# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=374 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 375 --- ## [Debt Ceiling Follies: The Trillion Dollar Platinum Coin.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debt-ceiling-follies-the-trillion-dollar-platinum-coin/590797)
**Author:** [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debt-ceiling-follies-the-trillion-dollar-platinum-coin/590797 "2011-08-01T17:52:50Z")
http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/07/28/282471/the-platinum-coin-option \[QUOTE\] \[ol\] \[li\]The Treasury mints a $1 trillion coin, or whatever amount is desired.\[/li\]\[li\]The Treasury deposits the coin into the Tr… --- ## [The absolute answer to our Nations difficulty...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-answer-to-our-nations-difficulty/590776)
**Author:** [@lightwait](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightwait)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-absolute-answer-to-our-nations-difficulty/590776 "2011-08-01T17:38:17Z")
The absolute answer…and the following, must be done by national decree and not by a few individuals as it is being done now. We have all of the spiritual, philosophical, technological and practical abilities to come to … --- ## [Question re: 14th Amendment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-14th-amendment/590983)
**Author:** [@BDBoop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BDBoop)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-re-14th-amendment/590983 "2011-08-01T02:51:35Z")
Somebody posted this at another board, and I’d like to raise the question here. --- ## [Next space shuttle flight?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-space-shuttle-flight/588530)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/next-space-shuttle-flight/588530 "2011-08-01T00:47:05Z")
How long will it take for NASA, or some other country’s space program, or private industry to start sending up the next-generation space shuttle (defined as a reusable spaceship intended mainly for servicing satellites a… --- ## [The Persian Empire - were they really such bad guys?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persian-empire-were-they-really-such-bad-guys/590117)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persian-empire-were-they-really-such-bad-guys/590117 "2011-07-31T22:06:07Z")
Marathon. Thermopylae. Salamis. Plataea. Battles that have become legendary for the Greek underdog during the Greco-Persian wars, a war in which the Persians are commonly cast as abject villains, battles where the flowe… --- ## [The roots of the Holocaust: Intentionalists vs. Functionalists.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roots-of-the-holocaust-intentionalists-vs-functionalists/590729)
**Author:** [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-roots-of-the-holocaust-intentionalists-vs-functionalists/590729 "2011-07-31T21:46:59Z")
More than twenty years after the Historikerstreit first flared up all over Germany, I’d be interested in hearing from Dopers who’ve researched both the “intentionalist” and the “functionalist” arguments with regards to t… --- ## [The Kutcher-Voice Feud, The Facts of Sex Trafficking and why the Truth Matters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kutcher-voice-feud-the-facts-of-sex-trafficking-and-why-the-truth-matters/588356)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-kutcher-voice-feud-the-facts-of-sex-trafficking-and-why-the-truth-matters/588356 "2011-07-31T18:50:02Z")
I think the Twitter War between Ashton Kutcher and the Village Voiceneeds to check this out. Drilling down, the reliable data on sex trafficking turns out to be 272 total confirmed cases over an 18 month period, 108 of… --- ## [Did the U.S. lose the War of 1812?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-u-s-lose-the-war-of-1812/590481)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-u-s-lose-the-war-of-1812/590481 "2011-07-31T17:44:15Z")
Continuing the discussion from here: Graduating from Hogwarts - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board Have at it! --- ## [What's the dark underside of our society? Your theories.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dark-underside-of-our-society-your-theories/588384)
**Author:** [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dark-underside-of-our-society-your-theories/588384 "2011-07-31T17:10:57Z")
I think one of the creepy undersides of our society involves the removal of every taboo of sexuality and violence, with the big exception of children. And the media’s consequent fetishization of that very thing. (Caylee … --- ## [If we do hit the debt ceiling, we should make other cuts rather than default on our debt](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-do-hit-the-debt-ceiling-we-should-make-other-cuts-rather-than-default-on-our-debt/590711)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-do-hit-the-debt-ceiling-we-should-make-other-cuts-rather-than-default-on-our-debt/590711 "2011-07-31T14:33:13Z")
Please correct me if I don’t properly understand the situation. Right now we’re taking in X billion in revenues and paying out Y billion in expenditures every month, with Y being somewhere around 2x. Due to decreased ta… --- ## [Allen West: sexual harassment or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allen-west-sexual-harassment-or-not/589948)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allen-west-sexual-harassment-or-not/589948 "2011-07-31T13:10:29Z")
In my opinion, not. The background for those who haven’t followed the story: West is a Republican congressman from Florida. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a Democratic congresswoman from Florida. They hold opposing positio… --- ## [Are political leanings just a matter of brain wiring?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-political-leanings-just-a-matter-of-brain-wiring/590083)
**Author:** [@Carsten\_Stroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carsten_Stroud)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-political-leanings-just-a-matter-of-brain-wiring/590083 "2011-07-31T07:43:32Z")
I’m watching the utter intransigence of the duelling parties in Washington DC and their avatars in the various media and on the net and I find I’m wondering if, at the heart of it, these warring factions are just not cap… --- ## [Moody's cuts Ireland rating to junk status](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moodys-cuts-ireland-rating-to-junk-status/588787)
**Author:** [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2011, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moodys-cuts-ireland-rating-to-junk-status/588787 "2011-07-31T07:29:13Z")
I don’t quite understand what this means. Could someone please explain to me in vaguely educated layman’s terms what this means for Ireland? --- ## [Does taking away driving privileges really "ruin someone's life"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-taking-away-driving-privileges-really-ruin-someones-life/334058)
**Author:** [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-taking-away-driving-privileges-really-ruin-someones-life/334058 "2011-07-30T20:18:44Z")
I was reading through this thread about a cyclist who was killed by a motorist and getting pretty mad over the people who say it’s “just a mistake” and how it will “ruin his life” if he’s not allowed to drive again. I al… --- ## [US loses AAA rating: what happens?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-loses-aaa-rating-what-happens/590652)
**Author:** [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-loses-aaa-rating-what-happens/590652 "2011-07-30T16:10:11Z")
There’s now serious talk of the US losing its AAA rating. This admittedly small sample of economists seems to suggest a sizeable fraction of economists see a downrating as a foregone conclusion, not least because of the… --- ## [Do people get better in prison](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-get-better-in-prison/589785)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-get-better-in-prison/589785 "2011-07-30T10:39:33Z")
I know prisons and jails supposedly have programs to teach people various life skills, work skills, rehab skills, etc. And after you are released there are programs to partake in too life halfway houses, therapy, etc as … --- ## [Dave Pelzer (Author of A Child Called It) -- Fraud?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-pelzer-author-of-a-child-called-it-fraud/478342)
**Author:** [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-pelzer-author-of-a-child-called-it-fraud/478342 "2011-07-30T05:23:03Z")
In another thread on parents who hate their kids, Dave Pelzer was alluded to. Based on other articles I’ve read (thisone in Slate and this in NYTimes) , he comes off as something of a charlatan. Obviously, it seems like… --- ## [Do I have an obligation to get vaccinated against flu?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-an-obligation-to-get-vaccinated-against-flu/590308)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-an-obligation-to-get-vaccinated-against-flu/590308 "2011-07-29T20:11:59Z")
Some years ago I read an online essay from a medical doctor about vaccination. It was very eloquently written (wish I could find it again, I think it was on quackwatch.org), and among other things made the following poi… --- ## [What's the logic in regulators tolerating death in one instance but not another?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-logic-in-regulators-tolerating-death-in-one-instance-but-not-another/590668)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-logic-in-regulators-tolerating-death-in-one-instance-but-not-another/590668 "2011-07-29T17:41:04Z")
The thread about flu vaccines got me thinking. The gist of Machine Elf’s OP is: does he or we have an obligation to get the flu vaccine because of herd immunity (more people vaccinated reduces the incidence of spreading… --- ## [Is a belief in ghosts compatible with atheism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-belief-in-ghosts-compatible-with-atheism/589417)
**Author:** [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-belief-in-ghosts-compatible-with-atheism/589417 "2011-07-29T16:02:16Z")
I was reading through an old thread about atheism and it got me thinking about an acquaintaince of mine (Facebook friend) who refers to herself and her family as “militant atheists.”. Anytime a topic even tangentially re… --- ## [Concerning mandatory reporting for Catholic priests.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-mandatory-reporting-for-catholic-priests/590412)
**Author:** [@Wood\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wood_Man)\ **Replies:** 164\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concerning-mandatory-reporting-for-catholic-priests/590412 "2011-07-29T14:51:46Z")
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/some-fathers-must-be-taught-how-to-dress-after-a-fashion/story-e6frfhqf-1226101706555 . All this hoopla is just Catholic bashing. It implies that priests hear large numbers of pedophi… --- ## [To what extent, if at all, can economic forces be tamed to the collective human will?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-can-economic-forces-be-tamed-to-the-collective-human-will/588714)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-what-extent-if-at-all-can-economic-forces-be-tamed-to-the-collective-human-will/588714 "2011-07-29T13:21:05Z")
Wiki’s Economy of Nazi Germany article is a good source to use whenever someone starts the “Nazism = socialism” line, but one passage is particularly telling: Seems as far as you can get from socialism, where the theor… --- ## [The US defense budget](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-defense-budget/590543)
**Author:** [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2011, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-defense-budget/590543 "2011-07-29T11:56:13Z")
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute via this Wikipedia page: in 2009 the US spent 6 times the next biggest spender, China. Is this accurate? If so, is this really necessary? Could we ge… --- ## [Zeitgeist 3 - opinions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zeitgeist-3-opinions/590458)
**Author:** [@Nica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nica)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [July 29, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zeitgeist-3-opinions/590458 "2011-07-29T08:22:11Z")
I just watched this and am curious about the rest of the population’s opinion on the concepts it discusses. Seems pretty spot on to me. And scary. --- ## [Changes from baby boomers aging beyond SS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changes-from-baby-boomers-aging-beyond-ss/589951)
**Author:** [@moldmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moldmonkey)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changes-from-baby-boomers-aging-beyond-ss/589951 "2011-07-28T23:53:43Z")
Recent news and a certain Pit thread have made me think about changes in the world caused by the baby boom generation leaving the work force, besides just the costs of the social programs they will be starting to use. … --- ## [Would increasing the number of Representatives in the House change anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-increasing-the-number-of-representatives-in-the-house-change-anything/590550)
**Author:** [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-increasing-the-number-of-representatives-in-the-house-change-anything/590550 "2011-07-28T20:24:20Z")
Congress is being rather dysfunctional at the moment, and from time to time, there are proposals to increase the number of representatives. If we bring the number of ratio of representatives to citizens back down to 178… --- ## [What will it take to create a third political party?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-create-a-third-political-party/590494)
**Author:** [@Nica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nica)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-create-a-third-political-party/590494 "2011-07-28T20:12:19Z")
Has the administration made people too afraid to step outside of the box? To challenge the lines of conformity? Or is it really all about money? I proposed a question a short time ago asking why politicians need money… --- ## [Should the U.S. pull out of NAFTA and WTO?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-u-s-pull-out-of-nafta-and-wto/208409)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-u-s-pull-out-of-nafta-and-wto/208409 "2011-07-28T11:09:41Z")
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is running for the Democratic nomination for president on, among other things, a promise to pull the U.S. out of NAFTA and WTO. From his campaign site, http://www.kucinich.us/: Is … --- ## [Something to ponder \[continued from "Draconian DUI laws"\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-to-ponder-continued-from-draconian-dui-laws/590312)
**Author:** [@shygirl09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shygirl09)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-to-ponder-continued-from-draconian-dui-laws/590312 "2011-07-28T09:19:57Z")
For those who think that such harsh punishments are warranted, think about this. You don’t have to be legally drunk to get a DWAI, which in some states is treated the same as a DUI. A BAC of .05 is all that is needed t… --- ## [Resolved: Religious people are crazy. What now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932)
**Author:** [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Conqueror_Worm)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932 "2011-07-28T02:23:13Z")
This might be considered the companion thread to the other active discussion. I had hoped someone would ask this question in that thread, but as yet no one has. I for one believe there is Something beyond us and think … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=373) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=375)