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Comment Re:100 KW nuclear ? (Score 1) 100

In principle, a solar-power satellite could be put into orbit around the moon, using microwaves to beam power to the surface. Ideally, more than one. This idea has been proposed for use on Earth, but deemed "not economically feasible". (Some Wikipedia editor has a sense of humour: "Since wires extending from Earth's surface to an orbiting satellite are not feasible with current technology ....")

Comment Re:Pointless and Dangerous Stunt (Score 1) 100

Uranium is so low in radiation that it's used as radiation shielding

No need to be deceptive. Radiation shielding is made from depleted uranium, which has had the fissile U-235 removed, so it's irrelevant to this topic. A reactor would use some form of enriched uranium or plutonium or thorium with higher than natural levels of fissile material.

Comment Re:I don't care about Direct File. I care about (Score 2) 147

Eliminating the income tax will put rocket engines on the economy because rich people _do_ spend, but more importantly, rich people do invest. Instead of getting taxed away and spent, often wasted by the government, rich people will instead invest that money which will result in the construction of more manufacturing in the USA

You said a lot of stuff there. Point 1: "Eliminating the income tax will put rocket engines on the economy"

Top marginal income-tax rates in the US:
1932-1935: 63%
1936-1963: 79% to 91%
1964: 77%
1965-1981: 70%
1982-1986: 50%
Seems like the economy somehow managed to struggle by, despite high income-tax rates.

Also: "The tax rate Americans actually pay is much lower than the top tax rate."

Point 2: "rich people will instead invest that money which will result in the construction of more manufacturing in the USA".

Evidence? Maybe that was the case in the 19th century, but I don't believe it's true today.
Total Construction Spending: Manufacturing in the United States over the past 20 years: slow growth until suddenly it tripled between 2022 and 2024. Want to guess what happened there? It wasn't a change in income taxes.

My understanding is that most investment goes into the finance, insurance, and real-estate sector, not manufacturing, because the US is now a "post-industrial service economy". These tables from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis might be relevant:

Table 14. Gross Domestic Product by Industry Group: Level and Change from Preceding Period: Manufacturing, $2.9 trillion; Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing: $6.19 trillion.

Possibly more relevant to income tax, Table 8: Personal Income and its Distribution:
Goods-producing industries: $1.9 trillion
Services-producing industries: $7.7 trillion

Table 17. Gross Output by Industry Groups
Manufacturing: $7.28 trillion
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing: $9.87 trillion
Those are GDP, not investment, but they give an idea of the relatives sizes of those sectors of the economy.

Comment Re:US (Score 3, Informative) 147

Last year, Direct File cost $114M to "save" taxpayers $21M; taxpayers ended up paying $93M more with the program.

Curious to know where those numbers came from. According to the US Treasury report, "140,803 taxpayers successfully filed returns using Direct File, with users reporting a high degree of user satisfaction. Direct File users claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees on their federal returns alone. ... Foundational technology and product development costs for the IRS were $10.5 million, and Direct File’s operational costs – including customer service, cloud computing and user authentication – were just $2.4 million. To build and run the pilot, the IRS also engaged the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) and costs associated with their work are not included."

I haven't been able to find anything on the USDS cost.

Before the pilot, the "IRS estimated that Direct File could cost $64-$249 million annually". But then, apparently, it didn't.

The American Coalition for Taxpayer Rights opposed Direct File. And who are they? "a 12-member, voluntary coalition of the nation's leading tax preparation, tax software and financial services settlement companies. Each year, ACTR member companies serve approximately 110 million of the more than 150 million Americans who file federal income tax returns ...." They say that as if they think it's a good thing, while many people think it's not so good.

Comment Re:I don't care about Direct File. I care about (Score 2) 147

Why would tariffs affect the low income people? Imported stuff is most usually luxury stuff.

Where did you get that idea? Where do you think Walmart gets its low prices? And why do you think cheap stuff is cheap? About one-third of Walmart's products are imported, about 60% of them from China. I doubt that all of those are luxury goods.

Comment Re: paper forms (Score 1) 147

By ending the Direct File program, the IRS is saying that paper forms are THE standard way to file.

No, they really aren't. Ways to file for free:
Ways to file for free
(1) Free File - If your adjusted gross income is $84,000 or less.
(2) If higher, you can use Free File Fillable Forms.
* Direct File - Prepare and file your taxes online – for free – directly with the IRS.
Other ways to file
(3) Tax professional - Choose an IRS-approved tax professional.
* Paper forms - You can file with paper forms and mail them to the IRS.
(4) Tax preparation software - Use tax preparation software of your choice to file your taxes electronically or on paper.
So even without Direct File, there are at least four ways to file tax returns other than on paper.

Comment Re:well (Score 1) 147

In the presidential elections, because of the Electoral College, for most states, it doesn't matter who you vote for. Your state will reliably and predictably go to the Republican candidate, repeatedly, or the Democratic candidate, repeatedly. So voting for a third party isn't "wasting your vote".

You can have more effect at the local, county, and state levels.

There's also the problem of the infinite loop: nobody votes for third parties because they can't win -- because nobody votes for them.

Comment Re: Because people work 12 hours a day (Score 1) 89

So plan ahead what you'll do if life situations change? And don't get a dog if you can't do that? When people have a baby/toddler and life situations change, they don't just leave the kid locked in solitude for hours every day with someone stopping buy to change a diaper, and they don't rehome the kid either.

Obviously some people do: "On any given day, over 368,000 children are living in the U.S. foster care system."

Some people are better at planning than others, and it isn't feasible or even desirable to plan for every bad thing that could happen. And "don't get a dog if you can't do that" may mean the dog will just be killed. According to the ASPCA: "Approximately 607,000 animals were euthanized in shelters in 2024"

Comment Re:Because people work 12 hours a day (Score 1) 89

Perhaps his kid is working those long hours not just to earn money but to, at least in his mind, to help build his career.

Good insight -- which was explicitly stated: "you work literally 6, 12 hour shifts in a week while you're trying to build your career. In exchange for that you might get a middle class wage 10 or 15 years down the line."

Comment Re: Oh holy shit (Score 1) 89

I have an obvious financial incentive to disintermediate the relationship and make a deal directly with the walker, cutting Wag out.

And if that particular walker isn't available for some reason? It can be good to have a backup. And maybe a company that provides training, background checks, and insurance. Or if the dog is sociable, you could use day care.

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