Is this one of those multi-level marketing (a.k.a. pyramid) schemes?

Nope. Their model is a trapezoid - much more stable.

Unemployment is a problem. If nuclear power plants require more people to run, wouldn't that be a good thing?

Indeed. We should also ban all power tools and computers; think of all the jobs this will create! Maybe we should block the sun as well - more candle-making jobs!

The judicial system deserves more blame the RIAA for this. The judicial system is setup, guided and managed purely to serve the interests of the lawyers.
And they do everything to make it complicated, slow and expensive. They make the laws and they get paid to fight for/against it as well.

Power corrupts. Doesn't matter if the person with power has shit that doesn't stink. By nature, the stronger person will eventually abuse his power.

Good point. Would you apply this to the political parties as well?
I mean the democratic party is getting way too powerful - are Obama's Doj people going to look into that as well?

Will they also look at the collusion in the political market where only 2 firms 'dominate' and worse, the firm that has the dominant position is actively doing things to keep the other firm out?

*giving* these people nuclear weapons.

I don't think you're "giving" them anything.

God forbid somebody says something sensible...*sigh* indeed.

Those are just as biased as Fox News.

Because they never agree with your views?

but $500 is $150 too much for a larger version of the Kindle 2

Maybe you mean "$500 is $150 too much than what I'm willing to pay" - if it is back-ordered like the earlier models, it means that $500 is too low. What it costs amazon to build is irrelevant to the sales price (if it costs them $5000, you wouldn't pay that, will you?)

When I see arguments like this (govt. should do X - look at how society will benefit from that), I usually say:

That's a great idea. Similar to that, the govt should also:

• Regulate dating and marriage - this will lead to a lower divorce rate and improve society
• Regulate when and how many children a couple can have - imagine the benefits to soceity
• etc

The danger is, some nanny-staters will agree with some of the "ideas" above.

Lower tax rates can spur economic growth, but so can government spending (funded by higher tax rates)
Except that you're laundering all of that money through a notoriously inefficient, pork-laden, sinkhole that kills its efficient allocation.

"Efficient allocation" is not the problem with the GP's theory. If the GP is correct, none of us need to work! We can all sit back while the govt. just spends money (don't ask him where the govt get the money and what the consequences are).

Evey effing moron is now a Keynesian - nothing too surprising there.

As one Hungarian said to Ballmer: Give us our money back!

And what did the Hungarian do to earn the money? Did he invest his savings and time to start a company?

Explicitly allowing military contractors to overcharge the taxpayer to deliver broken systems on no-bid contracts is the heart of True Capitalism(tm) and A-OK.

Where did you get that idea?
Oh, you're making sh1t up. Ok, let me try - socialism means killing little babies and feeding them to dogs.

you mean like the manattan project? the apollo project? Nasa?

I have a feeling he may be talking about the other stuff like 'War on drugs/terrorism/etc' - but of course, you would never have thought of that.

Economics does not have a "goal" of efficiency any more than nuclear physics has a "goal" of producing the biggest, most powerful bomb possible. It needs to be leveraged to the benefit of humanity.

And what makes you think that politicians and bureaucrats are better motivated and have all the necessary information than private individuals? If that were the case, Cuba, N. Korea, pre-92 India and the Soviet Union would be economic giants instead of basket cases.

if we don't stop the up and coming countries ... If we get them off on the right foot

I didn't realize that the idea of the white man's burden was still alive and well. The US and others claiming to exempt India and China is like an impotent man claiming to be chaste.