What motivation do we have to compensate those people who lost their jobs to automation?

BD66 comments on Apr 1, 2019:

Read Kurt Vonnegut's "Player Piano" about a future where most jobs are lost to automation. The book was published in 1952. It's 2019, and the unemployment rate is less than 4%. People have been predicting this for 7 decades, but it still has not come to pass. The people who do lose their...

BD66 replies on Apr 2, 2019:

@Happy_Killbot People have been saying that since 1952, but we are still near full employment. We are still many many years away from the time machines and AI will replace the majority of humans in the workforce.

Trump says wind power won't work because "it only blows sometimes.

BD66 comments on Apr 2, 2019:

Trump has identified one of the major downsides to wind power for electricity. Electricity is at peak demand in July and August when it's 100 degrees with not any breeze to cool you off. Everyone is running their air conditioners full blast. Good luck powering all of that with windmills....

BD66 replies on Apr 2, 2019:

@Moravian Scotland has a much higher ratio of wind energy to cooling degree days than the USA.

Neanderthals are famous for having lived through the last major ice age, yet for a period of around ...

AtheistNews comments on Apr 1, 2019:

The article got me thinking about how much theology would be different if Neanderthals were still around.

BD66 replies on Apr 1, 2019:

Their brains were different, so it's likely they would think up a different form of nonsense to worship.

The Dirty Secret Washington hides . . . Slavery in Libya

BD66 comments on Apr 1, 2019:

Northern African and Middle Eastern Arabs have been using African slaves for thousands of years. It's not the fault of the USA or of capitalism. It's the fault of the Northern African and Middle Eastern Arabs.

BD66 replies on Apr 1, 2019:

@THHA Statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice show that, as of 2013, there were 133,000 state and federal prisoners housed in privately owned prisons in the U.S., constituting 8.4% of the overall U.S. prison population. Have you always had such hatred for the USA? If not, how did the hatred develop? Have you considered living somewhere other than the USA?

The Dirty Secret Washington hides . . . Slavery in Libya

BD66 comments on Apr 1, 2019:

Northern African and Middle Eastern Arabs have been using African slaves for thousands of years. It's not the fault of the USA or of capitalism. It's the fault of the Northern African and Middle Eastern Arabs.

BD66 replies on Apr 1, 2019:

@THHA Read up on it. Slavery is still alive and well in many parts of the world dominated by Islam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_the_Muslim_world

Competed yesterday in a bench press only powerlifting meet.

callmedubious comments on Apr 1, 2019:

when i was in my late 20s i bought a set of weights with bench. i remember reading that the calgary stampeders (football) required their players to bench press their own body weight. this was many decades ago. i was 160 at the time so i thought, well that'll be a goal. i got there in a few months &...

BD66 replies on Apr 1, 2019:

My 12 year old son lifts weights and plays golf. So far it has helped him. He can now drive a golf ball 230 to 240 yards.

The Dirty Secret Washington hides . . . Slavery in Libya

BD66 comments on Apr 1, 2019:

Northern African and Middle Eastern Arabs have been using African slaves for thousands of years. It's not the fault of the USA or of capitalism. It's the fault of the Northern African and Middle Eastern Arabs.

BD66 replies on Apr 1, 2019:

@THHA I believe the USA made a terrible decision when they helped overthrow Gaddafi. I have a good friend who grew up in Russia, emigrated to Israel ASAP, then to the USA ASAP. He explained it as follows. Gaddafi was the "bad-boy dictator" through the 1980's then he reformed. He did just about everything demanded of him by the world community, then the minute he looked weak, the USA came in the the bombers and helped the rebels overthrow him. He was slaughtered like a dog, and the video footage was shown around the world. The message that sends out to the other dictators "Don't cooperate with the USA because they will screw you and bring you down at first opportunity" I blame the USA for the decision to get rid of Gaddafi, but not for the slavery. The Muslims who replaced Gaddafi and now rule Libya are just following a centuries-old custom of Muslims using black Africans as slaves. The slavery is the fault of the Arab muslim culture and religion, not the USA and capitalism.

The US is not exceptional, unless you talk about how it exceptionally supports dictatorships, ...

Biosteelman comments on Mar 23, 2019:

Exceptional at creating the ideas of the stuff you like. For example your ability to write on a web page. Exceptional at leading new scientific discoveries Exceptional at medical advances Exceptional at free speech Exceptional at Oppurtunity (immigrants are 3x more likely to become self made ...

BD66 replies on Mar 23, 2019:

I wish I could hit "like" 10 times for this one. The self-hate and USA-hate on this site is disgusting.

This Cartoon Explains How the Rich Got Rich and the Poor Got Poor - Vox - Pocket

mordant comments on Mar 18, 2019:

Still beyond the attention span of most people, I fear. The rich don't give a fig, and the poor see it as mumbo-jumbo.

BD66 replies on Mar 18, 2019:

I think you are correct, and that's a pretty sad statement.

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

@Lukian Fine. If renewables are now cheaper than fossil fuels, there should be no need for any further government intervention. The greedy energy companies will use renewables for all future power plants, our work is done.

[instagram.

Trajan61 comments on Mar 14, 2019:

Mark Twain was a smart man. Yes I agree it’s about as pointless trying to convince a climate change believer they have been fooled as it is trying to convince a religous nut their religion is bogus. Seems a lot of people have replaced their belief in religion with a belief in climate change and ...

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

It's just like the prophets who would say Jesus would come back at a particular time and place. All the naive followers would be there waiting for Jesus. When Jesus didn't show, the prophets would say "Well we were slightly mistaken, Jesus will come in the near future" and the "faithful" would continue to follow the charlatans. Here's the #1 climate change charlatan. He was exposed with his outrageous prediction that the polar ice caps would be gone in the summer of 2014. The polar ice caps were still there throughout the summer of 2018, but the fools keep following him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsioIw4bvzI

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

@Lukian Government lunacy is a more accurate term. New Mexico is already a poor state. Forcing the energy companies away from the cheapest source of energy will raise the costs of electricity to all New Mexicans, leading to more suffering from New Mexico's poor population.

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

@Lukian When renewable forms of energy become more cost-effective than fossil fuels, energy companies will switch over and use renewables. It will happen just like magic, the way we shifted from paraffin candles to whale oil to kerosene to electric lights without government intervention. There's no reason to waste government money or punish American consumers in the meantime.

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

@Lukian "Unless you can do it yourself, how can countries be pressured to reduce their Carbon footprint?" They can't. If we force people into the USA to use more expensive sources of energy, our industries will become less competitive, and we will lose jobs. Economic growth will slow, and people will be forced to use their lower incomes to buy more expensive energy. Other countries will go forward using the cheapest forms of energy available. All we will be doing is inflicting suffering on ourselves.

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

@Lukian The fact that China and India signed a document doesn't mean an damn thing. What matters is that they are burning more coal every year, while our consumption of coal goes down:

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

@Lukian "Government policies/stewardship and industry leadership/innovation are the only way to make it happen." If you look at where the increased consumption of CO2 is coming from, it's from the 1.386 billion in China and the 1.339 billion in India who want to lead the high energy consumption lifestyles of us here in the USA. Their consumption of coal is sky rocketing while ours is flat. Greenpeace was in India trying to get them to stop burning so much coal, and India kicked Greenpeace out of the country. Whatever self-inflicted punishment the US politicians inflict on the US people, it's an exercise in futility.

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 14, 2019:

@Lukian Higher than the early 1970's, but lower than the early 1990's. Certainly nothing to be raising global alarm bells about. It's not going to drive me to quit flying on airplanes, and ride a bicycle instead of driving a car. How about you?

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 13, 2019:

@Lukian Look at the reference and search for "Global Tropical Cyclone Frequency" There is absolutely zero trend that it is increasing. The NOAA site you reference has picked two tiny portions of the earth where the number of hurricanes and/or tropical storms appears to be increasing. You are then extrapolating what's going on in two tiny portions of the earth to reach the wrong conclusion that it's a worldwide trend. You don't buy the religious propaganda. Stop falling for the NOAA propaganda. http://policlimate.com/tropical/

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 13, 2019:

@Lukian Follow the link http://policlimate.com/tropical/

I'm in facebook jail not allowed to make any posts so I'll leave this here “Socialism and ...

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

Do you know anything about 20th Century World History? That was tried. It was a disaster. Millions starved. Millions were murdered. Why don't we bring back smallpox and the bubonic plague too?

BD66 replies on Mar 13, 2019:

@mojo5501 Conditions: Tremendous oil reserves per capita. Fantastic climate for growing all sort of agricultural crops. Socialism always fails. Then the people in power want to stay in power, so they become authoritarian. Happens over and over again. Every single time.

I'm in facebook jail not allowed to make any posts so I'll leave this here “Socialism and ...

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

Do you know anything about 20th Century World History? That was tried. It was a disaster. Millions starved. Millions were murdered. Why don't we bring back smallpox and the bubonic plague too?

BD66 replies on Mar 13, 2019:

@mojo5501 Socialism failed in Russia in 1917. Socialism is failing today in Venezuela in 2019. It's a horrible idea at any age at any time.

The Northern Hemisphere Just Experienced Its First-Ever Category 5 Cyclone in February

BD66 comments on Mar 13, 2019:

This site has been logging the number of cyclones per year and the accumulated energy of the cyclones. There had been no noticeable increase in cyclone activity since 1970: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

BD66 replies on Mar 13, 2019:

@Lukian Your data looks reasonable. It shows a slight rise in the number of hurricanes/cyclones in a tiny portion of the earth. Worldwide, there is no noticeable increasing trend.

Check the date! [twitter.com]

BD66 comments on Mar 11, 2019:

Bernie has been crying "The sky is falling!" for 30 years, and the sky is just fine.

BD66 replies on Mar 11, 2019:

@Elganned Here's your science for you. Al Gore said there was a 75% chance the polar ice caps were going to be gone in the summer of 2014. The polar ice caps were doing just fine in the summer of 2018. You don't fall for the fire and brimstone bullshit being sold by the church. Why are you falling for the fire and brimstone bullshit of Al Gore? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsioIw4bvzI

Check the date! [twitter.com]

BD66 comments on Mar 11, 2019:

Bernie has been crying "The sky is falling!" for 30 years, and the sky is just fine.

BD66 replies on Mar 11, 2019:

@Elganned would you guys stop reading the propaganda and think for yourselves? Water evaporation is a well understood process. The water evaporates mostly from the oceans then gets carried over land in the form of clouds. When prevailing winds blow the clouds over higher altitudes, they have to give up water in the form of rain. All of that happens whether the CO2 is 280ppm or 400ppm. None of those processes will change if the earth becomes 1C or 2C warmer. Weather patterns and rainfall patterns have been slowly changing for hundreds of millions of years. That will continue to be the case. If earth becomes 1C or 2C warmer, we will see more evaporation, and more rain. There will be some variation for where the rain falls (just like there has been for the past few hundred million years).

Check the date! [twitter.com]

BD66 comments on Mar 11, 2019:

Bernie has been crying "The sky is falling!" for 30 years, and the sky is just fine.

BD66 replies on Mar 11, 2019:

@ToolGuy More evaporation = more rain. If more water evaporates into the atmosphere, it must come back as rain or snow. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

Check the date! [twitter.com]

BD66 comments on Mar 11, 2019:

Bernie has been crying "The sky is falling!" for 30 years, and the sky is just fine.

BD66 replies on Mar 11, 2019:

@ToolGuy Does this "Having the earth's temperature 2 C warmer" sound like I'm denying the greenhouse effect? 2 C warmer earth More CO2 in the air. More rain. Longer growing seasons All mean less miserable winters and more food for the 7B+ people on earth. Not at all like falling off a 10 story building.

Check the date! [twitter.com]

BD66 comments on Mar 11, 2019:

Bernie has been crying "The sky is falling!" for 30 years, and the sky is just fine.

BD66 replies on Mar 11, 2019:

@Elganned Having the earth's temperature 2 C warmer would be a welcome relief to those of us here in Normal, IL. Not at all equivalent to hitting the ground from a 10 story building.

Now touring the North Eastern US....

BD66 comments on Mar 9, 2019:

On average 0.6 people per year in the USA die of the measles. On average 1 person per year in the USA die of a shark attack. On average 20 people per year in the USA die from dog attacks. It makes more sense for you to rant and rave telling people to get rid of their dogs. Now let's look at ...

BD66 replies on Mar 9, 2019:

No, it's not circular logic at all. There are type 1 errors and type 2 errors. Type 1 errors are people who are damaged in some way because they were not vaccinated. Type 2 errors are people who are damaged in some way because they were vaccinated. If 10% of cases of regressive autism are due to vaccines, the vaccines are responsible for ruining 1000 lives per year. That's more than the number of lives lost per year to the measles (450) before the introduction of vaccines. There is some happy medium that takes into account type 1 error and type 2 errors and minimizes the sum. The position of the CDC and what they are having medical professionals convey "Type 2 errors are zero" That's simple-minded and dishonest.

How to fund the Green new deal.

BD66 comments on Mar 7, 2019:

Yes, let's get advice from the finance minister of the most bankrupt nation on the planet. Let's find out what the finance ministers of Cuba, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela have to say too. I'm sure they have some fantastic advice.

BD66 replies on Mar 8, 2019:

@ToolGuy Economic growth does not necessarily mean consumption of more resources. There's a good section on that in Stephen Pinker's book "Enlightenment Now", and I highly recommend it.

wonder how much time Trebek's fortune will buy him.

BD66 comments on Mar 7, 2019:

Trebek is already 78 years old. When he was born his life expectancy was 63.1 He has already beaten that by 15 years. Plus he has been rich and successful.

BD66 replies on Mar 7, 2019:

@callmedubious That's because he survived his "stupid teenage male" years.

How to fund the Green new deal.

BD66 comments on Mar 7, 2019:

Yes, let's get advice from the finance minister of the most bankrupt nation on the planet. Let's find out what the finance ministers of Cuba, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela have to say too. I'm sure they have some fantastic advice.

BD66 replies on Mar 7, 2019:

@ToolGuy OK. I watched it. Here are the notes I took: Economists predicted all this before the Eurozone was created, and it has come to pass. The Eurozone is/was a disaster. Countries like Germany can't grow their economies because they are forced to subsidize the Greeks. The Greeks can't devalue their currency and make Greek labor competitive, so they are all unemployed. This guy is blaming it on capitalism. I don't invest any client money in the Eurozone, and everything he has said so far confirms I have made the right decision. $2,500,000,000,000 Euros invested in non-competitive green technologies. That would be a nightmare for Europeans if he gets what he wants. QE, further devaluing the Euro. Printing money and wasting it on green energy. If green energy technologies were financially competitive, they would be used. They have to be mandated or subsidized right now, so this would lower the standard of living for everyone in the Eurozone. $91,000,0000,000 in anti-poverty spending, just more transfer of wealth from the wealthy countries like Germany to the poorer countries of Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Public debt idea -He wants to stop paying interest on government obligations. That's insanity. Nobody would ever buy a bond from a Eurozone country again. Brexit is up to the British. Given what's going on in the Eurozone, and insanity like what this guy is proposing, I don't blame the British one bit for trying to distance themselves from Europe.

It's All Greek to Me

TheAstroChuck comments on Mar 7, 2019:

Yup. It's just like anyone who is driving the car in front of yours, who is going a little slower than you want, is stupid. :D

BD66 replies on Mar 7, 2019:

People driving slower ->stupid People driving faster ->maniacs

Just letting people know that I've set up a new group for Buddhist book discussion [agnostic.

BD66 comments on Mar 5, 2019:

Sounds a little like Jews for Jesus :-)

BD66 replies on Mar 7, 2019:

@jerry99 Here's the top level message at the Jews for Jesus Web site: Our Stories Why Jesus? Because of who he is. Because of what he said. Because his reality transforms lives in the midst of a broken world. Because he fulfills the hopes of our Jewish people, and of the rest of the world. Because he atones for our sins. Because believing in him makes sense. There are as many reasons for “why Jesus” as there are followers of him. Discover what some of them have found. Now compare and contrast that with jerry99 for Buddha: Why Buddha?

How to fund the Green new deal.

BD66 comments on Mar 7, 2019:

Yes, let's get advice from the finance minister of the most bankrupt nation on the planet. Let's find out what the finance ministers of Cuba, Zimbabwe, and Venezuela have to say too. I'm sure they have some fantastic advice.

BD66 replies on Mar 7, 2019:

@ToolGuy Clearly you have a non-progressive view - Correct and have not paid attention to the politics nor the history of Greece’s difficulties. - Incorrect. Greece is such a basket case that that tiny little country is dragging down the rest of the Eurozone. Fiscally responsible countries like Germany have been forced to subsidize Greece for 2 decades in order to keep the Eurozone intact. Every time they have another debt crisis, I'm forced to monitor closely what's going on in their Parliament in order to prevent my investors from losing tons of money very quickly. I immediately recognized the name "Yanis Varoufakis" and my first reaction was "You've got to be kidding me, somebody is getting advice from him???" It sounds like you did not watch the video or listen to his points. -Correct

I had a trully upsetting and shocking experience today.

GipsyOfNewSpain comments on Mar 7, 2019:

The ameriKKKan Racist Approach had been Exported to Other Countries. People act Surprised when I tell My Story that I didn't Learned Meaning of the Word Nigger until I was 27 Years Old. We Live in Such a Sad World... Mankind is Doomed.

BD66 replies on Mar 7, 2019:

I'm curious why you would blame the USA for racism in the UK. The English were involved in the African slave trade 40 years before there were any English colonies in the USA. It seems like (if anything) the English should be blamed for racism in the USA: http://abolition.e2bn.org/slavery_45.html

Just letting people know that I've set up a new group for Buddhist book discussion [agnostic.

BD66 comments on Mar 5, 2019:

Sounds a little like Jews for Jesus :-)

BD66 replies on Mar 7, 2019:

@jerry99 OK, I'll explain myself. Jews do not believe Jesus was the son of god, and that's the #1 difference between Jews and Christians. However for some strange reason, there is a group called Jews for Jesus. This is a web site composed of people who supposedly don't believe all the nonsense about religious miracles, but you appear to be worshiping someone else (similar to Jesus), who supposedly performed religious miracles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracles_of_Gautama_Buddha

Stupid fish

BD66 comments on Mar 5, 2019:

As my roommate in college said. "Did you ever think if it weren't for guys like Newton and Kepler, we wouldn't have to learn all this shit?"

BD66 replies on Mar 6, 2019:

@bookofmoron If you are talking about my roommate, he got a B.S. degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois, then an MBA from a university in Connecticut while he worked full time at Sikorsky Helicopter. He wasn't poorly educated, he was funny.

It didn't start with immediately killing the sick, the weak children, the mentally ill, and the ...

BD66 comments on Mar 5, 2019:

It actually started with the Reichstag being set on fire on On Feb. 27, 1933. Once the houses of Congress are set on fire, you have my attention, otherwise these memes are silly: https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/feb-27-1933-germanys-reichstag-building-set-on-fire/

BD66 replies on Mar 5, 2019:

@The-Krzyz Plus hyperinflation. Haven't had that yet either.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Marionville comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not American, so my observations are not coloured by my political affiliations...Republican or Democrat. I believe that the majority of US citizens have no idea what the true definition of Socialism is, and conflate it with Communism. Perhaps the reason that it appears to be the case that ...

BD66 replies on Mar 5, 2019:

@Marionville It could be a difference between a word and a political party. In the USA, Democratic is viewed as a positive term by most people, but not for roughly half the population when they think of it in terms of the Democratic party. Likewise to someone in the USA Socialist is someone who believes in Socialism: socialism noun so·​cial·​ism | \ ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm \ Definition of socialism 1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods 2a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state 3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done and not someone who agrees with some or all of the Socialist party platform in one of many countries.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Marionville comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not American, so my observations are not coloured by my political affiliations...Republican or Democrat. I believe that the majority of US citizens have no idea what the true definition of Socialism is, and conflate it with Communism. Perhaps the reason that it appears to be the case that ...

BD66 replies on Mar 5, 2019:

@Marionville What is your definition of Socialism? That could be part of the international factor which you deserve credit for bringing up. If people in the USA are using a definition of Socialism from the Merriam Webster dictionary, and whenever that definition has been tried in practice, it has led to disaster almost every time, and people outside the USA are using a different definition of Socialism that is not so toxic, that could explain why Socialism is a dirty word in the USA and not so overseas.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Marionville comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not American, so my observations are not coloured by my political affiliations...Republican or Democrat. I believe that the majority of US citizens have no idea what the true definition of Socialism is, and conflate it with Communism. Perhaps the reason that it appears to be the case that ...

BD66 replies on Mar 5, 2019:

@Marionville You are not using the conventional definition of Socialism. You are taking a few Scandinavian countries with generous safety nets and a high standards of living, calling that Socialism and declaring Socialism to be a success, but here are the most common definitions of Socialism: socialism noun so·​cial·​ism | \ ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm \ Definition of socialism 1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods 2a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state 3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done The Scandinavian Countries do not meet any of those definitions. Instead you should say "A few Scandinavian countries with generous safety nets" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/socialism

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Marionville comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not American, so my observations are not coloured by my political affiliations...Republican or Democrat. I believe that the majority of US citizens have no idea what the true definition of Socialism is, and conflate it with Communism. Perhaps the reason that it appears to be the case that ...

BD66 replies on Mar 5, 2019:

@Marionville So comparing Scandinavia to Latin America and South America Centuries of stability vs. Centuries of instability Democracies vs. A long history of dictators Weak Heads of State vs. Powerful Heads of State Heads of state have little power to become autocrats vs. Heads of state often become autocrats. Socialism in Scandinavia is really a generous safety net, not state ownership of industry. Can you see why the Scandinavian model for Socialism might work OK in Scandinavia but why Socialism has been a disaster in the Americas?

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Lucy_Fehr comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Have you considered that "most of the people" are correct and that you are the one that is "far out?"

BD66 replies on Mar 5, 2019:

@Lucy_Fehr There is no reason to be so defensive. fringe group in British (frɪndʒ ɡruːp) noun a group that is on the periphery of a larger organization because its views are more extreme than the majority https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/fringe-group

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

GinaMaria comments on Mar 4, 2019:

First, "leftist faculty" presumes that anyone gaining an education is easily swayed to a worldview that they wouldn't otherwise espouse. I left 4 years of college still believing I was a Republican because that's what my parents were. It was experience and the nurturing of empathy that made me a ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@GinaMaria What Universities have you gone to? I went to the University of Illinois, and most professors in my science/technology/engineering classes were not political, but walk across campus to the liberal arts buildings and it was a totally different story. I was there from '84 to '90, and things have gotten much worse since then. Then I went to the University of California Santa Barbara as a postgraduate researcher from '90 to '93. The campus was full of radical liberal professors who constantly staged rallies in the main plaza.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Piece2YourPuzzle comments on Mar 4, 2019:

These assumptions are pretty much all over the place and far too general. The political spectrum is very wide. Being a leftist doesn't automatically mean you're a socialist or far left or "fringe" or "extreme". Most of the people on this website that I have come in contact with seem to be ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@Piece2YourPuzzle You are correct with the US numbers. That's one of the first responses I got to explain the difference between the US polling numbers and the population on agnostic.com. See the following text in my original post: International Factor: Lots of people on the web site come from countries other than the USA, and many of those countries are farther to the left of the USA politically. In many countries, Socialism is not a dirty word, so this international population is much more likely to be leftist/Socialist than a group of people surveyed in the USA.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Piece2YourPuzzle comments on Mar 4, 2019:

These assumptions are pretty much all over the place and far too general. The political spectrum is very wide. Being a leftist doesn't automatically mean you're a socialist or far left or "fringe" or "extreme". Most of the people on this website that I have come in contact with seem to be ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

Atheists as a group self-identify as being "liberal" more than any other group:

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Marionville comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not American, so my observations are not coloured by my political affiliations...Republican or Democrat. I believe that the majority of US citizens have no idea what the true definition of Socialism is, and conflate it with Communism. Perhaps the reason that it appears to be the case that ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@Marionville So Socialism has had some degree of success in homogeneous Scandinavian countries. Socialism has been a disaster in the heterogeneous countries of the Americas. Norway is a tiny Scandinavian country with tremendous oil reserves, and the people there manage those reserves wisely and lead prosperous lives. Venezuela is a tiny American country with tremendous oil reserves, and the people there mismanage those resources and the people are starving. What gives you confidence that the Socialist model that seems to work in the tiny group of homogeneous Scandinavian countries will work in the rest of the world (particularly the New World) where leftist policies have led to an endless string of disasters.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Sticks48 comments on Mar 4, 2019:

The ability to think and reason. Looking at your replies below this one, you are proving my point. This is not complicated.

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@Sticks48 I think you must have remembered me: You call me a idiot. I demonstrate to you that you're probably spotting me 60 IQ points, then you block me. Your feeble brain forgets the experience, and the cycle repeats. Here is what I have done with my tiny little brain. Placed 19th in the United States in the National Mathematical Olympiad. Completed a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the #4 ranked program in the USA. 35 patents. Founded 2 Limited Liability Companies and 1 Limited Partnership. 41 appearances in Lipper Best Money Managers. Tell me, Sticks, what have you done with your brain? Now go ahead and block me, forget about it in a couple months, and we'll do it all over again.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

GinaMaria comments on Mar 4, 2019:

First, "leftist faculty" presumes that anyone gaining an education is easily swayed to a worldview that they wouldn't otherwise espouse. I left 4 years of college still believing I was a Republican because that's what my parents were. It was experience and the nurturing of empathy that made me a ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@GinaMaria Here's the whole article: https://www.businessinsider.com/charts-show-the-political-bias-of-each-profession-2014-11

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

GinaMaria comments on Mar 4, 2019:

First, "leftist faculty" presumes that anyone gaining an education is easily swayed to a worldview that they wouldn't otherwise espouse. I left 4 years of college still believing I was a Republican because that's what my parents were. It was experience and the nurturing of empathy that made me a ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@GinaMaria I have no idea where you went to college, but it's certainly the exception to the rule. This survey puts academics at #2 on the liberal scale, just behind the entertainment industry:

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Sticks48 comments on Mar 4, 2019:

The ability to think and reason. Looking at your replies below this one, you are proving my point. This is not complicated.

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@Sticks48 Tell me about your education, career, and academic/professional achievements?

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Jammo comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Usually educated people are pragmatic because they really look at the scientific facts which usually don't agree with the neolibril agenda. There is a typical view that people who think this way are leftists, but there is simply a right and wrong way when you're doing things after you have ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

Neoliberalism is a word with a widely different meaning than its connotation

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Marionville comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not American, so my observations are not coloured by my political affiliations...Republican or Democrat. I believe that the majority of US citizens have no idea what the true definition of Socialism is, and conflate it with Communism. Perhaps the reason that it appears to be the case that ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@Marionville Please review these slides. Cuba and Venezuela were both once rich countries before collectivism drove them into economic death spirals: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/10-countries-that-used-to-be-rich-but-are-now-poor/ss-AAw2bto#image=48

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Corvislover comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Just a thought; Liberals are more likely to share their viewpoints in public venues and conservatives are more conservative in social media?

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@OpposingOpposum From my experience, I would say conservatives are way more inclined to be loudmouths with their facebook posts. Liberals are way more inclined to engage in group intimidation tactics on college campuses.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Marionville comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not American, so my observations are not coloured by my political affiliations...Republican or Democrat. I believe that the majority of US citizens have no idea what the true definition of Socialism is, and conflate it with Communism. Perhaps the reason that it appears to be the case that ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@Marionville The distinction should be that governments can provide a safety net and not sink into a collectivist death spiral. Every developed country in the world does that. However when governments pick winners and losers through central planning, they are treading on very dangerous ground and have the potential to create the next Cuba or Venezuela. If you look at all the South American countries, the most prosperous one is Chile, the one that most aggressively fought off leftism/collectivism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_American_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Green_eyes comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not a Bernie fan myself but I’m from a socialist/capitalist country. America after all has large social programs but for whatever reason “socialism” is a dirty word. One of the reasons that the vast majority of agnostics/atheists are progressive has to with accepting science, fact ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@dare2dream It's amazing you can live in Fremont, CA and make that statement! We'll break them down one at a time and hopefully open your eyes a little bit: I think the problem with Cisco was they didn't recruit enough non-whites or non-asians - Go to one of the elite universities nearby (Stanford or Cal) and walk around the electrical engineering/computer science/computer engineering campus. Count how many non-whites and non-asians you can, and you will see the problem of how a company of 50,000+ people could staff its technical ranks with non-whites or non-asians. people over 40 - Drop by one of the many startups in the area around 8pm and see who comes out the door. Everyone you see will be 45 years or younger. After 45 you can't do tech work 60+ hours per week. females - Go to one of the elite universities nearby (Stanford or Cal) and walk around the electrical engineering/computer science/computer engineering campus. Count how many female students you can see, and you will see the problem of how a company of 50,000+ people could staff its technical ranks with women. Then drop by one of the many startups in the area around 8pm and see how many women you see. You may see some young ones, but you can't work Silicon Valley hours and be a mother at the same time.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

dfross comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I can only speak for myself. When I lost my belief in a god (and an afterlife), my political view changed. As a believer one can have faith that a god will help needy people and/or hold the view that this life doesn't matter, it is the afterlife that counts. This life is fleeting and therefor ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

How about: East Germany vs. West Germany Communist China vs. Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan North Korea vs. South Korea (The Rest of South America) vs. Chile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_American_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita Those examples would lead you to believe that Capitalism leads to a better life for the people of a country than any form of Socialism/Communism/Collectivism.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Lucy_Fehr comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Have you considered that "most of the people" are correct and that you are the one that is "far out?"

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@Lucy_Fehr How about this data from the Pew Research Council that shows atheists self-identify as liberal more than any other group.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Sticks48 comments on Mar 4, 2019:

The ability to think and reason. Looking at your replies below this one, you are proving my point. This is not complicated.

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

You have no idea how comical your comment is.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Xuande comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Atheists tend to be more educated ------> Educated people tend to be more liberal --------> Education teaches us that leftists and socialists aren't the same thing. Nor, for that matter, is democratic socialism the same thing as the scary "Russian" socialism people love to trumpet as its ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

Education is the most significant factor by far.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

BD66 comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Here's another good poll that explores the link between atheism and leftist politics. It's definitely there and very strong. I just can't find a systematic study of it. Self-identified atheists tend to be aligned with the Democratic Party and with political liberalism. About two-thirds of ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@GinaMaria This argument "We have one shot to make a difference and no "perfect" afterlife to go to, so we want a world that's better for all. Conservatism doesn't get us there." proves you are a leftist, and further confirms the link between leftists and atheists. If you actually look at the merits of the argument, it's extremely weak. Any time you have a big powerful government vs. small government experiment: Communist China vs. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore East Germany vs. West Germany North Korea vs. South Korea The rest of South America vs. Chile The countries the embrace capitalism and reject central control of the economy experience prosperity, and the countries the embrace government control of the economy experience poverty, misery, and often famine and mass murder.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

GinaMaria comments on Mar 4, 2019:

First, "leftist faculty" presumes that anyone gaining an education is easily swayed to a worldview that they wouldn't otherwise espouse. I left 4 years of college still believing I was a Republican because that's what my parents were. It was experience and the nurturing of empathy that made me a ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

I was an atheist also at age 12, and I grew up on a farm in Central, IL. Jimmy Carter's grain embargo on the Soviet Union made me a "Vote anything but Democrat" at age 14, and other disasters such as Obamacare have only strengthened that resolve. I didn't come up with the education factor, but I believe it is a strong one. Just because you and I were atheists before college does not mean that is the case for everyone. Another factor associated with education may be the freedom an education at a University affords you. Many of my friends who are still religious finished school after high school, they went to work for their fathers in the family business, and continued going to the family church. There was undoubtedly a lot of peer pressure and societal pressure on them to keep them going to church every Sunday morning. Those of us who had to good fortune to spend ages 18 to 22 (or longer) at a University, could stay up partying as late as we wanted on Saturday night, not go to church the following morning, and never suffer any negative repercussions.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Mitch07102 comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Your use of terms like liberal and leftist seem blunt and lacking nuance. What is a "leftist?" etc.

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

When polled, more atheists self-identify as liberal than any other group. Also if you look at the group membership here at agnostic.com, the numbers clearly show based on the groups that people join the leftist/liberals dominate this group through sheer numbers. First the group sizes: Conservative Atheists 147 Members Trump Pinata 756 Members Leftists 167 Members LGBT+ 431 Members Conservative Atheist Singles 79 Members Gun Control Now 314 Members Progressives and Socialists 501 Members Next the 2014 polling data:

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Green_eyes comments on Mar 4, 2019:

@BD66 I’m not sure what you mean about the yahoo article being aligned with your choices. Religion isn’t even mentioned in the article so you’re conflating the two things. The gender, nationality, age of people polled wasn’t even mentioned. Your OP was about why agnostic/atheists are left...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

What happened to the people you cared about?

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Green_eyes comments on Mar 4, 2019:

@BD66 I’m not sure what you mean about the yahoo article being aligned with your choices. Religion isn’t even mentioned in the article so you’re conflating the two things. The gender, nationality, age of people polled wasn’t even mentioned. Your OP was about why agnostic/atheists are left...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

Let's not worry about me. The focus of my comment was I was asking people to speculate why atheists are so aligned with Democrats (who form the left wing of the US Government). This poll shows that atheists self-identify as being more liberal than any other group.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Lucy_Fehr comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Have you considered that "most of the people" are correct and that you are the one that is "far out?"

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

Did you read the article I sourced, and the poll results? My views are very much in-line with the majority of the poll's respondents, but for some reason, on this web site I find myself very much in the minority.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Green_eyes comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not a Bernie fan myself but I’m from a socialist/capitalist country. America after all has large social programs but for whatever reason “socialism” is a dirty word. One of the reasons that the vast majority of agnostics/atheists are progressive has to with accepting science, fact ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

@dare2dream I will give you an example of "protected status" at work in the real world. When I was a manager at Cisco Systems, there was going to be a layoff. My manager had me rank all 18 of my direct reports from 1 to 18. Some of the guys were field engineers who were traveling all the time, and they had no idea what was going on back at the corporate offices. I asked my manager if it was OK to tell the ones in the top 5 that they had absolutely nothing to worry about so they could focus on their jobs. He said "Yes, please do", so I told those 5. Much to my surprise 2 of the 5 people in my top 5 who I had told they had nothing to worry about were on the layoff list. What happened was the list for the entire department went to a compliance attorney. The attorney said there were not enough: Whites and Asians People Under 40 Males on the layoff list, so another manager who I didn't even report to was forced to add Whites males and Asian Males under 40 to the layoff list, and I lost 2 of the 5 top performers in my group. Any time you protect a group: non-whites or non-asians people over 40 females you are in effect discriminating against whites and Asians people under 40 males I'm all in favor of LQBTQ people having equal rights, but if they become another "protected class" you will get institutional discrimination against non-LGBTQ people in favor of LGBTQ people.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

AnneWimsey comments on Mar 4, 2019:

"Leftist fringe"? You like frumpy, I bet.......

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

I didn't like Trump or Clinton, so I voted for Gary Johnson. Trump certainly has issues and could work on his delivery, but I've been pleasantly surprised by his actions since he took office.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Green_eyes comments on Mar 4, 2019:

I’m not a Bernie fan myself but I’m from a socialist/capitalist country. America after all has large social programs but for whatever reason “socialism” is a dirty word. One of the reasons that the vast majority of agnostics/atheists are progressive has to with accepting science, fact ...

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

It's an interesting strategy. If you call yourself "Progressive" than the things you want politically become good because they are progress. Therefore by definition, those who oppose you oppose "progress' and their beliefs are therefore bad. It's somewhat similar to the homophobic wordplay in the 1980's and transphobic wordplay today. Anyone who does not agree with the lifestyle or protected status of a non-mainstream sexuality is afraid of it rather than simply non in agreement with it.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Corvislover comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Just a thought; Liberals are more likely to share their viewpoints in public venues and conservatives are more conservative in social media?

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

Interesting Stats: Conservative Atheists 147 Members Trump Pinata 756 Members Leftists 167 Members LGBT+ 431 Members Conservative Atheist Singles 79 Members Gun Control Now 314 Members Progressives and Socialists 501 Members It's clearly an issue of numbers, There are many more left leaning people on this site than there in society at large.

This poll shows just how far out on the leftist fringe most of the people on agnostic.

Corvislover comments on Mar 4, 2019:

Just a thought; Liberals are more likely to share their viewpoints in public venues and conservatives are more conservative in social media?

BD66 replies on Mar 4, 2019:

That's possible, but not true for my facebook friends. My conservative facebook friends are much more likely to post conservative things than my liberal friends are to post liberal things.

The well-being of our nation depends , not on the accumulation of wealth, but on the human capital-...

BD66 comments on Mar 2, 2019:

The economic boom was because the USA had the majority of the Earth's industrial infrastructure and capital. All the other countries had their industrial capacity bombed out. The G.I. Bill made a whole lot of sense because as the troops came home, it was impossible to absorb them immediately ...

BD66 replies on Mar 2, 2019:

@OwlInASack I'm all in favor of cutting military spending from about $700B to about $100B.

??she my hero and she's gorgeous!

BD66 comments on Feb 28, 2019:

She's certainly hot, but she's dumb as a box of rocks.

BD66 replies on Mar 1, 2019:

@chilehead9 "If socialists understood economics, they wouldn't be socialist." - Hayek

??she my hero and she's gorgeous!

BD66 comments on Feb 28, 2019:

She's certainly hot, but she's dumb as a box of rocks.

BD66 replies on Feb 28, 2019:

@ToolGuy Is there any failure of Socialism/Communism/Collectivism that is not the fault of the USA? 1. The millions of starving Ukranians in the 1920's who were saved by US Charity? 2. The millions who were purged and killed by Stalin? 3. The millions who died under Mao in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution? 4. The millions who died under Pol Pot? It's amazing that if Capitalism is so terrible that a country like the USA which makes up 5% of the Earth's population and 24% of the Earth's GDP can simultaneously have its citizens living in luxury and at the same time cause all Socialist/Communist/Collectivist economies do fail so miserably. Don't you agree?

??she my hero and she's gorgeous!

BD66 comments on Feb 28, 2019:

She's certainly hot, but she's dumb as a box of rocks.

BD66 replies on Feb 28, 2019:

@ToolGuy The US economy is stronger than it has been in 50 years, and that lunatic wants to lead us down the path of Venezuela: https://www.npr.org/2018/10/05/654417887/u-s-unemployment-rate-drops-to-3-7-percent-lowest-in-nearly-50-years?fbclid=IwAR1AKXeiJbs8a7RNbtqTEKHg0fuxiPYMq68ri4ssHN1uyT9hyScalderGys

??she my hero and she's gorgeous!

BD66 comments on Feb 28, 2019:

She's certainly hot, but she's dumb as a box of rocks.

BD66 replies on Feb 28, 2019:

@ToolGuy Ask the people starving in Venezuela how Socialism has guaranteed a basic level of dignity.

??she my hero and she's gorgeous!

BD66 comments on Feb 28, 2019:

She's certainly hot, but she's dumb as a box of rocks.

BD66 replies on Feb 28, 2019:

@Robecology To me, what socialism means is to guarantee a basic level of dignity. It's asserting the value of saying that the America we want and the America that we are proud of is one in which all children can access a dignified education. It's one in which no person is too poor to have the medicines they need to live. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/alexandria_ocasiocortez https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/Contents/The-official-Ocasio-Cortez-is-an-idiot-thread-122829089/ https://freebeacon.com/blog/five-idiotic-moments-recent-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-interview/ https://dailycaller.com/2018/07/24/ocasio-cortez-dumbest-thing/ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/will-the-media-ever-call-out-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-ignorance

If polygraphs were admissible in court, our esteemed "leaders" would be subject to them, too.

WonderWartHog99 comments on Feb 27, 2019:

It's too easy to lie and still pass a polygraph. It's why it's inadmissible in court.

BD66 replies on Feb 27, 2019:

And our Congressmen and Congresswomen are 535 of the best lairs in the USA.

a question re global warming/climate change.

BD66 comments on Feb 25, 2019:

Polar ice caps melting will make almost no difference because the weight of the ice caps is already displacing water. What would make a difference is the ice/snow on Greenland and Antarctica melting because the weight of that ice is being supported by dry land.

BD66 replies on Feb 25, 2019:

@callmedubious The problem with that theory is Brewster's angle. Light that hits the Earth above the arctic circle gets reflected out into space, and the heat is not absorbed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster%27s_angle

Did anyone look at Trump's approval ratings after his State of the Union address?

Trajan61 comments on Feb 21, 2019:

The left wing media hates Trump and I think the polls are unreliable.

BD66 replies on Feb 21, 2019:

That's why I posted Rasmussen's poll results. They appear to be the most unbiased.

He did so many things in such a short time. ?

TheGreatShadow comments on Feb 21, 2019:

He was also a white guy that lived in the middle east...

BD66 replies on Feb 21, 2019:

You can make your imaginary friends any color you want them to be.

signs that the french yellow vest demonstrators were holding really nailed what is the main cause of...

BD66 comments on Feb 18, 2019:

The anger is misplaced. The main problem for people making $30000/yr are the billions of people making less than $30000/yr would would be incredibly happy to have that $30000/yr job.

BD66 replies on Feb 18, 2019:

@callmedubious I'm talking about reality. The blue collar workers of the USA should have been up in arms for 40 years about our extremely expensive effort to "win" the Cold War. The blue collar boys who were drafted to fight in Korea and Vietnam should have been fighting to keep Korea and Vietnam communist while the boys from Korea and Vietnam should have been fighting to make Korea and Vietnam capitalist. When we "won" the cold war we allowed workers throughout the rest or the world to compete with us on a relatively equal footing. That engineer who make $150K/year is competing against Indian engineers who work for $30K per year. The programmers who make $80K/year are competing against Indian programmers who make $20K per year, and the customer support staff who make $30K per year are competing against Indian customer support staff who make $10K per year.

I am quite political and I used to wonder how Germany in the thirties happened.

BD66 comments on Feb 17, 2019:

The USA in 2019 is nothing like Germany in the 1930's.

BD66 replies on Feb 18, 2019:

@callmedubious "artifically low" will be the new norm now that we have $22,000,000,000,000 in debt. If they drive the rates back up to 5%, we're looking at $1,100,000,000,000 in interest payments alone.

I am quite political and I used to wonder how Germany in the thirties happened.

BD66 comments on Feb 17, 2019:

The USA in 2019 is nothing like Germany in the 1930's.

BD66 replies on Feb 18, 2019:

@Veteran229 The Fed was created to dampen economic cycles. Instead it is creating economic cycles:

Would you vote for Hillary Clinton if she runs for President again?

AirForceRN1 comments on Feb 18, 2019:

If Trump runs again, I think she will have still have a hard uphill battle getting some older male voters ( they need to overcome their prejudices against women) in this male dominated election. Could have another repeat of Bernie Sanders again ...giving the election to Trump again!

BD66 replies on Feb 18, 2019:

Distaste for her policies. Hillary being a woman has nothing to do with it.

I am quite political and I used to wonder how Germany in the thirties happened.

BD66 comments on Feb 17, 2019:

The USA in 2019 is nothing like Germany in the 1930's.

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

@callmedubious If the stock market crashes, we hit 25% unemployment, and a large number of people are starving, then the conditions are in place for someone like Hitler, Mussolini, or Franco to cease power, but right now the economy is booming, we have 3.7% unemployment, and a large number of people are morbidly obese. We have a President who wakes up early in the morning to put out silly tweets, that does not in any way lead us to believe we will follow down this path: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_preceding_World_War_II

I am quite political and I used to wonder how Germany in the thirties happened.

BD66 comments on Feb 17, 2019:

The USA in 2019 is nothing like Germany in the 1930's.

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

@callmedubious This paragraph describes Germany in 1929. Does it sound like the USA today? The effects this unemployment had on German society were devastating. While there were few shortages of food, millions found themselves without the means to obtain it. The children suffered worst, thousands dying from malnutrition and hunger-related diseases. Millions of industrial workers – who in 1928 had become the best-paid blue-collar workers in Europe – spent a year or more in idleness. But the Great Depression affected all classes in Germany, not just the factory workers. Unemployment was high among white-collar workers and the professional classes. A Chicago news correspondent in Berlin reported that “60 per cent of each new university graduating class was out of work”. British novelist Christopher Isherwood, who lived in Berlin during the worst of the depression, described its scenes:

[usatoday.

BD66 comments on Feb 17, 2019:

Yes, She has been a US Citizen since 2006, so she should have all the other rights and obligations of other US Citizens.

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

He had the verb tenses all messed up.

Quick question for the republicans who believe in trickle down economics, or in general believe the ...

BD66 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

I think you should either read or listen to Steven Pinker's book "Enlightenment Now" then go to WalMart to give you a sense of perspective. You say working people are earning barely enough to live on, but if you go to WalMart, you will find the following: Milk for $1.28 per gallon Eggs for ...

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

@Jolanta >>The reason why it is bad for people in Venezuela and Cuba is because the US has an economic embargo on those countries but of course you would not see it that way. Is there anything that went wrong with Communism/Socialism/Collectivism that is not the fault of the United States? 1. The 1920's starvation in the Ukraine where intervention by the USA saved millions of lives? 2. The Great Leap Forward that cost millions of lives? 3. The Cultural Revolution that cost millions of lives? 4. The USA makes up less then 5% of the Earth's population, and 24% of the Earth's GDP. How can a USA embargo destroy a country when that country still has the ability to trade with the other 95% of the Earth's population and the other 76% of the Earth's economic output? >>You probably sitting there and just waiting for the US to bomb Venezuela and steal their resources. 1. I don't think bombing Venezuela would be a good idea, but it would be wonderful to get the collectivists out of power so Venezuela could start pumping their oil and exporting it so their people would no longer be starving. >>Seems like not everybody is agreeing with you on how much stuff costs, also you never mention anything about rent either. 1. They questioned the prices at WalMart I provided links to prove that those are indeed the prices at WalMart, and they fled the argument/debate Did you click the links? It's the same thing that would happen if someone was talking about Noah's ark, and I provided them with mountains and mountains of evidence that Noah's ark and the global flood never happened. That religious person would just flee the argument/debate. Mortal and Merlinzap are being equally cowardly and irrational. >>And why don't you answer the question that has been posed, instead of telling people how cheep things are. Here is the question that was posed: "I'm asking how much more than the people who earn barely enough - or less - than they can live on right now working full time, is your contribution to society worth." And here is the answer. I don't know anything about MLinoge from his profile, but Mortal and Merlinzap provided enough information about themselves to show that Mortal, Merlinzap and I have all probably made between $1 Million and $5Million in salary/wages/compensation in our lifetimes. That's not bad, but Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos have each made about $150Billion in salary/wages/compensation, so they have been compensated somewhere between 30,000 and 150,000 times more than we have. But look at what they have accomplished. Bill Gates has literally changed and improved the way every computer in the world operates and how every user of the computer interacts with it. Jeff Bezos has changed the way billions of people shop. The ease at which I was...

Quick question for the republicans who believe in trickle down economics, or in general believe the ...

BD66 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

I think you should either read or listen to Steven Pinker's book "Enlightenment Now" then go to WalMart to give you a sense of perspective. You say working people are earning barely enough to live on, but if you go to WalMart, you will find the following: Milk for $1.28 per gallon Eggs for ...

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

@Mortal 43" 4K TV $199.99 https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-43-Class-4K-Ultra-HD-2160P-LED-TV-RTU4300/55540601

Quick question for the republicans who believe in trickle down economics, or in general believe the ...

BD66 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

I think you should either read or listen to Steven Pinker's book "Enlightenment Now" then go to WalMart to give you a sense of perspective. You say working people are earning barely enough to live on, but if you go to WalMart, you will find the following: Milk for $1.28 per gallon Eggs for ...

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

@Mortal Laptop Computer $108 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Refurbished-Acer-Chromebook-C720P-2625-11-6-Touchscreen-Celeron-1-4GHz-4GB-RAM-16GB-SSD-Scratches/731509546

Quick question for the republicans who believe in trickle down economics, or in general believe the ...

BD66 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

I think you should either read or listen to Steven Pinker's book "Enlightenment Now" then go to WalMart to give you a sense of perspective. You say working people are earning barely enough to live on, but if you go to WalMart, you will find the following: Milk for $1.28 per gallon Eggs for ...

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

@Mortal Here's the spaghetti. 8 pounds for $7.53 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Spaghetti-Pasta-1-Lb-4Ct/17179231

Quick question for the republicans who believe in trickle down economics, or in general believe the ...

BD66 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

I think you should either read or listen to Steven Pinker's book "Enlightenment Now" then go to WalMart to give you a sense of perspective. You say working people are earning barely enough to live on, but if you go to WalMart, you will find the following: Milk for $1.28 per gallon Eggs for ...

BD66 replies on Feb 17, 2019:

@Mortal That's what I bought them for at the WalMart in Normal, IL a week ago. I bought a gallon of milk for $1.28 earlier today.

I'm still not convinced climate change is a problem. Can you convince me otherwise?

BD66 comments on Feb 15, 2019:

You are 100% correct. Here in the USA we spend MUCH more money heating our homes than we do cooling our homes. People still chose to move from New York to Florida when they retire. When we get to the point where we spend more cooling our homes than heating our homes, and when people are moving...

BD66 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@Meili More Stuff: Historical change in C02: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Monthly-average-atmospheric-CO-2-concentration-in-ppm-measured-at-Mauna-Loa-Observatory_fig2_272491894 Worldwide Coal Consumption: https://www.tititudorancea.com/z/ies_world_coal_consumption.htm Worldwide Oil Consumption: http://labs.timogrossenbacher.ch/worldoil/ Worldwide Natural Gas Consumption: https://yearbook.enerdata.net/natural-gas/gas-consumption-data.html Global Fossil Fuel Reserves: https://www.worldcoal.org/coal/where-coal-found

I'm still not convinced climate change is a problem. Can you convince me otherwise?

BD66 comments on Feb 15, 2019:

You are 100% correct. Here in the USA we spend MUCH more money heating our homes than we do cooling our homes. People still chose to move from New York to Florida when they retire. When we get to the point where we spend more cooling our homes than heating our homes, and when people are moving...

BD66 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@Meili Sure: Historical Global Mean Surface Temperature: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/DecadalTemp Historical change in Sea Level: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Sea-level-change-based-on-satellite-altimetry-data-Nerem-et-al-2010-updated-at_fig26_280878280 Historical Cyclone Energy: http://policlimate.com/tropical/

I'm still not convinced climate change is a problem. Can you convince me otherwise?

BD66 comments on Feb 15, 2019:

You are 100% correct. Here in the USA we spend MUCH more money heating our homes than we do cooling our homes. People still chose to move from New York to Florida when they retire. When we get to the point where we spend more cooling our homes than heating our homes, and when people are moving...

BD66 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@thinktwice I do have a PhD behind my name, and I have 35 patents.

I'm still not convinced climate change is a problem. Can you convince me otherwise?

BD66 comments on Feb 15, 2019:

You are 100% correct. Here in the USA we spend MUCH more money heating our homes than we do cooling our homes. People still chose to move from New York to Florida when they retire. When we get to the point where we spend more cooling our homes than heating our homes, and when people are moving...

BD66 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@thinktwice I've looked at data for the Global Mean Surface Temperature, Global Sea Levels, Global Typhoon energy, Global Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas consumption going all the way back to 1880. So far we have burned about 40% of the Earth's fossil fuels. The CO2 levels are about 120 ppm higher, the Earth is about 1.2C warmer, and Sea Levels are about 1 foot higher. Global typhoon energy has gone down. There is no evidence any of these effects are nonlinear in a negative way. If we burn he remaining 60% of our fossil fuels, it's quite likely CO2 levels will be 180 to 200ppm higher, The Global Mean Surface temp will be 1.8C higher, Sea Levels will be 1.5 to 2 feet higher, and Global typhoon energy will be no higher than it is today. There is nothing to be alarmed about. There is nothing that requires huge sacrifices on the part of US Citizens. It's time to stop the hysteria.

I'm still not convinced climate change is a problem. Can you convince me otherwise?

BD66 comments on Feb 15, 2019:

You are 100% correct. Here in the USA we spend MUCH more money heating our homes than we do cooling our homes. People still chose to move from New York to Florida when they retire. When we get to the point where we spend more cooling our homes than heating our homes, and when people are moving...

BD66 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@thinktwice Climate change is literally filling the void left by no God and no Jesus for the lefties on this sight. It gets too hot -> Climate Change, It gets too cold -> Climate Change. It rains too much -> Climate Change. It rains too little -> Climate Change. There is a forest fire -> Climate Change. All of the following happened prior to 1850: Heat Waves Polar Vortices Floods Droughts Fires All of these things are happening today, but instead of praising or blaming God/Jesus, now it's all due to climate change.

I'm still not convinced climate change is a problem. Can you convince me otherwise?

BD66 comments on Feb 15, 2019:

You are 100% correct. Here in the USA we spend MUCH more money heating our homes than we do cooling our homes. People still chose to move from New York to Florida when they retire. When we get to the point where we spend more cooling our homes than heating our homes, and when people are moving...

BD66 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@Wurlitzer The US does not exist to make the world more comfortable

People aren't going hungry because we can't grow enough food.

BD66 comments on Feb 10, 2019:

People aren't going hungry. There is an epidemic of obesity in the USA. If you want to blame capitalism for the overabundance of food, then you have a point.

BD66 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@Jolanta Let's recap. sassygirl Blamed hunger on capitalism. I refuted that citing an epidemic of obesity in the USA. You claimed that teachers will verify the children are going hungry. I refuted that and gave multiple examples of free food that is available to Americans. You claimed that people are fat because they eat unhealthy foods. I agreed with you on that, but gave multiple examples of nutritious foods that are extremely cheap in the USA. Capitalism is what makes that food so cheap. You claimed that cheap nutritious WalMart food is not available in poor areas. I refuted that by showing you a map of WalMarts in the Chicago area and that they are evenly distributed throughout the rich and poor areas of Chicago. You stated poor people don't have the time to cook nutritious meals. I refuted that with my own example of how I am a single father with three kids and 3 businesses, and I cook the cheap nutritious WalMart food for my own children. You claimed that people need to be educated more about how to shop for and prepare healthy food. I gave you specific examples of education that is provided to all high school kids in the United States, (Consumer math, Consumerism, Home Economics). You are now focused on the living wage and what goes on inside Donald Trump's mind. This is not a debate, you just move from one liberal talking point to the next and never defend your positions. I have no intention to discuss what is going on in Donald Trump's mind.