Political discussion thread

dtguitarfan wrote:  put a link in originally, and it never showed up.  I've been having problems trying to post in the forum with Firefox lately.  Like, I'll click into the message box, and it won't let me type.  Anyone else have this issue?

What version of Firefox are you using?

It's never given me any problems, but I know others have had troubles with it on this forum and on other forums and blogs.  Check to make sure you have the newest stable version, and if that doesn't work you might just have to switch browsers. 

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: Slartibartfast wrote: If you are subject to your taxes going up,when you file in 2014 it won't mean a damn thing until then.  If you are dependent on EUC, you get shoved off the cliff and won't be able to even scrape by. Erm...income tax?  It gets taken right out of your paycheck.  Sales tax? Some think that going  off the fiscal cliff will actually be good, in the long run, for the economy.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, any long term benefit of the fiscal cliff will be negated because the government will just try to reverse the damage and kick the can down the road again instead of really making the structural changes the the fiscal cliff is supposed to demand. Anyway...it's going to screw up the economy.  But we'll survive.  It's not like we've never had a recession before.  I'm still thankful to live in the most affluent nation in the world, where poor people live like rich ones even during recessions, compared to the millions of suffering people in other nations around the world.  When you think about it from that perspective, the fiscal cliff doesn't seem so frightening.

Homeless people in Uganda should feel lucky they don't live on the moon. They'd really be screwed if they were homeless up there.

Oh, did you mean this original point?

In defense of J's original point, I'd rather be a homeless man here than a homeless man in Uganda.

It is not necessary or important for you to accept my reasoning. 

The Doctor wrote: The T wrote: Other countries, developed countries, have far less homeless. It's rather sad taking pride on how well the thousands of homeless people live in the US. I'd rather take pride if there were very few of them. Watch it Teo.  You're in serious jeopardy of slipping back to the left.  Well said though.

Don't worry Doc. The left is secure from my infiltration . There is no proper "right" though and I don't think believing in libertarian values should equal taking pride in homeless that live better than those in other countries. Left or right or whatever you color it, the only scenario that should bring about pride is close to zero homelesness.

Also, AmbientHurricanes, comparing the US to less developed nations is rather taking an easy out. Comparing homeless life (whatever it is) to "first world" countries would make much more sense. The US was the richest nation on Earth, wasn't it?

timothy leary wrote: It was not sarcasm. If your experience of homelessness is words on a page then you really do not know what it is. To compare it to the plight of others in poverty in other countries without really knowing what it is seems like a stretch.

Yes, it was sarcasm.  Your exact words were:

timothy leary wrote: I bow to your knowledge of homelessness

Based on your more recent post, you obviously did not mean what you said, and were instead insinuating the opposite.  Thank you for clarifying, though, so that I could respond appropriately:

You act as if I'm trying to trivialize the sufferings of the homeless.  I'm not.  I'm writing down my observation concerning the state of poverty in the US compared to that of undeveloped countries, and expressing gratitude for living in a relatively affluent country.  I don't know of any other way to get that observation across on this forum besides putting "words on a page." 

If comparing poverty in America to poverty in other countries is offensive, then I don't know what we can discuss anymore.  I can assure you that I'm not brushing aside America's homeless at all; my knowledge of poverty around the world does not lessen my desire to help the poor in America, but only heightens my compassion for others. 

It was not sarcasm. If your experience of homelessness is words on a page then you really do not know what it is. To compare it to the plight of others in poverty in other countries without really knowing what it is seems like a stretch.

Other countries, developed countries, have far less homeless. It's rather sad taking pride on how well the thousands of homeless people live in the US. I'd rather take pride if there were very few of them.