# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=169 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 170 --- ## [Why will most Americans never become mega millionaires or billionaires?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-will-most-americans-never-become-mega-millionaires-or-billionaires/743969)
**Author:** [@GlowingDarkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GlowingDarkness)\ **Replies:** 138\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-will-most-americans-never-become-mega-millionaires-or-billionaires/743969 "2016-01-31T18:36:39Z")
There are about 536 billionaires in the US and probably more mega millionaires. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_countries\_by\_the\_number\_of\_US\_dollar\_billionaires#/search Anyway why is this such a small number? … --- ## [How could people in a society live with pedophiles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-people-in-a-society-live-with-pedophiles/744068)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-people-in-a-society-live-with-pedophiles/744068 "2016-01-31T18:22:52Z")
I’m thinking of a country like Afghanistan where its openly accepted to have young boys as concubines or in other countries where girls are married off to old men. Or other countries with child prostitution. Or in countr… --- ## [Laws permitting lottery winners to remain anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-permitting-lottery-winners-to-remain-anonymous/743945)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laws-permitting-lottery-winners-to-remain-anonymous/743945 "2016-01-30T20:10:25Z")
There are lottery organizations that like to argue that publicizing a lottery winner’s identity helps promote the lottery and encourage other people to play, along with satisfying the public’s curiosity and letting them … --- ## [Hypothetical new party](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-new-party/744228)
**Author:** [@Henga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henga)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-new-party/744228 "2016-01-30T18:44:40Z")
Suppose a new political party were to be set up. What kind of structure should it have- top-down or down-top? Should the national party have more authority than the state and local party organizations, or should the au… --- ## [Australia is the only former UK colony without an indigenous treaty.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-is-the-only-former-uk-colony-without-an-indigenous-treaty/744245)
**Author:** [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australia-is-the-only-former-uk-colony-without-an-indigenous-treaty/744245 "2016-01-30T11:43:50Z")
And its a national disgrace. Don’t celebrate Australia day, first make it right. Sign a treaty then scrap Australia day and replace it with Treaty day. A national holiday we could all celebrate: blackfella and whitefe… --- ## [How do Jews regard Christians?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-jews-regard-christians/743617)
**Author:** [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Replies:** 127\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-jews-regard-christians/743617 "2016-01-30T01:48:24Z")
Given that this thread Jesus: Man or Myth was started by a Jew, I wonder how Jews regard Christians in general. Being brought up in the latter faith, I’ve heard polarizing opinions Christians have of Jews. Primarily, the… --- ## [Why can't children consent to having sex?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-children-consent-to-having-sex/586300)
**Author:** [@RuddyMole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RuddyMole)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2016, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-children-consent-to-having-sex/586300 "2016-01-30T00:56:08Z")
I already know of many reasons why it is said that children cannot legitimately consent to having sex, but I’m sure that I’m not aware of some and would like to hear any reasons you can think of, with as thorough of an e… --- ## [Was the America Civil War fought over slavery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-america-civil-war-fought-over-slavery/743766)
**Author:** [@Anarcho\_Liberalist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anarcho_Liberalist)\ **Replies:** 247\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-america-civil-war-fought-over-slavery/743766 "2016-01-29T22:06:21Z")
At this point it’s hard for me to say if this is a factual question or a great debate, but I fear the latter: Was the Civil War in the US fought over (the abolition of) slavery? When I was a kid (80’s, Western Europe),… --- ## [My conclusion/theory on the origins of "God" and "the Devil". Thoughts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-conclusion-theory-on-the-origins-of-god-and-the-devil-thoughts/744547)
**Author:** [@Logina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Logina)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-conclusion-theory-on-the-origins-of-god-and-the-devil-thoughts/744547 "2016-01-29T15:57:04Z")
Hello, first post here… I figured this would be a good place to put out some really interesting things i’ve found, any criticism or pointing out of mistakes is greatly appreciated :wink: So theres a lot to this theory, … --- ## [Is the Slippery Slope "fallacy" really a fallacy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-slippery-slope-fallacy-really-a-fallacy/744324)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-slippery-slope-fallacy-really-a-fallacy/744324 "2016-01-29T14:38:51Z")
The Slippery Slope “fallacy” seems to actually hold true in real life in some instances. Take Adolf Hitler’s aggression in WWII, for instance. Back before Hitler annexed the Sudetenland, if someone had said, “If you let… --- ## [America's fear of terrorism is mostly irrational xenophobia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-fear-of-terrorism-is-mostly-irrational-xenophobia/743499)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Replies:** 174\ **Last updated:** [January 28, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-fear-of-terrorism-is-mostly-irrational-xenophobia/743499 "2016-01-28T05:45:30Z")
According to Gallup, 51% of US adults are very or somewhat worried that they or their family will become a victim of terrorism. It is clear that most of the respondents implicitly understood this to be foreign terrorism,… --- ## [Are immigrants today fundamentally the same as the immigrants from yesteryear?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-immigrants-today-fundamentally-the-same-as-the-immigrants-from-yesteryear/744182)
**Author:** [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Replies:** 96\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-immigrants-today-fundamentally-the-same-as-the-immigrants-from-yesteryear/744182 "2016-01-27T23:44:28Z")
I’m in an argument in another forum with someone who insists that “immigration is good” is a myth. No one can deny that this country has benefited tremendously from immigration, right? At the very least, most Americans… --- ## [2nd amendment enthusiast](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-enthusiast/741598)
**Author:** [@jerry\_smissingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerry_smissingfinger)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2nd-amendment-enthusiast/741598 "2016-01-27T22:01:00Z")
Just want to get your thoughts on Bill HR 4269. Seems like the perfect time to push this Bill through the House while Americans are relaxing and enjoying the holiday season. The Bill targets automatic assault rifles an… --- ## [Why are Americans so Loud?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-americans-so-loud/543877)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-americans-so-loud/543877 "2016-01-27T20:48:25Z")
I’m an American, and I have been told I’m loud. By other Americans. At any rate, it is generally agreed that as a whole, Americans tend to be loud talkers. Why should this be? Did our pioneer forefathers have to yell… --- ## [25 things which make it hard for me to believe in God](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-things-which-make-it-hard-for-me-to-believe-in-god/487785)
**Author:** [@Weston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weston)\ **Replies:** 334\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-things-which-make-it-hard-for-me-to-believe-in-god/487785 "2016-01-27T19:55:00Z")
I think it would be nice if I could believe in God but the following things make it really hard. For the purposes of this threda ‘God’ is typically christian. that means he’s omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, omn… --- ## [Should penalty for DUI + killing people be worse than penalty for just DUI?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-penalty-for-dui-killing-people-be-worse-than-penalty-for-just-dui/742678)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-penalty-for-dui-killing-people-be-worse-than-penalty-for-just-dui/742678 "2016-01-27T01:27:53Z")
Should the law punish drunk drivers more heavily in cases where they kill other people while doing the drunk driving? I ask because at first blush it seems like the same crime, except for the random chance of whether a … --- ## [Running out of anti-biotics really a major threat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-out-of-anti-biotics-really-a-major-threat/744059)
**Author:** [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-out-of-anti-biotics-really-a-major-threat/744059 "2016-01-26T23:01:01Z")
I know anti-biotics are over used and there is a real concern that we should be aware of. But is it realistic that “the germs will win” and we’ll be back to a scenario like we were 100 years ago where people regularly d… --- ## [Lawsuit settlement reform. No No Fault and NDAs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawsuit-settlement-reform-no-no-fault-and-ndas/744283)
**Author:** [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawsuit-settlement-reform-no-no-fault-and-ndas/744283 "2016-01-26T22:53:01Z")
Some recent public incidents and articles about settlements have started me thinking about the problems with the current system. What seems to happen with virtually every civil legal case is that the parties come to an … --- ## [When bigotry ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-bigotry-ends/743609)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-bigotry-ends/743609 "2016-01-26T21:06:17Z")
Disclaimer: It might be easy to read this post and think that I’m trying to imply that modern-day American prejudice against (for instance) blacks, or women, or gays, is no longer an issue. I am NOT trying to do that. Th… --- ## [This is the straight truth on War and it's brutal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-the-straight-truth-on-war-and-its-brutal/743914)
**Author:** [@tombennett91](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tombennett91)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2016, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-the-straight-truth-on-war-and-its-brutal/743914 "2016-01-26T05:51:34Z")
If war is a part of human nature will peace ever be possible? Throughout history you hear the politicians and leaders give speech after speech about how great it is when a war has ended but in no time at all another one … --- ## [Why do firearm owners "need" high capacity magazines?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-firearm-owners-need-high-capacity-magazines/743203)
**Author:** [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-firearm-owners-need-high-capacity-magazines/743203 "2016-01-25T21:28:12Z")
(Mods - no factual answer so not GQ, not sure if more IMHO or Great Debates, but it’s kinda like religion so I’m going with GD) Not quite sure how to frame this spin off from this thread. Trying to understand the “need”… --- ## [Is diversity of opinion a good thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diversity-of-opinion-a-good-thing/743887)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-diversity-of-opinion-a-good-thing/743887 "2016-01-25T19:13:44Z")
(This thread is not about whether diversity of opinion should be \*legal \*or permitted, but rather, whether it is a \*good \*thing or not.) Many if not most people, if asked whether ‘diversity of opinion’ is a good thing o… --- ## [Replace all drinking water pipes made of lead!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replace-all-drinking-water-pipes-made-of-lead/744007)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replace-all-drinking-water-pipes-made-of-lead/744007 "2016-01-25T16:10:11Z")
The real culprit in the Flint crisis is not the governor, or any of the mayors. The water from the Flint river corroded the pipes, causing them to leach lead into the water. The solution to this problem is to replace … --- ## ["The Irish weren't considered white."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irish-werent-considered-white/738171)
**Author:** [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-irish-werent-considered-white/738171 "2016-01-25T03:56:51Z")
It’s a common left-wing trope I’ve seen numerous times on these boards, used to discredit critics of non-white immigration, to assert that at some point in the past, in America, the dominant view of Irish was that they w… --- ## [Look, here's the Straight Dope on Political Correctness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/look-heres-the-straight-dope-on-political-correctness/743792)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 139\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/look-heres-the-straight-dope-on-political-correctness/743792 "2016-01-25T00:58:12Z")
As Paul Rosenberg writes, recently Megyn Kelly challenged Donald Trump on his record of saying disparaging things about women. Trump replied only with, “The big problem this country has is being politically correct.” O… --- ## [The Queen vs the church](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queen-vs-the-church/743093)
**Author:** [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-queen-vs-the-church/743093 "2016-01-24T23:30:11Z")
So in a previous thread we discussed what would happen if the queen refused to assent to a bill of parliament that dissolved the monarchy. In this one I’m curious what power, either real or pretended, does the queen hold… --- ## [What are your views on Eugenics applied to human beings ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-views-on-eugenics-applied-to-human-beings/743959)
**Author:** [@dude5568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude5568)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-views-on-eugenics-applied-to-human-beings/743959 "2016-01-24T22:43:09Z")
As crude and politically incorrect as it may sound not to mention the obvious racial history associated with it , do you think in the long term it is beneficial. Also , looking at th… --- ## [So it seems the claim that the Oscars are snubbing black people is false](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-seems-the-claim-that-the-oscars-are-snubbing-black-people-is-false/743611)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2016, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-it-seems-the-claim-that-the-oscars-are-snubbing-black-people-is-false/743611 "2016-01-24T19:28:58Z")
Thank you, EyebrowsofDoom for providing us with some fact: That is 29 nominations And 9 wins What a bizarre claim to say that black people are being snubbed by the Academy Awards! PS: I agree that the roles for blac… --- ## [Is it appropriate for the legislature to debate the constitutionality of a law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-appropriate-for-the-legislature-to-debate-the-constitutionality-of-a-law/743256)
**Author:** [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-appropriate-for-the-legislature-to-debate-the-constitutionality-of-a-law/743256 "2016-01-22T22:44:53Z")
I’m actually trying to settle an internal debate that arose as I read an email I received today. I get a weekly summary of specific topics being discussed in the Missouri Legislature. Today’s said in part " In the Senat… --- ## [Affirmative Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action/743889)
**Author:** [@Leonard33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonard33)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/affirmative-action/743889 "2016-01-22T19:03:43Z")
I have a debate for English class. I have been assigned Pro Affirmative action. Does anyone here have any authority on the topic? Perhaps business owners or college professors? Has anyone here done this topic for debate … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=168) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=170)