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Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
You didn't fix it, you broke it. You're part of the problem, not the solution. Nobody is entitled to anything other than an opportunity. If they choose to waste away their opportunity, that's on them.
Going to college promises you nothing other than bills to pay (unless you EARN a scholorship). There is risk involved. You don't have to go to college to get a job; you don't have to go to college to get a good job. What you need to be is very good at what you do.
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
If you're going to go down this path that the only way you can succeed in life is to go to college, you're going to lose...don't even bother. I know a lot of successful people that never went to or never graduated from college; I know a lot of losers in life that went to college. It's all about the decisions you make and what you do with what you have. It's not the government's job to support you until you can get on your feet.
Nobody is entitled to a college education and a college education doesn't promise you success.
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
Getting slightly back on topic (not that I don't love a good discussion about the benefits of moderated socialism 
), can one of you US residents explain to me why owning a gun is so important to so many Americans? This is a serious question, not meant to start (or continue) a flame war, but as an outsider I cannot start to fathom why having a gun in the house would be considered a basic right, let alone so important a right to protect. And I'm talking about today, not the pioneer's age, when law enforcement is actually on par with that of the rest of the civilized world. I understand historical reasons for it being in the constitution, I'm asking for reasons why it still needs to be there today.
Again, just to be clear, this is an honest question. I have a lot of American friends that I absolutely love, but there's three topics that are so divisive between "us and you guys" (guns, social security and religion) and I like to grab any chance I can to get more insight into why this is...
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
I don't think anyone has a problem with the taxing part, I think the problem is the spending part. Raising taxes without cutting spending significantly accomplishes nothing. They need to stop pissing money away. ID would also have us continue spending and spending on all these social entitlement programs we can't afford and don't need.
You mean you're getting the benefits you specifically PAID for that you absolutely need and DESERVE. Medicare isn't free. You still have to pay for it like it were insurance, on top of the money you put into it before you were eligible to collect it. And medicare was PAID FOR, there was a surplus, until Bush and the Republicans spent it all. They raped it and tried to murder it. And it's the one thing the government does that works. And yeah, America will never let the vulnerable die. If you want that small government (biggest lie in the history of America, it doesn't exist and will never exist) where everyone fends for themselves, go to Somlia. Its the perfect country for you. You might as well ban guns... Yeah, not going to hapen. We're not like that and haven't been for almost a hundred years. We are a capitalist/socialist country and always will be.
I just want to add: People on medicare paid for it. It came out of their checks and is waiting for them when they turn the eligible age. And they continue to pay for it like it were insurance. That's their money. That's why it's an enttlement, because they are entitled to that care... Because they PAID FOR IT! In case you didn't know. :haha:
TheMole: Collectors, militiamen, people who feel they need to protect their home, people who know once you alter the second amendment it opens the flood gates to go after the first admenment. And idiots. And not necessarily in that order.
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
Mole: The easiest answer is a quite simple one: that's how it has always been. The full answer is more complex than that, but that in a nutshell is the reason.
As I've said many times I don't own a gun or wish to own a gun. I do like the fact that if I decide I do want to own a gun in the future (for whatever reason), I can follow the process and get one legally.
Generally speaking, we enjoy being able to do whatever we want to do (within reason), and being told we can't do something we've been allowed to do forever (whatever it is) isn't going to go over well.
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
buzzsaw wrote:I don't think anyone has a problem with the taxing part, I think the problem is the spending part. Raising taxes without cutting spending significantly accomplishes nothing. They need to stop pissing money away. ID would also have us continue spending and spending on all these social entitlement programs we can't afford and don't need.
You mean you're getting the benefits you specifically PAID for that you absolutely need and DESERVE. Medicare isn't free. You still have to pay for it like it were insurance, on top of the money you put into it before you were eligible to collect it. And medicare was PAID FOR, there was a surplus, until Bush and the Republicans spent it all. They raped it and tried to murder it. And it's the one thing the government does that works. And yeah, America will never let the vulnerable die. If you want that small government (biggest lie in the history of America, it doesn't exist and will never exist) where everyone fends for themselves, go to Somlia. Its the perfect country for you. You might as well ban guns... Yeah, not going to hapen. We're not like that and haven't been for almost a hundred years. We are a capitalist/socialist country and always will be.
I just want to add: People on medicare paid for it. It came out of their checks and is waiting for them when they turn the eligible age. And they continue to pay for it like it were insurance. That's their money. That's why it's an enttlement, because they are entitled to that care... Because they PAID FOR IT! In case you didn't know.
TheMole: Collectors, militiamen, people who feel they need to protect their home, people who know once you alter the second amendment it opens the flood gates to go after the first admenment. And idiots. And not necessarily in that order.
I think you're misinterpreting my point. I'm not a republican. I lean republican on financial issues and democratic on social issues. I have no problem with social programs that we can pay for. I'm not anti-medicare; I'm not anti-social-security. I do have lines though, and those lines are clearly different than yours. One of those is not tacking on more spending without fixing (not band-aiding) the deficit before we spend even more.
Raise my taxes. I have no problem with that. I'm not living beyond my means; I can afford to pay a little more. But don't just spend that money too - use it to pay off what we've already spent. The longer we let it go, the worse the pain is going to be when we try to fix it. It may be too late already, but it certainly would be better to fix now instead of 20 years from now.
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
The easiest answer is a quite simple one: that's how it has always been. The full answer is more complex than that, but that in a nutshell is the reason.
As I've said many times I don't own a gun or wish to own a gun. I do like the fact that if I decide I do want to own a gun in the future (for whatever reason), I can follow the process and get one legally.
Generally speaking, we enjoy being able to do whatever we want to do (within reason), and being told we can't do something we've been allowed to do forever (whatever it is) isn't going to go over well.
Good reading of the situ.
I'm not making an argument for college education more often than not it's of no use nowadays. I agree with you there.
But, I don't buy the idea that a mans decisions are the most powerful factors in defining his life.
I believe that more often than not, people make the right decisions but circumstances out of their control simply do not let them get ahead.
There is no system built into reality or the Constitution that rewards you for your good decisions and punishes you for your bad ones.
If there was everybody would be making the right decisions and reaping the rewards. For every example you can give me of someone who has made all the right decisions and reaped the benefits I can show you 10 more where the right decisions were made and people were punished as a result.
As for Doing your most with what you have, moderated socialism gives those who have nothing that very opportunity.
I'm no hippy. I'm not extremely left leaning, I'm quite right wing about many issues. I would love to live in a world where an ideal like "making the right decisions leads to profit" was actually true. Most of us live like that anyway. If making the right decisions paid, I'd be a billionaire 10 times over. That concept simply does not apply to the real world.
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
misterID wrote:buzzsaw wrote:I don't think anyone has a problem with the taxing part, I think the problem is the spending part. Raising taxes without cutting spending significantly accomplishes nothing. They need to stop pissing money away. ID would also have us continue spending and spending on all these social entitlement programs we can't afford and don't need.
You mean you're getting the benefits you specifically PAID for that you absolutely need and DESERVE. Medicare isn't free. You still have to pay for it like it were insurance, on top of the money you put into it before you were eligible to collect it. And medicare was PAID FOR, there was a surplus, until Bush and the Republicans spent it all. They raped it and tried to murder it. And it's the one thing the government does that works. And yeah, America will never let the vulnerable die. If you want that small government (biggest lie in the history of America, it doesn't exist and will never exist) where everyone fends for themselves, go to Somlia. Its the perfect country for you. You might as well ban guns... Yeah, not going to hapen. We're not like that and haven't been for almost a hundred years. We are a capitalist/socialist country and always will be.
I just want to add: People on medicare paid for it. It came out of their checks and is waiting for them when they turn the eligible age. And they continue to pay for it like it were insurance. That's their money. That's why it's an enttlement, because they are entitled to that care... Because they PAID FOR IT! In case you didn't know.
TheMole: Collectors, militiamen, people who feel they need to protect their home, people who know once you alter the second amendment it opens the flood gates to go after the first admenment. And idiots. And not necessarily in that order.
I think you're misinterpreting my point. I'm not a republican. I lean republican on financial issues and democratic on social issues. I have no problem with social programs that we can pay for. I'm not anti-medicare; I'm not anti-social-security. I do have lines though, and those lines are clearly different than yours. One of those is not tacking on more spending without fixing (not band-aiding) the deficit before we spend even more.
Raise my taxes. I have no problem with that. I'm not living beyond my means; I can afford to pay a little more. But don't just spend that money too - use it to pay off what we've already spent. The longer we let it go, the worse the pain is going to be when we try to fix it. It may be too late already, but it certainly would be better to fix now instead of 20 years from now.
I'm glad you clarified that, buzz, but I have no idea what I'm advocating for that you disagree with and that we cannot afford to spend money on?
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
Riad - I believe everybody in the US gets opportunities; what defines your success is what you do with those opportunities. I can't speak to other countries because I just don't know enough about them to speak intelligently on the subject.
Here in the US, we can all go to public school K - 12 that is paid for through taxes. If you work hard, you can learn something that will benefit you later in life. Maybe that will be an academic scholorship, maybe it will be an athletic scholorship, maybe it will be learning how to fix a car or build a house. Maybe you'll learn general business skills. Maybe you'll get a job and learn business skills. Everybody has an opportunity to be something. If you go to a better school, you could certainly have more opportunities, but there are opportunities nonetheless.
It's your own fault if you let others determine your success in life in the US. Plenty of people have overcome more than I have and gone on to bigger and better things than I have. Me? I'm quite happy where I'm at. I could aim higher, but I don't really want to. And if I lose it all tomorrow, I won't be on the street or on welfare because I am living well within my means. I don't own too big of a house or drive the fanciest car. We pay extra on our mortgage every month and put money away every paycheck. I put 12% of my income into my 401k. If I can't afford something, I don't buy it. If I want it badly enough, I save.
Many of the people in trouble do it to themselves. They spend too much. They make poor decisions. They don't take advantage (or even recognize) opportunities that present themselves. Those people don't need to be part of social programs. The people that need to be on social programs are the ones disabled that can't work, the military people that come back injured, etc...not the ones that think flipping a burger or working retail is below them. Not the ones strung out on drugs so they can't keep a job. Not the baby factories that keep having kids so they don't have to work. If you're that far down and out, there's a 95% chance it's your own fault. We need to help the other 5%.
Re: Elementary School Shooting in US
I'm glad you clarified that, buzz, but I have no idea what I'm advocating for that you disagree with and that we cannot afford to spend money on?
My perception is that you're more worried about spending the money than fixing what needs to be fixed, then spending the money the right way.
I'm not interested in any new spending until we pay for what we've already spent. No more fake stimulous packages and bs like that. We're throwing good money after bad. If we're going to pay more and the gov't cuts spending instead of adding to it, lowering the deficit is doable. Doing one or the other will only result in maintaining (at best). A person couldn't do what the US is doing...why is the government being allowed to do it? When does it stop?
