Thanks,
Brian
http://repealthe17thamendment.blogspot.com/

Sorry, I thought wiping out an entire region of innocent people would count as genocide

Innocent people? REALLY? We are not the ones attacking civilians! Sure some have died at our hands but we’re at WAR. Innocents die in war. We try to minimize it but it happens. And I don’t believe I said wiping out the entire middle east was the solution. A solution? Yes, but not THE solution. u r dum

Re: Medicare. If it worked, they wouldn’t be fucking with it.

Titus, I couldn’t have said it better myself. I know because I’ve tried.

I think that the fundamental difference between dave and I, is that he doesn’t think that it is the role of the government (which I think is a totally valid point), whereas I do. That is why we will never agree.

The difference is that with Dave’s philosophy, you can donate as much money as you like to charities and other organization, in in lieu of taxation, after paying taxes of course for the necessary services needed to run the minimal government services (roads, police, military, and son). He’s not stopping you from doing what you want with your own money. Your stance requires that I give away my money, regardless of whether or not I believe in it’s causes.

If you are going to argue that people will not donate money without taxation, and if this group of people constitutes the majority of the population, then it is only a matter of time before their ideas prevail through the political process anyway. If on the other hand, you believe that these people constitute a minority of the public, then you have nothing to worry about in the first place, do you?

But you assume that people are stupid and irresponsible, and therefore you want me to pay it anyway.

What I am doing is assuming that not all people have the ability to take care of themselves, and as such, I optimistically want the government to help out. I think that the fundamental difference between dave and I, is that he doesn’t think that it is the role of the government (which I think is a totally valid point), whereas I do. That is why we will never agree.

It really isn’t anything more than different approaches to policies that affect us as a society. I tend to lean more towards societal responsibility for all members that belong to it, as an anthropologist.

Duane, you are not dumb, but the fundamental position that you take assumes by definition that people are stupid. You make me pay social security when I don’t want it and I don’t need it. If I start at the age of 20 and invest $10,000 a year until I retire, I will have more than enough money to support myself without any help from the government. But you assume that people are stupid and irresponsible, and therefore you want me to pay it anyway. Thanks for giving me money that I DON’T NEED when I retire!

I keep an emergency fund of almost liquid cash of $20,000 dollars for automobile problems, home repairs, and other emergency needs. It took me over six years of living frugally and living within my means to create this fund, but I did it (actually, most of it’s gone now — I paid cash for my last vehicle after weighing the risks). Yet you want me to pay car insurance every month, when I can’t find a single car insurance company who will give me a $10,000 deductible. So again, you assume that people are stupid, and make them pay for things they don’t need. I am fine with car insurance; after all I’m on a public road and public safety is important. But you want to assume that people are stupid and irresponsible yet again, and you won’t allow them to have high deductibles.

I’m young and I don’t want insurance. But thanks to the government, my employer is pretty much is required to provide it, and I get to pay for it (by having a lower salary) when I haven’t been to a hospital in nearly 10 years. My insurance policy also covers me in case I get pregnant. Wow, how useful that’s going to be for me!

Every position you take involves assuming that people are stupid. If you instead start by assuming that people take personal responsibility for their lives, you’ll then see how silly some of your arguments become.

You want social security. Good for you, keep paying into the system. I don’t want it, and I officially waive my rights to have access to any social security money in return. Heck, let’s make it effective now, you can go ahead and keep what I’ve already paid into the system and I’ll just suck it up and take my loss. But hey, people are stupid right? I’ll probably end up screwing up my own retirement investment at a poker game and then where will I be without good old Government to protect me.

I did not suggest genocide was a good idea, you are dumb.

Sorry, I thought wiping out an entire region of innocent people would count as genocide; I guess you are right, I am pretty dumb to think that genocide really is genocide.

As for naming one government program that works, I will go with Medicare. Not only does it work, they keep trying to mess with it and fuck up the one good thing that does work! I am not trying to suggest that there is an easy fix for anything dave, and you and I tend to see eye to eye on some things; even though we are coming at it from different angles.

Just because I have a different value system, and a different belief as to what the government COULD do for us, doesn’t make me dumb.

Yeah, I thought you had missed listing that one!
LOL