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Messages - Rush

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12121
Spin Zone / Re: CNBC must have just had an epiphany
« on: May 05, 2017, 01:24:07 PM »
Also different is that Obama had eight years to fix it. Trump has inherited the situation.

12122
Spin Zone / Re: Immigration solution
« on: May 04, 2017, 01:52:50 PM »
I would be very interested in the veracity and frequency of this claim.  Reminds me of the Cheeto Jesus sourcing his alternative facts as "things he'd heard".

Last year we moved to a town in Texas that is just 3 counties from Mexico.  Yes, it is a big problem. 

I don't know where you are steingar but it seems really hard for people who aren't near the border to grasp that it is a real invasion.  I didn't myself when I lived in North Carolina, although we got illegals ending up there, mostly because it was easy to get a driver's license.  Moving so close to the border has been eye opening.

12123
Spin Zone / Re: When Communism Inspired Americans- NYT
« on: May 04, 2017, 01:42:18 PM »
It is incumbent on Jews to become educated and scholarly.  You can't actually be an observant Jew without literacy, and Jewish culture favors erudition.  Liberal bastions are often found in centers of scholarship and technology.

Yes this is a good point.

12124
Spin Zone / Re: When Communism Inspired Americans- NYT
« on: May 04, 2017, 07:07:16 AM »
New York Jews tend to follow the democrat line to a fault, just like so many Irish democrats embrace all democrat sponsored corruption.

Also agree. There's something about New York City that makes people there what they are (liberal Democrat).  Later when I have time I'll try to find a link to an excellent article by a guy who divided the U.S. into at least 7 sub-nations, and New York City (not state!) was a nation all unto it's own.  They're so steeped in themselves they are hardly aware anything exists outside NYC.

12125
Spin Zone / Re: Obama's sex secrets laid bare
« on: May 04, 2017, 07:00:34 AM »
The location of the peak of the bell curve is probably a mystery to everyone because most people simply will not admit it if they've a little of whichever the other direction or how much.

As for disgusting, I have always found PDAs disgusting of every variety, hetero or homo, doesn't matter. I dislike homo PDAs being used to "stick it to the man", shove it in society's face or whatever.  As a political/cultural message it offends me.  But hetero PDAs offend me just as much simply because IT IS NOT POLITE.

My deepest value system when it comes to public behavior centers on good manners, common courtesy and politeness. It is the difference between being civilized and being a violent mob.

My position on the cake baking thing comes from that.  If a baker is a private business, no law should force him to bake a cake for gays.  I would vote against that, and I would vote for his right to reject any customer for any reason.  I might draw the line at skin color.  However, my feelings toward him are that he is RUDE.  This is a customer who wants to pay you money for a damn cake.  He's not asking you to declare sodomy okay with God. He is not asking you to reject your own religion. He is coming to you for a business transaction involving a cake - that's all.  But I'll vote for his right to commit this discourteous treatment of potential customers because private business rights trump good manners in a nation where law rules. But myself, I might not chose to do business with this person who treats gays rudely.

And it's telling me three posts have been made since I started typing this so I'll respond to that too. I agree Number7 has a point.  Again it's a big double standard that liberals support all kinds of perversion, sodomy, etc. but suddenly turn Victorian in judgment of Donald Trump's locker room banter?  What say you Steingar?


12126
Spin Zone / Re: When Communism Inspired Americans- NYT
« on: May 04, 2017, 06:07:27 AM »
I do three. Any time you have a group disperse to different locations they will evolve separately. Their language, culture, and even physical characteristics will diverge over time.

Maybe all Jewish people retain a certain tribalism that embraces socialist/communist property division, you redistribute wealth, which is pretty basic to leftism including Democrats.  It's a system that works well in small groups but fails spectacularly in large nation states.

I have heard some Jewish Democrats talk in support of Israel when it comes to U.S. foreign policy. On that issue they don't agree with their fellow Democrats, but on gun control, social programs, etc, they are liberals.  That's fair enough, I respect it when people take stands on the different issues without falling lockstep with their chosen party.

12127
Spin Zone / Re: Obama's sex secrets laid bare
« on: May 04, 2017, 05:36:09 AM »
My point exactly, the double standard. The press made a big deal of Trump's marital affairs.   They came unglued over the mere mention that GWB may have tried cocaine.

And of course everyone is just bemused because Bill Clinton didn't inhale.  That little rascal.

12128
Spin Zone / Re: Obama's sex secrets laid bare
« on: May 03, 2017, 07:50:36 PM »
My reaction is "so what"?  He wouldn't be the first straight man to have a close friendship with a gay man and to even consider an experimental fling. As Seinfeld said, men are an easy sell, explaining why they are normally so freakish about any possible gay attraction. It was the episode where George got a massage from a male therapist when, while he was working on his hamstring, George thought "it might have moved".

Anyway, it's my impression liberals like Obama like to use this sort of thing as "virtue signaling". Look how open minded I am, nothing wrong with gays see I'll even have an affair with one.  Of course I can't say this was where Obama was coming from but I was around in 1973 and it was a common thing.

I couldn't care less if he had a gay fling. Like Anthony, I care about his leftist radicalism. I do care that he supposedly smoked crack or something with this gay friend and none of that misbehavior seems to have made it into mainstream media, when all Trump had to do was mention grabbing a woman's crotch for everybody to lose their shit.

A very double standard.

12129
Spin Zone / Re: Immigration solution
« on: May 03, 2017, 07:37:39 PM »
The perfesser says borders are just imaginary lines anyway.   Wonder how he would feel if an alien family built a shanty in his backyard and set up residence?   They could tap into his electric and dig a latrine. 

 I mean, after all, they are just trying to better themselves, right?

Good point. If you don't think borders mean much then you must not believe in private property rights. Without national borders our own personal land ownership is pretty meaningless.

12130
Spin Zone / Re: When Communism Inspired Americans- NYT
« on: May 03, 2017, 07:36:01 PM »
You guys keep confusing American Jews with Israeli Jews.  They are definitely not the same thing.

Are you talking about what I said?  No they're not but I still don't see why American Jews would support Democrats supporting Muslims over Israeli Jews.

12132
Spin Zone / Re: When Communism Inspired Americans- NYT
« on: May 03, 2017, 11:04:37 AM »
I've often wondered that myself Anthony.  It is mind boggling to me why a Jewish person would favor collectivist economies, and socialist systems when Hitler was such a socialist.  And liberal democrats who want to disarm populations when disarming the citizenry allows such like the Holocaust. And the Democrats are SOOOOOOOOOOO anti-Israel. And so reluctant to fight Islamic extremists who more than any group on the planet hate them. What are they thinking to side with Democrats???

But I think you hit the nail. I really believe people's politics are - more than anything - a result of cultural upbringing.  VERY FEW people actually apply critical thinking skills to politics, most just follow their circles of friends, family tradition, and local communities. And maybe even more than that, what media they consume. So if you're of Russian extraction and NYC is all you've known of America, you don't have much hope of being anything but a liberal.

That applies to all of us; conservatives aren't much better. If you've grown up fundamentalist Christian in rural flyover country, chances are you're going to be a conservative whether you understand anything about free market economics or not.

12133
Spin Zone / Re: Immigration solution
« on: May 02, 2017, 06:09:04 PM »
What I've been told by people who've studied this (and have no source to back myself up) is that first generation immigrants do cost our society (social services and whatnot), but that it is well made up for by their second and third generation.  The idea is these folks aren't generational welfare recipients.  To be honest, I question whether any of them are long-term welfare recipients.  Problem is the issue is so politicized that I don't trust very many sources to give me unfiltered information.

This might be a good point, I hope it is true.  It certainly has been true that immigrants from Asia for example tend to become extremely productive citizens.  I agree that the issue is so polarized it might be hard to get actual true data, either way.

Quote

First, I would happily stand band let anyone steal anything from me.  I consider it folly to risk my life to protect insured property.  My insurer would much rather I keep paying my premiums rather than die protecting my property.

This attitude is what emboldens criminals to step up their game. Especially when anti-gunners disarm citizens so that they are safe to steal from you.  Your attitude can only encourage people to steal from all of us. By being willing to use violence against theft you reduce the incentive to steal. You are hurting everyone by refusing to fight thieves with violence.

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A border is nothing more than a line drawn in the dirt.  It corresponds to no natural law I can identify. 

In nature, it is not even a line in the dirt, it's completely invisible, yet it exists most definitely. Any number of species mark territory with urine or scent glands, or howling noises, and so on.  The territorial boundaries are very real, and as according to natural law as anything in existence. For others to violate natural territorial boundaries risks a fight, often to the death. Mankind is NO different.  Because we mark ours with fences, or just lines on a paper map (symbolically) doesn't make them any less real and we have every right to enforce them as virulently as any other mammal, reptile, insect, etc.

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Those who enter illegally victimize no one.

That is my own take on it.  Yours might be otherwise, and that's fine.  My point was not to make these folks instant citizens, that isn't right and even I agree.  But I think we could figure out some penalty that they had to pay in order to rectify their transgression.  There are all sorts of crimes where the perpetrator pays a fine in lieu of some other punishment.  Most motor vehicle violations are handled this way, for example.  The punishment has to fit the crime, or course.  That's why I actually ask how bad a crime is it?  I think not so much, you think its tantamount to murder.  I'd like to think that we as Americans could come to some sort of compromise, a collective view that could be put into some sort of law making a path to citizenship for these folks.

I would consider a path to citizenship only because of the logistics of trying to kick that many people out. Our mistake has been allowing it to happen all these decades. But that's no reason to continue the mistake.  It's not true that it victimizes no one. It victimizes all the legal taxpayers, insurance premium payers, etc. in this country.

12134
Spin Zone / Re: Immigration solution
« on: May 02, 2017, 07:17:18 AM »
The citizens of the United States, the taxpayers of the US.

That is correct.  For example, illegal alien woman goes to ER in America and gets free OB care to deliver her baby. Or any illegal going to any ER for any reason gets free care, and all of the rest of us pay for it in higher medical costs.

There are also benefits from having illegals. You can get a maid to clean your house for $60 when the local blond American won't do it for less than $200.

The benefits are part of what drives keeping the effort to stop them only lukewarm at best. But IMO the biggest problem is Democrats knowing they will eventually be Democrat voting citizens if not themselves, their anchor babies will.

There is a mix of good and bad. In the long, long run, I mean evolutionary timescales, it will be good. Mixing different genes into a species gene pool tends to be beneficial.  But in the short run, we have a country founded on certain laws. I don't care what we're like 10,000 years from now. I care what this country is like pretty much only in my lifetime and that of my children's children.  And as far as I'm concerned illegal entry has a net NEGATIVE.

It may be viewed as only a misdemeanor by those entering illegally but crossing borders illegally has always been viewed as the gravest of deeds by nearly all human groups. We are a territorial species. It's our evolutionary instinct to kill on sight unwelcome strangers.  Man must go through formal procedures to establish trading or marrying rights into neighboring tribes.  They are breaking natural law as well as written law.

The only reason they view it as only a minor violation is because it has not been punished or enforced. They know deep down the seriousness of the crime, but between the stick of bad conditions at home and the carrot of possible better future in America, with the low risk of consequences, they go for it.  I don't judge that; if I were them, I might do the same. I've never walked in their shoes in their pathetic homeland. But I'm not them, I'm a tax paying citizen of the U.S. so it's my right, and duty, to protect my own "tribe" if you will.

I don't have time right now to fully respond to OP's original question. My entire house is flooded, I need to go meet the insurance adjuster.  But I will say this, I believe immigration is a GOOD thing, but must be legal and controlled. No one should be allowed to enter who is criminal, or who cannot pull their own weight in the economy. All illegals raising children here are a burden on public schools and other "free" entitlements.  I am not yet convinced they contribute equal or more to the economy than what they take. As a general rule, the worse our economy is, and the more socialist it becomes, the more of a burden an illegal population is. The more free market and strong we can bring back the economy, the better chances immigrants have of getting real jobs and contributing in a positive way.  I want to see our economy recover first, by removing government regulations and obstacles, such as minimum wage laws, and a return of more jobs than we have workers, then we can welcome LEGAL immigrants.  But to continue to allow illegal crossings is not a sustainable policy, and will continue to erode our culture. 

Because I see that as one of the biggest problems with entry into the U.S. today:  failure to assimilate into our culture.  Without loyalty to the idea that founded this nation, we are not gaining U.S. citizens, we are being invaded.

12135
Spin Zone / Re: Immigration solution
« on: May 01, 2017, 06:40:31 PM »
With luck I will stop posting here altogether, but I did want to share the one and only soapbox I did with my Genetics class.  It was absolutely the only time, and the only time I have ever discussed my political views with one of my classes ever.  But the subject matter was highly relevant to what we were discussing, and the subject has been a hot-button issue.

I was discussing population genetics, and the effect migration has on allele change under Hardy Weinberg equilibrium.  We had just done a genetics problem showing an allele change to my own home town by a population of immigrants.  The change in allele frequency was substantial, far greater than could be obtained by mutation, genetic drift, or selection.

My class has a number of foreign born students, and I asked if immigration to the US was facile or difficult.  Those with the relevant experience said it was extremely difficult.  I asked if they thought it was easier to immigrate illegally.  Most thought not, due to the geographical and law enforcement barriers to entry.

I then asked what enabled a person to overcome such difficulties.  Most of my students mentioned something about determination and ambition.  I asked if those were good traits for Americans, and my students answered as a body yes.  I then mentioned that many personality traits, such as perseverance and ambition, are genetic in origin.  Those people are bringing in damn good alleles.

I then invoked the principle of selection, which biologists in the lab and breeders in the field use to isolate desirable alleles.  You set of some sort of barrier to survival or fecundity, say by putting an antibiotic in bacterial medium.  Only those bacteria resistant to the antibiotic can survive; this is the nature of drug selection.  Immigration here has never been very easy, hence we've inadvertently and accidentally set up a selection for alleles promoting perseverance. 

I then put in the one and only of my own personal views.  I truly believe that what has made America the most powerful nation on Earth has been the election for these alleles.  There are nations just as large, like Brazil, just as many natural resources that have never achieved what we have.  I believe that it is because they never had the selection that we inadvertently set up here.

My one and only soapbox (beyond making the least bit of fun of the POTUS from time to time, but I make far more fun of myself).  Like I said, most of it is based on very well understood science.  Admittedly the last bit was my own thoughts.  Those of you worried about immigration should worry about something else.  So long as there are strong barriers against it immigration, whether legal or illegal, will bring us the sort of superlative alleles that will keep America and Americans great for generations to come.

I think you're on to something. Some of the same characteristics that drove the original Pilgrims to cross the Atlantic are in those who attempt to get here illegally, and those characteristics make American people strong and contribute to our greatness as a nation.  Plausible.  And you are suggesting maybe those alleles may be a good addition to keep our population strong.  Not saying I agree or disagree but worth pursuing.

I also agree though that does not justify excusing breaking the law, forgiving getting here illegally.

What might improve the genes of Americans over time might not necessarily outweigh the damage done by forgiving illegal entry. So I will not take a stand on what we "should" do about it, not at this time anyway. I have lots of thoughts but just came home from a three day vacation to a completely flooded house. Broken water pipe.

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