Another one o' them smoking ban threads....

[cacophony]

Originally Posted by Rog

Twice in your last last post you mention 'punishing people's wallets', money before people?

this is what i keep coming back to. at no point does there seem to be a fundamental philosophy that transcends the concern for personal wealth.

and just to note, IsiliRunite, we could certainly all have a pissing contest about who is more selfless than whom and i'm sure many of us could contribute a laundry list of charitable acts to support our positions. personally i find it a little amusing that you pissed on sarcasmo's service then chose to announce your own low-risk acts of selflessness to illustrate what a good person you are. the bloodmobile shows up at work so you donate a pint? excellent. our soldiers whose service you casually dismissed face mortar fire on a daily basis. you'll always be your own hero, but you'll have to forgive me if i don't regard you as a saint.

you have still not addressed any of the questions addressed to you in this thread, as sean pointed out. it's a question of morality and it is simple. i'm not trying to back you into saying "universal healthcare is awesome!" i even gave you the perfect out in my last post. do you or do you not think a person's chance of survival in this world should depend on his or her ability to pay? do you think health is a fundamental human right? you don't have to say yes. i'd be happy if you said no, because at least you'd be participating in the conversation. it's a simple question, i don't see what's so difficult about answering it.