# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=264 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 265 --- ## [Why is the Vice President of the United States elected?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-vice-president-of-the-united-states-elected/667257)
**Author:** [@marcus903](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marcus903)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-vice-president-of-the-united-states-elected/667257 "2013-08-28T17:12:06Z")
I just got a curious question. Why is the Vice President of the United States elected? Why can’t the Presidential Nominee just select his vice president and have him approved by the United States Senate? The President s… --- ## [Differences between fascism and socialism/communism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differences-between-fascism-and-socialism-communism/665457)
**Author:** [@Melab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melab)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/differences-between-fascism-and-socialism-communism/665457 "2013-08-28T00:11:18Z")
I’ve read that fascism is right-wing. I’ve read that fascism is left-wing. Socialism/communism and fascism were the two totalitarian political ideologies of the twentieth century. Fascism seems to me like an ideology th… --- ## [Why is there such a political frenzy about a university education?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-such-a-political-frenzy-about-a-university-education/657875)
**Author:** [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Replies:** 96\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-such-a-political-frenzy-about-a-university-education/657875 "2013-08-27T19:53:19Z")
All politicians wobble on about how they want as many people as possible to get a uni education, while they never talk about the value of a trade. Why the blindness to the fact that society needs good mechanics, plumber… --- ## [Our moral struggles and progress are positive change](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-moral-struggles-and-progress-are-positive-change/667259)
**Author:** [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-moral-struggles-and-progress-are-positive-change/667259 "2013-08-27T19:53:07Z")
Like the title says. The moral struggles our societies go through is progress. Culturally, technologically, evolutionary and morally. In light of last month’s United States Supreme Court decision saying we have come a l… --- ## [Are you a One-Boxer or a Two-Boxer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-one-boxer-or-a-two-boxer/666287)
**Author:** [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Replies:** 234\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-one-boxer-or-a-two-boxer/666287 "2013-08-27T16:56:56Z")
I’m bored of Monty Hall and .999… = 1. They’ve been beaten to death. Instead I want to open another \[del\]horrific flame war\[/del\] calm, logical discussion on logical conundrums. And this one doesn’t even really have a wr… --- ## [Does "drive-by" witnessing count?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drive-by-witnessing-count/667181)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drive-by-witnessing-count/667181 "2013-08-27T16:37:00Z")
Let’s say you’re a Christian and you stand by Acts 1:8 - “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” S… --- ## [Can the USA truly "evolve" into a police state?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-usa-truly-evolve-into-a-police-state/667104)
**Author:** [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-usa-truly-evolve-into-a-police-state/667104 "2013-08-27T04:03:41Z")
I do not follow politics very much but I often hear concern that the US is evolving into a police state ala the dystopian 1984 scenario. Given our political structure, is it truly possible to slowly and naturally evolve… --- ## [SHOCKING News From Oberlin! \[re: racist incidents\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-news-from-oberlin-re-racist-incidents/666993)
**Author:** [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Replies:** 160\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocking-news-from-oberlin-re-racist-incidents/666993 "2013-08-27T02:44:59Z")
That racist graffiti that led to the whole campus being shut down? The culprits have been identified, and they’re a pair of white, left-wing scam artists! Who ever could have predicted this??? Besides, you know, EVERY… --- ## [Should there be a massive gun owner/supporter database?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-there-be-a-massive-gun-owner-supporter-database/666802)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-there-be-a-massive-gun-owner-supporter-database/666802 "2013-08-26T17:19:18Z")
Should there be a national database containing personal information about gun owners, people that attend gun safety classes and people that attend gun shows? There are those that say that such a database could be usefu… --- ## [What meaningful (good or bad) social, cultural or economic changes were spearheaded by youth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meaningful-good-or-bad-social-cultural-or-economic-changes-were-spearheaded-by-youth/666923)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meaningful-good-or-bad-social-cultural-or-economic-changes-were-spearheaded-by-youth/666923 "2013-08-26T15:00:56Z")
When I was a bit younger some of the older people in my life would have very derogatory attitudes about youth, implying they are all idealistic and have no idea how to actually make anything happen. Which made me think … --- ## [How can a universe exist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-universe-exist/667110)
**Author:** [@KR5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KR5)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-universe-exist/667110 "2013-08-26T07:10:56Z")
For a universe to exist it must have a begining, maybe by a god or a natural event. But for either of those to have happened something must have created them. How can a god just happen how would it start to exist? Where … --- ## [Born Alive Infant Protection Act](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-alive-infant-protection-act/666382)
**Author:** [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Replies:** 125\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-alive-infant-protection-act/666382 "2013-08-26T04:52:00Z")
What is your opinion of the various iterations of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act which essentially guarantee full protection of the law to fetuses that survived an abortion procedure? While some versions of the law… --- ## [Fellow progressives: Aren't you missing the point with your opposition to voter ID?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-progressives-arent-you-missing-the-point-with-your-opposition-to-voter-id/666624)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-progressives-arent-you-missing-the-point-with-your-opposition-to-voter-id/666624 "2013-08-26T04:45:40Z")
Let me beseech conservative proponents of voter ID to please stay out of this and stick to the other voter ID threads that generally bounce back and forth on the right/left axis. If you listen to this NPR story and beli… --- ## [What do you think of the hypothesis that tipping culture is a form of sexism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hypothesis-that-tipping-culture-is-a-form-of-sexism/666659)
**Author:** [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-hypothesis-that-tipping-culture-is-a-form-of-sexism/666659 "2013-08-26T03:54:27Z")
In Observations From A Tipless Restaurant, Jay Porter discusses his views on tipping in five parts (the link is to part one). He believes that tipping works against good service and he sounds like he’s thought things th… --- ## [Is Jesusguy a troll?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jesusguy-a-troll/667172)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jesusguy-a-troll/667172 "2013-08-26T03:39:12Z")
I think so. A real, honest-to-goodness Christian would capitalize the J. :wink: --- ## [Can the abortion issue ever be finally resolved?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-abortion-issue-ever-be-finally-resolved/254853)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 235\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-abortion-issue-ever-be-finally-resolved/254853 "2013-08-26T00:30:58Z")
I’ve seen pro-lifers with buttons that say, “Slavery and abortion are wrong.” Leaving aside the question of moral equivalence, I see an obvious difference between slavery and abortion: It was possible for American slave… --- ## [Free will](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-will/666765)
**Author:** [@lankyBlonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lankyBlonde)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-will/666765 "2013-08-25T18:51:04Z")
I realized something quite odd during my mushroom trip that I wanted to share. Everyone has an ego and your ego makes up who you are. It defines your interests, desires, is responsible for your perception of the world, … --- ## [Prenatal Hormones and Sexual Orientation Debate.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prenatal-hormones-and-sexual-orientation-debate/666789)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prenatal-hormones-and-sexual-orientation-debate/666789 "2013-08-24T14:17:47Z")
Could prenatal hormones play a role in human sexual orientation? I recently found this article in Wikipedia. But I was aware of the theory for some time. I know the Merck Manual posits that Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is re… --- ## [Bradley Manning PFC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bradley-manning-pfc/666909)
**Author:** [@Navigator66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Navigator66)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bradley-manning-pfc/666909 "2013-08-24T05:39:47Z")
One question only. How does a Private First Class get access to that much classified information? --- ## [Did "W" use the crusades word.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-w-use-the-crusades-word/667019)
**Author:** [@georgewk10](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/georgewk10)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-w-use-the-crusades-word/667019 "2013-08-24T03:03:39Z")
“They” may hate us because of freedoms. or… And of late , losing freedom of privacy is not gaining us any new friends. “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.” - Voltaire … --- ## [Detroit's present, our future](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroits-present-our-future/665088)
**Author:** [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/detroits-present-our-future/665088 "2013-08-23T20:25:10Z")
The bankruptcy of Detroit has gotten some attention focused back on America’s favorite, most pulse-pounding, sexiest political issue: municipal finances. For years conservative and libertarian sources have been warning … --- ## [Dear Timo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-timo/666999)
**Author:** [@CraterLayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CraterLayer)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-timo/666999 "2013-08-23T20:15:57Z")
As someone who remembers (as a 5 yr old) the Cuban missile crisis (when my parents bought lots of canned food, and my school made us freeze against the hallway walls, among other things whenever the sirens went off), the… --- ## [Does human intelligence limit mankinds ultimate growth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-human-intelligence-limit-mankinds-ultimate-growth/666456)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-human-intelligence-limit-mankinds-ultimate-growth/666456 "2013-08-23T14:07:38Z")
We humans like to think that anything we can dream of is ultimately possible. But while the last century produced radio, rocket ships, radar, airplanes, nuclear power and trips to the Moon, we’re still struggling with c… --- ## [Why the lack of widespread civil disorder in Southern Europe?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-lack-of-widespread-civil-disorder-in-southern-europe/666027)
**Author:** [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2013, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-lack-of-widespread-civil-disorder-in-southern-europe/666027 "2013-08-23T12:32:13Z")
Greek youth unemployment has just hit 65% (cite). Spanish youth unemployment passed 56% two months ago (cite). Italy and Portugal aren’t that far behind. Why aren’t we seeing mass riots and civil disorder across South… --- ## ["...and you, sir, are no Abraham Lincoln."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-you-sir-are-no-abraham-lincoln/666501)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 156\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-you-sir-are-no-abraham-lincoln/666501 "2013-08-23T03:29:25Z")
In the Wall Street Journal of August 16th, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz offers up an op-ed on President Obama’s unilateral suspension of the employer mandate for Obamacare, and unfavorably compares it to Lincoln’s unilatera… --- ## [Why is China's economy successful?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chinas-economy-successful/666453)
**Author:** [@IMfez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IMfez)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chinas-economy-successful/666453 "2013-08-23T02:48:30Z")
I admit that I don’t know much about communism other than it does not account for greed/laziness. But China is at least somewhat communist–why it doing so well? Is it the “not communist” part of the economy that’s drivin… --- ## [IOKIADDI (It's OK If A Democrat Does It)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iokiaddi-its-ok-if-a-democrat-does-it/666622)
**Author:** [@Donald\_Rump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donald_Rump)\ **Replies:** 220\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iokiaddi-its-ok-if-a-democrat-does-it/666622 "2013-08-23T01:15:56Z")
Is there in American political media an IOKIADDI rule? This was suggested in another thread, and I thought it deserved exploring further… What is the best example out there of the media granting Democrats a pass for egr… --- ## [Will efficiency and new sources compensate for peak oil ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-efficiency-and-new-sources-compensate-for-peak-oil/666368)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-efficiency-and-new-sources-compensate-for-peak-oil/666368 "2013-08-22T22:37:15Z")
Oil goes from $20 barrel to over $100 in ten years - not much sign of greater efficiency or new energy/oil sources compensating for that, hence economic stress. Is that permanent ? --- ## [fsfdsf](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fsfdsf/666894)
**Author:** [@sparklehoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparklehoof)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fsfdsf/666894 "2013-08-22T18:22:33Z")
can you delete these threads --- ## [Is Glenn Greenwald's partner a terrorist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-glenn-greenwalds-partner-a-terrorist/666640)
**Author:** [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Replies:** 120\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-glenn-greenwalds-partner-a-terrorist/666640 "2013-08-22T17:58:18Z")
The British government apparently has its suspicions. David Miranda, Greenwald’s partner, was traveling back to Brazil from Germany, where he had been visiting a documentary filmmaker who has been helping disseminate Ed… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=263) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=265)