What’s your most Controversial opinion?

[RaoulDuke79]

Tattoos are over rated. 

[Greybeard]

   If you don't pay taxes, you should not be allowed to vote.

[RochesterRob]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

People arrested for possession (without intent to sell)/use of opioids should go to rehab; not jail.

 

Forcible rape should be life imprisonment with no parole, if found guilty.

 

A person who falsely accuses someone of a crime should face the maximum penalty of said crime.

 

Pedophiles/sexual predators should be sent to prison for life, no parole, as they cannot be rehabilitated.

 

I believe in pro-choice.

 

I believe in the right to die.

 

I think everyone deserves healthcare.

 

I think more money needs to be spent on preventing people from taking advantage of social services/SNAP/welfare, etc., because there are enough people who truly need it.

 

I think it's too easy to become a police officer.

 

I also think policemen and corrections officers are grossly underpaid.

 

I think letting combat war veterans hold jobs that allow/require them to hold or use firearms is a mistake.

 

 

  In terms of being contrary to a sizable majority I don't see a lot of controversy listed here.  Now if this was 45 years ago a fair amount of what you said might be controversial.  A pet peeve of mine where lawyers are concerned is some people saying when it comes to lawsuits the loser should pay in terms of frivolous or nuisance suits.  As far as I am concerned often the person with the most money to spend on lawyers wins regardless if right or wrong.

39 minutes ago, snafu said:

Everyone should serve in a branch of the armed forces for a minimum of two years and in peacetime, should be tasked to do public works projects.  No one should be eligible for college admission without certified service.

  I've said this as well and it must be controversial as I have seen a lot of fur stand up on end when I have broached that topic.

[/dev/null]

10 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

   If you don't pay taxes, you should not be allowed to vote.

Everyone pays taxes in some form or another

 

A better argument in my opinion is that a net consumer of public services should not be allowed to vote for additional benefits at the expense of net producers

[Greybeard]

3 minutes ago, /dev/null said:

Everyone pays taxes in some form or another

 

A better argument in my opinion is that a net consumer of public services should not be allowed to vote for additional benefits at the expense of net producers

    Fair enough.

[/dev/null]

1 hour ago, Golden Goat said:

Weed should be legalized nationwide for medicinal and recreational use. Controversial, perhaps, given that I'm not exactly left-of-center.

 

I agree that marijuana use should be legalized.

 

However I also think that employers should be allowed to discriminate against employees or prospective employees that test positive.  State and Federal agencies should be allowed to deny benefits to applicants or recipients that test positive

 

People should be free to choose whatever lifestyle they want.  But they should also not be shielded from the consequences of their choices

[KD in CA]

44 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

   If you don't pay taxes, you should not be allowed to vote.

 

I don’t consider this controversial;  I consider it a travesty that it is not law.

[Augie]

4 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

But there are a ton of schools that offer welding degrees, both associates and bachelors...are these not colleges? 

 

If they are colleges, yes. If they are trade schools, no. It’s as simple as that to me, but I don’t work in higher education. There are definitions for these things. 

 

* A smaller institution that usually offers undergraduate degrees is considered a college. ... In contrast, an institution that offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees is considered a university. They offer undergraduate programs that will lead a student towards a master's degree or a doctorate.

 

* A vocational school, sometimes also called a trade school, career center, or vocational college^[1], is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to secondary or post-secondary education^[2] designed to provide vocational education, or technical skills required to perform the tasks of a particular and specific job. In the case of secondary education, these schools differ from academic high schools which usually prepare students who aim to pursue tertiary education, rather than enter directly into the workforce. With regard to post-secondary education, vocational schools are traditionally distinguished from four-year colleges by their focus on job-specific training to students who are typically bound for one of the skilled trades^[3], rather than providing academic training for students pursuing careers in a professional discipline. While many schools have largely adhered to this convention, the purely vocational focus of other trade schools began to shift in the 1990s "toward a broader preparation that develops the academic" as well as technical skills of their students.^[4]

 

 

To say the lines blurred in the 90’s is a small point. If you look at a trade school and a college, I bet you can tell the difference. And this line of conversation is a complete waste of time for both of us. 

 

Is it a cat? Or is it a dog? That depends. 

 

I have nothing against either. 

 

Enjoy whats left of your weekend! 

Edited January 20, 2019 by Augie

[Steve O]

9 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Your opinions aren't controversial, they're just ignorant.

Read and learn...and if you're still relatively young, go to school.

 

Unfortunately, a certain demographic in our country has decided college is a waste of time which is a really dangerous place to be as a nation.  

 

http://www.aplu.org/projects-and-initiatives/college-costs-tuition-and-financial-aid/publicuvalues/employment-earnings.html

My opinions are not ignorant, they are based on my experience. Graduated from RIT with a 3.75 grade point average. Spent over 30 years working in both large and small companies (mostly large.) Since companies put a lot of value on education I played the game. But I learned more my first week on the job than in all my schooling. I've also seen what goes in to ISO certifications. All programs get put on hold for two weeks and everyone scrambles to make sure all ducks are in a row for two weeks before an audit. Then everything goes back to normal for 5-1/2 months until the next audit.   

Comfortably retired now for what it's worth.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Asian carp are NOT a threat... Either are other migrants.

 

LoL...

 

 

[KD in CA]

11 minutes ago, Steve O said:

My opinions are not ignorant, they are based on my experience. Graduated from RIT with a 3.75 grade point average. Spent over 30 years working in both large and small companies (mostly large.) Since companies put a lot of value on education I played the game. But I learned more my first week on the job than in all my schooling. I've also seen what goes in to ISO certifications. All programs get put on hold for two weeks and everyone scrambles to make sure all ducks are in a row for two weeks before an audit. Then everything goes back to normal for 5-1/2 months until the next audit.   

Comfortably retired now for what it's worth.

 

You are stuck on the notion that college is supposed to equal job training. It's not.  I'm curious about what you've done for 30 years without ever having the value of your education become apparent to you.

 

The anti-college thing is just a fad;  goes hand in hand with the 'kids have too much homework' movement, which of course is absurd.

[Punching Bag]

10 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

Not everyone should be allowed to have children.  There should be a process whereby individuals are able to demonstrate that they will be competent, loving, and responsible caregivers.

 

And competence tests as you go along?  Have a child can change you radically.

[Pete]

5 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

Tattoos are over rated. 

when asked by females why I do not have tattoos, I always respond- you don't put a bumper sticker on a Ferrari

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

10 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

 

I believe in pro-murder of unborn babies.

 

Ftfy

[BringBackFergy]

Lee Harvey Oswald was a copy cat murderer (John Wilkes Booth) and acted alone. 

[ChevyVanMiller]

Random threads asking for posters' opinions are vastly overrated.

Edited January 20, 2019 by ChevyVanMiller

[Johnny Hammersticks]

9 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

And competence tests as you go along?  Have a child can change you radically.

 

Sounds like a good idea.  Just like drivers licenses should be.  My grandfather should not still be driving.  

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

14 hours ago, CoudyBills said:

Financial issues are self inflicted.

Not always.  

 

You are doing great, you get relocated,  you sell and buy a house becyod it.   

 

3 months later the markets crash with the telecom disaster, you get laid off when  noone is hiring, you can hold off your mortgage, car payments, and medical bills for 9 months and then you lose out all of your investment with a short sale.  

Losing over $50k when all is said and done. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

35 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

Not always.  

 

You are doing great, you get relocated,  you sell and buy a house becyod it.   

 

3 months later the markets crash with the telecom disaster, you get laid off when  noone is hiring, you can hold off your mortgage, car payments, and medical bills for 9 months and then you lose out all of your investment with a short sale.  

Losing over $50k when all is said and done. 

Maybe. But it's still up to you.

 

But, the self-infliction came when you decided to accept the relocation.  You could have stayed put and found another job.

 

"Good or bad, baby
You can change it anyway you want
You can rearrange it
Enlightenment, don't know what it is
Chop that wood and carry water
What's the sound of one hand clapping
Enlightenment, don't you know what it is..."

[snafu]

I don't believe college educations are useless by any stretch of the imagination. I just believe that most 17 and 18 year olds aren't mature enough to be given the choice to decide what school they want to go to and what their major that want to pursue. 

 

I also believe that that there should be a thorough investigation of all private and public college and university trustee boards. I'm sure that theres a lot of graft and waste and price fixing which drives up the cost of an education to sickening levels. 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

15 hours ago, CoudyBills said:

Financial issues are self inflicted.

 

It’s 2008 and my wife and I are both gainfully employee at a school district in NC.  Just found out that my wife was pregnant with our first child.  Recession hits and 100/165 school psychologists (including my wife and I) are RIF’ed on a Friday afternoon in April.  No warning.

 

We made due for a year with us both working several jobs, but we were still poor as dirt until we finally found jobs and had to move to Alaska. My wife applied for WIC while we were still in NC to help out a little, but we were denied.  

 

Would you consider our financial issues self inflicted?

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

12 minutes ago, snafu said:

I don't believe college educations are useless by any stretch of the imagination. I just believe that most 17 and 18 year olds aren't mature enough to be given the choice to decide what school they want to go to and what their major that want to pursue. 

 

I also believe that that there should be a thorough investigation of all private and public college and university trustee boards. I'm sure that theres a lot of graft and waste and price fixing which drives up the cost of an education to sickening levels. 

YET, we send 18 year olds off to war.

 

What's with the hoarding and endowment situtation with schools too?

[RochesterRob]

19 minutes ago, snafu said:

I don't believe college educations are useless by any stretch of the imagination. I just believe that most 17 and 18 year olds aren't mature enough to be given the choice to decide what school they want to go to and what their major that want to pursue. 

 

I also believe that that there should be a thorough investigation of all private and public college and university trustee boards. I'm sure that theres a lot of graft and waste and price fixing which drives up the cost of an education to sickening levels. 

  I think that the good outweighs the bad in allowing choices for educational avenues.  I would hate to emulate the old Soviet system where if you had a unibrow and drooled slightly that meant being shipped off to a collective farm or if you are lucky a tire retreading facility.  Only the person that is inside the body can truly know the potential that the body and mind can expend.

[/dev/null]

16 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

YET, we send 18 year olds off to war.

It's not like the military just hands them an M4 and drops them off in the desert.

 

There is structure, order, and discipline that are lacking in college safe spaces and puppy rooms

[CoudyBills]

43 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

It’s 2008 and my wife and I are both gainfully employee at a school district in NC.  Just found out that my wife was pregnant with our first child.  Recession hits and 100/165 school psychologists (including my wife and I) are RIF’ed on a Friday afternoon in April.  No warning.

 

We made due for a year with us both working several jobs, but we were still poor as dirt until we finally found jobs and had to move to Alaska. My wife applied for WIC while we were still in NC to help out a little, but we were denied.  

 

Would you consider our financial issues self inflicted?

 

 

You're an educated man so you should know the answer.  Did you live on a budget while you were gainfully employed?  Did you spend less than you make?  Did you setup an emergency fund while you were employed?  Nobody can predict the future, but a fool doesn't prepare for the worst.  I didn't say a job loss or unforseen circumstances were self inflicted.  Hopefully you had an emergency fund to carry you through the tough times.  If you didn't, that is self inflicted. 

1 hour ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

Not always.  

 

You are doing great, you get relocated,  you sell and buy a house becyod it.   

 

3 months later the markets crash with the telecom disaster, you get laid off when  noone is hiring, you can hold off your mortgage, car payments, and medical bills for 9 months and then you lose out all of your investment with a short sale.  

Losing over $50k when all is said and done. 

I should have phrased it better.  Turning a financial issue into a financial nightmare is self inflicted.  I feel you on the telecom thing, same profession.  You were prepared, according to what you wrote, to handle the issue with an emergency fund.  Think how much worse it could have been had you not had anything saved for a rainy day.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Just now, CoudyBills said:

You're an educated man so you should know the answer.  Did you live on a budget while you were gainfully employed?  Did you spend less than you make?  Did you setup an emergency fund while you were employed?  Nobody can predict the future, but a fool doesn't prepare for the worst.  I didn't say a job loss or unforseen circumstances were self inflicted.  Hopefully you had an emergency fund to carry you through the tough times.  If you didn't, that is self inflicted. 

 

I finished my doctoral program in 2007, bro.  My wife finished her masters in 2007.  We both began our careers in August 2007.  We also had to pay for a lot of our wedding, and relocation $ from NY to Charlotte.  Hardly enough time to accumulate savings sufficient to overcome being “let go” with no noice.  Common man!!

[CoudyBills]

Just now, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

I finished my doctoral program in 2007, bro.  My wife finished her masters in 2007.  We both began our careers in August 2007.  We also had to pay for a lot of our wedding, and relocation $ from NY to Charlotte.  Hardly enough time to accumulate savings sufficient to overcome being “let go” with no noice.  Common man!!

I hear what you're saying.  It would be fair for me to point out that I don't believe in debt.  That's a whole other can of worms we could dive into, but there's really no point.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

2 minutes ago, CoudyBills said:

I hear what you're saying.  It would be fair for me to point out that I don't believe in debt.  That's a whole other can of worms we could dive into, but there's really no point.

 

Oh, believe me it exists.  I have the student loan statements to prove it ?

 

I (we) also bring in enough money now that I won’t ever have to worry about it ?

[CoudyBills]

1 minute ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

Oh, believe me it exists.  I have the student loan statements to prove it ?

 

I (we) also bring in enough money now that I won’t ever have to worry about it ?

That's good to hear.  What do you do?  Anything interesting?

[Nextmanup]

22 hours ago, mead107 said:

College has become a huge business. 

College dose not make everyone smarter.   

50% of people that go are wasting time and large amounts of money. 

 

Just my opinion.  

Agree with pretty much everything you have written here, and yet my initial point about higher education stands.

 

 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

4 minutes ago, CoudyBills said:

That's good to hear.  What do you do?  Anything interesting?

 

I’m a clinical psychologist.  Employed by a school district, but also have my own practice and do consulting/training across the region in a particular area of my expertise.

 

Nah, I just sell weed man ?

[Nextmanup]

16 hours ago, snafu said:

Everyone should serve in a branch of the armed forces for a minimum of two years and in peacetime, should be tasked to do public works projects.  No one should be eligible for college admission without certified service.

I agree with this and have for a long time.

 

 

[CoudyBills]

8 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

 

I’m a clinical psychologist.  Employed by a school district, but also have my own practice and do consulting/training across the region in a particular area of my expertise.

 

Nah, I just sell weed man ?

Both are incredibly lucrative lol.  My brother and his wife are in your field.

[Nextmanup]

16 hours ago, CoudyBills said:

100%.  short term you can experience something that isn't brought on by your own doing.  Have to be prepared for anything.  Budget each month and have an emergency fund.  Get yourself through the rough patch.  Often people just don't believe they can do better.  Go out and get an education.  This is America and the dream is still alive.  Aim high.

Do you realize a lot of folks in this country are working miracles and stretched beyond their means just to get by?  Those people aren't going to put money away for a rough patch.  And it's not a matter of "aiming high."

 

Look at the statistics regarding $$$ in this country.

 

55 million Americans have NO savings of any kind.

78% of full-time working Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck

71% of American workers are in debt

56% of those in debt say their debt is not manageable

Only about 10% of Americans have saving to last 6 months without a pay check

 

What sort of rock do you live under, CoudyBills?  Is it nice down there? 

 

By the way, America is #14 on the "American Dream" list, meaning there are 13 better countries to live in if you are trying to engage in upward socio-economic mobility and happiness.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2019 by Nextmanup

[Gugny]

Just now, CoudyBills said:

Both are incredibly lucrative lol.  My brother and his wife are in your field.

 

Not sure what they're doing in Johnny's field, but tell them not to step on the weed!

[Jauronimo]

17 hours ago, /dev/null said:

 

 

A 4 year enlistment teaches more valuable skills than a 4 year college

 

18 hours ago, Joe in Winslow said:

 

They're certainly not in college.

 

Have you seen the nonsense happening there lately? Edit: also civilians have done nothing to earn the right. I'm also against birthright citizenship.

Here's a controversial opinion:

 

"Serving" our country isn't some noble selfless act.  For the vast majority of people in our military, enlisting was the best option available to them at the time.  It was the option that guaranteed them a job, 3 square meals a day, and a place to live.  For those playing the long game it even guarantees you funding to go back and get a college education after your term is up.   Its an effective system which incentivizes enlistment while meeting our defense needs.

 

Yes, there are some true believers who enlist due to family tradition or sense of duty but at the time of enlistment I'm betting they're the vast minority.  Stories do have a funny way of changing through the years. 

 

In summary, I do not think the condition whereby military service represents the best option available to a person makes that individual:

 

1. Noble

2. A better American

3. A hero

4. More important to democracy than citizens who had better career options.

 

 

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, Jauronimo said:

 

Here's a controversial opinion:

 

"Serving" our country isn't some noble selfless act.  For the vast majority of people in our military, enlisting was the best option available to them at the time.  It was the option that guaranteed them a job, 3 square meals a day, and a place to live.  For those playing the long game it even guarantees you funding to go back and get a college education after your term is up.   Its an effective system which incentivizes enlistment while meeting our defense needs.

 

Yes, there are some true believers who enlist due to family tradition or sense of duty but at the time of enlistment I'm betting they're the vast minority.  Stories do have a funny way of changing through the years. 

 

In summary, I do not think the condition whereby military service represents the best option available to a person makes that individual:

 

1. Noble

2. A better American

3. A hero

4. More important to democracy than citizens who had better career options.

 

 

 

You are 99.9999% correct, here.  The only correction I'd like to point out is that even those who do a 4-year stint may take advantage of the GI Bill.

 

When people thank me for my service, I actually get a little uncomfortable.  I am one of the few, as you say, who enlisted because I wanted to.  I was enrolled in our local community college, all set to go.  I suddenly decided that I wanted to join the Navy.  My dad is a Navy vet.  My brother was in the Navy at that time (ended up retiring after 20); it was just something I decided I wanted to do.

 

But I don't consider myself special, more important, a better person/American and DEFINITELY not a hero.

 

To me, it was a job that I had for four years.  The only difference was that I knew what I was wearing to work every day.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Quote

4. More important to democracy than citizens who had better career options.

 

 

And that's where you'd be wrong. A spoiled, entitled rich kid who's never had to earn a thing in his or her life and has had every opportunity handed to him or her without ever having to come remotely close to putting skin in the game brings literally nothing to the table in a democracy or a republic.

 

That's pretty much indisputable.

 

Historically speaking, most democracies/republics had some sort of mandate for participation in the process...be it land ownership, tax paying, or military service. It's not a bad idea. In fact, it's a great one.

Who do you want participating:

 

 

or

 

 

Edited January 20, 2019 by Joe in Winslow

[CoudyBills]

33 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Do you realize a lot of folks in this country are working miracles and stretched beyond their means just to get by?  Those people aren't going to put money away for a rough patch.  And it's not a matter of "aiming high."

 

Look at the statistics regarding $$$ in this country.

 

55 million Americans have NO savings of any kind.

78% of full-time working Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck

71% of American workers are in debt

56% of those in debt say their debt is not manageable

Only about 10% of Americans have saving to last 6 months without a pay check

 

What sort of rock do you live under, CoudyBills?  Is it nice down there? 

 

By the way, America is #14 on the "American Dream" list, meaning there are 13 better countries to live in if you are trying to engage in upward socio-economic mobility and happiness.

 

 

 

 

Yep.  My parents fit into almost all of those categories, except of course the 6 months of savings.  My single mother didn't eat many meals with my brothers and I growing up because there was nothing for her to eat.  What rock do I live under?  Well, under my rock I was raised in a dirt poor family with nothing.  One where my mother demanded her sons get an education.  A rock where I got an education, got a crappy job and worked my ass off until I was the head of that team.  Switched departments and worked until I was the head of that team.   Switched companies and now spend my days telling other people what to do.  I haven't made it, but I came from actual poverty, not I know statistics about poverty, ***** hungry because we don't have food poverty, to upper middle class. This little guy can't get ahead BS is a sorry excuse.

Edited January 20, 2019 by CoudyBills

[Golden Goat]

15 hours ago, /dev/null said:

I agree that marijuana use should be legalized.

 

However I also think that employers should be allowed to discriminate against employees or prospective employees that test positive.  State and Federal agencies should be allowed to deny benefits to applicants or recipients that test positive

 

People should be free to choose whatever lifestyle they want.  But they should also not be shielded from the consequences of their choices

I'm good with that. I also have no problem with taxing the crap out of it at the federal level, especially for recreational use.