Well, they did get rid of the Federal excise tax on long distance that funded the Spanish-American war. It only took them 104 years but hey, that's Government for you. If Obama's new taxes are repealed that fast they'll go away in 2110, so I really don't see what the big deal is -- James T. Kirk won't be paying this tax on his communicator;)
You are basically arguing the same old tired right wing arguement
Pointing out that the carriers will pass any increased costs onto consumers is "the same old tired right wing argument"? Ya know, you guys don't get to automatically dismiss any and all criticism of Obama using that line, right?
but it's worse, because the poor and the rich will pay the same amount.
Please explain to me why that's "worse". Do you honestly believe that the rich should pay more for cellular phone service just because they can? Do you also think that your phone company should get a copy of your W-2 so they can implement a progressive sliding scale of E-911 fees? Maybe SMS charges should be based on your income as well?
Do you really base your decisions on where you live based upon the caliber of politicians from that area? I hope you don't live in Illinois or Louisiana, Alaska doesn't have a monopoly on elective stupidity you know......
If the six months of darkness thing doesn't bother you then Alaska has a lot going for it. No income tax, distributions from the permanent fund, as little governmental interference in your life as possible while still living in the US, etc, etc.
I'm thinking Alaska is a better bet if you want to be left the hell alone than New Hampshire. New Hampshire is being overrun by Boston ex-pats and I question how much longer it's going to remain true to it's libertarian roots.
Why not move to sunny North Korea? We're always looking for talented people. Particularly engineers with detailed knowledge useful to our three main industries of Weapons Development (Defensive), Weapons Development (Offensive) and Weapons Development (James Bond villain).
PLEASE HELP ME I HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED AND FORCED TO WORK IN NORTH KOR*(&$&(*!(*@)(!}{{}#)_!)($#(@!NO CARRIER
i.e. enforcing trivial little rules like public disorder, congregation in public places, speeding, running red lights, by placing security cameras at every turn... and browsing through people's laptops at airports looking for files called "kiddy_porn.zip".
I won't argue with you on the cameras or congregation in public but I will speak out in favor of the police actually enforcing the traffic laws. The red light example sticks out in my mind because my area specifically doesn't allow red light cameras -- and everybody around here runs red rights. And by that I don't mean that it turns red as they hit the intersection (we've all done this) -- I mean it's been red or two or three seconds, is already green on the other side and they STILL blow through the intersection.
It's gotten to the point around here where if you don't run the red light then the two cars behind you will lay on the horn and start screaming at you. Personally I want to see our cops start enforcing red lights because it's a safety issue and it's just damn rude to place me at risk of being t-boned just so you can get to McDonalds 30 seconds faster.
Policing is now more than ever a "numbers game"... while the real criminals literally get away with murder.
As I tried to point out, the damage that idjits do when let loose in the woods is often going to be much more expensive than a well run catch-sterilize-release program. It isn't the 22LR casings they leave behind; it's the non-biodegradable garbage, the beer cans, and the ruts of their ATVs and motorcycles that cause long term costs.
But regardless I shall answer the question. For the same reason we can't just shoot people like you - many of us realise the value of life in even the most simple life forms.
I sure hope you are a vegan, otherwise this statement is laced with hypocrisy. Are American Alligators endangered? No? Then why isn't hunting an acceptable means of population control? It's acceptable to shoot white-tailed deer that don't attack humans but not acceptable to shoot reptiles that do? I'm confused.
I do know that neutering and releasing is an effective means of population reduction in some species. The neutered animals compete successfully for mating opportunities and the population's birth rate drops. This can be a more effective and lower cost mode of control than other interventions in some situations
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that a.22LR round costs less than capturing, neutering and releasing a member of an overpopulated species. What, we can't shoot them because they are cute?
Do you really miss being ~30 minutes from thermonuclear holocaust all the bloody time, just because they had cooler spaceships back then? Seriously?
Actually I preferred that to the situation we have now -- stateless actors with access to modern technology. Nuclear weapons aren't really that scary when you look at some of the advances in biotechnology and contemplate the fact that it's a lot easier to weaponize naturally occurring organisms than it is to get your hands on weapons grade plutonium. Anthrax exists in nature and resides on every continent. Pu-239 is a bit harder to come by.
Re:This too was foreseen
on
Designer Babies
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Ironically, those very same people who often chose abortion for convenience are the same people who will choose nanny state socialism (Democrats). If you cant understand the irony, it would just take too long to explain.
I do love that irony. Apparently the individual can be trusted to decide when to terminate a pregnancy but they can't be trusted to wear a seatbelt without laws mandating that they do so, handle a firearm safely, or decide what types of food/chemicals they want to ingest.
Wow, you just don't know what it is you are claiming do you? You made a blanket statement that "hate speech is not protected speech" and now seek to qualify it? AFAIK there is no law that says I can't verbally attack individuals -- provided I don't make threats against their person or property -- but if there is such a law I'd love for you to point it out to me. It might come in handy the next time someone cuts me off and calls me a "fucking asshole" on the drive to work;)
You failed to answer the question. Have you ever seen the KKK stage a rally? Ever seen the "God Hates Fags" crowd stage a rally? Pray tell, how is it that they do this if hate speech isn't protected?
Censorship is an act of whoever is trying to silence you. That could be the govt, it could be your telephone company, it could be your ISP or it could be your next-door neighbour.
The difference between the Government and your ISP is that your ISP doesn't actually have the ability to silence you. You can always find another ISP/gaming service/online forum. The Government on the other hand can lock you in pound-me-in-the-ass prison and throw away the key. As far as I'm aware Microsoft doesn't have that ability.
Further, getting ethanol higher than 90% is extremely expensive and typically requires adding toxic chemicals such as benzene..
Huh? I can buy a 750ml bottle of Everclear for $20. It's 95% ethanol and given that it's intended for consumption I'm guessing they didn't add any toxic chemicals to it.
Re:This too was foreseen
on
Designer Babies
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Freedom means putting up with shit you don't like.
Within reason. I don't have to put up with being raped. Society as a whole doesn't have to put up with embryos being aborted over hair/eye color if it deems it to be immoral. You really think this is going to fly?
Re:What's the big deal?
on
Designer Babies
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
This doesn't seem much more controversial than an abortion. (which, depending on the country, could be considered controversial) How is this unethical?
I consider myself a pretty die-hard pro-choicer but I'm extremely disturbed by the notion of aborting your embryo because it doesn't have the eye color you wanted.........
The only downside is that since it's from Sony, it installs a rootkit on your cellphone that keeps you from copying pictures you take on it to your computer...
I believe that Verizon Wireless already has prior art on that one;)
Don't be disingenuous. "Need" was your word, not mine.
My original question was why a 14 year old needs a blackberry. You responded with a list of features supported by the blackberry without explaining why your 14 year old needs those features. Personally I'm skeptical that a teenager needs anything more complicated than a prepaid phone to call home should an emergency arise.
Throwing out a technically incorrect term and then pouncing on it after I let it slide is a really nerdy, socially inept thing to do
"Need" is a technically incorrect term?
Not the way to impress the girls.
I don't need to impress the girls, because A) I've already got one, B) Most of the "girls" on/. are lonely male geeks pretending to be female;)
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But have you ever known a stealth tax to go down?
Well, they did get rid of the Federal excise tax on long distance that funded the Spanish-American war. It only took them 104 years but hey, that's Government for you. If Obama's new taxes are repealed that fast they'll go away in 2110, so I really don't see what the big deal is -- James T. Kirk won't be paying this tax on his communicator ;)
You are basically arguing the same old tired right wing arguement
Pointing out that the carriers will pass any increased costs onto consumers is "the same old tired right wing argument"? Ya know, you guys don't get to automatically dismiss any and all criticism of Obama using that line, right?
but it's worse, because the poor and the rich will pay the same amount.
Please explain to me why that's "worse". Do you honestly believe that the rich should pay more for cellular phone service just because they can? Do you also think that your phone company should get a copy of your W-2 so they can implement a progressive sliding scale of E-911 fees? Maybe SMS charges should be based on your income as well?
Do you really base your decisions on where you live based upon the caliber of politicians from that area? I hope you don't live in Illinois or Louisiana, Alaska doesn't have a monopoly on elective stupidity you know......
If the six months of darkness thing doesn't bother you then Alaska has a lot going for it. No income tax, distributions from the permanent fund, as little governmental interference in your life as possible while still living in the US, etc, etc.
Surely there must be some legal logic behind it, since no other sort of logic can provide an explanation for their existence.
Your assuming logic and the Government go hand in hand?
My contempt for the behavior and beliefs of the two major political parties cannot be adequately expressed in 120 chara
You need >120 characters to say "fuck them"? ;)
Or New Hampshire. [freestateproject.org]
I'm thinking Alaska is a better bet if you want to be left the hell alone than New Hampshire. New Hampshire is being overrun by Boston ex-pats and I question how much longer it's going to remain true to it's libertarian roots.
Why not move to sunny North Korea? We're always looking for talented people. Particularly engineers with detailed knowledge useful to our three main industries of Weapons Development (Defensive), Weapons Development (Offensive) and Weapons Development (James Bond villain).
PLEASE HELP ME I HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED AND FORCED TO WORK IN NORTH KOR*(&$&(*!(*@)(!}{{}#)_!)($#(@!NO CARRIER
There, fixed that for you.
i.e. enforcing trivial little rules like public disorder, congregation in public places, speeding, running red lights, by placing security cameras at every turn ... and browsing through people's laptops at airports looking for files called "kiddy_porn.zip".
I won't argue with you on the cameras or congregation in public but I will speak out in favor of the police actually enforcing the traffic laws. The red light example sticks out in my mind because my area specifically doesn't allow red light cameras -- and everybody around here runs red rights. And by that I don't mean that it turns red as they hit the intersection (we've all done this) -- I mean it's been red or two or three seconds, is already green on the other side and they STILL blow through the intersection.
It's gotten to the point around here where if you don't run the red light then the two cars behind you will lay on the horn and start screaming at you. Personally I want to see our cops start enforcing red lights because it's a safety issue and it's just damn rude to place me at risk of being t-boned just so you can get to McDonalds 30 seconds faster.
Policing is now more than ever a "numbers game" ... while the real criminals literally get away with murder.
That's the truth. Ever seen The Wire?
As I tried to point out, the damage that idjits do when let loose in the woods is often going to be much more expensive than a well run catch-sterilize-release program. It isn't the 22LR casings they leave behind; it's the non-biodegradable garbage, the beer cans, and the ruts of their ATVs and motorcycles that cause long term costs.
Stereotype much, do we?
But regardless I shall answer the question. For the same reason we can't just shoot people like you - many of us realise the value of life in even the most simple life forms.
I sure hope you are a vegan, otherwise this statement is laced with hypocrisy. Are American Alligators endangered? No? Then why isn't hunting an acceptable means of population control? It's acceptable to shoot white-tailed deer that don't attack humans but not acceptable to shoot reptiles that do? I'm confused.
I do know that neutering and releasing is an effective means of population reduction in some species. The neutered animals compete successfully for mating opportunities and the population's birth rate drops. This can be a more effective and lower cost mode of control than other interventions in some situations
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that a .22LR round costs less than capturing, neutering and releasing a member of an overpopulated species. What, we can't shoot them because they are cute?
If they applied the same filter to television, most channels would only display white noise.
How is that any different from the award winning programming currently broadcast on TV? ;)
That's ok, CmdrTaco has always wanted to meet James Earl Jones and blackmail a Winnebago out of him ;)
Do you really miss being ~30 minutes from thermonuclear holocaust all the bloody time, just because they had cooler spaceships back then? Seriously?
Actually I preferred that to the situation we have now -- stateless actors with access to modern technology. Nuclear weapons aren't really that scary when you look at some of the advances in biotechnology and contemplate the fact that it's a lot easier to weaponize naturally occurring organisms than it is to get your hands on weapons grade plutonium. Anthrax exists in nature and resides on every continent. Pu-239 is a bit harder to come by.
Ironically, those very same people who often chose abortion for convenience are the same people who will choose nanny state socialism (Democrats). If you cant understand the irony, it would just take too long to explain.
I do love that irony. Apparently the individual can be trusted to decide when to terminate a pregnancy but they can't be trusted to wear a seatbelt without laws mandating that they do so, handle a firearm safely, or decide what types of food/chemicals they want to ingest.
Wow, you just don't know what it is you are claiming do you? You made a blanket statement that "hate speech is not protected speech" and now seek to qualify it? AFAIK there is no law that says I can't verbally attack individuals -- provided I don't make threats against their person or property -- but if there is such a law I'd love for you to point it out to me. It might come in handy the next time someone cuts me off and calls me a "fucking asshole" on the drive to work ;)
You failed to answer the question. Have you ever seen the KKK stage a rally? Ever seen the "God Hates Fags" crowd stage a rally? Pray tell, how is it that they do this if hate speech isn't protected?
Censorship is an act of whoever is trying to silence you. That could be the govt, it could be your telephone company, it could be your ISP or it could be your next-door neighbour.
The difference between the Government and your ISP is that your ISP doesn't actually have the ability to silence you. You can always find another ISP/gaming service/online forum. The Government on the other hand can lock you in pound-me-in-the-ass prison and throw away the key. As far as I'm aware Microsoft doesn't have that ability.
First off hate speech is not protected speech
Says who?
Further, getting ethanol higher than 90% is extremely expensive and typically requires adding toxic chemicals such as benzene. .
Huh? I can buy a 750ml bottle of Everclear for $20. It's 95% ethanol and given that it's intended for consumption I'm guessing they didn't add any toxic chemicals to it.
Freedom means putting up with shit you don't like.
Within reason. I don't have to put up with being raped. Society as a whole doesn't have to put up with embryos being aborted over hair/eye color if it deems it to be immoral. You really think this is going to fly?
This doesn't seem much more controversial than an abortion. (which, depending on the country, could be considered controversial) How is this unethical?
I consider myself a pretty die-hard pro-choicer but I'm extremely disturbed by the notion of aborting your embryo because it doesn't have the eye color you wanted.........
The only downside is that since it's from Sony, it installs a rootkit on your cellphone that keeps you from copying pictures you take on it to your computer...
I believe that Verizon Wireless already has prior art on that one ;)
Don't be disingenuous. "Need" was your word, not mine.
My original question was why a 14 year old needs a blackberry. You responded with a list of features supported by the blackberry without explaining why your 14 year old needs those features. Personally I'm skeptical that a teenager needs anything more complicated than a prepaid phone to call home should an emergency arise.
Throwing out a technically incorrect term and then pouncing on it after I let it slide is a really nerdy, socially inept thing to do
"Need" is a technically incorrect term?
Not the way to impress the girls.
I don't need to impress the girls, because A) I've already got one, B) Most of the "girls" on /. are lonely male geeks pretending to be female ;)