# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=260 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 261 --- ## [What does having tons of money actually get you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-having-tons-of-money-actually-get-you/668537)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-having-tons-of-money-actually-get-you/668537 "2013-09-19T04:27:01Z")
I knew a guy (via the internet) a long time ago who seemed to be fairly successful in IT and real estate. He was making low/mid 6 figures for a lot of years. Since no one lies on the internet about anything, especially f… --- ## [Ted Cruz's Story About Jesse Helms & John Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruzs-story-about-jesse-helms-john-wayne/668751)
**Author:** [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-cruzs-story-about-jesse-helms-john-wayne/668751 "2013-09-19T03:19:13Z")
On September 11, 2013 Ted Cruz recounted a story about how the unapologetic racist and segregationist Jesse Helms received a campaign donation check from John Wayne. According to Cruz, Helms contacted Wayne to thank him … --- ## [Former USSR Post-Gorvechev.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-ussr-post-gorvechev/669126)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-ussr-post-gorvechev/669126 "2013-09-19T02:20:55Z")
Is the former USSR really better off, now that communism is dead there? I know there is that conventional wisdom, in the US esp., that democracy-capitalism is always better than communism-totalitarianism. But has that r… --- ## [Are we alone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-alone/580981)
**Author:** [@FarmerChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FarmerChuck)\ **Replies:** 140\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-we-alone/580981 "2013-09-19T01:23:42Z")
Are we alone? i think if a rational person looks at carl segans formual ud have to be an idiot not to agree that no we are not alone… and when i bring this up in casual conversation im the “crazy” one… are we so egotisic… --- ## [US Fiscal Transparency](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-fiscal-transparency/669155)
**Author:** [@Farin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farin)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-fiscal-transparency/669155 "2013-09-19T01:04:22Z")
Right now, if you are an American, you have an incredibly narrow view of what your government spends. When a news story breaks you can suddenly find out that the Supreme Court spent $50,000 on hookers and blow in Vegas, … --- ## [Now That Prince George Was Born, Is The Impetus for Succession Reform Gone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-prince-george-was-born-is-the-impetus-for-succession-reform-gone/668678)
**Author:** [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-prince-george-was-born-is-the-impetus-for-succession-reform-gone/668678 "2013-09-18T10:24:57Z")
I’ve tended to notice that governments only tend to act when there is a need for them to act. If there is no external force (social, economic, military, whatever…) acting on them to achieve something, then they rarely t… --- ## [What distinguishes "justice" from "vengeance"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-justice-from-vengeance/668888)
**Author:** [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-distinguishes-justice-from-vengeance/668888 "2013-09-18T08:04:16Z")
I think most of us would attribute a noble connotation to the word “justice” and a rather sinister connotation to “vengeance.” But what really sets the two apart? Is there a real distinction between the two, or could on… --- ## [Occupy movement: two-year evaluation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupy-movement-two-year-evaluation/665404)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/occupy-movement-two-year-evaluation/665404 "2013-09-18T04:35:32Z")
Next month it will have been two years since the first Occupy Wall Street march. And I see that HBO’s “Newsroom” is using it as a subplot. So can we evaluate this event on retrospect. What was it? Was it a movement? Did… --- ## [Save the guns law: What's the point?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-the-guns-law-whats-the-point/668016)
**Author:** [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Replies:** 209\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-the-guns-law-whats-the-point/668016 "2013-09-18T00:18:54Z")
I saw this story today: Can someone explain the rationale behind this law to me? I am generally a gun control supporter, but I can usually understand the thinking behind laws that expand the rights of gun owners. I mig… --- ## [E.T: Friend or Foe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-t-friend-or-foe/615488)
**Author:** [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Replies:** 95\ **Last updated:** [September 17, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-t-friend-or-foe/615488 "2013-09-17T21:43:43Z")
To paraphrase host Morgan Freeman on a recent episode of Through the Wormhole, “many scientists today believe our first contact with extraterrestrials visiting Earth is more likely to be aggressive than peaceful.” Certa… --- ## [The future of guns and technology, and a twist on the gun control debate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-future-of-guns-and-technology-and-a-twist-on-the-gun-control-debate/669044)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [September 17, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-future-of-guns-and-technology-and-a-twist-on-the-gun-control-debate/669044 "2013-09-17T18:19:30Z")
While sitting in my office yesterday, unable to leave until sometime in the afternoon due to the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard a block away, I thought about guns and technology. Specifically, I had this thought- … --- ## [Does having a linear message board result in more substantial discussion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-having-a-linear-message-board-result-in-more-substantial-discussion/668883)
**Author:** [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 17, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-having-a-linear-message-board-result-in-more-substantial-discussion/668883 "2013-09-17T16:51:29Z")
Explanation: Does having a board set up like Straight Dope where you see EVERY SINGLE comment in a row and every one is (in theory) by default given equal weight a much better model for discussion than, say, Reddit where… --- ## [What are the geopolitical interests of the United States?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-geopolitical-interests-of-the-united-states/668764)
**Author:** [@Donald\_Rump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donald_Rump)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [September 17, 2013, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-geopolitical-interests-of-the-united-states/668764 "2013-09-17T11:41:01Z")
This is an admittedly broad question, but here goes: what are the geopolitical interests that drive US foreign policy? Another way to put the question is, what exactly would the US lose by pursuing a more or less isolati… --- ## [What would be the impact of low cost, energy dense battery advances](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-impact-of-low-cost-energy-dense-battery-advances/668931)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 16, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-be-the-impact-of-low-cost-energy-dense-battery-advances/668931 "2013-09-16T22:49:24Z")
So if someone created batteries that were cheaper but held maybe 10x more energy per kg than the current best batteries, what impact would that have on our technology? The obvious one is that it would make electric cars… --- ## [Should we care about celebrities?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-care-about-celebrities/651138)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-care-about-celebrities/651138 "2013-03-09T12:24:07Z")
The issue was raised in another thread but we were told it was off-topic there. So here’s a thread on the topic. Should we care about celebrities? Obviously there is a widespread issue in what celebrities are doing. Mos… --- ## [How America treats the poor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-america-treats-the-poor/668598)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 156\ **Last updated:** [September 16, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-america-treats-the-poor/668598 "2013-09-16T05:51:05Z")
A recent thread on the possibility of war in Syria got derailed into a debate about whether many Americans are going hungry. Several posters asserted that hunger due to poverty is a major issue in the USA, and more gene… --- ## [Solar panels are no longer the bottleneck in making solar affordable. Now what](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-panels-are-no-longer-the-bottleneck-in-making-solar-affordable-now-what/668037)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [September 16, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solar-panels-are-no-longer-the-bottleneck-in-making-solar-affordable-now-what/668037 "2013-09-16T00:01:21Z")
I’m not going to pretend I’m smart enough to have read this entire article. But in 2011 it cost $6.19 per installed watt of solar in the US vs. $3.00 per installed watt in Germany, and attempted to explain the cost di… --- ## [Who you are not (?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-you-are-not/668889)
**Author:** [@Gateway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gateway)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-you-are-not/668889 "2013-09-15T19:42:34Z")
This is my idea based on my perceptions. I dont claim it is truth, but to me it seems to b near the truth at least. Who you r not… BODY:If you lose a hand you dont view yourself as two entities now but as having lost A… --- ## [Smart Electricity Meters are bad news](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-electricity-meters-are-bad-news/668762)
**Author:** [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-electricity-meters-are-bad-news/668762 "2013-09-15T18:43:06Z")
It is generally agreed that smart meters are a necessary technology to manage electricity demand from the electrical grid and micro-generation using domestic solar or wind turbines. These smart meters will collect a lot… --- ## [What if the November 1939 assassination attempt on Hitler had succeeded?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-november-1939-assassination-attempt-on-hitler-had-succeeded/668785)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-november-1939-assassination-attempt-on-hitler-had-succeeded/668785 "2013-09-15T17:28:16Z")
I know we’ve done a lot of these “what if” threads about Hitler. But, as far as I can tell, we’ve never discussed what may be one of the most interesting subjects for speculation - what if Johann Elser had been successfu… --- ## [Justifications against murder](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justifications-against-murder/668825)
**Author:** [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/justifications-against-murder/668825 "2013-09-15T03:39:15Z")
Is murder intrinsically wrong? Or is it wrong because it is in our self-interests? Because of the concept of reciprocity (if I murder someone, that must make it okay to murder me)? --- ## [How will the world reach to the world being a simulation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-world-reach-to-the-world-being-a-simulation/668757)
**Author:** [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [September 15, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-the-world-reach-to-the-world-being-a-simulation/668757 "2013-09-15T01:48:57Z")
What happens to society if it is proved that the world is a simulation? I should imagine that many would seriously consider what would be the point of it, if it is all merely a game in some computer. Would civilization b… --- ## [Obama and Biden: chickenhawks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-biden-chickenhawks/668506)
**Author:** [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [September 14, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-biden-chickenhawks/668506 "2013-09-14T18:17:41Z")
Are Obama and Biden chickenhawks, given their advocacy of strikes on Syria? --- ## [Why do African Americans support the Democrats- the party of slavery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-african-americans-support-the-democrats-the-party-of-slavery/668393)
**Author:** [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [September 14, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-african-americans-support-the-democrats-the-party-of-slavery/668393 "2013-09-14T05:04:15Z")
Just watched the film Lincoln. Given that the Democrats really, really wanted to keep slavery, what happened since that African Americans now vote for them in such large numbers? --- ## [Human brainoids in a dish.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-brainoids-in-a-dish/668750)
**Author:** [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 14, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-brainoids-in-a-dish/668750 "2013-09-14T00:38:17Z")
From a recent Science magazine, Lab Dishes Up Mini-Brains: From the article beyond the pay wall: You know I have no issue with use clones of human cells for research or with a wide variety of reproductive technologie… --- ## ["Gender identity" is mental illness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-identity-is-mental-illness/667011)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 425\ **Last updated:** [September 14, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-identity-is-mental-illness/667011 "2013-09-14T00:07:15Z")
I strongly support gay rights including marriage equality, but I can’t help but agree strongly with the following from Dr. Paul R. McHugh, the chairman of the psychiatry department at Johns Hopkins University in the 1970… --- ## [BC/AD vs. BCE/CE](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bc-ad-vs-bce-ce/668055)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [September 13, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bc-ad-vs-bce-ce/668055 "2013-09-13T14:35:13Z")
Nowadays it is increasingly popular to substitute the terms “Before Common Era” and “Common Era” instead of BC and AD due to the latter explicitly naming what the dating system is derived from-that is the birth of Christ… --- ## [Who used poison gas in Syria?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-used-poison-gas-in-syria/667836)
**Author:** [@Gack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gack)\ **Replies:** 159\ **Last updated:** [September 13, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-used-poison-gas-in-syria/667836 "2013-09-13T14:08:26Z")
The rebels, or the govt.? Note that the UN is investigating IF gas was used, but not who used it. This is from Tariq Ali … “The Obama administration and its camp followers would like us to believe that Assad permitted… --- ## ["Results-Only Work Environment" - does it work? Have you seen it? Would you try it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-only-work-environment-does-it-work-have-you-seen-it-would-you-try-it/668513)
**Author:** [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 13, 2013, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/results-only-work-environment-does-it-work-have-you-seen-it-would-you-try-it/668513 "2013-09-13T05:52:01Z")
Someone at the office mentioned the so-called Results-Only Work Environment, a type of management which is 100% geared toward whether or not an employee can or cannot get their work done and ignores core work hours, time… --- ## [Do you agree with Reagan about aliens?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-agree-with-reagan-about-aliens/668326)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [September 13, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-agree-with-reagan-about-aliens/668326 "2013-09-13T03:16:48Z")
The late President Ronald Reagan made several speeches where he referred to the subjects of aliens, specifically an alien attack as seen here speaking at the UN in 1987. The gist is that if we became aware of some sort o… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=259) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=261)