Comments for The Sensible Geek

Comment on Hope and Change? Not so much… by LOUDelf

LOUDelf — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:46:03 +0000

Famous scary words: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

Hope is luck, and change is alteration. Lucky alteration? As a business person, I stear clear of hope, and change can be great, but you don’t initiate it by bringing in the same people.

Comment on Wal-Mart Trampling: Who’s at fault? by DylanT

DylanT — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:28:31 +0000

I have to say both are at fault.

WalMart likes frenzied shoppers who’ll do anything to buy everything in the store.

BUT our country has turned into a material worshiping one, and most people here don’t give a crap about other people when it comes to Grand Theft Auto IV for $15 off or that new pair of blue jeans.

Comment on Capitalism v. Socialism — The Throwdown by TSG

TSG — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:33:44 +0000

I agree, preplan, blind ideology isn’t the answer. While we must stand up for our principles, it doesn’t follow that our principles are the right thing in every case… While I fundamentally dislike any measure that gives my money to someone else, I agree that some things are necessary. The question you pose is precisely the right one. How far do we go? What things do we decide to provide, and to whom?

I wish we could get rid of parties entirely. Not because I have any real problem with them, but because too many voters don’t do their research and just vote for the party. We, as voters, are responsible for the position our government puts us in. We have the choice on Nov 4th.

Comment on Capitalism v. Socialism — The Throwdown by preplan

preplan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:45:49 +0000

I’m not a fan of redistributing the wealth, but I’m also no fan of watcing others suffer unnecessarily. One could say that public education is a form of redistribution of wealth, yet without public education business would not thrive and our economy would be stuck somewhere in the 16th century. The constitution allows for the “promotion of general welfare” and thus we may be able to justify public education, but we could also justify public healthcare, public housing, etc. The problem is where to draw the line and at what point does it become counter-productive. I was once a republican because they were for smaller government, but they also seemed to encourage small mindedness and selfishness. The dems believe in a no-fault existence where the individual has no responsibility and society must pay for every aspect of their existence. I believe we need to find a way to build a democracy where we don’t have to chose one side or another but instead chose a’la cart.

Several key elements would accomplish this. Scrapping all taxes and imposing a single national sales tax will allow every individual to feel the pinch if they ask for more government. Today people at the bottom will vote for more benefits since it doesn’t cost them anything. Only the top few percent pay more tax than they receive in benefits, so why not vote for more government. We need a presidential line-item veto to help eliminate government waste. We need a congress that must justify every vote in writing, explaining precisely why they voted a certain way, and if they don’t vote at all, explain why. We need to find a way to accomodate more variety in our elected officials. I’m not talking about ethnicity but allow people that fall outside of the two party system. We need to find a way for individuals to get their ideas up to their representatives. If you’ve ever tried to contact a senator or a representative, you’ll find it a fairly worthless experience.