The single most significant thing we could do to improve health care in the USA would be to do away with fake health insurance and replace it with real insurance--disaster coverage.
Your whole conversation seems just crazy to me.
I live in the UK. We have a National Health Service. We don't have any of these cash related problems. When I worry about my health I don't have to worry about what treatment will cost. The problems we do have would reduce if the US would only go down the same road we are on. The US health insurance system (combined with drug patents) is the major driver of medical inflation worldwide.
Our health system covers everyone free at the point of use and costs less than half what yours does.
What you need is a war where the enemy is bombing New York, LA, Chicago etc. The Blitz taught us that private healthcare is immoral and unsustainable. Hopefully we will never forget that lesson.
And if there is no sexual activity (read: only nudity) try getting a conviction. Look at Robert Marplethorpe (tried and acquitted) and Jock Sturgis (never charged with anything).
A conviction is not necessary, vigilantes will take matters into their own hands and they don't care about innocence or guilt.
I don't like to see democracy undermined - but when democracy has already been undermined then using the enemy's weapon against him might be the only way.
For information - here is an example of a proper commercial drone system - csaable of doing a wide range of work - and fully legal under UK (CAA) safety rules:
We have some of these - they are no more than a novelty and borderline useless for anything practical.
Quadcopters are easy to make and cheap because they move the complicated aspects of proper helicopters out of the mechanics and into the elctronice. Usually this is a good strategy - but not here because the side effects of doing this mean that they are unflyable in anything but perfect weather because of the lack of control authority. Since a proper collective pitch micro-helicopter can be purchased for around $100 nowadays ther is no reason to use a quadcopter. For many applications a fixed wing aircraft will be better.
It puzzles me that calling a model aircraft a "drone" somehow makes it a new piece of technology. It isn't - it's just a model aircraft = and in the case of a quadcopter a pretty badly designed one at that!
But even today, secret processes are quite often not patented, since their unauthorized use can be hard to detect.
Unfortunately true. In fact, in spite of the previous commenter's example the patent system rarely does what is claimed for it. In practice the things that CAN be kept secret are kept secret (eg how Rolls-Royce manufacture compressor blades, the processes required to manufacture Technoweld aluminium solder) whilst the things that cannot be kept secret are patented.
Why exchange an infinite monopoly for a 20 year one if you don't have to?
The reality is that progress is held up by human greed, selfishness and sense of entitlement. These bad factors can work equally effectively through trade secrets or through patents.
I wonder what would happen if a disease arose where the failure to treat people in poor countries that can't afford much in the way of healthcare could backfire and threaten the populations of rich countries - including even the elites in those countries.
Bottom line is, minimum wage laws create an impediment to poor people getting employment. They're not helping poor people. They're a battleaxe when what's needed is a scalpel.
In the absence of minimum wage one of two things will happen.
1. The worker's wages are made up to a livable level by state benefits. This effectively amounts to a state subsidy for the employer.
On the post: DailyDirt: Healthcare Nightmares
Re:
Exactly like all other insurance then.
On the post: DailyDirt: Healthcare Nightmares
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Your whole conversation seems just crazy to me.
I live in the UK. We have a National Health Service. We don't have any of these cash related problems. When I worry about my health I don't have to worry about what treatment will cost. The problems we do have would reduce if the US would only go down the same road we are on. The US health insurance system (combined with drug patents) is the major driver of medical inflation worldwide.
Our health system covers everyone free at the point of use and costs less than half what yours does.
What you need is a war where the enemy is bombing New York, LA, Chicago etc. The Blitz taught us that private healthcare is immoral and unsustainable. Hopefully we will never forget that lesson.
On the post: DailyDirt: Healthcare Nightmares
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Welcome to the 19th century!
On the post: How Do You Have A Town Of 300 Residents... And 100 Police Officers? You Let Anyone 'Buy' A Job As A Cop
Re: Re: Terrorist Group
But there could be.
On the post: How Do You Have A Town Of 300 Residents... And 100 Police Officers? You Let Anyone 'Buy' A Job As A Cop
Terrorist Group
"a loose collection of imitation cops who chipped in at least $1,200 each in exchange for some extra rights " is a terrorist group.
I think terrorist groups will look at this with interest as something to copy.
Move enough supporters into a small town like this and you can become the law.
It's terrifying.
On the post: Demonizing Strong Encryption: Welcome To The Crypto Wars 2.0
Re: Re: Re: Re: Terrorist Pedophiles
A conviction is not necessary, vigilantes will take matters into their own hands and they don't care about innocence or guilt.
On the post: Chicago Transit Cops Start Up Their Own Security Theater, Will Start Randomly Swabbing Bags For Explosive Residue
Re: Re: 1 station ?
Bomber turns up at station, sees police presence and large queue. Detonates bomb in queue - many casualties - including policemen.
On the post: New GCHQ Boss Blames Tech Industry For 'Facilitating Murder' And Being Terrorists' 'Command-And-Control' Center
Re: Re: China?
On the post: New GCHQ Boss Blames Tech Industry For 'Facilitating Murder' And Being Terrorists' 'Command-And-Control' Center
Re:
Say, um, who came up with that new-fangled "internet" thing anyway?
Oh yeaaaaah... the military.
Actually it's worse than that. The specific technologies for encryption that he is complaining about were first discovered at GCHQ!
On the post: DailyDirt: Cyborgs All Around Us
Re: Re: a bit of trivia
Actually ALL IQ tests ARE bogus for a much simpler reason.
All that they measure is the correlation between the person setting the test and the person taking it.
If the person taking the test has a better answer to a question than the person who set it then the score will be lower!
A real innovator is highly likely to come up with different - sometimes better - answers than the test setter could think of and so will score lower.
On the post: Spain Passes Copyright Law; Demands Payment For Snippets And Linking To Infringing Content
Re: Re: Investor state dispute resolution
Me too - sort of why I made the comment.
I don't like to see democracy undermined - but when democracy has already been undermined then using the enemy's weapon against him might be the only way.
On the post: Spain Passes Copyright Law; Demands Payment For Snippets And Linking To Infringing Content
Investor state dispute resolution
On the post: Have Drone Will Travel: Slow-Moving Regulators Force Innovation Overseas
Re: The featured Parrot Drone
http://www.westwalesmodels.co.uk/UAV
On the post: Have Drone Will Travel: Slow-Moving Regulators Force Innovation Overseas
The featured Parrot Drone
Quadcopters are easy to make and cheap because they move the complicated aspects of proper helicopters out of the mechanics and into the elctronice. Usually this is a good strategy - but not here because the side effects of doing this mean that they are unflyable in anything but perfect weather because of the lack of control authority. Since a proper collective pitch micro-helicopter can be purchased for around $100 nowadays ther is no reason to use a quadcopter. For many applications a fixed wing aircraft will be better.
It puzzles me that calling a model aircraft a "drone" somehow makes it a new piece of technology. It isn't - it's just a model aircraft = and in the case of a quadcopter a pretty badly designed one at that!
On the post: Awesome Stuff: Portable Standing Desks
Standing desk
On the post: TPP Leak Confirms Measures To Criminalize Corporate Whistleblowing
Re: Re:
Unfortunately true. In fact, in spite of the previous commenter's example the patent system rarely does what is claimed for it. In practice the things that CAN be kept secret are kept secret (eg how Rolls-Royce manufacture compressor blades, the processes required to manufacture Technoweld aluminium solder) whilst the things that cannot be kept secret are patented.
Why exchange an infinite monopoly for a 20 year one if you don't have to?
The reality is that progress is held up by human greed, selfishness and sense of entitlement. These bad factors can work equally effectively through trade secrets or through patents.
On the post: Latest Intellectual Property Chapter Of TPP Agreement Leaked: Would Be A Disaster For Public Health
Hmm
Now that might make them think... Oh wait...
On the post: Swedish Company Uses Corporate Sovereignty Clause To Demand 4.7 Billion Euros From German Public
Re: Does that company have an army?
In the past the outcome of this would have been a war!
On the post: USTR Hoping To Keep Corporate Sovereignty Provisions If It Excludes Big Tobacco From The Deal
Re:
Now that would be an interesting jury!
On the post: USTR Hoping To Keep Corporate Sovereignty Provisions If It Excludes Big Tobacco From The Deal
Re: Re: Re: Raising the minimum wage
In the absence of minimum wage one of two things will happen.
1. The worker's wages are made up to a livable level by state benefits. This effectively amounts to a state subsidy for the employer.
2. Workers starve/freeze to death.
Which are you suggesting?
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