we should blame ourselves. People generally book by one and only one parameter, price. There are dozens of websites to help you save 50 cents on your ticket price. The airlines have responded by squeezing you for a pillow, blanket, chips, water and coming soon, taking a wiz.
So I took a quick look at the bus system budget in austin, a green progressive city. 32 million trips @1.25/trip or about 40 mil from paying customers. Meanwhile the 1% sales tax EVERYONE pays generated 217 mil. 100 mil came from reserves, which I imagine are sales taxes people paid in previous years or maybe a bond issue. Did not look. So yeah, buses are expensive and inefficient. Customers are paying about 10% of the cost of service.
My take is a little different. Russia was told, they got out and we destroyed some concrete. Russia will rebuild it in a month. Everyone is a winner. Donald looks good, look I took action on bad bad chemical weapons, and Russia did not lose much if anything and Assad lost 6 soldiers. All for what was a war crime. If Russia really wanted to stop it, they could have told Donny not to, and he would not have. Further they could have intercepted the cruise missiles, they can. But none of this happened. Who knows, maybe Putin was a little pissed at Assad for the chemical attack, but I am doubting it. Putin probably approved it because Assad needs the Russians too much to piss them off.
Then clearly you believe the 50 year old in the article should be allowed to die. Good luck with that when your boss asks you to die for your job. Oh and the law also says that a contract that would result in your death is null and void. The law is much like the bible, you can find something to back your position.
Then we are doomed. Just like I was never going to be a quarterback, the double digit IQ person is not going to get thru school (unless they are a quarterback taking special classes like North Carolina has).
I hope you posted that sarcastically. Consumption taxes are by their very nature highly regressive. The rich as a percentage of their income spend very little. Worse, as New York discovered, the rich buy things like expensive art from other places to avoid sales tax(consumption tax). That yacht/jet/island/Van Gogh will be purchased outside the realm of a US consumption tax. Meanwhile, the diapers from amazon are going to get taxed.
So the boston big dig is 3.5miles so about 3 times the length. Even in the beginning it was estimated to be 2.8billion (in 1982 dollars). So here we are in 2017 with a project 1/3 the size estimated to cost 1/10 the price. And the big dig went on to cost 14 billion. Its why I laugh when I hear local leaders saying they will put I-35 in a tunnel for 2 bil. Or why I laugh and continue to laugh at the clusterF they are doing on MOPAC. Its going to be 2 years late at least and some crazy amount over budget. Or the flood tunnel they put in to beautify downtown that went over budget by 3X and is still not complete.
Its cheaper to buy one state government than many city governments. As an example consider the case of the uber fight in austin. So uber is now doing what airbnb did in IN, pushing for a state law to supercede the local law. Uber will probably spend about what they did in austin on media buys and instead spend it directly on hookers for legislators and get what they want at the state level.
Agreed, overpopulation is the problem, Humankind keeps innovating to squeeze more of us onto the planet. Me thinks we are near the breaking point. I saw one pbs show about how middle east areas are stealing sand, because the "right" kind whatever that is, is in short supply. I did my part, no kids.
Just took a long trip using Waze/in car nav. In Nashville, Waze had no idea how to get to a starbucks I had programmed in. I found a parking lot, searched for starbucks near me, and it found one, in Atlanta! Overall both Waze and in car did a good job, missing probably 20% of the time. But 20% is completely unacceptable if they were steering. I had snow in DC area, which I am skeptical self-drive works acceptably. Numerous construction areas, again problematic. I got a feeling self drive is going to be like voice recognition was in the 80's, just around the corner, for another 25 years. Even now, I'm not sure I'd trust voice recognition if my life depended on it.
I think hydro at least in cases where water is available, can be used for peaking. I think equating the cap factor of wind and water is somewhat misleading. I know locally the generation is targeted to meet demand for the hydro. Its hard to store up a big gust of wind for later use.
I have a 2016 and it streams, or calls. I can also plug it in via USB and get google maps on the infotainment screen directly with the prompts coming thru the radio via android auto. Does yours support android auto? Try the USB, charges that way too.
I would not consider Austin to be a low cost area anymore. One of the largest problems with high cost areas is fed (and state for Cal) are structured for average cost. So with that 150K+ salary in SJ, you lose a good bit of the schedule A deductions, end up in a higher tax bracket, and probably get nailed with AMT. All of this pushes up the effective cost of living even more because an extra dollar is only worth 60c in SJ whereas in Needles, its more like 85c.
I'll take the electronic's industry gouging over health care any day. Each year I get more features/power/perf from my electronics for less money. Conversely, each year I get crappier health care for more money. And it is no wonder when the some generic drug that sold for peanuts now goes for insane amounts with absolutely zero improvement. Imagine if Intel tried to sell a 486 for 5 grand a pop?
Agree totally, when has any big infrastructure project come in under budget and on time? They want to bury I-35 here in austin and keep quoting a stupid low estimate. Adding a lane on loop1 here above ground cost more than their estimate of burying 4, and adding that lane is now a year late and looks like will be at least one more year late. And then there is the flood tunnel they are still trying to finish which went 2 or 3X over budget and is still not done. As you say, this is all stuff we have done before. How badly could something go that has never been done before?
What if I am really rich and buy the 16 year old his own Tesla? I've seen benz's at the wealthy district high school. My point was just car insurance is based on a number of factors beyond the car like age, prior accidents/tickets... I'm not sure Tesla wants to do a standard rate and if they do, I certainly do not want to pay for it as I get a very good rate with no ticks/accs. As an example, the add for a friend's 16 year old son on a old car with no comp/coll was more than I pay for full coverage on a very nice new high performance car. Why would I want to subsidize the 16 year old?
When they first announced coming here, I told a friend, not in our neighborhood, we are all underground and no way are they trenching. So they rolled out on areas with poles as expected. Low hanging fruit is probably all gone, so time to pull the plug. I've friends who are more central with poles that have it. I admit I am jealous. I do wonder if in a couple more years if they will kill it all. I think they did raise prices a bit.
Weather can play to air when roads are iced. There is no operator, equip failure is not much different than a car. A self driving car that runs into another car is just as dangerous as a single man copter that loses altitude. Parking could get better. These things are pilotless so after the dropoff they could go park elsewhere. And not everyone is going to the same endpoint. I know people in the south part of town that work up north and vice versa. Those extra lanes in the sky would significantly reduce road congestion for those that cannot afford a 100K flying car. Benz, Tesla, Jag etc have proven people will spend 100K+ for exclusive transportation.
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we should blame ourselves. People generally book by one and only one parameter, price. There are dozens of websites to help you save 50 cents on your ticket price. The airlines have responded by squeezing you for a pillow, blanket, chips, water and coming soon, taking a wiz.
So I took a quick look at the bus system budget in austin, a green progressive city. 32 million trips @1.25/trip or about 40 mil from paying customers. Meanwhile the 1% sales tax EVERYONE pays generated 217 mil. 100 mil came from reserves, which I imagine are sales taxes people paid in previous years or maybe a bond issue. Did not look. So yeah, buses are expensive and inefficient. Customers are paying about 10% of the cost of service.
My take is a little different. Russia was told, they got out and we destroyed some concrete. Russia will rebuild it in a month. Everyone is a winner. Donald looks good, look I took action on bad bad chemical weapons, and Russia did not lose much if anything and Assad lost 6 soldiers. All for what was a war crime. If Russia really wanted to stop it, they could have told Donny not to, and he would not have. Further they could have intercepted the cruise missiles, they can. But none of this happened. Who knows, maybe Putin was a little pissed at Assad for the chemical attack, but I am doubting it. Putin probably approved it because Assad needs the Russians too much to piss them off.
You make my point. In some states it is both legal and illegal for the CHP/HCP to carry a gun. So which is it?
Then clearly you believe the 50 year old in the article should be allowed to die. Good luck with that when your boss asks you to die for your job. Oh and the law also says that a contract that would result in your death is null and void. The law is much like the bible, you can find something to back your position.
Then we are doomed. Just like I was never going to be a quarterback, the double digit IQ person is not going to get thru school (unless they are a quarterback taking special classes like North Carolina has).
This is merica where we now believe freezing to death is not a reason to abandon your post. Thanks Neil Gorsuch. /sarcasm
I hope you posted that sarcastically. Consumption taxes are by their very nature highly regressive. The rich as a percentage of their income spend very little. Worse, as New York discovered, the rich buy things like expensive art from other places to avoid sales tax(consumption tax). That yacht/jet/island/Van Gogh will be purchased outside the realm of a US consumption tax. Meanwhile, the diapers from amazon are going to get taxed.
I get a discount if my pet is neutered. Maybe we could give tax breaks to people?
Except MAC addresses are not always unique. Some manufacturers re-use numbers.
So the boston big dig is 3.5miles so about 3 times the length. Even in the beginning it was estimated to be 2.8billion (in 1982 dollars). So here we are in 2017 with a project 1/3 the size estimated to cost 1/10 the price. And the big dig went on to cost 14 billion. Its why I laugh when I hear local leaders saying they will put I-35 in a tunnel for 2 bil. Or why I laugh and continue to laugh at the clusterF they are doing on MOPAC. Its going to be 2 years late at least and some crazy amount over budget. Or the flood tunnel they put in to beautify downtown that went over budget by 3X and is still not complete.
Its cheaper to buy one state government than many city governments. As an example consider the case of the uber fight in austin. So uber is now doing what airbnb did in IN, pushing for a state law to supercede the local law. Uber will probably spend about what they did in austin on media buys and instead spend it directly on hookers for legislators and get what they want at the state level.
Agreed, overpopulation is the problem, Humankind keeps innovating to squeeze more of us onto the planet. Me thinks we are near the breaking point. I saw one pbs show about how middle east areas are stealing sand, because the "right" kind whatever that is, is in short supply. I did my part, no kids.
to raise one walnut and about a gallon to make a almond. Should we stop growing nut trees?
Just took a long trip using Waze/in car nav. In Nashville, Waze had no idea how to get to a starbucks I had programmed in. I found a parking lot, searched for starbucks near me, and it found one, in Atlanta! Overall both Waze and in car did a good job, missing probably 20% of the time. But 20% is completely unacceptable if they were steering. I had snow in DC area, which I am skeptical self-drive works acceptably. Numerous construction areas, again problematic. I got a feeling self drive is going to be like voice recognition was in the 80's, just around the corner, for another 25 years. Even now, I'm not sure I'd trust voice recognition if my life depended on it.
I think hydro at least in cases where water is available, can be used for peaking. I think equating the cap factor of wind and water is somewhat misleading. I know locally the generation is targeted to meet demand for the hydro. Its hard to store up a big gust of wind for later use.
Cities should use African Americans, Jewish people, gay people... so that when uber denies the ride it is discrimination.
I have a 2016 and it streams, or calls. I can also plug it in via USB and get google maps on the infotainment screen directly with the prompts coming thru the radio via android auto. Does yours support android auto? Try the USB, charges that way too.
I would not consider Austin to be a low cost area anymore. One of the largest problems with high cost areas is fed (and state for Cal) are structured for average cost. So with that 150K+ salary in SJ, you lose a good bit of the schedule A deductions, end up in a higher tax bracket, and probably get nailed with AMT. All of this pushes up the effective cost of living even more because an extra dollar is only worth 60c in SJ whereas in Needles, its more like 85c.
I'll take the electronic's industry gouging over health care any day. Each year I get more features/power/perf from my electronics for less money. Conversely, each year I get crappier health care for more money. And it is no wonder when the some generic drug that sold for peanuts now goes for insane amounts with absolutely zero improvement. Imagine if Intel tried to sell a 486 for 5 grand a pop?
Agree totally, when has any big infrastructure project come in under budget and on time? They want to bury I-35 here in austin and keep quoting a stupid low estimate. Adding a lane on loop1 here above ground cost more than their estimate of burying 4, and adding that lane is now a year late and looks like will be at least one more year late. And then there is the flood tunnel they are still trying to finish which went 2 or 3X over budget and is still not done. As you say, this is all stuff we have done before. How badly could something go that has never been done before?
What if I am really rich and buy the 16 year old his own Tesla? I've seen benz's at the wealthy district high school. My point was just car insurance is based on a number of factors beyond the car like age, prior accidents/tickets... I'm not sure Tesla wants to do a standard rate and if they do, I certainly do not want to pay for it as I get a very good rate with no ticks/accs. As an example, the add for a friend's 16 year old son on a old car with no comp/coll was more than I pay for full coverage on a very nice new high performance car. Why would I want to subsidize the 16 year old?
turns 16 and starts driving the shiny tesla, is he covered when he tosses it into ludicrous mode and slams into someone?
When they first announced coming here, I told a friend, not in our neighborhood, we are all underground and no way are they trenching. So they rolled out on areas with poles as expected. Low hanging fruit is probably all gone, so time to pull the plug. I've friends who are more central with poles that have it. I admit I am jealous. I do wonder if in a couple more years if they will kill it all. I think they did raise prices a bit.
Weather can play to air when roads are iced. There is no operator, equip failure is not much different than a car. A self driving car that runs into another car is just as dangerous as a single man copter that loses altitude. Parking could get better. These things are pilotless so after the dropoff they could go park elsewhere. And not everyone is going to the same endpoint. I know people in the south part of town that work up north and vice versa. Those extra lanes in the sky would significantly reduce road congestion for those that cannot afford a 100K flying car. Benz, Tesla, Jag etc have proven people will spend 100K+ for exclusive transportation.