Rebdragon

Bottom line, you were a [bleep], he wasn't.

In income taxes. With state and property taxes in all that it balances out a little more (although not immensly).

Actually, I was all "I want Vatican City", an y'all were like "no, someone already conquered it", and I was like "read the rules, if it ain't their first nation I can take it", and you guys were like "screw you", so I was like "screw y'all" and I left. I think that's what happened.

Have at me then. Wait, what? I thought my post was the one that caused the post extermination campaign. He said "just kidding", and what he said wasn't even worthy of deletion even without that addendum.

Tell me, Excaliber is shaking with bloodthirst.

Nub mod, show thyself. I shall slay thee with mine Excaliber.

This isn't a [bleep]ing e-mail listserv. It's a forum. Aye, it's like you just called your little brother "sir". Do it seriously and it's just wrong.

What the cheese.. mine was deleted too. Did I miss a flame battle or was this all just really pointless?

Are you joking? Stress may not be enjoyable but often it's the kick you need to really buckle down and get your work done. Without stress I bet the large majority of us would flunk college, not to mention have problems in work environments throughout the rest of life.

I'm going back to college 12 hours away from home Friday. I'm still waiting for stress to hit me. Then again, it's sophmore year so I doubt it's comin' until the classes start killin' me. Easiest Ivy to get in (depends on the school), hardest to stay in. Those grade inflation [kitties] at Harvard can kiss my [wagon].

I agree Shadow. If anything, I'm either neutral on piracy or against it, but I've found the term "stealing" is used a little too loosely in filesharing debates. Like that guy before said, it's copying. The owner isn't physically losing something. Does that make it right? I'd laughably say no, but that's just my opinion on a spectacularly grey topic.

Embrace your true self bro.

You're using someone work without their permission. There are grey areas between taking and sharing, but when you're downloading from some unknown source on the Internet you're probably not all that close to sharing, in the terms of borrowing a cd from a friend. Alright zierro, I agree with you for he most part.

Musicians gotta eat too bub. I'm not saying record companies are doing anything right right now (the RIAA is clear evidence that dinosaurs have yet to go extinct), but that doesn't mean you can justify taking and using someone elses work without their permission.

christ, it didn't even register with me what that avatar was when I first saw it. Stupid, I loved that anime. You are a brave man for changing your avvy. I find it hard; it feels like a change of external identity in forum-terms.

That's incorrect but you have the right idea. 25 years ago the top 1% of the population payed about 18% of the nation's income taxes. Nowadays, you know what the top 1% pays? 40%. 1% of the people in this country are paying for almost half of this countries budget. And what with people like Obama in the white house promising "no tax increases for the middle class," but more government control through taxing the rich, that trend of onus being put on the wealthy isn't stopping. Add all the slandering the rich get in the media for being heartless bastards who won't care for the weak and pay a little more to help, and you know what's going to happen to that part of the country that's paying for nearly half it's budget, and even more if this keeps up? It's going to start leaving. It happened in California, and if people don't get the lesson there it's going to happen to this country. So can we, like, try and fix private healthcare instead of increasing taxes?

Not a second thought, drawing, hands down. The ability to communicate and to describe something in a way words do not allow is an ability I hope to one day have. EDIT: Oh [cabbage], just read through the thread and I came across parkour. That reminds me. I think it'd be badass to get 10,000 hours of Tricking experience. Although I'd prefer drawing still. Getting good at tricking instantly would be much the same as if I asked for master soccer skills- I'd feel like I cheated and didn't deserve the grace, power and skill I had gaiend. Drawing mastery would make me feel less like that, since I wouldn't use it for fame or anything. Just did some calculations, I have about 3,400 hours of soccer/football practice. So that makes me a third of a master? Hoorah.

I like you. Everyone else on this thread (spare maybe nadril) seems to be going through some self-depreciating immature mental gymnastics to try and convince themselves that they're in the right. I don't know if piracy is right or wrong, I'm not even sure if it's either. The idea of it leaves a sick feeling in my stomach, but I think that's more because of the attittude of people like those on this thread than the amoral idea of piracy. Oh well, like dusty I download and I torrent because it's free. Free movies at college is great.

At 66kg you can bench 120 kg easily, maxing higher? Do you have any fat or core or leg muscle...? Or are you talking a out squats? I'm just curious. I can't even bench my own weight, and I'm not a twig.

You better as hell not be in high school. I can understand a meager rewards system for kids... but if you're in high school you might want to question your school's opinion of yours and your peers' maturity.

Do you know a good site where I can check those numbers (or at least statistical data concerning the topic at hand)? They seem a little surprising and I'd like to read more on this side of the issue if there's anything else to read, preferably unbiased. I'm going to look for myself but if you have any suggestions (since you seem to be almost disturbingly knowledgable on this), that'd be great. Side-note on the defensive medicine thing: I posted a point that mentioned that a large portion of doctors (93%) admit to practicing defensive medicine, and your article says defensive medicine might not even exist and that it can't be measured. That conflict of statements is what makes me want to check the numbers, to make sure they're not skewed or bias.

Where do you plan to get this cash from? The rich? They're already paying all the income taxes anyways (literally). Everyone else? That's counterproductive if the tax hike costs more individually than the insurance bills do, and it'd be a difficult law to pass. And trust me, don't talk to the rich about civic duty. When you're paying over half your paycheck to cover for people who pay basically nothing in income taxes and barely any in state, and then get constantly harassed by those same people you're covering for "not caring about the weak and poor", the veins in the forehead begin to pop. By all means tell people in general that they don't have civic duty- by all means, I agree, but don't make the mistake I see made all the time by my peers and the liberal news of accusing the rich. (I'm not saying you are, I'm just making sure you don't) Cute. Let me ring up the fairies and see if they can grant your wish. Oh, and insurance companies aren't just running up costs 'cause they feel like it. Here's an excerpt from an article that explains a prime reason: "Frivolous lawsuits. Under our current system, plaintiffs can win enormous judgments against doctors and hospitals on the basis of specious evidence. According to the consulting firm Towers Perrin, the tort system imposed $252 billion in costs on the U.S. economy in 2007. These costs are imposed in three ways. The first is the cost doctors must pay for malpractice insurance, which is passed on to you whenever you visit the doctor. Obstetrician-gynecologists in New York pay about $200,000 a year in malpractice insurance premiums. For neurosurgeons, it's about $300,000. The second is the cost of litigating medical tort claims, which in 2007 was $30.4 billion, a 100 percent increase from a decade before. The third -- and most expensive -- is defensive medicine, ordering tests and procedures that aren't really needed to guard against a lawsuit. In a 2005 survey by the Journal of the American Medical Association, 93 percent of high-risk specialists in Pennsylvania admitted to the practice." These costs would decline sharply if plaintiffs who file frivolous lawsuits were required to pay the legal costs of the innocent defendants, as is the practice in most of Europe. But though Democrats are eager to impose limits on how much doctors may earn, they are unwilling to impose limits on how much ambulance-chasing lawyers may earn, since trial lawyers are major contributors to Democratic candidates. " http://www.articleintelligence.com/Art/ ... Kelly.html Oh cause they SO deserve the millions they get! .. are you saying doctors are overpayed?

I'm not extremely familiar with European healthcare systems, but if I remember correctly the UK is fairly socialized, right? I'm asking 'cause I'd like to know how much of each of those percentages is payed for directly by the government\ and how much of them is payed for by individuals and private insurance companies. EDIT: I think I'm reading your post wrong. Are those numbers purely based on government spending? And if so, what exactly is the country doing wrong?

It's a stupid idealized idea that's going to bankrupt the country, permanently damage the economy and destroy the private health sector. So no, I dont think it's a good idea.

It's called being an effin teenager. Christ, how many times are we going to hear this? G'luck to y'all gettin' fat off your cheeseburgers in yer later years.