# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=188 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 189 --- ## [How many new people have health insurance due to obamacare now](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-new-people-have-health-insurance-due-to-obamacare-now/684835)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-new-people-have-health-insurance-due-to-obamacare-now/684835 "2015-08-01T22:07:19Z")
In between the Medicaid expansion, the exchanges and people 18-26 being on their parents plans how many new people are now covered? I’ve heard 15-20 million, is that about right? However some of those aren’t new, they we… --- ## [What is the 'Solution' to the 'Global Falsity' Problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-solution-to-the-global-falsity-problem/721939)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-solution-to-the-global-falsity-problem/721939 "2015-08-01T19:39:46Z")
I think I am as open-minded as most people come, when it comes to philosophical and religious things. But I am still troubled, a little bit at least, by ethical nihilism. I believe in God still. And I believe in being g… --- ## [Is Rio Ready for the 2016 Olympics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-rio-ready-for-the-2016-olympics/723481 "2015-08-01T14:09:00Z")
I ask because it is coming…soon, and i have read almost nothing about it. I did see that the IOC was very concerned about the pollution in the Guanabara Bay (where the sailing events are to take place). Plus, Brazil is n… --- ## [Anti-gay Christians are merely bigots](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-gay-christians-are-merely-bigots/724810)
**Author:** [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Replies:** 444\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-gay-christians-are-merely-bigots/724810 "2015-08-01T03:02:31Z")
Christians who oppose gay marriage on allegedly religious grounds are fooling themselves. They’re simply reacting to the “ick-factor” and ignoring what the Bible says. Or perhaps they’re being misled by ignorant clergy… --- ## [What countries are able to build nuclear weapons, assuming they wanted to](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-able-to-build-nuclear-weapons-assuming-they-wanted-to/726329)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-countries-are-able-to-build-nuclear-weapons-assuming-they-wanted-to/726329 "2015-08-01T02:23:31Z")
I think about nine nations actually have nukes. US, UK, France, China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Israel, north Korea. South Africa had them and got rid of them. But what nations could build them on a reasonable timescale… --- ## [Is there really any point to the new NY law on sexual advances?l](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-any-point-to-the-new-ny-law-on-sexual-advances-l/725612)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 159\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-any-point-to-the-new-ny-law-on-sexual-advances-l/725612 "2015-07-31T12:52:41Z")
Link There is also pressure to extend the law beyond college campuses but does this really do anything other than enabling blowhard politicians to pretend they’re doing something about college sexual assault, which is … --- ## [Is it ever OK to hate a child?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-hate-a-child/715661)
**Author:** [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-hate-a-child/715661 "2015-07-31T11:59:20Z")
People are saying this 12 year old bully kid deserves to die and that they hope he suffers for the rest of his life, etc. I could see that sentiment if he killed somebody (though it’s still too harsh for a child), but fo… --- ## [Is US just tantalizing Iran](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-us-just-tantalizing-iran/724212)
**Author:** [@Reza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reza)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2015, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-us-just-tantalizing-iran/724212 "2015-07-31T10:34:31Z")
1- Regarding the Marathon negotiations between the US and Iran, do you really think that US is just tantalizing Iran? what are your reasons? 2- What’s your predication about the outcome of this extended negotiations? 3… --- ## [Greek debt crisis: A conservative or liberal economic lesson?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-debt-crisis-a-conservative-or-liberal-economic-lesson/726447)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2015, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-debt-crisis-a-conservative-or-liberal-economic-lesson/726447 "2015-07-31T08:37:20Z")
Conservatives could seize the Greek debt crisis as an example of the dangers of national debt and deficits, but haven’t some liberals also used it as an argument against employing austerity as a way of getting out of a d… --- ## [Credibility of the Southern Poverty Law Center](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credibility-of-the-southern-poverty-law-center/726314)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 112\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2015, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credibility-of-the-southern-poverty-law-center/726314 "2015-07-31T05:59:06Z")
I’ve always thought of the SPLC as a respectable and respected organization with a good track record for keeping tabs on hate groups. Somewhat similar to the Anti-Defamation League, though its roots are black rather tha… --- ## [Special Order 191 not misplaced. What happens in the Civil War](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-order-191-not-misplaced-what-happens-in-the-civil-war/726530)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/special-order-191-not-misplaced-what-happens-in-the-civil-war/726530 "2015-07-31T02:39:51Z")
Special Order 191 outlined Lee’s invasion of Maryland. Found By the Union Army, it allowed McClellan to cut off the invasion and resulted in the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg. After capturing Harper’s Ferry and the B&O… --- ## [The alligator and the game warden](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alligator-and-the-game-warden/172190)
**Author:** [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alligator-and-the-game-warden/172190 "2015-07-30T14:48:48Z")
Here are a few googled sites about the story: http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/42903\_local\_gatorcaught.html http://www.click10.com/sh/news/stories/news-216909920030430-100439.html http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.… --- ## [Anti-Abortion Racism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-abortion-racism/725329)
**Author:** [@trmptgn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trmptgn)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-abortion-racism/725329 "2015-07-30T05:16:56Z")
So I have a friend who is a conspiracy theorist type. He is also a staunch conservative. We were once talking about anti-abortion laws, and he remarked that they don’t have to do with God or religion at all, and that i… --- ## [Europe's anti-Semitism crisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/europes-anti-semitism-crisis/726130)
**Author:** [@Haberdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haberdash)\ **Replies:** 284\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/europes-anti-semitism-crisis/726130 "2015-07-30T00:20:38Z")
I suppose if people find the increasing entrenchment of Israel a problem, they can try to solve this problem, or encourage Jews to immigrate to the U.S. and Canada instead. --- ## [Was climate change a factor in the Syrian Civil War and the rise of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-climate-change-a-factor-in-the-syrian-civil-war-and-the-rise-of-isis-isil-daesh/726091)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-climate-change-a-factor-in-the-syrian-civil-war-and-the-rise-of-isis-isil-daesh/726091 "2015-07-29T14:44:41Z")
Democratic presidential contender Martin O’Malley said so this week, and this article argues he was right: If so – what does this portend for the future? Many other parts of the world, Muslim and non-Muslim, are bound… --- ## [Where do people get the idea that the earth is less than 10,000 years old?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-people-get-the-idea-that-the-earth-is-less-than-10-000-years-old/693007)
**Author:** [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Replies:** 171\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2015, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-people-get-the-idea-that-the-earth-is-less-than-10-000-years-old/693007 "2015-07-29T03:18:55Z")
Do they get it from the pulpit or is it just a general impression? Data from Gallup: Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design | Gallup Historical Trends 31 + 19 = 50 percent believe in evolution, possibly with God’s … --- ## [Remedy for Hobby Lobby decision?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remedy-for-hobby-lobby-decision/692060)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 218\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remedy-for-hobby-lobby-decision/692060 "2015-07-28T18:49:20Z")
Since SCOTUS screwed this pooch on this one, and since they’re pretty much where the buck stops, what has to happen to correct their error? Do we just have to wait for the conservative activist cabal to die out, and for … --- ## [Why assume that only slave owners in the CSA could have been fighting for slavery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-assume-that-only-slave-owners-in-the-csa-could-have-been-fighting-for-slavery/726164)
**Author:** [@Valteron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valteron)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-assume-that-only-slave-owners-in-the-csa-could-have-been-fighting-for-slavery/726164 "2015-07-28T17:34:00Z")
There is an argument frequently made by neo-Confederate apologists which, as far as I can see, is never adequately challenged in the recurring debates about whether the Civil War was about slavery. Perhaps more should be… --- ## ["Is Advertising Morally Justifiable?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-advertising-morally-justifiable/725672)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-advertising-morally-justifiable/725672 "2015-07-28T04:47:47Z")
That’s the title of this article, as discussed in this Slashdot post. The title is, as you can expect, a popular thesis, as a perusal of the commentary on the linked thread will tell you. However, I’m kind of skeptica… --- ## [Economics 101 | Central Banks (The Fed)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economics-101-central-banks-the-fed/725301)
**Author:** [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economics-101-central-banks-the-fed/725301 "2015-07-28T01:54:25Z")
This thread is about central banks, but I’ll be focusing mostly on the Fed, because it’s the one I know most about. I am, of course, happy to hear about other central banks work, if they work differently. First I want t… --- ## [What would the west do if China grabbed a chunk of Siberia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-west-do-if-china-grabbed-a-chunk-of-siberia/725851)
**Author:** [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-west-do-if-china-grabbed-a-chunk-of-siberia/725851 "2015-07-28T01:35:47Z")
Let’s ignore whether or not this is plausible (some people think it is and that China is just waiting for the right moment as Russia is already over extended in the west). http://chinadailymail.com/2014/07/05/why-china-… --- ## [Has any modern war actually ever been fought to "protect our freedom"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-modern-war-actually-ever-been-fought-to-protect-our-freedom/725196)
**Author:** [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-modern-war-actually-ever-been-fought-to-protect-our-freedom/725196 "2015-07-28T00:26:41Z")
I hate to be anti-American and I’m waiting for McCarthy to kick down my door any second now, but it seems like every modern war or military operation in the US has never been out of the sense of protection of the homelan… --- ## [Drones a counter to conventional air superiority/supremacy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-a-counter-to-conventional-air-superiority-supremacy/725789)
**Author:** [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 27, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drones-a-counter-to-conventional-air-superiority-supremacy/725789 "2015-07-27T22:11:31Z")
In the first Gulf War it was said that the US had air superiority, in the second it was stated it was the first time the US had true air supremacy. Just something I remember from the news reports of that time, if that i… --- ## [Should police be only allowed to shoot if they can actually see a gun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-be-only-allowed-to-shoot-if-they-can-actually-see-a-gun/725928)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [July 27, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-be-only-allowed-to-shoot-if-they-can-actually-see-a-gun/725928 "2015-07-27T18:42:54Z")
Ok, let me be a little more clear what I meant. Currently, while it depends on jurisdiction, the police can shoot anyone they want dead and all they have to say is they thought you were reaching for a gun, or they could… --- ## [How would you incentivize urban sprawl reversal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-incentivize-urban-sprawl-reversal/725723)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [July 27, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-incentivize-urban-sprawl-reversal/725723 "2015-07-27T17:48:39Z")
Assuming urban sprawl is a bad thing, how would you incentivize its reversal? Downtown real estate tends to be either expensive or undesirable. Thanks, Rob --- ## [OJ Simpson Murder Trial](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oj-simpson-murder-trial/725710)
**Author:** [@TennisMenace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TennisMenace)\ **Replies:** 139\ **Last updated:** [July 27, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oj-simpson-murder-trial/725710 "2015-07-27T13:03:58Z")
I know this is old stuff, but after reading about the trial again, for the life of me, I cannot fathom how the jury only needed a few hours to deliberate after 9 months of testimony, to come back with a unanimous guilty … --- ## [Article arguing that mass incarceration is a huge failure - what do you think?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/article-arguing-that-mass-incarceration-is-a-huge-failure-what-do-you-think/726154)
**Author:** [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [July 26, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/article-arguing-that-mass-incarceration-is-a-huge-failure-what-do-you-think/726154 "2015-07-26T23:09:10Z")
--- ## [Pilot Error. Blame the dead guy.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilot-error-blame-the-dead-guy/726075)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 26, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilot-error-blame-the-dead-guy/726075 "2015-07-26T22:34:15Z")
Whenever a crash is put down to pilot error you often hear critics say that it “blame the dead guy”. An example would be the Air France crash of a few years ago. Do you think that investigators rush to a finding of pilo… --- ## [If your personal religion doesn't follow your religious text, then what is it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-your-personal-religion-doesnt-follow-your-religious-text-then-what-is-it/725751)
**Author:** [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [July 26, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-your-personal-religion-doesnt-follow-your-religious-text-then-what-is-it/725751 "2015-07-26T16:23:02Z")
I’ll try and make this as clear as possible. Most of this comes in response to those who claim Christianity as a religion but then say that doesn’t include gay people, etc. and those within Islam who claim that the extre… --- ## [Should POLAND Give Back East Prussia To Germany?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-poland-give-back-east-prussia-to-germany/261593)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [July 25, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-poland-give-back-east-prussia-to-germany/261593 "2015-07-25T20:50:27Z")
Everybody talks about the injustices visited upon the Palestinians…but nobody seems to talk about what happened to the german inhabitants of what used to be Prussia and East Prussia! The parts of what are now western Pol… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=187) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=189)