Navigating the American political wilderness

It has been a while since my last post, I have been grappling with health issues,  switching jobs, moving and dealing with tenants.  I have also discovered a fascinating cross-section of politics and economics in the space of nutrition.   An unlikely combination you may think, but upon closer inspection it is not hard to imagine that food should play a massive role in policy.  After all, a hungry population is often an unhappy one.

Still, today I would to discuss something lighter but equally important.  American politics.  Now politics as a whole is not something I focus on generally speaking as I prefer to explore the source (economics) not the symptoms.  But even if one were to get engaged then one would get very disappointed.  The political landscape has become intolerable, polarizing and dominated with emotions, stupidity and shallow thinking.

Allow me to break it down the way I see it.  There are thee major groups once you begin to delve into details, with several sub-groups that stem from under them.  Let me paint a picture of what a representative of this group typically sounds like or what I hear them espousing.  Recognize that I am using broad strokes, but after many years of observation this is a sadly accurate portrayal.

These are just my labels and names, there are many ways to skin a cat, names/labels are not so critical.

Groups

Liberals:  Constantly anti-corporation.  Corporations are blamed for everything under the sun and in some cases even interrupting the sun itself.   This is not an attack on corporatism, this is just an attack on large corporations.  The shrieking is so loud and deafening that they border on the insane.  As a secondary problem there is a focus on wealth inequality.  Mind you, they are convinced they understand the source of the inequality and ignore anything that might contradict their viewpoints. Anything that might challenge their view of the world is conveniently ignored.   In fact they do not care about economics at all, unless it is a brand of Keynesianism that justifies public spending at all times and for any reason.  Perhaps this is due to their overflowing humanity.  This humanity allows them to push for an ever growing welfare safety net despite the fact that America is now spending over 600 Billion a year on welfare alone ( a quarter of all revenues). 

Modern Conservatives:  Focused on three primary aspects.  Supporting troops (and wars based on morality), lowering taxes (regardless of economic condition) and fighting for social causes.  For the most the economic knowledge is limited to taxation and how allowing people to keep more of their money is economically sound, while recognizing Government spending as inefficient.  Good start, but woefully insufficient and leads to application of the same medicine regardless of condition.   They view Government as having a role to play in our lives, either by jailing drug offenders, stimulating the economy or reforming health care.  They talk often about repealing big programs, but never commit to the idea, instead just propose their own variations.  They say all this while still proudly announcing their love for the Constitution.  Typical rhetoric and visual aides include anything from founding fathers, soldiers and anything anti-Obama/anti-liberal (to the point of derangement).

Libertarians:  The counter-weight to conservatism and liberalism.   Generally speaking far more into economics than other groups and favors classical liberalism. They believe in the free market and would probably show off pictures of Mises, Hayek, Rothbard and even Friedman (a debatable figure in my mind) intertwined with quotes from the founding fathers.  Unlike the Conservatives the Libertarians actually care about the Constitution and know more about the document and its history.  They are naturally skeptical of groups and prevailing mentalities, but their skepticism gets them into big trouble.  Libertarians will also defend civil issues, stand up for revolutions like the Arab spring, bash Israel and defend Islam.   Naturally they are profoundly anti-war and never ever see a reason for military aggression.  They would have no problems with Nazis rampaging through Europe, because frankly, it is just not "our" problem.

Sub-Groups

Progressives (belong to Liberals):  It is hard to estimate how many liberals are progressives, but I would have to say anywhere between 30-60%.  Progressiveness varies and is often interchanged with Socialism.  They take their anti-corporatism ranting to a higher level and often prefer to do away with privately run corporations all together.  Don't call them Marxists though, they dislike that. Progressives are generally on the forefront of civil issues, a commendable position.  Of course this admiration quickly fades when you realize that they are profoundly against the free market and espouse failed political ideology.  Progressives will always defend big labor despite demonstrable proof that public and to a lesser extent private unions drive up costs and unemployment. 

Socialists (belong to Liberals):  A smaller sub-group, but one that feels to be gaining a bit of traction.  If socialism was a dirty word in America, then now it is worn as a badge of honor.  Disgusting, but what can you do other than shake your head in amazement.   The most notable thing about American Socialists is their perverse and utterly warped view of history.  For instance the Soviet Union in their eyes was actually state run capitalism and now socialism as they see it.  They want a worker's paradise, facts be damned.

Religious right (belong to Conservatives):  I surmise this represents half if not more of the conservative base.  They are precisely what you think they are, generally spamming social media sites with images of Jesus and are railing against abortion, gay marriage, drug usage and anything that violates their religious principles.  What makes them tolerable is their gravitation towards small Government, but this can often result in amusing contradictions as they have no problem funding the ATF, DEA, CIA, FBI and the DOJ to either chase tokers or Mexicans looking for work.  It is embarrassing, but as long as it is squared away in their Biblical mind then it is "kosher".   Equally amusing and far more fiscally damaging is that they see no bounds for military spending, for all military spending is good spending even if it is wasteful.  Many even agree that it is wasteful, but simply acknowledge that this is the kind of waste that is permissible.  How spending over 800 Billion on defense, more accurately to be called offense, is permissible for someone advocating small Government is anyone's guess.

Mercantilists (belong to Conservatives):   I suspect that this represents 30-40% of the Conservative base.  They should technically call themselves liberals and move on with their lives, but due to historical voting patterns and regional demographics prefer to wear the flag of the GOP.  This group has a rich history with many names and hail from the Whig/Rockefeller wing of the Republican party.   They are all about the Constitution and small Government, except that they are not at all.  They are more than happy to engage in bailouts, subsidies, and abandoning capitalism to save capitalism and other nonsense.  They have no problem imposing Protectionism in the name of patriotism of course because they are not super fond of free trade either.  So while they quack like a conservative, they look and act like a liberal.

Nutters (belong to Libertarians):  It is now extremely common to see Libertarians even of high prominence discussing everything from 9/11 Truth, Bilderbergs, Illuminati and of course, the most insidious of all conspiracies, international banking and the Fed cartel.   Does not matter how shady the source or how often it gets debunked, they are the ultimate arbiters of truth.  This sadly represents a large segment of the Libertarian population.  They are openly spamming every website, forum, facebook page and twitter with the latest "SHOCKING TRUTH".  They use the term truth as if they just discovered it in some cave and are amazed at how unique and precious it is.  If you even dare to question their 'truthiness' then be prepared for an avalanche.  Not only will you be instantly relegated to sheep status, but everything you say will just be laughed at.  All discussions eventually end with them asking you to wake up and see the light.  

So where am I?

So where do I fall into this mess?  I suppose this was the point of this post, over the years I have observed interesting behavior patterns depending on who I communicate with.  I can summarize it quite quickly.

This is how the groups/sub-groups see me.

Liberals: I am a Fox watching Republican with no heart.
Modern Conservatives: I am a liberal.
Libertarians:  I am a neo-con.  (most still have no idea what this means)
Progressives: I have no compassion for the working poor.  
Socialists: I am a filthy capitalist pig.
Religious right: I am a godless heretic.  (OK, that part is true).
Mercantilists: I am a radical Ayn Randian libertarian independent who has no problem with pain and suffering.
Nutters:  I am a sheep and can't think for myself.

The truth?  In this political wilderness, I am all alone.