IIRC, you think there's a huge pile of misspent money that should be returned to its owners.
Joel Send a noteboard - 11/09/2010 04:12:57 PM
So, yes, it is about all his choices and his life because he wants to make those choices and not have to live with what that means. He opened up his "personal life" to scrutiny when he chose to both make it public and then accept no judgments or consequences for it. And then, to top it all off, wants us to feel bad because we as a nation don't want to pay for his dental care which he didn't previously place such a high value on himself.
Americans pay more for health care through their taxes than many countries with general socialized health care, presumably including Norway. If "you as a nation" didn't have such an incredibly inefficient system, you could pay for his dental care with not a single American paying a penny more in taxes than they do now. The man has a point in criticizing said system then, I would think.
As for the real point discussed here, you can of course be annoyed by his rant and react accordingly, but I don't really see how you can claim to know how he spent his money and how he should've spent it instead. Saying he should've gone to the dentist is one thing, but trying to calculate his income and expenses does seem rather exaggerated.
I know how he has spent SOME of his money because he has told people things he has spent his money on. I don't care what he makes. I do care that he wants to make choices and not live with the consequences. In the real world, if you don't have enough money, you have to make tough choices. In the real world, if you don't have enough money, you make more. You don't put your hand in other people's pockets and demand their money.
As for your policy arguments, I don't agree with you. I don't think there is some huge pile of mis-spent money that should be spent on other things for other people. His criticism of "the system" in this post amounted to him lamenting the fact that it didn't pay for what he wanted it to pay for and for which he refused to pay himself.
Which does nada to negate Legolas' very valid point that our system, both private and public, is obscenely wasteful. And, yes, you know only what I've told you; from the moment I arrived at wotmania I tried to be as open as possible about my flaws for the sake of full disclosure. Believe it or not though, there's more to me than that.
Honorbound and honored to be Bonded to Mahtaliel Sedai
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
NSSP: I Live in the Greatest Country on Earth! 
- 09/09/2010 06:12:06 PM
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- 09/09/2010 06:12:06 PM
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17 fillings? Do you ever go to the dentist? *NM*
- 09/09/2010 06:26:05 PM
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seriously. that's an insane number of fillings to have been putting off.
- 09/09/2010 06:28:09 PM
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This is the first time in my life I've had dental insurance.
- 09/09/2010 06:29:44 PM
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So in other words it's your own damn fault.
- 09/09/2010 07:34:43 PM
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"Not that expensive" is a big phrase.
- 10/09/2010 05:42:55 AM
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have you tried going to a dental school?
- 09/09/2010 07:36:15 PM
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Congratulations: You made the first constructive suggestion in the thread. 
- 10/09/2010 05:37:51 AM
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- 10/09/2010 05:37:51 AM
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well, I bet it wouldn't have cost you near so much if you hadn't kept putting it off.
- 09/09/2010 06:29:50 PM
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Yes, I was able to figure that out on my own.
- 09/09/2010 06:34:58 PM
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17? Wow... do you use cola as mouthwash? *NM*
- 09/09/2010 06:46:28 PM
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Dr. Pepper
- 09/09/2010 06:47:32 PM
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Re: Dr. Pepper
- 10/09/2010 07:05:06 PM
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A reasonable response; amazing how it doesn't make me foam at the mouth.... 
- 11/09/2010 04:02:10 PM
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- 11/09/2010 04:02:10 PM
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would it save you money if they just ripped them all out and put in dentures instead? *NM*
- 09/09/2010 09:32:41 PM
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I feel so sorry for people who have to live in uncivilised countries.
- 10/09/2010 12:18:11 AM
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yes he will be moving to the land known for great dental care *NM*
- 10/09/2010 01:01:37 AM
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*NM*
- 10/09/2010 01:01:37 AM
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I think I must have been channeling a drunken poet when I wrote that insult 
- 10/09/2010 01:23:45 AM
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- 10/09/2010 01:23:45 AM
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LOL A British person lecturing us about anything involving dental care.
- 10/09/2010 02:02:33 AM
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I love how I'm not the only one to remember very old Simpson episodes!
- 10/09/2010 03:58:41 AM
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When I posted regularly and prolifically that was kinda my thing.
- 10/09/2010 06:17:03 AM
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- 10/09/2010 06:17:03 AM
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Where does that stereotype come from?
- 11/09/2010 04:52:41 PM
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Yeah, about that...
- 11/09/2010 09:31:11 PM
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America is fine. You just suck at it. *NM*
- 10/09/2010 12:29:48 AM
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Sorry for the national debt nearly as large as our GDP, falling standard of living and Iraq War.
- 10/09/2010 05:57:34 AM
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~shrugs~
- 10/09/2010 01:48:24 AM
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In this case I did without so I could get to work every day, and put my arm back in its socket.
- 10/09/2010 06:19:11 AM
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Your travel money would certainly have paid for a lot of dentistry. *NM*
- 10/09/2010 02:00:09 AM
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LITERATEDOG!!
- 10/09/2010 02:02:57 AM
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I was trying to go the Facebook route, but no one wants to debate anything there. *NM*
- 10/09/2010 02:04:48 AM
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*NM*
- 10/09/2010 02:04:48 AM
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The only people that reply to you on Facebook are people who already like you and agree with you. *NM*
- 10/09/2010 03:07:22 AM
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*NM*
- 10/09/2010 03:07:22 AM
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Not really.
- 10/09/2010 06:21:55 AM
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Oh, honey, I don't blame you for the Norway travel.
- 10/09/2010 06:35:10 AM
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Funny thing is I once would've agreed.
- 10/09/2010 08:47:34 AM
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Boohoo. You made your choices. You prioritized luxuries before dental care. Live with it.
- 10/09/2010 04:40:05 PM
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Joel opened himself up to this
- 10/09/2010 05:22:45 PM
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But it's all about his personal choices.
- 10/09/2010 05:33:42 PM
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A rather tangential point, but since you keep talking about what "you as a nation" pay for...
- 10/09/2010 06:07:10 PM
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I couldn't care less what his actual income is.
- 10/09/2010 06:16:41 PM
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IIRC, you think there's a huge pile of misspent money that should be returned to its owners.
- 11/09/2010 04:12:57 PM
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Yes.
- 10/09/2010 06:33:22 PM
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Whatever. Completely ignore my points because you want to hide behind the label "personal choice".
- 10/09/2010 11:13:02 PM
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"if you really work as much as you claim, then you must piss money away at an astounding rate" eh?
- 11/09/2010 03:49:58 PM
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And your comparison of a celebratory party to the basic right to marry itself is ludicrous.
- 10/09/2010 06:55:18 AM
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That's an unfortunate situation...
- 10/09/2010 05:10:01 PM
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*hugs* I'm glad you got it taken care of though, and glad to hear from you; been a little worried.
- 11/09/2010 04:34:31 PM
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