[talaniman]

So is this chapter two of the children's story? You might have a real talent there! However, "Homey ain't playing that," doesn't even fit into a children's narrative. But you did give me a good laugh, and for that I thank you. That'll be a keeper for a long time. The more I think of it, the funnier it gets. "Homey ain't playing that while he chucks those rocks." "Homey wants to discuss his ideas!" "Homey really thinks someone else is being childish." It's hilarious. Really now. Homey???

Glad you're amused because I see you hiding in the weeds with a rock behind your back! Doesn't change the fact you have no clue what you're talking about and just spew the right wing hate points. You don't want a discussion you just want a platform to tear down everything you disagree with.

That's cool, I got rocks too!

[jlisenbe]

Glad you're amused because I see you hiding in the weeds with a rock behind your back! Doesn't change the fact you have no clue what you're talking about and just spew the right wing hate points. You don't want a discussion you just want a platform to tear down everything you disagree with.

Thank you for that very high level, content-free response.

[talaniman]

Written at the start of the pandemic.

Column: Everyone’s a socialist in a pandemic. Companies and lawmakers are suddenly realizing the value of a strong social safety net. - Chicago Tribune

[jlisenbe]

I'm not a socialist and never will be. It is in difficult times that a commitment to personal liberty gets tested and tried.

I read this first paragraph and gave up on it. "All it took was a global epidemic of potentially unprecedented scale and severity and suddenly it’s like we’re turning into Denmark over here." That's as dumb as anything I've read in a long time. You only have to go back a hundred years to the Spanish flu to see how silly that is. It was just fear-mongering.

I understand that in a time of national crisis like this, we will have to employ some measures that are not what we usually do. The key is to limit that as much as possible, always remembering that practically everyone in government wants to expand government power because it expands THEIR power. That, to me, is the great danger.

[talaniman]

Yeah, I guess it's too much to ask or expect our elected officials to use those citizen given powers for citizens. Kind of fascinating to think how broke we are for people stuff but the politicians are rolling in dough for election campaigns, especially during a crisis. No hypocrisy there is it, but we the people allow it so they do it.

I disagree that these difficult times tests our freedoms though. It's our humanity and values being tested for sure as the article link attests.

The virus has laid bare our greatest vulnerability: We’ve got the world’s biggest economy and the world’s strongest military, but it turns out we might have built the entire edifice upon layers and layers of unaccounted-for risk, because we forgot to assign a value to the true measure of a nation’s success — the well-being of its population...Because the virus is coldly indiscriminate and nearly inescapable, it leaves us all, rich and poor, in the same boat: The only way any of us is truly protected is if the least among us is protected...So what if we used this illness as an excuse to really, permanently protect the least among us?...I would like to imagine this bright future. But I’ll confess I’m not optimistic. More than a decade ago, America stumbled through the Great Recession without imposing many significant fixes for the excesses of our financial system. The titans of Wall Street were protected and working people were left with scraps. The coronavirus might teach us all to value a robust safety net — but there’s a good chance we’ll forget the lesson, because this is America, and forgetting working people is just what we do.

Be a shame to keep squandering the opportunity to be better than sickness and death over a subjective definition of a label. I guess we aren't as great as we think we are and need to quit tripping over our own egos.

You don't have to be a socialist to do that...you can be a Christian if you prefer the label...or just an American citizen, which should be label enough don't you think? How about just be a good human and practice what you preach and not settle for the bones, and scraps those elected officials feed you. That's the road to mediocracy you seem intent on traveling because that's what you seem to have been fed by this dufus.

The rest of us demand more so we booted his a$$. We learned from our mistake of letting him in the door by our own inaction in the first place.

I'll boot Joe too if demands are not met...if you guys hav presented a better plan!

[jlisenbe]

the politicians are rolling in dough for election campaigns, especially during a crisis. No hypocrisy there is it, but we the people allow it so they do it.

That's a valid point other than pols don't use tax funds for that purpose. Elections are funded privately and voluntarily.

You don't have to be a socialist to do that...you can be a Christian if you prefer the label...or just an American citizen, which should be label enough don't you think?

Being a good socialist is far removed from being a good Christian.

Being a good human doesn't mean I follow the idea that I care so much for poor people that I am willing to make someone else give them money. It means I pitch in help them myself, as my wife and I have done for several decades now. That's where your vision and my vision absolutely part ways. You seem to want someone else to do the helping so you can then take the credit.

You demand more? That's a scary thought.

[tomder55]

Written at the start of the pandemic.

Column: Everyone’s a socialist in a pandemic. Companies and lawmakers are suddenly realizing the value of a strong social safety net. - Chicago Tribune

yes when the jackboots of the government come down on you for trying to operate your business and keep your employees working then if you don't rent seek you go out of business or become a law breaker .

He set himself up as an autonomous zone because he knows the libs like to do things like set up autonomous zones when protesting .Some autonomous zones ;or occupy zones stay in place for weeks . But only the woke protesters get that protection .

Mac's Public House that declared itself 'autonomous zone' shut down, general manager arrested - ABC7 New York (abc7ny.com)

So yeah ;when the government compels you to act like a socialist then what choice do you have ?

[Wondergirl]

Being a good human doesn't mean I follow the idea that I care so much for poor people that I am willing to make someone else give them money. It means I pitch in help them myself, as my wife and I have done for several decades now. That's where your vision and my vision absolutely part ways. You seem to want someone else to do the helping so you can then take the credit.

Do both. Pay taxes to help and donate to various charities to help.

[jlisenbe]

Do both. Pay taxes to help and donate to various charities to help.

Donating to charities preserves liberty since it is voluntary. Paying taxes decreases liberty since it is compulsory and is often based on someone else's corrupt view of morality. Besides, the feds have no Constitutional authority to take money from one American to give to another.

[Wondergirl]

Donating to charities preserves liberty since it is voluntary. Paying taxes decreases liberty since it is compulsory and is often based on someone else's corrupt view of morality. Besides, the feds have no Constitutional authority to take money from one American to give to another.

So you don't want road and bridges? We pay taxes to improve life in the US.

[jlisenbe]

Roads and bridges are not charitable causes. We are talking about welfare programs. There is Constitutional authority, incidentally, for roads and bridges. It is certainly not taking money from one American to give to another American.

[Wondergirl]

"The general-welfare clause, which gives Congress 'power to … provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States,' is an obvious place to ground principles of common-good constitutionalism, as is the Constitution's preamble, with its references to general welfare and domestic tranquility, to the perfection of the union, and to justice."

If you needed financial help for an extended period of time, what would you do, JL?

[talaniman]

Roads and bridges are not charitable causes. We are talking about welfare programs. There is Constitutional authority, incidentally, for roads and bridges. It is certainly not taking money from one American to give to another American.

You know you're a loony winger when you rather people go cold hungry and homeless especially in a crisis through no fault of their own.

[jlisenbe]

If you needed financial help for an extended period of time, what would you do, JL?

Now that's a great question. I have four options.

1 I could go to your house and rob you, but that might land me in jail.
2. I could vote for liberal dems who would go to your house for me, take your money in taxes, and give it to me in return for my undying loyalty in voting for them. Same thing as #1, but rather strangely, no one goes to jail.
3. I could depend upon friends and family. Better than the first two, but not always reliable.
4. I could be a grown up, realize that such things happen, and prepare ahead of time for such hardships. It's far and away the best course and is referred to as self reliance. It's what our country was built upon.


As to your general welfare clause, look up the definition of "general" as opposed to "individual". Then find out how many years of our history we managed to make it through with no federal payouts to individuals at all. Learn.

[Wondergirl]

4. I could be a grown up, realize that such things happen, and prepare ahead of time for such hardships. It's far and away the best course and is referred to as self reliance. It's what our country was built upon.

And if your physical or mental health has always been a problem plus no vocational or college education, and, as a result, you've had low-paying jobs all your life so far, how can you "prepare ahead of time"?

[jlisenbe]

Then you appeal to charity. It generally works quite well, but you still have no right to another American's money.

[paraclete]

spirious argument, you have a right to government money because it is distributed by law, a law voted and approved.

[jlisenbe]

We've had this discussion before. Rather than going to your house and robbing you, I instead vote for liberal dem pols who do the job for me in exchange for my undying voter support. There is really no difference. It's just done under the guise of "law".

[Wondergirl]

Then you appeal to charity. It generally works quite well, but you still have no right to another American's money.

Charity money is "another American's money." Yes, voluntary but usually charity donations from others who have been in or very possibly will be in the same boat in the future -- not so much from the wealthy.

[jlisenbe]

Yes, voluntary

You kind of ran right past that very vital distinction. It makes all the difference in the world to those who love liberty.

not so much from the wealthy.

How do you know that?