251. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #268023 by Sciros on October 21, 2008 at 10:53 am

In Japan the highest-paid executive in a company cannot earn more than 100x as much as the lowest-paid employee in that company. It's an interesting law, I don't have anything against it to be honest.

252. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #268000 by Sciros on October 21, 2008 at 10:36 am

implemented what Marx envisioned. Lets see, we have North Korea, China, USSR

They didn't implement it, though. They implemented particular brands of socialism.

Look, DP, it appears that you are not actually equipped with enough information to discuss Marxism or Socialism. That, and you're making a strawman with that "you think these are great places" statement. McCain says Obama is "sharing the wealth," based on that you say Obama has "marxist" policy. That's way off! You get called on it, and your response is "so you must think the USSR and China are great places to live, har har." Good grief...

By the way, it's really amusing to me how you buy into the entire Republican campain, hook line and sinker. I mean seriously, most of the time I see a political ad on TV I think "wow they must take me for a real fool!" But then you come in here repeating what I saw on TV the night before. It's like a joke.

253. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #267933 by Sciros on October 21, 2008 at 9:26 am

I don't think it's changing enough yet. It's becoming less extreme, though... although that may especially be the case now because Obama is black and blacks are disproportionally represented in the military. (One article I read suggested this.) So Obama's youth and racial heritage may actually be helping him do better among the military than, say, Biden would do as a Presidential candidate. But yes, the military's tendency to go Republican doesn't seem as strong today as it did 4 years ago or 8 years ago.

254. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #267923 by Sciros on October 21, 2008 at 9:12 am

Oh, I don't know about that. I don't think Democrats are any more or less likely than Republicans to serve.

ORLY? Then why has the military voted overwhelmingly Republican for so long? Even from personal experience, most "military families" I know vote Republican. ESPECIALLY pro-R are the Marines, go figure.

We're not talking about people who then go on to public office. We're talking about who those that serve vote INTO office.

HOWEVER, this election may break that trend. Iraq has kind of changed the outlook of a lot of the youth in the military. Bush's approval rating was still well over 50% among military a couple of years ago. But now, not so much. I think some polls show that Obama is maybe even favored by the troops... actually I forget, it might be just a spin and for real Obama is just more favored than Kerry was... but still a lot less than McCain. In any case we'll see in a couple of weeks. But for now, the military cannot be counted on to vote anything but Republican as a whole.

255. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #267894 by Sciros on October 21, 2008 at 8:27 am

Agreed. And I like your idea - pick one and serve for a certain term, or give up your voting franchise.

LOL and never see a Democrat elected again for the forseeable future. DarwinsPitbull would approve of this genius idea!

256. Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

Comment #267890 by Sciros on October 21, 2008 at 8:22 am

This is not true at all. The Pandaren were an April Fool's joke; they were not cut from the game to avoid offending Chinese audiences.

This was probably to make fun of Guild Wars, hah. (Well, not necessarily, but anyway...) ArenaNet (GW devs) were planning on putting in pandas as "Ranger pets" (i.e. animal companions that can fight and therefore die in battle). But then they found out this was a bad move w.r.t. their Chinese audience and had to backpedal on the pandas.

257. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #267889 by Sciros on October 21, 2008 at 8:19 am

If you're a competent, hard-working (enough, anyway) person then the union is there to provide you with some good benefits for a "relatively" small fee, such as job security (though strikes are pretty stupid most of the time from what I've gathered from folks involved). If you're a lazy tard then the union is there to keep you inappropriately employed. Employment no longer becomes merit-based, and in jobs where competence is important, that's a big deal. Unions might not mean to be "power-abusing troublemakers," but that's effectively what they are every time they step in to keep a rubbish worker from getting fired, or when they call an ill-advised strike.

258. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #267393 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 2:06 pm

How "optimistic" do you guys think the current Electoral Maps are? It seems Obama is sitting pretty, and the election is his to lose at this point...

259. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #267376 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 1:47 pm

I think stupid people and retards should be allowed to vote, but smart people should be allowed to vote TWICE.

There, I win. Move along, everyone.

260. Free to Think for Themselves

Comment #267296 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 12:09 pm

Hawt, I think Peace is a special case in that he thinks it's all money that should... go... to the government anyway T_T (100% tax?)

It's true, a will is the trump card, but in the absence of a will, there is a certain "fair" way that inheritance gets split up.

261. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #267257 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 11:28 am

MaxD, I don't know. It depends on what he does about it. Clinton put a lot of pressure on Israel to cede land, move troops out of occupied areas, etc., only to have terrorists launch missiles from there. I have family in Israel, so I can't be comfortably "unbiased" or whatevs... but maybe Biden can provide policy I feel ok about. We'll see.

262. Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

Comment #267253 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 11:21 am

LOL. This wasn't really about that, but hey I don't mind talking about video games once in a while. My consoles are still all unhooked, so I've been missing that stuff. And a lot of good games are supposed to come out in the next month... I'll probably buy them and add them to my ever-growing "to play" stack.

BTW if anyone ever wants to see Islam NOT get unduly respected (while at the same time enjoying a cheesy US old-school martial arts movie), watch American Ninja 4: The Annihilation.

263. A 'values' voter speaks her mind on Obama

Comment #267247 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 11:12 am

She got her facts a bit wrong... Obama's father was a Muslim who became an atheist.

The cultural connection would still remain, presumably. (Even Richard sometimes identifies himself as Anglican, as far as I know.) I'm not voting Republican this time, but Obama's history does make me presume he will be more sympathetic towards, say, Palestine than would a "hard-liner" like McCain. At least, many Muslims in the Middle East are banking on it.

264. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #267239 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 11:07 am

Caudi, for what it's worth, my family freely donates to the poor, whether through Kidney Foundation, AmVets, etc. I'd gladly give to 99 real "freeloaders" if it means 1 impoverished family has a happier day than usual. I often think DP doesn't have enough appreciation for his family's path. There were many instances in my family's case where if things had gone just *slightly* differently we'd have been on the street for who knows how long. I privilege hard work, risk-taking, and commitment to getting out of poverty for the sake of one's family, but I do not begrudge misfortune.

It's a Monday, so as I was answering your message I probably grew a bit more offended than I should have been, given your response. In any case, DP's views are shared by more than a few immigrants who most certainly had very tough times upon their arrival into the US. I think it comes down to how egocentric one is.

265. Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

Comment #267224 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 10:55 am

No I don't you tool. I never said that something made in Japan will automatically be good, or that something made someone else won't be... so fuck off with that.

Ah, if it's on the previous page of the comments it was never said, eh? I'll quote it again, then.

Non-Japanese games, and fiction in general, just tends to suck, that's all.

How about, instead of all your handwavy self-victimization, you just suck it up and admit to being pro-Japan biased?

Indeed, if my tastes were to conform with yours it would be due to a strange obsession and bias. I especially find your "it's not location, it's culture" argument strange. Funny how Japanese culture and Japan's location seem to correspond so well, rendering that distinction moot.

266. Free to Think for Themselves

Comment #267202 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 10:39 am

Yeah at 35 you too can look like Jack Palance from City Slickers.

Heh, hate to break it to ya, Al, but some people are less adversely affected by smoking than they are by a typical "Western" diet. My great-grandmother quit smoking in her 80s, and lived to be 100. There are many such cases, if you look around, especially in certain parts of Europe and Asia. For an American it's atypical, but it does show that it's not always wise to make personal choices based on sweeping generalizations. Your body is unique in how it handles all sorts of substances, and you can get a handle on how to treat it best (or worst) by looking at your heredity, your personal health experience, etc. as well as looking at general best health practices.

267. Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

Comment #267198 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 10:35 am

I don't have a bias about where a game or film is made or where a book is written. You do. That's what I was pointing out. But since you've never had an easy time understanding basic points people make, I'm not surprised it went right over your head.

I didn't say I don't care about popular opinion. I did say I have my own as well, so I'm not going by popular opinion alone, but the references to accolades a game has garnered were just to shine a light on your strange pro-Japan bias.

As for this "advantage" you're talking about of having a game come out on PC 6 months after its first release -- it adds to profits a bit since porting is cheap, but it does nothing to make a game "better," in any gamer's eyes or in any reviewer's eyes. Japanese games aren't underdogs the way you're trying to make them out to be.

I'm not going to discuss FPS controls, PC vs console. It's a tired argument and it's long been decided that for unrealistic accuracy and precision the mouse wins and for general mobility the controller wins. The pacing of games reflects this, as does default control sensitivity.

268. Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

Comment #267169 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 10:06 am

You're being disingenuous, you know very well that the games you mentioned either are only available on the PC, or do far better on them, and were comparing them with games that did not have PC versions (besides FF 11, but that is several years old, so doesn't matter).

That's not even close to true. I'm being completely fair. Just because you're clueless doesn't mean I'm trying to trick you. Mass Effect (which hands-down was RPG of the year for 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect#Reception) came out for PC half a year after the XBox 360 version hit stores, and Oblivion was available for 360 and PC simultaneously. The same can be said for the last several games these developers made (Jade Empire never even made it to PC as far as I know). Blizzard is the only one that's PC only (but then again you weren't comparing consoles, you even said fiction altogether, so even if all I did was name PC games I'd still have a case). Gears, Halo, etc. come out on PC FAR later than their console versions, and those sales are dwarfed by the console sales as well. ...Wait, you probably think the XBox 360 is a PC, don't you. Now it makes sense.

FPS games aren't "far superior" on the PC, not in terms of sales. Halo, Call of Duty, Far Cry, etc. -- they do just fine on the console.

Times have changed since the mid-90s (well, Britain-based Rare was putting most other developers to shame back then anyway).

It's not about sharing tastes, it's about being even-handed. I don't like a lot of games, but I don't say "games from so-and-so region tend to suck" when it's far from reasonable unless you indeed happen to be severely biased (which I maintain you are).

269. Free to Think for Themselves

Comment #267147 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 9:34 am

Hungarianelephant, can't a government just say "legal arbitration is the domain of the state, and there's a separation of church and state so bye-bye to Sharia and other religious tribunals" ?

270. Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

Comment #267145 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 9:27 am

Well, firstly, you're comparing PC with console games, and secondly, my standard of judgment is not popular opinion.

First of all, no I'm not. Bioware and Bethesda release their RPGs on consoles as well (Mass Effect for 360, Oblivion for 360/PS3). Everything else I've mentioned is cross-platform as well. It's *also* on PC (with the exception of Forza), but that's irrelevant. Console sales dwarf PC sales anyway for all these games. (PCs have a hold on only a handful of genres these days -- MMO, RTS, and, um, the Sims.)

It must be difficult having your tastes dictated by popular opinion. Britney Spears is topping the music charts in America, you must love her.

I've played those games so it's also MY OWN opinion. See, I'm an equal opportunity gamer, I play Japanese AND non-Japanese stuff so I actually know what I'm talking about. It must be tough having your tastes dictated by Japan-loving Western otaku subculture.

271. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #267139 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 9:17 am

Caudi, don't criticize random stuff without really knowing what you're talking about. It's argument from incredulity in a way.

When? With only a couple of hundred bucks, how did they get here? Cheap flight? Ship? Sneaking over the border?

Immigrants often got assistance from special agencies such as NYANA when it came to making their way to the US. "Barely getting by" was the M.O. of many people making their way from Europe to the US up until pretty late in the 20th century.

He describes an apartment building with rapes in the hallways and drug dealing out in the open - but these are the sorts of things that take place in "the Projects," (like where my grandmother lived) and not where recent immigrants live.

By "recent" what do you mean? DP's parents may have come here in the 70s, or even earlier. We came to the US in 1989. Depending on where you arrive, and where you can afford to live, there are some SHADY neighborhoods. The neighborhood we lived in when we moved to the US, in Brooklyn, was relatively safe only because it was basically controlled by the Italian Mafia. Yes occasionally some kid's dad would get shot. But no drug dealing, heh.

Assuming they came here legally, how did they find a place to stay with "a couple of hundred bucks in their pockets?"

My parents arrived with $500 and two children (my brother and myself). They found a cheap apartment for that money and that gave my father a month to find a job, any job, to be able to pay the rent, buy food, etc.

How did they find jobs, not speaking English? (Since DP implies they were completely on their own, unlike most immigrants)

If you come to NYC and you speak only Italian, you can find an Italian-speaker that will set you up with a job. Ditto for any language. It's not hard to pick up enough English to get an unqualified, minimum-wage job until you can get yourself off the ground.

Really, you can read about immigration into the US in the 20th century, or you can smugly ask ignorant questions and I can answer them if you prefer that instead. There's a long history in this country of people immigrating with nothing to their name but the clothes they're wearing but who have the ambition to make their life better than what it was in their home country. Not everyone who came here did it with an H-1B visa and then decided to stick around.

272. Video Game Pulled Due to Qur'an Quotes

Comment #267130 by Sciros on October 20, 2008 at 9:00 am

Mitchell

Non-Japanese games, and fiction in general, just tends to suck, that's all.

Oh give me a break, lol. I hope you're not serious. American movies, books, and games tend to suck? Not so much. It's been some time since a Japanese game has deserved (or earned) even RPG of the Year, let alone Game of the Year (though IGN went against the grain and picked Mario Galaxy a year ago). Blizzard, Bioware, and Bethesda have a pretty tight grip on the best-RPG-of-the-year decision whenever they bother to release anything these days, and rightly so. Resident Evil, MGS, and Ninja Gaiden compete well with the action franchises in the West but they have a tall order nowadays to take down Halo, Gears, Bioshock, Call of Duty, GTA, etc. Gran Turismo, Japan's only claim to fame in racing, is soundly beaten by Forza in comparisons. Pretty much the only genre Japan outright dominates is fighting games. In the rest it holds its own, at best.

As for the article... I already made a comment on Slashdot but I can make a similar one here -- it's the usual habit of bending over for Muslim "we are offended" BS. So what if it's found in the Qur'An? That doesn't entitle Muslims to a monopoly on using text from it for hate speech ^^

273. Legal case against God dismissed

Comment #265356 by Sciros on October 16, 2008 at 1:40 pm

Gwah! So this guy wanted to prove he could sue anyone, including God who he thinks is REAL, and failed. That's pretty epic.

274. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #265347 by Sciros on October 16, 2008 at 1:30 pm

DP, confirm or deny: you are worried about a system we all pay for that benefits us all in return (taxation for various gov't-run services) because you're worried that all the "freeloaders" out there are wasting your hard-earned money.

Provide a convincing argument in favor of cutting off every one of these "freeloaders" from government aid entirely. Asking us to respect the "hard work" you've put into your earnings won't do it. Most of us earn a living and pay our taxes, as well.

Subsequently, propose (and describe) a system that will give aid only to those who "deserve it" and will avoid any and all "freeloading."

Caudi, I'll take the TV. No thanks on the Prius.

275. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #265335 by Sciros on October 16, 2008 at 1:20 pm

J.C., those percentages are relative to the total number of UNEMPLOYED.

276. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #264967 by Sciros on October 15, 2008 at 2:20 pm

Hah ok, I usually treat opponent and things with those sorts of names as "objects." A boolean I'd name opponentExists or something.

277. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #264955 by Sciros on October 15, 2008 at 1:49 pm

The code is likely faulty because (liberal && Obama_supporter) will evaluate to either TRUE or FALSE, and opponent presumably isn't a boolean variable with a value of "TRUE"

I don't know what the for-loop is meant to do there. I'd have gone with something like

for (Opponent opponent : opponents) {
if (opponent.isLiberal() && opponent.isObamaSupporter()) {
System.out.println("Obama sucks! HAHAHAHAHA");
}
}

278. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #264945 by Sciros on October 15, 2008 at 1:29 pm

Brilliant plan! What better way to write his new book "The Evidence for Evolution" than to have all of us write it for him by talking with crazies that provoke us into "educating" them?!

279. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #264936 by Sciros on October 15, 2008 at 1:20 pm

Edit: And even a burning clock is right once a day

"Twice" is how I usually see this phrased. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

There's a t-shirt you can get on... ThinkGeek maybe?... that says 2 plus 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.

280. Richard Dawkins at Conservative Party Conference 2008

Comment #264477 by Sciros on October 14, 2008 at 1:32 pm

Should we consider alternatives to Government?

I propose we consider enslavement by robots.

Not so good.

Back go government it is, then.

281. The Retirement of Richard Dawkins: Reflections on a Stewardship

Comment #264401 by Sciros on October 14, 2008 at 10:54 am

Richard often points out that a grade-school child today would be able to give Aristotle a tutorial, and even Newton, and "thrill them to their very core." Public understanding of science always lags behind "humanity's" understanding of science, but that's to be expected, especially as scientific progress becomes more and more high-level and complex.

150 years ago how many people understood evolution? Two? Ten? How many understand it now?

Professor Dawkins added to that number in no small part, I'd say.

282. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #264014 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 1:53 pm

Ayers is a tool and an idiot but Obama doesn't have him as a running mate. What Ayers can do for education under Obama is far less than what Palin can do for it under McCain, given that she'll be VP.

DP your arguments are so irrelevant as to be absurd if you think about it. The double standard you show here in your criticisms is appalling.

283. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #264009 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 1:41 pm

See its not unclear if you now read about Saul Alinsky, who was the "godfather" of community organizing in Chicago. Thats who group Obama went to work for and learn all of his tricks from. You connect that with all his "shady" associations and you have someone who has more then just a "character flaw".

LOL this is even more pitiful than bringing up Ayers/Wright. Look up Alinsky's biography -- even Wikipedia and its sources. Then tell me if associating with him is "more than just a character flaw." Seriously, come on! You want to build a case against Obama, at least try harder than the cater-to-retards smear campaigns on TV, not less.

If you're an example of the kind of tenuous grip on relevant issues it takes to support Palin, that's one more reason to vote for her opposition.

284. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263994 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 1:06 pm

DP could you please, like, stfu because it's obvious talking to you about this is a total waste of time. As with the health care discussion, while there is a case to be made against Obama (he's a terrible presidential candidate, like they all are), you completely fail to make it because your arguments happen to be the fringe, nonsensical ones rather than anything a reasonable person would submit.

If the best you can do is endlessly highlight association with Ayers (we all know as much about the extent of it as you do -- that information is easily available to anyone who does a Google search for 'Obama Ayers connection'), then you need to move on. The same goes for his connection to Wright.

Yes, Obama has a history of dealing with shady characters. It suggests he doesn't care about who he has dealings with nearly as much as where those dealings will get him. That's a serious character flaw, but the extent to which it is true -- how strong of a flaw it is -- is unclear, and there is nothing to suggest it is nearly as strong as how the McCain/Palin camp paints it. (More specifically, Palin.)

For someone who calls himself DarwinsPitbull, you sure have an affinity for the least rational, most ignorant candidate in these elections. It's beyond ironic until one inspects your arguments, which are paranoid and irrational themselves.

285. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263924 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 10:48 am

What do you mean, "you people"?

286. Broken symmetry: Answering the solace of quantum

Comment #263922 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 10:47 am

Density.

Okay people, I wasn't dense when making that comment, I was joking, apparently very badly joking.... :-P

Hahahaha sneaking a pun in there, eh?

287. Broken symmetry: Answering the solace of quantum

Comment #263915 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 10:35 am

Huh, funny thing is whenever I've dug a hole in the ground, and go and refill it, I usually have dirt left over...

Density.

288. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263912 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 10:32 am

yeah these days gotta go with

while (true) {
System.out.print("HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA");
}

:-/ who is the mutual acquaintance

289. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263865 by Sciros on October 13, 2008 at 6:48 am

This is off-topic at this point, but I need to clarify something...

Sciros made a point before that America is more unhealthier than other countries who pay way less in healthcare. Well if you have people still doing all these dumb things while paying high premiums, whats going to make them stop once they are paying low premiums or none at all?

Fail! No I didn't; I said we're less healthy than countries that pay *more* for healthcare (that is, countries with more socialized health care), and I said that to make the point that there is ZERO evidence that socializing health care will lead to more irresponsible health choices.

There is NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER for the idea that if people who couldn't afford healthcare get it, they will lead less healthy lifestyles in turn. Nor in the idea that those who used to pay high premiums will do likewise.

290. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263363 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 5:59 pm

Well you kind of proved my point. If people are not being healthier when they are paying a lot for healthcare, why would they change when its cheaper? Whats more likely to make people quit smoking: higher cigarette prices or lower prices? So you pointing that out about america helps make my claim.

DP I think you're not thinking about the main motivator for universal healthcare in the first place. It's not to make our fatasses slim down, most of them have health care already anyway. It's to provide health care for those that cannot afford it but need it, and that includes mostly people who have made lifestyle choices no worse than you or I make. They are the elderly, for whom premiums can easily be over $1000 a month simply by virtue of age. They are the poor, who cannot afford to see a doctor about whatever contagious disease they caught. These people exist, and in staggering numbers. The people who lead a healthy lifestyle simply because they can't afford health care? Those don't exist. Sorry.

291. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263347 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 4:47 pm

I'm not sure it's termed that in the written law. I don't remember. Anyway I agree that it's a questionable use of the word and arguably doesn't help anyone.

292. Have-a-go deaths are never a waste

Comment #263346 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 4:46 pm

zeroangel, as a former practitioner you should know that martial arts isn't just for self defense. It keeps you very healthy, especially mentally. From a cost/risk/benefit standpoint, training in eastern arts is easily one of the best things you can do for yourself.

293. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263339 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 4:22 pm

mordacious1, it's called "statutory rape" in that case. If person A is below the age of consent (varies from state to state) and person B is more than a certain # of years older than person A (also varies from state to state), then that is considered a felony. The class of the felony depends on the details. It may just be a misdemeanor in some cases. (Yes, I know a little too much about it but it's because a friend of mine in university had a girlfriend in HS when he was a freshman in uni and we were curious about how the law would apply.)

294. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263335 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 4:15 pm

So they don't try and bust up gangs and the mob? So they don't try and make sure that drug dealers aren't hanging out on the corner selling drugs? So they don't patrol areas so as to deter any criminal activity? So they don't go after murderers to make sure they don't murder again or rapist also? All thats considered keeping me safe.

It happens to keep you safe, but FOR REAL it's known as law enforcement. Everything you mentioned is to maintain law and order. That law enforcement keeps you safer because criminals can be dangerous is a side-effect. Police arrest folks possessing marijuana because it's the law, not because it keeps you safe.

Right to privacy comes with the responsibility that you don't go on a blog like this and post your credit card numbers. It comes with the responsibility that you not just give your SS number to anyone you meet on the street.

No. That has nothing to do with your right to privacy. You don't forfeit your right to privacy if you post your social security number somewhere.I'm not sure you know what right to privacy is, but anyway the responsibilities it places on you is to not violate others' privacy. I've already mentioned this.

NO but paying high premiums is a deterrent to not keep doing whatever it is that you are doing to be unhealthy. But with free healthcare, whats your deterrent? If you didn't stop doing what you were doing when you had to pay more for healthcare, are you going to stop now that its cheaper or free?

How can you seriously consider this anything but nonsense? You have to show me that affordable health care leads to more irresponsible health practices. SHOW ME. Because so far the state of the US health system points to the contrary. Americans are not healthier than Canadians or Japanese. Your argument that with universal health care people won't have a "deterrent" from being unhealthy is as bad as arguing that without Americans owning guns there wouldn't be a deterrent from strangling each other with our bare hands.

Oh, and importantly:

NO but paying high premiums is a deterrent to not keep doing whatever it is that you are doing to be unhealthy.

Guess who pays these high premiums? OLD PEOPLE! Old men and old women. I guess you're right, these high premiums keep people from "doing whatever it is they are doing" (being old) because they help a lot of them to a death that affordable health care could have avoided.

If you want to involve government in this then shouldn't they have a say in what you can do and not do?

Depends on what role we want government to have. They can oversee the system, but they don't have to write the rules.

What do I get in return? I get healthcare thats runned like the DMV. What do people in countries with universal healthcare complain about? Long lines. You have to wait a month to see a doctor in some places. What happens to the quality of healthcare also? Does it stay the same or increase or decrease?

Thank you for finally asking pertinent questions. Quality of healthcare is something to consider, especially when talking about specialists. Availability of health care is a HUGE issue. Oversight, etc. There are many issues that universal health care has which are almost inherent weaknesses of the system, because the forces that drive private enterprise are no longer in play, or much less so.

People are now realizing that they can "vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury", AKA healthcare. You can also add welfare to that.

You can add public schools to that. You can add law enforcement, fire fighters, poison control, and other safety organizations to that. You can add the US postal service to that. What the people deem worth having universally available, they vote (or originally establish) to be universally available. Your "now realizing people can vote generous gifts" argument sounds like insane libertarian rhetoric with no insight... probably because that's what it is.

So I get no benefit of trying to stay healthy because my taxes will still keep going up.

If you see no benefit to a healthy populace, to everyone you know being able to afford health care, not not worrying that your kids aren't going to school with children who are sick but too poor to afford medicine, then... well then you're a fool. You can argue that the benefits may not outweigh the costs, but to say "I see no benefit" is either disingenuous or stupid. And I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here as far as what you mean, because to seriously say "I see no benefit in trying to stay healthy" you'd have to be a damn fool. Health care doesn't amount to insta-heal elixirs like in Ninja Gaiden.

295. Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds

Comment #263330 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 3:59 pm

Haha I randomly put your name. I was trying to get my joke across and that's all. So far I've found this thread to be pretty funny, especially with Bonzai's story.

296. Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds

Comment #263326 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 3:35 pm

I don't know math from a hole in the ground. ;-)
Steve

That's the second lamest joke I've seen on these forums today, after the one Mitchell made and the one I'm making right now.

297. Citizen Enforcers Take Aim

Comment #263319 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 3:13 pm

Nah, kids LOVE car chases they think they're super cool. You're doing them a favor by starting one.

298. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263314 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 2:36 pm

DP you are thinking about this WRONG. Just dead wrong. Police do not serve a dual role. They are law enforcement. If that role keeps you safe from criminals, then that is a side effect because police work to prevent crime. They're not there to "keep you safe." They don't look in both directions for you before you cross the street, they don't check the temperature of the water in your baby's bath. Police don't exist to preserve your "right to safety."

In other words, this is NOT a case of "with rights come responsibilities."

Now, if your argument IS that rights should come with responsibilities, then I don't buy it. It's a horribly weak argument, given that, say, the right to privacy doesn't imply any responsibilities despite your unfounded claim that "with every right... you also have a responsibility." (And as an aside, you are a big fan of unfounded claims I've noticed.)

Well, you could say that the right to privacy implies you have the responsibility not to violate that right of others. With universal health care your responsibility is to upkeep that system by paying taxes that support it. The money doesn't come from trees and ninjas. Well, maybe some ninjas.

But in all seriousness, your argument that if healthcare is free, people will be irresponsible about their health, is RIDICULOUS. Beyond ridiculous! It'd be funny if it weren't so crazy. Do people with health care plans that cover them well throw their health away? Are they irresponsible? Are people who can't afford health care much healthier than people who can?

These are rhetorical questions.

Do you seriously think that incurring health care costs is nothing more than a matter of personal responsibility?

Let's face it, DP. There is a case against universal health care from a practicality standpoint, particularly if you address the shortcomings of existing universal health care systems in other nations. But YOU have yet to make anything close to a case against it. Saying if people don't have to pay for it (and anyway they will, it's called taxes, that's how the system works) that they'll have no reason to be healthy, and that's the reason it's a bad system, is ricockulous.

The US, which doesn't have a universal health care system, is such a fat country it's not even funny. Countries with universal health care aren't as fat. Of course that doesn't mean there's causation (there isn't) but it does pretty much slaughter your argument that universal health care takes away the responsibility of being healthy in any way. We don't exactly own other 1st world countries in life expectancy.

With free healthcare, you have no responsibility, except someone else is now forced to pay more taxes because of you while getting no benefit. I get a benefit of safety by paying taxes to help fund police. I get the benefit of fire fighters putting out a fire in my house by paying taxes to them. Whats my benefit by paying more taxes so you get free heatlthcare?

Uhh, I like stating the amazingly obvious, so thank you for the opportunity: your benefit is you get the same healthcare! You're as entitled to it as everyone else. Universal healthcare systems are supported by everyone's taxes, and that healthcare is then afforded to everyone in turn.

299. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263293 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 1:43 pm

NO, police keep everyone safe, not just people who can't afford it.

This is as opposed to universal health care? Are you saying that people who can afford still have to pay for it, and it's just the poor people who get it free? That's not how it works. From a "who pays for it" standpoint, it's analogous to police and all the other universal government services your taxes pay for. It really is. No getting away from that.

300. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #263286 by Sciros on October 10, 2008 at 1:24 pm

It's "mo-fucka"

This thread is pretty funny at this point.

Universal health care that works REALLY FREAKING WELL would be ideal. The real question is, what's better? The system we're most likely to end up with if we shoot for universal health care, or other alternatives?

Countries with universal health care systems have their advantages and disadvantages. People from Canada come down to the US for surgery if they think it's more urgent/important than the Canadian system decides for them :-) Major elective surgery or cancer treatment especially.

You are also taking responsibility away from people, and giving it to the person who has to pay for it.

DP I assume you don't pay for any kind of insurance, since it spreads responsibility out over everyone. Why should you pay monthy just because some bum decides to get hit by a drunk driver who runs a red light?

So tell me what would stop me from smoking 3 packs a day, eating cheeseburgers and drinking a six pack a day? Why should I stop if I don't have to pay for whatever happens to me?

SHIT, I DON'T KNOW!! I have a good health care plan, and you're right what the fuck am I doing not eating cheeseburgers until I pass out and smoking 3 packs a day?! It makes no sense, it's like I want to waste the money I pay towards my health care plan. Man, I'm an idiot. Thanks for setting me straight.