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Comment Re:Nope. (Score 1) 416

you can always tell the tollways from the freeways -- they're far less well maintained

Not true in Dallas - the NTTA (North Texas Tollway Authority) has the best-maintained roads in the metroplex, and they build new road sections and overpasses in a matter of months, not years. Compare that to the I-35 freeway, which is in many places riddled with uneven surfaces, pocked blacktop, and outdated, rusty overpasses. The NTTA even did local drivers a huge favor by increasing the speed limits to 65 or 70 mph, after an extensive safety study found minimal difference in accident rates. And they provide free roadside assistance to all motorists.

as the private businesses which own them are interested in extracting as much profit as possible

I'm happy to pay their monopolistic tolls daily in exchange for a smooth ride and fast commute. They're one example of a business that is giving the customer what they want. And those that don't want to pay can always ride the side roads, which are free, although the extra gas and time they spend at lights more than outweighs the toll cost.

But NTTA is probably an exception. The Pennsylvania Turnpike (which isn't even THAT bad) still often has potholed sections, and their union labor takes forever to get even the smallest projects done. I've seen bridge repairs take multiple years up there. Not sure if it's their own greed, the unions' greed, or both.

Comment Devout believers can be devoutly wrong (Score 1, Troll) 1258

A "devout" believer - one who holds to and lives by their beliefs very strongly - can be very devout and yet not have a firm understanding of why the things they believe are true.

For example, I'm a Christian, and many Christian people I know (the vast majority, actually) have not spent significant time studying systematic theology (everything the Bible teaches on particular common topics) and analytically considering the evidence for and against what they believe. So when they are questioned, often I find that they reconsider things they once believed by "blind faith" - belief without a good reason or evidence to believe. Hopefully, their new conclusions are guided by sound analytical thinking and not the same blind faith.

This process is healthy for them, because it gets them to abandon bad ideas or false religious doctrines, and it helps them to back up with a firm foundation good ideas and those religious principles that are true. For example, "love your neighbor as yourself" is universally understood to be a true religious principle - in that it goes well with you if you consider other people and look out for their interests as much as you would your own. That's not one that's going to be disproven by analytical thought, but many questionable beliefs will.

Comment Re:That's just great (Score 1) 917

Pat yourself on the back for finally realizing that even though you've been having heterosexual sex all this time, you were really actually born gay - and now that you know that, you can never go back to being heterosexual again because after all there is no cure for being gay and anyone who says so is a bigoted hater.

Comment Re:The debate is long from over. (Score 2) 590

Actually many pregnant women receive multiple mercury-laden shots even to this day. That 25-50mcg of mercury, plus formaldehyde and other toxic ingredients do reach the baby in the mother's womb as well. Autism may not always show up right away but this is a factor to consider. Also consider this: nobody has absolute proof that vaccines DON'T cause autism. Many studies favor institutional or political bias, especially as the majority of studies are funded by institutions who financially benefit from vaccines. Also, the U.S. government has settled hundreds of lawsuits over the past few decades with parents whose child became autistic or died immediately following a shot. Another question is what causes SIDS? Again, mothers are injected with mercury-laden shots while pregnant, up to 50 mcg per shot, even though pregnant women are warned to stay away from any type of mercury including trace amounts in tuna fish.

Comment Not So Narrow (Score 1) 798

The so-called difficulty regarding the non-physical state is only a difficulty when the narrow-minded (and haughty) assumption is made that the physical is all there is.

The word "science" originally meant "knowledge" or "to know". i.e. follow the truth wherever it leads, even if it suggests that there must be a non-physical state able to interact with the physical. There is no proof that knowledge is restricted only to the physical dimension.

It is often because men are afraid to give any leeway to the possibility of God existing that they outright deny the non-physical.

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