Michael Hardner

I always found that to be a bad argument, after all iPhones come from China along with millions of other things. NeoLiberalism has been a great win for investors.

1. Well let's hear you talking about my points then 2. Okay, here we go... First points: What is with this number? 2/3? Is it magical? So if the Holy Bible has one book that instructs you to kill homosexuals then that's insignificant? I would say reasonable people can follow a religion and reject true fundamentalism. 3. None of this speaks against my point though. People can be progressive and reasonable, and follow some of the holy books. That goes for every religion. 4. And yet modern Muslims reinterpret it all the time. Also, plenty of barbaric practices happened in Christendom after the Reformation. And the Reformation itself involved wars and persecution and killing of infidels 5. The good religion is progressive capitalism in free societies. All religions succumb to the force of that one. That includes Christianity, which bows to a religion that allows me to buy cannabis, pornography and clothing woven of two kinds of material on Sunday. 6. Yes, they're regressive backwaters who are behind the times. Some cultures have to be, after all. Just because we're 20, 50, 100 years ahead doesn't mean we should Pat ourselves on the back about how great we are. Even though it's a better way. 7. I'd say so. Obviously I believe our way is better, but how we came to it is a pretty complex path. Real Christians try not to believe they're better than others. 8. I know enough about that stuff. 50 years ago We would be saying this about China too, except they're not religious so we'd have to find some other reason why they're inferior to us. Some other things in the Bible: welcome to stranger as yourself, love others as you would love yourself...

Assuming that your numbers are correct, and every single of those people makes a visit... there are 36 million US hospital admissions a year. So that's 0.1%. Not impactful.

If only they wanted that for the white government too...

No cite. 30%polled say too much is spent https://angusreid.org/indigenous-status-culture/ I have to say I would guess a lot more than half would be more than 60%, which is about twice what the actual number is according to Angus Reid.

That's the bottom line on ALL public matters. "Common sense" isn't worth a toss on such matters and yet you have people in positions of authority knowingly bringing it in to muddy things and push their own viewpoints. Of course it was always so. But it seems worse lately. Thanks for your thoughtful post.

That's wise. The point is also being made that people would sacrifice standards to reach targets, but I'm not sure that that's true. It's heartening to read the odd post that considers different points of view openly and objectively. Thank you.

1. Okay but you're being selective about which mindset to adopt based on how it benefits one side. 2. You seem to be challenging me here to do what you're doing. I'm not going to tell you how to feel, no. Again, all we're doing is setting up an opportunity to pass an Olive Branch between peoples. One of said peoples, they had all the power and children suffered. Setting up a day to talk about it, for those of us who care, doesn't seem like much to ask. For some reason, a minority resents the fact that their moral stance is not widely held so they lash out. That's how I see it.

I have only seen the latter, and probably about 50 years ago. But I do remember it being hilarious.

The UN and most countries have decided that territorial conquest is no longer a legitimate action. And yet we have unceded land that Canadian cities sit on. Recognition of past wrongs goes a long way to cementing social cohesion between our peoples. I think that it's highly bizarre to tell people how to feel about past wrongs. Even weirder to tell people that they SHOULDN'T feel bad. Like moralizing amorality.

Pretty much all investors.

Ok, I misunderstood. I thought the OP had a problem with Qatar pouring billions into America.

I thought Qatar was Trump's friend though ? Oh right that was AGES ago - ie. May. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-secures-historic-1-2-trillion-economic-commitment-in-qatar/ Today in Qatar, President Donald J. Trump signed an agreement with Qatar to generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion. President Trump also announced economic deals totaling more than $243.5 billion between the United States and Qatar, including an historic sale of Boeing aircraft and GE Aerospace engines to Qatar Airways. The landmark deals celebrated today will drive innovation and prosperity for generations, bolster American manufacturing and technological leadership, and put America on the path to a new Golden Age.

Friends? Friends? Are you my friend? Why are you calling us friends? I don't own the other forum and I don't condone name calling from you or anyone. This isn't really worth talking about. Either post or don't.. This whole thread is the world's largest question mark to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_government_debt Great post. I'm confused by the inclusion of China in the list though. This has them as 21st in the world behind Canada at 10th and the US at 8th. Italy and Japan in roughly the same boat as us with Greece worse and Japan much much worse. Using the IMF's General government gross debt, which is the total of all liabilities from federal, provincial, and local governments that require a future payment of interest and/or principal

They did have to feed people, and maintain armies and roads. Podcast Said that the citizens of Rome itself were leaving to find tax havens if you can believe it. Maybe it's as simple as: the complexities of running an Empire eventually outgrow the empire's abilities to do it.

Bread. Recently listened to a podcast about the decline of Rome. Too many perks for the elites, middle class squeezed... Unsustainable debt... ... We seem to do this to ourselves over and over.

Allen was best at jokey films. Underrated: Broadway Danny Rose, Sleeper Overrated: Manhattan, Interiors

Actually I would challenge that. People vote in a public sphere, reflecting the concerns of that sphere. If people aren't challenged with real subsistence matters, they concern themselves with culture and become busybodies around their personal values, manners, and rules. And key to all of this is that they have an engagement bubble with like-minded folks. And curiosity about what is outside the bubble is actively discouraged as a mark of disloyalty. It's the very thing that the United States worked against... for centuries. So put all that together and you get the MAGA cultural revolution and its adherents. It's actually a rational response for those inside. For those who designed it, it's maybe a little more intriguing and hard to scrutinize what their end game is.

As it is with war. Of course, if you actually post this without irony, you can't expect mercy from your warrior opponents. To think a society as wealthy and evolved as the west descending into this, throwing away all the cultural gains it made over centuries.... As a proud modernist and conservative democrat, and student of history... It's truly depressing.

SO! You got it right 👍

Exactly

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_by_popular_vote_margin I was about to say she's wrong, but I saw your quote that it's the 21ST CENTURY. So, yes, but there have only been six so...

How do people become aware of these things though? You have to look into what constitutes a public sphere. It's very complicated right now because the media landscape is bifurcating into two separate spheres. As time goes on, it's almost like they are different countries within a single country or society.

Did I tell you that I went out for dinner with Morris Dancer?