Funny Political Joke...

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I'm really curious as to why you assume that poor people are lazy and rich people work hard. I've known some incredibly industrious poor people and some very lazy rich ones.

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Sure, I have too. There are also innocent people in jail and guilty people on the street. Should those in jail get 3 months a year on the outside while the rest of us move in?

[PoBoy321]

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I'm really curious as to why you assume that poor people are lazy and rich people work hard. I've known some incredibly industrious poor people and some very lazy rich ones.

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Sure, I have too. There are also innocent people in jail and guilty people on the street. Should those in jail get 3 months a year on the outside while the rest of us move in?

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You're really going to have to explain to me how this comparison makes any sense whatsoever.

It doesn't.

My point is that where a person ends up in life (rich/poor, free/imprisoned) isn't always going to be based on what's "just".

Some people are lucky or unlucky and some people are hardworking or lazy. Bush is a lucky rich moron and others are hard working but broke.

It really pisses people off that guys like Bush are wealthy "unjustly" and they want to do something to even the playing field.

The fact remains that in general, people are responsible for where they have ended up in life, and there is a correlation between work ethic and income. I prefer not to punish those who IN GENERAL worked hard for the benefit of those who IN GENERAL weren't willing to do what it takes to improve their lot in life.

[PoBoy321]

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The fact remains that in general, people are responsible for where they have ended up in life, and there is a correlation between work ethic and income.

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Oh really? That's a fact? I'd love to see some evidence.

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I prefer not to punish those who IN GENERAL worked hard for the benefit of those who IN GENERAL weren't willing to do what it takes to improve their lot in life.

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I don't see how instituting government programs to help the poor punishing hardworking americans in order to help the lazy.

I don't have any evidence. You win. The financial situation someone is in is not impacted in a positive way through hard work, or in a negative way through laziness.

[PoBoy321]

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SHIFTING THE ONUS OF PROOF: This is when your opponent makes a claim, provides no evidence for it, and then expects you to find evidence of it. Your opponent is making the claim, so he should logically have to provide evidence. Shifting the onus (or burden) of proof to you is a fallacy and a very low tactic to engage in. Often, a Creationist will make phantom claims and, then, act like they are common knowledge and he shouldn't have to back them up.

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linky

The fact of the matter is that you're making a gross overgeneralization when you say that successful people work hard and poor people are lazy. Granted, work ethic certainly plays a role in a person's financial success, but there are innumberable outside influences which you are simply ignoring in order to bolster your point.

Claiming that work ethic is the sole factor would be a gross overgeneralization. There are outside influences which, by definition, are outside of a person's control and therefore can't be changed by him/her, which is why I am ignoring them, although I realize that I did not give my reason for doing so before.

I think we agree that a person's work ethic is positively correlated with financial success at least somewhat, even in the presence these outside factors. I think most people, rich and poor, have this perception also (I don't have any way to prove this). Since (in my opinion) a better overall work ethic would be good for society, and since people want money (I don't have evidence for this statement either), I think society would be well served if this correlation wasn't downplayed, which I think is one of the effects of wealth re-distribution.

In my opinion, the message that is sent when wealth is redistributed is that the rich have acquired their money through randomness or even misdeeds, and that it is only fair that the poor get their piece of the pie. In other words, it's not your fault that you're broke, just keep doing what you're doing and we'll make sure you get you yours.

I realize that this is an oversimplification. I also think that the the more fortunate (since it is mostly out of their control?) should help the less fortunate. But I think when the government forces this, it legitimizes the path that the poor have followed to get where they are. Maybe it is bad luck or persecution. But it is often a question of work ethic.

If you think I am off the mark that's fine, and feel free to trash my theory. But I don't want to debate what percent of someones's net worth is attributable to hard work, or how many bums out of 10 would work if there was no wel-fare.

[TransientR]

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I hope that this hasn't been posted here yet - I find it quite funny yet truthful. By the way, I don't post in this forum so I hope this isn't inappropriate or anything like that.



A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and was very much in favor of the redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the addition of more government welfare programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors! had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.

He responded by asking how she was doing in school.

Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is you friend Audrey doing?"

She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus, college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties, and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over."

Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't yo! u go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!"

The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, "Welcome to the Republican Party."

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Neither funny nor truthful, but hey, your displaying Republican bonafides: lame sense of humor and weak grasp of truth.

Frank

[AngryCola]

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Political jokes just aren't funny. They, as a rule, suck.

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In my experience, the above just isn't true.

Here is my proof:

[PoBoy321]

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Political jokes just aren't funny. They, as a rule, suck.

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In my experience, the above just isn't true.

Here is my proof:



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