Thanks to all who replied with the information. I guess norms vary around the country. I think ZIP+4 plus a database run by a clearinghouse would cover it, but possibly not. Hopefully all would agree that there ought to be a clearinghouse to serve small businesses. I really don't think this has to be a major problem *IF* it is organized right.
Sounds like some enterprising person could establish a business with an address in another state that would act as your shipping address (which I'm sure is how they figure out whether to collect the tax) and then forward packages on to residents of Indiana. It would only be viable for expensive items, but it'd probably be worthwhile enough of the time.
It's a great idea, but I'm afraid this business would immediately get shut down as a fraud. Somebody who is not the buyer effectively posing as the buyer would be frowned upon.
The first objection, that a taxing area may span multiple zip codes, is no objection at all. Knowledge of customer zip code would still tell you all you need to know about how much to tax a customer.
The second objection, that one zip code may cover multiple taxing areas, is more serious. However, I tend to doubt that there is any example of it. Can you cite one? It just wouldn't make sense, since it would basically make all mail order impossible to conduct.
In any case, as you point out, every individual small business cannot be expected to have access to the tax code for every tax code for the country. I don't think they would have to. A business or businesses would spring up to take care of this for them. A subscription web site, where you just enter a zip code and a product price and category, and it will spit out the tax for you, and in fact take your tax payment information on the spot and arrange tax payments from your account to all the appropriate jurisdictions at the prescribed intervals. I don't want to minimize the complexity, but a subscription service can certainly handle this with minimum hassle to the subscribing businesses.
They could actually do rather better than 35 wpm in WW II. The Kurier system for automated burst transmission of morse from U-boats could transmit an entire message of 7 letters of data in 454 ms including lead-in. That works out to about 185 wpm. Ordinary 45.45-50 baud RTTY used by all the combatants as routine was at least 80-90 wpm (they used 5 bits per character plus some overhead to shift between character sets).
First, you must surely understand that just because the Constitution ALLOWS the government to do X, does not make it ESSENTIAL that X be done?
Much more significantly, do you think it is just possible that Run Paul is not, in fact, "against enacting ANY private business regulation" [emphasis added]? I do.
The reason thorium technology has been mostly ignored is not mysterious; it is mostly that it is pretty useless for nuclear weapons production, and because 40 years ago idiots decided uranium technology in the form of BWRs and PWRs was "good enough" and practically stopped what was very promising research at that time.
The advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactors are so compelling that until everyone agrees "we have put $100 billion dollars into R&D and failed to make it work", it should be very high priority NOW.
INHERENT safety Abundant and low cost fuel Much more manageable waste reprocessing
Knud Haakonssen has noted that, by the Renaissance, Europe was divided with those states controlled by a landed elite being monarchies and those controlled by a commercial elite being republics.
Well... I thought I made it clear that our imports do not in fact come mostly from Canada and Mexico. Not unless you define 39% of imports as "mostly."
I'd agree it is insane and infuriating that we export fuel to Asia. The argument is that the way trade routes function, it is a net benefit to us.
It's depressing in general tone, but I wouldn't say in general that having empires fade away is necessarily a BAD thing. Not if you have republics rise in their place. That was more or less what "Foundation" was about.
I think he's saying, fuck it, in that event let the crew evacuate and let it melt down and to hell with it. Just leave it entombed well underground. I would assume he's not thinking of three feet of earth here, but REALLY WELL underground. That's not too different from what was done with underground nuclear tests. Believe me, the pressure due to a melted down nuclear reactor is not even close to the pressure of an exploding nuclear weapon, and that was pretty fully contained, so what do you think the problem would be.
You need an analysis to prove this either way, but I would suggest that the added cost of building underground would not be prohibitive (heck, the Iranians are doing it). The added cost per plant would probably be less unfavorable than having one above ground disaster out of every few hundred or so above-ground plants.
I would suggest that the only real issue would be ground water contamination in the threat of a contained disaster, and I am not minimizing that. It has to be shown one way or another to be not a major factor in any such installation.
Care to show me an active, commercial scale Thorium based reactor? There aren't any.
See, that's the difference between your view and mine. You seem to be saying that's a reason to write off thorium. But it makes me say, what is wrong with the establishment for not aggressively developing thorium technology. The time is coming, not all that far off, when uranium fuel for nuclear power will run out. At that point, you can either have no nuclear energy, or you can be sure to be well ready with thorium based designs (or possibly fusion, but nobody has any solutions how to do that).
Slashdot Mirror
Incorrect.
If 70% more power draw than an iPhone 4S playing back 720p was "comparable", I might be impressed.
Thanks to all who replied with the information. I guess norms vary around the country. I think ZIP+4 plus a database run by a clearinghouse would cover it, but possibly not. Hopefully all would agree that there ought to be a clearinghouse to serve small businesses. I really don't think this has to be a major problem *IF* it is organized right.
Sounds like some enterprising person could establish a business with an address in another state that would act as your shipping address (which I'm sure is how they figure out whether to collect the tax) and then forward packages on to residents of Indiana. It would only be viable for expensive items, but it'd probably be worthwhile enough of the time.
It's a great idea, but I'm afraid this business would immediately get shut down as a fraud. Somebody who is not the buyer effectively posing as the buyer would be frowned upon.
The first objection, that a taxing area may span multiple zip codes, is no objection at all. Knowledge of customer zip code would still tell you all you need to know about how much to tax a customer.
The second objection, that one zip code may cover multiple taxing areas, is more serious. However, I tend to doubt that there is any example of it. Can you cite one? It just wouldn't make sense, since it would basically make all mail order impossible to conduct.
In any case, as you point out, every individual small business cannot be expected to have access to the tax code for every tax code for the country. I don't think they would have to. A business or businesses would spring up to take care of this for them. A subscription web site, where you just enter a zip code and a product price and category, and it will spit out the tax for you, and in fact take your tax payment information on the spot and arrange tax payments from your account to all the appropriate jurisdictions at the prescribed intervals. I don't want to minimize the complexity, but a subscription service can certainly handle this with minimum hassle to the subscribing businesses.
The article says "The high-definition video shows the iPad falling from a height of 100,000 feet (30,480 meters)".
Not a ridiculously unsophisticated UAV system, anyway.
They could actually do rather better than 35 wpm in WW II. The Kurier system for automated burst transmission of morse from U-boats could transmit an entire message of 7 letters of data in 454 ms including lead-in. That works out to about 185 wpm. Ordinary 45.45-50 baud RTTY used by all the combatants as routine was at least 80-90 wpm (they used 5 bits per character plus some overhead to shift between character sets).
30,500 meters is NOT space, and falling from stationary at 30,500 meters is nothing at all like re-entering from REAL space at full orbital velocity.
If you don't think that seeing to good government is worth concerning yourself with, may I suggest that you not vote. The rest of us care.
First, you must surely understand that just because the Constitution ALLOWS the government to do X, does not make it ESSENTIAL that X be done?
Much more significantly, do you think it is just possible that Run Paul is not, in fact, "against enacting ANY private business regulation" [emphasis added]? I do.
The reason thorium technology has been mostly ignored is not mysterious; it is mostly that it is pretty useless for nuclear weapons production, and because 40 years ago idiots decided uranium technology in the form of BWRs and PWRs was "good enough" and practically stopped what was very promising research at that time.
The advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactors are so compelling that until everyone agrees "we have put $100 billion dollars into R&D and failed to make it work", it should be very high priority NOW.
INHERENT safety
Abundant and low cost fuel
Much more manageable waste reprocessing
Knud Haakonssen has noted that, by the Renaissance, Europe was divided with those states controlled by a landed elite being monarchies and those controlled by a commercial elite being republics.
Is a multi millenium age with despotic rule so bright?
Mod parent up informative and insightful.
Re-read it.
American's are alway cleaning up the mess made by others. hopefully one day someone will clean up after us American's
Hopefully America could one day clean up just one hellish mess that we generate ourselves.
Agree entirely. Knee-jerk pro-nuke polyannas are just as witless and unhelpful as anti-nuke chicken littles.
I doubt if the guy ever worked for NASA. Risk assessment for Airbus maybe.
Well ... I thought I made it clear that our imports do not in fact come mostly from Canada and Mexico. Not unless you define 39% of imports as "mostly."
I'd agree it is insane and infuriating that we export fuel to Asia. The argument is that the way trade routes function, it is a net benefit to us.
It's depressing in general tone, but I wouldn't say in general that having empires fade away is necessarily a BAD thing. Not if you have republics rise in their place. That was more or less what "Foundation" was about.
I think he's saying, fuck it, in that event let the crew evacuate and let it melt down and to hell with it. Just leave it entombed well underground. I would assume he's not thinking of three feet of earth here, but REALLY WELL underground. That's not too different from what was done with underground nuclear tests. Believe me, the pressure due to a melted down nuclear reactor is not even close to the pressure of an exploding nuclear weapon, and that was pretty fully contained, so what do you think the problem would be.
You need an analysis to prove this either way, but I would suggest that the added cost of building underground would not be prohibitive (heck, the Iranians are doing it). The added cost per plant would probably be less unfavorable than having one above ground disaster out of every few hundred or so above-ground plants.
I would suggest that the only real issue would be ground water contamination in the threat of a contained disaster, and I am not minimizing that. It has to be shown one way or another to be not a major factor in any such installation.
See, that's the difference between your view and mine. You seem to be saying that's a reason to write off thorium. But it makes me say, what is wrong with the establishment for not aggressively developing thorium technology. The time is coming, not all that far off, when uranium fuel for nuclear power will run out. At that point, you can either have no nuclear energy, or you can be sure to be well ready with thorium based designs (or possibly fusion, but nobody has any solutions how to do that).
Yeah, let's just forget about the key reason why wind power can never form the bulk of power generating capacity. Hell, who cares about facts.
I tend to doubt the truth of the actual wording is any less stupid than it sounds like from the summary.
Bravo for this series of quotes! Thank you.