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Thank you soooo much Terry for your wonderful comment. Let me get this strait. I can only say what I want if you are there to try to punch me? I smell military... I say Matthew Row stating abortion is murder is no less idiotic then anything I had to throw back at him. Yet his inflamatory comment sits there for all to read. ''Pay for your own baby's murder" is not discourse.

Perhaps Health Care Reform should support men who want to sell their shit on eBay and vanish like a fart in the wind while their offspring are in the fetal stage. They're not abandoning children; they're abandoning an unwanted product of conception. Sounds fair to me.

@ Adil. Socialism and democracy are not mutually exclusive. The UK, Canada and quite a bit of the countries that make up the EU are democracies of one kind or another that are what we Americans would label "socialist" because of their emphasis on the social welfare of the governed.

The Soviet Union, by contrast, was a "communist" state where, in theory, everyone was supposed to be equal whether doctor, factory worker, soldier or politician. The communist system claims to provide "equality of outcome" through centralized planning of the economy and a redistribution of wealth so that each member of society's contribution is rewarded equally.

In the above mentioned socialist systems, the focus is twofold. First is a desire to create an "equality of opportunity" that gives each member of society the opportunity to succeed in the endeavors of their choosing. The second focus is to provide a safety net that exists to ensure that, if things go wrong, whether through mistakes of your own making or circumstances beyond your control, you are not left by the wayside, a victim of social darwinism. ... Read More

@James. It is these two versions of equality, of outcome and of opportunity, that get confused when a debate turns to labels of socialism vs. communism.

Just wondering if, when considering "from each according to his ability to each according to his needs", is there a direct correlation between the subjective level of "need" and objective "ability"? For example, in a society with a high percentage of cognitively advanced members, is the baseline of perceived needs higher?

she was the only one that had a gun.

I think that both sexes are qualified to do any job when trained correctly.

Women may be the ultimate battle force. Can you imagine a battalion of chocolate deprived, armed females with concurrent PMS bearing down on AlQuaeda?

Absolutely a doctor has owed me an apology but did not give it. However, another doctor in the practice did give it for the offending doctor.

I think it's too dizzying up there in the clouds on the mountain, for any doctor to be able to apologize for anything.

Generally it is not ego it is yet another ramification of the bizzare medical liability alternate world we live in.

The proponents of the single payer paradise that supposedly exists in the rest of the developed world consistently gloss over the fact that you can't get gazillion dollar settlements with trial lawyers like John Edwards.

I love "Dear Prudence" such a sensible girl

See, Margo would have had a much snappier retort than that.

Actually, the general crime rate among minors and the violent crime rate among minors have both been going down for many years.

I agree with you, Liza. I think the issue of victim support should be foremost in civilised society. It clearly isn't. But, I also see the boys as victims of another injustice, one not of their doing, and that they have not experienced justice either.

This does not mean that they are not the cause of the womans suffering, they are, and they are ... Read Moredangerous to the community at large (although it seems there is real doubt about the 13 year olds involvement). But "justice seen to be done" is ad hoc. Whos justice? What is justice in light of the boys upbringing?

I'm sickened by the rape. Notwithstanding that - can I just say that I'm also sick of young boys, immature and clueless, causing suffering in others, and being made scapegoats for our predjudices and deep failings.

C'mon, Nancy, *nobody* allows themselves to get pregnant with the idea of getting an abortion in case the "get caught"; at least not more than once.

Ms. Hu - Use clothes pins and clip it to your nose, silly!

The stock market is all about paper pushing, not creating wealth.

I disagree with the article saying that big companies are doing better than mainstreet business. At least in my area (The Northwest) many small businesses seem to be getting by while the bigger companies are still laying people off.

I found the candor refreshing... big 'De-Coupling', anyone?

[re: "Greenspan and the Economy of Greed" - Paul Craig Roberts, 9.20.07 & "When Multinationals Say Adieu" - Robt. Weissman, 3.3.08]...

Welcome to the Party! It's called reality, perhaps you've heard of it? ;).