Saffire

Sure it does. Everything should be voluntary. In this case, some people are forcing others (at gunpoint) to participate in a system they would rather not. It depends on where you think sovereignty lies. I don't think any person has the right to tell another person what to do.

lol, I'm just going to quote my favorite blog on this: They can dish it out, but they can't take it. :laugh3:

The structure of production in southern Somalia (the anarchist part) isn't as advanced as in America, but the quality of life there has continually improved each year there has been no government there. And it will continue to do so, as long as the UN doesn't interfere.

Politics is just appeal to emotion, on both sides. It's just like religion - you've got the God-like "father figure" presidents, the "miracle period" which occurred at the founding, the "sacred texts", the hymns (National Anthem), the different sects (protestants/catholics, republicans/democrats), the liturgy (Pledge of Allegiance), symbols (flag), etc.

Really the only reason there's massive resistance to this bill is because it's a Democrat behaving like a Democrat. Notice when Bush passed his multi-trillion dollar Medicare prescription drug bill, there wasn't a peep of criticism from the Republicans, or a cheer of approval from the Democrats. In the same way that when Obama extended the PATRIOT Act, the Democrats didn't take him to task on it. Both parties work together to take away our freedoms gradually. Politics is like wrestling - back stage, the wrestlers are laughing and patting each other on the back, and splitting the money they collected from the ticket-buyers (who think their fights are real).

It's true, and the solution shouldn't be to ban stuff. We as a society should shame parents more often. Shame them for not spending more time with their kids, for not cooking healthy dinners, for not setting good examples. Somehow this is off-the-table as a solution because parents are untouchable. If you criticize them, you are instantly attacked viciously. "DON'T TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY CHILD." I won't. But I'll offer helpful tips that are backed up with evidence. And if you don't follow them, I'll feel bad for your child and probably stop being your friend.

I'm not "casting the non-productive class aside". I'm suggesting lowering the price of healthcare by breaking the AMA's monopoly on it. What's happening here is this simply this: The government is monopolizing a sector of the economy, and is making it attractive to the masses by saying "Only the wealthy will be required to pay for it". That may be true, but the COSTS of monopolization go beyond who merely foots the bill. The quality and diversity of the services will go down. The price (taxes) the wealthy pay for these services will increase over time, causing the wealthy to have less money to spend on goods/services produced by the poor. Look at what happened here: http://city-journal.org/2010/eon0322td.html Just like any other monopoly, costs go up, while quality goes down. You need competition to make it work. Not solidarity. The economy is an ecosystem. This is Obama spewing toxic waste in the river.

Ugh. Just teach children that breathing smoke is bad for them. Tell them to tell their parents this. It's not that difficult.

lol Nick, I've noticed this too. Everybody under 35 is basically paying for everybody over 35 to have a fun, stress-free life. You really have to hand it to the baby boomers - they pulled it off without a hitch! This is cooler than Ocean's 11.

Everybody wants cheaper healthcare, all Americans do (even the ones who disagree with Obama's bill). We just recognize the bill doesn't lower costs. It forces the productive class to pay for the non-productive class's healthcare, which drives up prices overall for society. The economy is like an ecosystem - if you force a change in one area, you destroy the entire balance. Sort of like Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", but real. EDIT: Nick, all government intervention is socialism (in that particular area). You need to be willing to call a spade a spade.

Nick, I think this would be the perfect opportunity for the "Tea Party" people to adopt a passive resistance strategy. Just don't pay the fines. Ignore the law as if it doesn't exist. But they probably couldn't do this. At their core, they are to the Government what Protestants are to Christianity. They still believe in the essence of it, and respect for law (no matter how bad it clearly is).

It's so amazing to see this happen. None of those people can actually do anything to help anyone. They don't get their hands dirty, learn a valuable skill, or have any new ideas. They just VOTE. And then a bunch of brutes with high school equivalency educations run around with guns to enforce their bills.

Let's take your quote and apply it to another sector of the economy: "Why do you think hotel rooms cost so much? Because the prices reflect the fact that so many people that use it can't pay for it." "Why do you think movie tickets cost so much? Because the prices reflect the fact that so many people that use it can't pay for it." If it looks silly, it's because it is. Why are we in this situation now? Because the government has already strangled the healthcare industry. It started with forcing anyone who wants to practice medicine to get a license, and it got worse with medicare/medicaid. All these programs do is give doctors the ability to tax Americans, via the government. It would be as if Olive Garden convinced Obama to force everyone to buy "hunger insurance" which can only be spent at your local Olive Garden restaurant. And when Olive Garden has "locked-in" these new customers, they are free to begin raising their prices for everything on the menu.

That kid must've had "god mode" even in real-life.

The store manager should have kicked him out and explained over the intercom exactly what happened, and apologized to the customers. We're all adults here. Oh wait, no. We aren't. We're children in oversized, wrinkly, hairy bodies. We don't even have any of the redeeming traits that are supposed to come with age.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/capitalhill.htm Keep in mind that health insurance and health care are two entirely different things, but the politicians are hoping you don't notice that. This bill does nothing to increase the supply of doctors, hospitals, or drugs. It's a gift to those evil insurance companies Obama is always whining about.

Ohhh massa! He hur mah feelin's! Hit him upside th' head fo me, cuz I don't have the balls to do it mahsef!

You know what's really faggy? Trying to get the cops involved so you can violate someone's property rights. It's her bed & breakfast.

Double Post.

I didn't think women liked peeing in public. Men aren't as self-conscious about it, particularly when they're drunk. But women should have some sort of squatting-equivalent, I guess. Like a flowerpot, with hearts on it.

Wow. This is actually a really good idea! No sarcasm. I'm happy to see a clever solution to a problem in the UK, beyond just "DURH... LET'S MAKE IT ILLEGAL."

She was texting Tiger Woods, and he was replying with all sorts of raunchy stuff.

I think different airlines should fund their own security. If you want to board a flight that offers minimal invasion of privacy, then you have that choice. But there's also the chance the flight will crash because Osama's hidden in the overhead compartment. There can also be an airline that offers the opposite extreme - cavity searches for everybody! For the thrill seekers, of course.

If this guy were smart, he wouldn't sue. He would come out and use the news-media to publicly thank the Gorillaz for their (apparent) deep interest in his music, and he'd show up to their concerts and give away copies of his albums. Free publicity!

I laughed. xD