pirana

you're going to have to support that claim. A person that saves 10% of their income from their 20s to retirement will live quite well. SS forces them to save 12.4%, yet it is only good for about a third of their retirement needs. Explain. If half the SS tax (and it is a tax) went to private accounts, people would do immensely better. The remaining half could be used for the transfer to the lowest quintile, those who actually gain from SS. SS is insurance. It's just not very good insurance. And it definitely isn't a retirement plan. Agreed. A 7% average annual rate of return on a long term investment is pathetic. It sucks as insurance. It sucks as a savings vehicle. It's only value is that it forces savings on people who wouldn't save otherwise. And if you are going to do that you ought to do it properly. People who fight against privatizing a long-term program like SS are people you should never want managing your money. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I once worked for a lady named Leats. Leats Tomlyanovich. Of pizzeria fame. Where I came from anyway. End of obtuse thought. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

And never will. All information is lost. Planck limits, etc. Not even God can have memory of what happened before the creation of this Universe. Sizzle, pop, sproing. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Hello. My name is Don, and I think often about foreign affairs. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

How about people trade in their vehicles that get less than 20 miles per gallon for vehicles that get greater than 30 miles per gallon? Just an idea ... Definitely on the agenda when replacement time comes; that is, when the vehicle is otherwise worn out. But the vehicle is paid off and a payment is going to be at minimum 2 times, and more likely 3 to 4 times more expensive than the savings in fuel, so we will not be trading the car in ahead of schedule just to save on gas. A good idea, and from what I hear about sales reports, it is already happening. It was starting last year actually, but is now accelerating quickly. As an aside, I think it is funny to listen to the "You'll-pry-my-Suburban-from-my-dead-bloody-grip" crowd that proudly exhorts their right to get 8 MPG. Bottom line though is that they are turning them in faster than a narc at a biker rally. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I think a lot of people that need to drive to get to work would get fired. Bad result. Any other ideas? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

These are the problems. "What level of care is guaranteed?" The policy-makers will have to make the choice of no more than two of these three factors: 1) Inexpensive; 2) High quality; 3) Availability. You can have high quality care available on demand, but that is expensive. You can have inexpensive care available on demand, but it will be poor quality. Or, you can have inexpensive care that it high quality, in which case it will be rationed. Those are the choices. It will never be inexpensive - - at least not by most people's standards. What should be sought is a reasonable balance, an avoidance of extremes. That is the role market forces will play, and the reason to avoid just going to a government-sponsored all-inclusive everything-for-everybody solution. Good post earlier about what happens when it is "free." As Peter O'Rourke said, "If you think it's expensive now, wait until it is free." " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Humans don't do well above a certain density level. Just llike any other animal, we self-destroy under a population surge. Instead of marching into the sea, humans simply rob and kill each other, eat at shitty chain restaurants, and watch lots of TV. I spent a few days last week in Chicago, my old hometown. Can't believe I used to live like that. Peace and quiet does not exist there. There is very little open space; certainly not nearly enough for the mass of humanity living around it. There is constant noise, lots of it, all day, and all night. Seems like about 20 to 25% of space is devoted to motorized traffic. Most of the rest is either a structure or is paved. Service everywhere sucks. The most common emotion is a listless form of crabiness. SERVICE: We're not happy until you're not happy. If I had to live like a rat in a cage, I'd act that way too. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Pretty funny. I'll have to try that next time we're on the road with the baseball team. Before we vote on where to go to eat though; I'll invoke a seldom enforced and little known rule where each dad counts for one vote, and moms and players count for half a vote each. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Some good thoughts in this thread, and a bit of hyperbolic BS. Care needs to be guaranteed, employment status needs to be removed from the equation, and everybody gets to make a choice about what they want based on what they can afford. Got no money? Then you get to choose between some no-out-of-pocket options. Nothing glitzy, but good basic coverage. Incentives for everybody for preventive care, disease management, healthy choices, etc. Everybody in this business worth their weight in salt knows exactly what it would take to not only fix the things that are broken, but to create the ultimately caring yet responsible system. Problem is some of those on the inside are greedy fucks; and most of those on the outside that rely on the current order are more afraid of a future they don't know than the present they don't trust. We are already spending more money than needs to be spent. We could spend less than we do today, and get much better results; but it would mean change on a level that scares many of the current vested parties. The problem is that the current system is inefficient and getting worse instead of better. The dilemma is the politics and protectionism. The solution could be worked out by a pack of Cub Scouts (given a little time to study the situation). The only real question is whether or not the system will implode before the stubborn stakeholders let go of their little fiefs. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I do believe that health care and health care financing are about as perfect an example as it gets for industries that should be not-for-profit. The dilemma in choosing between patient health and shareholder returns needs to be eliminated. We still retain market forces by managing to healthy outcomes and reserve corridors; which makes the incentive long-term public health and financial equilibrium/stability. This can be done with a resonable level of regulation (a whole lot less than exists today), a level playing field (especially all the exemptions for certain classes of employees/employers), preservation of consumer choices (not everybody wants to or can own a Cadillac), and oversight by the right people (which means medical professionals, not some legislator's bean-counting best friend roommate from prep school). This topic isn't rocket science. It's not even brain surgery. Every facet of it can be easily resolved with little more than common sense and a calculator. The problem is that all of the pissy whiny special interests are going to do their damnedest to derail it in order to preserve their comfy little niche. I have this fantasy where I become Health Care Finance Tsar. Similar to the movie Dave, I grab my steno pad and calculator and defy the powers that be and simply solve the problem. Should only take a couple half-day sessions, even with breaks for donuts and team-building. A lot of people won't like me, but fuck em. The problem would be solved and, just like when I'm running the pool table, I'd holler out . . . "NEXT!" Yes, I have those kinds of fantasies. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

There is a very good gaming site at Itsyourturn.com Chess, backgammon, scrabble, and loads of others. They have ladders & tourneys, or you can just play whoever you want. No downloads. I think you can make up to 20 moves per day before you have to join. Joining is pretty cheap. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I think the only reasonable way to compare the danger in a quai-statistical manner is one average duration skydive to one average length trip in a car. I'm guessing skydiving comes out much more dangerous. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

How's your mother doin'? 14 posts before we got a lech to bite. Gotta be a record. And everyone should be ashamed, . . . that it took so long. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Four docs attending a conference are chatting it up and bragging about their abilities. Israili doc: Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man and put it in another, and have him looking for work in six weeks. German doc: That is nothing, we can take a lung out of one person and put it in another and have him looking for work in four weeks. Russian doc: In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart from one person and put it in another and have both of them working in two weeks. Texan doc: Y'all are way behind. We recently took a man with no brains out of Texas, put him in the White House for eight years and half the country is looking for work. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Uh oh. Is he into that Mayan-calendar thing too? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Good point. If I'm filthy stinking rich, and I pick up the paper and see that a school has raised their graduates SAT scores by 15%, and decide to send a $10K check to each teacher at that school; on what legal grounds can I be stopped? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

To really get to performance, reward performing students. Pump all that money into scholarships. Rewarding good teaching sounds worthy, but the mechanics of measurement, all the personal and organizational political agendas, and the big chunk that will end up wasted by the very nature of instituting such a program work to reduce the return. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Before the primaries I was convinced he'd be the next President. Now I'm not so sure as it is easy to underestimate the level of non-violent yet deeply ingrained racism in our culture. I find it interesting that an overwhelming majority want us out of Iraq, yet the latest polls show McCain would win over Obama - - but not Clinton. True, it is just one issue, but such a contradiction gets this amateur pundits attention because they (Obama & Clinton) have only subtle differences on all the major issues. If he does win the office, it will a watershed moment in the history for our country - - a VERY big deal. There will certainly be stronger feelings about it than any election anybody alive has ever witnessed. Whether anyone with the tactical wherewithall also would have the gumption to try to pull it off; we'll see. But there can be no doubt that there is no shortage of extreme rascists out there that would like to see it happen. I think it is very telling that it is a subject a lot of people do not want to discuss; and even here there are voices that do not want to acknowledge this as a serious issue. For a lot of right-wing extremists this candidate might as well have a big bulls-eye on his forehead. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Total crap. Any amatuer historian knows he's completely wrong about the Bolshevik revolution. After reading that part, I quit. If they can not even get that right - - they have no credibility. I also strongly disagree with the quote about these being extraordinary times. Again, any student of history can see that at least in general terms, what is happening makes perfect sense and has been entirely predictable with the context of long-term history. No surprises so far. The opening is interesting and very clearly shows their hunger for conspircacy and the ability to create one in whatever they see. What they see as global economic conspiracy, I see as market forces and the power of owning capital. They must have missed the part in ECON 001 about rich people pretty much getting what they want. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Red Dawn. The only chick flick war movie I can recall; unless you count that unfunny comedic one with Goldie Hawn. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Yes that is/was a VERY VERY Bad movie CRAP actually This from the guys who sent us "Mad Max". Another classic. Especially the scenes (all of them) that feature people staring forlornly across open spans of desert. Very moving. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Yes that is/was a VERY VERY Bad movie CRAP actually Oh come on! That was so incredibly, . . . uh, . . . moving. That's it. It was incredibly moving when the Cuban Communist Advisor Mercenary guy let the 1 brave young patriot haul away his dying brave young patriot brother. You could just see how he saw so much of himself as a young political idealist and how it just caused him so much internal turmoil; to the point of causing him to ponder not only his own roll, but the grand issue of what any of them really stood for other than the freedom to act out for their cause. Yeah, crap. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Such a step doesn't represent anything more than the next incremental movement; much less a dramatic movement in the direction we have been heading since the 30's. Mr Obama is part of the trend, not one of it's causes. I used to think only some disaster of Biblical proportions might stop it; but they only seem to feed the trend since every problem just presents more people who need to and/or want to be nannied. The classical liberal ideal of individuality (with it's associated freedoms) is no longer of paramount importance to anything near a majority. Being protected from every bad thing that could possible happen is now what the flock wants more than anything else. The joke is on them because no government can meet such a guarantee; but they will sap the huddled masses of every possible resource in their attempts to do so. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Thought it was hoof and mouth. Or are you doing ever stranger things with your livestock these days? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley