Los Angeles: Removing your rights in the name of kindness

[ElfDude]

^^^^^

Amen! Stated much better than I could have done. Thanks, Kares.

[Me]

These sumptuary laws literally make me sick. They do.

I SEE where people are stupid these days. Not in their inabilities to control themselves (or their pets) but in allowing them to pass. Often if it is "socially acceptible" (like all the anti-smoking laws going further and further into our private lives) then somehow the law seems OK. NOT!!! Often the laws have NOTHING to do with protecting anyone. They're about control. Pure and simple

We all know smoking is a nasty and dangerous habit but that's not the point. The point is that eventually these laws erode our rights more and more and evenutally will gain enough momentum to strip us bare. If you hate smoking. Fine. But in supporting these laws you are also leaving yourself open to something that WILL affect you personally. It's sickening.

My father is a cardio vascular and thoracic surgeon. He KNOWS the dangers of smoking. But he is one of the biggest advocates in the state of New York in the quest against these and other sumptuary laws. He sees a bigger picture here other than people choosing to ruin their own health. Whether it be smoking (oh the HOOPLA and smoke and mirrors and bs behind the whole "secondary smoke" thing) or trans fat or whatever. The agendas are rediculous and we are asleep at the switch.

Don't cha mean we are a sleep behind the seat belt. Like most things it should be the resposiblity of the people not the stae or gov if someones is lax in taking proper safety procedures wether using a seat belt, smoking, or letting your pet have fun with bozo's leg that's there problem. I say let the idots die and thin the herd, stop trying to make us safe for in the name of the dime. Most time, if not all the time, money is involved with these laws. I think we should be informed but not made to do something or spend money because someone decides to make us safe or a better race. I think they should stop the stupid wars and start spending the money on the people for the people not taking taking taking greedy oil companys UGH!!! I better stop or I'll am go over the cliff! Well done Kares

[Big Blue Owl]

Hiya, Me. I hear ya and mostly agree, but must cherry-pick one point;

I say let the idots die and thin the herd,

You don't really feel this way, eh? I mean, for those of us lucky enough to have our health and welfare intact, it feels only human to want to at least give a less "fortunate" person a leg-up. I'm not a bleeding heart liberal (since high school), but helping someone to be healthy and happy (as long as they don't take advantage) makes a mook like me feel pretty good.

I'm not sayin', jus' sayin', gnome sayin'?

*Brother hug*

[ElfDude]

and start spending the money on the people for the people not taking taking taking greedy oil companys

Fact check time. Any idea what Exxon-Mobil's profit margin is on a gallon of gasoline? It's a mere 9 cents. Out of the three bucks I spend on a gallon, Exxon-Mobile profits 9 whole cents. And they did all that work to get it to where I can conveniently put it in my tank. And they provide thousands of American jobs to boot. I just don't see the greed or villainy in that.

On the other hand, the government did nothing to get the gas to you and me, but they take something like 50 cents or more from each gallon purchased. THAT's where the greed lies. Not in private enterprise.

[ElfDude]

Hiya, Me. I hear ya and mostly agree, but must cherry-pick one point;

I say let the idots die and thin the herd,

You don't really feel this way, eh? I mean, for those of us lucky enough to have our health and welfare intact, it feels only human to want to at least give a less "fortunate" person a leg-up. I'm not a bleeding heart liberal (since high school), but helping someone to be healthy and happy (as long as they don't take advantage) makes a mook like me feel pretty good.

I'm not sayin', jus' sayin', gnome sayin'?

*Brother hug*

Ditto that!

And the cool part, the more you give (with note on give... what is confiscated from you and redistributed doesn't count), the more that comes back to you in one way or another. Call it Karma, call it what you want. But I've seen it happen over and over.

Having said that... I must confess that in that article I posted that Bob Geldof wrote for TIME, he talks about all the wonderful stuff that money confiscated from us has done for the poor in Africa... and it made me feel pretty good.

[Soup4Rush]

and start spending the money on the people for the people not taking taking taking greedy oil companys

Fact check time. Any idea what Exxon-Mobil's profit margin is on a gallon of gasoline? It's a mere 9 cents. Out of the three bucks I spend on a gallon, Exxon-Mobile profits 9 whole cents. And they did all that work to get it to where I can conveniently put it in my tank. And they provide thousands of American jobs to boot. I just don't see the greed or villainy in that.

On the other hand, the government did nothing to get the gas to you and me, but they take something like 50 cents or more from each gallon purchased. THAT's where the greed lies. Not in private enterprise.

Is that really true??

[ElfDude]

and start spending the money on the people for the people not taking taking taking greedy oil companys

Fact check time. Any idea what Exxon-Mobil's profit margin is on a gallon of gasoline? It's a mere 9 cents. Out of the three bucks I spend on a gallon, Exxon-Mobile profits 9 whole cents. And they did all that work to get it to where I can conveniently put it in my tank. And they provide thousands of American jobs to boot. I just don't see the greed or villainy in that.

On the other hand, the government did nothing to get the gas to you and me, but they take something like 50 cents or more from each gallon purchased. THAT's where the greed lies. Not in private enterprise.

Is that really true??

What, the nine cent profit margin?

[Soup4Rush]

yeah! so if the goverment gets .50 and the oil producer gets .09, who gets the other 2.41?

[ElfDude]

I got it wrong! It's not nine cents a gallon. It's nine cents per dollar of sales.

Washington Post in 2005:

Rayola Dougher, manager of energy market issues for the American Petroleum Institute, a District-based industry group, said oil companies' earnings per dollar of sales are below, or in line with, those of other industries. She said Irving, Tex.-based Exxon Mobil made about 9.8 cents on every dollar of sales. In comparison, she said, McDonald's Corp. earned 13.8 cents and Coca-Cola Co. earned 21.2 cents on every dollar of sales.

Still... that's nothing for anyone to whine about.

[ElfDude]

The other $2.41 (though due to my error it's a little less than that) is the cost it takes to get the oil out of the ground, refine it, deliver it, etc.

[CygnusX1]

I got it wrong! It's not nine cents a gallon. It's nine cents per dollar of sales.

So, at 3 bones-plus a gallon, that gives big oil at LEAST 27 cents a gallon,
leaving $2.73 in bogus taxes and "Summer Blend" fees.

[ElfDude]

[awip2062]

Nah, don't worry about the thread's evolution.

I like watching how things move from topic to topic, although it does make it hard to remember where you saw something posted when you want to reply later.

[YYZ30]

As an adult I have had all of my bitches spayed.

I tried to get her to do it, but I had a vasectomy instead.

[Soup4Rush]

another point for ole Soups..