I saw your disgusting Flash presentation, what a load of bull. Under Saddam:
1. An average of *150* Iraqis died every DAY in his torture prisons (most after lengthy stays),
2. Wages were a fraction of what they are now,
3. Fewer people had basic services like electricity and running water,
4. Political dissent was brutally repressed (usually by raping, then torturing, then murdering entire families right in front of each other),
5. Terrorists were harbored and their families paid off when they died in a suicide bombing.
For liberals like you these facts never enter into your reasoning because blind hatred of President Bush trumps all. This is the same conflict we had during the Cold War, liberals afraid to be agressive or outright sympathetic to the enemy, versus conservatives who actually fight to win.
We cannot win the War on Wahhabism on the defensive, going after funding and arresting the occasional terrorist. These things are symptoms. The disease is corrupt dictators and the thug culture they promote or are unwilling to control; free people don't tolerate these kind of leaders much less indoctrination of their children by murderous animals. Treat the symptoms, sure, but the primary preoccupation has to be curing the disease. In your presentation you ask 'for what?' The answer is to break the cycle of break the cycle of murder, opression, indoctrination, and terrorism by taking power away from the Wahhabists and giving it back to the silent majority. But we will be successful in spite of the constant pessimism and shortsightedness!
What is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration doing spending huge sums studying water? Should every bit of this money go to getting us to MARS?
Google doesn't produce anything useful for "commercial commune" or "commercialist commune." I'd like to see if these are really 'communes' in the way most people understand them, and whether they last.
On the first point, this is true, but if net productivity goes up, then what happens in between doesn't matter that much. The same thing applies with jobs. We've been losing hundreds of thousands of jobs every year for the last century, however we usually gain even more than that each year. So while the effect hurts in the short run, moving people and resources around is essential for long term growth.
On the second, I think you're not taking into account our much increased life spans, personal luxuries like air conditioning, entertainment, better food, etc., and advancement of technology and the human race. In fact, life itself IS much easier for from even a century ago. Toiling on a farm 14 hours a day is a lot worst than what I do. Heck, 200 years ago kids were getting married in their early teens. A major issue today is bored teenagers getting into trouble, teens who back then would have already had responsibility of a modern 30 year old.
probably true, because most other industrialized countries in the world very heavily subsidize their farmers as well. This is why getting rid of subsidies is so difficult politically.
Well, we could start a commune. Seriously. I know that's kind of a linux hippie kind of thing to say, but I don't think there's anything inherrently wrong with communism, or any other form of government, really. It's simply in how it's managed.
I think a form of government that has been tried over 300 times in the last several hundred years and failed every single time has probably been 'managed' about every conceivable way possible. Get over it dude, it ain't ever gonna work!;)
I assume it's the delete[] that is needed right? Not having done C++ in 5 years (Clarion now), the destructor thing would have thrown me and and the unsafe cast may have thrown me. The second problem is trivial of course.
I don't think you got my point at all. In China, all these big projects are oriented toward a common goal, the enhancement of the state, because the state wants it that way and anyone opposing these initiatives is murdered, imprisoned, or crushed financially. The state sees economic strength as enhancing it's own power so it forces companies to take on long term projects with guarantees and massive resources given by the state. It is the STATE who is really running the show, not those managers you talk about. If Chinese companies were free of state control, they would be unable to coordinate all aspects of society like they do on these long term nationalism building exercises.
Now this does not excuse our companies from failing to set long term goals, but it does mean you can't fairly compare the scope of their goals with China's. In fact, in our system the government actively works *against* long term planning by companies with labor laws that destroy flexibility required to endure bumps in a long road, and price caps on (for instance) miracle drugs that cost a billion dollars apiece to develop and bring to market, making it impossible to recuperate their investment in the long term.
'The Big Boys' here in America are limited by a little something called 'law.' The fascists rulers of China are not. They do anything they want, create incredibly long term plans, w/o the worry of a future administration undoing things, the legislature diluting or twisting things around, or any form of opposition. The stars essentially line up on every decision you make.
The largest corporations have a little more control over long term plans. But, they don't have resources remotely like a government, are still constrained by a rule of law, strict ethical limitations, heavy regulation, and impatient shareholders.
China, a fascist military dicatorship, does not want any external dependencies, and is constantly trying to move everything 'in-house,' while using their massive 'market-share' to bully others into extremely unfair trade agreements.
What is so scary is that China has 1.3 BILLION employees who can't quit, operates under no law other than what it makes for itself, and has the world's largest massive military. In fact, the whole country is run by and for the military.
Don't you see what is happening? They are consolidating their position, just like Japan in the 1940s, getting ready to pounce. God help the world when they do.
Well, he naively assumes the best in dictatorships, that what happens in China has anything to do with the people. This is like the liberal argument on Iraq before the war that "Why should we tell them how to run their country?" Of course, that assumes the people of Iraq had any say in the issue. The truth was the Iraqi people wanted Freedom, yet the only voice coming out of Iraq was that of the dictatorship.
He's speaking in terms of the way markets work
Are you making exactly same error as the original poster, assuming that 'the market' is the dominant driving force in the Chinese economy? It's not, the glorification and the will of the State is. A conservative IS a person who understands market forces, but we're also more realistic about the perverting effect a totalitarian political system has.
Jeez dude, you're definitely correct but saying the way you do is incredibly un-tactful (is that a word?) and offensive. "pathetic attempts at thought?" Calm the hell down!
All you can do with violence is breed more of it and hold it at bay
Hahaha! So installing a democracy in the place of a dictatorship cannot work if the catalyst is violence?? In that case, every single democracy in the world today is an illusion, and we're not really having this discussion! This must be the Matrix!
Man you anti-any-war wackos are great entertainment.
I personally rather spend that money on creating a better world, by spreading Peace and Democracy than some abstract research project that will do very little to improve the lives of actual people.
Oh how naive. I look at porn because I like watching lots of young hotties getting their brains fucked out. It has NOTHING to do with it being forbidden.
And it's not just a few 'naked' women, those sites are rare. Virtually all porn sites are hardcore are as accessible as naked-only sites.
I seem to recall centuries of Crusades and burnings at the stake in Europe/Asia.
1. China is huge and incredibly populous, and has an incredibly good education system (low standards do not serve the state), NO ethical limitations of any kind on any kind of scientists.
2. Individualism has been systematically erased in China over the past 50 years of Communist and now Fascist rule, replaced by an incredibly potent nationalism.
3. The "People's Army" IS the government.
4. The Chinese people have been bought off by promises of economic prosperity and the return of national glory, as a replacement for political freedom. They cannot keep up this forever, at some point 'expansion' will become necessary to keep the people satiated. God help us all then.
Part of their reserves came from savings, sure, but I'm sure the vast majority of money they have 'saved' over the years has gone right back into investment, r&d, and business expansion. In fact, a large cushion reduces the need to downsize in bad economics times, a definite plus for their employees. It also allows a company to plan much further ahead, knowing that bumps in the road can be safely ignored. A company with no reserves cannot afford to take chances, invest in anything new, and is one the brink of firing all its employees!
Like all productivity gains, they'll spend the money on new equipment, new r&d, expansion of their business, etc., which eventually means more employees. Which is a very good thing.
Because they know there is no evidence supporting the idea of 'global warming' as a result of human activities. Politicians don't dare speak up against environmentalist dogma, but they are even more afraid of devastating their economies. So, they give Kyoto great lip service while making sure behind the scenes not enough countries will ever sign the treaty to cause it to go in effect.
This is a *dangerous* balancing act! Just a few weeks ago Russia, after claiming they supported and would sign Kyoto, decided to come clean claiming their climate scientists had strong doubts about the scientific basis of Kyoto and therefor Russian would not ratify Kyoto. Russia's signature would have pushed Kyoto over the threshold, putting Kyoto into effect.
Russia may have dodged the bullet, but eventually enough other countries may sign on to get Kyoto right up to the brink, then it will be a matter of the right combination of 'financial aid,' official bribes, and political pressure on that last small country to push it over!
Slashdot Mirror
Yet another intellectual argument by a hate filled Dean supporter.
NetMeeting is an optional component. And at a tiny 2.5MB, it makes perfect sense to include it in the default install.
This has already been tried in Athens. It's called mob rule and it sucks.
I saw your disgusting Flash presentation, what a load of bull. Under Saddam:
1. An average of *150* Iraqis died every DAY in his torture prisons (most after lengthy stays),
2. Wages were a fraction of what they are now,
3. Fewer people had basic services like electricity and running water,
4. Political dissent was brutally repressed (usually by raping, then torturing, then murdering entire families right in front of each other),
5. Terrorists were harbored and their families paid off when they died in a suicide bombing.
For liberals like you these facts never enter into your reasoning because blind hatred of President Bush trumps all. This is the same conflict we had during the Cold War, liberals afraid to be agressive or outright sympathetic to the enemy, versus conservatives who actually fight to win.
We cannot win the War on Wahhabism on the defensive, going after funding and arresting the occasional terrorist. These things are symptoms. The disease is corrupt dictators and the thug culture they promote or are unwilling to control; free people don't tolerate these kind of leaders much less indoctrination of their children by murderous animals. Treat the symptoms, sure, but the primary preoccupation has to be curing the disease. In your presentation you ask 'for what?' The answer is to break the cycle of break the cycle of murder, opression, indoctrination, and terrorism by taking power away from the Wahhabists and giving it back to the silent majority. But we will be successful in spite of the constant pessimism and shortsightedness!
What is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration doing spending huge sums studying water? Should every bit of this money go to getting us to MARS?
Google doesn't produce anything useful for "commercial commune" or "commercialist commune." I'd like to see if these are really 'communes' in the way most people understand them, and whether they last.
On the first point, this is true, but if net productivity goes up, then what happens in between doesn't matter that much. The same thing applies with jobs. We've been losing hundreds of thousands of jobs every year for the last century, however we usually gain even more than that each year. So while the effect hurts in the short run, moving people and resources around is essential for long term growth.
On the second, I think you're not taking into account our much increased life spans, personal luxuries like air conditioning, entertainment, better food, etc., and advancement of technology and the human race. In fact, life itself IS much easier for from even a century ago. Toiling on a farm 14 hours a day is a lot worst than what I do. Heck, 200 years ago kids were getting married in their early teens. A major issue today is bored teenagers getting into trouble, teens who back then would have already had responsibility of a modern 30 year old.
probably true, because most other industrialized countries in the world very heavily subsidize their farmers as well. This is why getting rid of subsidies is so difficult politically.
Well, we could start a commune. Seriously. I know that's kind of a linux hippie kind of thing to say, but I don't think there's anything inherrently wrong with communism, or any other form of government, really. It's simply in how it's managed.
;)
I think a form of government that has been tried over 300 times in the last several hundred years and failed every single time has probably been 'managed' about every conceivable way possible. Get over it dude, it ain't ever gonna work!
Oh Gawd, will the ignorance never end? Read this please:
"The Great Jobs Machine" (a NYTimes article w/ comments)
I assume it's the delete[] that is needed right? Not having done C++ in 5 years (Clarion now), the destructor thing would have thrown me and and the unsafe cast may have thrown me. The second problem is trivial of course.
I don't think you got my point at all. In China, all these big projects are oriented toward a common goal, the enhancement of the state, because the state wants it that way and anyone opposing these initiatives is murdered, imprisoned, or crushed financially. The state sees economic strength as enhancing it's own power so it forces companies to take on long term projects with guarantees and massive resources given by the state. It is the STATE who is really running the show, not those managers you talk about. If Chinese companies were free of state control, they would be unable to coordinate all aspects of society like they do on these long term nationalism building exercises.
Now this does not excuse our companies from failing to set long term goals, but it does mean you can't fairly compare the scope of their goals with China's. In fact, in our system the government actively works *against* long term planning by companies with labor laws that destroy flexibility required to endure bumps in a long road, and price caps on (for instance) miracle drugs that cost a billion dollars apiece to develop and bring to market, making it impossible to recuperate their investment in the long term.
'The Big Boys' here in America are limited by a little something called 'law.' The fascists rulers of China are not. They do anything they want, create incredibly long term plans, w/o the worry of a future administration undoing things, the legislature diluting or twisting things around, or any form of opposition. The stars essentially line up on every decision you make.
The largest corporations have a little more control over long term plans. But, they don't have resources remotely like a government, are still constrained by a rule of law, strict ethical limitations, heavy regulation, and impatient shareholders.
China is run like Microsoft.
China, a fascist military dicatorship, does not want any external dependencies, and is constantly trying to move everything 'in-house,' while using their massive 'market-share' to bully others into extremely unfair trade agreements.
What is so scary is that China has 1.3 BILLION employees who can't quit, operates under no law other than what it makes for itself, and has the world's largest massive military. In fact, the whole country is run by and for the military.
Don't you see what is happening? They are consolidating their position, just like Japan in the 1940s, getting ready to pounce. God help the world when they do.
What makes you think he is a liberal?
Well, he naively assumes the best in dictatorships, that what happens in China has anything to do with the people. This is like the liberal argument on Iraq before the war that "Why should we tell them how to run their country?" Of course, that assumes the people of Iraq had any say in the issue. The truth was the Iraqi people wanted Freedom, yet the only voice coming out of Iraq was that of the dictatorship.
He's speaking in terms of the way markets work
Are you making exactly same error as the original poster, assuming that 'the market' is the dominant driving force in the Chinese economy? It's not, the glorification and the will of the State is. A conservative IS a person who understands market forces, but we're also more realistic about the perverting effect a totalitarian political system has.
Jeez dude, you're definitely correct but saying the way you do is incredibly un-tactful (is that a word?) and offensive. "pathetic attempts at thought?" Calm the hell down!
All you can do with violence is breed more of it and hold it at bay
Hahaha! So installing a democracy in the place of a dictatorship cannot work if the catalyst is violence?? In that case, every single democracy in the world today is an illusion, and we're not really having this discussion! This must be the Matrix!
Man you anti-any-war wackos are great entertainment.
I personally rather spend that money on creating a better world, by spreading Peace and Democracy than some abstract research project that will do very little to improve the lives of actual people.
Oh how naive. I look at porn because I like watching lots of young hotties getting their brains fucked out. It has NOTHING to do with it being forbidden.
And it's not just a few 'naked' women, those sites are rare. Virtually all porn sites are hardcore are as accessible as naked-only sites.
I seem to recall centuries of Crusades and burnings at the stake in Europe/Asia.
1. China is huge and incredibly populous, and has an incredibly good education system (low standards do not serve the state), NO ethical limitations of any kind on any kind of scientists.
2. Individualism has been systematically erased in China over the past 50 years of Communist and now Fascist rule, replaced by an incredibly potent nationalism.
3. The "People's Army" IS the government.
4. The Chinese people have been bought off by promises of economic prosperity and the return of national glory, as a replacement for political freedom. They cannot keep up this forever, at some point 'expansion' will become necessary to keep the people satiated. God help us all then.
Excellent - it seems I'm reading more and more critical-of-SCO stuff these days. Just desserts, and all that :-)
OK, I gotta know, what in the hell is so 'Interesting' about this statement???
I bet both could dwarf SCO's lawyers in terms of raw intelligence.
Part of their reserves came from savings, sure, but I'm sure the vast majority of money they have 'saved' over the years has gone right back into investment, r&d, and business expansion. In fact, a large cushion reduces the need to downsize in bad economics times, a definite plus for their employees. It also allows a company to plan much further ahead, knowing that bumps in the road can be safely ignored. A company with no reserves cannot afford to take chances, invest in anything new, and is one the brink of firing all its employees!
Like all productivity gains, they'll spend the money on new equipment, new r&d, expansion of their business, etc., which eventually means more employees. Which is a very good thing.
Because they know there is no evidence supporting the idea of 'global warming' as a result of human activities. Politicians don't dare speak up against environmentalist dogma, but they are even more afraid of devastating their economies. So, they give Kyoto great lip service while making sure behind the scenes not enough countries will ever sign the treaty to cause it to go in effect.
This is a *dangerous* balancing act! Just a few weeks ago Russia, after claiming they supported and would sign Kyoto, decided to come clean claiming their climate scientists had strong doubts about the scientific basis of Kyoto and therefor Russian would not ratify Kyoto. Russia's signature would have pushed Kyoto over the threshold, putting Kyoto into effect.
Russia may have dodged the bullet, but eventually enough other countries may sign on to get Kyoto right up to the brink, then it will be a matter of the right combination of 'financial aid,' official bribes, and political pressure on that last small country to push it over!