# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=316 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 317 --- ## [Is Polygamy Really Wrong?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-polygamy-really-wrong/626440)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 221\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2012, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-polygamy-really-wrong/626440 "2012-08-10T08:11:57Z")
People assume so. But is it really? Is it, for example, anti-christian? The Bible seems to endorse it in fact. Early Christian Charlemagne had more than one wife. And it apparently was at least a non-issue then. Is it … --- ## [What counts as welfare?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-counts-as-welfare/631003)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2012, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-counts-as-welfare/631003 "2012-08-10T06:35:32Z")
I was looking at this article on money.cnn.com about how welfare reform has slashed money paid to recipients in half and I was struck by this: What programs actually count as welfare? Thanks, Rob --- ## [Knight Capital loses $440 million in 45 minutes due to computerized trading](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knight-capital-loses-440-million-in-45-minutes-due-to-computerized-trading/630213)
**Author:** [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/knight-capital-loses-440-million-in-45-minutes-due-to-computerized-trading/630213 "2012-08-09T22:49:51Z")
Well, this is big news: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/08/02/knight-capital-says-trading-mishap-cost-it-440-million/?hp Will the big Wall Street traders finally decide they need the SEC to ban or radically slow compu… --- ## [A Slightly DIFFERENT Abortion Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-slightly-different-abortion-question/630655)
**Author:** [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-slightly-different-abortion-question/630655 "2012-08-09T05:20:08Z")
I DO NOT WANT this to be an abortion debate. Anyone entering into that is highjacking and threadshitting and trolling and has bad breath. You know how, in the Same Sex Marriage discussion, a lot of people have said tha… --- ## [Are the rich hiding $21 trillion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-rich-hiding-21-trillion/629448)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-rich-hiding-21-trillion/629448 "2012-08-09T02:55:29Z")
According to this video on CNN, some 10 million wealthy people from around the world are hiding $21 trillion and maybe as much as $32 trillion in 80 tax havens. I haven’t done the math or anything, but this number seems… --- ## [Obama orders clandestine support of Syrian rebels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-orders-clandestine-support-of-syrian-rebels/630116)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 133\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-orders-clandestine-support-of-syrian-rebels/630116 "2012-08-08T17:18:07Z")
NBC News just reported that the President Obama has signed an order allowing military support (unmanned, I think) for the rebels in Syria. It’s the right thing to do. Good for him. --- ## [Canadian Law: What is the true reason for scheduling plants?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-law-what-is-the-true-reason-for-scheduling-plants/628295)
**Author:** [@Coastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coastal)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-law-what-is-the-true-reason-for-scheduling-plants/628295 "2012-08-08T15:58:25Z")
Last year I was was involved in a debate with Health Canada about its intent to try and schedule Salvia divinorum. Without getting into the biology and chemistry of the plant their reason listed right on the website for … --- ## [When did Christianity become anti-slavery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christianity-become-anti-slavery/630527)
**Author:** [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christianity-become-anti-slavery/630527 "2012-08-08T12:27:14Z")
It seems your average Joe takes for granted that Christianity and the Bible are inherently anti-slavery. As I understand it, Christianity was the motivating force behind the abolition of African slaves in the western wo… --- ## [A moment of silence for the athletes killed during "the Munich Massacre"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moment-of-silence-for-the-athletes-killed-during-the-munich-massacre/629529)
**Author:** [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Replies:** 203\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-moment-of-silence-for-the-athletes-killed-during-the-munich-massacre/629529 "2012-08-08T05:22:21Z")
The 2012 Olympics coming up is also the 40th Anniversary of the infamous “Munich Massacre” where a large number of Israeli athletes were kidnapped and eventually murdered by a number of Palestinian guerillas who were mem… --- ## [1936: Hitler is bent on finishing off Britain](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1936-hitler-is-bent-on-finishing-off-britain/630562)
**Author:** [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2012, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1936-hitler-is-bent-on-finishing-off-britain/630562 "2012-08-07T07:45:50Z")
This thread is meant to improve on what I think is a bad ‘what-if’ discussion in another active thread. So, no need to assume the Germans somehow land at least 16 divisions in England. Discuss precisely how it can be don… --- ## [Is the country too sensitive to race?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-country-too-sensitive-to-race/630583)
**Author:** [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-country-too-sensitive-to-race/630583 "2012-08-07T01:24:36Z")
I think so. My evidence: http://www.buzzfeed.com/samir/did-nbc-just-air-an-extremely-racist-commercial Does anyone really think NBC meant to insult Gabby Douglas? --- ## [Obama: DHS will issue work visas to young undocumented immigrants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-dhs-will-issue-work-visas-to-young-undocumented-immigrants/625310)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 314\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-dhs-will-issue-work-visas-to-young-undocumented-immigrants/625310 "2012-08-06T21:12:26Z")
The Nation reports: Issues for debate: Is this in any way a bad idea? I can’t see any downside, frankly. Could it backfire on Obama electorally? I can imagine the screams of “Amnesty!” starting any minute now. … --- ## [Elected bodies overseeing their own elections](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elected-bodies-overseeing-their-own-elections/630459)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elected-bodies-overseeing-their-own-elections/630459 "2012-08-06T19:53:01Z")
Over in the massive voter ID thread in the pit, Bricker and I have gotten onto several tangents, some of which I think merit their own threads. So, here’s one exhange: Addressing the second part first, that strikes… --- ## [S&P downgrades US Debt](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-p-downgrades-us-debt/578838)
**Author:** [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Replies:** 120\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-p-downgrades-us-debt/578838 "2012-08-06T17:27:18Z")
So today, the Washington Post is reporting that Standard and Poors has moved US debt from ‘Stable’ to ‘Negative’. They further say that there’s a 1 in 3 chance that the US Debt rating will be cut in 2 years. Ouch. Thi… --- ## [If low taxes/regulations are economic nirvana why was the 1930's so bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-low-taxes-regulations-are-economic-nirvana-why-was-the-1930s-so-bad/629795)
**Author:** [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-low-taxes-regulations-are-economic-nirvana-why-was-the-1930s-so-bad/629795 "2012-08-06T17:23:25Z")
Payroll taxes didn’t exist then. Income taxes were low. Regulations were scant. Yet this time period was smack in the middle of the electronics, power, auto, and flight innovative change periods. This is NOT another … --- ## [God as an engineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-as-an-engineer/629646)
**Author:** [@onecut39](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onecut39)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-as-an-engineer/629646 "2012-08-06T14:18:26Z")
God as an engineer. Here we sit on this chaotic orb spinning through space and going nowhere. Around us we see incredible variations and strange adaptations in the natural world. It resembles nothing so much as chaos.… --- ## [What's so great about the KJV?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-the-kjv/379963)
**Author:** [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2012, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-the-kjv/379963 "2012-08-06T07:23:07Z")
I wasn’t sure whether to put this in GQ or GD, so if this is wrong, Mods, please move it. There is this other message board I like to lurk at. It is a Fundamentalist Christian place, and I read it because I think it is … --- ## ["Independent Contractor" labeling to avoid paying minimum wage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independent-contractor-labeling-to-avoid-paying-minimum-wage/630578)
**Author:** [@greenslime1951](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenslime1951)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2012, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independent-contractor-labeling-to-avoid-paying-minimum-wage/630578 "2012-08-06T05:57:55Z")
The local newspaper distributor pays its delivery “contractors” .10/paper Mon-Sat and .18/paper on Sunday. A typical contractor delivers about 300 papers and takes four hours to do so, except Sunday, which takes five (th… --- ## [Can we get rid of personal income tax?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-personal-income-tax/630540)
**Author:** [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-get-rid-of-personal-income-tax/630540 "2012-08-05T21:45:42Z")
… and replace it with a combination of capital gains taxes, corporate tax, “fees” for meeting requirements (e.g., USDA inspections) and voluntary certifications, unfunded mandates, and direct levies on the states? (This… --- ## [Anybody else jumping on the Zeitgeist bandwagon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-jumping-on-the-zeitgeist-bandwagon/630138)
**Author:** [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-else-jumping-on-the-zeitgeist-bandwagon/630138 "2012-08-05T18:47:04Z")
I’ve recently become a big fan of The Zeitgeist Movement. Peter Joseph, it’s founder, seems to hit the nail on the head when it comes to the problems society faces. I cannot completely summarize this concept, but I’ll … --- ## [Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096)
**Author:** [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Replies:** 384\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096 "2012-08-05T07:59:48Z")
Just drove by the Chick-Fil-A where I live, and the place was packed. About 600,000 people have liked Mike Huckabee’s Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day page on Facebook. http://gawker.com/5930803/over-half-a-million-people-… --- ## [Is this a victory for Bullies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-victory-for-bullies/629614)
**Author:** [@Boswellia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boswellia)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-victory-for-bullies/629614 "2012-08-05T01:15:20Z")
Firstly I apologise for the link to this story being one to The Daily Mail. :stuck\_out\_tongue: Within a few seconds of reading this article, my mental response was… “Well, the Bullies won then didn’t they. They got wha… --- ## [Where are all the militant Muslims?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-all-the-militant-muslims/629837)
**Author:** [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-all-the-militant-muslims/629837 "2012-08-04T16:28:06Z")
I’ve been saying this for years, but the Aurora shootings bring it up again. I have been assured by experts like George W. Bush and Michelle Bachmann that there are millions of militant Muslims who hate us for our freed… --- ## [Leviticus 18:22, the only spot the bible says gay is wrong?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leviticus-18-22-the-only-spot-the-bible-says-gay-is-wrong/629996)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2012, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leviticus-18-22-the-only-spot-the-bible-says-gay-is-wrong/629996 "2012-08-04T06:37:34Z")
How many times in the bible does it say gay is wrong or a sin? Also, are there other things in the bible (considered a sin) that are mentioned more but get ignored by the vast majority of mainstream Christians? If so, … --- ## [Is Scientology a religion or a cult?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-scientology-a-religion-or-a-cult/630143)
**Author:** [@Ecamp1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ecamp1)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-scientology-a-religion-or-a-cult/630143 "2012-08-04T04:00:04Z")
I have been really curious about what Scientology actually IS. What is its central belief? What makes something a religion? And if Scientology is actually a cult what makes it so? I understand every religion has good and… --- ## [Pros and cons of SSM as it pertains society](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pros-and-cons-of-ssm-as-it-pertains-society/629675)
**Author:** [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pros-and-cons-of-ssm-as-it-pertains-society/629675 "2012-08-03T21:58:29Z")
In THIS THREAD, Magellan01 asserts that once can hold the position that SSM is a negative influence on society and thus should remain banned while simultaneously allowing gay couples most of the same rights as hetero cou… --- ## [White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-initiative-on-educational-excellence-for-african-americans/630293)
**Author:** [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-house-initiative-on-educational-excellence-for-african-americans/630293 "2012-08-03T14:39:41Z")
Until this morning, I wasn’t even aware of this EO, and certainly knew nothing about what it contained. My education began when I saw a FB post that informed me that the end result will be different criteria for the exp… --- ## [Legally can the federal government now force you to buy a Chevrolet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-can-the-federal-government-now-force-you-to-buy-a-chevrolet/629959)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 251\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-can-the-federal-government-now-force-you-to-buy-a-chevrolet/629959 "2012-08-03T13:21:18Z")
My gist on the SCOTUS Obamacare ruling is, the federal government can make us do anything it wants now just by calling it a tax. Please refute this if you can. In other words, if the feds pass a law saying one has to b… --- ## [US government funding: What about a Federal Lottery?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-government-funding-what-about-a-federal-lottery/629261)
**Author:** [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-government-funding-what-about-a-federal-lottery/629261 "2012-08-03T02:55:56Z")
Many States in the US have a State Lottery that is used to enhance revenue. What about having such a thing at the Federal level? You could buy tickets for the IRS Lottery anywhere in the US and the revenue would go int… --- ## [What is the origin and purpose of Jehovah's Witnesses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-and-purpose-of-jehovahs-witnesses/630088)
**Author:** [@chappy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappy)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-origin-and-purpose-of-jehovahs-witnesses/630088 "2012-08-03T01:29:21Z")
From the time I was a kid I knew something wasn’t quite right about Jehovah’s Witnesses. Most of the family on my mom’s side are still in. I’m treated reasonably decent by them due to the fact that I was never baptized… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=315) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=317)