[Mercenary]

[Zag Edit: Rule 2]

[Godstud]

[Zag Edit: Rule 2]

[Scheherazade]

Again, caring about people and having human empathy and compassion exists regardless of faith in some magical being.

So what? If being unempathetic makes people happier than being empathetic, there's no ultilitarian reason to do it.

No. That's simply not true. Scientists have not said that.

This is what they have said:
"Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver."
http://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/

Fail. Sounds like you don't know the difference between man-made GW and earth's natural cooling cycles:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/e ... tists.html

[One Degree]

Why do Americans have to keep raping my language?

You mean the language where the letters in a word have nothing to do with the pronunciation?

[One Degree]

I also love topics that start by being guilty of the very thing they are criticizing.

[Albert]

There are both social democrat and market liberal parties which identify as liberal, and the social democrat affiliation is not constrained solely to America. The context I was using the word in was quite obvious. Are you implying that I am American?

In America Democrats and Republicans are both liberal in classical political sense of the word.

Most European political parties are Liberal as well. With exception perhaps with few rising national parties now.

There have been very few political movement in recent history who have been illiberal. Communism is one of them and Fascism/National Socialism before the end of WW2.

You also have illiberal movements around the world as well. Like many Islamic political organizations in Mena. Like AK Party in Turkey and Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt.

[Lexington]

Social democrats who identify as liberals are wrong

God I fucking love arguments about semantics.

"Congratulations, Decky! Your definition of socialism won over North American usage!"

Now argue about NHS and Medicare and actual shit.

[Decky]

No point Lex. Americans don't want an NHS. They would rather their children died by the side of the road in the dust than tax the rich to create hospitals for the workers. They want freedom, they want to worship their bosses, they want to be a joke internationally and they want to have more in common with sub-Saharan Africa than the developed world. If Americans wanted to have free healthcare they could vote for a left wing party (or even a moderate party) anytime they like. Instead they stick to far right Dem-publicans.

[One Degree]

No point Lex. Americans don't want an NHS. They would rather their children died by the side of the road in the dust than tax the rich to create hospitals for the workers. They want freedom, they want to worship their bosses, they want to be a joke internationally and they want to have more in common with sub-Saharan Africa than the developed world. If Americans wanted to have free healthcare they could vote for a left wing party (or even a moderate party) anytime they like. Instead they stick to far right Dem-publicans.

I don't think you understand the level of corruption in the US that has led to this. Everything we have tried in health care has been usurped by corrupt corporations. Every experiment has led to increased costs. Out of frustration, we just want to be left alone.