Reminder: Ask Matt Welch Anything on Reddit at 11 a.m. ET!

Just don't ask me to find Aleppo on a map

As previewed yesterday, I am fielding questions over at www.reddit.com/r/politics for a couple of hours beginning at 11 a.m. ET. I think this link is where the main action will take place. Should be fun!

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

If you could be any tree, what flavor of sap would you ooze?

[Playa Manhattan.]

Mountain Dew.

[JadeEllis]

Started working at home! It is by far the best job I have ever had. I just recently purchased a Brand new BMW since getting a check for $25470 this 8-week past. I began this 6 months ago and I am now bringing home at least $92 per hour. Go to this website and click tech tab to start your own business.... http://goo.gl/LtI1C0

[Swiss Servator]

Dalwhinnie, 15 year old.

[WTF]

What about Aleppo?

[Aloysious]

Boxers, briefs, or banana hammock?

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Commando.

[Playa Manhattan.]

All of my questions from yesterday are real. Can somebody submit them for me? Gotta get the kids to school.

[Wasted Vote Jr.]

"Question #1: What is the score of the Cal game? I don't have internet right now."

[prolefeed]

Just don't ask me to find Aleppo on a map

It's in Elgin, TX, a bit east of Austin.

[SugarFree]

The number one question: "Who are you?"

[Number.6]

You're meant to say that you want INFORMATION.

[Fist of Etiquette]

suuuuuur3 [score hidden] 23 minutes ago

Why is freedom more important than equality?

Okay, which one of you is suuuuur3?

[Swiss Servator]

Tony or amsoc?

[Brochettaward]

I read this as an opportunity to harass Welch in a forum where he has to answer. If he hasn't been badgered and made to squeal everything he knows about the cocktail parties by noon, you have all failed me.

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

So far, it looks like the same questions you or other libertarians always get asked. Low energy!

I like that one guy does not seem to get that you're joking about Aleppo.

[Idle Hands]

Somebody ask what the libertarian solution to late pm or am links is at reason.com? I've already wasted my question on inquiring when this weeks fifth column would be uploaded.

[Mickey Rat]

An appointment with the Captain's Daughter might work.

[Citizen X]

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

[Idle Hands]

a libertarian wading into reddit politics is like a child climbing into a gorilla enclosure.

[Slammer]

#dicksoutforwelch

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

Indeed. Reddit is one thing, but r/politics? I resent having it in my browser history.

[GILMORE?]

what's the shortest summary of Why?

[Joe M]

Leftist cesspool.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

FYTY

[GILMORE?]

"Fuck you that's.... ________"?

[Joe M]

Fuck You That's Youranswer.

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

Why is it a good idea to lessen the portion of people's lives that they have some measure of control over (government) to the benefit of the aspect of their lives they have no real control over (privately owned business)?

How much money do the Koch Bros invest in your annual budget?

Do you think that a child should have access to healthcare (assuming the family doesn't have the means to afford it)?

[Citizen X]

Fuuuuuuck i'm dumber for having read those. Balls!

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

Shut up and go pick up the juicer that WalMart is forcing you to buy against your will.

[Citizen X]

I got three, just in case.

[GILMORE?]

Ah.

I suppose that works

[Pay up, Palin's Buttplug!]

Why is it a good idea to lessen the portion of people's lives that they have some measure of control over (government) to the benefit of the aspect of their lives they have no real control over (privately owned business)?

However wrote that would probably love fascism.

[Slammer]

It's all "what's Aleppo" jokes hurh hurh hurh

[Jimbo]

Can someone mail me the floppy disk for reddit so I can install it on my computer?

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

It should've come as an optional installation on your AOL CD.

[Swiss Servator]

CD?! Oh look at you, Mr. Fancy Technology!

*resumes punch card production*

[Citizen X]

Get the neighbor boy to help, he's good at math.

[Gojira]

Somebody ask him when the Angels are going to fire Sosh.

[Private Chipperbot]

Second, is it really true that after a certain point of wealth a country will find more innovative solutions to climate change? It seems like our climate change solutions are lacking compared to some of the less well off countries like China and Costa Rica.

Just say no to /politics...

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

China.

China.

CHINA.

[GILMORE?]

our climate change solutions are lacking compared to some of the less well off countries like China and Costa Rica.

*China*?

You mean the "solution" of "just lie about your emissions for 2 decades"....

..... then when the West starts complaining, sign a piece of paper with a new set of lies*, promising drastic change in the next 20 years which - even then - no one will ever be able to police/confirm?

(*which is basically what the recent bilateral agreement w/ the US is)

http://www.reuters.com/article.....WS20151108

and... Costa Rica? A country so small that their policies *don't matter*?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Someone's asking about positive liberty.

[IWasADemocrat]

One of the questions:

"Can you name a modern economy (let's say 19th century onwards) in which the lack of a social welfare system (minimum wage, guaranteed healthcare, public pensions, etc) has produced a measurably higher standard of living for its populace than countries with social welfare systems?"

Hong Kong and Singapore to start with.

Policies have changed since the early days.

Of course when growth slowed at times, government officials jumped in and said that they had 'solutions'. So social programs started popping up over time.

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

I like that he specifies "19th century onwards," and then narrows the sample to almost exclusively mid-20th century and onwards nations.

I don't know the stats, but circa 1880, I'm pretty sure I'd prefer the US or UK to Bismarck's Germany.

[Citizen X]

What? You don't think it's important to public health for ladies to report their menstruation to the police, as Prussian women of childbearing age were required to do?

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

Well I'm just talkin economics, of course.

[Playa Manhattan.]

Paging Crusty. The Prussian police are hiring.

[IWasADemocrat]

Correct.

The government in the US was very small at that time except for during periods of war. For the UK, it might have been in the early 1900's (I am not 100% sure though).

If you go further back, then you will find a number of periods in European and Chinese history with 'benevolent' dictatorships (or 'emperorship') that corresponded with strong economic growth.

However, without data going that far back, it is difficult to quantify the size of government.

[prolefeed]

Oooh! I wanna play Correlation Is The Same As Causation too!

But first, let's rephrase:

"Can you name a modern economy in which politicians found that stealing from some people and using it to buy votes of other people (let's call that "a social welfare system" (minimum wage, guaranteed healthcare, public pensions, etc)) -- which would be virtually every such modern economy, due to public choice incentives -- in which millions of economic illiterates did NOT credit a measurably higher standard of living for its populace with said social welfare systems, instead of positing that maybe not having such systems might have lead to even greater prosperity?"

[Rufus The Monocled]

I accidentally stumbled on The View and some woman named 'Joyce' interviewing Gary Johnson. Did any of you watch this piece of work? I wanted to reach into the TV and literally smack her in the face. What a complete piece of shit the way she spoke to him. I can just imagine how this idiot would react if someone spoke to that twat she supports in the same way.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Your mistake, as well as Governor Johnson's, was to ever go near The View,

You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

[DesigNate]

Wait, I thought WE were the most wretched hive of scum and villainy.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A lot of questions going unanswered, Welch. What the hell are you doing over there?

[Matt Welch]

For the first 40 minutes, I forgot to refresh the page!

[robc]

Idea I just had, probably not original.

On your ballot you can either vote for one candidate of your choice OR cast one negative vote for a candidate of your choice.

So, for example, if someone really doesnt want to vote for Johnson, they could instead cast a vote against Clinton (or Trump or whoever you think the greatest evil is). The "winner" is the largest net vote getter.

I could see Clinton or Trump ending up negative in some states. Maybe both in a few.

[Citizen X]

My god, Tony would whine so hard you could hear it in space.

[Swiss Servator]

So, you are in favor of it then, as I am?

[Brochettaward]

I've always liked to argue there should be a none of the above option which would allow Americans to leave the office unfilled. But this is a great idea. I love it.

[Private Chipperbot]

Welch endorses Hillary!

Which of the two main candidates do you believe is worse?

[?]MattWelchReason Matt Welch, Reason Magazine Editor at Large[S] [score hidden] 2m
Trump, for his (interrelated) positions on immigration and trade, for his collectivism, and for helping to create a plausible LePenism in American politics. I greatly dislike Hillary, too. The good news, if there is any, is that whoever gets elected will likely serve just one term. And meanwhile the LP will get its largest vote by far.

[GILMORE?]

The good news, if there is any, is that whoever gets elected will likely serve just one term.

I think that's true.

I also think Hillary will sink many the left's ideas though over-extending herself. And the harder-left younguns will hate her.

[Swiss Servator]

Just like that bumbling flop Lightworker only got one term through over-reach....

....damn.

[GILMORE?]

No, i don't think they're comparable at all.

Because he was basically immune from criticism no matter what he did. Also, the ACA didn't come into effect until his second term. He'd have only been a one-termer if he were trying to explain away the .Gov website failures, skyrocketing premiums, lost insurance for millions, etc. in 2012 rather than in 2013-2014

[Get To Da Chippah]

If the First Black President was immune from criticism, wouldn't it be sexist if the First Woman President were not immune?

[GILMORE?]

No. It had less to do entirely with his blackness, and more how he functioned as a emetic/purgative of "Bush" for progressives. He was "their" (*millenials) candidate. And how he would be HISTORIC AND THE MOST ADULT AND THE MOST LOVED BY THE WORLD PRESIDENT EVER, whether he liked it or not. He was guaranteed to be the best no matter how bad he was.

Hillary belongs to the 1990s, and she isn't a symbolic answer to anything. She provides no warm-fuzzy of moral superiority. She's just 'better than Trump' and little else.

[BigT]

You seriously underestimate the racism of leftists. It was ALL about his dermal hue.

[Swiss Servator]

AHA! I KNEW IT!!!!

[Citizen X]

Plausible LePenism would be an okay title for an album.

[Matt Welch]

Or a venereal disease.

[Holger da Dane]

And then someone else asked what Matt's number one preferred quality in a politician is, and he answered "honesty".

[Rasilio]

Someone has to ask him if Nick has ever let him wear The Jacket

[Idle Hands]

Nick doesn't wear the jacket, the jacket wears Nick so....

[$park? is totally a Swifty]

What do you suppose would happen if The Jacket got its sleeves on The Glasses?

[Warty]

Do you feel better about the state of Hit and Run now?

[Swiss Servator]

How could he?

*makes rude gesture at Welch, demands cake, hits self over head with hammer and falls down*

[Playa Manhattan.]

That's still better than what goes on at Reddit. They make Buttplug look like a soft spoken genius.

[Number.6]

One approach to Reddit-think about income inequality which recently had some traction.

Most of these geniuses are fixed-size-pie thinkers, so I said - let's do a simple calculation and figure out how much everyone would have if we paid everyone in the US who worked the same salary. Average adult income (gross) came in at about $32k, but then, of course, unemployed people would starve, so let's pay them a 'living wage' equal to everyone else, because they're people too, right? That brings the adult gross down to about $26k.

"OK guys, how many of you want to reduce your salary to $26k gross?" (of course, all of them are likely to have full time salaries far higher than that) and watch them try and introduce exceptions to the rules that leave them capable of buying a new iPhone and a GoPro every 2 years.

Every carve out provision gets challenged. "Don't people forced to live in the countryside deserve the same?" "Don't women have dignity too?" "You need more money because you graduated from college?" "You're not going to tell me that people of color thrive on eating cheap, but unhealthy foods"

Works far better than the minimum wage, because "minimum wage" is a weasel tactic; if you believe in "income equality" no half-measures should be permitted.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'm surprised they didn't dump off your argument by simply saying that if we had 100% income equality, then everyone could afford a new iPhone and GoPro every 2 years.

[Pay up, Palin's Buttplug!]

At least H&R libertarians, as crude as they are, don't call for mass extermination of wrong thinkers unlike Reddit liberals...

[IWasADemocrat]

Oh man...

I wish I could answer some of these questions

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

There are a few instances where I want to jump in and get involved, but I know there's no point. It's not worth it.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'm still waiting for an answer as to why a BBS system requires a CEO.

[Fist of Etiquette]

[?]stop-being-poor [score hidden] an hour ago

I just googled your face, and remembered thinking you were kinda cute last time on Maher.

[Fist of Etiquette]

[?]magnusstahre [score hidden] an hour ago

Which are your favorite liberal and conservative publications, and why?

And then Welch answered that he's basically Sarah Palin.

[GILMORE?]

I went back to browse the thing, and it seems to have vanished?