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or, God could be purposefully stirring up contention by telling each religious group conflicting doctrines.
OK. Did you have a greater point? Perhaps you think I should refuse those payments.
If you're still referring to Social Security, yes, accepting and depositing my Social Security checks is ethical by my standards.
I don't know if that's correct, but I have often said that growing up in America today is a poor value relative to living in, working in, paying taxes to, and receiving benefits from a healthy, modern socialistic democracy. Mexicans get very little in the way of social benefits, but they pay very little in taxes. Western Europeans and Canadians pay a lot of taxes but get cradle-to-grave benefits. Americans pay almost as much as Europeans (or as much when you add in costs like medical expenses and daycare that are subsidized in these social democracies), and according to you, shouldn't expect to receive Social Security themselves. It seems t me that young Americans would do well to expatriate now and begin earning such benefits abroad.
Departed, not denounced. I don't judge America except to say that its future seems uncertain, its culture unhealthy, and I don't want to live there. I wish it well but am no longer a part of it or doing any of the things for it that I used to do such as own an American home, rent American office space, hire Americans, spend in American businesses, contribute to American charities, vote in American elections, or pay taxes to American governments.
I suppose most immigrants to USA are economic
The people getting paid by the government, are the people who voted for that government. Biden is trying to forgive student debt so as to get more votes from young voters, whether it is legal or not. It is the same with social security. People vote for people who promise them money stolen from future generations. It is all a Ponzi scheme which is going to crack and fail. Inflation can help pay of the existing debt, but social security is always a rising figure, with rising numbers and amounts forked out, with reduced number of payees.
Why not. A person with a real conscience would refuse those payments. You already said you don't use them. On the other hand, you indicated you hate the U.S. and cashing their checks will inevitably cause their fall. You miss the point that the fall of the U.S. results in the fall of the world as well.
Expat countries are closing working and visa rules. Jobs are harder to get even with NGOs. As for Canada, and places like the UK, if they have a medical emergency, they will go to the U.S., or get on a waiting list till they die. It now takes around $300,000 to now get a resident Mexican Visa. Not an amount generally found in the pockets of "young Americans". America is degenerating because of Progressive policies enacted by the politicians, that other woke Progressives, such as yourself, voted for. Don't worry, I think it will all catch up with you. It is called Karma. There is a reason that you call yourself Catholic when going for Mexican medical treatment. Unlike Progressive leaders such as Biden and Pelosi, who have their own demons, Mexican Catholics are conservative by nature.
The present system is going to collapse all over the world and a new system will replace it. It is just a matter of time.
Usually, but some are escaping political unrest / seeking asylum.
You seem to have a problem with that. And when you say paid by the government, you make it sound like a gift or charity. Government funds (with a few minor exceptions) are dollars given to the government for safekeeping, and it's appropriate to take more dollars out than one put in for two reasons. My first payments to the government were in 1984 dollars, which were spent by the government in 1984 when they bought more than 2024 dollars, and which could not be invested or earn interest
Disagree. There's no reason for me to give those dollars to the United States.
No, I didn't. I "hated" living there, but I explicitly stated that I mean it no harm and wish it well. I told you that I felt alienated living there, not fully an American according to the Pledge and the money and a former president. I don't love America anymore, but I also don't hate it. America was good to me in the first half of my life, and I'm grateful to have been born there when I was.
I've already disagreed with that. That is due mostly to the repealing the Fairness Doctrine and the incessant indoctrination of an increasingly susceptible electorate who are helping their enemies harm them by electing Republicans.
The reason is because too many Christians are atheophobic bigots, although I think that that is more the case with American evangelical Protestants than Mexican Catholics. Religion hasn't been weaponized here. It is still harmful, but only to the adherents, who it helps keep poor, superstitious, uneducated, and the girls pregnant. It also keeps pets terrified with its frequent holidays and bottle rocket celebrations.
The government didn't put SS assets up for safe keeping. They spent them on stupid programs and got reelected in so doing. The poor pay SS on their whole salary, the rich do not, and their limit is capped at around 7% of $168,000. Salaries in 1984 were much less than those in 2024, which until Biden got elected, evened out the discrepancy in purchasing power. The fact is that the well to do, get more out of social security, than the poor, and the poor are least able to pay it. Your "empathy" towards the poor seems a little lacking. Someone might just take away your "woke" card. It will be the poor young generation, who will not be able to buy a house, due to inflation, caused by spending money which does not exist, and they will have no social security to fall on. According to the government, SS payments will have to be cut around 35% in 2035, when the outflows over takes inflows. The young naive Progressive woke youth are supporting their own execution..
Fox generally presents both views. Try watching Gutfelt. Whereas the Progressive news channels such as CNN only present the Progressive narrative. Your fairness doctrine argument doesn't hold water. The election is being challenged by the independents and democrats who are now voting for Trump, all based on bread-and-butter arguments. They don't like crime, inflation, illegal immigration, DEI, and a president who doesn't know what the day it is or where he is at.
I don't know, but I don't think Americans care one way or other whether you are an atheist. What they don't like are woke humanistic Marxist Progressives, who push their superior humanistic standards on the people through the government officials they elect. It seems a little strange that they can make a call that there is no god, when they set themselves up as their own god. Did you read Soro's book, whereas he considered himself a new Christ/god. Not that he doesn't believe that, but that so many people take his money (sell their soul) to facilitate his goals.
The poor? Social Security is paid by people who are working, and the payment is proportionate to income up to a cap. And the well to do don't benefit from their Social Security checks at all.
I wonder why you keep telling me things like this? This has nothing to do with my life. I don't live among them. That doesn't describe the people around me, who are mostly Catholic Mexicans and irreligious or minimally religious expats, who are mostly older. Many of the young Mexicans are progressive, and I know a few who are atheists. Most Mexicans seem "woke" to me, by which I mean empathetic and family and community centered. That is, more than Americans, they function as a unified whole and support one another emotionally and economically.
You live in a different universe than I do. Trump has lost the left, most of the middle, and many on the right:
Many don't, but many despise atheists. The call us immoral, rebellious, hedonistic, and accusing us of usurping God's role.
Agnostic atheists don't say that there is no god. They say that there isn't sufficient evidence to conclude that gods do or do not exist, and so neither believe that they do or that they don't exist.
No. But why would I? And why would I care if you were correct?
You'd probably do better if you do not continue making presumptions and rephrase your arguments. But anyway -- that's where I stop now because there's more to it.
No, my argument is spot on. One thing as an ex-Christian that I despise are people that argue dishonestly for the faith. It is far better to own up to the flaws in the scriptures than to pretend that those errors do not exist. One is openly declaring that one cannot reason rationally when they cannot handle a few flaws.You'd probably do better if you do not continue making presumptions and rephrase your arguments. But anyway -- that's where I stop now because there's more to it.
Yet you're saying that you KNOW that something came about on the earth by chemical means called abiogenesis, no divine power involved, isn't that right?
No, it's not. You say you are an ex-Christian. Thank you for mentioning that. I thought you were always an atheist.
There are questions, and there are researchers. Not all biblical scholars agree on certain features of the Bible, including passages requiring astute research as to why. Again, it's like the word 'day.' Better than that would be the 7th day in Genesis, when God rested.
I absolutely agree. I have no patience with believers who do logical backflips rather than admit to serious problems. Conversely, I have enormous respect for those who say, "I really don't have an answer for this, but I still have a meaningful faith."
No, I have said that there is only evidence for natural chemical abiogenesis. And that not all problems have been solved. There is no scientific or for that matter reliable evidence for 'god done did it abiogenesis".