"A Nation Divided, Sports United" ~ The Equality & Other Issues Thread

Curmudgeon · Post #721 » by **Curmudgeon** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 2:33 pm

There is no "economic freedom" in the U.S. Currently, the top tenth of one percent of the wealthy earn 50% of all capital gains, and the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. The country is run by a handful of billionaires who get all of the tax breaks (google the term "carried interest" when you have a moment) and who decide who gets elected and who doesn't. If you think that $75K a year somehow qualifies people as "well off," you must live in rural Mississippi.

And let's stop with this "Mexican and Muslim immigrant" silliness. First of all, immigrants can't vote unless they become citizens. Second, the number of muslims in this country is miniscule.

And, BTW, the Blacks who are taking a knee during the national anthem to protest ongoing racial injustice aren't poor.

You cite New Zealand as a good place to live. It is, and I've been there too. It has one of the lowest tax rates among developed nations: top rate of 33% for those earning the equivalent of 48K U.S. or above (at current exchange rates). But New Zealand also has free medical care and tuition at the universities is around $4,000 U.S. per year. How can they afford this? For starters, they don't spend billions on defense to prop up defense companies like Raytheon (its president earns 13M annually) or Lockheed Martin (it's president earns 10M annually). These executives will earn in one year much more than the folks making $75K will earn in a lifetime.

ermocrate · Post #722 » by **ermocrate** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:19 pm

GuyClinch wrote:Wow thoughtful comeback..

There are two groups in America - one group that has money - or thinks they will have money. They vote republican. You can look at the demographics - anyone making over 75k or has family money (aka farmers). Why? they want to keep their money they have earned..

And there is another group - guys who don't have any assests - and make **** money. These guys have nothing and hope that they can snag some of the money from the group that pays all the taxes and makes all the money. So what happens to blacks as they move from group 1 to group 2? You think they vote Democrat? Or are they more likely to vote Republican?

So what do you do if you are a politician that gains all your support from disadvantaged? Do you 'help' them? Did Obama 'help' the economy? Did he "help' black people? Has Detroit been helped, Memphis, Baltimore, Cleveland, Chicago? Once your city state goes Democrat - watch out.

So what the democrats do - and this is smart is they try to encourage the support of mexican and muslim immigrants. Blacks might vote mostly Democrat - as long as they are poor. But once they start making money - you can't count on those votes. So you move onto new voting blocks..

And BTW Europe sucks bro. I have lived there. Apartments are expensive, cars are expensive, electronics are crazy expensive - there is a reason the US is a popular destination for legal immigrants. Its called economic freedom. Other good countries to move to include New Zealand and Hong Kong if you can swing either of those..

The greater your countries economic freedom - the better it is. The US has slipped in that regard - and we are trying to fix that. We used to be top 10 now we are like #17. Shame. Regulation is mostly to blame - also excessive medical costs.

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. lol

theman · Post #723 » by **theman** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:30 pm

Can we agree that at best the Houston Texans who took a knee were ignorant?

OFWGKTA · Post #724 » by **OFWGKTA** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:33 pm

theman wrote:Can we agree that at best the Houston Texans who took a knee were ignorant?

Why were they ignorant?

theman · Post #725 » by **theman** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:55 pm

OFWGKTA wrote:
theman wrote:Can we agree that at best the Houston Texans who took a knee were ignorant?

Why were they ignorant?

They don't know that that is an old say that has been around a long time and it does not mean they are prisoners.

OFWGKTA · Post #726 » by **OFWGKTA** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:19 pm

theman wrote:
OFWGKTA wrote:
theman wrote:Can we agree that at best the Houston Texans who took a knee were ignorant?

Why were they ignorant?

They don't know that that is an old say that has been around a long time and it does not mean they are prisoners.

Wouldn't the owner be the one who's ignorant since he couldn't even say the phrase correctly?

Curmudgeon · Post #727 » by **Curmudgeon** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:05 pm

McNair is just another entitled billionaire who thinks he can say anything he wants. In fairness to the billionaires, they've done a masterful job of convincing people like Guy Clinch that immigrants are the problem, or the NFL players are the problem, or (in the case of the boob running the country) Hillary Clinton is the problem. The truth is that the billionaires and their insatiable greed are the problem.

Curmudgeon · Post #728 » by **Curmudgeon** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:06 pm

Duplicate deleted.

CavemanDoctor · Post #729 » by **CavemanDoctor** » Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:20 pm

OFWGKTA wrote:
theman wrote:
OFWGKTA wrote:

Why were they ignorant?

They don't know that that is an old say that has been around a long time and it does not mean they are prisoners.

Wouldn't the owner be the one who's ignorant since he couldn't even say the phrase correctly?

I'll answer for theman: the owner is rich and white so clearly he couldn't be ignorant.

theman · Post #730 » by **theman** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 2:03 am

Curmudgeon wrote:McNair is just another entitled billionaire who thinks he can say anything he wants. In fairness to the billionaires, they've done a masterful job of convincing people like Guy Clinch that immigrants are the problem, or the NFL players are the problem, or (in the case of the boob running the country) Hillary Clinton is the problem. The truth is that the billionaires and their insatiable greed are the problem.

And the players are a bunch of entitled millionaires who's only accomplishment is being big, fast and strong. The players have done a masterful job of making people like Curmudgeon believe billionaire businessmen and Donald Trump are the problem. Instead of shining a light on a problem they have obscured it.

theman · Post #731 » by **theman** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 2:06 am

CavemanDoctor wrote:
OFWGKTA wrote:
theman wrote:
They don't know that that is an old say that has been around a long time and it does not mean they are prisoners.

Wouldn't the owner be the one who's ignorant since he couldn't even say the phrase correctly?

I'll answer for theman: the owner is rich and white so clearly he couldn't be ignorant.

So the players are upset he used the word prison instead of asylum? This gets more ridiculous by the day.

And, please, never answer for me again. Especially, if you are going to be so wrong.

Curmudgeon · Post #732 » by **Curmudgeon** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 2:21 am

C'mon man. Either way it's an owner being derogatory towards his players. Did the players overreact? Possibly. Did the owner put his foot in his mouth? Definitely.

Roddy · Post #733 » by **Roddy** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 9:48 am

ermocrate wrote:In Italy is 40 hours per week(usually monday to friday every hour in eccess got paid 15% more from 41 to 48 hours and 20% more over the 48th hour - 30% more if you work on sunday or in festivities and 50% in you work after the 10 pm), 4 weeks of paid vacations, 14th months salary (one more for Christmas and one more before the vacations), free healtcare, free education. Salaries are not so high but you got huge benefits. Last but not leat every house should have potable water.

Almost the same in France :

39 hours per week, 5 weeks of paid vacations, between 12 and 14 months salary, free healthcare for EVERYBODY (even if you are unemployed), free education.

I'm going to New-Zealand next month for four weeks, so I will see how it works there. Seems like a sweet country.

ermocrate · Post #734 » by **ermocrate** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 9:57 am

Curmudgeon wrote:McNair is just another entitled billionaire who thinks he can say anything he wants. In fairness to the billionaires, they've done a masterful job of convincing people like Guy Clinch that immigrants are the problem, or the NFL players are the problem, or (in the case of the boob running the country) Hillary Clinton is the problem. The truth is that the billionaires and their insatiable greed are the problem.

And that's hilarious because immigrants (forced or not) are the USA.

Curmudgeon · Post #735 » by **Curmudgeon** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 2:38 pm

The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. We stole the country from the people who were here, and killed the ones who resisted.

Post #736 » by **Froob** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 2:46 pm

Curmudgeon wrote:C'mon man. Either way it's an owner being derogatory towards his players. Did the players overreact? Possibly. Did the owner put his foot in his mouth? Definitely.

It felt like kinda a weird way to send the message to their owner, I totally get and support the whole not standing for a nation that doesn't stand for them but it doesn't really make a lot of sense in this scenario. Anyways McNair is a douche with his whole "JJ Watt wouldn't destroy his cell phone" and all. I guess if kneeling for the anthem pisses him off it was worth while.

I think it's time to move past the anthem thing anyways and move into the next step, whether they do or don't take a knee next week isn't going to mean much in the big picture. A lot of guys are doing great things to make a difference and now that the kneeling has called attention to the problems I think it's time for more actions. Maybe try to get the owners more in on that?

P.S. I'm far from an expert on this sorta thing so maybe I'm way off based, guys like Malcolm Jenkins are doing great things, so they'd probably know better than I.

OFWGKTA · Post #737 » by **OFWGKTA** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 2:49 pm

theman wrote:
CavemanDoctor wrote:
OFWGKTA wrote:

Wouldn't the owner be the one who's ignorant since he couldn't even say the phrase correctly?

I'll answer for theman: the owner is rich and white so clearly he couldn't be ignorant.

So the players are upset he used the word prison instead of asylum? This gets more ridiculous by the day.

And, please, never answer for me again. Especially, if you are going to be so wrong.

Yes, the outrage over athletes taking advantage of their constitutional rights is ridiculous.

Post #738 » by **Froob** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 2:52 pm

OFWGKTA wrote:
theman wrote:
CavemanDoctor wrote:
I'll answer for theman: the owner is rich and white so clearly he couldn't be ignorant.

So the players are upset he used the word prison instead of asylum? This gets more ridiculous by the day.

And, please, never answer for me again. Especially, if you are going to be so wrong.

Yes, the outrage over athletes taking advantage of their constitutional rights is ridiculous.

In theory, isn't that thrown out the window and the NFL can theoretically make them stand because they aren't the government? Seems like it's not quite clear because I think lawsuits have been won on first amendment vs private sector. Regardless, I do agree that there's too much outrage, people outta take a second to look at a different perspective and see why these players feel that way.

CavemanDoctor · Post #739 » by **CavemanDoctor** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 3:55 pm

theman wrote:
Curmudgeon wrote:McNair is just another entitled billionaire who thinks he can say anything he wants. In fairness to the billionaires, they've done a masterful job of convincing people like Guy Clinch that immigrants are the problem, or the NFL players are the problem, or (in the case of the boob running the country) Hillary Clinton is the problem. The truth is that the billionaires and their insatiable greed are the problem.

And the players are a bunch of entitled millionaires who's only accomplishment is being big, fast and strong. The players have done a masterful job of making people like Curmudgeon believe billionaire businessmen and Donald Trump are the problem. Instead of shining a light on a problem they have obscured it.

I get that you were trying to mock Curmudgeon with this but your post really is telling.

People watch games to watch athletes. No one cares about the owners.

Why are you a Celtics fan? Do you just really dig Wyc's hair?

OFWGKTA · Post #740 » by **OFWGKTA** » Wed Nov 1, 2017 4:28 pm

CavemanDoctor wrote:
theman wrote:
Curmudgeon wrote:McNair is just another entitled billionaire who thinks he can say anything he wants. In fairness to the billionaires, they've done a masterful job of convincing people like Guy Clinch that immigrants are the problem, or the NFL players are the problem, or (in the case of the boob running the country) Hillary Clinton is the problem. The truth is that the billionaires and their insatiable greed are the problem.

And the players are a bunch of entitled millionaires who's only accomplishment is being big, fast and strong. The players have done a masterful job of making people like Curmudgeon believe billionaire businessmen and Donald Trump are the problem. Instead of shining a light on a problem they have obscured it.

I get that you were trying to mock Curmudgeon with this but your post really is telling.

People watch games to watch athletes. No one cares about the owners.

Why are you a Celtics fan? Do you just really dig Wyc's hair?

Definitely was 100% serious in that post.