However, the end effect is the same: too many laws, making criminals of everyone.
Well, sad as it is, but in a democracy, the people pretty much get the government (and laws) they deserve. That's not a bug in democracy, it's its intention.
Changing the details just makes for a better fiction story, just like people are much more likely to watch TV shows or movies about shadowy, ultra-secret government organizations that execute brilliantly complex and fiendish maneuvers, rather than movies about bungling, incompetent legislative bodies giving giant bail-out packages to bankrupt insurance and banking companies with insufficient oversight, and then catching heat from the voters when those companies' executives pay themselves giant bonuses from that taxpayer money.
I don't know... the former might make a better conspiracy thriller, the latter a better comedy.;)
(Reality would be so hilarious if it wasn't real.)
However, like many very idealistic people, she certainly had some good ideas in there, and that often-quoted bit is one of the best.
No, it's not. She's suggesting malice where there is none (maybe incompetence or negligence, but even that is doubtful). Lawmakers don't make more laws to criminalize the populace, they make more laws simply because that's more likely to get them elected than not making more laws (or even getting rid of old laws). Voters simple don't acknowledge that getting rid of outdated legal baggage is an important part of the work of the legislature, so people who would also take care of that don't get elected.
Any government that actively malicious doesn't _need_ to make laws to put people behind bars, they just send out the thugs to round up the undesirables, sticks them in prison and tells them "It's because we say so. Ha ha."
Maybe it would be a good thing for any country to limit the amount of laws to X pages (sized x*y), printed single side with font Z size z. If that limit is reached, new laws can only be passed if old laws are thrown out first.
Combustion, suffocation, and perhaps severe hypothermia as well. I don't think I would call that luck; or at least not the kind of luck I would ever care to have myself.
Hey, some people would go through even more than that to make international headlines.
If insurance companies make such huge profits and are publicly traded on the stock markets, why don't you buy some shares?
Because you need to buy those shares before everyone and their dog knows how profitable the company is, duh. At that point, share price will start to reflect the expected profits, and hence it won't be an incredibly profitable investment anymore. And that's basic stock market stuff and has nothing to do with insurance companies in particular.
Currently ICBM's are accurate anywhere from 1 to 100 cm.
American and Russian ones, because these nations have their own gravity mapping satellites. (and I believe the number was somewhere around 100m, i.e. the payload has a 50% chance of landing in a circle with 100m diameter of the target).
Can you say the same about French and British ICBMs? Do the US share all of the significant digits of their gravity maps? Do they keep them up to date, too?
Excellent argument.
Also, do you really want to learn the particular traffic rules of every city you drive through? Maybe that works for states... but for cities, that would drive me bonkers.
Then the greedy-ass city council wanted more revenue, so they shortened the yellow-light timing.
Makes me glad that where I live, traffic rules are a federal matter. How long a yellow light needs to be is a matter of simple physics and physiology, and there should be no wiggle room for greedy local governments to fill their coffers by tweaking the rules a little.
And I guess the fact that Iceland was thinly populated (
Oops, should be:
"And I guess the fact that Iceland was thinly populated (<1/km^2), had few natural resources and is an island somewhere out in the Atlantic ocean had nothing to do with them lasting 260 years before being taken over by a stronger nation."
While the rest of Europe and Scandinavia was suffering under authoritarianism, Icelanders, with fewer natural resources, achieved a higher standard living and a more peaceful society.
And I guess the fact that Iceland was thinly populated (
I guess we could achieve this government-less utopia if we started by getting the worlds population density down to the level of Iceland in 1250. Roughly estimated, that would mean a reduction by a factor of 1/20. Any idea on how to achieve that in a reasonable time frame which doesn't involve violence, disease or famine?
If they left the European Union and joined the United States, they would be the poorest of our 51 states.
Well, that's what you say, but the IRS says "Yes we do.". Guess who wins?
Anyway, it's a bit more complicated than that, since you can get tax credits for taxes already paid to the foreign government. Basically, if their tax rate is higher than the US', you don't pay anything extra, but if it is lower, the IRS wants a share of your income.
This is intel just flexing its muscles, spreading FUD to get AMD's share price down and to scare consumers away from its chips.
Eh, what? Have you looked at AMDs share price recently, or at their market share?
If Intel was really trying to do that, they're trying to put AMD out of business. That wouldn't be in their interest, since it'd attract even more attention from antitrust agencies.
Now, if you're a conspiracy buff, maybe Intel is trying to lose this on purpose, so AMD can stick around for a while longer and the antitrust guys keep looking the other way.
So your "truly great society" is only possible if a) you adopt the forced abortion rule like in China (and accept that this may kill a number of women, a lot of children, and that it will necessitate taking children away from families who've done nothing wrong) b) you refuse to believe evolution is true and go on anyway (which is the current way America does it)
False dichotomy.
There are plenty of countries out there with near-zero population growth due to low birth rates, and most of them don't have forced abortion rules.
As a clinically diagnosed narcissist, I find this list to be pretty inaccurate.
True. The list describes someone with histrionic personality disorder, not a narcissist. The two are often confused, but work fairly differently. Both types make interesting conversation partners and horrible relatives.:P
Austrian School economists dismiss the use of empirical data and math in their analysis, and they make no concrete predictions. That's not science: it's mysticism.
As dogmatic as they are about their teachings, I'd go one step further and call it "religion".
Ex-Americans are taxed by the US for something like 5 years after they give up their citizenship. The idea is to prevent people changing their citizenship just to avoid taxes.
Eh, even better: If the US govt. thinks that you changed your citizenship just to avoid paying taxes, they can bar you from entering the US ever again. Yes, somewhat vindictive, but hey...
It goes back to era of building castles with brick heavy enough to crush your leg or blacksmithing weapons/tools from molten ore. Mistakes by a rookie or wannabe could cost someone their life.
Oh yeah? You haven't seen the carnage that rookies or wannabes can cause if they get their hands on power tools.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, sad as it is, but in a democracy, the people pretty much get the government (and laws) they deserve. That's not a bug in democracy, it's its intention.
Changing the details just makes for a better fiction story, just like people are much more likely to watch TV shows or movies about shadowy, ultra-secret government organizations that execute brilliantly complex and fiendish maneuvers, rather than movies about bungling, incompetent legislative bodies giving giant bail-out packages to bankrupt insurance and banking companies with insufficient oversight, and then catching heat from the voters when those companies' executives pay themselves giant bonuses from that taxpayer money.
I don't know ... the former might make a better conspiracy thriller, the latter a better comedy. ;)
(Reality would be so hilarious if it wasn't real.)
No, it's not. She's suggesting malice where there is none (maybe incompetence or negligence, but even that is doubtful). Lawmakers don't make more laws to criminalize the populace, they make more laws simply because that's more likely to get them elected than not making more laws (or even getting rid of old laws). Voters simple don't acknowledge that getting rid of outdated legal baggage is an important part of the work of the legislature, so people who would also take care of that don't get elected.
Any government that actively malicious doesn't _need_ to make laws to put people behind bars, they just send out the thugs to round up the undesirables, sticks them in prison and tells them "It's because we say so. Ha ha."
Maybe it would be a good thing for any country to limit the amount of laws to X pages (sized x*y), printed single side with font Z size z. If that limit is reached, new laws can only be passed if old laws are thrown out first.
Sounds like a day in the life of your average resident of Siberia
In Siberia, bugs eat YOU.
(This only makes sense if you're bat.)
Hey, some people would go through even more than that to make international headlines.
The external tank doesn't make it into space.
Yes it does. It doesn't make it into orbit, however.
Where did that myth come from anyway?
If insurance companies make such huge profits and are publicly traded on the stock markets, why don't you buy some shares?
Because you need to buy those shares before everyone and their dog knows how profitable the company is, duh. At that point, share price will start to reflect the expected profits, and hence it won't be an incredibly profitable investment anymore. And that's basic stock market stuff and has nothing to do with insurance companies in particular.
Currently ICBM's are accurate anywhere from 1 to 100 cm.
American and Russian ones, because these nations have their own gravity mapping satellites. (and I believe the number was somewhere around 100m, i.e. the payload has a 50% chance of landing in a circle with 100m diameter of the target).
Can you say the same about French and British ICBMs? Do the US share all of the significant digits of their gravity maps? Do they keep them up to date, too?
Scared yet?
Excellent argument. Also, do you really want to learn the particular traffic rules of every city you drive through? Maybe that works for states ... but for cities, that would drive me bonkers.
Then the greedy-ass city council wanted more revenue, so they shortened the yellow-light timing.
Makes me glad that where I live, traffic rules are a federal matter. How long a yellow light needs to be is a matter of simple physics and physiology, and there should be no wiggle room for greedy local governments to fill their coffers by tweaking the rules a little.
Oops, the nationmaster link is to GDP PPP and the statemaster link is to GDP. Here's the links that point to the same economic measure (GDP). Sweden is between Illinois and Californa there. http://www.statemaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_percap-product-current-dollars-per-capita http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_percap-economy-gdp-per-capita
*WE COME IN PEACE!*
*shudder*
Oh, wait...you meant you fear competition and hope to profit for life off of one halfway decent idea?
Are we talking about patents or pop music here?
Who knows what we'll find in the upper atmosphere of Venus. Maybe we've been looking for life in the wrong places all alon.
And I guess the fact that Iceland was thinly populated ( Oops, should be: "And I guess the fact that Iceland was thinly populated (<1/km^2), had few natural resources and is an island somewhere out in the Atlantic ocean had nothing to do with them lasting 260 years before being taken over by a stronger nation."
And I guess the fact that Iceland was thinly populated ( I guess we could achieve this government-less utopia if we started by getting the worlds population density down to the level of Iceland in 1250. Roughly estimated, that would mean a reduction by a factor of 1/20. Any idea on how to achieve that in a reasonable time frame which doesn't involve violence, disease or famine?
If they left the European Union and joined the United States, they would be the poorest of our 51 states.
Oh yes. A truly unbiased source, with truly recent data. Stop drinking that KoolAid for a second and look at something that's a bit more up to date. Sweden would be roughly on par with Georgia. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_pur_pow_par_percap-purchasing-power-parity-per-capita http://www.statemaster.com/graph/eco_gdp_percap-product-current-dollars-per-capita
Well, that's what you say, but the IRS says "Yes we do.". Guess who wins?
Anyway, it's a bit more complicated than that, since you can get tax credits for taxes already paid to the foreign government. Basically, if their tax rate is higher than the US', you don't pay anything extra, but if it is lower, the IRS wants a share of your income.
This is intel just flexing its muscles, spreading FUD to get AMD's share price down and to scare consumers away from its chips.
Eh, what? Have you looked at AMDs share price recently, or at their market share?
If Intel was really trying to do that, they're trying to put AMD out of business. That wouldn't be in their interest, since it'd attract even more attention from antitrust agencies.
Now, if you're a conspiracy buff, maybe Intel is trying to lose this on purpose, so AMD can stick around for a while longer and the antitrust guys keep looking the other way.
So your "truly great society" is only possible if
a) you adopt the forced abortion rule like in China (and accept that this may kill a number of women, a lot of children, and that it will necessitate taking children away from families who've done nothing wrong)
b) you refuse to believe evolution is true and go on anyway (which is the current way America does it)
False dichotomy.
There are plenty of countries out there with near-zero population growth due to low birth rates, and most of them don't have forced abortion rules.
As a clinically diagnosed narcissist, I find this list to be pretty inaccurate.
True. The list describes someone with histrionic personality disorder, not a narcissist. The two are often confused, but work fairly differently. Both types make interesting conversation partners and horrible relatives. :P
As dogmatic as they are about their teachings, I'd go one step further and call it "religion".
Eh, even better: If the US govt. thinks that you changed your citizenship just to avoid paying taxes, they can bar you from entering the US ever again. Yes, somewhat vindictive, but hey ...
Brace yourself, you're in for a real shocker. The USA did not have an income tax prior to 1913 ! *gasp*
Oh, you're certainly talking about federal income tax, right? Don't leave out that little important detail, please.
Oh yeah? You haven't seen the carnage that rookies or wannabes can cause if they get their hands on power tools.