This is topic Forget U.S. guns, worry about U.K. doctors! in forum The Flameboard at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.


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Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Sheesh! Can't you people over there control yourselves?
http://www.msnbc.com/msn/512104.asp

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Seriously! Those damn Brits. That Kevorkian fella' was one of theirs too, I'd bet.

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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Hey. Kervorkian's guys ASKED. these folks didn't.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
So, rampant uncontrolled gun ownership good, free national health service available to all, bad. Right.

------------------
Luke Ford: "What's it like having a dick in your ass?"

Zoe: "Imagine taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head. You get used to it but it does hurt."
 


Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :
 
Neither of which is present in either the US or UK, of course.

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Frank's Home Page
"Brave New World: 'The future sucks. Or does it? Hell if I know. Ooh, LSD!'" - Simon Sizer
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Damed socialized medicine and it's evil mass killing doctors.

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Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns


[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 05, 2001).]
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Missing the point.

The point is: don't blame the system, don't blame the instrument.

BLAME THE PERSON.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :
 
I can blame this one guy, but I don't have time to blame the kazillions upon kazillions that are giving your idol a bad name.

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"Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world." - Dave Barry
 


Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
How d'you "lose" 297 patients w/o everyone saying "Erm... I think I'll find myself a different doctor, thank you..."

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My new year's resolution is the same as last year's: 1024x768.
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
A poorly run system, that's how. Remember, outside the military, "government-run" = "inefficient".

Also, while I'm not familiar with the Brittish socialized medical system, it's at least possible that people don't get a choice of doctors at all.

But Fo2's right. The system is not to blame that those people are dead, the person who killed them is. Not to say that the system shouldn't be changed, if such a change could prevent further such incidents.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :
 
.

[This message has been edited by Ultra Magnus (edited January 05, 2001).]
 


Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
I hereby decree that Omega is forbidden to participate in any discussion involving the United Kingdom, or any of its constituent parts, until such time as he demonstrates an ability to correctly spell "Britain" and any derivatives thereof.

So let it be written. So let it be done.

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My new year's resolution is the same as last year's: 1024x768.
 


Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
Now, I may not be a statistical genius like some of you fellows, but in my crazy mind, one example does not prove anything. Since the newspapers aren't filled with stories of doctors killing their patients, Shipman is a "statistical anomoly", or a "fluke". At least to my crazy socialised mind.

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"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Oh, I got the point Fo2, I decided to be sarcastic instead of adding anything of import.

Besides, what can one really say.

"Bad doctor for killing people?"
"First do no harm, or baring that, take out as many as you can is not the oath."

Oh, as an aside, "Remember, outside the military, 'government-run' = 'inefficient' is farking Hi-larious.

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Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 05, 2001).]
 


Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
I've got an even better idea. How about you ban Omega altogether until he stops being an utter fucking retard who doesn't know shit about anything he talks about, and who lives his life by the goddamn bible, for Christ's sake?

Evils of socialist medicine, my ass. In the United Kingdom, you need to go to a doctor, you choose which practise you go to. But fear not, healthinsuranceophiles, there are still private doctors you pay to go see if you really want to. How many of said doctors kill or don't kill their patients, I can't say - no statistics available. But I have no doubt whatsoever that if all of us in the UK paid our doctors directly, they wouldn't be rude enough to kill us. It's obviously the strain of working for a socialist system that drives them to these terrible crimes.

Oh, by the way - abortion's 100% legal here too.

------------------
Luke Ford: "What's it like having a dick in your ass?"

Zoe: "Imagine taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head. You get used to it but it does hurt."
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
"who lives his life by the goddamn bible, for Christ's sake?"

Interesting choice of words.

In any case, I don't believe your frustration with my arguments constitute valid grounds for banishment.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :
 
"I've got an even better idea. How about you ban Omega altogether until he stops being an utter fucking retard who doesn't know shit about anything he talks about, and who lives his life by the goddamn bible, for Christ's sake?"

You know, this is very mean-spirited, IMO. You might find problems with what Omega says, but that's your problem, not the board's.

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Frank's Home Page
"Brave New World: 'The future sucks. Or does it? Hell if I know. Ooh, LSD!'" - Simon Sizer
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
It's the boards fault... all of it....
From the Crucifixtion on........

ummmm, yeah, ok, I'll shut up.....

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"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Well, at least you can't say that Vogon Poet's words and language are inconsistent with those of his namesake.

Now, where's that helpful large intestine?

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
My dad was treated for a ear infection while travelling in the UK a few years ago.

HE, being a foreigner, but more importantly paying cash, got treatment right away... bumped to the head of the very long line.

Apparently, inequity still exists, despite all claims to the contrary.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
Er, what?

If he payed cash, he went private. He didn't jump ahead of the queue. He went to a completely different queue.

You get what you pay for. The difference is, if you can't pay for it, you still get it.

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"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Yes, but the people in the paying queue got seen FIRST.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
"You get what you pay for."

Are the private doctors better than the public ones? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that that's true, but you can see how I might think that. Over here, the decent doctors would go private, because they can actually make money that way, and talent goes where the money is. In fact, that's exactly what would have happened under HillaryCare.

"The difference is, if you can't pay for it, you still get it."

But the question is, are you going to treated before you die of whatever? It's happened in Canada. People have died, IN HOSPITALS, while the government tried to make up its mind over whether they really NEEDED treatment or not.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :
 
Oooh, bad Canada.

"Yes, but the people in the paying queue got seen FIRST."

Well, out of the people who paid. If you pay, you don't jump in front of EVERYBODY, just the people who are paying. The people who don't pay are still in a different line.

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"Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world." - Dave Barry
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
UM, IIRC, (and I may not, I'll have to check for certain, and if I'm wrong, I'll say so here within a day) that's not the way he told it.

According to whjat I remember him telling me, they made the non-payers wait while they dealt with whatever payers came in FIRST, regardless of when they arrived, their condition, or anything else.

In other words, if A,B,C, and D non-payers came in, and the Doc saw A, and B was next, if E, F, and G payers came in, even though they arrived after D, they'd go first. And if he got through with E,F, & G, and saw B, and then H,I,&J payers came in, he'd see them before C.
So you'd have:

AEFGBHIJCD.

Poor D, he's gonna be there all day.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :
 
Well, here, at least, it's:

A, B, C, D are non-payers.

E, F, G, H are dudes with dough.

ABCD go to the Municipal Hospital, maintained and run through the support of the Federal government, with some aid provided by the Provincial gov't.

EFGH go to a liscensed, private professional, usually in a seperate buidling, non-related to the Hospital.

Sometimes, because the city in which I live in is quite old-fashioned, the doctor treating B will send him to where the EFGH's go, and that doctor will accept him free of charge.

It's all about how seriously you need treatment, and how long you can afford (or not to) wait.

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"Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world." - Dave Barry
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
quote:
But the question is, are you going to treated before you die of whatever? It's happened in Canada. People have died, IN HOSPITALS, while the government tried to make up its mind over whether they really NEEDED treatment or not.

So what's the point?

Is is that one one ever dies while waiting on the private health care system in the US to decide if paying for a procedure or denying the procedure entirely is better for their bottom line?

Is it comparison and no one waits or dies in the perfect emergency care system in America?

Could it be that you advocate should export the America system where emergency rooms are shutting their doors at an alarming rate and patients for the ones left open are piling up like chord wood?

Is it private bureaucracy is better than a public one?

Is it that the UK and other countries in the world like to have at least a modicum of health care for everyone and damn them for trying?

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Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns
 


Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
Ours is the same as Omega. Although the private and NHS parts can share buildings.

As a question, are vaccinations free in the US?

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"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
For the welfare people, yes....
Me, since I work, I have to pay...

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"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
I'm confused. And also, apparently, mean-spirited. But mainly I'm confused. So far it seems a bit of a non-argument. We Brits are happy with our health service. Well, no, we're not, but you guys aren't saying anything that's making us think the capitalist way is better.

I mean, come on, guys! Flameboard! Where's the social Darwinism, the extoling of the virtues of medical insurance, bible bollocks, all that crap we'd expect you to come out with? I mean, look at this, a whole post and I haven't insulted anyone yet, give me something to work with here!

Anyway. As regards First's dad, I'd be interested to hear more. Presumably he was over here on business, I'd guess he has employer's medical insurance, and he was probably treated using that. The most likely course of events was that after suffering the initial symptoms, he went to an ordinary doctor, the initial diagnosis was made, and he was referred to treatment using his insurance. Probably somewhere else with a different doctor.

------------------
Luke Ford: "What's it like having a dick in your ass?"

Zoe: "Imagine taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head. You get used to it but it does hurt."
 


Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
The Invisible Hand! The Invisible Hand!

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20th century, go to sleep.
--
R.E.M.
****
Read chapters one and two of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! Show no patience, tolerance, or restraint.


 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
He was on vacation, acctually. Touring. Developed a minor ear infection before he left, stupidly didn't get it treated, and it got really bad on the plane ride over (change in pressure, and all that). He went to see a doctor almost as soon as he landed. A standard GP, I think.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
Sheesh, Americans. Over paid, over sexed, and over ear. 8)

------------------
Luke Ford: "What's it like having a dick in your ass?"

Zoe: "Imagine taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head. You get used to it but it does hurt."
 


Posted by Curry Monster (Member # 12) on :
 
Wait, I get it now. Let me straighten this out for y'all. Omega & co are dead against taxes. What they are for is everyone shelling out for everything. I'd hate to have to explain the advantages of massed resources or economies of scale to the abovementioned. Lets just use basic logic here.

Medical insurance, ths Australian example.

Take a man earning $50 000. He pays $250 a year as his medicare levy, inclided into your taxes. Now, that gives him cover. On the other hand, if he has a family of 4 he pays $250 a month to some private insurance firm. Shite, its far more logical to go private ain't it! You see old boy, there is a certain logic to a central health system, which is why our lot get kick arse medical cover. Do you think so many people would do it, all over the world, if it didn't work?

Perhaps you're forgetting that the pharmacy firms and the insurance firms are pushing your angle so hard because they would go out of business if the states adopted a central health system.

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Re: Russia in WWII

"Hey, we butchered Poles! Thats OK."
- DT.


 


Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
 
lemme revise that, please wait.

[This message has been edited by Tahna Los (edited January 08, 2001).]
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Daryus, you're forgetting one thing. Actually, you're missing a couple other things, too, but this just screams out, "I've just shot meself in the foot!"

If the pharmasutical companies went out of business, where, exactly, would the patients get necessary drugs? And where would R&D take place on new ones? Exactly what do you think these companies do with their money, anyhow? Fill their mattresses with it? They spend it on R&D to create new drugs! This is generally considered a good thing.

Thus, if pharmacutical companies would, in fact, go out of business with central health care, we can determine central health care to be a BAD THING, on that basis alone.

Do you think so many people would do it, all over the world, if it didn't work?

And if all the other countries decided to nuke themselves, or declare war on the US, or some other patently stupid thing, would you do it, too? Appeal to mass popularity is not a legitimate debating tactic.

What they are for is everyone shelling out for everything.

Bingo. What an amazing concept: paying for what you want, yourself.

As for your incredibly wonderful government health care, how EXACTLY does it work, on the receiving end? Do you just show up at the doctor, he treats you, and you go home, never worrying about the money? The Doc just sends a bill to wherever the local branch of the medical bureaucracy is located?

Which also reminds me: you honestly think that that $250 a year is all you're paying? Does that include paying for bureaucrats to run the system? Or does that come out of general funds? I'd like to see your federal budget, personally, just as a matter of curiosity.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson

[This message has been edited by Omega (edited January 08, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Omega (edited January 08, 2001).]
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Why is it Omega's response to almost everything is "it's not a valid debating tactic?" Who gives a rats ass? This is the Flameboard, not the Debating Board.

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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

 


Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
 
JeffK: I use the Flameboard to debate any issue as much as Omega does. Your comment is pure mudslinging. Cut it out.

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"My Name is Elmer Fudd, Millionaire. I own a Mansion and a Yacht."
Psychiatrist: "Again."

 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
You have never seemed to get the idea behind this board, JK. Who was it around here that said, "The flameboard is for flaming ideas, not people?" Flaming of someone's idea is bound to lead to an argument over it, and if the people involved are acting rationaly, argument means debate.

As for who gives a rat's a**, you're answer is this: those of us who are interested in finding the truth. That requires rational conversation, and THAT requires legitimate debates. If someone makes an invalid point, it should not be allowed to stand, because it's misleading. It's as simple as that.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson

[This message has been edited by Omega (edited January 08, 2001).]
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Fine, let me rephrase: Valid debating tactics are not valid flameboard tactics. In other words, when it is valid to ignore someone's arguments by claiming it's not a valid debate tactic?

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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

[This message has been edited by JeffKardde (edited January 08, 2001).]
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Must be the lack of seminar class or those single person home school debate classes (so at least someplace on the earth, he's always right.)

Omega's hubris seems to tell him it's ok to say things that are unsupported and when questioned ignore the quesiton.

*shurg*

Don't make him right, it just makes him Omega.

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Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns
 


Posted by Diane (Member # 53) on :
 
HA. Finding the truth or attention-hungry?

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"Life end when you die. But imagination share with others, live forever."
--Quan, Final Fantasy IX
 


Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
JeffK: I'm afraid you're wrong on this one. The Flameboard is here because the topics discussed tend to elicit flaming. It doesn't mean you're required to flame. Rational debating (while uncommon in Omega's presence) is allowed, and even preferable...

Now, everyone go back to talking about Omega's "farmy-kootical" companies...

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My new year's resolution is the same as last year's: 1024x768.
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
"Farmy-tootykal" kompanyes are out, like all big corporations, to make money for their stock holders.

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"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
Isn't flaming a topic the same as flaming a person, for the topics here are, mostly, someones opinions, which when flamed, flame them......

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"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
JK:

when it is valid to ignore someone's arguments by claiming it's not a valid debate tactic?

When they're not. Perhaps something called a "book" would help you.

Ziyal:

Finding the truth or attention-hungry?

Exactly why would I give a darn whether I got the attention of people I don't know or not?

Ritten:

Isn't flaming a topic the same as flaming a person

No. There's a difference between a persons actions and beliefs and the person themself. Just because, say, someone believes something wrong or stupid, that does not necessarily make THEM stupid.

"Farmy-tootykal" kompanyes are out, like all big corporations, to make money for their stock holders.

Obviously. What's wrong with this? They make money by providing a service people are willing to pay for, and they create jobs in the process. And, of course, since without the stockholders the company wouldn't exist, it's their right to take the profits. Works for me, and has for this country for the past couple centuries.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson

[This message has been edited by Omega (edited January 08, 2001).]
 


Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
I might as well take a stab at at least attempting to argue this (why me? I know squat about shit).

"As for your incredibly wonderful government health care, how EXACTLY does it work, on the receiving end? Do you just show up at the doctor, he treats you, and you go home, never worrying about the money?"

Yes.

"The Doc just sends a bill to wherever the local branch of the medical bureaucracy is located?"

I'm not exactly sure how decentralised the NHS is, but yes, I assume something like that. It wouldn't be a bill as such though, anymore than the photocopying department of a large company would send a bill to the finance department.

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"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
A persons beliefs are an intregal part of them. It is a basis for all that they are, it is what makes us different. So flaming someones opinion is flaming them, since it is a part of them.

I was pointing out the fact that a huge portion of the world is ruled by greed, just ask the politicos in Michigan, which just gave themselves a 37% pay raise.

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"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"


[This message has been edited by Ritten (edited January 08, 2001).]
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
"A persons beliefs are an intregal part of them. It is a basis for all that they are, it is what makes us different."

But people can change their opinions, thus rendering your point moot. Thus I deem your statement to be incorrect. I say this so people can't accuse me of ignoring it.

Saying "You're wrong" does not constitute flaming a person.

Case in point...

I was pointing out the fact that a huge portion of the world is ruled by greed

You're wrong. The world is ruled by the desire to better the condition of yourself and those you care about. Only a few translate this into anything that can legitimatly be called greed.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
In your opinion I am wrong, yes, that I can agree with. Calling someone dumb or stupid is the part that I find, mmm, repulsive.

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"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by Curry Monster (Member # 12) on :
 
quote:
Daryus, you're forgetting one thing. Actually, you're missing a couple other things, too, but this just screams out, "I've just shot meself in the foot!"

Uh huh. This I have to see.

quote:
If the pharmasutical companies went out of business, where, exactly, would the patients get necessary drugs?

Who said anything about them going out of business? All I stated was that they push the private angle for their own benefit, not for the benefit of the consumer. Speaking of which, are you aware of the steps these firms take to ensure that they remain in business? Lets take an example. You're all aware by now that the bulk of international trade law is rigged to be favourable to the USA. This is not news. Here's a recent example. In southern India there is an ancient system of medicine known as the Aruvedan (Not sure on spelling) system. It uses pressure points herbs etc. Now, they have certain herbs which are very effective in combating respiratory problems. A US pharmesuitcal firm bought the patent on this when they 'discovered' it. You'd assume they'd be happy now that they have the patent right? Wrong. After getting the patent they had the natural version of the drug put on the dangerous list, in effect this means that traditional practitioners can't practice anymore. Now, you can only buy the synthesised drug from them, legally anyway. This is one tiny example of how corporate wankers act.

How are you, as a so called advocate of the free market, willing to support companies that charge outrageous rates for medical supplies, such as drugs, which are an essential to life? Doesn't that go against some moral beliefs you hold. Or, is it all ok under the guise of a 'free market'?

quote:
And where would R&D take place on new ones? Exactly what do you think these companies do with their money, anyhow? Fill their mattresses with it? They spend it on R&D to create new drugs! This is generally considered a good thing.

Sure, but then do it on a non-profit basis. Any funding beyond their bare minimum should go to a hospital fund, or something. Get rid of profits alltogether if you're doing this for such moral reasons.

quote:
Thus, if pharmacutical companies would, in fact, go out of business with central health care, we can determine central health care to be a BAD THING, on that basis alone.

Nonsense. You do jump to some interesting conclusions. These companies are made up for people with brains. It wouldn't matter if they were working for the government, or that donkey down the street. They'd get the same results.

Daryus Said: Do you think so many people would do it, all over the world, if it didn't work?

Omega replied:

quote:
And if all the other countries decided to nuke themselves, or declare war on the US, or some other patently stupid thing, would you do it, too? Appeal to mass popularity is not a legitimate debating tactic.

Legimiate tactic? Dude, this is not a nice little controlled arena. I'm going to make points, however I damn well like. If you can't grasp what I am getting at, then spend more time getting to the crux of the message. It'll be worth it, beleive me.

By the way, your example above is so lame I think an irrate ant with a toothpick would overcome it.

Daryus said: What they are for is everyone shelling out for everything.
Omega replies:

quote:

Bingo. What an amazing concept: paying for what you want, yourself.

Wait, did you just MISS THE POINT yet again. Lets go over it chum.

Australia, AD 2001.

You earn $50 000. You pay $250 in medicare inside your tax payment. For that, you get cover.

Now, you could go private in which case you'd be paying $3000 a year.

You get it? This is far more cost effective. Everyone is eligable for cover. From Mr Kerry Packer, Australias richest man to Mr Daryus Aden who isn't worth anywhere near $8bn.

quote:
As for your incredibly wonderful government health care, how EXACTLY does it work, on the receiving end? Do you just show up at the doctor, he treats you, and you go home, never worrying about the money? The Doc just sends a bill to wherever the local branch of the medical bureaucracy is located?

The doctor submits an invoice to the medicare. They process it and pay him for the consultation. I just have to sign on the dotted line confirming that I have in fact been to the doctor and had the ailment taken care of. The invoice covers the details.

quote:
Which also reminds me: you honestly think that that $250 a year is all you're paying? Does that include paying for bureaucrats to run the system? Or does that come out of general funds? I'd like to see your federal budget, personally, just as a matter of curiosity.

You don't get it as yet. It still works out more cost effective than your little private empire. And not only that, everyone is covered. Which is more important to me than the end cost. Even if it were more expensive (and its not) I'd support it, because every man woman and child deserves to be cared for. Old boy

As for the budget, I think you'll be able to find it through www.liberal.gov.au or somesuch.

------------------
Re: Russia in WWII

"Hey, we butchered Poles! Thats OK."
- DT.


 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Ritten:

Calling someone dumb or stupid is the part that I find, mmm, repulsive.

Which is why I don't do that.

Daryus:

How are you, as a so called advocate of the free market, willing to support companies that charge outrageous rates for medical supplies, such as drugs, which are an essential to life?

Did it ever occur to you that that's what they cost to make?

As for your plant example, that would be an example of bad laws. You shouldn't be able to patent a natural substance.

Get rid of profits alltogether if you're doing this for such moral reasons.

Daryus, man, you may be older than me, but there are some things you really need to learn about people. For one, if everything that got done was done for moral reasons, then almost nothing would get done. People are out to better their lifestyle, and that means making money and getting paid, and THAT means the private sector. Which, funnily enough, works pretty well over here. For most people, if given the choice between developing a drug for nothing, and doing so for the money they need to support their family, the latter will win, hands down.

These companies are made up for people with brains. It wouldn't matter if they were working for the government, or that donkey down the street. They'd get the same results.

Not true. If there was only one buyer, then prices would be dictated by that buyer. Prices would be forced down, with detrimental effects on the company, and thus the product, jobs, and R&D.

I'm going to make points, however I damn well like.

And I'll shoot them down based on either factual error, or logical fallicy, of which appeal to mass popularity is one. Fair enough?

The doctor submits an invoice to the medicare. They process it and pay him for the consultation.

Who determines how much he gets paid?

It still works out more cost effective than your little private empire. And not only that, everyone is covered.

And all you have to give up is innovation, the rights of doctors and medical companies, and a huge chunk of your economy. This, compaired to the fact that it's cheaper. Let's see. Figure in obvious costs, plus bureaucratic costs, plus detriment to your economy and the other disadvantages listed, and I'd say that we're just a LITTLE better off with our system, under which everyone can get treatment, too.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Hold on, I wasn't flaming Omega anymore than he was flaming me when he insinuated I was a moron when he said I should find a "book." All I'm saying is, how is saying something is not a valid debating tactic a valid debating tactic?

which is why I don't do that

Hold up. I seem to recall you calling me an ignorant liberal. You say you don't do that? I beg to disagree.

------------------
Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

[This message has been edited by JeffKardde (edited January 08, 2001).]
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Forgive me, I meant that I don't do that and pretend that I've made a legitimate point. I was in a hurry typing.

All I'm saying is, how is saying something is not a valid debating tactic a valid debating tactic?

Debates are based upon logic. All legitimate debating tactics are logical, and the converse is also true. Pointing out that a statement is not logical is thus a legitimate debating tactic.

Perhaps I would have been better served to say that the statement was not logical.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Diane (Member # 53) on :
 
"which is why I don't do that"

He seems to be doing that in nearly every Flameboard thread. It's not just you.

"Exactly why would I give a darn whether I got the attention of people I don't know or not?"

If you don't care, why do you post? If you don't care, why do you care about changing the opinions of others?

------------------
"Life end when you die. But imagination share with others, live forever."
--Quan, Final Fantasy IX
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
quote:
Calling someone dumb or stupid is the part that I find, mmm, repulsive.

Which is why I don't do that.


Is that from the Pot Calling the Kettle Black Department or from the Bureau of Out and Out Lies?

------------------
Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
What do the two have to do with each other? I don't give a darn whether you pay attention to me, personally, or not. I do, OTOH, care about knowing and possibly changing your opinions. The two are completely unrelated.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Maybe you should be more careful about what you write instead of printing retractions and adding spin.

And from the Land of the Convoluted

quote:
Debates are based upon logic. All legitimate debating tactics are logical, and the converse is also true. Pointing out that a statement is not logical is thus a legitimate debating tactic.

Your singular pronouncements as such hold as much water as a tin cup on a fence post in Texas duing shotgun season.

One of maximus of debats is to back up what you say and answer questions about things you say. Neither of which you do with any sort of regularity Omega. Instead we get the duck and cover debate tatics. More avoidance and evasion than during the Nixon administration.

You fail to answer one question more than any other. Why. Why are things the way you say they are. Simple as it sounds it lies at the heart of good arguments. When questioned on that issue, you bugger out like a Thunder Chief with a Surface to Ail Missile on it's tail.

------------------
Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 09, 2001).]
 


Posted by Diane (Member # 53) on :
 
Omega: How do you feel when someone agrees with you? You get a boost of confidence, don't you? What about when someone disagrees or mocks what you're saying? You get mad and you try to get back at them (Ignoring someone's argument or saying "it doesn't count" applies). The agreement or disagreement with your opinions requires someone's attention to what you're saying, does it not? Then the two are very integrally related.

But that's not my point. What I called "attention" may be better termed as "control" (there's an even better term, but this is not the setting for it). It's a cycle nearly everybody has fallen into, certainly everybody who's ever participated in an argument. I'm trying to stop the cycle, but I'm not sure how to go about this.

------------------
"Life end when you die. But imagination share with others, live forever."
--Quan, Final Fantasy IX
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Ziyal:

What about when someone disagrees or mocks what you're saying? You get mad and you try to get back at them (Ignoring someone's argument or saying "it doesn't count" applies).

Uh... no. I don't. And no, it does NOT apply. Pointing out logical holes in someone else's argument can not possibly, in any rational setting, be construed as getting back at them.

Jay:

You fail to answer one question more than any other.

Oh, please, tell me what this great mythical question is, and I will do my best to rectify my apparent error.

Maybe you should be more careful about what you write instead of printing retractions and adding spin.

Yes. Again, I was in a hurry. Sorry, and all that. Not that I expect you to believe me.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
This isn't an argument, it's just contradiction!

------------------
Luke Ford: "What's it like having a dick in your ass?"

Zoe: "Imagine taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head. You get used to it but it does hurt."
 


Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
You know, we seem to make him worse. He started this thread curious about how "socialised medicine" worked, and now he's blowing the horn of private health care, saying that the UK, Canada and Australia's methods "infringe the rights of doctors", as well as destory all imagination, until nothing remains but darkness.

------------------
"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
There's a report in this week's issue of MacLeans' about problems in Canadian health care, including shortages of just about EVERYTHING, rising costs, low doctor morale, etc.

------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
Jay: I never said that I didn't do things I find, mmm, repulsive, although I do try to keep it in check and not use it as a crutch.

------------------
"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :
 
I dunno, MacLeans seems to be slightly sensationalistic, and VERY centric, sometimes even forgetting that anything west of Manitoba and anything east of Quebec exists.

------------------
"Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world." - Dave Barry
 


Posted by Curry Monster (Member # 12) on :
 
First, was that report written by the 'ultra right conservativetightarse group' by any chance? A report can say anything, depending on what logic you use. I think Rush wrote something that basically stated that there was no problem with the environment, and that god wanted us to cut down trees.

------------------
Re: Russia in WWII

"Hey, we butchered Poles! Thats OK."
- DT.


 


Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
"This isn't an argument, it's just contradiction!"

No it isn't.

------------------
20th century, go to sleep.
--
R.E.M.
****
Read chapters one and two of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! Show no patience, tolerance, or restraint.


 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Daryus:

There's no evidence of any far-reaching man-made problem with the environment. As for trees, the quote you're probably looking for is, "The only thing beautiful about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down." Not necessarily a sentiment I agree with.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
 
To quote a famous philosopher:

"What colour is the sky in that little world of yours, Omega?"

------------------
"And Mojo was hurt and I would have kissed his little boo boo but then I realized he was a BAD monkey so I KICKED HIM IN HIS FACE!"
-Bubbles
 


Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :
 
"There's no evidence of any far-reaching man-made problem with the environment."

I am glad I did read that, as throughout during the day, I was having quite a difficult dispersing the waste fluids from my body. Thankfully, I laughed so hard at this, I pissed all down my leg. My condondondrum is solved.

------------------
"Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world." - Dave Barry
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
As I said Omega, you have a general fault (imho) of failing to answer the why of your grand pronouncements to any degree of satisfaction when questioned.

And since you're generally given over to extreme statments, that is a fault (again imho).

------------------
Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 09, 2001).]
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
What, you want me to come up with every theory ever proposed that claims there are such problems, and debunk every single one of them? Well, I'm not going to do that. I'm not about to do your research for you. You want an answer to a specific claim, though, and I'll oblidge.

I stated that there is no evidence of something. That, by definition, is not a statement that can be proven. It's a universal negative. I was stating that an unproven claim is false. The ball's not in my court.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
That makes no logical sense. It is therefore illogical. Illogic is not a valid debating tactic.

------------------
Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Omega, you've got balls alright. Anyone who seems to be as a vocal (and generally wrong imo) on every issue as you are has too. Do you have a court to play with them on?

And no Captain Hyperbole, I think that debunking every theory would be too much, even for you. As I said, you have a problem of answering the why behind your extreme statements. And that is a general fault I find with most of your arguments.

A specific example and one related to the argument in question is on the first page of this thread. I asked a series of questions about one of your sweeping generalizations and you failed to answer. Now, if this were about winning an losing as you seem to think it is, then by your silence, I win because you can't back up what you say.

Since good dicsussion isn't about winning and losing, then I don't really care (the above is to make a point) and your "look over there" misdirection of saying "...not about to do your research..."** is made out of whole cloth because you need to defend the material you write. In general you do not. Rather seeking to imploy any number of diversions to seek your goal...whatever that may be.

**The mere thought of you doing my research lowers my iq and the quality of anything I would write.

------------------
Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 10, 2001).]
 


Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
 
Does anyone else realize that, with the way Omega makes such extreme statements, and skirts the "why" question, he'll probably end up being elected president of the US someday?

------------------
My new year's resolution is the same as last year's: 1024x768.
 


Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
Elected?

------------------
Luke Ford: "What's it like having a dick in your ass?"

Zoe: "Imagine taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head. You get used to it but it does hurt."
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Well, considering the guy that did that didn't win this time, I doubt anyone else would with those tactics, either.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
 
Yeah, he didn't win, but got to be President by having some judges on his side. 8)

------------------
Luke Ford: "What's it like having a dick in your ass?"

Zoe: "Imagine taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head. You get used to it but it does hurt."
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
No, the person in question only had the FL supreme court judges on his side. His opponent, however, won by meeting all constitutional requirements.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Methinks that when all is said and done, if a FL recount DOES go through, IF the pre-election rules are followed, Gore will be found to have lost anyway.

I don't know if we have any people online here from FL, but I've spoken to three Floridians, and they all tell the same story (even the Democrat): Before the election, ads were inserted in newspapers reminding people that hanging, dimpled, and pregnant chads would NOT be counted, so that if they wanted their votes to count, they should be SURE to poke their ballots thoroughly.

They also tell me that at THEIR polling places, everyone who got a ballot also got a similar reminder, that unpunched, dimpled, pregnant, etc. ballots would NOT be counted.

I'm also waiting for the FL folks to invalidate the 300+ democratic votes that were cast by ineligible felons, and the several thousand that were cast by unregistered immigrants.

IMHO, that's the reason talk of an independent recount has died down rather quickly.

------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
QWs from Florida....
I know that here in Michigan when one goes to vote thay have got to have their name on the print out, if it's not there you don't vote. Simply showing a form of ID is not good enough, unless the ID and the list match.

------------------
"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"


[This message has been edited by Ritten (edited January 10, 2001).]
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Of course. This would be blindingly obvious, if everyone bothered to actually think about it. I seem to recall hearing about some problems with that in LA, but I'm not quite sure where I read that. Anyway, supposedly, the Democrats would bus people around from once precinct to the next, saying, "Hey, I just moved here and I'm not on your roll yet. Can I vote anyway?"

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Voter fraud since 1828...it's a good motto don't ya think?

I was asked for my id and checked off a list last time I voted in the Los Angeles area.

Then again, I did see a bus load of homeless people being taken from poll to poll and emptied so they could exchange their vote for a draught of whiskey.

I know it would be silly to ask where that bit of conjecture came from.

------------------
Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns
 


Posted by Curry Monster (Member # 12) on :
 
You claim there are no lasting negative effects on the environment from mankind? Oh boy. Lets throw a few ideas about shall we?

Plastic & chemical pollutants killing of animals & plants

Overuse of non-renewable natural resources

Air pollution from burning coal & petrolium

Nuclear waste

Now, the above have been backed by a plethora of reputable scientists. I know Rush has some scientist that claims all the others are wrong. But on the up side, if you'd just open your eyes and look about you'd see Rush is wrong.

------------------
Re: Russia in WWII

"Hey, we butchered Poles! Thats OK."
- DT.


 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
When I was a deer hunter I did a 'mercy' killing on a deer with a plastic ring on it's front left leg, crippling it. So, out in the middle of Michigans deep woods are these plastic rings, and I am wondering from where they came....

------------------
"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Deer hunters, maybe?

Daryus:

You'll notice I said "far-reaching." Nuclear waste is an extremely localized problem. Far more localized than the air polution in cities. Yeah, there are some small areas where there are problems, but the vast majority of the world is still in good shape. When was the last time you heard of someone in the middle of your Outback getting sick from air pollution?

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
On the other hand, when was the last time you heard of someone not getting sick in Los Angeles?

------------------
Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Your point being...?

Yes, there are areas with bad air pollution. Yes, there are areas with higher levels of radioactivity than are usually found. But these areas are EXTREMELY SMALL. Thus my statement of their being no far-reaching man-made environmental problem stands.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
Yeah, why worry about the enviornment when the problems are so small? Even utilizing that thought, remember that small problems lead to big ones.

------------------
Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Pittsburgh used to be the smog capital of the planet, what with all the coal smoke from the steel plants and such. Made LA look like a clear day in Montana.

But they cleaned it up, and it was still clean while the mills were still going.

Pittburgh's clean, and LA doesn't have steel mills... so why is LA still smoggy? It CAN'T have less clear air standard enforcement than Pittsburgh.

------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
LA isn't smoggy now, it just rained...this is such a beautiful city after a rain.

Don't forget about Houston though...there was a brief point over the last couple of years that it beat LA for smoggiest city.

And yes dear friends, the only reason that LA, Houston or Pittsburg PA has better air today is because of regulation.

Halleluiah and pass the unleaded!

------------------
Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 11, 2001).]
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Yes, a period of all of two days.

------------------
"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
 
Okay, it has started with 2 days..... Then you'll blow off a week, then a month, etc.....

No, I've never seen little rings like that used for any kind of hunting, they might have been from the marker ballons placed by the state to note air sprayers of where to hit for the gypsy moth crap.

Along with the pollution created I think LA has a thing with its location and weather, something about the winds and the humidity helping to bottle it up, or some such thing.

------------------
"One's ethics are determined by what we do when no one is looking"



 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
The period for which LA will be smog-free?

Or the period for which regulation will work?

------------------
Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

 


Posted by Vacuum robot lady from Spaceballs (Member # 239) on :
 
I once heard that Saline could be used as an effective smog anti-agent.

Why is LA smoggy?

------------------
"...[They've] been so completely dumbed down by the media, by tabloid scumbags, by the Christian "right", by politicians in general, the school, parents who are dumber than their parents were, who are dumber than their parents were, and all of whom think that they can bring up a child just because they got down in bed and had a little sex...well, frankly, here is an audience that knows more and more about less and less as the years go by...We are talking about a constituency...that knows nothing. This is pandemic; terrifyingly, paralyzingly pandemic. They know absolutely nothing."
- Harlan Ellison, on the Media Consumer of today.



 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Today as in concerned with or relating to the present time...not the time frame of the latest rainfall.

------------------
Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
The problem with descriptive terms are that they're so relative.

If you had 400 cities, and 399 were clear as a bell, and 1 had a single little puff of smoke, it could still be called "the smoggiest city out of 400."

Air quality everywhere is probably better than it's been in 50 years, especially in industrial cities. Is this due to regulation? At least partly, though it's also due to public pressure, cleaner technology, and less use of the 'dirtier' methods simply by attrition. This amount of regulation isn't a bad thing. Don't misunderstand, I don't think we should get rid of ALL regulation. there have to be SOME standards, after all.

However, we are now reaching the point of diminishing returns, where overregulation is beginning to have detrimental effects, such as increasing prices (due to the cost of complying with regulations and paperwork).

------------------
"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Curry Monster (Member # 12) on :
 
Whoop de do. Increased prices. Anyone ever suggest to you that there are more important things than the bottom line?

------------------
Re: Russia in WWII

"Hey, we butchered Poles! Thats OK."
- DT.


 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Well, if you mean 'bottom line' as in 'how much people on a fixed or low income (retirees, the handicapped, the poor) can take in, relative to how much it costs to keep the electricity in their home operational,' I'd have to say "NO."

For someone whos supposed to be concerned about people with low incomes, (at least, that's what the Democrats USED to claim to be about) you don't worry about rising prices? Increases in the cost of living? Isn't that an inherent philosophical contradiction?

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
 
No. Raised taxes, paid by the more affulent, would balance that out. This would also allow tax cuts to those who would most benefit by them.

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Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier ... just as long as I'm the dictator." - George "Dubya" Bush, Dec 18, 2000

 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Ah, yes. The old 'tax-and-spend' dodge. Or 'soak the rich,' as it's now known.

Good idea. Increase the tax on the people and businesses that generate the income for nearly everybody else in the state, thusly trashing economic growth. The closing of businesses that follows will decrease the power demand significantly, which should more than cover the increased demand put out by all the unemployed workers who will now be at home.

Brilliant!

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Ah, the old 'don't listen but get on your own little saop box' evasion.

Good one.

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Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 12, 2001).]
 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Funny. I thought it was closer to the "Beat-the-snot-out-of-your-opponent's-suggestion" tactic.

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
Clearly Jay wasn't listening.

I merely pointed out why 'tax-and-spend' is a failure as a solution, albeit in a rather sarcastic tone of voice. The logic of the argument remains solid.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 


Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
 
Daryus is a Democrat? I was unaware American political parties had branched out across the Pacific in such a manner.

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20th century, go to sleep.
--
R.E.M.
****
Read chapters one and two of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! Show no patience, tolerance, or restraint.


 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Ah, Cuff and "Missing" Link...my favorite conservative twins.

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Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns
 


Posted by Curry Monster (Member # 12) on :
 
Yes, I was surprised that I am a democrat too. I'm on a low income myself, so don't start that junk with me. You seem to miss the fact that via taxes and proper regulation any corporate asswipe who starts to overcharge will get his head kicked in so badly that he won't have a choice but to bend. That's not a bad thing.

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Re: Russia in WWII

"Hey, we butchered Poles! Thats OK."
- DT.


 


Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
 
Unless, of course, it drives the company out of business, destroying hundreds or thousands of jobs. But, hey, we know that the fortunes of those evil corporations don't have any effect on real people, don't we?

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"Still one thing more fellow-citizens--A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government..."
-Thomas Jefferson
 


Posted by Diane (Member # 53) on :
 
Incredible! Taxes drive companies out of business! Why didn't I think of that? How in the world did our economy survive under the 8-year Clinton administration? Where did Bill Gates get his 34 billion? It must be a miracle of God Almighty, I tell ya.

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"Life end when you die. But imagination share with others, live forever."
--Quan, Final Fantasy IX
 


Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
 
Well Ziyal, there are those who have bought lock, stock and smoking barrel into the old Calvin Coolidge idea that the business of America is business. By extension anything that harms the profit margin of business harms America.

Rather a red herring in that it is far too singular and simplistic.

Business talks out of one side of the business face about free market this and free market that. However the other side of the face is asking for, accepting and defending government assistance and corporate welfare while eschewing regulation. That speaks volumes about the hypocracy of the corporate world.

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Oh, yes, sitting. The great leveler. From the mightiest Pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good sit?
~C. Montgomery Burns

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 16, 2001).]
 


Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
 
No, simplicity is thinking that a scarcity of resources can be rendered nonexistant by increasing taxes.

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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master



 




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