4 ms·

> Again: how do you think maintenance happens? Good point, let's get rid of all public programs except social security and road maintenance and lower everyone'

> Again: how do you think maintenance happens? Good point, let's get rid of all public programs except social security and road maintenance and lower everyone's taxes 20%. I'm not actually suggesting that but it's absurd to use road maintenance as the reason why the government needs more money.

afavour 3y ago
Was that your way of admitting that road maintenance is an example of competent public spending while avoiding actually saying those words?
- brigadier132 3y ago
  I mean, your argument seems to be that since the government does some good we should give them complete access to our bank account
  - afavour 3y ago
    In what way is that my argument? You said: > Can you actually give examples of competent public spending? I gave you an example of competent public spending and you’ve somehow transformed that in your head into “we should give government unfettered access to our wallets”. Absurd generalisations are absurd. You’re very obviously not coming to this discussion in good faith. Feel free to argue against straw men in your own time but I won’t be wasting my time joining you.
    - brigadier132 3y ago
      Ok cool, you won the school house debate with the arbitrary rules. I win the actual debate that largely the government is incompetent and should not be given more money. > You’re very obviously not coming to this discussion in good faith I'm not but this is the second time you've stooped to questioning my credibility (which is against the rules of hackernews). For some reason you've fixated on this one phrase of "giving actual examples" when I'm obviously pointing to a wider trend of extreme waste.
PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
> it's absurd to use road maintenance as the reason why the government needs more money. far from absurd, it's an extremely good example. The USA is filled with public infrastructure that we collectively decided to create but that we do not maintain adequately, because we choose not to spend money on it. You say our roads suck, and to whatever extent that is true (not really interested in debating that specific point), it's because not enough is spent maintaining them. Now of course, it's entirely possible that this situation does in fact represent the actual collective opinion of the population: yes we'll build stuff, no we will not pay (enough) to maintain it. But that has not been established.

afavour 3y ago

Was that your way of admitting that road maintenance is an example of competent public spending while avoiding actually saying those words?

brigadier132 3y ago
I mean, your argument seems to be that since the government does some good we should give them complete access to our bank account
- afavour 3y ago
  In what way is that my argument? You said: > Can you actually give examples of competent public spending? I gave you an example of competent public spending and you’ve somehow transformed that in your head into “we should give government unfettered access to our wallets”. Absurd generalisations are absurd. You’re very obviously not coming to this discussion in good faith. Feel free to argue against straw men in your own time but I won’t be wasting my time joining you.
  - brigadier132 3y ago
    Ok cool, you won the school house debate with the arbitrary rules. I win the actual debate that largely the government is incompetent and should not be given more money. > You’re very obviously not coming to this discussion in good faith I'm not but this is the second time you've stooped to questioning my credibility (which is against the rules of hackernews). For some reason you've fixated on this one phrase of "giving actual examples" when I'm obviously pointing to a wider trend of extreme waste.

PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago

> it's absurd to use road maintenance as the reason why the government needs more money. far from absurd, it's an extremely good example. The USA is filled with public infrastructure that we collectively decided to create but that we do not maintain adequately, because we choose not to spend money on it. You say our roads suck, and to whatever extent that is true (not really interested in debating that specific point), it's because not enough is spent maintaining them. Now of course, it's entirely possible that this situation does in fact represent the actual collective opinion of the population: yes we'll build stuff, no we will not pay (enough) to maintain it. But that has not been established.