âOverall budget cost of Dodd-Frank through FY 2012: $1,251,578,000 âNumber of government positions created (projected for 2012): 2,849 âAnnual labor hours required to comply with just the 10% of Dodd-Frank rules that have been issued so far: 2,260,631 âNumber of Americans who will have to work all year, every year solely on complying with all of Dodd-Frankâ(TM)s rules: Over 10,000
âThe largest financial institutions in America remain "too big to fail"; in fact, they are even bigger now than they were before Dodd-Frankâ(TM)s passage. In its section of the report on too big to fail, Republicans note that even Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner acknowledged the Dodd-Frank Act does not end too big to fail.
âBy institutionalizing a government policy of too big to fail, Dodd-Frank further skews the competitive landscape in favor of large, complex financial institutions at the expense of smaller institutions and community banks.
âThe Dodd-Frank Act failed to address the problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which helped spark the financial crisis in 2008, and hobbles the private mortgage market through onerous regulations. This will ensure "that housing will remain in limbo for some time to come, as investors, securitizers, and lenders try to navigate its cumbersome and unworkable rules."
Note: Both parties suck ass. I plan to vote for neither Obama or Romney. That said if you're going to play this tit-for-that game, it was the Democrats that repealed Glass-Steagall, a Democrat HUD secretary (under clinton) who changed the rules so literally anybody could buy a house even if they couldn't afford it (the source of the bubble/crash), and the Democrats who rammed-through the TARP banker bailouts even as most Republicans opposed it. (It failed to pass the first time, but passed the second.) And the Democrats who gave us this shitty insurance mandate to force me to buy a product I don't want (not one republican voted for it and it was opposed by 65% of Americans).
Oh and let's not forget: Both of the sucky Democrats/Republicans were responsible for passing NDAA's provision to take-away our right to a trial (~95% voted aye). You can now be jailed indefinitely merely be being charged as a "terrorist". Carry a gun? Have a pocket constitution? Donated money to Ron Paul? Question if global warming is real? Pay your bills with cash?
You're now a "terrorist" according to the MIAC report.
+1 for your last sentence. States already have a Use tax to apply against out-of-state purchases. But citizens refuse to pay. The states should be enforcing that non-compliance using their own police force, not trying to make foreign non-resident businesses (like me, ebay, amazon) be the police.
I could also make the argument about taxation-without-representation. Who is Colorado to force me to collect sales taxes on my ebay auctions? I live ~1500 miles away & have nobody to represent me in their foreign legislature! That would be like Canada or the UK demanding I collect-and-remit sales tax. Forget that.
Besides the Member States of this union DO have the power to tax out-of-state purchases. It's called a "use tax" and in most cases is the same rate as the in-state sales tax. The problem is the unwillingness of state citizens to cooperate (they refuse to pay).
It is not proper to place the burden on retailers (not just amazon, but also ebay sellers). If the States want the use tax, then they need to start going after their own residents, and punishing those who falsely-claim "0.00 use tax" on their returns.
>>>the Government might deny me knee surgery I was too young
There was a case similar to that in the UK. A young lady lost her grandmother and mother to cervical cancer, so she wanted a PAP smear for screening. She was college-aged so they denied it.
She tried a year later. A year later. And another year later. Denied, denied, denied. Then she got the cancer, and died at age 27, which could have been prevented but the UK Health System is designed to cut costs (i.e. ration care and say "no" to patients).
In the US system, though it's certainly not perfect, you can get a PAP smear within a day. And there's nobody to tell you "no". All you need is $300 (1/3 the annual cost of cable TV or a cellphone) and a visit to the doctor.
>>>Preemptive multitasking was in daily use well before Commodore or Atari got incorporated.
False. Maybe in large-scale mainframes and $100,000 workstations, but certainly not in PCs aimed at the home market for $1000 or less.
By the way Commodore and Atari were incorporated in the 1950s and 1972, respectively. Microsoft/Apple computers didn't get the technology until Windows95 and OS X (2002). Waaaaay behind the Commodore Amiga's preemptive OS in 1985.
Law is higher than court precedents. Laws are passed by the People through their duly-elected representatives/delegates/senators. If a judge (or group of judges in appeal or supreme courts) thinks the law says ABC, then he should rule ABC, even if former precedents said XYZ. We are a republic where the Law is the ruler above all else.
BTW I think the Supreme Court's questions about what ELSE Congress could mandate, like purchasing solar panels on roofs, or hybrid cars, or Bluray players (to support the music business & discourage piracy), and on and on..... indicate they are against the idea.
They rolled back the commerce clause when they nullified the Gun Ban in "school zones" by telling Congress they stretched the definition of commerce too far. They also rolled it back some when they said Congress can not force states to create storage facilities to dispose of nuclear fuel.
If James Madison (author) and the rest of them had intended the Congress to have power to regulate all commerce, then he would have written that in the document. But instead he specifically carved-out an exemption: commerce among the states. That means commerce inside the states is the purview of the People and their State legislature. Exclusively. (Which is why unpasteurized milk is legal inside the state border, but you can't ship it among other states... the Congress, via the FDA, outlawed it.)
BTW I'll be flying in about two months. First time since 2000 (pre-9/11). I am not going through the Xray machine because I have no idea if it's safe (it's never tested). That means I will be groped. I would prefer Not to be placed into this "damned if you do; damned if you don't" situation but this is the non-free Union we have created.
A union where you can't even fly from one Member state to another member state without being machine-stripped nude, or groped by a stranger's hands. Domestic flights should Not be forcing citizens into this travesty. You should have the right to travel anywhere you please without being searched (9th, 4th, and 10th amendments).
>>>The TSA sucks, but I can't say I disagree with their response in this case.
A little late don't you think? The TSA's job is to keep bomb-looking devices OFF the plane, not discover them 5 hours later after the flight is already over. If this was a real bomb* then it would have already been used. TSA == fail. (again)
* *I doubt terrorists will waste their time attacking airplanes with bombs. They'll go after soft targets like your home or factory. The best way to deal with them is to keep them OUT of the country in the first place (yes that means walls on both borders; enemies shouldn't be able to just walk in).
Number of people nude Xrayed or sexually groped (on their breasts or crotch) or strip-searched or locked in glass jails for carrying breast milk or..... (this list could go on several pages).
Millions.
I hope none of those machines were malfunctioning and ejected lethal doses. They are never checked. TIME TO END THE TSA. And the Fed (give the power back to the State central banks).
20 years from now the Amercan Fooie Adenoid Hinkel will use the archives to round-up "subversives" like the occupy people. Good thing nobody thought to preserve the Tea Party stuff, otherwise my butt would be in trouble.
MS mostly just copied the ideas from Commodore (preemptive tasking) and Atari (both of which developed the idea of a multimedia PC that could playback videos and music).
Here's a name you should remember and admire: Jay Miner. He produced most of the innovations from 1977's Atari VCS/2600 through 1985's Amiga. It took Microsoft about 10 years to catch up, and Apple 15 years (OS 10).
The guy who developed the SID music chip also deserves some credit: Bob Yannes.
A free market only works if the consumer is making informed decisions about what they are buying. Adding calorie/nutrition information to food products gives them that information. Publishing reports about Foxconn workers committing suicides also helps consumers be informed.
BTW what's wrong with movie popcorn that it needs a label? I eat popcorn almost every day, and it's only ~300 calories. (I guess the theater dobs-on lots of butter.) Such a regulation would increase cost though. And they aren't in the best financial health, what with competition from HDTV and home viewing.
Another interesting quote from the article:
"In February 2011, the F.D.A. approved an application from KV Pharmaceutical to sell 17P, a decades-old drug used to prevent premature births. Since KVâ(TM)s version, called Makena, was the only one officially approved, the F.D.A. would normally have banned the sale of cheaper unapproved ones. To the agency, the only issue was that KVâ(TM)s drug offered guaranteed safety while those made by pharmacists were riskier.
"For years, pharmacists had been making unapproved versions of this injectable form of progesterone for $200 to $400 for a 20-week course. Though F.D.A. officials worried about repeated instances over the years when other pharmacy-made drugs had been found to lack potency or be contaminated with deadly bacteria.
"Once it had won F.D.A. approval, KV announced its price â" $30,000 for a 20-week treatment, a hundredfold increase. Administration officials then stepped in to halt any effort to ban pharmacy-made versions, citing the need to check an exorbitant price increase from a drug company that suddenly found itself with a monopoly, an increase that could burden women who needed the drug. The administration instructed the F.D.A. to issue a press release stating that, "at this time and under this unique situation, F.D.A. does not intend to take enforcement action against pharmacies" that make unapproved versions of 17P. An administration official said that the health department and the F.D.A. worked together on the 17P issue and that the White House was not involved. "The notion that the statement or the action was somehow forced down F.D.A.â(TM)s throat isnâ(TM)t accurate," the administration official said. "F.D.A. officials said they had often been wrongly accused of considering price in drug approval deliberations and had always been able to reply that price was never a factor.
"We canâ(TM)t say that anymore," a top F.D.A. official said unhappily. Four months later, the White House approved a requirement that sunscreens protect equally against two kinds of the sunâ(TM)s radiation, UVB and UVA, to earn the coveted designation of offering broad spectrum protection.
"Top F.D.A. officials wanted to prohibit lotions with sun protection factors, or SPFs, of less than 15 from being called sunscreens because they do not protect against cancer or skin aging, while the administration insisted they could still be called sunscreens as long as they carried a label that said such lotions were ineffective."
For those who didn't read the article, it's not so much anti science as pro-politics. Making sure the message is not negative: "The Bush administration repeatedly stopped the FDA from issuing rules to prevent contamination of eggs, produce and other foods, though both industry and consumer groups agreed they were needed as the death toll rose from such incidents. Mr. Bushâ(TM)s health department also demanded that it approve all agency press releases.
Much of the agencyâ(TM)s staff assumed that the Obama administration would restore the agencyâ(TM)s independence. [But] a decision that had nothing to do with the F.D.A. proved the turning point in the agencyâ(TM)s relationship with the White House. In the midst of the bitter 2009 battle to pass a law to provide health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans, the United States Preventive Services Task Force announced in November that most women should not get routine mammograms until age 50 because the risks of the X-ray screens and surgical biopsies that often follow outweighed the benefits in younger women.
Although the task force did not consider cost in its analysis, Republicans charged that its recommendation was the start of health care rationing, an accusation given prominent play on Fox News.
"That scared the bejesus out of everybody," a top F.D.A. official said. The Obama administration became extremely risk averse, fearing further controversies might jeopardize the passage of health care reform, agency and administration officials said. It refused many interview requests for agency officials and scientists until the health law passed.
"To the career people, that was disappointing. Employees here waited eight long years for deliverance that didnâ(TM)t come."
What about motor failure? My last drive became inaccessible when the motor stopped spinning (6 months continuous spin, followed by power failure, followed by no spin).
Dang. I forgot that search results are different for different people (or browsers). Here's the top link in my search, and if you dig further you can find dozens of articles written by Canadian doctors and government health bureucrats about the same problem:
Dang. I forgot that search results are different for different people. Here's the top link in my search, and if you dig further you can find dozens of articles written by Canadian doctors and government health bureucrats about the same problem:
I used a wired phone for job interviews, for better voice quality. And still plenty of payphones around (gas stations). I've also just walked in to a store and said, "My car broke down. May I use your phone?" They have no problem with it.
My $5/month cellphone is so hardly used, I now have 11 hours of rollover time on it! It's really just there for when I'm on the road, not for every day use.
Slashdot Mirror
Some stores/gas stations give a 5 or 10 cent discount if you pay with cash (instead of credit). I wish more stores would do that.
http://financialservices.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=252291
âOverall budget cost of Dodd-Frank through FY 2012: $1,251,578,000
âNumber of government positions created (projected for 2012): 2,849
âAnnual labor hours required to comply with just the 10% of Dodd-Frank rules that have been issued so far: 2,260,631
âNumber of Americans who will have to work all year, every year solely on complying with all of Dodd-Frankâ(TM)s rules: Over 10,000
âThe largest financial institutions in America remain "too big to fail"; in fact, they are even bigger now than they were before Dodd-Frankâ(TM)s passage. In its section of the report on too big to fail, Republicans note that even Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner acknowledged the Dodd-Frank Act does not end too big to fail.
âBy institutionalizing a government policy of too big to fail, Dodd-Frank further skews the competitive landscape in favor of large, complex financial institutions at the expense of smaller institutions and community banks.
âThe Dodd-Frank Act failed to address the problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which helped spark the financial crisis in 2008, and hobbles the private mortgage market through onerous regulations. This will ensure "that housing will remain in limbo for some time to come, as investors, securitizers, and lenders try to navigate its cumbersome and unworkable rules."
>>>Who was against it? The Republicans.
Note: Both parties suck ass.
I plan to vote for neither Obama or Romney.
That said if you're going to play this tit-for-that game, it was the Democrats that repealed Glass-Steagall, a Democrat HUD secretary (under clinton) who changed the rules so literally anybody could buy a house even if they couldn't afford it (the source of the bubble/crash), and the Democrats who rammed-through the TARP banker bailouts even as most Republicans opposed it. (It failed to pass the first time, but passed the second.) And the Democrats who gave us this shitty insurance mandate to force me to buy a product I don't want (not one republican voted for it and it was opposed by 65% of Americans).
Oh and let's not forget: Both of the sucky Democrats/Republicans were responsible for passing NDAA's provision to take-away our right to a trial (~95% voted aye). You can now be jailed indefinitely merely be being charged as a "terrorist". Carry a gun? Have a pocket constitution? Donated money to Ron Paul? Question if global warming is real? Pay your bills with cash?
You're now a "terrorist" according to the MIAC report.
+1 for your last sentence.
States already have a Use tax to apply against out-of-state purchases. But citizens refuse to pay. The states should be enforcing that non-compliance using their own police force, not trying to make foreign non-resident businesses (like me, ebay, amazon) be the police.
I could also make the argument about taxation-without-representation. Who is Colorado to force me to collect sales taxes on my ebay auctions? I live ~1500 miles away & have nobody to represent me in their foreign legislature! That would be like Canada or the UK demanding I collect-and-remit sales tax. Forget that.
Besides the Member States of this union DO have the power to tax out-of-state purchases. It's called a "use tax" and in most cases is the same rate as the in-state sales tax. The problem is the unwillingness of state citizens to cooperate (they refuse to pay).
It is not proper to place the burden on retailers (not just amazon, but also ebay sellers). If the States want the use tax, then they need to start going after their own residents, and punishing those who falsely-claim "0.00 use tax" on their returns.
Prior art:
Usenet
(libeling fellow users since 1980).
You're such a pleasant fellow.
>>>the Government might deny me knee surgery I was too young
There was a case similar to that in the UK. A young lady lost her grandmother and mother to cervical cancer, so she wanted a PAP smear for screening. She was college-aged so they denied it.
She tried a year later. A year later. And another year later. Denied, denied, denied. Then she got the cancer, and died at age 27, which could have been prevented but the UK Health System is designed to cut costs (i.e. ration care and say "no" to patients).
In the US system, though it's certainly not perfect, you can get a PAP smear within a day. And there's nobody to tell you "no". All you need is $300 (1/3 the annual cost of cable TV or a cellphone) and a visit to the doctor.
>>>Preemptive multitasking was in daily use well before Commodore or Atari got incorporated.
False. Maybe in large-scale mainframes and $100,000 workstations, but certainly not in PCs aimed at the home market for $1000 or less.
By the way Commodore and Atari were incorporated in the 1950s and 1972, respectively. Microsoft/Apple computers didn't get the technology until Windows95 and OS X (2002). Waaaaay behind the Commodore Amiga's preemptive OS in 1985.
>>> (the Underwear Bomber, the Shoe Bomber).
The first was an FBI agent (false flag to generate fear), and the second was part of an FBI sting operation (they set the guy up on purpose).
Law is higher than court precedents. Laws are passed by the People through their duly-elected representatives/delegates/senators. If a judge (or group of judges in appeal or supreme courts) thinks the law says ABC, then he should rule ABC, even if former precedents said XYZ. We are a republic where the Law is the ruler above all else.
BTW I think the Supreme Court's questions about what ELSE Congress could mandate, like purchasing solar panels on roofs, or hybrid cars, or Bluray players (to support the music business & discourage piracy), and on and on..... indicate they are against the idea.
They rolled back the commerce clause when they nullified the Gun Ban in "school zones" by telling Congress they stretched the definition of commerce too far. They also rolled it back some when they said Congress can not force states to create storage facilities to dispose of nuclear fuel.
If James Madison (author) and the rest of them had intended the Congress to have power to regulate all commerce, then he would have written that in the document. But instead he specifically carved-out an exemption: commerce among the states. That means commerce inside the states is the purview of the People and their State legislature. Exclusively. (Which is why unpasteurized milk is legal inside the state border, but you can't ship it among other states... the Congress, via the FDA, outlawed it.)
Well duh. That boundary has existed for over 200 years. It's called libel (ruining a person's reputation through the written word).
>>>ejected lethal doses
BTW I'll be flying in about two months. First time since 2000 (pre-9/11). I am not going through the Xray machine because I have no idea if it's safe (it's never tested). That means I will be groped. I would prefer Not to be placed into this "damned if you do; damned if you don't" situation but this is the non-free Union we have created.
A union where you can't even fly from one Member state to another member state without being machine-stripped nude, or groped by a stranger's hands. Domestic flights should Not be forcing citizens into this travesty. You should have the right to travel anywhere you please without being searched (9th, 4th, and 10th amendments).
>>>The TSA sucks, but I can't say I disagree with their response in this case.
A little late don't you think? The TSA's job is to keep bomb-looking devices OFF the plane, not discover them 5 hours later after the flight is already over. If this was a real bomb* then it would have already been used. TSA == fail. (again)
*
*I doubt terrorists will waste their time attacking airplanes with bombs. They'll go after soft targets like your home or factory. The best way to deal with them is to keep them OUT of the country in the first place (yes that means walls on both borders; enemies shouldn't be able to just walk in).
Zero.
Number of people nude Xrayed or sexually groped (on their breasts or crotch) or strip-searched or locked in glass jails for carrying breast milk or ..... (this list could go on several pages).
Millions.
I hope none of those machines were malfunctioning and ejected lethal doses. They are never checked. TIME TO END THE TSA. And the Fed (give the power back to the State central banks).
20 years from now the Amercan Fooie Adenoid Hinkel will use the archives to round-up "subversives" like the occupy people. Good thing nobody thought to preserve the Tea Party stuff, otherwise my butt would be in trouble.
It really doesn't make much sense. They are helping Android Linux to beat Windows Phone.
MS mostly just copied the ideas from Commodore (preemptive tasking) and Atari (both of which developed the idea of a multimedia PC that could playback videos and music).
Here's a name you should remember and admire: Jay Miner. He produced most of the innovations from 1977's Atari VCS/2600 through 1985's Amiga. It took Microsoft about 10 years to catch up, and Apple 15 years (OS 10).
The guy who developed the SID music chip also deserves some credit: Bob Yannes.
A free market only works if the consumer is making informed decisions about what they are buying. Adding calorie/nutrition information to food products gives them that information. Publishing reports about Foxconn workers committing suicides also helps consumers be informed.
BTW what's wrong with movie popcorn that it needs a label? I eat popcorn almost every day, and it's only ~300 calories. (I guess the theater dobs-on lots of butter.) Such a regulation would increase cost though. And they aren't in the best financial health, what with competition from HDTV and home viewing.
Another interesting quote from the article:
"In February 2011, the F.D.A. approved an application from KV Pharmaceutical to sell 17P, a decades-old drug used to prevent premature births. Since KVâ(TM)s version, called Makena, was the only one officially approved, the F.D.A. would normally have banned the sale of cheaper unapproved ones. To the agency, the only issue was that KVâ(TM)s drug offered guaranteed safety while those made by pharmacists were riskier.
"For years, pharmacists had been making unapproved versions of this injectable form of progesterone for $200 to $400 for a 20-week course. Though F.D.A. officials worried about repeated instances over the years when other pharmacy-made drugs had been found to lack potency or be contaminated with deadly bacteria.
"Once it had won F.D.A. approval, KV announced its price â" $30,000 for a 20-week treatment, a hundredfold increase. Administration officials then stepped in to halt any effort to ban pharmacy-made versions, citing the need to check an exorbitant price increase from a drug company that suddenly found itself with a monopoly, an increase that could burden women who needed the drug. The administration instructed the F.D.A. to issue a press release stating that, "at this time and under this unique situation, F.D.A. does not intend to take enforcement action against pharmacies" that make unapproved versions of 17P. An administration official said that the health department and the F.D.A. worked together on the 17P issue and that the White House was not involved. "The notion that the statement or the action was somehow forced down F.D.A.â(TM)s throat isnâ(TM)t accurate," the administration official said. "F.D.A. officials said they had often been wrongly accused of considering price in drug approval deliberations and had always been able to reply that price was never a factor.
"We canâ(TM)t say that anymore," a top F.D.A. official said unhappily. Four months later, the White House approved a requirement that sunscreens protect equally against two kinds of the sunâ(TM)s radiation, UVB and UVA, to earn the coveted designation of offering broad spectrum protection.
"Top F.D.A. officials wanted to prohibit lotions with sun protection factors, or SPFs, of less than 15 from being called sunscreens because they do not protect against cancer or skin aging, while the administration insisted they could still be called sunscreens as long as they carried a label that said such lotions were ineffective."
For those who didn't read the article, it's not so much anti science as pro-politics. Making sure the message is not negative: "The Bush administration repeatedly stopped the FDA from issuing rules to prevent contamination of eggs, produce and other foods, though both industry and consumer groups agreed they were needed as the death toll rose from such incidents. Mr. Bushâ(TM)s health department also demanded that it approve all agency press releases.
Much of the agencyâ(TM)s staff assumed that the Obama administration would restore the agencyâ(TM)s independence. [But] a decision that had nothing to do with the F.D.A. proved the turning point in the agencyâ(TM)s relationship with the White House. In the midst of the bitter 2009 battle to pass a law to provide health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans, the United States Preventive Services Task Force announced in November that most women should not get routine mammograms until age 50 because the risks of the X-ray screens and surgical biopsies that often follow outweighed the benefits in younger women.
Although the task force did not consider cost in its analysis, Republicans charged that its recommendation was the start of health care rationing, an accusation given prominent play on Fox News.
"That scared the bejesus out of everybody," a top F.D.A. official said. The Obama administration became extremely risk averse, fearing further controversies might jeopardize the passage of health care reform, agency and administration officials said. It refused many interview requests for agency officials and scientists until the health law passed.
"To the career people, that was disappointing. Employees here waited eight long years for deliverance that didnâ(TM)t come."
What about motor failure? My last drive became inaccessible when the motor stopped spinning (6 months continuous spin, followed by power failure, followed by no spin).
Dang. I forgot that search results are different for different people (or browsers). Here's the top link in my search, and if you dig further you can find dozens of articles written by Canadian doctors and government health bureucrats about the same problem:
LINK - http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-681801.html
LINK - http://www.canada.com/health/Patient+care+jeopardized+drug+shortage+crisis+doctor/6378698/story.html
And so on.
Dang. I forgot that search results are different for different people. Here's the top link in my search, and if you dig further you can find dozens of articles written by Canadian doctors and government health bureucrats about the same problem:
LINK - http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-681801.html
I used a wired phone for job interviews, for better voice quality. And still plenty of payphones around (gas stations). I've also just walked in to a store and said, "My car broke down. May I use your phone?" They have no problem with it.
My $5/month cellphone is so hardly used, I now have 11 hours of rollover time on it! It's really just there for when I'm on the road, not for every day use.