tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post4682146851589717025..comments2024-03-29T03:30:25.637-07:00Comments on Metacrock's Blog: Tea Party Keeps it PomisesJoseph Hinman (Metacrock)http://www.blogger.com/profile/06957529748541493998noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-67281680084853643252011-04-19T07:52:08.785-07:002011-04-19T07:52:08.785-07:00There's something that could save a *lot* of m...There's something that could save a *lot* of money, but it's something that the right-wingers spiked with talks of "death panels" and "killing granny".<br /><br />Avoiding spending a lot of money to keep someone alive a few more weeks or months.<br /><br />One can think of a religious justification for that, that it's avoiding wasting a lot of effort keeping an unsuitable home going for one's soul. Think of one's body as like one's car -- if one's car is failing all the time, one eventually want to get rid of it.<br /><br /><br /><b>Usually not coming from government but insurance so that's not adding to the deficit. You are just confirming the inhumanity of atheism because a lot of times people do come out of comas.</b>Joseph Hinman (Metacrock)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06957529748541493998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-71963356384636464342011-04-19T01:43:58.614-07:002011-04-19T01:43:58.614-07:00There's something that could save a *lot* of m...There's something that could save a *lot* of money, but it's something that the right-wingers spiked with talks of "death panels" and "killing granny".<br /><br />Avoiding spending a lot of money to keep someone alive a few more weeks or months.<br /><br />One can think of a religious justification for that, that it's avoiding wasting a lot of effort keeping an unsuitable home going for one's soul. Think of one's body as like one's car -- if one's car is failing all the time, one eventually want to get rid of it.Lorenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13984896453534621864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-73693914364156444402011-04-17T19:18:37.126-07:002011-04-17T19:18:37.126-07:00Thanks Kristen. I am really glad to hear that. I a...Thanks Kristen. I am really glad to hear that. I appreciate your comments.<br /><br />I wish Obama was a socialist.Joseph Hinman (Metacrock)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06957529748541493998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-77161996138069854992011-04-17T15:34:03.317-07:002011-04-17T15:34:03.317-07:00I believe that when I was a conservative Christian...I believe that when I was a conservative Christian Republican, I was mistaken about unrestrained capitalism being somehow "biblical." As Metacrock has shown in his citations of Scripture here, the Law for Israel as a nation included "taxation" on the income of landowners, specifically for the benefit of the poor (the gleaning law of Lev. 19:19), and required giving to the poor by all citizens (Deut 15:10). There was also the Jubilee Law, which was a required redistribution of wealth that occurred every 50 years, in which those who had lost their land or their freedom had it restored to them. The result of this was that wealth and power were prevented from being amassed into the hands of a few. <br /><br />In short, the Christian right's contention that government has no place in support of the poor, and that such support must be entirely voluntary and not through taxation and redistribution, has no foundation in the Bible. Israel did not have government-run social programs in the same way we have, but it was a much smaller nation, and wealth was not shut away in banks but existed in the form of land, crops and livestock. The gleaning law WAS a social program-- but nowadays we need administrators, while they did not.<br /><br />Lest anyone mistake my meaning, I am not talking about imposing OT law on modern America. But I am saying that the Christian right's stance against what they call "socialism" in law-mandated support of the poor, is without biblical foundation. Ancient Israel's system was regulated, restrained capitalism with checks and balances against greed and against the amassing of power and wealth by the few. <br /><br />I now consider myself a moderate, Independent-leaning Republican. I believe in social programs and regulation of banks and corporations, and I'm against the Tea Party and all of its rhetoric.Kristenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08252374623355509404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-57113756545068744872011-04-14T06:55:02.589-07:002011-04-14T06:55:02.589-07:00you are right, we can't afford to give in to s...you are right, we can't afford to give in to stereotypes and labeling "them" and so on. We need to be critical and discerning and make good distinctions. There are intelligent moderate republicans. There are, I know they are out there...;-)Joseph Hinman (Metacrock)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06957529748541493998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-20138423006067214022011-04-13T19:09:52.402-07:002011-04-13T19:09:52.402-07:00"you are totallyu underestimating the stuipdt..."you are totallyu underestimating the stuipdty of the stupid. they have told us now, almost all of them, the T party leaders, why donk't you believe them?"<br /><br />OK, I guess you can't underestimate their foolishness. I was speaking as a moderate republican who despises the tea party. <br /><br />I also remember that Robert Gates says that we can cut as much as 100 billion from the military and we will be out of Iraq at the end of the year.Mileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07026834728177934920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-90907436075155763292011-04-13T17:56:17.720-07:002011-04-13T17:56:17.720-07:00"Well on the first point, the elimination of ..."Well on the first point, the elimination of Social Security is ridiculous. On the other hand on you poll, cut is not the same as eliminate. I agree that it is a necessary program and to an extent a social obligation."<br /><br /><b>you are totallyu underestimating the stuipdty of the stupid. they have told us now, almost all of them, the T party leaders, why donk't you believe them?<br /><br />Just a cut is the thin end fo hte wedge. they are not going to get enough form those cuts to make any difference. It's just getting people used to the idea.</b><br /><br />"However, the age was put at 65 in the 1930's becuase that was the average life span. If we went by the same logic, we would need to push it back to 78 (not saying we should). On a moral level, I would say that we also need to temper our zealousness with some practical wisdom. I agree on a pragmatic level that taxes need to be brought back up for the time being."<br /><br /><b>WE can do all kinds of things to raise revenue. It's not a money shortage it's a revenue shortage.</b><br /><br />"However, Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are the programs that need a cost evaluation. Becuase when the baby boomer population start to get at 65 we are going to have a serious financial problem."<br /><br /><b>To the average repub that means cut. It doesn't have to. use competitive bidding on defense contracts, don't have two wars going at the same time, cut defense, raise taxes.</b>Joseph Hinman (Metacrock)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06957529748541493998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11516215.post-39018304809328608012011-04-13T15:41:20.714-07:002011-04-13T15:41:20.714-07:00Well on the first point, the elimination of Social...Well on the first point, the elimination of Social Security is ridiculous. On the other hand on you poll, cut is not the same as eliminate. I agree that it is a necessary program and to an extent a social obligation. However, the age was put at 65 in the 1930's becuase that was the average life span. If we went by the same logic, we would need to push it back to 78 (not saying we should). On a moral level, I would say that we also need to temper our zealousness with some practical wisdom. I agree on a pragmatic level that taxes need to be brought back up for the time being. However, Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are the programs that need a cost evaluation. Becuase when the baby boomer population start to get at 65 we are going to have a serious financial problem.Mileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07026834728177934920noreply@blogger.com