Is climate change one of the topics being manipulated in this way?
Yes, but by the fossil fuel industry. I find it really ironic that those working to sow doubt about the reality of climate change have convinced so many people that the conspiracy actually exists among the scientists.
We don't need to do much.
Population will stabilize itself.
The earth isn't going anywhere, it'll do just fine.
Maybe we will just get rid of ourselves, that's all.
This is correct. The Earth will be just fine. It has survived much worse. AGW will only wipe out our own civilization. You'd think preserving our own civilization would motivate people.
You mean anti corrupt science?
If you see the amounts of government subsidies going into AGW research, science has to corrupt itself in order to keep getting funds.
How about you direct your extreme cynicism towards the fossil fuel industry, which has a massive financial incentive to deny the reality of AGW? You seem rather focused on alleged corruption on one side, while ignoring the corruption on the other.
For the right wing guys who think Trump was the only chance they had to lower the number of abortions, well his attempts at gutting the ACA and its birth control mandate stand a good chance of reversing the trend on abortions. We were at our lowest ever in 2014, which is the latest data I found. What will we be at in another 3 years?
The right doesn't actually care about abortions. Well, the ones who have drunk the Kool Aid might. But the anti-abortion movement is more about controlling women's sexuality than it is about saving "babies". You have already made the point that they are working against themselves by opposing easy contraception, if their goal is to reduce the number of abortions. But that's because it's about shaming those dirty, dirty sluts, making it more risky to be a dirty, dirty slut, and making sure they are saddled with a child as punishment for being a dirty, dirty slut.
After all, judgement and self-righteousness feel so good!
It isn't the poor people, at least not in the 1st world, they are all sitting at home on welfare. Currently they are enjoying better lifestyle than 3/4 of the rest of the planet while breeding like rabbits.
History shows that it's actually the middle class that will come for the rich. They have more to lose than the poor and enough resources and wherewithal to organize.
Why should I buy something today if my money will be worth more tomorrow?
Because you've waited as long as you possibly can and you need it today.
Why would I produce a good today if it will be cheaper to produce it tomorrow?
Because your company has zero stock since you keep waiting to do anything, and a company that's not producing anything and has zero stock might as well not be in business at all. You can't pay your employees if no one is buying anything because you're not making anything.
Deflation encourages saving, discourages spending and reduces the velocity of money.
It's not like everyone would save everything and spend nothing. People still need the things they need, I'm not going to go without food today because a burger might be cheaper tomorrow.
Yes, so you have reduced commerce to only things that people need immediately. That's not most spending or production, however.
The wording of the 2nd Amendment is odd, for sure, but it means an INDIVIDUAL'S right to [buy, make, keep, and carry] arms. That is what was said, that is what was meant. The "militia" part was an explanation of WHY not who.
Since militias are no longer a thing, does that mean the reason for gun ownership is obviated? If being in a militia was the reason for individual gun ownership rights, is there a reason for continuing to own a gun now that there are no more militias?
My guess is the answer is "yes"; that people own guns for reasons having nothing to do with militias. If so, what is the Constitutional justification for them to be armed? They are not in a militia, and there are no militias for them to join. By your reasoning it seems they have the right to a gun but no reason to own one.
If government can't trust the public with a mathematical algorithm what makes you think the government will not trample all over the rights of a disarmed populace?
The government seems to be trampling people's rights regardless of whether they are armed or not. The Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents should have taught you that the government will get you if they want you, and your guns will not save you. Besides, they don't need an overt police state when the populace can be controlled through fear. They'll let you keep your guns as long as you're afraid of what they want you to be afraid of. There's immigrants, terrorists, white nationalists, Donald Trump, Liberals, you name it. There is a fear for every taste and preference.
Can you show me a mass murder where the killer was not barred from possessing the weapon (by state or federal law) due to being in a "gun free zone", prior conviction of drug use/possession, mental health issues, prior conviction of a felony or violent misdemeanor, being in the nation illegally, or having been dishonorably discharged from the military?
Sure, the recent Vegas shooting. That guy bought all his guns legally and didn't break any laws until he started shooting people.
Plea bargaining should be abolished. Nobody should be punished for exercising their right to a fair trial.
How much extra are you willing to pay in taxes to ensure that happens? That's basically what it comes down to.
It also comes down to the fact that there are things that are crimes that should not be. The War on Drugs exploded the prison population. It is bad policy and has exacerbated this glut of case that have to move through the system.
And to answer the first question, I would be willing to pay extra taxes to ensure that I and my fellow citizens can exercise our right to due process. How much, I don't know because I don't know what's reasonable.
You say “outside of our control” well, in principle we are in a democratic Republic so it is within our control. On the other hand if a syndicate of major Bitcoin minors decide to abuse the blockchain to their advantage there is absolutely nothing to prevent them.
In practice money is controlled by a banking system that is beyond the reach of voters.
BitCoin doesn't go down over the long haul. $1000 in BTC means $2000 in a few months, pretty much guaranteed.
If that's true, why would anyone ever sell a Bitcoin, other than immediate financial necessity? It seems one is encouraged to hold it forever, never actually realizing the on-paper gains.
How am I supposed to buy low in the stock market? The Federal Reserve will bail out the banks no matter what. That's the only reason the market has been scraping all-time highs for the past couple of years.
Stocks will never be affordable again, at least not until the dollar itself collapses. At which point we'll all have bigger problems than buying stocks.
If you had gone on a buying spree in 2008 you would have made quite a bit of money since then. You think the market will never go down again? Don't worry, we have not entered a time when the stock market goes up forever. Yes, the Fed will step in to bail out the banks and other large institutions. So, you invest with that in mind. If you are in the market when the Fed steps in, they bail you out too.
Except that Bitcoin is a first of it's kind decentralized trustless way to transfer value and has the most concentrated network effect of all Cryptocurrencies. It's a technological marvel. It can replace money, bank accounts, stock certificates, contracts.. it's revolutionary, deflationary and its still not widely dispersed which means increase in value. The millennials are not dumb here.
Do you know why inflation is built into currencies? Why should I buy something today if my money will be worth more tomorrow? Why would I produce a good today if it will be cheaper to produce it tomorrow? Deflation encourages saving, discourages spending and reduces the velocity of money. It's not that the millennials are dumb, it's that they don't fully understand money and investing.
Now, if this tax cut can take place, things will change. Those people already working those burger flipping and big box retailer jobs are going to see a dramatic rise in the help wanted ads for manufacturers that are adding 2nd and 3rd shifts due to the dramatically lower corporate income taxes that allow those companies to make money with factories inside the USA.
This is only true if tax rates are what is driving companies to move manufacturing overseas. I would be interested to see that demonstrated. I think that taxes are only part of it, while tariffs, cost of wages and environmental and labor laws make up another sizable part of the equation. Those are governed more by trade deals than tax policy. Even so, US taxes would have to be lower than those in Bangladesh (for example) to have an impact. And the difference would have to be greater than the difference in labor and regulatory compliance costs between the two countries. Again, I'd be curious to see that demonstrated.
Passing the Fair Tax could do it in spades, the economy would sprout rocket engines under the Fair Tax as manufacturing would be done in an income--tax-free environment in the only developed country on the planet where that could be done. Foreign business people would injure themselves in the stampede to build factories here in the USA. We would probably actually experience a fairly severe labor shortage, which would spiral wages further. We could probably actually allow more immigrants because we could put them to work and the country would prosper.
Has it been demonstrated that a sales tax can make up for the tax revenue lost by abolishing all other taxes? I'm not sure it has. Sure, there are theories but has it been done in practice?
But either way, it all depends on stopping the stealing, or greatly reducing it. Income taxes in any form are stealing, and the more stealing that goes on, the more the economy suffers.
How is a sales tax not stealing too? I have to buy things to be able to live. I must have food, shelter and transportation and the government would be forcing me at gunpoint to pay a tax. How is that not theft?
It's a little ironic that Sears is on the way out these days. A big part of their business used to be the Sears Catalog for mail order. They were basically doing what Amazon is doing before the Internet existed!
The appeal of Bitcoin is that it is decentralised global money system that cannot be controlled or shut down by governments. The "three strands" are just a bonus. And no, Bitcoin is not anonymous, please stop repeating false claims.
It will continue to be a speculative investment until governments allow you to pay taxes with Bitcoin. Part of the reason the income tax came about at the same time as the Federal Reserve system in the US is that it forces people to use the new currency. You need dollars because you need to pay your taxes. It's the same reason the US fights so hard to keep oil traded in dollars. It props up and makes essential the currency.
Even now we use dollars to judge the value of Bitcoin. Perhaps some day we will judge the value based on how many you need to buy a car (for example). But for the time being and foreseeable future, Bitcoin is only worth what it can be traded for in dollars or another currency controlled by governments.
Because psychological maiming... the preferred tool of the "meek"... doesn't leave outside scars. So it "isn't real". And one should "suck it up" Because "words can never hurt me".
Except that they can and do, as all sensory input alters the neural state, and it leaves neural scars which, unlike bruises, last a lifetime. And except for the fact that the mind is neurons, which are part of the body, which is real.
And no, dear SJW, that doesn't mean one can blame anybody for "triggering" one's obscure triggers. Nor that it is our job to build a "safe space" around you. If you can't handle the real world, you can't go outside! It just means that if I know that saying something triggers neural connections that trigger your pain center, AND I deliberately say them to hurt you, and leave mental scars, then I'm an abusive asshole, even *gasp* when I'm a woman or the thinnest weakest disabled child.
You need to start hanging out with a better class of women. If someone consistently hurts you, remove them from your life. And then move on. Resentment doesn't serve you.
The Fed prints electronic money, funnels it into some investment companies, which then burn the money on investment/welfare for Uber. It's just turning the US dollar into the Zimbabwean dollar.
The US possibly to default on its debt is not going to help: https://www.bloomberg.com/news.... The US is already a Third World country w.r.t. its infrastructure, so perhaps it will also become one financially. E.g., with the end of the petrodollar in sight, what will the US really have to offer to the world, besides a flashy phone (on which it can barely can make any tax dollars)?
Because the Fed can print money, the US will never be forced to default on its debt. It will always be able to print money to pay its debts. That can cause other problems, no doubt. But default or bankruptcy are not among them.
I keep hearing that Uber is throwing away money to make their name. Is this another example of that, and if so, where did they get the cash? Or are they actually making money now? Last I heard they were maybe profitable in the US, but still just flushing money down the toilet in China.
Heh, I was just thinking, "This is easy for Uber, it's not their money anyway!" They get their money from venture capital. They have raised a stupid amount of money; even stupider considering they don't actually make any money. Last I heard Uber subsidizes about $.40 of every dollar they charge for rides.
I don't see how Uber ever makes a profit. But life has shown me that I'm not always the great visionary I sometimes fancy myself to be, so who knows. They already pay their drivers shit, and if they raise their rates too much they will lose their ability to undercut taxis. That Uber is so cheap is a big reason for their success. I don't see fully autonomous cars becoming viable before they run out of money. So it remains to be seen if they can keep their ridership while ratcheting up their prices.
They don't need "social media" for this. Social media just puts it all on display. I can see just how deranged my liberal friends are and how little real commitment to liberal ideals they really have.
It is a bit depressing, if not surprising, that we find that most people will defenestrate their ideals for expediency. On the right, people are suddenly all for big government intervention when it's their own ass on the line. And on the left, their defense of free speech is gone once they hear stuff they don't like.
Slashdot Mirror
Is climate change one of the topics being manipulated in this way?
Yes, but by the fossil fuel industry. I find it really ironic that those working to sow doubt about the reality of climate change have convinced so many people that the conspiracy actually exists among the scientists.
We don't need to do much. Population will stabilize itself. The earth isn't going anywhere, it'll do just fine. Maybe we will just get rid of ourselves, that's all.
This is correct. The Earth will be just fine. It has survived much worse. AGW will only wipe out our own civilization. You'd think preserving our own civilization would motivate people.
You mean anti corrupt science? If you see the amounts of government subsidies going into AGW research, science has to corrupt itself in order to keep getting funds.
How about you direct your extreme cynicism towards the fossil fuel industry, which has a massive financial incentive to deny the reality of AGW? You seem rather focused on alleged corruption on one side, while ignoring the corruption on the other.
For the right wing guys who think Trump was the only chance they had to lower the number of abortions, well his attempts at gutting the ACA and its birth control mandate stand a good chance of reversing the trend on abortions. We were at our lowest ever in 2014, which is the latest data I found. What will we be at in another 3 years?
The right doesn't actually care about abortions. Well, the ones who have drunk the Kool Aid might. But the anti-abortion movement is more about controlling women's sexuality than it is about saving "babies". You have already made the point that they are working against themselves by opposing easy contraception, if their goal is to reduce the number of abortions. But that's because it's about shaming those dirty, dirty sluts, making it more risky to be a dirty, dirty slut, and making sure they are saddled with a child as punishment for being a dirty, dirty slut.
After all, judgement and self-righteousness feel so good!
It isn't the poor people, at least not in the 1st world, they are all sitting at home on welfare. Currently they are enjoying better lifestyle than 3/4 of the rest of the planet while breeding like rabbits.
History shows that it's actually the middle class that will come for the rich. They have more to lose than the poor and enough resources and wherewithal to organize.
seem to think they can buy themselves another earth and to hell with the rest.
No, they think they can buy themselves enough firepower to send "the rest" to hell and off their lawn. And guess what? They're right.
LOL, no, they're really not. Even if they could stockpile enough ammo to fend off thousands, Galt's Gulch will always be a myth.
Why should I buy something today if my money will be worth more tomorrow?
Because you've waited as long as you possibly can and you need it today.
Why would I produce a good today if it will be cheaper to produce it tomorrow?
Because your company has zero stock since you keep waiting to do anything, and a company that's not producing anything and has zero stock might as well not be in business at all. You can't pay your employees if no one is buying anything because you're not making anything.
Deflation encourages saving, discourages spending and reduces the velocity of money.
It's not like everyone would save everything and spend nothing. People still need the things they need, I'm not going to go without food today because a burger might be cheaper tomorrow.
Yes, so you have reduced commerce to only things that people need immediately. That's not most spending or production, however.
The wording of the 2nd Amendment is odd, for sure, but it means an INDIVIDUAL'S right to [buy, make, keep, and carry] arms. That is what was said, that is what was meant. The "militia" part was an explanation of WHY not who.
Since militias are no longer a thing, does that mean the reason for gun ownership is obviated? If being in a militia was the reason for individual gun ownership rights, is there a reason for continuing to own a gun now that there are no more militias?
My guess is the answer is "yes"; that people own guns for reasons having nothing to do with militias. If so, what is the Constitutional justification for them to be armed? They are not in a militia, and there are no militias for them to join. By your reasoning it seems they have the right to a gun but no reason to own one.
If government can't trust the public with a mathematical algorithm what makes you think the government will not trample all over the rights of a disarmed populace?
The government seems to be trampling people's rights regardless of whether they are armed or not. The Waco and Ruby Ridge incidents should have taught you that the government will get you if they want you, and your guns will not save you. Besides, they don't need an overt police state when the populace can be controlled through fear. They'll let you keep your guns as long as you're afraid of what they want you to be afraid of. There's immigrants, terrorists, white nationalists, Donald Trump, Liberals, you name it. There is a fear for every taste and preference.
Can you show me a mass murder where the killer was not barred from possessing the weapon (by state or federal law) due to being in a "gun free zone", prior conviction of drug use/possession, mental health issues, prior conviction of a felony or violent misdemeanor, being in the nation illegally, or having been dishonorably discharged from the military?
Sure, the recent Vegas shooting. That guy bought all his guns legally and didn't break any laws until he started shooting people.
Plea bargaining should be abolished. Nobody should be punished for exercising their right to a fair trial.
How much extra are you willing to pay in taxes to ensure that happens? That's basically what it comes down to.
It also comes down to the fact that there are things that are crimes that should not be. The War on Drugs exploded the prison population. It is bad policy and has exacerbated this glut of case that have to move through the system.
And to answer the first question, I would be willing to pay extra taxes to ensure that I and my fellow citizens can exercise our right to due process. How much, I don't know because I don't know what's reasonable.
You say “outside of our control” well, in principle we are in a democratic Republic so it is within our control. On the other hand if a syndicate of major Bitcoin minors decide to abuse the blockchain to their advantage there is absolutely nothing to prevent them.
In practice money is controlled by a banking system that is beyond the reach of voters.
BitCoin doesn't go down over the long haul. $1000 in BTC means $2000 in a few months, pretty much guaranteed.
If that's true, why would anyone ever sell a Bitcoin, other than immediate financial necessity? It seems one is encouraged to hold it forever, never actually realizing the on-paper gains.
How am I supposed to buy low in the stock market? The Federal Reserve will bail out the banks no matter what. That's the only reason the market has been scraping all-time highs for the past couple of years.
Stocks will never be affordable again, at least not until the dollar itself collapses. At which point we'll all have bigger problems than buying stocks.
If you had gone on a buying spree in 2008 you would have made quite a bit of money since then. You think the market will never go down again? Don't worry, we have not entered a time when the stock market goes up forever. Yes, the Fed will step in to bail out the banks and other large institutions. So, you invest with that in mind. If you are in the market when the Fed steps in, they bail you out too.
Or in the case of Bitcoin, nothing for something.
This mathematical calculation is worth $7500! And they say the value of fiat currency is based on nothing...
Except that Bitcoin is a first of it's kind decentralized trustless way to transfer value and has the most concentrated network effect of all Cryptocurrencies. It's a technological marvel. It can replace money, bank accounts, stock certificates, contracts.. it's revolutionary, deflationary and its still not widely dispersed which means increase in value. The millennials are not dumb here.
Do you know why inflation is built into currencies? Why should I buy something today if my money will be worth more tomorrow? Why would I produce a good today if it will be cheaper to produce it tomorrow? Deflation encourages saving, discourages spending and reduces the velocity of money. It's not that the millennials are dumb, it's that they don't fully understand money and investing.
Wait... You want to use tax policy to discourage capital investment and reduce mobility of investment to its best use?
Wait, you think that's what the finance industry does? Maybe it did at one time. But HFT doesn't give a fuck about any of that.
Now, if this tax cut can take place, things will change. Those people already working those burger flipping and big box retailer jobs are going to see a dramatic rise in the help wanted ads for manufacturers that are adding 2nd and 3rd shifts due to the dramatically lower corporate income taxes that allow those companies to make money with factories inside the USA.
This is only true if tax rates are what is driving companies to move manufacturing overseas. I would be interested to see that demonstrated. I think that taxes are only part of it, while tariffs, cost of wages and environmental and labor laws make up another sizable part of the equation. Those are governed more by trade deals than tax policy. Even so, US taxes would have to be lower than those in Bangladesh (for example) to have an impact. And the difference would have to be greater than the difference in labor and regulatory compliance costs between the two countries. Again, I'd be curious to see that demonstrated.
Passing the Fair Tax could do it in spades, the economy would sprout rocket engines under the Fair Tax as manufacturing would be done in an income--tax-free environment in the only developed country on the planet where that could be done. Foreign business people would injure themselves in the stampede to build factories here in the USA. We would probably actually experience a fairly severe labor shortage, which would spiral wages further. We could probably actually allow more immigrants because we could put them to work and the country would prosper.
Has it been demonstrated that a sales tax can make up for the tax revenue lost by abolishing all other taxes? I'm not sure it has. Sure, there are theories but has it been done in practice?
But either way, it all depends on stopping the stealing, or greatly reducing it. Income taxes in any form are stealing, and the more stealing that goes on, the more the economy suffers.
How is a sales tax not stealing too? I have to buy things to be able to live. I must have food, shelter and transportation and the government would be forcing me at gunpoint to pay a tax. How is that not theft?
Need I say more?
It's a little ironic that Sears is on the way out these days. A big part of their business used to be the Sears Catalog for mail order. They were basically doing what Amazon is doing before the Internet existed!
The appeal of Bitcoin is that it is decentralised global money system that cannot be controlled or shut down by governments. The "three strands" are just a bonus. And no, Bitcoin is not anonymous, please stop repeating false claims.
It will continue to be a speculative investment until governments allow you to pay taxes with Bitcoin. Part of the reason the income tax came about at the same time as the Federal Reserve system in the US is that it forces people to use the new currency. You need dollars because you need to pay your taxes. It's the same reason the US fights so hard to keep oil traded in dollars. It props up and makes essential the currency.
Even now we use dollars to judge the value of Bitcoin. Perhaps some day we will judge the value based on how many you need to buy a car (for example). But for the time being and foreseeable future, Bitcoin is only worth what it can be traded for in dollars or another currency controlled by governments.
Because psychological maiming... the preferred tool of the "meek"... doesn't leave outside scars. So it "isn't real". And one should "suck it up" Because "words can never hurt me".
Except that they can and do, as all sensory input alters the neural state, and it leaves neural scars which, unlike bruises, last a lifetime. And except for the fact that the mind is neurons, which are part of the body, which is real.
And no, dear SJW, that doesn't mean one can blame anybody for "triggering" one's obscure triggers. Nor that it is our job to build a "safe space" around you. If you can't handle the real world, you can't go outside! It just means that if I know that saying something triggers neural connections that trigger your pain center, AND I deliberately say them to hurt you, and leave mental scars, then I'm an abusive asshole, even *gasp* when I'm a woman or the thinnest weakest disabled child.
You need to start hanging out with a better class of women. If someone consistently hurts you, remove them from your life. And then move on. Resentment doesn't serve you.
The Fed prints electronic money, funnels it into some investment companies, which then burn the money on investment/welfare for Uber. It's just turning the US dollar into the Zimbabwean dollar.
The US possibly to default on its debt is not going to help: https://www.bloomberg.com/news.... The US is already a Third World country w.r.t. its infrastructure, so perhaps it will also become one financially. E.g., with the end of the petrodollar in sight, what will the US really have to offer to the world, besides a flashy phone (on which it can barely can make any tax dollars)?
Because the Fed can print money, the US will never be forced to default on its debt. It will always be able to print money to pay its debts. That can cause other problems, no doubt. But default or bankruptcy are not among them.
I keep hearing that Uber is throwing away money to make their name. Is this another example of that, and if so, where did they get the cash? Or are they actually making money now? Last I heard they were maybe profitable in the US, but still just flushing money down the toilet in China.
Heh, I was just thinking, "This is easy for Uber, it's not their money anyway!" They get their money from venture capital. They have raised a stupid amount of money; even stupider considering they don't actually make any money. Last I heard Uber subsidizes about $.40 of every dollar they charge for rides.
I don't see how Uber ever makes a profit. But life has shown me that I'm not always the great visionary I sometimes fancy myself to be, so who knows. They already pay their drivers shit, and if they raise their rates too much they will lose their ability to undercut taxis. That Uber is so cheap is a big reason for their success. I don't see fully autonomous cars becoming viable before they run out of money. So it remains to be seen if they can keep their ridership while ratcheting up their prices.
They don't need "social media" for this. Social media just puts it all on display. I can see just how deranged my liberal friends are and how little real commitment to liberal ideals they really have.
It is a bit depressing, if not surprising, that we find that most people will defenestrate their ideals for expediency. On the right, people are suddenly all for big government intervention when it's their own ass on the line. And on the left, their defense of free speech is gone once they hear stuff they don't like.
This is FAR better than commerce being encumbered by rules making it impossible for new people to do business (socialism or cronyism).
How does Socialism make it impossible for new people to do business?