ruveyn1
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Posts posted by ruveyn1
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The desire to do nothing? It leads to non-existence.... eventually.
Aren't you overlooking the fact of fatigue and exhaustion?
ruveyn1
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I wonder what the average temperature was during the centuries that the glaciers in North America melted.
The location of what is now New York City was covered by glaciers. There are even boulders from Elsewhere that the glaciers picked up found in Central Park.
ruveyn1
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If the Universe is finite in both time and space and if causality works as we think it does than there had to be a first cause, right?
A cause not caused by anything, an existence that is necessary for things to exist.
Or am I wrong?
Ether that or existence is a closed cycle.
ruveyn1
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In a recent discussion, a friend of mine asserted that it is impossible to be 100% certain that the sun will rise tomorrow. We believe it will, but there is a "0.00000001% chance" (or whatever) that the sun might not rise. I asserted that in order to function in the world we needed to have certainty and absolutes. He acknowledged this but said we still could not "prove" that the sun will rise in the same way we could form a deductive proof. We think the sun will rise because it always has, but there's a chance it might not.
I didn't have a good answer for this. The only idea I came up with on the spot is that even if the sun rising has some element of metaphysical uncertainty, we have to treat the phenomenon as a psychological certainty. But this borders too close to pragmatism for my tastes.
Any better responses?
The Sun will not last forever. A day will come when the Sun will expand to a red giant and vaporize the Earth. Then there will be no more Earthly sunrises.
ruveyn1
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(You might make a case that Rand did this when she told the US consulate in Riga that she had a fiancé in the USSR and planned to return. I doubt this though; the US had initiated the use of force by instituting immigration restrictions, so she was acting purely in self-defense and under duress.)
A government has both the power and the right to regulate who may enter the country.
You do it when you lock your door upon leaving your house.
ruveyn1
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There are no proper/improper definition nor are the true/false definitions. Definitions arise from consensus and common use of words.
To show this is true consider how there are many words whose meaning has changed over the the years.
If a definition were a -fact- there would be no such change. 1 + 1 has always equaled 2 (we are assuming the + means aggregating objects into a set).
See the following for a discourse on how definitions of some words have changed over time.
http://ezinearticles.com/?-Etymology--How-Words-Change-Over-Time&id=12709
ruveyn1
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No. It was an illegitimate contract. The government doesn't have the right to promise to pay you back with someone else's money. Furthermore, I think that people that buy bonds have taken a risk and one of the risks is that the government may default.
That is true with any loan. Buying a bond is the same as loaning money to government. With any loan there is always a chance the borrower will default and the lender will be stiffed.
ruveyn
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"Contributing to govenment" is not a proper duty for a citizen. A citizen should (ought, duty?) pay his taxes (contribute to govenment?) ? Can you clarify?
The law requires one to pay his taxes. A citizen should be law abiding. If the law is obnoxious or unjust let Joe Citizen work to get it repealed.
ruveyn1
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What made America great? I will tell you. Lets of Eastern folk going out to the Great Plains (during the mid 1800s) and killing the local aboriginal population to take over the land. That is what made America great.
ruveyn1
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It's important to try and let go of the things that we can't change and focus on what we can. If you're looking for perfection in every aspect of your life, you're always going to be disappointed. The best lesson Dale Carnegie taught me is: "One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." Instead of focusing on the oughts or complaining about a few wilted flowers, you can focus on what is and enjoy the flowers that are still standing tall. If there's things you want to change, if you want to plant new seeds or expand your garden, you need to act to make that happen. You'll probably never have a perfect garden, but you'll appreciate what you do have a lot more.
Carpe Diem?
ruveyn1
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He did NOT fire such ammo at them at the meeting, or when he quit grad school. He walks.
He becomes a walking delegate of the victims rebellion. He's wants hiskind to join him, does not even consider the rest of mankind, like trying to appeal to them, THEN. Why even do a speech later?
Perhaps he wanted to shake loose the few who were still "on the fence". It is not easy to quit everything that has been heretofore part of one's life.
In fact in The Speech he explicitly urged those of independent spirit to quit and go on strike.
ruveyn1
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A basic principle I follow is to never become financially entangled in the credit/debt system. By operating solely within the financial safety of the capital based system, it is possible to avoid exposure to the risk of becoming economic collatoral damage. This practice has repeatedly proven itself to work well over the years.
That would mean hardly anyone could afford to own a house. We would be almost a total renter nation.
ruveyn1
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Earthquakes are not dangerous. It's buildings which are dangerous during earthquakes. So stay outside where it's safe.
In rare cases the ground opens up and one can fall in. Also tsunamis generated by earthquakes can be a disaster. Recall the great tsunami of 2004.
Which proves that living near the sea can be dangerous to one's health.
ruveyn1
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What a ridiculous turn this thread has taken. For example, what about disabled people who rely on charity to live? Their voting rights should be removed because they don't own property and/or haven't "contributed" to government?
"Contributing to government" is not a proper duty for a citizen. A citizen should be peaceful, law-abiding, pay his taxes and in general not be a menace to society.
ruveyn1
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How to think like a woman. Here is a quote from the movie -As Good as It Gets- starring Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson who plays an author who successfully captures the essence and tone of women: Here is the quote:
Receptionist: I can't resist! You usually move through here so quickly and I just have so many questions I want to ask you. You have no idea what your work means to me.
Melvin Udall: What does it mean to you?
Receptionist: [stands up] When somebody out there knows what it's like...
[place one hand on her forehead and the other over her heart]
Receptionist: ... to be in here.
Melvin Udall: Oh God, this is like a nightmare.
[Turns around and presses the elevator button multiple times]
Receptionist: Oh come on! Just a couple of questions. How hard is that?
[Scampers up to Melvin]
Receptionist: How do you write women so well?
Melvin Udall: I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.
I thought it was amusing.
ruveyn1
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Upscale Sheik
ruveyn1
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You can base the above view on Shakespear. Neither a borrower nor a lender be. From Hamlet.
ruveyn1
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Are you proposing war? Do we have the strength (military and financial) to wage an all out war in Iran? Hell, we did poorly in Iran and Afghanistan. The only thing we could do well, if we do it at all, is release megatons of nukes on our enemies. Is this what you are proposing?
I am not morally opposed mind you, but I have doubts about whether we have either the chops or the guts to do the job right.
ruveyn1
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10,000 people a day are getting their first Social Security check. And add to that, one out of every 19 people is already getting Social Security Disability checks. one in every 5 children eat government food in government schools. Nearly half the households in America are getting monthly government checks. One third of the households in America are on Medicare.
We have become a nation of deadbeats and dependents. And it was all done with the consent of the voters.
ruveyn1
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The effects of moral law are most definitely physical as well as mental and emotional. I regard moral law as operating in exactly the same way as the law of gravity. Both are absolutely objective, and neither is the least bit affected by our emotions, thoughts, beliefs, or theories about them. Both are utterly impersonal... and no one is exempt.
Are we pre-Newtonian or post-Newtonian. I would say in the area of morals and ethics we are right where Aristotle was. Which means no laws of a quantitative and testable kind. We are in the Age of Pop Psyche which is mostly scientifically worthless.
ruveyn1
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You've just let out their secret... and the only real solution to that situation is not to gamble.
You don't say. I like your advice.
ruveyn1
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People as the same question about social-security: since the obligation is funded by taxes, would it be immoral to stop paying it. I think it would be unfair and immoral to stop paying grandma's social-security check altogether.
Support your grandma out of your own pocket if you can.
ruveyn1
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Why is it draconian to restrict voting for the leadership of a government to the people who contribute to that government?
We all contribute to government, most of us do at gun-point.
The government should serve the citizens who ordained its existence in the first place.
The citizens do not -serve- the government. That would imply the government is their master.
Heaven forfend!
I like what V said in the movie: The citizens should not fear the government. It is the government who should fear the citizens.
And one of these days, Guy Fawkes might just succeed.
ruveyn1
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On the flip side, would it be immoral to for the federal government to repudiate its debt? What if it was doing so to become a legitimate government funded by voluntary means?
Repudiation may be the only way out. It is either that or the government "printing press" running overtime.
As it is, our economy is funded almost exclusively by I.O.U. s .
ruveyn1
Lying to save your life?
in Ethics
Posted
The taxpayers collectively are the owners of the country. They, through their representatives, regulate what comes across our borders. A nation with unregulated undefended borders will not last very long as a nation.
ruveyn1