Affirmative action, helpful or harmful?

[BS Filter]

It's not and I'm totally against it, but little I can do about it either.

It's not that I mind paying my "fair share" but in our state, you are taxed by your property value and not usage of the education system. In other words I may be paying twice as much into the school system as my neighbor down the street with four kids in the system. I don't see the equity in it and it's totally unfair.

But yes, I opted not to have a family because of the cost. I invested my money instead, and while I'm just a working blue collar guy, I have my apartments that I take care of after work and on weekends. It will be of great value to me when I retire in a couple of years or if I am forced to go on disability.

Look at it this way

You used the educational system when you grew up and are now paying back the education you received

So why should I pay three fold of what somebody else paid for me? And no, most of my education was in a private Catholic school where the church parishioners footed the bill.

Your parents and your own choices

My choices? Do you think I have a choice in where my property tax goes?

Tax code is written to reward those who have children

You choose to ignore those tax advantages

People need to keep more of their money when they have children. There's really no advantage. Have you ever raised kids? They're very expensive.

 

[TheParser]

Regarding post #36:

Deepest sympathies on the outrageous lack of good governance in your city.

IMHO, it is a harbinger of what is to come for the whole country.



Best wishes

 

[Brian Blackwell]

Look at it this way

You used the educational system when you grew up and are now paying back the education you received

Except people paying taxes at the time of his schooling already paid for it. There's nothing to pay back.

Plus, this idea of "paying your fair share" loses the moral high ground when the service is forced upon you and the payment is taken by force.

 

[rightwinger]

Look at it this way

You used the educational system when you grew up and are now paying back the education you received

Except people paying taxes at the time of his schooling already paid for it. There's nothing to pay back.

Plus, this idea of "paying your fair share" loses the moral high ground when the service is forced upon you and the payment is taken by force.

No they didn’t pay for his education

My parents did not pay for all my education. They raised four kids and paid around $400 a year in real estate taxes. That didn’t come close to paying for our education

I didn’t pay for my children’s education either. What I paid in taxes didn’t come close to what it cost to educate them

 

[Brian Blackwell]

All interactions in the environment ought to be governed by the Golden Rule. That it is not, and never will be, don't expect a Libertarian Constitution would be anything but predators and prey.

And how do you suppose that this "predator and prey" problem is solved by taking a small portion of that morally flawed population and clothing them in immense power? Doesn't this just make more powerful predators who can devour more prey? Both history and current events would suggest that it does, don't you agree? It's hard to imagine how Stalin could have been responsible for 50 million deaths if he did not wield the power of governmental authority. I prefer to keep my predators down here on the ground with the rest of us, rather than giving them a machine gun and a tower.

I don't recognize the Constitution as a valid document, btw. It asserts the power of Congress without a valid explanation as to the origin of that power. It's a unilaterally-enacted contract created before I was born, and unjustly applied to me without ever acquiring my consent to the terms.

 

[BS Filter]

All interactions in the environment ought to be governed by the Golden Rule. That it is not, and never will be, don't expect a Libertarian Constitution would be anything but predators and prey.

And how do you suppose that this "predator and prey" problem is solved by taking a small portion of that morally flawed population and clothing them in immense power? Doesn't this just make more powerful predators who can devour more prey? Both history and current events would suggest that it does, don't you agree? It's hard to imagine how Stalin could have been responsible for 50 million deaths if he did not wield the power of governmental authority. I prefer to keep my predators down here on the ground with the rest of us, rather than giving them a machine gun and a tower.

I don't recognize the Constitution as a valid document, btw. It asserts the power of Congress without a valid explanation as to the origin of that power. It's a unilaterally-enacted contract created before I was born, and unjustly applied to me without ever acquiring my consent to the terms.

The origin of the power given to congress is from the people. Where do you think the power should be centered and from what source?

 

[Brian Blackwell]

My choices? Do you think I have a choice in where my property tax goes?

You seem to understand the injustice in taking the fruit of your labor by threat of violence and using it in ways you don't necessarily agree with (or even have outright moral objections to). What I don't understand is why you continue to support such a system. I assume you also recognize that this is wrong as applied to others, even if their priorities differ from your own (in other words, it's equally wrong to force others to pay for those things that you deem important). Why do you abide this injustice? You always have a choice. You can choose to remove your support from this system where possible, and speak out against it; but so far you seem to be supporting the Republican party, which makes you an accomplice in these crimes. Wouldn't you rather be condoning true freedom and self-ownership? It seems that would be more in keeping with your values.

 

[Brian Blackwell]

The origin of the power given to congress is from the people. Where do you think the power should be centered and from what source?

If the power of Congress is granted by the people, then this implies the people have this power to grant. Who among us may claim such power? Do you claim the power to personally tax your neighbor? To personally write laws which he must obey? If you don't have this power, and neither do any of "the people", how can they delegate this power to someone else? I presume you would not accept me delegating the right to take your car to my brother, on the grounds that I do not have that right to begin with. It is invalid to delegate a right you don't have in the first place, is it not?

I do not see any valid center from which such power could spring, unless God came down from the heavens and asserted it. Man does not have the ability to invent non-existent rights. He may delegate rights he already has, but he cannot validly create new ones, no matter how many people agree to it.

 

[rightwinger]

My choices? Do you think I have a choice in where my property tax goes?

You seem to understand the injustice in taking the fruit of your labor by threat of violence and using it in ways you don't necessarily agree with (or even have outright moral objections to). What I don't understand is why you continue to support such a system. I assume you also recognize that this is wrong as applied to others, even if their priorities differ from your own (in other words, it's equally wrong to force others to pay for those things that you deem important). Why do you abide this injustice? You always have a choice. You can choose to remove your support from this system where possible, and speak out against it; but so far you seem to be supporting the Republican party, which makes you an accomplice in these crimes. Wouldn't you rather be condoning true freedom and self-ownership? It seems that would be more in keeping with your values.

Taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society
Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

[Brian Blackwell]

A Dennis Prager video? And we are supposed to take this seriously?

Please don't do that; it diminishes the integrity of public discourse. Refute the argument, not the speaker.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The WeakWhite Supremacists on this board who see no need for Affirmative Action are the same ones that argue for Jim Crow.

Ignorance is Bliss to these unsalvageables.

 

[rightwinger]

A Dennis Prager video? And we are supposed to take this seriously?

Please don't do that; it diminishes the integrity of public discourse. Refute the argument, not the speaker.

Prager has a long history of misrepresenting the facts

 

[rightwinger]

The WeakWhite Supremacists on this board who see know need for Affirmative Action are the same ones that argue for Jim Crow.

Ignorance is Bliss to these unsalvageable.

Affirmative Action was a direct response to retaliation against the repeal of Jim Crow laws

You might make them negroes equal under the law, but I will be damned if I will hire one of them

 

[Brian Blackwell]

Taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society
Oliver Wendell Holmes

Should we call it "civilized" to demand a portion of people's labor by threat of violence? That's typically called "extortion" or "slavery".

Is it "civilized" to have people in a constant arena battle over a dangling sword of power which they scramble around like pigs at a trough, hoping they can use it to slash at their neighbor before their neighbor uses it to slash at them?

I think it far more civilized to acknowledge each person's self-ownership, and to use persuasion via sound arguments to elicit their voluntary support. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[Wry Catcher]

All interactions in the environment ought to be governed by the Golden Rule. That it is not, and never will be, don't expect a Libertarian Constitution would be anything but predators and prey.

And how do you suppose that this "predator and prey" problem is solved by taking a small portion of that morally flawed population and clothing them in immense power? Doesn't this just make more powerful predators who can devour more prey? Both history and current events would suggest that it does, don't you agree? It's hard to imagine how Stalin could have been responsible for 50 million deaths if he did not wield the power of governmental authority. I prefer to keep my predators down here on the ground with the rest of us, rather than giving them a machine gun and a tower.

I don't recognize the Constitution as a valid document, btw. It asserts the power of Congress without a valid explanation as to the origin of that power. It's a unilaterally-enacted contract created before I was born, and unjustly applied to me without ever acquiring my consent to the terms.

The origin of the power given to congress is from the people. Where do you think the power should be centered and from what source?

Cool, then get out of the United States and find yourself a country which will a) take you, b) tolerate your arrogance, and c) tolerate your narcissistic view of the world.

Millions of us served our nation, and in doing so took the oath to support and defend the supreme law of our land. It's not perfect, and is under the threat by someone like you who believes he is the central power.

The genius in our form of government is We the People have never tolerated extremists, and no matter how the ship of state's helmsman goes awry, the people will be sure to change the watch and select a new Captain.

 

[Brian Blackwell]

Prager has a long history of misrepresenting the facts

I understand. But even a broken clock may yield something of value every now and then. We shouldn't further the idea that we can utterly dismiss every word that comes from the mouth of a particular speaker.

 

[Wry Catcher]

All interactions in the environment ought to be governed by the Golden Rule. That it is not, and never will be, don't expect a Libertarian Constitution would be anything but predators and prey.

And how do you suppose that this "predator and prey" problem is solved by taking a small portion of that morally flawed population and clothing them in immense power? Doesn't this just make more powerful predators who can devour more prey? Both history and current events would suggest that it does, don't you agree? It's hard to imagine how Stalin could have been responsible for 50 million deaths if he did not wield the power of governmental authority. I prefer to keep my predators down here on the ground with the rest of us, rather than giving them a machine gun and a tower.

I don't recognize the Constitution as a valid document, btw. It asserts the power of Congress without a valid explanation as to the origin of that power. It's a unilaterally-enacted contract created before I was born, and unjustly applied to me without ever acquiring my consent to the terms.

Cool, then get out of the United States and find yourself a country which will a) take you, b) tolerate your arrogance, and c) tolerate your narcissistic view of the world.

Millions of us served our nation, and in doing so took the oath to support and defend the supreme law of our land. It's not perfect, and is under the threat by someone like you who believes he is more important than the law.

The genius in our form of government is We the People have never tolerated extremists, and no matter how the ship of state's helmsman goes awry, the people will be sure to change the watch and select a new Captain.

 

[BS Filter]

The origin of the power given to congress is from the people. Where do you think the power should be centered and from what source?

If the power of Congress is granted by the people, then this implies the people have this power to grant. Who among us may claim such power? Do you claim the power to personally tax your neighbor? To personally write laws which he must obey? If you don't have this power, and neither do any of "the people", how can they delegate this power to someone else? I presume you would not accept me delegating the right to take your car to my brother, on the grounds that I do not have that right to begin with. It is invalid to delegate a right you don't have in the first place, is it not?

I do not see any valid center from which such power could spring, unless God came down from the heavens and asserted it. Man does not have the ability to invent non-existent rights. He may delegate rights he already has, but he cannot validly create new ones, no matter how many people agree to it.

The people vote for a representative to carry out their will in Congress.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Prager has a long history of misrepresenting the facts

I understand. But even a broken clock may yield something of value every now and then. We shouldn't further the idea that we can utterly dismiss every word that comes from the mouth of a particular speaker.

Maybe not, but one cannot believe a two-faced flip and flop demagogue. Trust and verify, is good advice and imperative in today's world.

 

[jasonnfree]

Another day of Rush Limbaugh 101. Let people pull themselves up by their own bootstraps is the road to success and depending on government is both evil and the road to failure. But it's ok to bail out banks, subsidize corporations, let the very wealthy claim the cayman islands as their residence for tax purposes, even allow corporations to declare themselves citizens and say money is speech.