I think that Bill Maher is an excellent counter-argument to the trite assumption that libertarians are necessarily on the right.
Personally, I think you'd get more traction with "Feh, Maher's not a real libertarian!" than with "Maher is a Libertarian, Libertarians are on the right, QED!!!"
If someone starts screaming about how awful X is on issue Y, and how wicked X is with regards to issue Y, and how they cannot believe how (screwed) up X is when it comes to Y and then, after some light investigation, that X is, in fact, the best on the issue of Y and there is not an example of any other entity out there that is better when it comes to Y?
Is there tension between the American Religion and Islam?
I'm not asking "should it exist" or "are White People racists" or "are you a good person" but if is there a phenomenon of tension between the American Religion and Islam.
If there is tension between the American Religion and Islam, is this tension resolvable?
Does even asking this question demonstrate not only a number of personal shortcomings on my part but calls into question the character of anyone who would even ask such a question?
Back in my Superatheist! days, I went to the occasional Freethinkers (sigh) meeting.
After one of the more depressing ones (the speaker made fun of his grandmother's simple religious faith and expected us to laugh along), I was witnessed to by a Muslim gentleman of Arab extraction. I thought that this was a challenge I had never before contemplated... I was used to slapping around Christians, here was an opportunity to slap around a Muslim!
I began with talking about the five pillars. Charity, the pilgramage, Ramadan, prayer... and when I said what the Muslim affirmation of faith was, the gentleman put his hand into a fist, shook it in my face, and told me to never say the name of his prophet ever again.
Dex, you really need to watch out for the whole "fascist pigs who don't know that they're fascist pigs because they think that they think like Jesus" thing.
No, no. The congress would still be in charge of putting the Federal Budget together. It's just that there would be no debate over putting something *IN* the budget. Someone want it in there? Wham, it's in there. It may be in there as #1,294,312... but it's in there.
We just go down the list until we run out of money and if we don't get to #1,294,312 (and we won't), we don't.
I remember when the argument was "there is no proof that this ever happened!" until Delmar Pickett Jr. surfaced and stood by his story (which was broadcast in 1971).
Now it's become the first couple of sentence fragments in your first paragraph.
One idea re: taxation that I thought was pretty interesting was put *EVERYTHING* you want the government to do on a list. Absolutely everything. If you think that the government ought to purchase Grateful Dead cds for tweens? Put it on the list!
We have the list prioritized and work our way down it. I imagine that Defense, Medicare, and Social Security (in whatever order) are the top 3. Then we move to #4 if we still have money. Then we move to #5 if we still have money. And, when we run out of money, we stop.
If we make it to #1,294,312 (which is where I imagine the Greatful Dead cd idea might be) and we still have money? Great! We can buy the cds for tweens! Box of Rain! "Walk into splintered sunlight, Inch your way through dead dreams to another land. Gotta get down to the bus stop. Gotta catch my bus. I see my friends!"
If, however, we run out of money at #8, then #9 isn't going to get funded.
Some years we make it to #20.
Some years we don't. Maybe most years we don't.
We can experiment with tax rates and see how many numbers we get. Raising rates gets us here... lowering them gets us there... maybe the laffer curve is more like a sine wave and there are little peaks and troughs all over the thing. Experiment! Find out! And if we don't have enough money to pay for #20, we don't have enough money to pay for #20.
Anyway, I know that that is a pipe dream... but, as pipe dreams go...
On “Muslims and PR: A response to comments”
I think that Bill Maher is an excellent counter-argument to the trite assumption that libertarians are necessarily on the right.
Personally, I think you'd get more traction with "Feh, Maher's not a real libertarian!" than with "Maher is a Libertarian, Libertarians are on the right, QED!!!"
On “Why We Disagree About Taxes, Entitlements, and Economic Theory in General”
Stealing from Peter to pay Paul always seems more sustainable to Paul than Peter.
On “Muslims and the need for reform or, at least, better PR”
That's "Responsible Government".
On “Contra Tu Quoque, Or, Avoiding The Fourth Response”
How should people instead respond to posts that might offend them?
On “Muslims and the need for reform or, at least, better PR”
Hey, BSK! Down here!
You seemed to mock "relativism" earlier.
Here is my main question: Exactly what should we not tolerate? Why?
And, of course, what is your basis for being able to make that judgment?
"
Suddenly we're not fans of relativism?
I don't know that you're going to like where non-relativism necessarily takes you in any given discussion regarding cultural differences.
I imagine that I'd be far more interested in exploring that territory than you are... let's find out.
"
Why do we need to cite another country at all?
Well, I've got this weird tic.
If someone starts screaming about how awful X is on issue Y, and how wicked X is with regards to issue Y, and how they cannot believe how (screwed) up X is when it comes to Y and then, after some light investigation, that X is, in fact, the best on the issue of Y and there is not an example of any other entity out there that is better when it comes to Y?
Something weird is going on.
"
This was prior to 9/11. Afterwards, I would have avoided the discussion entirely.
"
Is there tension between the American Religion and Islam?
I'm not asking "should it exist" or "are White People racists" or "are you a good person" but if is there a phenomenon of tension between the American Religion and Islam.
If there is tension between the American Religion and Islam, is this tension resolvable?
Does even asking this question demonstrate not only a number of personal shortcomings on my part but calls into question the character of anyone who would even ask such a question?
"
Back in my Superatheist! days, I went to the occasional Freethinkers (sigh) meeting.
After one of the more depressing ones (the speaker made fun of his grandmother's simple religious faith and expected us to laugh along), I was witnessed to by a Muslim gentleman of Arab extraction. I thought that this was a challenge I had never before contemplated... I was used to slapping around Christians, here was an opportunity to slap around a Muslim!
I began with talking about the five pillars. Charity, the pilgramage, Ramadan, prayer... and when I said what the Muslim affirmation of faith was, the gentleman put his hand into a fist, shook it in my face, and told me to never say the name of his prophet ever again.
Much less fun than slapping around Christians.
On “How Responsible Are You for Where Your Taxes Go?”
Eh, it's not limited to that. Remember the objections to "faith-based initiatives"? Good times.
On “High Hopes”
Team Gold is considered "crazy" by both Team Red and Team Blue... that is, when it's not being accused of secretly working for the opposing team.
I believe it has always been thus.
On “How Responsible Are You for Where Your Taxes Go?”
Dex, you really need to watch out for the whole "fascist pigs who don't know that they're fascist pigs because they think that they think like Jesus" thing.
It's really, really, really pernicious.
"
"Blessed are the bombdroppers."
"
No, no. The congress would still be in charge of putting the Federal Budget together. It's just that there would be no debate over putting something *IN* the budget. Someone want it in there? Wham, it's in there. It may be in there as #1,294,312... but it's in there.
We just go down the list until we run out of money and if we don't get to #1,294,312 (and we won't), we don't.
"
I remember when the argument was "there is no proof that this ever happened!" until Delmar Pickett Jr. surfaced and stood by his story (which was broadcast in 1971).
Now it's become the first couple of sentence fragments in your first paragraph.
"
Do you agree with the premise or do you disagree with it?
"
One idea re: taxation that I thought was pretty interesting was put *EVERYTHING* you want the government to do on a list. Absolutely everything. If you think that the government ought to purchase Grateful Dead cds for tweens? Put it on the list!
We have the list prioritized and work our way down it. I imagine that Defense, Medicare, and Social Security (in whatever order) are the top 3. Then we move to #4 if we still have money. Then we move to #5 if we still have money. And, when we run out of money, we stop.
If we make it to #1,294,312 (which is where I imagine the Greatful Dead cd idea might be) and we still have money? Great! We can buy the cds for tweens! Box of Rain! "Walk into splintered sunlight, Inch your way through dead dreams to another land. Gotta get down to the bus stop. Gotta catch my bus. I see my friends!"
If, however, we run out of money at #8, then #9 isn't going to get funded.
Some years we make it to #20.
Some years we don't. Maybe most years we don't.
We can experiment with tax rates and see how many numbers we get. Raising rates gets us here... lowering them gets us there... maybe the laffer curve is more like a sine wave and there are little peaks and troughs all over the thing. Experiment! Find out! And if we don't have enough money to pay for #20, we don't have enough money to pay for #20.
Anyway, I know that that is a pipe dream... but, as pipe dreams go...
On “A Confession of Bias, Followed by a Bunch of Stuff You Should Probably Ignore”
It looks like the whipping would have stopped before it really got started.
On “Three In One: Jukebox, Bleg, and Open Thread”
Knights of the Old Republic!
Seriously. It'll blow you away.
On “Do a Plurality of Mississippi Republicans Want to Ban Interracial Marriage?”
Sigh. And we just had a discussion about that word too.
Surely your vocabulary is good enough to point out someone else's social failings without resorting to the scatological!
On “How Responsible Are You for Where Your Taxes Go?”
I'm looking up "stuff that helps".
Yep, that ain't in there.
On “Do a Plurality of Mississippi Republicans Want to Ban Interracial Marriage?”
Asperger's Syndrome has upsides.
"
It was either that or Hitler. I decided to mix it up.
"
Yeah, one wonders why they don't get with the pogrom.