Because I have similar issues like the parent posters, but it wasn't theft or burglery but assault and attempted murder.
I won't go into the boring details but I've since come to the conclusion that the police are operating on a market economy.
In any market economy you minimize your risks and maximize your income. The police are doing this when they spend most of their time handing out traffic tickets and avoiding burglers, murderers and others.
Traffic tickets are low risk and high income. Going after real criminals means no income and a pretty high level of risk.
The problem is figuring out how to change this without being labeled as "anti-police".
Feynman can speak for himself. He was a brilliant man, but by his own characterization, what does he know about the sociology of scientists?
Or, in other words, I'll acknowledge Feynman's brilliance long enough to use his quote against him. Then I'll dismiss his point completely without further reflection.
I'm not a biologist. But I know that biologists have this problem knocked. Why? Because I've talked to them, and read their articles. Unless you suppose that my education is not sufficient to enable me to understand things that I read and hear.
Oh, you've talked with all of them? Or is it a significant portion? You've done a thorough research of the relevant literature and based upon your training you've come to the conclusion that the assertions of someone who's probably written more peer-reviewed literature on the subject than you have is full of crap because of his stance on nuclear disarmament? I believe that this fully qualifies as a non sequitur.
And apparently, your education is not sufficient to tell the difference between the possessive "your" and the contraction "you're", so any aspersions you might want to cast on my intellect and education are immediately suspect.
Ah, your statement with the most substance, obviously.
Now I have a better understanding of the depth of your understanding and criticism of Sagan's Mars jars experiments.
To the degree that they are capable of anticipating the consequences of their actions or inaction.
Coupled with their ability to control their impulses and by that I don't mean simply supressing them but also harnessing them.
E.g., I know I get a lot of good ideas when I take a shower while thinking about problems. So if I need to boost my creativity I'll take a shower.
Because free will means that human choice and judgement determines each individual's actions. Randomness means that pure chance determines it. See the difference?
Since the Bush Administration and the Republican dominated Congress has managed to outspend every liberal administration/Congress since the beginning of the twentieth century.
But you go right ahead and keep the faith. Obviously reality isn't bothering you enough to change your thinking.
Well I guess I'll have to spell it out for you because it seems your having some problems.
The implied argument in the original post was that the "evil" government was corrupting Boeing and Lockheed with inefficiency and stupidity.
It's the same old tired canard that gets trotted out whenever NASA gets discussed on Slashdot. The lame and unproven catechism that "market forces insure accountability and efficiency no matter what the size of the organization" that sophmoric libertarians like to recite.
It's patently false as solid research has shown. But gee, I only teach graduate level classes in the sociology of organization and have spent a dozen years doing on site research in the subject so what would I know compared to some Slashdottie?
Problems like the original grandpost cited are endemic to ALL large organizations, public (i.e., governmental) or private. Hence why I stated that once Armadillo becomes as large as Boeing they will have the same types of problems.
As far as the rest of your argument is concerned, let me give you a ticket for the clue train kiddo, Armadilo hasn't launched a single vehicle let alone won the X-prize!.
All they've done so far are tests on the rocket system's components. They HAVE NOT HAD A SINGLE INTEGRATION TEST yet. But Boeing, Lockheed and NASA have all had hundreds of successful flights BEYOND THE GOALS OF THE X-PRIZE.
When Robert Zubrin puts humans on Mars and brings them home for $10 billion then I'll believe you.
Otherwise your operating on nothing more than religious faith and blowing a lot of smoke.
I have control over the government to the extent that my complaints about spying etc. are listen to and acted upon.
I.e.,, I have the RIGHT to PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES. Something as a "consumer" I cannot do.
I can submit bills to become law, that includes getting my money back from SS, if I and others think that's a good idea. Or I can submit a bill that allows myself and others to invest money that otherwise would have gone into SS into the stockmarket.
I have the right TO BECOME THE GOVERNMENT by holding public office. Thus I can change whether or not any money is "squandered".
I cannot do this unilaterally, just by myself with no one elses involvement, and that's probably what your confusing with "freedom".
However democracy (or democratic republicanism if your a hairsplitting sophmoric geek), requires working with others, compromising if necessary, and acting with more than one's own interests in mind.
Petulent spoiled children can't tolerate doing this so they prefer the tiny sandbox called "the market" where they can be "free" to indulge in the choices that others have chosen to offer them.
That isn't freedom because it doesn't give you the power to create, only the power to refuse. Democracy, on the other hand, does give you the power to create. To create a new social order limited only by your imagination and your willingness to share.
about welfare, social security, and other similar programs? Isn't that giving up "freedom" for "safety"? You're merely socializing programs (giving them to the government, therefore giving up your freedom to control them)
I lose no freedoms as a citizen of a democratic republic because I retain control over those things.
Are you seriously so stupid that you cannot realize that you also "give up freedom" when you turn over control to a private organization (company or corporation)?
As a citizen I have rights. As a "consumer" I have none, save to buy or to sell.
I'll take being a citizen over being a "consumer" any day.
Some German communists (the United Workers' Party of Germany), before Marx had died, decided to create a program of what they felt were the points that Marx was trying to get across. They coined the term, "Marxist" and called their program, "The Gotha Program".
Karl Marx read it and wrote a scathing criticism that included such points as, "What I meant for government is a democratic republic" and "They call for abolution of profit? Of course there will still be profit in a communist system!" and most famously, "If this is what is called Marxism then one thing for sure, I am not a Marxist!"
Slashdot Mirror
If you don't agree with it then post a reasonable argument against it.
Here is a list of the "irregularities".
* In the last election of the parliment, 8 legislators were allowed to take seats on a plurality, rather than having the required runoff.
* When Aristide last ran, the opposition boycotted the election, largely because they knew that Aristide would get over 60% no matter who they ran.
You have to remember that the Neocons HATE Aristide. They prefer the more palely complected elites.
Add to that the fact that Aristide brought in Cuban doctors and nurses (our foreign aid never got a signature on the check), and he's the next Castro.
In a lot of the country, there are more Cuban than Hatian doctors.
You can figure that the first thing that will happen now that the marines are in is that the Cubans will be sent home, and the clinics closed.
After all, who cares that the "riff raff" (Bob "I'm a traitor" Novak's term) die?
The privilige of the pale elite of Haiti must be preserved.
It's because Jeb Bush doesn't want to deal with the Haitian refugees that would appear on Florida's shores.
Don't believe me? Stand out there in the field while I revv the engine...
Give me Korn shell or give me death!
Because I have similar issues like the parent posters, but it wasn't theft or burglery but assault and attempted murder.
I won't go into the boring details but I've since come to the conclusion that the police are operating on a market economy.
In any market economy you minimize your risks and maximize your income. The police are doing this when they spend most of their time handing out traffic tickets and avoiding burglers, murderers and others.
Traffic tickets are low risk and high income. Going after real criminals means no income and a pretty high level of risk.
The problem is figuring out how to change this without being labeled as "anti-police".
As Calvin Coolidge stated, "The business of America is business." The American government and the press have ALWAYS catered to the business class.
Ironically, your last sentence was almost word-for-word what I used to say as well!
Grape mimes stink alright, I guess! :p
Now I have a better understanding of the depth of your understanding and criticism of Sagan's Mars jars experiments.
As Richard Feynman used to say, "Scientists are no better outside their area of specialization than amateurs."
But as Thomas Paine said, "To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead."
To the degree that they are capable of anticipating the consequences of their actions or inaction. Coupled with their ability to control their impulses and by that I don't mean simply supressing them but also harnessing them. E.g., I know I get a lot of good ideas when I take a shower while thinking about problems. So if I need to boost my creativity I'll take a shower.
But then again, maybe you were just trying to be ironic?
Because free will means that human choice and judgement determines each individual's actions. Randomness means that pure chance determines it. See the difference?
Secondly, why is information being preserved considered a good thing?
I would think, from the perspective of human free will, that we would want information to be creatable and destroyable.
Otherwise we're stuck with determinism running the universe. And no, quantum randomness DOES NOT allow for free will.
Quite the contrary, it just substitutes statistical determinism for classical determinism. That isn't a solution.
Murphons are failure particles that radiate from certain individuals. They were named after Captain Murphy of "Murphy's Law" fame.
Thank god I grew up!
But you go right ahead and keep the faith. Obviously reality isn't bothering you enough to change your thinking.
Well I guess I'll have to spell it out for you because it seems your having some problems.
The implied argument in the original post was that the "evil" government was corrupting Boeing and Lockheed with inefficiency and stupidity.
It's the same old tired canard that gets trotted out whenever NASA gets discussed on Slashdot. The lame and unproven catechism that "market forces insure accountability and efficiency no matter what the size of the organization" that sophmoric libertarians like to recite.
It's patently false as solid research has shown. But gee, I only teach graduate level classes in the sociology of organization and have spent a dozen years doing on site research in the subject so what would I know compared to some Slashdottie?
Problems like the original grandpost cited are endemic to ALL large organizations, public (i.e., governmental) or private. Hence why I stated that once Armadillo becomes as large as Boeing they will have the same types of problems.
As far as the rest of your argument is concerned, let me give you a ticket for the clue train kiddo, Armadilo hasn't launched a single vehicle let alone won the X-prize!.
All they've done so far are tests on the rocket system's components. They HAVE NOT HAD A SINGLE INTEGRATION TEST yet. But Boeing, Lockheed and NASA have all had hundreds of successful flights BEYOND THE GOALS OF THE X-PRIZE.
When Robert Zubrin puts humans on Mars and brings them home for $10 billion then I'll believe you.
Otherwise your operating on nothing more than religious faith and blowing a lot of smoke.
I.e.,, I have the RIGHT to PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES. Something as a "consumer" I cannot do.
I can submit bills to become law, that includes getting my money back from SS, if I and others think that's a good idea. Or I can submit a bill that allows myself and others to invest money that otherwise would have gone into SS into the stockmarket.
I have the right TO BECOME THE GOVERNMENT by holding public office. Thus I can change whether or not any money is "squandered".
I cannot do this unilaterally, just by myself with no one elses involvement, and that's probably what your confusing with "freedom".
However democracy (or democratic republicanism if your a hairsplitting sophmoric geek), requires working with others, compromising if necessary, and acting with more than one's own interests in mind.
Petulent spoiled children can't tolerate doing this so they prefer the tiny sandbox called "the market" where they can be "free" to indulge in the choices that others have chosen to offer them.
That isn't freedom because it doesn't give you the power to create, only the power to refuse. Democracy, on the other hand, does give you the power to create. To create a new social order limited only by your imagination and your willingness to share.
Are you seriously so stupid that you cannot realize that you also "give up freedom" when you turn over control to a private organization (company or corporation)?
As a citizen I have rights. As a "consumer" I have none, save to buy or to sell.
I'll take being a citizen over being a "consumer" any day.
Can I show you my hard drive? It's hugh! ;-)
It's the size of the organization and not because they're associated with the "evil government".
That attitude is nothing more than superstition.
Karl Marx read it and wrote a scathing criticism that included such points as, "What I meant for government is a democratic republic" and "They call for abolution of profit? Of course there will still be profit in a communist system!" and most famously, "If this is what is called Marxism then one thing for sure, I am not a Marxist!"