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Lil' Kim regrets nuclear test
- Thread starter Lao Tzu
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mrplunkey
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Lao Tzu said:
First of all, in the real world the burden of proof for competence is the person who wants the job. If that weren't the case, then I'm going to command the next space shuttle mission because NASA can't prove I'm not an astronaut.
Second, how many examples do you need?
US Postal Service versus Fex Ex or UPS
Veteran's Administration Hospitals versus almost any private pay hospital
Cobol versus C/C++/Java
Social Security versus private IRA/mutual funds
Evidence is everywhere... government regulated TV standards and we've had two innovations since its inception -- incorporation of color standards many years ago and the upcoming HD shift.
Now let's contrast the desktop computer industry. Microsoft/Intel simply ran away with it. I still remember my TRS-80 back in 1978, and it was totally inconcievable how quickly and effectively private industry advanced that technology. So you want a supercomputer? Fine... just wait 2-3 years and today's supercomputer can be ordered direct from Dell for about 2k.
The only thing I can think of the government does well is military technology, but that's been 100% outsourced to the private sector -- and for top dollar as well.
mrplunkey
New member
Wait... I may be on the verge of doing a 180 on my attitude toward government because I've found proof positive that government can help and make peoples' lives better. Please consult this thread:Lao Tzu said:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=513706
I will now sleep much more safely and secure knowing that your and my tax dollars are protecting the American public from excessive folate levels found in Vegemite.
It's got to make you well-up and want to cry knowing a major portion of your hard-earned income is going toward protecting US citizens from this clear and immanent danger.
Lao Tzu
New member
mrplunkey said:
The burden of proof is on the person who makes blanket statements. If you are going to say 'government is always going to fail' you need to back it up.
mrplunkey said:
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache...ital+quality+private&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=8
VA hospitals outscore private ones in surveys
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1376238-1,00.html
How VA Hospitals Became The Best
No longer a nation's shame, veteran care is acing competitors
mrplunkey said:
http://www.cbpp.org/6-2-05socsec2.htm
Retirement benefits are generally lower under the Galveston Plan........in general, benefits are lower for those with lower earnings and/or with a greater number of dependents who qualify for Social Security.”[3]........Retirement Benefits Are Generally Lower Under the Galveston Plan
mrplunkey said:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/t53363.html
Ratings among consumers are nearly identical for USPS & UPS, with fedex doing a little better than both.
As far as supercomputers, much of the research on them is done with government intervention in the form of taxpayer subsidies. Some research (like the PS3 chipset which will be used to make a 1.6 petaflop computer) was done privately, but much research is still paid for by taxpayers instead of consumers.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2002/tc20021226_4930.htm
In the last few years, the U.S. supercomputer industry hasn't had much to cheer about. Government funding had slowed considerably, crimping a major catalyst and incubator for the innovative technologies behind powerful supercomputers.
I don't think in all the time I've been debating you that I've ever seen you make a persuasive argument. Taxpayer funding of industry (as opposed to consumer funding of industry) is going to get results, funding is funding. Some gov programs are better than private, some are worse.
mrplunkey
New member
You should have dug-up some study, poll, or op-ed piece that says Cobol is superior to C++ too, since you seem to have an appetite for ferreting-out links that only support your arguments.Lao Tzu said:
That VA claim is scandalous. I've spent my entire life in healthcare until 2004 and I'd go to a faith healer before I'd set foot inside a VA hospital.
And sure, there are studies that show Social Security can theortically outperform private investments, but those convieniently gloss-over the fact that billions and billions of taxpayer dollars have to be put into SS to shore-up the system. If an individual setup a "retirement" system that mirrored social security he'd be sent to jail -- for operating an illegal panzi scheme.
P.S. It just dawned on me that NASA is a government agency too -- so I bet I *could* captain the next space shuttle mission simply by claiming they can't prove I'm not the best astronaut in the world.
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mrplunkey
New member
Nice job deflecting an obvious and criminal waste of taxpayer money by our government. I'd bet that the administration, execution and promulgation of that "ban" is costing taxpayers millions and millions of dollars in red tape and labor.Lao Tzu said:
You should have stuck to your playbook and dug-up some obscure survey that shows that Vegemite ban actually saves taxpayer money by reducing the incident rate of influenza.
Lao Tzu
New member
mrplunkey said:
Nice job writing off studies that don't verify what you choose to believe.
Who gives a shit about a vegamite ban. Private companies make mistakes too. I seem to remember something called 'new coke'. Are you such a market fanatic that you can't even see that private industry screws up every now and again as well?
mrplunkey
New member
Much better -- I was afraid you were "slipping".Lao Tzu said:
And now we could prove the legitimacy of the ban if the government would just waste $150M in a 5-year study. By they time they get through cooking the numbers, it will generate a net theoretical savings in overall healthcare. Hell, I bet you could even count the supposed benefits toward forcing everyone into government-controlled healthcare
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