jcd11235

A few months back, my MacBook Pro was plugged into an ethernet port on my apartment building's LAN during a lightning storm. Afterwards, my ethernet port no longer worked. I finally had the opportunity to be able to go without my laptop for a little while, so, Monday, I contacted Apple and told them my ethernet port was not working. Since there aren't any Apple stores local to me where I'm at right now, they told me they would ship me a box to use to send the computer in for service. Tuesday morning, a shipping box arrived via FedEx. I packed up my beloved MBP and dropped it off down the street at FedEx Kinkos that afternoon. Today, about fifty hours after I received the shipping box, the FedEx delivery guy delivered my repaired laptop (it would have arrived sooner, but there was inclement weather in Memphis last night, so FedEx was running late). From the time I contacted Apple by phone until I had my laptop back in my hands, less than 72 hours passed. In my experience, such service is rare. The experience makes me appreciate the value of AppleCare (which I was very reluctant to purchase). Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Check out the General Welfare clause of Article 1, Section eight of the Constitution. Nope. There is NO authority for congress to FORCE me into a financial contract. Not in Article 1, not in the Commerce Clause - nowhere. They can tax you for health care and offer an income tax credit on health insurance premiums with their Constitutionally granted powers. Perhaps you missed Amendment 16, which amends/clarifies that clause: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration." So, no, your argument doesn't withstand scrutiny. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Interestingly enough, a quick price check on UPS.com reveals that the regulations are easily bypassed and lower prices can be obtained. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Check out the General Welfare clause of Article 1, Section eight of the Constitution. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

It is not about the name... It is about the type of service. Clearly, you have ignored the point made (or simply are unable to understand it). Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

No, changing products does not break down the economic principles. No one is claiming it will make the bad guys go away. That's a strawman argument. What it does is removes marijuana from the equation. Incorrect. In many situations, other considerations (e.g., addictive characteristics of a product) must be taken into account, as they may become dominant economic forces, but in this situation, the increase in production and distribution costs caused by the legal status are the dominant factors. Legalize cannabis, and the costs associated with both is drastically reduced, eliminating cannabis as a major source of income for the cartels. Most comes from CA, then Canada and Mexico last. The last part is enough to enrage the mexican police. It is not the biggest seller, of course. But I don't think the mexicans care about that. You keep missing (or deliberately ignoring) the fact that the commercial grade bud from Mexico isn't what medical users are consuming. Se previous comments regarding the influence the US has had (and still has) regarding drug policies of other countries. Yet, you have yet to supply any shred of evidence supporting your position, a position that flies in the face of well established economic principles. If the economic principles are wrong, it is on your side to provide evidence of that. Judging from your posts, you haven't seen much regarding this issue. First, it's not my favorite past time. Having said that, if some of those "ignorant fools," as you referred to them, would make an effort to educate themselves, it would be helpful. Interesting that you chose an article that offered no comparison to the US. In English, please? "These people" (i.e. people with many years' experience with the drugs) have far more insight regarding the effects of the drugs to themselves and others than is available from other sources. No one said that the groups were mutually exclusive. No. It would mean they have no realistic basis upon which to base their opinion. I don't give a crap to how we compare to other countries. Well, that is one of many differences between us, it seems. I do care how we compare to other countries, especially if we are claiming to be a beacon of freedom in the world. But, like I said, if you don't mind that we imprison more people than China, North Korea, and other such authoritarian countries, you are free to have your belief. It isn't a meaningless argument at all. The war on drugs is an affront to civil rights. Some of us find such things appalling. Of course, there is no shortage of people that support infringing the rights of others, either. You do not know what a police state is. Quit pretending. I can only assume that you are unable to support any countering argument. Have you been paying attention at all during this discussion? Drug use, particularly cannabis use, is a victimless crime. That statement is very telling of your tolerance of people who might be different from you. It doesn't paint a pretty picture at all. Pot smoking does not equal littering. If people litter, they should be fined, regardless of whether or not they smoke pot. Please, tell us how smoking pot makes victims out of home owners and vacationers. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Do you really think that competition will offer the same benefits to non-optional medical procedures, such as emergency surgery? I don't think it will (or even can). Since consumers do not have an option to shop around for their best value for such procedures or even be reasonably informed enough to identify the best value, then there is no need for suppliers to price competitively. They divvy up the demand side of the market in other ways, such as location. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Really? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Impossible. The private sector operates far too efficiently for a company to ever need to declare bankruptcy. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

So you (literally) skipped straight to the hard stuff! That sounds reasonable. You post seems to indicate that you are making decisions for yourself rather than trying to impose your beliefs upon everyone else.

Somehow, I'm not surprised that that paranoid, schizophrenic bunch fell for Montgomery's con. They made an ideal mark. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

No it doesn't. You are looking at this like a local legal business. Yes it does. It is basic economics. Unless someone can provide a factor that causes those basic principles to break down, something no one in this thread (or any other discussion I'm aware of) has done thus far, then we can assume they are the most significant factors. Prohibition offers us an historical precedent supporting that. In the states where they can obtain it without fear of interference from state or local law enforcement, yes, consumers of medical marijuana prefer higher quality herb. The potency is a better known quantity, and less need be smoked for the desired effects. Among other things, it tends to be harvested at precisely the correct time, which prevents the THC to start breaking down into other chemical compounds. Among the benefits of this includes less drowsiness from smoking high grade cannabis compared to commercial grade cannabis. That seems highly unlikely, to the point of unbelievable without seeing where all of that extra commercial grade ganja is being consumed. I don't live in California, but I'm pretty sure if I walked into a medical pot cooperative, I would be able to find a lot more locally grown (or imported from Canada) fluffy sinsemilla than "flat, seedy, brown bud." Perhaps one of our California posters could visit a few medical marijuana "retail centers" and confirm or deny that suspicion. You are right here. And this is where it will become a complex situation. Will other countries follow suit though? A lot of them illegalized and cracked down late in the game. Will they now follow suit after what they put in? They will probably will feel cheated, pissed off. It's all political and it's going to be a mess. That's just one problem, for example. I think you underestimate the influence that US policy has around the world regarding drugs like marijuana. Other countries are not clueless regarding the relative lack of danger compared with legal alternatives such as alcohol. I thought we were trying to curb violence due to trafficking. Isn't this the hubb-bubb? Legalizing marijuana will virtually eliminate the violence caused by trafficking marijuana. However, just like the mob didn't go away after Amendment 21 was ratified and took alcohol away from them as a major source of revenue, the Mexican cartels aren't going to go away just because marijuana trafficking will no longer provide them with a major source of revenue. I'm tired of violence caused by drug laws being blamed on drugs. It is the laws that are bad, not the drugs. Therefore, the laws should be changed. And the same will be true with the Mexican cartels. That just means that marijuana is not the fundamental problem causing the violence. It is the fundamental problems that need to be addressed. In the meantime, creating more criminals via victimless crimes in this country does nothing but provide an easy source of income for those cartels. Why not legalize cannabis and take advantage of the opportunity that a disruption of the cartels' income will provide to the Mexican government and law enforcement. That seems a lot more constructive than whining about how the issue is just too complex so we should just continue with our policy of legislated injustice. Funny you should mention that. How big of a problem is alcohol in countries with much lower minimum drinking ages than the US has? If you want to know how dangerous pot (or any other drug) is (or, more accurately, isn't), ask people that have been using regularly for many years (think decades). Trying to get accurate information from a psychologist or therapist that lacks substantial first hand experience is a waste of time. That's exactly the mindset that allows us to imprison more people than any other nation on the planet, both in absolute numbers and per capita. Personally, I would like to see the US cease being a police state that locks people up and classifies them as criminals for committing victimless crimes, but you're free to have your own opinion. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Are you claiming that the option does not exist for consumers? Are we really surprised that the government can manage to do it cheaper than UPS? Can't or won't? Most residences do have mailboxes, actually. Most businesses and most residences both lack "UPS boxes." I suspect any extra charge for delivering to residences is due to extra average expense for delivery (e.g., more fuel per package delivered, more time per package delivered, etc.), as determined from data obtained from delivery of millions of packages. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Wrong. The temperature remains constant during a phase change. Melting ice remains at 0º C. Try checking out a basic Chemistry textbook. Your understanding of units seems to be as confused as your understanding of thermodynamics. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Congress does have the authority to tax you, as well as the authority to legislate a tax credit. Since these tools appear to be what Congress plans to utilize to mandate health insurance, they seem to be within their Constitutionally granted power doing so. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Medicare's admin costs are much lower than the private insurance industry. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Are you suggesting that all of the states that mandate purchase of auto insurance are doing so Unconstitutionally? I don't have to purchase insurance if I don't own a car. I don't have to purchase auto insurance if I own a car and keep it on my private property. If you don't have insurance, even if you don't own a car, you will be penalized for that when you do obtain insurance. (In some states, if you have a licensed vehicle, insurance is required whether that vehicle leaves your property or not.) Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Nor can you take a UPS Next Day Air® package, for which the delivery fees have been paid, to the Post Office and expect them to deliver it. A stamp indicates a fee has been paid to USPS. Why would you expect UPS or FedEx to deliver a package for which you paid delivery fees to USPS? Also, you do not need to use UPS or FedEx specific packaging to use their delivery services. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

We can only hope. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Of course we are... Heat != temperature. Adding heat to a melting glacier makes it melt faster, but it is still at 0 degrees C. Not the part that's melting - QED. When you add heat to an object, the temperature of the object rises. Everyone who knows anything about water and thermodynamics (and reads your reply) is likely laughing! Even the part of the glacier that is melting remains at 0º C as heat is added. Adding heat to an object doesn't always raise the temperature, e.g., if the object must undergo a phase change before its temperature can increase. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Are you suggesting that all of the states that mandate purchase of auto insurance are doing so Unconstitutionally? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Right, since that is a designation given by USPS upon receipt of the letter and postage. Likewise, USPS does not deliver UPS' Next Day Air® packages. However, consumers have a choice about how and with whom they send letters and parcels, a choice that would not exist with a monopoly. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Those are questions better addressed to the Postmaster General. Nice dodge. It's not a dodge. The restrictions exist, and if you want to understand their purpose, you should contact the Postmaster General or a suitable subordinate. The situation is similar to how you can purchase a DVD, but you cannot legally play the movie on the DVD in a crowded bar. You can, however, use the DVD as a coaster in that same crowded bar, without restriction. Further, consider that many/most mailboxes are not installed on private property, but rather on the right of way in front of the owners property. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Considering they do send letters, they seem to have sidestepped any legal restrictions quite effectively, doesn't it. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Perhaps you've not heard of UPS and FedEx? They send letters and packages from one address to another, just as USPS does. Perhaps you've never heard of the private express statutes . The reality is that consumers have a choice regarding which carrier they use. It just happens that for most needs, FedEx and UPS cannot offer the same value that USPS can offer. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!