday.

Speaking of my dad, is it weird that I learned of that fact that he didn’t vote the last eight years from Reason.com? Yes it is.

I am surprised he didn’t vote for Harry Browne, though.

Radley, props for your Wilson pick. I was pleased to read so much support for loathing the man. My anarchist cousin (not anarcho-capitalist, mind you) might be alarmed to agree with all you dirty capitalists; Wilson was always his pick for worst favorite.

I know that Barr was speaking mostly about the legal technicalities. But he didn’t just mock the idea of Wilson being a hero, but of being a victim, as well. He could have added one sentence in that article condemning the law and the state’s prosecution of Wilson, but he didn’t.

Like I said, it’s not so much what Barr is saying now (besides things like admiring Scalia), but what he’s not saying, in terms of taking responsibility for his absolutely horrendous, bigoted, authoritarian behavior in congress.

I’m not saying McCain is the perfect candidate, but compared to Obama’s one party rule, huge entitlements, higher taxes, and stifling of free speech issues, he is a dream.

I could see voting for Barr. That is acceptable. But anyone who calls themselves a Libertarian and votes for Obama is simply a Liberal too ashamed to call themselves one.

Wilson wasn’t a hero, simply a victim. He wasn’t a victim because of his race, he was victim becuase of bad law prohibiting certain actions.

The article is defending the state’s actions…the actions of releasing the videotape to the public that was used to convict him. The Feds came in and stated that the state of Georgia could not do that becuase it amounted to pornography distribution. How was Wilson supposed to get a fair retrail if the Justice Department decidedes to trump state law and keep evidence from the public?

2. Who did you vote for in 2004 and 2000?
Harry Browne in 2000, and I was in Australia for 2004 and couldn’t be bothered to vote.

3. Is this the most important election in your lifetime:
In MY lifetime? Maybe, but I was born in 1982.

4. What will you miss about the Bush administration?
The fact that I was right from the beginning. I hated Bush before it was popular. There’s nothing like being a trendsetter.

5. Leaving George W. Bush out of consideration, what former U.S. president would you most like to have waterboarded and why?
Any of the dead ones will do. Waterboarding is a horrible thing, but the idea of doing it to a corpse is funny to me somehow.

2. Who did you vote for in 2004 and 2000?
2000 – Harry Browne (in NC)
2004 – Bush (in Ohio) – truly the most revolting vote I’ve ever made, and I felt that way at the time. My only solace is that I’m STILL convinced that Kerry would have been worse. And whenever I start to second guess myself, Kerry says something and I feel better again. If I were to do it again, I’d vote Cthulhu.

3. Is this the most important election in your lifetime?
NO!! The elections seem to be less and less important as the candidates move closer together. 1980 was the most important I’ve been involved in. Reagan and his reform of the monetary system have made the subsequent 20+ years of economic success possible.

4. What will you miss about the Bush administration?
Nothing now. I’m sure in a couple of years I’ll look back at the Bush years as the “good old days” as the federal beast continues to grow. I honestly believe it’s just going to get worse regardless of which of the morons is elected president.

5. Leaving George W. Bush out of consideration, what former U.S. president would you most like to have waterboarded and why?
While I agree that waterboarding would be overboard, answering in the spirit of the question I’d choose FDR – 4 terms – laid a lasting foundation for an imperial presidency and invasive national bureaucracy.

Not that I like or respect Wilson; a miserable twit of a President who got us into WWI as soon as he could – not that the Germans didn’t make it easy for him, what with that business with Mexico. I just don’t believe in dumping blame on people for things they didn’t do, when they’re already going to hell for things they DID do.

2. Who did you vote for in 2004 and 2000?
Couldn’t vote, but I hate to admit I probably would have voted for Bush at the time.

3. Is this the most important election in your lifetime?
No, they’re two sides of the same coin. I have a feeling we have a very important one coming up in the next 4-8 years.

4. What will you miss about the Bush administration?
No easy target. Although either one of the major party candidates would probably provide us with plenty of fodder.

5. Leaving George W. Bush out of consideration, what former U.S. president would you most like to have waterboarded and why?
Nixon

I might just vote for Harry Browne again this year – we could all rest in peace for four years if he won. Barr makes me nervous and I don’t trust him. His running mate, Root, has no business being in politics and should be re-selling time-shares somewhere in Mississippi.

Wasn’t it a Reason columnist who wrote an article detailing why it is irrational to vote? I agreed with the column, but it appears that libertarians are taking the advice too well.