I’ve been spending a lot of time criticizing the critics of health care insurance reform lately and even dismissed a long time friend over his callous attitude towards a very sensitive topic.

Last night I found myself actually saying things like “I’m not really this liberal.”  And I’m not…fiscally I’ve typically sided much more with conservatives than democrats (it’s the religious right I tend to disagree with most).  I donate to the CATO institute.  I’ve read everything Ayn Rand’s ever written, and even met my (now ex) wife at an Ayn Rand conference.

I welcome debate, when it’s debate…informed,  reasoned…even passionate.  But when debate gets drowned out by noise, lies, fear mongering and screams, I have no tolerance.   I hear Palin scream “death panels” and I feel obligated to point as big of a digital finger as I can at her and  scream back, “MORON!”.

But there are reasonable arguments against the proposed health care reform.  Personally I’d like to see a  system that greatly reduces the financial incentives for insurance and drug companies to prey on sick people.  I’d like a system that can’t exclude anyone and doesn’t drop you in the event a serious illness.  Basically I want a system like our roads, our fire departments, or our public parks:  safe, efficient, affordable and always there.  Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like that’s what we’re getting.

According to Bob Herbert, “With the public pretty well confused about what is going on, we’re headed — at best — toward changes that will result in a lot more people getting covered, but that will not control exploding health care costs and will leave industry leaders feeling like they’vehit the jackpot.”

Read his whole not-so-happy column here:  Op-Ed Columnist – This Is Reform? – NYTimes.com.

Critics of Obama’s tax and bailout plans are now “Going Galt”.  What does this mean?   Apparently it doesn’t involve inventing perpetual motion.

“I do some consulting on the side and the taxation on that income is unbelievable,”wrote one reader to Michelle Malkin. “So, to heck with this. I’m ‘going Galt’ on my consulting.” “I’m considering moving to a small family farm in a foreign country,”

The Washington Independent » Battling Obama by ‘Going Galt’.

You probably haven’t heard of Operation Atlantis.  Don’t worry…I hadn’t heard of it either until recently.   While the hippies were celebrating the ‘Summer of Love’ in the late 1960′s, Atlas Strugged enthusiast Werner Stiefel devoted his life to creating a sovereign society with the freest markets imaginable.   Dubbed “Operation Atlantis”, Stiefel spent millions towards attaining his dream but never even got close.

Others have tried similar ventures with varying degrees of failure, and now we have the latest venture in this arena: The Seasteading Institute,  started by a self-professed communal polyamorous  burner.

Wired Magazine, once again, has the scoop:  Live Free or Drown: Floating Utopias on the Cheap.