Donald Trump and US politics

Sea levels rising are least concern about warming unless you live near sea level. Real problem is you'll kill the oceans and crops won't grow at elevated temps leading to all sorts of problems like starvation war mass equator flight etc. Great barrier reef is already half dead because temps killing the coral - reefs are like the nursery of ocean and fish stock way down last 20 years.

You can be a conservative and environmentalist. No contradiction. In fact we should err on side of safety as part of our ethos. Just like planning for retirement, not allowing massive unvetted hords into our country or being a prepper, etc. I don't eat meat and drive a 2500 lb car that get great mileage doing my little part. (I do drive a F350 and have heavy equipment as part of my business but it's nessesary until electric dumptrucks, cranes, backhoes, booms, etc come)

If you have netflix here are some entertaining and educational documentaries
https://www.netflix.com/title/80033772
https://www.netflix.com/watch/80168188

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ChanBalam wrote:

In recent years the business response to ACA was to cut hours so their employees would not be full time and the companies could avoid paying for healthcare.

...so not a fan of Obamacare, then?

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ChanBalam wrote:

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

I do think it is important to protect freedom of speech and assembly for labor such that they can effectively negotiate for better compensation, but in most cases I don't believe those freedoms are under any threat from employers. Labor rarely organizes in earnest, either co-opted by a self-serving gang or simply lethargic; for the most part, people are wageslaves because they're cucks.

Those "cucks" you demean are the poor, uneducated, struggling, unskilled who are taken advantage of by business owners and managers. Nice.

No. I meant to demean skilled laborers who fail to negotiate for a wage they deserve. Those too lazy or inept to develop a marketable skill are less worthy than cucks.

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ChanBalam wrote:

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

There are two ways to govern here: invisible hand and iron fist. The former is about changing incentives such that the profitable road and the responsible road are the same thing, utilizing "speak softly and carry a big stick" policies of rarely used deterrents to keep costs down. The latter, in contrast, simply throws more and more money at enforcement to will people into acting against their selfish impulses. One of these is cost-effective and one is not.

There are a lot more than two paths. That just sets everyone up to form opposing and uncompromising camps. That sure is working well for us isn't it? It's a good thing that you didn't bias your descriptions of your two choices too much.

I wish I could say "no one of relevance to policymaking is so stupid that they'd suggest a new tax on X and assume that the consumption of X would remain constant when estimating how much revenue said tax will generate." Except governments have proven to be just as stupid, time and time again.

Ultimately, to be cost-effective, a government must operate primarily on threat of punishment and only secondarily on actual execution of that punishment. Period. Now, in terms of how to achieve compliance from rather than war with the public, well, lots of room for debate on how to structure legislation, the nature of collective psychology, etc. Similarly, in regards to a particular rule, whether compliance is even achievable, or if it attempted enforcement would just be a perpetual war against the public (ex: war on drugs) — room for debate. But the idea that perpetual war is acceptable, that an eventual victory isn't necessary for justification... that type of thinking is warped, and unfortunately not uncommon.

To clarify: when I speak of the Invisible Hand, I dissociate it from the idea's originator, Adam Smith, and by extension from capitalism. I focus instead in the invisible hand of rational selfishness — basically, in each situation, if someone acts in a manner with the maximum long-term benefit towards oneself, where does that path take them? People have trained themselves to stop thinking at this point, to shun selfishness as wrongthink, instead of looking for the trajectory that the invisible hand of rational selfishness propels such people along, based off the circumstances that effect choice. When that trajectory lines up with social goods, that means incentive and disincentive systems are working — what is good for the individual lines up with what is good for society. Whether you want to view such selfishness as evil as Christianity does, or as good in a Rand does, makes no difference to me; the point is that the rationally selfish should be among the prime mentalities considered when forecasting the effects of proposed policy.

Obamacare will bankrupt this country. 20% of GDP and climbing. You have to regulate HC it's a finite resource seems to me ability to pay was best idea since society already said you are more valuable and saving more by what they rewarded you. democrats end game is 6 month wait or not at all and HC professionals making peanuts.

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill

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Aim_Deep wrote:

Obamacare will bankrupt this country. 20% of GDP and climbing. You have to regulate HC it's a finite resource seems to me ability to pay was best idea since society already said you are more valuable and saving more by what they rewarded you. democrats end game is 6 month wait or not at all and HC professionals making peanuts.

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill

Tell that to undocumented Democrats like John McCain.

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Aim_Deep wrote:

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill

There is but one place where equality of outcome can be assured and the Communist utopia realized: in the blackness of death.

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Xavderion wrote:

Tell that to undocumented Democrats like John McCain.

I move that we deport him back to Vietnam.

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

To clarify: when I speak of the Invisible Hand, I dissociate it from the idea's originator, Adam Smith, and by extension from capitalism. I focus instead in the invisible hand of rational selfishness — basically, in each situation, if someone acts in a manner with the maximum long-term benefit towards oneself, where does that path take them? People have trained themselves to stop thinking at this point, to shun selfishness as wrongthink, instead of looking for the trajectory that the invisible hand of rational selfishness propels such people along, based off the circumstances that effect choice. When that trajectory lines up with social goods, that means incentive and disincentive systems are working — what is good for the individual lines up with what is good for society. Whether you want to view such selfishness as evil as Christianity does, or as good in a Rand does, makes no difference to me; the point is that the rationally selfish should be among the prime mentalities considered when forecasting the effects of proposed policy.

Selfishness brought us everything medicines computers cars everything that makes our life good. Even the soviets realized they had to reward top scientists with dachas and the good life for discovery instead of toil like everyone else. Greed is good until it hurts someone.

BTW I told you Christianity was embedded in the west atmospherics/tenants/mores even by non Christians and you argued with me poster u reply to and millions of libs like him is perfect example saying greed is bad. West seems self sacrificial in general. Jesus complex.

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ScrotieMcB wrote:

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Aim_Deep wrote:

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill

There is but one place where equality of outcome can be assured and the Communist utopia realized: in the blackness of death.

Rather than convinced that Socialism is a failure, I would think it is appropriated by Capitalism.

Reason enough to be "alarmed".