Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[hack]

Is this it?


Texans sometimes get cocky when they consider the big-government shenanigans of their cousins in New Jersey and Illinois. And then they remember that Houston is in Texas.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...national-shame

[Hannibal]

"Skyrocketing"...with an increase of 3.62% in the 74 years since we joined World War Two.

A 3.6% increase since the first full year that we were in World War II (1942). Our government spending as a percent of GDP is as high as it was when we were in World War I, and we aren't in a World War. And, as I said, the graph is five years old and government has gotten bigger since then, and the prevailing pressure is to make that number bigger by continuously expanding what the government pays for and how many people get it.

But, whatever. Apparently everyone is fine with living in a fantasy world where exponentially increasing welfare benefits magically appear once you put a tight leash on the banks. If only Greece had done that -- their Socliaist welfare state (where government spending is half of GDP) totally would have worked out. So, folks continue with your fantasties about how clever currency manipulation is going to provide the hundreds of trillions of dollars that we are going to need to keep the feeding trough full over the next half century so that everyone in North America can have free shit. Don't worry guys, it's totally going to work here!

[iam416]

Hack

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/436435/mass-transit-conservatives-hong-kong-free-market-united-states-bureaucracy

[Hannibal]

I think for the discussion to continue about ``socialism'', Hannibal would have to provide his own definition of the word. I suspect mine differs from his quite a bit. Mine is the standard definition. Socialism is distinct from capitalism based on who owns the means of production.

I begin with what self-described Socialists like Bernie Sanders declare as their policies. (the rest is semantics) You're the one who is giddy about the possibility of these types of people getting elected, not me.

If you want to come up with a new term to describe the combination of open borders + welfare state that you are totally fine with then be my guest.

[hack]

Then by your definition the US has never been anything BUT socialist. I don't think you know what socialism is.

[Hannibal]

Then by your definition the US has never been anything BUT socialist.

LOL Wut?

[froot loops]

Hannibal is unhinged on this Greek thing, it is hard to even debate him because he us all over the map. A co-headliner on Greek problem during the crisis was failure to collect taxes, in a good year they were at 60 percent on collecting taxes. The US is in the 90 percent range even with Donald Trump.

The absence of a national currency was a huge problem for Greece. That's a fact. Why are you trying to argue this?

You are attaching the socialism thing to me, where do you get that? You are just throwing strawman left and right. And why is it always the failed countries, I guess ranting about turning into Sweden doesn't have the same polemic value.

[hack]

I'm done with this. You don't know what socialism is, and appear completely unwilling to learn. I like this thread so I think it's unwise to continue with this particular discussion.

[Wild Hoss]

A 3.6% increase since the first full year that we were in World War II (1942). Our government spending as a percent of GDP is as high as it was when we were in World War I, and we aren't in a World War. And, as I said, the graph is five years old and government has gotten bigger since then, and the prevailing pressure is to make that number bigger by continuously expanding what the government pays for and how many people get it.

But, whatever. Apparently everyone is fine with living in a fantasy world where exponentially increasing welfare benefits magically appear once you put a tight leash on the banks. If only Greece had done that -- their Socliaist welfare state (where government spending is half of GDP) totally would have worked out. So, folks continue with your fantasties about how clever currency manipulation is going to provide the hundreds of trillions of dollars that we are going to need to keep the feeding trough full over the next half century so that everyone in North America can have free shit. Don't worry guys, it's totally going to work here!

Graphs can be scary if taken without context, and looking only at directions. Even doing so, we see upward and downward fluctuations, and the net gain over a substantial period of time- an extremely prosperous one- has been fairly minimal. Being a superpower comes with costs...also, we don’t let people die of syphilis anymore.

I get your concerns of “creep”. I am more poking fun at your hysterics here.

[hack]

Hack

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...es-bureaucracy

Thanks for sharing. Good piece. He didn't even mention the DC Metro. I pay $6 for a roundtrip, but the smells of burning plastic in many of the metro stations come for free.

This isn't the only are in which per-capita spend is very high and outcomes are very bad.

[Hannibal]

I'm done with this. You don't know what socialism is, and appear completely unwilling to learn. I like this thread so I think it's unwise to continue with this particular discussion.

Keep arguing semantics it totally makes sense. Or, come up with a new word to describe the combination of open borders and welfare state that pays for free health care, food stamps, and college education for anyone that wants it.

But don't worry guyz -- Goldman Sachs and company are robbing us of all of that money. All we need to do is elect somebody like Bernie Sanders who will crack the whip and everything will be allright!

[Wild Hoss]

Keep arguing semantics it totally makes sense. Or, come up with a new word to describe the combination of open borders and welfare state that pays for free health care, food stamps, and college education for anyone that wants it.

But don't worry guyz -- Goldman Sachs and company are robbing us of all of that money. All we need to do is elect somebody like Bernie Sanders who will crack the whip and everything will be allright!

Seriously...this is just inane babble.

[Hannibal]

Seriously...this is just inane babble.

No it isn't. It's a response to the utterly idiotic notion that Glass-Steagall is a magic bullet that is going to somehow make massive increases in government spending viable, or that the past failures of Socialist economies are the fault of big banks and not the fault of the governments who spent irresponsibly.

[CGVT]

On a lighter note... (I'm sure a head or two will explode when watching this. Ha!)

[ame]https://youtu.be/ziwYbVx_-qg[/ame]

[hack]

Words have meaning. You don't get to recreate them according to your own needs.

You don't know what you're talking about, and you don't know what I'm talking about. And you appear allergic to asking. So, that's it.