Of course complete anything fails but you'd be naive to say they've completely left the principles.

http://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/state-owned-enterprises-in-china-how-big-are-they

Quote :

" By 2005 the market-oriented reforms, including privatization, was virtually halted and partially reversed.[9] In 2006, the Chinese government announced that the armaments, power generation and distribution, oil and petrochemicals, telecommunications, coal, aviation and shipping industries had to remain under "absolute state control" and public ownership by law.[10] The state retains indirect control in directing the non-state economy through the financial system, which lends according to state priorities. Liberalization continues to be rolled back in the state-sector by the consolidation of state enterprises into large "national champions" with the goal of consolidating efforts and creating internationally-competitive national industries."

Collective ownership what?

State owned enterprises who?

8/26/2010 11:29:10 AM

I just started using storage for the first time. I definitely hate it, but it is needed. We are selling my house, and between my wife who had her own house and furniture, my house with furniture, and inherited stuff I havent been able to completely go through and decide what stays and what is throw away, its too much stuff to store locally, especially when our house is on the market. When we move to a much bigger home, we will move the stuff back to the home [the new home would really piss off mamba], and start pitching.

Its a necessary evil at certain points, but people that use it for a pronlonged period are really wasting money. In general, if you dont need access to it, and it isnt valuable enough to stay locked up locally, you probably dont need it.

But, unlike your desires, we live in a free country, and if people want to use their hard earned dollars to put their hummer into storage, then that is completely their right.

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 11:48 AM. Reason : .]

8/26/2010 11:46:15 AM

^as long as it doesn't prevent someone else to live freely...

Quote :

"Why am I stroking checks for sports cars, when others are living paycheck to paycheck at a lower standard of living? Well, a lot of it is because I studied hard in school, made good grades, and went to college, and got a good degree"

Congrats, but many are prevented, by the system, from studying in school making good grades and going to college. Its hard to do well in school when you have a migraine due to not eating. or when you have to take care of siblings or when you are forced to live in a neighborhood full of organized crime, danger and distractions through the night.

Quote :

" and got most of it paid for by the military (which most anyone could do if they wanted to, "

You're obviously a pretty smart guy but people without good grades or college can't choose what they do in the military and many people, like I would never do something where they are required to kill or help kill and thats where you get placed.

Quote :

"My parents paid for 2 years of college for me."

Good parents are almost a requirement for mobility in this country

Quote :

"Some people (including me) value travel. That's fine, but recognize that it has no salvage value--when you get home from that vacation, you have nothing to show for it but memories and experiences. Some people have to always have tons of the nicest clothes--there are as many dollars in their closet as there are in my garage (and I submit that THIS is truly an example of duplicity of effort). Some people seem to need instant gratification--they have to have it now, and they get into the debt cycle and end up paying for everything twice over (whereas I have delayed a lot of things until I could easily afford them, paying cash, and having my money make money for me all along rather than paying someone else to borrow). Some people cannot emotionally handle financial risk--whatever money they have, they keep very conservatively. They won't lose it, but it won't do much for them. "

Why won't you face the fact that some people just don't make much money? This causes stress which leads to bad decisions and the need for "relievers"

Quote :

" Some people value a job that they truly love which happens to not pay much, "

Everyone should be doing a job that they love. Nothing is worse than someone doing a job just because it pays a lot.

Quote :

" First of all, I am helping a world that needs me. That was my #1 motivation, by far, for my choice of career. I signed up pre-2001, figuring that I'd be headed to Africa or somewhere to deal with exploitative warlords, etc. As it is, I have spent 6 months helping to save lives (American and Iraqi) in Iraq, 3.5 months in Qatar working to save lives in Afghanistan (Afghan, American, and lots of others), and am finishing up another 3.5 months in Afghanistan, helping to take the lives of those who basically exist to take or ruin the lives of others. Regardless of the goods/bads/others of American foreign policy, I have no doubt whatsoever that I, personally, have easily made a positive net contribution to both human life preservation and human welfare."

None of that matters if you are only in it for the money. I'm not attacking you but I'm just pointing out the fact that you yourself said you wouldn't be doing the same job if you couldnt own a bunch of vehicles.

There is nothing noble about doing something good to get a reward.

Quote :

" All I'm saying is that almost everyone in America has the opportunity to do pretty well for themselves financially if they apply themselves properly (certainly to meet the standard of living I'm currently at"

How can you say this right after saying you had more advantages than others? You have no idea what its like to be disadvantaged with disadvantaged parents who had disadvantaged parents.

Quote :

"I hate this idea that success is mostly a matter of privilege or luck or something"

It basically boils down to where you are born and what family you are born into. If you're lucky, then working hard can pay off. If you're unlucky, then no matter how hard you work you're pretty much screwed unless you are truly an exceptionally strong person. Even then, the unlucky person who was exceptional, worked their ass off and just barely made it to success in life is going to be a lot less well off than the lucky person who barely had to work hard.

A good upbringing or 'luck of the draw" isn't everything but its certainly a huuuuge head start and dictates the pace of your life and the probability of doing well with hard work.

Then theres the rich people who separate themselves from the middle class by pressing buttons to exploit money and working the capitalism game only to later claim they "worked hard" for all that wealth.

Quote :

"Having the opportunity is not the same as using that opportunity."

Nobody in their right mind would argue that anyone who wants a job can go get a job when one in every 10 people actively seeking work in this country can't find it.

8/26/2010 1:44:28 PM

Quote :

"Everyone should be doing a job that they love. Nothing is worse than someone doing a job just because it pays a lot. "

I think not eating would be worse than doing a job just because it pays a lot. Yep.

8/26/2010 1:57:06 PM

Which is why redistribution of wealth increases productivity

8/26/2010 1:58:48 PM

You should find something to back up that statement.

8/26/2010 2:56:04 PM

Quote :

"In 2006, the Chinese government announced that the armaments, power generation and distribution, oil and petrochemicals, telecommunications, coal, aviation and shipping industries had to remain under "absolute state control" and public ownership by law."

yes, the Chinese government owns whole swaths of the economy. oddly enough, the United States government owns whole swaths of our economy, too. I guess you consider America a communist state?

8/26/2010 3:35:10 PM

^ America is mixed-capitalism...as every 5th grader learns in Social Studies

8/26/2010 3:52:03 PM

Yeah. Capitalism mixed with a whole lot of taxes, regulations, loopholes, and subsidizes.

8/26/2010 4:01:48 PM

I was just hoping you might give me some insight into the evolution of the market economy in the southern colonies. My contention is that prior to the Revolutionary War, the economic modalities, especially in the southern colonies, could be most aptly described as agrarian precapitalist.

8/26/2010 4:10:40 PM

Quote :

"America is mixed-capitalism"

Just like China!

8/26/2010 4:41:48 PM

But every mixture has different concentrations of each component. Capitalism nor communism work in pure form. Its mixtures through socialism(what i support) that work the best.

8/26/2010 5:30:11 PM

once again, Mr. Joshua comes through with the win.

8/26/2010 5:33:37 PM

Hmm, communism + capitalism is not socialism. Communism is collective ownership of the means of production. Socialism is government ownership of the means of production. At no point was any factory or farm not owned by the government under these regimes. Communism has never existed in an economic sense on the national level. China and the USSR were pure socialism, killing millions. Now they are a mix of socialism and capitalism, lending heavily into capitalism, like like the US.

8/26/2010 5:42:14 PM

king of semantics

8/26/2010 7:37:29 PM

queen of fucktards

8/26/2010 7:53:02 PM

Wow, mambagril. You really should give up. You are being destroyed by common-sense.

Sometimes I read your posts and wonder if you are trying to make liberals look bad on purpose...

[Edited on August 27, 2010 at 1:46 PM. Reason : a]

8/27/2010 1:45:15 PM

None of the stuff I say is even new. Theres probably nobody that shares all my beliefs but each individual belief and claim is shared with someone. Probably someone you've heard of.

[Edited on August 27, 2010 at 7:03 PM. Reason : This just happens to be one of the most conservative niches i've ever witnessed.]

8/27/2010 7:02:42 PM

No, they are not new. But they sure do seem designed to spread human misery far and wide.

8/28/2010 3:25:52 AM