Is this the kind of people you want running our country???

[bigdavediode]

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

I'm not surprised. I'm sure everyone back at obama HQ is very proud of the job you're doing here.

The point, since you've apparently missed it, is that most people are fine and only a small fraction of fundamentalists cause problems.

This is the issue with extremism, and absolutist beliefs, that this absolutism brings with it a certainty that one is doing "God's Work" (or Allah's work) and thereby can justify horrible evil.

 

[Yannis]

Quote from AAAintheBeltway:

Possibly stupidest post ever...

I don't think so, he's just baiting us. Ignore such posts, it feels good. I should be doing exactly that a lot more

 

[bigdavediode]

Quote from Yannis:

I don't think so, he's just baiting us. Ignore such posts, it feels good. I should be doing exactly that a lot more

Or you could try defending a different position with rationality and clear arguments, thereby reaching a compromise.

 

[Yannis]

Quote from bigdavediode:

Or you could try defending a different position with rationality and clear arguments, thereby reaching a compromise.

I hear you, I've tried that, it doesn't work with some people. But, I keep hoping. That's why I go back and share something I like, and often get flamed again. Arghhh!!!

 

[Yannis]

For example, how many of us would have believed, 7 years ago, that we would't have another major attack on US soil for so long? Remember how embattled and scared we all felt back then, the anthrax scares and witchhunts, etc etc? We've done well!

As someone I respect said, some of us would rather react by fighting the global warming theory with recycling, and some others would rather invade a country or three. Those in the middle (do some of each, carefully, err towards less rather than too much) are scarse and few between.

Meanwhile, we're all talking about lipstick instead of the "tax them to death" disaster that this guy is preaching!

 

[bigdavediode]

Quote from Yannis:

For example, how many of us would have believed, 7 years ago, that we would't have another major attack on US soil for so long? Remember how embattled and scared we all felt back then, the anthrax scares and witchhunts, etc etc? We've done well!

Well, frankly, no. Terrorism rates are much higher than they were after 9/11 and before 2003 when the US invaded Iraq. You can see by 2002 that it would have been more productive to do nothing at all than the mistake of Iraq.

As someone I respect said, some of us would rather react by fighting the global warming theory with recycling, and some others would rather invade a country or three. Those in the middle (do some of each, carefully, err towards less rather than too much) are scarse and few between.

Meanwhile, we're all talking about lipstick instead of the "tax them to death" disaster that this guy is preaching!

I don't think he's preaching a "tax them to death" philosophy -- in fact, for most taxpayers Obama's plan returns significantly more money to them than McCain's, and with less debt accumulated.

 

[Yannis]

Quote from bigdavediode:

...I don't think he's preaching a "tax them to death" philosophy -- in fact, for most taxpayers Obama's plan returns significantly more money to them than McCain's, and with less debt accumulated.

That's a snare and a delusion, only possible in a disconnected, fragmented economy, not ours. He's taking lots of money out of one group and out of businesses (already taxed way too much relative to the rest of the world, which raises their willingness to flee) and giving some of it to another as a bribe for electing him. In total, he's taking money out of the economy and giving it to the less efficient Government. That's an economic slowdown in the making, not what we need now. It's also blatant wealth redistribution, another step towards class warfare, something else we don't need in this, already way too much polarized climate.

 

[bigdavediode]

Quote from Yannis:

That's a snare and a delusion, only possible in a disconnected, fragmented economy, not ours. He's taking lots of money out of one group and out of businesses (already taxed way too much relative to the rest of the world, which raises their willingness to flee)

LOL. I ran my own business for years. One year I paid 19% in taxes. Try another approach as that one won't work with me.

and giving it to another as a bribe for electing him. In total, he's taking money out of the economy and giving it to the less efficient Government. That's an economic slowdown in the making, not what we need now. It's also blatant wealth redistribution, another step towards class warfare, something else we don't need.

No more than the Bush "stimulus checks" were somehow class warfare.

 

[Yannis]

Quote from bigdavediode:

LOL. I ran my own business for years. One year I paid 19% in taxes. Try another approach as that one won't work with me.

No more than the Bush "stimulus checks" were somehow class warfare.

Check out the US business tax rates, I'm sure I'm right, ours are much higher than competitors for our manufacturing and assembly shops. Do that and you're soon left with lots of "bitter" people that Obama was ridiculing.

Bush sent back tax money we had paid and lowered taxes at the same rate that we were paying - no wealth redistribution, just tax reduction across the board.

Taxation is one issue for the Congress to legislate on. Wealth redistribution is another, totally different that should be discussed separately. The Dems want to hide the latter in something that sounds like the former - terrible idea.

 

[AAAintheBeltway]

Quote from bigdavediode:

The point, since you've apparently missed it, is that most people are fine and only a small fraction of fundamentalists cause problems.

This is the issue with extremism, and absolutist beliefs, that this absolutism brings with it a certainty that one is doing "God's Work" (or Allah's work) and thereby can justify horrible evil.

The point is that Christians, particularly evangelicals, follow a doctrine that preaches love thy neighbor. Muslims, even the peaceful ones, follow a doctrine that advocates aggressive expansion through military means if necessary and domination of non believers.

Your analogy is like saying a nuclear bomb and a light bulb are equally dangerous because they both give off light.