merjet Posted January 8, 2020 Author Share Posted January 8, 2020 NY Times climate change editorial News about free filing income taxes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 Paying higher taxes ProPublica is finally helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted January 15, 2020 Author Share Posted January 15, 2020 A case for socialism The Knowledge Illusion #1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 Jeopardy GOAT The Knowledge Illusion #2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 Monday, January 13, 2020 A case for socialism "I am against socialism, but this article and podcast give an informative, modern perspective on the views of people who approve of and even advocate socialism. I have wondered why so many young people favor socialism, what they believe it is, and why they hate capitalism so much. The audio interview is sort of long, near 100 minutes. I listened to over half, but skipped some parts. The person interviewed is Nathan Robinson, editor of Current Affairs, author, and a strong supporter of Bernie Sanders. He identifies as a libertarian socialist. He says that for many of its supporters socialism isn't about government ownership of the means of production (which Karl Marx advocated), or even any business being wholly owned by its employees. It's about power, democracy, and solidarity with the many less fortunate when a few others have so much wealth, income, and power. There is a segment starting around 46:00 about Bernie Sanders. He says Bernie Sanders has a "deep moral compass." Huh?? Echoing Ayn Rand, by what standard? There is no mention of his fascist* morality of government bullying and coercion. The sort of democracy they want is in effect a dictatorship by voters, a mobocracy. Of course, a small minority of politicians would do the legislating. *Fascist economics supported a state-controlled economy that accepted a mix of private and public ownership over the means of production. Industries must uphold the national interest as superior to private profit (link). State control is paramount for fascism and Sanders, and Sanders revels in berating profit. Robinson doesn't say so, but it seems to me that how much income governments take, how much they spend, and how much power they amass to bully and coerce other people doesn't bother them. I have not read his book, but peaked at it using Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature. It's fairly short, so requested it via inter-library loan. Based on what I saw inside, I will not buy it. He will not profit atmy expense. He is critical of profit several times in the book. I suspect he hasn't yet realized that workers' wages are profits, like I showed here. Anyway, reading about how capitalism works in his view -- an army of psychopathic androids -- and why I am wrong to oppose socialism -- he says every opponent is wrong -- should be worth a few chuckles. I expect another pied piper of socialism. That's alongside Bernie Sanders, Michael Moore, Larry Sanders, and many actors and actresses. Robinson is hypercritical of corporations at the start of Chapter 3. Does he believe what he says applies to his Current Affairs LLC? To nonprofit corporations? P.S. Shortly after writing the above, I saw this article from the Ayn Rand Institute. It's longer with more criticism of socialism. The spokesman for socialism is Bhaskar Sunkara. It includes the following about socialism's appeal to many people: "In the debates, Sunkara argues that socialism is the system that protects people’s “basic rights” to goods and services like health care, education, and nutrition. He also argues that workers should be given democratic control of the firms they staff by being given the right to elect their managers and receive a share of the profits. This, he says, is necessary to protect freedom from the “tyranny” in the workplace: from the “coercion” of having to take a job under terms set by others." Addenda 1/18/2020 A Wall Street Journal article (paywalled) includes the following: "Mr. Glaeser cites polling that suggests most young people’s vision of socialism might be better described as “hyperredistribution.” They don’t seek state control of the means of production, but punishing taxes on the rich to fund programs like free college for all. “They say, ‘Well, there are a whole bunch of projects—a whole bunch of government spending that helps old people. I want mine. If we’re going to spend a huge amount on Medicare, why aren’t we spending a whole lot on education for me?’ The obvious answer is that redistribution takes money out of the productive economy, which diminishes collective wealth over time. Young socialists dismiss that point, and equate capitalism with greed." [end] Another answer not in the article is that the elderly on Medicare and Social Security paid taxes to fund them for decades. A young college student doesn't have such a history". Merjet --- Good article. The "case for socialism" is all-dependent upon existing great wealth and future, ongoing production in a specific nation. Socialism needs capitalism. The 'makers' - think the socialists - will continue doing what they do, regardless, "somehow" - because they have to, they like doing it and are capable of doing it. iow, they enjoy being sacrificed. They "owe". (Anyway, *any* others can take over production and industry if they rebel. So the Marxist-socialists believe). Never do these socialist-utopian theorists ask themselves: why should the profit-makers carry on? What will happen when, inevitably, capital and creativity slowly start drying up (under even this "soft" form of socialism) and the innovators leave for better pastures? No answer, since they are people who have no idea of man's mind and don't want to know. But all the rest know that a harder socialism i.e., increasing gvment force, will become necessary to continue their fantasy of "hyperredistribution" to eke out the last remnants of wealth production. Ending very badly. On a small scale this is what I remember of Zimbabwe, and now I see the flight of able South Africans (of all races) - the looting will simply outweigh the production eventually, and all suffer. "Equality" is finally achieved in equal misery. (But about time the AR Institute woke up! Are they afraid that opposing socialism will have to mean supporting the president?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 The Knowledge Illusion #3The Knowledge Illusion #4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 The Knowledge Illusion #5 The Knowledge Illusion #6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted January 28, 2020 Author Share Posted January 28, 2020 The Knowledge Illusion #7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 In the wake of ProPublica Stand Out of Our Light #1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 3, 2020 Author Share Posted February 3, 2020 Stand Out of Our Light #2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 Stand Out of Our Light #3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 9, 2020 Author Share Posted February 9, 2020 Amazon 2019, ITEP and its wake Free File, Gov't Audit, ProPublica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 Why You Shouldn’t Be A Socialist #1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 Why You Shouldn’t Be A Socialist #2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 What? Me worry? MacDonald’s. 1948: hamburgers 15 cents, cheeseburgers 19 cents, fries 10 cents, soft drinks 10 cents and 15 cents, coffee 5 cents, shakes 20 cents. Today. Quarter Pounder with cheese meal: $5.79. Gold in 1933: $20.67 per troy ounce. 2017: $1,260.39 per ounce. Gold today: $1,633.90 per ounce. Deficit, Debt . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 17, 2020 Author Share Posted February 17, 2020 Why You Shouldn’t Be A Socialist #3 I tried to put a book review of Why You Should Be a Socialist on Amazon and met a barrier that was new to me. "We apologize but this account has not met the minimum eligibility requirements to write a review. If you would like to learn more about our eligibility requirements, please see our community guidelines." The guidelines say to post a review you must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com in the past 12 months. I did spend more than $50 in the past 12 months. However, part was with a gift card, and my net spent was less than $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brant Gaede Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 Amazon has become a nickel and dime operation. --Brant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 A minimum spend is probably a measure to cut down on fake reviews. If you publish or sell a book on Amazon, you can buy fake reviews to fool buyers into thinking this is a kickass book worth buying because so many people think it's awesome. And it's all baloney. Amazon always has a massive headache with this. Spam--in this case review spam--is a serious problem and it's a hard one to combat to general satisfaction. No platform owner who tries to deal with platform abuse will ever please everyone. At least things are not like they were at the beginning of the Internet when you would type a term like "computer keyboards" into a search engine like Alta Vista and get a bunch of search results related to penis enlargement and college loans. Still, recently on Amazon, I have seen fake text in the descriptions and Questions and Answers sections. The most recent I found, if I remember correctly, was advice about battery recharging and resistance to leaks for the powdered matcha tea I was looking at (I actually like to drink this stuff, after mixing with boiling water, of course). Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 18, 2020 Author Share Posted February 18, 2020 13 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said: A minimum spend is probably a measure to cut down on fake reviews. That was my conjecture, too. Anyway, I bought something from Amazon, which I already planned to buy and negated the barrier. My review, mostly copied from my blog, is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 ProPublica never satisfied Sanders' and Warren's lack of sacrifice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 World Bank's pandemic bonds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted February 29, 2020 Author Share Posted February 29, 2020 Bernie Sanders' deceptive tax numbers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 I just checked Real Clear Politics for polling on the Dem side and it's Sanders in front everywhere but South Carolina. Super Tuesday is Bernie's for the taking. He may become their nominee. Freedom loving Capitalist or a Communist/Socialist tyrant? Our local talk show man, Duke Brooks was making the case that Bernie is more of a Communist than a Socialist. The word socialist is just more palatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merjet Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share Posted March 6, 2020 Forbes: Climate change alarmist incoherence 'All rise' for Clarence Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Listen to the beginning of Richard Roger’s “Victory at Sea.” It is uplifting. That teen loony and Bernie are just lame about doing anything other than wanting to take control of the earth and sending the standard of living into a tailspin. They are the Morlock’s to the planet’s gullible Eloi’s. Luckily they don’t have a time machine. Bernie would probably want to go back to FDR’s Great Depression and Teeny would go back to the land of Oz. Notes. The Eloi are humanlike creatures who are small, unintelligent, uncurious, weak, and also, importantly, benevolent and happy. They are the evolutionary descendants of the British elite, who exploited the British poor for so long that the poor evolved into a race of humanoids called the Morlocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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