Jesus Appalled By Americans?
POSTED BY: Mavourneen
UPDATED: Monday, April 9, 2007 23:32
VIEWED: 11915
PAGE 6 of 15
Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
Nope Six, I haven't the faintest clue WHAT you're trying to say. Although I exaggerated to make a point, your posts contain fundamental self contradictions. This is what you've said about charity:
Americans are the most charitable because we donate a lot of money and pay a lot in taxes. So government-funded social programs are (forced) charities, which is the same as communism. But Europeans who pay more taxes are NOT charitable because they don't understand "private" charity, which is dirty and lazy.
So can you take this bag of snakes and lay it out straight? Or, describe for me what YOU think "charity" is.
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Reality sucks. Especially when it contradicts our cherished ideas.
Okay...... here goes nothing. These are the points I made. You got the words right, for the most part, but the punctuation seems a tad off is all.
1) Americans are the most charitable because we WILLINGLY donate a lot of money. (There is absolutely no denying this, and I won't even hear of it)
2) Americans pay a lot of taxes. (This is true as well, especially considering that the entire concept of income tax is unconstitutional in the first place. I don't need to reference the Constitution... you can look that up.)
3) Government-funded social programs are forced charities, which is the foundation of Communism. (Any form of wealth redistribution which is only enforced against and only impacts the lives of the middle class for "so called" betterment of the poverty stricken class is not only forced, but is the basis of Communism. This is how over several generations we become a society with only 2 classes... the poor and the elite. Remember this when your grandchildren are taking out 100 year mortgages on their houses like the Germans do now. Maybe they'll all just be renting houses from the Government by then.)
4) Europeans pay even more in taxes than Americans. (That's a fact. Nobody from Europe will argue it.)
5) Because of #4, they are closer to Communism than Americans are. (Though that margin is decreasing by the year.)
6) Europeans charity is derived primarily from the government funded programs, which are forced charities, which is akin to Communism. (What part of this train of thought aren't you getting yet, if any?)
I think the miscommunication is coming here though.
7) Europeans are less likely to give their take-home pay to charity because thier quasi Communistic governments take so much of it and already make all of those choices for their citizens. (This is true of anyone, no matter what nation. If you have less to give, you're going to give less. I, personally, do not know too many martyrs who willingly sacrafice their well-being and any hope of a future on a daily basis to better everyone aroune them. Americans will give less willingly when taxes increase drastically in 2008 because the Democrats are back in the throne.)
8) The only reason Americans give more to charity willingly is because they have more disposable income, having not given it all to their government to spend it for them. (Simply put, the inverse of #7.)
Other points which I made that are skewing your entire perceptions of what I said:
9) Giving to charity is dirty and lazy. (This is my own personal take on charity done by any organization, be it private or Government sponsored or both. I think giving to charity is something most people do only out of guilt. I shouldn't make blanket statements such as that, I suppose, but it is true. I prefer volunteer work or helping those around you that need it. When they show me starving kids on TV I change the channel. They're not going to get a penny out of me and they're not going to make me feel like a bad person because of it. How many people do you know that will donate a buck a day to Sally Struthers to feel good about themselves but then tell a bum they don't have any change? I know too many.)
10) We should look out for ourselves. What business is the Tsunam
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"I expect that his decision to continue with his campaign in the face of his wife's cancer recurrence was made either out of out of naivete or out of a desire to affect the primaries. I don't think it's possible to truly understand how gruesome it is to care for someone with metastacized cancer unless you've gone through it, and my guess is that some time in the next two to four years he will be fully involved with his wife dying."
Maybe. The news articles said her cancer was 'incurable' and 'malignant'. Edwards said it would be like 'managing' a 'chronic disease' - like diabetes.
Several different possibilites come to mind - they know she's going to be dead soon but they're trying not to scare the kids (who look pretty young); they realistically do think it'll be managable; or they're in deep denial. Only time will tell.
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6-string
Different people learn different myths about the way the world 'is' and so perceive and act differently.
Some of the most pernicious myths in the US are the myth it is a meritocracy (it isn't), the myth it's a frontier (it isn't) and the myth it's capitalistic (it isn't).
As to quality of life, I'm curious if you've ever lived in another developed country for a substantial length of time - a year or more. And if not, why do you automatically assume their quality of life is worse?
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Quote:Brazilians, not Americans, are the most charitable because they WILLINGLY donate a lot of money. (There is absolutely no denying this, and I won't even hear of it).
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
1) Americans are the most charitable because we WILLINGLY donate a lot of money. (There is absolutely no denying this, and I won't even hear of it)
Quote:Why a year? An extended holiday should do the trick.
Originally posted by rue:
As to quality of life, I'm curious if you've ever lived in another developed country for a substantial length of time - a year or more. And if not, why do you automatically assume their quality of life is worse?
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.
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It seems a practical length of time. By then you'll probably have a chance to use the medical system, go through the seasons, have whatever little things about the new place you don't like wear on you for a bit.
And I've been told that anthropologists go out in the field for between one and two years. That's so they really learn the culture but keep their 'foreign' perspective.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Khyron:
Brazilians, not Americans, are the most charitable because they WILLINGLY donate a lot of money. (There is absolutely no denying this, and I won't even hear of it).
I thank Brazil every day for Adriana Lima.
EDIT: I'm so lonely.... jeez
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack
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It's probably your work hours.
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Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
It seems a practical length of time. By then you'll probably have a chance to use the medical system, go through the seasons, have whatever little things about the new place you don't like wear on you for a bit.
And I've been told that anthropologists go out in the field for between one and two years. That's so they really learn the culture but keep their 'foreign' perspective.
Perhaps you both are right. I certainly haven't spent any time at any of these other developed countries. I'm basing these opinions on a lot of assumptions and I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that.
I'll grant you that I may be wrong, but here's where I'm coming from:
1) I always hear about how great we have it here, how we're top dog, and how the rest of the world hates us. Usually that kind of hatered comes from envy, but I'll be the first to admit that I probably still have some brainwashing up there.... I'm trying to get better. It's hard. Most of us don't know shit about history and can't do much more math than your basic shit and if we're lucky, balancing a checkbook. They do a great job of filling our heads up with how to think though.
"When I look back on all the crap I learned in High School, it's a wonder I can think at all." Paul Simon ~ Kodachrome
2) My grandfather was able to raise 5 kids and buy a house for his family with a job managing a supermarket. How far is that money going to go today as a supermarket manager, given how much inflation rises above and beyond cost of living increases, and perpetually rising taxes? How far would it go if you had to give as much to the Government as the Europeans do?
Overspending by our government after illegally taxing us has put us all seriously in debt. I have enough to cover mine now. Do you have almost $30,000.00 on you if the piper ever comes to get paid on that 9 Trillion deficit? You can't honestly think that whoever we owe that debt is going to let us welch on it forever..... all the while adding exponentially more to it. I gotta laugh about it to keep from crying.
I'm seriously worried about many of us living in indentured servitude someday and when you're paying over 50% of your income to your government, I don't care how humanitaritan the cause, that seems like indentured servitude to me. Not to mention the bajillion cameras they have up everywhere watching the people in the UK (Primarily London) and the freaky ass "Big Brother-like" posters up everywhere with the eye of Osirus all over them watching you. It's freaking weird. I don't want our own government to have any extra money lying around to do that crap. They've already got way to many cameras downtown Chicago. I'm going there this weekend and that's all I'm going to think about while I'm there. It's impossible for me to enjoy myself at all Downtown anymore.
Granted, as I said before most people I know are idiots and buy tons of shit that they don't need, so for the most part this big freaking mess we're in is something we can collectively share the blame for. I used to be almost $7,000.00 when I was unemployed and I bought cigarettes on credit. In fact, I can't think of a sicker thing to do than to pay for your slow suicide with credit and then pay interest on it. I'm not above anybody in this regard other than I learned from my mistakes young and I have a higher positive balance with absolutely no debt than most people my age in this country. Put those acorns away in the summer time so you have a little to eat in the winter time.
In a perfect world where your Darwinism and Free Market (not sure if Free Market was every REALLY tested) could thrive on it's own, there would be no Bankruptcy at all. There would be no safety-net for stupidity and horrible judgement. Yet, here we are..... Everytime somebody successfully claims Bankruptcy, we borrow money from the FED to pay those debts and it's like somebody split stock you own (the American dollar) and they didn't give you the split. They gave it to the asshole who
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Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
It's probably your work hours.
Awwww... thanks Rue.
I'm pretty sure you know it's my ability to drive people crazy, but you didn't say it.
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack
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No it's Adriana Lima. I looked at her picture. Most guys would feel lonely too.
BTW- what ARE your work hours?
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Reality sucks. Especially when it contradicts our cherished ideas.
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