CurrentEvents « The HabitableZone

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Birthright Citizenship RobVG June 29, 2025 3:34 pm (CurrentEvents)

To be blunt, NASA is now dead RL June 27, 2025 11:56 am (Space/Science)

Just for the record... ER June 22, 2025 8:59 am (CurrentEvents)

NSIDC offline? ER June 12, 2025 12:19 pm (Space/Science)

Musk trashes his own AI after it chose a liberal worldview. RobVG June 23, 2025 9:56 am (CurrentEvents)

Psyche keeps its date with an asteroid BuckGalaxy June 22, 2025 5:21 pm (Space/Science)

The Three Unknowns After the U.S. Strike on Iran BuckGalaxy June 22, 2025 12:58 am (CurrentEvents)

There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy. BuckGalaxy June 22, 2025 12:29 am (Flame)

"Remember, what the dormouse said, ER June 5, 2025 4:14 pm (Space/Science)

Not ready for prime time BuckGalaxy June 19, 2025 12:18 pm (Space/Science)

hypocrisy ER June 15, 2025 2:30 pm (Flame)

So, it is official RL June 6, 2025 5:39 pm (Space/Science)

Ron Paul to balance the budget by the 3rd year of his presidency by RobVG October 17, 2011 10:31 pm

I hate to state the obvious, but then I guess it's not so obvious to people who ignore reality. ... by BuckGalaxy 2011-10-19 21:24:42
- I know what your saying but if you lay off a government worker making $75,000, whose taxes are say around ... by RobVG 2011-10-20 10:08:03
  - You also have to calculate the reduced demand in the economy by that person's vastly diminished spending power. You ... by BuckGalaxy 2011-10-20 15:32:44
    - I understand you, I really do by RobVG 2011-10-20 19:56:06
- No government job pays more taxes into the system than it uses up. Think about it. by TB 2011-10-20 10:06:15
  - We've got 9% unemployment. We've got one job for every five people unemployed. This is not the ... by BuckGalaxy 2011-10-20 15:26:05
    - So cutting government jobs is going to shrink the tax base? by TB 2011-10-20 15:30:51
      - Wow. Can you read? The tax base point was only one element I mentioned, but you latch onto ... by BuckGalaxy 2011-10-20 15:44:13
        
        You can keep repeating it. It isn't going to help. by TB 2011-10-20 16:04:17
        
        Still trying to drill into your head my point: regardless, when no one is spending in the economy the ... by BuckGalaxy 2011-10-20 19:42:11
        
        "It’s been done many times successfully so any claims it has not are wrong." Name two. And before you pop ... by TB 2011-10-20 20:34:57
        
        I'm really bored with this round and round BS. we've had this conversation. I've shown you proof of ... by BuckGalaxy 2011-10-21 23:32:49
        
        Okay, let me get this straight: by TB 2011-10-22 09:36:39
        
        No you don't get it straight. As always. The time to cut government IS when the budget is ... by BuckGalaxy 2011-10-23 13:58:13
        
        Any politician who is standing over a $1.3 trillion deficit and thinks the government still isn't spending enough not only ... by TB 2011-10-23 15:12:31
Actually, some of his ideas aren't bad. But he'll never get elected with this budget plan. Everybody wants cuts ... by Eri 2011-10-18 00:30:04
- "...Everybody wants cuts until it comes to their piece of the pie." Boy, you nailed that one. This attitude is ... by TB 2011-10-18 08:12:10

The succession of the Dalai Lama by TB October 17, 2011 6:06 pm

Far out, man! by TB October 17, 2011 5:48 pm

Hanging on to the status quo by RobVG 2011-10-19 09:41:04
Is there any reason for having speed limits? Should speeding be treated any differently than marijuana possession? After ... by bowser 2011-10-17 20:41:54
- Both marijuana and alcohol (in the form of wine) have medicinal benefits. My glass of wine a day raises ... by Eri 2011-10-18 00:41:06
- That recreational drugs can be harmful is undeniable. But tossing people into jail for using them seems to me ... by TB 2011-10-17 20:54:43
  - And how are they any different from speeding, gambling, running stop signs, prostitution, etc., and so on. Or are the only ... by bowser 2011-10-17 21:25:27
    - They're not in the same category, and it's a lot more complicated than "victimless crimes" vs. "crimes against property." Someone who ... by TB 2011-10-18 08:22:35
    - Was that a low blow? n/t by RobVG 2011-10-17 21:59:48
      - Yeah, it probably was. I get a bit frustrated with two general types of crimes, victimless and crimes against ... by bowser 2011-10-17 22:29:01

Cain would benefit greatly from his 9-9-9 plan by Eri October 16, 2011 5:53 am

Interesting. by TB 2011-10-18 14:17:36
I look at tax laws from a civil rights perspective. by Lee 2011-10-17 18:09:39
Interesting. Most of the concern seems to be less about economic growth than the nagging fear that somebody, somewhere, ... by TB 2011-10-16 12:45:39
- You're still missing the point. The man comes up with a tax plan that will benefit him but will ... by Eri 2011-10-16 21:36:46
  - No, you're missing the point. by Lee 2011-10-17 10:32:16
    - I've already made the point many times that the wealthy in this country are paying for the vast majority of ... by TB 2011-10-17 11:11:26
  - You're missing the point. by TB 2011-10-17 07:40:34
    - I talk regularly to someone who lives half the year in Greece and the other half in Canada. What ... by Eri 2011-10-17 14:23:39
      - As someone now living in British Columbia, Canada, I like Cain. I would vote for him. In fact, I think that some ... by Jeff-Wash 2011-10-19 12:46:34
      - In that case, everything in Greece and Europe should be great. There's LOTS of money left in Europe to ... by TB 2011-10-17 14:29:39
        
        He's from Canada and is retired. His wife is Greek and he's part Greek. He's been spending a ... by Eri 2011-10-17 16:45:22
He scares me too Eri by RobVG 2011-10-16 11:01:35
- I could never vote for a candidate that opposed all abortion. Like you said he could not get it done ... by FrankC 2011-10-16 12:33:45
  - We all might be surprised how much a truly right wing extremist on social issues could get done just by ... by Eri 2011-10-16 21:40:40
    - "We all might be surprised how much a truly right wing extremist on social issues could get done just by ... by TB 2011-10-17 07:29:46
- I have my own problems with Cain's specifics. by TB 2011-10-16 11:14:25
  - An interesting side effect of eliminating the personal interest deduction is the disappearance of usury controls. Consumer interest was capped ... by FrankC 2011-10-16 12:17:40
  - I think 999 was designed to set Cain apart. by RobVG 2011-10-16 11:47:44
    - Exactly right. But unless you believe that the wealthy have tax shelters to greatly lower their income, the “rich” are going ... by Eri 2011-10-16 21:44:29
Note that his system taxes capital gains, just as normal income. by TB 2011-10-16 06:41:33
- It does NOT tax capital gains. That is the point of the article. Cain’s 9–9-9 proposal has kicked off fierce ... by Eri 2011-10-16 09:32:56
  - You might be right. I am finding nothing specific on it either way. by TB 2011-10-16 10:05:18
    - Yep, when that tax rate was peaking was when I sold my rental property. by Eri 2011-10-16 21:51:21
    - I have never understood the reluctance of liberals to recognize the facts demonstrated in that chart. I try to keep ... by FrankC 2011-10-16 11:03:36
      - It's one of many facts. by TB 2011-10-16 11:06:24
        
        That includes increasing taxes on consumers by RobVG 2011-10-16 12:44:22
        
        The consumers who might have purchased a new car will simply put new tires on the old one, forgo purchasing ... by Eri 2011-10-16 21:54:49
        
        Do you think nearly half of this country should pay no Federal income taxes? What happens when that gets ... by TB 2011-10-16 13:07:58
        
        No I don't n/t by RobVG 2011-10-16 14:50:17

Calling for a "declaration of national emergency" by TB October 14, 2011 4:10 pm

Military advisors into Uganda by TB October 14, 2011 1:46 pm

I realize the Zone's right-wing Realpolitik pundits have been busy worrying about other things lately, but the Chinese have been ... by ER 2011-10-15 07:34:23
- Anybody who thinks ER would have written that for a Republican president, especially that last paragraph, twinkles up, please! by TB 2011-10-15 07:42:22
  - Ah, yes. Can't beat me on the facts. So shoot the messenger. 8) by ER 2011-10-15 07:44:14
    - "Ah, yes. Can’t beat me on the facts. So shoot the messenger." by TB 2011-10-15 07:59:43
      - "Head exploding?" What a colorful, and yes, Conservative metaphor. No Tom. I've seen this coming. For ... by ER 2011-10-15 09:27:49
        
        That song lyric is almost fifty years old. by TB 2011-10-15 10:00:33
        
        Yeah, and it was prophetic, wasn't it? by ER 2011-10-15 10:54:58
        
        By the way, who the heck do you think "people like me" actually are? by TB 2011-10-15 11:16:35
        
        You got it, Tom. If things didn't work out for you, it wasn't my fault. "Self-employed entrepreneurs don’t get unemployment ... by ER 2011-10-15 11:50:50
        
        You didn't pay much. by TB 2011-10-15 12:12:44
        
        Like I said. I don't make the rules, but I play by the rules. But I don't like ... by ER 2011-10-15 12:24:40
        
        I sympathize. by TB 2011-10-15 12:42:35
        
        To the mousie, it don't matter who's at fault. And by the time you get your new instructions, its ... by ER 2011-10-15 13:09:59
        
        Of course it's not your fault. by TB 2011-10-15 11:58:16
        
        As with the other song you posted, the lyrics are basically senseless rhythm. He was going for "Beat" back ... by TB 2011-10-15 11:06:10
        
        Well maybe you should try listening to it again. This time, listen to the words. I'm not the one who's ... by ER 2011-10-15 11:19:30
        
        P.S. by TB 2011-10-15 11:17:53
        
        Government deficit spending isn't the only form of national self-indulgence, waste and greed. It's just the one the Right ... by ER 2011-10-15 13:16:26
        
        "Profit" has a meaning. It means there's more wealth at the end than you started with. Even somebody ... by TB 2011-10-15 14:25:55
        
        Hey, weren't we talking about what a swell idea it was to put troops into Africa? by TB 2011-10-15 14:28:27
        
        THey have diamonds there. by ER 2011-10-15 14:35:03
        
        Mostly Uganda has coffee. by TB 2011-10-15 14:53:39
Now what could possibly go wrong with that? by ER 2011-10-14 15:56:09
- You have to admire him for trying to please everybody. I'm not sure if it was the right or left but ... by FrankC 2011-10-14 17:27:04
Wiley Coyote would know better than that. What the hell is that guy trying to do, destroy Bush's legacy??!! Arf by bowser 2011-10-14 14:06:08
- Might be fishing for another Peace Prize. by TB 2011-10-14 15:44:02
  - Suicide watch for our resident extremists. by FrankC 2011-10-14 15:47:51

9-9-9 = a bigger piece of your pie by Eri October 13, 2011 11:42 am

We are in the midst of a recession caused by reducing taxes on the wealthy, their investment in hedge funds, ... by bowser 2011-10-13 13:21:44
- "We are in the midst of a recession caused by reducing taxes on the wealthy, their investment in hedge funds, ... by TB 2011-10-13 15:41:50
  - What amazes me is the Conservatives' ability to blind themselves to the Real World. As they chop holes in ... by Eri 2011-10-13 17:52:22
    - Remarkable. It's like watching Neo doing "bullet time." by TB 2011-10-13 18:39:59
- Belongs under TB just below, will move after lunch. by bowser 2011-10-13 13:23:00
As for taxes, I have my own issues with Cain's specifics, although his principles are right. by TB 2011-10-13 12:32:03
- "Consumption" taxes are inherently unstable by RobVG 2011-10-14 18:11:00
  - Yeah, but incomes tend to dry up during an economic downturn, too. States with income taxes aren't getting the ... by TB 2011-10-14 18:51:53
    - If someone perceives that they might possibly lose their job at some point in the future, that's usually enough to ... by RobVG 2011-10-15 10:28:31
      - There are over six million fewer private employees paying income tax today than there were in January of 2008. ... by TB 2011-10-15 10:42:55
And yet Cain is currently very popular among Tea Party supporters, conservatives, and Republicans in the South. by TB 2011-10-13 11:54:12
- The Tea Party just loves green. "If you're a corporation, own a small business or count yourself among the ... by bowser 2011-10-13 12:17:42

Google map of "Occupy" protests by Robert October 12, 2011 4:24 pm

Just for completeness: The House midterms for 2010 by county. by TB 2011-10-14 12:24:20
- See my comment to ER on this thread concerning lying with maps. Take Colorado for example. I don't have the ... by podrock 2011-10-14 20:56:44
  - Well, of course the population density of the blue areas is greater. Elections come out pretty even, don't they? ... by TB 2011-10-15 06:25:02
  - I uploaded a png for red/blue counties by population in the media library. It didn't display on my first try. ... by FrankC 2011-10-14 22:53:56
Human communities may fracture under stress, but they rarely crumble to nothingness. The fall of Rome taught us that. ... by ER 2011-10-13 18:01:08
- I wouldn't posit "nothingness" either. by Robert 2011-10-14 09:13:05
  - Socially, we're up to it. Technologically, I don't know. As I have pointed out earlier, unlike the Roman ... by ER 2011-10-14 12:01:12
    - Red and Blue used to alternate from election to election with the graphics from the major news networks. It wasn't ... by podrock 2011-10-14 20:40:21
      - That's pretty obvious but boots on the ground counts for something by FrankC 2011-10-14 21:13:38
    - The mainstream media changed the colors prior to the 2000 election. Ask them. by TB 2011-10-14 12:09:50
      - Red vs Blue? Well, at least you found something in that post worth commenting about. No doubt it was ... by ER 2011-10-14 12:21:42
        
        Well, the rest of the post was just more of the apocalyptic nuttiness you and the others are soaking in. I ... by TB 2011-10-14 15:06:24
This isn't it, and I believe there is a revolution brewing. Briefly, there are six contributing factors. First, the increase ... by bowser 2011-10-13 00:16:07
- Nice that the two of you aren't trying to drown the conversation in the bathtub. by Robert 2011-10-13 11:06:24
  - "Human communities" post moved to front of this thread. by ER 2011-10-13 18:06:15
    - If you misplace a post, it's easy to move it in the current system (basically erase the old one and ... by TB 2011-10-13 18:46:14
      - Unless, of course, the moved post has been replied to, then it is a whole different matter. A couple of ... by podrock 2011-10-13 19:23:02
        
        I've been a little loose about marking edits. I have a time period of about three minutes after I ... by TB 2011-10-13 19:29:20
        
        Sort of like the "five second rule" about dropped food. Fine with me, as long as it is fine with ... by podrock 2011-10-13 19:55:52
        
        I have been drifting down the threads and "trimming" some of my old comments by using the paragraph command to ... by TB 2011-10-15 12:23:04
  - An interesting synthesis of our two posts, with a reasonable proposal to avoid the most dire of our outcomes. ... by bowser 2011-10-13 17:48:30
    - Ouch: Comparing me to The Conceder? by Robert 2011-10-14 08:59:20
      - This post takes me completely by surprise. First, I admire Obama enormously, for his patience, for his efforts to ... by bowser 2011-10-14 12:28:19
        
        "Jingoism?" "Majority?" Can we get a count on that? by TB 2011-10-14 12:41:10
        
        Not on this board, TB. Heck, my post above stands a high risk of being edited. But I ... by bowser 2011-10-14 12:53:53
        
        Friend, nobody here is screwing with anybody else's posts. Nobody is likely to. Buck did a couple of ... by TB 2011-10-14 13:23:59
        
        Gee, TB. You say it's not done, not likely to be done, and has been done. And I know it's ... by bowser 2011-10-14 14:01:10
        
        If someone has changed or clipped a post of yours on this board without your permission, flag it, tell us ... by TB 2011-10-14 14:11:00
  - Basically you're talking large scale gerrymandering by TB 2011-10-13 11:46:30
    - Impressive how you manage to shoehorn the end of America into conventional partisan terms. by Robert 2011-10-14 09:28:29
      - You propose dividing the nation up specifically by political ideology and are surprised by the idea that these "nations" would ... by TB 2011-10-14 09:46:54
        
        No I didn't. by Robert 2011-10-14 11:27:00
        
        Sorry, now you're just ducking and weaving. by TB 2011-10-14 11:46:23
        
        P.S. by TB 2011-10-14 10:26:23
- I've often disagreed with many of your posts, feeling they were a bit too extreme for my views, but I ... by ER 2011-10-13 05:56:36
Okay, let me see if I'm following this right: by TB 2011-10-12 17:22:47
"Map of US Militias"> by FrankC 2011-10-12 16:56:41
- Scale problem by Robert 2011-10-12 17:15:38
  - Try this map. Feel free to zoom in on the cities. by TB 2011-10-12 18:34:01
    - LOL by FrankC 2011-10-12 19:14:32
  - A scale problem...you got that right. by Lee 2011-10-12 18:02:50

Horror in Caracas by TB October 12, 2011 4:26 pm

I cannot believe it has come to this... by Eri October 11, 2011 10:58 pm

Well, I can tell you I've found two ways to make it. First, I'm going to sue the Roman ... by bowser 2011-10-12 16:11:20
- In my book, "casino" tribes have earned, the hard way, a significant right to strip a load of wealth off ... by TB 2011-10-12 17:30:01
- This guy wants to join a class action with you by FrankC 2011-10-12 16:40:02
  - Well, ol' buddy, a unilateral ceasefire is still a ceasefire, isn't it? :-) Arf by bowser 2011-10-12 23:32:49
In a society where money is everything, people will do anything to get it. It's not that the rules ... by ER 2011-10-12 04:57:59

The Kraken? by Lee October 11, 2011 4:01 pm

Release it!! by TB 2011-10-11 21:17:59

Following the jobs by Eri October 11, 2011 6:41 am

In 2010 over a million people came into this country - legally. by TB 2011-10-11 08:24:43

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