I guess you can't always save by eliminating humans and their expensive unions. Although, I'm sure the software was intended to pick up the financial slack for all of those expensive peeps. Don't worry, Wall Street is highly motivated to eliminate the humans with the software, eventually...

Not a bad idea really. A radical approach that definitely eliminates the perverse incentives, and gives a miniscule amount of carrot juice to everybody. Talk about taking a bite out of crime... The thing is, with the computer power we have, its not technically impossible to pull it off anymore. Too bad our social and political reality is heading more towards The Lord of the Flies.

Good question. One thing for sure, they are totally full of shit and they will not be straight forward about their intentions. At the very least, nobody trusts what they say as being any more than politically astute spin. Its business as usual for those who keep their jobs in demand while on the government tit. I remember when those were the shit jobs. Not any more.

After all that's all they are really after. They take your saliva and blood because you're driving a care which means that you have something of value that they can take from you, and that's all they really want. Why catch criminals that only possess stolen property? You can't pay for law enforcement with contraband. But you can pay for all of this stuff by impounding cars and busting people who can afford to drive one. The efforts of law enforcement are skewed towards the crime that gives THEM the most reward, not what gives the citizens the most value. Last night my buddies car got broken into by a pro - no broken glass. It was in his driveway, and all of his tools were stolen. The police couldn't care less and have no intention of doing ANYTHING about it. They just resent you wasting their time on something that gets them ZERO. At least drug dealers have cash to confiscate, but a thief costs the system even more than it costs the victims. And the police cost everyone a whole hell of a lot more than that. But don't expect them to do anything particularly helpful. That serve and protect crap went away when municipal coffers ran dry...

Snapchat my ass, your billions mean nothing to me Zuckerberg. Nobody likes you, even if you could buy them with your windfall.

And if you're stupid enough to believe "apples and oranges" methodologies of taxation calculation is an absolute measure of how national macroeconomics can effectively manipulate tax liability, then you overlook most of the equation. Whether willful ignorance or devout kool-aid swigger, how can one overlook all of the variables we chose not to consider. Taxation is but one manipulated variable that is MEANINGLESS if you fail to look at the WHOLE economic dynamic. But please go ahead with a delusional oversimplification of an even 75% rate of funny money in the vacuum between your ears just to be a righteous fundamentalist. Go ahead and fight for your fair tax rate while overlooking any nation's complete reign on monetary values, market manipulation, price propaganda, supply glut and/or shortages, embargoes, sanctions, deregulation, lobbies, dirty tricks, lies, organized crime, black and grey markets, corporate espionage, customs, law enforcement, TSA, border patrol, fences, war on drugs, planned obsolescence, decaying infrastructure, jammed highways, ruined schools, jails jails jails, and national defense.... well then you sound as stupid as the Tea Party pretends to be. You can pick any ol' number you want and I guarantee that it won't fix your perpetual and frustrated economic irrelevance in this funny money poker game of democracy, capitalism, and free will in the 21st Century. Obsess all you want on one variable, and watch it become completely irrelevant before your very eyes. The meaning of life and cure for all ills should be so simple, so black and white, so righteously graced by the divine... "We're number .... " whatever.

We continue to argue these inconsequential points as if it has bearing on the results. What a bunch of numb skulls we've become when politics has reduced society to neutered fanboys' irrelevant cross town rivalry in a game of fool-ball. Who cares who wins in a game that doesn't really matter. It comes down to how we live our lives here together on earth. Nothing more or less. A fool's folly, no matter the taxes.

....Just wishful thinking. I can't wait...

I officially gave up after I washed my Ipod nano 512 MB that my sister gave me for the holidays. I was so proud of myself for hacking around the mandatory itunes crap I absolutely refused to keep on my pc.

And then laundry -

I suddenly realize you can't get inside or service the damn battery. WTF? That should be illegal. I hate that crap and I won't forgive them. I won't be fooled again...by Apple that is.

Its been a long while since I haven't sneered at a story about MS. That just shows to go you, its not all bad.

Good one Microsoft. People need all the help they can get, these days. Keep it up.

Exactly right. That is the perfect place to start. Suddenly the echo of ideologues' mantras drown out the silent uncertainty that we all must feel as we look at the incomprehensible scale of 330 Million Americans and another 7 billion bound to our international trade agreements. I just have one question, how is that supposed to look in a perfect world? If this looks broken now then what does fixed look like? There is no ideology that can alter the current reality in any significant way. Not Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Jesus, Buddha, or the Wizard of Oz. Not Reagan or Putin or Stalin or anyone has a fix for this. We are a growth oriented system on a finite depleted physical resource. Capitalism can't work if it hits a ceiling and can't grow. Neither can civilization, really. So we have a much bigger problem than ideological differences. We just can't seem to grasp the sheer enormity and breadth of the human population.

  There are double the humans on earth today than when I was born. When I was born there were more humans alive on earth than had ever lived and died before. So when you think about it, economics is a quaint little past time that has no control over that reality. If the only way capital can provide for 7 billion is if we all are engaged in productive and profitable enterprise, with 0% unemployment 0% tax 0% debt 0% disease and suffering and 100% bought and paid for humanity with not even one deadbeat on earth, then how would that function? Wouldn't that be almost like how it is now, only nobody would owe anything to anyone? And isn't that just bad for business when you get down to it? How would wall street get ahead if didn't need to buy or borrow or steal? I guess my point is that success depends on others failure, or else no one has a distinct superior position. As soon as you think you've got a handle on ruling the world a bunch of angry villagers will eventually come to chop off your head. Rinse, lather, repeat. I think I have lapsed into gloomy nihilism. I better go listen to some Jimi Hendrix play the blues..

Democracy in the Golden Age of Greece, established the original blueprint that evolved into modern democracies, eventually. But it was once very different. First of all, if a member of the senate voted for something that turned out bad, they could be punished or even executed by the state for neglectful voting. Also, there was a random factor in elections that did not require a majority vote for every representative: an electoral appointment was made by lottery to the senate so that common man was assured a voice, even if unpopular. Not just career politicians or entrenched special interests would have all the influence on the legislative process. Anyone could put their hat in the ring by virtue of their citizenship. Vagrants would be an improvement of our career politicians' gridlocked constipation and offers a little social laxative and lube required to pull their heads out of their asses.

Like ancient Democracy, chess evolves over time, and with disagreement and controversy over the rules. Its likes politics and power plays, psychological edge and humiliation are part of the calculus.

Its because the girls don't have a penis, silly.

Right. I trust the mathematics entirely. Its the people you have to watch out for. Your bitcoin is safe as long as you don't cash it in. But after that, who knows....

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound facetious.

But I did have to refresh my recollection of the word "salubriously" (its not even in my browser's spell checker).

Pull your head out of your ass. I never mentioned anything that you just made up and interjected. I never said anything about Capitalism or Communism, because its not the cold war or the 20th Century anymore. We're not discussing the elimination of clothing and computers or electronics and re-entering the stone age or even of believing in fairies. All off that came out of your ass, and yet your head appears to be firmly implanted there.

So try to pay attention this time, because this is not a campaign of nihilism, hypocrisy or communism or any ism. Its simple.

WE MUST STOP WHITE COLLAR CRIME ON WALL STREET AND PUNISH INDIVIDUALS THAT BREAK THE LAW.

We should also remove the incentives that reward that behavior. This will be a challenge and we must be deliberate and resolute in accomplishing this goal. This is not a political campaign, its the LAW. Just because you work in the financial sector doesn't mean you get to lie and cheat and steal. Its just that simple.

So are you a little dim or are you working for the scumbags?

I have nothing against anyone's political preference. This is NOT a red team blue team issue, although it seems a convenient distraction to make it one. This issue should concern every citizen regardless of their political party, race, creed, sex, age, education, IQ or species! This is about our willful ignorance of serious crime, bad judgement and risky behaviors that have no upside for the 99% who were left to bail these jerks out.

WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE AMERICA?

It certainly can't be in this guys knee jerk indignation and Commie calling bullshit.

I'm glad these kids get a free education. I praise Wall Street for all of the good that they do. But I'm gonna be certain that we NAIL them for gaming the system. THAT'S THE LAW. And besides, its just the right thing to do.