First of all I want to commend you for doing the research.
I think everybody instinctually understands your example but statistics shows that that's not really happening. Why? Probably because the people who just got raises are eating out more and that means the pizza business profits go up enough to be able to afford the employees.
Minimum wage is simple wealth redistribution. In the end wealth always flows uphill (rich get richer). The minimum wage is a little friction on that movement. It does not stop it, it just slows it down a little.
Oh and I think it's wonderful that we are not doing anything about an ongoing genocide because people critizied us for invading and occupying another country under false pretenses. That's just wonderful.
As long as you continue to buy American products we don't really care. Keep buying our stuff, seeing our movies, drinking our coke, wearing our nikes and listening to our music. That's the only thing we care about.
I read the excerpts from his last video and he does seem pretty astute. Is there a place that has all his transcripts? That would be interesting reading.
Of course it's probably better in the original language, too bad I can't speak arabic.
"Raising minimum wage ~40% in 2 years will cause the unemployment rate to skyrocket. "
Really? This should be easy enough to test. The minimum wage was raised numerous times in the past. If your theory is correct after every raise in minimum wage there should have been a corresponding increase in the unemployment rate.
Now I lived through several of those raises and I don't recall unemployment skyrocketing but maybe I am wrong. Why don't you do some research and post the numbers here for us to see.
"They weighed those issues against such things as war, taxes, environment, and that's what they chose."
Atually most Bush voters vote for him for religious reasons. He mentions god a lot and he won't let the faggots marry.
Hey wasn't that genocide taking place right under our nose too? The UN at least sent some food, doctors and aid. Of course what's needed over there are some troops to stop the genocide.
Only if there was a country that had a strong military and a dedication to help spread freedom all around the globe. Wouldn't that be cool, they could send a few thousand troops and a few helicopters and stop the genocide in a couple of weeks.
THe difference between the two world wars and this one should be obvious to anybody. First of all those world wars were many nations against each other. They were team efforts. This war is the US against the world (or at least some amorphous entity). Our opponents are patient and willing to wage a ten year war just like they did in afghanistan. Osama said as much. They want to bankrupt us by slowly bleeding us to death and their plan is to pop up once in a while and cause us to spend a a few billion dollars more trying to kill them.
I know it's heresy but I'll say it anyway. In my opinion neither world wars were a success in the long run. WW1 saw a devestated germany from which nazism arose and WW2 saw a triumphant russia and china from which communism arose. To me it was a push. Sure we defeated hitler but in turn we had decades of brutal communist rule in russia and china. Hardly a net freedom.
Finally. The costs of this war are not being paid yet. That will come in a few years when the dollar starts losing value big time (it's already stating) and inflation starts rocketing up. It's happened after every war and it will happen again.
As for Kerry, yes. Surely Clarke was a better candidate. This is what happens when you let the citizens of iowa and new hampshire choose the candidates. Why they went for kerry I'll never know.
I am sure God told Bush about the hurricanes during one of their daily talks. Since God talks pretty regularly to bush maybe bush told god to unleash those hurricanes.
Actually no. If quicktime needs to be upgraded it just hangs there until you log on and click through the UI.
I just did this yesterday so I know.
My experience has been that you have to reboot. It just goes flaky if you don't. In fact if you make changes to the postfix config files and restart postfix it doesn't take you have to reboot.
The worst thing about mac server OS is that if you ever make a change to the config files outside of the GUI you are taking your life in your hands. If anybody touches the GUI tools your config can get wiped.
First of all just about every security patch requires a reboot. Also if the security patch upgrades quicktime you need to actually interact with the gui or the install won't go.
No real port system means you have to manually install everything or depend on somebody else to put together an install and hope it covers your needs. The alternative is to rely on a third party ports such as darwinports (buggy), fink (not a lot of software) and pkgsrc (small and not that well supported on OSX).
Why Apple has not embraced one of these ports sytems and worked out the kinks I'll never know. If you are planning on running a server today you are much better off getting an intel box and installing freebsd.
Finally just about none of the unix admin commands work. They have their own command for everything which you have to look up. You think all you need to do is to change/etc/resolv.conf? Think again. You think you can just vipw, vi/etc/passwd or adduser? Think again. Why they couldn't provide wrapper scripts for commonly used unix commands I'll never know.
I'll answer your question after you present some statistics on what percentage of welfare recepients have both a car and cable channel.
Although when I was destitute I was able to buy a car for $150.00. It lasted about six months and then I borrowed a car and bicycled for the next year till some body had pity on me and gave me an old truck. That truck lasted for almost a year. When it crapped out somebody else took pity on me and sold me their old car for real cheap and I made payments directly to him (I had no credit to buy a car with). I eventually paid it off in about four years.
It's possible to get by. No you won't be drving a BMW but you can scrape by miserably.
My original point still stands. Would you trade your life for the life of a welfare recepient (even if they do have a car and cable TV).
"Explain to me why it's rational for me to find a job and do something useful rather than collecting your generous welfare checks."
Why don't you try it? You really think the welfare checks are "generous"?. I dare you, look up how much welfare is in your state and see how long you can go on that money.
The fact is that you'd never swap your paycheck for the welfare recepient even if your taxes were doubled.
BTW we spent 200 billion in Iraq. The welfare program costs less then 20 billion. Has it occured to you that we will be building schools and hospitals in iraq, we will be providing free healthcare and education for the Iraqis but we are not doing it here?
Finally if you think Kerry will be worse for civil rights then Bush you need to lay off that crack pipe.
I noticed today that it's very cold. I am also blaming Bill Clinton for the coming of winter. While I am at it I think I should also blame Bill Clinton for the darkness. Oh yea also for the rain and that itching in my left butcheek. That's Clinton's fault too.
Can you imagine if a US congress person advocated killing all the indians? I still find it shocking that an overtly racist people like that got elected into the government.
As for trading I doubt Israel is that worried. The US is their biggest market.
I don't think cost is a factor. If it was they would have stopped by now.
RE Arab population and Israel as a Democracy.
Isreal needs to make up it's mind. Is it a jewish state or is it a democracy. You can no more have a jewish democracy then you can have a christian democracy, a white democracy or a muslim democracy. You either have full sufferage or you don't have democracy. Israel is not a democracy, it's the fullfillment of zion. I frequently describe it as a theo-democracy. It a theocracy that is governed by pseudo democratic process.
RE Borders:.
THere are UN resolutions that draw the Israeli border.
RE Fence:.
I agree with you to an extent. I agree that whoever is left on the israeli side of the fence gets to become a full fledged israeli citizen. The only thing you have to be careful of is that the fence is not constructed so as to take all of the available water, arable land, etc.
RE Geneva convention:
It's toothless. For all practical purposes israel is the most powerful nation on the planet. If anybody attacks israel the US will turn them into a parking lot. If the UN attempts to pass a resolution to force israel to do something the US will veto it. If Israel bombs another country and the country attempts to retaliate the US will destroy that country.
Israel is not bound by any laws of man or god. It can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants to whoever it wants. They could carpet bomb syria tommorow and kill everybody in there and nobody can do anything about it.
The only thing that is holding back israel from massive ethnic cleansing in the occupied terratories is their own internal morality. Right now the people calling for genocide are a minority. Who knows what will happen in the future. I suspect if the soul of the israeli nation continues in it's current path that minority will become a majority and a final solution will be proposed in the knesset by the likes of netanyahu and sharon.
Not when sitting out or voting third pary will ensure the election of the greater evil.
I know you don't want to hear that but the next president will either be kerry or bush. If you give a fuck about who is going to run this country for the next four years don't vote for a third party candidate.
Well we know what Bush has done. You on the other hand don't know what kerry is going to do.
Acutally I see this as a series of really simple questions.
1) If you think the vietnam was was a good idea vote for Bush, if not Kerry. 2) If you think a war president ought to have combat experience vote kerry, if not bush. 3) If you think the economy has been managed well for the last four years Bush otherwise kerry. 4) If you think pre-emtive war is a good thing bush otherwise kerry. Be careful with this one though it may mean another war with syria or iran. 5) If you think the war is being managed well then bush otherwise kerry. 6) If you think homosexuals should have the same civil rights as heterosexuals then kerry otherwise bush.
I was going to list more but what the hell just read my signature.
Unlike you I see no hope in the situation whatsoever. At the core of the problem is that you have two different people who stake a claim to the same land. What's worse both people claim that the land belongs to them because god told them so. This means no political compromise is possible. If God is telling to go and live on some square foot of land I don't think you are going to compromise and live on another square foot of land.
The sad thing is the decades of occupation has rotted the souls of these people (both arabs and israelis). Generation after generation of youngsters are sent off to kill, die, humiliate, torture and maim and it's impossible for those people to come back to society as healthy caring individuals after you are too old to fight. As a result entire societies are corrupted from the bottom to the top.
Do a google seach for "sharon arafat casino" and you'll see lots of links where sharon and arafat are joinly invested in ventures (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jht ml?itemNo=344026&contrassID=1) for example.
The fact that both the Sharon govt and the Arafat govt are filled with corruption and scandal ought to tell you exactly where this is going.
I hope not. If we wins we will most likely invade another country in the next four years. I am betting on syria but iran is also a strong possiblity. For some reason he seems to be afraid to go into north korea.
Slashdot Mirror
First of all I want to commend you for doing the research.
I think everybody instinctually understands your example but statistics shows that that's not really happening. Why? Probably because the people who just got raises are eating out more and that means the pizza business profits go up enough to be able to afford the employees.
Minimum wage is simple wealth redistribution. In the end wealth always flows uphill (rich get richer). The minimum wage is a little friction on that movement. It does not stop it, it just slows it down a little.
Make up your mind. Does the UN matter or not?
Oh and I think it's wonderful that we are not doing anything about an ongoing genocide because people critizied us for invading and occupying another country under false pretenses. That's just wonderful.
Good for you. NOw only if you could convince about 10 to 20% of your fellow europeans you'd be well on your way to shaping a sane US foreign policy.
We certainly are not going to do it.
As long as you continue to buy American products we don't really care. Keep buying our stuff, seeing our movies, drinking our coke, wearing our nikes and listening to our music. That's the only thing we care about.
I read the excerpts from his last video and he does seem pretty astute. Is there a place that has all his transcripts? That would be interesting reading.
Of course it's probably better in the original language, too bad I can't speak arabic.
"Raising minimum wage ~40% in 2 years will cause the unemployment rate to skyrocket. "
Really? This should be easy enough to test. The minimum wage was raised numerous times in the past. If your theory is correct after every raise in minimum wage there should have been a corresponding increase in the unemployment rate.
Now I lived through several of those raises and I don't recall unemployment skyrocketing but maybe I am wrong. Why don't you do some research and post the numbers here for us to see.
"They weighed those issues against such things as war, taxes, environment, and that's what they chose."
Atually most Bush voters vote for him for religious reasons. He mentions god a lot and he won't let the faggots marry.
Arnold supported and won a 3 billion dollar stem cell research program paid by the taxpayers. He is no liberterian.
He is a star, that's why he got elected. That's it.
Hey wasn't that genocide taking place right under our nose too? The UN at least sent some food, doctors and aid. Of course what's needed over there are some troops to stop the genocide.
Only if there was a country that had a strong military and a dedication to help spread freedom all around the globe. Wouldn't that be cool, they could send a few thousand troops and a few helicopters and stop the genocide in a couple of weeks.
THe difference between the two world wars and this one should be obvious to anybody. First of all those world wars were many nations against each other. They were team efforts. This war is the US against the world (or at least some amorphous entity). Our opponents are patient and willing to wage a ten year war just like they did in afghanistan. Osama said as much. They want to bankrupt us by slowly bleeding us to death and their plan is to pop up once in a while and cause us to spend a a few billion dollars more trying to kill them.
I know it's heresy but I'll say it anyway. In my opinion neither world wars were a success in the long run. WW1 saw a devestated germany from which nazism arose and WW2 saw a triumphant russia and china from which communism arose. To me it was a push. Sure we defeated hitler but in turn we had decades of brutal communist rule in russia and china. Hardly a net freedom.
Finally. The costs of this war are not being paid yet. That will come in a few years when the dollar starts losing value big time (it's already stating) and inflation starts rocketing up. It's happened after every war and it will happen again.
As for Kerry, yes. Surely Clarke was a better candidate. This is what happens when you let the citizens of iowa and new hampshire choose the candidates. Why they went for kerry I'll never know.
I am sure God told Bush about the hurricanes during one of their daily talks. Since God talks pretty regularly to bush maybe bush told god to unleash those hurricanes.
I'll just presume you are lying then since my experience is completely different.
Actually no. If quicktime needs to be upgraded it just hangs there until you log on and click through the UI.
I just did this yesterday so I know.
My experience has been that you have to reboot. It just goes flaky if you don't. In fact if you make changes to the postfix config files and restart postfix it doesn't take you have to reboot.
The worst thing about mac server OS is that if you ever make a change to the config files outside of the GUI you are taking your life in your hands. If anybody touches the GUI tools your config can get wiped.
Mac OS X server is not ready for prime time IMHO.
/etc/resolv.conf? Think again. You think you can just vipw, vi /etc/passwd or adduser? Think again. Why they couldn't provide wrapper scripts for commonly used unix commands I'll never know.
First of all just about every security patch requires a reboot. Also if the security patch upgrades quicktime you need to actually interact with the gui or the install won't go.
No real port system means you have to manually install everything or depend on somebody else to put together an install and hope it covers your needs. The alternative is to rely on a third party ports such as darwinports (buggy), fink (not a lot of software) and pkgsrc (small and not that well supported on OSX).
Why Apple has not embraced one of these ports sytems and worked out the kinks I'll never know. If you are planning on running a server today you are much better off getting an intel box and installing freebsd.
Finally just about none of the unix admin commands work. They have their own command for everything which you have to look up. You think all you need to do is to change
I'll answer your question after you present some statistics on what percentage of welfare recepients have both a car and cable channel.
Although when I was destitute I was able to buy a car for $150.00. It lasted about six months and then I borrowed a car and bicycled for the next year till some body had pity on me and gave me an old truck. That truck lasted for almost a year. When it crapped out somebody else took pity on me and sold me their old car for real cheap and I made payments directly to him (I had no credit to buy a car with). I eventually paid it off in about four years.
It's possible to get by. No you won't be drving a BMW but you can scrape by miserably.
My original point still stands. Would you trade your life for the life of a welfare recepient (even if they do have a car and cable TV).
"Explain to me why it's rational for me to find a job and do something useful rather than collecting your generous welfare checks."
Why don't you try it? You really think the welfare checks are "generous"?. I dare you, look up how much welfare is in your state and see how long you can go on that money.
The fact is that you'd never swap your paycheck for the welfare recepient even if your taxes were doubled.
BTW we spent 200 billion in Iraq. The welfare program costs less then 20 billion. Has it occured to you that we will be building schools and hospitals in iraq, we will be providing free healthcare and education for the Iraqis but we are not doing it here?
Finally if you think Kerry will be worse for civil rights then Bush you need to lay off that crack pipe.
I noticed today that it's very cold. I am also blaming Bill Clinton for the coming of winter. While I am at it I think I should also blame Bill Clinton for the darkness. Oh yea also for the rain and that itching in my left butcheek. That's Clinton's fault too.
Can you imagine if a US congress person advocated killing all the indians? I still find it shocking that an overtly racist people like that got elected into the government.
As for trading I doubt Israel is that worried. The US is their biggest market.
RE costs:
I don't think cost is a factor. If it was they would have stopped by now.
RE Arab population and Israel as a Democracy.
Isreal needs to make up it's mind. Is it a jewish state or is it a democracy. You can no more have a jewish democracy then you can have a christian democracy, a white democracy or a muslim democracy. You either have full sufferage or you don't have democracy. Israel is not a democracy, it's the fullfillment of zion. I frequently describe it as a theo-democracy. It a theocracy that is governed by pseudo democratic process.
RE Borders:.
THere are UN resolutions that draw the Israeli border.
RE Fence:.
I agree with you to an extent. I agree that whoever is left on the israeli side of the fence gets to become a full fledged israeli citizen. The only thing you have to be careful of is that the fence is not constructed so as to take all of the available water, arable land, etc.
RE Geneva convention:
It's toothless. For all practical purposes israel is the most powerful nation on the planet. If anybody attacks israel the US will turn them into a parking lot. If the UN attempts to pass a resolution to force israel to do something the US will veto it. If Israel bombs another country and the country attempts to retaliate the US will destroy that country.
Israel is not bound by any laws of man or god. It can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants to whoever it wants. They could carpet bomb syria tommorow and kill everybody in there and nobody can do anything about it.
The only thing that is holding back israel from massive ethnic cleansing in the occupied terratories is their own internal morality. Right now the people calling for genocide are a minority. Who knows what will happen in the future. I suspect if the soul of the israeli nation continues in it's current path that minority will become a majority and a final solution will be proposed in the knesset by the likes of netanyahu and sharon.
" is voting for evil!"
Not when sitting out or voting third pary will ensure the election of the greater evil.
I know you don't want to hear that but the next president will either be kerry or bush. If you give a fuck about who is going to run this country for the next four years don't vote for a third party candidate.
Well we know what Bush has done. You on the other hand don't know what kerry is going to do.
Acutally I see this as a series of really simple questions.
1) If you think the vietnam was was a good idea vote for Bush, if not Kerry.
2) If you think a war president ought to have combat experience vote kerry, if not bush.
3) If you think the economy has been managed well for the last four years Bush otherwise kerry.
4) If you think pre-emtive war is a good thing bush otherwise kerry. Be careful with this one though it may mean another war with syria or iran.
5) If you think the war is being managed well then bush otherwise kerry.
6) If you think homosexuals should have the same civil rights as heterosexuals then kerry otherwise bush.
I was going to list more but what the hell just read my signature.
Unlike you I see no hope in the situation whatsoever. At the core of the problem is that you have two different people who stake a claim to the same land. What's worse both people claim that the land belongs to them because god told them so. This means no political compromise is possible. If God is telling to go and live on some square foot of land I don't think you are going to compromise and live on another square foot of land.
t ml?itemNo=344026&contrassID=1) for example.
The sad thing is the decades of occupation has rotted the souls of these people (both arabs and israelis). Generation after generation of youngsters are sent off to kill, die, humiliate, torture and maim and it's impossible for those people to come back to society as healthy caring individuals after you are too old to fight. As a result entire societies are corrupted from the bottom to the top.
Do a google seach for "sharon arafat casino" and you'll see lots of links where sharon and arafat are joinly invested in ventures (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jh
The fact that both the Sharon govt and the Arafat govt are filled with corruption and scandal ought to tell you exactly where this is going.
"If you look at the perception of Europe in Israel, say, you'll find that the Israeli's consider Europe to be Arabist."
To be fair US is the only ally Israel has. They regard everybody else as being arabists, not just europe but russia, africa and the far east too.
The only two countries that see the palestenian occupation as just and moral are Israel and the US. Everybody else sees it as immoral and unjust.
I find it incredible that MS has not patented NTFS. They patented FAT didn't they? Did they forget to patent NTFS or something?
Or as John Stewart said "we were only off by a letter".
"I predict Bush will beat the odds."
I hope not. If we wins we will most likely invade another country in the next four years. I am betting on syria but iran is also a strong possiblity. For some reason he seems to be afraid to go into north korea.