(or have the costs gone down significantly with Obamacare?)
Latest I've seen show indicate that costs are going to go UP significantly with Obamacare.
Of course, part of that is that Obamacare included Medicare cuts as part of the cost-balancing, and the Medicare cuts are unlikely to actually happen (in general, contrary to popular rumour, Medicare cuts in the budget don't happen, because Medicare payouts are low enough now that many doctors won't take Medicare patients) since that would cause even more doctors to refuse to take Medicare patients (slightly misleading: they cannot, by law, ditch an existing Medicare patient, but they can (and do) refuse to take NEW Medicare patients).
This is why I love Physics. The mere fact that we are considering such a colossal hypothesis and devise a method to verify/falsify it by observing reality...
umm, no.
We might be able to verify the existence of another universe with this experiment, we'll never be able to prove they don't exist this way.
I've seen this suggested before. The media industry is *small* compared to Google et al. It's amazing that they have so much control in Congress.
They have so much control in Congress because they are willing to bribe Congresscritters and Presidents with enormous amounts of cash, plus favourable depictions of them in movies/TV/news programs.
Assuming, of course, that the congresscritters/presidents were favourably inclined towards them, either economically or politically.
Hmm, reading the text of this law, it looks like it specifically removes "interactive computer services" from the definition of "telecommunications devices" covered by this law.
Which would almost certainly prevent twittering being counted as "harassing" under this law.
"First, we hang all the lawyers" comes to mind here...
I can't believe this is happening I'm in total shock. How can there even be such an asinine law? 2005.. Bush, GOP Congress.. oh, no wonder.
It should be noted that the first such law in the USA was passed as a State law in..California. Hardly a bastion of the GOP.
Remember, the Dems are the people who get really upset over people hurting other people's feelings. Most Republicans would say "F**k 'em if they can't take a joke", or words to that effect....
Everyone always thinks that NIMBY is bad, until it is THEIR backyard. NIMBY is part of democracy. Either people get a say or they don't but once you give them a say, they are free to say things you don't like. Including, "not in my backyard".
Put it in mine, then. Along with those nuclear reactors I could see from the top of my oak tree if the leaves were gone.
As far as I know, I've only lived one (1) year of my life NOT within 50 miles of something nuclear (usually reactors, sometimes bombs).
And that one year I was probably (I was a kid at the time, sue me for not being sure) within 100 miles of one or more nuclear weapons.
Not quite, it would only increase inflation if it hit the economy
If it is used to increase our borrowing, it's increasing the money supply.
Otherwise, we can just make a million of these coins, lower all taxes to zero, and use those coins to back a near infinite amount of borrowing (essentially financing the government for the next 100,000 years or so...
Do this, and you make it clear to everyone in the world that we're willing to devalue their bonds/dollar investments to near zero just whenever we feel like it...
The major effect of banning encryption would be to make electronic commerce impossible. If anyone alone the data path can intercept your names, numbers, and passwords, then people will learn very quickly that the Internet simply can't be used for anything that involves a transfer of money.
Which might serve their purpose nicely. It's certainly a clever way to do a "buy local" law without imposing tariffs...
That'll work about as well as outlawing prostitution has worked for the last several thousand years.
It should be noted that prostitution hasn't been outlawed over most of the last several thousand years.
Nor has it been outlawed in many places, even when it was being outlawed.
Fact of the matter is, even nominally Christian countries haven't made much effort to suppress the Oldest Profession until the last few centuries, and not universally even then.
Great. Now every ISP has to store information that Congress should be focusing on NOT storing.
Hmm, with the notable exception of temporary IP addresses, looks like they're being required to keep pretty much the information required by their billing departments.
Not sure this is going to accomplish much (no, I'm sure it'll accomplish very little, if anything), but it's certainly not terribly intrusive as such things go.
Note, however, that it's not law, it's not even been voted on by the House. So now might be a good time to make REASONED arguments against it to your Congresscritter and Senators.
Note that "reasoned arguments" don't include DDOS'ing someone who disagrees with you, or being rude to them. Just the facts will suffice (assuming anything will).
Now if we could design some that could go to an asteroid, digest it, bring it back and building a orbital ring, that'd be nifty.
And it would be even niftier, if, after doing that, it refrained from digesting the Earth and going out to an asteroid and building a ring around the asteroid....
Yes, they can build a shipot full of tinkertoy diesel cars, and some comfortable diesel sedans, and sell the sedans while the tinkertoys rot in the dealers' lots also....
Bull-fucking-shit. If it was that simple I wouldn't be seeing mommy SUVs speeding down the highway anymore, because gas is so expensive.
Adjusted for inflation, gas prices are about where they were 30 years ago. In fact, the price at the pump I paid this AM was slightly below the 1980 price, after adjusting for inflation.
What? No, they would never do that. I'm sure this will only affect new cars.
Yah, it's not like the Federal Government has the power to force you to purchase something that you don't want to purchase.
I mean, noone would think it reasonable that the Feds require by law that you buy a new car every three years. That would be almost as unbelievable as that they'd force you to buy, say, health insurance...
Slashdot Mirror
Latest I've seen show indicate that costs are going to go UP significantly with Obamacare.
Of course, part of that is that Obamacare included Medicare cuts as part of the cost-balancing, and the Medicare cuts are unlikely to actually happen (in general, contrary to popular rumour, Medicare cuts in the budget don't happen, because Medicare payouts are low enough now that many doctors won't take Medicare patients) since that would cause even more doctors to refuse to take Medicare patients (slightly misleading: they cannot, by law, ditch an existing Medicare patient, but they can (and do) refuse to take NEW Medicare patients).
umm, no.
We might be able to verify the existence of another universe with this experiment, we'll never be able to prove they don't exist this way.
And yet, Federal tax revenues increased by 30% from 2000 to 2007 (and then began dropping in 2008 as the Housing Bubble burst).
And this in spite of the recession immediately post-9/11, which saw tax revenues drop 10% over a two year period.
They have so much control in Congress because they are willing to bribe Congresscritters and Presidents with enormous amounts of cash, plus favourable depictions of them in movies/TV/news programs.
Assuming, of course, that the congresscritters/presidents were favourably inclined towards them, either economically or politically.
Nonsense! Haven't you ever ridden as a passenger with someone who drives faster than you normally do?
My left foot get tired from trying to hit the brakes constantly, even from the passenger seat, without ever moving....
That would bring back Tetanus as a big killer, what with all that horse manure laying around.
It should be noted that tetanus from horse manure has probably caused more deaths than have nuclear reactors. Or nuclear bombs, for that matter.
Reactors don't explode.
Unless you pack them full of TNT or some such.
Well, if you want to protest anything to the point of revolution, you might want to consider getting the guys with guns on your side.
Hmm, reading the text of this law, it looks like it specifically removes "interactive computer services" from the definition of "telecommunications devices" covered by this law.
Which would almost certainly prevent twittering being counted as "harassing" under this law.
"First, we hang all the lawyers" comes to mind here...
It should be noted that the first such law in the USA was passed as a State law in..California. Hardly a bastion of the GOP.
Remember, the Dems are the people who get really upset over people hurting other people's feelings. Most Republicans would say "F**k 'em if they can't take a joke", or words to that effect....
They're not "proposing" this law. It was passed into law in 2005.
Put it in mine, then. Along with those nuclear reactors I could see from the top of my oak tree if the leaves were gone.
As far as I know, I've only lived one (1) year of my life NOT within 50 miles of something nuclear (usually reactors, sometimes bombs).
And that one year I was probably (I was a kid at the time, sue me for not being sure) within 100 miles of one or more nuclear weapons.
If it is used to increase our borrowing, it's increasing the money supply.
Otherwise, we can just make a million of these coins, lower all taxes to zero, and use those coins to back a near infinite amount of borrowing (essentially financing the government for the next 100,000 years or so...
Can you say it?
Do this, and you make it clear to everyone in the world that we're willing to devalue their bonds/dollar investments to near zero just whenever we feel like it...
Note that he never said HE had nothing to hide....
Which might serve their purpose nicely. It's certainly a clever way to do a "buy local" law without imposing tariffs...
It should be noted that prostitution hasn't been outlawed over most of the last several thousand years.
Nor has it been outlawed in many places, even when it was being outlawed.
Fact of the matter is, even nominally Christian countries haven't made much effort to suppress the Oldest Profession until the last few centuries, and not universally even then.
About as much as I'm willing to bet that the price of cars won't increase as a result of inflation too.
If it makes you feel better to add the qualifier "adjusted for inflation" to both the price of the gas and the price of the car, feel free.
Operational word in the above is "should". I've read articles in the past about the government using tax info to harass people they didn't like.
Hmm, with the notable exception of temporary IP addresses, looks like they're being required to keep pretty much the information required by their billing departments.
Not sure this is going to accomplish much (no, I'm sure it'll accomplish very little, if anything), but it's certainly not terribly intrusive as such things go.
Note, however, that it's not law, it's not even been voted on by the House. So now might be a good time to make REASONED arguments against it to your Congresscritter and Senators.
Note that "reasoned arguments" don't include DDOS'ing someone who disagrees with you, or being rude to them. Just the facts will suffice (assuming anything will).
And it would be even niftier, if, after doing that, it refrained from digesting the Earth and going out to an asteroid and building a ring around the asteroid....
Yes, they can build a shipot full of tinkertoy diesel cars, and some comfortable diesel sedans, and sell the sedans while the tinkertoys rot in the dealers' lots also....
no, price increases as a result of increased cost of manufacture/delivery of goods are NOT inflation.
Inflation is an increase in the money supply relative to the supply of goods and services you can spend the money on.
Adjusted for inflation, gas prices are about where they were 30 years ago. In fact, the price at the pump I paid this AM was slightly below the 1980 price, after adjusting for inflation.
Yah, it's not like the Federal Government has the power to force you to purchase something that you don't want to purchase.
I mean, noone would think it reasonable that the Feds require by law that you buy a new car every three years. That would be almost as unbelievable as that they'd force you to buy, say, health insurance...