Bay 12 Games Forum

Yeah, from what I understand most of the actual opposition these days -- and, to an extent, where support for the taxation comes from -- is the burden smokers (particularly under or uninsured ones) puts on the medical system. Not so much second-hand these days, barring the occasional crazy. Mind you, I'd rather imagine complaints about the smell have increased to some degree simply because people aren't as used to it (and you seriously have to be inured to the smell of cig smoke for it to not be incredibly noticeable), but the direct secondary health risks have been managed alright, imo. At least in the public sphere... parents screwing their kids over or whathaveyou is still common enough, from what I've personally noticed.

That said, yeah, if we're going to do vice* tax we should probably do it to everything of similar nature. Throw a tax on vidya games, if similar medical costs are identified, or whatever. I'd kinda' doubt it considering it's pretty rarely video games that are actually causing medical issues (if folks are sessile enough it's causing health problems, excessive entertainment investment is a symptom, not a cause), but if it is, treat it the same way.

Does logically lead to eventual lifestyle taxes -- people having a tax burden for not exercising enough, ferex -- but... okay. If you're going to go that route, then go that route. If you've committed to making people pay for non-optimal life choices, in order to offset the burden those choices place on society, go all out. Just make sure you've got exceptions for folks that can't maintain the par...

*Which would probably be better termed as disproportionate societal burden or something like that. Users balancing the cost of the habit to folks around them (even if it's not that particular user that's contributing to the problem -- part of the smoking related taxes is so that smokers that don't get complications and die help pay for the ones that do, after all. Ideologically, anyway...), even if it's secondary costs (lower lifespan, higher medical system strain, etc.).

The point already gets reached on a daily basis in developing countries.

... indeed. Which still have tons upon tons of collaborative effort and, often enough, various sorts of altruism. Turns out when you put a human in bad straights we have a strong tendency towards exhibiting various social behaviors that include helping each other out! Who would have thunk it.

Y'know, except everyone, because we're social animals and the various traits that improve that aspect -- behaviors that fall within the spectrum of altruistic behavior most definitely included -- are more than a little natural.

*grumbles* Probably a better topic for its own thread, though, if it goes much further.

I think the saddest thing about the anime is it's probably not going to pull off that amazing scene with the speech bubbles and the naked pederast. Makes the whole manga worthwhile, that page does.

Perhaps. But I'm pretty damn certain treating the Book of Mormon as de-facto scripture is right out.

Um, no? Or at least that'd be a rather odd line to draw -- christian sects have been splitting off due to believing this text or that text is canonical or not since ever, and one would still call 'em christian sects. Differences over believing various texts are holy has been a pretty bog standard christian thing more or less since the beginning, straight up including various ones doing their own little 'let's canonize our fanfiction' thing.

Hell, that's pretty much a standard feature of all the major religions. Only real difference with mormonism is it's recent, and that's really kind of a terrible objection to the practice, imo.

The hairs on my arms have been alternating between light blonde and black for the past few years.

Not sure what's up with that to be honest.

Few times great grandpappy should have stayed away from the zebras, that's what's up.

... yeah, went with "something else". Apatheism could possibly be shoehorned under agnosticism or atheism (particularly the former), but it's distinct enough I don't personally consider it the same thing.

Go to the bush for a few days, take a knife, good boots, warm clothing, small amount of food. Dried meat, some rice,
And you will find your 'self' thinking.. "oh a burger would be good right now, i feel like a coffee, this food is getting boring I want to eat a ham sandwich" you may even make a mental list of the foods you are going to eat upon going back home.
This is what you are evolved to do.
Meditation is realising these thoughts as they appear, sometimes even before they appear. Realising that you just live in your thoughts all your life without actually thinking about it.
Enlightenment is release from this way. Liberating yourself from millions of years of endless thoughts.
Have fun meditating, remember it takes practice. Its not something you pick up in a year or two.
Dont try for a few months then say you are adept at it, thats just hipster.

... the first bit isn't really evolution, nor is it a universal thing. I've been in that situation and... it doesn't work like that for everyone. I'm perfectly content to eat more or less the same thing and drink plain water pretty much indefinitely. It can be part of the socialization process, but it's not a terribly physiological thing.

As to the second bit, there's quite a few different sorts of meditation. Some of them -- frankly, the kind I personally use the most -- have absolutely nothing to do with thought processes and are entirely physical (ordered and organized breath and muscle control, in my case). Others focus on various different things and obtain their goal via different methods than what you're describing. Don't try to pigeonhole a very complicated and diverse practice, yeah?

Does tend to take a while to really pick up on, regardless, I'll give that. Do note that even relatively little time of some of the more basic, more physical sorts can net pretty good returns, though -- there's a reason simple breath control, a standard meditative practice, is part of a fair number of medical practices these days, even if just for short and temporary periods. It's good stuff.

If that's the case, I ought to declare them dependants.

You might actually be able to. If you want to pursue it, check out the details on the... non-relative dependents or something along those lines. If you're the one providing support, you can absolutely claim your parents or any other house residents as a dependent. It's a marginally different sort of dependent than the one that's a <23 years old immediate blood relative, but there's still tax benefits available for you if you're the one providing majority support.