This article has been making the rounds on social media, showing all four presidential candidates stances on every political issue. I thought it would be fun to answer all 92 questions myself, so you can get a feel for what a true small government viewpoint looks like.
Because there are 92 questions, this post is long, so read it when you have time, or scan down to the issues that are most important to you. I kept the answers very short.
Part One: Social Issues
1. Should abortion be legal?
It should be left to the states to decide. My personal opinion is yes, but only up until the first or second trimester, not in the third trimester.
2. Do you support the legalization of same sex marriage?
Marriage should not be a governmental function at all.
3. Should the government continue to fund Planned Parenthood?
The federal government should not fund any healthcare of any kind. The state governments can fund whatever they like.
4. Should a business be able to deny service to a customer if the request conflicts with the owner’s religious beliefs?
Yes.
5. Should health insurance providers be required to offer free birth control?
No.
6. Should “gender identity” be added to anti-discrimination laws?
There should be no anti-discrimination laws at the federal level. The state governments can do whatever they like.
7. Do you support the death penalty?
No. Government is too incompetent.
8. Should the government support a separation of church and state by removing references to God on money, federal buildings, and national monuments?
Any mentions of God already there should be left there because there’s no need to spend the money to remove it, but no new mentions of God should be placed in those locations.
9. Should terminally ill patients be allowed to end their lives via assisted suicide?
Yes.
10. Should the military allow women to serve in combat roles?
Only if completely segregated from the men. If women want to serve, there should be women-only platoons, women-only submarines, etc. And if these units do terribly as compared to the men-only units, they should be disbanded.
11. Should businesses be required to have women on their board of directors?
No.
12. Should states be allowed to display the Confederate flag on government property?
Yes.
Part Two: Immigration
13. Should Muslim immigrants be banned from entering the country until the government improves its ability to screen out potential terrorists?
No, but no government aid should be given to them.
14. Should illegal immigrants have access to government-subsidized healthcare?
No.
15. Should illegal immigrants be offered in-state tuition rates at public colleges within their residing state?
No.
16. Should children of illegal immigrants be granted legal citizenship?
No.
17. Should immigrants be required to learn English?
No.
18. Should the U.S. increase restrictions on its current border security policy?
The answer to that is complicated. Read this.
19. Should working illegal immigrants be given temporary amnesty?
That depends on what you mean by “temporary amnesty.”
20. Should local law enforcement be allowed to detain illegal immigrants for minor crimes and transfer them to federal immigration authorities?
Yes.
21. Should the government increase the amount of temporary work visas given to high-skilled immigrant workers?
The answer to that is complicated. It depends on other laws or restrictions the government enacts.
Part Three: Foreign Policy
22. Should the U.S. accept refugees from Syria?
Yes, but they shouldn’t be given any government assistance.
23. Should foreign terrorism suspects be given constitutional rights?
For the most part, yes, but there are many, many exceptions.
24. Should the government decrease military spending?
Government should decrease all spending, including the military.
25. Should the military be allowed to use enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, to gain information from suspected terrorists?
It depends on the specific technique. With regards to waterboarding, it should not be allowed except for highly unusual scenarios and even then with lots of oversight. Waterboarding is torture. It’s simply a lighter form of torture than burning someone with a hot poker, for example.
26. Should the U.S. formally declare war on ISIS?
No. The U.S. should leave the region, sit back, and let more warlike nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Russia dick with ISIS.
27. Should every 18 year old citizen be required to provide at least one year of military service?
No.
28. Should the U.S. continue to support Israel?
The U.S. shouldn’t “support” any country except the U.S.
29. Should the U.S. remain in the United Nations?
No. Moreover, the UN headquarters should be moved to some other country.
30. Should the government send in ground troops to fight ISIS?
No.
31. Should the military fly drones over foreign countries to gain intelligence and kill suspected terrorists?
No. We kill way, way too many civilians.
32. Should the U.S. close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?
Yes. The U.S. should close at least 95% of all its foreign military bases. We can’t afford our empire anymore.
33. Should the government increase foreign aid spending?
The government should end all foreign aid.
34. Do you support President Obama’s move to lift the trade and travel embargo on Cuba?
Yes. It’s one of the only two things Obama did that I actually support. (The other was to greenlight the capture of Bin Laden.)
35. Should the government conduct military strikes against North Korea in order to destroy their long-range missile and nuclear weapons capabilities?
No. However, covert action should be taken against them (CIA, cyber warfare, etc), since North Korea has directly threatened the U.S. on multiple occasions.
36. Should the U.S. overthrow President Assad of Syria?
No.
37. Should the U.S. continue NSA surveillance of its allies?
No.
38. Should the U.S. prevent Russia from conducting airstrikes in Syria?
No.
39. Should our country defend other NATO countries that maintain low military defense budgets relative to their GDP?
No. The U.S. should have gently withdrawn from NATO as soon as the USSR collapsed way back in 1991.
Part Four: Economics
40. Should employers be required to pay men and women the same salary for the same job?
No.
41. Should all welfare recipients be tested for drugs?
Welfare of any kind should be abolished at the federal level. States can offer welfare if they wish, and if they do, yes, anyone getting free taxpayer money should be regularly drug tested, but that’s up to the individual states.
42. Should the government raise the federal minimum wage?
The federal minimum wage should be abolished. State governments can do whatever they like.
43. Should physically and mentally capable adults on welfare be required to work?
Welfare of any kind should be abolished at the federal level.
44. Should businesses be required to provide paid leave for full-time employees during the birth of a child or sick family member?
No.
45. Should the government make cuts to public spending in order to reduce the national debt?
Yes. Massive cuts, all across the board, in all areas of government, no exceptions (except for veteran’s benefits).
46. Should the U.S. reduce corporate income tax rates?
The federal corporate income tax should be abolished. It should be replaced with a national sales tax or Fair Tax of around 1-3%.
47. Do you believe labor unions help the economy?
Private sector labor unions, sometimes.
Government labor unions, no, and they should be abolished.
48. Should the government require businesses to pay salaried employees, making up to $46k/year, time-and-a-half for overtime hours?
No.
49. Should the government increase the tax rate on profits earned from the sale of stocks, bonds, and real estate?
Capital gains taxes should be abolished.
50. Should the Federal Reserve Bank be audited by Congress?
The Federal Reserve should be abolished.
51. Do you support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?
No. Free trade is usually good, but the TPP is 5,600 pages long. No law or treaty that long can be a good thing.
52. Should pension plans for federal, state, and local government workers be transitioned into privately managed accounts?
Yes.
53. Should the government subsidize farmers?
Government shouldn’t subsidize anyone or anything except for government.
54. Would you favor an increased sales tax in order to reduce property taxes?
Yes, but only if it eliminated property taxes, not reduced them.
55. Should citizens be allowed to save or invest their money in offshore bank accounts?
Yes.
56. Should the U.S. government bailout Puerto Rico?
Government shouldn’t bail out anyone or anything.
57. Should an in-state sales tax apply to online purchases of in-state buyers from out-of-state sellers?
No.
58. Should the government classify Bitcoin as a legal currency?
Government shouldn’t classify any currency as “legal” currency and should completely privatize the US Dollar and the printing of money so we can have true currency competition.
Part Five: Education
59. Do you support increasing taxes for the rich in order to reduce interest rates for student loans?
Government backing of student loans should be abolished. Also, government should withdraw all money and influence from colleges so college can be affordable again.
60. Do you support Common Core national standards?
No.
Part Six: Healthcare Issues
61. Do you support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)?
No.
62. Do you support the legalization of Marijuana?
All drugs should be legalized at the federal level. The states can make legal or illegal whatever they like.
63. Should the federal government increase funding of health care for low income individuals (Medicaid)?
The federal government shouldn’t provide funding for anyone’s healthcare. State governments can do whatever they like.
Part Seven: Domestic Policy
64. Should there be more restrictions on the current process of purchasing a gun?
The answer to that is complicated. It depends on other laws or restrictions the government enacts.
65. Should people on the “no-fly list” be banned from purchasing guns and ammunition?
There should be no governmental “no-fly list” unless it’s a recommended/optional list. The function of airline security should be left to the airlines.
66. Should there be term limits set for members of Congress?
Yes. Ideally one.
67. Should the Senate hold hearings and a vote on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee?
Yes.
68. Should corporations and unions (Super PACs) be allowed to donate to political candidates?
Yes, but there should be 100%, mandatory, easy-to-follow transparency regarding who donated to whom and how much.
69. Should local police increase surveillance and patrol of Muslim neighborhoods?
No.
70. Should internet service providers be allowed to speed up access to popular websites (that pay higher rates) at the expense of slowing down access to less popular websites (that pay lower rates)?
Yes, but first, the final mile of fiber (or other internet transmission system) to neighborhoods and commercial areas should be 100% deregulated and decoupled so competition can be allowed between internet service providers, instead of government forcing one big company like Comcast to have a monopoly on our internet service.
71. Should victims of gun violence be allowed to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers?
Anyone can sue anyone they like, but first, the entire legal system should be converted to a loser-pay system instead of a winner-pay system. That way if you sue and are wrong, YOU have to pay all court costs and attorney fees of both sides, as well as damages from lost income.
72. Should the redrawing of Congressional districts be controlled by an independent, non-partisan commission?
In theory, yes, but I would need much more information on exactly how that would be done.
73. Should Apple unlock the iPhones of suspected terrorists for the FBI?
No.
74. Should the NSA (National Security Agency) be allowed to collect basic metadata of citizen’s phone calls such as numbers, timestamps, and call durations?
No.
75. Do you support the Patriot Act?
No.
76. Are you in favor of decriminalizing drug use?
Yes. All drugs should be legal at the federal level. The states can make legal or illegal whatever they like.
77. Should the government raise the retirement age for Social Security?
Social Security should be abolished, and anyone over the age of 50 should have a private annuity purchased for them in the current amount owed by the Social Security Administration.
78. Should the government be allowed to seize private property, with reasonable compensation, for public or civic use?
No. However, I would compromise on this if the government was forced to pay ten times the market value of the property sized via eminent domain, and that the amount paid was tax free. That means if you want to seize my house worth $100,000 to build a freeway, you’re cutting me a check for $1 million tax free. Or else screw off.
79. Should the U.S. government grant immunity to Edward Snowden?
Yes.
80. Do you support affirmative action programs?
No.
Part Eight: Science
81. Should the federal government require children to be vaccinated for preventable diseases?
No, but individual schools (and all other organizations) should be allowed to discriminate/deny students/people who have not been vaccinated.
82. Should producers be required to label genetically engineered foods (GMOs)?
No. As just one example, pretty much all corn you can buy in the U.S. already has GMOs, so you’re going to force companies to label every stalk of corn? Plus, the free market is doing a very good job at educating people about this.
83. Should the government fund space travel?
Some. Things like satellites, yes. Things like robots that crash into Mars by accident, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, no.
I would, however, support a reward/prize system. For example, the government says, “The first private company or individual who puts a human being on Mars, has him/her live there for 30 days, and successfully returns him/her to Earth, gets $10 billion tax free. Ready, set, go!”
Part Nine: Electoral Issues
84. Should a photo ID be required to vote?
Yes. So should passing a test regarding politics, mathematics, geography, economics, and history, as well as proof of net contribution to the economy (i.e. proof you’re gainfully employed, or own a business that actually makes money, etc).
Part Ten: Environmental Issues
85. Should the government increase environmental regulations to prevent climate change?
Federal government, no. The states can do whatever they want.
86. Do you support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources?
Yes, but only on land owned by the fracking companies; none of this drilling sideways stuff. Also, if it negatively affects any nearby neighborhoods, restitution to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars must be paid to those people.
87. Should the U.S. expand offshore oil drilling?
That’s up to the oil industry. The U.S. government should have nothing to do with that. Oil companies that damage the environment must be forced to pay restitution and their CEOs and top management must face criminal charges.
88. Should the government give tax credits and subsidies to the wind power industry?
No, but that’s only because the federal government shouldn’t tax any income, personal or corporate. (See above about having a national sales tax instead.)
Part Eleven: Criminal Issues
89. Should police officers be required to wear body cameras?
Yes.
90. Should convicted felons have the right to vote?
No. Most people shouldn’t have the right to vote.
91. Should prisons ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles?
Yes, but age of legal adulthood (i.e. no longer a juvenile), for all things, should be 16. There is no significant difference in maturity or stupidity between today’s 16 year-old and today’s 18 year-olds.
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NTN
Posted at 07:17 am, 11th August 2016Thumbs up.
Tony
Posted at 08:05 am, 11th August 2016That’s a ridiculous standard for voting. Firstly, “contributing to the economy” is subjective. How much of a contribution counts? If I work 5 hours a week at minimum wage and live with my parents does that count? What about full time college students? Or people who were productive for years but are now retired? Or a trust fund kid who doesn’t work but spends their time doing charitable work? Or somebody who got laid off right before the election?
The knowledge tests also have problems. The entire idea of our form of government is that the individual citizens don’t need to have a detailed knowledge of the issues, instead hiring people who can spend their time on them. This way everybody can be represented in government even if they aren’t the brightest person. The other issue is who decides what’s on the test. You say math and economics, but that’s a huge range. It could be anywhere from simple addition to multivariable calculus. Economics is the same way, even a concept as basic as marginal cost would require knowledge of calculus.
Ergeniz
Posted at 08:23 am, 11th August 2016Huh. I didn’t realize the Blackdragon blog was written by you as well. I had come across it before a couple of times the writing style was similar.
I didn’t make the connection for some reason.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 10:15 am, 11th August 2016I can’t give you super specific details, since if I were placed in charge of this function I’d have to give it a lot of thought and analysis, but obviously it wouldn’t be subjective. There would be specific, objective requirements.
Again, I can’t give you specifics, but a general answer would be that you are A) gainfully employed (5 hours a week would be fine) or living off personal investments, and B) you are not taking any government financial assistance at any kind, and C) no one you are relying on takes such assistance either. So based on that…
Yes, but only if you and your parents don’t take any welfare, subsidized housing, food stamps, etc.
If they didn’t work at all at a job or small business that makes money, no. Once they got out into the real world and got a job, then they could.
If they retired on their own investments, yes. If they retired because of something like social security, then only such time as the original principal they paid into it (plus interest) was being used. After that, no. (If old people wait/live long enough, social security essentially becomes welfare, because they’ve more than exhausted their principal + interest yet they still get that check every month.)
Yes. He’s living off his own personal investments. (I really don’t like that he inherited his wealth, but no system is perfect, and if you want a perfect system, I can’t give you one, nor can you.)
If he was living off his savings while he looked for a new job, yes.
If he lived off help from friends/family while he looked for a new job, then probably not, though I suppose there might be a 3 month grace period in there possibly.
That’s me, baby. So is this blog here:
http://www.sublimeyourtime.com
Caleb Jones
Posted at 10:19 am, 11th August 2016Yes, major problems. But there’s no such thing as a perfect system. My system is less bad than your system of “let EVERYONE vote even if they’re completely ignorant of what they’re voting on” like what happened with the Brexit vote:
https://calebjonesblog.com/2-things-about-human-behavior-we-can-learn-from-the-brexit-vote/
Utterly Incorrect. Read your history. During the initial years of the country, most WHITE MEN couldn’t vote, because the founding fathers knew democracy (i.e. letting everyone vote) would be a cluster fuck. And they were right, as we’ve now seen. (Trump and Hillary?!?)
Gray Beard
Posted at 04:23 pm, 11th August 2016I agree with “forced to pay ten times the market value of the property sized via eminent domain” in principle. Unfortunately it seems like opening a huge avenue for insider deals and corruption.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 05:37 pm, 11th August 2016I agree. I think I’d rather just ban eminent domain altogether, since it’s such an obvious violation of basic property rights, but I admit I could be convinced otherwise.
Makeshift
Posted at 12:05 am, 12th August 2016Should the U.S. continue to support Israel?
I’ve never understood America’s obsession with Israel. Is it evangelical Christians pushing this? Is it some (((coincidence))) as the alt-right would say? There’s barely any Jews in America, and I don’t know anyone who gives it much thought.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 12:18 am, 12th August 2016Jewish neoconservatives have a lot of power in our government. On top of that you have the Christians who see the Israelis “against the Muslims” as kindred spirits.
As usual, conservatives are for big government just like leftists are, just a slightly different flavor.
Jack Outside the Box
Posted at 02:55 am, 12th August 2016Oh baby! This is going to be so much fun!
BD, you are NOT a libertarian (except on the federal level). You accused me of being a non-libertarian, so in revenge, I’m going to answer all 92 questions right now and we’ll see how your libertarianism stacks up against mine. I may not be a perfect libertarian, but when I am, I’m a libertarian on all levels of government, not just the federal (unlike you).
Note: Because this is going to be long, I’m going to split up my posts into 6, doing approximately two topics in each post! This is what you get for calling me a non-libertarian.
Alright, here I go:
Part One: Social Issues
1. Should abortion be legal?
No. Abortion is murder! And in a libertarian government, the most basic task of the State is to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. Any woman who has an abortion, after being found guilty by a jury of her peers, should be given the death penalty, preferably in the same brutal and painful manner in which she killed her baby. The 8th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting cruel and unusual punishments should be repealed. The “doctor” who performed the abortion should be executed as well. All executions should be broadcast on television and on the Internet for all to see.
There are only two exceptions to this:
A. If the abortion was performed on the woman’s 13th day of pregnancy or earlier.
B. When continuing the pregnancy threatens the physical life of the mother.
2. Do you support the legalization of same sex marriage?
No. Marriage – defined as “government in the bedroom” – shouldn’t exist at all in a free society. All marriage should be privatized or abolished. Tax payer money has no business funding ritualistic superstitious nonsense from the bronze age!
3. Should the government continue to fund Planned Parenthood?
No. The government has no business funding any female supremacist hate groups. Or for that matter, any healthcare of any kind. And once abortion is criminalized nationwide, the FBI would do well to arrest all Planned Parenthood employees still committing murder and get Planned Parenthood completely shut down.
4. Should a business be able to deny service to a customer if the request conflicts with the owner’s religious beliefs?
Of course! In a free country, just like the buyer has the right to buy or not buy, the seller has the right to sell or not sell. You cannot give rights to the buyer that the seller doesn’t have. The seller is just as free as the buyer and may deny any sales he wishes, just like the buyer may refuse to buy.
5. Should health insurance providers be required to offer free birth control?
No. Health insurance providers shouldn’t be required to do anything. They are private businesses, and therefore, completely in control of their private money and private property.
6. Should “gender identity” be added to anti-discrimination laws?
Hell no! There should be no anti-discrimination laws of any kind for the private sector. Whose property does this belong to anyway? The owners or the fucking government? Private businesses may discriminate against anyone they like.
7. Do you support the death penalty?
Hell fucking yes! USA! USA! USA! Not only that, but I support repealing the 8th Amendment and REALLY making human garbage suffer before their execution.
8. Should the government support a separation of church and state by removing references to God on money, federal buildings, and national monuments?
Yes! The First Amendment prohibits the government from violating its neutrality on church/state issues by acknowledging the existence of any type of god. All official references to, and endorsements of, god by any governmental entity are unconstitutional. All such references to god on our money, government buildings, and by individual politicians acting in their official capacity as representatives of the people should be prohibited. Existing references to god on government property must be removed.
9. Should terminally ill patients be allowed to end their lives via assisted suicide?
Yes! Not only that, but anyone should be allowed to commit suicide, either on their own, or with assistance, whether they are ill or healthy. This means that consensual murder should be legalized as well (which will definitely motivate people to read the terms and conditions of a website before they click “ok.”). I also believe that dueling should be brought back, as it will force people to, once again, have the courage of their convictions. By consenting to a duel, you are consenting to be murdered if you lose. You may, of course, refuse the duel as well, thus revoking your consent to potentially die, even though this may expose you to social stigma and being called a coward, thus allowing everyone to see what you are willing to go through to hold on to your beliefs. It will separate the true people of conscience from the posers!
10. Should the military allow women to serve in combat roles?
The military shouldn’t allow them. It should force them! Equality is the real bitch! And equality should be force fed down the throats of feminists until they gag on it and vomit on it.
11. Should businesses be required to have women on their board of directors?
No! Private businesses shouldn’t be told what to do by government. No one should be denied a job by government mandate just because they have a penis. And no one should be hired by government mandate just because they have a vagina. That is fascist!
The only real government prohibition upon the private sector that I would support would be a law against time theft. It should be illegal for employers to fire someone, or administer any negative professional consequences to someone, for what he or she did or said on their personal time when the boss was not paying them. If the employee must respect the boss’s time, then the boss must respect the employee’s time. If the employee is off work, he should be allowed full free speech and freedom of action without his actions or opinions needing to be preapproved by corporate! When he signed up for a job, he didn’t sign up for his boss to control his personal time, even as he hypocritically tells his subordinate to respect company time! That is time theft and it should be against the law.
12. Should states be allowed to display the Confederate flag on government property?
No! The First Amendment does not allow people to speak for other people. This means that the government – which represents the people in everything it does – has no right to free speech. Free Speech is only for the private sector. As such, all Confederate flags, as well as any other symbols of anti-American treason, should be legally prohibited on government property, unless those displaying it on government property are private citizens (i.e. during a protest).
Part Two: Immigration
13. Should Muslim immigrants be banned from entering the country until the government improves its ability to screen out potential terrorists?
No. Muslim immigrants should be banned from entering this country permanently, regardless of whether the government improves its ability to screen out potential terrorists or not. In addition, all Muslim Americans should face Muslim control laws which dictate that, in order to legally exercise one’s First Amendment right to be a Muslim, one must first obtain a Muslim permit, no different than a permit to carry a gun under the 2nd Amendment. In order to qualify for a Muslim permit, the Muslim should have to submit to a massive amount of background checks and deep and comprehensive psychological screenings, Rorschach tests, and “did you ever wet the bed” questions! Failure to pass these tests should result in a denial of a Muslim permit, thus making the Muslim vulnerable to arrest and prosecution for “Practicing Islam without a Permit.”
14. Should illegal immigrants have access to government-subsidized healthcare?
No. And neither should American citizens.
15. Should illegal immigrants be offered in-state tuition rates at public colleges within their residing state?
No. And neither should American citizens.
16. Should children of illegal immigrants be granted legal citizenship?
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution states that anyone physically born here is a U.S. citizen. So yes! But the illegal parents should be kicked out and the baby should be raised as an American by a foster family. The illegal mother or father should have no say in it and should be forced to leave their American citizen child behind while they are deported as the ultimate punishment for coming here illegally!
17. Should immigrants be required to learn English?
Yes! Unless you’re a citizen, being here is a privilege, not a right. Immigration is not an entitlement program. It is a governmental generosity. And the government may impose whatever strings upon its own generosity that it wishes, and the immigrant has the right to say and do nothing, except bow their head and gratefully say, “whatever you say” in exchange for their continued privilege of being here Learning English should be the first requirement of all immigrants.
18. Should the U.S. increase restrictions on its current border security policy?
Yes! We should build a wall on the Mexican border. On top of the wall, we should have automatic weapons triggered by heat sensors. On our side of the wall should be an electric net in order to electrocute those who scale the wall. If they survive that, landmines on our side of the border for ten more miles should be placed as well.
19. Should working illegal immigrants be given temporary amnesty?
No! All illegal immigrants – working or otherwise – should be found and deported. Those who resist should be killed. Criminal laws against murder and so forth should not protect illegal immigrants. The legal system cannot protect those who do not legally exist!
20. Should local law enforcement be allowed to detain illegal immigrants for minor crimes and transfer them to federal immigration authorities?
Hell yes! Local law enforcement should also be allowed to detain them for nothing at all and transfer them to federal immigration authorities. In fact, even private citizens should be allowed to detain illegals for nothing at all and transfer them to federal immigration authorities.
21. Should the government increase the amount of temporary work visas given to high-skilled immigrant workers?
No! All temporary work visas should be completely abolished. The government has no business giving jobs to any foreigners. The government also has no business creating jobs for its own citizens. Job creation should be the purview of the private sector.
Alright, I’ll continue this in my next post.
.
Jack Outside the Box
Posted at 03:45 am, 12th August 2016Continuing from where we left off:
Part Three: Foreign Policy
22. Should the U.S. accept refugees from Syria?
Absolutely not!
23. Should foreign terrorism suspects be given constitutional rights?
Absolutely not! The Constitution doesn’t apply to foreigners, nor to those residing in this country illegally. The Constitution only applies to legal residents of the United States and legal visitors. No one else. Terrorists residing in foreign nations have no Constitutional rights. The mere suggestion is ridiculous!
24. Should the government decrease military spending?
Yes! The government should decrease all spending.
25. Should the military be allowed to use enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, to gain information from suspected terrorists?
Duh! This isn’t candyland! If we were their prisoners, they’d chop off our heads. Torture to gain information, or even just as an end in itself for the purposes of punishment, should be considered perfectly acceptable.
26. Should the U.S. formally declare war on ISIS?
No! The U.S. should formally declare war on Islam!
27. Should every 18 year old citizen be required to provide at least one year of military service?
No! Such a thing would fall under the legal definition of kidnapping. No American citizen should be required to join any organization he doesn’t want to join. The military draft should be abolished, as well as the selective service.
28. Should the U.S. continue to support Israel?
No! Any American political candidate pledging their allegiance to a foreign power should be immediately arrested for treason, and upon being found guilty, summarily executed!
29. Should the U.S. remain in the United Nations?
No. The U.S should pull out of all international organizations including, but not limited to, the UN, NATO, the World Bank, the IMF, the International “Save the Animals Org” and whatever other globalist horseshit the elites have planned as a stepping stone to one world government. Further, all outsourcing deals should be criminalized (i.e. NAFTA, TPP, GATT, etc…).
30. Should the government send in ground troops to fight ISIS?
Yes
.
31. Should the military fly drones over foreign countries to gain intelligence and kill suspected terrorists?
No. The CIA should covertly institute and control Muslim dating websites in order to sexually liberate their culture. Once young Muslim men realize that they can get sex now, 72 virgins in heaven won’t be appealing. Preventing future terrorists begins by liberating the Muslim penis and the Muslim vagina. The CIA should do nothing less than “turn Muslim daughters into whores” in the name of national security. No man – Muslim or otherwise – ever blew himself up after spending the whole day having sex!
32. Should the U.S. close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?
Yes! But only after executing all the prisoners.
33. Should the government increase foreign aid spending?
No! The government should permanently abolish any and all foreign aid.
34. Do you support President Obama’s move to lift the trade and travel embargo on Cuba?
No! Communist countries shouldn’t get to trade with us.
35. Should the government conduct military strikes against North Korea in order to destroy their long-range missile and nuclear weapons capabilities?
No. The CIA should handle Little Kim.
36. Should the U.S. overthrow President Assad of Syria?
No. That won’t do any good. Syria is still a Muslim country.
37. Should the U.S. continue NSA surveillance of its allies?
Yes. Allies become enemies too easily.
38. Should the U.S. prevent Russia from conducting airstrikes in Syria?
No. If Putin wants to kick some Muslim ass, more power to him!
39. Should our country defend other NATO countries that maintain low military defense budgets relative to their GDP?
No. The U.S. should get out of NATO as well as declare every international treaty that we signed null and void. Nothing higher than the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution should bind our behavior.
Part Four: Economics
40. Should employers be required to pay men and women the same salary for the same job?
No. The government has no business dictating what a private business can and cannot do on its own private property or how private citizens can or cannot conduct their business dealings with their employees, business partners, customers, competitors, etc… The private sector should be allowed to do what it wants.
41. Should all welfare recipients be tested for drugs?
The question is moot, since all welfare should be abolished. However, all government employees, including politicians, should be regularly tested for drugs.
42. Should the government raise the federal minimum wage?
No. It should abolish it completely.
43. Should physically and mentally capable adults on welfare be required to work?
There should be no welfare in the first place. But politicians should be required to work, which they mostly disagree with.
44. Should businesses be required to provide paid leave for full-time employees during the birth of a child or sick family member?
No. Private businesses should not be required to do anything.
45. Should the government make cuts to public spending in order to reduce the national debt?
Definitely! Start by abolishing all welfare and drug testing all politicians!
46. Should the U.S. reduce corporate income tax rates?
The 16th Amendment to the Constitution, authorizing the Income Tax, should be repealed.
47. Do you believe labor unions help the economy?
Only private unions. Government unions should be abolished.
48. Should the government require businesses to pay salaried employees, making up to $46k/year, time-and-a-half for overtime hours?
No. The government should require businesses to do nothing, except restrain themselves from committing time theft against their employees who are on their own personal time.
49. Should the government increase the tax rate on profits earned from the sale of stocks, bonds, and real estate?
No. Capital gains taxes should be abolished.
50. Should the Federal Reserve Bank be audited by Congress?
The Federal Reserve should be abolished.
51. Do you support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?
Hell no! All outsourcing deals should be abolished. Government should mandate protectionism and putting American livelihoods first.
52. Should pension plans for federal, state, and local government workers be transitioned into privately managed accounts?
Yes.
53. Should the government subsidize farmers?
Government shouldn’t subsidize anyone or anything except for government.
54. Would you favor an increased sales tax in order to reduce property taxes?
Yes, but only if it eliminated property taxes, not reduced them.
55. Should citizens be allowed to save or invest their money in offshore bank accounts?
Yes.
56. Should the U.S. government bailout Puerto Rico?
Government shouldn’t bail out anyone or anything.
57. Should an in-state sales tax apply to online purchases of in-state buyers from out-of-state sellers?
Oh hell no!
58. Should the government classify Bitcoin as a legal currency?
Government shouldn’t classify any currency as “legal” currency and should completely privatize the US Dollar and the printing of money so we can have true currency competition.
Only 34 more to go!
Gil Galad
Posted at 04:05 am, 12th August 2016@Makeshift
A large number of christians more or less believe that “the gathering of the jews in the Promised Land is a requisite for the second coming of Jesus”. That’s why they support Israel. They don’t scream that on the rooftops because of the obvious hypocrisy it implies, but it definitely is one of the main reasons.
There’s much more crap like that at the root of supposedly unexplained stances by members of the three monotheisms, all because people are trying to “help” a divine prophecy get fulfilled. Even ISIS view themselves as participating in muslim eschatology, as I said elsewhere.
Jack Outside the Box
Posted at 04:25 am, 12th August 2016Aaaand we’re back:
Part Five: Education
59. Do you support increasing taxes for the rich in order to reduce interest rates for student loans?
No. There should be no government backed or government funded student loans of any kind. All government education should be abolished, including P-12 public schools. All educational institutions should be privatized. All compulsory education laws should be repealed. The U.S. Department of Education and all local and state boards of education should be abolished! Any and all education of children should be completely private and completely voluntary for the parents.
60. Do you support Common Core national standards?
No.
Part Six: Healthcare Issues
61. Do you support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)?
No. No free people can be forced, under penalty of law, to spend their own private money on that which they refuse to spend it on. That is Marxist tyranny!
62. Do you support the legalization of Marijuana?
Yes. All drugs, including heroin, should be made legal and available in any store, unless the owner of the store chooses not to have it in stock.
63. Should the federal government increase funding of health care for low income individuals (Medicaid)?
No. The government should stop funding all healthcare, regardless of an individual’s income.
Part Seven: Domestic Policy
64. Should there be more restrictions on the current process of purchasing a gun?
No. There should be less restrictions. There should only be two restrictions on gun ownership and gun carrying for adults:
A. Previous felony conviction
B. Being a Muslim without a Muslim permit.
That’s it. Barring those two restrictions, gun sales, gun ownership, and gun carrying should be completely unrestricted. Gun free zones are safe spaces for killers.
65. Should people on the “no-fly list” be banned from purchasing guns and ammunition?
There shouldn’t be a no-fly list. There should just be a list of people with a history of violating their Muslim permits, or failing to obtain a government Muslim license. Those should be prevented from buying guns, yes.
66. Should there be term limits set for members of Congress?
Yes. Ideally one. As Robin Williams said, “Politicians should be changed as often as diapers. And for the exact same reason.”
67. Should the Senate hold hearings and a vote on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee?
No! Trump will nominate a superior Justice. Tell Garland – the anti-gun hippie – to fuck off!
68. Should corporations and unions (Super PACs) be allowed to donate to political candidates?
No! All bribery should be made illegal. All elections should be publicly funded. All corporate money should be taken out of politics via a Constitutional Amendment overturning the Citizen’s United Supreme Court case. Money isn’t speech and corporations aren’t people. True democracy cannot exist unless the current corruption as a result of legalized bribery comes to an end.
69. Should local police increase surveillance and patrol of Muslim neighborhoods?
Was Mohammed a terrorist? Is the Pope Catholic? Is water wet?
70. Should internet service providers be allowed to speed up access to popular websites (that pay higher rates) at the expense of slowing down access to less popular websites (that pay lower rates)?
Yes, but first, the final mile of fiber (or other internet transmission system) to neighborhoods and commercial areas should be 100% deregulated and decoupled so competition can be allowed between internet service providers, instead of government forcing one big company like Comcast to have a monopoly on our internet service.
71. Should victims of gun violence be allowed to sue firearms dealers and manufacturers?
No. On what grounds? Firearms dealers and manufacturers did nothing wrong. Do you also want to sue a car manufacturer if someone steals your car and kills your family with it?
72. Should the redrawing of Congressional districts be controlled by an independent, non-partisan commission?
Absolutely!
73. Should Apple unlock the iPhones of suspected terrorists for the FBI?
Absolutely not. Doing so would violate the 4th Amendment.
74. Should the NSA (National Security Agency) be allowed to collect basic metadata of citizen’s phone calls such as numbers, timestamps, and call durations?
Yes. As long as it is completely anonymous meta data with no personally identifiable information.
75. Do you support the Patriot Act?
No. It violates all the Amendments in the Bill of Rights beginning with the 4th.
76. Are you in favor of decriminalizing drug use?
Yes. All drugs should be legal for adults.
77. Should the government raise the retirement age for Social Security?
Social Security should be abolished. The government has no business setting a retirement age of any kind.
78. Should the government be allowed to seize private property, with reasonable compensation, for public or civic use?
Are you crazy? A Constitutional Amendment must be passed to repeal any and all eminent domain. No government may have the right to seize private land for any reason whatsoever without the consent of the owner of that land.
79. Should the U.S. government grant immunity to Edward Snowden?
You cannot grant or withhold immunity to someone who never broke any laws. It is the government which should ask Snowden for immunity and Snowden should deny it. Snowden should return to America as a free man with all charges dropped. He should then run for President.
80. Do you support affirmative action programs?
No. They are a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and discriminatory against Americans of European descent.
Okay, just one more post and I’m done!
Jack Outside the Box
Posted at 04:50 am, 12th August 2016Okay, one more post:
Part Eight: Science
81. Should the federal government require children to be vaccinated for preventable diseases?
No. The government has no business interfering with the parent/child bond in this manner.
82. Should producers be required to label genetically engineered foods (GMOs)?
Yes! In the professional world, the customers cannot consent to purchase anything if their consent isn’t informed. Informed consent must be legally mandatory for all businesses. Otherwise, companies are vulnerable to lawsuits for fraud due to their lies of omission.
83. Should the government fund space travel?
Hahaha! No.
Part Nine: Electoral Issues
84. Should a photo ID be required to vote?
Of course! And all computerized voting machines should be either abolished by law, or forced to print out hard copy receipts.
Part Ten: Environmental Issues
85. Should the government increase environmental regulations to prevent climate change?
No, because there is no such thing as “climate change.” It is a scam to increase white guilt, destroy capitalism, and force one world government. The government has no business increasing environmental regulations in order to regulate the emissions from Santa Claus’s sleigh either!
86. Do you support the use of hydraulic fracking to extract oil and natural gas resources?
Yes, but only on land owned by the fracking companies; none of this drilling sideways stuff. Also, if it negatively affects any nearby neighborhoods, restitution to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars must be paid to those people.
87. Should the U.S. expand offshore oil drilling?
That’s up to the oil industry. The U.S. government should have nothing to do with that. Oil companies that damage the environment must be forced to pay restitution and their CEOs and top management must face criminal charges. Also, the oil companies should be encouraged to drill in Alaska. The Alaskan caribou will appreciate the heat from the pipes. It will help them fuck and avoid extinction.
88. Should the government give tax credits and subsidies to the wind power industry?
No. The government has no business influencing the private sector or businesses in any way.
Part Eleven: Criminal Issues
89. Should police officers be required to wear body cameras?
Yes. All government employees, including bureaucrats, democratically elected politicians, political appointees, law enforcement officials, judges, and tax payer funded janitors mopping up the semen from government building bathroom stalls should be required to wear body cameras at all times while on duty. Exceptions can be made for national security briefings, employees of intelligence agencies, etc…
90. Should convicted felons have the right to vote?
No. And neither should Muslims practicing Islam without a permit. But everyone else should.
91. Should prisons ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles?
All prisons should be abolished in favor of the eye for an eye policy. Jails should be nothing more than temporary holding cells pending trial. Appropriate punishments for crimes should include restitution of lost property, slavery, an eye for an eye, corporal punishment, torture, and death, depending on the nature and severity of the crime.
Also, puberty should be considered adulthood as far as our criminal justice system is concerned.
Whew!
Paul Murray
Posted at 07:19 am, 12th August 2016(Not a US citizen, myself – these apply to my country too)
Illegal immigrants – there is no such thing as an illegal immigrant. There are only foreign nationals who are in your country without a visa. They should be immediately repatriated. Kicking people out who are not citizens is the entire point of having a country.
Leagal immigrants should be required to learn english. Citizens have duties, and a basic duty of citizenship is to know the laws of your country. You can’t do that if you can’t speak the language they are written in.
35. Should the government conduct military strikes against North Korea in order to destroy their long-range missile and nuclear weapons capabilities?
Irrespectitve of whether or not it should be done, it should only be done after a formal declaration of war on N. Korea. This applies to every other conflict that the USA is currently embroiled in that involves the USA killing people or blowing stuff up inside other country’s borders.
25. Should the military be allowed to use enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, to gain information from suspected terrorists?
No. Torture is illegal.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 10:31 am, 12th August 2016Your comments are way too long so I’m not going to read them, but if you’d like to explain in 3-4 sentences or less why you think I’m not a libertarian, I can explain why you’re wrong.
You support Donald Trump and enthusiastically support many of his very non-libertarian policies. It is you who are not a libertarian, though I agree you’re for a much smaller government than we currently have, which is good.
Max
Posted at 12:32 pm, 12th August 2016Hi Caleb. There is no federalism in my country so I may not be aware of some of some key subtleties in American politics but I’m curious, why do you have apparently very different standards on some issues for the federal and state governments?
Caleb Jones
Posted at 12:41 pm, 12th August 2016I don’t. My personal standards for federal and state are the same, in that I would choose to live in a state that had very small government and very few laws (if such a thing existed).
However, freedom means the freedom to run your local area (neighborhood or small city) in ways you choose even if I personally disagree with it. Therefore, the least bad way to run a country is libertarian federalism; for the federal government to do almost nothing, and let individual cities do pretty much whatever they want based on the voters in those cities. Under that system, in a very big nation like the US, there would be several cities that would embrace libertarian policies, and I would live in one of those, and avoid the other cities who were more left wing or right wing.
Makeshift
Posted at 05:05 pm, 12th August 2016@Jack
“we’ll see how your libertarianism stacks up against mine”
This is why you guys will never get 5%.
Other than the fact that most of you are weirdos like Mr. Fat Thong Guy, you virtue signal more than leftists and demand pedantic ideological purity.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 05:21 pm, 12th August 2016You’re correct. Not only are libertarian ideas wildly unpopular (because most human beings are terrified of freedom and self responsibility), but most libertarians are more interested in infighting than actually getting shit done.
I love my fellow libertarians, and I agree with their political views, but they will never achieve power in any meaningful way.
Better to forget about politics (other than as an entertaining TV show) and focus on improving your own life and taking care of your loved ones instead.
Lon Spector
Posted at 07:08 am, 13th August 2016Man should NOT be divided. A healthy wholistic person is whole in EVERY
area of their life.
You said that some comments I made on your other blog, were more suited for
this blog. But how can you compartmentalize?
The more actualized you are, the more it will show in EVERY area of your life,
whether it’s sex or health (Physical or mental.)
Oft times, when a woman complains that there are no good men, or when someone
complains that lack of a mate is the problem, the remedy is NOT what is thought.
A mere relationship will not suffice because the person’s nature is not changed.
Even if a man got “the love of a good woman” it would do nothing LONG RANGE to
make him happy. A transformation of “basic nature” is necessary.
This what we mean by “Seeking The Kingdom Of Heaven First.” If you elevate your
comprehensive spiritual level, the people in your world will have a higher quality,
and won’t be the “drama” people you warn about.
BUT…. An “elevated” girl CAN be raped and murdered through no fault of her own if
she is in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Google Colleen Ritzer.)
An evil, cackling spawn of Satan CAN make it all the way to the White House and have a horrible effect on American’s lives, if they have the sin of being born white
males and believing in God. A completely controlled media spreading deliberate
disimformation that gets it’s orders from the pit can cause many to stampeade from the cliff.
Appreciate what you have while you have it. I think September 10 is D-Day (For a
number of “unscientific” reasons. In any case I D’ONT see an election this year.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 12:06 pm, 13th August 2016Simple. I compartmentalize by topic.
I agree in the macro it’s all related though, yes.
Max
Posted at 01:53 pm, 13th August 2016“84. Should a photo ID be required to vote?
Yes. So should passing a test regarding politics, mathematics, geography, economics, and history, as well as proof of net contribution to the economy (i.e. proof you’re gainfully employed, or own a business that actually makes money, etc).”
This system would work well under 3 assumptions:
1. If the people with the rights to vote used their superior education to choose the candidates more likely to benefit the whole country.
In practice, people have incentives to choose the politicians who benefit themselves and their social group. We have seen countless examples of people with the right to vote opressing those without the right, all the way from Greece in ancients times to 80’s South Africa.
2. If elected officials prioritized the common good above their own political careers.
In practice, they want to get reelected so they have incentives to focus on pleasing the groups of people with the power to get them a second term (those with the right to vote and those with the wealth to make contributions).
3. If everybody has a somewhat equal chance of adquiring the right to vote.
Your system doesn’t discriminate by gender, race or social group so is fairer than most but still, it isn’t fair at all. A girl who grows up in a neglectful, abusive foster home, where she is beated and raped, gets pregnant and is thrown to the street at 18 with 2 babies and aids can get the right to vote but will have to work hard for it. A girl with two loving rich parents who pay for her higher education and then give her a job at their firm gets the right to vote almost by default. In the US I assume some groups would lose a disproportioned ammount of voters under your system, such as afroamericans, and others wouldn’t, such as east Asians.
Which system is the least worst? I don’t pretend to know it. In theory I like your proposal but it could lead to abuses down the line. All I know is that in my country we got it worst. as voting is not voluntary and there are significant fines for not voting so all the people with 0 knowledge and interest in politics cast a vote.
Fraser Orr
Posted at 01:57 pm, 13th August 2016@Caleb Jones says
> You’re correct. Not only are libertarian ideas wildly unpopular (because most human beings are terrified of freedom and self responsibility), but most libertarians are more interested in infighting than actually getting shit done.
I actually think it is a little more complicated than that. Voting is extremely tribal in the US. People don’t, generally speaking, vote on what they think but on who they are. One is not, in general, a democrat because you believe certain things, but rather you are a democrat because you are, and you believe certain things because you are a democrat. This too is a simplification, however, it carries a lot of important data.
Libertarians are much less likely to be like that because very few people are tribally libertarians initially, they become that way due to reasoned argument. however, when they get there they do become tribal.
However, there really are a couple of reasons libertarians argue over minutiae.
1. They have no chance of winning, and so ultimately it doesn’t matter.
2. They are relatively pure ideologically. The big parties are acutaly am amalgum of different groups. Republicans, for example, are a merger of neo-cons, conservative christians and libertarian lites. Whereas the democrats are a merger of SJWs, entitlement whores and unions. These groups within the parties tend to have quite opposing views, but they compromise because doing so means they might win and get some of their agenda. Libertarians have no such hope, and consequently no reason to compromise.
The truth is a pretty large percentage of the population of the USA are in fact libertarian lite. Not all by any means, and when you press people on the details it goes pear shaped. But the basic principles of libertarianism — leave people alone to do what they want, as long as they aren’t hurting others — is one that a very large percentage of Americans would agree with.
This is the level of meta principle that is enough to tie people to repub or democrat. However, the libertarian tribe isn’t strong enough to make em wanna join.
But I also want to comment on Jack’s point. One cannot be a libertarian or not a libertarian. Is is a spectrum. It is more a question of how libertarian are you? It is a matter of degree, not quality. We heard this loud when people accused Obama of being a socialist as if it were a binary condition. He is the most socialist president in our history for sure, but that doesn’t make him a “socialist” as if you are one or you aren’t. Many of his policies advocated the centralization of control, which truly is more facism rather than socialism (the former being the government controlling industry, the later the government owning industry) but even there he is facist lite, or socialist lite.
Fraser Orr
Posted at 02:02 pm, 13th August 2016Oh, just one other thing. In Europe, generally speaking because they tend to have proportional representation, most often you see coilition governments where several parties get together to form a government because no-one has the majority.
The truth is that America is exactly the same, the only difference is that the coilitions are pre-formed before the election and packaged as if they were one thing. They call it “big tent” politics. In truth American primaries are much like the actual election in Europe, since they are negotiations between the sub parties within the main party heading.
If libertarians want any power they would have to work within the existing Republican system and win through the primaries (I say repubs because most of the liberal policies Libertarians want are mostly enacted already, it is in the fiscal area America is mostly screwed up.)
It is kind of like the NFL. There certainly is a Superbowl at the end, and only two teams play, but an relative unknown like the Panthers can make it all the way through and at least have a chance of winning.
Fraser Orr
Posted at 04:57 pm, 13th August 2016Max says
> Which system is the least worst?
The answer to that is simpler than it seems. The concerns you expressed are where a group of people get to decide what everyone else does. That is the essence of democracy — the majority decides what rules everyone must play by, and what choices everyone must abide by.
There are some decisions that have to be collective, but the vast majority don’t. And that is the problem. The majority deciding things that people can very well decide on their own, or with the advice of experts they choose. For example our military is by its nature collective. So too our criminal justice system (even though it is absolutely appalling.) But what drugs you take? Who you sleep with? How you organize the legal matters of your marriage? How you school your children? What size of soda you want to buy? Who can render medical services to you, and what sort of insurance you buy? How you save for retirement? These are all decisions that people can readily make by themselves or with the assistance of experts they choose. This is especially so because generally when the government does that kind of stuff they do an absolutely dreadful, massively overpriced, steeped in corruption and rent seeking kind of a job.
So which system is best? The system that is best is the one that makes the fewest decisions collectively, and allows people to make the other decisions themselves. Which is to say the best system is the one that leaves you the hell alone.
It is basically what the US Constitution says, which is why I actually LOL-ed when Mr. Khan (For whom I have great sympathy for the loss of his son) wagged a copy of the constitution at the Democratic National Convention — a place full of politicians whose disregard for the constitution is complete, and of a party whose current President is the biggest abuser of the constitution in the history of the republic. (Perhaps with the exception of FDR.)
Caleb Jones
Posted at 12:17 am, 14th August 2016Correct. However, sadly some elitism is required for any society, in that it’s impossible to eliminate. Even communist societies have/had wealthy, powerful elites. So my answer to that is to have elitism be right up front and center, with 100% transparency for all to see, instead hiding it or having people pretending it doesn’t exist. (For example, “Bill Clinton wants to be president because he’s a good guy who feels our pain and wants to help us!”)
That is precisely why politicians should have a one term max term limit.
Correct. My system is a very flawed but least bad system. As I said to Tony above, if you want a perfect system, I can’t give it to you, nor can anyone else. But I can give you least bad.
I know it. It’s federalist libertarianism, where government is present and imperfect but is also mostly small, decentralized, and local.
Correct. People’s voting patterns are fundamentally irrational, which is why open democracy is such a terrible idea.
Incorrect. That is the opposite of what the vast majority of today’s Americans believe. They say that shit as a platitude (“I’m fiscally conservative but socially liberal”) but when you start asking them about specific policies and specific solutions to problems, the left, the right, and most independents leap to government coercion as their cure the vast majority of the time.
Incorrect. Ron Paul already tried that, made a valiant and impressive effort, and got slaughtered. He never received more than 10% of the Republican primary vote.
Republicans are not libertarians. Conservatives are not libertarians. Only libertarians are libertarians, and there’s only about 5% of us at the very best. We will never come into power anywhere meaningful in the Western world.
It’s time for libertarians to stop trying to change the world and just get the fuck out of dodge and focus on their own lives.
Fraser Orr
Posted at 10:39 am, 14th August 2016> They say that shit as a platitude (“I’m fiscally conservative but socially liberal”) but when you start asking them about specific policies
Yup, but that is my whole point Caleb. Political identity is never about specifics, but about general platitudes.
> Republicans are not libertarians.
That isn’t true. SOME Republicans are libertarians, many aren’t. But that is the whole point of “big tent” politics. It is why, for example, the past twenty years of the Repub party has been about NeoCon policies, even though large swaths of the Republican party are not NeoCons, and in fact the Republicans are traditionally isolationists.
> Only libertarians are libertarians,
Again, the demand for ideological purity is poison. I don’t care about politics, but I would like it if a government got to power who did a few things to stop bothering me. So I’d much rather have a very lite libertarian Republican than, for example, our two current clowns.
As to Ron Paul, the problem with him is that although I generally agree with his policies, he is a terrible politician. He presents very poorly, and has a whole “crazy nut job” look about him. A better chance would be through his son. He had at least a non zero chance of having won through the primaries.
> It’s time for libertarians to stop trying to change the world and just get the fuck out of dodge and focus on their own lives.
Well yes of course. The real laugh is those libertarian folks who think that “government is not the solution” and then spend a large part of their life talking about politics and government. I agree, Harry Browne’s book “How I found freedom in an unfree world” changed my life view pretty radically.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 10:53 am, 14th August 2016Correction: MOST aren’t. Only about 10-15% are.
That would be Rand Paul and I agree, though such a man would not be able to turn America around, so it’s irrelevant at this point.
Agree. Rand Paul was terrible too.
Nope. As I mentioned once at the other blog, Rand Paul got slaughtered in the Republican primaries because he ran like a boring, lecturing college professor instead of a skilled politician.
Correct. Since the point of no return (around 2001 or so), I view politics strictly as an entertaining TV show, not as a mechanism to actually make anything significantly better. That point has passed.
Fraser Orr
Posted at 11:55 am, 14th August 2016@Caleb Jones says
> Correction: MOST aren’t. Only about 10-15% are.
People aren’t libertarian or not libertarian. They are to some degree opposed to government involvement in people’s lives. So you can’t possibly give a figure like that without defining your bar. Most republicans are in favor of less government intervention than current, to what extent varies a lot.
> Correct. Since the point of no return (around 2001 or so),
Sure, but just because you have a terminal disease doesn’t mean you stop all forms of medical intervention. The end might be inevitable, but the process can be prolonged and made less painful.
Lon Spector
Posted at 04:13 pm, 14th August 2016It’s all over! How can you possibly see an outcome where this country survives?
An evil witch from the pits of hell. A media that supports her with zero credibilty.
A fraud playing the role of spoiler. This country is shot and washed up.
How much longer can it drag along. Criminality as a “civil right.”
Girls are going to be “gifited” to the lowest butchers as a reward for overthrowing law
abiding society.
President Sha Baa Kaa got the ball rolling. Hillary will only be concerned with what
benefits Hillary Clinton.
THERE IS NO HOPE DEMOGRAPHALLY OR MORALLY. I intend to take to sea before
the witch puts her hand on the Bible on Jan. 17. Maybe I can relate to a mermaid.
A person is entitled to have ONE experience before they die.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 05:13 pm, 14th August 2016Incorrect. Example: Gary Johnson is definitely a libertarian. Barack Obama is definitely not.
There are degrees too, but that only applies once you compare two people who are very libertarian or libertarianish. If you compare me to Hillary Clinton, degrees don’t matter. If you compare me to someone like Adam Kokesh, then they do, but only then.
A republican who wants smaller government is not a libertarian. As I’ve said twice now, the vast majority of republicans who want government smaller are not libertarians, aren’t even close, and think libertarians suck.
Someone who wants government smaller than it is now is (likely) a conservative or republican.
Someone who wants government a LOT smaller, drastically smaller than it is now is a libertarian (or close to it).
There is a clear and definable difference. If you can’t see that then we’ll have to agree to disagree.
That line if thinking applies only if you wish to stay in the US/Europe for the next 20-25 years or more before leaving. That’s fine, but I personally don’t think waiting that long is a good idea and I don’t recommend it. I think the window for exit should be 5-15 years from now at the latest.
If you’re leaving the country in 9 years (or less) like I am, prolonging the end is a nonissue, and you can then take all the energy you would have spent “prolonging the end” and redirect it into bettering your own life instead.
(True, the “end” could come sooner than 9 years, but if that’s the case there is no stopping it at this point regardless of what is done.)
Max
Posted at 07:26 pm, 14th August 2016“That line if thinking applies only if you wish to stay in the US/Europe for the next 20-25 years or more before leaving. That’s fine, but I personally don’t think waiting that long is a good idea and I don’t recommend it. I think the window for exit should be 5-15 years from now at the latest.”
Hey, Caleb, could you post a link to an article were you explain in detail why do you think the west will collapse in the next two decades? I have heard you mention it many times but I’m not sure what are you so worried about.
Sure, there are many problems.
-The left, which can often be irrational, has gained power (although the right can be irrational too in different ways).
-Politcal correctnes is a new form of censorship.
-The United States government has a serious budget problem.
-Islamic terrorism is on the rise.
-Countries like China and India will eventually surpass the US economy due to their far larger populations and faster GDP growth.
All that sucks for the west but the past wasn’t perfect either. Personally, if I would have been far more worried during the Great Depression, the victories of the axis at the start of WW2 or the cuban missile crisis. By comparison things now don’t seem that bleak to me.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 11:03 am, 15th August 2016https://calebjonesblog.com/how-bad-will-it-get-what-exactly-will-happen/
To clarify, I never said “in the next two decades.” I said it will happen but I have no idea when, other than to know that the longer we go without it happening, the sooner it’s going to get here.
I’m not worried about it. My Alpha 2.0 lifestyle protects me against it. If/when it happens, I will be mildly inconvenienced for about 6 weeks, and then my financial life and sex life will continue unabated. (Some of my investments will actually make a lot of money.)
It’s everyone else who will have the problem, and I’m trying to help others here.
The economic fundamentals of the US were strong during the Great Depression, WWII, and the Cuban Missie Crisis, despite these problems. The US was also on the upswing during these times. (Rising powers encounter wars and depressions all the time, as is evidenced by the US during the 19-20th centuries and China now.)
None of that is true anymore. The fundamentals of the US/Europe are utterly flawed (or just gone) and both cultures peaked decades ago and are on the down slope.
CrabRangoon
Posted at 11:53 am, 15th August 2016@Max
To expand on what Caleb stated, you should read John Glubb’s book called “Fate of Empires”., It’s a short easy read and talks about the cycle each empire throughout history has gone through. You’ll be able to easily identify where the US stands-here’s a hint, we’re at the tail end. Empires last about 250 years on average and we’re just about there. People love to cite Rome as an example, which it is, but there are many other examples throughout history we can look to(Persia, Greece, Ottoman).
http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/glubb.pdf
RT
Posted at 09:03 pm, 15th August 2016https://nkilsdonkgervais.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/research-finds-that-the-state-is-entirely-funded-by-male-taxpayers/
says women cost more to the state in taxes, than they pay in taxes, except for age group 45-59 😀 Pretty nice graphs
Lon Spector
Posted at 06:16 am, 16th August 2016I think there’s an excellent chance that America will be eradicated on or about
September 10th.
America has served it’s historical role, and can no longer be considered “Christian,
or even Western.”
There is a complete vacume of leadership in America, and media charletons and
their lies can’t change that.
Europe does have a future. The Bible tells me so. America will be transformed into
the Planet Of The Apes.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 10:50 am, 16th August 2016Let’s not go overboard dude. Try the decaf.
Lon Spector
Posted at 07:28 am, 17th August 2016Caleb,
I know you don’t believe in Astrology. Most guys don’t. That’s your disadvantage.
The reason we’ve had such crazy violence most of this year is because the planet
Mars has been close to Earth this year. It’s called The Mars Max. Mars is the God of
war. This happens every 18 mounts. The Mars Max was in effect on September 11
2001. It first occurred last Feburary and the last day is September 13th.
On September 10, Neptune (The planet of Delusion) will be square the planet Saturn
(The planet of onerous burden.) When squares like this take place, our composure is
rocked. Illusions are shattered.
A big illusion fostered by politicans and the media is that everything is wonderful in this country. People thought the same thing on December 7th 1941 and September
11, 2001. Satan (Through the politicans and media) is engaged in a full court press to
destroy Western civilization.
People are completely ignorant of current events. They would rather keep their
heads buried in the sand. They’ve got poke man games and hopes for sexual trysts
that never materialize. So shocking will the attack be, that people will be caught
completely off gaurd like Travis Alexander was when Jodi Arias pulled the knife out
on him.
I’m not saying the attack will take place EXACTLY on September 10, but I’d bet
anything it will happen between then and Election Day.
There’s no reason for God to keep America going. (Except for individual groups of
Christians. God can protect them ANYWHERE.)
With Hillary at the helm, it would be The United States Of Satan, no doubt.
Maybe the rest of the world would wake up if America was erased.
Caleb Jones
Posted at 11:33 am, 17th August 2016Oooookay. I think someone’s off his meds. Have fun with your psychosis.
Lon Spector
Posted at 08:25 am, 18th August 2016I’m not the only one who believes these things. Check out the net.
Open mind Caleb. How far would you have gotten without it?
Do you really believe we can have a country with Hillary?
Caleb Jones
Posted at 12:49 pm, 18th August 2016You just said on my other blog that you’ve “never had a happy day” in your entire life. So not only are you delusional, but you’re also depressed. Work on yourself and get your head straight and rational before you try to have a conversation with me about deep topics. I wish you the best of luck.
Gil Galad
Posted at 02:32 pm, 18th August 2016@Lon Spector: did Mars begin to have an influence on earthly affairs before or after the Greeks invented the god of war ?
Dude, even people half your IQ have the potential to debunk this kind of crap. It’s just easier to believe in explanatory shortcuts and collective myths. As Mark Twain put it, “the proof of the immortality of the soul is that myriads of people have believed it. They also believed the Earth was flat.”
It is not open-minded to “entertain the possibility” that goblins, not physics, caused today’s rain: it is just stupid.
Lon Spector
Posted at 05:40 am, 19th August 2016Dear Gil:
Mars ALWAYS had an influence on people whether they knew it or not!
Science is wonderful for the material world but has nothing to do with the
spiritual world. A bomb is the result of science. It can kill. Whether or not they
use it is spiritual.
Caleb: You wrote that book titled: “Why You’re Stupid, Fat and Poor.”
You spoke about the propaganda against wealth (You used the film “Titanic” as an
example) You endoursed the “Fit For Life” diet. And you proposed money making
strageties.