miscreanity

Jesus proclaimed Jewish leaders of the day as hypocrites for telling people to do as they said while not following their own preaching; in other words: committing sin.

Likewise, there is a great deal of biblical interpretation that goes off the rails and opposes Jesus' teachings as well as Old Testament (Torah/Tanakh) precedent.

As for historicity - the Bible has been repeatedly found to be accurate on many issues. Parts of Leviticus even read like a survival guide for a species[1] which includes what today would be considered food safety standards, quarantine procedures, etc. Highly effective practices for a nascent culture.

I was surprised when I read the Old Testament myself, since it was nothing like what I had previously thought. Unless a person reads it himself, it's effectively impossible to understand the impact - it is no normal book, no simple collection of poetry or wisdom.

Western civilization is build upon a Judeo-Christian value foundation, yet we hardly have a conscious connection to it anymore - many only have a vague notion of all religiouns having some element of truth. Even the scientific method is a magnificent tool that is described biblically: we are to test everything! Regardless of which translation is read, the core message comes through powerfully - it is easier to accept when we admit to not knowing everything; humanity as a superorganism is like an overly-confident teenager.

I have found no other teaching that denies its followers any humanly-possible way to enter heaven/paradise/transcendence - I am not aware of anyplace in the Old Testament that describes a process for getting there, only atonement; Jesus explicitly stated that it is impossible for man to get there on his own[2]. Other beliefs put a balancing scale in the mix, where doing more good than bad is what gains entry.

Judaism & Christianity focus on relationship, not religion. This grace is also what gets a person into heaven, since nobody can buy or work their way in - it is a gift for anyone who accepts God[3]. This is different from mercy - being lenient when another is due punishment. Mercy is reducing a fine; grace is opening a door for a child who is struggling to do so himself - God gives us both since we're guilty and yet still children as a whole.

Additionally, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob pursues humanity[4] instead of the other way around elsewhere. What other god serves rather than demands, only asking us to do the same?

[1] If it is a white bright spot on the skin of his body, but it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair has not turned white, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the infection for seven days. ~Leviticus 13:4

[2] Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God.” ~Mark 10:27

[3] For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God ~Ephesians 2:8

[4] What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? ~Matthew 18:12

I find it even more interesting that my comment, which is factually correct, has been flagged.

The Yellow Vest movement started in France and has been prominent in the countries listed within the article. The governments of those countries have also been defying popular wishes, particularly regarding Brexit.

So I am curious as to why my comment should be flagged instead of replied to. Interesting indeed - hit a nerve?

Without context you'll always get assumptions. Part of discourse is establishing clarity.

Of course a toxic environment makes life harder.

Glad you're doing well.

A thief can go to his grave thinking he's a victim. Being coddled into a lie is the saddest thing that can happen to a nation's people.

They're actually getting even better at it - 1.12% in 2009-10!

I like how you've pointed out the amount relative how much theft^H^H^H^H^H "tax" revenue is brought in rather than the absolute amount of:

£3,673,797,000

That's pretty astronomical to me. I'm sure you'll find other ways to break it down and try to refute but it still doesn't change the waste of time taxation incurs.

My stance will not change from the perspective that income tax is more destructive to low-income earners than it is to the wealthy, and that it drives away wealth.

Let's just settle this as "we won't agree" since I have more productive things to spend my time on than arguing over what shouldn't exist in the first place. Pray for Brexit or go down with socialist Europe.

Human behavior is quite simple - it's the magnitude of interactions that that make it appear more complex than it is.

I do agree that it is easier to be lazy and obtain instant gratification than delay it for great reward but it can be learned by anyone if the cushy safety net of socialism is removed. Everyone has something that motivates him to become greater than what he is now; it's just a matter of discovering what that is - often he has to find it himself. One-size-fits-all socialism destroys this freedom.

>every "self made man who didn't need help from nobody and just smarted his way to the top" was likely helped in countless circumstances that have nearly nothing to do with his direct actions

Correct: nothing happens in isolation. However, mindset greatly changes the likelihood of an outcome. Without being able to cultivate and learn outside of indoctrination institutions, the world would be static and soulless.

>The goal is to lower the upper limit and raise the lower limit.

This is the core: give those whom are lazy a cushy retirement and shackle people who dream big so they can no longer fly.

Slavery and child labor comes from power vacuums that are created by control freak communists/Marxists/socialists who keep things from changing and improving. The rest go along because change can be scary and we all want stability. A face of true evil is the deception that we all must be equal - we are not. We have borders, both conceptual and physical - doors on our homes and personal space that we want respected; yet socialism cries that borders are bad and we need to take care of everyone regardless of our own situation... and let's use other peoples' money to do it since we don't have any. Crabs in a bucket.

I know you mean well because I was in your shoes after the dot-com collapse. The difference is that I've seen the hypocrisy - there is no perfect system but socialism is a slow, agonizing death.

The other part of that is doing something about it. No action, no success.

Of course, by the time you figure it out you'll realize that most wealthy people are not the evil sleaze we expect them to be and you'll take the same actions they do to protect yourself against destructive governments and financial regulations. It's sad that the perspective of those with scarcity mentality regarding wealth are often their own worst enemies.

Is it more beneficial for yourself to blame others or figure out how to improve your situation?

If you're not content to remain a crab in a bucket, it might be a good idea to meet some successful and/or wealthy people and learn from them.

The benefits are not purely monetary - raising the quality of an area due to investment that otherwise would never come in is an enormous benefit for people already living there.

That isn't too say throwing money at a bad neighborhood is guaranteed to succeed but it gives a far better shot than letting the area simmer in stagnation.

So complicate the tax issue which increases costs elsewhere and contribute to government managed funds that prove inept? Taking funds from a farmer growing crops successfully and giving them to the one nextdoor who still hasn't been able to get a seed to sprout is a textbook definition of idiocy, not to mention theft.

None of that changes the fact that tax breaks will be greater in absolute numbers for wealthier individuals than for those earning less. Play games to fudge numbers so all is not equal as much as you want - those with resources avoid participating in socialistic wealth redistribution.

No income tax is far simpler. Do you know what the cost for enforcement of individual income tax is? Hint: think astronomical.

Go after about 140 million individuals vs working with approximately 28 million businesses? Do you think business or individuals are more professional? Who had the bright idea to create such a logistical nightmare?

You can keep working with an insane system if you want but people with resources do what people without resources would eventually do in the face of direct taxation, whether financially or physically - leave.