Texas resident programmer who teaches a course on the constitution.
Reading over him, he seems to be everything I love about Bush without everything I hate. He's also the only candidate so far that I've seen to have his platform clearly stated on his site.
Remember folks, it's only a two-party system when enough people believe it is. Maradon! fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 04:41 PM.
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Death Penalty
Having the "right to life" implies that we also have the right to keep ourselves alive in the face of a violent attack. Michael thinks that the best time to administer the death penalty is by the potential victim a few tenths of a second before the crime can be committed. (In other words, in obvious self-defense.) Michael feels that, at least philosophically, the government is perfectly justified in carrying out the death penalty for the victim and his or her survivors when there is incontrovertible evidence. Nonetheless, Michael does not feel any satisfaction in terminating anyone's life, even if they are sociopathic. For that reason, Michael would be satisfied if violent criminals sentenced to life in prison actually SPENT life in prison. Given the opportunity, Michael would like to change one aspect of prison life to increase the safety of the people guarding them. Instead of allowing them to lift weights and exercise several hours per day (making them violent AND powerful), Michael would require them to remain in bed all day for the first month, and twelve hours per day after that. This lack of activity would allow their muscles to atrophy, making them helpless couch potatoes incapable of inflicting very much violence on each other, the guards, or unsuspecting citizens should they manage to escape. Michael also likes the idea of requiring them to submit one book report a week, encouraging them to strengthen their minds instead of their bodies.
I reallllly like this guy.
Disclaimer: I'm just kidding, I love all living things.
The fastest draw in the Crest.
"The Internet is MY critical thinking course." -Maradon
"Gambling for the husband, an abortion for the wife and fireworks for the kids they chose to keep? Fuck you, Disneyland. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the happiest place on Earth." -JooJooFlop
currently prison is nothing more than crook college
Much as the old ideal seems attractive, anyone elected to high office without experience either at the top of a corporation or in the government is doomed either to utter failure, or to be controlled by those who know the system--and it'd be a toss-up whether anything drastically bad happened as a result.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
There have been many successful presidents who were never a senator or CEO of a corporation
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Bloodsage impressed everyone with:
Interesting, but I don't see anything in his biography that would qualify him to run an organization the size and complexity of the US government. Sr. Trainer for ETI. . .which is misspelled (presumably) in his biography. . .hardly seems to qualify him to run a huge bureaucracy.Much as the old ideal seems attractive, anyone elected to high office without experience either at the top of a corporation or in the government is doomed either to utter failure, or to be controlled by those who know the system--and it'd be a toss-up whether anything drastically bad happened as a result.
He can't be that much worse than having an ACTOR for a president, right? RIGHT?
Sorry, I was watching Back to the Future the other day 
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Gay marriage/gay adoption
Michael is a tireless advocate of INDIVIDUAL rights, and since homosexuals qualify as individuals, Michael can find no rational reason to discriminate against them. Michael claims autonomy over his own life and who he chooses to associate with, therefore two individuals of the same sex who voluntarily choose to live together clearly have the same right to claim that autonomy. Michael also supports the right of same sex couples to raise children in a loving environment. It is ridiculous to think that raising a child in a homosexual household will cause them to become homosexual themselves. Keep in mind that 100% of all homosexuals are born to heterosexual parents, and there was apparently nothing they could do to influence their children to share their preference.
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Kegwen thought about the meaning of life:
Voting for this guy will accomplish about as much as voting for the Green party
*waves tentacles about*
Yes, vote for a third party! THROW your vote away!
Disclaimer: I'm just kidding, I love all living things.
The fastest draw in the Crest.
"The Internet is MY critical thinking course." -Maradon
"Gambling for the husband, an abortion for the wife and fireworks for the kids they chose to keep? Fuck you, Disneyland. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the happiest place on Earth." -JooJooFlop
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Kegwen came out of the closet to say:
Voting for this guy will accomplish about as much as voting for the Green party
At least it's not a vote for Bush. 
fyi: I'm more libertarian than democrat myself, but unless they actually had a chance to win, I'm putting my vote to good use. Drysart fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 05:16 PM.
Slartibartfast: "They're worried the wrong lizard might get into office."
Really, REALLY the only reason a vote for a third party is a vote wasted is because people perpetuate the idea.
A vote for a third party is not a wasted vote if you stop acting like it is. Maradon! fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 05:40 PM.
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Maradon! had this to say about Matthew Broderick:
Arthur: "Why don't they just vote for a human?"Slartibartfast: "They're worried the wrong lizard might get into office."
Really, REALLY the only reason a vote for a third party is a vote wasted is because people perpetuate the idea.
A vote for a third party is not a wasted vote if you stop acting like it is.
A vote for a third party is a wasted vote. The libertarians are the largest 3rd party at the moment. And even then they are no where close to having enough votes to get anyone elected. They will never be much more than a fringe group. Voting third pary has about the same impact as writing in your pet on the ballot.
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Income taxes
The IRS is despised by every American old enough to work for a living. This agency is notorious for confiscating property from citizens without proper due process of law. Michael would eliminate this agency completely, without instituting a flat tax to take its place. Michael would also eliminate the NEED for an income tax by abolishing hundreds of unconstitutional offices and government programs. Americans will experience a sudden increase in their take-home pay when they no longer have money withheld from their paychecks. This will trigger rapid economic growth which means that all of the newly unemployed government workers would be able to find "real" jobs in the private sector.
Now, I don't know too terribly much when it comes to the economy and such, but how are we going to run our economy without an income tax?
As an outsider looking in (and not really knowing any of these people from a block of cheese*), I post no comment myself, but instead open the floor to discussion.
* - Although personally I think the block of cheese might handle the office of President better than the last 2 holders of same..
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Over the mountain, in between the ups and downs, I ran into Azizza who doth quote:
A vote for a third party is a wasted vote. The libertarians are the largest 3rd party at the moment. And even then they are no where close to having enough votes to get anyone elected. They will never be much more than a fringe group. Voting third pary has about the same impact as writing in your pet on the ballot.
You're just not hearing what I'm saying. The REASON libertarians don't have enough votes is BECAUSE people believe voting for them is a wasted vote - it's a self perpetuating fallacy, the ONLY reason it's true is because people believe it's true.
If enough people BELIEVED writing in their pet's name on the ballot would do anything, you might very well see fluffy in the oval office.
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Maradon! thought about the meaning of life:
You're just not hearing what I'm saying. The REASON libertarians don't have enough votes is BECAUSE people believe voting for them is a wasted vote - it's a self perpetuating fallacy, the ONLY reason it's true is because people believe it's true.If enough people BELIEVED writing in their pet's name on the ballot would do anything, you might very well see fluffy in the oval office.
Okay, then. You. Go convince like 35% of American voters that a single third party candidate is worth voting for.
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Falaanla Marr had this to say about (_|_):
While I agree with much of the stuff here...Now, I don't know too terribly much when it comes to the economy and such, but how are we going to run our economy without an income tax?
Talk of abolishment of the income tax is usually coupled with that of instituting a federal sales tax. The idea there is that the abolishment of the income tax will allow people to take home more money, enabling them to spend more, bolstering the economy while limiting taxation to the use of money, rather than total earnings.
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Maradon! had this to say about Pirotess:
You're just not hearing what I'm saying. The REASON libertarians don't have enough votes is BECAUSE people believe voting for them is a wasted vote - it's a self perpetuating fallacy, the ONLY reason it's true is because people believe it's true.If enough people BELIEVED writing in their pet's name on the ballot would do anything, you might very well see fluffy in the oval office.
No the reason the libertarian party has no chance in hell of winning if because they are to focused and inflexible. It is a great dream to say that a party should be hardline but then you only get the hard liners. You lose the people who are going to win you an election. That 80% or so in between that are pretty moderate one way or another.
Politics is about compromise. You have to please enough people to get a majority. The Green Party, Libertarians, etc will never be viable because they have their heads to far up their ass to learn the game.
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Over the mountain, in between the ups and downs, I ran into Falaanla Marr who doth quote:
While I agree with much of the stuff here...Now, I don't know too terribly much when it comes to the economy and such, but how are we going to run our economy without an income tax?
What's amazing is how well our economy runs despite income taxes.
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Peanut butter ass Shaq Kegwen booooze lime pole over bench lick:
Okay, then. You. Go convince like 35% of American voters that a single third party candidate is worth voting for.
You can change at least one person's mind.
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Maradon! had this to say about Reading Rainbow:
What's amazing is how well our economy runs despite income taxes.
So you're saying no-one there pays income tax???
Hot damn...
Here we not only get income tax, we ALSO get a 10% "Goods and Services Tax" on everything we buy/use..
Double slugging ahoy!!
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Azizza had this to say about the Spice Girls:
Politics is about bullshit.
Lee Taxx0r fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 06:35 PM.
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Over the mountain, in between the ups and downs, I ran into Abbikat who doth quote:
So you're saying no-one there pays income tax???
No, I'm saying that they do. look up the word "despite"
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Here we not only get income tax, we ALSO get a 10% "Goods and Services Tax" on everything we buy/use..Double slugging ahoy!!
The glory of a "hands-on" government
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Maradon! had this to say about John Romero:
No, I'm saying that they do. look up the word "despite"
Source: Meriam-Webster Dictionary
3 entries found for despite.
- despite[1,noun]
- despite[2,transitive verb]
- despite[3,preposition]
Main Entry: 1de·spite
Pronunciation: di-'spIt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French despit, from Latin despectus, from despicere
1 : the feeling or attitude of despising : CONTEMPT
2 : MALICE, SPITE
3 a : an act showing contempt or defiance b : DETRIMENT, DISADVANTAGE <I know of no government which stands to its obligations, even in its own despite, more solidly -- Sir Winston Churchill>
Main Entry: 2despite
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): de·spit·ed; de·spit·ing
1 archaic : to treat with contempt
2 obsolete : to provoke to anger : VEX
Main Entry: 3despite
Function: preposition
: in SPITE of <played despite an injury>
Main Entry: 1spite
Pronunciation: 'spIt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, short for despite
1 : petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart
2 : an instance of spite
- in spite of : in defiance or contempt of : without being prevented by
So...
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Maradon! wrote this stupid crap:
What's amazing is how well our economy runs despite income taxes.
means "what's amazing is how well our economy runs regardless of the irritations/annoyances/thwartings of (or possibly in contempt of or perhaps without being prevented by) income taxes"???
Abbikat fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 06:51 PM.
I'm confused....
In this context, to say "we succeed despite opposition" is to say "we succeed even though we have opposition"
The "without being prevented by" definition Maradon! fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 06:58 PM.
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Maradon! had this to say about Cuba:
You're misinterpretingIn this context, to say "we succeed despite opposition" is to say "we succeed even though we have opposition"
The "without being prevented by" definition
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Maradon! had this to say about Reading Rainbow:
What's amazing is how well our economy runs despite income taxes.
so..
"What's amazing is how well our economy runs without being prevented by income taxes" or "What's amazing is how well our economy runs even though we have income taxes".
How exactly would income taxes PREVENT an economy from running well?? (seeing as how at least 90% of the Western "capitalist" world relies on the revenue raised by income taxes to provide the government with funds to spend on things like health, education, etc) Abbikat fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 07:06 PM.
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Arttemis had this to say about John Romero:
Talk of abolishment of the income tax is usually coupled with that of instituting a federal sales tax. The idea there is that the abolishment of the income tax will allow people to take home more money, enabling them to spend more, bolstering the economy while limiting taxation to the use of money, rather than total earnings.
Had I seen that as part of the plan listed here, I'd agree with it. Government ends up getting the same amount of money, but instead of being through a 20% paycheck slice, it is because that money is spent in stores.
That makes sense to me.
This is the paradigm that Republicans currently follow, hence the Bush tax cuts. Maradon! fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 07:16 PM.
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Peanut butter ass Shaq Falaanla Marr booooze lime pole over bench lick:
Had I seen that as part of the plan listed here, I'd agree with it. Government ends up getting the same amount of money, but instead of being through a 20% paycheck slice, it is because that money is spent in stores.That makes sense to me.
Actually the entire libertarian party is built around the idea that the government should have far less money than it currently has, and that a lot of government provided services that exist right now should be commercialized; a principle I agree with.
Vorbis fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 07:21 PM.
The two large Liberal, Block Quebecois almost got there ass kicked by the "third" party: ADQ
People where so sick of the two maine, that most people actuly voted for Mario Dumon (AdQ).
HE lost, but Barly, only thing againts him is his Age and experiance.
But he is becaoming Strong and stronger, But mostly, Proved that a 3th Party can do a defrance!
And we know now, that he is our futur leader here in Quebec, it's just a question of time now. =)
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This one time, at Maradon! camp:
Money in the government is not nearly as well invested.
Damn straight.. Why the hell should they spend money on Healthcare for the citizens of the country... or education... or even defence... or the thousands of other government programs that exist for the benefit of the citizens of that nation....
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Abbikat fucked around with this message on 05-30-2004 at 07:38 PM.
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Abbikat thought about the meaning of life:
Damn straight.. Why the hell should they spend money on Healthcare for the citizens of the country... or education... or even defence... or the thousands of other government programs that exist for the benefit of the citizens of that nation....WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
When privatized versions of these programs produce, on average, better results (see privatized medicine and education)?
Why, indeed.
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Arttemis wrote this stupid crap:
When privatized versions of these programs produce, on average, better results (see privatized medicine and education)?Why, indeed.
Join the Microsoft Army... or the McDonald's Airforce... or perhaps the Wal-Mart Navy.... the KFC Marines...
YAY!!
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Arttemis got all f'ed up on Angel Dust and wrote:
When privatized versions of these programs produce, on average, better results (see privatized medicine and education)?Why, indeed.
If you like the idea of a two-thirds nation, they do.
Disbanding 90% of a government as huge as that of the US would release a flood of people into unemployment, cutting the income tax and replacing it with a sales tax would just encourage people to hide their money in their sock drawers and spend as little as possible, cutting all sorts of 'unconstitutional' social programs would pull the carpet out from under lots of people still unemployed due to either the past slump in the economy or the butchering of federal agencies. On second thought, a nice old peasant revolt might be fun. 
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Abbikat had this to say about Jimmy Carter:
Join the Microsoft Army... or the McDonald's Airforce... or perhaps the Wal-Mart Navy.... the KFC Marines...YAY!!
No where was civil defense mentioned as being privatized. Civil Defense is soley the realm of the state. However, wellfare is an annoying leftover from the great depression and the socialist movement.
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How.... Mod.... uughhhhhh:
I can agree with some of his policies, those on drugs or the patriot act for example, but his economic ideas are rather out there.Disbanding 90% of a government as huge as that of the US would release a flood of people into unemployment, cutting the income tax and replacing it with a sales tax would just encourage people to hide their money in their sock drawers and spend as little as possible, cutting all sorts of 'unconstitutional' social programs would pull the carpet out from under lots of people still unemployed due to either the past slump in the economy or the butchering of federal agencies. On second thought, a nice old peasant revolt might be fun.
You mean the people propetuating the bureaucracy might actually have to partake in something usefull? The horror.
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Naimah stopped staring at Deedlit long enough to write:
No where was civil defense mentioned as being privatized. Civil Defense is soley the realm of the state. However, wellfare is an annoying leftover from the great depression and the socialist movement.
So, unemployed people and people not making enough to sustain themselves should be left out to starve on the streets?
