# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=517 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 518 --- ## [Is "sophisticated" just another word for jaded?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sophisticated-just-another-word-for-jaded/506413)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sophisticated-just-another-word-for-jaded/506413 "2009-08-20T17:57:27Z")
I was having a discussion with a friend who considers himself to have excellent tastes in music and I asked him what was the most popular musician that he liked. It took him quite a while of looking through top 100 lists… --- ## [Using rights foolishly--is there such a thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-rights-foolishly-is-there-such-a-thing/506963)
**Author:** [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-rights-foolishly-is-there-such-a-thing/506963 "2009-08-20T12:34:55Z")
The conversations about people carrying guns to town hall meetings made me comment that it’s legal and should stay legal, but it’s probably a bad idea. Which started me thinking about why it could be a bad idea. It cou… --- ## [French burka restrictions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-burka-restrictions/506228)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 173\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2009, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-burka-restrictions/506228 "2009-08-20T10:49:48Z")
France has been enacting various restrictions on the wearing of burkas. Some people are arguing that this is a sign of wider opposition to Islam. But the official argument is that the wearing of a burka is demeaning to … --- ## [What Marty Didn't Know](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-marty-didnt-know/506392)
**Author:** [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2009, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-marty-didnt-know/506392 "2009-08-20T10:38:11Z")
For those not immediately tipped of by the title, this is a takeoff on Frank Jackson’s famous thought experiment commonly known as ‘Mary’s Room’. It is one of the most well-known arguments thought to argue against physic… --- ## [Bringing Guns to Obama Appearances -- Trouble waiting to Happen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-guns-to-obama-appearances-trouble-waiting-to-happen/506848)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2009, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-guns-to-obama-appearances-trouble-waiting-to-happen/506848 "2009-08-20T08:15:20Z")
This is a disturbing trend. People have been bringing open-carry guns to Obama appearances, saying that they’re simply exercising their constitutional tights. But bringing firearms to a highly-charged political situation… --- ## [Resolved: Montgomery Cty, MD does not have the right to ban fortune-telling.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-montgomery-cty-md-does-not-have-the-right-to-ban-fortune-telling/506720)
**Author:** [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Replies:** 125\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-montgomery-cty-md-does-not-have-the-right-to-ban-fortune-telling/506720 "2009-08-20T03:56:49Z")
The story in the Washington Post today indicates that a man is challenging the longstanding ban on fortunetellers in MoCo, and the county is saying all fortunetellers are scam artists because the future cannot be told. … --- ## [Why do so many Americans seem against an equivalent of the NHS?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-seem-against-an-equivalent-of-the-nhs/506396)
**Author:** [@Bisected8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bisected8)\ **Replies:** 146\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-americans-seem-against-an-equivalent-of-the-nhs/506396 "2009-08-19T23:07:38Z")
As a Briton I’ve grown up being able to visit a GP whenever I had a snivel, had all my vaccinations for free and known that if I was ever injured (as I was at about the age of 8 when I suffered a concussion from being pu… --- ## [Don't you think people should take the largest share of responsibility for their own safety?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-think-people-should-take-the-largest-share-of-responsibility-for-their-own-safety/506629)
**Author:** [@silvermist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvermist)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-think-people-should-take-the-largest-share-of-responsibility-for-their-own-safety/506629 "2009-08-19T23:01:20Z")
I’ve been reading about the woman raped in her van at the Conn. hotel or motel. If I were traveling alone, I would rent a room at one of the motels where your parking spot is right in front of your door. I would never … --- ## [Is there any sane way to "shop" for medical care?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-sane-way-to-shop-for-medical-care/506356)
**Author:** [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-sane-way-to-shop-for-medical-care/506356 "2009-08-19T17:30:31Z")
One of the big canards about the current healthcare system in the US is that there is the potential for real competition. Insurance companies might compete with each other to get businesses to sign on, and they may be c… --- ## [What sort of health care reform do conservatives actually support?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-health-care-reform-do-conservatives-actually-support/506454)
**Author:** [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Replies:** 138\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-health-care-reform-do-conservatives-actually-support/506454 "2009-08-19T16:19:32Z")
As I understand it, the problems with our current health care system include: \[ul\] \[li\]You can lose your coverage if you lose your job or change jobs.\[/li\]\[li\]Coverage can be unaffordable if it doesn’t come with your j… --- ## [My Healthcare Reform Proposal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-healthcare-reform-proposal/505745)
**Author:** [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-healthcare-reform-proposal/505745 "2009-08-19T06:02:40Z")
Here is a basis for discussion for healthcare insurance reform: Eliminate the tort system for malpractice and replace it with binding arbitration. Make everyone part of the same risk-pool so you could switch insure… --- ## [America's "Culture Wars" coming to an end (RW loses)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-culture-wars-coming-to-an-end-rw-loses/506736)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americas-culture-wars-coming-to-an-end-rw-loses/506736 "2009-08-19T05:47:43Z")
Not because of any swing-of-the-pendulum, but because of lasting generational/demographic changes. That’s according to this study by the Progressive Studies Program of the Center for American Progress: --- ## [My Health Care Proposal -- Let me pay the government for it plus profit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-health-care-proposal-let-me-pay-the-government-for-it-plus-profit/506680)
**Author:** [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-health-care-proposal-let-me-pay-the-government-for-it-plus-profit/506680 "2009-08-19T05:40:17Z")
I for one do not care for insurance companies, particularly health insurance companies which you cannot take to court when they turn you down if it is employer supplied. I do not care for their profit motivated “death pa… --- ## [Is the American Experiment Over?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-experiment-over/506581)
**Author:** [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-american-experiment-over/506581 "2009-08-19T01:24:48Z")
I am so dis-heartened by recent events. It looks like we may not be able to reach a national consensus on health care. It is arguably one of the biggest problems we face: costs are growing faster than other segments of t… --- ## [Will a public option kill private insurance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-public-option-kill-private-insurance/506079)
**Author:** [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-a-public-option-kill-private-insurance/506079 "2009-08-19T01:22:46Z")
The argument goes: \[ul\] \[li\]they are going to have taxes & other disincentives for having private insurance\[/li\]\[li\]employers will opt to have employees use the public insurance\[/li\]\[li\]Voila, in time the private insur… --- ## [Obama and gay marriage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-gay-marriage/499596)
**Author:** [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-and-gay-marriage/499596 "2009-08-18T23:07:50Z")
Obama’s officially stated position on gay marriage seems to be that he supports civil unions, but opposes gay marriage. Here’s a quote of his discussing Prop 8 in CA (from here): That seems in many ways identical to th… --- ## [Would you submit DNA in a voluntary genetic dragnet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-submit-dna-in-a-voluntary-genetic-dragnet/505362)
**Author:** [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Replies:** 190\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-submit-dna-in-a-voluntary-genetic-dragnet/505362 "2009-08-18T20:33:43Z")
Let’s say a child in your neighborhood is raped and murdered. The police have no leads, and the community is in uproar. You know that you are innocent. After two fruitless weeks, the investigators ask everyone in the… --- ## [U.S. vs. E.U. -- Who wins?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-vs-e-u-who-wins/505150)
**Author:** [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Replies:** 148\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-vs-e-u-who-wins/505150 "2009-08-18T15:36:52Z")
So, if no one else is going to start this thread (and to quiet Chowder’s bellyaching :D), then I will ask the question: In the impossible scenario where the United States and Britain fall out, hostilities ensue, and war… --- ## [What would have happened to A-bomb development if Japan had surrendered before 07/16/45?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-to-a-bomb-development-if-japan-had-surrendered-before-07-16-45/506743)
**Author:** [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-have-happened-to-a-bomb-development-if-japan-had-surrendered-before-07-16-45/506743 "2009-08-18T15:04:33Z")
Would the U.S. have tested the bomb? Would the Soviets have tested their own bomb? I saw a film about the development of the bomb which contained a scene where Leo Szilard went to see the Secretary of State as the head… --- ## [A reasonable limitiation on political speech? Hate writing on the web.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-reasonable-limitiation-on-political-speech-hate-writing-on-the-web/506547)
**Author:** [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-reasonable-limitiation-on-political-speech-hate-writing-on-the-web/506547 "2009-08-18T03:00:49Z")
Internet radio host and blogger Hal Turner has been arrested and is facing changes for threatening three judges in a post concerning their ruling on a gun control issue. In addition, he was denied bail after being deeme… --- ## [The Greatest Diplomat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-diplomat/506507)
**Author:** [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-diplomat/506507 "2009-08-17T20:38:36Z")
I was wondering who, as a diplomat (interpret that as you will) could be considered the greatest of all. I am sure Dopers will come up with a list if folks I have never heard of (and probably should have). My suggestio… --- ## [The new target is... hospice? Wha?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-target-is-hospice-wha/504730)
**Author:** [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Replies:** 142\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-target-is-hospice-wha/504730 "2009-08-17T18:37:15Z")
In the past couple of days, I’ve heard mentions on the radio and have seen mentions on a few rightwing sites that the real goal of “ObamaCare” is to force people into hospice so that they will die. Why is hospice becomi… --- ## [Is the US two-pary winner take all model worthy for export to developing nations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-two-pary-winner-take-all-model-worthy-for-export-to-developing-nations/506280)
**Author:** [@TheMadHun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMadHun)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-two-pary-winner-take-all-model-worthy-for-export-to-developing-nations/506280 "2009-08-17T13:54:46Z")
We seem to want “democracy” in other countries, but not the classic Golden Age of Greece version but our current version. Instead of everyone getting a voice, we seem to be happy when one party wins and dominates all as… --- ## [Can we debate the French Justice system please.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-debate-the-french-justice-system-please/506275)
**Author:** [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-debate-the-french-justice-system-please/506275 "2009-08-17T03:22:13Z")
The Napoleonic code devised this non adversorial system, the judge is also to an extent an investigating magistrate. The internet is in this instance a really poor source of information, most of the sites I have looked … --- ## [Democracy Without Transparency is Tyranny.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-without-transparency-is-tyranny/506626)
**Author:** [@adhay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhay)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-without-transparency-is-tyranny/506626 "2009-08-17T01:14:29Z")
I am not genetically a political person. It wasn’t until I was 31, that I cast my first Presidential vote AGAINST Nixon. Anything was better than this obvious (to me) slimeball. When Nixon took 49 states, I figured th… --- ## [Stacking SCOTUS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stacking-scotus/506665)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stacking-scotus/506665 "2009-08-17T01:12:49Z")
Realizing that they have a dominant majority in the House and 60 in the Senate, Congress decides to increase the number of Justices to 11 and strangely enough Obama now gets to appoint the 2 Justices? Does it pass? Why… --- ## [Are the Deathers (gulp) kinda right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-deathers-gulp-kinda-right/506452)
**Author:** [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2009, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-deathers-gulp-kinda-right/506452 "2009-08-16T06:40:33Z")
Let me preface this by saying that I’m a liberal Democrat who voted for Obama, so keep the flames turned down. Here’s the thing. The part of the Health Care bill in question (Section One Thousand Two Hundred and Thirty T… --- ## [Those for Obamacare: What guarantee do we have that the gov't won't go further?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-for-obamacare-what-guarantee-do-we-have-that-the-govt-wont-go-further/506365)
**Author:** [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-for-obamacare-what-guarantee-do-we-have-that-the-govt-wont-go-further/506365 "2009-08-16T00:38:20Z")
As Megan McArdle says, once the government becomes a major player in the healthcare market, it will face increased pressure to control the prices of inputs, from pharmaceutical to doctors and nurses. This will accelerat… --- ## [Governmental Ineffeciency?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governmental-ineffeciency/506312)
**Author:** [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/governmental-ineffeciency/506312 "2009-08-16T00:14:54Z")
I keep hearing in threads about how the government is so inefficient. And it’s not a proposal, or an argument, but a given. Like, someone will be allowing for the natural inefficiencies of the current health care plan, a… --- ## [Another win for Obama and transparency in government](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-win-for-obama-and-transparency-in-government/506363)
**Author:** [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-win-for-obama-and-transparency-in-government/506363 "2009-08-15T22:57:55Z")
So, through a FOIA request, the contract for recovery.gov was released. This website is for taxpayers to use for more transparent government so that they can track the billions the government spends. Of course, to ensur… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=516) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=518)