Weston

Coming from Hollywood, even Libertarianism sounds a lot better than whatever else is available on screen lately (Avatar....). I find I really enjoy all Robert Downey Jr.'s characters lately. Ironman is a self-made hero, Holmes fights mysticism with reason. What more can you want?

It's a classic example of the burden of proof fallacy. He claims that healthcare is a human right, and when asked to prove that claim he simply states (in a very rude manner) that you could never disprove the claim (even though I'm sure you could, if given the chance).

Yes, because I really want to. Pay is good, fun adventures, close friendships, challenging environment, that fulfills the rational self interest thing, so it's moral

It doesn't matter why; it's his invention, buy it or don't. No force involved, and there is really no reason to be worried about Gates's intentions behind it, unless you fear you might be suggestible enough to succumb to his "agenda" (which I doubt is anything other than making money).

"Franklin Dee, the island bully." I lol'd.

You don't just start out hating others. You have to hate yourself first.

I still think they are caricatures, not because they are any more corrupt than the real-life politicians of today, but because those in the book are much more openly so.

My grandparents topped the tree with a little buffalo last year.

CWEarl makes a great point, and to add on it, if people do indeed want parks, then in a capitalist society where people turn most available land into industrial grey buildings and such, whoever could secure a small piece of real estate and convert the land into a park, could undoubtedly see huge profits in his future, because his is the only park in town, and it will surely be in demand.

I've noticed FOX has been displaying some interest in Ayn Rand lately; she's been mentioned on the Glenn Beck program, Fox&Friends, and a few other shows I can't recall at the moment. But they all seem only to point to her political and economic philosophy as infallible, and then turn right around and claim America would be made right again if only we would accept God. I get the feeling that they're being pretty selective about her philosophy.

"Since You're in the World" by Elton John.

All I could find that might sound unethical on the part of OneWest was that the original adjustable interest rate on the mortgage was 10.375% and it shot up to 12.375% fairly quickly. (source WSJ). But the key word there is adjustable. The lady probably just signed a contract she neglected to read; the bank deserves the money she owes it.

That's actually my favorite kind of person to talk to. Your beliefs don't mean anything unless you can defend them against intelligent, hard-balled rationalization.

You might say that the popular thought of the day entertains foolish ideas, but to say a generation is stupid doesn't really mean anything.

The big four: Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer. I also really enjoy Sacrifice and 3 Inches of Blood. If you haven't heard of them you should check them out. How about yourself?

"Because it is mine." -Hank Rearden

Thrash metal, anyone? Anyone?

One word: RUSH.

Yeah I thoroughly enjoyed the video. I was a bit disturbed when the Founding Fathers were mentioned and Abraham Lincoln made an appearance, though. I gotta say, Abraham Lincoln was a great guy, but he was definitely too Statist to be mentioned with the Founding Fathers (not to mention the obvious time difference).

How does he dance like that? He moves like a robot.

It was an exaggeration. I meant to make the point that God (according to theists) is a supernatural being, and we as humans have no way to observe or experiment with things of supernatural qualities (I know supernatural things cannot exist, but there is only logical proof even of that).

Help me out with this one please, because I am stuck: It seems to me that it is impossible to experience physical evidence that either proves or disproves God's existence. Human technology just isn't to the point where we can send a camera out to the very edges of existence and say, "well, no God here". So, even though the Godless scenario is obviously the more likely and reasonable, it still seems unscientific to me to be absolutely assured that there is no God. Is that a correct way of thinking?

I was unaware of the existence of privately owned fire stations at all, so thanks for filling me in on that. And I do realize that protecting men from nature is not the proper function of government, but I was under the impression that public fire stations were the only option and they do seem to work very efficiently, so I asked. Now that I think about it, private fireman might be a fun job when I grow up.

I believe that a local fire department should be provided for. While not really a right, it's an institution that has been very effective, and hasn't seemed to grow too much or consume too many resources (at least in America). There is no corruption in fire safety, no waste, and I think the idea is very popular amongst most of those who would be paying for it anyway, so why not?

Things that people do happen for a reason because people use reason. Things that happen in nature simply happen -- nature cannot reason.