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Comment Re: private market (Score 1) 83

The free market isn't always the answer (and I'm somewhat of a libertarian). All the big iron and big database companies have a history of making big promises, then delivering something that isn't capable of doing what the sales people claimed. They're also experts and hiding bullshit in the contracts so they have their asses covered. But if they were given another few million dollars they can fix things. Pinky swear.

Comment Re:So - who's in love with the government again? (Score 2, Informative) 397

They didn't have the science to know it was asbestos causing health problems 4400 years ago. We have the science now. We figured out that it was a bad thing. Using modern science, we would know if feeding beer waste to cattle is bad. Perhaps in a thousand years to they might have new science that shows eat steaks from beer waste fed cattle increases the likelihood of cancer by .00001%.

Comment Re:So I was all "Social contract, move to Somalia" (Score 4, Insightful) 397

And how many people will consider beer waste handling as an important enough issue to vote out someone? None. They're going to be more interested in big ticket items like gay rights or abortion. This is how the government stealthes in an array of regulations that eventually consume our every moment.

Comment Re:McGuffey's 4th New Eclectic Reader:"The Colonis (Score 1) 737

Way back in the dark ages when I was in high school (the 70s) we had a project to select the people required to colonize another planet. I argued intensely with my group about a fundamental error they were making. They chose mostly science and engineering types. Not one farmer was included. A modern farmer doesn't just stick seeds in the ground and ride around in a tractor. He also analyzes the soil to know what should be added for a healthy crop along with a lot of other "sciency" things. On another planet, that is especially important.

When it came time to present our choices to the class, I immediately said that our group would be dead within a year due to starvation. Surprisingly, none of the other groups bothered to include a farming expert.

Also, I argued that every essential skill had to be duplicated. You didn't want to have just one medical doctor because shit happens.

Comment Re:Let it die (Score 4, Insightful) 510

A good friend of mine has two autistic sons. She would give anything for them to be cured. Alas, she knows that isn't going to happen.

As for the deaf, one of the activist's arguments is "we aren't broken." Uh, yes you are. It's great when you can overcome a handicap, but it is still a fucking handicap. Here's a few reasons why you don't want to be deaf:

1. Beethoven's Ode to Joy
2. Children laughing as they play
3. Birds singing
4. A smoke alarm waking you from sleep and saving your life
5. The best part of farts

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