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  1. SiriuslyLong is offline
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    SiriuslyLong's Avatar
    Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 3,560
    04-16-2011, 08:19 PM #1

    .IRS paid $513M in undeserved homebuyer tax credits

    Investigator: IRS paid $513M in homebuyer tax credits to people who probably don't qualify

    Yeap, we need to raise taxes............................ gotta be done, especially on the rich.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/IRS-pa...63607.html?x=0

  2. Atypical is offline
    04-18-2011, 02:40 PM #2

    Education Is So Important

    Teacher: Okay class. Let’s begin.

    Open the book, Become A Conservative Ideologue; subtitled, And Be Happily Brain-Dead, Unquestioning and Unreflective.

    First, let’s see if we can find examples of how ideologues try to redirect people’s attention from important issues to focus on relatively insignificant ones that will allow them to make their usually worthless points. Of course, this doesn’t work with everyone – just stupid, gullible people. Unfortunately, there are a lot of them.

    Using the topic we have, does anyone have significant examples that show what points most ideologues want to avoid?

    Charlie: How about the bailout? That caused huge losses for everyone, trillions, the entire world suffers today, and no one has been prosecuted.

    You’re right, Charlie. But ideologues don’t care. They focus only on what is important to them. Capitalism only burped, they say. Don’t get excited. Greed is good! What is capitalism for, anyway?

    Samantha: How about off-shoring profits to avoid taxes? That hurts the country and is, kind of, unpatriotic, isn’t it?

    Yes, it is. It would be nice if laws prevented that.

    Carl: How about ‘family farms’ that are almost all owned by the wealthy and corporations that should not be entitled to a credit? And oil companies that get credits for just looking for oil. And speculation by Wall Street that drives up prices on commodities, like food, oil and gasoline.

    Good points, Carl. They are clear abuses of the system but capitalism pays politicians to overlook them.

    Gustav; What about corporations making billions and not paying taxes? Doesn’t that hurt everybody? And the Supreme Court, controlled by conservative fanatics giving corporations unlimited opportunity to spend to control the debate in important areas? Aren’t those problems?

    Sure they are. But the capitalist class doesn’t mind. They like it that way because they benefit. Want to irritate an ideologue? Just suggest they are being screwed by uncontrolled capitalistic excess. Boy, some look as if they are going to get a heart attack! They get red in the face. It’s great to watch.

    They always want to focus on those making almost nothing to make up the budget differences. They even include those that rely on supportive programs. Talk about being vicious and cold.

    Let’s have two more, class.

    Jane: What happens when corporations do stuff that makes us sick – like messing up the environment with pollutants; or selling bad food products that can make us sick or worse; or lying about the risk of health problems like the tobacco companies did?

    Yes. Those are threats to all of us but conservative ideologues don’t consider them really important. They’re only distractions to them and never considered something they should really care about. Preventing dangers that can impact our citizens costs money and they don’t want to spend it.

    Henry: Why should those that have more refuse to pay more, appropriate to their wealth.

    Oh, that’s simple. They’re selfish and don’t care about anyone else – just themselves. I got mine – you get yours – that’s their favorite motto. They don’t care about those ‘other people’.

    Their life is their only consideration. Sure, everyone should be concerned about themselves – up to a point. But empathy is critical – unfortunately conservative ideologues don’t feel it. They ridicule those that proclaim its importance. Makes them feel superior.

    Those are perfect examples, class. Unfortunately, they never impress the stupid.
    There are hundreds of others but we don’t have time.

    Class, for homework I want you to read all the end-notes, the next chapter and review the bibliography. They explain how ideologues rarely, if ever, change their positions about anything. That is something they are proud of too. Kind of like saying, I don’t have to consider other ideas. I’m done. Leave me alone! Keep your different views to yourself. I won’t ever respect them anyway. You’re wasting your time.

    Most humans avoid change. It’s very uncomfortable. Religion is a good example, too. Can you imagine how hard it is for some to change a closely held belief? Self-worth is at stake. Most can’t do it and don’t even want to try.

    Oh, one other thing. They are incapable of assessing information accurately. They think all opinions are equal – and theirs are more equal. If they considered another position and thought it had merit, it might render them catatonic. They can’t have that and won’t risk it.

    I have worked with your psychology teacher and asked her to discuss human weakness relative to being an ideologue with you in her class. She will provide other examples of the reasons ideologues hold anti-intellectual positions. Pay particular attention to the part about how they rush around making, what they think are important points, without looking at the entire issue to get perspective. It’s like a mechanic trying to fix an engine while only considering the spark plugs.

    I hope none of you ever fall into this trap.

    Honest, objective, scientifically based, intellectual growth is the goal. It may not make you a liberal but it will make you a better person.
    Last edited by Atypical; 04-18-2011 at 02:46 PM.

  3. SiriuslyLong is offline
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    SiriuslyLong's Avatar
    Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 3,560
    04-18-2011, 07:30 PM #3
    Typical response.

    http://siriusbuzz.com/forum/showthre...e-dealing-with

    Wow - here's a liberal, name calling as usual, claiming that being a liberal makes you a better person. I'm floored. A self proclaimed "liberal" calling another an idealogue. The real decision is whether or not it is amusing or disturbing.

    Here, I'm quoting this as sometimes edits get in the way of truth, and I want to capture all this openmindedness LOL.

    ----------------

    Education Is So Important
    Teacher: Okay class. Let’s begin.

    Open the book, Become A Conservative Ideologue; subtitled, And Be Happily Brain-Dead, Unquestioning and Unreflective.

    First, let’s see if we can find examples of how ideologues try to redirect people’s attention from important issues to focus on relatively insignificant ones that will allow them to make their usually worthless points. Of course, this doesn’t work with everyone – just stupid, gullible people. Unfortunately, there are a lot of them.

    Using the topic we have, does anyone have significant examples that show what points most ideologues want to avoid?

    Charlie: How about the bailout? That caused huge losses for everyone, trillions, the entire world suffers today, and no one has been prosecuted.

    You’re right, Charlie. But ideologues don’t care. They focus only on what is important to them. Capitalism only burped, they say. Don’t get excited. Greed is good! What is capitalism for, anyway?

    Samantha: How about off-shoring profits to avoid taxes? That hurts the country and is, kind of, unpatriotic, isn’t it?

    Yes, it is. It would be nice if laws prevented that.

    Carl: How about ‘family farms’ that are almost all owned by the wealthy and corporations that should not be entitled to a credit? And oil companies that get credits for just looking for oil. And speculation by Wall Street that drives up prices on commodities, like food, oil and gasoline.

    Good points, Carl. They are clear abuses of the system but capitalism pays politicians to overlook them.

    Gustav; What about corporations making billions and not paying taxes? Doesn’t that hurt everybody? And the Supreme Court, controlled by conservative fanatics giving corporations unlimited opportunity to spend to control the debate in important areas? Aren’t those problems?

    Sure they are. But the capitalist class doesn’t mind. They like it that way because they benefit. Want to irritate an ideologue? Just suggest they are being screwed by uncontrolled capitalistic excess. Boy, some look as if they are going to get a heart attack! They get red in the face. It’s great to watch.

    They always want to focus on those making almost nothing to make up the budget differences. They even include those that rely on supportive programs. Talk about being vicious and cold.

    Let’s have two more, class.

    Jane: What happens when corporations do stuff that makes us sick – like messing up the environment with pollutants; or selling bad food products that can make us sick or worse; or lying about the risk of health problems like the tobacco companies did?

    Yes. Those are threats to all of us but conservative ideologues don’t consider them really important. They’re only distractions to them and never considered something they should really care about. Preventing dangers that can impact our citizens costs money and they don’t want to spend it.

    Henry: Why should those that have more refuse to pay more, appropriate to their wealth.

    Oh, that’s simple. They’re selfish and don’t care about anyone else – just themselves. I got mine – you get yours – that’s their favorite motto. They don’t care about those ‘other people’.

    Their life is their only consideration. Sure, everyone should be concerned about themselves – up to a point. But empathy is critical – unfortunately conservative ideologues don’t feel it. They ridicule those that proclaim its importance. Makes them feel superior.

    Those are perfect examples, class. Unfortunately, they never impress the stupid.
    There are hundreds of others but we don’t have time.

    Class, for homework I want you to read all the end-notes, the next chapter and review the bibliography. They explain how ideologues rarely, if ever, change their positions about anything. That is something they are proud of too. Kind of like saying, I don’t have to consider other ideas. I’m done. Leave me alone! Keep your different views to yourself. I won’t ever respect them anyway. You’re wasting your time.

    Most humans avoid change. It’s very uncomfortable. Religion is a good example, too. Can you imagine how hard it is for some to change a closely held belief? Self-worth is at stake. Most can’t do it and don’t even want to try.

    Oh, one other thing. They are incapable of assessing information accurately. They think all opinions are equal – and theirs are more equal. If they considered another position and thought it had merit, it might render them catatonic. They can’t have that and won’t risk it.

    I have worked with your psychology teacher and asked her to discuss human weakness relative to being an ideologue with you in her class. She will provide other examples of the reasons ideologues hold anti-intellectual positions. Pay particular attention to the part about how they rush around making, what they think are important points, without looking at the entire issue to get perspective. It’s like a mechanic trying to fix an engine while only considering the spark plugs.

    I hope none of you ever fall into this trap.

    Honest, objective, scientifically based, intellectual growth is the goal. It may not make you a liberal but it will make you a better person.