David McElroy

At Occupy Wall Street, protesters have been saying that those with more money should be required to “share” with them. But after weeks of homeless freeloaders “sharing” in the free meals prepared by the protesters, the socialist utopia is already a bit shaky.

Volunteers have been preparing three excellent meals every day for the protesters and word has gotten around among the homeless and professional bums that the way to get a good free meal is to go to Zuccotti Park. So the volunteer cooks got angry and demanded that something be done to keep “those sorts of people” from taking all the food. The irony of the situation seems to have escaped them.

After taking their complaints to the “general assembly” of the protest, the kitchen staff decided to serve nothing but bland and unappealing food for three days — during which time they would provide directions to local soup kitchens in order to get rid of the poor undesirables who are trying to help themselves to food from the community pot.

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If you’re a libertarian who still participates in the majoritarian political system, it can only mean that you’re in denial or that you fantasize reality will suddenly change. You’d be better off looking for a genie to grant you three wishes, because voter reality is very stubborn.

I’ve written before about why Ron Paul can’t win, and I’ve also explained why I won’t be voting for him (or anyone else) when it’s time to vote. There’s no other politician in the state political system who I admire as much as Paul, but the simple fact is that the vast majority of people don’t want the policies he favors. As I’ve said a number of times before, most people don’t want individual liberty. It’s a losing platform, even though it’s right.

I’ve worked around politics for more than 20 years, so it’s very easy for me to separate my preferences from my analysis of what’s really going to happen. Most people who work in the business can do the same thing, even if they’re not likely to admit publicly that their favored candidate can’t win. The wisdom of insiders isn’t perfect, but it’s more accurate than you might realize. So let’s take a look at what Republican and Democratic insiders are saying about the Republican candidates they believe have the best and worst chances of winning the GOP nomination.

Among Republican insiders, Paul’s chances are rated as eighth out of the eight candidates tested. He comes in just below Michele Bachmann. Even John Huntsman has twice the score of Paul. It’s simple. People with knowledge of the process and how voters usually behave don’t think Paul has any chance. And they’re right.

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We’re trying something new this week. If enough people like it, maybe it’ll become a regular Friday feature. I share a lot of silliness with other people — some political and some not — that never makes it over here. This is a sample of five of my favorites from the last week. In honor of Halloween, we start with the pumpkin that I’d like to duplicate if I still did Halloween decorations each year.

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