Interesting article thread

[AcneVulgaris]

But surely your not denying that Earth is being visited hourly by some seriously inconsistent UFO designing Aliens, the evidence is there for all to see on You Tube!

As an alien myself, I deny it all.

[Iron_Maiden]

Do we?:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/anti-ch ... tic-chair/

[Red Devil]

darn, he's on to us...

[Ded10c]

Aah, if only America had stuck with irreligion.

[Zenophas]

I find it funny how a lot of developed countries in the world are less dysfunctional due to their being more secular.

[Red Devil]

religion, like gubmint, is an industry, created to make you believe that you need them to get what you need and want.

you don't need religion to talk with God and you don't need gubmint to be your doctor or to be your teacher or to be your employer or...

both promise you freedom, but, instead, take it from you.

[MrTwosheds]

Freedom is much overrated, it has two faces, starving to death or dying from easily treatable conditions are the darkside of freedom nobody likes to mention.

[Red Devil]

you're confusing freedom with money

[Nielk1]

The idea is that in that situation the rich help the poor for their own reasons, be they altruistic or for personal gain, and not because they are forced to. And it does happen.

[MrTwosheds]

No, I just understand how much we rely on each other for our survival. Try a long hike through death valley alone, you will find freedom there and be glad when its gone.

[Zenophas]

In regards to freedom, it's best not to base it on absolutes.

[AcneVulgaris]

Freedom is inversely proportional to population density.

[MrTwosheds]

The idea is that in that situation the rich help the poor for their own reasons, be they altruistic or for personal gain, and not because they are forced to. And it does happen.

Sounds like the politics of Victorian England.
Do you have any great idea's about how the poor will not be forced to be poor? The normal solution is to take back control of the "god given" wealth of the Earth through violence against those who seek to deny it to them. If the wealthy do not accept that their position is one of privilege and responsibilities, then they have no right to keep it. Making those responsibilities legally enforceable, is one way of ensuring a civilisation does not fail. If the wealth divide continues to widen conflicts will become unavoidable.

In the case of the US were population density is actually very low, you have 3 choices, continue to create an Elite class and face conflict, try to control it with "socialist redistribution" (fail) Or you reverse the removal of access to resources by the poor.
A controlled deconstruction of corporate agriculture for example.

[Zenophas]

Freedom is inversely proportional to population density.

Kinda like a walrus.

[MrTwosheds]

+1 for total irrelevancy