Biden calls paying higher taxes a patriotic act

[Heracles 417]

You might live in a neighbourhood of packs and mobs, but I don't and I don't treat people as representative of a group. What a bizarre human being you (yes, BY, you personally, not whatever you think you represent) are.

I treat people as indivuals but that does not change the reality that the herd mentality is quite prevalent in humans. Most people I meet and know fit into various mainstream groups.

Whatever helps people sleep at night though. If people think they are truly free thinkers and unique, good for them. Not reality but good for them on thinking that way.

I am sure there are quite a few people who think like that. Get what I am saying..

[luckytxn 2,265]

liberalism

In the twentieth century, a viewpoint or ideology associated with free political institutions and religious toleration, as well as support for a strong role of government in regulating capitalism and constructing the welfare state.

Liberalism

A 19th-century Protestant movement that favored free intellectual inquiry, stressed the ethical and humanitarian content of Christianity, and de-emphasized dogmatic theology.

A 19th-century Roman Catholic movement that favored political democracy and ecclesiastical reform but was theologically orthodox.

[Heracles 417]

Liberalism

In the twentieth century, a viewpoint or ideology associated with free political institutions and religious toleration, as well as support for a strong role of government in regulating capitalism and constructing the welfare state.

Liberalism

A 19th-century Protestant movement that favored free intellectual inquiry, stressed the ethical and humanitarian content of Christianity, and de-emphasized dogmatic theology.

A 19th-century Roman Catholic movement that favored political democracy and ecclesiastical reform but was theologically orthodox.

Boy have things changed.

21st Century Liberalism

Now it's all about rights issues for pretty much everyone and anything, apart from Christians; They should be exterminated. They should have no right to free speech or freedom to choose to believe. Death to them and conservatives.

PS And they should pay more freakin tax. Unless it is old money. We don't want to tax that or $20 million dollar Hollywood salaries.

Edited September 19, 2008 by Aficionado

[luckytxn 2,265]

socialism

An economic system in which the production and distribution of goods are controlled substantially by the government rather than by private enterprise, and in which cooperation rather than competition guides economic activity. There are many varieties of socialism. Some socialists tolerate capitalism, as long as the government maintains the dominant influence over the economy; others insist on an abolition of private enterprise. All communists are socialists, but not all socialists are communists.

Socialism

So"cial*ism\, n. [Cf. F. socialisme.] A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor. In popular usage, the term is often employed to indicate any lawless, revolutionary social scheme. See Communism, Fourierism, Saint-Simonianism, forms of socialism.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Seeing a pattern?

conservatism

noun

a political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes

con·ser·va·tism (kən-sûr'və-tĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key

n.

The inclination, especially in politics, to maintain the existing or traditional order.

A political philosophy or attitude emphasizing respect for traditional institutions, distrust of government activism, and opposition to sudden change in the established order.

Conservatism The principles and policies of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom or of the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.

Caution or moderation, as in behavior or outlook

[rocks 494]

i'm seeing lots of definitions...

[luckytxn 2,265]

Spectrum Three: Democracy vs. Constitutionalism

Democracy has been with us for thousands of years, but most of these experiments have ended badly. It was the rise of individual rights in the 18th century, as protected by the Constitution, that has distinguished the United States and made it such a successful democracy. (At least so far!)

The Founding Fathers also knew that democracy only works if the voters are educated. But in the 18th century, the overwhelming majority of Americans were illiterate. So they created a representative democracy, or a republic, in which laws were voted upon not by the people, but their elected representatives. For this reason, the United States is technically not a pure democracy, but a constitutional republic -- a fact which conservatives are always quick to point out.

Many of the Founders advocated a government where representative democracy, the constitution and the courts form a system of checks and balances. The entire rational behind such a triangular system is to prevent too much power from accumulating in any one segment of society. We all know the old adage: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Liberals acknowledge the value of all three corners of this system. If anything, they would argue that democracy could be strengthened, because mass education has largely wiped out illiteracy in America. Therefore, more direct forms of democracy are possible, like state or even national referendums. More radical liberals advocate replacing our representative democracy with a direct one -- but there is a real question of whether or not the people are that educated.

Conservatives, on the other hand, argue that the constitution should be strengthened, and democracy proportionately weakened. Why? Because they perceive that the Constitution gives them the individual freedom to act however they want, as long as they don't violate other people's individual freedom. Democracy, on the other hand, often tells individuals what to do. If a law you voted against is passed, your personal will is denied. In other words, democracy forces individuals in the minority to act in the interest of the majority, which is why conservatives tend to oppose it. Libertarians take this opposition to an extreme.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Conservatism and liberalism are examples of moderated meritocracies. In a moderated meritocracy, the most successful continue to be rewarded the most, but a percentage of their power or income is redistributed back to the middle and lower class. Liberals, who lean more towards equality, believe the degree of redistribution should be rather high; conservatives, who lean more towards merit, believe that it should be rather low. In our economy, a progressive tax code achieves this effect, and liberals and conservatives argue over how steep its progressivity should be.

[luckytxn 2,265]

In general, the right favors competition; the left, cooperation.

The advantage of competition is that it drives humans to their maximum potential and maximum performance. The disadvantage of competition is that it can be destructive.

The advantage of cooperation is that we are all stronger together than we are separately. The disadvantage of cooperation is that it diminishes incentive, since trying harder than the next person will not achieve anything.

There is a complex interplay between competition and cooperation in human society (and, indeed, in all animal life). It is possible to engineer society to emphasize competition (by emphasizing the individual) or to emphasize cooperation (by emphasizing society). Finding the right mix requires an accurate understanding of the roots of competition and cooperation, as well as a knowledge of game theory (which is the science of competition and cooperation

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You might live in a neighbourhood of packs and mobs, but I don't and I don't treat people as representative of a group. What a bizarre human being you (yes, BY, you personally, not whatever you think you represent) are.

I treat people as indivuals but that does not change the reality that the herd mentality is quite prevalent in humans. Most people I meet and know fit into various mainstream groups.

Whatever helps people sleep at night though. If people think they are truly free thinkers and unique, good for them. Not reality but good for them on thinking that way.

I am sure there are quite a few people who think like that. Get what I am saying..

Your perception of herd mentality doesn't justify going around applying bizarre group stereotypes to individuals. In short - you say you treat people as individuals, but you really don't.

[rocks 494]

seeming as we are pasting things,

A holistic view of a system encompasses the complete, entire view of that system. Holism emphasizes that the state of a system must be assessed in its entirety and can not be assessed through its independent member parts. Dividing a system into its separate parts is considered destructive to that system and single parts within a system should not be prioritized. Thus, holistic views define atomism to ultimately be a threat to the health of a system.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Did we actually learn anything here today.

Obama and the Dems are now Socialists. There is no harm in this at all. Y'all need to embrace this and run with it. By denying what y'all are then just makes y'all seem deceitful and can't be trusted.

The so called Conservatives are just that. They are in name only. They say they want less Government but turn around and give us even larger Government. They believe in Capitalism they say but then give out corporate welfare. They say no to social programs but give us more.

[rocks 494]

so they're both the same then?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

People are not ideologies, however crudely defined.

[rocks 494]

People are not ideologies, however crudely defined.

i'm comfortable in the knowledge that i can make a decision based on a given situation rather than label myself an absolute, how about yourself?