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[Sir Pseudonymous]

I'm pretty sure China nowadays allows religious freedom, but only to state-approved religious organizations. I think (based on personal experience) the majority are Buddhist/Taoist to some extent, which the government can't really regulate. For an example of China cracking down on religious groups, google "Falun Gong".

I hate to admit China's authoritarian bullshit is ever a good thing, but in the case of Falun Gong, it is. It's an actively harmful scam, sort of a Chinese Scientology. Of course, China still encourages the practice of Chinese medicine as an actual science...

A lot of the people in my family take Chinese medicine, and they get better. The Chinese herbal stuff cures my coughs and soothes throat way better than a lot of the western sugary cough medicine and cough drops. Tastes nice too. IMO, anything where you take a treatment and it makes you better is valid

Would that "herbal stuff" happen to contain tea? Because tea contains caffeine, and caffeine gets metabolized into several extremely effective antitussive chemicals. Chinese medicine is not science, it's folk remedies with a lot of bullshit sprinkled on top. Which, as it turns out, sometimes actually do shit, for actual reasons, which, it should be noted, will always be something other than what the folk remedy claims, if it even bothers with an attempt at explanation beyond "yeah, this totally works sometimes and shit". In those cases where folk medicine works to a greater degree than just giving someone something foul tasting and telling them it'll cure them, there is an actual, medical explanation (technically, the "just give them something and tell them it'll help" thing is also an actual medical explanation...), that is either known, or could be understood with study. Western medical science is the study of that. Chinese medical "science" is "this is what ancestor did, he say it work, do this", only given status and equal treatment as actual science.

Although saying "western medicine doesn't work because an essentially unregulated drug that's intended to sooth the effects of a generally uncurable but short lived disease is less pleasant than a hot drink containing more effective antitussives (that can also be found in about 99% of normal drinks in the US...)" is rather silly regardless.

I find hard liquor and strong coffee do the trick personally, can't stand even mild doses of DXM, and the alcohol is a hell of a lot healthier than the acetaminophen in the cough medicine (both attack the liver, the medicine given to children more aggressively... ).

[Bauglir]

-snip-

[Eagle_eye]

I would propose that we break up the united states into a network of city states, each voting on everything relevant to only that city, in a direct democracy, and each city can vote to propose a law nationwide, at which point everyone votes whether or not to pass it. Corporations need to be outlawed, except for partnerships where every member has an equal share, prices need to be locked at certain points depending on how much of that substance or the substance its made from exists on earth, and how accessible it is. everyone who is sufficiently productive should receive everything they need (housing, food, water, electricity, healthcare) for free, and also receive a small amount of cash per hour worked to spend on luxuries. The same should go for students, anyone over 70, and the disabled. Basically, do everything possible to eliminate certain small groups having ridiculous influence.

[zilpin]

I would propose that we break up the united states into a network of city states, each voting on everything relevant to only that city, in a direct democracy, and each city can vote to propose a law nationwide, at which point everyone votes whether or not to pass it. Corporations need to be outlawed, except for partnerships where every member has an equal share, prices need to be locked at certain points depending on how much of that substance or the substance its made from exists on earth, and how accessible it is. everyone who is sufficiently productive should receive everything they need (housing, food, water, electricity, healthcare) for free, and also receive a small amount of cash per hour worked to spend on luxuries. The same should go for students, anyone over 70, and the disabled. Basically, do everything possible to eliminate certain small groups having ridiculous influence.

What mark did you earn in World History 101?

[V-Norrec]

. . . if I were to guess, low.  Just saying, people have been trying to do stuff like that for CENTURIES and it hasn't worked so far, is there any reason why you think that would work now.  Also, breaking up the country like that would effectively end our superpower status because every joe-schmo out there could stall foreign diplomacy because "I doesn't like them Elbonians heeheehee."  Seriously, terrible idea, a Republic is much more effective.

[Eagle_eye]

I would propose that we break up the united states into a network of city states, each voting on everything relevant to only that city, in a direct democracy, and each city can vote to propose a law nationwide, at which point everyone votes whether or not to pass it. Corporations need to be outlawed, except for partnerships where every member has an equal share, prices need to be locked at certain points depending on how much of that substance or the substance its made from exists on earth, and how accessible it is. everyone who is sufficiently productive should receive everything they need (housing, food, water, electricity, healthcare) for free, and also receive a small amount of cash per hour worked to spend on luxuries. The same should go for students, anyone over 70, and the disabled. Basically, do everything possible to eliminate certain small groups having ridiculous influence.

What mark did you earn in World History 101?

Keep in mind I'm not saying this is possible, just ideal.

[Leafsnail]

Brings up another point, when will the government stop relying on medical companies to produce cures and get themselves to work. they won't do it, they'll lose money for less treatment requests. SELL SOME MEDICINE BITCHES.

...?

[Sir Pseudonymous]

Also cough syrup is usually pretty high proof anyway, so it's not like you're actually missing out on the booze that way anyway.

Only some of it, and that's so syrupy that it lacks the healthy burn of everything in your esophagus dying. :3

[Tellemurius]

Brings up another point, when will the government stop relying on medical companies to produce cures and get themselves to work. the companies won't do it, they'll lose money for less treatment requests. SELL SOME MEDICINE BITCHES.

...?

fixed that, hopefully you can understand now.
the end part is a Dave Chappelle joke.

[Andir]

I would propose that we break up the united states into a network of city states, each voting on everything relevant to only that city, in a direct democracy, and each city can vote to propose a law nationwide, at which point everyone votes whether or not to pass it. Corporations need to be outlawed, except for partnerships where every member has an equal share, prices need to be locked at certain points depending on how much of that substance or the substance its made from exists on earth, and how accessible it is. everyone who is sufficiently productive should receive everything they need (housing, food, water, electricity, healthcare) for free, and also receive a small amount of cash per hour worked to spend on luxuries. The same should go for students, anyone over 70, and the disabled. Basically, do everything possible to eliminate certain small groups having ridiculous influence.

What mark did you earn in World History 101?

Keep in mind I'm not saying this is possible, just ideal.

But it isn't ideal unless everyone has the same wants and needs.

Take for example your "everyone [gets housing]" and "[a small allowance of luxury spending cash]."  (Are we all children?  That's what my brother does with his kids.)  What if I spend my money making my housing bigger?  When I die... how does my house get re-apportioned?  Can I buy more yard with my luxury money?  Will I have a yard or will yards be deemed non-beneficial to the city-state?  It's fine to think that it's fine "as long as your needs are being met" until your needs aren't.  What if I buy a nicer car with my luxury money and it breaks.  Let's say I got rid of my old car as I didn't need it.  Will the government fix my fancy car?  Then they are spending more money on me than someone else!  (Even if they give you a new car... you are still getting better treatment because of a choice you made on how to spend your luxury cash.)

Personally, I think we need to shrink the Fed, but keep their original intent.  To check the States and protect the rights of the citizens from the States and the corporations (and remove that assumption that corporations are people).  Fed should retain the ability to split up non-competitive companies.  We should give the states back their Senate seats.  No state can have a military, so they rely on the federal government for defense and if they feel like succeeding, let them.  Any state joining the union should have to give up it's military.  Only laws voted by a majority of states should even be considered for Federal in-statement and all laws should have a sunset date where the law will be re-voted on to determine it's status.  Any laws not re-instated will be deemed null.

Also, the topic was brought up about Dems vs. Reps. and how it's more like a sporting event than anything.... and it was said that we place too much emphasis on titles and groups.  I just wanted to point that out to the person that thought the Tea Party was more than just a fiscal responsibility movement.  The TEA party has no standing on race, creed, or nationality.  There are a few sidelines like earmark reform and restoration of Constitutional checks... but the basis for the movement is and always has been financial reform.  The other stuff you hear is fringe groups trying to hang their suckers on the side of the movement (Palin as well) and media stonewalling.

Also, Third Parties are not only stonewalled by the government.  They are stonewalled by the people who laugh at Third Parties and anyone that thinks they can win.

[nenjin]

I just had to come in to say....

Falun Gong? While the Chinese government persecuted the Falun Gong a little too zealously, even China had reasonable reasons to take action against them. Dangerous religious sect describes Falun Gong pretty well.

[de5me7]

America is essentially a shell of it's once great-and-glorious self.

im not an American, but im not sure i agree with this statement. When was America great? Not in the global super power sense, but in the land of liberty sense? Your talking about 10 years, i dont recall the Clint being a champion of democracy, and its not like Bush senior, or Regan were exactly opposed to military spending. Was there a time when wall street didnt hold US politics by the balls?

I cant comment of the size of the federal gov, or the effectiveness of state policy, because i dont know enough about it. But from an external casual viewer sense, the US government never seems to have been particuarly effective as a world leader. The republicans maybe more trigger happy and demos less honest, but both seem united in self service, and promising more than they intend to deliver.

As for democracy, when were successful political parties in the US not fueled by cash? The relationbship between the wealthy a democratic pull is unhealthily true in most western democracies.

[Aqizzar]

Honestly, I'm more curious about when he thinks America was "greater" by any definition he cares to choose.  I'd love to hear a timeframe.

We should give the states back their Senate seats.

What in the world is that line supposed to mean?  How do the states not have Senate seats?  You mean putting the office-appointment back in the hands of state electorates instead of by popular vote?  I really have no idea.

[Grakelin]

Falun Gong representatives sat behind us at my university's Clubs Day one time. They had me convinced that Falun Gong was some sort of performance art speaking out against the Chinese government, and I ended up being quite upset with them when I wiki'd them later.

[Andir]

We should give the states back their Senate seats.

What in the world is that line supposed to mean?  How do the states not have Senate seats?  You mean putting the office-appointment back in the hands of state electorates instead of by popular vote?  I really have no idea.

Yes, the 17th Amendment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Advocacy_for_repeal