Justin Beiber: When does one's opinion become relevant?

[dusred]

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/1 ... /?iref=NS1

This retarded story is all over the media everywhere. You can't get away from it. First let me say that I'm not a Bieber fan at all and I think his popularity is ridiculous. He's way overrated. However, his comments over the weekend on highly charged political issues did throw me back 4 years when I was 16. Just in case you guys haven't heard here are a few of those comments:

When asked about abortion: "I really don't believe in abortion. I think [an embryo] is a human. It's like killing a baby. [In the case a rape], I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don't know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that."

He also called our health care plan evil because we have to pay if we don't have health insurance.


Okay. I really don't care about his opinion or comments but I'm thrown back to when I was 16 - I joined Nico when I was 15 years old and I had very strong opinions. My opinion on abortion has only gotten stronger but I've mellowed out a little on the other issues. Thanks to Helio, IB, Hash, and others I'm now convinced that Liberals aren't pure evil . In reflecting back my opinions have evolved some but for the most part they are the same. I'm 20 now and I'm not convinced that my opinion is any more or less relevant.

My question is is it the same for everyone else? Compare your views and opinions when you were 16 to what they are now. What is the difference and how far have you come?

[stebo0728]

Welcome to the world of celebrity worship, with celebrity one as POTUS.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-R2OFEhxsI[/youtube]

[bigbadberry3]

Quickly GOP change the voting age to 5!

[IBCoupe]

I've heard strangely compelling arguments in favor of eliminating the minimum voting age.

[dusred]

^^

Lets have them!

Hell, I was dying to vote when I was 16.

[IBCoupe]

1. We're screwing them over and they don't have any recourse to stop us.
2. Intellectual capacity? We don't require an IQ test to vote.
3. Susceptible to coercion? That's what they said about blacks and women.

There's probably more.

[bigbadberry3]

2/3 pretty valid would say. Oh geez.

[stebo0728]

Oh my that has to be about the stupidest idea I've heard in a while. We already let too many people vote. We need to be coming up with further limits. There is NO right to vote in federal elections, NONE. There is a very specific list of reasons that you CANNOT discriminate, but there is NO stated right.

My position is that we only allow people who pay tax vote. This gets all the dead beat welfare recipients out of the mix, I dont think people should be able to vote for representatives who decide how many handouts they get.

Remember the old Boston Tea Party slogan? No taxation without representation? Thats become eternalized in history. Well isnt it only fair to place value on the converse? No representation without taxation?

[bigbadberry3]

Well if you don't let them vote, you can't tax them by that logic. Interesting.

[AZhitman]

Anyone (yes, ANYONE) pitching a fit over what Justin Bieber says, should be automatically disqualified from breathing my good damn air.

[srellim234]

Those who you so eloquently describe as paying no taxes DO pay taxes. They pay sales tax. Many of the elderly still pay some income tax and/or property tax even though they are on Social Security. They pay corporate income and property taxes through their purchase of goods. They pay other taxes, including federal, when they buy a gallon of gas. They pay taxes when they do just about anything.

[IBCoupe]

Those who you so eloquently describe as paying no taxes DO pay taxes. They pay sales tax. Many of the elderly still pay some income tax and/or property tax even though they are on Social Security. They pay corporate income and property taxes through their purchase of goods. They pay other taxes, including federal, when they buy a gallon of gas. They pay taxes when they do just about anything.

+1

Stebo's approach is a step back in the direction of giving the vote only to white men who own property. If we're going to draw a line at voting, let's make it, "If you're criminally liable to the laws of this country, you get a vote in it."

[srellim234]

IB- I do disagree with your line drawn. Add the words "U.S. citizen" to it. By your definition even illegal immigrants would be allowed to vote. Did you intend them to be included or was it a quick oversight?

[audtatious]

The whole world should be able to vote for the American President because the US has such a global impact......

amIrite?

[IBCoupe]

IB- I do disagree with your line drawn. Add the words "U.S. citizen" to it. By your definition even illegal immigrants would be allowed to vote. Did you intend them to be included or was it a quick oversight?

Quick oversight, but it wouldn't bother me a lot if they were included.

[stebo0728]

Those who you so eloquently describe as paying no taxes DO pay taxes. They pay sales tax. Many of the elderly still pay some income tax and/or property tax even though they are on Social Security. They pay corporate income and property taxes through their purchase of goods. They pay other taxes, including federal, when they buy a gallon of gas. They pay taxes when they do just about anything.

+1

Stebo's approach is a step back in the direction of giving the vote only to white men who own property. If we're going to draw a line at voting, let's make it, "If you're criminally liable to the laws of this country, you get a vote in it."

The constitution clearly defines discriminations that CANNOT be made, of which include race and gender, both disqualify going back to our original set up. I do find merit in your line of reasoning concerning legal liability. My main reason for wanting to remove non federal tax payers from the voting pool, is that they have become a servant class to the legislation that pushes welfare programs. Im sick to death of despots staying in power soley by the hand of the handout addicted class.

[audtatious]

Im sick to death of despots staying in power soley by the hand of the handout addicted class.

A class which happens to be growing larger with each year....but usually are also too lazy to vote.

[IBCoupe]

The constitution clearly defines discriminations that CANNOT be made, of which include race and gender, both disqualify going back to our original set up. I do find merit in your line of reasoning concerning legal liability. My main reason for wanting to remove non federal tax payers from the voting pool, is that they have become a servant class to the legislation that pushes welfare programs. Im sick to death of despots staying in power soley by the hand of the handout addicted class.

I know you weren't meaning to go the racist route, Stebo. Any time you get the idea of a "poll" and a "tax" together, little Jim Crow alarm bells go off in my head. That's all I was getting at.

And your concerns aren't entirely invalid. My only problem is that taking their vote away because of those fears seems pretty Nannyish.

[srellim234]

"Im sick to death of despots staying in power soley by the hand of the handout addicted class."__stebo

Your "despots" and "handout addicted class" includes those who continue to buy Congressional members in exchange for the financial handouts for their businesses. That would include many of the rich Wall Street executives, defense contractors, etc., etc., etc. On both sides of the political aisle.
Those people are more likely to vote, too.

In a short, humorous article it's amazing how close to the truth The Onion probably really is:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/senato ... eri,19113/

[stebo0728]

You raise a good point Srellim, and one who is serious about ending legalized looting should be equally outraged at corporate plunder. I am, and as much as the left seeks to redistribute wealth to the individual, the right equally seeks to redistribute to corporations. This as well has to stop. Forcefully taking from anyone their private property to supplement either an individual or corporation is abhorrent in my world view.

[srellim234]

Thank you and amen, stebo.

[smockers83]

If your name is Justin Beiber today, nothing you say is relevant.

The majority of people on welfare are elderly people, who actually tend to be conservative. When was the last time you saw a group of old people supporting the liberal side of this country over 3 pots of coffee at the local s'ghetti diner?