Guard Dog

No reason non-US citizens can’t vote yeah I’m gonna be a hard pass on this one. I would be a bit more inclined if we were talking about just legal residence. But that term is already very blurry and it’s going to get even blurrier.

I remember a conspiracy theory from 20 years ago that the government was going to go around and force everybody to give up their DNA. Well as it turns out they don’t have to force them to do it! Hell they didn’t even need to pay them!

I thought I made it clear my comparisons to slavery were not “serious“. Besides I’ve told you this a number of times my goal in engaging in philosophical discussions is not really to change anyone’s mind. Well that’s not true sometimes I have done that. But what I would really like to do is just to get people to think about things from a different perspective. like I said I live in the country and society that I live in and I follow its rules. Does it mean I don’t wish they might’ve been different. Does it mean I don’t think maybe it could’ve been done better. But that genies been out of the bottle so long she’s gone. Edit: still not voting for Democrats or Republicans though. I used to vote for the lesser evil. Then one day I decided I was going to stop voting for evil. I’d rather vote for lost causes or even stupidity.

Besides, the world is what it is. It works how it works. It cannot be changed. It cannot even be seriously adjusted. If we could move to some new land in the middle of the ocean somewhere and build a new society from the ground up there be an opportunity to do things a little differently. Maybe it would succeed and maybe it wouldn’t. You can’t have a functioning society without tax dollars. And you won’t get tax dollars without taking them. of course HOW we get taxed is fair game

LOL OK let’s clear the air to begin with this is not a serious discussion. But from a purely philosophical point of view both were/are legal and contrived to deprive a person of at least some portion of the fruits of their labor in the interest of some “public” good. And yes that argument was made about slave labor. More than once. Alexander Stevens and John Calhoun both wrote essays to hide it behind that particular fig leaf. of course this is not an intellectually valid one to one comparison. Not the same thing. But from a purely philosophical point of view there IS a comparison

It all comes down to how big a check you have to write. If I owned the name I would sell it to them for $1 and a 1 penny royalty on all merchandise. I would even negotiate that down a half a penny. It’s still more than enough to make me a millionaire

I never said I wasn’t a hypocrite. I drawing unemployment so I’m literally living off my fellow Tennesseans right now. It’s something of a miracle I can even look at myself in the mirror. But somehow I find a way to do it. Of course that doesn’t mean taxes are not theft. I guess if tax is not theft because it’s legal than slavery was just a jobs program. But you of all people know that political philosophy and practical applications are, at best, distantly related.

Tax is theft! Employers ripping off employees is also theft. The difference is the former is legal and the latter isn’t. You can DO something about the latter. well, to tell you the gods honest truth you can do something about the former too. Don’t have an income, don’t own anything, don’t buy anything, and just live like a bum. No taxes! Another way to go is to not pay, enter skeevy business deals, get elected President and declare executive privilege for all dealings from the beginning of time to date. Of course the jury still out on how well that last one works LOL.

The Cleveland Spiders is still open, just sayin’ it’s never too late to do the right thing

A Waffle House waitress who worked a double shift while looking after her baby says she received a $1,000 tip from a country-music star who was impressed by her work ethic

Laurel Hubbard fails to medal well that’s going to upset the narrative a little bit LOL. Hell, even I was expecting a South Park moment.

The Taliban is disorganized and far less capable than it once was. The Afghan government is reasonably well armed and trained. But everyone seems to expect the Taliban will be back in control of the country within a year. What a mess.

To sum it up: Don’t wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.

Killer whale stranded on the rocks in Alaska saved by locals

I know for a fact there are none of those around. I live in Tennessee where taxidermy is considered a legit and highly respectable career choice! If we had those I’d be seeing their mounted heads around

I love it when someone leaves and they post a tell off thread. It’s been done a few times and it was always amusing.

Added to my “to do” list

@GromnirI like my current lawyer well enough. Her billing is never excessive and she’s handled every job I’ve ever asked her to do. The son of a bitch before that I can’t say that about. He landed me in hot water with the IRS with his incompetence. Of course that’s partially my fault for taking tax advice from a real estate lawyer.

The Washington Post  A lawyer hoped history books would help her Capitol riot clients grow. She was called a traitor — and worse. I don’t see why everybody is down on her for this. If I was stuck in jail and my lawyer was sending me books I’d read them. As a legal defense or an attempt to mitigate a sentence I have no clue how effective this would be. But it’s bizarre that her approach is being criticized by both sides.

Yeah in all seriousness I am very curious to see when that ticking time bomb finally explodes. It will make for an interesting TV I think.