Obamacare

In response to our (not so) fair challenger, let me begin by discussing the concept of trolling. A "troll," in our usage, is no longer an odd fellow extracting blood or coin from individuals crossing a bridge. No, a "troll" is one who instigates for the sake of watching the ants run around, or, in even more current usage, attempts to carry on an absurd conversation. This is not unrelated to the fact that our challenger is a racist. For, when he trolls, to gain attention for himself, or just for the fun of stirring things up, what does he do, but post a racist caricature of a black man. Which we're all sure was clearly the most easily found, accessible, image, not really selected for any other purpose...not...but then again, why argue this with a racist troll? Why point out that my comment about Communism was sarcasm? Everyone knows it already, just as clearly as they understand that CitizenL is probably enjoying this, as I type, and that there is no escape. For if you wrestle with a pig, you'll get dirty and the pig will like it.But, dutifully trudging through this "debate," apparently "facts," "education," and "forming your own opinions" comes down to posting racist caricatures to malign people one doesn't like as part of a grossly inaccurate statement about the premium costs of Obamacare. Those things couldn't possibly have anything to do with carefully investigating and supporting your opinions with...um...evidence. Because as we all know, a well-formed opinion is really something that just feels right to us. You know, things that you just believe, with no evidence--regardless of evidence! Those are the best opinions.Personally, I have a dread of such opinions, which are clearly not shared by CitizenL, who is willing to base his entire "argument" based on a sheer assertion of opinions unfounded in any kind of discussions among peers, data, other evidence, or even anything reasonably resembling analysis.There is no reason for me to discuss CitizenL's alleged life and work history, or to dignify his implication that I'm uneducated or not hard-working. There's no reason to assume that I'm opposing vacuousness because I need some kind of subsidy from society--although I'm happy to be helping people. And CitizenL's claim to authority is meaningless. Data, discussion recognizable as between non-anonymous, credible persons--those kinds of things are evidence. Which is why I have presented evidence, rather than meaningless assertions about my personal experience that you, fair reader, cannot possibly confirm or rely upon.I like to make judgments based on facts, with the understanding that "when the facts change, my opinions change. What do you do, [dear reader]?" Should we entertain CitizenL's bald assertions of opinion as credible debate? I think not.CitizenL has provided nothing but his own poorly delivered opinion.As for the remainder of CitizenL's commentary, we live in a world where people make mistakes and where bad luck is a reality. The fact that there are people who work hard and get ahead does not change the fact that there are people who work hard and have bad fortune. We do not live in a "just world," which is a psychological bias that people get what they deserve. I am sorry to admit that I treasure such things as science, but, here is an appropriately titled website with some more of those things that I believe just because people tell me them, and not because those things involved careful collection of evidence and analysis. http://youarenotsosmart.com..., we find a discussion of said just world delusion. The world is not just. As explained and supported by data that other people just made up and told me (previous argument, also, see, sarcasm re whether it was made up), people don't just get ahead. There's no reason why I should believe that this is because they aren't trying. Look at the picture of what education gets you. http://nces.ed.gov... gets you more, but it also gets you more in debt. But can you say that education was, in that case, a bad choice? Look at the average earnings of people without it. Do you really think that (for the highly educated average) 60K, taxed, after loan payments and living expense, leaves a great deal of room for insurance? Do you really think that (for the low-educated average) 25K leaves much room for insurance?This belief in a just world--and in the idea that people in the economy are getting their just desserts, is foolish. Get educated, or maybe you're not that smart, it doesn't matter. Life is not easy. People don't deserve to go without healthcare. People don't deserve hardship.Maybe they don't "deserve" anything at all one way or the other, but this attitude that people could have simply made different choices and thus deserve sickness and hardship is sickening and absurd.I'm free to look at the world and decide that striving for meeting certain basic needs on a universal basis will make us all better off, as individuals are free to compete and to succeed and to fail and to conquer and to lose in a world that is free of the current moral and practical implications of such events. And I'm free to say that anyone who calls me a "communist," accuses me of not forming my own educated opinions, or just hopelessly blathers on about his conviction that people get what they richly deserve, is not thinking very hard or very well about the subject."Let us abandon your way, for it is without merit."--I doubt our challenger knows the origin of the quote, altered to prevent overly easy googling (have fun "educating" yourself!)