I was reading a somewhat amusing site entitled "Stuff Geeks Love" when I was struck by a parallel.

Now, before I start, let me say there are some sincere and thoughtful proponents of the FairTax. And, to offer full disclosure, let me also say that I have long held there are simply too many technical problems with the FairTax and would argue instead for a return to direct state funding, or, barring that, a flat tax. I simply think if we are going to make massive changes, then go for the direct state funding, but if we are going to retain direct federal taxation, why not keep it simple, but make it fair with a flat tax. Not to mention the many, many technical questions with the FairTax, especially the "prebate" and the new/used and retail/wholesale distinctions which simply invite fraud and confusion, not to mention a huge regulatory bureaucracy they say it will supposedly avoid.

But having said all that, there are also a huge number of "hipster" FairTax advocates, and those are the people who remind me of the geeks. They are the ones who call anyone who dislikes the FairTax "sheep", they are the ones who can only say "read the book" in response to any criticism or comment. And they are the ones who greet any criticism by arguing "so you must love the current tax system". In short, they act exactly like the "conformity" entry of the geek site describes.

I think the greatest irony has to be that these proponents call those with whom they disagree "sheep" when it is clear they are themselves simply jumping on the latest conservative/libertarian bandwagon. The most sure sign is their reply "read the book". Think about it. Many of my arguments are derived from von Mises or von Hayek, I could reply to regulatory arguments by saying "Read Human Action", but that provides no value. Instead I explain the argument. So, why do they say "read the book"? They say it is because "I can't be bothered to respond to every mistaken belief", but the truth is, they simply don't understand the response. They know they like the FairTax, but they don't know how to address complaints, so they send "the sheep" to the almighty book.

It is amusing to listen to these arguments, as they end up being so vague. They start with some rather preposterous claims about the FairTax keeping revenue constant while causing economic growth AND leaving more money in everyone's pockets all at once (without even waiting for growth), and then degenerate into a pattern of criticism-"read the book"-criticism- "read the book" maybe leavened with one or two charges of being a paid shill for CPAs or loving the current system. It is as far from reasoned debate as one can get this side of the DailyKos.

But, as I said, there is one saving grace, a few reasonable proponents who will debate the topic. However, these are few and far between and, sadly, most of those who have hopped on the FairTax bandwagon are much more likely to chant about the book than offer even the most minimal argument.

POSTSCRIPT

Please, please, do not take offense if you support the FairTax. I have had debates with at least two proponents and treated both with respect. (One only after he apologized for some nasty comments early on, but I did maintain a degree of decorum throughout. At least I like to believe I did.) I do not dismiss the FairTax because of the silly proponents nor because of their bad behavior. I am simply pointing out a phenomenon I noticed and having a bit of a chuckle. I do not tar all of you with the same brush, so please don't take offense.

For those interested, I will update this with a few links to some of my FairTax debates, just in case you wonder what complaints I have. Rather than repeat it all over again once more, I will simply refer you to those old posts.

POSTSCRIPT II

While I am at it, let me give a hat tip to Jabootu's Bad Movie Dimension for pointing out the amusing geek site. As I have made a running gag of facetious charges of plagiarism I figure I have to give credit as often as possible.

POSTSCRIPT III

As promised, here is a (very long) list of all my posts on the FairTax. You will note some of my complaints were dropped over time as they were answered or became irrelevant (or were replaced by more serious complaints in a few instances). You will also note the proponents did actually answer several objections. However, by and large, I still remain as opposed as I ever was. But please do not judge my position based on the earliest posts. If you are concerned by an early comment, keep reading, I may address your concerns later. After all, I did quite quite a bit on this topic for over  ayear, so my thoughts did develop considerably.

Without any more disclaimers, here is the list:

Very brief prologue
One Thought on the FairTax
Update
Two old ones (plus three)
Addendum
Unintended Consequences
For the record
Definitions
And so it starts...
By the way
The 22%
A New Record
What we need
Shot myself in the foot?
Short Comment on the FairTax
Will FairTax.org Answer THIS Time?
To Prove I Am Fair
Mandatory April 15th Post
Our Biggest Hurdle
Short Reply To Doctor Adams
Revisiting the FairTax
A Very Brief Reply to the FairTax Advocates
Reply to FairTax Comments
Reply to Fair Tax Comment II
Why Do I Bother?
Making Taxes Hurt
Reply to FairTax Comment III
What is Wrong with a Prebate?
Hello!
Gardasil and Logical Errors
Why Argue
Ch-Ch-Changes
Imports and the FairTax (One Issue)
The VAT Versus The FairTax
Note
The Runaway Stagecoach
A Partial Reply to yt_knight
Truths About Taxation
Another Reply to Yt_knight
Reframing the Debate
FairTax Loophole
So Why Do I Care
Administrative Matters
Simplicity
The End of Taxes as an Election Issue
Paved With Good Intentions
Eye Opening Numbers
A Question for my Readers
1st Annual St Jude Award
Above and Beyond

And having said that, allow me to present a few posts on what I would suggest as an alternative, a return to truly federalist funding, with states directly subsidizing the federal government (sorry for some overlap with the previous list, but some are comparisons of the two systems, so it is unavoidable):

A New Record
What we need
Why I Am Not A Libertarian
Standing By My Principles
A Simple Analogy
For Once A Concise Post
Prelude
The Virtue of Humility
A Brief Update
One Final Brief Note
Prelude
What I Want in a President
My Vision of Government
My Vision of Government Part II
The Benefits of Federalism

I hope that provides more than enough explanation, because I doubt I could writ emuch more on the subject.

Who am I kidding? Of course I am going to write thousands more words on precisely this topic. Just wait and see.