..and I didn't RTFA, but doesn't it seem kind of messed up that mega-banks get to invest their profit (which comes from fractional reserve interest scheming) into a company, keeping the wealth amongst the uber-wealthy?
As opposed to what? Not investing? Not earning profits?
A sizable part of the population don't pay taxes at all. If you consider the worth of government services people use (probably 10-20k a year), even more are net recipients in the system.
In the meantime, in the progressive people's paradise of Germany the "Finanzamt" requires citizens to use Windows-only tax software: https://www.elster.de/elfo_down1.php
Surely the USA is not ideal (and is getting less so by day), but it still may be the best the world has got—and it is certainly even not in the same league regarding government corruption as Russia is.
If you are worried about you freedom of speech, assembly, etc., you have a problem with the government, not companies. After all, if there is a legal way to censor speech, government will find a way to do it one way or another, be it with the help of businesses or something else. Instead of hunting down companies that facilitate government abuses, I would say it is better to ensure government can't abuse you in the first place.
What's so bad about it? I know of at leas one telecom company that already can predict if your device was stolen based on untypical usage patterns. If they detect this, they either call you to check if everything is ok, or block the SIM card automatically.
Although I have been using ABP with Firefox for the last year or two, recently I worked at computer without ad blocker. I was actually impressed with the ads I saw both in Facebook and Gmail. Facebook had ads with job offers in my city, while Gmail showed ads for some mindmapping software and developer tools. While I didn't immediately need any of this, I find such information useful. As long the are not intrusive, ads (especially personalized ads) can be interesting.
I have no stake in this as im am not an American. It is just that I keep wondering if the reason why American legislators fail to pass net netrality time and again may be because the majority of voters doesn't want it.
As a student, I got my Office 2010 Professional for only €69 through the Ultimate Steal: http://www.microsoft.com/student/office/en-us/default.aspx We also get Visio, Project, OneNote and much more for free through MSDNAA. Can't compete with that!
Slashdot Mirror
Crazy world we live in. One has to constantly apologize for being successful.
Just sent in my sample for 23andMe. It is none of the goverment's business what I do with my saliva.
..and I didn't RTFA, but doesn't it seem kind of messed up that mega-banks get to invest their profit (which comes from fractional reserve interest scheming) into a company, keeping the wealth amongst the uber-wealthy?
As opposed to what? Not investing? Not earning profits?
How is it a "few producers / many consumers" wealth redistribution scheme?
If anything, it redistributes wealth from producers to consumers.
"few producers / many consumers" wealth redistribution scheme
What are you talking about?
Why?
Don't they have constitution to make sure politicians can't do whatever they want?
Most of the time, market capitalization is a good approximation for value.
Source: http://www.amazon.com/Valuation-Measuring-Managing-Companies-Finance/dp/0470424656/ref=dp_ob_title_bk chapters 15 through 18.
the people who've paid in the most have always been the poorest
Please, educate yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_United_States#Progressive_nature
A sizable part of the population don't pay taxes at all. If you consider the worth of government services people use (probably 10-20k a year), even more are net recipients in the system.
I would have modded this troll, but I want more people to see this adherent of American "liberalism" showing his true face. Liberal fascism indeed.
where they want
In the USA people are free to want whatever they want.
In the meantime, in the progressive people's paradise of Germany the "Finanzamt" requires citizens to use Windows-only tax software: https://www.elster.de/elfo_down1.php
Surely the USA is not ideal (and is getting less so by day), but it still may be the best the world has got—and it is certainly even not in the same league regarding government corruption as Russia is.
Printer is just a tool, Stasi is the problem.
If you are worried about you freedom of speech, assembly, etc., you have a problem with the government, not companies. After all, if there is a legal way to censor speech, government will find a way to do it one way or another, be it with the help of businesses or something else. Instead of hunting down companies that facilitate government abuses, I would say it is better to ensure government can't abuse you in the first place.
What's so bad about it? I know of at leas one telecom company that already can predict if your device was stolen based on untypical usage patterns. If they detect this, they either call you to check if everything is ok, or block the SIM card automatically.
Although I have been using ABP with Firefox for the last year or two, recently I worked at computer without ad blocker. I was actually impressed with the ads I saw both in Facebook and Gmail. Facebook had ads with job offers in my city, while Gmail showed ads for some mindmapping software and developer tools. While I didn't immediately need any of this, I find such information useful. As long the are not intrusive, ads (especially personalized ads) can be interesting.
I have no stake in this as im am not an American. It is just that I keep wondering if the reason why American legislators fail to pass net netrality time and again may be because the majority of voters doesn't want it.
So much for democracy. Are you sure that the majority of Americans support net neutrality?
As a student, I got my Office 2010 Professional for only €69 through the Ultimate Steal: http://www.microsoft.com/student/office/en-us/default.aspx
We also get Visio, Project, OneNote and much more for free through MSDNAA. Can't compete with that!
Isn't the average user a "he"?
The value of the Humble Bunde is less to Windows users, hence they pay less. Of course, this is a hypothesis.
"Put an effort" would be getting a (second) job, not waste time on begging for money.
What about hiring someone with good orator skills to persuade thousands to spam Slashdot?
What are you talking about? Censorship is by definition in the realm of government—how can it be "privatized?"
Yes. Did I throw away my PC and substituted pen and paper for Excel? -No.