Random Thoughts (Political Edition)

I generally wouldn't go adding and comparing numbers when it comes to WW2 and I in no way want to make it sound like germany was anything less than the aggressor in this context - as it is often forgotten that the very first victims of the Nazis, were germans - let?s do it anyway.
While over 400000 american soldiers were killed in WW2 on all fronts in order to rid the world of the evil that was Nazis Germany and related parties, Hitler and Nazi-Germany killed more german (political, cultural, religious) opposition, german jews, german Romani and german People with disabilities than that.
I think he was talking about Russians and Jews.
 
Technically, Jews are not his "countrymen" - they only share his religion :| You (and he - no idea) might be right about Russians, though...

The point is still that we feel the need, the obligation, the duty to warn against anything that feels (in whatever way) similar to what happened 80 years ago - and I think this is a good thing. Maybe because of our national past we look at certain things too closely, too carefully and maybe even too pessimistically... but better safe than sorry :dunno:
 
Random Thoughts (Political Edition)

The bottom line is that we Germans made an experience we don't want anybody to repeat.

No country in the world is immune to the forces that brought the Nazis into power and the longer ago it is, the higher the risk of history repeating itself.

The first step into the abyss is always not taking the danger serious enough.
 
Hitler killed far more of my countrymen than yours :| Also, I think you'd be better off if people didn't talk about Hitler as much. Precisely because you're German.
Where do you get off?
 
Technically, Jews are not his "countrymen" - they only share his religion :| You (and he - no idea) might be right about Russians, though...

The point is still that we feel the need, the obligation, the duty to warn against anything that feels (in whatever way) similar to what happened 80 years ago - and I think this is a good thing. Maybe because of our national past we look at certain things too closely, too carefully and maybe even too pessimistically... but better safe than sorry :dunno:

Jews are strange, it is both a religion and a nationality/culture.
 
Jews are strange, it is both a religion and a nationality/culture.

Agreed. When Israel bombs Gaza, the Jews here suddenly are all German citizens and not Israelis. However, when there is an attack on Israelis from muslims, they're suddenly all jewish brothers :p

Sorry for the sarcasm, I really shouldn't be that smug but it's hard to resist ;)
 
Agreed. When Israel bombs Gaza, the Jews here suddenly are all German citizens and not Israelis. However, when there is an attack on Israelis from muslims, they're suddenly all jewish brothers :p

Sorry for the sarcasm, I really shouldn't be that smug but it's hard to resist ;)

Don't make me sick the Jewish Council on you
 
The nazis were assholes.

Can we move on?
 
argatoga is right in saying that Trump is not Hitler, and can never be because the U.S. political system has checks and balances to prevent that. Even if he does become president, any stupid idea he proposes will be filtered through Congress. It might still be a bad idea, but it won't be as atrocious as his words.

Maybe I am exaggerating but the damage Trump does, isn't connected to him becoming president or not -- the political and social damage for the American society is already done and it will take many years for the USA to recover from it.

Precisely. His rise to popularity and his rhetoric have already done their damage - they have validated and awoken old racism and xenophobia. His supporters now think that it's okay to act and say things like he does. He tells people it's okay to punch someone in the face. He tells people that an entire religion, 1.6 billion people, hate America. Maybe he takes no action, but he has already fostered an environment in which everyone is an enemy and physical violence is the proper response to everything ("bomb the shit out of them").


It's not funny. Not one bit.

First, the two parties share nothing but name, which actually comes from democracy. Unless, you want to argue that democracy is bad too?
Second, to suggest that paying for someone else's healthcare plan is the modern equivalent of forced slavery is despicably ignorant of the historic reality. It's like someone comparing spending a week in jail to being sent to a Nazi concentration camp.
 
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Problem with single payer healthcare, in the US specifically, is that we have a massive private insurance industry. That means that instead of tax money paying directly to providers they will have to pay insurance companies that then will act as a middleman. This is why they love Obamacare, and the main problem with it. It's basically guaranteed money for them but it's hardly cost effective. You might say "get rid of private insurance then", but that's a huge industry with a ton of employees and contracts with other companies. Only other alternative is to leave it as is and start establishing "free" gov't owned hospitals/clinics but we have an example of how well it works in the VA system. Not to mention that it would still essentially dismantle the private insurance system since it's usually partly paid for by employers and why would they pay when there are gov't owned providers? That would essentially price most people out, which in turn would cause providers to close because they will no longer be getting the revenues they want.
 
Professor "We need some muscle over here" Click has been fired for encourage potential physical intimidation against students.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/02/25/melissa-click-fired-by-university-missouri.html

Melissa Click has appealed her firing and Mizzou rejected the appeal:
http://abcstlouis.com/news/local/melissa-click-appeal-rejected-by-university-of-missouri

Also, the protests in general have presumably contributed to a massive 20% plunge in enrollment applications at the university for fall 2016:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/03/1...or-campus-protests-as-enrollment-plunges.html
The decline in enrollment is estimated to be as much as 1,500 students this fall. The school is cutting its budget by 5 percent in an effort to make up two-thirds of the $32 million shortfall, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune.

That is a shocking figure and the school will feel the sting of it for at least four years (probably much longer).

So . . . uh . . . whoops? Or is it Mission Accomplished?

I can see prospective students wanting no part of a campus where ideologues appear to wreak havoc with apparent impunity, especially where they are encouraged by faculty, and the adminstration drags it feet dealing with the problem.

Is this also the result of the protestors' propaganda working? When they were spreading ridiculous fearmongering accusations about how the campus was saturated with racism, did they ever consider what might happen if someone were to actually believe them? Did they care?

 
So definitely not the pick people on the left would have wanted. A bit of a safe choice. I think Senate republicans will have to decide whether to confirm (or even hold hearings) or risk having Hillary pick someone more liberal. Or worse yet, have Trump nominate his sister (which I think he sort of hinted at)....and if I'm not mistake she is more on the liberal side of things.
 
... but we have an example of how well it works in the VA system.
The VA is a garbage example. We've never taken good care of our veterans. Literally since the inception of this country (or the first veteran hospitals began to be set up in the early 1800's) they've been underfunded and mismanaged. Although even as poor a socialized healthcare example as it is, it still delivers better results in many cases than private insurance.

If it's feasible, I'd love to see medicare opened up to everyone. That would dramatically lower our healthcare expenditures in this country. But you're absolutely correct when you bring up what that would do to the insurance industry, and more importantly, the people who work for it. That's something that needs considering.

We should start a pool to see when he gets seen by the Senate.
According to that shithead McConnell that's never gonna happen. They want to wait until after the general. Then if Hillary wins, well they'll see who she wants to nominate. So they want, at a minimum, two Supreme Court sessions with 8 justices.

Whole thing is fucking disgusting. Grassley won't even bring Garland up for a hearing? These fucks are ignoring the most basic tenets of their job laid out in the Constitution. Shit like this is why I'm probably never gonna vote for another Republican. They're pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
 
The VA is a garbage example. We've never taken good care of our veterans. Literally since the inception of this country (or the first veteran hospitals began to be set up in the early 1800's) they've been underfunded and mismanaged.
That's kind of the thing though, it's an illustration of how terrible our government runs things.
Although even as poor a socialized healthcare example as it is, it still delivers better results in many cases than private insurance.
The only real systematic problems with private insurance is denying necessary care and costs associated with it. The standard of care in private practice is pretty high due to the normal market forces and threat of litigation.

P.S. I have a pretty conservative friend who originally hails from the emerald isles and he said that they have pretty bad wait lists for care.

P.P.S. It's pretty complicated, having great care means nothing if you can't afford it on the other hand being able to get care in general isn't helpful if you can't get it promptly.
 
The VA is a garbage example. We've never taken good care of our veterans. Literally since the inception of this country (or the first veteran hospitals began to be set up in the early 1800's) they've been underfunded and mismanaged. Although even as poor a socialized healthcare example as it is, it still delivers better results in many cases than private insurance.

If it's feasible, I'd love to see medicare opened up to everyone. That would dramatically lower our healthcare expenditures in this country. But you're absolutely correct when you bring up what that would do to the insurance industry, and more importantly, the people who work for it. That's something that needs considering.


The congress critters all say they are for the troops, but time and time again they have shown that it is not the troops they are for, but the arms companies that make the contributions to help them get reelected. War and injured soldiers are simply needed to keep those donors happy.



According to that shithead McConnell that's never gonna happen. They want to wait until after the general. Then if Hillary wins, well they'll see who she wants to nominate. So they want, at a minimum, two Supreme Court sessions with 8 justices.

Whole thing is fucking disgusting. Grassley won't even bring Garland up for a hearing? These fucks are ignoring the most basic tenets of their job laid out in the Constitution. Shit like this is why I'm probably never gonna vote for another Republican. They're pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.


Could this be seen as a failure to perform the functions required under the Constitution, which could in theory result in removal from office?

This just continues to show what they said when Obama was first elected, they simply block everything he wants.


That's kind of the thing though, it's an illustration of how terrible our government runs things.

The only real systematic problems with private insurance is denying necessary care and costs associated with it. The standard of care in private practice is pretty high due to the normal market forces and threat of litigation.

P.S. I have a pretty conservative friend who originally hails from the emerald isles and he said that they have pretty bad wait lists for care.

P.P.S. It's pretty complicated, having great care means nothing if you can't afford it on the other hand being able to get care in general isn't helpful if you can't get it promptly.


See what I said above.

There is no reason things can't be different if they would simply stop playing lip service to the vets and start taking action. They act all outraged when there is a problem pointed out to them, but then fail to take any action of any consequence.
 
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