Whats the point of having a "mobile" phone if its not truly mobile? Why should the rest of the world have to conform to your luddite notions of communication?
I am one of the people who actually has his phone set to vibrate mode nearly all of the time but this type of "you can't use your own phone" attitude really pisses me off.
If such a practice of blocking signals ever became legal and prevelant in the US I would go to such places and manually activate my ringers then pretend to carry on a conversation ANYWAY and encourage others to do the same until the nonsense was repealed.
Cell phones are a fact of modern life. Mature, grow up and deal.
When will our nations captains of industry realize that putting every American out of work is not conducive to getting their products sold to Americans!?!?
I actually went to your URL before I posted my reply. Please recognize that your very out of the way website is in no way shape or form, Gospel on economic matters.
And before we begin here can you quickly tell me whats the difference between the American Propaganda Machine and the European Propaganda Machine?
Ok about Canada. Canada's nationalized healtcare system is a mess. Yes its free, but that doesn't mean its GOOD. They routinely bus cancer patients down to the US so they can be scanned to see how far their cancer has spread. They don't have enough machines or technicians or doctors up in Canada willing to do the job for such low pay. France's scientists just went on strike because they're sick of the pay and budget cuts. Why should someone go to school and become a scientist and then go on to earn only $25,000 a year when you can migrate to another country (such as to the US where many French scientists DO come) and earn much much more? All over europe social systems are being slowly but surely dismantled because they just plain can't afford it anymore. Its a sad reality but a reality nontheless. Public museums that used to be open everyday are being closed down, universities in the UK are preparing top off fees, public schools are facing cutbacks....etc.
Progressive tax system? Did you know that the US has a progressive tax system as well? Yes thats right! Those in higher tax brackets pay more in taxes! Those in lower tax brackets pay less in tax! Thats progressive!
Yes the Europeans have been funding their social programs for decades. For the past 50 years every country in Europe has had an increasing population growth rate. The problem is thats not true anymore. Italy for example is stagnating. The other countries in Europe are slowing down and will eventually begin shrinking in population. So please tell me how does one fund social programs with shrinking populations?
I am not ignorant. I know that the countries in Europe are Social Democracies. Yes they are capitalist to a limited degree. But they are also socialist as they care more about making sure everyone gets obscenely and inappropriately expensive benefits instead of making sure their economies are functioning properly. Does the fact that France and Germany have 9% and 11% rates of unemployment not bother you at all? How can anyone say that Europeans have job security when a great many Europeans can't get a job to begin with? My idea of true job security is that one is able to get another job quickly after quitting or being fired/laid off from their current one, not a garuntee of a job for life from government regulations. Its really hard for European companies to compete when they have such a hard time downsizing. It may seem like a good thing in the short run (the employees get to keep their jobs) but in the long run the company loses business and marketshare to foreign competitors and may eventually go out of business.
By the way, thanks for the multiple ad hominem attacks. They really contribute to a peaceful and civilized conversation that I an American can expect from either a European or a Eruopean minded American.
So people who sit in cubicles all day and type out code that some dusty dingy foreigner who doesn't even have access to dirty water can do is a professional?
How do we fund our social programs when no one wants to work anymore because everyone can make a good living from just collecting from the state?
The US _IS_ a Civilized country. We don't allow our citizens to assume they can do nothing with thier lives and still live a good life. The US provides its citizens with reality while those other countries try to provide a socialist utopian paradise thats always crumbling apart at the seams. Sure they have free healthcare but have you seen the quality of it? And what happens in those countries when the demographics hit the fan and you have more people who are retired than working? Pyramid scheme social programs tend to break when that happens. And lastly the US has a lower unemployment rate than most of the countries you listed.
But thats ok, keep wishing for a great socialist paradise. We'll keep waiting for one to appear on this earth.
He's NOT right. The uproar caused by the exposed breast of Janet Jackson comes from people who are sexually repressed and conflicted due to the unhealthy mores of their various religions.
The last thing we should do is encourage this type of repression.
I don't think the designers of the Galaxy class had the FREAKING DOMINION AND JEM HADAR in mind when they built it. That being said the strongest ships in a fleet are usually targeted first and thats why so many Galaxy class ships fell.
Obviously the designers of the Soverign class starships weren't going to take any chances.
I don't think any of Sisko's actions during his career could be characterized as "evil". His actions in that episode assured the freedom of the Alpha Quadrant and saved countless hundreds of Billions of lives. The man did what he had to do and he didn't even know Garak was going to assassinate the Romulan Senator.
People are probably nervous about seeing your gun is because now they KNOW you have it and that you absolutely CAN use it. They know nothing of your mental state however.
No no no, you're missing the gayest part about fuel cells! You can't convienently recharge them! You have to run to a store and buy a new one everytime they run down!
So a power source you have to go out of your house and actually buy everytime it dies is going to be preferrable to the recharge anywhere there's an outlet current batteries?
You think real estate agents are the cause of high home prices? Did it ever occur to you that it is because of supply and demand? More people want to live in NYC than in any other city, THATS why its the most expensive. Its already the largest city in the US.
You don't WANT to live in a city where rents are cheap. That means a bunch of poor folk live there and thus the crime will be way way higher than you'd like.
Capitalism may function under a pyramid like scheme today but it is not necessary for capitalism to survive. Everyone can be both a producer and a consumer if they choose to be. This allows them to work for someone or themselves while selling to others.
First of all what kind of a source is blackend.net? Seriously? I actually think the material there is good and explains Anarchy very well but are there any established sources of anaylsis of anarchy? Such as a University thesis or study? Surely historians would have something on the issue?
Ok so the system rejects heirarchies. Masters, Kings and Bosses are not all the same. A Master enslaves, a King rules by heredity and a Boss is hired to run something. They're not the same. You said that there could be a police force in an anarchist system. Well wouldnt the cops have a "Captain" or "Lieutenant" or "Commandant"? Is that not a boss? And if they don't have a leader of some sort how will the organization or ANY organization function? And if they DO have a leader, doesn't that make a fool out of the system of anarchy?
You mention "imposed" heirarchies. In a democracy the heirarchies are either voted in directly or created by our elected represenatives. Factories aren't the only means of production. Would you have artistic forms of production socialized as well? Would newspapers and schools be unable to exist in a private form?
As for private property, lets say there is a dispute. One neighbor claims his property extends 2 feet beyond the current fence. Who or what body would resolve this issue? Wouldn't that body be a heirarchy that is an imposed upon the plaintif and defendant?
As for one of anarchy's basic premises, that hierarchical control is harmful and unnecessary, well then prove that. How is socialism in general good for anyone when it rewards both hardworkers and lazy people alike? Where it stifles the entreprenureship of talented and brilliant people? What your version of anarchy promotes requires a very enlightened populace. But real people are lazy. Thats why most people are in the situations they are in. Everyone has the power and the intelligence to take charge of their lives yet very few choose to do so.
Systems of government are in constant competiton with each other. No country lives in a vacumn on this planet. Socialism competes with Capitalism, Democracy competes with Dictatorships and Monarchies...etc. One thing just about every form of government aside from Anarchy has going for it is some form of direction. Hate them all you want but a leader (and there are usually way more than just one per nation; ie Legislative bodies) can guide their nations for good or bad to a purpose much faster than a committee of "equals" can.
By the way you don't actually believe in that "equals" stuff do you? Sure we're all born with two lungs, two arms, two legs, two eyes...etc but there's more to equality than that. There are people who are nicer than others, meaner than others, smarter than others, dumber, stronger, faster, harder working, lazier, more vindictive, more forgiving. The point is we're not all equal. Not by a long shot. The greatest gift a democracy can give its people is a level playing field, but once the game has begun its up to each person to take themselves as far as they can go.
Aiming for an Eaglitarian system is great and admirable. Aiming for a society where those who achieve are knocked down to put them on a more "equal" footing with those who do not or can not is just plain self destructive and born of jealousy, a most ignoble goal.
Slashdot Mirror
So Americans are supposed to settle for substandard low quality cars out of patriotism?
Won't somebody PLEASE think about the corporations!?!?!?
Its pretty sad that Intel has to reverse engineer ANYTHING from those unwashed scallywags over at Advanced Micro Devices.
Oh how the times have changed.
I was under the impression that every American had the right to be a greedy, self-centered, materialistic American!
Whats the point of having a "mobile" phone if its not truly mobile? Why should the rest of the world have to conform to your luddite notions of communication?
I am one of the people who actually has his phone set to vibrate mode nearly all of the time but this type of "you can't use your own phone" attitude really pisses me off.
If such a practice of blocking signals ever became legal and prevelant in the US I would go to such places and manually activate my ringers then pretend to carry on a conversation ANYWAY and encourage others to do the same until the nonsense was repealed.
Cell phones are a fact of modern life. Mature, grow up and deal.
When will our nations captains of industry realize that putting every American out of work is not conducive to getting their products sold to Americans!?!?
I am so happy that I have first post. Thank you once again.
How far we've fallen from masculine men to feminized emasculated wimps.
I actually went to your URL before I posted my reply. Please recognize that your very out of the way website is in no way shape or form, Gospel on economic matters.
And before we begin here can you quickly tell me whats the difference between the American Propaganda Machine and the European Propaganda Machine?
Ok about Canada. Canada's nationalized healtcare system is a mess. Yes its free, but that doesn't mean its GOOD. They routinely bus cancer patients down to the US so they can be scanned to see how far their cancer has spread. They don't have enough machines or technicians or doctors up in Canada willing to do the job for such low pay. France's scientists just went on strike because they're sick of the pay and budget cuts. Why should someone go to school and become a scientist and then go on to earn only $25,000 a year when you can migrate to another country (such as to the US where many French scientists DO come) and earn much much more? All over europe social systems are being slowly but surely dismantled because they just plain can't afford it anymore. Its a sad reality but a reality nontheless. Public museums that used to be open everyday are being closed down, universities in the UK are preparing top off fees, public schools are facing cutbacks....etc.
Progressive tax system? Did you know that the US has a progressive tax system as well? Yes thats right! Those in higher tax brackets pay more in taxes! Those in lower tax brackets pay less in tax! Thats progressive!
Yes the Europeans have been funding their social programs for decades. For the past 50 years every country in Europe has had an increasing population growth rate. The problem is thats not true anymore. Italy for example is stagnating. The other countries in Europe are slowing down and will eventually begin shrinking in population. So please tell me how does one fund social programs with shrinking populations?
I am not ignorant. I know that the countries in Europe are Social Democracies. Yes they are capitalist to a limited degree. But they are also socialist as they care more about making sure everyone gets obscenely and inappropriately expensive benefits instead of making sure their economies are functioning properly. Does the fact that France and Germany have 9% and 11% rates of unemployment not bother you at all? How can anyone say that Europeans have job security when a great many Europeans can't get a job to begin with? My idea of true job security is that one is able to get another job quickly after quitting or being fired/laid off from their current one, not a garuntee of a job for life from government regulations. Its really hard for European companies to compete when they have such a hard time downsizing. It may seem like a good thing in the short run (the employees get to keep their jobs) but in the long run the company loses business and marketshare to foreign competitors and may eventually go out of business.
By the way, thanks for the multiple ad hominem attacks. They really contribute to a peaceful and civilized conversation that I an American can expect from either a European or a Eruopean minded American.
So people who sit in cubicles all day and type out code that some dusty dingy foreigner who doesn't even have access to dirty water can do is a professional?
Interesting.
How do we fund our social programs when no one wants to work anymore because everyone can make a good living from just collecting from the state?
The US _IS_ a Civilized country. We don't allow our citizens to assume they can do nothing with thier lives and still live a good life. The US provides its citizens with reality while those other countries try to provide a socialist utopian paradise thats always crumbling apart at the seams. Sure they have free healthcare but have you seen the quality of it? And what happens in those countries when the demographics hit the fan and you have more people who are retired than working? Pyramid scheme social programs tend to break when that happens. And lastly the US has a lower unemployment rate than most of the countries you listed.
But thats ok, keep wishing for a great socialist paradise. We'll keep waiting for one to appear on this earth.
He's NOT right. The uproar caused by the exposed breast of Janet Jackson comes from people who are sexually repressed and conflicted due to the unhealthy mores of their various religions.
The last thing we should do is encourage this type of repression.
I don't think the designers of the Galaxy class had the FREAKING DOMINION AND JEM HADAR in mind when they built it. That being said the strongest ships in a fleet are usually targeted first and thats why so many Galaxy class ships fell.
Obviously the designers of the Soverign class starships weren't going to take any chances.
I don't think any of Sisko's actions during his career could be characterized as "evil". His actions in that episode assured the freedom of the Alpha Quadrant and saved countless hundreds of Billions of lives. The man did what he had to do and he didn't even know Garak was going to assassinate the Romulan Senator.
People are probably nervous about seeing your gun is because now they KNOW you have it and that you absolutely CAN use it. They know nothing of your mental state however.
Either way there's something you need to leave your house or workplace to go and buy. Which sucks. Whether its a new cartridge or more fuel whatever.
Plugging your device in to recharge is infinitely more convienent.
No no no, you're missing the gayest part about fuel cells! You can't convienently recharge them! You have to run to a store and buy a new one everytime they run down!
GOOOOOOOOO PROGRESS!!!!!!!!
So a power source you have to go out of your house and actually buy everytime it dies is going to be preferrable to the recharge anywhere there's an outlet current batteries?
You think real estate agents are the cause of high home prices? Did it ever occur to you that it is because of supply and demand? More people want to live in NYC than in any other city, THATS why its the most expensive. Its already the largest city in the US.
You don't WANT to live in a city where rents are cheap. That means a bunch of poor folk live there and thus the crime will be way way higher than you'd like.
Well actually they risk no human lives and gain a hell of a lot of valuable information, just as we're doing with the Mars rovers.
But you are right! To hell with logic! I want expensive, low producing, dangerous manned missions so we can have courageous heros!
Simple.
The Best feature of Linux is that its not Windows.
Capitalism may function under a pyramid like scheme today but it is not necessary for capitalism to survive. Everyone can be both a producer and a consumer if they choose to be. This allows them to work for someone or themselves while selling to others.
First of all what kind of a source is blackend.net? Seriously? I actually think the material there is good and explains Anarchy very well but are there any established sources of anaylsis of anarchy? Such as a University thesis or study? Surely historians would have something on the issue?
Ok so the system rejects heirarchies. Masters, Kings and Bosses are not all the same. A Master enslaves, a King rules by heredity and a Boss is hired to run something. They're not the same. You said that there could be a police force in an anarchist system. Well wouldnt the cops have a "Captain" or "Lieutenant" or "Commandant"? Is that not a boss? And if they don't have a leader of some sort how will the organization or ANY organization function? And if they DO have a leader, doesn't that make a fool out of the system of anarchy?
You mention "imposed" heirarchies. In a democracy the heirarchies are either voted in directly or created by our elected represenatives. Factories aren't the only means of production. Would you have artistic forms of production socialized as well? Would newspapers and schools be unable to exist in a private form?
As for private property, lets say there is a dispute. One neighbor claims his property extends 2 feet beyond the current fence. Who or what body would resolve this issue? Wouldn't that body be a heirarchy that is an imposed upon the plaintif and defendant?
As for one of anarchy's basic premises, that hierarchical control is harmful and unnecessary, well then prove that. How is socialism in general good for anyone when it rewards both hardworkers and lazy people alike? Where it stifles the entreprenureship of talented and brilliant people? What your version of anarchy promotes requires a very enlightened populace. But real people are lazy. Thats why most people are in the situations they are in. Everyone has the power and the intelligence to take charge of their lives yet very few choose to do so.
Systems of government are in constant competiton with each other. No country lives in a vacumn on this planet. Socialism competes with Capitalism, Democracy competes with Dictatorships and Monarchies...etc. One thing just about every form of government aside from Anarchy has going for it is some form of direction. Hate them all you want but a leader (and there are usually way more than just one per nation; ie Legislative bodies) can guide their nations for good or bad to a purpose much faster than a committee of "equals" can.
By the way you don't actually believe in that "equals" stuff do you? Sure we're all born with two lungs, two arms, two legs, two eyes...etc but there's more to equality than that. There are people who are nicer than others, meaner than others, smarter than others, dumber, stronger, faster, harder working, lazier, more vindictive, more forgiving. The point is we're not all equal. Not by a long shot. The greatest gift a democracy can give its people is a level playing field, but once the game has begun its up to each person to take themselves as far as they can go.
Aiming for an Eaglitarian system is great and admirable. Aiming for a society where those who achieve are knocked down to put them on a more "equal" footing with those who do not or can not is just plain self destructive and born of jealousy, a most ignoble goal.
"In anarchy, the people together decide how to create and run a justice system, and how to investigate crime and administer justice."
How is this in any way different from a Democracy? How can two different forms of government, Democracy and Anarchy possibly have the same definition?