Comment Re:Pencil and Paper (Score 1) 394
Comment Ah yes, those conspiracy theory nuts (Score 1) 689
Honestly, I too believe Alex Jones is not who he makes out to be. He's all show, no substance. If you want conspiracy theories, look to the smaller broadcasters such as Lee Rogers. Now there's a paranoid individual.
Comment Re:Ignorance in the comments from the Superintende (Score 1) 295
Can you tell me what 17x16 is?
Let me plug that into my computer here. *crunch crunch* Ah here's the answer: 42.
Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 75
Comment Re:we'll see (Score 5, Insightful) 312
Comment Re:Fixing all the WRONG problems (Score 1) 1698
Note that there was a relatively simple solution to the health care situation in the USA that Congress carefully avoided - extend Medicare coverage to everyone. They didn't do that one, mostly because there's no campaign contributions to be had by doing that...
Man, that would have really sucked since doctors usually only take a handful of medicare patients since it only pays 80%. Actually, I'm curious if the "public option" is going to be like this. I'm on medicare, and if I can instead hop on with a public option where I'm able to actually choose a doctor, that's much better.
Comment Re:Bill Itself: 220-215 (Score 1) 1698
Free market works well in supply and demand scenarios, but with health care one person's greed is another person's misery, or worse, death.
That is after all Milton Friedman's own argument in favor of capitalism, that people are generally greedy, and nothing can stop that. People do what they'll do to not just survive, but to thrive. Yes, some people go way overboard, even crossing the line of legality, but if we are to remain free, we have to accept this aspect of human nature -- this greed. And if we're going to insure that people have a fair chance at their biggest life event -- their illness -- we can't risk leaving them to fend for themselves in a capitalistic system. This is why people say that fair health care should be as much a right as free speech.
Comment Re:A progressive measure. (Score 2, Interesting) 1698
When the people fear their government, it is said to be tyranny. When government fears the people, it is said to be liberty.
That said, I'm in favor of a single payer system, one which even covers dental. But this notion that I'm a servant to my government is going overboard. I won't give up my freedom that was won fair and square in such a manner. I'm not my government's pet. I'm my country's law abiding citizen, and liberty is afoot.
Comment Re:On behalf of rest of the civilized world (Score 5, Insightful) 1698
Slashdot is not just a news site. That's its primary motivation. Its secondary existence is the discussion, and for some that's their primary reason for returning to
Comment Phone rates (Score 1) 511
Comment Re:flash games (Score 1) 460
Comment Re:What would you gain? (Score 1) 334
Comment Re:What would you gain? (Score 1) 334
Personally I think any current revision system would have to be modified in a large part to accommodate the legislature system, but it's quite doable, and would fix a large problem that has gone on for too long -- that lawmakers don't read the bills.
Comment Re:It will never happen (Score 1) 567
This all reminds me of Obama's "Ask me questions" website. At the top of all questions was "Lightrails and Bullet Trains" -- as if that was the most popular topic, above marijuana legalization, and even above single payer health care. I wrote Obama an email suggesting that he concern himself over those other topics, rather than looking at America as if it were his toy train set. The chance of him reading that, however, is quite low.