OT: Jibjab, Politics, the Big Bang and more!

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by Graeme Dice:
I suppose that next you'll tell me that Zaire has a great health care system since the richest people there can afford to go to the U.S. for their treatment.

That assertion makes no sense, because obviously, Zaire does not have a great health care system if people there are leaving the country to seek their health care. Nobody goes *TO* Zaire to get treatment. Canada may have a system in which people who have money go to the US to seek health care....but this just underscores the point that Canada's healthcare system, while more ubiquitous, is still of inferior quality. You certainly can't deny that people do this: I've known several Canadians who do this exact thing: Travel to the US to get some operation performed....at their own expense.

Now, whether you feel the ubiquity of the healthcare system compensates for the fact that, apparently, it is not as good, as people apparently *DO* leave the country for treatment on a not-uncommon basis, is something that can be subjected to debate. Healthcare, in whatever form, however, is not free, even in Canada. You STILL have to pay for it, but instead of paying for your OWN problems, you're ending up paying for someone ELSE's problems. I don't see this as a good thing, as it certainly provides a strong disincentive for people to deal with their own personal problems. Just observe the level of service you can get in Communist countries, where nobody is motivated to do anything because they gain little from their own actions. If people have to deal with their own problems, the ones that are willing to work to overcome their issues succeed, the slackers perish. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Skolem]

Originally posted by Norfleet:You STILL have to pay for it, but instead of paying for your OWN problems, you're ending up paying for someone ELSE's problems. I don't see this as a good thing, as it certainly provides a strong disincentive for people to deal with their own personal problems. Just observe the level of service you can get in Communist countries, where nobody is motivated to do anything because they gain little from their own actions. If people have to deal with their own problems, the ones that are willing to work to overcome their issues succeed, the slackers perish. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

That is really false, why are we living in society? It is not for the sake of the economist as it seem you are believing, nor it is to solve our own problems, with a good social system, you may at a time pay for another, but in the main time other are paying for you for other thing, it comes back!!!we aren't a pack of lonely bears in a forest as you seem to believe it we are HUMANS, it is normal to help each other (Oh and don't come up with your Christian charity bull****, that has no relevance and is only arrogant).
As for the communist countrys there are a lot people who think, it was better then, even if you hadn't such a high lifestile (at least in east germany), so this can't be the point. And the purpose discussed here isn't to make a the USA a communist State, no one want this, you should better make comparision with european lands like say Sweden, you would be surprised how good there lives,despite the fact of there high taxes and high social system.
The point is does feel people better with private health care or not. And it seems not.

[spirokeat]

It was for heresy. The following Catholic page The Galileo Controversy has an excellent overview of it, despite playing semantic games about it being for heresy.

I have to say, despite not having the energy to delve too deeply into defending one way or the other, pretty much anything spouted by catholic.com is about as suspect as it can get.

And if anyone read the article, did you get that feeling of zombification creeping over you as the reasonable tone of the words just dulled you into submission ?

Spiro

[Arryn]

Originally posted by spirokeat:
And if anyone read the article, did you get that feeling of zombification creeping over you as the reasonable tone of the words just dulled you into submission ?

"You are getting sleepy ... very sleepy. When I snap my fingers, you will awaken, refreshed and reborn, and believe everything I tell you to believe." hehe

Well, what did you expect? After all, the actors have had HUNDREDS of YEARS to practice their lines and perfect their technique ...

[spirokeat]

Well, what did you expect? After all, the actors have had HUNDREDS of YEARS to practice their lines and perfect their technique.

cackle, yup, couldn't agree more. But they sure as hell didn't see Darwinism coming did they.

Spiro

[Zapmeister]

Originally posted by Arryn:
Wrong. You have confused religion, which is the practice of worship and a system of beliefs, with the question of the existence or non-existence of a deity. It is possible to accept the existence of (some) god, yet not accept *any* of the beliefs commonly associated with that entity, including human-written codices and bureaucratic power structures.

I agree, and don't believe I said otherwise, nor confused religion with metaphysics. My comment was based on your usage of the term agnostic, which I continue to claim means a belief in the unsolvability of a question. Your usage of the word "bunk" implies that you know a particular belief set is wrong, and hence have gone some way towards solving the problem.

[Zapmeister]

Originally posted by Arryn:
It was for heresy. The following Catholic page The Galileo Controversy has an excellent overview of it, despite playing semantic games about it being for heresy.

It mis-represents the facts. Galileo's hand-written confession, forced from him by the Inquisition, included these words:

But since I, after having been admonished by this Holy Office entirely to abandon the false opinion that the sun was the centre of the universe and immovable, and that the earth was not the centre of the same and that it moved, and that I was neither to hold, defend, nor teach in any manner whatever, either orally or in writing, the said false doctrine; and after having received a notification that the said doctrine is contrary to Holy Writ, I did write and cause to be printed a book in which I treat of the said already condemned doctrine and bring forward arguments of much efficacy in its favour, without arriving at any solution:...