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I couldn't care less what his actual income is. LiterateDog Send a noteboard - 10/09/2010 06:16:41 PM
So, yes, it is about all his choices and his life because he wants to make those choices and not have to live with what that means. He opened up his "personal life" to scrutiny when he chose to both make it public and then accept no judgments or consequences for it. And then, to top it all off, wants us to feel bad because we as a nation don't want to pay for his dental care which he didn't previously place such a high value on himself.

Americans pay more for health care through their taxes than many countries with general socialized health care, presumably including Norway. If "you as a nation" didn't have such an incredibly inefficient system, you could pay for his dental care with not a single American paying a penny more in taxes than they do now. The man has a point in criticizing said system then, I would think.

As for the real point discussed here, you can of course be annoyed by his rant and react accordingly, but I don't really see how you can claim to know how he spent his money and how he should've spent it instead. Saying he should've gone to the dentist is one thing, but trying to calculate his income and expenses does seem rather exaggerated.


I know how he has spent SOME of his money because he has told people things he has spent his money on. I don't care what he makes. I do care that he wants to make choices and not live with the consequences. In the real world, if you don't have enough money, you have to make tough choices. In the real world, if you don't have enough money, you make more. You don't put your hand in other people's pockets and demand their money.

As for your policy arguments, I don't agree with you. I don't think there is some huge pile of mis-spent money that should be spent on other things for other people. His criticism of "the system" in this post amounted to him lamenting the fact that it didn't pay for what he wanted it to pay for and for which he refused to pay himself.
"I'll blow whomever I want, whenever I want, as long as I can still breathe and kneel."
-Samantha Jones, SatC
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NSSP: I Live in the Greatest Country on Earth! - 09/09/2010 06:12:06 PM 1726 Views
17 fillings? Do you ever go to the dentist? *NM* - 09/09/2010 06:26:05 PM 425 Views
seriously. that's an insane number of fillings to have been putting off. - 09/09/2010 06:28:09 PM 1043 Views
Give me the time and money, and I'll be happy to do it. - 09/09/2010 06:32:42 PM 998 Views
This is the first time in my life I've had dental insurance. - 09/09/2010 06:29:44 PM 1060 Views
So in other words it's your own damn fault. - 09/09/2010 07:34:43 PM 982 Views
"Not that expensive" is a big phrase. - 10/09/2010 05:42:55 AM 943 Views
I've actually been buying Boar's Head knockwurst for grilling. - 10/09/2010 05:46:59 AM 859 Views
Aaaah, thanks. - 10/09/2010 06:13:19 AM 865 Views
have you tried going to a dental school? - 09/09/2010 07:36:15 PM 906 Views
well, I bet it wouldn't have cost you near so much if you hadn't kept putting it off. - 09/09/2010 06:29:50 PM 1013 Views
Yes, I was able to figure that out on my own. - 09/09/2010 06:34:58 PM 1133 Views
whatever. If you put your health second... - 09/09/2010 07:40:20 PM 1063 Views
Millions of Americans do it daily, which was my point. - 10/09/2010 05:48:38 AM 892 Views
17? Wow... do you use cola as mouthwash? *NM* - 09/09/2010 06:46:28 PM 533 Views
Dr. Pepper - 09/09/2010 06:47:32 PM 949 Views
Re: Dr. Pepper - 10/09/2010 07:05:06 PM 1117 Views
A reasonable response; amazing how it doesn't make me foam at the mouth.... - 11/09/2010 04:02:10 PM 1065 Views
(shrugs) I don't mix personal and politics - 11/09/2010 07:21:36 PM 1324 Views
As it should be. - 11/09/2010 09:17:56 PM 1057 Views
By they way, some quick possibly useful advice - 11/09/2010 07:38:02 PM 1045 Views
Yeah, those are the two things I'm thinking. - 11/09/2010 08:47:54 PM 1081 Views
no, that would be the dr. pepper again... - 11/09/2010 07:52:44 PM 963 Views
no but he is a big fan of Kool-Aid *NM* - 09/09/2010 10:08:25 PM 479 Views
*NM* - 10/09/2010 05:43:06 PM 516 Views
Yikes. - 09/09/2010 08:45:55 PM 961 Views
This is (one of) the thing(s) I love about you: - 10/09/2010 05:34:02 AM 1028 Views
One bit at a time.. - 09/09/2010 10:11:00 PM 928 Views
Indeed. - 10/09/2010 05:54:10 AM 1092 Views
I feel so sorry for people who have to live in uncivilised countries. - 10/09/2010 12:18:11 AM 994 Views
yes he will be moving to the land known for great dental care *NM* - 10/09/2010 01:01:37 AM 497 Views
LOL A British person lecturing us about anything involving dental care. - 10/09/2010 02:02:33 AM 1091 Views
I love how I'm not the only one to remember very old Simpson episodes! - 10/09/2010 03:58:41 AM 1017 Views
Certainly not! *NM* - 10/09/2010 08:13:07 AM 441 Views
All hail the stereotype! - 10/09/2010 10:12:30 AM 920 Views
Where does that stereotype come from? - 11/09/2010 04:52:41 PM 1263 Views
Also less of an obsession with artficially whitening teeth. *NM* - 11/09/2010 05:33:04 PM 495 Views
Combined with tea? *NM* - 11/09/2010 05:34:25 PM 437 Views
Yeah, about that... - 11/09/2010 09:31:11 PM 1320 Views
Re: Yeah, about that... - 11/09/2010 09:35:15 PM 1317 Views
Still keeping my US citizenship though. - 11/09/2010 09:53:05 PM 1137 Views
It's painful to watch though. - 10/09/2010 06:16:03 AM 967 Views
America is fine. You just suck at it. *NM* - 10/09/2010 12:29:48 AM 564 Views
Suck it up - 10/09/2010 01:27:09 AM 956 Views
Norway doesn't provide dental coverage for anyone over 18. - 10/09/2010 06:09:32 AM 1026 Views
~shrugs~ - 10/09/2010 01:48:24 AM 940 Views
Your travel money would certainly have paid for a lot of dentistry. *NM* - 10/09/2010 02:00:09 AM 515 Views
LITERATEDOG!! - 10/09/2010 02:02:57 AM 1051 Views
Not really. - 10/09/2010 06:21:55 AM 1040 Views
Oh, honey, I don't blame you for the Norway travel. - 10/09/2010 06:35:10 AM 924 Views
Funny thing is I once would've agreed. - 10/09/2010 08:47:34 AM 1030 Views
Boohoo. You made your choices. You prioritized luxuries before dental care. Live with it. - 10/09/2010 04:40:05 PM 1081 Views
Joel opened himself up to this - 10/09/2010 05:22:45 PM 957 Views
But it's all about his personal choices. - 10/09/2010 05:33:42 PM 1061 Views
A rather tangential point, but since you keep talking about what "you as a nation" pay for... - 10/09/2010 06:07:10 PM 937 Views
I couldn't care less what his actual income is. - 10/09/2010 06:16:41 PM 939 Views
Yes. - 10/09/2010 06:33:22 PM 1079 Views
Much better put than in my post. What she said. *NM* - 10/09/2010 06:39:27 PM 435 Views
Whatever. Completely ignore my points because you want to hide behind the label "personal choice". - 10/09/2010 11:13:02 PM 896 Views
Ok. - 11/09/2010 07:14:23 AM 924 Views
Actually, no. Not ok. - 11/09/2010 08:23:02 AM 850 Views
But, you know, even then, put the political part of it aside. - 10/09/2010 11:29:36 PM 1023 Views
Excoriate? - 11/09/2010 07:21:03 AM 1344 Views
.sorry, darlin'... - 11/09/2010 03:40:24 AM 1151 Views
and edit. - 11/09/2010 07:23:41 AM 1121 Views
In other words, you made sacrfices for those you love. - 11/09/2010 04:25:08 PM 1207 Views
Actually, most of those choices weren't mine and I opposed them. - 11/09/2010 04:09:43 PM 1012 Views
I have about 3 fiddy - 10/09/2010 05:47:38 PM 948 Views
*submerges and capsizes your boat* - 11/09/2010 04:35:04 PM 1005 Views

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