Off Topic ForumThis is the place for mature discussions not necessarily related to cars. This is however also moderated and only registred members are allowed to post. No religion and no vicious attacks.
Its easy to misinterpret written things, as one can't hear the tone of voice they are meant to be in.
In a way, I truly don't care about the Afghan war. A middle-ranked military friend of mine has been to that g5ddamn sandbox several times, and is pretty sure things will never change there. Also, voting for a certain party that supports or resents the war doesn't make any difference as our ministry of defence will only listen to the US, regardless of support by the people or parliament. So, I don't base my political preference on that subject, as its useless to get wound up about.
Secondly, I live in a country where every big decision is a compromise between to ends of the spectrum. This means that virtually nobody has things exactly the way they want. Policies and points of view take ages to take shape, legislation and its enforcement are teethless tigers. This means, if you want the bias to move towards the right-hand (which means, parties that find the economy important and don't want to bully the car owners and self-employed), you have to take a stand. Choosing mediocre parties will lead to mediocre politics, and thats not what I like.
One has to understand what kind of country I live in. For instance, if you break into an emtpy house that hasn't been rent or sold for a year and decide you want to live there, its near impossible for the owner to get rid of this person. Legislation says, the right to live weighs stronger than the rights of the owner. So, you pay 52% income tax, 12% property tax and a couple of thousand per year on nonsense costs, only to find an out-of-work 23 year old break into your house that can't be sent away.
Its also legal to consume drugs, and the enforcement on harddrugs is a joke.
Still, if you speed by 5km/h, the EUR 55 fine is already in the mail.
We pay over 50% tax on a new car, yet the government employs people for 3 days per week, in which 3 days they give the company they work for in the remaining 2 days of the week assignments for tenders in excess of EUR 400.000 per year. All this is legal ofcourse, and they have the full government pension for those 3 days but also have the benefits of business owners.
So you tell me, does my country need to turn around or not? Voting for parties that have their mouth full about the environment and don't care about traffic jams, narcotic and criminal issues or have a weak stance on immigration are the bane that made all this happen.
If I'm being called selfish and inconsiderate at that cost, thats fine with me
wout
The Following User Says Thank You to Sebring NL For This Useful Post:
Its easy to misinterpret written things, as one can't hear the tone of voice they are meant to be in.
In a way, I truly don't care about the Afghan war. A middle-ranked military friend of mine has been to that g5ddamn sandbox several times, and is pretty sure things will never change there. Also, voting for a certain party that supports or resents the war doesn't make any difference as our ministry of defence will only listen to the US, regardless of support by the people or parliament. So, I don't base my political preference on that subject, as its useless to get wound up about.
Secondly, I live in a country where every big decision is a compromise between to ends of the spectrum. This means that virtually nobody has things exactly the way they want. Policies and points of view take ages to take shape, legislation and its enforcement are teethless tigers. This means, if you want the bias to move towards the right-hand (which means, parties that find the economy important and don't want to bully the car owners and self-employed), you have to take a stand. Choosing mediocre parties will lead to mediocre politics, and thats not what I like.
One has to understand what kind of country I live in. For instance, if you break into an emtpy house that hasn't been rent or sold for a year and decide you want to live there, its near impossible for the owner to get rid of this person. Legislation says, the right to live weighs stronger than the rights of the owner. So, you pay 52% income tax, 12% property tax and a couple of thousand per year on nonsense costs, only to find an out-of-work 23 year old break into your house that can't be sent away.
Its also legal to consume drugs, and the enforcement on harddrugs is a joke.
Still, if you speed by 5km/h, the EUR 55 fine is already in the mail.
We pay over 50% tax on a new car, yet the government employs people for 3 days per week, in which 3 days they give the company they work for in the remaining 2 days of the week assignments for tenders in excess of EUR 400.000 per year. All this is legal ofcourse, and they have the full government pension for those 3 days but also have the benefits of business owners.
So you tell me, does my country need to turn around or not? Voting for parties that have their mouth full about the environment and don't care about traffic jams, narcotic and criminal issues or have a weak stance on immigration are the bane that made all this happen.
If I'm being called selfish and inconsiderate at that cost, thats fine with me
wout
You don't rate politicians and I agree with you 100%. We have a major problem now with the amount of people dragging economies down outnumbering those who are shoring economies up. Politicians gobbing off about the environment also makes me puke - they generally haven't a clue what they are ramming down our throats using our money.
However, I wouldn't take that out on the environment. It's not responsible for these moronic control freaks.
__________________ **** it, let's do it - Australian proverb
What's wrong with being selfish and insensitive? I'm not sensitive to every problem in the world and I certainly think of my family, friends, and myself far more than strangers.
Main Entry: self·ish
Pronunciation: \ˈsel-fish\
Function: adjective
- concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others, arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others
Main Entry: in·sen·si·tive
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)in-ˈsen(t)-s(ə-)tiv\
Function: adjective
- not responsive or susceptible, lacking feeling or tact
I don't think you fit into these descriptions David.
__________________ **** it, let's do it - Australian proverb
@Wout: you're so right! The situation is very comparable in Belgium. No real decisions can be made, since there is this stupid idea that for every decision, one has to make sure no minorities are harmed. The result is that for all decisions, nobody is completely satisfied. Not sure if it's an expression in English too, but I'm sure everyone will understand. They have to add so much water to the wine, that the result doesn't even look like wine anymore. And it certainly doesn't taste like it.
Main Entry: self·ish
Pronunciation: \ˈsel-fish\
Function: adjective
- concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others, arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others
Main Entry: in·sen·si·tive
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)in-ˈsen(t)-s(ə-)tiv\
Function: adjective
- not responsive or susceptible, lacking feeling or tact
I don't think you fit into these descriptions David.
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