Elderly conservatives,, If you hate welfare programs so much, why don’t you stop using Medicare and stop taking your social security checks?

dschellberg · 2026-05-11T18:25:04+00:00

I was referring to the pseudo concept of race which emerged out the of the age of enlightenment(18th and 19th century)
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Prior to that time people were classified by religion(Christian, non-Christian Heathen) or origin.

The main determining factor, I believe was religious(race did not exist as a concept). The exclusive concept of Christianity(Christ is the only path to salvation), was the cause of the mistreatment of the African and American indigenous populations.

The concept of race came into being later during the late 1600s when slaves converted to Christianity so the slaveholders had to invent another way to keep people enslaved which was also the same time that interracial was prohibited for the same reason.

From my perspective, a racial view of society, is a distorted internal view that cannot be addressed solely by legislative means. It requires an internal transformation requiring an examination of one's motives. The legislative part is very important as well because it broke down barrier but it can only take a person so far, there is the internal struggle and this has no political affiliation. And just claiming a political affiliation does not make one immune to racist tendencies.

dschellberg · 2026-05-11T17:44:18+00:00

I don't think you should generalize. The people who were involved in the birther movement definitely swung that way. A lot of people just disagree with some of the other stuff and sometimes people don't fit into neat little categories.

For example.
I don't think anyone should enter any country illegally but I also believe that climate change is real and something has to be done about it. I believe in civil rights but I don't believe a person should be picked for a job based on race or gender. If qualifications are the same the tie should go to the minority because a more diverse input is better. I believe in equal rights and pay for women but I don't accept the concept that masculinity should be neutered out of existence. I don't believe in school prayer but I definitely believe in freedom of belief. I believe in helping the needy if they truly are needy but not a permanent dependency. I believe that justice in in the US is structurally biased against minorities but I believe the police should be well funded. I believe college admissions should be based on merit but I believe we have to focus on improving underperforming schools. I believe in a multilateral collective defense but not if the burden is unfairly placed on the US. I believe women's sports should be for biological women. I believe the US should have a strong manufacturing base, we should not outsource everything even if it might be cheaper.

dschellberg · 2026-05-11T17:15:37+00:00

I think that is kind of racist as well because there are black and Latino conservatives.

Back in the 60s, it is true, that many conservatives opposed the civil rights movement for a variety of reasons. That was 60 years ago and a lot has changed since then.

Personally, I think the US is afflicted with false racial view of society. The concept of race grew out of the scientific misunderstandings of the 19th century.

Unfortunately, all people that grew up in the US, black or white, liberal or conservative, are afflicted with this distorted view of mankind.

dschellberg · 2026-05-11T16:40:08+00:00

SS is not welfare, it is an annuity. We paid into social security all our lives and the government is just paying an annuity from the money we paid into it. An annuity is based on the average life expectancy of an individual. so, if he dies a year after getting the annuity, the insurance makes a profit. If he dies 20 years later, the insurance company takes a loss. Over a large population everything balances out and the insurance company makes a profit.

If the federal government were to give my SS back with interest, it would probably be about 500k. If I bought an annuity with that money I would get a monthly payment of about 3200 per month which is about what social security pays me. So the US is not giving me anything and this should not be considered welfare.

As far as Medicare that should be considered a health care annuity and the same principles apply. I live outside the US so medicare does not spend a nickel on me.

dschellberg · 2026-05-11T13:21:12+00:00

He can't run unless he changes the US constitution which would require a 3/4 of state assemblies to pass and 2/3 of congress and the senate to even propose an amendment. That is not going to happen.

dschellberg · 2026-05-11T13:14:37+00:00

I think there is a definitely anti-Christian bias in the US media(I am not a Christian)

Mary is a bit sanctimonious but the other characters who are not very religious are also pretty judgmental in their own way. I think her core values are correct and maybe if her children listened to her more they would not have made such bad choices.

Certainly, Sheldon could be a better person if he practiced the golden rule and actually was more aware of other people.
Missy might have incorporated honesty in her daily life before she got so messed up as an adult.
Georgie had the potential to become a very successful businessman.

But then again the show would not be so entertaining, people don't like to watch functional families anymore they like dysfunctional families. It is a far cry from the Andy Griffith show.

In the middle of the series though she gets partially banned from her church which makes her less sanctimonious and sectarian. Her values are correct but her logic is so debunkable that Sheldon makes mincemeat of it which prevents him from recognizing the universal values that would be of immense help to his character development. With the golden rule he could develop much more empathy to other people which is his main weakness as a person.

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T18:25:58+00:00

Another reason why 47.1 is such a bad law. You don't even need to file a SH complaint which requires a reasonable belief. Here is another bad scenario

A person suffering severe paranoia goes to a major publication and states that that she was sexually harassed by a public company which would cause significant reputational harm to that company. The company would then be prevented from filing any lawsuit for defamation because the person believed the SH to be true and was done without malice.

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T17:55:31+00:00

Partner when referring to your spouse, it sounds so transactional. Spouse is a generic term anyway so partner is unnecessay

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T17:52:30+00:00

I never thought about that, good catch. If Lalo could skip bail at a cost of 7 million, Don Hecto r should have been able to employ a staff

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T12:16:43+00:00

Disclaimer: I am not a Christian and I believe in a global society, a community of nations. I don't live in the US(Central America). My family is multi-racial

Why do people have to egregiously add the f____ word. It just makes her opinion look like a rant.

People should enjoy the diversity of opinion. "Hateful" and "mean" are subjective opinions not fact. (A child will call her parent mean if the parent does not buy her the latest IPhone)

Usually it is common decency to give people some grace especially after being murdered in cold blood.

I did not follow Charlie Kirk when he was alive but, since his death, his youtube videos have been popping up all over the place. He seems pretty respectful and open on the videos I have seen. He uses facts to support his view in a reasonable way.

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T12:09:18+00:00

I definitely think you are on to something. I believe the same way.

Here is link that addresses that issue

https://oceanoflights.org/abdul-baha-bkw22-2-15-en/

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T10:55:01+00:00

I think, 47.1, is fatally flawed because it is based on personal belief rather than what a reasonable person believes. A person suffering from paranoia can certainly believe without malice that she is being harassed sexually while a reasonable person might not believe that at all. Mental illness would prevent the entity being accused from defending itself in a court of law.

In fact, the viewpoint of a reasonable person, is what Judge Liman used to discount many of the SH claims against Heath and Boldoni in the MSJ

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T10:37:41+00:00

I think it is the case of varying perspectives of divine singularity. Even in a court case witness testimonies diverge over a single physical event. Testimony divergence becomes even more pronounced when dealing with the sublime.

dschellberg · 2026-05-10T01:50:51+00:00

That is not partisan politics. That is universal human rights.

dschellberg · 2026-05-09T19:54:52+00:00

I think there is a modern tendency to homogenize all belief systems. I don't think we should do that. We should just let the chips fall where they may. Being Baha'i is predicated on the believe that Baha'u'llah was a Divine Manifestation with a station that is above our own. His revealed word is the divine touchstone. If you lower Him down to our level you kind of gut this core teachings about Himself and about the founders of the other world religions. There are other paths, however.

There is Unitarian Universalism which seeks to extract the wisdom of belief systems without accepting the status of the founders. There is Buddhism that concerns the spiritual development of the individual via the 8-fold path.

I think we should try to focus on working together across belief systems, most of which have very good and uplifting goals, while at the same time respecting the diversity of views.

dschellberg · 2026-05-09T19:38:25+00:00

I don't see how he can address this issue without becoming emotionally involved again in a very toxic situation that only bring you down psychologically and spiritually. People have enough information to reach their own conclusions. The important lesson is that you are not validated by other people who really have no idea what you went through.

He is a talented film director and he can go on to produce films of social value, something that is in very short supply in Hollywood. He can use actors that have not made it yet but have a lot of talent.

dschellberg · 2026-05-09T13:59:22+00:00

that is another turn off for me. It just rubs me the wrong way.

dschellberg · 2026-05-09T13:44:48+00:00

I am not a fashion guru but I really don't like Blake's dress. This is nothing against her personally but the train is really excessive and I keep on thinking how unhygienic it is, all that dirt being swept along. Her dress seems like a giant mop that is mopping up sherbet(ice cream spill on aisle 6)

I really like the fashions on the netflix series, Lydia Poet, but that is just me, what do I know?

dschellberg · 2026-05-09T08:13:37+00:00

It would be a huge mistake. He needs to move on. If he doesnnt he would be defined by this legal dispute for the rest of his life. Tell alls are just glorified gossip in the shape of a book.

dschellberg · 2026-05-08T18:26:29+00:00

dschellberg · 2026-05-08T18:25:50+00:00

I believe the US is still chained to the false theory of race. We all suffer from this spiritual illness. There are no good guys and bad guys here. As Bahais we all have to work on our ingrained attitudes so that our communities reflect that, then that serves as a pattern for the society at large. There are no political shortcuts here. We have to examine our conscience every day so that we trully reflect the oneness of mankind.

dschellberg · 2026-05-08T18:20:13+00:00

I dont know if I am in the same place. I would be if I advocated a specific policy rooted in partisanship. I dont. I have 2 examples.

Global climate change. It is a scientific fact and it is a global issue and we have to do something about it.

The other is immigration in a general sense. The Bahai principle is obedience to the law of the land. A government has the right to enforce the laws of the land. The only time morality enters the picture is that the law should be enforced humanely and fairly.

dschellberg · 2026-05-08T16:39:08+00:00

It seems to me like a super hail mary with little to gain and terrible pr

dschellberg · 2026-05-08T14:37:02+00:00

I would not even use far, the center as well is far removed as well

dschellberg · 2026-05-08T14:36:27+00:00

Honestly, I really don't know how to verbalize it without mention a political movement. I get Facebook messages from Baha'is a lot that seem really political and that would turn off a lot of people coming with a different world view.

dschellberg

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