GOP debate

[The Brain]

The massive oil revenues from occupied Iraq have paid for the war many times over. Why else would you have invaded?

[Razgovory]

The idea that I should be reduced to poverty because the government makes a mistake does not strike me as an improvement over the current system.   

Indeed. That IS the current system.

I didn't have to give up my veggies or silk stockings or any other good due to the Iraq War.

Yeah, we put Iraq on the credit card. 

I find this an improvement to becoming impoverished.

[Princesca]

No one is arguing that non-fiat currency wouldn't prevent misguided wars. But the truth is that the average American doesn't have to share in the sacrifice anymore, as long as we keep kicking the can down the road via further currency devaluation. The idea of a victory garden, or giving up silk stockings for parachutes, or goods rationing, is unheard of these days. When wars are "cheap" from the perspective of the average person, there's no real disincentive to getting involved in quagmires like Iraq.

The idea that I should be reduced to poverty because the government makes a mistake does not strike me as an improvement over the current system.  Arguments predicated on the idea that I (and everyone else), should suffer more due to decisions of others aren't going strengthen your case.

The government will still penalize you financially when they make mistakes. Look at the situation we're in now. The value of currency dropping, the prospect of inflation, or at the very least, other major economic troubles continuing at least into 2013. The idea with having non-fiat currency is that people are not likely to tolerate aggressive wars that are not to serve a truly noble purpose. In short, it wouldn't keep us out of WWII, but it would have probably kept us out of Iraq, or if not kept us out, it would have vastly shortened our engagement. I don't see how that's a bad thing.

People don't have any foresight when it comes to our economic problems anymore. Just because you aren't paying for something NOW doesn't mean you won't pay, exponentially, down the road, in "hidden" ways. Why do you think the government is so keen on inflating the money supply? We get to go to wars we shouldn't be in, and have programs we can't afford that increase the authority and scope of government,  while the average taxpayer just says 'Wow, those greedy companies keep raising prices at the grocery store!' They don't realize that the Fed's quantitative easing can cause inflation, that all these things are connected in the broader market.

[Princesca]

Personally, I think Rick Perry looks like that dude that played Zarek in the new Battlestar and Starbuck in the old one:

[Palisadoes]

Do people seriously think a Shrub lackey is going to win against Obama? Sure, Romney has a shot, but Perry was Bush's Lt. Governor for christ's sake.

I do not know what the political mood in the USA is, though Perry seems to be viewed positively by the BBC who said he has "the common touch" and is "familiar with getting budgets under control and growing the economy", etc. So much for BBC impartiality, ay?

He looks like a soap opera star to me.

Ronald Reagan was also an actor.

[CountDeMoney]

Are you kidding, he looks more like Bush than Bush did from Josh Brolin's W.

Last thing we need is another Texas politician.

[Viking]

Are you kidding, he looks more like Bush than Bush did from Josh Brolin's W.

Last thing we need is another Texas politician.

OH NO U DIDNT

Consider yourself added to Zombie LBJ's shitlist.

[Princesca]

Evidently, the WH thinks Perry is a threat, because Axelrod came out yesterday against him, guns blazing, even though he hadn't formally declared. He said that Perry is just benefiting from circumstances he had no control over, which sounded like a fairly childish line of argument to me.

The two main things I'd like to see in a POTUS are a commitment to fiscal discipline and someone who can inspire people through these tough times. I would have thought Obama would be good at the latter, given his rousing speeches during the campaign, but for some reason he doesn't seem willing or able to employ that gift now that he's in office. I think it may be because he's very good (having been a community organizer) at riling people up with speech, but not so good at making people feel good with speech. His whole career as a community organizer (at which he apparently excelled) was built on discord. How anyone thought he'd be a unifying presence in government is beyond me. The same qualities of person required to bring people's attention to a problem are not usually the qualities needed to FIX a problem.

Also having a POTUS who is not a crazy evangelical religious nut would also be nice. Cal will say 'There's no way those people are really religious - it's just posturing' but Rick Perry's "Prayerapalooza" and Michele Bachmann's 'I'm one step away from being a snake handler' worry me Not too keen on Mormons either, but at least they do good disaster preparedness.

[Princesca]

Are you kidding, he looks more like Bush than Bush did from Josh Brolin's W.

Last thing we need is another Texas politician.

He talks like W too. I listened to a speech last night to see what he was like, and I think that he's going to remind people way too much of GWB.

[CountDeMoney]

Consider yourself added to Zombie LBJ's shitlist.

LBJ doesn't count, all his principal work was on the national level. 

A politician that happens to be from Texas isn't the same as a Texas politician.

[CountDeMoney]

Also having a POTUS who is not a crazy evangelical religious nut would also be nice. Cal will say 'There's no way those people are really religious - it's just posturing' but Rick Perry's "Prayerapalooza" and Michele Bachmann's 'I'm one step away from being a snake handler' worry me Not too keen on Mormons either, but at least they do good disaster preparedness.

Mormons are beyond creepy.  At least you know where Baptist fundies are coming from;  Mormonism is simply a cult with no transparency.  That makes them more dangerous and more sinister than any churchifying Protestant goofball.

[Razgovory]

The government will still penalize you financially when they make mistakes. Look at the situation we're in now. The value of currency dropping, the prospect of inflation, or at the very least, other major economic troubles continuing at least into 2013. The idea with having non-fiat currency is that people are not likely to tolerate aggressive wars that are not to serve a truly noble purpose. In short, it wouldn't keep us out of WWII, but it would have probably kept us out of Iraq, or if not kept us out, it would have vastly shortened our engagement. I don't see how that's a bad thing.

People don't have any foresight when it comes to our economic problems anymore. Just because you aren't paying for something NOW doesn't mean you won't pay, exponentially, down the road, in "hidden" ways. Why do you think the government is so keen on inflating the money supply? We get to go to wars we shouldn't be in, and have programs we can't afford that increase the authority and scope of government,  while the average taxpayer just says 'Wow, those greedy companies keep raising prices at the grocery store!' They don't realize that the Fed's quantitative easing can cause inflation, that all these things are connected in the broader market.

These are absurd arguments.  I see no reason to believe that ancient monetary practices would have kept the US out of Iraq.  Take a look at British military history in the 19th century.  They were in constant petty wars, some of which they lost.  What I am seeing is an argument to adopt a less flexible and effective monetary system so that when government does something stupid I should suffer more.  Presumably to encourage me not to vote for people like Bush in the future.  I didn't vote for him to begin with, so I don't need additional suffering to convince me it was a bad idea.  A system that breaks down so I have to periodically plant "Victory Gardens", is not better then a system that does not periodically break down.

Governments didn't adopt fiat currency out of some conspiracy to incontinence you, but because it was superior to the old system which was incapable of financing a modern government and would periodically cause deflation and massive instability.  One or two percent inflation per year is far, far superior to deflation.  Unless I'm very wealthy or a bank (which I am neither).

[Faeelin]

The government will still penalize you financially when they make mistakes. Look at the situation we're in now. The value of currency dropping, the prospect of inflation,

Have we had inflation the past year?

[Fate]

I thought we wanted inflation right now? 

[Viking]

I thought we wanted inflation right now? 

organize 10,000% inflation over the next 20 years and you reduce the debt by a factor of 100 and permanently screw with america's credit worthyness.... or you drive interest rates up above 15%....

Basically follow Iceland's currency policy...