Comments | hesychasm: one step forward, two steps back

hesychasm

one step forward, two steps back

Jan 31, 2005 18:49

1 in 3 teens says First Amendment goes 'too far'Yet, when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.
I can't even address this ( Read more... )

Comments 14

fourteenlines January 31 2005, 18:12:32 UTC

Yeah, because what we want to do is move toward MORE people being uninsured. Not less. Why would we want less? Those people are poor, and therefore unworthy of our consideration, and therefore deserve to die anyway.

Jesus.

The only thing that gives me hope is that I doubt enough employers would jump on the bandwagon in four years to make something like that an actual threat.

And your response to the First Amendment thing was basically my thought, as well: "This is why we don't let high-schoolers make policy decisions."

uh, got kinda ranty hesychasm January 31 2005, 18:29:15 UTC

No kidding. It's this whole mentality of "people need to take care of their own shit" driving the administration that drives me up the wall, because it's a mentality that really only works when people have the MEANS to take care of their own shit. I think jonquil isn't far off when she calls it Social Darwinism. And it ain't even all that disguised, either. The lack of sympathy for anything non-millionaires have to go through is just abhorrent.

Now, I realize that allowing illegal immigrants to come in and take jobs as guest workers results in fewer Americans with jobs, and thus fewer Americans able to take care of their shit. But seeing as how I want the government to help people out, this doesn't really throw a wrench into my political worldview ( ... )

Re: uh, got kinda ranty fourteenlines January 31 2005, 20:18:27 UTC

Personally, I don't want to take care of my own health insurance. I've got enough crap to deal with in my daily life, and not all of us are so fantastically wealthy that we can A) take part of their workday for personal stuff, or B) pay someone to take care of it for us. When exactly would most any of us have time to administer our own health plan?

And, I mean, YEAH the government should provide for healthcare. (At least, I mean to say that I am in complete agreement, for the same reasons you have.) I now have to have my current health insurance for the rest of my life because otherwise it wouldn't cover my heart condition, and having health insurance that doesn't cover my heart condition would be seriously pointless. The prescription drug cost alone would cause me to go bankrupt. And I think I'm a pretty decent person who works hard and got good grades and crap and never did anything to piss off God or the government or whoever, and this is a thing that just happened to me. But if I switch jobs, I have to pay for this current ( ... )

Re: uh, got kinda ranty fourteenlines January 31 2005, 20:20:06 UTC

Oh, and:

(And besides, it's what Jesus would do. *wink*)

Aren't you cute?

But then, YEAH he would.

Thread 9

maidenjedi January 31 2005, 21:35:51 UTC

That First Amendment thing? It doesn't surprise me. I heard it tonight at my university - from supposedly educated people. Apparently, free speech rights "go too far" and not everyone who has opinion should be allowed to express it.

I was appalled.

hesychasm February 1 2005, 07:36:21 UTC

That's just depressing. College students? Gah.

aud_woman_in February 1 2005, 00:05:29 UTC

The healthcare thing: This too-neatly explains why the Gubernator began putting feelers out not too long ago testing the idea of requiring individuals to buy health insurance. The logic? Drivers are required to buy car insurance, therefore...igoring somehow that driving is an option, but breathing is not. Assurances that those too poor or sick to buy private insurance would receive state subsidies only begs the question - why not a single-payer plan for *everyone* then??? Oh my head. It hurts ( ... )

hesychasm February 1 2005, 07:39:35 UTC

Yeah, the article mentioned something about the California Medical Association being in favor of certain aspects of Bush's plan. Politics or just cold hard scientific/economic numbers?

Made a note of the book title. Thank you!

wemblee February 1 2005, 14:57:42 UTC

1 in 3 teens says First Amendment goes 'too far'

::cries::

You know, I'm the first to sigh, "No, we can't all move to Canada and screw all the non-crazy folk that can't afford to skip town," but... but... Sometimes I just look around me and despair. People talk about how progress is made in baby steps, but I can't help but think that we're hundreds of years behind.