Your "me first, me only" attitude is what embarrasses the rest of us americans.
Well fuck you, too. Now that we have the formalities out of the way, I'll point out that your disdain for people choosing what they want to spend their money on instead of having it forcibly taken from them and handed out to the boondoggles who hire the best lobbyists is far more embarrassing to a country that's supposed to be free.
the tired "population density" arguments, which have been unassailably refuted countless times
Show me a passenger railroad that operates in the black, and you'll have a refutation. Just proclaiming that you're right doesn't the economics of why passenger rail failed.
Are you also one of those typical americans who doesn't even have a passport,
Guess again, O snotty one. My father was in the US foreign service. I was born in Malaysia, and also lived in Singapore, Indonesia and Germany.
They not only were terrorists, they also prove the futility of this ID fetish. They weren't traveling under false identities. Their ID was valid, and they had credit cards.
The idea that a perp who intends to kill himself and take a bunch of innocent people with him will be deterred by checking his ID is complete nonsense.
When I first moved here, I tried using the light rail. If you're not a spot-on 9 to 5 commuter, it's useless. No connecting busses if you're late.
The fact is that California simply doesn't have the population density to make public transport worthwhile outside of the LA, San Francisco, and Sacramento city limits.
Do you imagine that you can alter reality by being snotty? If so, I think Hillary Clinton has a job for you.
Since the mid 1980's, IBM lost the personal computer business completely, and most of their mainframe business, and today they're a remake of EDS, so yes: they declined, and rather sharply at that.
Perhaps you're too young to remember this, but there was a time when IBM dominated the computer business, getting 40% of the revenues and about 60% of the profit in the entire industry.
-jcr
Re:Ballmer Is All That Is Holding Back MSFT
on
Bill Gates's Last Speech
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
MS has started their decline, just like IBM did before them. Even if they recruit the greatest CEO in the world, all he can do is stabilize them and maybe get 3-5% annual growth.
The question is though, is there a Lou Gerstner-level of executive talent out there who can turn Microsoft into an effective development organization? I don't think there is.
All that Ballmer is going to do is continue to piss away shareholders' money on his ego trip of the month club. He's desperate to show that MS's dominance isn't just from the sheer luck of catching IBM's fumble.
It keeps them on the payroll, costing money that could otherwise be spent on higher salaries for teachers who are good enough to keep around. Can you imagine trying to run any business without the ability to fire an underperforming employee?
You will fail if you simply try to privatize the schools on a large scale.
The key is to restore competition to schooling at the elementary and high school level. We have world-class colleges, including the public ones, because colleges have to compete for customers.
So when the NEA talks about a funding problem, they're talking about teacher compensation.
The NEA, like most labor unions, serves the interest of its management ahead of its members, and the public. It's the teachers' union that makes it damn near impossible to fire a teacher in NYC, for instance.
The fact of the matter we need to increase educational spending
Bullshit.
The USA outspends many countries that get far better results from their schools. The NEA has been beating that "more funding" drum for decades while they fight tooth and nail against anything that might possibly bring any accountability to our public schooling cartel.
I can't help it. I remember buying my first two gig drive for $780, back when the dollar was worth squat. Now of course, the value of the dollar is rapidly approaching diddly-squat.
Slashdot Mirror
Your "me first, me only" attitude is what embarrasses the rest of us americans.
Well fuck you, too. Now that we have the formalities out of the way, I'll point out that your disdain for people choosing what they want to spend their money on instead of having it forcibly taken from them and handed out to the boondoggles who hire the best lobbyists is far more embarrassing to a country that's supposed to be free.
the tired "population density" arguments, which have been unassailably refuted countless times
Show me a passenger railroad that operates in the black, and you'll have a refutation. Just proclaiming that you're right doesn't the economics of why passenger rail failed.
Are you also one of those typical americans who doesn't even have a passport,
Guess again, O snotty one. My father was in the US foreign service. I was born in Malaysia, and also lived in Singapore, Indonesia and Germany.
-jcr
Oh, you're one of them.
If by "them" you mean someone who's actually given some thought to the matter instead of just settling for the status quo.
If you really believe this, privatise the roads.
Watch and learn.
-jcr
They not only were terrorists, they also prove the futility of this ID fetish. They weren't traveling under false identities. Their ID was valid, and they had credit cards.
The idea that a perp who intends to kill himself and take a bunch of innocent people with him will be deterred by checking his ID is complete nonsense.
-jcr
Damn, having to wait three minutes for the next subway train really messes up my schedule.
Wow, you're funny, but you assume that trains everywhere are as frequent as wherever you live. They aren't.
The long and short of it is, transportation is something that the market will always do a better job of providing than the government.
-jcr
I catch the light rail in San Jose.
When I first moved here, I tried using the light rail. If you're not a spot-on 9 to 5 commuter, it's useless. No connecting busses if you're late.
The fact is that California simply doesn't have the population density to make public transport worthwhile outside of the LA, San Francisco, and Sacramento city limits.
-jcr
Exactly the mindset problem with americans.
Ah, thanks for that bit anti-American bigotry. We really don't see enough of it about, these days.
-jcr
what would happen if oil prices went up dramatically
We'd come up with more efficient cars.
The cost of fuel isn't going to overcome the inherent disadvantages of trains: the can't go everywhere, and they go on their schedule, not mine.
-jcr
The techniques being tested are for tax-dollar extraction.
Bingo. $45M for enviro-wanking in this bill.
-jcr
Maybe I'm missing something because the journalist sounds pretty damn excited about it.
What you're missing is that the "journalist" apparently has never used Google earth, or seen a demo by any CAD vendor in the last 20 years.
-jcr
Do you imagine that you can alter reality by being snotty? If so, I think Hillary Clinton has a job for you.
Since the mid 1980's, IBM lost the personal computer business completely, and most of their mainframe business, and today they're a remake of EDS, so yes: they declined, and rather sharply at that.
-jcr
Seriously, with the way this clown's been screwing himself over, shouldn't his family get him admitted to a mental institution for evaluation?
-jcr
IBM? Decline?
Perhaps you're too young to remember this, but there was a time when IBM dominated the computer business, getting 40% of the revenues and about 60% of the profit in the entire industry.
-jcr
MS has started their decline, just like IBM did before them. Even if they recruit the greatest CEO in the world, all he can do is stabilize them and maybe get 3-5% annual growth.
The question is though, is there a Lou Gerstner-level of executive talent out there who can turn Microsoft into an effective development organization? I don't think there is.
All that Ballmer is going to do is continue to piss away shareholders' money on his ego trip of the month club. He's desperate to show that MS's dominance isn't just from the sheer luck of catching IBM's fumble.
-jcr
Yassuh, massah, I like not havin' the money to pay for schoolin' sir.
How do you like being compelled to pay for schooling that's ineffective? Don't kid yourself: tax money comes from you.
You're an idiot.
Right back at you, sunshine.
-jcr
The union doesn't breed bad teachers.
It keeps them on the payroll, costing money that could otherwise be spent on higher salaries for teachers who are good enough to keep around. Can you imagine trying to run any business without the ability to fire an underperforming employee?
-jcr
Barely more than half of college enrollees finish a bachelor's degree after 6 years.
So what? Some people go to college and find out that it's not for them. Our colleges are still world-class.
-jcr
You will fail if you simply try to privatize the schools on a large scale.
The key is to restore competition to schooling at the elementary and high school level. We have world-class colleges, including the public ones, because colleges have to compete for customers.
-jcr
Do you know how poorly teachers are paid?
Yep. That's part of the problem.
So when the NEA talks about a funding problem, they're talking about teacher compensation.
The NEA, like most labor unions, serves the interest of its management ahead of its members, and the public. It's the teachers' union that makes it damn near impossible to fire a teacher in NYC, for instance.
-jcr
And don't say private schools.
Most private (and parochial) schools get far better results at a lower cost per student. Why do you think that is?
-jcr
The fact of the matter we need to increase educational spending
Bullshit.
The USA outspends many countries that get far better results from their schools. The NEA has been beating that "more funding" drum for decades while they fight tooth and nail against anything that might possibly bring any accountability to our public schooling cartel.
-jcr
Stone tablets? You had stone tablets? Luxury!
We had to chew the bits into tree limbs with our teeth!
-jcr
Companies used to fear public opinion.
Most of them still do. That's how shakedown artists like Jesse Jackson make their living.
-jcr
Think about why Hong Kong was such an economic power house? At one time it was a tax free zone for corporations.
It's still a lot closer to that ideal than most other jurisdictions.
-jcr
Precisely.
-jcr
I can't help it. I remember buying my first two gig drive for $780, back when the dollar was worth squat. Now of course, the value of the dollar is rapidly approaching diddly-squat.
-jcr