NKP guy Sam1, In these forums, I believe, we have the right to disagree, but not to be disagreeable. IMHO, your ad hominem directed against Phil (DwightBranch) is simply beyond the pale. Phil, I hope you never feel bullied here by the ideologues. I would hope this is a place for railfans, not bean counters. I'd be glad to pay more taxes and higher ticket prices in order to have a great Amtrak, or a great national rail passenger system, or a great airline system. What is intolerable is the bare-bones, next-to-useless-because-of-the-bean-counters system which we have now. When these personal attacks on contributors are published, where are the moderators?
Sam1,
In these forums, I believe, we have the right to disagree, but not to be disagreeable. IMHO, your ad hominem directed against Phil (DwightBranch) is simply beyond the pale.
Phil, I hope you never feel bullied here by the ideologues. I would hope this is a place for railfans, not bean counters.
I'd be glad to pay more taxes and higher ticket prices in order to have a great Amtrak, or a great national rail passenger system, or a great airline system. What is intolerable is the bare-bones, next-to-useless-because-of-the-bean-counters system which we have now.
When these personal attacks on contributors are published, where are the moderators?
As I made crystal clear, Phil used denigrating terms in responding to my post Here they are again in case you have forgotten them:
i.e. "not by a long shot.", "you are a long way off"
"I don't know what "real world" you live in but suspect that it is operated by the Heritage Foundation or some other pseudo-scientific libertarian group."
I stick to the facts. Disagreement with my views is not a problem. But talk down to me, and I will let you know that I don't appreciate it.
I should not have made a disparaging remark about college professors. But I don't retract my views about being talked down to.
While I am at it, I don't like disparaging remarks about bean counters and assumed views about people from Texas. My guess is most of the people who post to these forums have never been to Texas and, therefore, know practically nothing about it.
The proper term is accountants. If someone has a comment about accounting principles, state it that way.
Mac,
Being cranky is one thing. Attacking someone (esp because he's a Professor) is quite another.
I totally disagree with you, respectfully, of course!
Thanks NKP but you needn't worry I won't be bullied. Conservatives like sam1 are frustrating to deal with by non-conservatives because conservatives do not believe in rationalism, the ability of humans to understand reality and to make changes based upon that understanding. That leaves them free to make arguments that taken one at a time are nonsensical and inconsistent with reality but when compiled into a crude pastiche take on the veneer of believability. When non-conservatives break down their arguments and say "hey, wait a minute" conservatives often simply change to another line of argument. Accusations of hypocrisy are also meaningless for conservatives, because for them an argument serves a larger purpose: maintaining the status quo. I don't think the larger public, and even liberals, understand this about conservatives, and keep trying fruitlessly to pin conservatives down. I on the other hand know that and so my purpose is a larger one, the discussion of how things should be, among the rest of us who are rationalists. One of the greatest untruths he has offered (among many) is that this is not a political discussion: in fact this discussion is completely political. Politics is collective action, discussion, and the coming together to decide how things should be, and that is what we are doing here, democratically. Democracy is above all else discussion of how things should be, not the election of technocrats to decide for us.
DwightBranch Thanks NKP but you needn't worry I won't be bullied. Conservatives like sam1 are frustrating to deal with by non-conservatives because conservatives do not believe in rationalism, the ability of humans to understand reality and to make changes based upon that understanding. That leaves them free to make arguments that taken one at a time are nonsensical and inconsistent with reality but when compiled into a crude pastiche take on the veneer of believability. When non-conservatives break down their arguments and say "hey, wait a minute" conservatives often simply change to another line of argument. Accusations of hypocrisy are also meaningless for conservatives, because for them an argument serves a larger purpose: maintaining the status quo. I don't think the larger public, and even liberals, understand this about conservatives, and keep trying fruitlessly to pin conservatives down. I on the other hand know that and so my purpose is a larger one, the discussion of how things should be, among the rest of us who are rationalists. One of the greatest untruths he has offered (among many) is that this is not a political discussion: in fact this discussion is completely political. Politics is collective action, discussion, and the coming together to decide how things should be, and that is what we are doing here, democratically. Democracy is above all else discussion of how things should be, not the election of technocrats to decide for us.
Now here a a baseless attack on whoever does not agree with the author. This is offensive, borish, and slanderous.
I don't care about the moderators nor do I want them to protect me from this. I am quite capable of doing it myself.
Mac
And one must wonder why someone who so clearly favors bus and airline transportation over steel wheel on rail transportation has posted over 1,300 times on a board dedicated to the latter.
As this thread has deteriorated into an exchange of personal attacks instead of views, I am going to lock it!
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