U.S. news is really freaking me out...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Sleek_Jeek, Oct 3, 2013.

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  1. Sleek_Jeek

    Sleek_Jeek New Member

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    Do I need to elaborate? Does anyone have any questions? I'm tempted to post a bunch of links to news articles but today has been a seriously apeshit news day. I'm terrified that the populous is about to get crazier than that of Greece.

    I guess I'm going to list my favorite articles of the day just to give this thread some context.

    http://www.vice.com/read/the-us-governm ... -is-stupid

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx2scvIFGjE

    http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/s ... ns#slide-1

    http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/10/01/michele- ... alth-care/

    http://thelapine.ca/ted-cruz-erupts-in- ... d-refused/

    The last two are especially troubling to me. Bachmann displaying an obvious and blatant sense of racism in her choice of words makes me incredibly sad. I'm not sure if the article about Cruz has been verified but it seems especially plausible considering the proximity of Limbaugh and Fox reporters.
     
  2. Vorak

    Vorak Administrator Staff Member

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  3. Jungle Japes

    Jungle Japes Well-Known Member

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    Turns out a government shutdown DOES NOT mean it's The Purge.

    Yeah, I'm going to jail for a long time.
     
  4. No.9

    No.9 New Member

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    I don't know... this would certainly solve my immigration problems.

    It's strange to come home (to the states) to this nightmare. That we even have health care for profit is pretty gross... that a group of fringe republicans have this much power - given to them by people who don't understand that ACA will probably actually help them - well, err... yeah.
     
  5. Smuel

    Smuel Well-Known Member

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    I can see why No.9 is so troubled by this.
     
  6. No.9

    No.9 New Member

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    Hey wait... this is a national travesty!!
     
  7. Dark Elf

    Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

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    The problem with the government shutdown is that it isn't painful enough. Vital government services are still provided. The Republicans should have gotten all they asked for and the armed forces should have been disbanded along with the postal service and all the rest of it. Instead we get this: the masturbatory lampooning of panda cam shutdowns by people who want a Shadowrunesque corporate-run minarchy.
     
  8. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    Shadowrunesque. This word, four stars.

    I keep thinking our dystopic future is more Robocopesque.
     
  9. Sleek_Jeek

    Sleek_Jeek New Member

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    So that last article I posted (http://thelapine.ca/ted-cruz-erupts-in- ... d-refused/) was apparently satirical. I've never seen the website before and I saw the article on a few other sites so I assumed it was breaking news... I got got.

    I completely agree with this. Somehow this culture of ours is hell bent on putting all of its money into disposable oven mitts and cans of RAID that it can't slow down and maybe consider that education and physical well being are more important to the power of a nation than its ability to constantly upcycle its own liquid assets.

    http://www.salon.com/2013/10/02/monsant ... er_ripoff/

    http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/c ... 97763.html

    See a nice contrast between the attitudes of these two articles?

    The beautiful thing is how discussions regarding topics like this so quickly degenerate to discussions about people working and how changes will cost jobs... Its ridiculous. The degree and tone of rhetoric in America... If it wasn't fr free speech I'd feel like I should be able to sue the Republican Party for causing me undue stress and anxiety. There isn't one "liberal" person in America who wants to take jobs away from anyone, but there are a few things that everyone wants that these politicians don't want to guarantee their citizens. Clean air, a sober education, meaningful work, and healthcare are pretty much all anyone wants. Instead we bread and circus. Excuse me I meant burger and Miley Cyrus.
     
  10. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    Personally, I wonder what went wrong when, in an age of automation, the most powerful people are all trying to make work for us, especially when economic degrowth is becoming a biophysical necessity.
     
  11. Smuel

    Smuel Well-Known Member

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    Personally, I wonder why seemingly intelligent people cling to the idea that productivity is a bad thing. What would this utopian work-less future look like? Who's going to manufacture all the entertainment that we would need to fill our extensive leisure time? I thought all these retro-60s fantasy ideas died in the 80s.
     
  12. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    Leisure time is easy if you try.
     
  13. Smuel

    Smuel Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like a recipe for boredom. Some of us aren't content to just sit around doing nothing, stoned out of our minds. Oh and healthcare - who's going to provide that?
     
  14. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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  15. Smuel

    Smuel Well-Known Member

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    I don't know. It's all very well if you have a cold - she can make you hot drinks and stuff, but for anything more serious I'd prefer to rely on a well-funded healthcare system staffed by highly qualified professionals.

    Oh, and what about law enforcement? Thy father? He's getting a bit too old for that now.
     
  16. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    You sure seem touchy.

    I suppose it would be outrageous if, as I suggest, you didn't actually have to work to live.

    It is an outrage. Go get your riot on, old chap.
     
  17. Smuel

    Smuel Well-Known Member

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    I'm just curious how you envision this scenario where nobody has to work for a living, and yet we still have healthcare and buildings and food and entertainment. I mean - who is making those things? Other people? Why would they do that work if they don't need to? Or is it only you and me who won't have to work, but everyone else will carry on as normal?
     
  18. Jojobobo

    Jojobobo Well-Known Member

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    Pull your head out of your ass, it would obviously be subservient robots.
     
  19. Smuel

    Smuel Well-Known Member

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  20. Dark Elf

    Dark Elf Administrator Staff Member

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    What might be a problem though is that economic systems seem to be designed with close to full productivity in mind. This obviously is not the case and what with inflation-preventing measures such as NAIRU and automation decreasing the demand for workers even in places like China, you're basically looking at a substantial part of your population out of work at all times. I must say, I've been intrigued by some of the arguments made for a basic income guarantee instead of the bureaucracy needed to run current welfare systems. Seems like a more efficient way of dealing with this.
     
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