Mark Gets Ron Pauled

I’m standing on the corner of 10th and Piedmont, right outside the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, waiting on a ride.

A thirty-something fellow with blunt blonde hair, sleek square frames, and the face of a choirboy walks up to me. In one hand, he holds a hand-lettered sign that says, “Save the dollar! End the Fed!” In the other is a navy blue placard that says “Vote Ron Paul for President.”

“Did you know the Federal Reserve is illegal and unconstitutional?” he asks, glaring at me.

“I’ve heard some folks think so,” I say.

“There’s no thinking to it,” he says. “It’s a fact!”

I nod. “I can accept that you feel that way,” I say. I point to his sign. “Voting for Ron Paul?”

He hesitates. “He’s not in the race at the moment, but I would if I could.” He pauses. “But did you know the Fed is illegal? What If I just went in my basement and printed money any time I wanted it? That’s what the Fed does, you know.”

I shake my head. “The Fed doesn’t print money. That’s the Mint.”

“That’s just semantics!” my new friend bellows.

“No,” I say gently. “You made a claim: the Fed prints money. Was that the truth, or not?”

“They just add money to their little databases,” the protester says. “It’s the same thing.”

“It’s just a question,” I say. “You said the Fed prints money. Was that correct?”

“You’re playing games,” he says.

“I’m not playing games,” I say. “I’ve just asked a question about the accuracy of your assertions. The Fed prints money. Is that true?”

He sucks his teeth a moment. “Okay, so I need to revise that a little.”

“I wonder,” I say, “how many of your other facts need revising?”

My ride arrives. I walk to the curb. My friend whips out his cell phone, pokes at the keys, and looks anywhere except at me.