More Good News

[sam i am]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051216/ap_en_ce/peta_worst_dressed

:p

[sam i am]

Hearty debate on the Patriot Act.....MORE good news :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051216/ap_on_go_co/patriot_act

[sam i am]

Even more Good News :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051215/ap_on_el_pr/sharpton_finances

^^^
Hey, queen, here's another way to pad the Feds' coffers with "tax" money! :p

[QueenAdrock]

So what do you think of Scandinavia and how they deal with taxes? They have one of the HIGHEST standards of living in all the world, and they have outrageous taxes. I mean, they're all extremely happy, prosperous, Finland's got the 5th most competative economy in all the world, etc. and they have like 52% of their income taxed in Denmark. Does this bother you?

[sam i am]

So what do you think of Scandinavia and how they deal with taxes? They have one of the HIGHEST standards of living in all the world, and they have outrageous taxes. I mean, they're all extremely happy, prosperous, Finland's got the 5th most competative economy in all the world, etc. and they have like 52% of their income taxed in Denmark. Does this bother you?

It doesn't bother me, but it's like comparing apples to oranges.

What's Finland's population? How homogenous is it compared to the USA?

A much more apropos comparison would be the USA to Russia, which is similar in size, ethnic diversity, and population to the USA, as well as possessing many natural resources. THEN you can see just how better off we are in the USA.

[QueenAdrock]

THEN you can see just how better off we are in the USA.

That's true. However, you have mentioned several times that America's the greatest country in the world, which I don't believe. I think we are better than countries we are comparable to, but not better than others. Finland's innovation and technology is astounding, and I plan on moving there once we've run out of oil and resources because they've got their shit prepared over there.

[sam i am]

That's true. However, you have mentioned several times that America's the greatest country in the world, which I don't believe. I think we are better than countries we are comparable to, but not better than others. Finland's innovation and technology is astounding, and I plan on moving there once we've run out of oil and resources because they've got their shit prepared over there.

Fair enough. I think we can find common ground here.

America's moving closer and closer to fuel cell technology and alternate forms of energy to power machines of all kinds.

When all the oil dries up, like they say in the trailer for Syriana, most of the Middle East will go back to being a Third World region.

[D_Raay]

Fair enough. I think we can find common ground here.

America's moving closer and closer to fuel cell technology and alternate forms of energy to power machines of all kinds.

When all the oil dries up, like they say in the trailer for Syriana, most of the Middle East will go back to being a Third World region.
Wait a minute. That all depends on whether our government decides we need more cheap labor, in which case you're right; or whether we need more consumers. In any case a whole lot of people are going to get screwed without the courtesy of a reach around or even a hello.

[STANKY808]

A much more apropos comparison would be the USA to Russia, which is similar in size, ethnic diversity, and population to the USA, as well as possessing many natural resources. THEN you can see just how better off we are in the USA.


The same size? WTF? Why must you include bullshit in an otherwise valid post?

Russia land mass = 16,995,800 sq. km

USA land mass = 9,161,923 sq. km

[sam i am]

The same size? WTF? Why must you include bullshit in an otherwise valid post?

Russia land mass = 16,995,800 sq. km

USA land mass = 9,161,923 sq. km

I stand corrected.

ANYTHING to undermine an otherwise valid point, eh Stanky?

I THINK any reasonable person would get the correlation without having to be completely anal about the exactitudes. Then again, you posted this reply, so maybe not....

[sam i am]

Wait a minute. That all depends on whether our government decides we need more cheap labor, in which case you're right; or whether we need more consumers. In any case a whole lot of people are going to get screwed without the courtesy of a reach around or even a hello.

Energy is necessary to run things. Currently, oil is the most abundant and most developed energy resource worldwide for operating machinery and fueling economies.

As alternative sources continue to pick up the slack while oil dries up, jobs and resources will go towards those alternatives. Labor will move into hydrogen conversion, space exploration and exploitation, etc., et al.

I don't see how that's going to to screw a whole lot of people...

[STANKY808]

I stand corrected.

ANYTHING to undermine an otherwise valid point, eh Stanky?

I THINK any reasonable person would get the correlation without having to be completely anal about the exactitudes. Then again, you posted this reply, so maybe not....

Did I hit a nerve? Just trying to keep you in bounds.
I would not have weighed in had you not included such a stunningly false statement. As I stated, I think your post is valid and does not need to be padded with hyperbole. Besides, I seem to recall you posting things asking others to be factually accurate, so hey.

Happy Friday to you.

[sam i am]

Did I hit a nerve? Just trying to keep you in bounds.
I would not have weighed in had you not included such a stunningly false statement. As I stated, I think your post is valid and does not need to be padded with hyperbole. Besides, I seem to recall you posting things asking others to be factually accurate, so hey.

Happy Friday to you.

Fair enough.

I stood corrected.

Happy Friday back at ya. :)

[STANKY808]

Good news is easy to come by when you pay for it...

"A senior fellow at the Cato Institute resigned from the libertarian think tank on Dec. 15 after admitting that he had accepted payments from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff for writing op-ed articles favorable to the positions of some of Abramoff's clients. Doug Bandow, who writes a syndicated column for Copley News Service, told BusinessWeek Online that he had accepted money from Abramoff for writing between 12 and 24 articles over a period of years, beginning in the mid '90s."

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec2005/nf20051216_1037_db016.htm

[sam i am]

Good news is easy to come by when you pay for it...

"A senior fellow at the Cato Institute resigned from the libertarian think tank on Dec. 15 after admitting that he had accepted payments from indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff for writing op-ed articles favorable to the positions of some of Abramoff's clients. Doug Bandow, who writes a syndicated column for Copley News Service, told BusinessWeek Online that he had accepted money from Abramoff for writing between 12 and 24 articles over a period of years, beginning in the mid '90s."

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec2005/nf20051216_1037_db016.htm

This kind of crap happened with Jayson Blair and some other people at the New York Times, didn't it?

Media is endlessly manipulable, from all sides of the political spectrum.

Best case scenario : get multiple inputs from multiple locations before believing anything.

[STANKY808]

Mostly I agree, however, I would make a distinction between those that fabricate out of lazyness and those bought and paid for.

And since you brought up the Times...

"The White House asked The New York Times not to publish this article, arguing that it could jeopardize continuing investigations and alert would-be terrorists that they might be under scrutiny. After meeting with senior administration officials to hear their concerns, the newspaper delayed publication for a year to conduct additional reporting. Some information that administration officials argued could be useful to terrorists has been omitted. "

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/politics/15cnd-program.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5088&en=46373698e4101aca&ex=1292302800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

No doubt the press is easily manipulable.

[sam i am]

No doubt the press is easily manipulable.

I think it's because they constantly have to engage in one-upmanship, just like us here on these message boards, in order to have their messages get through the glut of information that is now available to anyone with a computer or the ability to read or the ability to hear on the radio.

We're such a connected world, now, in many ways (ALSO good news) that news reporters often have to rely on the shadiest of characters and the slimmest of facts and information in order to get published and SELL what they're peddling.

The answer, IMO, doesn't lie in relying on any few media sources, but instead reading texts and books, newspapers, radio, TV, the internet, and ferreting out what is consistent and reliable by multiple-source comparison, rather than relying on a few sources.