Have you ever been substantively wrong online?

[DinoDoc]

Why is it that you spend so much time complaining about how your taxes are being used to provide food and medicine to the poor, and so little time complaining about how a much larger proportion of your taxes are being used to fund unnecessary foreign wars?

Entitlements eat up a rather large and growing portion of the US's Chinese credit card. If one is going to complain about profligate federal spending the so-called War on Poverty seems like a valid target of concern.

[loinburger]

Are you intentionally ignoring the second half of the sentence you quoted, or did you just fail to notice it? I'm going to assume the former.

It's not a question of whether entitlement spending is a concern that needs to be addressed, it's a question of why some people only want to address (i.e. cut) entitlement spending while ignoring the rest of the budget. Ben et al moans and complains about how he's being robbed to pay for Medicare etc, but I have never seen him complain about how he's being robbed to fund foreign wars. If I've missed the thread in which he does so then he can post the link.

[Ben Kenobi]

you consistently complain only about the taxation that provides food and medicine for the poor and not for the much larger chunk of taxation that funds the military industrial complex. Apparently you're fine with the government "stealing" from you so long as they use the money to kill people.

So if I rob you and split your wallet between me and the poor, apparently that's ok in your book. The ends justify the means.

[giblets]

Are you intentionally ignoring the second half of the sentence you quoted, or did you just fail to notice it? I'm going to assume the former.

It's not a question of whether entitlement spending is a concern that needs to be addressed, it's a question of why some people only want to address (i.e. cut) entitlement spending while ignoring the rest of the budget. Ben et al moans and complains about how he's being robbed to pay for Medicare etc, but I have never seen him complain about how he's being robbed to fund foreign wars. If I've missed the thread in which he does so then he can post the link.

He won't post a link because it doesn't exist. He'll just try to deflect.

[loinburger]

So if I rob you and split your wallet between me and the poor, apparently that's ok in your book. The ends justify the means.

When have you complained about the costs of the Iraq war in particular or the military industrial complex in general? By all means post a link. Otherwise it's clear that all you're doing is using "taxes = theft" rhetoric to justify sticking it to the poor.

It would also help your case if you actually addressed the Biblical quotes that have been brought up that exhort you to pay your friggin taxes, but I'm not holding my breath.

[DinoDoc]

It's not a question of whether entitlement spending is a concern that needs to be addressed, it's a question of why some people only want to address (i.e. cut) entitlement spending while ignoring the rest of the budget.

In 2007 Medicare, Social Security and federal retirement programs represented approximately 50.15 trillion in liabilities for the taxpayer. While defense spending is a concern that needs to be addressed, it is dwarfed by promises we've made to Boomers and other population groups.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-28-federal-budget_N.htm

[loinburger]

That's an apples to oranges comparison. Here's an apples to apples question: if there are no major budgeting changes, then how much will we spend on the military over the next 5/10/20 years, and how much will we spend on benefits/entitlements over the next 5/10/20 years? Is military spending still "dwarfed"?

[giblets]

Yeah, I love how future entitlement spending matters but future military spending somehow doesn't.

[Arrian]

Of course I've been wrong about some things. I vaguely recall some instances of simply being factually wrong and just saying oops, my bad (which is what Loin was talking about in the OP), though I can't remember exactly what now. It's not actually that hard. Anybody can misremember a statistic or fall victim to uncritically repeating a number/claim they got somewhere else (but ends up being bull****).

I've also held some positions that now don't look very good: supported the initial invasion of Afghanistan and even bought into the whole "Iraq was a distraction, if only we focus on AfPak we can, um, yeah, somethingsomething [then a miracle occurs]" argument. I now think that's silly, notwithstanding the successful hit on OBL.

-Arrian

[Nikolai]

Someone should tell the puppet master they can't sell without links.

[loinburger]

I'm pretty sure the forums strip all of the links from a post if the poster has fewer than X posts (dunno what X is, probably a hundred-ish). Apparently this is easier than adding a captcha to the registration page.

[Boris Godunov]

So if I rob you and split your wallet between me and the poor, apparently that's ok in your book. The ends justify the means.

Submit to the government like Paul tells you to, you blasphemer.

[Nikolai]

If one follow the Bible, paying taxes is the right thing to do. One can ofc discuss the amount, but pay one should.

[Ben Kenobi]

Submit to the government like Paul tells you to, you blasphemer

I'm fine with taxation, just not income taxation.

[Ben Kenobi]

When have you complained about the costs of the Iraq war in particular or the military industrial complex in general?

Constitutionally, defense is a legitimate use of federal taxpayer dollars. Entitlement programs are not. That's the difference between the two. Before you can cut constitutional obligations, you have to cut the unnecessary expenditures.

Unfortunately, this is a nation based on the constitution not the bible.

It would also help your case if you actually addressed the Biblical quotes that have been brought up that exhort you to pay your friggin taxes, but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm quite happy to pay my taxes to the legitimate authority in this area, the state of TX.