steve wrote:The assumption that anyone can pull himself up by his bootstraps through hard work and self reliance hides an ignorance that some people weren't born with boots or the opportunity to earn boots. Being born with boots is by itself an enormous advantage, and not something to be taken lightly.

J.P. Donleavy referred to these people as "the bootless and unhorsed".

NerblyBear wrote:I make my income from a job. That job has been made available to me by a society which values the sort of work that I am able to do. Therefore, I owe back to society a certain chunk of that income, for two reasons:

1) It's the generous thing to do.

2) In the long run, it's in my own self-interest because it will (hopefully) make society an even better place in which to live.

Seconded, and let's throw into the mix that people don't make money in a vacuum. When a manufacturer makes money s/he does it over whose roads? Using labor (hopefully) educated in schools paid for by whom for the first 12 years? I say give something back because we all pitched in to the infrastructure and education that you're using to make money.

Sure, the tax money could be spent more efficiently, but maybe would could focus on that, rather than this obession that taxes are bad and how it's one's "right" to live in this great country with little or no investment.

In my opinion, the first priority for a Democratic Congress is to achieve a workable, federal health-care system. Taxes'll pay for that, Chief, and I'll be happy to spend them on it since, when I pull my back, I'll have somewhere to go.

Agreed. The fact is we already spend more per person on healthcare than countries with national health programs.

I've heard all of the lines about how we have the "greatest health insurance system in the world" but the fact is, the people who have no access to it is pushing 20% of the population. If you don't like the nat. health system, then buy out of it like the rich people in Canada, Australia and the UK do, but for those who don't have that option, providing basic healthcare prevents larger losses of tax revenue later.

For example: Untreated diabetes often results in amputations. Now we have a disabled person to care for on our tax dime. Public Health 101 dictates that a problem prevented is the cheapest option.

Example #2: The SARS problem in Toronto was stopped dead in it's tracks because the National Health database traced the vectors immediately and a lockdown ensued. We don't have an interconnected system and it's guaranteed that the same outbreak here would have burdened us with wasting valuable time figuring things out while the germs spread. Seconds count in an outbreak.
What would that have cost us? Use the same example for bioterrorism if you'd like.

The nation's health is too important to be entrusted to bean counters who currently are doing a lousy job. I sit in an insurance office all day and can't believe how bad it is compared to the very well run Property and Casualty industry.

Nicely written all the way around, Nerbly.

-A

Wood Goblin wrote:angry people who could use a cooling-off period,

The waiting period condition of the Brady Act expired in 1998 when the NICS was rolled out.

If a gun purchaser wants to avoid a background check, they can purchase from a non-FFL holder in 38 states.

Boombats wrote:

matthew wrote:It's funny, my father's a retired federal law enforcement agent

I can't believe nobody noticed this.

The guy's a Piglet. All is revealed.

Hey now, my dad's a retired Chicago Police Man.

I turned out okay, except for liking some The Eagles songs, I guess.

vockins wrote:

Wood Goblin wrote:angry people who could use a cooling-off period,

The waiting period condition of the Brady Act expired in 1998 when the NICS was rolled out.

If a gun purchaser wants to avoid a background check, they can purchase from a non-FFL holder in 38 states.

Take me there. I heart gunz.

zom-zom wrote:

Boombats wrote:

matthew wrote:It's funny, my father's a retired federal law enforcement agent

I can't believe nobody noticed this.

The guy's a Piglet. All is revealed.

Hey now, my dad's a retired Chicago Police Man.

I turned out okay, except for liking some The Eagles songs, I guess.

That Explains It!

zom-zom wrote:

matthew wrote:I was addressing Steve's arrogance with the Journal article. I think that was obvious. After all, Wal-Mart pretty much stands for everything reviled by liberals and leftists.....right, bob?

As a liberal leftist, I'd say that it's arrogant people like you that are reviled much more than the Wal-Marts of the world.

Yeah, even Wal-Mart pays their illegal labor more than $0 an hour.

zom-zom wrote:Hey now, my dad's a retired Chicago Police Man.

I turned out okay, except for liking some The Eagles songs, I guess.

I can think of nine people I know that are offspring of law enforcement. Only one is a dipshit.

The only thing that's a little weird about them is that they always tell you one of their parents is/was a cop.

Boombats wrote:Take me there. I heart gunz.

You're having trouble finding a private firearms seller in Hudson, NY?

I think it's harder to find a fucking McDonald's up there.

vockins wrote:

Boombats wrote:Take me there. I heart gunz.

You're having trouble finding a private firearms seller in Hudson, NY?

I think it's harder to find a fucking McDonald's up there.

No, I know where the McDogshit's is and I stay away. However finding a gun dealer that doesn't do background checks or send your name to the feds is a different story. See, I got this criminal record...