# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=377 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 378 --- ## [Assisted suicide: Roger Ebert's latest blog](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assisted-suicide-roger-eberts-latest-blog/587619)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assisted-suicide-roger-eberts-latest-blog/587619 "2011-07-17T11:45:57Z")
Link Excellent article. One particularly well-articulated excerpt: mmm --- ## [Does taxing based on income level violate the principle of equality before the law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-taxing-based-on-income-level-violate-the-principle-of-equality-before-the-law/588840)
**Author:** [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-taxing-based-on-income-level-violate-the-principle-of-equality-before-the-law/588840 "2011-07-16T23:55:23Z")
In an IMHO thread: I’m pretty sure Keynesian deficit spending relies on spending, not tax cuts (which would only make things worse). But I’m not actually an economist. Your second point is a thread poking out of a phi… --- ## [Obligate 'lifting of the veil' for Muslim women if asked to by a police officer - racist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obligate-lifting-of-the-veil-for-muslim-women-if-asked-to-by-a-police-officer-racist/588527)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obligate-lifting-of-the-veil-for-muslim-women-if-asked-to-by-a-police-officer-racist/588527 "2011-07-16T22:41:17Z")
Please take a look at this article from the Toronto Star. It describes a proposed new law in Australia that would compel women whose face is covered by a veil to show their face to a police officer if requested to do so … --- ## [How I think welfare money should be distributed.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-think-welfare-money-should-be-distributed/588959)
**Author:** [@humanafterall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/humanafterall)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-i-think-welfare-money-should-be-distributed/588959 "2011-07-16T17:00:59Z")
If you are under 25, The US Govt will help you. If you are over 65, the US Govt will help you. If you are between 25 and 65, you are on your own, unless you are found to be physically or mentally handicapped by a Governm… --- ## [Noam Chomsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noam-chomsky/588613)
**Author:** [@MattProle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MattProle)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noam-chomsky/588613 "2011-07-16T12:40:20Z")
I’ve spent some of my weekends listening to lectures of this prominent political commentator, Professor Noam Chomsky. He makes some strong claims, and appears to be extremely critical of American activity in foreign affa… --- ## [Is representative government in the US just a myth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-representative-government-in-the-us-just-a-myth/588553)
**Author:** [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-representative-government-in-the-us-just-a-myth/588553 "2011-07-16T05:52:51Z")
In my recent pit thread blaming Utah for Orrin Hatch’s behavior, a poster objected that the whole exercise was not sound in this post: I responded with this but got no response. That’s ok because the objection raised… --- ## [Why is the economy still shit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-economy-still-shit/588794)
**Author:** [@Cort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cort)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-economy-still-shit/588794 "2011-07-15T23:52:28Z")
It’s been three years since everything really started going to shit and, while we may not “technically” be in a recession anymore, it certainly feels like we are. The news from Europe seems to be getting worse and worse… --- ## [Canada and the Looming US Financial Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-looming-us-financial-meltdown/588805)
**Author:** [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-looming-us-financial-meltdown/588805 "2011-07-15T23:23:55Z")
Listening to the US news lately I’m quite frightened by how fragile is the US economy, simply dependant on adversarial politicians with the ability to play chicken with the future of their country and ultimately the wor… --- ## [Why so Little Hate for the US Soldiers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-little-hate-for-the-us-soldiers/587727)
**Author:** [@Commissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commissar)\ **Replies:** 328\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-little-hate-for-the-us-soldiers/587727 "2011-07-15T19:18:06Z")
In the run-up to this upcoming Fourth of July, we are constantly being assailed with sickening pro-military propaganda of all kinds and flavors, which has gotten me thinking… From what I have gathered of the Vietnam War… --- ## [Resolved: Wisconsin Republicans continue to try to subvert democratic processes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-wisconsin-republicans-continue-to-try-to-subvert-democratic-processes/588839)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-wisconsin-republicans-continue-to-try-to-subvert-democratic-processes/588839 "2011-07-15T15:08:37Z")
Back in March I started a thread to discuss how Wisconsin Republicans were subverting democratic processes. That thread focussed on how they did an end around on the legislative process and lied to the voting public abo… --- ## [Are politicians healthier than average, if so why](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-politicians-healthier-than-average-if-so-why/588100)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-politicians-healthier-than-average-if-so-why/588100 "2011-07-15T02:47:35Z")
At least on the national level, I see tons of politicians in their 60s, 70s, 80s, etc who are still functioning at a pretty high level. Obviously politicians have several things going for them that not everyone has: Am… --- ## [Why isn't welfare considered a good economic strategy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-welfare-considered-a-good-economic-strategy/575172)
**Author:** [@Borzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borzo)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-welfare-considered-a-good-economic-strategy/575172 "2011-07-15T01:24:16Z")
I’m not an economist, I’ll put that out there to start. But common sense suggests certain things, and raises some questions for me, that perhaps some people here might be able to answer. When you give tax breaks and mon… --- ## [California split into two states...how?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-split-into-two-states-how/587820)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-split-into-two-states-how/587820 "2011-07-14T21:24:11Z")
I don’t know how popular the idea is, but a bunch of my dad’s friends were sitting around this weekend discussion something they heard on Fox, so I figured I’d ask a few questions. A quick Google search didn’t turn up a… --- ## [Re McConnell's desperate, pathetic proposal to give POTUS unilateral control over the debt ceiling](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mcconnells-desperate-pathetic-proposal-to-give-potus-unilateral-control-over-the-debt-ceiling/588833)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mcconnells-desperate-pathetic-proposal-to-give-potus-unilateral-control-over-the-debt-ceiling/588833 "2011-07-14T18:41:27Z")
Per the latest brainstorm from the Republicans. I cannot recall a more desperate and craven political tactic in my lifetime. In this bizarre proposal the Republican leadership has all but acknowledged that no one is dri… --- ## [It could work! \[Warren Buffett deficit proposal\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-could-work-warren-buffett-deficit-proposal/588813)
**Author:** [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-could-work-warren-buffett-deficit-proposal/588813 "2011-07-14T18:27:11Z")
from here --- ## [Not Raising the Debt Ceiling and No Default Possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-raising-the-debt-ceiling-and-no-default-possible/588929)
**Author:** [@TheonX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheonX)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-raising-the-debt-ceiling-and-no-default-possible/588929 "2011-07-14T03:36:55Z")
Trying to keep this as factual as possible. A man on the TV claimed it would be possible to pay the interest on the debt, social security, and the military (not sure if he just meant salary or all obligations) without r… --- ## [Raising the Medicaire eligibility age](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-medicaire-eligibility-age/588899)
**Author:** [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 13, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-medicaire-eligibility-age/588899 "2011-07-13T22:15:22Z")
What do you think of raising the age of Medicare eligibility? IMO, because lifespans have gone up since implementation, the age should go up, like it is with SS. But linking it to debt ceiling talks is a mistake. --- ## [Are politics truly a left-right linear line, or something else?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-politics-truly-a-left-right-linear-line-or-something-else/587903)
**Author:** [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [July 13, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-politics-truly-a-left-right-linear-line-or-something-else/587903 "2011-07-13T21:23:41Z")
Yesterday being the 4th of July I spent some time thinking about the state of politics in our coutry. In our system, politics is presented as being left or right or somewhere in between. I do not intend this thread to … --- ## [Why hasn't H2G2 been nearly as successful as Wikipedia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-h2g2-been-nearly-as-successful-as-wikipedia/576132)
**Author:** [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [July 13, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hasnt-h2g2-been-nearly-as-successful-as-wikipedia/576132 "2011-07-13T12:36:24Z")
H2G2 being the “real-life” Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy started by Douglas Adams in 1999 (two years before Wikipedia), in case you weren’t aware of the abbreviation. The BBC (who own H2G2) recently announced massiv… --- ## [Will South Sudan Set A Precedent?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-south-sudan-set-a-precedent/588310)
**Author:** [@AntiCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntiCoyote)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [July 13, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-south-sudan-set-a-precedent/588310 "2011-07-13T03:33:18Z")
In Africa one of the unwritten rules is colonial borders will not be changed. On July 9, 2011, South Sudan becomes the first nation to separate from a colonial designated border. Eritrea also separated from Ethiopia, b… --- ## [Challenger Shuttle Disaster - Politics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenger-shuttle-disaster-politics/588413)
**Author:** [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [July 13, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenger-shuttle-disaster-politics/588413 "2011-07-13T01:13:14Z")
AS I was watching coverage of the last shuttle launch I saw a story about the factory in Utah that made the solid fuel booster. In the back of my mind I recall a story that one reason for the explosion was that the boost… --- ## [Britain and France recognize the Confederacy. What next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britain-and-france-recognize-the-confederacy-what-next/588349)
**Author:** [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britain-and-france-recognize-the-confederacy-what-next/588349 "2011-07-12T18:15:08Z")
As a result of the Trent Affair, let’s say Britain and France (B&F) recognize the CSA. The South would’ve seen this as a good thing. But what would’ve happened? The North was winning the war against the South (despite s… --- ## [Last Space Shuttle Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-space-shuttle-flight/588397)
**Author:** [@Recovering\_Republican](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recovering_Republican)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-space-shuttle-flight/588397 "2011-07-12T03:42:59Z")
Atlantis launched today (allowing the MSM to put that as the lead story instead of the Dismal Jobs Report) in the last flight of the Shuttle program. Kind of sad, but really, here’s a great example of how government can… --- ## [Golden Gate bridge suicide barrier: yes or no?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golden-gate-bridge-suicide-barrier-yes-or-no/352562)
**Author:** [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/golden-gate-bridge-suicide-barrier-yes-or-no/352562 "2011-07-12T00:51:36Z")
There’s been a signifigant amount of chatter in the last year or so about putting a “suicide barrier” up on the Golden Gate bridge. Today, funding for a study on effectiveness, structural issues, and the like is finally … --- ## [Is suicide a "cowardly" act?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-suicide-a-cowardly-act/291185)
**Author:** [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-suicide-a-cowardly-act/291185 "2011-07-12T00:45:34Z")
Inspired by the Hunter thompson threads. Like Kurt Cobain a few years ago, it seems a number of people feel the need to tell everybody how “cowardly” it is for an individual to end his own life. My question is whether t… --- ## [What would have happened had the Night of the Long Knives been pointed the other way?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-had-the-night-of-the-long-knives-been-pointed-the-other-way/588597)
**Author:** [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-had-the-night-of-the-long-knives-been-pointed-the-other-way/588597 "2011-07-11T22:39:20Z")
\[RIGHT\]“In a real fourth reich you’ll be the first to go” — Jello Biafra\[/RIGHT\] In the real world, the SS was streets ahead of the SA, Röhm, and the Strasser brothers, leading to a Fascist Nazi party with Hitler and hi… --- ## [Did Jesus' death redeem the betrayal of Judas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jesus-death-redeem-the-betrayal-of-judas/482375)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-jesus-death-redeem-the-betrayal-of-judas/482375 "2011-07-11T22:13:46Z")
In the Bible, Jesus asks God to forgive us, and dies for our sins. Does the betrayal of Judas count among them, or is my understanding of “dying for our sins” flawed? Would he have been forgiven if he hadn’t (as some acc… --- ## [Muslim woman sues Abercrombie re: hijab.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-woman-sues-abercrombie-re-hijab/587607)
**Author:** [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muslim-woman-sues-abercrombie-re-hijab/587607 "2011-07-11T20:22:29Z")
This was an eyebrow-raiser. I still can’t figure out if she was fired for wearing it or not wearing it in ‘company colors’. What the hell? She’s in the stockroom, not the sales floor. What do they care? (Most retail s… --- ## [Health questions (understanding risks): Nuclear crisis in Japan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-questions-understanding-risks-nuclear-crisis-in-japan/576684)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-questions-understanding-risks-nuclear-crisis-in-japan/576684 "2011-07-11T19:28:43Z")
The other threads on what’s happening in Japan at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are getting a bit wild and woolly, going off in all sorts of different directions. I wanted to start a thread that just talks about … --- ## [What is Equality?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-equality/587299)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-equality/587299 "2011-07-11T14:02:30Z")
There was a rather heated discussion at work today about what equality means with respect to citizens of a nation. To me, the meaning was evident, but one other person’s view really threw me for a loop. I understood wh… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=376) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=378)