TomAiello

Who's making that argument? I'd rather not have to pay taxes for all that other shit, either. What is it about our system that makes everyone spend so much time lobbying, spinning and trying to get their share of the government money? Could it be that the government has all the power, so the most logical course is to play for that, rather than doing a good job (at whatever you're supposed to be doing)? Can't build a decent car? No problem, just spend enough on lobbyists and the government will cover you. Can't accurately assess credit risks, and make bad loans? No worries, your lobbyists are making sure the government's got your back. The problem is that government is a trough, and politics is a feeding frenzy. Get rid of all that government money people fight over, and people go back to actually doing something useful--instead of spending all their time and energy trying to get their turn at the trough. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

The "less responsibility" part is huge for the really good doctors. They take the responsibility very seriously, and it grinds at them incessantly. These people are working 70 hours a week and privately worry that they're not doing enough to help their patients. It's kind of insane, actually. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Why is it a privilege? You need your owner's permission to drive? Get married? Start a business? Carry a firearm? You really think that's a good way to run things? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Well, it was pretty much there from the beginning. But it was taken out in 1865. I think Bill may have missed that part. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'll admit that my impression was that you were being incredibly arrogant and talking down to me. The funny part to me was that you missed my sarcasm, and thereby assumed I had taken Bill's post seriously (or at least more seriously than i had), and then you proceeded to lecture me on my inability to perceive humor/sarcasm--as a direct result of your inability to perceive mine. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

On the first part, I think the reason is that it's easier to get into law school than most other "professional" programs, since there are lots of law schools with varying entrance standards. There's a huge spread of qualities in both the schools and the lawyers themselves. I'm not sure I agree with the second part. I know lots of very smart people who are doctors and engineers. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Myers-Briggs is approximately as accurate as a tarot card reading. I think you're unfairly maligning Tarot. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Overthrown as a world power? Heck, what is our world power status getting us? Everyone hating us, our people getting blown up in random places all over the globe, our tax dollars getting funneled down ratholes in the middle east? If that's being a world power, I think I'd be ok with being overthrown a little bit. Let someone else do that shit for a while, so we can do some stuff around the home front. Too late for what? The only real role of the military, in a purely Jeffersonian system, is to defend the nation. Not to project influence outside of it. See how much trouble we've had occupying Iraq and Afghanistan? Now imagine anyone trying to occupy the USA, which is much larger, has far more people, and has a far larger number of rifles in circulation. Plus, I'm not necessarily envisioning an all volunteer army. Just a largely volunteer army. I can see some minimal Federal military, including some kind of entity to coordinate the State militias (which would include some full time professionals, just as they do now), a real Coast Guard with the teeth to actually guard the coast, and some other stuff. I just don't want a military that's so large that (a) we use it as a tool for empire building, and (b) there is no plausible power balance between the states, the people and the federal government--right now all the power rests with the federal government, and I think that's a problem. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

What about the people who borrowed a few hundred thousand dollars to become doctors, and now need to pay off that debt? Wiping out the earning potential they borrowed (not to mention working their asses off) to attain isn't exactly fair. I read somewhere that the average new doctor has about $100k in educational debt, but from the doctors I know, I'd say that number is way on the low side. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Not to forget Barry Goldwater. He was born in a U.S. territory. Nevermind that it later became the state of Arizona. I actually once met a man who'd lived in 4 different countries without moving. Shit like that happened to a lot of people in Europe in the first half of the last century. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

No, ma'am, we at the FBI do not have a sense of humor that we are aware of. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

See; http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm I remind you that as "sarcasm" has more than two syllables (perhaps depending on regional inflection, but at least in my pronunciation), I am not able to comprehend it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I don't know about that. I know the back story and I'm still getting nothing out of it. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Since in my view all religion is fiction anyway, I don't see any reason not to draw on other fiction to explain religious systems. What's the difference between drawing on the Bible to explain Islam and drawing on Robert Heinlein to explain Christianity? In either case, you're using someone's fictional writings, intended to explain their worldview, to help you explain another worldview. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Heck, the federal government has been borrowing to pay operating expenses for so long, it probably seems insane to the folks in Washington that anyone wouldn't be living off their credit card. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You should read more science fiction. There are plenty of possible worldviews that allow them to co-exist. Simply postulating that it is the faith of believers that creates their deity and makes it real for themselves gets around all of those objections. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

This is such a new and confusing concept for me. You are saying that people might say things that they do not mean? Why would they do that? Do you have a name for this practice? Where could I learn more about it? Can you teach me to stop and think, and find the deeper meaning hidden in these posts, as you have? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

I'd prefer neither. I'd prefer I got to keep the things I worked for. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You are saying that this post of Bill's Was somehow humorous, or intentionally exaggerated for purpose of providing an example? I guess I'm just not seeing it. Please, can you explain to me, in words of fewer than 3 syllables, where the humor, exaggeration or "leveling" is in that post? In fact, you'd better start with explaining the meaning of "leveling" to me in this context, because, as you've noted, it has 3 syllables, and is thus quite beyond my limited comprehension. Thanks for educating me! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You're disagreeing with the sponsors of that resolution? The ones listed at the top? Hey, that's your right, I guess. Along with shiny metal headgear. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

You don't know Adam very well, do you? Speaking just for me, I'd say we ought to abolish the vast majority of our professional military. I might be able to see a very small cadre of professional officers at the federal level who would act as a command and control nucleus in the event of war, coordinating the forces of the various states. Maybe. Have you read any of the commentary from Jefferson and company on the idea of a permanent, standing army? -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Oh my god, dude, you're feeding the trolls... -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Have you read this? It seems to me you're pretty far out of the mainstream on that one. -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com

Ron, Can you do us a favor and pick one of your two accounts, and stick with that one? Please read this announcement regarding multiple usernames. Thanks! -- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com