"Why should we discriminate against bricks-and-mortar retailers? Why should it only be their customers, who support their local economy, who are penalized?"
Maybe the states should start enforcing their own use taxes with their own citizens!
Why should I as a small, online retailer (catalog mail order for 20 years before that) be expected to pay something like $10,000 a year for software or services to distribute the taxes? That or spend my whole day researching jurisdictions, doing the bookeeping, and filling out tax forms by hand.
If I have to collect sales tax for states other than my own, it will put my very small business out of business. We already pay $800 a year (the minimum) just to be a corporation. Then we dutifully collect sales tax on in state sales and send it in, once a year. We also pay our use taxes and our state and federal income taxes. We do our share. Why should we bear the burden for being the tax collection service for 49 states other than our own? It is not our job to police our customers and make sure that they are honest citizens of their own states.
The brick-and-mortar retailers who are screaming "unfair" aren't even in competition with us. We have a unique, niche following. We only do enough business to sustain our business if we can reach a large market (we do international sales, too). We do that via our Web site and online catalog, which is today more effective and economical than mailing paper catalogs.
If we have to collect multiple sales taxes, our business and product will simply cease to exist because the cost of doing business will be higher than we can afford. This small business currently supports 2 people. Now just where are we going to get jobs with a decent income to pay the taxes that we are paying individually and corporately right now?
Multiply our small business by a lot of small businesses and you will see why this is a bad idea. Ever heard of cottage industry? You will quickly kill any that is being conducted via mail-order.
I think that you must simply be clueless because you just can't be so totally stupid!
I don't know about VT, but here in rural CA all you have to do is live a mile or two out of town not to get cable.
As to the local stations, we live far enough from the CBS affiliate to get the NY and LA CBS feeds on DirecTV. We never heard back from ABC and FOX (even though they are required by law to respond to a waiver request) and the NBC local affiliate basically told us that we would get a waiver about the moment that that frost forms on satan's beard.
As to this "captive eyeballs" stuff, we live so far from the local affiliate's market that we don't purchase anything from the "local" advertisers anyway. Sure, I want to drive 60 to 100 miles to buy something, not!
1) Get Congress to modify the laws so that the other express carriers can deliver to P.O. Boxes.
Bad idea. First, just watch the rates go up. Yes, I said *up*. For a model just look towards Priority Mail vs. UPS Ground. Which one gives better value for the money? No contest. As a small e-commerce merchant I'll take Priority Mail any day.
2) Develop a next generation Post Office that would make practical the delivery of every thing one can buy via e-commerce, particularly perishable goods. These Post Offices will need to be open and staffed 24 x 7. You would get your packages stored there for a modest monthly fee based on your historical package volume and/or type.
Longer counter hours, especially weekend would be nice. OTOH if you need 24/7 get at box at a mail drop that has longer hours. Also, at least here in rural America UPS, and FedEx aren't open on weekends either and while you can get weekend delivery, it comes at a price. Saturday delivery from USPS is at no extra charge.
3) Begin closing the legacy Post Offices around the country and opening these Post Offices in strip shopping malls with lots of parking.
Hard to do where there are no strip malls. Yes, Virginia, there still are the parts of the country where there are no strip malls but where there are Post Offices. OTOH, where there are strip malls opening sub-stations has some merit.
I believe this will work as a strategy because a lot more people who do not have computers today can be convinced to get computers or internet appliances if they think e-commerce is useful.
Now we are supposed to use the Post Office to leverage folks into buying computers. Give me a break!
The problem is that large scale business-to-consumer e-commerce cannot be made practical until delivery of perishable and large items can be made secure and relatively inexpensive for the shipper.
While shipping perishable items will always be a prob, it is only solved the old fashioned way -- paying for the premium service that it requires. You won't ever get next-day-super-duper-delivery for the same rate as non-premium.
If people really bought into this, the Post Office could end up being a strip shopping center anchor tenant in many towns. By this I mean, the size of a supermarket. I'm not sure how this would work in cities, although I'm pretty sure that this would not be an issue in places like Manhattan, due to the fact that door-to-door delivery with extended hours.
If your not sure how this would work in the city, either. I'm even less sure how this would work in the country. Why do we go to a K-Mart over a small local store? Is it the ambiance? Is it the personalized service? I don't think so. It is price. The only reason for a Post Office the size of a Super-K is price. Other than that give me a small local office with a Postmaster and Clerks I know any day.
Special interest groups will be able to draw more and more attention to themselves (right, wrong, or, indifferent). What's the matter with quiet?
The matter with quiet is that with no speech there is no free speech. Maybe diverse voices are just noise to you.
Don't you get it? This is about free speech. This is not about MP3s or even Pirate Radio. This is about giving the airwaves to their true owners, the People (as in We The People). Read the words of the commissioners who voted for it for yourself. Here's one example.
In her decision Commissioner Tristani writes:
Ultimately, however, the adoption of a new low power radio service has been driven by the scores of Americans who want to use the public airwaves to speak to their fellow citizens, and the scores of Americans who want to hear the additional diversity these speakers could provide. Under the conditions set forth in this Order, I can find no legitimate government interest in denying these citizens what they seek.
If you had taken the time to read the article in your rush to post, you would have known that they are not released to the wild in the sweaters. The penguins are kept in a rehabilitation hospital until they recover.
Sadly, not all the little fellows will make it even with the sweaters. Some have died already
I agree that this is a good cause and that the Linux community should help Tux's kinfolk.
What I'm burned over is that the unidentified persons who caused this disaster are still on the loose. I hope that they catch the @$#%!@#$.
I guess the question we have with LinuxOne is not that they aren't blessed by AC/Linus/ESR/BP/whoever, but that their first step is to have an IPO. Add in their past IPO failures, it just looks suspicious to anyone.
Exactly. Not only that, but it is one thing to set up a stall in the bazaar to sell stuff. But when the only reason that the stall seems to be getting set up is to sell the stall, then the distrust and unacceptance from the other stall owners is deserved.
For being out there every day in the Linux trenches. Thanks for treating ordinary Linux users as if each one may be the next "Einstein" (I'm not the next Einstein, but when I had the pleasure of meeting you at LinuxWorld, you treated me like I could be). Thanks for being one of the most practical, even-handed and enthusiastic ambassadors that this community has. And thanks for taking the time to brave the/. flames to thoughtfully answer the questions here.
Fry's in Sacramento has a great Linux department. I did some shopping there a few weeks ago and it gets better each time I make the trip down there.
No snow today in the Northern Sierra foothills, but it made it to 70 F -- record highs all week. We still had mistletoe, and holly and an oak Yule log. We decorated the mantle with cedar branches and tangerines; made a swag of Doug fir boughs for the wall; got a little spruce for a Christmas tree that we will plant in the backyard after the new year; watched the model train go round and round; listened to Christmas CDs; missed Mom and Grandma who've passed on; phoned loved ones in Oregon, Illinois, and Maryland; walked gifts to neighbor's houses; gave dogs and cats premium food instead of the every day stuff; fell asleep after dinner; woke up; turned on computer and read Slashdot.
My experience has been different. I'm not a programmer or a developer -- barely more than a newbie, and just about everything I've ever compiled from source has gone smoothly and runs correctly. I've also sucessfully used RH RPMs with SuSE when I wanted to.
Besides that, SuSE has added many new KDE apps (you can get them in their KDE service downloads) and the X-server support and development is excellent.
Besides that the distro works and I use it every day as both a Samba server and a desktop.
Back to the topic -- I'm glad to see SuSE forming this partnerships and growing so well. I think it is heathly for the entire Linux community.
I get kind of a democracy rush over standing in line with my neighbors, going behind that little plastic curtain, marking the ballot, handing it to the judge, and seeing it go into the ballot box.
BTW, I've voted by machine, punch card and pencil marked ballot and by far the most satifying to me is the last one.
OTOH, Internet voting is worthy of exploration and thought. If it can me made at least as secure as a Chicago voting machine, (and I'm a former Chicagoan) I'd consider it.
Out here in sunny CA, we can vote absentee without any reason other than we want to so you don't have to go out if you don't want to or can't, right now even without the Internet.
I'd still miss the neighbors in line. It's the only time I get away from the computer.
If you want to be murdered, a tried-and-true method that has worked pretty much through all history is to start stealing from the little guy.
An even more tried and true method is to start stealing from the big guy. If the big guy doesn't like your action (s)he has the resources to do it and get away with it, and something to lose if they don't do it.
Slashdot Mirror
"Why should we discriminate against bricks-and-mortar retailers? Why should it only be their customers, who support their local economy, who are penalized?"
Maybe the states should start enforcing their own use taxes with their own citizens!
Why should I as a small, online retailer (catalog mail order for 20 years before that) be expected to pay something like $10,000 a year for software or services to distribute the taxes? That or spend my whole day researching jurisdictions, doing the bookeeping, and filling out tax forms by hand.
If I have to collect sales tax for states other than my own, it will put my very small business out of business. We already pay $800 a year (the minimum) just to be a corporation. Then we dutifully collect sales tax on in state sales and send it in, once a year. We also pay our use taxes and our state and federal income taxes. We do our share. Why should we bear the burden for being the tax collection service for 49 states other than our own? It is not our job to police our customers and make sure that they are honest citizens of their own states.
The brick-and-mortar retailers who are screaming "unfair" aren't even in competition with us. We have a unique, niche following. We only do enough business to sustain our business if we can reach a large market (we do international sales, too). We do that via our Web site and online catalog, which is today more effective and economical than mailing paper catalogs.
If we have to collect multiple sales taxes, our business and product will simply cease to exist because the cost of doing business will be higher than we can afford. This small business currently supports 2 people. Now just where are we going to get jobs with a decent income to pay the taxes that we are paying individually and corporately right now?
Multiply our small business by a lot of small businesses and you will see why this is a bad idea. Ever heard of cottage industry? You will quickly kill any that is being conducted via mail-order.
I think that you must simply be clueless because you just can't be so totally stupid!
I don't know about VT, but here in rural CA all you have to do is live a mile or two out of town not to get cable.
As to the local stations, we live far enough from the CBS affiliate to get the NY and LA CBS feeds on DirecTV. We never heard back from ABC and FOX (even though they are required by law to respond to a waiver request) and the NBC local affiliate basically told us that we would get a waiver about the moment that that frost forms on satan's beard.
As to this "captive eyeballs" stuff, we live so far from the local affiliate's market that we don't purchase anything from the "local" advertisers anyway. Sure, I want to drive 60 to 100 miles to buy something, not!
Bad idea. First, just watch the rates go up. Yes, I said *up*. For a model just look towards Priority Mail vs. UPS Ground. Which one gives better value for the money? No contest. As a small e-commerce merchant I'll take Priority Mail any day.
2) Develop a next generation Post Office that would make practical the delivery of every thing one can buy via e-commerce, particularly perishable goods. These Post Offices will need to be open and staffed 24 x 7. You would get your packages stored there for a modest monthly fee based on your historical package volume and/or type.
Longer counter hours, especially weekend would be nice. OTOH if you need 24/7 get at box at a mail drop that has longer hours. Also, at least here in rural America UPS, and FedEx aren't open on weekends either and while you can get weekend delivery, it comes at a price. Saturday delivery from USPS is at no extra charge.
3) Begin closing the legacy Post Offices around the country and opening these Post Offices in strip shopping malls with lots of parking.
Hard to do where there are no strip malls. Yes, Virginia, there still are the parts of the country where there are no strip malls but where there are Post Offices. OTOH, where there are strip malls opening sub-stations has some merit.
I believe this will work as a strategy because a lot more people who do not have computers today can be convinced to get computers or internet appliances if they think e-commerce is useful.
Now we are supposed to use the Post Office to leverage folks into buying computers. Give me a break!
The problem is that large scale business-to-consumer e-commerce cannot be made practical until delivery of perishable and large items can be made secure and relatively inexpensive for the shipper.
While shipping perishable items will always be a prob, it is only solved the old fashioned way -- paying for the premium service that it requires. You won't ever get next-day-super-duper-delivery for the same rate as non-premium.
If people really bought into this, the Post Office could end up being a strip shopping center anchor tenant in many towns. By this I mean, the size of a supermarket. I'm not sure how this would work in cities, although I'm pretty sure that this would not be an issue in places like Manhattan, due to the fact that door-to-door delivery with extended hours.
If your not sure how this would work in the city, either. I'm even less sure how this would work in the country. Why do we go to a K-Mart over a small local store? Is it the ambiance? Is it the personalized service? I don't think so. It is price. The only reason for a Post Office the size of a Super-K is price. Other than that give me a small local office with a Postmaster and Clerks I know any day.
The matter with quiet is that with no speech there is no free speech. Maybe diverse voices are just noise to you.
Don't you get it? This is about free speech. This is not about MP3s or even Pirate Radio. This is about giving the airwaves to their true owners, the People (as in We The People). Read the words of the commissioners who voted for it for yourself. Here's one example.
In her decision Commissioner Tristani writes:
Ultimately, however, the adoption of a new low power radio service has been driven by the scores of Americans who want to use the public airwaves to speak to their fellow citizens, and the scores of Americans who want to hear the additional diversity these speakers could provide. Under the conditions set forth in this Order, I can find no legitimate government interest in denying these citizens what they seek.
Let's spell it.
F-R-E-E S-P-E-E-C-H
I knew that you could.
Sadly, not all the little fellows will make it even with the sweaters. Some have died already
I agree that this is a good cause and that the Linux community should help Tux's kinfolk.
What I'm burned over is that the unidentified persons who caused this disaster are still on the loose. I hope that they catch the @$#%!@#$.
Exactly. Not only that, but it is one thing to set up a stall in the bazaar to sell stuff. But when the only reason that the stall seems to be getting set up is to sell the stall, then the distrust and unacceptance from the other stall owners is deserved.
So that family in Alabama whose cable went out at midnight had an hour after the ball drop before they lost service.
Besides, you have good taste in beer.
Happy 2000!
No snow today in the Northern Sierra foothills, but it made it to 70 F -- record highs all week. We still had mistletoe, and holly and an oak Yule log. We decorated the mantle with cedar branches and tangerines; made a swag of Doug fir boughs for the wall; got a little spruce for a Christmas tree that we will plant in the backyard after the new year; watched the model train go round and round; listened to Christmas CDs; missed Mom and Grandma who've passed on; phoned loved ones in Oregon, Illinois, and Maryland; walked gifts to neighbor's houses; gave dogs and cats premium food instead of the every day stuff; fell asleep after dinner; woke up; turned on computer and read Slashdot.
A simple and gentle Merry Christmas to you all.
comet.dll was just one of the many things left behind.
If anyone else cares to post more of their findings on the rest of the junk it leaves, I'd appreciate really getting rid of this thing.
Besides that, SuSE has added many new KDE apps (you can get them in their KDE service downloads) and the X-server support and development is excellent.
Besides that the distro works and I use it every day as both a Samba server and a desktop.
Back to the topic -- I'm glad to see SuSE forming this partnerships and growing so well. I think it is heathly for the entire Linux community.
Answer one: Since always -- the laws just keep changing depending on who wins.
Number two, isn't all fair in love and war?
Answer two: No.
you find that this is really old news.
We all know how easy it is to edit a graphic.
We all know that graphic edited to misinform and presented as "truth" or "news" could cause great harm.
It is the "great harm" that could be the war crime, not the graphic.
I get kind of a democracy rush over standing in line with my neighbors, going behind that little plastic curtain, marking the ballot, handing it to the judge, and seeing it go into the ballot box.
BTW, I've voted by machine, punch card and pencil marked ballot and by far the most satifying to me is the last one.
OTOH, Internet voting is worthy of exploration and thought. If it can me made at least as secure as a Chicago voting machine, (and I'm a former Chicagoan) I'd consider it.
Out here in sunny CA, we can vote absentee without any reason other than we want to so you don't have to go out if you don't want to or can't, right now even without the Internet.
I'd still miss the neighbors in line. It's the only time I get away from the computer.
I just tried to read the story and I get a "removed" notice.
Possible theories as to why:
1. Not true and parties involved asked to have to it removed.
2. I have really, really bad Karma today.
3. Slashdot effect!
An even more tried and true method is to start stealing from the big guy. If the big guy doesn't like your action (s)he has the resources to do it and get away with it, and something to lose if they don't do it.