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The rich and big corporations like it this way. They get government to spend lots of money on their products, for instance by having schools buy Chromebooks for every student even in kindergarten, and don't have to pay high taxes but instead loan money to the government and collect interest on...

The constitution gives Congress the authority to tax and spend for the general welfare, and that includes welfare in the more specific modern sense. I support having about the current amount of welfare spending, but it should be considerably simplified. I like the idea of Universal Basic Income...

Are there any countries with a multi-party system that is not a parliamentary one, but instead elects the president or prime minister by popular vote?

My last post made it clear that people have a strong visceral reaction against polygamy, but some need some help fleshing out a logical argument against it. I'll see what I can do. The first mention of polygamy in the Bible is in Genesis where Lamech, one of Cain's descendants took two wives...

I think Venus is more promising for habitation than Mars. It's the right size and gravity, and closer, while Mars' advantages are that we can walk on the surface sooner and that it has a similar rotation period. But I think Venus' slow rotation is an asset, not a problem. It would allow us to...

Confirmed! We Live in a Simulation I am not at all convinced by this article that suggests our whole universe is a program on some kind of computer; it's two reasons for believing we are in a simulation are that the speed of light is a limit caused by the computer's processor speed, and that...

The five trait system of Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Openness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism is considered more scientific than the Myers Briggs and other theories. But I think they are more similar than first appears. Extraversion is obvious, Openness is quite similar to Perceiving...

If we developed the ability to keep people alive indefinitely, would we have a responsibility to make that available to everyone? If the healthcare that it took to do that was too expensive, how would we decide who gets it? Or would it be wrong to use it at all?

Why don't we pronounce it like 'you're On us?' That sounds better than the alternatives and is more like the original pronunciation.

Is there any objective measure of which systems work better: two party systems like the US and most of the UK has, or multi party systems like for instance Germany and many European and other countries have?

When I think of writing stories set in the far future, like Star Trek is, I wonder if Jesus' return can fit with settings of that sort. It seems like there are so many possibilities that we've only begun to explore that in a way it would be sad if Jesus returning soon puts an end to those...

Our gas giant planets have lots of moons, but I feel like we should say a body has to be big enough to be spherical to be classified as a moon; just call it a satellite otherwise, or dwarf moons. What is the size requirement now? How many moons would there be in the solar system if we chose this...

I believe in inspiration but no longer believe in inerrancy, but I think maybe I should study the topic in more detail. It's not so much objections to the Bible's accuracy that made me doubt inerrancy as the lack of a strong positive case for it, and the way Jesus disagreed with parts of the Old...

I would describe my ethic as basically utilitarian but with caveats that make it closer to both virtue ethics and deontics. What makes an action right or wrong is whether it increases or decreases the well-being of sentient beings. However, none of us are omniscient, and we don't know what all...

Especially if Bernie or Pete win the nomination, a lot of people won't like either option at the general election. I expect minor parties will get even more votes than last time. I'll be voting for Brian Carroll ( http://briancarroll.life ), with the American Solidarity Party. Which parties do...

The three main types of taxes are income, sales, and property taxes. Any tax discourages what it taxes. I think income does not warrant discouragement at any level, sales of non-necessities should be discouraged at every level (I oppose materialism and clutter), and property should be encouraged...

While many problems climate change causes are clear, one of the bigger potential ones is increased desertification and drought. Models predict these will increase, yet studies of past climate show that most areas were wetter when it was warmer. This article mentions that: NASA GISS: Research...

I have been supporting single payer healthcare on these forums, but I see a fundamental difference between that and other welfare spending such as food stamps, section 8 housing, and especially cash handouts. Welfare checks encourage people to stay poor and continue in an unwise lifestyle; I’ve...

I have been supporting single payer healthcare on these forums, but I see a fundamental difference between that and other welfare spending such as food stamps, section 8 housing, and especially cash handouts. Welfare checks encourage people to stay poor and continue in an unwise lifestyle; I’ve...

The 2030s or thereabouts may be a difficult time, if several problems peak at around the same time. The national debt continues to grow, and at some point the interest will become such a large chunk of the yearly budget that the US will either have to default on it or devalue the currency and...