Thursday Next Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 This argument has been made dozens if not hundreds of times before. This line of argument has been used any time a dictator has come into power and even, to a different degree, by big government bureaucrats. "You don't know what's best for you. You don't know to take care of yourself. Let us, the elite class make decisions for you." Democracy doesn't work for an entirely different reason. It means that 50.1% tell the other 49.9% what to do. It's tyranny of the majority. Republics are far greater as they are a nation of laws and not of men. Limits must be placed to limit the power of one individual over another (see Federalist 51 - James Madison.) The problem is that it's true. Most people don't know what is good for them, and to a greater or lesser extent are unable to look after themselves to their maximum potential. I'm not suggesting that a meritocracy would work mind you, just that it has its plus points. If a doctor tells you to eat less fatty foods or a financial adviser tells you not to run up a huge credit line that you can't pay back then you should take that advice. If the department of defence was run by a soldier, the department of health by a senior doctor and so on at least we wouldn't have retarded stuff like this going on... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8334774.stm. Refusing to follow the advice of someone who knows better is not, in my opinion an opportunity to run around waving a flag and shouting "Yay Freedom!" if we all did that, we'd end up like this plank... http://abcnews.go.com/US/york-rider-dies-protesting-motorcycle-helmet-law/story?id=13993417. Elections these days are little more than popularity contests, issues are rarely argued and debates quickly descend into smear campaigns to the point that people will spend more time talking about where a person was born than what the person has done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 No system of government works (including anarchy, though I know it's not really a "system of government"). The more control you give the people, the more retarded ideas will get supported, but the more you give control to knowledgeable individuals the more abuses of power there are/can be. I tend to agree that a representative democracy is the best compromise, but it's not without its crippling flaws. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battra92 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 No system of government works (including anarchy, though I know it's not really a "system of government"). The more control you give the people, the more retarded ideas will get supported, but the more you give control to knowledgeable individuals the more abuses of power there are/can be. I tend to agree that a representative democracy is the best compromise, but it's not without its crippling flaws. The core issue is that governments will be run by men and govern over men. Therefore it is necessary to have proper controls on the power of the government in its control of the governed. I also think a lot of problems are better suited at the very local level to help avoid this issue. That way bad ideas can be rooted out at the local level before they ever reach up the Federal level and good ideas can spread from county to county and later from state to state. We waste our time at the national political level discussing idiotic topics like birth control when there are far more serious issues out there. I know the reasons why politicians do what they do, but it's ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantelope V2 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Your ruling officials are like underwear. They need to be changed regularly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battra92 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 The problem is people say "Those politicians are all crooks ... except my guy. He's good." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantelope V2 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 The problem is people say "Those politicians are all crooks ... except my guy. He's good." That's how Ted Kennedy stayed in office forever... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorgi Duke of Frisbee Posted March 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 The problem is people say "Those politicians are all crooks ... except my guy. He's good." Not me, at least. I don't like all the acts Obama has been passing recently that give police access to things like drones and that whole imprisonment for life thing. Those are scary. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 Yeah, blame those on Obama. The NDAA was signed because it included veteran's benefits. A perfect example of how Congress can control the white house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted March 5, 2012 Report Share Posted March 5, 2012 http://mad.blog.dccomics.com/2012/03/02/who-said-it-mitt-romney-or-mr-burns/ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battra92 Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 The problem is people say "Those politicians are all crooks ... except my guy. He's good." That's how Ted Kennedy stayed in office forever... In Massachusetts they swore he was framed. Either that or they felt bad that his brothers were both murdered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Yeah, blame those on Obama. The NDAA was signed because it included veteran's benefits. A perfect example of how Congress can control the white house. Be that as it may, I cannot in good conscience vote for someone who signed that legislation. I just won't be voting for President at all this time around. Not that it makes any difference, Kansas was always going to go Republican anyway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Be that as it may, I cannot in good conscience vote for someone who signed that legislation. He's doing what he can to make it mean nothing: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h655NLqET_PpLu4WE4Pxs0AiaNPA?docId=CNG.d358a1ce576ac020d9abf2a88e8185a0.31 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/28/obama-loosens-rules-military-custody-terror-detain/ https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/us/politics/obama-issues-waivers-on-military-trials-for-foreign-qaeda-suspects.html?_r=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Yes, but he's not going to be President forever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 One of my friends from law school just posted this on Facebook and I thought it was poetic and somewhat relevant to this thread: Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual--or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 As if God gives a shit who you vote for. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 lol, I didn't even notice it said that, I just automatically filter all references to God into the appropriate reference to morality. So to me that just says you're morally accountable for your vote. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Jack Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4: Gritty Reboot Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Samuel Adams was a smart guy. Also he makes great beer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorgi Duke of Frisbee Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 What's this Kony 2012, invisible Children thing going around? Pay it no mind. It's the latest Invisible Children scam. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pirate Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NkjbJOSwq3A "OBAMA WANTS EVERYONE TO GO COLLEGE.......what a snob"....ok I saw this late but could someone explain this to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luftwaffles Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Also, fuck you again, Rick Santorum. http://www.rawstory....-8wmWsuw.reddit Not everyone should go to college. More people going to college effectively cheapens the degree. A BA degree from many state schools is akin to a high school diploma in the real world (unless you study something worthwhile like Business, Engineering or Science.) We put way too much emphasis on college and quite frankly I know people who would've been better off not going to college and instead going to a vocational school or taking an apprenticeship. Instead they are 40K in debt with a worthless degree that sounds nice when they're on break working at the supermarket. That's not really the point. The point is that Santorum is drawing on an argument that isn't exactly backed up by his personal history, as well as resorting to childish personal attacks to try and gain political clout. We covered it a few pages back. Essentially, FDS is about right. Santorum is just being a professional dicknose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NkjbJOSwq3A "OBAMA WANTS EVERYONE TO GO COLLEGE.......what a snob"....ok I saw this late but could someone explain this to me? Incredible. Surely Obama wants everyone to have the opportunity or the choice to go to college? He's not gonna run around stuffing rednecks into hessian sacks and dumping them in college campuses (campi?) to have liberals force book-learnin' on them. Also, it's far more snobbish to assume that because your father is a hard-working blue-collar 'murkin he will therefore want you to be a high school educated blue-collar worker too. If that was true then I wouldn't be where I am now. I'm not from a hugely wealthy background, everyone in my family has had to work for everything they've got. My father left school as soon as he was able to, but he's the one who pushed me hardest to go through school, become a lawyer and all that jazz. He definitely doesn't want my life to be a carbon copy of his. He wants me to go further than he did and do more than he did. Santorum's message that "The Status Quo is Good Enough" is a very dangerous one for a country that needs to grow to keep it's position as a global leader. I don't see how anyone could consider electing this guy, with a bit of hyperbole applied, he pretty much wants a monarchy. "If you are President you can make your children in your image and they can be President too. If you mow lawns then you can make your children in your image and they can mow lawns too." What the hell happened to the American dream man? [i may have watched too much Watchmen and The Big Lebowski over the past few days.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NkjbJOSwq3A "OBAMA WANTS EVERYONE TO GO COLLEGE.......what a snob"....ok I saw this late but could someone explain this to me? Incredible. Surely Obama wants everyone to have the opportunity or the choice to go to college? He's not gonna run around stuffing rednecks into hessian sacks and dumping them in college campuses (campi?) to have liberals force book-learnin' on them. Actually what Obama said (not going to be bothered to find the video) was that he wants every American to commit to at least one year of higher education, whether that's a four year university, a community college, trade school or an apprenticeship (he actually mentioned all of those things). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 Figured this was the place for this. http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-things-rich-people-need-to-stop-saying/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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