$100k traffic light

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Vic
First, arguing that 2 wrongs make a right, or that 1 wrong is not quite as wrong as another wrong, is NOT a logical argument.
Second, that the aid is wasteful is not my primary argument. My primary argument is that the aid is harmful. Mostly because the majority of Americans in this democratic country do not support it, thus they are being taxed without representation (and that is gunpoint). But also because it harms the Africans more than it helps them. Like I said, we should stop giving them fish and teach them how to fish. But that's not what the socialists want, now is it? If the Africans could fish (and thus pull themselves out of poverty), then the socialist cause in that area would disappear now wouldn't it? Can't have the poor stop being poor, now can we? :roll:

Taxation without representation? Hah! Having your tax dollars pay for something you don't like is NOT taxation without representation. If you don't like what your elected officials are doing, elect different ones. If you don't like the type of democracy we have, overthrow the government. Failing that, move to a country that doesn't provide foreign aid. There are plenty to choose from.

And I wasn't arguing that two wrongs make a right, I was arguing that we do benefit from it, and that people exaggerate how much it costs us.

 

[fstime]

Originally posted by: pinkeywear
They could've fed so many starving people in Africa with that money. :|

no

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: mugs
Taxation without representation? Hah! Having your tax dollars pay for something you don't like is NOT taxation without representation. If you don't like what your elected officials are doing, elect different ones. If you don't like the type of democracy we have, overthrow the government. Failing that, move to a country that doesn't provide foreign aid. There are plenty to choose from.

And I wasn't arguing that two wrongs make a right, I was arguing that we do benefit from it, and that people exaggerate how much it costs us.

Kindly don't be ignorant. Foreign aid has created a huge industry of highly-paid special interest lobbyists in Washington who do nothing but solicit our tax dollars for other countries. The pressure is so great that members of congress have little choice but to cave in or they will not be re-elected regardless of how else they please their constituencies. This is where the taxation without representation comes in.

And you were arguing that 2 wrongs make a right. You said that just because we waste money in one way makes it okay to waste it in another. Personally, I think our aid money would be much better spend in education here at home, that way we wouldn't have so many poorly educated idiots like yourself.

 

[TGS]

Originally posted by: dawks

Originally posted by: Siva
Its unfortunate that no one realizes that sometimes A little bit of money goes a long way. Maybe someday one of those children will thank those who saved his/her life, even if you were the one wishing them dead while your tax dollars actually did something useful. I'm glad you people can find it in your heart to buy HDTVs and nice computers while you curse every extra dollar or two you have to pay in taxes to provide this kind of nutrition.

/THREADDDDDDDDDDJACK

Whos buying food for me? Whos giving me clothing and shelter and water and medicine and free education? oh right, im paying for all of that. danke.

Actually as a US citizen, you can join the military. They will feed you, cloth you, and teach you a useful trade in some career fields. Who is funded by *drum roll* the tax payers. All that for raising your hand and saying yes.

Thanks Tax Payers. *blows kisses*

 

[Siva]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Siva

Give it a rest. That's the most ridiculous arguement I've ever seen. Both of you are simply wrong. Please hand over the rose covered glasses through which you view our government. Taxpayers don't choose where their money goes anymore than I choose how to balance the budget. If you don't believe in the war in Iraq, giving money to Isreal, or having a space program your money still goes there.

We are not simply wrong- it's you that is wrong. We live in a democratic country, and majority rules here. People like you have been outvoted, deal with it. You want our tax money to feed starving people in other countries, most people do NOT. For every person like you that wants mandatory donations to other countries, more than 1 person opposes the idea. The majority has spoken, and you've been outvoted. Heck, I didn't vote for Bush but he won the election. I don't sit around complaining about it. I accepted it as the democratic process working. I took part in it but I was outvoted. That's how it works, you know.

What you are suggesting is that a minority group (people like yourself) dictate where the majority's money is spent. Again, the USA does not work that way. We are not a socialist country.

I don't understand why the people of Africa are less deserving of the same kind of aid we give to people in the US. In fact I think welfare is full of the same abuses that people claim are found in Africa. The people in Africa are also in a far worse situation than the people on welfare. Citizenship is mearly about where you are born, it has little to do with contribution to society or worth. If you claim that being a US citizen makes someone more deserving of aid isn't that just nationalism in a way that is very akin to racism?

That was an extremely weak argument. Throwing in the race card when you have no other point to stand on is simply lame.

The people in Africa aren't as deserving of the US's money because *they don't live in the US*. If they did, they'd be getting aid. That's how this country works. The citizens here pay taxes that support our citizens... not other countries' citizens.

The United States' citizens decided that it will spend its money to benefit OUR country. We will help Alaska, or Alabama, or California if it has problems, but it is NOT our responsibility to help out foreign countries. We are taxed to support America, not foreign countries. If the majority of Americans agrees to pay more taxes to support a foreign nation, then that's what we'll do.

All of your views seem to support socialism, and as I've pointed out, we do not live in a socialist country. Your vote was counted, but it fell short. Deal with it. Your opinion is irrelevant now. All you can do now is spent your own money on African aid... but you're not able to spend mine.

What are you talking about when you say "minority view"? There is plenty of aid going to Africa and I am hardly a minority. Did you pay any attention to the G8 summit? My vote didn't matter one way or another, money is still going to Africa. I'm sure pretty much all of the major presidential candidates would have done the same, so who said anything about voting. Frankly voting seems useless when either candidate has no sense of reality.

All of my views on one issue seem to support socialism? Socialism is about a lot more than foreign aid, and I am hardly a socialist. Maybe its a little extreme to think that everyone has the right to eat. Uh oh, I guess I'm an extremist liberal!

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: ChaoZ
There's nothing different from a regular traffic light except it was yellow.

how is that different from a regular traffic light? 😕

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: everman
What about the $250,000,000 bridge in Alaska for an island with a population of 50? 😛

Holy Misrepresentation Batman.

I've seen this before in another thread. It's not a bridge for 50 people. It's a bridge for about 50,000 people in the fastest growing part of Alaska. Currently, residents of Wasilla and Palmer have to make a 45-60 minute drive down the Glenn Hwy to make their daily commute into Anchorage. With this bridge their commute will be cut to about 20 minutes.

The notion that this bridge is for 50 people (I've also seen it claimed it was for ONE person) is that it's anchored at a place called McKenzie Point. Nobody lives in McKenzie Point. But 5 miles down the road from MP is Wasilla and 10 miles past that is Palmer.

Sometimes when people go looking for pork they have to "ignore" some facts to try and make their point seem valid.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Originally posted by: BouZouki

Originally posted by: pinkeywear
They could've fed so many starving people in Africa with that money. :|

no

As for this... All the money we spend on Africa goes straight into the Swiss bank accounts of every crooked dictator and warlord on the continent. It never makes it to the people who need it. Period.

Remember LiveAid? It's now credited with extending the famine in Ethopia by several years. All that money did was help the warlords buy more guns and prolong the war.

Africa is a black hole of international aid.