It isn’t just the theft part, really; it’s the conscription. My heart goes out to you and your wife, and all those affected by her illness. I wish I had the means to pay for whatever it is you need, and if I could, I would do it voluntarily. I would also contribute to a charity for your cause. I know only a shadow of what you feel. My wife was diagnosed with diabetes and related problems, but nothing on the scale of what you’re enduring. But I will cyber-fight you to the death before I will be your slave, and before my labor is grabbed by you for your own purposes. It was not for your benefit, but for my own, that I have toiled all my life. If I have the whiskey, and you have the thirst, then bring a glass and I’ll give you a sip. But keep your greedy, myopic paws off my bottle. And keep your chains for your own ankles. The minority should not be raped just because the majority is horny.
We do that, but in addition, we have also voted to tax you and send some of that money to fight AIDS in Africa. If you don’t like it, you are invited to vote for candidates that oppose that policy.
I appreciate your heartfelt sympathy. If you are serious about supporting scleroderma research, your donation is welcomed and appreciated by the Scleroderma Research Foundation. I won’t link to it because that might overstep forum rules, but I am sure you can find it.
When your brother takes your cloak, would you refuse him your tunic as well? Nobody said it was easy, Lib.
I will not be reduced to a beggar by medical circumstance in a society that has the resources but lacks the will to find cures for diseases that don’t represent opportunities for stockholders to profit. Fortunately, I don’t have to.
Suspicious that it’s either going to be thrown away on religion -based nonsense, or funneled to Bush cronies.
It ends when AIDS is gone. And abstinence has never worked, especially in a place where a woman saying “no” is likely to get her raped anyway. And AIDS doesn’t magically stop at borders; there is no “us” and “them” when it comes to disease.
So did I; several studies.
You are wrong. By being in that country, you benefit from it’s government in various ways, directly and indirectly. If you don’t pay taxes, YOU are the thief.
And the majority should not be parasitized just because a bunch of pretentious , greedy people want to contribute nothing to the society they depend on, while pretending that they are big tough he-man lone wolves.
LOL.
In post #36 I referred to Africa as being a country. I guess it just shows that anyone can make a mistake.
If I were to force bread down your throat and demand payment, would you be a thief for refusing the price I demanded?
I found it easily, and I made a donation from my personal account. I also took some time to read portions of that site and others. Apparently, there’s more private initiative than you might think, including “star-studded events” and numerous charities.
Yes, but that’s a moral duty, not a civic one. If you can make a law that says I have to act like Jesus, then so can the religious right. Their causes are as important to them as yours are to you. There’s a difference between my offering my tunic, and your taking it from me.
A slave is not assuaged by the convenience and relief his labor affords his master.
Don’t even bother listening to me. I don’t even own a tunic
Wonderful things have come from medical research sponsored by the federal government. Countless lives have been saved. While all of that is well and good, I believe it’s unconstitutional for the federal government to be involved in *anything * having to do with medicine. Just as I believe it’s unconstitutional for the federal government to be involved in *anything * having to do with education. State governments should be handling what the federal government is not specifically mandated to do.
Who’s forcing ? You had to pay, of your own free will to get on the Internet and SDMB, and without the government neither would likely exist. Without the government, odds are you’d be a slave, and too busy being worked to death to use the Internet, assuming there was one. Or you’d just be dead.
that’s nice. not necessarily true or relevant but it’s nice you have your own set of beliefs.
I don’t get it. Are you calling Africa a country, or are you calling yourself a country which gives more money to Africa than any other?
So your message to the children of poor states is “Screw you !” ?
See Post #45; he mistakenly called Africa a country.
If I don’t pay, I am put in jail. If I resist jail, I am killed. That is force.
If there is great enough need for it, it will be invented. Clearly there was, as it is here. (The internet framework was developed as a subset of the military, a legitimate result of competition of power.)
Without a government, probably. But certainly not without this one in specific.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Sooner or later, we will find a cure.
Yes, but it is a matter of degree. The Scleroderma Research Foundation has raised only $16 million exclusively from private sources over the past 17 years. In contrast, the SCOT study of stem cell transplantation for the treatment of scleroderma received a $20 million grant from NIH in 2005 alone. Clearly, while private donations are gratefully accepted, they will not be enough to make real progress. Without government support, my wife and thousands of others like her have no hope.
Which is why I have a hard time reconciling your stated religious beliefs with your political views.
Largely being a gadfly, but it is interesting to see a pit thread where **Der Trihs ** is making the most sense and sounds the most reasonable.
I hate seeing this admin spending any more of our money, they have waste so much of it, in so many bad ways already. Helping to stop AIDS is a worthwhile goal. Can we afford an extra 30 billion right now though without raising taxes?
Crafter_Man, it is the federal government’s business to help in medical research. Why on earth wouldn’t it be? Polio, malaria, measles, small pox and so many other horrible diseases were largely stopped or handled with heavy federal government involvement. The US Federal government has a long tradition of trying to improve the health of the American populace and by carry-over effect, helped the world.
Jim
Between this and your posts in another thread, I have to ask:
What exactly do you think the phrase “promote the general welfare” means?
Oh, so your problem is with Federal funding of medical research, not government funding of it in general? As a Canadian, I don’t have the same understanding of Constitutional issues, but that makes more sense.
Bit of a hijack here)
Look on the bright side…
Bush and Co are NOT stealing “your” taxes…
Given the deficit that has been run up under his watch, he is stealingyour grandchildren’s tax dollars…
Regards
FML