Are you fringe?
By Amit Singh | Sunday, December 25th, 2011 | Economics, Five Questions, PoliticsAccording to the MacMillan dictionary, fringe is defined as “people or activities that are considered strange or extreme” so I thought I would ask what positions make a person “fringe”.
1) To balance the budget and get the United States out of debt, which is currently considered our largest national security threat, which would you prefer:
A) Cut absolute Federal spending immediately to prevent any more borrowing from nations such as China and then continue spending cuts in the future to start paying off the debt.
B) Reduce the acceleration of increased spending in turn hoping that increasing the debt at a slower pace will help grow the economy by over 40% to cover our current overages and eventually start paying off the debt.
2) When it comes to the well being of our citizens, how should the Federal government handle health and moral concerns:
A) Delegate to the states to experiment and cater rules and regulations best suited for their populations and enabling the migration of citizens to states most in sync with their personal views.
B) Allow the Federal govt to dictate a “one-size fits all” solution that puts the burden on the individual states for enforcement and imprisonment for failure to comply with laws the majority of the citizens of the state may not agree with.
3) To foster peace, prosperity and democracy in the Middle East, what should the United States foreign policy in the region be:
A) Create economic and diplomatic ties with every country in the region and use America’s consumer market to create financial incentives for goods and services from the Middle East while simultaneously opening up markets for American exports creating jobs in the U.S. Leverage the trade relationship to influence Middle East leaders and their newly created middle-class to cooperate with the West on terrorism and nuclear proliferation.
B) Preemptively attack every nation on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon (but not Pakistan because they already have a weapon and they are our “friends”) and isolate those countries with sanctions and restricted military movements. Once said country has been toppled, occupy country until democracy is restored (even if it was there before) and rebuild and improve any infrastructure damaged during the attack at American taxpayer expense.
4) To enable and foster the Free Market, which should the Federal govt adopt:
A) Allow for competing currencies, which are backed by a variety of commodities and are less susceptible to inflation, pyramid schemes, bubbles and currency manipulation by foreign counties.
B) Centrally manage the economy with a few Keynesian economists that set interest rates once every 3 months but can also inject huge sums of paper money into failing banks to purchase additional bad debts.
If you chose “B” to all 4 questions then congratulations, you are not a fringe citizen in our society. What you believe in is not challenged and you are happy because the status quo is what you want so it really doesn’t matter what happens in the next few election cycles because things will generally be going your way.
If you chose “A” to all 4 questions then our condolences because you are simpleton that doesn’t understand how the world or logic works. You probably are a racist who own more than one gun, believes in all sorts of conspiracy theories and wants to smoke pot all day.
If you chose a mixture of A and B, then you’re a confused soul that is easily swayed by the media and choose who you vote for based on important criteria such as “which guy can I have a beer with” and “boxers or briefs”.
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20 Responses to "Are you fringe?"
A all the way, although I am a bit concerned over what “create economic ties” means. Right on guns and perhaps the simpleton label, but not the rest.
@JZ, economic ties are really nothing more than allowing the citizens of each country to purchase goods and services from one another.
Here’s how I put it…
Number 1 is live within your means.
Number 2 is to each his/her own, or different strokes for different folks.
Number 3 is love and honor thy neighbor.
Number 4 is government should maintain the value of its currency.
Can’t believe I’m so stupid after so many degrees and so many life lessons. Darn!
Well, let’s see here, Amit. Didn’t you have a comment in a earlier thread about “false choices?” The operative verb in each one of your alternatives is:
1. “Cut” vs. “reduce” spending.
2. “Delegate” vs. “dictate” solutions.
3. “Create” vs. “attack” in foreign relations.
4. “Allow” vs. “centrally manage.”
Have you considered a career in writing push polls?
@MD Russ, I’m open to suggestions for different verbs or option Cs)
Seems to me the VRP is aligned with B not A. More Bush like policies with Romney, nothing conservative here or in Washington (are you even listening Cantor?). Thus, why allow other candidates in our primary, both Obama or Romney believe in centralized decision making. This nation is doomed.
Amit,
I would not presume to improve on a masterpiece of obfuscation. It is the very hallmark of Ron Paul and the Libertarians.
Merry Christmas.
@MD Russ, thanks! I didn’t expect an intellectually honest conversation from those who support the status quo.
Amit,
I do not just support the status quo–I thrive under it and am proud to be part of your problem.
Amit, modern-day-conservative is an oxymoron and rinos thrive under the new order of status quo. Old school conservatism remains passe in the minds of neocons and the candidacy or Ron Paul threatens their power among corporate elite. Follow the money.
The conservative principles of the gop are in a world of hurt right now and its is going to get worse. Not because Romney is a rino.. he isnt, he is a republican. But he is also a neoconservative who relies on people like MD who share his support for conservative principles when it suits them.. lip service for the constitution is enough for them.
Uh, oops I said something mean. Here is more. The gop establishment is in the tank for foreign policy that excites their donors in the defense sector.. again, follow the money and you will find this is where RP republicans differ from Romney republicans.
Dammit Turbo… quit being mean to “Mad Dog” and those NeoCons on Christmas!
OOOh…that wicked, mean old establishment. You mean the one that consistently gets a majority of votes? Clearly it’s because the electorate is ill-informed.
Regardless, nice post, Amit. Let’s see them regularly, eh?
Hey, how come you didn’t wish us Happy Diwali this year on Oct. 26?
Shubh Dipawali! (belated)
my New Year’s resolution will be to write more posts (starting in Feb due to wedding/honeymoon)
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the establishment getting the majority of votes is hardly an indication the electorate is well informed but rather the establishment has better organization and infrastructure.
@turbo, I have come to agree with your RINO = Republican comment. Anyone who is not a RINO within the GOP is likely to be a Libertarian.
Amit,
“the establishment getting the majority of votes is hardly an indication the electorate is well informed but rather the establishment has better organization and infrastructure.”
Interesting proposition. Does that mean that if your crowd gets a majority of votes it will not be because the electorate was better informed but because of organization and infrastructure?
@MD Russ, yes, typically the candidate with the most votes is the one with the best organization and infrastructure. of course other factors apply such as the candidate, messaging, endorsements, voter sentiment, etc but all those can be influenced with a strong infrastructure and organization.
A large reason that Ron Paul is doing so much better this election cycle than in 2008, is not so much that the voter sentiment has moved closer to his message (even though they have and it helps) but he donated all of his remaining campaign funds into starting a new organization called Campaign for Liberty that has been organizing for the last 4 years. I get more correspondence from C4L than I do my local GOP. In the last few years, C4L has had a huge presence and is a major reason that Ron Paul keeps winning straw polls at CPAC and all over the country. I don’t want to over-emphasize straw polls but its one of several things that over time help change voter sentiment.
So, Amit, what you are saying is that our democracy is a sham, that the electorate is an ignorant bunch of uncritical thinkers who can be swayed by slogans and sound bites more than by principles and positions.
Got it.
@MD Russ, not sure what point you’re trying to prove if you are at all. General elections are won by winning over “independents” and bumper sticker politics make a huge difference in the outcomes. That’s why things like “Yes We Can” and “9,9,9″ are influential.
I’ve been a simpleton ever since I had six kids. Oh well, name calling doesn’t hurt my feelings anymore, I just look at them like they are simpletons.
You may be fringe if you believe all political questions can be reduced to a binary “either or or” choice.
@Steve, as I stated earlier in the comments, I am open to option C’s if anyone wants to articulate them.
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