From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos
From Address: GettingCloser{at}here.com
Subject: Re: Antimatter experiment produces first beam of antihydrogen

On Sat, 25 Jan 2014 10:21:25 +0100, Wouter Valentijn
 wrote:

>Your Name schreef op 25-1-2014 06:21:
>> In article ,
>>  wrote:
>>> On Fri, 24 Jan 2014 19:09:54 +0100, Wouter Valentijn
>>>  wrote:
>>>> GettingCloser{at}here.com schreef op 24-1-2014 18:23:
>>>>>
>>>>> I want my antimatter cigarette lighter, please!
>>>>
>>>> Nah, smoking is very unhealthy.
>>>> But once you get your hands on some serious amounts of
antimatter, why
>>>> not take inspiration from 'The Doomsday Machine' and
create a planet killer!
>>>> Oh, wait.... That might be unhealthy also.....
>>>
>>> People do a lot of unhealthy things. As long as they do them to
>>> themselves, it's really none of your business.
>>>
>>> Now when they do such things to OTHERS, especially the helpless, that
>>> makes it EVERYBODY'S business.
>> 
>>
>> I tend to agree, but there are added problems.
>>
>> Firstly, in many places your taxes are wasted to help people who make
>> stupid decisions, for example health services for people who CHOOSE to
>> smoke, rescue services for people who CHOOSE to climb a mountain, etc.
>> Public taxes should not be used for these purposes, the people who
>> choose to do those things should pay for any consequences themselves.
>
>I also tend to agree here.
>However, I also think that these services, like justice, should be 
>blind. The principle of solidarity with all should be upheld. It is the 
>foundation of society.
>
>>
>> Secondly, the people doing stupid things often cause damage to innocent
>> bystanders. For example a drunk driver or idiot trying to escape the
>> police crashes into an innocent road user or pedestrian.
>
>Indeed. Jail time for those I'd say.
>
>>
>> The point of where to draw the line in interferring in what people do
>> is difficult to establish ... although in 99% of cases, the
>> policitcally correct fools are way over the line.
>>
>
>The trouble is that life consists out of a lot of gray areas.
>Things might indeed not always be clear and humans, imperfect as they 
>are, can make mistakes. On either side of that vague line.
>Society has people (we hope) that are qualified to make that judgment 
>call. I try not to be the first one to throw stones.

Since we are now into politics...

Applying that to social and moral situations, what about those who
deliberately live beyond their means with no intentions of ever paying
back their debts and then declare personal bankruptcy?  Laws have been
tightening on that but then you hear of the new IRS "forgiveness"
where backtaxes can be completely forgiven ten cents on the dollar.

However, when an overpaid CEO sails his company into the rocky shore
and bankrupts the company, throwing thousands out of work and
threatening the entire national economy, suddenly THEY are "too big to
fail" and MUST be rescued.

Conservatives rally all day long against welfare for the individual as
if it is worshipping Satan himself.

So Corporate Welfare = GOOD; Personal Welfare = BAD.

Conservatives never see the irony in how billions freely given to bad
companies is good yet billions that might make people in bad
situations productive  is good.

I blame conservatives for not being conservative.  Under Bush they
grew the government more than ALL Presidents in the past COMBINED and
strapped us with a phony war debt we will NEVER repay.

Either way, you throw the dice.  Yet the rich's dice are always
weighted by the legislation they write for Congress and is passed
unread.

BTW: didn't Bush's unfunded Iraq war cost the country about $17
TRILLION about now?  Think what could have been done with that money
had the military and the President been worth a fuck on 9/11.

And don't get me started on Bush's TARP bailout that Obama bobbed his
head and continued.

The rich get what they want because they are HOLY.  The poor just
deserve to die because they didn't choose to be born rich with Daddy's
money.
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