My friend keeps asking me why I don't save my money (I don't even have a bank account.) I tell her that I don't need to save a lot of money, because (as your friend said), what am I going to do with it while it's just sitting in the bank? Her answer was this:

"What if you hurt yourself at work? You have no health insurance, and an injury would take away your financial security for years to come."

And that's where I would like to interject my hatred for this country and its healthcare system. People want lower taxes, and they want a well-maintained healthcare system, as you said. But because they aren't willing to pay taxes for healthcare, it isn't national. And yet, they're perfectly willing to spend billions of dollars on our military. And if you say a derogatory comment about that military, soldiers' families and general "patriotic" Americans will rip your face off. Especially today, of all days. I'm afraid to go outside today, because I don't want to see everybody clad in our flag's colors. But anyway...

So I'm supposed to save my money in case I am hurt, when I'd rather have paid that money earlier to taxes that fund a national health system. However, it is odd where my tax dollars go. True, my federal money goes to the war machine, but that's about 10 dollars every two weeks. The two major tax burdens in this country are Social Security and Medicare, or "I'm going to help old people and poor, sick people." And that idea is great, except those two programs are sinking fast. I pay about 150 dollars every two weeks for those programs, and they're failing miserably. And they're programs that I don't receive if I am hurt. So it's not like I'm paying for myself. I'm paying for the elderly and the ill, but when it comes time for me to break my leg, I'm forced to pay for my own medical bills. My head hurts now. I hope it's not a tumor, because then I'm screwed.

--
I expected the answer that you gave me. It doesn't surprise me that some countries with higher taxes can feel more communal than my country. I feel so alienated here, and I've lived here for my entire life. The only days people feel communal are days like today, when we're supposed to feel like a big, happy family. But we're that family who acts cordial at the Thanksgiving dinner table, then an hour later we're fighting over the TV remote control.

I'm actually not against the level of taxes that are levied in this country. I just hate the way they're spent. If we could stop paying for the war machine, maybe we'd progress further and the world wouldn't have a reason to hate us so much anymore.

How does one become a citizen of Sweden, anyway?

In reply to this comment by Kreegath:
Haven't really had time to think this through, so you'll have to take what I say with a grain of salt. Been trying to come up with some stuff Sweden's doing better than the US and why, and as it stands we'd both agree I think that the US is doing slightly worse in education at the moment.
This is more of a rant than a coherent argument, but let's see where it goes.

I think it could very well boil down to taxes, both when it comes to having them and the general mentality among citizens about paying them.
There seems to be a problem in the US with the second issue, where (judging from online news videos) people appear to have great difficulty connecting sociopolitical issues with each other and applying them in real life.
Taxes and welfare issues in particular, to take an example for discussion's sake. To tie back to Sweden, it's probably safe to say that nobody really enjoys paying taxes like they would enjoy going to the movies or going out for dinner, but the fundamental understanding that the quality of our social benefits, schooling, infrastructure and healthcare are directly connected to the amount of cash the government takes makes it a natural thing in the public mind. The discussion isn't whether we should have them or not, but rather what education and healthcare standards we can live with before starting to discuss lowering taxes.
To tie back even further, to a few posts back when we talked about abortion, there seems to be a similar detachment from the issues of how the government is supposed to help take care of all the babies that the people who are against abortion want to save, when many of the same people are for lower taxes and taxcuts to a system which doesn't even have national healthcare, where the vast majority of cash goes to the military and where the military is the only branch the tax cuts won't ever touch. It doesn't make any sense, but when you look at the status of some states and the policies they're pursuing, it's becoming more clear that increasing taxcuts and lower taxes are linked to the failing public school system, crumbling infrastructure and lack of public healthcare. Kind of like wanting to have the cake and eat it up too, where people don't want to pay for the state/federal service but still expect it to maintain its quality.
In that aspect I think Sweden's doing much better than the US. Even though people on a personal level probably don't feel any different towards each other in respective country, I think Swedes as a community feel more strongly connected and are more focused on helping each other out than hoarding personal fortunes.

After all, even if I didn't have any kids or intend to get any, there'd still be several good reasons for me to pay for our public education and feel great about it. I'd know people with kids, who'd get kids or who knew people with kids, and I'd also like to be able to walk the streets at night without having to fear for my life.
A friend of mine who works at an eldercare clinic said, when asked about this, "I'm only sitting at home with my comp six days a week except for saturdays when I go out and party. What am I supposed to do with all of my salary?"

In reply to this comment by thinker247:
I was hoping you'd raise some issue about which I could argue, but I agree with you completely. Damnit. ha!

So what is your opinion of Sweden versus America? I always see Sweden at the top of the list when it comes to social issues, and I'm jealous. Are the lists an accurate portrayal of Swedish society?

I was hoping you'd raise some issue about which I could argue, but I agree with you completely. Damnit. ha!

So what is your opinion of Sweden versus America? I always see Sweden at the top of the list when it comes to social issues, and I'm jealous. Are the lists an accurate portrayal of Swedish society?

In reply to this comment by Kreegath:
Let's just agree that no argument, example or viewpoint should be completely set in stone. We all make up imperfect opinions based on imperfect information, and trying to hold the mindset that as many of ones opinions as possible are open for change is imperative for a meaningful discussion of just about any kind.

The problem as I see it with people being against abortion is that I feel they're (and they in this case is the people in general) trying to create a moral highground where none exist by not looking at the implications and consequences of denying a woman the right to an abortion in a clinic. To be honest, looking at it realistically, women will still do abortions regardless of whether or not there's a law saying they can't. In that regard the practical discussion is about whether we let professionals in the field of medicine deal with it, or the women themselves with a coathanger in the forest at night. The ethical discussion is something I've got some thoughts on aswell, but that's for a separate paragraph.

There was this girl who killed herself in Ireland by putting a dirty stick into her uterus, because she'd been raped and couldn't cope with giving birth to that baby even though her family had given her their support. This is the reality of women doing abortions, and the consequence of trying to ban the practice of medical abortion by creating an argument for "a womans right to choose" versus "a fetus' right to life". I think the reality is that neither of those are valid arguments in this issue, because just like that Irish girl felt she did not have a choice when it came to her pregnancy, and risked and subsequently took her own life to stop it. It's very hard for someone who hasn't experienced it to imagine that level of desperation.

It's very easy for someone completely detached from the people, families and society affected by the presumptive abortion to try and create a moral highground against it. In my mind it also seems shortsighted and disregards the motives for the abortion, the implications of raising an unwanted child and the repercussions in society. These women don't look for an abortion as an alternative to condoms, they don't go through with it on a whim and it's not a decision that in any stretch could be conceived as being taken lightly.
A woman not being able to support her child emotionally and/or financially aswell as provide security and education is among the worst kinds of mental torture you could inflict on a person. This kind of mentality leads to poverty, intolerance, social injustice and crime which in turn leads to a huge strain on society, affecting even more people and creating a plethora of additional problems. Now, obviously I'm not saying that anti-abortionists promote crime and injustice, but what I am saying is this: The sanctity of life simply does not end at conception.

Finally, my take on the religious argument about the moment of conception and the soul. I look at it like this:
I don't think Jesus actually existed but is the (oh lord I don't know the correct word for it, allegory?) unreachable goal which we should all strive for. I believe the religious thinkers who roughly 2000 years ago started talking about these paragons of virtue (of which they eventually picked Jesus) wanted to push as many good stories and attributes on the icon as possible, partly because people would get a moral compass to frame, direkt and solidify their mentality/behaviour and partly because they wanted people to keep striving to become better human beings (better at humanity?), never being able to reach it and would therefore come back for more.
Just like I don't think Jesus was actually walking around 2000 years ago and curing lepers and feeding the masses with a loaf of bread, I don't believe the soul is an actual, material entity. I don't think the soul (if you believe in that sort of thing) is something you receive upon conception at all but is the representation of ones life, dreams, memories, experiences, knowledge and feelings. As such, a fetus which has no organs, no immune system, no consciousness or subconsciousness in my mind has none of the things that would make up ones soul, since it hasn't actually lived yet. This alone would naturally not warrant the termination of a pregnancy, but I think it's important to realize a fetus at that point is medically and practically not yet a human being. Actually, in Sweden it's illegal to even try and save a fetus born too prematurely (I think it's any fetus born in the 25th week of pregnancy or earlier). Because quite frankly, if the fetus would survive the incubator with the looming 99.9% mortality rate, partly due to having no immune system whatsoever, it would be so incredibly handicaped and in such pain for the rest of its short life that it would be constituted as torture of the worst possible kind.

So yeah, I do think that abortion is the result of society not taking responsibility for it's members. It's the result of injustices, intolerance, hate and a terrible inability of some persons to put themselves in the situations of others.
I think that in a perfect world, no woman would be targeted for rape, would be discriminated and hamstrung to the point where she had to rely on the good graces of others to support her and even moreso any future offspring of hers, would be isolated and judged by an archaic system of hate and intolerance, and where people would take personal responsibility for everyone's prosperity.
Today however, for the most part, it feels like we're not so much a coherent society as we are a separate group of clans having to share livingspace (on s societal level of course, on a international level we're not even sharing).
Taking responsibility is key here, and that is not achieved by picketing a doctor's home or telling women they're murderers. Taking responsibility is helping them raise the child, which you probably won't see anyone do before hell freezes over.

I'm sorry for dragging this out a bit. It's such a loaded issue that it's extremely hard to show how you feel about it without either getting labeled effectively getting words put in your mouth that are not your own, or getting completely ignored for saying something and not elaborating on it enough.

Sorry, I've been so busy finding videos to upload I forgot to check my own page occasionally. My apologies.

However, seeing that it is 4 in the morning here, I'm currently not right in the head to answer your reply. Later today, I assure you.

And thanks for the congrats. It took a lot of Doug Stanhope videos, but I got my damn star. (All I wanted it for was to downvote.)

In reply to this comment by Kreegath:
Were you serious about the discussion part or did you just yank my chain my chain? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the matter, though. Not much of a dialog with only one person talking, is it?

Congrats on the bronze star by the way!

What are your thoughts on God deciding to create Jesus today instead of 2000 years ago, and Mary wanting an abortion? Are you for theistic abortion, or against?

In reply to this comment by Kreegath:
Hehe, where would you like to start?

In reply to this comment by thinker247:
I'm always up for learning strange ideas about various topics. Maybe we could have a strange-off competition, then sit at home and cry about the fact that we just competed to see who is more strange. Or not.

In reply to this comment by Kreegath:
I'm Toby, a true blue swede (blue because of the cold) and procrastinator extraordinaire. Socialy inept, silent to the point where you might think me mute, gloomy to the point where you might think me suicidal, there's hardly any prejudice about swedes I'm not living up to.
There's nothing in particular that I'd put down as an interest. Don't have any real hobby or past-time occupation except for lurking the sift, really. Also, Got a bit of a pet peeve when it comes to people listing theirs and adding stuff like "music", "movies", "food" etc. For some reason it just feels like such unnecessary information, a filler if you will, like there would be anyone who didn't like music or who couldn't stand food. Not that the interests themselves are the issue mind you, but rather the lack of specificity.
I've some strange ideas on religion, politics, society, video games and just about anything you can imagine, and would love to exchange thoughts if you don't mind the ramblings of an uninformed and ineloquent mind.

Currently unemployed after some time working in the eldercare business, I'm waiting to start my university studies this fall and hopefully become an engineer someday.
Previously I studied to become an English teacher, but after two years there was no question I didn't have what it took to be a real good one, and it wouldn't be fair either to me or my students to do some halfassed work.

The most amazing person I've ever met was a 12 year-old boy who had immigrated with his family from Iran. He was fluent in three languages (Farsi, Swedish and English), was an advanced guitar player aswell as a straight A-student.
It's people like that who give me hope for the future of humanity.

Who says I'm not a bucketful of cheerfulness and giddy conniptions?

And cats die, which is not something I like to deal with.

[Edit] I'm often sarcastic, because it's the only thing that keeps me from becoming a mental case. So I was being a bit over-dramatic, but not too far off from my actual thoughts on life.

In reply to this comment by swampgirl:
I hope that was plain satire.. if not cheer the hell up and get a cat or something.. gee wiz

I'm always up for learning strange ideas about various topics. Maybe we could have a strange-off competition, then sit at home and cry about the fact that we just competed to see who is more strange. Or not.

In reply to this comment by Kreegath:
I'm Toby, a true blue swede (blue because of the cold) and procrastinator extraordinaire. Socialy inept, silent to the point where you might think me mute, gloomy to the point where you might think me suicidal, there's hardly any prejudice about swedes I'm not living up to.
There's nothing in particular that I'd put down as an interest. Don't have any real hobby or past-time occupation except for lurking the sift, really. Also, Got a bit of a pet peeve when it comes to people listing theirs and adding stuff like "music", "movies", "food" etc. For some reason it just feels like such unnecessary information, a filler if you will, like there would be anyone who didn't like music or who couldn't stand food. Not that the interests themselves are the issue mind you, but rather the lack of specificity.
I've some strange ideas on religion, politics, society, video games and just about anything you can imagine, and would love to exchange thoughts if you don't mind the ramblings of an uninformed and ineloquent mind.

Currently unemployed after some time working in the eldercare business, I'm waiting to start my university studies this fall and hopefully become an engineer someday.
Previously I studied to become an English teacher, but after two years there was no question I didn't have what it took to be a real good one, and it wouldn't be fair either to me or my students to do some halfassed work.

The most amazing person I've ever met was a 12 year-old boy who had immigrated with his family from Iran. He was fluent in three languages (Farsi, Swedish and English), was an advanced guitar player aswell as a straight A-student.
It's people like that who give me hope for the future of humanity.

If Islam never had a Renaissance, then where did we get algebra and algorithms? Your ignorance hurts me.

In reply to this comment by Pprt:
The important distinction campionidelmondo is that this is 2008, and no-one is killing in the name of Christianity. The Crusades and Christian Emperialism ended quite some time ago.

The Muslim world's drive, however, is still fueled by the ideology of a 6th century sectarian battalion. Islam never had a Renaissance... never had the period of self-doubt and introspection that Europe went through... this may be in part because just question Koranic validity is punishable by death!

Cheers to jwray for going against the grain.