Anthony Kennedy Retires

[willowtreewren]

Study: Watching Fox News makes you less informed than watching no news at all. (MSNBC and CNN aren't much better.)

https://www.businessinsider.com/study-watching-fox-news-makes-you-less-informed-than-watching-no-news-at-all-2012-5

To set the record straight, my intention was not to mock you. I WAS making observations based on previous comments you have made. I also said that there is nothing wrong with ignorance. I am certainly ignorant of much more than I would like.

I never threw insults at you, Rerun, like saying that you have a tiny head, or that you are mean. Goodness.

So, peruse the link, or not. It doesn't matter to me. But if all you will do is make excuses for WHY you are not willing to learn more about things, I will stand by my assessment that you are willfully ignorant. I'm sorry if that seems like an insult. I can see why you might take it that way.

You can make those accusations about me or call me disabled (as did Cowdog), but I regularly peruse news outlets from both sides of the aisle to reduce any partisan ignorance that arises from being in a bubble.

[Rerun]

WT, to call you an 'Elitist' would be an insult.  Yet you would probably take it as a compliment.

One definition of an 'Elitist' (and I'm sure you can find 59 links disputing this) is:

The belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite, are those whose influence or authority is greater than that of others.  Elitism is the belief or attitude that individuals who form an elite --- a select group of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, special skills, or experience --- are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole, and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than that of others.

Now, say this with a Thurston Howell voice.... and this is WT ... and proud of it.

[Michael Murphy]

Your definition of elitist covers trump, Koch brothers, most of the cabinet and a majority of Republican senators.  Elites can be republican or democrats,   The difference is republicans want to run our lives by mandating who we marry, if abortion is legal, ban the sick from medical marijuana.  Heck they even want to allow companies to make more money by killing our ability to live.  Rember the people whose line you are supporting want to allow insurance companies to make more money by charging any one over 50 premiums 5x higher then those under 50.  Plus with preexisting conditions allowed to be denied heck most of us here would be uninsurable.  Not even mentioning the cuts they want to make in Medicare and Medicaid.   Sure I hate right wing republicans they want to kill me so their donors will make a bigger profit. 

[Rerun]

And your people want Open Borders, Free Health Care, Free College, and Higher taxes, no industry that may harm the environment and more drugs.  Utopia! 

[willowtreewren]

WT, to call you an 'Elitist' would be an insult.  Yet you would probably take it as a compliment.

One definition of an 'Elitist' (and I'm sure you can find 59 links disputing this) is:

The belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite, are those whose influence or authority is greater than that of others.  Elitism is the belief or attitude that individuals who form an elite --- a select group of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, special skills, or experience --- are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole, and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than that of others.

Now, say this with a Thurston Howell voice.... and this is WT ... and proud of it.

Whelp. First time I've been called an elitist! 

Interesting, because I don't believe that some people are intrinsically better than others, and therefore more deserving. I DO realize that through no fault or effort, some people are born with privilege. My goal in life has been to break down the power structures that go with that privilege. That is one of the reasons I went into education, because education is a powerful equalizer.

If it makes you feel good to consider me an elitist, by all means do so. It doesn't hurt me, and I find it rather humorous.

[Michael Murphy]

One point the bottom line is if the democrats get their way I wii still be alive, if the republicans and their owners get their way my monthly insurance premium would be over $2000 a month or $24000 a year, and if my insurance would drop if I missed a 2000 dollar payment because they want to allow insurance companies to enforce pre existing conditions ban my weekly costs for dialysis would soar to 13500 a week 702,000 dollars a year using Fresinius 4500 uninsured patient rate.  How many patients could even afford the 2000 a month insurance.  Even with just Medicare I would owe 240 a week for the 20 % copay.  That comes to 12000 plus dollars a year. Plus 160 a month for Medicare, that’s a additional 2000 a year on top of the 12000.  Yea the republicans are fine people and if they and their corporate owners get their way my days on dialysis are numbered.

[Rerun]

These are the books that this willingly Ignorant person has read this year.
1. Liars, Leakers, and Liberals by Jeanine Pirro
2. Killing the Deep State by Jerome R. Corsi PhD
3. Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser (The Laura Ingalls Wilder Story
4. Wizard: The Life of Nikola Tesla by Marc J Seifer
5. A Life Beyond Amazing by David Jeremiah
6. Grit by Angela Duckworth ( the power of passion and perseverance)
7. Knowledge in a Nutshell by Charles Reichblum (True Trivia)
8.  The Glass Castle by Jannette Walls (Memoir)
9. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (Memior)
10. The Chamberlain Key by Timothy Smith (Unlocking the God Code)
11.  Now Listening to Half Broke Horses by Jannette Walls (True Novel)

I challenge you to read a book of my choice and I will listen to a book of your choice.  You have the advantage of skimming where I have to listen to each word.

 

[Rerun]

It has been two years Orange Beak .... you are still alive. 

[willowtreewren]

I challenge you to read a book of my choice and I will listen to a book of your choice.  You have the advantage of skimming where I have to listen to each word.

Nope. My reading list is already too long. Besides, it is doubtful that whatever we selected would change each other's minds in any way. And I got way behind in my reading while I was suffering from Lyme. During those years reading was slow and arduous. I'm still trying to catch up.

[Michael Murphy]

I am alive because all the democrats, Snow, Murkowski, and McCain voted down the fabulous Republican Obama care replacement.  It allowed insurance companies to charge 5 times the standard charge for any one over 50, and preexisting conditions could have been denied.  The bottom line  is fantastic premiums, and if you did need to change insurance companies you would have been out of luck.  This occurred despite the Presidunce campaign promises that the protections in place from Obama care would continue in the Republican replacement.  The ugly fact you overlook is I have insurance today because the democrats in the senate and 3 rouge Republican senators, once the bill was killed the Presidunce tried to punish the three who voted it down.  Murkowski was threatened in having Federal funding to Alaska cut, Mccain was constantly demeaned in speeches and Twitter rants.  You may not like liberal democrats but we are here organized and dedicated to eliminate this cancer on the American politic.

[willowtreewren]

Oh, oh, Michael. I just realized that your profile says that you are an Elite Member. Dang. I thought I was supposed to be the elite one.

 

And I am appalled that an administrator thinks it okay to call you "Orange Beak." It looks like the insults are being slung right and left.

[Rerun]

Ok you will not take me up on my challenge.  Hmmm  I guess you are just too good to lower yourself.  With Lyme you got behind with your reading?  Well, you could have listened to them like I do because of my horrible eye sight.  You learn to work around things to continue learning.  Remember?... 

Orange Beak is a nickname of admiration. 

[Michael Murphy]

I spent 40 years as a Unix system programmer or admin,  the penguin is the symbol for Linux which is a close cousin of Unix.  I still play around in the kernel of my old Mac for fun and giggles OS X is a direct Unix descendent.  I don’t care what you call me as long as it’s not a Republican after living through 2 major economic down turns caused by Republicans.  After Regan Bush collapse in 1991 which led to bank failures and a ressesion that took Clinton 6 years to fix.  2000 another Bush another collapse this one only exceeded by 1929 Great Depression.  Obama needed 8 years to fix that mess.  2016 trump comes along and repeats the same stupidity massive tax cuts with no decrease in spending if it follows the same path 4 years from now the economy will implode again.  Today you can see the future in rising bond yields which will make the tax cuts even more expensive in the past there was a gradual increase in the interest paid on bonds until the deficit was taking most of the money out of the economy and the the banks started to fail.  Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing and expecting different results.

[willowtreewren]

Orange Beak is a nickname of admiration.

As is elitist, I imagine. 

And while I don't need to explain myself to you, since you are ignorant of the symptoms of Lyme, a 24/7 migraine means even sound is extremely painful, so no, there was no work-around for reading. Indeed, the light of the television was often too painful to bear. It took years of grit and determination (and massive doses of antibiotics) to get myself out of that condition and I am not willing to spend any of my time reading anything but what I choose. You can try to twist that into whatever evil (or elitist) intent you wish. That only reflects on you. Your opinion of me has little bearing on my life. So think what you like, and post what you like about me.

Even ban me from the forum. Lock this thread. I don't really care. The people I DO care about know who I am, my principles, and my integrity.

[Rerun]

Love you and pray for you WT.  I'm glad you are feeling better.