Bernie defends Castro

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Building the Hyperloop between SF and LA would also change America...

Why!?

The whole point of going from LA to that feces, medieval diseases and rats infested place is the drive. What other reason there could be to go there or in 35 min.?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I would have joined you; makes my UK state pension look miserable....

Think about the irony, Rob. Someone who worked their butt off for 40 or so years ends up worse than someone who chose not to work at all.

[Rob C]

Think about the irony, Rob. Someone who worked their butt off for 40 or so years ends up worse than someone who chose not to work at all.

It crosses my mind.

When it does, I think well, that's free will (aka freedom of choice). I could have done something different with my life, something regular, but got seduced by the muse instead.

But it was one helluva good trip!

And now that I'm old and not always feeling so great, I guess I'm glad I did what I did. Being rich today would probably feel empty, even more ironic. As a black guy told me as my wife, a model and I lay on the beach on Paradise Island and refused his offer to buy drugs, you gonna be the riches' man in the graveyard. He was both right and quite mistaken.

;-) and ;-(

[Alan Klein]

I see a lot of confusion here, Alan. 'Not voting' is not necessarily showing displeasure. It's not showing anything at all specific, without further investigation of the reasons why a particular person did not show up to vote. There can be many reasons why a person doesn't bother to vote, such as sickness, being out of the country at the time, having total apathy regarding politics, not having total apathy but having a more important issue to attend to at the time, and so on.

The Australian system with compulsory voting provides a better method for the non-voters to explain why they didn't vote, because they get a letter after the election asking why they didn't vote. If they have an acceptable reason, such as sickness, which requires evidence from a doctor, they don't have to pay a fine. If they don't have an acceptable reason to avoid paying the fine, they still have the opportunity to state the real reason they didn't vote, if they want to.

Have I successfully demolished your argument? 

It's non of the government's business why we didn't vote.  We don't want it getting into our head like Google monitoring our web searchers to find out how we think and why we do things. That's the first step to thought control. 

[Alan Klein]

AFAIK, the cost for the 350 mile tunnel and everything else needed was estimated at $14 billion.
For comparison, building of the 1776 miles long section of the Transcontinental railway in 1869 cost $60 million or about $1.2 billion in today's money. Construction of that rail track changed America. Building the Hyperloop between SF and LA would also change America.

https://www.history.com/news/transcontinental-railroad-changed-america

But this isn't 1869.  The Interstate Highway system, automobiles,  and 18 wheeler trucks nearly wiped out the rail system.  If people wont use the system, what's the point of spending all that money?  Let the people keep it by lowering their taxes.

[Alan Klein]

PS:  The Transcontinental railway was mainly built with private funds whereas the California rail is being 100% paid with public tax money.  Another boondoggle.  Interestingly, the NYC subways were built with private funds too. 

[Alan Klein]

Not in the slightest.

Why I did or didn’t or for whom is none of your or anyone’s else business. I don’t want to explain myself to anybody, open a letter, respond to it, lick a stamp, pay a fine... I did what I wanted to do, or not, and that is nobody’s business. That’s the American way. Not the fascist, socialist, totalitarian regimes in Europe and Down Under, where people are not individuals, but subjects of the queen or state. Thanks God that the oceans, common language, and Smiths separate us.

Well said.  It funny how the Europeans here always complain about Trump falsely being a dictator.  But then they accept laws that get into their head and direct their freedoms.  Or their own leaders act dictatorially without consequence.  President Macron just unilaterally changed the pension system in France causing near riots.  He bypassed the parliament.  It seems they've very good at pointing fingers rather than looking at their own governments and shortcomings.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200229-french-pm-philippe-pushes-through-controversial-pension-reforms-without-vote

[Alan Klein]

Why!?

The whole point of going from LA to that feces, medieval diseases and rats infested place is the drive. What other reason there could be to go there or in 35 min.?

No.  The 35 minute speed is to quickly get out of SF.

[Robert Roaldi]

Not in the slightest.

Why I did or didn’t or for whom is none of your or anyone’s else business. I don’t want to explain myself to anybody, open a letter, respond to it, lick a stamp, pay a fine... I did what I wanted to do, or not, and that is nobody’s business. That’s the American way. Not the fascist, socialist, totalitarian regimes in Europe and Down Under, where people are not individuals, but subjects of the queen or state. Thanks God that the oceans, common language, and Smiths separate us.

"Fascist, socialist, totalitarian..." I guess that just about covers it. Are you enrolled in a satyrical writing course?

[Alan Klein]

...and you can't shoot your camera in public.

[Rob C]

Not in the slightest.

Why I did or didn’t or for whom is none of your or anyone’s else business. I don’t want to explain myself to anybody, open a letter, respond to it, lick a stamp, pay a fine... I did what I wanted to do, or not, and that is nobody’s business. That’s the American way. Not the fascist, socialist, totalitarian regimes in Europe and Down Under, where people are not individuals, but subjects of the queen or state. Thanks God that the oceans, common language, and Smiths separate us.

Slobodan, I did pretty much the same in Scotland, a land not famed for its wide-open mind.

Some couple of years after I moved, a guy on the 'phone from Glagow told me I was "one that got away" and trust me, there was precious little love in his voice.

Truth is, it's not countries that get in the way, it's we who make our own greatest obstacle to surmount: ourselves.

:-)

[Alan Klein]

"Fascist, socialist, totalitarian..." I guess that just about covers it. Are you enrolled in a satyrical writing course?

In Europe, the hijab is banned which in America would be  violation of both free speech and the right to practice your religion, two freedoms memorialized in our Constitution.  Interestingly, American founders copied so many of the enlightened principles that came from Europe.  Yet Europe today is often shedding their own history.  It's a slippery slope.  The Germans were the last peeple many would have thought could have devolved into fascism.  Yet it happened in the 1930's.  None of us are immune to power seeking madness, even in America.  That's why freedom of speech, religion, etc. were so ingrained in our thinking. Our founders were smart enough to understand it and try to guard against it.  Unfortunately, even here, many people are not being educated on our constitution and are washing away its edicts.  It's easy to slip into feel-good thinking that takes away essential rights rather quietly until you wake up one day without them.

[Ray]

It's non of the government's business why we didn't vote. 

So, if no-one bothers to vote, is that democracy, and should governments be concerned?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

So, if no-one bothers to vote, is that democracy, and should governments be concerned?

Who the heck cares if the government is concerned!? If anybody, it is people who should be concerned. Or not.

[Alan Klein]

So, if no-one bothers to vote, is that democracy, and should governments be concerned?

First off, people do vote.  Arguing no-one votes is a false argument.  Second, who cares if people don't vote?  If they not concerned enough to vote, who wants them to vote anyway? They won't understand what the issues are or who the candidates are and what they represent.  Those that do, but don't vote anyway, may be making a case that the candidates don't represent their views.  If the party wants their vote, they have to get people who do.  Forcing them to vote for someone they don't want or waste time going to the polls to vote for no one, is just stupid. 

Bottom line is government should mind its business.  There are too many busy bodies around as it is telling us where to shoot our pictures, where we can't, what drones we can use, which ones we can't, and the thousands of other rules people who like power want to impose on the rest of us because their power hungry mad. Don;t you get enough junk mail as it is? Do we need junk mail from the government asking us to explain why we didn't vote and then be forced to answer them under penalty.  Maybe we should stay in jail for a week or two to think about how important voting is.  That would get our attention.  What do you think?  Maybe ten minutes on the rack. 

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

"Fascist, socialist, totalitarian..." I guess that just about covers it. Are you enrolled in a satyrical writing course?

Yes... we are currently on the hyperbole chapter.

[faberryman]

First off, people do vote.  Arguing no-one votes is a false argument.  Second, who cares if people don't vote?  If they not concerned enough to vote, who wants them to vote anyway? They won't understand what the issues are or who the candidates are and what they represent.  Those that do, but don't vote anyway, may be making a case that the candidates don't represent their views.  If the party wants their vote, they have to get people who do.  Forcing them to vote for someone they don't want or waste time going to the polls to vote for no one, is just stupid.

I hate to tell you Alan but the government knows whether you vote or not. That's how the Republicans are able to purge the voter rolls of people who haven't voted in the last five years. In some states they even know whether you voted in the Republican or Democrat primary.

[Robert Roaldi]

In Europe, the hijab is banned ...

That is going to come as a surprise to a lot of Europeans, I think.

[Craig Lamson]

I hate to tell you Alan but the government knows whether you vote or not. That's how the Republicans are able to purge the voter rolls of people who haven't voted in the last five years. In some states they even know whether you voted in the Republican or Democrat primary.

I need to renew my drivers license every four years.  I need to retest to renew my part 107 drone pilots license every two years.

Please explain to me why voters who stay on the rolls for decades ( or even half a decade ) should not have their names removed if they don’t vote?  Heck I had to renew my voter registration after I moved.  Given you I can register on Election Day many places, and can cast a provisional vote...exactly who is being harmed?

[faberryman]

I need to renew my drivers license every four years.  I need to retest to renew my part 107 drone pilots license every two years.

Please explain to me why voters who stay on the rolls for decades ( or even half a decade ) should not have their names removed if they don’t vote?  Heck I had to renew my voter registration after I moved.  Given you I can register on Election Day many places, and can cast a provisional vote...exactly who is being harmed?

Alan is the one alarmed about the government knowing whether he votes or not. I was just pointing out to that the government does know whether he has voted or not. In fact, the government will be happy to sell you that information about your friends and neighbors. I am not losing any sleep over it.