Episode 14 – Why Should We Care that Gary Johnson Doesn’t Know Aleppo?

Mark Geise Show – Mark Geise

In this episode, I first discuss the “War on Cash” and the idea that we need a cashless society or a near-cashless society to reduce crime. I discuss an article by Kenneth Rogoff (linked below) in which he advocates abolishing any U.S. dollar bill denominations above $10. He believes the government should dictate what are “reasonable” cash transactions. Countless infringements upon civil liberties have been perpetrated in the name of fighting criminals and terrorists, and the war against cash is no different, in my opinion. I do not believe it is worth restricting consumers’ options to carry out transactions in the way they would like to attempt to fight crime. Criminals are increasingly sophisticated and have already embraced cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and further reducing cash options will just push more criminal enterprises to using other anonymous options.

Next, I discuss the Gary Johnson Aleppo gaffe. Though I have been extremely critical of Gary Johnson (and I am critical of him for most of this episode), I do not believe it is a big deal that he does not know about Aleppo. Our forays into the Middle East have done far more harm than good, creating vacuums of power into which terrorist groups and worse dictators crop out to fill the void left by our intended regime changes. I would much prefer a presidential candidate that knows absolutely nothing about Aleppo because he or she does not believe that it is a concern of the United States versus someone that knows everything about the situation because he or she believes we can “solve” it. Johnson’s attempted damage control and response to the gaffe has been horrendous, though, and is just another example of his failed campaign.

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Suggested Readings/Referenced Articles:
“Why we should get rid of dollar bills larger than $10” – MarketWatch
“Are Bitcoins the Criminal’s Best Friend?” – Bloomberg
“Why Big Government Is Waging War Against Cash” – Forbes
Video: “Gary Johnson Asks: ‘What Is Aleppo?’ Morning Joe, MSNBC” – YouTube
“Gary Johnson: ‘I take complete responsibility’ for Aleppo flub” – CNN
Video: “Gary Johnson: ‘I Feel Horrible’ About Aleppo Answer” – Bloomberg
“Should Gary Johnson Have Known about Aleppo?” – Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)
Podcast: “Gary Johnson Tricked by Gotcha Question” – Jason Stapleton Program