eclipsenow said:

Do most States in the USA have 2 houses for State legislation? (Not all Australian States do.)

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Yes. I believe Nebraska is the only exception, with only one house (it was bicameral originally, but was changed to unicamera in 1934).

eclipsenow said:

If so - is not the Upper House / Senate usually Proportional Representation (PR) of the entire state already?

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Zero states use proportional representation right now as far as I am aware.

eclipsenow said:

What would be the benefit in having 2 legislative assembly bodies like this?

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That's actually a good question I'm surprised I never thought about before. Why do almost all the states have bicameral legislatures?

With the federal government, the reasons are fairly obvious. The primary reason for splitting the Senate and House on the federal level, aside from obvious inspiration from the House of Lords/House of Commons setup Britain had, were:

1) A compromise between large states who wanted the congress to be population-based, and small states who wanted equal representation.

2) By having the House and Senate elected in a different manner (Senators were not elected directly by the people, but were chosen by the state legislature) you'd end up with a different kind of congressman in the Senate than the more populist House. This one is no longer applicable after it was changed in 1913 so Senators are elected by a statewide popular vote, but it is part of the original design.

3) While the House would be immediately receptive to changing opinions of voters, as all of it was up for election every two years, only 1/3 of the Senate could change every two years, creating greater stability and weathering shifts in opinion that ended up being fleeting.

But for state legislatures? #1 is irrelevant within states for obvious reasons, and #2 is irrelevant because I believe all chambers in all states are done by the same voting system (I think some states originally had them chosen in a different fashion, but that's not the case anymore), though someone can correct me on that. I believe #3 still holds, as it looks to me like upper houses of states normally have only half of their seats up for election every two years, compared to all the seats in the lower house... but I'm not sure that's enough by itself to explain a bicameral system.

Honestly, it might all boil down to "it's the way we've always done it" or "it's the way everyone else does it" as the basic reason for it being the case in states.

fhansen said:

They are different levels of willingness-and that's about as as far as we can know.

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That is as far as you can know.

The Oddball Couple

It is my observation
and firsthand experience
that when I see someone with any evil of any kind now days,
upon them or their families,
whether it be mental, physical, or spiritual.
It is due to them or someone they are joined too, walking in darkness and not the light.

In other words, they are reaping what they had sowed.

And you cannot deliver them out of it.
They will have to endure it.

Unless,
(Certain things in the spirit realm dictate otherwise.)
And those are far and few in between in any of your lives.

Hentenza said:

The saints ARE the body of Christ, all believers. Go back and look at every salutation to every church in his epistles. Paul is writting directly to the churches. The matter of saving faith regards the level of faith some are in. We talked about the parable of the soils before which explains the different levels of faith. These different levels are in every church including yours.

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They are different levels of willingness-and that's about as as far as we can know.

JohnC101 said:

May God bless all of your endeavors!

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Why would you want to God to bless them in all their endeavors?

Bradskii said:

So you let them all flood through the door they've just broken down and then...what? Ask them politely to please stop right there, if they'd be so kind?

That's all you're saying: 'Last resort! Wait until it's the last resort!' You're standing there thinking that as they all stream past you. Or beat you to a pulp on their way to possibly assault the Congress members.

I shoot the first person through the door. I've told you that. What you'd do is absolutely nothing up to this point. When you actually spring into action and what you'd do then to handle it 'so much better' is a complete mystery.

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Thank you for your expert analysis.
Since you know so much about deadly force scenarios do you think Kyle Rittenhouse was justified in his use of deadly force?
As far as what I would have done, when the protesters saw Byrd's gun they backed off and it was just Babbitt coming through a window ( the door hadn't been broken down as you claim. I would have pushed her back out on her backside then guarded the door at gunpoint as the tactical team arrived and helped me guard the doorway.
But you would shoot the first person who made it through, maybe I would have too, the difference is I would try to prevent anyone from getting through so that I wouldn't have to shoot them
Granted it's difficult to say what you would do until you are actually in that situation

caffeinated.hermit said:

.....
These people are also more likely to struggle with depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress, and anger issues than the general population. That is my focus. Stricter gun control laws are another, valid focus.

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Terrific. So while trans people commit this minuscule fraction of all the murders out there, they are your focus when it comes to thinking about murder.

This can only be because you have some sort of other axe to grind that doesn't relate to murders or gun violence at all.

eclipsenow said:

Interesting. I think most Australian political thinkers say Australia is a "Representative Democracy". There are a few different perspectives within that that might conflict. I forget the exact terms - but there are debates about how much freedom a Representative politician is meant to have in Representing his electorate. EG: Do they mainly Represent the 'standard' policy of their party? Or do they have the freedom - if convinced by good argument against that party line - to pursue other policies?

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Tricky question. But we can ask it a different way. When you vote for your local MP, do you vote for how that person can benefit you and your locality? Or are you voting for the party you want to see in government.

If I vote in the local council elections I want someone to represent what I want. If I vote in state elections I vote for a combination of what I'd like and what's best for NSW. When it comes to federal elections I vote what I think is best for the country. And at times, in some areas of policy, that will have a negative impact on me.

I wanted Labor to win because I thought they'd do best for the country. But I didn't vote for them last time out because in my electorate (Wentworth) it was more of a two horse race between the Liberal and an independent. So I voted for the independent to try to keep the Liberal out. Simply because I thought their policies were nonsensical (nuclear power, for example).

I remember when Peter Garrett (of Midnight Oil fame) ran for Labor a few years back (against my son in law as it turns out, who was part of a failed attempt to get the Democrats up and running again). He was asked about some of the policies that Labor had at the time with which he disagreed. He felt he had to 'toe the line' (his words), bat for the team. and support those policies. Else become an independent. And he thought he'd have more influence as a Labor MP.

Vambram said:

In my opinion, that means they are breaking federal laws and are therefore criminals.

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Your opinion is not what the police use as a basis for enforcement in my zip code… Or any other, I’d imagine. In our zip code, criminals come as the result of an arrest, due process, and determination of guilt.

Since nobody in our town has been arrested or even detained, much less successfully prosecuted, your opinion is observed, noted, and discarded as factually incorrect and thus not especially relevant to anything or anybody but you.

fhansen said:

Alright, and even if I agree that Paul has this certain knowledge about them individually,

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Yes he does.

fhansen said:

unless we know then the concept of OSAS is rendered a sort of worthless-and academic-point. I mean, to say that the elect are saved is redundant; it's to say that the saved are saved. To be able to identify just who they are is another matter. And I think we leave that up to God who'll inform us for sure in the end. Until then, we have criteria and guidelines in the bible based primarily on changes made in us, with resultng fruit produced.

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The saints ARE the body of Christ, all believers. Go back and look at every salutation to every church in his epistles. Paul is writting directly to the churches. The matter of saving faith regards the level of faith some are in. We talked about the parable of the soils before which explains the different levels of faith. These different levels are in every church including yours.

“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

This is what Paul tells the church of Philipi as he closes his epistle.

The problem you have is your church‘s error in teaching about saints (hagios). In RCC theology, the saints are in heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth. In RCC teaching, a person does not become a saint unless he/she is “beatified” or “canonized” by the Pope or prominent bishop. In the Bible, everyone who has received Jesus Christ by faith is a saint. In RCC practice, the saints are revered, prayed to, and in some instances, worshiped. In the Bible, saints are called to revere, worship, and pray to God alone.

You are a Christian because you answered God‘s call and received the free gift of faith by the grace of God. Examine your faith and determine if you are just a babe in Christ or are you maturing. I know that nothing can ever separate me from the Lord but you, because of your church’s incorrect teachings on salvation by faith plus works, will always wonder if you are good enough. I grew up full blow RCC but ended up in the spot of asking if I would ever be good enough. It let me to atheism (yes your church led me to atheism). But God called me back and here I am. You are a saint by virtue of being a sheep in Jesus flock. Jesus says that He will never loose one of His sheep and no one can take them away from His hand. Is up to you to enter Jesus rest or not. You need to mature to the next level.

Oompa Loompa said:

Yes. Because Chicago is so lax on their gun laws.

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America is.

BPPLEE said:

I never said that. It's amazing how critical some people can be because I would leave deadly force as a last resort.

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So you let them all flood through the door they've just broken down and then...what? Ask them politely to please stop right there, if they'd be so kind?

That's all you're saying: 'Last resort! Wait until it's the last resort!' You're standing there thinking that as they all stream past you. Or beat you to a pulp on their way to possibly assault the Congress members.

BPPLEE said:

But I can tell you that I would have handled it so much better than you

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I shoot the first person through the door. I've told you that. What you'd do is absolutely nothing up to this point. When you actually spring into action and what you'd do then to handle it 'so much better' is a complete mystery.

HIM said:

We are told not to fellowship. For a little leaven, leavens the whole.

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Which does not negate the fact that they remain our neighbors and we are called to love even our enemies. They are made in God's image like the rest of us.

rjs330 said:

England's gin deaths are next to nothing

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Bombay does all it can to reduce abuse.

caffeinated.hermit said:

Again, when a specific community seems especially vulnerable to depression, anxiety, desperation, and violence, especially when they're trying to do something as complex (and impossible) as literally become the opposite sex, we should pay attention.

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Of course. And we should listen to them, address their issues, and treat them like human beings - not tell them they are liars, claim they're faking it for attention, call them perverts and abominations, and ostracize them from society.

Generally speaking, if you take a concern that someone expresses to you and dismiss it as fake or impossible without actually listening, they're going to shut down and stop talking to you - and they'll go find someone else who will listen. Increasingly, they find that someone else online, and for people who have been cut off and isolated by their family/community support structures, that can lead down a path of radicalization (among other things).

Even if you think that being transgender is wrong or unnatural or whatever, you have to recognize that someone who says that they are trans is struggling with some sort of real feeling. And right now, the default stance taken by the Right and most Christians dismisses that real feeling as a figment of the person's imagination or a lie or something to be hated and despised. That's a recipe for some very messed up kids - and it's not a product of their gender identity, but rather a product of how they're treated because of it, even by the people that they love.

Zaha Torte said:

The fact that this judge invoked Jan 6th in his decision at all shows that she is partisan, and he is doing everything to make sure that those things that caused doubt in the 2020 election should happen again.

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What things? Trump's cheating with fake electoral votes?

And they wonder why public school enrollment is down.

Public school enrollment in the United States is declining. Nationally, enrollment fell from 50.8 million in fall 2019 to 49.5 million in fall 2023, a decline of 2.5%, or more than 1.2 million students.

Niels said:

If they are kicked out of a congregation, they are no longer members, but they remain neighbors. Even if they become our enemies, which is more than simply being homosexual, we are told to love them.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- Matthew 5:43-48

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We are told not to fellowship. For a little leaven, leavens the whole.

Matt5 said:

"In January 2025, Vice-President Kamala Harris will be in charge of certifying the election. In other words, if Donald Trump wins the person that he was running against will be in charge of certifying his victory."

We'll see. I doubt she'll lose to Trump because of all the shenanigans. I suspect no Republican will ever be president again.

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This has aged poorly. When can we expect a retraction?

JosephZ said:

There is no acceptible rate, but it's unrealistic to expect stronger gun laws to be a cure for all gun violence.

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Why not? It works in the EU. England's gin deaths are next to nothing. Bexauae people really are not allowed to have guns. Even the cops dont have them.

Chesterton said:

You can't answer a question. None of you can. I'll stop wasting my time.

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Your questions contain questionable assumptions that first need to be clarified.