Election Thread 2008 MAKE SURE YOU VOTE

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The problem is that we have a society of smug, self-satisfied people who look out only for their material interests, thus the majority of people in this country are overweight/obese and need some prodding, dammit.

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The idea sounds good in theory until you read TODE's post and ask, how cynical are you really? If you believe people are only out for their own personal interests and want to feel smug and self-satisfied, then all we get through this idea are people who will find ways to cheat the system. And who will hold the cheaters accountable? Especially when it's much easier to just say the program needs more funding, and makes people pay for it, like it or not.

If anything I think smaller charity works better than some wide-spanning program. If someone donates time to, say, a local community group and is given aid in good conscious, they would be less likely to screw over or cheat a bunch of people they know personally. It's much easier when the people cheated and swindled are nameless, faceless, or better yet - The Man.

I say, have a draft. Volunteer to volunteer, or volunteer to shoot at brown people. You pick. :D

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Originally Posted by TODE

Back when I went for one in the 1990s, it was 150 hours.

I did a lot of it by spending a week as an outdoor school counselor.

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Well, I didn't really break it down, but it may have changed. Nowadays they're called "CAS" hours, which stands for Creativity, Action, and Service, and you have to have a minimum of 50 hours in each criteria. They could all be community-service oriented, but the first two were a bit more flexible: "action" could be two seasons (max of 25 hours from each activity) of sports, for example.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

It's a learned skill,

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oh hush, no it isn't. It was a character trait that your childhood encouraged you to make a large part of your personality.

If it could be learned, you'd taught your sister to stop being a dumbass by now.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

These kids are at least 8 or 9, man. I was more than comfortable arguing with my teachers point for point by then, and I did it quite often.

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you were a dork and a jackass then. You should have been beaten, a lot.

8 and 9 year olds, even the smart ones, rarely give a shit about the adult world.

I kind of think the forced community service thing for kids is a good idea.

If done correctly, it could force many naive and sheltered upper middle class kids to see and deal with parts of society that they know nothing about. It could be a real growing experience.

I don't really think it violates rights. Kids don't have any, anyway.

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Originally Posted by buttcheeks

If it could be learned, you'd taught your sister to stop being a dumbass by now.

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My sister went away to live with rabbis and attend Yeshiva when she was 12, and I haven't lived in the same house with her since she was 3. Believe me, if I had the chance, it wouldn't be an issue. She was totally immersed in an environment that did not challenge her in that way.

Which isn't typical of Jewish culture at large, but rather a small sector of extremists. Generally speaking, Jews have a culture of debate. In shul, it's not uncommon for someone you've never met to walk up to you for no reason and start an argument with you. It's a bonding thing. It's part of why there are so many Jewish lawyers, too.

Believe me, critical thinking is absolutely a learned skill. It may also be a personality trait, and it may be something one has more of an aptitude for than someone else, much like math skills. But also like math skills, the propensity is useless without the learned skill set to apply it.

Democrats' victory leads to boom in gun sales

Well, at least one segment of the economy is benefiting from the election results.

I had heard about that, anecdotally. I don't honestly believe that Obama is any threat to guns, but a strong majority in both houses might be so whatever, good on 'em.

I used the be an anti-gun guy, but I've conceded it as a vice of our society I'm willing to accept to preserve the constitutions, as well as for pragmatic reasons resulting from an inability to really remove them from society to the extent they are in countries that I think do it right.

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

I had heard about that, anecdotally. I don't honestly believe that Obama is any threat to guns, but a strong majority in both houses might be so whatever, good on 'em.

I used the be an anti-gun guy, but I've conceded it as a vice of our society I'm willing to accept to preserve the constitutions, as well as for pragmatic reasons resulting from an inability to really remove them from society to the extent they are in countries that I think do it right.

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I doubt he's a threat to most guns (automatics being the exception, and I don't see a need for the general public to have a hold of those anyways), but whatever. I just worry that too many reactionaries will go out and get them for the sake of having them, without bothering to take the proper safety courses or purchasing a gun safe, particularly if children are in the house.