There's really only one way to eliminate the corrupting influence of money in politics: public financing.
So, you would repeal the First Amendment?
The only way "public financing" will eliminate the corrupting influence of money in politics is if you forbid ALL political advertising not paid for by public funding. Which pretty much puts paid to the First Amendment, since as long as it exists *I* (or you) could buy an ad for my (your) favorite politician. As could Bill Gates, Elon Musk, [Hollywood actor of your choice], etc.
For that matter, news organizations would have to be forbidden from covering politics, since just mentioning a pol's name gives him name recognition for his campaign (the incumbency advantage).
So, your proposal is that we eliminate the First Amendment, then give Congress control over the formerly Free Press (how else are you going to handle public financing other than laws (passed by politicians) describing in great and insulting detail exactly what is legal and what isn't). Yeah, nothing could possibly go wrong there...
We'll just export it all to the counties where the unions and government actually protect their workers and put the long-term common good of the people ahead of powerful corporations' profits for the next quarter.
Which'll put all those people in other countries out of work, when what they sell costs way more than what you sell. Again, they won't be able to buy your stuff, and you won't be able to sell your stuff.
He may well believe that past results are no indication of future results, there's one overwhelmingly important fact that comes to mind: noone will be able to buy the stuff made in the robot factories if we're all unemployed or minimum wage serfs.
And if noone can buy the stuff, the owners aren't going to get rich selling the stuff. Which means THEY won't be able to buy stuff either....
You've fortified your country, limited immigration
I find myself curious - which countries do you know that don't limit immigration? Off the top of my head, I can't think of one (though it's possible that there are failed states that CAN'T control their borders)....
That cost probably includes adding water/electrical/phone/sewer/roads/etc. which all cost quite a bit.
What, you don't think that normal house prices include the cost of water/electrical/sewage/roads/etc? You bet your sweet life that a new subdivision is going to include those costs in the house prices....
He is a political refugee, he has sought and been granted political asylum by Ecuador. So at least one sovereign nation has called BS on the political witch hunt.
I take it you think Ecuador is a bastion of human rights in an otherwise benighted world?
If so, you might want to learn a little more about the country....
First thing I thought of when I read this was "How much are they actually bottling every year?
The answer turned out to be about 80 million gallons per year.
Out of the seven billion gallons used for one thing or another in CA every year. So, 1.15% is used by Nestle? Some of which is drunk in CA, so the amount lost to CA is less than that...
If CA is short a percent or two in its water supply, Nestle might be a big deal. Otherwise, it's meaningless....
It doesn't solve the issue of them wanting to grow crops in a dessert.
Other than the problem that few desserts are big enough, what's the problem there? I mean, a good peach cobbler has plenty of water to grow crops in, assuming it was big enough....
the US is a different matter entirely that would need a court's approval, and that court would be the one in Sweden, not the UK
Are you sure about that? Doesn't the extradition treaty between Sweden and the UK explicitly prevent extraditing people who have already been extradited? Sweden would have to deport him before he could be subject to further extradition requests.
The matter of the extradition treaty between UK & Sweden preventing further extradition sounds like a matter for a court in Sweden to decide.
So it looks like OP was correct, extradition to the USA would need a court's approval, and that court would be the one in Sweden....
There's something to this claim. The power electric companies traditionally have control over all inputs to the system. Home solar changes that.
Unfortunately, the power company is still expected to make sure that the power comes in at the right voltage and frequency. And with control on only part of the inputs, that's a lot harder. The fewer inputs they control, the harder...
Theoretically, you can design a control system that'll handle the problem. But, so far, noone has bothered to, because noone's had a need to. As solar becomes more common that'll change, and the problems will go away.
One part of the problem is NOT going to go away however - they have to pay to maintain the lines. Right now, that cost if covered by your electric bills. As the amount of electricity you draw from their generators goes down, they're going to reach the point of needing to charge you a flat fee just for the connection to the power lines, plus the usual fees for actually using their electricity.
In my personal experience and opinion SUVs are anti-social in general
Im my personal experience, SUV's only exist because of CAFE - back when it was put in place, a station wagon couldn't be built that met the mileage requirements, so they started doing SUV's (which got to use the truck mileage requirements) for people who needed more space than a sedan (having grown up in a family with three kids and two dogs, I fully appreciate that your average sedan isn't suitable for some families)...
Note that now that we have considerably more fuel efficient engines, full-grown SUV's are becoming rarer. Unfortunately, slowly, since cars also last much longer, so the existing ones aren't going to be on the road a long time.
some of the nice little fiefdoms people have been spending the last few decades building
Last few decades???
IN case you were unaware, the FBI handles kidnapping. Why? Because 80-odd years ago, Herbert Hoover decided the FBI needed some good publicity, and could get it with the Lindbergh kidnapping.
IOW, fiefdom building has been going on forever - all it takes is a chance to get a bigger budget if you do something special....
Here's the USS America (CV-66) sunk off the East Coast after only 40 years of service.
Well, actually USS America had been decommissioned after 30 years of service, and been mothballed for the ten years previous to her sinking.
Note that the reason it was decommissioned early was DoD budget cuts - it costs a lot to keep a carrier plus its airgroup operational, even ignoring the required escorts. And America was the most expendable carrier, since it was the only non-nuclear carrier left - fuel oil isn't cheap.
Oh, and note also that it did NOT have diesel engines. Old-fashioned steam turbines on that one...
We imprison more than four times as many people as China, Russia, and Iran.
Of course, China, Iran and Russia execute way more people than the US too. Perhaps part of the reason their incarceration rates are lower is that execution eliminates the need for incarceration.
My immediate thought would be that hard math in this field doesn't tow the groupthink
Why should the math be towing the groupthink? Can't the groupthink move on its own?
Or did you mean "toe the groupthink" as in "toe the line". No, that expression isn't about pulling barges, it's about standing in the right place in a formation....
Rockets are capable of incredible acceleration, especially when they're low on fuel and deprived of their payload. Under those conditions, the F9 first stage could easily go from 50MPH (~22m/s) to 0 in the space of a few meters.
Specifically, from a starting height of 50 feet, and a starting velocity of 50 mph downward, it would require a net acceleration of ~16.5 m/s^2 to come to a stop at ground level.
Since a single (much less nine) Merlin engine can manage 654 kN thrust at sealevel, and a (nearly) empty Falcon 9 first stage masses under 20000 kg, a Falcon first stage is capable of >32.7 m/s^2 acceleration (assuming only one engine burning, of course). Which is more than plenty to allow it to come to a stop on the ground from the estimated speed/height of the OP....
Slashdot Mirror
So, you would repeal the First Amendment?
The only way "public financing" will eliminate the corrupting influence of money in politics is if you forbid ALL political advertising not paid for by public funding. Which pretty much puts paid to the First Amendment, since as long as it exists *I* (or you) could buy an ad for my (your) favorite politician. As could Bill Gates, Elon Musk, [Hollywood actor of your choice], etc.
For that matter, news organizations would have to be forbidden from covering politics, since just mentioning a pol's name gives him name recognition for his campaign (the incumbency advantage).
So, your proposal is that we eliminate the First Amendment, then give Congress control over the formerly Free Press (how else are you going to handle public financing other than laws (passed by politicians) describing in great and insulting detail exactly what is legal and what isn't). Yeah, nothing could possibly go wrong there...
Should I take it that YOU are part of that "plenty of humans who would volunteer"?
And if not, why not?
Which'll put all those people in other countries out of work, when what they sell costs way more than what you sell. Again, they won't be able to buy your stuff, and you won't be able to sell your stuff.
He may well believe that past results are no indication of future results, there's one overwhelmingly important fact that comes to mind: noone will be able to buy the stuff made in the robot factories if we're all unemployed or minimum wage serfs.
And if noone can buy the stuff, the owners aren't going to get rich selling the stuff. Which means THEY won't be able to buy stuff either....
I find myself curious - which countries do you know that don't limit immigration? Off the top of my head, I can't think of one (though it's possible that there are failed states that CAN'T control their borders)....
Especially the decision to have the planet above her, rather than below her - helps bring home that we're talking REAL space, not TV space....
No, basically, this was INSPIRED by a 100 year old invention. Not quite the same thing.
I'm assuming European elk (American moose) - OP called it an elk, and referred to "here in Sweden"...
And yes, a moose (European elk) is much more dangerous than a wapiti (American elk)
What, you don't think that normal house prices include the cost of water/electrical/sewage/roads/etc? You bet your sweet life that a new subdivision is going to include those costs in the house prices....
I take it you think Ecuador is a bastion of human rights in an otherwise benighted world?
If so, you might want to learn a little more about the country....
and...
seem to suggest that Anonymous has been shut down. Or is Anonymous acting for some other reason than "can't get laid, so might as well..."?
And the answer is...
None! We're not even talking enough laser to blind someone at that range, much less vaporize something/someone....
Well, you had me up till this. No BEER??? Might as well be dead....
First thing I thought of when I read this was "How much are they actually bottling every year?
The answer turned out to be about 80 million gallons per year.
Out of the seven billion gallons used for one thing or another in CA every year. So, 1.15% is used by Nestle? Some of which is drunk in CA, so the amount lost to CA is less than that...
If CA is short a percent or two in its water supply, Nestle might be a big deal. Otherwise, it's meaningless....
Other than the problem that few desserts are big enough, what's the problem there? I mean, a good peach cobbler has plenty of water to grow crops in, assuming it was big enough....
The matter of the extradition treaty between UK & Sweden preventing further extradition sounds like a matter for a court in Sweden to decide.
So it looks like OP was correct, extradition to the USA would need a court's approval, and that court would be the one in Sweden....
For the Americans reading the above, replace the word "elk" with "moose". European elk is NOT the same as American elk (wapiti)....
There's something to this claim. The power electric companies traditionally have control over all inputs to the system. Home solar changes that.
Unfortunately, the power company is still expected to make sure that the power comes in at the right voltage and frequency. And with control on only part of the inputs, that's a lot harder. The fewer inputs they control, the harder...
Theoretically, you can design a control system that'll handle the problem. But, so far, noone has bothered to, because noone's had a need to. As solar becomes more common that'll change, and the problems will go away.
One part of the problem is NOT going to go away however - they have to pay to maintain the lines. Right now, that cost if covered by your electric bills. As the amount of electricity you draw from their generators goes down, they're going to reach the point of needing to charge you a flat fee just for the connection to the power lines, plus the usual fees for actually using their electricity.
Im my personal experience, SUV's only exist because of CAFE - back when it was put in place, a station wagon couldn't be built that met the mileage requirements, so they started doing SUV's (which got to use the truck mileage requirements) for people who needed more space than a sedan (having grown up in a family with three kids and two dogs, I fully appreciate that your average sedan isn't suitable for some families)...
Note that now that we have considerably more fuel efficient engines, full-grown SUV's are becoming rarer. Unfortunately, slowly, since cars also last much longer, so the existing ones aren't going to be on the road a long time.
Last few decades???
IN case you were unaware, the FBI handles kidnapping. Why? Because 80-odd years ago, Herbert Hoover decided the FBI needed some good publicity, and could get it with the Lindbergh kidnapping.
IOW, fiefdom building has been going on forever - all it takes is a chance to get a bigger budget if you do something special....
This applies equally well if you replace the word "corporate" with "government".
Or do you really believe that the guys with the $4T budget are less of a problem than the guys whose budget is measured in billions?
Well, actually USS America had been decommissioned after 30 years of service, and been mothballed for the ten years previous to her sinking.
Note that the reason it was decommissioned early was DoD budget cuts - it costs a lot to keep a carrier plus its airgroup operational, even ignoring the required escorts. And America was the most expendable carrier, since it was the only non-nuclear carrier left - fuel oil isn't cheap.
Oh, and note also that it did NOT have diesel engines. Old-fashioned steam turbines on that one...
Of course, China, Iran and Russia execute way more people than the US too. Perhaps part of the reason their incarceration rates are lower is that execution eliminates the need for incarceration.
Why should the math be towing the groupthink? Can't the groupthink move on its own?
Or did you mean "toe the groupthink" as in "toe the line". No, that expression isn't about pulling barges, it's about standing in the right place in a formation....
Specifically, from a starting height of 50 feet, and a starting velocity of 50 mph downward, it would require a net acceleration of ~16.5 m/s^2 to come to a stop at ground level.
Since a single (much less nine) Merlin engine can manage 654 kN thrust at sealevel, and a (nearly) empty Falcon 9 first stage masses under 20000 kg, a Falcon first stage is capable of >32.7 m/s^2 acceleration (assuming only one engine burning, of course). Which is more than plenty to allow it to come to a stop on the ground from the estimated speed/height of the OP....