Politics in 2108 -- basics
Dan Goodman
you're in another country, go ahead and discuss that country's
political future. Or discuss another country's political future, but
be aware that your knowledge is almost certainly extremely limited.
(If you're a citizen and resident of another country and are certain
you understand US politics, answer this question without looking it up:
What party controls the upper house of the Nebraska legislature?)
First, some basic assumptions:
There are no eternal conservative economic principles. Neither are
there eternal liberal economic principles.
While there may be eternal social principles, much of what's considered
eternal is not. Currently, US conservatives are likely to support an
individual right to bear arms; and US liberals are likely to favor
strict gun control. Twentyfive years from now, that might be reversed.
I would be surprised if that happened so quickly -- but fifty years
from now wouldn't surprise me.
--
--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://clerkfuturist.wordpress.com
Mirror Journal http://dsgood.insanejournal.com
Mirror 2 http://dsgood.wordpress.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood
Brian M. Scott
<dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in
<news:48b75510$1$60075$8046...@auth.newsreader.iphouse.com>
in rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.history.future:
[...]
> (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and
> are certain you understand US politics, answer this
> question without looking it up: What party controls the
> upper house of the Nebraska legislature?)
I wonder how many citizens and residents of the U.S. can
answer it without looking it up. I did, but I certainly
wasn't very confident that I was remembering correctly.
[...]
Brian
William Black
"Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in message
news:48b75510$1$60075$8046...@auth.newsreader.iphouse.com...
> (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and are certain
> you understand US politics, answer this question without looking it up:
> What party controls the upper house of the Nebraska legislature?)
1. How many US citizens within the USA who take an interest in politics
know this?
2. Why should anyone outside the USA (indeed, outside Nebraska) care?
--
William Black
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.
Charles...@gmail.com
wrote:
> "Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in message
> > (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and are certain
> > you understand US politics, answer this question without looking it up:
> > What party controls the upper house of the Nebraska legislature?)
>
> 1. How many US citizens within the USA who take an interest in politics
> know this?
>
> 2. Why should anyone outside the USA (indeed, outside Nebraska) care?
Agreed. It's a trick question anyway. I could care less about how
Nebraska organizes its legislature. How Nebraska legislates within its
own borders is the least of my concerns, as I never intend to live
there. Which party controls Nebraska's federal representation is far
more salient.
Dan Goodman
> On 29 Aug 2008 01:46:57 GMT, Dan Goodman
> <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in
>
> > (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and
> > are certain you understand US politics, answer this
> > question without looking it up: What party controls the
> > upper house of the Nebraska legislature?)
>
> I wonder how many citizens and residents of the U.S. can
> answer it without looking it up. I did, but I certainly
> wasn't very confident that I was remembering correctly.
I had to look it up. And it turns out the answer could be considered
ambiguous.
Dan Goodman
>
> "Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in message
> news:48b75510$1$60075$8046...@auth.newsreader.iphouse.com...
>
> > (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and are certain
> > you understand US politics, answer this question without looking it
> > up: What party controls the upper house of the Nebraska
> > legislature?)
>
> 1. How many US citizens within the USA who take an interest in
> politics know this?
>
> 2. Why should anyone outside the USA (indeed, outside Nebraska)
> care?
You don't have to care. But if you can't answer that question without
looking it up, you do _not_ fully understand US politics.
And anyone really knowledgeable about national US politics would be
aware of two reasons why that's a trick question. To begin with, would
know without looking it up that North Dakota has a unicameral
legislature.
Dan Goodman
> On Aug 29, 6:18 am, "William Black" <william.bl...@hotmail.co.uk>
> wrote:
> > "Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in message
>
> > > (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and are
> > > certain you understand US politics, answer this question without
> > > looking it up: What party controls the upper house of the
> > > Nebraska legislature?)
> >
> > 1. How many US citizens within the USA who take an interest in
> > politics know this?
> >
> > 2. Why should anyone outside the USA (indeed, outside Nebraska)
> > care?
>
> Agreed. It's a trick question anyway.
Sure; there are three tricks to it. But anyone who fully understands
US politics would know two of them, and can at least guess the third.
I wasn't saying it was important; I was saying it was something which
would be known.
> I could care less about how
> Nebraska organizes its legislature. How Nebraska legislates within its
> own borders is the least of my concerns, as I never intend to live
> there. Which party controls Nebraska's federal representation is far
> more salient.
Which is determined partly by how Nebraska's legislature maps
Congressional districts after each census.
David Friedman
"Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote:
> William Black wrote:
>
> >
> > "Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in message
> > news:48b75510$1$60075$8046...@auth.newsreader.iphouse.com...
> >
> > > (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and are certain
> > > you understand US politics, answer this question without looking it
> > > up: What party controls the upper house of the Nebraska
> > > legislature?)
> >
> > 1. How many US citizens within the USA who take an interest in
> > politics know this?
> >
> > 2. Why should anyone outside the USA (indeed, outside Nebraska)
> > care?
>
> You don't have to care. But if you can't answer that question without
> looking it up, you do _not_ fully understand US politics.
If you can answer the question, you still do not *fully* understand U.S.
politics. And someone unable to answer the question might understand
U.S. politics considerably better than someone able to answer it.
Understanding doesn't consist of a list of facts.
--
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/ http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/
Author of
_Future Imperfect: Technology and Freedom in an Uncertain World_,
Cambridge University Press.
The Horny Goat
>Brian M. Scott wrote:
>
>> On 29 Aug 2008 01:46:57 GMT, Dan Goodman
>> <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in
>>
>> > (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and
>> > are certain you understand US politics, answer this
>> > question without looking it up: What party controls the
>> > upper house of the Nebraska legislature?)
>>
>> I wonder how many citizens and residents of the U.S. can
>> answer it without looking it up. I did, but I certainly
>> wasn't very confident that I was remembering correctly.
>
>I had to look it up. And it turns out the answer could be considered
>ambiguous.
Well I guess that applies to me. I certainly know what party occupies
the state house in Sacramento and Albany though I would have problems
with the smaller states. (Though I know who was mayor of Chicago in
1960 and governor of Florida in 2000) I >don't< know who the current
governors of Texas and Florida are but am pretty sure I know which
Bush brother served where. I am currently reading Jesse Ventura's book
about his life in politics and am well aware that state party politics
in Minnesota are somewhat different than the rest of the union going
at least as far back as HHH.
I also know who is the Governor of Washington state which is the state
next door to where I live. No I DIDN'T know who the Governor of Alaska
was until yesterday though I knew she was a female Republican.
I could probably do 40/50 on the state capitals.
Our newspaper recently published the citizenship test - I scored 48/50
so I guess I get to stay.
I scored 85% on http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13442226/ - I missed the
13 states, and the question about Bill of Rights (I said 'life liberty
and the pursuit of happiness'). I also missed the one on presidential
qualifications due to reading comprehension rather than knowledge.
I think it's a side effect of a rigorous college education rather than
having an American born father but your mileage might vary.
So do I pass your required level of understanding?
If on the other hand you think you know Canada, what province within
the past 25 years elected their legislature unanimously from a single
party? (I'm sure it has happened previously but this was fairly
recently historically) What other province's legislature until the
last election was a 2 party house with a minority caucus of *2*? (No
need to say which party - just identify the province: hint it was
1987)
The Horny Goat
>> "Dan Goodman" <dsg...@iphouse.com> wrote in message
>> news:48b75510$1$60075$8046...@auth.newsreader.iphouse.com...
>>
>> > (If you're a citizen and resident of another country and are certain
>> > you understand US politics, answer this question without looking it
>> > up: What party controls the upper house of the Nebraska
>> > legislature?)
>>
>> 1. How many US citizens within the USA who take an interest in
>> politics know this?
>>
>> 2. Why should anyone outside the USA (indeed, outside Nebraska)
>> care?
>
>You don't have to care. But if you can't answer that question without
>looking it up, you do _not_ fully understand US politics.
>
>And anyone really knowledgeable about national US politics would be
>aware of two reasons why that's a trick question. To begin with, would
>know without looking it up that North Dakota has a unicameral
>legislature.
I >DID< know that - but then I lived in Winnipeg some 20 years ago...