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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts 
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Look at Denmark.
They EXPECT basic income, free education, free healthcare, guaranteed retirement income, among other things. Except those things aren't free. They pay taxes in the 55-60% rate, and in return the government spends that money on their welfare. Oh, and they're rated among the happiest countries on earth.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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stoneunhinged Inner circle 3067 Posts
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And what is Denmark's defense budget? And could it be cut by 80%?
It could be cut by 100%, because the USA would pick up the tab. But that would make it difficult for the USA to cut its defense budget by 80%. Of course the world is safe these days, since Hitler is dead, so cutting military spending by 80% is a reasonable and achievable goal, and Denmark won't ever ever ever be invaded again, because Hitler is dead and the world is safe. |
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, stoneunhinged wrote: Sure, ignore everything else to pick on nonsense. What difference does it make? Besides, maybe they don't live in a government induced fear of whatever they're told to fear. Or, maybe they don't need a large military because they don't go around creating enemies du jour, which surprise, surprise we need 900 useless bases to defend against. Maybe they don't go around posturing as tough guys, with the answers to everyone's problems, when their own country is crumbling around them. That we be U.S. They, for the most part, just mind their business and take care of their own - and look how miserable they are. A woman who you refuse to discuss, except to say that no serious "thinker" takes seriously before going on some tangent demanding a definition of reality, once said it's not the slavers, but the willing slaves that are to blame. There sure are a lot of willing slaves these days, many of them post here on a regular basis. Sure, ignore everything else to pick on nonsense. What difference does it make? Besides, maybe they don't live in a government induced fear of whatever they're told to fear. Or, maybe they don't need a large military because they don't go around creating enemies du jour, which surprise, surprise we need 900 useless bases to defend against. Maybe they don't go around posturing as tough guys, with the answers to everyone's problems, when their own country is crumbling around them. That we be U.S. They, for the most part, just mind their business and take care of their own - and look how miserable they are. A woman who you refuse to discuss, except to say that no serious "thinker" takes seriously before going on some tangent demanding a definition of reality, once said it's not the slavers, but the willing slaves that are to blame. There sure are a lot of willing slaves these days, many of them post here on a regular basis.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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stoneunhinged Inner circle 3067 Posts
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Hey, chill a bit. Don't be so angry. I don't refuse to discuss Ayn Rand. I apologize for not getting back to that discussion, I've go a lot of things on my plate, and don't get around to even a tiny portion of what I'd like to do. You might take a look at the "looking out for our own" forum to see that I'm having a bit of a tough year.
It does make a difference that Denmark is a tiny country with a small population and a homogenous culture. It also makes a difference that NATO--funded almost entirely by the USA--protects Denmark from invasion, rather than Denmark's own defense budget. If you want to criticize US policy, get in line behind me, because I can go on for ages. |
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts
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I come off as angry a lot, and on some levels I am; but I'm rapidly approaching complete apathy.
It's all so wasteful and stupid, amounting to nothing more than a phallus measuring contest by fake tough guys that seek to determine the use of what they can't create. As far as I'm concerned this can only end one way, and then we can begin again. We don't have to get into Ayn. It always ends with attacks on her character which I have no defense for since she was a very disagreeable person. But what she stood for, the absolute rights of the individual, and the economic system which allows for it, still stands; and we're seeing what she predicted play out almost exactly as she said it would. I'm sorry for your troubles, I didn't know the extent of them. I hope it all works out. Thanks for not responding in kind. It was very "philosophic" of you.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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stoneunhinged Inner circle 3067 Posts
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Well, I think we are all quite angry. And embarrassed, too. Americans don't like to wake up in the morning to news that some idiot just murdered five people. Or ten, or twenty. Or 80. And we are embarrassed and frustrated. And we don't know how to stop it,
We don't know how to stop it. Some think its the guns. Some (like me) don't think it's the guns but think that a lot fewer would be killed if there weren't so many guns. Some (like Landmark) think that these senseless murders are the symptom of social distress. And we can pontificate here at the Café, but we still will wake up again sometime soon to find some American used a gun to murder several people, and we are embarrassed and ashamed but don't know what to do. Ayn Rand? Organic food? Batman? Sometimes things are just deplorable and sad, and have no solution. |
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts
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I agree with Landmark about that fact that the violence is a symptom, and symptoms are caused by something, it's just hard to determine what the cause is sometimes.
I don't think that our problems can't be solved. I think a good first step would be to get the money out of politics. That would get rid of the incentive to skew the playing field. Removing the influence of the lobbyists would go a long way. We'd also get to see which of our representatives actually have ideas of their own. Then we could use the technology we have now to see what the people really want. The vast majority of Americans don't want all this war. The majority of us believe that the war on drugs, has failed and want legalization. More and more of us want universal health care, which I'm against on principle, but it would be better than the circus we have now. I'd rather the premiums I pay went to taxes - if it would be used effectively for all, which is far from the case now. Those are the voices that need to be heard in an effective way, and now they can. Sadly the real question will be whether they will be allowed a hearing. I'm down to my last hope that the POSTUS won't do something stupid and crash the economy, because the next "financial crisis" will be a turning point in history. Then we'll see if all these guns that people got rich off of are such a good idea. Because there will be blood in the streets this time - bailout or not.
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16543 Posts
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As a fellow once said, "I have got enough bullets for all of you."
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, stoneunhinged wrote: Maybe you're not following the argument. The question isn't what should Denmark do. The question is what should the US do. Denmark doesn't need to cut its military or try for universal healthcare. Denmark already has reasonable policies. It's not their culture that is in crisis.
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21263 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, NYCTwister wrote: Not knowing better is not necessarily happy. Plus they don't have a media telling them not to be happy.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21263 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, landmark wrote: Denmark only had that ability because if the Untied States. Why do you ignore this fact?
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, Dannydoyle wrote: How exactly?
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16543 Posts
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If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
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RNK Inner circle 7527 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, NYCTwister wrote: How? Well as stoneunhinged stated, "It does make a difference that Denmark is a tiny country with a small population and a homogenous culture. It also makes a difference that NATO--funded almost entirely by the USA--protects Denmark from invasion, rather than Denmark's own defense budget." So that exorbitant amount of money the US has to spend on defense and contribution to NATO obviously allows Denmark to spend that money elsewhere rather than on defense. Pretty obvious IMO.
Check out Bafflingbob.com
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts
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Defence from whom and invasion from where?
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts
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Denmark's ability to do x, y, or z is not the point. The point is what should the US do. I offered a list of ideas, all of which are do-able in the US with the proper political will and action, including cutting the military budget by 80%.
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21263 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, NYCTwister wrote: Hilarious.
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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Dannydoyle Eternal Order 21263 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, landmark wrote: None of which are possible under our system of government. And cutting out budget means your paradise has to defend itself. Why does this escape you time and time again?
Danny Doyle
<BR>Semper Occultus <BR>In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act....George Orwell |
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NYCTwister Loyal user 267 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, Dannydoyle wrote: Why?
If you need fear to enforce your beliefs, then your beliefs are worthless.
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts
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Quote:
On Nov 15, 2017, Dannydoyle wrote: Where does it say that in our system of government we must spend five times the needed amount of money to defend ourselves? Just the current increase in the military budget this year would have been enough to pay for free higher education for everyone. https://theintercept.com/2017/09/18/the-......ge-free/ BTW, Trump asked for 54 billion, the Senate gave him 80 billion. This is kleptocracy.
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
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Posted: Nov 15, 2017 08:25 am 
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