Donald Trump 2019

[NowThis 931]

10 minutes ago, Asithappens said:

Well, not to rain on anybody's 100-yard dash, but Special Olympics funding is no way comparable to Medicare/caid funding.

It's not out of bounds to let private orgs fund the SO.

again and again, no one wants to talk about military spending

[David Dennison 18651]

Just now, NowThis said:

again and again, no one wants to talk about military spending

That's because the military budget is this country's largest subsidy of private industry and, as a result, its most important jobs program. 

[Chrispy 132]

20 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

There was a glimmer of a light-bulb moment in your comment. The idea that you see how government funding cuts impact "real people" (your people). "The Left" always sees this as a problem, even when it doesn't directly impact us. What is hilarious is that you are trying to thread a needle of not wanting to accept the fact that government funding helps people in need, because of some conditioned understanding of how conservative politics views it. 

To the greater point others are trying to illuminate for you (cause your light-bulb seems dim). Government funding, or redistribution of wealth in your vernacular, helps lift all boats of our society. Those in situations you and I cant fathom. And just because they are over there, or darker than me, or poorer than me, or does not relate to me in any form or fashion.....doesn't mean my tax money shouldn't be allocated to assist them because it ultimately provides a greater good. 

But you knew that. 

Well, it seems you’re pushing against an open door here in some sense, as I’ve already stated my support for assisting those that are disabled.

But, if we’re talking about the entire welfare system, the yes I’m very concerned about casting that net too wide. 

[NowThis 931]

3 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

That's because the military budget is this country's largest subsidy of private industry and, as a result, its most important jobs program. 

Medicare creates medical jobs too, along with construction of facilities, supplies, equipment, IT and lots of other shit that actually helps people.  Military shit just sits there doing nothing and sometimes kills foreigners.  Medicare good, Military evil. 

remember from high school -- guns or butter? 

Edited March 27, 2019 by NowThis

[Brisketexan 104556]

1 minute ago, Chrispy said:

Well, it seems you’re pushing against an open door here in some sense, as I’ve already stated my support for assisting those that are disabled.

But, if we’re talking about the entire welfare system, the yes I’m very concerned about casting that net too wide. 

The cool thing is that morons like Chrispy don't understand that if you push down on one part of the balloon, it just bulges out somewhere else.

For example, the custody modification case I saw in court yesterday (had to sit through it before they got to my matter).  Two real winners fighting over the best interests of their toddler.  Each of them has been in the criminal system (drug convictions, assault cases); they have been in the civil system multiple times (the judge went through the litany of appearances before him on the custody matter, and all of his past orders), CPS has been involved and was there to testify, deputies in two counties are currently investigating criminal matters.

These folks have utilized taxpayer-funded criminal courts and law enforcement, civil courts, and administrative agencies.  If they had a better support system from the get-go, we can keep at least some of these folks out of these situations, saving us a lot of taxpayer dollars spent on other services.

We spend a fortune on incarceration, and make cuts to education.  We are the Republic of Cutting Off Our Nose to Spite Our Face.

[Chrispy 132]

16 minutes ago, FondrenRoad said:

Oh I have the foggiest. You have the money to cover all your cousin's costs, but instead want him to be considered indigent so he continues to qualify for SSI and state funded care.  You could even pay for a nicer group home for him if you wanted to. 

You see, I want a robust safety net to take care of your cousin and even you if you fall on hard times. You think people should take care of their own. Yet here you are, not taking care of your own. And I expect that your cousin isn't alone in having terrible family members like you. The state has to look out for him because you won't. 

So the next time you get on here wanting children to starve because their mothers made mistakes, you should remember how you felt about benefits being taken from your family. 

 

Again, you’re out of your element here and your reading comprehension is terrible this morning. My cousin prefers to live with his friends and he has a social worker worth a damn (these are very difficult to find and we have plenty of horror stories), it has nothing to do with money. 

[Nolacycling 893]

I'm beaten. I'm giving up. Blow up ACA. Get rid of it. Dump every morsel of it.

Let these idiot dotard supporters see what happens to their health insurance. The southeast can kiss my ass.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11806]

2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

The cool thing is that morons like Chrispy don't understand that if you push down on one part of the balloon, it just bulges out somewhere else.

 

I've always felt the same way about the old "a rising tide lifts all boats" cliche.  No it doesn't.  It lifts the boats where the tide is rising.  Elsewhere the tide is falling and boats are stuck aground and floundering around.  There's not an infinite amount of water.

[Biff Tannen 45491]

4 minutes ago, Nolacycling said:

I'm beaten. I'm giving up. Blow up ACA. Get rid of it. Dump every morsel of it.

Let these idiot dotard supporters see what happens to their health insurance. The southeast can kiss my ass.

I'm pretty close.  The ledge is in sight.

[lemonlime 5503]

15 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

The cool thing is that morons like Chrispy don't understand that if you push down on one part of the balloon, it just bulges out somewhere else.

For example, the custody modification case I saw in court yesterday (had to sit through it before they got to my matter).  Two real winners fighting over the best interests of their toddler.  Each of them has been in the criminal system (drug convictions, assault cases); they have been in the civil system multiple times (the judge went through the litany of appearances before him on the custody matter, and all of his past orders), CPS has been involved and was there to testify, deputies in two counties are currently investigating criminal matters.

These folks have utilized taxpayer-funded criminal courts and law enforcement, civil courts, and administrative agencies.  If they had a better support system from the get-go, we can keep at least some of these folks out of these situations, saving us a lot of taxpayer dollars spent on other services.

We spend a fortune on incarceration, and make cuts to education.  We are the Republic of Cutting Off Our Nose to Spite Our Face.

Yes, but the money for incarceration goes to private prisons that government officials have invested in.  If we spent that money on helping people, our millionaire ruling class hasn't figured out a way to pocket the spoils.

[Nivek 16851]

Well, not to rain on anybody's 100-yard dash, but Special Olympics funding is no way comparable to Medicare/caid funding.
It's not out of bounds to let private orgs fund the SO.

How can we afford it?

[TwiceHorn 31262]

On 3/17/2019 at 8:45 AM, Message Board User said:

Apparently, after Pirro shat on Omar real hard, Fox pulled her.  I don't follow it super closely, but apparently the Murdoch children are taking over Fox and mellowing it.

 

One thing I did discover about Pirro is that she's fucking Lebanese.  Although not Muslim, I found that somewhat ironic.

[hayden_horn 11360]

18 minutes ago, Chrispy said:

Again, you’re out of your element here and your reading comprehension is terrible this morning. My cousin prefers to live with his friends and he has a social worker worth a damn (these are very difficult to find and we have plenty of horror stories), it has nothing to do with money. 

except it does.

it has to do with the money from the state. it doesn't matter to you until it does. that's the whole fucking point. who funds the home for your cousin and his friends? who pays the social worker's (horribly inadequate) salary?

[lemonlime 5503]

I'm also sure that the fact that finding social workers who are good at their job is difficult has nothing at all to do with the fact that they receive horribly inadequate salaries.   But they're just living off the government teat, and we should defund more.

[David Dennison 18651]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Apparently, after Pirro shat on Omar real hard, Fox pulled her.  I don't follow it super closely, but apparently the Murdoch children are taking over Fox and mellowing it.

One thing I did discover about Pirro is that she's fucking Lebanese.  Although not Muslim, I found that somewhat ironic.

Lebanon is an outlier in the Middle East. It's population is 40% Christian. I grew up in Houston and never knew anyone whose family had Lebanese roots who wasn't Christian.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11806]

6 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

One thing I did discover about Pirro is that she's fucking Lebanese.  Although not Muslim, I found that somewhat ironic.

Interesting.  I thought I notced a resemblance.  

Edited March 27, 2019 by Judge Roybeanbag

[TwiceHorn 31262]

2 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Lebanon is an outlier in the Middle East. It's population is 40% Christian. I grew up in Houston and never knew anyone whose family had Lebanese roots who wasn't Christian.

I'm aware.  And apparently Lebanese Christians aren't any fonder of Muslims than western Christians despite, or because of, centuries of proximity.  I just found it amusing that she's kind of a brown too.

[TexEx15 17456]

5 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

Odd Republicans on average give more to charities than the bleeding hearts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/your-money/republicans-democrats-charity-philanthropy.html

Are you really going to try and distill this article into a one liner?

 

The more Republican a county is, the more its residents report charitable contributions, the study found.

The researchers said this finding fell within the broad political tendencies of traditional Republicans who favor less government intervention and more donations from the private sector to make up for the lack of government assistance.

“Their preference is to provide for the collective good through private institutions,” said Professor Nesbit. “But we don’t know what type of institutions they’re giving to.”

Dr. Nesbit said they also did not know whether donors were being purely generous or whether they would also benefit from their donation. This relationship is called consumption philanthropy, in which people give to a religious organization or a school from which they will derive a benefit in the form of, say, a better religious education program or a new gymnasium.

[HornOnTheBayou 8881]

30 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

One thing I did discover about Pirro is that she's fucking Lebanese.  Although not Muslim, I found that somewhat ironic.

OK, she likes chicks. What does that have to do with her religion? /dotard supporters

[Anastasis 23393]

26 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Lebanon is an outlier in the Middle East. It's population is 40% Christian. I grew up in Houston and never knew anyone whose family had Lebanese roots who wasn't Christian.

Yes.  And the vast majority (>60%) of Arab Americans (not just Lebanese) are Christians. 

[Js1 85095]

Republicans will throw a $10 in the church collection plate at 11:30 and then tip their waiter 0% at Outback Steakhouse at 1:30 but leave a pamphlet spreading the word of Jesus Christ.

[David Dennison 18651]

2 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

Odd Republicans on average give more to charities than the bleeding hearts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/your-money/republicans-democrats-charity-philanthropy.html

A lot of bleeding hearts probably don't give solely for the tax break. There's no way of knowing how much people give looking only at tax returns. 

[Chrispy 132]

12 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

except it does.

it has to do with the money from the state. it doesn't matter to you until it does. that's the whole fucking point. who funds the home for your cousin and his friends? who pays the social worker's (horribly inadequate) salary?

The homes have been upgraded throughout the years because of donations and our growing disabled community. We have an amazing and dedicated group of people here in Montgomery County. My uncle is privy to the allocation of funding, so I would need to ask him for specifics; however, I believe the social workers work for the county. 

[RomaVicta 29775]

It'd be nice if Elizabeth Warren could turn anti-corruption into an issue that the better part of the electorate would embrace. I will support Warren or any reform candidate who seems honest about it. If one succeeds, I may actually pray that no harm comes to her/him. There is so much ruthless power that supports wicked policy in this country.

I've given lots of rep on this page for expressions about the military and prison expenditures and the foulness of Sweet Face Devos. We've been morally insolvent for decades. I believe we have reached bankruptcy when persons like Devos are the typical faces of the Executive Branch and not enough people care to dispel them.

We've elected the Alligator Party to run the swamp.

[David Dennison 18651]

Just now, tjhooker said:

LOL they give to charities more but since you can't exactly track where it is going they don't or the motivation somehow matters?  End result is more $ going to charities from R's than D's.

You don't know that. Tax returns only paint a partial picture. You have no way of knowing all of the donations that go unreported by people who don't itemize deductions.

[lemonlime 5503]

1 minute ago, David Dennison said:

You don't know that. Tax returns only paint a partial picture. You have no way of knowing all of the donations that go unreported by people who don't itemize deductions.

Interesting that the GOP tax plan essentially eliminates the tax incentive to donate to charity for many (most?) Americans, if they're so concerned about donations.

[David Dennison 18651]

Just now, tjhooker said:

It is the only way to track it.  How else could you track it?  Are you saying Dems arent smart enough to write off charitable donations?

I'm saying many of them don't because they don't itemize. It will be even harder to track charitable donations now that the standard deduction for an individual has gone up to $12,000.

If you are using tax returns to track charitable donations, you aren't getting a complete picture. It only tells you how much people who itemize are donating.

[hayden_horn 11360]

2 minutes ago, Chrispy said:

The homes have been upgraded throughout the years because of donations and our growing disabled community. We have an amazing and dedicated group of people here in Montgomery County. My uncle is privy to the allocation of funding, so I would need to ask him for specifics; however, I believe the social workers work for the county. 

when you say "because of the growing disabled community" are you suggesting that more disabled = more funds for upgrades? i'm sure donations play a part, and bless those who do so.

and yeah, the social workers work (for a pittance for) the county, but the county receives funding. 

my point is that tax dollars are paying for this service. tax dollars pay for the (horribly inadequate) salaries of those providing the service. 

your cousin enjoys this service, as does your family, since you don't have to pay for most of it, since we are all pitching in. that's the point of tax-funded services.

you are so very close to realizing that when an ox is gored, there are potential consequences. once you spread out your empathy, you might realize that other people's oxen getting gored have potential consequences to those people. and then you might realize that things are quite a bit more complex than you do currently.

[hayden_horn 11360]

4 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

It is the only way to track it.  How else could you track it?  Are you saying Dems arent smart enough to write off charitable donations?

do you have any idea how many people in this country use the standard deduction?

[RomaVicta 29775]

13 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

LOL they give to charities more but since you can't exactly track where it is going they don't or the motivation somehow matters?  End result is more $ going to charities from R's than D's.

They give a smaller percentage of their income than the middle class. Many articles have been written about how low income families, which I guess is the middle class now, give a greater percentage of their income than the rich.

I would toss out Trump's Charity as an example, but, frankly, that would be grossly unfair to the greater number of wealthy who actually do contribute to causes or sponsor beneficial charity organizations.

Here's a New York Magazine article about how much money the rich spend on themselves at gala events which affects the percentage of money that actually goes to the charity/cause. 

Let's have an extravagant social event, pay more than it actually costs and then write it off! The rubes who vote GOP will eat that vomit up as we sup on caviar! Ha ha ha ha!

Edited March 27, 2019 by RomaVicta

[4th&Five 41457]

 

[RomaVicta 29775]

1 minute ago, tjhooker said:

Those events arent just held by R's my friend but also rich D's.

Do you suppose I hold up rich D's as paragons of anything? Of course they take advantage of this. Probably disproportionately to R's, but who cares? Sure, I stick a pin in the GOP because those are the people we're talking about, and the GOP philosophy seems to be that charity will take care of everything the government does for the non-rich.

The point was that the rich give more. My point was that the way they give is self-serving. Not as self-serving as the villain Trump's "charity" one would assume, but self-serving nonetheless.

[jimmyjazz 45546]

9 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

whats the number? and if you are using that then I'd assume by definition good chance you make a lower income vs people who itemize which will limit the amount you could donate to charity.  So your premise is democrats overwhelmingly disguise their charitable donations in the standard deduction vs their republican counterparts?  That's why the study is off?

No, he's saying the study fails to account for a considerable number of people, regardless of party affiliation, who likely also donate to charity but don't report it on their taxes.  This isn't hard.

[Chrispy 132]

6 minutes ago, hayden_horn said:

when you say "because of the growing disabled community" are you suggesting that more disabled = more funds for upgrades? i'm sure donations play a part, and bless those who do so.

and yeah, the social workers work (for a pittance for) the county, but the county receives funding. 

my point is that tax dollars are paying for this service. tax dollars pay for the (horribly inadequate) salaries of those providing the service. 

your cousin enjoys this service, as does your family, since you don't have to pay for most of it, since we are all pitching in. that's the point of tax-funded services.

you are so very close to realizing that when an ox is gored, there are potential consequences. once you spread out your empathy, you might realize that other people's oxen getting gored have potential consequences to those people. and then you might realize that things are quite a bit more complex than you do currently.

Yes, the growing community allows for more funds. Not just for housing, but dances, bowling, etc. The stuff that taxes typically won’t cover. I believe we can find common ground regarding the meager salaries though. 

I keep having to stress this, over and over again it seems, that helping out those who truly need it is something I support. 

[FondrenRoad 4378]

1 hour ago, Chrispy said:

Again, you’re out of your element here and your reading comprehension is terrible this morning. My cousin prefers to live with his friends and he has a social worker worth a damn (these are very difficult to find and we have plenty of horror stories), it has nothing to do with money. 

And you can pay for that out of pocket rather than having SSI and the state pay for it.

[FondrenRoad 4378]

36 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

Odd, Republicans on average give more to charities than the bleeding hearts.  I'd think that to be the opposite by your assumption.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/your-money/republicans-democrats-charity-philanthropy.html

I'm sure you've deducted your share of paying for Osteen's private jet.  I bet your church has an outstanding gym and meeting facilities.  And your orange lord deducted a portrait of himself.

No doubt that you game the system. Just like Chrispy does.  SSI is for the indigent. The family of Chrispy's cousin is not indigent. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by FondrenRoad

[RomaVicta 29775]

13 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

whats the number? and if you are using that then I'd assume by definition good chance you make a lower income vs people who itemize which will limit the amount you could donate to charity.  So your premise is democrats overwhelmingly disguise their charitable donations in the standard deduction vs their republican counterparts?  That's why the study is off?

Here you go from the tax policy center:

Quote

In 2014, approximately 30 percent of taxpayers itemized deductions (44 million out of 148.6 million returns), while the rest claimed the standard deduction. Most taxpayers choose the standard deduction because it is larger than the deductions they can itemize. However, some do so because it is simpler or because they do not realize that itemizing would reduce their tax liability.

That means more than a 100 million people used the standard deduction in 2014. There was even a handy chart

[hayden_horn 11360]

2 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

I conceded people who make more will itemize more.  What are you trying to prove?  You realize the standard deduction encompasses D and Rs right?

and it encompasses a lot of people who no doubt give to charity, even if it is $1000 to the church every year. that's the whole fucking point in pointing out the flaw in the study.

plenty of middle to lower class people give time and money to charity. it's not just the junior league out there doing work.

hell, back when my FIL was in the elks, i know most of those folks were lower class, but gave a ton of time and money to charity. i doubt they itemized their dues or their bar tabs on their taxes.

[RomaVicta 29775]

11 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

I reject your premise.  You claim they only give due to tax deductions.  #1 how do you know that?  #2 even if true which it is not what does it matter why someone gives as long as they're giving?  

How about this, most people poor or rich are good people regardless of party and they give not because of the tax break but because they believe it is their responsibility to give back?  I believe this.  I don't think I am abnormal but like my friends and family who do the same.

You don't quote my premise, so your rejection is rather impotent.

I say that the way they give is more self-serving. Pay a $1000 for a $500 dinner and event with your rich friends. You get the party, you get the deduction. They're still giving something and that's good. 

If I give to a charity, I get only the pleasure of hoping that I'm helping someone. If I were rich and chose to give to charity, I doubt I would the inclination to publicly bolster my image and improve my social life. I'd like to see the charity get the money. But maybe I'm abnormal.

Your second paragraph is a little bleedy hearty. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by RomaVicta

[FondrenRoad 4378]

36 minutes ago, Chrispy said:

The homes have been upgraded throughout the years because of donations and our growing disabled community. We have an amazing and dedicated group of people here in Montgomery County. My uncle is privy to the allocation of funding, so I would need to ask him for specifics; however, I believe the social workers work for the county. 

So this uncle is the father of your cousin, I presume?  If so, what's his yearly income and net worth?

[RomaVicta 29775]

3 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

This is what I have got from this discussion.  Republicans may give more but doubtful though because D's do most of their giving under the standard deduction.  It also does not matter because they are only doing it for self gain and when they do give it is to televangelists who waste the $ on jets, boats, hoes and funding the organization of their fake god.  So the stat is just nonsense. Oh, and they dont tip their waiters.

You're very concerned with R's and D's.

Yay team!

[Brisketexan 104556]

39 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Republicans will throw a $10 in the church collection plate at 11:30 and then tip their waiter 0% at Outback Steakhouse at 1:30 but leave a pamphlet spreading the word of Jesus Christ.

Back when I waited tables, that EXACT scenario went down at least twice.  A note saying "Your tip today is the Good News that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!"  Fuckers.  Jesus didn't pay my rent.

[Js1 85095]

2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Back when I waited tables, that EXACT scenario went down at least twice.  A note saying "Your tip today is the Good News that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!"  Fuckers.  Jesus didn't pay my rent.

After they run you ragged for 7 sweet tea or lemonade refills. more ranch, 8 kajillion modifications to the order, separate checks, etc.

Edited March 27, 2019 by Js1

[RomaVicta 29775]

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Back when I waited tables, that EXACT scenario went down at least twice.  A note saying "Your tip today is the Good News that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior!"  Fuckers.  Jesus didn't pay my rent.

One thinks of Ossenburger, the wealthy funeral home owner, as described by Caulfield.

Quote

“He started telling us how he was never ashamed, when he was in some kind of trouble or something, to get right down on his knees and pray to God. He told us we should always pray to God — talk to Him and all — whenever we were. He told us we ought to think of Jesus as our buddy and all. He said he talked to Jesus all the time. Even when he was driving in his car. That killed me. I can just see the big phony bastard shifting into first gear and asking Jesus to send him a few more stiffs.”

 

 

[hayden_horn 11360]

8 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

yes and those people in that category are both R's and D's.  So what are you trying to say?

i thought it was fairly clear that i was pointing out that your article citing that republicans give more than democrats based on data gleaned from itemized tax returns is a flawed study, as the vast majority of tax returns in this country use the standard deduction, and therefore, it is using a vastly incomplete dataset. we cannot know if that is true, we just know it is true for those in the itemized tax deduction column.

[jimmyjazz 45546]

6 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

I am sure it was just the Christian right who twice stiffed you on a tip.  I don't assign myself to that group but I have family who definitely are and I have never seen this behavior when I go out and eat with them.  I guess they're outliers.  Christians are evil people I guess.

You have a profound ability to miss the point.  He was saying that on two occasions he received a note for a tip, not that all crappy tippers are Christians, etc.

[RomaVicta 29775]

1 minute ago, hayden_horn said:

i thought it was fairly clear that i was pointing out that your article citing that republicans give more than democrats based on data gleaned from itemized tax returns is a flawed study, as the vast majority of tax returns in this country use the standard deduction, and therefore, it is using a vastly incomplete dataset. we cannot know if that is true, we just know it is true for those in the itemized tax deduction column.

Now, Brisket, no you weren't. You were saying Christians is bad, people aren't good, and you insulted TJ's friends and family. Persecution, plain and simple. 

[Brisketexan 104556]

12 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

I am sure it was just the Christian right who twice stiffed you on a tip.  I don't assign myself to that group but I have family who definitely are and I have never seen this behavior when I go out and eat with them.  I guess they're outliers.  Christians are evil people I guess.

Venn diagram it.

Not all "Christians" are evil people.  And note, those quotes are important.  "Christians" is a label that people self-apply.   Followers of Christ, on the other hand, is an evidence-based label.  I have found followers of Christ to uniformly be good people, even though they have all the normal human failings.

But from my several years of waiting tables, all but one of my worst stories are about "Christians."  The meanest, most abusive table I ever waited on -- so bad that I handed it off to the manager, and he even agreed that they were horrible -- spent the entire meal being outwardly pious, praying loudly, etc. (when they weren't being cruel and abusive).

So, in the Venn diagram I crafted from my waiter experience, not all "Christians" are assholes.  But almost all the assholes I dealt with were "Christians."

Gandhi was spot the fuck on.

And I state this observance as the spouse of a pastor, and as a member of numerous religious organization boards over the past 15 years.

Edited March 27, 2019 by Brisketexan

[Chrispy 132]

9 minutes ago, FondrenRoad said:

So this uncle is the father of your cousin, I presume?  If so, what's his yearly income and net worth?

Yes. I’m not sure of the exact number, but he does well enough. From what I understand it makes little difference because my cousin doesn’t live at home. 

He’s wary of taking him off because it may affect his status at his current home. The county has proven at times to have a capricious nature. 

[TornACL 7675]

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Venn diagram it.

Not all "Christians" are evil people.  And note, those quotes are important.  "Christians" is a label that people self-apply.   Followers of Christ, on the other hand, is an evidence-based label.  I have found followers of Christ to uniformly be good people, even though they have all the normal human failings.

But from my several years of waiting tables, all but one of my worst stories are about "Christians."  The meanest, most abusive table I ever waited on -- so bad that I handed it off to the manager, and he even agreed that they were horrible -- spent the entire meal being outwardly pious, praying loudly, etc. (when they weren't being cruel and abusive).

So, in the Venn diagram I crafted from my waiter experience, not all "Christians" are assholes.  But almost all the assholes I dealt with were "Christians."

Gandhi was spot the fuck on.

And I state this observance as the spouse of a pastor, and as a member of numerous religious organization boards over the past 15 years.

I think there is a certain subset of churchgoers who feel that a weekly trip to church earns them the right to be pieces of shit the other 167 hours of the week. These are the ones who act as Brisket describes above. They went to church today, so they have a 7 day force field that allows them to be shitty human beings and yet still qualify as good. Cause church. 

Like tjhooker every time he responds to a post, they completely miss the point.