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Hi guys. I know it's been a really long time, and there's a reason for this. I'm really questioning my libertarian leanings. For starters, as I've mentioned before, I know next to nothing about economics, and when economics forms a major part of the ideology, that is a problem for me. Also, I'm not sure libertarianism is compatible with my goal of becoming a scientist. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a scientist who was openly libertarian. It doesn't help that there is some science denial coming from the libertarian camp. In particular, I've noticed that many libertarians are global warming deniers. I know the issue has become very politicized, but that shouldn't get in the way of the actual evidence. It also doesn't help that John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods and one the country's biggest peddlers of organic bullshit, is a libertarian.

Sorry for making you put up with my whining, but I need to get this off my chest. For now I think I'm going to consider myself apolitical until I'm more informed on the relevant topics. If anyone here wants to try and change my mind, feel free to do so. I'm open to what you have to say.

Lately, I've been getting very interested in the Civil War, but still am unsure as to the exact causes of it. I know slavery is often cited as the issue, but I've seen Shane mention in an old thread that the causes of the war are very complex. I would appreciate it if he or anyone else knowledgeable on the topic could enlighten me on this. If that's too much for a thread, I wouldn't mind being directed to some good sources from which I can learn more.

I've been noticing that a number of folks on the autism spectrum have jumped on the social justice bandwagon, throwing around SJW buzzwords like "ableist" a lot. As an aspie, I feel a little frustrated with this trend, and it is one of the reasons I've been distancing myself from my condition lately. Since I know at least a couple of others on this forum are on the autism spectrum, and Shane has even mentioned that his son is autistic, I'm wondering if anyone else here is bothered by this trend.

Maybe I'm alone here, but I'm getting tired of people constantly bashing Texas. As a Texas resident, I'll freely admit that it has its fair share of problems, not the least of which being that that idiot Rick Perry keeps getting reelected. However, whenever I hear people badmouthing Texas and saying it should just secede so America can be rid of it, I can't help but feel like I'm being lumped into this broad stereotype, not to mention my friends and family who also live here. Again, I don't know if anyone else shares my sentiment, but I just felt the need to get it off my chest.

Hey there everyone. As some of you may (or may not) remember, I registered for this forum a little while back, introduced myself, and posted on a couple topics. After that, however, I stopped posting. I still lurk regularly, but I find I don't really have anything of value to contribute. I think a lot of this has to do with my lack of knowledge of certain subjects. While I'm comfortable with seeing myself as socially libertarian, economics and similar political topics are completely alien to me, and this prevents me from becoming involved in many discussions. I also fear it's making me one of the political dogmatists who are frequently derided on this site.

My question to the users is: Should I try to learn more about economics and politics in general? The main obstacle is that I really have little genuine interest in these subjects. I tend to focus mainly on my scientific interests, as well as some other hobbies I am very passionate about, which also leaves me with very little time to study these other subjects. It makes me wonder if I just should even bother at all, and if that's the case I don't have any business here. What do you guys think?