3RU7AL's avatar

3RU7AL

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Total posts: 14,582

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Why do you believe in God?
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@EtrnlVw
Spinoza's God
“That eternal and infinite being we call God"

"Early in The Ethics Spinoza argues that there is only one Substance, which is absolutely infinite, self-caused, and eternal. Substance causes an infinite number of attributes (the intellect perceiving an abstract concept or essence) and modes (things following from attributes and modes). He calls this Substance "God""

Sounds like God to me lol...
Well then, I'm glad we can agree.
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I think people would rather be hypocrites then state their wrongs
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@Alec
...they shouldn't be allowed to commit smash and dash...
Fix this first, then we'll talk.
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Fix-US
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@Greyparrot
Fix the environment.
What's your proposal?
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Fix-US
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@Athias
You're presenting "Fix-US" as a zero-sum game, yet you haven't provided any information, much less a schema, as to how that is. Your proposal while noble lacks grit. Why not take it to its extreme: eliminate taxation, and allow all laborers to keep 100% of their income? And if there's to be a public option, it can be financed by volunteers. Does this not suffice?
Try this, [LINK]
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@Greyparrot
It's the kids who are actually being punished for not having a father in the home. Then they take it out on society for not doing anything about it.
And you can't imagine that having their mother teach them and spend time with them full time (instead of working long hours or two jobs) would help mitigate that damage?
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
- If you can't prove Proposition #1 is true, then it leaves open the possibility that Proposition #2 is true.  It doesn't mean Proposition#2 IS true, but rather COULD BE true - Likewise, if you can't prove Proposition #2 is true, then it leave open the possibility that Proposition #1 is true.  It doesn't mean Proposition #1 IS true, but rather could be true
All alligators are crocodiles, but not all crocodiles are alligators.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
A banana is either yellow, or not yellow-- it can't be both. 
A banana can be more than one color.

A lightswitch is either on  or it's off, it can't be both. 
I agree.

A person is either male, or not male-- it can't be both.
Hermaphrodites are considered by some to be half-male - Klinefelter and Swyer syndrome are also somewhat gray areas.
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I think people would rather be hypocrites then state their wrongs
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@Christen
Okay so what happens when someone commits a heinous crime? Don't they then lose that so-called "unalienable" right to "Liberty" and have to go to prison?
We (collectively as a society) must determine what action is necessary to best protect the rights of the criminal AND the rights of other citizens.

What if you have the right to "Life" but you break into somebody's home and threaten them.
All humans have a right to life.  If social mechanism fail to protect your right to life, you will instinctively protect yourself.  Disputes between citizens are adjudicated by social mechanisms.

Aren't they legally allowed to kill you in self-defense, making you lose your right to life because you were irresponsible and tried to put another life at risk?
Killing another citizen is rarely your best option.

Does "-all humans-" include those who are irresponsible and those who abuse their rights?
Yes, even children and lunatics have inalienable human rights.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
Ahhhh, but aren't basing this statement/claim (in bold above) on an assumption "That the only way a human can walk on water is if their density is less than that of water?"  What if there is some other reason that would enable a human to walk on water?  

Or are you saying this is the ONLY reason a human would be able to walk on water?
Present your argument already.
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I think people would rather be hypocrites then state their wrongs
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@Christen
So I guess there aren't any unalienable rights then? Or there are unalienable rights, but only to specific people?
"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence.[1] The phrase gives three examples of the "unalienable rights" which the Declaration says have been given to -all humans- by their creator, and which governments are created to protect. [LINK]
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
The property of Existence is like a light-switch.  It's either on or off.
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I think people would rather be hypocrites then state their wrongs
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@Christen
What good is having a second amendment right to bear arms...
The second amendment gives the "right to bear arms" to a "well regulated militia".

It is not an individual, unalienable right.

Conditional rights are the hallmark of fascism.
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Fix-US
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@Greyparrot
I'm asking you to fix that by rewarding parents for staying together instead of rewarding parents for simply having kids.
Why would you want to punish someone who's husband was shot?

Why would you want to punish someone who's husband was thrown in prison?

Why would you want to punish someone who's husband abandoned them?

Why is someone "less deserving" of an opportunity to stay home and teach their own children, and build a healthy lifelong relationship with them simply because their spouse may have made some bad choices or simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time?

I agree with you that (under ideal circumstances) families should have two parents, but if you simply abandon single parents, that DOES NOTHING to mitigate risk factors for divorce.

AND IT'S NOT ILLEGAL TO HAVE KIDS.  WHY DO YOU WANT TO STOP PEOPLE FROM HAVING KIDS?
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@Athias
Please speak up if you disagree.
I disagree. Break down of social trust and the dissolution of the family unit is not a fundamental contributor to crime. You must be aware of that for which can control; hence, these factors are often cited as factors which correlate to criminal activity, not cause it. 
Please explain your personal hypothesis on the causes and possible solutions for criminal behavior.

The average American school gets about $20,000.00 per year per-child.

If everyone had the option to get a supplemental income of $60,000.00 per year to home-school their 3 children, don't you think they'd jump at the chance?
You're ignoring one fact: this voucher of which you speak will not act as an inter-temporal grant for future investment and production; it's just another subsidy for the poor. 
PUBLIC SCHOOL IS ALREADY A SUBSIDY FOR THE POOR.  Fix-US merely cuts out the pointless bureaucracy.  It basically hires the parents to teach their own children.  KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER.

And the poor have low marketable skills and little capital. (There are reasons, for example, most lottery winners burn right through their cash winnings quickly if you're interested in the read.)
All parents can teach kindergarten.  All parents can teach first grade.  All parents can teach second grade.  The parents will learn what they need while teaching the kids.

You speak of the lack of oversight for private charter schools yet how do you intend to oversee the use of these vouchers and how they're spent if they are to act as a direct cash transfer?
The children are independently tested for aptitude quarterly at testing centers.  If the child scores low, their weekly education payment is cut by 5% per week until the child reaches their benchmark.

How do you plan to instruct the recipients on spending the money wisely? Wouldn't that cost more money? And if you set a performance standard for those who decide to homeschool their children, don't you risk marginalizing those whom these vouchers intend to help?
Even current home schoolers have to pass state tests.  I'm not sure how this "marginalizes" anyone.

Your "solution" is essentially to throw many at it under the presumption that these recipients are "victims of their circumstances" rather than subjects of their choices.
If your father is killed and your mother has to work two jobs, how is this situation your choice? [LINK]

It wouldn't affect inflation because it's not NEW money, it's just the same money that's already being spent, it would just be going to different people (trickle-up economics).
The only money which has been spent is money that has been spent. You're speaking of money the government intends to spend. And since the government doesn't have this money, it has to print fiat (i.o.u.'s.) And printing money with no (precious metal/resource standard) creates inflation.
Don't get me started on fiat. [LINK]

Fix-US will not affect inflation COMPARED TO THE EXISTING SYSTEM.  It's just the same money that's already GOING to be spent.

(1) Do you think this proposal (Fix-US) would generate more or fewer criminals?
It's hard to tell. The recipients can use their vouchers to invest or save, or spend on their vices. You've haven't really present any schema that oversees their spending activities.
The children are independently tested for aptitude quarterly at testing centers.  If the child scores low, their weekly education payment is cut by 5% per week until the child reaches their benchmark.

I appreciate your critique. [LINK]
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@Greyparrot
Can you please explain to me why single parents should be excluded?
70% of kids growing up without a father IN THE HOME is a huge factor of the break down of the core family unit which has been shown to increase the chances of those kids dropping out of school and growing up to become criminals.
Ok, I got that part.

So are you thinking that doing nothing to help them (and paying $31,000.00 per year per inmate) will somehow "fix" the problem better than giving them the option to home school their children with the $20,000.00 per year per-child that IS ALREADY BEING SPENT ON THEM TODAY?

Please explain your hypothesis.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
What you are now furthering clarifying is that logic constitutes as proof in your book, correct?
Sound logic based on explicit AXIOMS = tautological proof.

Why do you think I keep mentioning Spinoza.
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I think people would rather be hypocrites then state their wrongs
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@Christen
Also, when it comes to "rights," it's important to remember that certain rights can be LOST.
Do you believe certain rights are unalienable?
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Fix-US
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@Greyparrot
Of course, I agree, 70% of kids growing up without a father is a huge factor of the break down of the core family unit which has been shown to increase the chances of those kids dropping out of school and growing up to become criminals.
Let's unpack this for a moment.

You say 70% (minority) kids grow up without a father.

Poor families?  Financial stress contributes to divorce.  Fix-US would keep more families together.

Poor families?  Fathers who are poor and less educated are more likely to turn to crime (to pay bills) and minority fathers are more likely to be convicted (unable to hire rock-star lawyers) and are more likely to be handed harsher sentences - effectively forcing them to leave their family fatherless.  And even if they are released before the children are grown, it is nearly impossible for them to get a job with a criminal conviction on their record, further perpetuating criminal behavior.  Fix-US would keep more families together.

Also, note that throwing people in prison costs you $31,000 per year per-inmate.  Fix-US would keep more families together.

Then you posited:

The question is, will the children themselves, the parents, and society as a whole be BETTER SERVED, if the parents had the option to get that same money directly? ($20,000 per child)
This is almost the same conversation I had with Imabench in another thread before he dropped the discussion. People have impulses and vices, there's no getting around it.
Risk factors for impulsivity and vices include broken homes and childhood abuse/neglect.  Fix-US would keep more families together.

If a person knows they can get 20,000 per child per year from the government to do as they will,
Provided their children pass their quarterly exams.

...it will increase the number of broken homes, not decrease them as parents will have a financial incentive to have kids, but no incentive to actually take care of them beyond the bare minimum CPS standards.
If the parents divorce, then only the parent with custody will get the financial incentive.  This is an incentive to keep families TOGETHER.

Financial stress is a primary risk factor for divorce.  Fix-US would keep more families together.

It's the same deal with the broken Flores law at the border. If an illegal immigrant knows he can be released into the country after 20 days by bringing a child with him/her...it will increase the number of kids coming illegally, not decrease the number of kids, many of them who end up raped or dead. Our broken laws give illegals incentives to illegally bring kids to the border to cash in on free access to the USA.
I'm glad to hear you're in favor of incarcerating innocent children indefinitely, but that seems like a topic for another discussion.

By the way, you're paying $200 per day per immigrant detainee.  That's about $73,000.00 per year to punish the poor.

The dissolution of the core family unit and the associated break-down of social trust is a fundamental contributor to crime.
...so if this is an issue you want to see addressed, keeping the family together should be your number one goal and all incentives should be toward that goal for the welfare of the child and the welfare of society on the whole.
That sounds like a fair assessment.

Perhaps if you put in a requirement that this money can only be given to 2 parent families (doesn't have to be heterosexual families), then MAYBE I can get on board.
That's an intriguing proposition.  Can you please explain to me why single parents should be excluded?
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@Discipulus_Didicit
My opinion about socialism has nothing to do with my opinion on Fix-Us.
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@Discipulus_Didicit
If I could prove to you beyond a doubt that this idea is socialistic but I could not prove that it was a good or bad idea then would you say that it must be a bad idea because of that despite all the reasons you have given for thinking it is a good idea?
#1 "Socialism" is Qualia (OPINION).

#2 I currently have no way of knowing if your opinion on "what is socialism" has anything at all to do with whether or not you believe Fix-US is a "good" idea.

Please elaborate.
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Fix-US
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@Greyparrot
How do any of these proposals help the current problem of 70% of minority children growing up without a father in the home?
Clearly stated premise:

The dissolution of the core family unit and the associated break-down of social trust is a fundamental contributor to crime.

Please agree or disagree.
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@bmdrocks21
For you first message, no we don't have any prerequisites for having kids. We absolutely should. If you are a single, financially unstable, or are a drug user, you should not have kids. 
Please explain your proposed "solution" to this "problem".

I have issues with our current welfare system in which people on welfare can, in most states, continue having kids and taking more from the taxpayer. That is disgusting.
Please explain your proposed "solution" to this "problem".

All that will likely happen is drug addicts have kids so they can buy more drugs, then will send their kid to the cheapest school so they can pocket the money.
Isn't that called "free market competition"?

How is this scenario "worse" than the existing reality?

Having kids should not be a way to make money from the government.
Clearly stated premise:

The dissolution of the core family unit and the associated break-down of social trust is a fundamental contributor to crime.

Please agree or disagree.

How about we go with the cheaper option: vouchers.
Is "cheaper" really your primary focus?

Most private schools are cheaper per student that public schools. Giving kids a better, cheaper education is a better idea than giving parents a monetary incentive to have more children.
Do you believe that giving parents the opportunity to spend more time with their children and neighbors is more important than grinding out human calculators?

+proFAMILY
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@Discipulus_Didicit
Okay I think the idea in the OP isn't a good idea...
Please elaborate.
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@bmdrocks21
You are assuming no one else will choose to send their kid to the public school.
Not true.  Public schools will just get smaller (neighborhood based) and have to work more efficiently.

There will still be kids that go there because the local private schools couldn't accommodate them until more schools are built.
Ok, I don't see the "problem".

They would just risk losing funding, so they would actually have to improve the quality of their school rather than expect government checks for being the only option for the poor.
Is this supposed to be an objection to my proposal of allowing parents to cash their own vouchers?

Part of the whole problem is that it is nearly impossible to Quantify "school improvement".  Did Columbine have decent standardized test scores? [LINK]

Well, the ADA added more competition for the handicap market, problem solved :P
A competitive free market isn't an ideal solution for necessities.
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@TheRealNihilist
Do you have a way that can make things easier for me? 
Try this, [LINK]
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@TheRealNihilist
I'm in the wrong?
I wouldn't necessarily say "wrong".

You're simply having some apparent difficulty communicating your indisputable facts.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
**(IFF) a human being (or something indistinguishable from a human being) has a general density greater than water (THEN) it can't walk on water.

(IFF) a human being (or something indistinguishable from a human being) CAN apparently walk on water (THEN) (EITHER) they have a general density significantly less than water and would be blown about by the slightest breeze (thus being easily distinguishable from a human) (OR) they are walking on something just below the surface of the water.

Humorous Hume can't save you.**

Like I said, I"m right there with you-- I draw the same conclusions as you about humans walking on water-- no need to explain the science behind it to me :-)   

But I stand by my statements, you technically can't prove that all humans can't walk on water, all you are doing is taking your observations and data and making a conclusion (which I happen to agree with) about humans walking on water.  
When you say "you technically can't prove that all humans can't walk on water" you're ignoring logic.

(IFF) human = some general density greater than water (among any number of other attibutes) (AND) water = h2o (THEN) human cannot walk on water.

End Of Story.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
Yep, I 100% agree-- if you have no evidence , one can't make the claim/assertion that it exists.  If you have no evidence of X, you can't make the claim that X has existence.  I totally agree-- I don't think anyone is making that claim, I know I certainly am not,
I'm glad we can agree that things (EITHER) exist (OR) do not exist.

(IFF) exist = yes (THEN) it is obvious and indisputable and verifiable beyond reasonable doubt (ELSE) IT DOES NOT EXIST.

Likewise, though, you can't make the claim that it doesn't exist or can't exist. 
Hold on, let's not conflate "doesn't exist" and "can't exist". 

We CAN say it "doesn't exist" if it doesn't currently qualify, if it doesn't meet the definition of "exist", otherwise what's the point of having a definition in the first place.

On the other hand, "can't exist' is PURELY HYPOTHETICAL.  Hypothetical proposals are OPINION.  I mean, unless it's LOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

I mean, unless it's LOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

I mean, unless it's LOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

I mean, unless it's LOGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

Sure, you can say it's silly, preposterous, or pure fantasy for X to exist, but you can't base that assertion on "no evidence", you use something else (remember my "H"?) to make that judgement.  
The property of Existence is like a light-switch.  It's either on or off.
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
Here's the problem though.  There would be too much disruption of people constantly changing or wanting to be in control etc. 
Please explain.

The personal responsibility and accountability for a suggestion like you posted wouldn't work for many people for those reasons imo. 
What reasons?

I mean it should work but I don't have faith in the general public because people are what they are.
I see, are you suggesting that you personally believe that a government agency is more interested in the welfare of children than their own parents?
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
Didn't take you long to resort to insults and name calling, typical of you. 
When you're short on logic it makes sense to rush-to-disqualify your opponent.
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@Dr.Franklin
yeah more debt!
It's the exact same money that's already being spent.
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@bmdrocks21
And vouchers are the best option right now. They can use the voucher to choose the school their child goes to. If they are concerned about their child going to a school that doesn't accommodate their disabilities, they can still send them to the public school. 
The problem is that in some areas the public school is completely de-funded by the voucher program, so special-needs children have no viable option.

IF THE PARENT HAD THE OPTION TO CASH THE VOUCHER THEMSELVES, THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO HIRE A PRIVATE TUTOR.

Vouchers aren't a perfect free market system, but they are closer than just funding public schools. This way, there is more competition on the part of the public school to retain their funding.
A competitive free market isn't an ideal solution for necessities.  For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was necessary because many (if not most) businesses determined that the cost of adding wheel-chair ramps and other handicap accommodations were not worth the expense and didn't care if they lost hypothetical business from these disabled people because they are a tiny minority anyway.
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@bmdrocks21
So in other words...... you want people having as many children as possible so that they can make money? How about (and this just might be a CrAzY iDeA) but... you don't have kids if you cannot afford to have kids?!?
One of the key factors of this proposal (Fix-US) is that it changes nothing economically.

We currently have no prohibition against people having children.  There is no test for fitness, no financial prerequisites, no license application.

People can have as many children as they want, and each of those kids will go to public school and the state will spend $20,000.00 per year per-child.

This is the reality of the situation.

The question is, will the children themselves, the parents, and society as a whole be BETTER SERVED, if the parents had the option to get that same money directly?

Your scathing critique is requested.
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
So ultimately the aim is for the workers — not the state — to take over the management of all the industries, including public services."
So, like an "employee owned" business where the workers are share/stake-holders. [LINK]
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@TheRealNihilist
No. No moral interpretation simply state what they are.
I refuse to believe you don't know what taxes are.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
If an event happens in the past, and you have no evidence, you can't make a claim either way (it's true/false, it happened/didn't happen)......
(IFF) a human being (or something indistinguishable from a human being) has a general density greater than water (THEN) it can't walk on water.

(IFF) a human being (or something indistinguishable from a human being) CAN apparently walk on water (THEN) (EITHER) they have a general density significantly less than water and would be blown about by the slightest breeze (thus being easily distinguishable from a human) (OR) they are walking on something just below the surface of the water.

Humorous Hume can't save you.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
Absence of Evidence is NOT evidence of absence
Absence of Evidence is NOT evidence of existence.

Existence itself is defined by its obvious indisputability (verifiability beyond reasonable doubt).

You can't seriously claim something "exists" unless it meets some explicit standard-of-evidence.
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@TheRealNihilist
Doesn't have to be a control over production to be a socialist policy. Please do read my first common directed at you. 
Please be more specific.
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@TheRealNihilist
What are taxes?
Theft?
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@EtrnlVw
...at LEAST, admitting that evidence exists.
Look, True = Fact = Real = Exist = Provable = Indisputable

To support the claim, "god(s) exist", you must make your definition of "god(s)" explicit.

Then you must make your definition of "exist" explicit.

Spinoza does this quite nicely.  Certainly Spinoza's god exists.
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@TheRealNihilist
Where is the money coming from?
Property taxes.

Tell me definition of socialism as well. 
Socialism is a range of economic and social systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production and workers' self-management,[10] as well as the political theories and movements associated with them.[11] Social ownership can be public, collective or cooperative ownership, or citizen ownership of equity.[12] There are many varieties of socialism and there is no single definition encapsulating all of them,[13] with social ownership being the common element shared by its various forms.[5][14][15] [LINK]
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@TheRealNihilist
Guess it must come with the ideology which is conservatism. 
Are you a nihilist and a conservative?
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@TheRealNihilist
Please tell me step by step how will these be funded and distributed.
With the $20,000.00 per year per-child funds that are currently being used for public schools.

Distributed to the parents of the children (trickle-up economics).
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@Fallaneze
Because the evidence is more in favor of God existing than not.
Let me guess, another ontological argument?
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Clearly stated premise:

The dissolution of the core family unit and the associated break-down of social trust is a fundamental contributor to crime.
Please speak up if you disagree.

The average American school gets about $20,000.00 per year per-child.

Conservatives have been pressing for a while now to get that per-child funding converted to a voucher, ostensibly to fund private (often religious) charter schools. They (post-hoc) rationalize this as a "free-market solution".

This seems problematic on its face for a number of reasons, separation of church and state for one, but more significantly because these private schools are not required to have the same oversight as public schools and are not required to make the same accommodations for students with special needs.

However, imagine for a moment that instead of handing these vouchers to private for-profit institutions, the parents had the option to CASH IT IN THEMSELVES.

Imagine how many mothers and fathers could stop working long hours to make ends-meet and could instead spend more time with their kids.

Financial stress is a major contributing factor for divorce and marital strife which both have demonstrable negative, often life-long effects on children (contributing to anti-social behavior, depression, suicide and criminality behavior).

If everyone had the option to get a supplemental income of $60,000.00 per year to home-school their 3 children, don't you think they'd jump at the chance?

It wouldn't affect inflation because it's not NEW money, it's just the same money that's already being spent, it would just be going to different people (trickle-up economics).

Welfare, for people with children anyway, could practically disappear overnight.

Imagine the former public school teachers working as private tutors with (for example) six students and making $120,000.00 a year.

(1) Do you think this proposal (Fix-US) would generate more or fewer criminals?

(2) Do you think this proposal (Fix-US) would generate more or fewer school-shootings?

(3) Do you think this proposal (Fix-US) would generate more or fewer cases of child abuse/neglect?

Your scathing critique is requested.
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@GuitarSlinger
Sure, if by "opinion" you mean "a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge."   Let me give you an example, the statement "X did not walk on water" might not be "provable/verifiable", so the assertion "X did not walk on water" is essentially an opinion in that sense. 
This is incorrect.

The statement, "a human (and or a being or entity that is indistinguishable from a human) cannot walk on water" is NOT an opinion.

If the claim was, "Orion was able to float on his back", this would be a plausible claim.
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@GuitarSlinger
However, one can indeed use experience, logic judgement, etc to lead one to a conclusion about that claim.....
There you go again.  Do you think it would be fair to say, "However, one can indeed use personal experience, private logic judgement, etc to lead one to an OPINION about that claim...."?

But I think what you are really wanting to get to is this:  
           (a) I believe Orion did not walk on water
           (b) but I do believe Jesus walked on water.  
That's an interesting proposal.

What Standards-of-Evidence can you apply to BOTH of these ancient claims?

Here's one better, what if I told you that I walked on water yesterday, and a newspaper published a full report on the event, and there were over a hundred eye witnesses.

Would you consider my claim a Real-True-Fact? 

Or would you conclude that it's significantly more likely to be some sort of staged magic trick? [LINK]
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
Your statement A is simply that.  A statement.  One can assign any other clarifier (opinion, belief, whatever), but it's simply a statement.  You can not call that Statement A a "fact" or a "truth" (i.e you can't really make statement B) because you simply don't know.
Ok, it looks like we've completed step one, "stake-out common ground".

Let's move to claim that Orion walked on water.

Do you believe this claim is provably-false (or merely opinion-false)?
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
You seem to be suggesting that if a statement is not "provably true" (Real-True-Fact) or "provably false" (contrary to Real-True-Fact) then it can be declared either "believable/true" or "unbelievable/false" by an individual (you use judgement, experience, and/or logic to lead you to draw a conclusion, leaning heavily on an appeal to ignorance).

I call this individual declaration "OPINION".

Do you believe it is important to distinguish between True (as in provably true Real-True-Fact) and True (as in declared believable-true by an individual based on their personal gut instinct, personal judgement, personal experience, and or personal private logic, leaning heavily on an appeal to ignorance)?  For example, [LINK]

There are only two categories.

Quanta = Provably-True and or Provably-False Indisputable-Real-True-Facts

and

Qualia = Personal, Private, Experiential, Qualitative, OPINION.
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Why do you believe in God?
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@GuitarSlinger
Whether I accept something as FACT, and whether or not that something is a FACT are two entirely different questions.  But again, go back to my thought process. If there is no evidence, or it can't be verified then I can't claim either way it's a FACT or it's not a FACT.
How do you, personally, distinguish between an "accepted fact" and an "actual fact"?

There's always "some evidence" otherwise asking the question itself would be impossible.

For example, there is a very common ontological argument for the existence of god(s) which simply states that because you are able to ponder the concept of god(s), that pondering, in-and-of-itself is incontrovertible proof that god(s) exists.

The "problem" is Standards-of-Evidence.
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