# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=66 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 67 --- ## [Use of Eminent Domain to Return Public Land](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-eminent-domain-to-return-public-land/838618)
**Author:** [@UtterlyLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UtterlyLost)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-eminent-domain-to-return-public-land/838618 "2019-08-16T15:56:41Z")
I’m not sure which section this question this belongs in so any mod feel free to move it. It’s my understanding that in the US during this current administration that lots of public lands are being sold off to private p… --- ## ["Public option" for internet.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-option-for-internet/838499)
**Author:** [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-option-for-internet/838499 "2019-08-15T21:47:38Z")
( https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-public-internet-option-rural-broadband-2020-democratic-presidential-primary\_n\_5d49f24fe4b0d291ed0829d ) Since access to the internet allows everyone to lea… --- ## [Who do you really think is controlling the levers of power in the modern world?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-really-think-is-controlling-the-levers-of-power-in-the-modern-world/837770)
**Author:** [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-do-you-really-think-is-controlling-the-levers-of-power-in-the-modern-world/837770 "2019-08-15T18:49:50Z")
I know this sounds like something that comes out of a 19-year-old’s brain after a bong rip, but I really am curious. I personally believe most people are just “people.” They’re helplessly human. Even senators, congressm… --- ## [Sociopath Screening](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sociopath-screening/838303)
**Author:** [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [August 15, 2019, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sociopath-screening/838303 "2019-08-15T02:46:24Z")
In the future, will we be capable of using biometrics to identify potential sociopaths? Is it possible now? If you answer yes or maybe to either of those questions, should we do so? After they are identified, then what? … --- ## [MLK's vision: Are we moving towards it or away from it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlks-vision-are-we-moving-towards-it-or-away-from-it/838470)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [August 14, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlks-vision-are-we-moving-towards-it-or-away-from-it/838470 "2019-08-14T22:16:26Z")
MLK famously said that he hoped for a society in which people were assessed on the basis of their character rather than their skin color. But half a century later, society seems to be just as hyper-focused on skin color… --- ## [Why are most minimum wage proposals in the US $15?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-most-minimum-wage-proposals-in-the-us-15/838092)
**Author:** [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Replies:** 104\ **Last updated:** [August 14, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-most-minimum-wage-proposals-in-the-us-15/838092 "2019-08-14T19:39:57Z")
What is special about that number, is there are particular study or statistic involved? --- ## [What exactly is "white male culture"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-white-male-culture/837475)
**Author:** [@Settimo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Settimo)\ **Replies:** 133\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-white-male-culture/837475 "2019-08-13T20:50:01Z")
Part of the present-day brouhaha in the US over immigration (etc) seems to stem from fears held by whites, especially white males, over losing majority as non-white immigrants enter the country, and/or non-white birth ra… --- ## [William Shakespeare Wrote Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shakespeare-wrote-shakespeare/832228)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 137\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/william-shakespeare-wrote-shakespeare/832228 "2019-04-15T03:37:59Z")
I cannot believe this is still a debate but apparently so. In the trivia thread septimus writes: “Oxford authorship” - the claim that Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford wrote Shakespeare - is ridiculous crankery that was … --- ## [Shouldn't we just \*ban\* automation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-just-ban-automation/838366)
**Author:** [@2ManyTacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ManyTacos)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-we-just-ban-automation/838366 "2019-08-13T19:05:10Z")
I was listening to an episode of The Weeds podcast several weeks ago when one of the speakers pointed out that Tucker Carlson of all people had actually floated the idea of banning automation. I’ll be honest in that I h… --- ## [Huge quantities of carbon emissions emitted by airplanes: Is there any viable alternative?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-quantities-of-carbon-emissions-emitted-by-airplanes-is-there-any-viable-alternative/838432)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-quantities-of-carbon-emissions-emitted-by-airplanes-is-there-any-viable-alternative/838432 "2019-08-13T18:16:38Z")
This Vox article discusses a movement among some environmentalists: “Flight-shaming” - because airplanes emit an enormous quantity of carbon emissions. Some of the things mentioned (it’s a long read): \[ul\] \[li\]Current… --- ## [Lgbtq... Y ~p?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lgbtq-y-p/838374)
**Author:** [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [August 13, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lgbtq-y-p/838374 "2019-08-13T17:58:14Z")
In the US the LGBTQ community has become increasingly accepted by the general public over the last few years. I believe that this is due to increased recognition that this is the way these people are, or if you prefer, … --- ## [The United Way and their tactics.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-way-and-their-tactics/837714)
**Author:** [@Dongyang2016](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dongyang2016)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [August 12, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-united-way-and-their-tactics/837714 "2019-08-12T17:56:02Z")
Can someone explain the United Way? In the 1990’s I was working in Harrah’s Casino in Mississippi as a card dealer. Been there for about a year or so. One day a representative from the United Way (UW), to me at the time… --- ## [Were the Apollo Missions a boondoggle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-apollo-missions-a-boondoggle/838363)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-apollo-missions-a-boondoggle/838363 "2019-08-10T02:49:42Z")
I am in the middle of thinking about buying this book and whilst criticised for its inaccuracies and strawman attacks, I was wondering whether this polemic had any weight in regards to the value of the Apollo programme? … --- ## [The seven tenets of The Satanic Temple, compared to other religious guidance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-seven-tenets-of-the-satanic-temple-compared-to-other-religious-guidance/838100)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-seven-tenets-of-the-satanic-temple-compared-to-other-religious-guidance/838100 "2019-08-09T23:16:22Z")
Here are the seven tenets of the Satanic Temple: \*One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason. \*The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit tha… --- ## [Ronald Reagan was a white supremacist (new Reagan-Nixon tape)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronald-reagan-was-a-white-supremacist-new-reagan-nixon-tape/837923)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 210\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ronald-reagan-was-a-white-supremacist-new-reagan-nixon-tape/837923 "2019-08-09T22:55:09Z")
Should we be surprised? Anyone want to take a crack at excusing or defending Reagan? The hatefulness isn’t new. It’s just more out in the open with Trump. But it’s been there, in the mainstream of the Republican p… --- ## [Ferguson: Where is the money supposed to come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-where-is-the-money-supposed-to-come-from/745760)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [August 9, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ferguson-where-is-the-money-supposed-to-come-from/745760 "2019-08-09T15:26:14Z")
Ferguson City Council wants to revise an agreement negotiated with the Justice Department due to concerns about the cost. Mayor: Ferguson ready to take on Justice Department Justice responded by suing Ferguson. I wond… --- ## [What is the case against "chain immigration"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-case-against-chain-immigration/807303)
**Author:** [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Replies:** 162\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-case-against-chain-immigration/807303 "2018-02-04T04:34:20Z")
In tweets and speeches, Trump and some other GOP immigration hardliners rail against what they call “chain immigration”, also known as family immigration. It’s the system whereby a legal immigrant who has come to the US l… --- ## [Those damn socialists want to turn America into venezuela!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-damn-socialists-want-to-turn-america-into-venezuela/837912)
**Author:** [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Replies:** 150\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2019, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-damn-socialists-want-to-turn-america-into-venezuela/837912 "2019-08-08T04:23:53Z")
So the point of this thread is to get some insight on socialist attacks by many Americans. It sounds like to a lot of people, socialism is just a boogy man word, you call something socialist then it’s automatically inval… --- ## [What if a Democratic candidate came out against undocumented immigration for economic reasons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-a-democratic-candidate-came-out-against-undocumented-immigration-for-economic-reasons/837869)
**Author:** [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-a-democratic-candidate-came-out-against-undocumented-immigration-for-economic-reasons/837869 "2019-08-07T21:46:16Z")
Imagine a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who opposed undocumented immigration on left-wing economic grounds. This candidate would argue that it was depressing the wages of the lowest-paid workers and of legal im… --- ## [So what will it take for there to be serious gun control debate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-will-it-take-for-there-to-be-serious-gun-control-debate/838166)
**Author:** [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Replies:** 435\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-will-it-take-for-there-to-be-serious-gun-control-debate/838166 "2019-08-07T16:43:17Z")
I thought Sandy Hook would start serious gun control debate in the US. I mean - dozens of 6- and 7-year old kids! Surely that was the wake-up call? I was wrong. Then I thought the Orlando nightclub shooting would star… --- ## [Will Hypersonic weapons destabilize MAD with viable Nuclear first strike opportunity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-hypersonic-weapons-destabilize-mad-with-viable-nuclear-first-strike-opportunity/838204)
**Author:** [@by-tor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/by-tor)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-hypersonic-weapons-destabilize-mad-with-viable-nuclear-first-strike-opportunity/838204 "2019-08-07T05:05:14Z")
Hypersonic Missiles are defined as “weapons that travel faster than Mach 5 (~3,800mph) and have the capability to maneuver during the entire flight.” They have “enhanced maneuverability and (a) smooth flight path, which … --- ## [Why were tariffs on Chinese goods into the USA so low?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-tariffs-on-chinese-goods-into-the-usa-so-low/838070)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-were-tariffs-on-chinese-goods-into-the-usa-so-low/838070 "2019-08-04T17:45:49Z")
It seems a nobrainer now. But why were Chinese manufactured goods being imported into the USA with such low tariffs. They were literally dumping their goods in your land and no one thought to raise tariffs. Whose or wha… --- ## [Well, looks like Texas executed an innocent man](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-looks-like-texas-executed-an-innocent-man/355913)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-looks-like-texas-executed-an-innocent-man/355913 "2019-08-03T19:40:06Z")
Here is the story: "\*On Tuesday, Cameron Todd Willingham’s last defenders – three relatives and a longtime opponent of the death penalty – argued that he was right: Texas killed an innocent man. The New York-based Inn… --- ## [Say Trump is defeated. How do we actually fix things?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-trump-is-defeated-how-do-we-actually-fix-things/837419)
**Author:** [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2019, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-trump-is-defeated-how-do-we-actually-fix-things/837419 "2019-08-03T04:47:25Z")
Hypothetical: Trump loses in the 2020 election to the candidate of your choice, by a decent enough margin. He goes quietly into the night or has a stroke or whatever: as of January 2021, Trump is no longer a player on th… --- ## [Trump pulling out of arms treaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pulling-out-of-arms-treaty/823339)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pulling-out-of-arms-treaty/823339 "2019-08-02T17:16:41Z")
Trying to sort out fact from propaganda here (no easy task). Trump claims that Russia has cheated on the treaty for years. Are there in fact allegations of this from the Obama era? What Russian actions is it claimed cons… --- ## [Can Nihilism Be Your Morality?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-nihilism-be-your-morality/837946)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-nihilism-be-your-morality/837946 "2019-08-02T02:40:35Z")
I originally thought not. But according to this website, it is apparently (or allegedly) possible. Many people, some of them apparently scientist and other academics, post questions on the Quora website. And there is a … --- ## [Shouldn't History be paired with Literature, rather than Government?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-history-be-paired-with-literature-rather-than-government/837936)
**Author:** [@King\_of\_the\_Americas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_of_the_Americas)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [August 1, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shouldnt-history-be-paired-with-literature-rather-than-government/837936 "2019-08-01T18:56:51Z")
Is there any History that is absent biased, and thus inaccuracies? Moreover, are we losing History by abandoning Literature to Mythology? My BS in in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, wherein History was paired with … --- ## [Are Baby Boomers ever going to quit ruining the country?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-baby-boomers-ever-going-to-quit-ruining-the-country/836075)
**Author:** [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-baby-boomers-ever-going-to-quit-ruining-the-country/836075 "2019-07-31T02:17:22Z")
It’s pretty clearly laid out here that Baby Boomers are the worst thing to happen to America since…well, maybe ever. When they’re not being racist and protectionist, they’re raiding the public treasury for themselves an… --- ## [Is MRA/pick-up artist/incel "biological psychology" necessarily........wrong?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mra-pick-up-artist-incel-biological-psychology-necessarily-wrong/837132)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 135\ **Last updated:** [July 31, 2019, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mra-pick-up-artist-incel-biological-psychology-necessarily-wrong/837132 "2019-07-31T02:13:44Z")
First off, let’s address the groups of people in question: Many MRAs, pick-up artists, and incels are unsavory people, and many of their views are reprehensible. So there’s that. I don’t think there’ll be much dispute … --- ## [Downloading Your Consciousness Just Before Death.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-your-consciousness-just-before-death/834022)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 617\ **Last updated:** [July 30, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloading-your-consciousness-just-before-death/834022 "2019-07-30T16:58:27Z")
This very question was brought up in Star Trek: the Next Generation’s The Schizoid Man.But this not a Star Trek question. What if just before you died, you downloaded your consciousness into a computer? Would that store… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=67)