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Comment Re:Love the spin (Score 1) 326

Just for the record here, here is what I could find on the US Tax incomes:

Year US Tax Income ($M) GDP ($B) Tax/GDP
2009 $1,398,542 (a) Not Available ---
2008 $1,602,823 (a) Not Available ---
2007 $1,571,322 (a) Not Available ---
2006 $1,478,945 (a) $11541.614 (b) 0.128140224
2005 $1,339,363 (c) $11163.759 (b) 0.119974200
2004 $ 998,328 (c) $10822.914 (b) 0.092242970
2003 $ 925,477 (c) $10466.951 (b) 0.088418967
2002 $1,006,389 (c) $10095.771 (b) 0.099684214
2001 $1,145,414 (c) $ 9910.034 (b) 0.115581238
2000 $1,211,749 (d) $ 9887.749 (b) 0.122550542
1999 $1,064,160 (d) $ 9671.089 (b) 0.110035178
1998 $1,017,274 (d) $ 9237.081 (b) 0.11012938

(a) source: http://www.fms.treas.gov/bulletin/b2009_4fd.doc
(b) source: http://forecasts.org/data/data/GDPC96.htm (c) source: http://fms.treas.gov/bulletin/b45.pdf
(d) source: http://fms.treas.gov/bulletin/b42.pdf
This, combined with historical information about Congress:

Year House Maj.(e) Senate Maj.(f)
2009 Democrat even
2008 Democrat even
2007 Republican Republican
2006 Republican Republican
2005 Republican Republican
2004 Republican Republican
2003 Republican Republican
2002 Republican even/Democrat
2001 Republican Democrat
2000 Republican Republican
1999 Republican Republican
1998 Republican Republican

(e) source: http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html
(f) source: http://senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm

We also note that this is *not* spending, but simply tax income. Keep in mind we should expect that tax income should lag tax law by about a year for the tax law to take effect. The GDP steadily rises, so the main difference is the tax income (total dollars). As a nation, the US tends to hang out around 11%-12% Tax/GDP ratio. There were some low years (2002-2004) which seems to align (with said lag) with the Democratic control of the Senate, although it could also be blamed on the "Bush Tax Cuts" (2001, if I recall correctly).

Short answer, looking at a president, a congress, a party, etc. is potentially a myopic view.

Comment Re:Sad but true (Score 1) 192

You are probably right, it is "cheap". I am, however, sure it doesn't include expenses on the government outside of paying the contracted development group (contract cost). If it takes four government people (I don't really know), that is probably about $500K/year in salary, maybe another $20K in travel/year, etc. I don't know anything about the game, so I could be way off base here, but if it is run off of government servers, cost to set those up and maintain those would also not be included in the price.
Graphics

Submission + - GeForce 8800 GTX 320MB, DX10 Graphics On The Cheap

TrackinYeti writes: Being an early adopter of leading edge graphics cards, can be an expensive proposition. Not to mention the fact that often times, new features that are offered, like NVIDIA's support of DX10, often lay dormant for the average end-user until games developers play catch up and begin making use of the new hardware in their game engines. However, the recent release of NVIDIA's lower-end GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB card, is a much more affordable step into next gen graphics. GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB performance is high enough at mainstream resolutions that its worth upgrading to a card like this from virtually any last-gen product. At around $300 or so, you won't break the bank doing it. You'll also end up with the added benefits of full HDCP and DX10 support for the future, a better video engine, and a more complete feature set overall, that includes things like CSAA and higher quality anisotropic filtering.
Linux Business

Submission + - ATM based on Suse Linux

sas-dot writes: Slashdot earlier reported the government of Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, which has begun initiatives to convert all of their IT systems fully to OSS-based software. Now it's pushing forward for a Linux based ATM. The official incharge wrote in his email "ELCOT had successfully developed the first ever ATM (automatic cash dispenser) that runs on suse linux. The prototype was unveiled on the 21st March 2007. ELCOT also wishes to test the ATM in typical Government operations such as National Old Age Pension Scheme, cash dispensing schemes such as National Rural Employment programme etc. It depends on how the Government machinery is ready to accept a new technology such as an ATM" Here is the press release.
Music

Submission + - Someone In Congress Actually Understands Mixtapes!

An anonymous reader writes: Most of us (for pretty good reasons!) have come to assume that our Congressional representatives are pretty far out of touch when it comes to things like technology and culture, but it's nice to see that at least one Congressman seems to understand that mixtapes and mashups aren't such a bad thing. Techdirt has the transcript of Rep. Mike Doyle's speech, which talks about the benefits of mixtapes, while wondering about why DJ Drama was arrested: "I hope that everyone involved will take a step back and ask themselves if mash-ups and mix-tapes are really different or if it's the same as Paul McCartney admitting that he nicked the Chuck Berry bass-riff and used it on the Beatle's hit 'I Saw Her Standing There.' Maybe it is. And, maybe Drama violated some clear bright lines. Or, maybe mixtapes are a powerful tool. And, maybe mash-ups are transformative new art that expands the consumers experience and doesn't compete with what an artist has made available on iTunes or at the CD store. And, I don't think Sir Paul asked for permission to borrow that bass line, but every time I listen to that song, I'm a little better off for him having done so...."
Portables (Apple)

Submission + - Australian MacBook bursts into flames

Currawong writes: "MacTalk Australia reports that one of its users has had their MacBook burst into flames, awaking in the middle of the night to find the MacBook, along with some magazines adjacent to where the MacBook was sitting, alight. His housemate stated that, "she heard it hissing like a steam valve, then smoke started pouring out of it and a couple of seconds later, a very large flash fire started." The owner stated that available charge in the battery of the 11 month old MacBook had become suddenly poor in the 3 weeks leading up to the fire, the day of the fire almost completely failing to work properly at all. Apple last year issued a recall of over 1 million batteries after issues with Sony manufactured batteries caught fire in Dell laptops. Since contacting Apple Australia, they have offered to replace the MacBook with a MacBook Pro and possibly compensate the owner for the damage caused, once they have determined the cause of the fire."
The Courts

Submission + - SEC charges 3 hackers with securities fraud

nbauman writes: "The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint in Nebraska charging 3 Indian nationals with a fraudulent scheme to manipulate the prices of at least 14 securities with other people's online brokerage accounts. Between July and November 2006, Jaisankar Marimuthu, Chockalingam Ramanathan and Thirugnanam Ramanathan hijacked online brokerage accounts using stolen usernames and passwords. They acquired securities positions in their own accounts, placed buy orders at above-market prices in the hacked accounts, and sold the positions in their own accounts at inflated prices. They made profits of at least $121,500. Online broker-dealers lost at least $875,000. Securities fraud carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. The government will seek extradition to Nebraska. http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2007/lr2 0037.htm SEC v. Jaisankar Marimuthu, Chockalingam Ramanathan and Thirugnanam Ramanathan, Civil Action No. 8:07CV94 (D. Neb.)"
Google

Submission + - Top Reasons Why Google Enterprise Apps Will Fail

seanj writes: "OSWeekly gives a number of reasons why Google will probably fail with its enterprise applications. "To Google fans, I can see where this may be seen as spectacular news. But to the skeptics, such as myself, I believe it's going to prove difficult at best. Why the harsh outlook? Because this has been part of the Microsoft domain for so long that I don't believe that IT managers are ready to make the leap of faith that Google needs to kick start things with. Then again, Google could be closer than I initially thought..."
Media

Submission + - The Battle of Media Centers for Linux

LNXPhreak writes: "OSWeekly.com has an outlook on various media center applications that are available for Linux. "At the end of this examination, I can only conclude that what is stopping people from working off of existing projects must be related to the framework that is involved or perhaps even the style in which the original set of ideas were first put together. Regardless of why, it seems like a shame and possibly someday, we will find a way to overcome this duplication of efforts."
Portables

Submission + - Samsung's First Ultra-Mobile PC Optimized For Wind

scdayo writes: Samsung, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announces its newest Ultra- Mobile PC (UMPC) model, the Q1P for Windows Vista, which is Samsung's first UMPC to qualify for Windows Vista certification. With the introduction of Samsung's Q1 and the more powerful Q1P UMPC last year, a new category and form factor for PCs emerged: a truly ultra-mobile device that provides the power of a PC, but can be accessed anytime, anywhere, even where desktop computers are not an option and notebook PCs are impractical. Intended as a companion PC, the Q1 UMPC provides users with an innovative way to combine PC functionality along with multimedia versatility and advanced connectivity, all in an ultra-mobile platform. Featuring an Intel Pentium processor (running at 1.0 GHz), an impressive 60GB hard drive and 1GB of memory — which is twice that of the original Q1 model — Samsung designed the Q1P for Windows Vista UMPC for the professional user who wants a no-compromise, high-performance solution for completing projects and meeting deadlines while on the go. With the Q1P model's increased battery life of approximately two and a half hours, coupled with faster speeds, flexibility and mobile functionality, this product provides a compelling solution in a highly portable package.
User Journal

Journal Journal: Slashdot Cookbook: Tofu 2

Sol was asking about tofu recipes. It's a good question, since I have yet to encounter any american ways of cooking tofu that produce any sort of edible result. If you want add tofu to your diet, you have to look to Asia, primarily to China, although Korea also has some good tofu recipes. So I've decided to expand my Slashdot Cookbook to include a chapter of exclusively tofu recipes.

Utilities (Apple)

Submission + - Top 22 Mac OS X Software Tools

An anonymous reader writes: Mac advocate John C. Welch is at it again, this time weighing in with his list of Top 22 Mac OS X Products. The collection of software tools ranges from the obvious — Boot Camp — to the obscure but perhaps more useful. That'd be little-known apps like Peter Borg's Lingon, for creating launchd configuration files, and BBEdit a professional HTML and text editor. (A collection of screen shots is here.) What's on your personal list of indispensable Mac productivity aids and programming tools? Also, do you think Welch pays too much attention to built-in OS X tools such as Workgroup Manager and Sync Services at the expense of third-party products like NetworkLocation?
Security

Submission + - Secure a PC For Your Mom?

BoneThugND writes: "ITSecurity.com has published a 20 minute guide to securing a PC. While many of the tips are solid, I am thinking I should go a bit further to protect my mom's new Windows machine. Assuming she is not a very savvy user, what should I be doing to make sure her box isn't slowed down by dozens of malware programs after three weeks of surfing?"

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