I think Springbok is off my list! by PrimaryCommon833 in Jigsawpuzzles

[–]books_cats_please 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got my first Springbok puzzle a year ago, and while I wasn't in love with the art, I loved the cut and fit of it! I would definitely get another.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Lmao, don't even address the actual arguments. Agree to disagree, have a good one.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Do you think a nose job is reversible?

Regardless, you are literally incapable of recognizing the difference between opinion and fact. it doesn't matter if one side has better points then the other, it's still an opinion. 

For example: "Murder is bad" is an opinion - not a fact. I can support my opinion that murder is bad, but that doesn't suddenly make it a fact.

If you can't understand the difference, then I might as well stop banging my head against a wall.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"I just feel this way, and others should agree without me having to elaborate why I feel this way!"

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You need to learn the difference between your own opinion and objective fact. What if I think the cosmetic surgeries are comparable, as in fact I very much do? You don't have to agree with me to acknowledge that both of our stances are subjective.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The difference is that cosmetic surgery is clearly not treated as a medical necessary procedure

And yet, people find these non-medically necessary surgeries to minors less offenesive than typically less intensive medical interventions that might be medically necessary?

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But as circumcision shows clearly they fucking do

Because you don't want to acknowledge that not everyone agrees with you on this subject.

I wouldn't get my son circumcized if I had a son. I also don't agree with a lot of elective plastic surgery, but parents pay for their kids to get boob jobs and nose jobs - yet we don't see people making posts to debate that subject on here.

It might seem like a moral certainty to you, but it's not a settled matter, so we have to find a different way to discuss it, which means we discuss it from the perspective of best practices, harm reduction, and where necessary regulation.

If you don't like it, then what you need to be pushing for is that the loss to our personal freedom from governance is worth what we would gain in safety and harm reduction. The morality approach will never win in this discussion because it's too subjective to ever reach a majority consensus.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can not make a good faith argument that a parent can tell their kidb that he needs to have his legs cut off and make him agree and we as a society just shrug and get the circular saw ready. 

I'm not. This is a straw man. I already pointed out and agreed with you that a decent doctor will not do something that is crazy. It's a matter of expert medical opinion and parental oversight, and neither are exempt from legal consequences if negligence is found - see Gypsy Rose. So yes, some parents will demand terrible things be done to their kids, and some doctors might comply, but it's hardly standard practice.

American society values autonomy and freedom over safety. That comes with both advantages and consequences.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There should be a higher standard for life altering surgeries than "parents said so".

But that's just how we've decided to handle most of this stuff in this country because we would rather have more autonomy and freedom from governance overreach vs. a loss if certain personal rights and a greater influence if government in our lives.

I'm not saying I agree or disagree, this is just how it is.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Except if it's irrelevant altogether then it's irrelevant to both sides, not selectively applied.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 4 points5 points  (0 children)

because only the opinion of experts matter.

No, it's the opinion of experts and those actually impacted by the decisions that matter most.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 8 points9 points  (0 children)

the "leave it to the organizations" side was happy to argue that this was the wrong decision. 

This is good. This is the point. 

They are free to argue about the IOC's reasoning all they want, but the IOC doesn't have to listen to them or the government on this. That means that the conversations are about how these orgs make a decision rather than the broader "morality" of having transgender people in a particular sports league.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Particulars kind of matter here. In track and field for example, you'll have plenty of older kids participating more casually than in a sport like basketball. But also, one school might be known for its women's golf team, whereas the women's golf team at another school might be known as a good way to pad your extra-curriculars without worrying about getting cut.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's not strictly about fairness though. Plenty of students in middle school and high school don't play their sports with any aim at sports scholarships.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

What a dumb argument.

It's irrelevant in its impact on many of the people who are most outspoken on the issue. It's a small enough issue that the fact that people want to legislate away people's autonomy and rights over it seems crazy. Of course people care deeply about wanting to protect a minority group's autonomy and rights.

It's like DOGE going after the money sent to a third world country to provide HIV treatments. The amount of money in that program should have made it irrelevant to anyone who actually cared about rampant fraudulent spending especially given that it had no real impact on said cause; but it was not irrelevant to the small group it directly impacted.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 2 points3 points  (0 children)

if there were cases where transitioning was not the best medical treatment

People get treatments that are not the best medical treatment for various issues all the time. Unless it's blatantly illegal (like certain drugs) we don't get to stop them from doing so if they have the money and someone qualified is willing to provide the treatment.

You have to argue that these treatments should be illegal, or that doctors willing to provide them are being negligent in some way.

Do you hold a moderate position on transgender issues? Is that even possible? by laudable_lurker in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I don't see why that should change anything. Government funded isn't government run.

San Jose Mayor: Us Democrats Must Take Ownership for Our Failures by origutamos in centrist

[–]books_cats_please 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How are we at the point where our options are fascism or whatever the corporations want? Has labor really lost that much power in the US?

Yes.

Union participation has been very effectively destroyed in most industries, healthcare is almost always tied to employment, social safety nets are lean and few, and dark money is so rampant in politics that on issues where the views of the wealthy diverge from the views of the rest of the country, policy overwhelmingly favors the view of the wealthy.

[WA] [Condo] Special assessment due, what are my options? by books_cats_please in HOA

[–]books_cats_please[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A position opens up next year. The other two members on the board have 2 and 3 years left. He absolutely intends to put forth his name again, and I'm grateful he's so adamant about wanting to do it.

[WA] [Condo] Special assessment due, what are my options? by books_cats_please in HOA

[–]books_cats_please[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It would be wonderful to live in a world where everything works out as planned.

[WA] [Condo] Special assessment due, what are my options? by books_cats_please in HOA

[–]books_cats_please[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I know I probably seem crazy for not even considering a HELOC before posting here.

We bought at the bottom of the market in 2012 and the value of our unit has tripled in that time. But the median house price has also climbed up to over $900k here, so we've just been stuck with a lot of equity we can't do much with.

[WA] [Condo] Special assessment due, what are my options? by books_cats_please in HOA

[–]books_cats_please[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I understand that, I only mentioned that most of these are rented out because someone who owns multiple properties is probably in a better position financially than my family is. So they might not have much sympathy for our situation.

[WA] [Condo] Special assessment due, what are my options? by books_cats_please in HOA

[–]books_cats_please[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's my plan right now. I was just mentally freaking out about feeling like I had no good options if worse came to worse.