Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The Interview With The Liberal Republican

I appologize to our next guest for the delay in the interview. I am begining to see the common sense wisdom of liberterianism in certain situations. Life is not fair and in most places except the government you pay for the services used. One does not pay the same rate for an oil change as a transmission and the government should use common sense in charging fees.



The Liberal Republican is in the UK and not affiliated with this Liberal Republican in the USA. I find it amazing how far leftists can not distinguish between Rudy Republicans and Religious Conservatives. Then again the usual suspects seem to think anyone to the right of Castro is a reactionary.



1 How does the UK raise taxes. In the USA we have the following taxes income, sales, real estate, energy, tobaco, alcohol and estate taxes. Do all of these taxes exist in the UK? What are your views on the flat tax where everyone pays a certain percentage?



2 What are your views on nuclear energy?



3 Is China a friend, foe or something else entirely?



4 What are your impressions of India? Do you think India will pass China as an economic power?



5 Americans on the far left seem to think that the UK health care system is ideal. Do you have to wait in long lines and fill out endless paperwork?



6 What are your thoughts about India. Do you envision India as a potential superpower?



7 Has the far left become reflexive in its anti-American mania in the UK?Some of the comments are quite funny. One deranged leftist stated that more gays are killed in NYC than the total number of murders in London. That took around three seconds to debunk.



8 Does the far left in theUK have an obsession with Israel? I am just amazed at the acceptance of blatant anti-semitism in the far left blogosphere. There is one poster who posts on familiar far left sites whose comments can be lifted from neo-Nazi sites and the left doesn't notice.



9 Is there a stigma to being a Communist in the UK?



10 Should future immigration to the UK be based on vocational skills with some genuine assylum cases as needed?



11 What are your thoughts on the EU and the UN ?



12 Are there liberterians in the UK? I have not run across any in the blogosphere.



13 How many major newspapers are there in your city and do they have different perspectives on the news?



14 What American TV shows can you see on local TV?



15 Is Dr Who really a kids show and the people in the US haven't figured it out?



16 Is the overall crime rate going up in your area?



17 Has nationalism become a dirty word in the UK?



18 Does a society have the right to determine its own norms, such as monogamy?



19 Have labor unions become too political and need to get back to focusing on the work place.



20 Is there a subltle bigotry against religious Christians from those on the left?



21 Are American Comic book titles like Spiderman and Batman readily available in the UK?



22 Are the Mom and Pop stores disappearing in your city?



23 What notable historic sites might we see within a short drive from your city?



24 What American authors if any did you read in school.



25 Should the government subsidize public transportation?

9 comments:

Liberal Republican said...

thank you for allowing me to answer your questions.

1)UK tax system is very complicated. All the taxes you have in America are basically the same in the UK. But we do have something called "council tax", which helps to finance local police, roads, etc.

2)Nuclear power is the future, especially for the UK. It's cheap and very productive. We cannot rely, or even, trust Russia for our energy.

3)China is complicated and hard to understand. It has the potential to be a friend, but we have to wait and see. I am concerned about it's human rights record and the building of it's military. A Chinese general did say a few years ago that "China needs to expand it's borders". Not very friendly.

4)India was once called the Jewel of the British Empire. I believe India will only pass China as an economic power if the Chinese stay communist. The Indian economy is not restricted by the corruption that is growing throughout the Chinese economy. Secondly, India is not held back by those who are against capitalism and free markets.

5)No, the NHS is a fantastic health system. Free to all. No waiting lists and no paper work.

6)Yes, India is a potential superpower.

7)The far left is not really that anti-American in the UK, more hostile towards Israel.

8)The Far left in the UK have abandon traditional socialist/communist teachings to "whore" the Islamic vote. Israel is always subject to it's attack, extremely anti-semitic. Far left groups tend to be associated or defending Islamic extremist groups like Hamas.

9)No, more of a joke.

10)UK immigration system is already based on the skills they can bring to the economy.

11)Both organizations need democratic reform. EU parliament needs more power and the commission should be elected by the people of Europe. The UN should only include democratic nations and the UN assembly should be an elected democratic international parliament.

12)Many liberals in the UK. The United Kingdom is a very liberal country.

13)Only a few local papers in my city. None express the political views like the national papers.

14)All the popular US TV programs are shown on local TV.

15)Well, Dr Who is defined as "family entertainment", so yes it's a kids show.

16)Crime rate is going down in Canterbury.

17)No, the new Prime Minister has ordered all government buildings to "fly the flag".

18)A very interesting question. Society does have the right, but only if laws are respected and not broken.

19)Yes. Unions need to focus on work related matters not get involved in politics.

20)Church and State is one in the UK. Nobody, including the left, want to seperate it.

21)Of course! I'm always a shopper at my local comic store.

22)Yes, major retail stores have taken over the high street.

23)Canterbury Cathedral, the mother Church of the Church of England and the Anglican Church. The Medieval City Wall, the Norman Castle and the Dane John gardens.

24)Bill Bryson, travel writer.

25)Yes, the government should.

Anonymous said...

My interaction with one leftist from the UK, was very opposite, he hated America as much as he hated Israel, this weird support for people with car bombs blowing up innocent people, puzzles me, while the country defending itself is called the evil one, something is wrong with that notion.

Certainly not all Republicans are Religious Conservatives, just like not all Democrats are Michael Moore/moveon.org types either.

Ducky's here said...

Wow, support for socialized medicine and subsidized mass transit. This guy sounds like a commie, Beak.

I see you still conflate criticism of the Israeli Apartheid Regime with anti-semitism.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

Ducky,

Calling Israel an "apartheid regime" is anti-Semitic.

How many Jews are allowed positions in the Hamas "government?"

kevin said...

#12
Libertarian and liberal have very different meanings in the US.

Anonymous said...

I have never heard a Brit say anything positive about their healthcare system. just the other day I listened to their parliament debating how a person can't call and come in the day he's sick without giving 3 days notice or something. THis is nuts. It's like suggesting healthcare is free in Germany!

Also, the taxes there might be similar, but the amount is far higher than ours.

Anonymous said...

"No, the NHS is a fantastic health system. Free to all. No waiting lists and no paper work."

No waiting lists!?! uh... right.

It's free alright, but there is nothing fantastic about it.

Warren said...

You have to remember that to someone that is young and not chronically ill, the NHS would provide all the services they need.

Also, unlike Canada, there are the private hospitals and medical services for those who can afford them. The Canadians have to come to the US.

Beak, remember how Mac gushed over the Canadian health system.

It seems that he felt, what seemed to me, an embarrassing slavish gratitude for "saving his life" from some disease with "some very expensive medication". (I think he had penicillin resistant venereal disease!)

Anyway, the fool never seemed to grasp that he was the one that paid for the meds.

UK Libertarians, HERE

Warren said...

LR, thank you for the interview.

I'll pay you a visit.