For whatever moderator has his head up his ass, this is an absolutely reasonable and laudable suggestion, and a very simple one: don't buy what you can't afford to pay for in cash. You'll have no debt, and no debt collections. Like he said, if you do have debt, and you talk to your creditors - explain that you've taken a second job and a payment of X is inbound, they'll almost always work with you.

When did we get to the point that what was common sense to our our grandparents is now flamebait?

As a student/private pilot, I watch the aviation industry very closely. You're more right than you know. Aviation is under attack on multiple fronts. TSA is just one of the aggressors. The only conclusion I can draw is that there are those in power who wish air travel for the general public to simply go away - not by banning it outright which would be too obvious, but rather by making general and commercial aviation as painful and as difficult as possible.

Flight across long distances represents mobility. Mobile people are free to come and go as they please. It is harder to control a mobile population who can assemble, associate, and conduct business at will.

While in principle I agree with you, they don't care if you think you're "wasting" their time. The TSA has all the time in the world, and absolutely zero incentive to speed things up. You, on the other hand, have a plane to catch. We already have to be at the airport 1+ hours before our flight. The TSA people aren't going anywhere. You are.

Are they going to be replaced by a competitor who can do it better when their contract is up? Oh right, they're a government monopoly. No competition, no incentive for customer service. No reason to improve service or more fundamentally - stop being assholes. Can we vote out to head of the TSA? Can we vote out the screeners? Can we vote against the policies and regulations of Big Sis? Not directly? I've venture to argue not at all. Bush started the TSA, and Obama is happy to put an imp like Napolitano in charge - someone who actually refused to do anything to secure her southern border as governor of Arizona. So we're supposed to now believe we're safer because of her stupid policies? Bullshit.

Traveling from place to place at will and by choice is a freedom. The natural order of government is to hate freedom, because every freedom represents something they can't or don't control. So the government by nature will make travel - especially air travel - as much of a pain in the ass as possible - if not downright illegal (East Germany, North Korea). The TSA may have been started with good intentions, but it almost overnight became about power and control.

They're not? Maybe I used the wrong phrase. By "pay-as-you-go" I was referring to the idea that when the FD shows up to put out the fire, then you pay them $75. The second half of my post was about how completely unworkable of an idea that is.

As I recall the story, he and the others in his area (not sure what the actual geography is) voted to have their fire services established this way. Prior to the agreement of $75/year per home, there was no FD covering his or his neighbors' homes. Why shouldn't it be voluntary? You sound like you want to impose your idea of what is good for me - onto me. In most locations, emergency services are funded through taxes. I don't happen to have a huge issue with this. I think that emergency services are a wise way to spend tax dollars to create a shared resource.

However, if I live in a town where we decide that we want to fund our fire department a different way - or contract services from a neighboring municipality, then that is our choice. If you don't like it, I don't care. I'm sorry to say, but you sound like more of the "for your own good" nonsense that has created monstrosities like PelosiCare. I like what I have, if I don't want to buy health insurance, I shouldn't have to and the govt has no business forcing me into it. (Required car insurance is a) state mandated and b) liability only - if you're found to be at fault the person you hit doesn't get screwed)

Blame the voters of the town, who decided this was how they wanted to fund fire services. Blame the owner who didn't pay for the emergency service. There is no "system" that created the mess. The people decided this is how they wanted to do things.

I realize you're not advocating pay-as-you-go for FD services, but I have to emphasize what many others have pointed out -- operating a FD is not free. There are significant up front costs, as well as ongoing maintenance costs. The turnout coats wear out and need to be replaced. The pumper needs new tires, etc. The company I work for builds equipment for firetrucks. Should my company be required to provide our products and services for free? Should I not get paid for my labor, because fire trucks should be free? Let me assure you, they are not.

Further, it is impossible to build a firetruck while the house is burning down. If everyone decided not to pay until the house caught fire - no money before the fire to buy the truck, the equipment, pay the firefighters - there would be nothing to put it out with and not only would his house would burn to the ground anyway - so would his neighbor's.

Too bad you posted as A/C, because you make a good point. Further, quoting the summary:

Maybe, before opening your fat mouth and posting on /. something you have no facts on, but seem to confidently be able state that the US Army has "acted stupidly" - you research what went wrong and then pass judgement. The parent is correct - there are 13 root servers so that one or two or three CAN go down - either because of a failure or for maintenance - without killing the whole interwebs.

My approach to education: If you hit me b/c you were fucking with your phone, I may exercise my option to beat the shit out of you.

You're on the road to drive. If you cannot or do not want to be responsible for operating a 3,000lb weapon, pull over - or call a cab. I'm sorry that it is so much to ask that while you're sharing the road with other people, you take some responsibility for what you're doing and pay attention. Your first job when behind the wheel is not your makeup, not your hair, not your girlfriends' latest hangup, not your buddy's party last night. Drive your damn car like both our lives depend on it.

yes, yes you did. which was exactly my reaction. The government, at the behest of a private party, shuts down a legitimately operated business, whom the RIAA bots have decided are infringers. It turns out, the guy is selling his own music. Or, he has obtained the rights to use the music. But his business is closed until he can prove he didn't do anything wrong. By the time he convinces a judge the slick $500/hr RIAA/MPAA lawyers are wrong, his small operation which he sunk his life savings into, and which was feeding his family with, has gone under. No one will compensate him. He's just fucked.

I'm trying to figure out how "prick" is obscenity, so much so to get you banned from the United States? I don't think this is about the kid or the word. I think this is more about the kid is British. Whatever you think of them or us or Bush or whatever, there are plenty of examples of thinly veiled hostility from this administration toward our most important ally in the world.

Cut/extract the RFID tag from the 'recycle' bin, and duct tape it to the backside of your regular trashcan. Problem solved.

Cleveland is a hell hole, financially ruined by decades of corrupt entitlement/welfare government. This is nothing more than another way to impose a tax on the citizenry - calling it a fine - to pay for their bankrupt big government programs.

You make a good point. If I'm going to break into someone's house, a good time to do it would probably be between 9am and 5pm Monday-Friday. Most thefts are crimes of opportunity, not premeditated Oceans-Eleven style. I could just sit out in front of their house in the morning and wait for them to leave for work. No pictures or geotags needed. With a just a couple of guys, I can clean the place out in about 10-15 minutes. Where I live, assuming someone notices and phones the cops, that is about twice the time needed before dispatch will finally put the call through to officers.

Took the cops more than an hour to show up for a suspicious person sitting in his car one morning doing what appeared to be casing a house in my neighborhood. More recently, took them 30 minutes to show up after a call about a man banging on the neighbor's door, yelling and threatening to kick it in.

The most effective deterrent is one of those 'ADT' type stickers. After that, the dog. If that doesn't work, a double-tap to the center of mass should end things rather abruptly.

This is lazy reporting, nothing more. If the AZ Star et al. had bothered to talk to Southwest about it, they might have gotten a clue. It is a sensationalist headline to draw eyeballs and gin up controversy where there is none.

One of the best analogies I've read to explain why differential pricing makes sense, and isn't "picking on fat people". That means you, Kevin Smith.

No, big guy, I don't have a problem with it. The guy who handles your luggage also has a family to feed. Or maybe you think somehow he should just get paid him in magic fake fairy dust? The machines hauling your luggage have a price. The food grandma eats has a cost associated with the production and delivery.

As far as I know, there is no airline which prohibits passengers from bringing their own food onto the plane. If you don't want to buy their food, then don't. No one is making you. The clowns running the TSA have declared that you can't bring liquids through security - but that is government, not airlines.

Some people just like the sound of their voice coming out of their own ass.

What profit are you talking about? Ironically, Southwest - which does not generally charge the same sorts of fees decried - is the one making evil profit. How many times have the taxpayers bailed out the legacy airlines?

There are plenty of transportation choices. If you don't like the fee, pick another airline. Take a charter flight. Take a bus. Ride a train. Drive yourself. Learn to fly an airplane and fly yourself.