Progressive Host Demolishes Smug Billionaire

[XenoFish]

1 hour ago, Piney said:

People don't have true adversity anymore. There is always a crutch to fall back on. True adversity is needed for social development. That's the primary purpose of a Vision Quest. To be thrown in a situation where you are rock bottom with no help. Not just looking for a " spirit helper" but helping yourself. 

There seems to be a theme now of defining yourself by your problems. To make excuses. I had to deal with suicidal depression following a nervous breakdown in 2012, I still got up every morning, put on a happy face and did my damn job. 

[Phaeton80]

15 hours ago, and then said:

21 TRILLION in debt.  Another trillion added each year. Perhaps you can explain the process whereby the government adds perhaps 2 or 3 trillion PER YEAR to cover Sander's promises, without the economy crashing totally?  I'd really be interested in hearing this.  Evil capitalism has built the largest and most robust economy the world has ever seen.  

The opposite of that system is being tried in Venezuela.  They sit on more oil than Saudi Arabia yet their citizens are hunting dogs, cats, and rats in the streets for meat to eat.  THAT is where friendly, "democratic" socialism arrives, EVERY TIME IT IS TRIED.  Without fail.  The difference between socialism and capitalism is the group at the top who live in luxury and the size of the group at the bottom that are starving.  In capitalism, it is MUCH fewer people.

 

Quote

MSU scholars find $21 trillion in unauthorized government spending; Defense Department to conduct first-ever audit

Earlier this year, a Michigan State University economist, working with graduate students and a former government official, found $21 trillion in unauthorized spending in the departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development for the years 1998-2015.

The work of Mark Skidmore and his team, which included digging into government websites and repeated queries to U.S. agencies that went unanswered, coincided with the Office of Inspector General, at one point, disabling the links to all key documents showing the unsupported spending. (Luckily, the researchers downloaded and stored the documents.)

Now, the Department of Defense has announced it will conduct the first department-wide, independent financial audit in its history (read the Dec. 7 announcement here).

The Defense Department did not say specifically what led to the audit. But the announcement came four days after Skidmore discussed his team’s findings on USAWatchdog, a news outlet run by former CNN and ABC News correspondent Greg Hunter.

https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2017/msu-scholars-find-21-trillion-in-unauthorized-government-spending-defense-department-to-conduct/

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by Phaeton80

[RavenHawk]

On 5/26/2018 at 3:35 PM, Aquila King said:

A completely out of touch smug billionaire who doesn't in the least bit understand the current economic struggles of millions of Americans came out with a hardcore Pro-Capitalism book, and is on Fox News railing against Bernie Sanders and his supporters. Of course without the slightest clue what any regular hard working Americans are going through.

Kulinski is the one that is out of touch.  If you work your butt off and still can’t get any where, then you aren’t working hard enough.  It’s just that simple.  Or that should be that you aren’t working smart enough.  Life is not kind but each person has a brain to use to take care of themselves.  That is the natural condition of Man.  Man adapts and overcomes challenges.  Don’t blame anybody or anything for your failure.  Working hard does not mean impossible.  It’s about reacting to outcomes and turning them around to your benefit.

 

Kulinski believes that the measure of a great nation is comparing the stats of universal healthcare, unemployment insurance, and education between nations (3 coffin nails).  Those are just measures of enslavement.  The true measure of a great nation is how independent its people are and the least amount of involvement/infringement the government intrudes on the lives of its people.

 

National parks around this country have signs posted to not feed the animals.  Do you ever wonder why?  When humans feed wild animals, they become dependent on humans for their food.  They begin to lose the ability to do for themselves.  It may seem to be an act of kindness to feed the animals but it is like a poison or disease that affects their nature. 

 

Socialism does the same thing to Man.  It kills Man with phony kindness.  Too many today expect some kind of entitlement without earning a thing.  There are those having a hissy fit over the lack of safe spaces.  Grow a pair, people!  There was a time when children lived with their parents well into adulthood, but it was more of an issue of economics.  Today it is a lack a maturity.  A demuscularization of the male youth.  Why do you think shows like The Walking Dead to Survivor are popular?  It’s because at a primitive level, we are missing self-reliance.  We are drawn to what we lack.  Our natures try to come out and Socialism does its best to suppress it.

 

Now with that said, there is corruption in business and government – obviously.  But this is a state of crony capitalism that is created by socialism.  The three legs of our society must be balanced.  When they are not, then poverty oozes from the wound.  We can fix that by returning power back to the people.  We need people to be more individualistic.  They need to learn to be an aware consumer and educated voter.  This is what regulates the other two legs.  The consumer drives the market and voting out the incumbent will weed out the cronies in both.  Once we achieve balance between the three, there will be no place for Socialism and poverty will begin to wane.

 

Capitalism will be as it should be, something beneficial to all.  Some think that the Invisible Hand is being selfish, but that is just not so.  The Invisible Hand helps everyone.  You can think of it, that by taking care of your family and yourself and that benefits everyone else for not having to take care of you and theirs.  That’s not selfishness; it’s doing your human duty of compassion.  I realize this is a bit terse, but it is my first attempt at actually addressing the ills of Socialism in deeper terms, rather than with just facts.  There is just so much that is wrong with that clip that I am unsure of expressing the inexpressible.

 

I just watched Trump’s rally in Tennessee.  The one thing I’m missing from my post was all over that rally.  What this nation needs is a good positive message for once that becomes so infectious that all the Progressive dupes can’t match in their negativity.  No, being positive isn’t a magic potion but we should start somewhere and being positive is the place to start.  I think it is happening.  When we start to believe in ourselves again, then we will begin to get control of our future.  And Socialism has no place in our future and we will lead the world once again.

 

I've spent many an hour on here trying my best to accurately articulate my perspective on this front, yet I've never come close to doing so nearly as well as this left-wing progressive talk show host did just now...

When people become aware of Socialism and understand what it really is, no amount of articulation can change the truth.  People will shy away from it faster that anything.  Kulinski was so dead wrong and he wasn’t even aware of how wrong he was.

[Aquila King]

@RavenHawk

[RavenHawk]

21 minutes ago, Aquila King said:

@RavenHawk

Tell us something we don't know.

[internetperson]

Someone should start a mental health thread. I wanna multi quote rant but don't wanna take this thread in that direction. Cliffs notes of what I want to point out is I get the impression you guys have the old school perspective on mental health. That's fine and all, sounds rad and makes me think of clint eastwood drinking pabst, but it's just bull****. We have medical imaging that can show how the brain works and what effects what. It's more than 'get over it' some people never will. 

[RoofGardener]

Wow, this Kyle Kulinski is REALLY "triggered" by this book.

It MUST be worth a read  

[Tatetopa]

2 hours ago, RavenHawk said:

The true measure of a great nation is how independent its people are and the least amount of involvement/infringement the government intrudes on the lives of its people.

Well by that measure, most African countries rank among the greatest nations.  As a missionary I knew who grew up in India and Africa said, "If you don't find something to do that people will pay you for you die."   Not totally knocking your point, just sayin there is probably more to a great nation than that.

[Tatetopa]

2 hours ago, RavenHawk said:

When we start to believe in ourselves again, then we will begin to get control of our future.

I've always believed in myself.  I just don't believe in the government past or current.  I haven't had the hardships of my respected friend Piney or the turmoil of Aquila King either. I've done some stupid things and been lucky or looked out for whichever you believe. I've been hungry and cold and exhausted in the woods and sawmills and crawling around in the mud under machinery trying to get it going. But I never had family who beat me or even a seriously  hostile environment.  In short, I have had it pretty easy.  Part of what makes a great country (to steal a line from RavenHawk) is its citizenry. Virtues like independence, integrity, honesty, respect, and compassion go a long way.  From fossil records, even Neanderthals took care of their old, their injured, and handicapped. I think we can maintain all of those good virtues and still help people in need without robbing them of their own virtues, Mostly I take people at their word, at least at the outset.  If they say they are in need, I don't try to second guess them.  I have been screwed a few times it is true, but I generally feel good about helping regardless.  

[Michelle]

An extremely touching post, Tatetopa.

[acidhead]

19 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

I've always believed in myself.  I just don't believe in the government past or current.  I haven't had the hardships of my respected friend Piney or the turmoil of Aquila King either. I've done some stupid things and been lucky or looked out for whichever you believe. I've been hungry and cold and exhausted in the woods and sawmills and crawling around in the mud under machinery trying to get it going. But I never had family who beat me or even a seriously  hostile environment.  In short, I have had it pretty easy.  Part of what makes a great country (to steal a line from RavenHawk) is its citizenry. Virtues like independence, integrity, honesty, respect, and compassion go a long way.  From fossil records, even Neanderthals took care of their old, their injured, and handicapped. I think we can maintain all of those good virtues and still help people in need without robbing them of their own virtues, Mostly I take people at their word, at least at the outset.  If they say they are in need, I don't try to second guess them.  I have been screwed a few times it is true, but I generally feel good about helping regardless.  

Feel good about helping... Like the bleeding hearts... So overly epathetic they cannot see through the blurry of their self righteous tears

Except if it is at the end of a government perscribed firearm.

There's everything great in helping one another.  It's entirely different when it's your vote which uses the government to authorize force on another individual.

[DingoLingo]

@Aquila King @Piney

 

I got you both beat.. try being a Lesbian trapped in a mans body.. 

[RavenHawk]

7 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

Well by that measure, most African countries rank among the greatest nations.  As a missionary I knew who grew up in India and Africa said, "If you don't find something to do that people will pay you for you die."   Not totally knocking your point, just sayin there is probably more to a great nation than that.

You are quite right.  There is much more.  But Kulinski seems to think that his criteria are the most important factors.  But when you look at just the numbers, the difference between any dozen or so countries is a matter of tenths of a percent.  Not really an indication of which one is better than the other because these numbers fluctuate.  A great nation is built by the people, not the government.  A government can help by providing the basics like power, water, sewer, roads, etc. and staying out of the way so that the people can take care of themselves.

7 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

I've always believed in myself.  I just don't believe in the government past or current.

I’m with you there.  And that’s what the Founding Fathers believed too.  They provided for a very limited list of functions for the government but made it vague enough so that the government could keep up with the times and hoped that we wouldn’t fall into that power/control trap.  Too late but hopefully, we’ll be able to reinstate those original limits.

Part of what makes a great country (to steal a line from RavenHawk) is its citizenry. Virtues like independence, integrity, honesty, respect, and compassion go a long way.  From fossil records, even Neanderthals took care of their old, their injured, and handicapped. I think we can maintain all of those good virtues and still help people in need without robbing them of their own virtues, Mostly I take people at their word, at least at the outset.  If they say they are in need, I don't try to second guess them.  I have been screwed a few times it is true, but I generally feel good about helping regardless.  

I’m sure the Neanderthals didn’t use force or coercion on the neighboring tribes to take care of their weak and old.  If you are moved to help your fellow man, then do so.  That is an individual choice.  It is not up to the government to collect force taxes to help the weak and old.  It is not one of the five basic functions

[Piney]

15 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

I've been hungry and cold and exhausted in the woods and sawmills and crawling around in the mud under machinery trying to get it going.

I live for this and I will die doing it. When I was a small child people thought I would be unable to do anything like this and I do it at a age when most people can't

[Tatetopa]

19 hours ago, acidhead said:

Feel good about helping... Like the bleeding hearts... So overly epathetic they cannot see through the blurry of their self righteous tears

Moderation in all things.  I've screwed people over too and hate a few I've encountered.  You don't have to be a bleeding heart to help once in a while.

[Tatetopa]

11 hours ago, RavenHawk said:

I’m with you there.  And that’s what the Founding Fathers believed too.  They provided for a very limited list of functions for the government but made it vague enough so that the government could keep up with the times and hoped that we wouldn’t fall into that power/control trap.  Too late but hopefully, we’ll be able to reinstate those original limits.

Its not too late. Things go in cycles, but also times change.  When the population was 95% farmers and craftsmen, they sure didn't like the East India company much.  It was their tea got dumped in the harbor.  And the King's government backed the company.  And here we are with a couple of dozen East India Company sized corporations controlling a lot of our lives and most of our government.

[Tatetopa]

11 hours ago, RavenHawk said:

If you are moved to help your fellow man, then do so.  That is an individual choice.  It is not up to the government to collect force taxes to help the weak and old.  It is not one of the five basic functions

 

True enough.  The government shouldn't need to force people to do this sort of thing, and if people want to live every man for himself style, I guess they are free to do it.  But of course your point is that today's givernment is repressive about that.

[Farmer77]

23 hours ago, acidhead said:

There's everything great in helping one another.  It's entirely different when it's your vote which uses the government to authorize force on another individual.

This is true, that's why the DOD budget needs to be gutted, congress' salaries and benefits need to be slashed and corporate regulations need to be tightened and tax loopholes closed. I'm sick and tired of the government forcing me to give them money which doesn't benefit me.