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#1: It looks like only about 1 in 4 self-identified conservatives were willing to accept Canadian-style health care as the price of banning abortion. I would have thought it would be well over 50%. After all, the state is already into American health care to a considerable degree, but abortion isn't the least bit banned here - so the gains over the present situation would be greater than the losses. Moreover, if abortion is murder or something akin to it, surely this is a small price to pay, right? But maybe there's something I'm not getting.
#2: Admittedly, only 5% or so self-identified libertarians said they would ban abortion and accept Canadian-style health care. But why are there any at all? Why is there even one?
I'm not so sure about #1 - my general impression is that younger conservatives - though perhaps not the hip ones who like Cato more than Heritage - are at least as pro-life as older ones. A 2004 Gallup poll showed pro-life sentiment far stronger among 18-24-year old evangelicals (not identical to conservatives but strongly overlapping, perhaps) being far more pro-life than all other age groups in the evangelical subset, with 24-30-year-olds coming in second. This doesn't do much more than suggest, though, and it was 5 years ago. (And remember, we're talking about a completely unrepresentative sample here.) Anybody have any real data?
This was great fun nonetheless. You should do more polls!
Also interesting, liberals were less willing to part with abortion than conservatives were with handguns. It seems it is not only conservatives who have an emotional stake in the abortion issue.
I agree with you that "cutting economic growth" has a seen vs. unseen bias.
Further, Hanson may share important interests with Anarchists via Futarchy and also elements of Classical Liberal thought. Some elements of his thought appear shared with the Liberaltarian position, as I understand that Venn diagram.
As best as I can tell there are now in fact upwards of 250+ open Hansonians, largely in California, New York, DC, the UK, Scandinavia, and Australia. There are a few also in Canada.
A Hansonian in Nashville commented to me last fall that there are now possibly more Hansonians than there were Randians at an equivalent stage of their careers. For example, at a recent gathering in Sunnyvale for Hanson's blog Overcoming Bias, I believe there were more than 60 people present all told throughout the evening, the majority under 30.
Overall I would say Hansonism has a toehold in technology - especially the internet - finance, philosophy, and economics. There appear to be a few mathematicians and harder scientists as well.
Certainly as time goes on Hansonians will continue to hemi-demi-semi-organize over the internet. Some actively seek financial support so Hanson can get a sabbatical from teaching and write The Book. As much as we talk among ourselves, I think there is some shared agreement that the next 5-7 years could be the break-out period.
Finally, i doubt tthat we Hansonians, to the extent we may self-identify as such,
"hate" any other Others. That would seem irrational.
I believe I voted for the % growth in both of those questions because when people have money, there's always a way, and they're pretty small wedge issues in the grand scheme of everyday life. Had you said something like Freedom of Speech, Invade an Arab Nation, or Privacy, etc... different ball game.
Can't wait for the next one.
I read National Review Online regularly. I also find much that I agree and disagree with there. The attraction is that there is much (in theory) on the self-proclaimed conservative side to like. There is, however, much that I do not agree with such as the very rigid position on abortion. I am not a fan, but I do not feel it will ever be (Roe vs. Wade) overturned, I don't feel the government should rule on it and much energy is wasted on it, either for show or in vain.
...and the influence those views have when it comes to actual policy would be _____?
Conservatives (who favor abortion and drug controls and oppose Can. HC and gun control) oppose Can HC more than abortion rights and hold gun rights more important than extra growth.
Libertarians (who oppose all controls and Can. HC) hold gun rights more important than abortion rights and hate the drug war more than Can. HC.
Liberals hold abortion rights more important than Can HC or extra growth.
So many mass murders of civilians by the state have been preceded by gun control and gun confiscation.
It's my line in the sand. I become politically active the day the US government starts confiscating guns; I start shooting politicians and government officials.