I believe that people wanting to have children should have to take a class, pass a test, and get a license or some form of certification before being allowed to breed willy-nilly. For goodness sakes, if you want to adopt a pet from a shelter you have to fill out an application and and be approved.
I believe that homosexuals should be allowed to be as miserable as straight couples. If they want to get married, let them.
[QUOTE=cosmosdan]
A right is something that doesn’t cost anybody else anything.
[/QUOTE]
No way. A right is something you get even though it costs someone something.
You get to say offensive things though it costs me. You get to have a gun though it costs me. You get to have a lawyer though it costs me.
Rights that don’t cost anything are fairy tales. You don’t need a right to say nice, gentle things that don’t hurt anybody. Rights are for the things that I would be tempted to withhold from you, not the things I would always give freely.
I believe terrorism is a pathetic boogeyman and that, for the most part, terrorists should be dealt with as common criminals (of course, Kerry got shouted down when he said that…).
Has anyone noticed that the populaces most likely to be targets of massive terrorist attacks seem the least frightened of them? Of course, it’s fun trying to explain that to paranoid hicks that think Osama is going to bomb their barn. Dude, you live in fucking Indiana!
Lots of people like to think that Americans are particularly stupid when compared to the “enlightened” places in Europe, or Japan, or wherever. That’s bullshit – large amounts of people are, no matter where you go, just plain dumb, uneducated, or ignorant.
I believe…
[QUOTE=Beaucarnea]
…
I believe that every pro-lifer should walk the walk and adopt an unwanted child. As a social worker who is responsible for placement of unwanted teens, I can vouch that pro- lifers are giving lip service to a cause they have no intentions of espousing.
I believe that enormous amounts of energy are wasted on religious pursuits, up to and including arguments against science, arguments against education, censorship, and the global and individual attempt to bully every human being with belief in One God…
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=liberty3701]
…
I believe having children is selfish when there are so many kids who need parents and when we hurt the environment so badly…
[/QUOTE]
*that I agree with the above. 
Especially in regards to those who are opposed to abortion to the point they seek legislation against it, they should have to show equal good faith in adoption. Either by providing it themselves, facilitation or funding (or whatever else I’m forgetting that demonstrates true commitment, rather than lip service or a plug for their own bids in the afterlife). Also, most religious abuse causes hardships of some sort and the participants aren’t usually even aware.
*the whole ‘abstinence until marriage’ thing is a crock. Speaking from my own experience and those that I know like me, all it did was make us that more emotionally immature and incapable of real-world decisions regarding our sexual selves. Yup, it’s always a great idea to marry the first person you sleep with. No problems there!
*similar to what vivalostwages said, I think the Cult of the Child business is damaging. How can we all get along if each individual is the bestest, brightest, firstest, mostest?
*that we don’t need nearly as much space to live. Around me (and I’m not remotely living in a dump or wealthy area) there are people who have 4,000 square foot homes, for just two. Now, they can do whatever they like and spend their money however they want, but I’m forever wondering how much more there would be to go around for those who have so little if the ones closer to the top were more willing to share. And I know that’s not a popular opinion and that many actually DO give a huge amount. Regardless, I’m talking idealistically and as someone who would be happy to continue living in my 40 foot trailer if it meant anyone could benefit from my down grade (which admittedly, my SO’s house isn’t much bigger than 1100, but still) and I plan to do so (as soon as I’m back on my feet again) because I do want to practice what I preach.
*that, maybe, having your own vehicle insurance pay for any damage it incurs might be a plus. I admit to not knowing if that’s really feasible or if the logistics are virtually impossible, so if anyone cares to enlighten me, I’d appreciate it.
*we can’t possibly be the only life in the solar system because it’s too friggin’ big. Surely there’s something else out there.
*there should be no such thing as illegal immigration. Controlled, sure, but I can’t imagine how we would’ve gotten to where we are today if that had been our stance from the very beginning. In a capitalistic society, the workforce will level itself out via competition.
*mental illnesses should have real treatment options instead of band aid fixes.
*by the same token, everyone should lend a hand in helping the homeless by whatever means necessary.
*I’m stumped by the mentality that says we are “The most bad ass of all!” here in the united states. I think we’ve got some awesome qualities going on, like democracy, but we certainly fail at universal healthcare.
*there is no such thing as original sin. The concept of sin in general doesn’t set well with me because it feels like taking complete responsibility off yourself and placing it upon a higher, or lower (I guess, depending on your views about Satan), power.
*age of consent laws are ridiculous. I understand that a culpatory line must be drawn somewhere, but some consistency would be nice. Hell, in one state it could be as low as 14 (if I remember correctly) and in another, perhaps as high as 18. By that same virtue, if you’re old enough to serve your country, you damn well ought to be able to buy beer. If you’re married, you could do both through your spouse, if older.
*veal is inhumane.
*not reading the entire thread before posting should be punishable by a severe wet noodle lashing. Or death, whichever is most preferred.
*70s films, in general, are superior to any from another era. Lots stuff from then, as a matter of fact. 
*people who use < something > and the reason is because “They are not a kid anymore.” or “I’m an adult now.” are both goofy beyond belief. If your name is Cynthia, but you’ve gone by Cindy forever, don’t change it simply due to your 18th birthday. Now if you hated it or you like the other better, knock yourself out, but this outmoded 1 Corinthians 13:11 – When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. is simply silly. Only YOU make yourself one way or another. In essence, Der Trihs has that right.
*ellipses are the bomb and smilies are not the end of civilization. Plus, online spell check is available to whoever’s interested and it’s free!
*I should get an editor or No Doze for those who go comatose at verbosity. 
I believe that people who don’t want kids, never intend to have kids, don’t want to adopt or contribute in a meaningful way to the future of mankind, who in fact delight in the idea of a world without people in it should practice what they preach, do the world a favor and shoot themselves in the head.
I think it’s entirely too cool to be a misanthrope or lip service idealist right now. The future belongs to people who want to survive and you… clearly… have other priorities… which makes you worth exactly nothing in the grand scheme of things.
I feel compelled to have more than the two children I already have and possibly adopt as well because the people I see that SHOULD be contributing to future generations are opting out of the gene pool for selfish reasons and consigning the world to those who are having kids but who really shouldn’t because they are going to threaten the kind of world I want for myself and humanity.
I think ideals take a backseat to my (and my kid’s) survival. I don’t think it’s right to kill anybody but if some sonofabitch takes a shot at me he’s going down by whatever means necessary and I think the same way on a cultural/societal level.
I think the US should take a long hard look at a policy of resource isolationism and work towards it. We should export ideas and import students… but be able to go it alone if necessary.
Christianity is in it’s death throes as a relevant force in the world.
Islam isn’t. And that is scary.
Standard stuff, more or less legal pot, gay marriage should be legal ect. ect. (stuff that isn’t remotely controversial on this board)
[QUOTE=severus]
<snip>I believe that the vision of Canada as a great bilingual and multicultural country that many Canadians have is simply an undefensible myth.
<snip>
[/QUOTE]
Yup. Well, bilingualism might work if every Canadian child was required to learn both English and French - and I do mean ALL Canadian children, including Francophone children.
Speaking of multiculturalism, I think that racism against Caucasians and against Canadian citizens is wrong.
I believe no government or constitutional document should ever talk about rights without giving equal time to responsibilities.
I believe that we should just change it to “teh” already and allow me to quit backspacing every damn time I try to type “the.” (Did it again there.)
I believe that if I posted what I really think of children and how special children are, I’d win the thread.
I believe that dead sure Atheists are almost as strange as those who wholeheartedly believe in “God”.
However, I believe the Religion has done and continues to do far more harm, than good and that Atheists are “Mostly Harmless”.
I believe in strictly enforced waiting periods on all guns, licensing before owning and tracking of gun ownership.
I believe in retesting Drivers once they hit 65 or they have a stroke or other debilitating illness.
I believe in legalizing most drugs, without question, Pot, LSD, & Shrooms.
I believe we should then tax them like crazy.
I believe cigarettes should remain legal, but we should outlaw additives, especially the stay lit paper chemicals that have led to so many fires.
I believe that minus the additives, we might very well see a large reduction in illness and a partial reduction in addiction.
I believe we should lower the Damn drinking age. It is silly to criminalize 18 years old or even 16 year olds for drinking.
I believe we should enact much stronger clean air and water acts.
I believe we should work harder to protect species.
I believe we should increase the taxes on Gas to encourage quicker development of alternative fuels.
I believe we should place the Navy in charge of building very safe nuclear power plants to shut down the incredibly polluting coal plants.
I believe we should continue to push energy efficiency in all appliances and apply a sin tax to new appliances that are not Energy star compliant.
I believe we should invest more government money into Solar, Wind and Fusion.
I believe we should invest more money in NASA but change the way it is run to make it more lean at the same time.
I believe that slow drivers should be ticketed for remaining in the left hand lanes on highways.
I believe people standing on escalators should allow walkers to pass without fuss if possible.
I believe the next Evangelist that mentions ID should mysteriously be blasted by lightning.
I believe in keeping a strong military.
I believe I had better stop now, as I could keep going.
Jim
[QUOTE=featherlou]
Yup. Well, bilingualism might work if every Canadian child was required to learn both English and French - and I do mean ALL Canadian children, including Francophone children.
[/QUOTE]
You do know, of course, that most francophones do learn English. And as far as I know, most anglophones learn French. But most people of both groups don’t retain much of their second language. Why? Because they don’t need to. As I said, we can’t really call Canada a bilingual country. It’s a doubly unilingual country, except maybe in some very specific places such as Montreal (and I’m not even too sure of that one).
This said, I’m quite happy to be bilingual. I think it’s a positive thing. And I’d very much like to learn other languages some day. I do know some Spanish, but still very little, and I’m afraid to use it, so it’s not very useful.
Thank you! I can certainly get behind that. I don’t know how controversial it is, but given that we escalator walkers seem very few indeed, it might well be.
I believe that the fundamental flaw of democracy, as a political system is its pernicious indulgence of the wide spread desire of human beings to order the lives of their fellows. If law more often cried out: make me do thus, or stop me from doing so, perhaps it would be a useful system. Republics add to this failure, the winnowing of the common man according to the strength of that same desire, until only those who aspire to tyranny are give authority.
Tris
I believe that marijuana should be taxed, regulated and able to be purchased in liquor stores, and that Cocaine, Heroin, Crack, Meth, and other harder drugs ought to be criminalized so heavily that having a discernable amount in your posession puts you in the clink for life.
I believe that people who have sex with children should die horrible, long, painful deaths, that their remains be ground up and fed to sharks.
I believe the same thing about people who torture animals.
I believe religion is the problem, not the solution, and that it, and it alone is the cause of better than 1/2 of the worlds problems.
I believe that capitalism is the best thing going. If someone has a better idea, by all means, bring it, but until then, yay money.
I believe that the insitiution of marriage is an outdated concept, and that it is one of the greatest connections between church and state, and should be completely dismantled and reorganized.
I believe that not everyone deserves to live.
I believe that prosperity is not a birthright, but a privlege, earned by those who deserve it.
I believe that if left unchecked, Fundamental Islam will be the downfall of western society.
I believe this country needs a president with a set of balls, the will to use them, and his own money in the bank, and that Bush is a bumbling dumbass.
I believe that America is the greatest country in the history of countries, and I’m proud to be an American, and don’t really give a fuck who knows it. I think we’re the best there is, and it only took us 230 years to get that way.
I believe that on 9/11, when footage came in from around the world that showed people celebrating the collapse of the WTC, that we should have sent fleets of bombers to wherever that was, and bombed them back into the stone age.
I believe that we created Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Moammar Gadaffi, Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat, and that we’re doing the same dumb ass shit over there now.
I believe that there will be unrest in the middle east until one of three things happen…
Oh yeah, and I also believe that exploration into space is the biggest fucking boondoggle in the history of boondoggles. There is poverty, hunger and joblessness all over the place, we need to take care of our own before we traipsing off to fucking Mars to find another planet to ruin.
[QUOTE=jsgoddess]
No way. A right is something you get even though it costs someone something.
You get to say offensive things though it costs me.
[/QUOTE]
I suppose it could cost you your peace of mind but it doesn’t incur any exspense.
How so?
I may have to concede this one. It is an example of what I mean. We decided as a society that in the interest of justice we should provide a lawyer for those who could not afford it. It was not always so. It is refered to as a right to an attorney.
I’d be interested in learning more about how that happened.
I don’t think so. My right to free speech doesn’t cost anybody else anything.
My freedom to worship doesn’t cost amybody else anything.
My inalienable rights , life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness doesn’t cost anybody else anything.
Thats the key. There may be people who try to suppress my rights but my rights shouldn’t require someone else to pay some exspense in and of themselves.
Let me give that some thought.
I believe that anyone over the age of 18 who isn’t a blood/organ donor shouldn’t be allowed to receive them unless the blood/organs would otherwise go to waste.
I believe that people who are fanatical about people’s supposed duty to reproduce are secretly frightened they made the wrong decision to have kids and want everyone to be as miserable as they are.
I believe that McMansions are bloated eyesores and most people who buy them are people trying to look wealthy but not fooling anyone - no one is impressed that they live in a shoddily constructed mansion in the middle of nowhere, just like no one is impressed with that 3 series BMW that they’re still paying off.
I believe that anyone who thinks Barack Obama, Colin Powell, my Uncle Bill, or any other black man has a chance in hell of winning the presidency in this racist country is either: willfully naïve; a fucking liar; or smoking something. If it’s the latter please send me an e-mail.
Our current generation of kids: say, 17 & under are the most self indulgent, over protected, whiny-ass victims America has ever produced. They won’t know how to defend themselves, care for themselves or think for themselves. This lot will fall victim to every conceivable graft, scam, charismatic leader, pyramid scheme and plain old beat down that comes down the pike; plus half of them will be scared of sex. Good luck getting them out of your house.
Speaking of Beat Downs. We really need designated asskickers. That should be a real job. Everybody here can think of at least one person who needs a serious beat down. I’m not foolish enough to think that the ass whooping would be at all beneficial in a motivating or life changing spark for the victim. But won’t it make you giggle and sleep a little better at night.
I like tits.
[QUOTE=Kayeby]
I believe that anyone over the age of 18 who isn’t a blood/organ donor shouldn’t be allowed to receive them unless the blood/organs would otherwise go to waste.
[/QUOTE]
Obviously it wouldn’t work for blood donations, but I think organ donation should be the default position when somebody dies UNLESS they have specified (on their licence or whatever) that no transplant should take place.
People’s innate laziness and apathy should see the number of organs available increase a thousandfold overnight. 
There should be no punishment for DUI unless it causes actual harm to another person or their property. And in those cases the punishment should be extremely Draconian in its severity for even the first offense. Such as fines of 100 times the property damage, 10 years minimum jail time for each other person injured, automatic death penalty for fatal incidents.
Everyone is born as a self-centered sociopath and only through socialization at an early age is this trait surpressed. Those who grow into adult sociopaths lacked this early training or are neurologically/physically incapable of being socialized.
Religion as a concept evolved out of the need to provide a stable framework for providing socialization among nascent cultures. However, the power granted to religions in order to fulfill that role has corrupted too many of its adherents. Many of the most vocally religious are more interested in the acquisition of power and authority than they are in the proper application of it.
The worst disasters paradoxically lead to the greatest triumphs. For example, the bubonic plague decimated Europe, but this increased the need for educating the general populace to provide skilled labor and laid the foundation for the Renaissance.
Handshaking spreads germs and disease, but it persists as a custom because it helps your immune system become aware of and build defenses against diseases in its general surroundings.
First impressions are accurate about half of the time - or less.
Adolf Hitler was not an aberration. You or I could do it in the right circumstances.
[QUOTE=iano]
Adolf Hitler was not an aberration. You or I could do it in the right circumstances.
[/QUOTE]
Interesting. Could you please elaborate what ‘it’ is?
I believe that people whose only kind of reasoning is curcular reasoning should never be placed in charge of others, nor allowed to make decisions affecting any but themselves. This includes removing their driver’s licenses.
I believe that nobody can have responsibility unless they have power.
I believe that responsibility and accountability oughta go together (they do in many languages and I’m up to here of trying to explain a difference that I find pretty silly myself).