Who the hell do you have doing your accounting? Research is still an itemized expense account listing and is untaxed. You're pretty much only taxed on profits. I sure as hell hope you're not in accounting. We did *loads* of research - including paying (sponsoring) university research. No, that shit's written off.
Seriously? You don't actually know anything about the tax code or own a business that does research of any kind, do you? If so then you need to hire a professional.
No, most of us Libertarians are much the same as we've always been. We're just not coordinated enough to take the mic away from the stupid people who claim to represent the party (while being registered Republicans, no less). No, we're still much the same. I'm much further left than any elected Democrat and I'm far more likely to vote for Sanders than I am for any other candidate, at this time. You're being hoodwinked, as well. Dig a little deeper - contact your local party officials. Ayn Rand was an idiot and Rand Paul is not a Libertarian.
Why are you beating that strawman? Not one thing you argued has anything to do with what he said. "the flaw in the basic premise is so obvious its absurd." Indeed. Yet you didn't actually respond to anything, at all, in the post you replied to. You made a bunch of incorrect assumptions and thought you were being witty. We know who is absurd, now don't we?
I was kind of thinking it was amplified snark but that doesn't always come through in text. I was kind of baffled. I've read enough posts from you, over the many years now, to actually respect your opinions and insights. By enlarge, yeah, people suck but they're just people. People make the culture and it's different and we all suck in new and interesting ways. I really can't see a huge difference, when looked at it objectively, with *most* cultures. Hell, I suspect that the vast majority of people in N. Korea are straight up awesome and honest people. So aren't the ones in Saudi Arabia. There are extremists but most people just want to live from day to day. Smile, they smile back.
Well, except New Yorkers. Fuck them.;-) (I'm actually in Buffalo still, I met a lady and we're dating so I've been here for a while now. Even New Yorkers aren't bad. When we go down into the city, we still get out and chill with the people. They're just fine, too.)
Somewhere along the line, the Constitution went from being a list of what the government could do to being a list of what the government can't do. "No? It doesn't say we can't do that? Well, let's do it!" You could say I'm pissed off but I suspect I'm preaching to the choir. Run for office. Really, even if it's just a small and local one. I'm refusing all campaign contributions - direct contributions. My signs aren't fully designed but they'll be open for use by anyone who wants to print them or whatnot. You can't pay for my campaign but you can buy your own signs, you can get together with neighbors and put an ad in the paper, etc... I'm away from home, at the moment, but it's looking pretty likely that I'll actually be fairly well set for the 2016 November elections.
I've spent more than I've needed to, I could have done it for a lot less, but I'm only about 25k down. I've already decided that I'm going to do the town-hall thing and let the constituents decide where my salary goes - I've no need of it, so it can go to a local charity and they can decide among themselves.
I'm a Classic Libertarian (I have no choice but to use that phrase - it bothers me to do so, look at what the party has become or, at least, how it is perceived) and I strongly support taxation and public goods. Why? It's cheaper, safer, and has the most *likely* benefit to the whole which means that our rights are more likely to be something we can actually take advantage of. I want an educated, safe, and healthy population. I don't want hordes of destitute, hungry, impoverished, scared people taking my stuff. I like my stuff - that's why I worked my ass off to get it.
Seriously, get out an talk to people. Take the time to explain your beliefs and run for office. Even if it's just the school council. My whole platform can be summed up on a double sided piece of paper. One one side, everything I've done bad - I've no skeletons. On the other, everything I've learned from it and what I believe the solutions are. There's plenty of help to be had under the Libertarian tent - we'll help get you on the ticket.
When the rail lines opened in the UK they blew estimates out of the water. People would ride them, multiple times per day, just to ride them. They put in a huge, deep, tunnel that the press said was going to kill people and, yet, people went and rode that train multiple times just to experience the tunnel.
If they put the train in - I'd probably take it for a spin just to cross it off my list of things that I've done. I'm not exceptional in these regards. I'd not make a special trip t do it but I'd certainly take it if I were in the area and had the time.
Also, as this progresses, look for large land purchases -- even past land purchases and then look for ties between those who are pushing for it and those who stand to gain by the increased valuation.
Pretty much, yeah. I've yet to find one culture that didn't have their biases. I look Asian (I'm actually part Micmac, White, and Black African) and get along just fine regardless of where I go. I've been in places where my own government advised me not to go. Hell, I went to Egypt and was told, expressly, that I'd not be getting any help from the Embassy if things should fall apart. Every single group has its racial prejudices - they're often not seen as well because they live in more homogeneous societies but they exist. I've yet to find one single group of people who doesn't like another group based solely on who they are, what they believe, or who they sleep with.
I don't know what Utopia you live in Grammy Olsec and I've seen your otherwise brilliant posts over the years but I'm just not seeing what you're seeing. It's the same damned thing - everywhere. Err... It's turtles, all the way down. And, by enlarge, so long as you present yourself as being willing to be considerate of their culture - they tend to be pretty nice in return. I've been all around this world and, as near as I can tell, there's no Utopia and people are people no matter where you go. Every culture has its ups and downs. Some are pretty bad but, in other ways, they make up for it. I'm not overly fond of the Middle East - those who are extreme in their views. I guess we could compare and contrast with that but, really, they're usually just a bit more open about their biases and prejudices.
Maybe I'm blind? I don't know. I have, however, been everywhere. Well, I've never been to Antarctica. I've been pretty much everywhere else or close enough to it where I can just scratch it off my bucket list.
Did you forget the dumb terminals of the 70s and 80s? Hell, we used to have to schedule or rent time (depending on who you were) to get access. That which is old, is new again.
Yet, oddly, we can probably thank Bill Gates for the proliferation of the home PC. I don't really like him. I don't use his products. But I do have gratitude. His work was a good part of the driving force that made the PC viable for the masses. I'm sure you don't want to admit and will argue but that's okay. You pay what you pay and have the computer you have, largely because of Microsoft having dominated and pushed the industry. For better or worse, there's that. We can all agree that there were alternatives. We can all agree there were better ways to go about it. However, we can only deal with what did happen.
So, thank you Bill. I don't like him but I'm grateful for him.
I have scads of money. I drive a BMW. One of my favorite vehicles is a 1982 Volvo 245. I don't dress in tailored suits. I eat food that's grown or hunted or fished by myself - often/most of the time. I wear clothing from L.L. Bean. I have long, kind of, scraggly hair and a big ol' bushy and kinda gray beard. You'd not even know that I've accumulated some wealth unless I told you. I listen to rock and roll, I smoke cigars, and do a few drugs. Do you think that people just magically change because they have more in their bank account?
I was headed out on the road and I pretty much hate tablets. So, I picked up another cheap one to basically throw away when it pissed me off. It was $50 on Amazon. Some Dragon Touch y88x or something. I haven't figured out how to root it or anything but it's not that bad for a throw away tablet. Think back to just 1995 - 20 years ago... Would you imagine that you'd have that compute power in your pocket? For $50?
It's awesome!
I still hate it. However, it was $50. I don't get the displeased comments. Dudes, it's a tablet for $50. It's not even half bad. I'm gonna probably root this one and gift it to some random stranger with Ubuntu Touch on it. I've got more at home and they all suck too. It's still neat. I just don't really need that form factor, I already tolerate my phone. Anything larger and I want a keyboard. A tablet with a keyboard negates the portability. So, yeah... Still cool even if I, personally, haven't any real use for one.
No, he said the best feature of and not the best new feature of - seems like you're interjecting words because you think it's smart. It's not. I can read. Can you? Do you often run around inserting words into people's mouths? You're as retarded as they are, or so it seems. "He meant what he didn't say - can't you read!!!" Wow... Just, wow...
Not entirely correct. Some highways, made of concrete, use rebar. See Google for more information, I'm sure they mention it. Heavily trafficked highways will get fairly large rebar - think 3/4" to 1 1/4" diameters.
This may be immaterial and I can, in no way, speak for the simplicity of this specific equipment. I have, on the other hand, used a great deal of military hardware - vehicular and weapons. Much of it is really trivial to operate and has very easy to understand documentation available - very complete and exacting documentation. Add to that the familiarity, these civilians were likely conscripts at one point, and it's quite possible that a bunch of peasant farmers could accidentally shoot down a plane. Hell, if anything, I'd expect the peasants to make the mistaken identification and not know enough to hit the remote self-destruct if they realized the plane was civilian before impact. (I'm assuming it has a remote self-destruct, even if it doesn't then that too is immaterial but included for the sake of completeness.)
So, yeah, I don't really know enough to hold an opinion but it's actually possible that some peasant farmers did this. It's probably not much more difficult than knowing how to set it up and then waiting until the beep turns into a solid beep and push the big red button labeled in Cyrillic words that mean, "Kill Stuff."
Possible? Quite. Probable? I hold no opinion. I just figured that I'd share some of my experiences and what logic I'm using.
These appear to be the types of people who have just a hammer in their toolbox and insist they're able to fix anything with it. They could at least get some duct tape.
If it moves, and it shouldn't, duct tape. If it doesn't move, and it should, hammer. They'd at least broaden their horizons. Me? I can code poorly in a whole bunch of languages.
Oklahoma's not bad. I've been there - lots. I once got stuck in an ice storm there (2007ish) and was willing to drive but the tractor trailer trucks kept going off the road. I stopped at a hotel and they gave me the sale price 'cause I had one of those hotel fliers from the rest area. They were only supposed to honor it for one night and not on the weekends. I ended up staying a week. They not only gave me that rate, initially, but because I'd stayed the week they gave me the weekly rate.
People make up the culture. And people is people. No matter where you go. They're inherently nice (and stupid). They're the same the world over. Oklahoma's not bad at all. Hell, and I'm an East Coast person who lived in cities most of his life. No, Oklahoma (where the wind comes roaring down the plain) isn't bad at all.
Oh, it was Clinton, Oklahoma. Nice Chinese food just down the road on the right. Pizza is on the left. Nice place. They were refurbishing the hotel, new owners (from India I believe). I think that's I-40 through there? I'm too lazy to look.
"...most users do not have such a thing enabled in their browsers."
[[Citation Needed]]
Seriously, back that shit up. You made the claim, show me some evidence. A quick Google (sorry, not my job to prove you right) says that you're full of shit and trying to weasel your way out of being incorrect by telling straight up lies. Pretty much every site that attempts to quantify this seems to indicate you're completely retarded. Try 2-4% of web users browse with JS disabled.
This folks is why, just the other day, I decided to create my magnum opus. I will write, and give away, a CMS - free for the taking, truly libre in every sense of the word. I'm going to do it in uncommented Perl with as few lines as possible.
I expect to be a few months brushing up my skills but, damn it, it's going to be flat text file databases - everywhere. Imma store plain text passwords in plain text files. And I'm going to give it away.
You may think I'm kidding. I'm not. I just really, really, don't like you that much.
This is why I don't believe most of the comments such as yours. If you'd actually traveled, you'd know that people are people pretty much anywhere you go. All those things you see as major problems are really trivial in the scope of things. If you go to most any (not totally impoverished or in a conflict area - I've visited both types) you'll find that the average person is just as content (or not) as they are anywhere else. The average government makes is just as retarded, no matter where you go. The average criminals are much the same, as are the average businessmen.
So, you've either never really been anywhere, are insane, or are completely so self centered that you're unwilling to look around you to determine that your preconceived notions aren't actually correct. Maybe you should try actually traveling? Or at least being honest with yourself while making accurate observations.
Meh... Why do I bother? I'm sure you have your reasons.
Even if you're right, you can't win. *sighs* You must be bored.;-)
We don't need facts around here! We've got poop flinging and screeching to do. At least, I'm pretty sure that most threads devolve into howler monkey territory.
I do play in the markets but I don't speculate on commodities. I think it would be interesting if those who speculated had to accept and store the commodities, however. That might help. I imagine you'd be less likely to speculate on hogsheads if you had to accept delivery and store 1,000,000 pounds of the stuff - same for oil.
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Who the hell do you have doing your accounting? Research is still an itemized expense account listing and is untaxed. You're pretty much only taxed on profits. I sure as hell hope you're not in accounting. We did *loads* of research - including paying (sponsoring) university research. No, that shit's written off.
Seriously? You don't actually know anything about the tax code or own a business that does research of any kind, do you? If so then you need to hire a professional.
No, most of us Libertarians are much the same as we've always been. We're just not coordinated enough to take the mic away from the stupid people who claim to represent the party (while being registered Republicans, no less). No, we're still much the same. I'm much further left than any elected Democrat and I'm far more likely to vote for Sanders than I am for any other candidate, at this time. You're being hoodwinked, as well. Dig a little deeper - contact your local party officials. Ayn Rand was an idiot and Rand Paul is not a Libertarian.
Why are you beating that strawman? Not one thing you argued has anything to do with what he said. "the flaw in the basic premise is so obvious its absurd." Indeed. Yet you didn't actually respond to anything, at all, in the post you replied to. You made a bunch of incorrect assumptions and thought you were being witty. We know who is absurd, now don't we?
I was kind of thinking it was amplified snark but that doesn't always come through in text. I was kind of baffled. I've read enough posts from you, over the many years now, to actually respect your opinions and insights. By enlarge, yeah, people suck but they're just people. People make the culture and it's different and we all suck in new and interesting ways. I really can't see a huge difference, when looked at it objectively, with *most* cultures. Hell, I suspect that the vast majority of people in N. Korea are straight up awesome and honest people. So aren't the ones in Saudi Arabia. There are extremists but most people just want to live from day to day. Smile, they smile back.
Well, except New Yorkers. Fuck them. ;-) (I'm actually in Buffalo still, I met a lady and we're dating so I've been here for a while now. Even New Yorkers aren't bad. When we go down into the city, we still get out and chill with the people. They're just fine, too.)
Somewhere along the line, the Constitution went from being a list of what the government could do to being a list of what the government can't do. "No? It doesn't say we can't do that? Well, let's do it!" You could say I'm pissed off but I suspect I'm preaching to the choir. Run for office. Really, even if it's just a small and local one. I'm refusing all campaign contributions - direct contributions. My signs aren't fully designed but they'll be open for use by anyone who wants to print them or whatnot. You can't pay for my campaign but you can buy your own signs, you can get together with neighbors and put an ad in the paper, etc... I'm away from home, at the moment, but it's looking pretty likely that I'll actually be fairly well set for the 2016 November elections.
I've spent more than I've needed to, I could have done it for a lot less, but I'm only about 25k down. I've already decided that I'm going to do the town-hall thing and let the constituents decide where my salary goes - I've no need of it, so it can go to a local charity and they can decide among themselves.
I'm a Classic Libertarian (I have no choice but to use that phrase - it bothers me to do so, look at what the party has become or, at least, how it is perceived) and I strongly support taxation and public goods. Why? It's cheaper, safer, and has the most *likely* benefit to the whole which means that our rights are more likely to be something we can actually take advantage of. I want an educated, safe, and healthy population. I don't want hordes of destitute, hungry, impoverished, scared people taking my stuff. I like my stuff - that's why I worked my ass off to get it.
Seriously, get out an talk to people. Take the time to explain your beliefs and run for office. Even if it's just the school council. My whole platform can be summed up on a double sided piece of paper. One one side, everything I've done bad - I've no skeletons. On the other, everything I've learned from it and what I believe the solutions are. There's plenty of help to be had under the Libertarian tent - we'll help get you on the ticket.
When the rail lines opened in the UK they blew estimates out of the water. People would ride them, multiple times per day, just to ride them. They put in a huge, deep, tunnel that the press said was going to kill people and, yet, people went and rode that train multiple times just to experience the tunnel.
If they put the train in - I'd probably take it for a spin just to cross it off my list of things that I've done. I'm not exceptional in these regards. I'd not make a special trip t do it but I'd certainly take it if I were in the area and had the time.
Also, as this progresses, look for large land purchases -- even past land purchases and then look for ties between those who are pushing for it and those who stand to gain by the increased valuation.
Pretty much, yeah. I've yet to find one culture that didn't have their biases. I look Asian (I'm actually part Micmac, White, and Black African) and get along just fine regardless of where I go. I've been in places where my own government advised me not to go. Hell, I went to Egypt and was told, expressly, that I'd not be getting any help from the Embassy if things should fall apart. Every single group has its racial prejudices - they're often not seen as well because they live in more homogeneous societies but they exist. I've yet to find one single group of people who doesn't like another group based solely on who they are, what they believe, or who they sleep with.
I don't know what Utopia you live in Grammy Olsec and I've seen your otherwise brilliant posts over the years but I'm just not seeing what you're seeing. It's the same damned thing - everywhere. Err... It's turtles, all the way down. And, by enlarge, so long as you present yourself as being willing to be considerate of their culture - they tend to be pretty nice in return. I've been all around this world and, as near as I can tell, there's no Utopia and people are people no matter where you go. Every culture has its ups and downs. Some are pretty bad but, in other ways, they make up for it. I'm not overly fond of the Middle East - those who are extreme in their views. I guess we could compare and contrast with that but, really, they're usually just a bit more open about their biases and prejudices.
Maybe I'm blind? I don't know. I have, however, been everywhere. Well, I've never been to Antarctica. I've been pretty much everywhere else or close enough to it where I can just scratch it off my bucket list.
He's our resident "anarcho-capitalist." I.e. insane.
Link?
Did you forget the dumb terminals of the 70s and 80s? Hell, we used to have to schedule or rent time (depending on who you were) to get access. That which is old, is new again.
Yet, oddly, we can probably thank Bill Gates for the proliferation of the home PC. I don't really like him. I don't use his products. But I do have gratitude. His work was a good part of the driving force that made the PC viable for the masses. I'm sure you don't want to admit and will argue but that's okay. You pay what you pay and have the computer you have, largely because of Microsoft having dominated and pushed the industry. For better or worse, there's that. We can all agree that there were alternatives. We can all agree there were better ways to go about it. However, we can only deal with what did happen.
So, thank you Bill. I don't like him but I'm grateful for him.
I have scads of money. I drive a BMW. One of my favorite vehicles is a 1982 Volvo 245. I don't dress in tailored suits. I eat food that's grown or hunted or fished by myself - often/most of the time. I wear clothing from L.L. Bean. I have long, kind of, scraggly hair and a big ol' bushy and kinda gray beard. You'd not even know that I've accumulated some wealth unless I told you. I listen to rock and roll, I smoke cigars, and do a few drugs. Do you think that people just magically change because they have more in their bank account?
Silly kids.
Umm... Then maybe this device just isn't for you?
I was headed out on the road and I pretty much hate tablets. So, I picked up another cheap one to basically throw away when it pissed me off. It was $50 on Amazon. Some Dragon Touch y88x or something. I haven't figured out how to root it or anything but it's not that bad for a throw away tablet. Think back to just 1995 - 20 years ago... Would you imagine that you'd have that compute power in your pocket? For $50?
It's awesome!
I still hate it. However, it was $50. I don't get the displeased comments. Dudes, it's a tablet for $50. It's not even half bad. I'm gonna probably root this one and gift it to some random stranger with Ubuntu Touch on it. I've got more at home and they all suck too. It's still neat. I just don't really need that form factor, I already tolerate my phone. Anything larger and I want a keyboard. A tablet with a keyboard negates the portability. So, yeah... Still cool even if I, personally, haven't any real use for one.
No, he said the best feature of and not the best new feature of - seems like you're interjecting words because you think it's smart. It's not. I can read. Can you? Do you often run around inserting words into people's mouths? You're as retarded as they are, or so it seems. "He meant what he didn't say - can't you read!!!" Wow... Just, wow...
Not entirely correct. Some highways, made of concrete, use rebar. See Google for more information, I'm sure they mention it. Heavily trafficked highways will get fairly large rebar - think 3/4" to 1 1/4" diameters.
This may be immaterial and I can, in no way, speak for the simplicity of this specific equipment. I have, on the other hand, used a great deal of military hardware - vehicular and weapons. Much of it is really trivial to operate and has very easy to understand documentation available - very complete and exacting documentation. Add to that the familiarity, these civilians were likely conscripts at one point, and it's quite possible that a bunch of peasant farmers could accidentally shoot down a plane. Hell, if anything, I'd expect the peasants to make the mistaken identification and not know enough to hit the remote self-destruct if they realized the plane was civilian before impact. (I'm assuming it has a remote self-destruct, even if it doesn't then that too is immaterial but included for the sake of completeness.)
So, yeah, I don't really know enough to hold an opinion but it's actually possible that some peasant farmers did this. It's probably not much more difficult than knowing how to set it up and then waiting until the beep turns into a solid beep and push the big red button labeled in Cyrillic words that mean, "Kill Stuff."
Possible? Quite. Probable? I hold no opinion. I just figured that I'd share some of my experiences and what logic I'm using.
These appear to be the types of people who have just a hammer in their toolbox and insist they're able to fix anything with it. They could at least get some duct tape.
If it moves, and it shouldn't, duct tape. If it doesn't move, and it should, hammer. They'd at least broaden their horizons. Me? I can code poorly in a whole bunch of languages.
Oklahoma's not bad. I've been there - lots. I once got stuck in an ice storm there (2007ish) and was willing to drive but the tractor trailer trucks kept going off the road. I stopped at a hotel and they gave me the sale price 'cause I had one of those hotel fliers from the rest area. They were only supposed to honor it for one night and not on the weekends. I ended up staying a week. They not only gave me that rate, initially, but because I'd stayed the week they gave me the weekly rate.
People make up the culture. And people is people. No matter where you go. They're inherently nice (and stupid). They're the same the world over. Oklahoma's not bad at all. Hell, and I'm an East Coast person who lived in cities most of his life. No, Oklahoma (where the wind comes roaring down the plain) isn't bad at all.
Oh, it was Clinton, Oklahoma. Nice Chinese food just down the road on the right. Pizza is on the left. Nice place. They were refurbishing the hotel, new owners (from India I believe). I think that's I-40 through there? I'm too lazy to look.
"...most users do not have such a thing enabled in their browsers."
[[Citation Needed]]
Seriously, back that shit up. You made the claim, show me some evidence. A quick Google (sorry, not my job to prove you right) says that you're full of shit and trying to weasel your way out of being incorrect by telling straight up lies. Pretty much every site that attempts to quantify this seems to indicate you're completely retarded. Try 2-4% of web users browse with JS disabled.
This folks is why, just the other day, I decided to create my magnum opus. I will write, and give away, a CMS - free for the taking, truly libre in every sense of the word. I'm going to do it in uncommented Perl with as few lines as possible.
I expect to be a few months brushing up my skills but, damn it, it's going to be flat text file databases - everywhere. Imma store plain text passwords in plain text files. And I'm going to give it away.
You may think I'm kidding. I'm not. I just really, really, don't like you that much.
This is why I don't believe most of the comments such as yours. If you'd actually traveled, you'd know that people are people pretty much anywhere you go. All those things you see as major problems are really trivial in the scope of things. If you go to most any (not totally impoverished or in a conflict area - I've visited both types) you'll find that the average person is just as content (or not) as they are anywhere else. The average government makes is just as retarded, no matter where you go. The average criminals are much the same, as are the average businessmen.
So, you've either never really been anywhere, are insane, or are completely so self centered that you're unwilling to look around you to determine that your preconceived notions aren't actually correct. Maybe you should try actually traveling? Or at least being honest with yourself while making accurate observations.
Meh... Why do I bother? I'm sure you have your reasons.
"Created with 3D Printed Nanobots!"
Even if you're right, you can't win. *sighs* You must be bored. ;-)
We don't need facts around here! We've got poop flinging and screeching to do. At least, I'm pretty sure that most threads devolve into howler monkey territory.
I do play in the markets but I don't speculate on commodities. I think it would be interesting if those who speculated had to accept and store the commodities, however. That might help. I imagine you'd be less likely to speculate on hogsheads if you had to accept delivery and store 1,000,000 pounds of the stuff - same for oil.