The Nudge Squad

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
42

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Please elaborate [/quote]

I’m sure that during the time the majority of people didn’t start out wanting a revolution or to break off from crown rule. Plenty of people were happy with their lot in life and/or just trying to make it without worrying about having to fight in an armed rebellion. But, there’s a few people who did and these few people were influential enough to make that change. Fast forward to the Constitution. This was a document created for all Americans but only penned and ratified by a small minority. They didn’t take that document out to everyone and ask what people thought of it. A small minority later plunged us into Civil War. Sure lots of people fought but that wasn’t a decision they made and many had no choice but to fight even though they really didn’t want to. Then there’s WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc.

Hell, our entire government is based on minority rule. Sure, our government is supposed to represent us but do they really? First off your choices for candidates are really limited to those who choose to run and can get enough money to do so. Then they are chosen by the majority of voters but the majority of voters might not represent the entire population of that district if there’s low voter turn out. Then these representatives get into the House or the Senate and don’t really represent because politics is about horse trades and negotiations not about necessarily representing what your constituency wants.

So I don’t feel especially represented nor I suspect do many other people.

james

43

[quote]atypical1 wrote:

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Please elaborate [/quote]

I’m sure that during the time the majority of people didn’t start out wanting a revolution or to break off from crown rule. Plenty of people were happy with their lot in life and/or just trying to make it without worrying about having to fight in an armed rebellion. But, there’s a few people who did and these few people were influential enough to make that change. Fast forward to the Constitution. This was a document created for all Americans but only penned and ratified by a small minority. They didn’t take that document out to everyone and ask what people thought of it. A small minority later plunged us into Civil War. Sure lots of people fought but that wasn’t a decision they made and many had no choice but to fight even though they really didn’t want to. Then there’s WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc.

Hell, our entire government is based on minority rule. Sure, our government is supposed to represent us but do they really? First off your choices for candidates are really limited to those who choose to run and can get enough money to do so. Then they are chosen by the majority of voters but the majority of voters might not represent the entire population of that district if there’s low voter turn out. Then these representatives get into the House or the Senate and don’t really represent because politics is about horse trades and negotiations not about necessarily representing what your constituency wants.

So I don’t feel especially represented nor I suspect do many other people.

james[/quote]

Yeah…I don’t really feel you’re making a strong case here. Representative republic =/= oligarchy. Seems you’re conflating a few things.

44

[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Yeah…I don’t really feel you’re making a strong case here. Representative republic =/= oligarchy. Seems you’re conflating a few things.[/quote]

Is it really that different now? That is to say that aren’t our representatives influenced by only a few factors? How much influence does Monsanto have on our House and Senate? The terms might be different on a theoretical level but I don’t think they are from a practical standpoint.

james

47

[quote]pushharder wrote:
So tell me again why you think the government, ESPECIALLY the federal government, is empowered to play an active role in the everyday lives of ordinary Americans. [/quote]

They have always played an active role in the everyday lives of ordinary Americans.

I also never once said that I thought that the government should be telling people what do think, eat, who to vote for etc. You’re all just inferring that from what I wrote about these nudge squads. All I said was that I didn’t think they are as bad as you are all making them out to be. Additionally I said that maybe there is some value in them if we’re talking about programs like those against obesity or smoking that they are already involved in.

Can any of those who are yelling loudly against these please detail what you think these are going to consist of or are you all just yelling to yell?

james

49

[quote]atypical1 wrote:

[quote]pushharder wrote:
So tell me again why you think the government, ESPECIALLY the federal government, is empowered to play an active role in the everyday lives of ordinary Americans. [/quote]

They have always played an active role in the everyday lives of ordinary Americans.

I also never once said that I thought that the government should be telling people what do think, eat, who to vote for etc. You’re all just inferring that from what I wrote about these nudge squads. All I said was that I didn’t think they are as bad as you are all making them out to be. Additionally I said that maybe there is some value in them if we’re talking about programs like those against obesity or smoking that they are already involved in.

Can any of those who are yelling loudly against these please detail what you think these are going to consist of or are you all just yelling to yell?

james
[/quote]

Punitive action against those who defy the government agenda.

Case in point, the high gas prices and incentives for using hybrid vehicles in the name of Global Warming and Climate Change.

James, we here in California have successfully obeyed the “nudging” of higher gas prices by using other forms of transportation. We have bought more hybrids, use more bicycles, and more public transportation to accomplish some kind of arbitrary environmental goal.

So what bad happened ?

The state lost Billions in lost gas tax revenue, since people were using more efficient means of transpo. Less miles were driven, and the state lost big time. The solution ? The state raised the gas tax to accommodate for the reduced revenue, all while you were sleeping in your cozy organic cotton-sheet quilted bed. This was never about any environmental anything, but just another money grab against the low information voter.

James, you more than anyone here, should know how this vicious cycle works.

Big government fails when the parasite outgrows it’s host.

Much of this bullshit is attributed

50

[quote]atypical1 wrote:

[quote]Aragorn wrote:
Yeah…I don’t really feel you’re making a strong case here. Representative republic =/= oligarchy. Seems you’re conflating a few things.[/quote]

Is it really that different now? That is to say that aren’t our representatives influenced by only a few factors? How much influence does Monsanto have on our House and Senate? The terms might be different on a theoretical level but I don’t think they are from a practical standpoint.

james
[/quote]

What? No, lol. Yes, it’s that way NOW, and yes that is one of the primary problems we all have with them!

Your original post however was asserting that it was “always about that” in this country, from its inception onwards, and that the founding fathers were doing the same thing.

You did not make a case for that, because the entire point of this Republic was to assure that we did not become what we are now.

51

Only in the wastelands of T-Nation PWI are such benign acts as encouraging on-time bill payment, insulating attics to conserve energy costs and waste, saving for retirement, becoming an organ donor, and avoiding trans fats even remotely controversial. I really wonder how some of you dolts get by in your day to day interactions with people. I may be an asshole on here, but my god, this is literally the only place I’ve EVER heard a more outspoken group of tinfoil hat wearing morons in my life. Does the anonymity of the internet and the approval of your e-peers embolden you to spew this rubbish that I somehow never hear in real life? Or am I just visiting the wrong [right] places?

52

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
Only in the wastelands of T-Nation PWI are such benign acts as encouraging on-time bill payment, insulating attics to conserve energy costs and waste, saving for retirement, becoming an organ donor, and avoiding trans fats even remotely controversial. I really wonder how some of you dolts get by in your day to day interactions with people. I may be an asshole on here, but my god, this is literally the only place I’ve EVER heard a more outspoken group of tinfoil hat wearing morons in my life. Does the anonymity of the internet and the approval of your e-peers embolden you to spew this rubbish that I somehow never hear in real life? Or am I just visiting the wrong [right] places?[/quote]

You are the funniest guy on here.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/08/government-knocking-doors-because-google-searches/67864/#.UfqCSAXy7zQ.facebook

Yeah tinfoil right?

54

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
Only in the wastelands of T-Nation PWI are such benign acts as encouraging on-time bill payment, insulating attics to conserve energy costs and waste, saving for retirement, becoming an organ donor, and avoiding trans fats even remotely controversial. I really wonder how some of you dolts get by in your day to day interactions with people. I may be an asshole on here, but my god, this is literally the only place I’ve EVER heard a more outspoken group of tinfoil hat wearing morons in my life. Does the anonymity of the internet and the approval of your e-peers embolden you to spew this rubbish that I somehow never hear in real life? Or am I just visiting the wrong [right] places?[/quote]

sigh…

And the reason we have the giant, overbearing, intrusive, unintended, bloated government that we have now pokes its head into the thread.

Maybe if people spent as much time thinking about principles as they coming up with unclever insults for people they disagree with we wouldn’t have the shitty representatives we do now.

55

[quote]pushharder wrote:

It’s not about the details. It’s about the principles.[/quote]

This, very much this.

That a paragraph of insults was just spewed forth against that is… well a great demonstration as to why we are in the hole we are in…

I’m sure the NSA isn’t recording this entire exchange right now or anything.

56

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
Only in the wastelands of T-Nation PWI are such benign acts as encouraging on-time bill payment, insulating attics to conserve energy costs and waste, saving for retirement, becoming an organ donor, and avoiding trans fats even remotely controversial. I really wonder how some of you dolts get by in your day to day interactions with people. I may be an asshole on here, but my god, this is literally the only place I’ve EVER heard a more outspoken group of tinfoil hat wearing morons in my life. Does the anonymity of the internet and the approval of your e-peers embolden you to spew this rubbish that I somehow never hear in real life? Or am I just visiting the wrong [right] places?[/quote]

sigh…

And the reason we have the giant, overbearing, intrusive, unintended, bloated government that we have now pokes its head into the thread.

Maybe if people spent as much time thinking about principles as they coming up with unclever insults for people they disagree with we wouldn’t have the shitty representatives we do now. [/quote]

LOL so my refusal to take seriously a bunch of tinfoil nutjobs is representative of our representatives? Personally I like people paying their bills on time…it cuts down compliance costs…consuming less trans fats? hey that’s great!!! Saving for retirement? I sure as shit don’t want you suckling the government tit in your old age because you didn’t have the foresight to plan ahead. “Principles” LOL…this isn’t a nudge to turn people gay, or to fuck prostititues, or smoke weed, or give up their guns, or <>…no matter how bad you wish it was.

57

[quote]dmaddox wrote:

You are the funniest guy on here.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/08/government-knocking-doors-because-google-searches/67864/#.UfqCSAXy7zQ.facebook

Yeah tinfoil right?[/quote]

What on earth does that have to do with the topic of NUDGING? You missed the mark, big time big boy…whether it was intentional or not I will leave you to defend, but if you want to argue about unreasonable 4th amendment violations, then you should start that in your own thread instead of trying to divert the topic at hand.

58

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:
Only in the wastelands of T-Nation PWI are such benign acts as encouraging on-time bill payment, insulating attics to conserve energy costs and waste, saving for retirement, becoming an organ donor, and avoiding trans fats even remotely controversial. I really wonder how some of you dolts get by in your day to day interactions with people. I may be an asshole on here, but my god, this is literally the only place I’ve EVER heard a more outspoken group of tinfoil hat wearing morons in my life. Does the anonymity of the internet and the approval of your e-peers embolden you to spew this rubbish that I somehow never hear in real life? Or am I just visiting the wrong [right] places?[/quote]

sigh…

And the reason we have the giant, overbearing, intrusive, unintended, bloated government that we have now pokes its head into the thread.

Maybe if people spent as much time thinking about principles as they coming up with unclever insults for people they disagree with we wouldn’t have the shitty representatives we do now. [/quote]

LOL so my refusal to take a bunch of tinfoil nutjobs is representative of our representatives? Personally I like people paying their bills on time…it cuts down compliance costs…consuming less trans fats? hey that’s great!!! Saving for retirement? I sure as shit don’t want you suckling the government tit in your old age because you didn’t have the foresight to plan ahead. “Principles” LOL…this isn’t a nudge to turn people gay, or to fuck prostititues, or smoke weed, or give up their guns, or <>…no matter how bad you wish it was.[/quote]

Again, you ignoring the entire point that freedom =/= having the government “nudge” you in any direction what so ever.

It isn’t government’s place to tell me, you or anyone how to live their life.

59

[quote]VTBalla34 wrote:

[quote]dmaddox wrote:

You are the funniest guy on here.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/08/government-knocking-doors-because-google-searches/67864/#.UfqCSAXy7zQ.facebook

Yeah tinfoil right?[/quote]

What on earth does that have to do with the topic of NUDGING? You missed the mark, big time big boy…whether it was intentional or not I will leave you to defend, but if you want to argue about unreasonable 4th amendment violations, then you should start that in your own thread instead of trying to divert the topic at hand.[/quote]

lol, you really don’t get it do you?

Tell ya what, stop focusing on your bias against conservative and dire need to throw out internet insults and think about the actual topic.

60

[quote]pushharder wrote:

He certainly makes the biggest splash.

But he’s always getting his Mensa card wet and soggy when he jumps in the pool. Then we have to sit around and wait for him to apply for a new one so we can see it again.

Then the dumb fuck belly flops in the pool again and the whole process starts all over again.
[/quote]

LOL or as some people call it “taking time off from your pretend e-life to live a real one”…