Wombaticus's Comments (69)

“Deregulation is a key causal factor here. Some people cheat at checkers if no one is looking, they REALLY cheat when there is money to be made.

This is a reality. IMHO It seems that the whole GOP machine is geared to assist this, not prevent it.”

“I posted on this after your post

Think Student Loan program as a way for the Federal Gov to intervene on behalf of beleagured home owners without creating a freebie handout program. No debt forgiveness, just very open terms that allow the home owner to pay off as they can.”

“Right on Mister Reich.
1. claw back the money
2. direct funds instead into Gov Loan programs that take over troubled loan situations. Gov loans would work exactly the same way as student loans, pay it back as you can but no freebies.
This would cover the banks with immediate cashout of their trash debt and let families stay in their homes.

Shame is a human concept. It doesn't work on corporations anymore than it would work on a car. Both car and corporation are artificial constructs of humans, both tend to get much more of the human world than they should. Expecting them to behave differently due to Shame is stupidly optimistic anthropomorphism at best.
When this is the plan coming from smart people you have to wonder what their real goals are. Seriously. WTF?”

“This reminds me of the time I asked an ardent Morman relative if he applied the "WWJD" filter to his opinions. He told me with some heat that he would not "be drawn into that trap".

I don't understand how anyone can possibly build their life around some particular person's philosophy and at the same completely ignore facts relating to what that person has done or said.

Everything Jesus is on record as saying about charity, empathy and greed are completely the opposite of what Palin and her supporters do and say (while wearing their Christian label like a halo on a stick).

/facepalm

It would be simply sad except that these people have energy, money and plan to take over the US and subject us all their rules. Assemble and discuss, but never relax your vigilence against the mob.”

“1. Nature is very clear, homosexuality is a part of human nature.
2. Our current obsession with PRETENDING it is not can only cause more harm than good. Nobody can be really happy living with ongoing deceit.
3. ACCEPTING this can only cause more good than harm.

Past time for Americans to be drinking our own Koolaid. This is just one of many issues that needs to be addressed honestly and openly. Thats the cultural revolution that carried Obama into office, and every American needs to be part of it.”

“Marry...wh­y not? Surely the fundamental premise of the US Constitution is that people have rights to live freely, and those rights can only be abridged by a clear necessity. So what will happen if gays get to marry? In other countries where this has happened, there is zero side effect to the culture except to have more happy people living honestly.

Not sure how two people of the same sex will procreate? There has to be a second sex involved. Adoption seems much more likely. Either way, go back to point one. Whats the harm? IMO There are definitely gender based role models that the children would need to have access to, but thats true for any child. Rare is the family that fits the definition of 'perfectly normal'.”

“DATA INPUT For those who think that preference is a choice: http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/10/23/20718.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals There are tons of studies PROVING that: - Homosexuality is common - It happens in animals generally considered to be operating on instinct, not conscious decision making. So there is no scientific basis for your assertion. This was an illumination when I first learned about it some 30 years ago and it completely changed my thoughts on the matter. Please think about your positions in light of this info. If you still persist in arguing after being presented with real info, then you have other issues that reality will be talking to you about.”

“I agree completely with JohnJames on his posts.

The RESULT of the legislation is very good, but the rationale is just plain wrong. Sexual preference is not a matter of choice in ANY creature, so building that into an official statement is an error that should be commented on.”

“With all respect, I don't see how a debate will ever be won by the religious side. Debate is a rational discourse with assertions followed by supporting evidence. There is no evidence on the Church side that cannot be significantly weakened by coherent scrutiny.

The heart of religion is emotional, not rational..­.not since the invention of scientific methodology. Thats just not going to work in a debate.”

“I did note the use of "I think" to indicate that this is a personal opinion, not a Divine Truth, which is nice for once.
And that post was a lot more readable than the comparable Bible section!

"Dost Thou Agree" saith Wombaticus”

“That was a fun read! Thanks for sharing your story.”

“Agree 99%
I am an agnostic not by choice, but by my ingrained need to validate assertions. Others have asserted the existence of a Supreme Being. I have yet to see any proof that could not have occurred by the filtering of the millions of possibilities. But I dont have any proof that there is NO such Supreme Being either, it's very definition makes it impossible to disprove! So I am stuck with being agnostic.
I often envy those who are so comfortable with their religious explanations that remove all doubt. How nice it must be to KNOW. But alas, my need for proof prevents any desired belief from transmuting into knowing.”

“I like where you have gone with this, but I have an additional note that should make all the difference. With the current religions, the deity is distant & unknowable. All actions toward serving the deity will generate results only within the imagination of the supplicant.
Gaia 'worship' SHOULD have tangible and measureable reactions to IRL activities. The results may not be exactly as forecast, as Gaia is a vast being comprised of innumerable systems interacting constantly. But there WILL be results.
Old Religion = TV Sports. I can yell at it all day, but I wont make any difference to what happens.
Gaia Worship = Interactive Media. I can get in and perform actions that affect the whole in tiny or larger ways.

This is the new DIY era, so this makes total sense. Maybe I am well on my way there and didnt even know it.”

“LOL”

“I have carefully read the NPR policy (no preamble available). Here are my thoughts:
- The vast majority of the guidelines are very sensible and don't infringe on any rights of the employee. Bravo, thats the NPR I love.
- "Must not advocate for any political party online". Is this part of a standard journalistic code? I cannot see how telling someone they MUST not be part of the political process in their personal time is constitutional, but I am willing to be educated on this. The basic law classes I attended were very clear that there are basic rights you cannot sign away, regardless of desire to do so.
- the last bullet point about communication being on or off the record. All preceding points seem to say that there IS no such thing as off the record when the communication is on the internet.

I think everyone should be very wary of employers mandating conditions on their employees personal time. "Constant vigilance is the price of freedom" said someone smarter than I. (too lazy to look it up, I am no journalist!)”

“This is a fascinating article. I work at a social networking provider and we are looking at our own employee/employer issues with Facebook and other venues. I will be doing more follow-up on the links you provided.
The issues are very interesting in that the employer feels they have a right to infringe on the free speech of their employees.
Can these basic rights be suppressed by an employer rule?
Do the rights of the employing corporation outweigh the rights of the employees in their non-work hours?
If employees DO have the right to their own free speech (sad to think this is debatable), then how can they protected from negative reactions by their employer?

Thanks for posting this!”

“BECAUSE the news media is not in the news business anymore, they are simply reality tv shows producing entertainment for maximum profit. They have NO sense of responsibility to delivering information to the populace.”

“The job of the media is be the watchdog over the public processes. Their evolution from watchdog to entertainment based corporate profit center has occurred in my lifetime, and the lack of their vital role has allowed this corruption to flourish.. That's why the Press has special rights.”

“Dylan,thanks for a great article. It's become very clear that the backers Obama is trusting to deal with the financial crisis are incapable of creating a new paradigm. With voices like yours adding to the chorus of voices calling for a new way of financing, one hopes that Obama will use his considerable diplomacy to empower those needed changes.
Sadly, he seems to be let down constantly by those he should be able to depend, he cannot be expected to micromanage every industry, every session of congress, every dispute between countries. His team has to get better at doing their jobs, and remember that they serve the America people, not the American corporations.”

“You bring up very good points about the way we discuss the important issues as a matter of method rather than the addressing the substance of the topic.

All major news media are guilty of this, and there needs to be a revolution in that industry too.”

“Hooray that a good man will be back where he can do more good.
BUT...
The real tragedy here is that Glenn Beck's imaginary world was able to change something in the real world. This is an awful precedent and does not bode well for the ability to deliver on the promise of Obama's administration.”

“She sounds extraordinary, very glad to read this article about her.”

“It's the same formula being applied by the GOP to every situation.

- Inspiring kids to learn is a good thing (accepted fact)
- Dem's cannot be allowed to succeed at any good thing (GOP agenda)
- Obama is a Dem and he wants to inspire kids to learn (facts)

Therefore
- All GOP must be against Obama's speech in the most noisy and victimized way possible in order to maximize the negativity associated with the Dem's.”

“great article!”

“Part 2
4. We all live in a human social ecosystem, where we share essential resources that are disease vectors such as air and tactile surfaces. Any person who is carrying a non-treated communicable disease will transmit to others. The earlier the disease is treated, the less associated costs to the community.
5. National Pride: A well ordered nation should proudly assume the responsibility of providing baseline medical service for it's citizens. The government is mandated to provide such necessary services as to see to the well being of the nation and its citizens. This means human beings as well as corporations, and to all levels of financial wealth. Are we not the USA? I am PROUD to be American and I am chagrined that we are so far behind other countries in caring for our own. It's a disgrace.
*6. IMHO: No matter your motivation, be it religious or empathic or rational, taking care of each other is just the right thing to do. (*not a fact...but damn close to one)”