Comment

Comment by sk8eycat on January 28, 2012 at 7:25pm

Start over, maybe?  I don't think the other industrialized nations are as effed-up as the US.  How did they do it?

My hobbyhorse for decades has been, "Why don't we tax churches?"  Despite what they claim about "charity," very few of them actually do anything about the homeless and hungry people in their communities.  A church itself should not be classified as a charity unless it actually does more than just preach; IMO it's entertainment.  We tax movie and live show tickets, so whyyyy NOT?

Comment by dr kellie on January 28, 2012 at 5:48pm

Yeah.  Someone should do something about everything. 

Comment by sk8eycat on January 28, 2012 at 4:48pm

Justalysn, ironic, isn't it? Convicted felons get better care overall than people who worked and paid taxes all their lives. This especially applies to women because when we were in the workforce we were paid less than men doing the same jobs, or were forced to take lower paying jobs just to stay alive.

I still remember a not-so-funny comic strip from 10+ years ago: An attractive woman is standing on a stage in front of a microphone, holding a script.  She's obviously auditioning for something. One of the five men sitting in the front row asks, "How fast do you type?"

Made me growl, but it's so true!  Even women with post-graduate degrees got asked that question...and often had to settle for clerical work.  At close to minimum wage.

Women who do what conservatives say they should do, stay at home and raise the kids, with all the hard labor and intelligence that that entails, count for next to nothing, as far as Social InSecurity is concerned, when they become widowed.  And they lose even more "benefits" should they remarry.

Something is terribly wrong here.

Comment by sk8eycat on January 28, 2012 at 2:07pm

This isn't really about religion or non-religion...except it seems to be the sheeple who call themselves xians just don't "get" why some people need help:

New Medicare Program

You're a sick senior citizen and the government says there is no nursing home available for you. So what do you do?

Our plan gives anyone 65 years or older a gun and 4 bullets. You are allowed to shoot four Politicians.

Of course, this means you will be sent to prison where you will get three meals a day, a roof over your head, central heating, air conditioning and all the health care you need!

Need new teeth? No problem. Need glasses? That’s great. Need a new hip, knees, kidney, lungs or heart? They’re all covered.
As an added bonus, your kids can come and visit you as often as they do now.

And who will be paying for all of this? It’s the same government that just told you that you they cannot afford for you to go into a home.

Plus,  because you are a prisoner, you don't have to pay any income taxes anymore.

Is this a great country or what?

Comment by Jason Fleming on January 28, 2012 at 11:37am

I think its natural that we have a "Yankocentric" voice here. Besides having greater numbers (and a tenancy to state our opinions regardless of solicitation), we also have in my opinion a more religious atmosphere here, and therefore warrants greater push-back.

But you are right. We tend to cite our own constitution (as well as the Declaration of Independence) a lot when there are folks here from all over the rest of the English speaking world who's laws are not governed by it.

However, the reason is because we are currently facing attempts by the fundies to co opt our democracy and transform it into a theocracy. So naturally, our freedoms and rights granted to us by these documents are on the forefront of our minds.

You make a good point about the "Appointed by God" argument. For centuries, the Crown of England (as well as many others) has used this claim to validate its control over the people. It has been a means to cement subjugation. "You are surfs and Peasants because God wanted you to be." 

That's part of why I found it so funny that several of our recent GOP candidates (sorry, bringing it back to us again) claim that God told them to run, only to drop out early in the primary. Apparently, the god in question must be Loki, and a bit of an asshole.

Comment by sk8eycat on January 27, 2012 at 9:52pm

@Jonel Burge:

Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.
This is spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, and was a viewpoint that directly contradicted the notion that the powers of governments were granted to kings by God. This was essential in justifying the separation of the colonies from British Rule. The theory that governments derived their powers from the consent of the governed lies in some of the contemporary philosophy of Social Contract Theory as discussed by John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes.



Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_source_do_governments_derive_their_%...

 

Since it comes right after the Deist mention of "their Creator," it really fries their little crosses when you bring it up in conversation.

Comment by sk8eycat on January 27, 2012 at 9:18pm

FREETHOUGHT RADIO - Saturday, Jan. 28:

Guests: Jessica Ahlquist and Sunsara Taylor

This week we'll celebrate Roe v. Wade with journalist Sunsara Taylor. Then, we'll interview Jessica Ahlquist, the beseiged 16 year old litigant in a Rhode Island school prayer lawsuit. Her harrassment is an object lesson in why religion does not belong in our public schools.

*******************

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Saturdays, 11 am - noon Central, on Progressive Talk The Mic 92.1, Madison, Wis.

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Freethought Radio streams at The Mic 92.1, Madison, Wis., every Saturday from 11 a.m. - Noon Central.

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Comment by Jonel Burge on January 27, 2012 at 8:40pm

Well we already know they pick and choose whatever when it comes to their religion.

Everlasting life? YES.

Spending it on your knees, worshipping yaweh? mmmnnnooo....

Prayer, when you ask, god answers? YES.

Prayer is supposed to be private and personal? NOPE.

And that would be why slavery is illegal(which god had no problem with) but gay rights are still an issue.

Of course, when I brought up the "but isn't there something about slaves being good to have in the bible?" she goes "well of course god says to follow the law of the land as well" and I reply with "What if gay marriage becomes legal? It'll be the law of the land then..."

Then I got blocked. yay!

The verse she was referring to from the bible(as far as I could dig up)

 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A1-7&ver...

Okay after actually reading/researching it, here is my issue:

It's claiming that all authorities are appointed/chosen by god. How does that make sense? Since when is democratic vote=god? 

Comment by Sansdeity on January 27, 2012 at 1:12pm

I posted the link over at r/atheism which I think might have a lot to do with the skewed results.

Comment by Peter Cranny on January 27, 2012 at 1:08pm

Even "Judge forces school to take down prayer banner" would have been better - and more accurate.

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