There are no libertarian governments. What we have isn't capitalism, it's corporatism, where big business and politicians cooperate for mutual gain at the expense of everyone else. Yes, often some of those politicians talk about a "free market". News flash: politicians lie.
If medical research were really as close-to-useless as The Fine Summary claims, we'd be hardly better off with modern Western medicine than with homeopathy and prayer.
There are a lot of great ideas out there that would help our country compete better, but instead we invest in farm subsidies because our politics are paralyzed.
"Invest"? The only investment happening there is giant agricultural corporations investing in Congressmen.
Okay, interesting. I would say that the U.S. is probably a little better than most places in the EU and worse than one or two. In other words, the U.S. may be better overall, but in any case we're within shouting distance of each other, and just as you say, that's why we don't see much effect, as we do when we compare extremes like the Koreas; China vs. Hong Kong or Taiwan (in previous decades), Cuba vs. the Dominican Republic, etc.
Snarky straw man quips aren't the same thing as eloquence, even on Slashdot. Besides, it doesn't actually rebut what I was saying, since I wasn't talking about anarcho-capitalism just by pointing out that there's nothing libertarian about buying laws.
Let's take a case study: US: A "weak" state in terms of taxes and regulation Europe: Mostly "strong" states with more taxes and regulation It's not so that the U.S. is a weak state on either of these. Between federal and state corporate income tax, the rate usually approaches 40%. And many industries here have a byzantine regulatory environment.
I'll skip the rest of it, since neither of us is likely to persuade the other.
Nothing you just said there made any sense. The guy wasn't connecting taxes and regulation with third world countries, he was just remarking that in developing countries many people steal electricity, cable TV, and so forth. And it's true.
P.S. There's nothing libertarian about "buying laws". In a libertarian society, those with wealth wouldn't have the same opportunity to use it to buy coercive legislation over others that they do in the real world. A strong state tends to amplify the influence of the wealthy, not mitigate it.
But statistically, higher IQ (we're talking better than Mensa level, not dime-a-dozen IQs of 120 or so) tends to correlate with higher ethical standards, more sense of "fair play".
That's basically what a conscience vote is for those who aren't familiar - a "we won't kick you out of the party if you don't vote for this" vote. By refusing one, anyone who doesn't toe the line is out of the party. The ALP is extremely strict on this.
Considering that they have a majority of one, and that's with the help of the independents, are they really in a position to kick out anyone, no matter how obstreperous? Alternatively, can MPs cross the aisle in Australia?
Spoken like someone who doesn't know jack shit about classical music. Even for music from the Baroque period, which is perhaps the closest to what you describe, the pathos of human musicians is critical.
The most basic fundamental rights we have enjoyed for centuries are being taken away by a bunch of weasel lawyers and corrupt officials. Sadly there ain't a damned thing we can do about it either, unless someone here has a couple of billion lying around to buy some politicians with?
The Pirate Bay people and the people contributing to tools like BitTorrent are doing something about it, and probably something more effective than lobbying. We will never be able to outspend Big Media. We can only outthink them.
Really, I think everyone in the US can agree that the MSM is shit and we need to finance independment (non-corporate) media. I know the tea parties have my back on that. Liberals would probably agree on that as well!.
They seem to, as they've been funding NPR for years.
The 'loophole' is the FDA's own guidelines which state that any traditional remedy with a long established documented history or safe use is exempt from regulation.
Wait, doesn't atmospheric methane naturally break down after a few years in a way that carbon dioxide doesn't? So it potentially has a warming effect, but only temporarily?
As a leftover from when Virginia-headquartered AOL was the king of connectivity, you see license plates here in Virginia touting us as the Internet Capital.
Slashdot Mirror
There are no libertarian governments. What we have isn't capitalism, it's corporatism, where big business and politicians cooperate for mutual gain at the expense of everyone else. Yes, often some of those politicians talk about a "free market". News flash: politicians lie.
Indeed: "Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway." -- Andrew S. Tanenbaum
They're kind of sort of trying to do that too, if you consider the Iranian nuclear program.
Hey, if those viruses really do slow them down enough, would that mean they were held off by 300 geeks?
Libre Office gives an air of smugness like the one that you get from rights movement, or from vegans and other super ecofriendly people.
Come on, it's not like people who espouse conservative and libertarian causes are never smug about it.
So, unlike most husbands, in your house you are king?
If medical research were really as close-to-useless as The Fine Summary claims, we'd be hardly better off with modern Western medicine than with homeopathy and prayer.
Not so, since prayer is actually harmful!
There are a lot of great ideas out there that would help our country compete better, but instead we invest in farm subsidies because our politics are paralyzed.
"Invest"? The only investment happening there is giant agricultural corporations investing in Congressmen.
Okay, interesting. I would say that the U.S. is probably a little better than most places in the EU and worse than one or two. In other words, the U.S. may be better overall, but in any case we're within shouting distance of each other, and just as you say, that's why we don't see much effect, as we do when we compare extremes like the Koreas; China vs. Hong Kong or Taiwan (in previous decades), Cuba vs. the Dominican Republic, etc.
Snarky straw man quips aren't the same thing as eloquence, even on Slashdot. Besides, it doesn't actually rebut what I was saying, since I wasn't talking about anarcho-capitalism just by pointing out that there's nothing libertarian about buying laws.
Wait, does that mean we lose automatically, and that I for one should welcome our new Andromedan overlords?
Let's take a case study:
US: A "weak" state in terms of taxes and regulation
Europe: Mostly "strong" states with more taxes and regulation
It's not so that the U.S. is a weak state on either of these. Between federal and state corporate income tax, the rate usually approaches 40%. And many industries here have a byzantine regulatory environment.
I'll skip the rest of it, since neither of us is likely to persuade the other.
Nothing you just said there made any sense. The guy wasn't connecting taxes and regulation with third world countries, he was just remarking that in developing countries many people steal electricity, cable TV, and so forth. And it's true.
P.S. There's nothing libertarian about "buying laws". In a libertarian society, those with wealth wouldn't have the same opportunity to use it to buy coercive legislation over others that they do in the real world. A strong state tends to amplify the influence of the wealthy, not mitigate it.
The fact that you value intelligence over morality already makes you the villain.
There's an Obama joke in there somewhere....
IE6 won't die until XP dies; even though IE7 and IE8 run on XP as well, there will always be people who Just Won't Upgrade.
Fuck 'em. IE6 is nine years old. If the laggards are going to try to stand in the way of progress they should expect eventually to get run over.
But statistically, higher IQ (we're talking better than Mensa level, not dime-a-dozen IQs of 120 or so) tends to correlate with higher ethical standards, more sense of "fair play".
Citation needed.
I suppose that depends on your belief system.
No, it doesn't. Just because people believe in a god doesn't mean one is there.
That's basically what a conscience vote is for those who aren't familiar - a "we won't kick you out of the party if you don't vote for this" vote. By refusing one, anyone who doesn't toe the line is out of the party. The ALP is extremely strict on this.
Considering that they have a majority of one, and that's with the help of the independents, are they really in a position to kick out anyone, no matter how obstreperous? Alternatively, can MPs cross the aisle in Australia?
Spoken like someone who doesn't know jack shit about classical music. Even for music from the Baroque period, which is perhaps the closest to what you describe, the pathos of human musicians is critical.
The most basic fundamental rights we have enjoyed for centuries are being taken away by a bunch of weasel lawyers and corrupt officials. Sadly there ain't a damned thing we can do about it either, unless someone here has a couple of billion lying around to buy some politicians with?
The Pirate Bay people and the people contributing to tools like BitTorrent are doing something about it, and probably something more effective than lobbying. We will never be able to outspend Big Media. We can only outthink them.
Really, I think everyone in the US can agree that the MSM is shit and we need to finance independment (non-corporate) media. I know the tea parties have my back on that. Liberals would probably agree on that as well!.
They seem to, as they've been funding NPR for years.
The 'loophole' is the FDA's own guidelines which state that any traditional remedy with a long established documented history or safe use is exempt from regulation.
Shoot, then it should apply to cannabis.
Got it. Okay, then I'll cancel burrito night.
Wait, doesn't atmospheric methane naturally break down after a few years in a way that carbon dioxide doesn't? So it potentially has a warming effect, but only temporarily?
As a leftover from when Virginia-headquartered AOL was the king of connectivity, you see license plates here in Virginia touting us as the Internet Capital.
IANALBIHADIL (I Am Not a Lawyer But I Hold a Degree in Law, there must be a shorter one for this - any suggestions?)
HWLD: Human With Law Degree? You could pronounce it like "hooled".
Oh, come on lawyers, I was just kidding. Please don't sue me. Please?
-=Steve=-