CCCToad on 23/3/2010 at 23:52
Or you could just let Bill Gates go ahead with his plan to lower world population using vaccines.
Al_B on 23/3/2010 at 23:53
Quote Posted by Epos Nix
Every day at least 150,000 people are born on this planet
Are you sure about that? From what I can find that's the number of deaths per day - births are about 350,000 - or a net increase of 200,000 per day if you believe the figures.
Not that it necessarily matters. 100% of arguments against over population are made by people that have already been born. What are you suggesting? That there should be controls on how people reproduce or that people who are increasing the population will be putting a drain on the health system rather than contributing to it?
Epos Nix on 23/3/2010 at 23:57
I wasn't suggesting anything. It's a situation where you can't suggest anything for fear of upsetting the breeders. My job is simply to sit back and watch as nature corrects itself. :p
Stitch on 24/3/2010 at 00:00
If that involves you posting less, I'm all for it.
Epos Nix on 24/3/2010 at 00:21
I know you don't mean that Stitch. Without people like me, you'd be throwing potshots in a vacuum. And we can't have that.
Besides, if past trends continue, you won't see me again till some time in 2011. Close your eyes long enough and you'll be back to posting in random nonsense weblink threads before you know it.
june gloom on 24/3/2010 at 00:41
I love this place.
Queue on 24/3/2010 at 00:42
I don't want to pay for roads anymore.
Fuck them.
I'm gonna buy me a Hummer and make my own road.
And since I don't want to pay for police either (fuck them, too) you can't stop me, Comrades!
*cue patriotic music*
faetal on 24/3/2010 at 00:58
Late to the party.
1) In response to Vae's parochial "The US has made the whole world greater" spiel, particularly how it "invented the internet", while it is true that the basic infrastructure for an internet was developed by US military:
"Although the basic applications and guidelines that make the Internet possible had existed for almost two decades, the network did not gain a public face until the 1990s. On 6 August 1991, CERN, a pan European organization for particle research, publicized the new World Wide Web project. The Web was invented by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989."
So it was kind of a collaboration.
2) I am 100% glad that there is a national health sertvice in the UK and find the idea of a "hospital bill" equal parts bizarre and sinister. We get sick, we get treated - end of story.
Did make me chuckle that some campaigner in the US stated "If Stephen Hawking were born in the UK, the NHS would not have let him live", to which he made the response "I was born in the UK and would not be alive were it not for the NHS". They obviously thought his voice synthesis represented his native accent :laff:
We have choice in the UK - use the NHS or opt for private healthcare, which allows to use the NHS *and* have access to certain luxury options and shorter waiting lists. Not perfect, as no system is, but FUCK ever having something which even vaguely resembles the US system.
No one over here ever has to worry whether or not they can afford to get sick, or if an injury will increase premiums or take a chunk out of their treatment limit.
Muzman on 24/3/2010 at 01:08
Quote Posted by Matthew
Wow. I don't think I ever realised just how many people were totally fucking self-centred until I read the healthcare debates. Now I know why charities constantly need to beg people to donate.
Some people perhaps, but to be charitable about it (hurr) I reckon it's just poorly expressing that thing loads of Americans seem to have, which is this completely irrational overreaction to anything that seems like a tax.
Most people hate taxation on some level. In America it reaches pathological. As pointed out, it doesn't matter if they're paying through the nose left and right to monopolising corporate robbers GRAH THE GUVMINT TAXING ME! GNGNGNGN.
The obvious historical context for this is the kind of obvious that really doesn't explain it adequately at all. It's fascinating.
karmaKGB on 24/3/2010 at 02:21
Quote Posted by Muzman
Most people hate taxation on some level. In America it reaches pathological. As pointed out, it doesn't matter if they're paying through the nose left and right to monopolising corporate robbers GRAH THE GUVMINT TAXING ME! GNGNGNGN.
This is true. Hilarious at times, incredibly frustrating at others, but true.
Not all Americans, for sure, but plenty of the less....aware among us.
From an interview between Craig T. Nelson and Glenn Beck (a good example of the kind of "reasoning" some of my fellow Americans use).
Quote:
NELSON: The veterans coming back are not getting what they deserve. Those people that have served, that put themselves in harm's way.
If my children, my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren is about to be here, is not going to be educated properly, then I'm through with it. I'm not going to spend money on these things that you're asking me to.
They should be allowed to go bankrupt! What happened — we are a capitalistic society. OK, I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out.
I've been on food stamps and welfare. Anybody help me out? No. No. They gave me hope, and they gave me encouragement, and they gave me a vision. That came from my education.So, to me, you know, going back to California and the hedge fund, because we're no longer a state, I just feel like going after our kids, our education, and the most valuable people we have on the planet, teachers.
Yeah, that's right. Food stamps? Welfare? Education? Those things couldn't possibly be provided by the government and paid for by horrible horrible taxes. *Sigh*
