The U.S. will not be able to maintain its status as a great power unless we have the courage to almost completely overhaul our current system of government. To remain great, we should be working on creating the greatest system of representative democracy possible.
This will require some unconventional thinking.
I believe that all religions & churches should be taxed. Going back 7 years would be the legal limit, but that is SO letting them off the hook.
I believe that individuals can’t have “Double Rights” under the constitution. My blasphemy is that I feel people surrender all of their personal constitutional rights once they accept the corporation’s rights by sitting on a Board of Directors.
It makes me feel better about their bloated 7-figure salaries for meeting just one Tuesday a month and doing little else.
That’s not blasphemous, merely stupid and petty.
If you lived in a state that introduced a sales tax or an income tax for the first time, would they or COULD they tax you on income you’d earned during the seven years before the income tax was imposed? Or would/could they charge you sales taxes on all purchases you made during the previous seven years?
Of COURSE not, and you’d scream bloody murder if they tried. Well, your idea is just as dumb, since it serves no purpose except pusnishing institutions you don’t like.
In any case, churches get NO tax breaks that aren’t equally available to all non-profit groups, religious or secular.
I’m pretty sure this isn’t blasphemous at all; rather, it’s mainstream acknowledged American history, as was explicitly argued by Madison et al in 1787, when the new constitution was being debated. See Federalist #10.
(Missed edit window.)
ETA: Federalist #10 and #51.
I suspect that the most beneficial exercise a person can do is brief, light exercise after eating. It knocks back a person’s blood sugar, minimizing all the damage that blood sugar spikes and crashes can do.
I suspect that over time, when done consistently, this kind of exercise would be more beneficial than the currently recommended amount and intensity of cardio.
Not that both of them together wouldn’t be stellar.
And owning pets is slavery.
Damn right. My dog makes me wait on her hand and foot.
I look forward to an age of robot friends. A lot of people find that pathetic or creepy but the reality is people in general are fucked up and robots would be a nice change of events. Robots will be designed to have amazing social skills, be programmed to have empathy and will be extremely intelligent and insightful in the coming decades. People can be full of drama, unreliable, judgmental, boring, self absorbed, cruel, etc. Usually not all at once, but I’m getting more and more disappointed the older I get.
So yes, I look forward to a time when my best friends are robots I bought.
Not trying to start a debate here, but I don’t know if I agree with that. Authoritarian personalities, when they become religious, usually end up acting like dicks (Muslims have Islamist militants, Christians have abortion bombers and the religious right). But that is more about authoritarian personalities than religion. Jimmy Carter is religious and he doesn’t contribute to social injustice.
Also other ideological constructs like nationality cause a lot of injustice too.
And poverty/lack of education too (the world has gotten a lot more just as we’ve gotten more educated, wealthier and more connected).
I’m Catholic and I would rather the Sunday sermons be about helping the poor and assisting others than about “being one with God” (whatever that means), “holding Jesus within our hearts” (ditto), and the symbolism of washing feet.
I also don’t think that unmarried men who have taken a vow of chastity are not qualified to tell me about sex and the consequences thereof.
Sort of the way some people’s sole social interaction is posting on message boards- better that than nothing. 
I don’t believe in God. I’m blaspheming like a Mo-fo!! Is there any other way?
That post was inspired by a lunch I attended this past Monday…the majority of the dishes were casseroles, and every last one appeared to contain cream-of-something. There were only three plain vegetables available – one dish of string beans, and two dishes of butter beans (with ham).
On the topic of religion, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are some mainstream religions whose believers actually enjoy the thought of various groups of people being condemned to some sort of eternal damnation.
You don’t think they’re not qualified? 
The Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him…had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. An anxiety disorder that affects perhaps 3% of adults, worldwide. And, obviously, nearly two thousand years ago, would have been completely undiagnosed and untreated—save for perhaps interpreting it through lens of religion.
And that’s not a “Ha, Ha, look at the stupid ancient brown guy, he’s praying five times a day” crack. I feel sorry for the poor man—that’s a horrible condition to have to suffer from, and he, personally, actually seemed like a nice guy. And a great man, really, in terms of accomplishments. 
Actually I have mentioned before that I would be perfectly good with putting everybody on birth control and making them demonstrate fiscal ability and a license showing they have passed a parenting class before having kids, and I really do think that getting married before the age of 25 is a bad thing.
And yes, if I had a daughter I would have taken her to a gyn for her exam and prescription for the pill at the onset of puberty.
Quote function isn’t working. Rancloth:
Actually OCD is no longer considered an anxiety disorder in the DSM V:
This is already available! Although depending on your budget, you might need to wait a few more years until the price starts to come down.
I was in a hurry - thanks for catching that! :o
Anyway, no, they are not qualified to make decisions for us regarding sex, children, even how to treat each other. We appreciate the guidance, but the decisions are up to us.