"You can see the the polygon/texture edges on the planet."
shhh.... don't tell anyone. That's a real feature of the Earth these days. A byproduct of top-secret Halliburton terraforming experiments. Although why someone would want to terraform the Earth is quite beyond me, I tell ya.
It's times like this when you begin to realize that the Vic-20 (duct-taped to the bulletin board and surrounded by haywires) might not be the best choice anymore as mission-critical hub of your operations.
Can't help but remember the scene in one of the "Airplane" movies where a kid sneaks into the hi-tech air traffic control room. He sees one of the airline's shuttle-like planes on a screen, and grabs the nearest joystick and begins to (he thinks) play a videogame.
When the shuttle on the screen blows up, and is accompanied by a very loud explosion sound outside the building, the kid looks sheepish and sneaks away.
"Nah, forget it, Slashdot's editors obviously have no interest in improving the editorial quality of the site"
Don't worry. Eventually, Slashdot will be up to the standards of the "New York Times" that you so love. In fact, they have hired Jayson Blair as a consultant to work on the problem. Not only that, we'll have to login as "elmer fudd" with pw "90210" in order to read even the worst trolled response.
"This poll is in no way misleading. It is a simple question"
The poll is misleading in its simplicity, and due to the complexity of the issue, it is pretty much invalid. Besides, the results are roughly 50-50 again (opposed vs supported/don't-care). Polls where the two sides each measure up to between 40% and 50% never indicate a mandate on anything.
Why is it invalid? There is so much involved in "reducing the flow". As I have said before, I believe that much more screening should be done to keep the terrorists and "bad guys" out. Based on this, I could very well have voted "Decreased" on this poll. Also, there is the racial aspect. So much of opposition to immigration is based in racism. Did you realize that Europeans coming through the northeast are a huge % of illegal immigration? Probably not. Most think it is all those "evil lazy shiftless dirty" Mexicans. You would see a huge variation in the poll if you had two polls about keeping Irish out vs keeping Mexicans out.
I strongly suspect that if the question were changed from "what should be done with the flow of legal immigration" to "what should be done with the flow of legal immigration of good citizens who are hard workers", the 'decrease' poll vote would go from 55% to 40%.
Based on what you have written about H1B visas, it seems pretty clear that you want the "good guys" kept out (the hard-working good citizen types).
"You need to look at some other polls-we are talking a lot more than 16% of the population in the US opposing NAFTA"
That poll underlies the general American ambivalence toward it. It really does not fire up most of the people. However, if someone is opposed to NAFTA, they are free to make the personal economic decision not to buy Mexican products. That is where such decisions should lie: with the people, and not with the rulers. While NAFTA could be a lot better, in general it lets people make decisions that were formerly only the domain of elites.
"The US elites have turned their back on frontiers-and have as you pointed out fallen in love with imperialism and slavery."
They've fallen out of love with both. The government (elites) have been in open warfare against slavery since the 1860s. They won this war long ago. The US imperial era ended with WW2, and the US has been shucking off Pacific protectorates ever since.
The ICBM contains a beowulf-cluster of sharks with friggen lazer beams mounted on their heads. It be be piloted by giant alien ant overlords (which I welcome) led by Bruce Willis.
There, does that cover it all?
"Now, you can wish the US was a libertarian utopia-but it isn't"
I looked at the link. It referred to a very simplistic "immigration good or bad" type of poll. The writer of the piece nicely mixes up the 9-11 terrorists with people from Latin American who come to America... to work.
"If the Green Card didn't confer real benefits(i.e. access to social services), interest it it would be much more minimal."
Is this statement really supposed to be proof that allowing people more freedom of movement is corporate welfare? You are instead describing welfare to individuals.
"Now, you can wish the US was a libertarian utopia-but it isn't"
But that won't stop us from pushing to have government butt out of affairs where it does not belong.
"Look at what NAFTA did to the rural Mexican economy-it pretty much destroyed it"
All that happened was that government(s) took down a needless barrier between Mexicans and the jobs they sought.
"NAFTA was pushed by much the same economic interests as benefited from illegal immigration in the US"
NAFTA has/had broad popular support, being opposed primarily by the unions (which represent about 8% of workers) and the racists (likely a much smaller percentage).
"This may not be formal coercion(i.e. rounding of slaves)-but it is isn't exactly "voluntary" or "democratic" either."
It is entirely voluntary. You still remain free, if you wish, to boycott Mexican workers and products (but now the government has backed off on forcing such decisions on everyone). It is not democratic? That is good. Such personal economic decisions should be decided by the people involved, not the government.
"they have no choice but to look bland because that's what a space ship/space base would look like."
Only in a certain sci-fi paradigm. However, look back to the silly old Sierra "Space Quest". Looked nothing like Nostromo. Look at real space stations, which are often white inside.
"not like alien bases are designed by Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompas"
Yet, in many of these games, they look like they are designed by Oscar the Grouch.
Not in any way, not more than any other instance of working for a living. Slavery involves ownership and forced labor. While this does occur and is documented, the overwhelming number of immigrants are not slaves. Certainly, those working for the "crooked smirking contractor" are not slaves.
"they work for the minimum required to stay alive -- many times not even minimum wage"
This is because the real value of the work is often much less than the arbitrarily-set government "minimum wage" value.
"Current US immigration policy is a corporate welfare program-and another de facto liquidation of assets."
It is not a corporate welfare program in any way, as nothing is being given to corporations when you allow individuals the basic freedom to seek a better life.
"Inflation involves an increase in money supply and decrease in money demand"
You missed an obvious and huge part of inflation: prices going up due to increasing COSTS. These can include such factors as oil prices going up (a big part of inflation in the 1970s) or wages.
I bought one, too. Looked a lot like this.
A lot was explained when they told me that alien flesh does not decompose. Rather, the innards evaporate in Earth's atmosphere, leaving a flexible thin exoskeleton that bears a remarkable resemblance to plastic. The "Made in China" sticker does not refer to manufacture. They told me that they had to do this because at one time it was processed through an alien morgue in Shanghai. I feel very fortunate to own an actual corpse of an extraterrestrial.
"No, I'm not joking. And don't call me Shirley. (Couldn't resist - sorry).""
Hmmm. That explains the fast "Friendship" between Laverne and Shirley. Although, truth be told, the constant attentions of Lenny and Squiggy weren't exactly conducive to their heterosexuality.
"I suppose you could say that a spam-laden mail server is having "unauthroized resource usage" instead of "theft""
Using that kind of definition, any kind of inconvenience can be called theft. I'm parked in your driveway? I stole your use of it. I secretly poured Miracle Grown on your lawn at night? I stole money by causing you to spend more on lawnmowing gas. Etc etc etc.
Slashdot Mirror
Not only that, a lot of Oldfield's game involves piloting glider- or airplane-like avatars.
shhh.... don't tell anyone. That's a real feature of the Earth these days. A byproduct of top-secret Halliburton terraforming experiments. Although why someone would want to terraform the Earth is quite beyond me, I tell ya.
It's times like this when you begin to realize that the Vic-20 (duct-taped to the bulletin board and surrounded by haywires) might not be the best choice anymore as mission-critical hub of your operations.
When the shuttle on the screen blows up, and is accompanied by a very loud explosion sound outside the building, the kid looks sheepish and sneaks away.
Don't worry. Eventually, Slashdot will be up to the standards of the "New York Times" that you so love. In fact, they have hired Jayson Blair as a consultant to work on the problem. Not only that, we'll have to login as "elmer fudd" with pw "90210" in order to read even the worst trolled response.
I thought the Comair crashed when Nicholas Cage steered it into the window of a Las Vegas casino.
The poll is misleading in its simplicity, and due to the complexity of the issue, it is pretty much invalid. Besides, the results are roughly 50-50 again (opposed vs supported/don't-care). Polls where the two sides each measure up to between 40% and 50% never indicate a mandate on anything.
Why is it invalid? There is so much involved in "reducing the flow". As I have said before, I believe that much more screening should be done to keep the terrorists and "bad guys" out. Based on this, I could very well have voted "Decreased" on this poll. Also, there is the racial aspect. So much of opposition to immigration is based in racism. Did you realize that Europeans coming through the northeast are a huge % of illegal immigration? Probably not. Most think it is all those "evil lazy shiftless dirty" Mexicans. You would see a huge variation in the poll if you had two polls about keeping Irish out vs keeping Mexicans out.
I strongly suspect that if the question were changed from "what should be done with the flow of legal immigration" to "what should be done with the flow of legal immigration of good citizens who are hard workers", the 'decrease' poll vote would go from 55% to 40%.
Based on what you have written about H1B visas, it seems pretty clear that you want the "good guys" kept out (the hard-working good citizen types).
That poll underlies the general American ambivalence toward it. It really does not fire up most of the people. However, if someone is opposed to NAFTA, they are free to make the personal economic decision not to buy Mexican products. That is where such decisions should lie: with the people, and not with the rulers. While NAFTA could be a lot better, in general it lets people make decisions that were formerly only the domain of elites.
No, nor have I looked for any. I don't believe in governing by polls, especially ones that come out roughly 50-50 or are misleading.
If it does not involve paying (or giving anything of actual value) anything to the corporations, there is no corporate welfare involved.
You greatly overestimate the power of Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter to do such things.
"Inflation is a _general_ increase in prices. The oil price rise and the inflation of the seventies were connected"
They were much more directly connected than you think: increased oil costs made so many things more expensive, due to transportation costs.
They've fallen out of love with both. The government (elites) have been in open warfare against slavery since the 1860s. They won this war long ago. The US imperial era ended with WW2, and the US has been shucking off Pacific protectorates ever since.
They obviously used a farm silo for this one. Check out the exclusive photo.
The ICBM contains a beowulf-cluster of sharks with friggen lazer beams mounted on their heads. It be be piloted by giant alien ant overlords (which I welcome) led by Bruce Willis. There, does that cover it all?
You can get even better at the nearby Kentucky Fried Wiccan franchise.
I looked at the link. It referred to a very simplistic "immigration good or bad" type of poll. The writer of the piece nicely mixes up the 9-11 terrorists with people from Latin American who come to America... to work.
Is this statement really supposed to be proof that allowing people more freedom of movement is corporate welfare? You are instead describing welfare to individuals.
"Now, you can wish the US was a libertarian utopia-but it isn't"
But that won't stop us from pushing to have government butt out of affairs where it does not belong.
All that happened was that government(s) took down a needless barrier between Mexicans and the jobs they sought.
"NAFTA was pushed by much the same economic interests as benefited from illegal immigration in the US"
NAFTA has/had broad popular support, being opposed primarily by the unions (which represent about 8% of workers) and the racists (likely a much smaller percentage).
"This may not be formal coercion(i.e. rounding of slaves)-but it is isn't exactly "voluntary" or "democratic" either."
It is entirely voluntary. You still remain free, if you wish, to boycott Mexican workers and products (but now the government has backed off on forcing such decisions on everyone). It is not democratic? That is good. Such personal economic decisions should be decided by the people involved, not the government.
Only in a certain sci-fi paradigm. However, look back to the silly old Sierra "Space Quest". Looked nothing like Nostromo. Look at real space stations, which are often white inside.
"not like alien bases are designed by Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompas"
Yet, in many of these games, they look like they are designed by Oscar the Grouch.
Not in any way, not more than any other instance of working for a living. Slavery involves ownership and forced labor. While this does occur and is documented, the overwhelming number of immigrants are not slaves. Certainly, those working for the "crooked smirking contractor" are not slaves.
"they work for the minimum required to stay alive -- many times not even minimum wage"
This is because the real value of the work is often much less than the arbitrarily-set government "minimum wage" value.
It is not a corporate welfare program in any way, as nothing is being given to corporations when you allow individuals the basic freedom to seek a better life.
You missed an obvious and huge part of inflation: prices going up due to increasing COSTS. These can include such factors as oil prices going up (a big part of inflation in the 1970s) or wages.
I bought one, too. Looked a lot like this. A lot was explained when they told me that alien flesh does not decompose. Rather, the innards evaporate in Earth's atmosphere, leaving a flexible thin exoskeleton that bears a remarkable resemblance to plastic. The "Made in China" sticker does not refer to manufacture. They told me that they had to do this because at one time it was processed through an alien morgue in Shanghai. I feel very fortunate to own an actual corpse of an extraterrestrial.
Hmmm. That explains the fast "Friendship" between Laverne and Shirley. Although, truth be told, the constant attentions of Lenny and Squiggy weren't exactly conducive to their heterosexuality.
Using that kind of definition, any kind of inconvenience can be called theft. I'm parked in your driveway? I stole your use of it. I secretly poured Miracle Grown on your lawn at night? I stole money by causing you to spend more on lawnmowing gas. Etc etc etc.