God All American 28747 Posts user info edit post |
This morning, I was awoken by my alarm clock which is powered by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I took a shower in the clean, safe water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the channels regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration had determined the weather was likely to be, using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast, consisting of food inspected by the US Department of Agriculture and taking medicine determined to be safe by the Food and Drug Administration.
At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurately by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I got into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work, driving on roads built and maintained by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, stopping on my way to purchase additional fuel of a composition and quality level determined and inspected by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the US Mint and regulated by the Federal Reserve System. I also stopped to deposit my mail to be delivered via the US Postal System, before I dropped my kids off at the public school, operated by my local government under guidance from the US Department of Education.
After work, I drove my NHTSA-approved car back home on the DOT roads, to a house which had not burned down in my absence thanks to state and local building codes and the fire marshal's inspection, and which had not been plundered of its valuables thanks to the local police department.
I then logged onto the Internet, which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of Defense, and posted about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT. 9/4/2009 10:51:09 AM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy" |
Wrong even on the first sentence. That has to be some kind of record. 9/4/2009 11:00:26 AM
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aimorris All American 15213 Posts user info edit post |
go to chit chat, you're not clever or funny, or whatever the fuck the point of this was
and how long did it take you to write this? lame as fuck 9/4/2009 11:00:52 AM
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TreeTwista10 Forgetful Jones 148050 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "which had not been plundered of its valuables thanks to the local police department." |
I'm going to have to pull your card on this one 9/4/2009 11:01:59 AM
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strudle66 All American 1573 Posts user info edit post |
![](http://i25.tinypic.com/2ns3ubs.jpg)
9/4/2009 11:06:11 AM
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Dentaldamn All American 9974 Posts user info edit post |
ha 9/4/2009 11:40:08 AM
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Flying Tiger All American 2341 Posts user info edit post |
I loled. I also might plagiarize this. 9/4/2009 11:44:56 AM
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JCASHFAN All American 13916 Posts user info edit post |
Jesus. If I wasn't about to get on the road for 4 hours I might take the time to respond to this. 9/4/2009 12:27:21 PM
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Supplanter supple anteater 21831 Posts user info edit post |
^are you taking the public option roads? ![](images/beatup.gif) 9/4/2009 12:33:52 PM
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JCASHFAN All American 13916 Posts user info edit post |
Touche sir . . .touche ![](images/wink.gif) 9/4/2009 12:37:45 PM
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eyedrb All American 5853 Posts user info edit post |
yeah, someone sent me this email too. It has a lot of flaws that many people who believe email forwards wont care to understand. This is the liberals version of Obama is a muslim forwards. idiots on both sides. imo
Quote : | "medicine determined to be safe by the Food and Drug Administration" |
makes me smile 9/4/2009 12:53:53 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
So, we have not only wrong, but poorly plagiarized, too.
Huh. I guess some people just don't put much effort into things. 9/4/2009 12:59:32 PM
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Supplanter supple anteater 21831 Posts user info edit post |
Minus the part about going on the internet to complain about socialism this is pretty standard for intro to American Gov class textbooks to have almost this exact speech on how much you rely on gov without thinking about it. 9/4/2009 12:59:47 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
So, because we grant the government a monopoly over certain things, this means it both does them well and is the only one who could do it.
Mmmkay. 9/4/2009 1:02:21 PM
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TKE-Teg All American 43396 Posts user info edit post |
Does anyone else think God is quickly becoming one of the most annoying posters? 9/4/2009 1:10:53 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
Becoming would imply something that hasn't already occurred. 9/4/2009 1:15:13 PM
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Supplanter supple anteater 21831 Posts user info edit post |
This is taken from page 6 of Ginsburg’s “We The People – An introduction to American Politics” 6th edition. (I just typed it up really quick for forgive me for any errors)
Quote : | "Box 1.1 The Presence of Government in the Daily Life of a Student at “State University”
Time of Day Schedule 7:00am Wake up. Standard time set by the national government.
7:10am Shower. Water courtesy of local government, either a public entity or a regulated private company. Brush your teeth with toothpaste, with cavity –fighting claim verified by federal agency. Dry your hair with electric dryer, manufactured according to federal government agency guidelines.
7:30am Have a bowl of cereal with milk for breakfast. “Nutrition Facts” on food labels are a federal requirement, pasteurization of milk required by state law, freshness dating on milk based on state and federal standards, recycling the empty cereal box and milk carton enabled by state or local laws.
8:30am Drive or take public transportation to campus. Air bags and seat belts required by federal and state laws. Roads and bridges paid for by state and local governments, speed and traffic laws set by state and local governments, public transportation subsidized by all levels of government.
8:45am Arrive on campus of a large public university. Building are 70 percent financed by state taxpayers.
9:00am First class: Chemistry 101. Tuition partially paid by a federal loan (more than half the cost of university instruction is paid for by taxpayers, chemistry lab paid for with grants for the National Science Foundation (a federal agency) and smaller grants from business corporations made possible by federal income tax deductions for charitable contributions.
Noon Eat lunch. College cafeteria financed by state dormitory authority on land grant from federal Department of Agriculture. 2:00pm Second class: American Government 101 (your favorite class!). You may be taking this class because it ‘s required by the state legislature or because it fulfills a university requirement.
4:00pm Third Class: Computer Lab. Free computers, software, and Internet access courtesy of state subsides plus grants and discounts from IBM and Microsoft, the cost of which are deducted from their corporate income taxes; Internet built in part by federal government. Duplication of software protected by federal copyright laws.
6:00pm Eat dinner: hamburger and French fries. Meat inspected by federal agencies for bacteria.
7:00pm Work part-time job at the campus library. Minimum wage set by federal government, books and journals in library paid for by state taxpayers.
10:00pm Go home. Street lighting paid for by county and city governments, police patrols by city government.
10:15pm Watch TV. Networks regulated by federal government, cable public-access channels required by city law. Weather forecast provided to broadcasters by a federal agency.
Midnight Put out the garbage before going to bed. Garbage collected by city sanitation department, financed by “user charges.”" |
Not that this has a huge bearing on the health care reform argument. And I'm not saying gov is the best at doing all these jobs, but I think government done right (or even decently) is a good thing and worth paying taxes for. I don't think I could have afforded going to Duke, but I sure love NC State even if it is the more public option (my only hope is that NCSU & UNC being so close to Duke, that we don't put them out of business)
[Edited on September 4, 2009 at 1:23 PM. Reason : .] 9/4/2009 1:22:39 PM
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mrfrog ☯ 15145 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Brush your teeth with toothpaste, with cavity –fighting claim verified by federal agency." |
Wow, someone horribly misinterpreted what those agencies do. 9/4/2009 1:38:14 PM
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HUR All American 17732 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "10:15pm Watch TV. Networks regulated by federal government, cable " |
I don't consider this a good thing
Quote : | "more than half the cost of university instruction is paid for by taxpayers" |
More like paid for by your parents with whom paid countless years of NC state taxes which reciprocate as your in-state tuition.
Quote : | "I sure love NC State even if it is the more public option" |
This is a lot of garbage one is forced to deal with going to a "state school" that does not exist depending on the private university.
For example when you pay $25,000 to attend a private university while living in an on-campus apartments the university is not going to send RA's around to TRY to find trouble (like otherwise minding yoru own business drinking a beer in your apartment room) 9/4/2009 2:08:09 PM
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hooksaw All American 16500 Posts user info edit post |
Suck that government teet!
9/4/2009 2:11:39 PM
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GrumpyGOP yovo yovo bonsoir 18151 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | " I don't consider this a good thing" |
If I remember correctly, the early broadcast media (radio) begged for government regulation because everything had turned into bedlam. On Sunday mornings, it was common for three churches in a city to try to broadcast their services at the same time on the same frequency. As soon as a broadcast got popular, others would switch to the same frequency to try to take its listeners. The result was that half the time nobody could broadcast anything.
Remember that the FCC doesn't just complain about boobs. It also standardizes communication so that it actually works. 9/4/2009 3:08:22 PM
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0EPII1 All American 42529 Posts user info edit post |
[Edited on September 4, 2009 at 3:09 PM. Reason : ]
9/4/2009 3:08:47 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
^^ What you describe is a classic Tragedy of the Commons. Which does not explicitly require all of the functions of an FCC so much as it does dividing up spectra and giving legally enforceable property rights therein. Someone with a legally enforceable claim to a particular chunk of spectrum solves a lot of problems in the same way that having a legally enforceable claim to a chunk of land does. 9/4/2009 3:23:31 PM
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Republican18 All American 16575 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Does anyone else think God is quickly becoming one of the most annoying posters?" |
agreed 9/4/2009 3:27:33 PM
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GrumpyGOP yovo yovo bonsoir 18151 Posts user info edit post |
I don't inherently disagree with anything you said, DrSteve. I merely pointed out that in this particular example the industry requested regulation. 9/4/2009 3:42:38 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
There are plenty of cases, however, where major established players request regulation because it protects them from smaller players. That is, that bigger players have a better ability to function and adapt to regulations than smaller players - especially if those regulations are crafted by bigger players.
Case in point: the consumer safety laws pertaining to children's toys, which incidentally, Mattel - recall, the one who caused the whole lead-paint scare to begin with - quietly got an exemption by the CPSA to do its own testing in its own labs.
This is the essence of "regulatory capture."
The lesson? Not all regulations are for the benefit of consumers. 9/4/2009 3:51:29 PM
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0EPII1 All American 42529 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Suck that government teet!" |
the world is coming to an end... hooksaw made a spelling error! 9/4/2009 4:39:24 PM
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LoneSnark All American 12317 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "I merely pointed out that in this particular example the industry requested regulation." |
I once tried to find one, but failed. As such, to the best of my knowledge, there has never been an instance of regulation in these United States that the industry in question did not request. http://www.amazon.com/Triumph-Conservatism-Gabriel-Kolko/dp/0029166500
As Adam Smith explained hundreds of years ago, business men are always in favor of regulation, it just usually requires an incident for them to get it. Regretfully, after-the-fact, people only remember the incident.
Recent example, of course, is Mattel, which exposed children to Lead and, as a reward, got a new Federal Law which has hamstrung its competitors. "Instead of winding up hurting, Mattel now has a cost advantage on mandatory testing, and a handy new government-sponsored barrier to entry for its competitors.. " http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2009/08/31/regulation-its-about-eliminating-the-competition/ 9/4/2009 9:07:59 PM
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Paul1984 All American 2855 Posts user info edit post |
It's always easy to complain. At least this post had a point, unlike most of the garbage in here. 9/4/2009 11:21:23 PM
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hooksaw All American 16500 Posts user info edit post |
^ Please direct us to all of your quality threads.
*Crickets* 9/4/2009 11:45:06 PM
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Gamecat All American 17913 Posts user info edit post |
Imperfect. But largely true. The Fed is not a government agency. Many of the agencies listed do a poor job enforcing regulations.
Glad to see this Reddit post is still making the rounds... 9/7/2009 7:28:20 PM
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PinkandBlack Suspended 10517 Posts user info edit post |
Get rid of collective roads or preferential treatment for certain road builders. Allow companies to compete to build the best roads to certain locations. I can't wait till I get to choose between one of 8 roads running in place of the current I-40. It's the only solution to the TYRANNY of public options. 9/9/2009 9:46:29 AM
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aaronburro Sup, B 52799 Posts user info edit post |
yes. because healthcare and roads are the same thing ![](images/rolleyes.gif) 9/9/2009 4:05:52 PM
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pooljobs All American 3481 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | " I once tried to find one, but failed. As such, to the best of my knowledge, there has never been an instance of regulation in these United States that the industry in question did not request" |
what do you mean by "regulation"? the industry i am in was not in favor of the virginia graeme baker pool and spa safety act. 9/9/2009 4:17:47 PM
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joe_schmoe All American 18758 Posts user info edit post |
this mass-consumption email FWD is oversimplified and is on many points imprecise and some of the details are incorrect.
but the general thesis is true. 9/9/2009 7:04:01 PM
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3 of 11 All American 6276 Posts user info edit post |
KEEP YOUR GUBMIT HANDS OFF MY MEDICARE! 9/9/2009 9:24:40 PM
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Supplanter supple anteater 21831 Posts user info edit post |
I came across another one of these, I thought I'd share so everyone could enjoy:
Quote : | "A Day in Your Life
Though we usually fail to notice it, government programs and policies improve our daily lives in innumerable ways.
Ask yourself this question: “What has government done for me lately?” If you are like most Americans, you will probably answer: “Not much.” Many people feel like they pay a lot in taxes but don't really get anything back from government. Surveys show that 52% of Americans believe that “government programs have not really helped me and my family.”1 But let’s see if that is really true. Let’s examine a typical day in the life of an average middle-class American and try to identify some of the ways that government improves that person’s life during that 24-hour period.
6:30 a.m. You are awakened by your clock radio and listen for a few minutes to the news before getting up. But you can listen to your favorite station only because the Federal Communications Commission brings organization and coherence to our vast telecommunications system. It ensures, for example, that radio stations do not overlap and that stations signals are not interfered with by the numerous other devices – cell phones, satellite television, wireless computers, etc. – whose signals crowd our nation’s airwaves.
6:35 a.m. Like 17 million other Americans, you have asthma. But as you get out of bed you notice that you are breathing freely this morning. This is thanks in part to government clean air laws that reduce the air pollution that would otherwise greatly worsen your condition.
6:38 a.m. You go into the kitchen for breakfast. You pour some water into your coffeemaker. You simply take for granted that this water is safe to drink. But in fact you count on your city water department to constantly monitor the quality of your water and to immediately take measures to correct any potential problems with this vital resource.
6:39 a.m. You flip the switch on the coffee maker. There is no short in the outlet or in the electrical line and there is no resulting fire in your house. Why? Because when your house was being built, the electrical system had to be inspected to make sure it was properly installed – a service provided by your local government. And it was installed by an electrician who was licensed by your state government to ensure his competence and your safety.
6:45 a.m. You sit down to breakfast with your family. You are having eggs – a food that brings with it the possibility of salmonella poisoning, a serious food-borne illness affecting tens of thousands of Americans every year. But the chance of you getting sick from these eggs has now been greatly reduced by a recently passed series of strict federal rules that apply to egg producers.
7:00 a.m. You go into your newly renovated bathroom – one of a number of amenities that you enjoy in your house. But the fact that you can even own your own house is something made possible by government. Think about this: “ownership” and “private property” are not things that exist in nature. These are legal constructs: things created by laws that are passed and enforced by government. You couldn’t even buy your home without a system of commercial laws concerning contracts and a government that ensures that sales contracts are enforced. So the fact that you live in your own home is, in part, a benefit of government and the rule of law.
7:01 a.m. Government also helps you own your house in more than the legal sense. On a more practical level, the federal government actually gives you money every year to help pay for your house. It’s called a mortgage interest tax deduction and it is one of the larger benefit programs run by the federal government – amounting to over $60 billion dollars a year. You can also deduct any real estate taxes you pay. These largely overlooked subsidy programs have enabled millions of people to buy their first home or to move up to a larger home than they could afford otherwise.
7:02 a.m. Back in the bathroom. You use the toilet and flush it. Your local government then takes care of transporting this waste, treating it, and disposing of it in an environmentally responsible manner – all without a second thought by you.
7:20 a.m. As you are getting dressed, a glance outside the window shows some ominous clouds. You check the weather on your TV. All these weather forecasts are made possible by information gathered and analyzed by the National Weather Service, a government agency. Everyday, on your behalf, it takes in 190,000 weather observations from surface stations, 2,700 from ships, 115,000 from aircraft, 18,000 for buoys, 250,000 from balloons, and 140 million from satellites – all just to help you plan what to wear and make sure you don’t get stuck in a snow storm. And oh yes, this agency may save your life with its hurricane and tornado warnings.
7:30 a.m. Before you leave home, you take your pills to control your high blood pressure. But how do you know that this medicine is safe or effective? Without the testing required by the Food and Drug Administration, you wouldn’t. And without the vigilance of the FDA, you could easily fall victim to unscrupulous marketers of unsafe and worthless medicines.
7:45 a.m. You put a couple of letters in your mailbox. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, a government employee will come to your house, pick up the letters, and have them delivered in a few days to someone on the other side of the country. A pretty good deal.
7:50 a.m. You and your child walk across the lawn to your car and arrive without getting dog poop on your shoes. A small but welcome achievement that is made possible now by a local law that requires people to clean up after their pets. Also, the reason your neighborhood is not plagued by stray cats and dogs is that your local Animal Control officer is on the job dealing with this constant problem." |
9/18/2009 11:48:33 AM
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Supplanter supple anteater 21831 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "7:52 a.m. You help your young child into your car and you pull out of your driveway. You have now entered an experience that is improved by government in almost more ways that you can count. Driving your car is inherently dangerous. But it is made immensely safer by government laws and regulations, such as those mandating child safety seats and the use of seat belts – rules that have saved tens of thousands of lives. Driving down the street is also made much safer by a local government that enforces traffic laws and discourages people from driving too fast or driving drunk. Most state governments also minimize your risk of being run into by someone driving on bald tires or with faulty breaks by requiring regular inspections of all vehicles. And state drivers license examinations ensure that all drivers are at least minimally competent and can actually see the road. In addition, if you are hit by another car, the potentially disastrous costs of an accident are covered because the government requires that all drivers to have auto insurance. In fact, without this extensive network of government laws and regulations covering automobiles and driving, it would be foolish for us to ever venture out on the road.
8:15 a.m. You drop your child off at day-care. It took a long search to find a good program and it is an expensive one, but it is worth it so you can feel confident that your child is in a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment while you are at work. One of the reasons you can afford this program is the $3,000 child care tax credit you get from the federal government every year. Equally important, your child benefits from the fact that most state governments now enforce day-care requirements for group size, ratios of children per staff member, teacher training, nutrition, health, safety, and space requirements.
8:35 a.m. Your trip on the freeway is much safer due to federal restrictions on the number of hours that truck drivers can operate their vehicles without resting. Thousands of people die every year from truck-related traffic accidents, but it would be much worse without these regulations that keep sleepy truck drivers off the road.
8:55 a.m. You arrive at work and take the elevator. You just assume that the elevator is safe; and it is, thanks in part to the annual elevator inspections conducted by your state government. It is probably nothing you will appreciate until the next time the elevator breaks down with you inside, and that makes you think a bit more about the reliability of elevators.
9:00 a.m. While at work, your rights and wellbeing are constantly protected by a wide-ranging network of federal and state laws. The Occupation Safety and Health Act works to protect you from unsafe and unhealthy work conditions. Federal law protects you from workplace discrimination based on race, gender, religion, national origin, or disability. State laws may also require your employer to purchase worker’s compensation insurance so that you are covered in case you are injured on the job
Noon. For lunch you have your usual sandwich and microwaveable cup of soup. But why did you choose that particular soup? Perhaps because it was low in salt and fat. But how do you know that? Because the government requires all food packaging to have a truthful and easily readable panel on the label that supplies you with the nutritional information necessary to make a good choice. Food companies tell you what they want you to know about their products, but the Food and Drug Administration’s labeling requirements tell you what you need to know to eat in a healthy way.
How do you know the lettuce in your sandwich is not laced with unhealthy doses of pesticides? Because the Department of Agriculture has developed and is enforcing uniform standards for pesticide residue on raw foods.
Microwave ovens are potentially very dangerous machines, but you can use this one with confidence because of detailed government regulations that limit the maximum amount of radiation leakage and mandate two different safety interlocks that prevent its operation with the door ajar or open.
12:45 p.m. After lunch, you walk to a nearby ATM and get some cash out of your account – and your money is actually there. That wasn't always true during the economic depression of the 1930s when many banks failed. But your money is safe -- as it was during the recent financial and banking crisis -- because the government guarantees your deposits. In addition, those pieces of paper you put in your wallet are only worth something thanks to the federal government. Our monetary system is entirely a government creation, and the value of money is only maintained because the government regulates the money supply and protects it from counterfeiters. Quite an important service really.
1:00 p.m. Back at work you hear rumors about a new downsizing plan being talked about by management – a fairly typical occurrence in these days of heightened national and international corporate competition. You know your job is one that could be lost, but you also know that you will be eligible for state-mandated unemployment insurance should that happen. This is just another way that government helps you to cope with the economic risks and uncertainties of a modern economy.
3:00 p.m. On a break, you call your elderly mother in the hospital to check on how she is recovering from her broken hip. Thanks to Medicare, her medical expenses are covered and she does not have to worry about this becoming a financial disaster for her. Thanks to the federal Family and Medical Leave act, you will also have the right to take several days off to tend to your mother when she comes home from the hospital." |
9/18/2009 11:50:41 AM
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Supplanter supple anteater 21831 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "3:10 p.m. You call to arrange for a physical therapist to work with your mother when she comes out of the hospital, and again this is paid for by Medicare. And you can be reasonably confident that she will get good therapy because your state Department of Health has a program of examining and licensing these therapists in order to ensure the quality of their work.
5:00 p.m. You leave work—thanks to the government-mandated 40-hour workweek. Labor Department regulations prevent your company from making you work past 5:00 unless it pays you overtime.
5:15 p.m. You stop at a local gas station to fill up. The very fact that this oil company offers this gas to you for sale is dependent on the existence of certain government laws. This company would not do business in your town without a legal system that assures them that you will pay for any gas you pump into your car. This economic exchange – like buying your house – would not be taking place without a system of statutory and common law that protects private property and regulates sales transactions. This simple sale is covered by Article Two of the Uniform Commercial Code – dozens of pages of laws that regulate every phase of a transaction for the sale of goods and provide remedies for problems that may arise.
5:15 p.m. You pump 15 gallons of 87 octane gas into your car and pay for it. But how do you know that you really got 15 gallons, and not 14½? And that the gas was actually 87 octane? This is only ensured by the presence of that little sticker on the gas pump that shows that a worker from your city’s Division of Weights and Measures has inspected the pump and the gas. These public employees make sure that you get what you pay for – from a pound of sliced turkey breast to a carat of diamond – by constantly testing and inspecting all commercial meters and scales, and by verifying the accuracy of checkout scanners. This is a crucial service, since more than half of the income of the average family is used to purchase necessities bought by weight or measure or scanned at a checkout station.
5:15 p.m. How do you know the price you are paying for this gasoline is a fair and competitive one? In many states, the Department of Attorney General has been responsible for finding and prosecuting cases of price manipulation and price fixing by oil companies and distributors.
5:30 p.m. As you drive home, you notice the tree-lined streets and the nice houses in your neighborhood – generally a pretty good place to live. Thanks again to government. Without zoning rules, you might have an auto body shop or a fast-food outlet move in next door. Or worse yet, a fertilizer plant or a toxic waste site. But there are no noxious smells in the air, no excessive and dangerous traffic on your street – thanks to your government. Pleasant and livable neighborhoods are only possible with extensive government planning and zoning regulation.
5:35 p.m. As you approach your house, you see your child coming down the sidewalk. The government-provided sidewalk. The sidewalk that allows your child to walk to the neighbor’s house down the street to play with a friend without the risk of being hit by a car.
5:45 p.m. You go for a jog in your local public park.
6:30 p.m. You take your family out for dinner at a local pizza restaurant. You enjoy a good meal and no one gets sick from E. coli or other food-borne illnesses. This is in large part because your local government conducts regular inspections of all food establishments to protect the health of customers.
7:30 p.m. Back at your house. You settle in for a quiet evening at home – one that is undisturbed by those annoying telemarketers calling you up to try to sell you something. This is because you have signed up with a state or federal no-call registry – a government service now enjoyed by over 60 million Americans.
8:00 p.m. You do a quick check of your e-mail – just one of the many services you enjoy over the internet everyday. We all tend to think of the internet as the product of those talented and imaginative entrepreneurs in the high-tech companies. But the internet actually began with government programs that created ARPANET and later NSFNET, early computer networking systems that developed the software and networking infrastructure that form the foundations of today’s internet. The government also helped to fund research that led to web browsers like Internet Explorer and search engines like Google.
11:00 p.m. You go to bed. During your sleep, you are protected by a smoke detector that your city requires to be installed in every residence. Maybe you would have bought one of these yourself, but this law helps to ensure that everyone is protected from the dangers of fire.
4:00 a.m. You are asleep in your comfy bed. Unlike that time you stayed in a small inn in Costa Rica, where you were woken up regularly at 4 in the morning by the roosters crowing in the neighborhood. By law, no one can keep roosters in your neighborhood and so you remain in blissful slumber. " |
source: http://www.governmentisgood.com/index.php
[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 11:54 AM. Reason : .] 9/18/2009 11:53:56 AM
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LoneSnark All American 12317 Posts user info edit post |
So what? Because some government regulation has had good outcomes we should assume all regulations will?
As any libertarian fitting the definition, we recognize that some regulation is required for a well functioning society. But the metaphor of low hanging fruit applies: now that government has already passed all the good laws, it is safe to assume all future laws will cause more harm than good. 9/18/2009 12:10:45 PM
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Lumex All American 3666 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "But the metaphor of low hanging fruit applies: now that government has already passed all the good laws, it is safe to assume all future laws will cause more harm than good." |
Were you dropped as a child? That has never been true and never will be. 9/18/2009 12:16:18 PM
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Fail Boat Suspended 3567 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Does anyone else think God is quickly becoming one of the most annoying posters?" |
haha, i've been thinking the same lately. Though, I do find this little post to be mildly amusing, even if it isn't entirely accurate.
I also see that I'm not the only one that DrSteveRageOs randomly assigns positions and arguments to
Quote : | "So, because we grant the government a monopoly over certain things, this means it both does them well and is the only one who could do it." |
I don't see anyone above that post that made that argument. I think the argument was against the idea that government can't do anything right, not that government is the only one that could do it. ymmv 9/18/2009 12:22:00 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "I also see that I'm not the only one that DrSteveRageOs randomly assigns positions and arguments to" |
Thank you, hooksaw. Aren't you busy trolling Noen over in Tech Talk, or do you guys only have a few fixed days of the week where you do that act? 9/18/2009 12:48:51 PM
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Fail Boat Suspended 3567 Posts user info edit post |
You read a post and then jump to whatever conclusion you feel is necessary to stir up a debate, even if there is literally no evidence there that a person had that position. None.
So...gg with that. Every time you do it to me it's just going to depend on what mood I'm in as to what response you'll get. I simply don't have time to waste explaining to you again how fucking off you are in your with the arbitrary position you give people, let alone actually argue against those arbitrary positions. 9/18/2009 1:44:19 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "You read a post and then jump to whatever conclusion you feel is necessary to stir up a debate, even if there is literally no evidence there that a person had that position. None." |
Wrong, but thanks for playing. To use your words, I'm not going to waste my time explaining to you all the ways in which this is incorrect, because it would be useless.
Quote : | "Every time you do it to me it's just going to depend on what mood I'm in as to what response you'll get." |
Actually, that seems to explain most of your posts to anyone. It's a wonder you've managed to stay gainfully employed for as long as you have with your complete inability to control your temper and even manage a civil response. 9/18/2009 1:48:23 PM
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Fail Boat Suspended 3567 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "Wrong, but thanks for playing. " |
Seriously? You should probably kill yourself you're so retarded. No one implied this:
Quote : | "So, because we grant the government a monopoly over certain things, this means it both does them well and is the only one who could do it. " |
Anywhere before you posted that.
Fuck, it isn't even implied in the OP.
IT
JUST
ISN'T
Now, you can keep trolling if you want to, but the bottom line is, you're in left field on another planet with this one.
Quote : | "It's a wonder you've managed to stay gainfully employed for as long as you have with your complete inability to control your temper and even manage a civil response" |
Fortunately, irl, the people I deal with in business know when they don't know what the fuck they are talking about and know when they do. You on tww, not so much. And the ones that obviously don't can be dismissed as easily as we dismiss your stupid strawmen. 9/18/2009 2:07:53 PM
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DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
This rant brought to us by the guy whose chief response to anyone he disagrees with is to call them a litany of names and declare that they don't know what they're talking about, regardless of the facts. Who, on more than one occasion, has been shown to be utterly incapable of reading and understanding a simple argument.
I sure hope you have still have a job in six months, because your track record suggests otherwise.
[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 2:17 PM. Reason : .] 9/18/2009 2:11:40 PM
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Fail Boat Suspended 3567 Posts user info edit post |
Well, so far you've done nothing to atone for your busted logic from earlier in the thread. Everyone knows my schtick, you're the one who seems hell bent on maintaining some sort of lofty status and fail time and time again.
Btw, I've been out of work for nearly 6 months. 9/18/2009 5:35:27 PM
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Golovko All American 27023 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "I simply don't have time to waste" |
actually I believe you out of all people have the most time to waste. That is clearly evident on TWW.
and for...
Quote : | "Btw, I've been out of work for nearly 6 months." |
[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 5:43 PM. Reason : .] 9/18/2009 5:43:04 PM
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Fermat All American 47007 Posts user info edit post |
jeepers i generally call socialists faggots just because it makes me feel better, but this thread is actually makes socialist an insult to faggots world wide
[Edited on September 18, 2009 at 5:48 PM. Reason : asdf] 9/18/2009 5:48:05 PM
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