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@zedvictor4
Current inflation was in fact, unpredictable.
Seeing as how I predicted inflation in Spring of 2020, I must disagree with your claim of fact.
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The most commonly used weapon in mass shootings is the semi auto pistol. They have high capacity magazines and are easily concealed. An assault weapons ban doesn’t include that type of firearm.
The “assault weapon” ban is largely symbolic. It outlaws weaponry based upon their appearance rather than their lethality. It makes semi auto rifles with pistol grips, folding stocks, and flash suppressors illegal, while semi auto rifles without those features can still be easily attained.
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@Swagnarok
Heck, we wouldn't even have to arm the teachers. Just make it legal for them to concealed-carry on school grounds. The likelihood of you knowing for sure that none of the personnel are armed is slim. If just one was, and if that one person intervened, that'd be it for you.
That seems a valid policy. Problem is that there are entrenched groups who would oppose such a policy. In contrast, after the NYC attacks on 9/11, the main pilot union lobbied to arm airline pilots on a volunteer basis. Having teachers trained and armed in a similar fashion would be much more effective than arming pilots, IMO.
I also would be open to universal background checks and making a 21 age limit for semi auto rifle purchases, but, again, there is an entrenched group which opposes such measures.
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@thett3
I don’t enjoy posting here very often because when I do it’s like engaging with defense attorneys instead of actual people.
Objection! Argumentative…
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I think that cancelling loan debt causes greater problems than it solves. My biggest concern is what incentives it would possibly create, not the least of which would be encouraging colleges to raise, not lower tuition. And, as you said, the slap in the face it is for people who either paid off their loans at great inconvenience or simply went to less costly programs. It would also be a pro inflationary measure.
Going forward, it would be nice if steps were taken to prevent further abuses. Perhaps requiring colleges to co-sign the loan so that they have skin in their own game. Perhaps not issuing loans to students majoring in the “soft” sciences. There are too many courses of study which serve as a one way ticket to a life of debt laden poverty.
To loosely quote Frank Zappa: “If you want your kids to learn, give them a library card. If you want them to party, get drunk, and fornicate, send them to college.”
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@Athias
So what is the dispute here?
Ah… who said we had a dispute? I refer you back to my first post to you if you’re so inclined.
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@Athias
My reply was in response to this question from you:
isn't DeSantis obliged to the members of his State, even those who hold opposing political views?
Insofar as DeSantis has violated the Florida or US constitution, he is accountable to that, as I said already.
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@3RU7AL
great point
i do try to steer clear of characterizing individuals…
Yet post 28 shows his desire to do the opposite…
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@Double_R
Would you prefer to be written off as not worth the attempt at serious conversation?
The feeling would be mutual.
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@Athias
If a politician does not advance, or at least appear to advance the interests of at least a majority of the electorate, then he/she tends not to win re-election. As for constituents with opposing views, a leader is charged with advancing their interests insofar as the interests are in common between opposing factions, but where the interests of the minority electorate diverge and are also not protected by the state constitution, then no, the governor is not obliged to act outside the policy platform on which he was elected.
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@Greyparrot
Build Back Biden Better
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@Greyparrot
Build Words Better
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@Double_R
This is a perfect example of why our conversations go no where.
Yet you post to me unsolicited anyway.
you’re busy looking for hidden motivations so you can focus on me instead.
They’re hardly hidden; you wear them on your sleeve, which is just fine other than you refuse to own up to them, and I don’t focus on *you*; I focus on what you say— big difference— as well as what you neglect to say. I recall you avoiding answering straightforward questions from me because you were convinced I was “going for the ‘gotcha!’” so there’s a lack of self awareness in your posts which creates much irony…
Of course they do, but it’s not a central issue for them.
Of course, the Democrats prioritize the 1A, but it’s not a central issue for them? You have a dizzying intellect…
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@Reece101
No, Trump has all the best words.
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@ILikePie5
DeSantis projects strength and conviction, which serves a nation well ; ) in a leader.
If you want a president who projects conviction but not strength, you get Carter. If you want a president who projects neither strength nor conviction, you get Biden. If you want a president who projects a lack of strength, conviction, knowledge, and skill, you get Harris.
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@Greyparrot
“Misinformation” is merely “fake news” rebranded for people who hate Trump.
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@Athias
I’m sure there are plenty of DeSantis voters who happen to be employed by Disney…
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@Double_R
I never said nor implied that this abuse of power was unique to Ron Desantis.
Well, ok… you would also have a problem with Trump.
In fact I’ve said nothing about any other scenario.
That’s the crux of what I’m saying about how you frame this as unique to the GOP.
the political right has been progressing to champion for at least the past two years
Do you believe that the Democratic Party, in contrast, does not claim to prioritize the 1A?
That it’s the political right that is defending this
And, likewise, the political left defends its stances, hypocritical or not. It is as if you cannot comprehend human biases and are unaware of your own.
so I turn to the place which, sadly, offers the best and most intelligent rationalization
Yes, I feel as if online discussions were much more nuanced and enlightening 15 years ago. Maybe the concept was fresher and more appealing then…
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@Athias
If DeSantis had no principles, he wouldn’t be fighting for what he and his constituents believe in.
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@Polytheist-Witch
You are correct on all points— Disney’s speech isn’t being effectively curtailed. DeSantis is, however, sending a message: “You make things difficult for me, Ima gonna make things difficult for you.” And the way that message is being sent to Disney is most likely unconstitutional…
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@Athias
I don’t mean *only* Disney here but Democrats who seek to use the levers of government to check and penalize speech. DeSantis appears to be demonstrating that he is willing and able to play these political tricks as well if that is how they want to play…
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@Greyparrot
I’m not talking about the taxation aspect, as I can see the distinction on that aspect. Rather, I am talking about the double standards on using the levers of government to penalize free speech. Chick Fil A being uninvited to open business at certain airports is just one example.
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@Athias
I'm finding it difficult to be impartial about that witch coven known as Disney and all its conglomerates--in this case, the Disney parks in the Orlando area. DeSantis's action were clearly retaliation against Disney's public support for LGBTQ issues being taught in grade school (not surprising since Disney Media including "ABC" has been pushing LGBTQ imagery for years.) With that said, should a company be able to regulate itself on its own property and make public statements and even withdraw support without being robbed? Yes. So did Governor DeSantis attack Disney's free speech? Yes, he did.
Disney probably has grounds for a first amendment lawsuit on their hands. I think DeSantis might already suspect this, or even desires this (he said the quiet parts out loud, after all), in which case “the process IS the punishment.”
That the OP attempts to frame the whole 1A violation controversy as unique to DeSantis’ actions should be an insult to everyone’s intelligence in this forum. IMO, DeSantis is just demonstrating that two can play this game…
That the OP attempts to frame the whole 1A violation controversy as unique to DeSantis’ actions should be an insult to everyone’s intelligence in this forum. IMO, DeSantis is just demonstrating that two can play this game…
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@RationalMadman
Right. We wouldn’t change the age of consent laws and statutory rape laws to accommodate a person who feels a very different age.
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When/(if?) Biden runs for reelection, his campaign motto will be “Don’t Blame Joe.”
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@oromagi
Well, this will be bad news for you, then: the Biden administration will be pursuing a reinstatement of the mask mandate.
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@thett3
The claim is that The Libs of TikTok founder violated Twitter’s TOS. How was that done?
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White House Press Secretary: “Public health decisions shouldn’t be made by the courts—they should be made by public health experts.”
Reporter: “Mr. President, should people continue to wear masks on planes?”
President: “That’s up to them.”
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The federal mask mandate is officially over in the US. Most US airlines now no longer require masks to travel domestically, but one can still wear a mask if desired.
A cause for celebration… or concern?
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@TheMorningsStar
They also constantly argue that children should be educated based on their bad ideas, that anything non-affirming is bigoted (even saying non-affirming therapies should be banned), etc.
I agree. A line is crossed when it goes from teaching impressionable children tolerance and mutual respect to teaching such as not just normal but common, perhaps even preferable in certain circumstances— as if to imply “if you are at all confused by your body/gender (and who doesn’t experience an iota of such confusion) going trans may be preferable. Look at all the positive attention, the accolades, the automatic respect we confer on such a choice.”
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@TheMorningsStar
It’s a discussion worthy subject if not for the incoherence, contradictions, and prevarications of this particular thread.
Here’s my attempt to make it interesting:
I have come across individuals who might place ecological well being and non-human animal well being above human well being as their moral foundation.
Or:
What about when a human’s or group of humans’ well being clashes with that of another human’s or group of humans?
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@secularmerlin
You seem to be misunderstanding me on purpose.
No, but you seem to be creating needless confusion on purpose.
You asked for feedback in your OP, so here’s mine:
You are espousing a moral system founded upon human well being and public health, which is fine and dandy as far as it goes. The glaring problem is that you deny this concept, this code of morality constitutes a concept of morality. This merely creates an incoherent, semantics wild goose chase in a forum intended to be about philosophy.
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@secularmerlin
If someone claims homosexuality is immoral I can say "I don't care if it is immoral they aren't hurting anyone" and oppose them in these grounds. If someone claims that they have a divine mandate to own some people or take their land then I can say "I don't care if it is morally justified you are hurting people" and oppose them on those grounds.
You are still making an argument about morality in any case— you just don’t seem to realize it…
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@secularmerlin
One can still care about morality if one believes it to be subjective.
How does pursuing your stated priorities differ from a moral code?
How does pursuing your stated priorities differ from a moral code?
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@secularmerlin
My stance remains that I am disinterested in the concept of morality and instead only in the effects of actions on human wellbeing and the public health.
Oh, I thought progress was being made, but you regress here. Your claim is not coherent. It’s akin to claiming “I am disinterested in the concept of survival and instead only in what it takes to keep us alive.”
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@secularmerlin
This:
IF morality is subjective THEN I have already given you my standards
And
IF morality is objective and it doesn't support my standard THEN I don't give a fig about being moral.
… should be included in your OP. It would clear up a lot and prevent the ensuing confusion. I tend to agree with Matt Dilahunty on this: the foundation of morality is subjective, but once a foundation is chosen, morality is objective from that point onward.
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@ADreamOfLiberty
It's not possible to debate that, it's a matter of pure definitions. You either agree on the definition or you don't, if you don't there is no point using the word to communicate.
Exactly. It would be akin to debating whether Pluto is a planet or not. It used to be defined as a planet. Now, it is not. In the meantime, nothing about Pluto has changed.
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REPUBLICANS CHICKEN OUT of 2022 DEBATES
Really? Gee… how do they expect to win any seats?
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@Greyparrot
I can only speculate why the left wants the number of intersex and gender confused people to be as large as possible. It seems to be working, too, as gender confusion is increasing much faster than natural selection could justify…
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@thett3
But…building that mega yacht cost money. Hiring the crew for it cost money. The helicopter on the helicopter pad, all the other toys those all cost money and spending that money creates lots and lots of jobs. It’s actually way better for billionaires to be blowing their money instead of dressing up in clothes from Walmart and LARPING as an average joe while their money sits in wealth management accounts
True but for the last part— money in investment accounts IS being put to work. If I had to think of ways of making money dormant (other than under the mattress), I would say buying precious metals and crypto.
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@thett3
We don’t think enough about how human instincts evolved in a VERY different social environment. I doubt the hunter gatherer ever heard of a conflict that they didn’t have a personal stake in somehow. Signaling support for one side or the other actually bore risks and costs, and siding with the side that ultimately won would be a benefit.
That reminds me:
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@oromagi
That is why people call it the "Don't say Gay" bill
Yes, a misleading title (also a “snuck in premise” btw) which the MSM ran with to their disrepute.
Teachers are including LGBT people in age appropriate discussions about civil rights and civic responsibilities and those are the discussions that this Florida law is designed to censor.
Cite? I would genuinely be interested to see if there is any truth at all to these claims. Either way, I believe that civil rights are universal in a nation, so the concept can and should be taught without bringing various forms of identity into the concept, especially at a young age.
Note that I brought up civil rights in my first post- before you entered the conversation.
Noted. Initially, I was just taking issue with your claim about DGSH— a claim you then tried to render as moot. I still don’t agree, yet at least, to your characterization of the bill as being anti-civil rights education.
I note also that you failed to object to the inclusion of many other totally unrelated subjects- Drag Queen Story Hour, anal sex, masculine looking women, Colorado legislation, etc.
This is a head-scratcher of a contention, and you’re not even the first to make it. I will explain: I could probably take issue with almost anything anyone says in here… really! If this were a site patronized almost exclusively by right wingers, I would then be much more willing to quibble over the fine points and various disagreements that right wingers have with each other. This site *hardly* matches that description, so I pick my battles with those who bat for left wing platforms and allow left wingers to pick apart arguments from right wingers. I hardly see much infighting at all here, and it comes as no surprise… to me, at least.
… and the bill only prohibits discussion/instruction regarding sexual orientation and gender identity…
You persist in conflating “discussion” with “instruction” in the actionable aspect of the law. If you refuse to discuss the issue honestly, I’ll take that as my cue.
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@oromagi
I agree prohibiting teachers from instructing students that LGBT have civil rights
How did civil rights enter our discussion about young children’s education? This is known as “sneaking in a premise”— saying something as if it has been established and agreed upon as true when it has not been. If you had an intellectually honest rebuttal, I’m sure you would have posited it instead.
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@oromagi
I think you are still missing the central point which is that Drag Queen Story Hours happen at public libraries and not schools. That is, Drag Queen Story Hours are totally voluntary events at which it would be illegal to leave a K-3 age child unsupervised. The state probably has no regulatory authority for that library in Houston or any of the libraries in Florida that offer this particular entertainment.
That would be fine if the limits you claim actually existed. From the Drag Queen Story Hour website (emphasis added):
“Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) is just what it sounds like—drag queens reading stories to children in libraries, schools, and bookstores. DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real.”
a current law unconstitutionally restricting the capacity of schoolchildren and teacher to discuss gay rights has deceived and befuddled you just as was intended.
You sound as if you don’t want to comprehend the distinction made in my prior post. “Instruction” is prohibited, not “discussion.”
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@oromagi
I linked to the text of the bill. As I stated above the law makes no mention of libraries or drag queens. The new bill amends existing legislation regarding student health to require teachers to notify parents about kids who come out at school and prevents teachers from "encouraging " discussion of LGBT issues in school.
I think you linked to an outdated version of the bill. The latest version, which is going to become law I believe, states in subparagraph 3:
“3. Classroom instruction by school personnel or third
parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur
in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-
appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in
accordance with state standards.”
So, “discussion” has been revised to “instruction,” although the summary still states “discussion” for some reason. It seems to me that this paragraph would discourage, if not outright prohibit schools from having a “Drag Queen Hour” in kindergarten through 3rd grade at least.
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@oromagi
Drag Queen story hours are still happening in Florida because nothing in this bill does anything to try to stop it.
Isn’t it possible that this is because the bill has not become law yet?
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@thett3
Yeah, that’s a valid concern. Lefties inhabit some very influential institutions, which gives them a distinct advantage in the national zeitgeist:
- Academia - this has been brewing for decades, perhaps even a century. Just about everything that comes out of AOC’s mouth strikes me as very “college student-y”…
- Print and television media/social media
- Multinational corporations - this one is a bit of a turnaround, as this was seen as the province of the right up through W Bush’s presidency (this one also has some overlap with the above institution). Also a bit of a head scratcher, as corporations are capitalist, and the left is becoming more vocally anti-capitalist. Perhaps there are books out there exploring this very phenomenon…
Also, the military establishment is becoming increasingly PC/woke. Listen to just about any right leaning service person.
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@thett3
Liberals just seem to have the will to power in general. I don’t know how to go about changing that but we really need to if we want them to stop winning
I take it you’re not talking 2022/2024 elections but thinking long term?
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@Discipulus_Didicit
Your question seems to misunderstand the purpose of news reporting.
It is not the purpose of news reporters to agree or disagree with the policies they report on. The purpose of news reporting is to state in non-emotive language what is happening without passion or prejudice. This allows the reader to be informed and use that info to form his own conclusions. If this were done with Sweden, journalists would have had more of a tone of “time will tell if Sweden’s COVID strategy is ultimately the right one or not.”
This is not what occurred. Instead, articles on Sweden were negatively slanted. “No lockdowns = mounting deathcount.” The reporting on Sweden was one dimensional and geared toward one conclusion: not locking down = bad. If there was an upside to Sweden’s strategy, it was not presented in media as frequently as the negative.
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@thett3
Interesting observations, thett. I have noticed similar trends. The terms “activist/activism” are certainly more synonymous with the left. Put simply:
Liberals: “Don’t just sit there; do SOMETHING!”
Conservatives: “Don’t just DO something; make sure it’s BETTER than doing nothing or nothing new.”
Here’s a funny twist on that generalization: Sweden, normally viewed as the liberal’s dream realized on earth, decided not to institute lockdowns during COVID. Well, the US press— one of the institutions overrun by the left— did a complete 180 on Sweden and published only negative articles on its failure to do SOMETHING. I’ve never seen a welfare state so demonized in media. It was as if the press felt betrayed.
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