blackbird

It's simple logic. How many times do I have to repeat this? If you are taxed to pay for police or fire fighting or roads, drinking, and sewer, that is a necessity. If you are taxed so Trudeau or Singh can implement their Socialist agenda, that is stealing and sinful. Get it yet? That's the difference between a free enterprise system and a Communist or Socialist system that takes your money to theoretically redistribute the wealth.

Now you are just making up BS to be contrary. How could my small electric motor introduce invasive species or spread disease. Fishing is allowed in that lake if you paddle or row, but no electric motors. You obviously have no idea. I thought you were a fisherman and knew something. Apparently not.

Dumb comparison. Do we need hundreds of thousands of civil servants in the federal government to manage a few departments in this country? Do we need a massive pile of building codes and regulations to build houses and keep your septic system clean. If you are out in the country it is a fairly simple process, but you seem to miss the point that municipalities, regional districts and all levels of government have gone overboard with regulations and control of everything. I could give you lots of insane examples just in the B.C. fishing regulations to show how bad things have become. I wrote to the government to ask why they close a local river part of the year to freshwater trout fishing. The answer I got was because the water temperature gets high and the salmon migrate up the river. I wonder how a few people trout fishing on that river have anything to do with that. Insane regulations. I also asked why there is a 10 HP maximum for boats to fish on a remote lake. The answer was the federal government doesn't want boats with more than 10 HP fishing on that lake because salmon migrate in it. I have an old 15 hp motor and when I fish it runs very slowly. So what difference does it make if it was 15 or 10 HP is you are trolling slowly? No difference. The BC freshwater regulations are full of unnecessary and useless restrictions. That is how governments act. Another example is they don't even allow electric motors on a little lake. Now why would an electric motor make any difference to anything?

"31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1:31 Genesis chapter one tells how God created everything in six days. Do you think it was a fact?

For a guy who is an atheist, it's strange how you try to use the Bible in a discussion. Twisting scripture though. You are not to sin period. I never said some taxation was a sin. I already explained how some services are necessary. Excessive taxation can be part of Socialism. A perverse way of reasoning and totally false.

Not all taxation is theft. It is understandable that we need police, roads, infrastructure such as water and sewer, and armed forces. Socialism is EXCESSIVE or EXTREME taxation for the purposes of running a Socialist system and wealth re-distribution. That is theft or Communism, Socialism, or Marxism. It has nothing to do with the Jewish religion' tithing thousands of years ago to support their priests, etc. Tithing is not taught in the New Testament and does not apply to Christianity.

Nonsense. "Tithing is an Old Testament concept. The tithe was a requirement of the Law in which the Israelites were to give 10 percent of the crops they grew and the livestock they raised to the tabernacle/temple (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:26; Deuteronomy 14:24; 2 Chronicles 31:5). In fact, the Old Testament Law required multiple tithes—one for the Levites, one for the use of the temple and the feasts, and one for the poor of the land—which would have pushed the total to around 23.3 percent. Some understand the Old Testament tithe as a method of taxation to provide for the needs of the priests and Levites in the sacrificial system." What does the Bible say about Christian tithing? Should a Christian tithe? | GotQuestions.org Tithing was a part of the Jewish religion several thousand years ago. It applied to the Jews only within their religion to support their priests and whoever required to be supported. It does not apply today in Christianity or churches, although some try to use the Old Testament tithing law to get more money out of people. It has absolutely nothing to do with Socialism and government imposed excessive taxation to run Socialist programs. A certain amount of taxation is understandable to provide basic services. But when it becomes excessive as in Socialism or Communism then it becomes theft. Forced wealth confiscation or denial of private property is against the ten commandments that say "thou shalt not steal". Just because it is government, they do not have the right to confiscate people's money for a Socialist agenda. That is Communism, Marxism or Socialism.

Seriously? I am not associating tithing with Satanism.. Tithing was an old testament requirement for Jews to support their religion several thousand years ago. Tithing means giving 10% to the Jewish religion. It has absolutely nothing to do with Socialism. It has nothing to do with Socialism or Satanism.

You totally missed the point. Surely you understand the difference between government taxation for basic necessary services such as roads, police, and armed forces and a Socialist system where the government taxes the population very heavily to provide all kinds of social services and spend money for everything under the sun. This is child's stuff. There is a big difference between basic government and Socialist government that imposes extreme taxation in various forms and intrudes into everyone's life and has a huge bureaucracy to intervene and control society in every way imaginable, including all kinds of social programs. That is Socialism. Don't try to pretend Socialism is just normal government. Also don't make false claims that it would cost tens of thousands for a person to get health care. That is fear mongering and is false. You would have health insurance whereby you pay a monthly premium and if you need a health care service, you pay a reasonable or small deductible. Nobody who is in poverty would be required to pay it. But health insurance should be compulsory for most people. Don't forget everyone pays for a failing public system through their taxes. It is not free. But hopefully you would have fast and effective health care if the private sector was more involved. Not the long waiting lists where people die waiting as we have now. You should be thinking about how to get people good fast health care to give them a good quality of life, instead of supporting a failing public system that is harming countless people.

Seriously Michael? Give us a break. Nobody is going to swallow that one. There is nothing voluntary about taxation. It is compulsory. Charity is voluntary.

You have no idea what the Bible teaches and just use it for your own Communist ideas.

All those things are part of the reason housing is unaffordable for the average Canadian now. All of those things could be examined in depth to see if they were really necessary or are they to build a massive bureaucracy and tax and charge Canadians to death. However, that is not the main issue. We are referring to what would fit the definition of Socialism. That would be more to do with all the social programs and government departments that seem to be growing with no end and all the government intervention in the economy. All of this is paid for by confiscating the private money of citizens in various ways. Government is growing at an astronomical rate. It increased 40% in size since Trudeau took office in 2015. For some reason, every need of every person and everything that costs money is now the responsibility of government. What changed in society that the individual is no longer the responsibility of the person himself? I can understand support for people who are handicapped, ill, or seniors in need of care, but everyone else who is capable of working should be supporting themselves. However government has made it unaffordable for healthy people to support themselves. That is a disaster.

It is not necessary for the Bible to use the word "Socialism". The Bible condemns the ideology. The right to own private property is a very basic belief that is taught by the commandment "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not covet". Socialism is theft.

" All Forms of Socialism Are Theft Central to the moral argument against socialism and quasi-socialism is the 8th commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19). This command teaches the concept of private property and forbids the taking of property from an innocent person. God added to this condemnation of socialism by prohibiting envy in the 10th commandment: You shall not covet (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21). God is a capitalist, which we know because God endorses private property. This is inferred from the 8th commandment. The prohibition of theft assumes that people own things. Of course, everything in this world belongs to God. Yet He has delegated control and responsibility of things to individuals. We call this private property rights." The Bible Prohibits Socialism — Knowing Scripture

"These expansions of the national federal government through direct regulation under the Commerce Clause or by the indirect influence of federal dollars threaten a concentration of power that could make socialism possible. " Socialism Vs. The American Constitution | Hoover Institution Socialism Vs. The American Constitution In Canada, the Federal government under Trudeau has been accused of encroaching on provincial jurisdictions. It appears Trudeau and the Federal government are trying to increase their powers over provinces and impose their ideology on the whole country. That could be a form of creeping Socialism. Since the BNA act defines federal and provincial powers and jurisdictions, it is fair to say it has a lot to do with the Socialist tendencies and policies of the different levels of government.

It is understandable why you would try to distance yourself from the basic premise and say it is not relevant. Nobody wants to be seen supporting or associated with something evil, in this case Socialism.

Very basic services and very limited government. Not excessive taxation and government control and intervention. Let private enterprise do its job and let the people have their freedom as much as possible.

That's the go-to line of atheists. You need to do some studying to learn something about it. If you just throw out stock phrases like that of course it is just paraphrasing atheistic lines and ideology. I gave a good explanation about why Socialism is wrong. If you don't read articles that have a spiritual or biblical dimension to them, you are missing out on the most important issue of life. That sounds more like diehard atheism or Socialist ideology. I still have hope for you my friend. I don't consider you an opponent, but as one who likes to discuss things.

I am not sure what you mean by "public engagement". Many people fear sticking their necks out will result in retribution against them personally. Our system is not really set up for the public to engage and run the health care system. We elect governments and people trust them, rightly or wrongly. Once they are in control, the ordinary people don't have much or any control over how they run the public health care system. You seem to think there is a way the public can control it. It doesn't exist and I don't think that is an answer to a failing system. What is CIHI?

Many would disagree with you. If you look at the kind of world we live in, you would have to admit there is something more behind it all. Perhaps you need to broaden you thinking. "The Bible explicitly informs us of the existence of Satan. He is described as the enemy of man (Genesis 3:15), the father of lies (John 8:44b), and the accuser (Revelation 12:10), among other things. The very name “Satan” means “adversary.” Isaiah 14:12–17 explains that Satan was originally an angelic being, but he decided he wanted the honor and worship due only to God and was thrown out of heaven (also see Ezekiel 28:11–17). Ever since he was cast out of heaven (along with the angels who chose to rebel with him), Satan has made it his purpose to oppose God and lead the people of earth into rebellion as well. Satan has a certain authority in this world; he is called “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). That’s why we are to “be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)." Does Satan exist? | GotQuestions.org

Several people already read and they replied as did you. You are perfectly welcome to read or not read anything, and reply or not reply. It's a freedom we still have. If atheists had their way there would be no freedom of choice. You can close your eyes to truth, but that doesn't prove or mean it is not a fact. You would be much wiser to read all sides of any subject in order to understand other points of view. Closing your mind to other views is not going to give you much opportunity in the world to enlighten yourself.

That requires a longer reply, but just to let you know briefly, what you say is exactly what he wants you to believe. If you believed he really existed, he would be concerned but the fact you don't believe he exists gives him great assurance that he can operate much more freely without hindrance or opposition. Why not? We are discussing it right now. Nothing stopping anyone from discussing it in any way. You just stated your reason for disagreeing.

So does that mean you believe the public health care system can be reformed to provide good service for Canadians? Polls show the overwhelming majority of Canadians don't think so. " Perhaps most shocking of all, almost everyone agreed that private health care would be more efficient. Seven in 10 respondents agreed that “private entrepreneurs can deliver health care services faster than hospitals managed by the government” – against a mere 15 per cent who disagreed. “People understand that the endless waiting lists that characterize our government-run health systems will not be solved by yet another bureaucratic reform,” was the conclusion of the Montreal Economic Institute, which commissioned the poll. "

This is an interesting news article which is of wide interest right now: quote It’s been among the most volatile and untouchable third rails in Canadian politics: The adoption, at any level, of a private health-care system. In the last federal election, a Conservative statement about “public-private synergies” was all it took for Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to brand it as a right-wing assault on the “public, universal health-care system.” But a new Ipsos report shows that “two tier health care” is not the threat it once was. Among respondents, 52 per cent wanted “increased access to health care provided by independent health entrepreneurs,” against just 29 per cent who didn’t. Perhaps most shocking of all, almost everyone agreed that private health care would be more efficient. Seven in 10 respondents agreed that “private entrepreneurs can deliver health care services faster than hospitals managed by the government” – against a mere 15 per cent who disagreed. “People understand that the endless waiting lists that characterize our government-run health systems will not be solved by yet another bureaucratic reform,” was the conclusion of the Montreal Economic Institute, which commissioned the poll. unquote For the whole article: FIRST READING: Canadians are so fed up, they’re abandoning political sacred cows (msn.com) Tragically Liberals and NDP are committed to a failing health care system with its long waiting lists. They prefer ideology to helping Canadians with serious medical issues.

No, it is you that support the ideology of government intervention and taxation, which is Socialism. You should have learned from the past number of years that the government has caused great harm to the economy with their policies. They created the high real estate prices and now you trust they will fix it with more taxation?