Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

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alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »

kirtu wrote:
Take a walk down most Manhattan streets, come to Dupont Circle in DC, or find homeless camps in Northern Virginia. Where do you live? I'll come up and show you. In California some of those homeless camps are on the map now because school districts have to send school buses there.

Kirt

This is ridiculous.

Most Manhattan streets?

My brother lives on Roosevelt Island. Give me a break.
alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »

Unless you live off the grid, growing your own food etc., it is HIGHLY hypocritical to say that corporations are evil, sadistic child rapers.
alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »

To be honest I have not seen a single homeless person in Manhattan.
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kirtu
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by kirtu »

alwayson wrote:Where are the impoverished masses resorting to cannibalism?
Now you have really move the goalposts. They didn't even resort to cannibalism in WWII, or any of the more recent wars. Cannibalism of dead people was reported in China prior to the 1949 revolution.
Like I said before, most "poor" people in America have air conditioning, a fridge, XBOX 360, DVD player, flat screens etc.
Most poor people do NOT have those things. Most people, poor or not, in the US have a refrigerator (BTW - I did not for 2 yrs after my last fridge died - couldn't afford a new one). A fridge is considered a necessity in the US and when I had to sell my condo we had to have one put in.

DVD player is a broad term. Anyone with a functional computer not running Linux has a dvd player. I don't know many people with portable dvd players anymore. They generally aren't needed as separate devices.

Flat screens - I can show you a lot of people without a roof over their heads and without flatscreens or xboxes.

Jon Stewart on this issue at about the 5 minute marker

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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kirtu
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by kirtu »

Karma Dondrup Tashi wrote:
kirtu wrote:Take a walk down most Manhattan streets ...
Like everyone else on this thread, you are living in la-la-land. Guess where I live MFs?!?!?!

Oh but I forgot ... NYC is like some Mad Max wasteland pit of hell ...
I never said that. But you have impoverished people all around you in Manhattan.

Homelessness in NYC

Kirt
Last edited by kirtu on Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »


I've seen this before.

He reinforces the point essentially if I remember. I'll watch it again.
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kirtu
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by kirtu »

alwayson wrote:To be honest I have not seen a single homeless person in Manhattan.
Did you have your eyes open?

An online gallery of some homeless NYC people

I'm sure not all of these people are from Manhattan but I have only a couple of times been anywhere in NYC other than Manhattan in my life. I remember seeing poor people in Manhattan when I was a little boy too and that was just on a visit.

Kirt
Last edited by kirtu on Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »

kirtu wrote:
alwayson wrote:To be honest I have not seen a single homeless person in Manhattan.
Did you have your eyes open?

Kirt

Yes
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kirtu
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by kirtu »

alwayson wrote:
kirtu wrote:
alwayson wrote:To be honest I have not seen a single homeless person in Manhattan.
Did you have your eyes open?

Kirt

Yes
Perhaps you do not recognize homelessness. No one out on the street has asked you for money?

Homelessness in NYC

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
Malcolm
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by Malcolm »

Karma Dondrup Tashi wrote:
Yeah well hey if that's what you mean by point by point I can understand why you think it would be tedious bullshit.
The point by point thing is tedious because basically, the libertarian party will never gain power in this country.

We can agree that there is no way a third party will be a relevant force in American politics. You think it is because of "entitlement" programs and so on.

I think it is because corporations have their hands too deep in American politics and that so called free market thinking has been systematically destroying the middle class in America, a middle class that was birthed and grown under a Keynsian model.

I see the headlong rush of the rest of the world's economies to follow our example to be folly unparralled.

Instead of increased centralization and more policies that favor growth and expansion, we need to do a global about face, reduce world populations, etc.

You know the drill.

N
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kirtu
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by kirtu »

Basic facts about the Greek economy

I would like to see a breakdown of unemployment by ages. One of the main claims of the people in front of Parliament is that they can't find employment. Official employment figures are often spurious but it's a start.

So GDP is about $312 B, their total public debt appears to be around $461 B, and they are running a government deficit of only $33.8B. So why are people running around trying to stick knives in their backs? 20% of their population is in poverty and they have 18% unemployment.

They have the largest merchant marine in the world by tonnage: ship more stuff. Be nice to the tourists (Greeks were always very nice to me when I was there but we were warned that some Greeks hated US military - and people seemed to like my very bad Greek).

Kirt
Last edited by kirtu on Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »

kirtu wrote: Perhaps you do not recognize homelessness. No one out on the street has asked you for money?

Homelessness in NYC

Kirt

If you are using that criterion, I have seen some in America.

But all countries will have that. You can't do anything about it.
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Karma Dondrup Tashi
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by Karma Dondrup Tashi »

Let's not completely go insane here folks. There are homeless people in Manhattan just like there are in all cities everywhere. Otherwise what is this

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/homeless/famserv.shtml

and this

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/homele ... serv.shtml

for?

This isn't charity, NYC is legally obliged to do this.

But as we also all know a large number of homeless men and women don't go to the shelters.

http://www.squidoo.com/why_homeless_peo ... d_shelters

http://news.change.org/stories/why-i-ch ... er-shelter

Another problem is the housing shortage in NYC - caused by apartment subsidies and rent-stabilized apartments. And we all know that subsidizing something leads to a shortage of that something - riiiiiiight?
It has been the misfortune (not, as these gentlemen think it, the glory) of this age that everything is to be discussed. Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France.
Malcolm
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by Malcolm »

alwayson wrote:
kirtu wrote: Perhaps you do not recognize homelessness. No one out on the street has asked you for money?

Homelessness in NYC

Kirt

If you are using that criterion, I have seen some in America.

But all countries will have that. You can't do anything about it.

All countries do not have homelessness.

N
alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »

Namdrol wrote:
All countries do not have homelessness.

N

That defies even common sense.
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Karma Dondrup Tashi
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by Karma Dondrup Tashi »

Namdrol wrote: The point by point thing is tedious because basically, the libertarian party will never gain power in this country.
Which is why I am not a Libertarian and I think Libertarians who get involved in party politics are even dumber than Democrats or Republicans.

Ron Paul: The government is Satanic! Now make me president!

Eh?

For me there is only one method:

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It has been the misfortune (not, as these gentlemen think it, the glory) of this age that everything is to be discussed. Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France.
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Sönam
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by Sönam »

I would have never imagined that vajra brothers could have such point of view, never ...

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Sönam
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By understanding that any and all mental activity is meditation, you are freed from arbitrary divisions between formal sessions and postmeditation activity.
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Karma Dondrup Tashi
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by Karma Dondrup Tashi »

Namdrol wrote:All countries do not have homelessness.
Right some also had gulags.
It has been the misfortune (not, as these gentlemen think it, the glory) of this age that everything is to be discussed. Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France.
alwayson
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by alwayson »

The amount of people who have asked me for money on the streets of America over the course my life, can't be more than 20 people. And thats being really generous.
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kirtu
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Re: Democracy in the country that gave birth to democracy

Post by kirtu »

alwayson wrote:
Namdrol wrote:
All countries do not have homelessness.

N

That defies even common sense.
Even the Norwegians have some homelessness albeit mostly from immigrants.

Homelessness in Germany that I have seen has mostly been from kids thrown out of the house, alcoholism and drugs, some kind of structural poverty that the German social safety net does not address (which I do not understand actually).

I'm not sure if there is homelessness in Holland actually although I have seen Gay street kids who were also thrown out of the house and people suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.

Homelessness in the US is usually a result of direct poverty.

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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