I thought this was America?

BudmanTX

Well-Known Member
It sounds like you believe in god then, which I don't think makes you agnostic.
it does, I don't give it a gender, it could be the ant, or the bird, or the wind....it could be the clouds in the sky..or it could be bigger than me..for me I am just a grain of sand in a electron microscope to the rest...u are too.
 

DoubleAtotheRON

Well-Known Member
it does, I don't give it a gender, it could be the ant, or the bird, or the wind....it could be the clouds in the sky..or it could be bigger than me..for me I am just a grain of sand in a electron microscope to the rest...u are too.
You forgot the Universe.
 

Offmymeds

Well-Known Member
I have nothing against capitalism. But I see it for what it is. Nor anything for/against socialism..

I do know the point of capitalism is based in selfishness, to amass as much as one can for themselves while socialism and communism are ideological beliefs in controlling wealth and limit everyone to having the same, but I know they've never worked and if you study history capitalism its the best representation of survival of the fittest and its left a sort of biological footprint throughout history shaping kingdoms and empires as there would be no other way for a top down system to exist and they always have.

long live capitalism. nothing can defeat it.
When someone tells me this "ism" is better than that "ism" I immediately wonder what they are protecting.

My big ism is pragmatism which is a mix of communism, socialism, and capitalism., i.e., whatever works best in the circumstance.

Take healthcare as an example. Does healthcare fit the circumstances for capitalism. i.e., does the market have well-informed consumers able to choose providers in open competition in an arena of level supply and demand? Of course not. The providers are limited and regulated and go through a class system favoring the wealthy. The consumers can't predict their diseases much less have knowledge of things such as the various options for dealing with prostate cancer. Even if the consumer did have that knowledge the law states that insurers are only required to provide summary information on their health plans. So which insurer would provide your life-saving treatment at the lowest cost? Impossible to know so the consumer is screwed even if they know the diseases to which they might be susceptible. However, the insurers can deny you and you could lose benefits through termination. Does capitalism respond to the circumstances of pandemics and the needs of the individuals? It fails miserably there. We are gorged on pricing and the Rx industry isn't expected to cater to anyone but the masses. Presently the government has to intervene because insulin makers are absolutely gorging poor consumers. Is there a fair distribution of healthcare resources around the country? No, rural and poor areas are screwed. Overall we, as nation of capitalists, are getting sicker (30th and dropping), taking more unnecessary personal risks, and spending far more than other national systems. Accordingly, in our system, we get a less mobile and less healthy workforce.

There is room for socialism and capitalism together in healthcare IMO but universal healthcare is the only pragmatic solution for consumers. Unfortunately consumers are triggered by a word with an ism at the end. Socialism, So scary. Universal healthcare is just pragmatism but easily killed by fear.
 
Last edited:

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
Yet this one says different.....

Zoroastrianism - not being the youngest of the bunch....


https://theculturetrip.com/asia/articles/the-8-oldest-religions-in-the-world/
If you read what I wrote, you will discover that I made zero (zip, zilch, nada-rino, el biggo eggo del goose-o, nischt) claims about what might be the oldest religion extant. I merely ranked the three faiths I did discuss by age.

So what we have here is a museum-quality specimen of a straw-man argument. Rarely are they presented with such focus.

On another topic, were I to look for the oldest religion still practiced, I’d interview some Australian aborigines. Some of their tales of the dreamtime are probably older than the venus of Willendorf.

 

cannabineer

Ursus marijanus
When someone tells me this "ism" is better than that "ism" I immediately wonder what they are protecting.

My big ism is pragmatism which is a mix of communism, socialism, and capitalism., i.e., whatever works best in the circumstance.

Take healthcare as an example. Does healthcare fit the circumstances for capitalism. i.e., does the market have well-informed consumers able to choose providers in open competition in an arena of level supply and demand? Of course not. The providers are limited and regulated and go through a class system favoring the wealthy. The consumers can't predict their diseases much less have knowledge of things such as the various options for dealing with prostate cancer. Even if the consumer did have that knowledge the law states that insurers are only required to provide summary information on their health plans. So which insurer would provide your life-saving treatment at the lowest cost? Impossible to know so the consumer is screwed even if they know the diseases to which they might be susceptible. However, the insurers can deny you and you could lose benefits through termination. Does capitalism respond to the circumstances of pandemics and the needs of the individuals? It fails miserably there. We are gorged on pricing and the Rx industry isn't expected to cater to anyone but the masses. Presently the government has to intervene because insulin makers are absolutely gorging poor consumers. Is there a fair distribution of healthcare resources around the country? No, rural and poor areas are screwed. Overall we, as nation of capitalists, are getting sicker (30th and dropping), taking more unnecessary personal risks, and spending far more than other national systems. Accordingly, in our system, we get a less mobile and less healthy workforce.

There is room for socialism and capitalism together in healthcare IMO but universal healthcare is the only pragmatic solution for consumers. Unfortunately consumers are triggered by a word with an ism at the end. Socialism, So scary. Universal healthcare is just pragmatism but easily killed by fear.
I am most intemperately drawn to a daydream of panoplied priests in slow procession, carrying a veiled statue on a palanquin in their midst, the junior clerics on the perimeter working those prostrate worshipers (aligned like iron filings to a magnet) in reach with ritual flails and intoning “All hail Pragma! Bow down before the image of the Holy! ~whack~ I said bow, dammit!”
 

CunningCanuk

Well-Known Member
Ok ok guys... I suppose I was just talking to the American members. Crazy how other Countries follow our policies more than thier own.
Because someone follows your politics doesn’t mean they don’t follow their own. I follow Canadian politics more but when I’m here, in RIU, American politics is the predominant discussion. I remember when one of our Aussie members started a thread about the Aussie dream of homeownership and it became a thread about the American dream of home ownership.

I live in Canada and we have easy access to Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc. These “news networks” make significant amounts of money through advertising revenue geared to the Canadian market.

The way I see it, to complain about criticism or comments about your country’s politics from me, is like being a loud, obnoxious drunk at a party and asking, “what are you looking at?”

On a personal level, I follow American politics because I have friends, family, a wife and daughter who are American citizens. So if anyone has a problem with me making comments about American politics, they can go pound salt.
 

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
AthiestAboutMostGods..jpg

I consider myself an agnostic atheist in that I don't believe there is a god but willing to change my mind should some real proof show up.

I've also been a minister of the Universal Life Church since my birthday in 1978 but our church doesn't need you to believe in god.

AthiestsWinning.jpg

:peace:
 

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
I remember when one of our Aussie members started a thread about the Aussie dream of homeownership and it became a thread about the American dream of home ownership.
.
it became the american dream of not knowing what the dream was, which was funny considering the first page of comments. lol
 
Top