> Without legislation you cannot avoid monopolies and illegal pricing.
Ah, the myth of the free market cartel. Have you ever wondered why Walmart has never raised prices, even after they crush mom 'n' pop companies? It is because that is the socialist bogeyman, used to stop the free market.
> banks should be the ones paying for the damage, not the taxpayers
Ah, someone who understands.
> clear regulation regarding how much risk a bank can assume
What? You almost had it. If the banks had been allowed to fail, then no regulation would have been needed. Now, we have the ridiculous position of the teenager crashing his new car and his parents just buy him another, but with a STERN TALKING TO. Failure is an integral part of capitalism. Capitalism without failure creates huge bubbles, just like when small forest fires are prevented, you get massive ones.
> bubblish market
As long as there are central banks manipulating the amount of money in the system, and governments that create incentives for home ownership and risky investments, we will continue to have bubbles. Back in 2008, we had a chance for short term pain, but we choose to kick the can down the road. Now, $3T later, the US economy is still sputtering, and our kids piggy banks are bare.
This is the reason I think Hollywood's death can't come soon enough. I go see big budget movies and part of me weeps at how much of a waste it is. Movies like Battleship could fund a dozen Loopers, Haywires, and Chronicles, all superior movies in every way. Just as the internet crushed the tired music oligarchy, laptop movie editing and effects will crush Hollywood. Already, the quality of foreign films is nipping at Hollywood heels. I think I see as many good foreign films as American films.
I had the opinion that the French were rude, but I went to Paris in August and it was great. Everyone was so polite and helpful. Their government is crazy, but the people are awesome.
> "in large part because he put off going to the doctor since
> he didn't have health insurance"
This is why the Canadian system is cheaper and has better outcomes than the American system. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Paying for insulin is cheaper than supporting an amputee. Unfortunately, America is full of amputees (figuratively), so it may be more expensive in the short term to switch.
Re: Not "stupid protectionist regulations": cartel or crony capitalism.
At least the "capitalists" in power were voted there. By the people. With their dollars.
Capitalism is the closest thing you're going to get to democracy. Politics just puts a new head on a huge monolithic state. If everyone decides Apple sucks, Apple goes under. It doesn't just change its name and keep operating with a new CEO.
Personally, I say starve governments and let corporations battle it out. I'd rather be a slave to a corporation that makes something useful than slave to an idiot bureaucrat whose job is to self-replicate and make things more complicated.
Most utility companies (e.g., pipelines) have remote access to the "Data" part of SCADA. This is common to see what's going on. The "Control" part is heavily locked down, and usually routed through a central secure control centre.
But, of course, why is the government involved at all? Pipeline companies are much more concerned about their pipelines going down than governments are. This idea that if companies make mistakes, the government has to come in and regulate is absolute nonsense. Governments are full of bureaucrats who have little or no experience running a business. They are the last people we want making more laws and regulations. Let the businesses be responsible for running the businesses. If governments need to make laws, make sure they are about the results (e.g., power grid online 99.9% of the time), not procedures (e.g., power companies shall do this, this, and this).
> Split-screen multiplayer hasn't been almost universally dumped
This is so tragic. The reason is girlfriend gamers. Borderlands 2 has realized this and has a girlfriend mode. My wife plays games with me now, after years of watching me play. It is near impossible to find games to play together (she's no good at FTS, yet). I'm not buying two laptops so we can play Diablo 3 together, but if consoles don't fix this, we just might.
If a new console came out (OUYA, maybe) which realized this, it would kill in this market.
I agree. When each new console comes out, the designers just max out graphics and then the scraps go to gameplay. Most FPS are just long hallways, exactly like they were in Doom. Sure, they are pretty hallways, but there has been no advances in gameplay, just graphics.
We had a chance to recover: let all those large financial corporations fail. But just like Japan, we now have zombified banks who carry rotten assets whose actual value never has to be revealed. We had a choice, short-term pain or long-term pain, and we choose the latter. Get ready for a lost decade (or more). All the while, the Keynesian carrot of "if we only infuse a few trillion more into the economy, we'll be fine". Right, just like a drink "cures" a hangover.
> rapid trading is more profitable then life long investing
You don't understand the market. For every rapid trading winner, there is a rapid trading loser, so the net profit at any instant is always zero. Life long investing is always more profitable, for the average investor.
On the post: The Public Apparently Isn't Interested In Sound Economics
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Point 4: A "consumption" tax isn't practical.
Money is a tool. It was created so you don't need to know how many bushels of wheat equal a chicken. How can money be evil? That is ridiculous.
On the post: Comcast Lobbyist Admits To Holding Internet Service For The Poor Hostage To Get NBC Takeover Approved
Re:
Wake up you nitwit.
On the post: Why DC And Silicon Valley Don't Mix Well
Re: Re: Re: Re: FTFY
Ah, the myth of the free market cartel. Have you ever wondered why Walmart has never raised prices, even after they crush mom 'n' pop companies? It is because that is the socialist bogeyman, used to stop the free market.
http://youtu.be/H6Opvlmy8i8
Government regulations do not protect you from corporations, they protect corporations from competition.
On the post: Why DC And Silicon Valley Don't Mix Well
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: FTFY
Ah, someone who understands.
> clear regulation regarding how much risk a bank can assume
What? You almost had it. If the banks had been allowed to fail, then no regulation would have been needed. Now, we have the ridiculous position of the teenager crashing his new car and his parents just buy him another, but with a STERN TALKING TO. Failure is an integral part of capitalism. Capitalism without failure creates huge bubbles, just like when small forest fires are prevented, you get massive ones.
> bubblish market
As long as there are central banks manipulating the amount of money in the system, and governments that create incentives for home ownership and risky investments, we will continue to have bubbles. Back in 2008, we had a chance for short term pain, but we choose to kick the can down the road. Now, $3T later, the US economy is still sputtering, and our kids piggy banks are bare.
On the post: DailyDirt: The Unquestioned Benefits Of Chocolate
Fat vs sugar
> its fat content with fruit juice.
When will this nonsense die? Fat doesn't make you fat. It was removing fat and replacing it with sugar in the 70s that caused the obesity epidemic.
On the post: For All The Talk From Hollywood About Making Sure People Get Paid, Why Doesn't It Pay Interns?
Re:
The question is should you carpet the world or wear slippers. Adults should not be protected from themselves.
On the post: Spineless Web Host Shutters Site Over Toothless Legal Threat Because Comments Are Too Much Trouble
Re: In addition to other flaws, corporations are also stupid.
On the post: Hollywood Accounting: How A $19 Million Movie Makes $150 Million... And Still Isn't Profitable
Hollywood bloat
On the post: Google To French Media: We May Have To Cut You Off
Re: Bully attitude
On the post: Amanda Palmer Unleashes The Voice Of The People About Health Insurance Via Twitter
This...
> he didn't have health insurance"
This is why the Canadian system is cheaper and has better outcomes than the American system. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Paying for insulin is cheaper than supporting an amputee. Unfortunately, America is full of amputees (figuratively), so it may be more expensive in the short term to switch.
On the post: Auto Dealers Complain That Tesla Stores Are Illegal... Despite Not Actually Selling Anything
Re: Not "stupid protectionist regulations": cartel or crony capitalism.
Capitalism is the closest thing you're going to get to democracy. Politics just puts a new head on a huge monolithic state. If everyone decides Apple sucks, Apple goes under. It doesn't just change its name and keep operating with a new CEO.
Personally, I say starve governments and let corporations battle it out. I'd rather be a slave to a corporation that makes something useful than slave to an idiot bureaucrat whose job is to self-replicate and make things more complicated.
On the post: DHS: Our Reports To Congress Are Successful Bullshit
Re: Hope to High Heavens
But, of course, why is the government involved at all? Pipeline companies are much more concerned about their pipelines going down than governments are. This idea that if companies make mistakes, the government has to come in and regulate is absolute nonsense. Governments are full of bureaucrats who have little or no experience running a business. They are the last people we want making more laws and regulations. Let the businesses be responsible for running the businesses. If governments need to make laws, make sure they are about the results (e.g., power grid online 99.9% of the time), not procedures (e.g., power companies shall do this, this, and this).
On the post: Google & Publishers Settle Google Library Lawsuit By Agreeing To What Google Offered Seven Years Ago
Re: Re: But, But...
You are wrong because of kin selection. Altruism is real. Read the Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins.
On the post: Fixing Software Patents By Actually Applying Existing Patent Law
Re: Not going to work.
Patenting code written in a programming language is like copyrighting a story written in Tolkien's Elven Language.
On the post: MPAA Sends Five Key Propaganda Points To Politicians
Re: Re: Re:
FTFY
On the post: EA: Withholding The Next Great Videogame Franchise For The Next Console Is Good Business
Re: Re:
This is so tragic. The reason is girlfriend gamers. Borderlands 2 has realized this and has a girlfriend mode. My wife plays games with me now, after years of watching me play. It is near impossible to find games to play together (she's no good at FTS, yet). I'm not buying two laptops so we can play Diablo 3 together, but if consoles don't fix this, we just might.
If a new console came out (OUYA, maybe) which realized this, it would kill in this market.
On the post: EA: Withholding The Next Great Videogame Franchise For The Next Console Is Good Business
Re: Re:
A new console will be the death of consoles.
On the post: Julia Child Foundation Wants An Injunction Against Facts
Re: Re: Re: Re:
So your wife thought a dead person endorsed something? I think you need someone else for your "moron in a hurry" test.
On the post: Big Banks Finally Punishing Employees For Fraud... Like The Call Center Guy Who Used A Fake Dime 50 Years Ago
Re:
On the post: Can Someone Explain Why Facebook's CFO Should Be Fired For Getting An Awesome Deal?
Re:
You don't understand the market. For every rapid trading winner, there is a rapid trading loser, so the net profit at any instant is always zero. Life long investing is always more profitable, for the average investor.
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