# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=467 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 468 --- ## [Time for Obama to use recess appointments?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-obama-to-use-recess-appointments/534041)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-for-obama-to-use-recess-appointments/534041 "2010-03-30T04:45:40Z")
Obama is considering using recess appointments to fill some seats on the National Labor Relations Board. Story I think Obama should go ahead with the recess appointments this weekend. He’s already won a major political… --- ## [Allowing interstate competition in health insurance.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allowing-interstate-competition-in-health-insurance/533708)
**Author:** [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allowing-interstate-competition-in-health-insurance/533708 "2010-03-30T03:43:05Z")
This keeps getting mentioned by conservatives, including Ann Coulter and mentioned a few times in this thread, but based on past experience I’m going to assume someone will be along shortly to tell me I’ve created a stra… --- ## [The health care bill creates a tax, and therefore is Constitutional - right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-health-care-bill-creates-a-tax-and-therefore-is-constitutional-right/533877)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-health-care-bill-creates-a-tax-and-therefore-is-constitutional-right/533877 "2010-03-30T01:48:10Z")
We’ve had this discussion in several threads in the past two weeks – links on request. Most defenders of the health care bill say that it’s within Congress’ taxation power, and therefore constitutional. Me, too, althoug… --- ## [How Serious Would A Greek Default Be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-would-a-greek-default-be/533763)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-serious-would-a-greek-default-be/533763 "2010-03-29T18:22:48Z")
There has been quite a bit of discussion about the Greek government being unable to finance its debt. How serious would this be? I mean, Greece is a fairly small economy-it doesn’t have a lot of industry, and its main e… --- ## [Is being a picky eater inherently bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-a-picky-eater-inherently-bad/531728)
**Author:** [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Replies:** 383\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-being-a-picky-eater-inherently-bad/531728 "2010-03-29T17:36:34Z")
Some of us are adventurous eaters- we’ll try anything and everything that comes our way. Some of us are picky. I knew a man once who rarely ate anything other frozen pizza and orange soda. We all have our likes and disli… --- ## [What is the lesson of Passover?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-lesson-of-passover/529963)
**Author:** [@Frank\_apisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_apisa)\ **Replies:** 167\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-lesson-of-passover/529963 "2010-03-29T15:54:06Z")
In another thread, I questioned the lesson being taught in the Biblical story of Adam and Eve…and then asked a question of the theists participating here in the forum. In this thread, I’d like to question the lesson bei… --- ## [Is North Korea starting a war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905)
**Author:** [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905 "2010-03-29T11:48:12Z")
I’m not sure if I REALLY think they are, but these 2 stories have me wondering. North Korea threatens USA, South Korea with Nuclear strikes. Just normal NK craziness? Then, this: South Korean ship sinks after “expl… --- ## [Are the after effects of colonialism to blame for most African countries current problems?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-after-effects-of-colonialism-to-blame-for-most-african-countries-current-problems/532456)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 120\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-after-effects-of-colonialism-to-blame-for-most-african-countries-current-problems/532456 "2010-03-29T10:45:30Z")
This claim seems to be a point of contention in this thread. The after effects of colonial expolitation, and more specifically the somewhat arbitrary geographical and political division of the African continent which cro… --- ## [Will the HCR law help the uninsured?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-hcr-law-help-the-uninsured/533931)
**Author:** [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-the-hcr-law-help-the-uninsured/533931 "2010-03-29T06:36:18Z")
I was reading Sam Stone’s post’s in this thread, and I noticed that not many people were responding to them. It got me to wondering… is \*\*Sam \*\*misrepresenting things or are people just not familiar with the impact of… --- ## [Why didn't Saddam use chemical weapons in the first Gulf War?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-saddam-use-chemical-weapons-in-the-first-gulf-war/532296)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-saddam-use-chemical-weapons-in-the-first-gulf-war/532296 "2010-03-29T05:53:58Z")
He certainly had them and I don’t think Bush would have nuked Baghdad over it. I have heard that our announcement that we were sending “special weapons” to the Gulf had no bearing on his decision not to use gas, but I d… --- ## [Supreme Court will invalidate health care legislation because it violates states rights](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-will-invalidate-health-care-legislation-because-it-violates-states-rights/534093)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-will-invalidate-health-care-legislation-because-it-violates-states-rights/534093 "2010-03-29T02:59:25Z")
So says this guy. Does he have a point or not? Napolitano: Supreme Court to Strike Down Obamacare --- ## [Ronald Reagan's Birthday](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronald-reagans-birthday/527948)
**Author:** [@PunkyPoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunkyPoo)\ **Replies:** 296\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronald-reagans-birthday/527948 "2010-03-28T19:02:14Z")
Today is Ronald Reagan’s birthday. He would have been 99. In 1984 he won 49 states and received 58.8% of the popular vote. In today’s society, it’s difficult to imagine another president ever receiving that much widespr… --- ## [Obama sticks thumb in GOP's eye with 15 recess appointments](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sticks-thumb-in-gops-eye-with-15-recess-appointments/534080)
**Author:** [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sticks-thumb-in-gops-eye-with-15-recess-appointments/534080 "2010-03-28T05:05:01Z")
Republicans howl about abuse of Senate traditions and procedures It’s about time the White House took off the gloves and started giving as good as it has been taking. I hope this is just the start of bypassing the Repu… --- ## [Describe your conversion from religion to atheism or agnosticism.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-conversion-from-religion-to-atheism-or-agnosticism/529214)
**Author:** [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-conversion-from-religion-to-atheism-or-agnosticism/529214 "2010-03-28T01:53:23Z")
I response to the endless witnessing on this so called atheistic board by the religious and to yet another religious thread by Curtis, I ask," how did you turn away from religion"? For me I was raised a Catholic, I went… --- ## [great site on "how to talk to climate change deniers"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-site-on-how-to-talk-to-climate-change-deniers/533713)
**Author:** [@Yersenia\_Pestis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yersenia_Pestis)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-site-on-how-to-talk-to-climate-change-deniers/533713 "2010-03-27T23:28:58Z")
Inspired by some wacky comments I hear at work, and even here sometimes, I found this great little nugget with tons of info. Enjoy! http://www.grist.org/article/series/skeptics/ --- ## [Is the Health Care bill going to pass today? (March 21st)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-health-care-bill-going-to-pass-today-march-21st/533261)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-health-care-bill-going-to-pass-today-march-21st/533261 "2010-03-27T23:14:14Z")
This article doesn’t make me very confident that it will. From the article, appearances are that Dems have just barely exactly the number of votes they need–with several of those votes having good reasons to change their… --- ## [Why does the British House of Commons have so much power?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-british-house-of-commons-have-so-much-power/532017)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-british-house-of-commons-have-so-much-power/532017 "2010-03-27T20:07:44Z")
I know the GQ answers The Parliament Act of 1911 and amended in 1949 I guess being raised as a good American where we have a (theoretical) check and balance system which we see as compromise and others see as roadblock… --- ## [Is deliberately killing an opposed military leader assassination?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-deliberately-killing-an-opposed-military-leader-assassination/532444)
**Author:** [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-deliberately-killing-an-opposed-military-leader-assassination/532444 "2010-03-27T19:46:37Z")
Over in the thread on Japanese generals in WWII, there’s been a bit of discussion on whether or not the US’s killing of Yamamoto qualifies as assassination. And by discussion I mean I think it is, and everyone else does… --- ## [U.S. Senate: When will Enough be enough?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-when-will-enough-be-enough/533994)
**Author:** [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-senate-when-will-enough-be-enough/533994 "2010-03-27T18:41:40Z")
Now I read this (excerpted from HuffingtonPost “GOP Senators refusing to work past 2 PM”): Is this true?? :confused: :mad: :smack: As a centrist (or liberal), I know most of us are outraged by this. (And outraged th… --- ## [Law Making in the US - why like that?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-making-in-the-us-why-like-that/532851)
**Author:** [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-making-in-the-us-why-like-that/532851 "2010-03-27T14:55:33Z")
I am not American, but have a passing knowledge of how laws are made in the US. I am a New Zealander, and also have a passing knowledge of how laws are made there. Let’s see if we can get some knowledgeable commentary … --- ## [Where's a Tea Partier to move?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-a-tea-partier-to-move/533388)
**Author:** [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-a-tea-partier-to-move/533388 "2010-03-27T05:35:37Z")
Let’s pretend I’m a \[del\]Teabagger\[/del\], er enthusiastic member of the Tea Party movement and am now appalled at what Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) recently called “the beginning of the end of America.” (Never mind whe… --- ## [What should the 'gay blood donation' question be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-the-gay-blood-donation-question-be/529215)
**Author:** [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-the-gay-blood-donation-question-be/529215 "2010-03-27T04:01:37Z")
inspired by this thread OK, so if you are a man trying to donate blood in the US, they ask you, “have you had sex with another man, even once, since 1977?” A lot of people think that’s unreasonable. Young gay and bisex… --- ## [You are the Candidate: Could Dole in '96 have realistically won?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-the-candidate-could-dole-in-96-have-realistically-won/533420)
**Author:** [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-the-candidate-could-dole-in-96-have-realistically-won/533420 "2010-03-27T01:52:21Z")
Back in the day I remember Dole being a sort of ‘phone it in’ choice that unimaginative GOP voters gave the nomination to, since he ‘earned’ it by waiting his turn. He got wholloped by the big B.C. + Hilldawg and went ho… --- ## [Financing the Health Care Reform Plan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/financing-the-health-care-reform-plan/533617)
**Author:** [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/financing-the-health-care-reform-plan/533617 "2010-03-26T22:11:26Z")
One of the main problems as I see it is this, as illustrated here by a question I asked in a separate thread: Due to the way the bill is being financed (reliance upon people ‘buying in’ but only offering punitive punish… --- ## [Two questions about the Nazarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-nazarene/533320)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-nazarene/533320 "2010-03-26T21:09:07Z")
Opinions from believers and non-believers equally welcome. Lots of hypotheticals here, so bear with me. The first question concerns the actual body of Jesus. There is some evidence that the Christ-figure did at least ex… --- ## [Another Look at "Deem and Pass"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-look-at-deem-and-pass/533746)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-look-at-deem-and-pass/533746 "2010-03-26T20:52:02Z")
So now this should be more academic. The House abandoned its attempt to use the deem-and-pass, self-executing tactic for health care, so the issue is no longer tied to this specific proposal. It’s been used in the past … --- ## [How was Jerry Brown as Governor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-jerry-brown-as-governor/533597)
**Author:** [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-jerry-brown-as-governor/533597 "2010-03-26T20:37:13Z")
I didn’t know which board to put this in, so please move it if needed. In the current gubernatorial race for California, the two main possible candidate (the primaries still have to happen) are Republican Meg Whitman, fo… --- ## [Is the individual mandate to purchase health insurance constitutional?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-individual-mandate-to-purchase-health-insurance-constitutional/533349)
**Author:** [@kingbighair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingbighair)\ **Replies:** 245\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-individual-mandate-to-purchase-health-insurance-constitutional/533349 "2010-03-26T17:59:44Z")
Within the recent health insurance reform bill is a mandate that individuals purchase health insurance. Many see this as an unprecedented move by the federal government. Since this is unprecedented, no court opinions (… --- ## [Did this kind of crap happen when Civil Rights, Medicare and Social Security were enacted?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-kind-of-crap-happen-when-civil-rights-medicare-and-social-security-were-enacted/533712)
**Author:** [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-this-kind-of-crap-happen-when-civil-rights-medicare-and-social-security-were-enacted/533712 "2010-03-26T15:41:50Z")
This article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100325/ap\_on\_re\_us/us\_health\_care\_threats I wasn’t alive when SS was started but I have some memory of Medicare/Medicade. I have a lot of recollections of the Civil Rights mov… --- ## [Why did corporate profits grow so fast from 2002-2006](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-corporate-profits-grow-so-fast-from-2002-2006/531755)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [March 26, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-corporate-profits-grow-so-fast-from-2002-2006/531755 "2010-03-26T15:22:31Z")
Before tax profits were about $800 billion a year from 1999-2002, after tax profits from 1994-2002 were stable at around $400-600 billion a year. http://luckybogey.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/corporate-profits.jpg http… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=466) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=468)