Comment Re:Sensible for both sides to appeal (Score 1) 111
Higher instances take into consideration the results of lower instances.
Normally that'd be true, but this is the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit we're talking about here.
Higher instances take into consideration the results of lower instances.
Normally that'd be true, but this is the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit we're talking about here.
I don't know that I'd say it's better, but for most people it's not any worse. That's the truly important thing. Most people have already memorized the conversions they need, so it's already just as easy for them to use imperial as metric units. The only people that a switch to metric benefits are those who have to do lots of imperial-metric conversions, or kids who are currently in school and haven't learned the conversions yet. For everyone else, metric is actually a huge pain in the ass, because they have to re-learn to think in those units. So, for most people, the switch doesn't benefit them - but comes with a large drawback.
It's really not hard to see why the US isn't in a hurry to switch. And as one of the people for whom a switch to metric would be nuisance rather than benefit, I hope they never do (or at least, not in my lifetime).
malware
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Seriously, stop that bullshit. There are legitimate arguments to be made against the use or acceptance of Steam. I personally feel it is worth the drawbacks and/or risks, but I have no problem with those who feel otherwise. But slinging about terms like "malware" is complete bullshit, and does the community a great disservice.
You either have absolutely no concept of what a rootkit is, or absolutely no concept of how to accurately present information. Pick one.
I'd be willing to respect your opinion if you said that using Steam to access software you purchased is an unacceptably large amount of DRM, or somesuch argument. I'd be willing to respect your opinion if you said that it was too much power to put in any company's hands, or even Valve's in particular. But when you start calling Steam a rootkit, you veer off into pure bullshit land. It's just ridiculous.
I understood your point completely and I think you are being a hypocrite. You expect companies (and presumably individuals) to pay more tax than they are legally obligated to pay while apparently not doing the same thing yourself. You seem to believe that company management should abandon their fiduciary duty and thus break the law in order to fulfill your perception of the spirit of the law by paying taxes they legally do not owe. Let me repeat that. Company management that pays unnecessary taxes is in violation of their legal duties.
Bullshit. A company's fiduciary duty to its investors does not include unethical behavior, despite the fact that many unscrupulous businesses use that as an excuse for their poor behavior.
Why not? If it is legal, beneficial and you have the means to do so but don't, then you are either lazy or foolish.
No, I have a sense of fair and ethical behavior.
Fraud is an intentional deception. There is no deception here. These companies are being quite up front about what it is they are doing and generally speaking they scrupulously follow the laws. If you don't like what they are doing, change the laws.
No, no deception at all. Just hiding the money they made via accounting tricks. </sarcasm>
Do you really believe that ethics stops and starts with the law? For God's sake, we teach children in school about how legal behavior is not the same as ethical behavior. Everyone should understand this fundamental concept.
If you answer yes, you are defrauding your investors.
Only if you promised them to maximize profits at any cost. Which no ethical business would do, and no business period is under an obligation to do.
Some businesses have good ethics, to be sure. But enough don't that the statement has significant merit. Look at companies like Foxconn, and how many people will rise to their defense, despite their piss-poor treatment of their workers. You don't need to shit on everybody else to make a profit, but that is what a lot of companies will do to maximize profits unless prohibited by law. Nor do you need to engage in shady-ass behavior like setting up tax shelters. Using such means to exploit loopholes in the tax code is profoundly unethical.
You act as though I'm advocating for lots of taxes, but I'm not. I'm advocating for not wriggling out of your obligations using shady tactics. The current tax law can stand a ton of improvement, but exploiting loopholes in order to avoid it... that's unacceptable.
He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion