Couldn't agree more. During my time on earth, it's gone from "don't do wrong, because it's wrong" to "don't do wrong, you might get caught". Give up the inner belief in right and wrong...you're toast. Heck, in a better world, for awhile, it was "do right, increase happiness - what goes around comes around".
And yeah, accountability...largely missing. On this side of the pond, one side more loudly blames others for "everything", but almost no one is actually taking responsibility. And that's kinda the key. Those two things are what the decline are really based on.
I often agree with you gweihr, so I bothered to respond.
Um, he's just one guy, and anything but a dictionary conservative. Not "most conservatives". Most of whom don't like being lumped in with neocons (both parties' neocons are the war and bribe party), the wing-nut radicals (which both parties have), or the "in name only" sorts who say whatever to get elected and then do whatever their corporate sponsors tell them or whatever they think will bring home the pork or bring in the votes by whatever other method. No one seems to retire from Congress poor - even people in super poor districts live in super mansions "somehow". I can point to plenty of examples, I happen to know more from D but I suspect that's just a filter due to how I got my info. My experience of corruption is that it's very bipartisan indeed, and when the parties agree on something, you should run. Which is why they never get around to turning over that rock - they're all under it themselves.
Guess I'm pushing my luck trying to use the dictionary definition of the word conservative here - just like the word "hacker" it's been utterly corrupted (hacker used to mean good with computers, now it means black hat, for example). Liberal, same deal...utterly not liberal nowdays. I'm more liberal than most self-identified liberals these days, but am a conservative! I don't tell people what to think, I do try to teach them HOW.
FWIW, the huge majority of the righties I know (and this is a hard-right county in SWVA) - simply were disgusted with DC and wanted it to burn down, which is why they voted for Trump. Not because they like him - and they like him less now, but with what the other guys have done, are going to vote for him again...because they've gotten worse quicker yet. Except for that Pai guy, who none of us can figure why he's not been fired yet - for political bonus points. The telecom lobby must be spending rich these days, and like I said, corruption is fully bipartisan. Sure, the D's and the R's slightly favor different money sources...but there's a crap ton of overlap there and little difference when it comes to big biz vs mom and pop. $Big has won 100% of what it wants since I started watching close, in around '64. No matter who held the reins...or reigned, depending on how you like to say that.
I completely agree. I tend to target something around 5.10 myself and not use some of the maybe-nifty newer features issues since I don't use them.
I haven't looked but I wonder if the source for Modern:Perl couldn't just be pasted in...especially if you just want to hold the 5.10 features. I don't use REs heavily at all here. I remember writing one that took around 2-3 days to write and was half a line of code - but it solved a crazy hard problem (sorting vacuum tube numbers the same way humans did for data books, and boy is that obscure rules about when - sometimes - number like zero or 0 come first, in this or that context...)
I commit the sin (depending on who you ask) of using "distro perl" which is in the 5.20 to 22 range now, but I still program more or less according to the camel book ~
I looked into perlbrew and perlenv and like you, decided that was more than I wanted to fool with - after all, the reason I use perl is to save ME time, and I'm writing glue for my own homestead "LAN of things" and data acquisition glue for my fusion reactor experiments. I don't give a damn if it's the hot new thing. If I need to crunch numbers at speed, well, there's inline::whatever (C...).
For talking to databases, gnuplot and writing little daemons that do cool things - perl's the way for certain. When I interface some hardware with some odd protocol over serial or network to a pc - that's perl too. If it's too a raspberry pi and there's a python driver - well, that's Inline::Python and get on with it. If it's in a tiny thing like arduino, C. Back when I was forced to write interface programs and drivers for a manuf's hardware for windows, that was MFC mostly, C++ but the parts I wrote were mostly C. But it's been long since and if I'm not getting paid...I don't fool with that stuff.
Like Ricardo said...I like the culture of "nice" we have....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmmVGPdcItM
I post a lot of my source code and whatnot up on my website which I think is findable via my nick here. Doubt anyone uses it much, but it's there along with other interesting things. It all seems to run the same on whatever PC Mint flavored distro as it does on Raspian or Armbian (other than speed, of course)...works for me.
Actually, responding to a horribly partisan comment doesn't mean you're the other flavor of partisan...and yes, I know, it's dumb to feed the trolls. I also know criticism of one's own side is so rare as to make people think you're on the other one. But what if you hate sides generally?
I'm actually anti-partisan, more anti to the harder core ones, which I feel is consistent. It's dumb to reduce every thought to two states - we're not binary. we're human - and to reduce whole collections of thoughts to be on one artificial side or the other. I can believe in being hard on crime, and legalizing drugs at the same time. I can believe in woman's right to choose in almost all cases, and not be a left wing-nut - even be Christian. I can be that and really not care at all what you do with your junk (or how you name how you identify sexually) - as long as you're not forcing it on me. I can believe in climate change, but also believe in fiscal responsibility. No one represents me - which IS the problem - and whether you see me leaning one way or the other depends on the topic, I suppose. I suspect that lack or representation is most people's problem..the vain hope that one or the other partisan side is a little better has to be a disappointment in the end. At least I don't shoot people in the face, or even threaten to - or use bike locks to commit battery. Obviously a glance in the mirror really bent some troll outa shape. I feel sorry for them, that bitterness at what they look like there must really burn. Me, I can smile. I don't even have to feel like shooting someone in the face is an answer to anything.
Didn't you just do what you accused me of? Why not try shooting me in the face instead? At least I use a real ID, you could even find out who I am and try it, instead of whining. Of course, the attempt might not work out for you.
Yep, it's basically the definition of loser at least in my book. If it's always someone else's fault, you're a loser.
After a couple times, you know you should have seen whatever it was coming and strengthened yourself against it, if you don't...
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Seeing a lot of "it's that other guy's fault" these days in politics. Losers all. Quitcher bitchin and fix it, losers.
I've been amazed that over the last few decades, no matter what bad thing - heck, if we "investigate it and appoint committiees" it's suddenly all OK, even though we didn't fix shit. I say fix the problem, not the blame, it's better.
Well, yeah. Of course new/experimental stuff is...new, flaky, experimental. Zero of the changes have broken any of my existing code - but of course, if you are an early adopter of anything, you get cut on the bleeding edge some. I code to around 5.10 to 5.20 (rarely the latter). There's a module called "Modern::Perl that lets you require just the features you want by using a version number or year in the require statement. Use it. Try it in new code and find all the places you messed up and used stuff that you shouldn't have. I haven't found any of that new stuff to be other than syntactic sugar that for me, doesn't help anyway.
I said perl 5 - the 6 stuff trying to come in...isn't really perl5 and need not be used if you don't want to.
Everyone doesn't have to be Damian Conway, even though he's fun to watch.
Not so sure it's that cut and dried, or that partisan either, in the latter case I know a heck of a lot of whatver you call the guys with red ties - and not one supports loss of net neutrality. At least none in office.
.
Just because something comes into my state from out of state doesn't mean I can't make it illegal to do business in my state with whatever that is. I cal legally block it at the border and tough luck to you unless congress specifically makes a law that says I have to allow it (like the gun laws).
Yes, if the feds make say, marijuana illegal - or the 2nd amendment legal - it's true everywhere. If they don't regulate...it's up to the states.
.
But this wasn't that at all. This was the FCC saying "we can't regulate this as we don't have the authority".
Then CA says, OK, so we will - we won't let state contracts go to people who don't follow our rules (if I understand correctly - if they went further, they're probably in trouble as they're not known for... knowing).
Then FCC says, "oh wait" and calls DOJ. I think there's a lot of room there for interpretation....
States CAN regulate things the feds don't bother to. That IS well settled law.
This could easily be a case of that, unless CA just screwed up writing the law.
I know other states have passed the "we won't give you contracts unless" laws and they're not being fought. That's really all it will take to get net neutrality back.
Remember, we all thought Wheeler was going to be in the pocket of the cable cos - just like Pai has turned out to be. I think (and am glad) he surprised us all.
You're assuming the antenna can stay pointed at earth by magic, and that the telemetry can handle a hugely increased data rate, and that no time exposure will have inter-pixel drifts during the exposure, and that fast exposures are free of shot noise because with that few photons/second, some random is going to creep in. Signal processing....you learn things.
So, an admission that Canada is now some mix of Fascism (money rules) and Totalitarianism (voting is pointless).
And you laugh at all the people who think that the tree of liberty needs watering now and then, and let them take your tools.
Gee, I thought they were all "progressive". Oh, that's what that means now. I forgot.
I know a few Canadians who are smart...but it seems not the majority in any effective way.
Perl 5 - it's been forever since they broke userland - just incremental improvements. No need to worry about rakudo (used to be called perl6) replacing it - it's acknowledged to be a very different language that will never replace 5 for normal production.
Which I know will get a zillion downvotes, because - with as much flexibility as perl has, some assholes use it to write unreadable code for job security or something. People look at mine and say "oh, how nice you write such clear and obvious code. Is that some better newer C?".
You can use that rope to shoot yourself in the foot, or pull yourself up. Some people think there shouldn't be more than one way to do it. I like freedom.
Hint: if you already know python, well, it's more or less a perl copy with crappier namespace and lifetime control, that uses whitespace instead of more civilized {}..and that's about the level of difference. There's even Inline::Python for perl...I use it myself as well as Inline::C. Then there's metacpan...
Nope, not long settle case law unless you have a very weird interpretation. A federal beaurocrat doesn't have pre-preemptive powers over the states. See gun laws for example - the constitution and bill of rights have preemptive power, but just some jerk in an office, not so much. The constitution - doesn't reserve that right totally for the feds. This is intra-state commerce even though the effects trickle out past the borders. No one can force a state to spend money on a private enterprise against their will. They can set any conditions they want, and that enterprise can decide not to do business there if they don't like it.
Actually, I'm a Volt guy with a valid argument, not an NPC with ad-hom (oh wait). Which you can't respond to in kind because I'm right. What a bunch of crap it is that it's bad when one person does it but not another - that's what whataboutism is all about, you know - the lame attempt to justify double standards. Frankly I an dissapointed in the government who did the space race and implied I'd maybe be able to buy a ride before I got old, but it turned out that it was only just another dick waving contest between countries and in no way in support of our dreams. Just a come on, a tease, and which, BTW greatly enriched those entities you are defending with a claim of whataboutism. You do realize how lame that is, right? I'm even using my real identity.
So, another TSLA stock short talking their book? How about we start with older companies who've stolen far more, not even investing it in something that does good for people? You know, the military industrial complex, the people SpaceX is putting out of business as they admit that they can't compete on price even though they have subsidies going back to WWII and the ExIm bank to finance their customers to buy war arms and airplanes from them. Those guys. I don't know that Elon's outfits have gotten even close to as much for as little benefit as almost any other subsidized outfit, and most of them have been getting it longer.
Not just talking about Solyndra here -
We probably did get some benefit bailing out GM (subjective, I have one of their cars and like it) - but everyone who has touched Chrysler is sorry. And on and on....
The medical business getting subsidized through the backdoor by getting a law that says medi**** can't negotiate prices, like every other country does (and 100% of them pay much less for drugs). I could go on, but if it isn't obvious there's no point - someone has mental issues, or a lack of ability to have mental issues.
Yes, there does need to be more separation between business and state. Even Eisenhower noticed how the MICC was becoming much too powerful, and that was before Citizen's United allowed the "campaign finance reform" law that two people, otherwise "traitors" to their parties stated platforms sponsored. Now they don't even have to hide the fact that they buy laws - you know, like "you have to read it to find out (what the insurance companies put) in it. That's pretty blatant, but it's just an example. For the 5 or so decades I've been a grownup, it's only gotten worse and worse for any but big money - see the Gini coefficient for one example. Laws have added to the natural advantage big money already has, the network advantage it already has, and even what were once innovators now clamor for more regulation that they easily satisfy out of their pocket change, but which locks out any upstart. Even tax laws. Those double sandwiches are just as legal for me or you as the big firms - but you have to have an office in a couple countries, and it can't be just a PO box, you have to pay someone. Nothing to them, more than I make to me. When you can't see the line between oligarchy and government, that's the very definition of Fascism (which is these days used to mean totalitarianism by the ignorant of history and, well, the English language). And here we are - we have a government that doesn't respond to the will of the people beyond trying to push the will of the people to accept what it's going to do anyway. And studies about it are pretty obviously true - gross, but true. Until people recognize this, and stop the partisan bullshit, realize that it's all of them that are corrupted, we won't move ahead - other than the old fashioned way, watering that tree...
There's more than one of these out there - and while you might not like the source (I don't care) - truth is truth no matter who speaks it. You basically cannot refute we live in a place that has the best laws money can buy - and it's been that way a long time now.
https://www.cambridge.org/core...
It's called "talking your order book" - it's the most shorted stock out there (or was). Since it's all about how the herd values a stock, trying to influence the herd to make your own bet pay is standard operating procedure. They don't hand out awards on the street or in the financial media for telling the truth.
So, by Elon's statement, we're not quite there. I will always be thrilled, sorry man.
How about we separate the man from the companies. Note plural. Tesla != SpaceX in any way other than sharing a bit of management.
Goals, market, ownership - all as different as it gets. Don't let the propganda confuse you, unless you just want to be dumb. -
As to Elon being a fraud, well if that's the case, we need more Elon-type frauds instead of the usual suspects. Not many would put their entire "FU money" winnings on the line to change the world, and fewer yet succeed as well as he has - even if it isn't as good as he said or as on time. Visionaries are just like that. Gheez - show me your accomplishments and what you put at stake to get there. He could have retired and had hot women feed him drinks and cater to his every whim on the beach of his own island, but we got this instead - and you complain?
I'd expect someone that crazy to have the odd flaw. I have a few - but I deserve to get away with them less. How about you?
Nearly all pension funds are *drastically* underfunded even with their utterly imaginary 8% assumed return rate. They're all going broke, some sooner than others. They're looking for any excuse....other than corruption and having kicked the can down the road much too far for far too long. CA, Il, CT, MI - heck, it's not worth listing them all, there'd be quite nearly 50 state entries in the "gonna go broke, a sure thing, as no way funding at 100% of tax recipients would now save any of them". Hope you weren't actually expecting your promised bennies.
The need for a plausible (for some value of) idea to get VC money from gullible investors? The need to be able to tell themselves they are innovators and can change the world? All sorts of non-obvious (unless you're a cynic) payoffs to be had. Most startups pay their C suite guys pretty well off the VC money, and just cut and run when it runs out. Easy peasy - and now you have "ran a startup" on your CV.
Slashdot Mirror
Couldn't agree more. During my time on earth, it's gone from "don't do wrong, because it's wrong" to "don't do wrong, you might get caught". Give up the inner belief in right and wrong...you're toast.
Heck, in a better world, for awhile, it was "do right, increase happiness - what goes around comes around".
And yeah, accountability...largely missing. On this side of the pond, one side more loudly blames others for "everything", but almost no one is actually taking responsibility. And that's kinda the key. Those two things are what the decline are really based on.
So I went to linux. But I got win7 in a VB and kept it around awhile just in case...and hardly ever used it, except for laughs.
I often agree with you gweihr, so I bothered to respond.
Um, he's just one guy, and anything but a dictionary conservative. Not "most conservatives". Most of whom don't like being lumped in with neocons (both parties' neocons are the war and bribe party), the wing-nut radicals (which both parties have), or the "in name only" sorts who say whatever to get elected and then do whatever their corporate sponsors tell them or whatever they think will bring home the pork or bring in the votes by whatever other method. No one seems to retire from Congress poor - even people in super poor districts live in super mansions "somehow". I can point to plenty of examples, I happen to know more from D but I suspect that's just a filter due to how I got my info. My experience of corruption is that it's very bipartisan indeed, and when the parties agree on something, you should run.
Which is why they never get around to turning over that rock - they're all under it themselves.
Guess I'm pushing my luck trying to use the dictionary definition of the word conservative here - just like the word "hacker" it's been utterly corrupted (hacker used to mean good with computers, now it means black hat, for example). Liberal, same deal...utterly not liberal nowdays. I'm more liberal than most self-identified liberals these days, but am a conservative! I don't tell people what to think, I do try to teach them HOW.
FWIW, the huge majority of the righties I know (and this is a hard-right county in SWVA) - simply were disgusted with DC and wanted it to burn down, which is why they voted for Trump. Not because they like him - and they like him less now, but with what the other guys have done, are going to vote for him again...because they've gotten worse quicker yet. Except for that Pai guy, who none of us can figure why he's not been fired yet - for political bonus points. The telecom lobby must be spending rich these days, and like I said, corruption is fully bipartisan. Sure, the D's and the R's slightly favor different money sources...but there's a crap ton of overlap there and little difference when it comes to big biz vs mom and pop. $Big has won 100% of what it wants since I started watching close, in around '64. No matter who held the reins...or reigned, depending on how you like to say that.
And of course, I'm spoiled because I ALWAYS have root here...I'm lucky to live in a world where computers serve me, not the other way around.
I commit the sin (depending on who you ask) of using "distro perl" which is in the 5.20 to 22 range now, but I still program more or less according to the camel book
~
I looked into perlbrew and perlenv and like you, decided that was more than I wanted to fool with - after all, the reason I use perl is to save ME time, and I'm writing glue for my own homestead "LAN of things" and data acquisition glue for my fusion reactor experiments. I don't give a damn if it's the hot new thing. If I need to crunch numbers at speed, well, there's inline::whatever (C...). For talking to databases, gnuplot and writing little daemons that do cool things - perl's the way for certain. When I interface some hardware with some odd protocol over serial or network to a pc - that's perl too. If it's too a raspberry pi and there's a python driver - well, that's Inline::Python and get on with it. If it's in a tiny thing like arduino, C. Back when I was forced to write interface programs and drivers for a manuf's hardware for windows, that was MFC mostly, C++ but the parts I wrote were mostly C. But it's been long since and if I'm not getting paid...I don't fool with that stuff.
Like Ricardo said...I like the culture of "nice" we have....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmmVGPdcItM
I post a lot of my source code and whatnot up on my website which I think is findable via my nick here. Doubt anyone uses it much, but it's there along with other interesting things. It all seems to run the same on whatever PC Mint flavored distro as it does on Raspian or Armbian (other than speed, of course)...works for me.
Oh, I see, you think Fox isn't partisan. Got it. Excuse me while I clean off my keyboard.
Obviously this place isn't completely free of a sense of humor. Does that work for you?
Actually, responding to a horribly partisan comment doesn't mean you're the other flavor of partisan...and yes, I know, it's dumb to feed the trolls.
I also know criticism of one's own side is so rare as to make people think you're on the other one. But what if you hate sides generally?
I'm actually anti-partisan, more anti to the harder core ones, which I feel is consistent. It's dumb to reduce every thought to two states - we're not binary. we're human - and to reduce whole collections of thoughts to be on one artificial side or the other. I can believe in being hard on crime, and legalizing drugs at the same time. I can believe in woman's right to choose in almost all cases, and not be a left wing-nut - even be Christian. I can be that and really not care at all what you do with your junk (or how you name how you identify sexually) - as long as you're not forcing it on me. I can believe in climate change, but also believe in fiscal responsibility. No one represents me - which IS the problem - and whether you see me leaning one way or the other depends on the topic, I suppose. I suspect that lack or representation is most people's problem..the vain hope that one or the other partisan side is a little better has to be a disappointment in the end. At least I don't shoot people in the face, or even threaten to - or use bike locks to commit battery. Obviously a glance in the mirror really bent some troll outa shape. I feel sorry for them, that bitterness at what they look like there must really burn. Me, I can smile. I don't even have to feel like shooting someone in the face is an answer to anything.
Didn't you just do what you accused me of? Why not try shooting me in the face instead? At least I use a real ID, you could even find out who I am and try it, instead of whining. Of course, the attempt might not work out for you.
Ah yes, demonstrating once again that the left/progressives are "the religion of peace". Troll.
Yep, it's basically the definition of loser at least in my book. If it's always someone else's fault, you're a loser.
After a couple times, you know you should have seen whatever it was coming and strengthened yourself against it, if you don't...
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Seeing a lot of "it's that other guy's fault" these days in politics. Losers all. Quitcher bitchin and fix it, losers.
I've been amazed that over the last few decades, no matter what bad thing - heck, if we "investigate it and appoint committiees" it's suddenly all OK, even though we didn't fix shit. I say fix the problem, not the blame, it's better.
Well, yeah. Of course new/experimental stuff is...new, flaky, experimental. Zero of the changes have broken any of my existing code - but of course, if you are an early adopter of anything, you get cut on the bleeding edge some. I code to around 5.10 to 5.20 (rarely the latter). There's a module called "Modern::Perl that lets you require just the features you want by using a version number or year in the require statement. Use it. Try it in new code and find all the places you messed up and used stuff that you shouldn't have. I haven't found any of that new stuff to be other than syntactic sugar that for me, doesn't help anyway.
I said perl 5 - the 6 stuff trying to come in...isn't really perl5 and need not be used if you don't want to.
Everyone doesn't have to be Damian Conway, even though he's fun to watch.
.
Just because something comes into my state from out of state doesn't mean I can't make it illegal to do business in my state with whatever that is. I cal legally block it at the border and tough luck to you unless congress specifically makes a law that says I have to allow it (like the gun laws). Yes, if the feds make say, marijuana illegal - or the 2nd amendment legal - it's true everywhere. If they don't regulate...it's up to the states.
.
But this wasn't that at all. This was the FCC saying "we can't regulate this as we don't have the authority". Then CA says, OK, so we will - we won't let state contracts go to people who don't follow our rules (if I understand correctly - if they went further, they're probably in trouble as they're not known for ... knowing).
Then FCC says, "oh wait" and calls DOJ. I think there's a lot of room there for interpretation.... States CAN regulate things the feds don't bother to. That IS well settled law.
This could easily be a case of that, unless CA just screwed up writing the law.
I know other states have passed the "we won't give you contracts unless" laws and they're not being fought. That's really all it will take to get net neutrality back. Remember, we all thought Wheeler was going to be in the pocket of the cable cos - just like Pai has turned out to be. I think (and am glad) he surprised us all.
You're assuming the antenna can stay pointed at earth by magic, and that the telemetry can handle a hugely increased data rate, and that no time exposure will have inter-pixel drifts during the exposure, and that fast exposures are free of shot noise because with that few photons/second, some random is going to creep in. Signal processing....you learn things.
So, an admission that Canada is now some mix of Fascism (money rules) and Totalitarianism (voting is pointless).
And you laugh at all the people who think that the tree of liberty needs watering now and then, and let them take your tools.
Gee, I thought they were all "progressive". Oh, that's what that means now. I forgot.
I know a few Canadians who are smart...but it seems not the majority in any effective way.
Perl 5 - it's been forever since they broke userland - just incremental improvements. No need to worry about rakudo (used to be called perl6) replacing it - it's acknowledged to be a very different language that will never replace 5 for normal production.
Which I know will get a zillion downvotes, because - with as much flexibility as perl has, some assholes use it to write unreadable code for job security or something. People look at mine and say "oh, how nice you write such clear and obvious code. Is that some better newer C?".
You can use that rope to shoot yourself in the foot, or pull yourself up. Some people think there shouldn't be more than one way to do it. I like freedom.
Hint: if you already know python, well, it's more or less a perl copy with crappier namespace and lifetime control, that uses whitespace instead of more civilized {}..and that's about the level of difference. There's even Inline::Python for perl...I use it myself as well as Inline::C. Then there's metacpan...
Nope, not long settle case law unless you have a very weird interpretation. A federal beaurocrat doesn't have pre-preemptive powers over the states. See gun laws for example - the constitution and bill of rights have preemptive power, but just some jerk in an office, not so much. The constitution - doesn't reserve that right totally for the feds. This is intra-state commerce even though the effects trickle out past the borders. No one can force a state to spend money on a private enterprise against their will. They can set any conditions they want, and that enterprise can decide not to do business there if they don't like it.
Money wins, it's more obvious every day. Ajit's just the front-clown. CA got suckered thinking their mere laws would have any effect.
Actually, I'm a Volt guy with a valid argument, not an NPC with ad-hom (oh wait). Which you can't respond to in kind because I'm right. What a bunch of crap it is that it's bad when one person does it but not another - that's what whataboutism is all about, you know - the lame attempt to justify double standards. Frankly I an dissapointed in the government who did the space race and implied I'd maybe be able to buy a ride before I got old, but it turned out that it was only just another dick waving contest between countries and in no way in support of our dreams. Just a come on, a tease, and which, BTW greatly enriched those entities you are defending with a claim of whataboutism. You do realize how lame that is, right? I'm even using my real identity.
So, another TSLA stock short talking their book? How about we start with older companies who've stolen far more, not even investing it in something that does good for people? You know, the military industrial complex, the people SpaceX is putting out of business as they admit that they can't compete on price even though they have subsidies going back to WWII and the ExIm bank to finance their customers to buy war arms and airplanes from them. Those guys. I don't know that Elon's outfits have gotten even close to as much for as little benefit as almost any other subsidized outfit, and most of them have been getting it longer.
Not just talking about Solyndra here - We probably did get some benefit bailing out GM (subjective, I have one of their cars and like it) - but everyone who has touched Chrysler is sorry. And on and on....
The medical business getting subsidized through the backdoor by getting a law that says medi**** can't negotiate prices, like every other country does (and 100% of them pay much less for drugs). I could go on, but if it isn't obvious there's no point - someone has mental issues, or a lack of ability to have mental issues.
Yes, there does need to be more separation between business and state. Even Eisenhower noticed how the MICC was becoming much too powerful, and that was before Citizen's United allowed the "campaign finance reform" law that two people, otherwise "traitors" to their parties stated platforms sponsored. Now they don't even have to hide the fact that they buy laws - you know, like "you have to read it to find out (what the insurance companies put) in it. That's pretty blatant, but it's just an example. For the 5 or so decades I've been a grownup, it's only gotten worse and worse for any but big money - see the Gini coefficient for one example. Laws have added to the natural advantage big money already has, the network advantage it already has, and even what were once innovators now clamor for more regulation that they easily satisfy out of their pocket change, but which locks out any upstart. Even tax laws. Those double sandwiches are just as legal for me or you as the big firms - but you have to have an office in a couple countries, and it can't be just a PO box, you have to pay someone. Nothing to them, more than I make to me. When you can't see the line between oligarchy and government, that's the very definition of Fascism (which is these days used to mean totalitarianism by the ignorant of history and, well, the English language). And here we are - we have a government that doesn't respond to the will of the people beyond trying to push the will of the people to accept what it's going to do anyway. And studies about it are pretty obviously true - gross, but true. Until people recognize this, and stop the partisan bullshit, realize that it's all of them that are corrupted, we won't move ahead - other than the old fashioned way, watering that tree... There's more than one of these out there - and while you might not like the source (I don't care) - truth is truth no matter who speaks it. You basically cannot refute we live in a place that has the best laws money can buy - and it's been that way a long time now. https://www.cambridge.org/core...
It's called "talking your order book" - it's the most shorted stock out there (or was). Since it's all about how the herd values a stock, trying to influence the herd to make your own bet pay is standard operating procedure. They don't hand out awards on the street or in the financial media for telling the truth.
How about we separate the man from the companies. Note plural. Tesla != SpaceX in any way other than sharing a bit of management.
Goals, market, ownership - all as different as it gets. Don't let the propganda confuse you, unless you just want to be dumb.
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As to Elon being a fraud, well if that's the case, we need more Elon-type frauds instead of the usual suspects. Not many would put their entire "FU money" winnings on the line to change the world, and fewer yet succeed as well as he has - even if it isn't as good as he said or as on time. Visionaries are just like that. Gheez - show me your accomplishments and what you put at stake to get there. He could have retired and had hot women feed him drinks and cater to his every whim on the beach of his own island, but we got this instead - and you complain?
I'd expect someone that crazy to have the odd flaw. I have a few - but I deserve to get away with them less. How about you?
Nearly all pension funds are *drastically* underfunded even with their utterly imaginary 8% assumed return rate. They're all going broke, some sooner than others. They're looking for any excuse....other than corruption and having kicked the can down the road much too far for far too long. CA, Il, CT, MI - heck, it's not worth listing them all, there'd be quite nearly 50 state entries in the "gonna go broke, a sure thing, as no way funding at 100% of tax recipients would now save any of them". Hope you weren't actually expecting your promised bennies.
The need for a plausible (for some value of) idea to get VC money from gullible investors? The need to be able to tell themselves they are innovators and can change the world? All sorts of non-obvious (unless you're a cynic) payoffs to be had. Most startups pay their C suite guys pretty well off the VC money, and just cut and run when it runs out. Easy peasy - and now you have "ran a startup" on your CV.