from what i understand the government is buying up troubled assets (TARP) from banks and whatnot to get them off the banks books. in return the government gets equity warrants which allows the government to purchase non-voting shares (which probably may or may not be preferred) in the bank from which it bought the troubled assets.

this really all goes back to how our finance system works. normally a bank has 'x' dollars to lend out. once they lend out the 'x' they package up those loans and sell them to someone else. now the bank has more money to loan out. problem is, no one wanted to by debt anymore since many people have been defaulting on those loans.

here is a basic place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubled_Assets_Relief_Program

hate to use this phrase but: paradigm, please get out of the box and leave.

does that mean that the music on my digital music play doesnt exist? or the words i see on the screen in front of me don't exist?

dood! have you ever looked at your HANDS?

what is so hard about a line that says: "enter income here (all sources)_________ * x% = income tax paid." then the government can define income as: wages, tips, dividends, etc. see your first point.

taxes on goods would work the similar to how it does now. new goods are taxed, used goods are not. it discourages waste. necessities are not taxed (food).

last i checked, services weren't taxed. the services provider pays taxes on what they are paid to provide a service. i don't charge clients taxes for my professional services. though, what i have to pay in taxes are calculated into what i charge.

better, i think, if you only charge a sale tax then you get taxes from hookers, drug dealers, "rich" people buying caviar etc.

morally, i think, taxes, as a percentage, should be equal. i shouldnt pay a higher (or lower) percentage of my income because of some magic number the government pulls out of its cornhole.

however, i should be able to give the government more money if i want to. do high tax advocates do that? i havent met any that do.

what was that quote about ram/memory?

i know a guy who used to suffer back pain. he was tall and drove a tiny car. he had to sit funny so his head wouldnt rub the ceiling liner. he was always going to the chiropractor.

then he bought a larger car in which he could sit normally.

no more chiropractor. anecdotal. posture.

..maybe they should quit bitching and write better music. :)

lets see if i follow this.

1. someone does not desire a product
2. product becomes free
3. product is now desired

if i dont desire a new blender, i wont take one just because it is free. same with music or software. if i dont want something, even if it is free, i am not going to listen to a tune or play a game.

it really comes down to price point. digital things are harder for people to rationalize since you don't have a great big hunk of stuff hanging on your wall after you drop a bunch of cash for photoshop.

i am an architect, the real kind, that designs buildings. anyway many clients feel the same way about drawings for a house. they don't want to spend 20k+ for a roll of paper and ink. they forget about all of the hours that go into producing that roll of drawings. similar to software and music.

now i havent actually taken econ 101, but my guess is that if you provide a product for free, you wont be in business very long. at least not in business to make money.

i just think people should be respectful of other peoples time and effort. if someone wants to create something and charge for it. that is their choice. you should pay for it if you want to benefit from their labor.

if someone wants to spend time creating something and give it away for free, that is also a choice.

for the record i think drm is wrong. also think the whole piracy != losses is a convenient rationalization.

no offense. but if he hadnt discovered america for the europeans you wouldnt be here. you pretty much need history as is for you to exist. i hope you enjoy life. quit bitching and make the most of it.

i for one am glad i dont have to hunt tatanka or do the sun dance.

full lakota

biden... ...daschle... ...clinton... ...holder... can someone fill in the gaps? i am too lazy.

technically, it is change. otherwise the administration would be made up of all bush appointees. it just isnt the change people expected. kinda like casting wish in d&d. it sounds good at first, then you get fucked.

all anyone needed to see was his vp pick. seriously.

change we can believe in

i think you are forced to click the amazon link and by an episode or something...

he is getting old. we either need a back up plan or a remake with someone younger.

no offense, but the general populace (at least in the states) doesn't like or 'get' python. you either love it or hate it - which isnt an even split. more people probably like the stooges. i cannot fathom why people like that show. (see how that works?)

that is a bit of a shame... i like python as well, but hearing people do bits all the time is a bit annoying. particularly when it gets into a 'who can make the most obscure python reference' infinite loop.