Can you think of any leader of either country winding back the neoliberal project in any meaningful fashion since then? — apokrisis

Trump feels like society nervously making the first preparations to turn fascist and statist when the current economic illusion actually collapses. The winners and losers are being lined up in readiness, the social lines drawn, for when it all turns inward and nasty. — apokrisis

I think "neoliberalism" is a term almost devoid of meaning, as I've never seen anyone positively identify as a neoliberal, and it seems to be used most often as a pejorative term for capitalism or free markets by the left. — Thorongil

Sure, or one join with other people and in combination gain and exercise power, collectively. — Bitter Crank

It's the "how" of money or resources that is important. — Bitter Crank

But the UK problems are mostly a result of neocon policies, not actual national poverty. — Bitter Crank

But conservative policies have dried up public resources for the NHS. Publicly financed housing in the UK is another example of bad policy under conservative ideology. — Bitter Crank

This is a truism. The question is, what are the various ways resources can best be marshaled to accomplish social goals? Most of the US economy has been privately, entrepreneurially run. But, the Federal Government has executed many extremely large projects by marshaling public resources. — Bitter Crank

Although having said this, I should specify that NHS has been degrading over time, since initially I remember it used to be good. There were even many walk-in centres the first year I got to UK, where you just walked in and saw a doctor straight away without having to schedule yourself. But many of those got closed due to lack of money - see, it's always lack of money that causes problems... :’( — Agustino

In the UK, it was pretty much the same, but private healthcare is waaaay too expensive there. I haven't personally tried it - couldn't afford to pay 100s of £s. But I've heard services are much better. NHS waiting times and procedures are horrible - if you have a serious condition it takes you ages to get to the doctor. You call your GP saying it's an emergency problem and they say, "Oh sorry, I can only schedule you in 3 weeks. If you don't like it, go to emergency room" :-} — Agustino

This has been true for decades. 30 years ago, Scientific America analyzed the difference between non-profit and for-profit hospitals, and found that costs, meeting community needs, and care outcomes were better in non-profit facilities--not universally, but there was a very strong relationship. — Bitter Crank

Look, I was not a red diaper baby. I obtained my moral system from Christianity, (which you also claim). — Bitter Crank

You got that out of the Bible? — Bitter Crank

if you want to claim Jesus as your first guide, then forget about money and brute force. — Bitter Crank

What is the judgement of our earthly performance based on? — Bitter Crank

Nothing else, Agustino: for the good of your soul, remember that a highly successful entrepreneur can get into heaven more easily than a camel can climb gracefully into a BMW Mini. — Bitter Crank

Of course. But there is a big difference between having "enough" and having as much as you can get. — Bitter Crank

Tell that to Jesus the next time you run into him. — Bitter Crank

But I would think, just in psychological terms, that a highly successful entrepreneur, like yourself, would have thicker skin than to worry about being mocked. — Bitter Crank

Adorable story, Agustino, but sorry, I can't endorse his glorious entrepreneurship, especially with building for-profit care homes. — Bitter Crank

Besides which, 1 big success story doesn't invalidate the observation the those with criminal records generally are unable to reinvent themselves — Bitter Crank

And more besides which, you are probably flummoxed by the fact that becoming rich is not a universally recognized worthy ideal. — Bitter Crank

There is one element in the story that seems entirely consistent: a man who is ready to throw his commanding officer over board is probably ready to do anything. — Bitter Crank

We weren't designed by evolution to be smoking weed, — Agustino

I pointed out that our brains have receptors for cannabinoid molecules. Therefore you should be surprised. Why ARE you not surprised? Am I being too literal in some way? — fishfry

How about drinking wine, smoking cigars, pipes and cigarettes (not to mention chewin' tobacca) and knocking back caffeine-rich beverages? — Janus

Why do you think that is? — fishfry

But people quickly become tolerant, then the deception does not continue. — Metaphysician Undercover

People are smoking weed right now, today. Something must have caused that desire within people to smoke it. How is this not a product of evolution? — Metaphysician Undercover

Maybe the desire to smoke weed was caused by evolution. — Metaphysician Undercover

And, maybe smoking weed causes changes which could become evolutionary. — Metaphysician Undercover

You can start over in life to the extent that other people don't prevent you from doing so. People who commit felonies and spend a few years in prison, for example, have a really terribly hard time starting over in life without the disability of their felony conviction preventing them from working and living a normal life.. People won't let them do that. Only if they find a slot where people accept their situation and hire them anyway, can they resume normal life -- and that isn't very common. — Bitter Crank

A) Bored with their own lives or want to escape from their mundane lives, — Posty McPostface

B) On a more general level, people are hedonists, — Posty McPostface

C) It's in some sense a 'cool' thing to do, — Posty McPostface

D) A form of self-medication that eventually leads to drug dependency and addiction? — Posty McPostface

E) Is it just a matter of low self-esteem? — Posty McPostface

F) We're experiencing a new era of a type of 'Brave New World', where everyone wants to (read 'feels a neurotic need to') function on a higher level and be on 'Soma'. — Posty McPostface

Though, unless super harmful, I'm not puritanical, I think one definitely shouldn't kill themselves, or engage in self-destructive behavior, but the body likes stimulants, and drugs. Shiva was totes into weed. — Wosret

You could take a stab at converting me. :D — Sapientia

Do you genuinely misunderstand that, or trying to get me back on some grammatical error? — Wosret

but few significant people have (come out in the last century or so). — Wosret

I used to think that Plato was a total ass too, but I've gotten more appreciation for him. — Wosret

Aristotle is still like third, he's super awesome too, but I just hadn't come to appreciate and fully absorb the other two yet. — Wosret

I don't think the war on Iraq was madness: it was stupidity and arrogance justified through subterfuge for goals which were at best half-baked. — Bitter Crank

Yes, to some extent. — Posty McPostface

few actually significant people have — Wosret

Nietzsche and Kant, the best ones — Wosret

Because 0.1% own what 90% make through their toil. But, that's taboo to talk about, right? — Posty McPostface

business — unenlightened

gender imbalance of the forum — unenlightened

total absence of female staff — unenlightened

By our labor in the economy we make money, I hate to break it to you, honey, but engaging in economic activity with you isn't going to bring us together. Transactions are alienated interactions, for the most part. You may make--I may save--money in a transaction, but we aren't going to be buddies as a result. — Bitter Crank

To regard philosophy as an analogue of war really says it all. — unenlightened

War is madness, and this philosophy is also madness. — unenlightened

Is this what you want, that might makes right? — unenlightened

Philosophy remains the most male-dominated discipline in the humanities, both in its population and its combative methods.

This forum is sexist — unenlightened

I have been quite open, for quite a long time now, about my lowered estimation of the value of philosophy. — Sapientia

Best case scenario - Trump resigns as President and the Government agrees not to pursue him further provided he walks away from politics and goes back to his real job.

Won’t happen, but we can always wish. — Wayfarer

Rapid growth, like rapid decline, is indicative of increased high-frequency trading, which is instability in the market place. — Metaphysician Undercover

You seem to derive meaning from many things outside of yourself — Frank Barroso

Could you explain how someone could do that? — Frank Barroso

Do you understand the market? That's called instability. — Metaphysician Undercover

It would almost certainly be good for you to return to college and complete a degree. I realize there are practical problems that might make this difficult. One of those practical problems is you. You have to willingly engage in college, as well as willingly incur the cost, and all the inconvenience that might arise from being a student. I believe you when you say the desire is still there. I'm not sure you are willing to engage (just based on what you have said).

If you don't go to college, you will probably become a learnéd autodidact, at which you probably will do a good job.

From the Greek autos (self) + didaskein (teach) = autodidact, self-taught. — Bitter Crank

• I took a programming course while in University, which was helpful to what I do working today, but what was most helpful was the Professor. He didn't teach us anything. He just said, it is now time for you to teach yourself programming. Here's the language we'll use, and here's the basics. Design your own project and execute it. Look for whatever you don't know and you need on forums, tutorials etc. You're on your own. That experience, encountering the anxiety of it, being unable to escape it, etc. etc. and facing up to it and figuring things out for myself, that has been absolutely life-changing. It taught me that I can figure things out for myself, and I don't need anyone else to teach me. Probably by far one of the most important things I've learned that helped me the most. It's been key to learning programming, learning business, and working for myself today.

• Being a civil engineer we sometimes had projects collaborating with architects in University. I remember that one time I worked really hard and pretty much set up the whole project and all the ideas behind it, even though I wasn't an architect. At mid-time project evaluation, the evaluators said our project was by far one of the best and they were really impressed by the ideas/philosophy behind it. At that point, the architects and everyone else in the group pretty much isolated me, took over the project, changed everything I had setup and made it utter crap until the end. It ended up being one of the worst by the end. The evaluators said they were disappointed. But it did teach me that if you work within a power-structure where you are equal with others, there is no way to enforce yourself, even if you have better ideas - it reinforced in my mind that if I ever want to do something real, I shouldn't work for a long time for anyone else. It also showed me how utterly greedy people are, and how willing they are to do whatever it takes to take over something successful and even destroy it. I also learned that the weak have strength through numbers, and will unite against the strong to rule over him/her.

• I had a Professor who would tell us the truth - that people and other engineers in the industry will try to make us feel inferior, and will use often rely on complicated words, obfuscations, theories, etc. instead of thinking straight. He encouraged us to be Randbots ( >:) ) and think for ourselves, rely on ourselves, and trust our own thinking. He emphasised that learning to think from first principles, and not being tricked by "professional magic" is the key to success. I love that professor and have taken it to heart to this day.

• More than anything else, the very big projects involved steps and things to do that I had no idea how to do, and no one to teach me. So I had to figure things out for myself, and go through all the emotions that entailed. This was very important in teaching me that I don't need others to learn, that I can teach myself. It taught me to trust myself, and not rely on other's judgement. It also taught me that running away from the work doesn't do anything - it still won't get done unless you start doing something. The essay ain't gonna write itself as one of my colleagues said.

• It was also really great to learn how research works, so while I worked for the University doing research it was really interesting. It was great to see how you can work by yourself on a problem, figure new things out, publish papers, etc. I no longer feel intimidated by professional scientists - they're people just like myself, no better. It was overall a fantastic life experience.

No, but so what? Regulations don't stop business. People had work and consumers had goods to buy under Obama. — Michael

More people will suffer if the environment isn't protected, if workers aren't protected, and if consumers aren't protected. — Michael

Perhaps. There are always going to be people who lose out, whether it's the big business owners, the small business owners, the consumers, the workers, or the environment. — Michael

Any would would you be looking to find loopholes in the law anyway? — Michael