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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 20, 2025

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To what extent does Red Tribe get to live with "the fun benefits of being the world's sole superpower" while ground under the Blue Tribe's boots?

Brother W.H.A.T.

Have you ever purchased any item that was manufactured overseas? Isn't it nice how cheap they are? They're cheap because the USA ensures global commerce is smooth, very smooth. They're also cheap because the USD is very strong because the USD is the reserve currency.

Do you have any investments? The strength of the USA equity market is in part due to its status as a global superpower.

Do you enjoy anything paid for by the government? Like roads, electricity, massive defect spending on factories and bridges. The USA is able to run obscene defects due to the USD being a reserve currency generating strong demand for it, reducing inflation.

Do you have a 30 year fixed mortgage? Same mechanism there. Did you grow up in a house that had one? Massive W for you guys.

I could go on...

I'm not saying the blue tribe aren't nightmares, I wouldn't even vote Dem if I was American. But let's not be dishonest here, if you live on American soil you enjoy massive benefits as a result.

Have you ever purchased any item that was manufactured overseas?

Depending on how you define "overseas," then potentially practically everything, given not much is manufactured here in AK.

Do you have any investments?

No, because SSI asset limits (my net assets can't exceed $2k) prevent me from having any kinds of savings or investments.

Do you have a 30 year fixed mortgage?

I can barely afford the (recently increased) rent on my apartment, even after my (maxed-out) government subsidy.

Did you grow up in a house that had one?

I grew up in a mobile home. (Back in high school, I was actually able to briefly shut up an obnoxious lefty classmate by "calling him out" on his use of the phrase "trailer trash" by pointing out that I was an example of such.) That is, aside from the times we were living in a house my parents built themselves out in the Alaska bush, with no electricity, no running water, no sewer or septic, a woodstove for heat and cooking, and so on.

I've been a supporter of Alaska seceding from the US since 4th grade. I'm a monarchist who thinks the "Founding Fathers" were vile traitors. I think that Neema Parvini is right that the threat to Western Civilization is the continued existence of the United States.

I'm a monarchist who thinks the "Founding Fathers" were vile traitors.

Alaskan monarchist? Yeah, I'm thinking based

So are you an Anglophile? How did you come about to becoming a monarchist?

The USA is able to run obscene defects due to the USD being a reserve currency generating strong demand for it, reducing inflation.

I'm with you on all the other stuff, and I would be with you on this one if in practice we only ran the obscene deficits during incidents of particular need punctuating longer periods of fiscal responsibility, but the fraction of fiscally responsible leaders in either tribe is a rounding error. Carefully-dosed limited-time opioid prescriptions are useful for acute injuries, but if someone's heroin addiction has gotten too bad for them to go cold-turkey and they're increasing their doses exponentially to make up for the diminishing returns, you don't praise their easy access to dealers.

I'm not saying the defects are smart or wisely spent (they're not!)

But the fact you get to have them at all is a massive form of economic stimulus that benefits the people of America in the short run

I guess they're at least an opportunity, even if one that's been squandered at best and backfired at worst.