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4721  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Why so many people say "Muslims are terrorists" Should we say that? on: May 05, 2019, 01:31:40 AM
Christian persecution 'at near genocide levels' https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48146305
4722  Economy / Goods / Re: Metal Bitcoin Sign on: May 04, 2019, 08:13:48 PM
Hello there. Nice work and all on this, doesn't look too bad at all. If i could constructively criticise one little point though, it would have been nicer to have seen it aligned so that the BTC had the tilt on it. Im aware that you could easily turn it and make it so, however, the x shaped border would be mis aligned if you done that.  Hope i didn't come across negative. Cheers

I disagree. As a graphic designer the stencil style would make this tilt look very out of place. The tilt works because it gives the circle the illusion of being in 3-D space, and this is clearly 2-D as a stencil, so that would just be discordant. I sent a PM btw OP...
4723  Other / Politics & Society / Re: The Real Problems with American Healthcare on: May 04, 2019, 11:54:18 AM
https://ijr.com/economist-claims-doubling-income-taxes-wouldnt-fund-medicare-for-all/
4724  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Facebook bans Alex Jones and others on: May 04, 2019, 11:04:46 AM
If it is not clear yet, we are currently in the stage of modern book burning and unpersoning. Once they have proven these methods acceptable for the figureheads, the general population is next. This is the global version of the Chinese social credit score, and it is here for YOU.
It seems like it ...
The politicians need to do something against that, i don't want to live in a black mirror episode
What can we the citizens do about those things, other than to live in apathy and accept it like the majority of people does?

Raise hell over this, tell everyone you know. Start posting #Icondemnalexjones with a new story URL every day. Find ways to break their filters. Call your representatives. Stop spending money with/on their services. Stop using them.
4725  Other / Meta / Re: This Is NOT A New Problem... A Walk Down Memory Lane on: May 04, 2019, 07:26:50 AM
A good example of this happening was CITM who had an outsized trust list that was not kept up with, which resulted in many scammers eventually getting onto DT via him; after some time, it became widely known his trust list was not good, and there became calls for him to be removed from DT1 (IIRC, he was only removed when he gave a frivolous rating to Dogie, which IMO was far too late).

Source: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=990074.0. CITM was effectively selling DT2 positions as a free perk for buying as little as a USB miner from him.
Thanks for this.

Despite the problems related to CITM, I think this was a time when the DT system worked best. There was a fairly small amount of controversy and when there was controversy, issues were usually resolved in one way or another after a public discussion.

The introduction of trust exclusions gave people an excuse to not remove a controversial (inappropriate) person from their trust list.

The exclusions were a hand crafted feature to allow people who control the trust to never have to take responsibility for who they choose to use their inordinate amount of influence to deny others any say in how the system works. They never even have to explain themselves. It is just acceptable to exclude people now because you don't like them. This is a pathetic popularity contest spawned from systematically avoiding responsibility, not a trust system.
4726  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Capitalism vs. Socialism - Make your argument here. on: May 04, 2019, 07:09:58 AM


And they can't. First thing that happens when socialists get the power, is dictate rules for everyone else to follow. No they don't ask everyone, and even if they do, the "minority" is irrelevant. Social struggle is their belief, not peaceful resolution as done in a free market society with every transaction...

A small group ends "leading". Its a natural transition from the communist party organization, they don't believe masses can "do revolution" without leaders, they HAVE to lead. And once they get into power, this thinking remains and is put in motion nationwide.

Which is how you end with, all the "failed" attempts in human history...

Yes, they would give you this fake rhetoric/facade: "power to the people", but we the people will follow our loved great leader... They "replace" the wealthy group they accuse of everything, and after taking all their possessions by force (sometimes distribute a bit but keep the best for them) take their place as the leading "nomenclature" or party officials or revolutionary whatever.
I used to get offended but other topics have made me realize where this misconception comes from.  The same logic that allows  you to think a person calling themselves muslim and killing people makes islam bad also allows you to think this sort of thing makes socialism bad. 

I don't know how to help you understand that individual actions and ideology are not the same thing.

And it always degrades into something resembling a monarchy, just look at north Korea: hereditary leadership like the absolute monarchies of the past (who ruled from that very city of Pyongyang).
You need to understand that DPRK is not a product of natural 'degradation' but rather a direct creation from outside interference.  The PRK was the original, socialist government before the US murdered most of the leadership.   Some of them escaped to the north and the USSR coopted their movement and created the DPRK as a combative, oppressive counter against American/capitalist aggression. 

All you have done is told us that socialism doesn't work with capitalist interference or cooption.

How evolved you have become! You are capable of having retarded delusions without being offended when they are challenged. MUCH SUPREMACY!

Your logic allows you to believe that ideology has no effect over these individuals, because you prefer to claim any positive aspects and disown any negative aspects of the ideologies you propagandize. I don't know how to help you realize ideology is the basis for all actions. Again, everything bad is the fault of capitalism, and everything good is socialism. Lets just ignore that socialism creates all of the factors needed for a dictatorship to take control. There are never socialist nations formed without other capitalist nations existing, therefore your analogy is bullshit because in order for it to be valid would require the total removal of capitalism globally in order for you to call socialism socialism. All you have done is told us that socialism requires impossible to meet standards in order to function.
4727  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Venezuela: Guaidó pledges end of Maduro era in militaristic video on: May 04, 2019, 06:59:53 AM
This guy in here doesn't represent the majority of Venezuelans but probably represents rich, white Venezuelans very well.  Venezuelans chose Maduro, they chose the bolivar revolution...and yeah, if you wanna keep score, we can keep score and the US is well in the lead of China when it comes to wrongdoing at home and abroad.  Don't mention Gulags when the US has more nonviolent prisoners than any nation in history.  The US has over 6x the incarceration rate of China.  

Talk about perspective.  I'm still waiting for China to invade and install dictators/terrorists in random countries all over the world.

You do not represent the majority of Americans, but the rich delusional mentally ill leftist "academics" on the West coast. What the fuck makes you think you know better than him? What kind of arrogant piece of shit do you have to be to tell some one living under a dictatorship what is what and criticizing them because their ideas don't fit with your childish delusional fairy tales? Oh the US is in the lead is it? What about the hundreds of millions dead under Mao? What about the concentration camps for Falun Gong, or the Uyghurs Muslims? What about the organ harvesting of these political prisoners? I didn't know the US was imprisoning people for being religious and selling their organs. You don't know shit, you an arrogant little punk bitch with secret delusions of supremacy and you don't know anything about the world. Step aside child and let the adults have a discussion, or grow up and learn to pull information from your brain instead of just your ass.
4728  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Venezuela: Guaidó pledges end of Maduro era in militaristic video on: May 03, 2019, 05:55:49 PM
Criminality and corruption in Venezuela takes around 20k lives per year. Socialism kills even more than than current conflicts across the world...

Found this tweet today, she is damn right. I'll translate it for you:

Quote from: Antonella Marty
Socialism is death.
Socialism is hunger.
Socialism is violence.
Socialism is dictatorship.
Socialism is evilness.
Socialism is a poverty making machine.
Socialism is involution
Socialism is a disgrace

#SocialismNeverMore
This part right here proves that you are delusional and have been manipulated by massive media outlets (the US media will scream socialism at anything that doesn't help feed massive companies Roll Eyes). FYI the economic situation of the country is not a consequence of "socialism", but you wouldn't know this since you are unable to think for yourself apparently.

TIL LAUDA knows more about Venezuela than Venezuelans in Venezuela.
4729  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Facebook bans Alex Jones and others on: May 03, 2019, 04:15:08 PM
If it is not clear yet, we are currently in the stage of modern book burning and unpersoning. Once they have proven these methods acceptable for the figureheads, the general population is next. This is the global version of the Chinese social credit score, and it is here for YOU.
4730  Other / Politics & Society / Re: New York State Rockland County Bans Unvaccinted Kids From All Public Places on: May 03, 2019, 04:13:06 PM
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/mainstream-media-now-calling-vaccines-arrest-antivaxxers/

Maybe arresting antivaxxers is not good enough? Maybe they should be rounding them up and executing them for defying the state and daring to have autonomy over their own bodies? How far is too far for you?
4731  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Venezuela: Guaidó pledges end of Maduro era in militaristic video on: May 03, 2019, 03:52:10 PM
Another victim killed by Maduro's forces. Yesterday a 15 year old boy was killed from the back, he wasn't even in the demonstration but was only looking at it. Since April 30 five have been confirmed killed by Maduro's forces. Same story as in 2017 (hundreds killed), 2014, etc.
-snip-
This is the kind of regime codepink is defending, good riddance on their squatting kicked out from our embassy in Washington DC.
You must be a very delusional average Joe. The US warmachine kills this number of people before breakfast using only drones. Roll Eyes I'll let you guess one time who is staging "peaceful protests" and getting the people killed in the first place.

Tell me, even IF this were true, this is much worse than Venezuela being run by China, which runs literal concentration camps and organ harvesting of political prisoners? You seem to be losing all reasonable perspective. This is about China gaining a South American military foothold complete with fuel supply to leverage against the USA. You think China is above all of this?

I'm sure that Guaidó didn't start this action without support and help from America.
Guaido is a CIA trained agent; of course he didn't start this without support. He was literally sent there from the US (unlike the conspiracy theory ramblings I've been seeing).

And China openly backs Maduro, a clearly murdering corrupt dictator. You are too busy being the trendy anti-American contrarian to realize there are things worse than US involvement, like Chinese control and the extension of the current regime. You also have some gall telling some one who lives there and can see it with their own eyes what is best of for them, but fuck the Venezuelan people right? NO TRUMP! NO WALL! NO USA AT ALL! YAY CHINESE GULAGS!


4732  Other / Politics & Society / Re: New York State Rockland County Bans Unvaccinted Kids From All Public Places on: May 02, 2019, 11:29:25 AM
https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/42/18/dtg-city-closes-williamsburg-measles-yeshivas-2019-05-03-bk.html
4733  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Venezuela: Guaidó pledges end of Maduro era in militaristic video on: April 30, 2019, 01:54:49 PM
Good luck my friend. I hope the Venezuelan people can be independent once again.
4734  Other / Politics & Society / Re: A message from the future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on: April 30, 2019, 08:53:15 AM
She nor the bill suggests any of those things you just said.  Thanks for proving my point though and showing tecshare that people who "know" about it actually just believe a bunch of crazy misinformation like a train from dc to Hawaii.

Interesting proof, considering I never said anything about a train from DC to Hawaii. How about you pick a policy in it Captain Postmodern, your choice, and I will tell you why it is totally insane and non-viable. Howbow dah? Cash me outside.
4735  Other / Politics & Society / Re: Mother Forcing Chemical Castration & Gender Reassignment of 6 Year Old Boy In TX on: April 30, 2019, 08:49:48 AM
6 year olds tell little lies but they don't orchestrate political conspiracies that last for years and completely change their life.     Gender isn't something people wake up and "want to change".  Its engrained in who you are.  You aren't identifying as a male because thats what you prefer today.  You are identifying as a male because thats what you know you are.  Its the same as trans just doesn't match their birth certificate like it does yours.


This idea that everyone is the "exception" is what drives almost all right-wing histeria.

One trans person lied so now they all might be
A muslim killed someone so now they all might
an immigrant raped someone so now they all might

Stop just worrying about the one toxic skittle and focus on the bag.

No, six year olds don't orchestrate conspiracies, but adults do, even at the expense of abusing children. If gender isn't something people wake up and change what is gender fluid then? Regardless children do not yet have a strong sense of gender identity, if at all, and are easily influenced by the people around them such as parents and teachers. This is why psychotics like you target them and use them for your political fantasies. "Everyone is the exception" is a self contradictory statement by the way. If everyone is the exception, no one is. You like to pretend you examples are single incidents rather than a pattern, again because it serves your political motives. If only you were a fraction as clever as you think you are in your mind. Stop worrying about the nut, and focus on deez Captain Postmodern.
4736  Other / Politics & Society / Re: I am willing to argue public education has ruined this country... on: April 28, 2019, 11:21:10 PM
WOW. An Atlas post. I haven't seen that name in a long time.

The US Department of Education is based on a Soviet model. It is about creating indoctrination and socialization, not educating, teaching logic, or critical thought. This process has seriously degraded the abilities of hundreds of millions who might otherwise be living under logic and enjoying the fruits of critical thought.



So I'm going to assume that in the past there was a way to post anonymously on the forum? I've literally never seen this before.....

The post was made by a user named Atlas who was banned. I think this is just how the forum worked then, either that or they did not want to nuke his extensive post history.
4737  Other / Politics & Society / Re: The Real Problems with American Healthcare on: April 28, 2019, 11:19:12 PM
or as is common in most nations with universal healthcare, increased waiting times, shortages of doctors and medicines, as well as other issues.
Except none of that is true.

The US is decidedly middle-of-the-pack in terms of waiting times:
 

The US has a lower number of doctors per capita than the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, the OECD average, the EU average, the NATO average, and the G7 average: https://www.who.int/gho/health_workforce/physicians_density/en/

First of all those are all based on surveys, the lowest form of data to be had, a type that is exceptionally easy to manipulate. Second, these are all from 10 years ago before the hordes of millions of illegal migrants started crossing over in to Europe and to the US, which is clearly having an effect on supply and demand. Again, as I explained people keep saying we need to be more like these countries, and I argue that this was already attempted and failed, resulting in the current conditions. It is rather convenient then, as people who support these kinds of policies usually do, to blame "free market" and "capitalism" for the failed results of government subsidized rent seeking monopolies resulting from attempting these entitlement policies from the past while using that failure as an example of the policy's own virtues.
4738  Other / Politics & Society / Re: The Real Problems with American Healthcare on: April 28, 2019, 02:09:34 PM

Every other OECD country is different than ours for one. None of them take in as many immigrants, none of them are as large by population, none of them have as much diversity as the USA does.

So.…. we're blaming diversity and immigrants for America's problems?

So we are pretending a huge load of people not paying into a system that subsidizes their healthcare doesn't have any detrimental effects? While we are at it lets pretend that conflicts arising from differences in culture do not directly result in issues such as more violence. Cultural homogeneity is known to have a stabilizing effect in many areas. The US has very little of this, Europe has quite a bit. Additionally you just totally ignored the point of the issue of scale. Not every system is scalable and there are diminishing returns when certain systems are scaled up, leaving you with less effective or ineffective results.




You make a claim "there is virtually no evidence that the health system in the US would be better if there was less Government involvement." which is a quite ironic statement considering you are making a claim of no evidence while providing no evidence to support this position.

You're just proving my point. Like I said, there are zero developed countries that have anything like the US health system of private companies running the show on healthcare (and you're suggesting we need more of that). The US is an outlier. My proof that more Government involvement would be better for healthcare is literally EVERY other OECD nation. Yours for less is... what exactly? A feeling that the US health system is bad, and it must be the Government's fault? Some general ideological positions that you're trying to apply to the health system?

If you have any health literature to support your opinion, such as OECD data, studies, anything at all that shows why less Government involvement in the US system would be a net benefit, I'd love to read it.

There are also zero nations that are exactly like the USA, the differences previously mentioned and well documented. You are comparing dissimilar countries and claiming the same system will work. This is proof of nothing. I am not suggesting we need more private industry, but less government involvement, and definitely not subsidies. Regulations need to be carefully considered, and nothing I have seen presented does this. The US healthcare system operates as a monopoly. Monopolies can not exist without them being protected by government regulation, furthermore they are illegal but only tolerated as they are perceived as a public good. Everything I have said has basis in logic, not "feelings" or "general ideological positions". I will leave that up to you making arguments from a moral position rather than a functional and logistic one.




The fact is there is plenty of evidence, just look at every government program ever. They always expand beyond their mandate, inflate prices because the customer doesn't care and its just "free money" to them that the public foots the bill for, then the prices get more and more bloated as the middle men like insurance agencies, banks, and lawyers start working their way in.


I'm not sure what OECD health system in the world you are applying this too. Also the US taxpayer is already spending the same amount as other countries. The taxes for healthcare are the same as other countries, but then also get smacked with high private fees.

And the 'middle men' you mention of insurance agencies, banks, and lawyers is the problem I agree. You cut them out of the equation or reduce their role substantially - like other countries already do that have a cheaper and better system.

All of them. They are all in varying stages of this process. Most importantly I am referring to the existing US system, which I had previously explained has already made the population the victim of this government mandate creep into entitlements and creating rent seeking systems as well as creating and protecting monopolies choosing winners and losers.




The marketplace is cutthroat. That means if one organization is full of worms, people can go to the more efficient worm free version because it provides better service at a lower cost. Unfortunately with government regulations a system of protectionism and rent seeking is set up for these companies which literally prevents competition and protects their monopolistic profiteering stranglehold. Don't make the mistake of thinking governments and corporations are different entities. While technically they are, largely they exist to serve each other in practice. This is why they need to be kept separate at all cost. I am not against regulation necessarily depending on how it is constructed, but this whole concept of government subsidy is a failure from the word go.


This thinking is why US gets nowhere on healthcare. You're taking an issue that has common sense answers (based on the experience of, well, the rest of the world) and put some idealistic free market competition dream over the top of it because it feels right deep down inside. Again, no other developed country lets the 'free market' determine if you die from a health issue or if it will make you broke.

Just to bring it down to a practical level of how this free market consumer choice health system actually works in the US -

Pretend you're unexpectedly seriously sick and need surgery. You need to be operated on within 24 hours or your chance of dying within a couple of weeks will go from 10% to 40%.  

In the US after your overpriced insurance (if you have it), your doctor still says you'll need to pay $10k in additional fees, but it could go up to $30k depending on whatever reasons they have.  

Your doctor is the expert, and you have a life or death health emergency. You're stressed and you think you can only just pay the bill.

It's at this point you want the uninformed potentially dying patient (or 'consumer') to start shopping around to see if they can find a cheaper/better life saving procedure at another clinic? Its at this point you want the person to check that they can't get the $30k procedure for $27k a couple cities away? Its at this point you want the person to question their doctor (who has your life in their hands) whether that extra $1k payment on the bill isn't over the top?

This isn't buying a TV trying to get the best deal in the free market. You just want to not die. But no, the 'market is cutthroat' and we can trust the market, doctors and big pharma to be reasonable players in a fair market that acts in your interest? please. Social policy issues should not be bystanders to free markets.

Just for a reference point - you know what happens in my country in the above example? I get treated and pay nothing except my taxes for healthcare (which are the same as what taxes the US pays on healthcare).


This is not a simple issue that "common sense" flippant "solutions" will solve, if it was that simple the issue wouldn't exist currently. Lots of really arrogant people like to think the answers are just so simple but the rest of the world is just too dumb to get it. I submit that the only thing common about your sense is that it is average.

Your little theoretical situation is meaningless for many reasons, primarily as a result of the fact all you are looking at is the individual and not the operation of the system as a whole. Again this comes from your position of arguing from a moral standpoint rather than a logistically functional one. What if they can get charitable assistance to cover the cost? What if they can get a payment plan? What if the person who is ill, is ill as a result of poor eating habits and drug abuse? Why should everyone pay for their bad choices, and who decides who gets that help?

Middlemen aside, the actual costs for these goods and services simply don't vaporize, they are passed on via taxes, or as is common in most nations with universal healthcare, increased waiting times, shortages of doctors and medicines, as well as other issues. Every choice has a cost, and you are only looking at the part you like while ignoring the parts you don't because you are operating from a basis of some undefined moral mandate.




Finally, most important of all, all of these other dithering excuses aside, IT IS NOT THE US GOVERNMENTS MANDATE to provide you with anything other than what is explicitly mandated in the constitution.


Here you are giving up. You are essentially saying that even if the health system would be better served by more Government involvement, it isn't directly permitted in the Constitution, so meh better not go there. I don't think you should see it like that as I'm pretty sure the founding fathers didn't have a concept of how the world would be today, and weren't thinking about the 21st century health care needs of the country. I would also find it unlikely they would support the current control of private companies over citizens.

You raised a few other points, which were mainly anti-government or establishment. I'm not trying to diminish those views and how they operate in other non-health (or social policy) fields, but for simplicity and to keep the points about healthcare, I'm looking at those as ideology pushing out evidence. Every other country does better than the US on healthcare. If the US wants to take the issue seriously, the bar is so low that they have plenty of nations to turn to for examples of what could work in the US.

I am sure your marginalization tactics work quite well on most people, but unfortunately you are the droid I am looking for no matter how much you tell me you are not. Don't speak for me please, I can do that for myself thanks. There is a reason the USA has grown so much and become so powerful, and a big part of it is our system of government. Being familiar with how and why it works, I understand that its writers were very intelligent men that realized government is like a liquid that will fill any crack or opening you allow it to enter in to, and then over time it will enter every facet of people's lives until the people become the servant of government, and not the government the servant of the people.

Again, you ignored my very logic based point that by creating dependence on the government for such a vital service, you are creating an imbalance between government and its people. With this powerful leverage, the people become the servant rather than the government serving the people. This alone is sufficient reason to limit the mandate of the government, not out of some lofty ideology, but as a knowledgeable human being that understands ANY CENTRALIZED SYSTEM can be subverted. Just plugging your ears and yelling "LALALALALA ITS MORAL THING TO DO LALALALALA" doesn't make this fact go away.
4739  Other / Politics & Society / Re: The Real Problems with American Healthcare on: April 28, 2019, 03:23:24 AM
Too bad the pharmaceutical industry are the largest advertisers for mainstream media and the largest political donors...
4740  Other / Politics & Society / Re: New York State Rockland County Bans Unvaccinted Kids From All Public Places on: April 28, 2019, 01:04:36 AM
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-measles/u-s-measles-outbreak-triggers-quarantine-at-two-los-angeles-universities-idUSKCN1S12V8
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