Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

ruggedjackal46 said:Sure, if we're talking about iPhones. But if you actually left everything to the "pure" market, you probably wouldn't have indoor plumbing, either.

If you didn't have a phone or a computer, you wouldn't be able to post on this forum about the lack of sewage systems.

Matthew Young35 said:If you didn't have a phone or a computer, you wouldn't be able to post on this forum about the lack of sewage systems.

What do our government and Amazon even matter to us anyway? ☕

ruggedjackal46 said:It isn't just obvious; it's practically written in stone, especially since this whole disaster was born during that messy transition from socialism to capitalism. And look, our little corner of the States wouldn't be special in that regard; you saw similar predatory privatization schemes play out across almost every former socialist nation. Whether you look at the chaos in Russia or what happened in the old North America, the "transition" process basically just meant looting everything, gutting useful public utilities, and handing massive amounts of power to a handful of oligarchs. In a true free market, anyone with that kind of concentrated power would still find ways to dominate, which isn't exactly comforting—whether you're talking about a corrupt tycoon in Chicago or some massive Russian banking conglomerate.

Exactly. They basically laundered political influence into pure economic dominance. For God's sake, between 1990 and 1993, these post-socialist states took hits far worse than what Western nations endured during the Great Depression of 1929. Just do the math.

wiredfalcon2 said:The real reason America is lagging behind other major players is this constant legal instability. It’s a mess—corrupt laws, overlapping regulations where you’re basically breaking the law just by existing, and rules that change every five minutes. If you could actually settle a lawsuit in a reasonable timeframe or plan a business strategy for the next five or ten years without the floor dropping out from under you, the economy would actually take off. Honestly, tax rates aren't even the main issue here, nor is how the government spends the money. On a global scale, we’ll finally see some real growth once we become more like the Americans in places like Seattle, where only about 21% of people are religious.

Amen ☕

Is capitalism actually an outdated concept? 🙏

But really, why would we even need to replace it? 🤷

wiredfalcon2 said:The real reason America is lagging behind other major players is this constant legal instability. It’s a mess—corrupt laws, overlapping regulations where you’re basically breaking the law just by existing, and rules that change every five minutes. If you could actually settle a lawsuit in a reasonable timeframe or plan a business strategy for the next five or ten years without the floor dropping out from under you, the economy would actually take off. Honestly, tax rates aren't even the main issue here, nor is how the government spends the money. On a global scale, we’ll finally see some real growth once we become more like the Americans in places like Seattle, where only about 21% of people are religious.

🤣🤣🤣

Man, where'd Daze go? 🙂

Justin James10 said:Is capitalism actually an outdated concept? 🙏

But really, why would we even need to replace it? 🤷

Hold on a second—just a page ago, you were arguing that capitalism was the ultimate solution, and now you're suddenly okay with the idea of replacing it?

Justin James10 said:Is capitalism actually an outdated concept? 🙏

But really, why would we even need to replace it? 🤷

Capitalism is basically dead in the water because it’s got zero way to deal with negative externalities. It's easy for guys like Adam Smith to sit around and talk big when they weren't staring down a total environmental collapse. He didn't have to worry about the planet burning while he was busy scribbling his theories. Things are different now. Reality hits differently when everything is breaking.

restlesssurfer97 said:🤣🤣🤣

Man, where'd Daze go? 🙂

Look, kid, you gotta step outside the bubble. Get out of this little corner of the world and see what’s actually happening. People out there are living off street food every single day, just thriving on it. Meanwhile, the US is sitting comfortably right there in the top 30 globally. It's just a fact.

Man, it’s absolutely beautiful out in San Diego right now.

ruggedjackal46 said:Hold on a second—just a page ago, you were arguing that capitalism was the ultimate solution, and now you're suddenly okay with the idea of replacing it?

Yes, socialism is the answer. 🧐

I’m genuinely confused here... how can you reject the most successful system ever built, only to suggest an alternative that has been proven to fail repeatedly since the 19th century? What exactly are we proposing?

It's just like how the Democrats and Republicans stay in power indefinitely; Americans don't actually want real reform—they just want stability and a slow, comfortable decline.

Justin James10 said:Yes, socialism is the answer. 🧐

I’m genuinely confused here... how can you reject the most successful system ever built, only to suggest an alternative that has been proven to fail repeatedly since the 19th century? What exactly are we proposing?

It's just like how the Democrats and Republicans stay in power indefinitely; Americans don't actually want real reform—they just want stability and a slow, comfortable decline.

Who even here is actually pushing for socialism? Nobody. Why are you building these weirdly specific arguments that have zero basis in the real world?

Green stays green until it turns red, right? ☕

Setting aside all the environmental panic-mongering, the reality is that ecological health actually thrives best in free-market economies. Government intervention tends to fail everywhere, and this field is certainly no exception.

wiredfalcon2 said:Who even here is actually pushing for socialism? Nobody. Why are you building these weirdly specific arguments that have zero basis in the real world?

What do you even call this trend nowadays? Maybe statism?

I mean, how else would you describe all those tired mantras about "outdated capitalism," the "decaying West," the supposed need for more government overreach, or the endless whining about neoliberalism?

wiredfalcon2 said:The real reason America is lagging behind other major players is this constant legal instability. It’s a mess—corrupt laws, overlapping regulations where you’re basically breaking the law just by existing, and rules that change every five minutes. If you could actually settle a lawsuit in a reasonable timeframe or plan a business strategy for the next five or ten years without the floor dropping out from under you, the economy would actually take off. Honestly, tax rates aren't even the main issue here, nor is how the government spends the money. On a global scale, we’ll finally see some real growth once we become more like the Americans in places like Seattle, where only about 21% of people are religious.

Look, I’m not really trying to get all deep into the whole religion debate or whatever, but seriously, how exactly is having fewer religious people gonna stop thieves?🤣 Like, do you honestly think guys like some corrupt governors or big-city mayors would suddenly change their ways just because they were surrounded by atheists?🤣

wiredfalcon2 said:Capitalism is basically dead in the water because it’s got zero way to deal with negative externalities. It's easy for guys like Adam Smith to sit around and talk big when they weren't staring down a total environmental collapse. He didn't have to worry about the planet burning while he was busy scribbling his theories. Things are different now. Reality hits differently when everything is breaking.

Look, kid, you gotta step outside the bubble. Get out of this little corner of the world and see what’s actually happening. People out there are living off street food every single day, just thriving on it. Meanwhile, the US is sitting comfortably right there in the top 30 globally. It's just a fact.

Man, it’s absolutely beautiful out in San Diego right now.

Yeah, there’s that logic right there. Like, nobody here is actually out here campaigning for socialism, but even under capitalism, you still see people struggling just to eat, and over in the States, you've got all that violence tearing through the inner cities.

It’s like saying because there’s famine in parts of Africa, everything we have going on here is totally fine—or okay, maybe not "fine," but at least we're doing slightly better than the rest of the world.

Please, just don't go there.

ruggedjackal46 said:Sure, if we're talking about iPhones. But if you actually left everything to the "pure" market, you probably wouldn't have indoor plumbing, either.

And honestly, I’m not even sure if we actually *have* a working sewage system at this point, because from where I’m sitting, it looks like crap is just floating everywhere around us anyway.

Sandra Johnson58 said:Look, I’m not really trying to get all deep into the whole religion debate or whatever, but seriously, how exactly is having fewer religious people gonna stop thieves?🤣 Like, do you honestly think guys like some corrupt governors or big-city mayors would suddenly change their ways just because they were surrounded by atheists?🤣

Look, isn't that really the whole point of living? Just figuring out if someone's a crook or not. Honestly, I’d give anything to live in a society where nobody gives a damn about my business. Like, if I'm gay, or a lesbian, or had an abortion, or if I'm single without kids... who cares? If I rock a mohawk and spend my days on a skateboard, let people stare. It shouldn't matter. At the end of the day, the economy is maybe a fifth of what actually makes up a social life, if it's even that much. Everything else is just noise.

Justin James10 said:Green stays green until it turns red, right? ☕

Setting aside all the environmental panic-mongering, the reality is that ecological health actually thrives best in free-market economies. Government intervention tends to fail everywhere, and this field is certainly no exception.

Oh, come on now, 🤣

First off, ecology doesn't give a damn about national borders. The causes of environmental disasters aren't tied to whatever specific country they happen in, and nature isn't particularly concerned with the political system of the community it’s about to ruin. Glaciers don't melt just because someone at the North Pole is being messy; it’s not localized to just the polar regions.

And if we want to talk about strictly local environmental conditions, things are usually at their worst where capitalist manufacturing has been kicked out of the neighborhood. It’s pretty easy for Germany to enjoy crisp, clean air when all their heavy industry was outsourced to China.

restlesssurfer97 said:Yeah, there’s that logic right there. Like, nobody here is actually out here campaigning for socialism, but even under capitalism, you still see people struggling just to eat, and over in the States, you've got all that violence tearing through the inner cities.

It’s like saying because there’s famine in parts of Africa, everything we have going on here is totally fine—or okay, maybe not "fine," but at least we're doing slightly better than the rest of the world.

Please, just don't go there.

You’ve got everything all mixed up and clearly missed the point entirely. But since this place lives for "logical debate"— green stays green until it turns red, and apparently some kid learned a fancy new word two weeks ago (statism)—I’m out. I'm done with this topic.

Have a good one, whatever.

wiredfalcon2 said:Look, isn't that really the whole point of living? Just figuring out if someone's a crook or not. Honestly, I’d give anything to live in a society where nobody gives a damn about my business. Like, if I'm gay, or a lesbian, or had an abortion, or if I'm single without kids... who cares? If I rock a mohawk and spend my days on a skateboard, let people stare. It shouldn't matter. At the end of the day, the economy is maybe a fifth of what actually makes up a social life, if it's even that much. Everything else is just noise.

Are you trying to dodge the actual point here, or is it just happening by accident?

wiredfalcon2 said:You’ve got everything all mixed up and clearly missed the point entirely. But since this place lives for "logical debate"— green stays green until it turns red, and apparently some kid learned a fancy new word two weeks ago (statism)—I’m out. I'm done with this topic.

Have a good one, whatever.

I'm pretty sure you're the only one who actually failed to wrap their head around this, so honestly, you probably should've just kept scrolling in the first place, bye 👋.