@tea I am thinking of buying my relatives electric kettles, so I don't miss having a kettle when I'm over at their houses. Even if you don't drink tea, they're excellent for cooking oatmeal and rice noodles, and thawing food. #tea

I'm going to start calling Adar II "Smarch." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR8YUj3C9lI

#Simpsons #meme #Jewish #Mazeldon @mazeldon #TV

@judah This calendar was a little small, so the new calendar will even be bigger. @mazeldon

@judah My uncle. My mom's brother. We live in the same house. @mazeldon

We have two calendars in the house, Christian and Jewish. My uncle threw away my #Jewish calendar and replaced it with a bank calendar. I'm trying not to read malice into it. Should I? Luckily, my medical appointments are in my notepad, so I didn't lose the dates. #Mazeldon @mazeldon

I can't get my Haunt site to build anymore. https://video.hardlimit.com/w/6rY5WFQyF2upAk1w14ryM7

#GNU #Linux #Guile #Scheme #Haunt @dthompson #Fedora

@frustrated_academic

What's the context of the "no public prayer" thing? That sounds fishy, regardless. No brachos over food anymore?

@AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic

Yes.

But I was of the impression that libertarians want everything privatized.

I'm blanking on an example, but the government has to respect certain rights while the private sector does not. For instance, speech can be censored by private entities based on any whim, whereas the government has to allow it.

Because the private sector doesn't have to respect certain rights, freedoms are eroded.

@AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic Maybe you should shun them, if you can't be violent toward them, and tell them it is because they will not give to charity. I don't know what else there is to do.

@AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic "People will voluntarily give enough" is not a satisfactory answer, IMHO. There are lots of assholes in the world who don't give, and what punishment do we have for them?

@AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic I'm trying to work within your system, yes. But I find it clunky and inefficient, compared to having a system of democratically-elected laws that dictate how income is redistributed to account for the market's lack of concern for our common morality. @AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic

You're right, I'm not for a theocracy. Once again, forcing a mitzvah cheapens it.

However, just because a value can be found in all religions/cultures, doesn't mean that everyone actually does it. I don't know what to say, about how to actually get people to do it, but I'm not opposed to using taxation to accomplish this ideal that exists in all cultures present.

The atheists, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus... They all agree that helping the poor is good, but do they actually do it? Ideally, a huge educational campaign on the universal values of giving and kindness would be best, but I don't trust it to be effective enough.

Maybe those who don't sign on to donate their money will get their businesses boycotted. I don't know. That's one way to enforce this without your "violence" of taxation.

@AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic

It is a mitzvah, but it is also a universal value. You don't need a religion to tell you that providing for the poor is a good thing. Also, you could probably tie this into the Seven Noahide Laws in some way, though it may be a stretch.

@AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic

While forcing a mitzvah cheapens it and is not ideal, I'd rather exert some sort of pressure on people to do the right thing, when it comes to universal moral issues that aren't necessarily tied to a mitzvah, like providing for the poor.

There must be a way to shun or punish those who rob the poor.

Our money doesn't belong to us. We must give our ten percent (or more).

Unfortunately, using boycotts to force the free market to change with moral wishes of the people is not always possible. Corporations can often agree to do an abusive practice across the board in all of their businesses, making avoiding them impossible.

@AlexanderKingsbury

@frustrated_academic

How isn't mandatory tithing effectively a tax?

If people paid into the system the way they should, then there would be no need to force them, but that's not the world we live in.

@AlexanderKingsbury

@AlexanderKingsbury I would only be OK with it if a majority of the population hired them and it was approved by a judge under the Constitution.

@AlexanderKingsbury I support a system of law that would do that. You as a person are not authorized by judges to order the confiscation of money.

@AlexanderKingsbury When I say charity, I actually mean צדקה "justice," which is commanded by G-d and is in no way voluntary. When you don't give money to the poor, you're stealing from G-d.

@AlexanderKingsbury I'm pretty sure libertarians are against charity by force, which I am definitely for.

@AlexanderKingsbury Your policies tend to give the rich a free pass. I'm not sorry about what I said. The rich exploit workers and short their pay, and suppress unions. That's not good.