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  • #31
    Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
    Despotism is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. Taking the sword from the legitimate government in favor of one that wields it against the affluent is despotism.
    The legitimate government is the government that can maintain its power. If I can take away its sword then it's not the "legitimate government", it's a lawless institution that needs to bow to me or disappear from this earth.

    Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
    No they aren't. They are BOTH suggesting that THEY would kill those who they think are to blame for the mess, were they in power. Since that's not the way our government operates, it stands to reason that they are suggesting an alternate government, led by them, naturally, that executes people based on their own version of "evil"
    The title of government does not naturally belong to anyone. It belongs to whoever can claim it. If me or Epo were in power as leaders of our own governments then I don't see what problem you could possibly have.
    "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12

    There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

    Comment


    • #32
      Originally posted by Bill the Cat View Post
      Better according to who?
      Objective reality.

      And who gets to set the cutoff for being "too rich" or "too successful"? One despot in charge is no different from another.
      Where did I say anything about a cutoff? The fact that you think my problem with them is that they're rich in and of itself shows that you're not even paying attention to what I'm saying.

      Considering over 1 million Americans became millionaires last year, who are you to argue indeed?
      Which says absolutely nothing about the upwards mobility of the vast majority of the population.

      And that is not the fault of those who are, nor should those who are have to make up for them.
      I agree. It should be the parasitic elite, who is worth even less than they are who should make up for them.

      So, they need to diversify. Do something else. Or immigrate to another country where that avenue does exist. That's what our founders did.
      Yes, they need to move to a third world country and live in third world conditions. This sounds like a fantastic deal. It's a miracle the poor would much rather live off welfare in America. And the rich ensure you pay a disproportionate portion of it.

      In favor of what? All other forms of commerce are ripe with despotism.
      I'm not asking that it actually be discarded. I'm pointing out that you are making that argument. Plus, the free market is also ripe with despotism. The gross power imbalance is a factor of competence, not economic system. My concern is not with the imbalance but with who occupies what spot. Harvey Weinstein should be begging for spare change on the street.

      No, it really isn't. It is the result of freedom. From a Christian perspective, Jesus mentioned it by simply saying "the poor you will always have". There has never been a form of government or market that didn't lead to various atrocities and unbalance.
      Jesus was talking to the apostles, whom last I checked are all gone (rumors of the Apostle John being immortal notwithstanding).

      Whose definition of "evildoers" are you using though?
      I can't imagine you have any reason for asking this other than to engage in ad hominem. The definition is derived from scripture.

      Every form of government involves most people behaving contrary to their nature.
      Some channel it constructively more than others. Capitalism, for example, channels greed more constructively than communism, so it's obviously preferable.

      So, like I said... one form of despotism traded for another. Got it.
      Some forms of despotism are better than others.

      2 Timothy 3 (NASB)

      1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
      2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
      3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
      4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

      As expected. But we still fight the good fight. And I'd rather suffer the reckoning while holding on to what I believe in than be wishy-washy and ride the wave of outright sin disguised as "progressivism"
      The problem is that much of what you believe in is bunk spoonfed to you to make you a sucker. It ultimately benefits nobody, not even the ones making a killing in this life.


      I consider the "Western World" the way the Chinese and Japanese do... and Mexico counts from their perspective. Perhaps you should define your term a bit better?
      I was thinking of West Europeans and Anglo North America (minus Mexico).

      An outsider's view to be sure...
      Yes, clearly there is a conservative master plan in the works. Any day now you will spring your trap on the unwitting liberals, reverse the spread of the progressive corruption and usher in a golden age of conservatism with a freshly resurrected Reagan at its head.

      Absolutely irrelevant to my point.
      Not at all. You used them as a counter-example to my claim that the world, its rich and its institutions are ruled by liberals. So it's very relevant to point out that having some token pro-lifers who will achieve nothing don't actually mean anything.

      From the standpoint of profit, which is the only thing that shareholders care about, it does. My wife works in the garment industry, and they frequently win bids for uniforms for major corporations based on their using foreign materials. And the reason imported goods are cheaper is that the cost of living abroad is substantially lower because salaries are lower. Yes, there is slave labor abroad, and yes there is substandard working conditions. But American businesses can not afford to reject the cheaper goods, or another business will take their clients because they ARE willing to accept them. Unless the US becomes the dictators of the third world, we will never be able to make them raise wages (and costs as a result)...
      If only there were ways to ensure companies don't have to make these kinds of decisions....


      The Congressional Budget Office report stated: when it comes to individual income taxes, the top 40 percent of wage earners in America pay 106 percent of the taxes. The bottom 40 percent...pay negative 9 percent.
      These number are absolutely worthless. You need to make between 60k and 65k to be in the top 40 percent. Some more specific numbers:

      Who Really Pays for America?

      The rich do pay a higher tax than any other group of people. The top 1 percent of Americans pay approximately 35 percent of their incomes in taxes. Inside of the 1 percent, however, the people who make the most money actually pay the least taxes.

      If income disparity between the top 1 percent and the other 99 percent is high, it’s nothing compared to the disparity within the top earners. At the bottom of the 1 percent are doctors, lawyers and other professionals who earn a living wage of around $300,000.

      At the top of the 1 percent, people make around $5.2 million to $7.5 million each year on average, with some people making closer to a billion. This one-in-a-thousandth of the country pay closer to 23 percent in taxes. In fact, the top 400 highest earners in the country pay only 18 percent personal income tax.
      Like I said, Doctor Sucker, PhD is paying for the privilege of having the ultra rich kneecap him.

      SO, you compare owning another human to seeking the lowest price for a good or service?
      No, I'm pointing out that "it's the American way" is not necessarily a good thing.

      Not really. I've been a much stronger social conservative than fiscal.
      I'm sure you believe that but when you defend the financial interests of those responsible for the unending social liberalism it amounts to the exact opposite in practice.
      "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." Isaiah 3:12

      There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

      Comment

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