Americans think the US Governments wastes 51% of the money it spends

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

I actually did have an IQ test back in my youth, and I scored high enough to be able to join MENSA.

 

In my opinion, the only role of government in society is to protect the personal liberties of its citizens. So yes, all the rest is a waste. (And this certainly does not occur with military presence overseas.)

 

The government does nothing but take money from productive members and AT BEST redistributes it inefficiently. At worst...well a great example is Solyndra. The depth with which Keynesian theory permeates society in all aspects and has simply become the status quo is disheartening and amusing in a sad, pathetic way. The irony is, the ones able to profit individually, not by government decree, are the ones that see it for the fallacy that it is.

 

Protect the personal liberties of it's citizens is a pretty vague idea. Affordable health care could be considered a personal liberty.

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

Hey guys, I just wanted to let everyone know I'm really smart.

 

Keep that in mind when you read my opinions.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

I actually did have an IQ test back in my youth, and I scored high enough to be able to join MENSA.

 

In my opinion, the only role of government in society is to protect the personal liberties of its citizens. So yes, all the rest is a waste. (And this certainly does not occur with military presence overseas.)

 

The government does nothing but take money from productive members and AT BEST redistributes it inefficiently. At worst...well a great example is Solyndra. The depth with which Keynesian theory permeates society in all aspects and has simply become the status quo is disheartening and amusing in a sad, pathetic way. The irony is, the ones able to profit individually, not by government decree, are the ones that see it for the fallacy that it is.

 

Internet Libertarians: Acting militantly ignorant and condescending on message boards since 1996!

[AcuWill 45]

Protect the personal liberties of it's citizens is a pretty vague idea. Affordable health care could be considered a personal liberty.

No. It is not. All the a person is entitled to is liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Liberty means the ability to do anything you want as long is it does not hurt another.

 

I do not believe anyone is entitled to any service or product at the cost of others.

 

Edit: Actually, thinking about this is very interesting. What do you consider personal liberty? I consider it what I said above, but that does not include any "right" to anything produced by another person, just that one should have no impediments to pursuing one's own production or desires in the world.

[AcuWill 45]

Internet Libertarians: Acting militantly ignorant and condescending on message boards since 1996!

The fun of the whole thing is, we will get to see who is right in our lifetime. Although you will always have the communist argument: It really really works, trust me, we just haven't been able to do it right yet.

[AcuWill 45]

That's around a 132 depending on the type of IQ test, or only a 1250 back in the day when I took the SAT. No big deal. I wouldn't go around bragging about it,

The only reason I mentioned it was because the thread had the ad hominem attacks built into it that whoever thinks differently is an idiot.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

What an interesting(and completely nonsensical) dichotomy: Either you're a Ron Paul loving libertarian, who thinks everything from energy subsidies to the FDA should be eliminated because they over step the government's authority, or you're a communist.

[TheREALBrooksThompson 157]

The only reason I mentioned it was because the thread had the ad hominem attacks built into it that whoever thinks differently is an idiot.

 

That's not what an ad hominem attack is.

 

If he had said their opinions were invalid because they're idiots, then you could rightly claim an ad hominem attack.

 

Instead, he said they're idiots because of their opinions. Big difference.

[Ibn Battuta 127]

How hypocritical: wasn't one of the reasons we got into this economic mess was because citizens overspent or "wasted" their money on things they shouldn't have?

 

Senior citizens' estimate of wasted federal dollars ranks with conservatives' as one of the highest, and is significantly greater than that of Americans aged 18 to 29.

 

right, like the money we "waste" on social security that none of us (younger generations) will ever see a dime of?

 

Additionally, those with more formal education estimate proportionately less federal government waste than do Americans with less education.

 

thank god there is hope.

 

However this poll doesn't really tell us much.

[AcuWill 45]

What an interesting(and completely nonsensical) dichotomy: Either you're a Ron Paul loving libertarian, who thinks everything from energy subsidies to the FDA should be eliminated because they over step the government's authority, or you're a communist.

Once again, I never said that. But go on ahead arguing whatever you like in your head.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

Once again, I never said that. But go on ahead arguing whatever you like in your head.

 

I'm sorry, cupcake.

 

You just regurgitated Ron Paul's platform, and then implied I was a communist for disagreeing with that platform.

 

Naturally then, it was completely ridiculous of me to assume that you were implying that there were only two possible options, even though that is the exact scenario you presented for me to fall into.

[AcuWill 45]

I'm sorry, cupcake.

 

You just regurgitated Ron Paul's platform, and then implied I was a communist for disagreeing with that platform.

 

Naturally then, it was completely ridiculous of me to assume that you were implying that there were only two possible options, even though that is the exact scenario you presented for me to fall into.

That's not Ron Paul's platform. That is libertarian 101.