So, there was an online health care argument.

Yes, I know better.  No, I don't always do better.

Basically started when someone from a civilized typical country asked "WTF?  Why is this even a question?  Please explain to me why the BFD about a universal health care system."

And then 120 people went back and forth for 675 posts until a someone else ( Read more... )

I've got another healthcare debate comment that annoys me.  I can't in good conscience call it stupid, because it's a question that when asked sincerely is just fine.  The problem is that it is usually asked in a rhetorical way that makes it eye-peelingly stupid.

This question:  "You complain about healthcare being in the hands of big business; ( Read more... )

There are some conversations I am finding more and more difficult to have, or even to tolerate, because the loudest arguments are often really flamingly stupid.  Health care is one of those.

I think the US ought to determine which country has the best most-bang-for-the-buck system, and replicate it.  Now, this may not come down to an easy choice, ( Read more... )

Yesterday I finished reading the book Baby Be-Bop, by Francesca Lia Block. This book came to my attention thanks to the West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries, and more specifically to the Christian Civil Liberties Union, who are suing for the right to burn or otherwise destroy the West Bend Community Memorial Library's copy of it. They describe it ( Read more... )

So, one of my coworkers today starts a conversation with "what you have to understand about females is ( Read more... )

1) The "Conservative Knitters" group on Ravelry might as well be renamed "Bigots R Us."  (Stumbled into it by accident via another member's profile.)
2) Although not directly related to that, they made me laugh quite heartily with their hypocrisy, too.  Direct quote: "No surprise that she is a nasty lefty (but that’s redundant). She isn’t satisfied ( Read more... )

OK, I'll admit up front that I don't know much about the proposed American auto industry bailout.  I'm discussing from a very theoretical standpoint, and as such I don't mind if someone wants to give me some more information or gently correct errors ( Read more... )

Hey, guys.  Just a head's up.  President Elect Obama is actually considering signing the Treaty banning cluster bombs -- which is shocking to me considering that America is the largest producer, seller, and user of the things.  Let's encourage him to do so.  You can contact him through change.gov.  I think the contact page is http://change.gov/page ( Read more... )

I'm so sick of the B.S. racial blaming here.

1) Why are we talking about the 856,000 black people that voted for Prop 8, but NOT the 3,774,000  white people and 1,180,000 Hispanic people?  5 and 3/4 as many white and hispanic people (4 1/2 times as many white people alone) voted for Prop, and somehow it's the black voters' fault the thing passed ( Read more... )

I had to get my car worked on this morning.  And OF COURSE the television was on in the waiting room, and it was on the news, talking about the economic crisis with some so-called experts ( Read more... )