People aren't getting any wiser, and propagandists are getting smarter too. While Fox News pushes *extremely dumb* ideas, it does so in a very slickly manipulative way that precisely targets the vulnerabilities of their demographic audience, effectively conditioning them to act less intelligent than they could be.
Other mass media companies do the same thing, as do advertizing and public relations businesses. They get paid for that.
Falcon
I'd like to see a REAL flat tax. National parks, roads, FAA, EPA, OSHA - they all protect us, rich and poor, about equally. So take the US Federal spending ($3.8 trillion) and divide it by every legal resident (about 300 million) and there you go. Everybody gets a bill for just shy of $13,000.
The FAA, FCC, OSHA, HUD, and others are not Constitutionally authorized, so abolish them. The Fatherland, er Motherland, oops Homeland Security Agency isn't authorized so dissolve it. The military is authorized, but Constitutionally congress has to fund it on a yearly basis. The USA's Founding Fathers feared a standing army. Eliminating those parts of the federal government that is not Constitutionally authorized, and reducing the size of the military and the government budget can easily be cut in half.
Okay, so the FAA may be constitutional though I don't see how, but then perhaps it belongs as a part of interstate commerce.The FCC is not though. I challenge people to find OSHA in the USA Constitution. Because as James Madison, who largely wrote the Constitution wrote:
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce.
Falcon
I'm not advocating everyone go invest in the market (that would hilariously bad), but to pretend that a savings account with
Investing is precisely what I advocate everybody do. I blame education, or lack thereof, for people's unwillingness to invest. Ariel Community Academy in Chicago does what's right. It is a pre-K to elementary school that teaches students how to invest. However it's reviews have gone downhill since I first learn of it.
Falcon
I would love for them to scrap the current code and implement a billing system. Yes I acknowledge that it isn't that realistic, but just because most folks cannot manage their personal income does not mean all of us should have to suffer as if we are an equal of the lowest common denominator.
I would love it for the federal government to stop taxing people's income. Tax corporate, and any other form of business that has limited liability, income but not individual income.
Falcon
I only pay US taxes because they are literally forcing me to by the barrel of a gun and threat of imprisonment, only in the same way that I'd give my wallet to a mugger at gunpoint. Indeed I'm actively looking to move abroad and obtain citizenship elsewhere in a more free jurisdiction.
Try Somalia: you'll get all the government you're willing to pay for and a virtually unfettered free market.
"Why is it that the stupidest talking points also tend to be the most heavily repeated? If I had a dime for every time I heard Somalia used as an example of libertarianism or free-market capitalism, my fortune could possibly rival that of Bill Gates."
"Somalia has no form of government. That means it’s under anarchy. Libertarians and free-market capitalists do want government; they just want to limit its power over the people, especially the market. Therefore, Somalia is not an example of either libertarianism or free-market capitalism."
Falcon
I only pay US taxes because they are literally forcing me to by the barrel of a gun and threat of imprisonment, only in the same way that I'd give my wallet to a mugger at gunpoint. Indeed I'm actively looking to move abroad and obtain citizenship elsewhere in a more free jurisdiction.
I agree about legalized theft by government however there's little hope finding a nation with more freedom than the US. Even with said freedom being whittled away. Look at Singapore, where Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin decided to become a citizen of, renouncing his American Citizenship. It bans chewing gum. Business Insider has an article on How To Travel In Singapore Without Getting Caned.
Falcon
I no has job...
With that grammar, I'm not surprised.....
"Will you has fries with that?" "What?"
English grammar isn't always important in non-English countries.
Falcon
I live off my savings; I paid my taxes years ago. Why should I pay more now?
Because government is a vampire sucking blood from it's victims, er citizens.
Falcon
I live in the state she represents in the Senate. And Al Franken. And I oppose both. They either do not know what the Constitution of the USA is or don't care because they both oppose it.
Falcon
I have a MacBook Pro r3.1 and can walk into an Apple store and get support at the Genius Bar for it. I have Snow Leopard 10.6 on it, along with Ubuntu 12.04, and I can upgrade the OS to Mountain Lion if I wanted.
Which you might want, if you find that the answer you get at the Genius Bar is "OK, that's a bug we fixed in {10.7.x, 10.8.x}, that's about all the help we can offer". Yes, the Genius Bar may listen sympathetically to your problem report, but the advice they offer might be "you'll have to get a newer OS if you want that problem fixed".
I have never had anything like that happen to be at the Genius Bar. The only problem I ever had when I visited the bar, is when I got my Mac. When I ordered the Mac, online, I ordered some programs for it as well. One was a suite of utilities. Booting with the utility DVD in the drive I could run diagnostics on it, which I did. However it told me I was running the wrong version of the utility. So I made an appointment at the Genius Bar and there the tech told me I was sent an out of date disc. She suggested I contact the software company to get an updated disc. Now I didn't think that was right. Apple should have sent the right disc but since they didn't the store should have replaced it.
On the other hand I only upgraded to Snow Leopard to program in Java 6 and there was not an update available for the version of OS X I was using whereas Snow Leopard came with Java 6.
Ooh, and I don't want to upgrade to Mountain Lion because Apple is getting to be like MS. Mt Lion does not come on a DVD. Instead you have to install it by using the App Store to download it. At least Lion came on a USB Flash drive but Mt Lion does not. As I've said elsewhere I don't think I'll be buying another Apple product. I might buy another MacBook Pro but I don't think so. If I do I'll dual-boot it like I do the one I'm using now. And it's less likely I'll buy an MS Windows laptop. So for my next one I'll have to find one that comes with a Linux distro.
if you want security updates for your OS version for a long period of time, you might get more of that with Windows
As I've posted elsewhere I have a Windows NT4 PC under my desk. I bought it brand new in December 1997. In 2000 I ran Windows Update, as i usually did every two or three months, and it told me MS was not going to offer any more updates for my PC. Old updates are available for downloads, however as someone else said "Downloads != Support". Also I actually moved from MS Windows to Linux and Mac OS X because I hate MS business tactics. To me requiring Microsoft Product Activation, Windows Genuine Advantage, and other things is treating users as criminals and I hate being treated like that. Which is why I hate Apple's new download policies for upgrades.
(Oh, and I'm a Mac user, and have used OS X to work on stuff such as this [nfsv4bat.org]. Note, BTW, that, after those slides came out, we went with running a single automountd in a global session, but mounts are done by subprocesses that are, in various release-dependent ways, attached to the session that provoked the mount.)
It seems you know much more than I do about Unix and compatible OSes. I don't know much myself, but volunteering for Freegeek Twin Cities I'm slowly learning more.
Falcon
If you want incoming to match outgoing at the state level, why even pay federal tax? (apart from legality) I know its an issue, states here bitch about subsidising poorer states as well. Motorists bitch about providing more funds for road and infrastructure than cyclists, etc.
That's just it, I don't want federal individual income taxes. I want liberty and a Constitutionally limited government. As James Madison, the Father of the Constitution said:
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation and foreign commerce.
Most roads should be paid for locally with some paid by the state and very little by the federal government. And the actually funding of the roads should be through a tax on fuels, tires (because bike use roads but don't use fuel), and miles driven. For instance Interstate 4 or I4 is a federal highway, however it is not an interstate highway. It runs from Dayton Beach, Fl on the Atlantic coast to Tampa, Fl on the Gulf coast. It comes nowhere near any other state. Therefore the federal government should not be paying for it. The state of Florida should pay some but the counties and cities it runs through should pay most of it. Through fuel, tire, and mileage taxes. Money to pay for roads should not come from general funds. Lower federal taxes would allow states to raise their taxes. And government closer to the voters are more responsive to the voters. What does it matter to a DC bureaucrat what happens, or doesn't happen, in St Petersburg, FL? It shouldn't, unless people's rights are being violated there.
Falcon
Countless men and women across generations, worked hard for tens of thousands of years to build the civilization we have today, because they wanted to make the world better for their children. They invented electricity, computers, roads, steel, banks, farms & schools, and everything else we consider essential to daily life. Yet you seem to be ascribing to the theory that Bill Gates did the work of 1 billion men single handedly, and doesn't owe a damn thing to anybody. Try this: Go live alone on an island, and see what your quality of life is. Then maybe you'll understand that "paying society back" is fair.
Try living in chains then say what you think of life. You're making the same mistake as Obama, saying those who work their asses off to create a business employing others owe a favor to society for doing so. That is ass backwards, society owes entrepreneurs for the jobs they create as well as for improving the quality of people's lives.
Falcon
I love supporting our welfare state. I love hearing rich people complain about having to pay society back.
Pay society back for what? For being allowed to live? For having a military force larger than to next 10 largest militaries put together?
World Military Spending
Global Distribution of Military Expenditures in 2011
Not only am I not rich or wealthy, but I am actually getting economics assistance from government. I am disabled and haven't worked for more than 10 years. I only find it bearable getting disability income because I paid into social security while I worked. It's insurance which I paid into, however I was forced to pay it. Now if I were wealthy I'd rather be able to choose what issues I wanted to support than have money I earned taken from me by government to support what I oppose. And I oppose big government. But I support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Neither of these hospitals are government run, they're both non-profit hospitals that treat children whether parents can afford it or not. Neither actually charges to treat children, they are both financed by donations. I also volunteer for Freegeek Twin Cities. We receive donations of used PCs and peripherals, and some money. The PCs are tested and if there are good parts that meet our minimum standards we will use them to build "new" PCs. We have 3 missions. One is to reduce e-waste, one to bridge the digital divide, and the last to educate people. So we sell PCs, with Xubuntu 12.04 installed, for $25. We train people to use the PCs they buy. And we recycle the rest of the equipment.
Falcon
You've just made me even more grateful for living in Australia. No state tax return to do.
Not all states in the US have income states. Florida is one that doesn't. I live in Minnesota and not only does it have a state income tax but it's sales tax is higher than Florida's too. Fiscal conservatives complain about how high taxes are yet if a map of how much blue state Democrat vs red state Republican pay in federal income taxes vs how much the state gets in federal money, blue Democrat states subsidize red Republican states.
Falcon
away from you
Apple still offers PPC Mac and 10.2 downloads.
But they don't offer any fixes for them, not even security fixes.
In May Canonical will stop offering fixes for Ubuntu 10.04. In December 1997 I bought a brand new MS Windows NT 4 Workstation. I was shocked in 2000 when I ran Windows Update and received the message MS was no longer releasing new updates. When I checked something like 2 years ago MS still offered update downloads, but there were no new ones. And as a responder said "Update != Support".
Falcon
If a thing's worth doing, it is worth doing badly. -- G.K. Chesterton
