Finally, A Way To Only Date People Who Agree With You On Politics

Alex Fondrier doesn't think politics should be the proverbial "third rail" in a relationship. In fact, Fondrier points to a study from the Journal of American Politics which found that, next to religion, political compatibility is the second most important criteria in a lasting relationship.

That's why last year, Fondrier and Francois Briard decided to become political-based matchmakers. Together, they created RedStateDate.com and BlueStateDate.com, corresponding sites for conservatives and liberals looking for love. 

"In terms of having a long-term relationship, raising children, and settling down, studies have shown that the majority of American people want to be in that long-term relationship with someone who shares their political views," Fondrier said in an interview this week.

The sites, run entirely by Fondrier and Briard, launched last October and recently surpassed the 6,000-member mark. The site is free to join but requires a subscription of $17.95 per month to communicate with other users and potential matches. 

Fondrier thinks the site fills a niche that has yet to be tackled in the online dating world. Websites match potential mates based on personality, religion, and other traits, but no high-profile website existed solely to match up couples based on their political views.

"I think people want to enjoy talking about politics with their significant others," Fondrier, 27, said. "People don't want to have to avoid politics, so there's definitely a niche for this."

Both sites go through rigorous matchmaking tests to match up potential couples. RedStateDate, for example, asks who Republicans should nominate in 2016, as well as past political campaigns worked on and extensive questions about economic, foreign policy, and social views. 

Here's an example:

Why haven't any sites like these two popped up before? Fondrier speculated that it's because most singles working in politics are focused on their jobs — advocacy, causes, and other issues on which they're working.

So far, he's seen a handful of success stories measured in people leaving the site because they've "found someone" — more so on RedStateDate, which so far has roughly four times the amount of members as BlueStateDate. 

"What we've done is create two unique environments for people who are passionate about these issues," Fondrier said. 

"At the end of the day, those issues will come up at some point in a relationship. So I wanted to create a product for all those people who are on the Drudge Report all the time and reading Politico every hour — folks who are really into the issues, who really enjoy talking about politics and don't have to go on dates where you have to avoid constantly talking about politics.

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Cyprus Has Finally Killed The Myth That The EMU Is Benign

This piece from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is about as hard-hitting an analysis of Cyprus as I have read and really makes an interesting introduction to this week’s Outside the Box. No messing around:

Capital controls have shattered the monetary unity of EMU. A Cypriot euro is no longer a core euro….

The complicity of EU authorities in the original plan to violate insured bank savings – halted only by the revolt of the Cypriot parliament – leaves the suspicion that they will steal anybody’s money if leaders of the creditor states think it is in their immediate interest to do so.

The IMF doesn’t get off easy here, either:

The IMF’s Christine Lagarde has given her blessing to the Troika deal, claiming that the package will restore Cyprus to full health, with public debt below 100pc of GDP by 2020.

Yet the Fund has already been through this charade in Greece, and her own staff discredited the doctrine behind EMU crisis measures. It has shown that the “fiscal multiplier” is three times higher than thought for the Club Med bloc. Austerity beyond the therapeutic dose is self-defeating.

I want to amplify Ambrose’s comments by excerpting from another piece, by my über-liberal friend Yves Smith over at Naked Capitalist (although she might characterize herself as mainstream reasonable). But we share a healthy skepticism of large banks.

As we say in Texas, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings. And that would be Italy, as Ambrose points out. (Which given the original intent of that quote and that Darrel Royal of the University of Texas (way back in the day) was referring to Opera Italiana, it is appropriate – in fact, we said it first!)

I have been spending a few moments here and there the last few days with my new granddaughter, Addison (and her parents). I’m now officially in a hotel room in Dallas for the duration until we can get the new place actually bought and construction done, which at best will be late summer; but I will be traveling a lot anyway the next three months, so it’s just another hotel room. I am using it as an opportunity to learn minimalist living.

But I am having to become acquainted with a new knowledge domain, that of architecture and design. If I was just looking at another fund or investment manager, I would feel pretty comfortable doing it on my own, but I clearly need help here and no shame in admitting it.

Many of you may be in a similar boat when it comes to investing. You can leave it to the professionals entirely, but then you get the results that they design and not maybe what you really want. It works a lot better if you spend some time getting familiar with the rules and communicating your objectives.

Most of you would not think (or your wives would not!) of building a home without a great deal of input. Someone has to learn that language if you want to have something that really works for your situation and budget.

The same is true of investing. It is a knowledge domain that is unfamiliar to many, but it is critical to your future happiness. You really do need to get the basics down. The more you learn the better off you will be. And using professionals is important – unless you are going to spend a whole lot of time learning the rules and the tricks. In fact, it takes more than a minor investment of time and effort just to develop adequate skill to be able to pick the right professionals. Not all investment “designers” are the same level of expertise or appropriate for what you want and need.

I did a lot of construction as a young man and can understand the basics even today. But I was never skilled enough to do finish work or design. We will see if I can learn enough to pick the right team in short order! Thankfully, most of you have more time to choose investment professionals.

Have a great Easter weekend. I see more family coming my way and maybe Mavericks and Stars games in our future.

Your can’t believe what everything costs analyst,

John Mauldin, Editor
Outside the Box

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How To Arrange Flowers

Wish you had the know-how to make any bunch of spring flowers look elegant? With the right vase and these strategies from floral designer Tom Borgese, your inner arranger can finally bloom.

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