All Purpose News and Politics Thread Part IV: The Center Cannot Hold

[Dalak]

Nothing personal, I just think Libertarians nowadays are going to get more push back now than did in the past. So many people have used Libertarianism for bad ends, that it's not going to get the free pass it got in the past. I was willing to argue on their terms back in the 2000s and now I do not bother, I will challenge their framing of the issues. If you actually believe in the market place of ideas, Libertarianism is much fair game, as anything else.

And yeah, people are going to invest more passion into real things that affect real people over events that affect fictional characters, I like escapist fiction as much as anyone, but you have to face the real world sometimes.

I agree with pretty much all of this. Religion and Politics are the 2 subjects most likely to cause arguments in discussion.

[HowitzerJoe]

"His death came less than three weeks after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the federal prison in Lower Manhattan, with marks on his neck that appeared to be self-inflicted, sources told ABC News. He was placed on suicide watch following the July 23 incident via information obtained from the FBI's memo this morning."

Epstein doesn't get to face the music now.

Fucking coward.

He was taken out. Clandestine ops.

[HowitzerJoe]

This thread has stopped being enjoyable for me. I'll save my energy for arguing with people about comic characters such arguments tend to be less dogmatic and bitter, which surprises me all things considered. I know better than to come in here again, adios.

I don't know as much about politics as I would like. They're largely boring, and inconsequential to me. I do like coming here sometimes to watch the constant train wreck though.

[PaulBullion]

This thread has stopped being enjoyable for me. I'll save my energy for arguing with people about comic characters such arguments tend to be less dogmatic and bitter, which surprises me all things considered. I know better than to come in here again, adios.

Shorter Cel:

"I've done all the concern-trolling I came here to do. Now back to watching fictional worlds burn instead of the real one."

[jetengine]

Liberterianism - An ideology so "good" it only took root in comminist/socialist terrified america. That is selfishness in its entirety and somehow expects people to act on their best nstures.

[PaulBullion]

I agree with you completely on this point. IMO, the Republican Party is on its way to becoming fully fascist if it isn't there already.

My only major issues with the Democrats are their courting of SJWs and their lax border control stances. One I don't want laws passed that regulate what you can and can't say because it might hurt someone's feelings. Two we need secure borders to know who and what is entering the country.

Open borders are true freedom, Gress.

Why do you hate freedom?

[jetengine]

Open borders are true freedom, Gress.

Why do you hate freedom?

Because Liberterianism. Or "I want everyone to do their own thing....until it infringes on me, them stop doing your own thing"

[Gray Lensman]

Because Liberterianism. Or "I want everyone to do their own thing....until it infringes on me, them stop doing your own thing"

The official Libertarian Party stance actually is open borders. I don't entirely agree myself, but would take it over the concentration camp system Trump has in place.

[Tendrin]

Libertarians don't actually give a crap about 'liberty'. Free market capitalism gives us $300 bottles of insulin and people dying for the lack of it, and no, 'the free market will provide' is not an answer, it's a declaration of religious faith.

When you're willing to sacrifice actual lives on the altar of your 'personal liberty', because ideology tells you that government intervention is bad, you don't get to say you're for freedom since the freedom to breathe is the ultimate personal liberty.

[numberthirty]

Libertarians don't actually give a crap about 'liberty'. Free market capitalism gives us $300 bottles of insulin and people dying for the lack of it, and no, 'the free market will provide' is not an answer, it's a declaration of religious faith.

When you're willing to sacrifice actual lives on the altar of your 'personal liberty', because ideology tells you that government intervention is bad, you don't get to say you're for freedom since the freedom to breathe is the ultimate personal liberty.

Trying to frame that as anything like a legitimately "Free" market is a bad joke though.

While it is completely unacceptable, it's not a completely unacceptable situation brought to you by anything like free market capitalism. "Distinctly American...." capitalism? Sure.

Never mind something like sex work. A "Free..." market, it ain't.

[Tendrin]

Trying to frame that as anything like a legitimately "Free" market is a bad joke though.

While it is completely unacceptable, it's not a completely unacceptable situation brought to you by anything like free market capitalism. "Distinctly American...." capitalism? Sure.

It's sure as hell a part of free market capitalism, 30. we'll have to agree to disagree there.

[numberthirty]

It's sure as hell a part of free market capitalism, 30. we'll have to agree to disagree there.

Completely fine.

I think the only thing we really disagree on is if it's actually free market capitalism.

[Tendrin]

Completely fine.

I think the only thing we really disagree on is if it's actually free market capitalism.

My mom paid $110 for a single insulin pen.


No one can tell me that it's not free market capitalism doing its level best to deliver profits by extracting wealth from a captive, inelastic market that needs the drug to survive and declare that 'that's not the free market part!, because an even *less* regulated system wouldn't be better.

[numberthirty]

My mom paid $110 for a single insulin pen.


No one can tell me that it's not free market capitalism doing its level best to deliver profits by extracting wealth from a captive, inelastic market that needs the drug to survive and declare that 'that's not the free market part!, because an even *less* regulated system wouldn't be better.

If it is the "American..." version of it that is making sure there are laws on the books that make it against the law to import from Canada, that's not anything like "Free..." While I do agree that reducing regulations willy nilly isn't going to make things better for people, there's not really a scenario where consumers wouldn't be better off with at least having the legal option to import from Canada. That regulation is only there to look out for business.

[Tendrin]

If it is the "American..." version of it that is making sure there are laws on the books that make it against the law to import from Canada, that's not anything like "Free..." While I do agree that reducing regulations willy nilly isn't going to make things better for people, there's not really a scenario where consumers wouldn't be better off with at least having the legal option to import from Canada. That regulation is only there to look out for business.

I'm saying an 'American' version is irrelevant. Any truly unregulated market would deliver an even worse outcome.