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Messages - invflatspin

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136
Spin Zone / Re: Google gets fined by EU for $2.71 Billion
« on: June 28, 2017, 09:38:06 AM »
If I may distill Jim's post a bit - here we have a wildly successful business model. Growing like a weed in spring, and we have a Plutocracy with the ability and willingness to write rules designed to extract revenue from the success of others, without contributing to the betterment of their citizens.

Google makes a better mouse-trap. In fact, google has made the best mouse-trap in all mouse-trap history, and they are rewarded for their efforts by the market. They then leverage that success to things ancillary to trapping mice, and make more modest but significant success at that as well.

The hierarchy in place where google is being successful wants a taste(in fact, a damn big bite). They write laws which will slap down success, and force those who make the best mouse-trap give money to the lesser mouse-trap makers. It is Socialism writ large. Punish the successful, and award the lesser for simply being able to build a mouse-trap without losing a finger or two.

137
Spin Zone / Re: Google gets fined by EU for $2.71 Billion
« on: June 28, 2017, 08:10:06 AM »
The EU is NOT an elected body. It is a parasitic bureaucracy that acts without reasonable, or effective oversight and it is doing this for money, just like every other progressive organization on earth.
Like the pig, Jesse Jackson, Jr. Said, "It's all about the money."
Now that England is moving out, they have to steal from others to make up the difference, so they have money to force democracies to indulge their communist agenda.

Yeah, I got that. Which is why I called them 'autocrats' and not something else. But - the nations that make up the EU are supposed to be democracies? Germany was a republic, but I guess they are some kind of hybrid now. France is a democracy, UK, a parliamentary republic, etc. So, the EU sets a law, google supposedly violates it, EU fines them, and then google tells them to pound sand.

The question remains. If I was in charge of google I would tell the EU to get stuffed. There is NO WAY the EU powers would block the google URL. It just wouldn't happen. In fact, I might self-block the EU from accessing google URLs for a few days, just out of spite. Of course, that would cost money, but the alternative to knuckling under to the EU is unacceptable. Google owns the domain, they don't have to play nice about it. As much as I dislike google, their motives are fundamentally sound. Advance google, and the google brand(s). There are other search engines, plenty of them. Can you imagine if they forced Vauxall to advertise Peugeot cars along side Vauxall cars?  Lunacy

138
Spin Zone / Re: Thoughts on health care in the US.
« on: June 26, 2017, 07:07:10 AM »
I would be in favor of SOME govt funded health care. But we all know it's the camel's nose scenario all over again. Just like with SS. First - SS just paid a part of one's retirement income. In fact, it was designed as 'Supplemental Security' to supplement the workers retirement because many large companies still offered retirement packages which were funded by the company. Law of unintended consequence. Since the major employers now saw that the fedguv was offering retirement income - what do you suppose they did? Sure, they got rid of, or scaled back their own retirement payments. Apply this logic to health care and lets say we want to offer ONLY well-baby care to expectant mothers. Everything is going along fine, well-baby care is doing it's job and the feds are picking up the tab. For the long term we are reducing the strain on health care because a healthy baby grows into a more healthy adult. Makes perfect sense.

You know what happens. The moment a liberal senator or HR member hears that a well-baby exam has turned up a problem in utero, and there's some serious problem with the baby, and the mother won't consider abortion, the hand wringing and finger pointing will start. 'Congress refuses to care for pregnant mother who just wants a healthy baby!' the headline will scream. Who could vote against extending well-baby care to unwell-baby care? What could anyone say against having unhealthy babies made healthy on the govt dime? And so it begins.

This is the mantra of universal healthcare. That it's better to treat the patient early, and keep them from getting to a serious stage later. More cost effective. Well guess what. People get old, people get sicker, people have complex medical problems, and people die. To our 85YO patient with a serious cancer problem. Maybe they want to pay to be treated. Maybe they don't want to pay, maybe they have been paying private insurance for 50 years, and will stick the insurer with the bill. No where in that sentence is the fedguv even mentioned, or needed. Universal health care - all those decisions are taken out of the hands of the patient and the MDs who will treat him, and given to a hack with a quota to meet; 'well, sorry but we only have $30 BILLION in the account for that kind of cancer treatment, so you'll just have to wait until next Sept when the budget comes out. Maybe then we'll be able to treat your stage 4 cancer. Yeah, uh-huh, well buh-bye, and we'll call you, really we will.' Alternatively, there really will be no death panels. Maybe that's all a myth and everything will be fully funded all the time. So the old guy gets his cancer treatment, and the well baby clinics do a great business, and I can go in and have the wax removed from my ears for free($25 copay), and all is right with the world. Price tag? Oh no, oh you don't want to hear that. It's all part of the RIGHTS of the people.

It's happening as I write this; https://www.yahoo.com/news/cbo-likely-say-millions-lose-coverage-senate-health-care-bill-215135603.html

'millions will lose health coverage under GOP bill'. Uh - the majority of them can have all the health coverage they can and will pay for. What they will LOSE is me and you, and other taxpayers picking up their insurance premiums. Hey - I know, I'll just start sending all my insurance premiums to the fedguv. Let them write the check. After all, it's free money right? No one has to work and pay taxes. The govt just fires up the press and prints more. What could go wrong?

139
Spin Zone / Re: Thoughts on health care in the US.
« on: June 22, 2017, 10:46:48 AM »
I've spent a fair amount of time struggling with the social, and societal issues surrounding private health care, and public(economic) policy on health care. I'm mostly a radical anarchist when it comes to govt, and I bend some and call myself a Libertarian for the most part. There are a couple of things that govt does moderately well, and many, many, many things that govt does an average job, and still plenty of things that govt does poorly.

First I can say honestly I don't have an answer. We all know someone who has health challenges that cause misery and grief and hope that they can be taken care of. But - as with anything, it's a matter of priorities. Here's the clause from the constitution that covers these kinds of things: 'provide for the common defense and general welfare'. It is called the 'general welfare clause'. What did it mean when it was written and what does it mean now? Since this is an open ended question and there is no one answer, we have to look to politics to solve it. Politics - is like sausage. People like the finished product, but no one wants to know how it's made. The left wants everything, all the time, for all people with no limits, and no requirement to invest in the sausage making. The money should come from high taxes, and be distributed 'fairly' as needs arise. Well, guess what? Whenever there's a big fat pile of tax money sitting in the bank, everyone suddenly has this great NEED for it. This applies in spades to health care money. No matter how much is piled into medicare, it always runs short. Gee? What a surprise(not). You can never, ever give away enough money to people. No one, on any planet, in any system will stop taking money if offered, or available. This too - applies to health care in spades.

Want an abortion? Well, did the govt impregnate you? No. So, why do you think it's all right for the govt to pay for your abortion. Now, having said that, this is the ONE exception that I will gladly pay for with one caveat. If the govt is going to pay for your abortion then you MUST also get permanent conception prevention of some kind(tubal ligation, etc). How about the OPs situation with CP? Well, I have a relative with moderate CP. He's 71 years old. He has never been given a dime of assistance for his CP. CP has been around since the dawn of mankind, why should the collective now, in this century be responsible for their care? Have we solved world peace? Have we paid ALL the other bills of the govt that are overdue? Is the nation and world other pressing common problems all taken care of that we can now focus on individuals? These are not rhetorical questions. At what time do we set the individual or family problems ahead of issues and problems that affect ALL US citizens? This is what was meant by the 'common defense and general welfare'. Those issues that rise to the national level of interest that it will be beneficial for all citizens, not just a small minority. Roads = common welfare. Schools = common welfare. Fire equipment = common welfare. Air Traffic Control = common welfare. See a theme here? How does one or ten, or 50,000 with CP in a nation of 3.2 million rate or rank? Sorry, I think you see where this is headed.

The constitution rights question. The constitution lays out specific rights for protection. Does that mean that this is the limit of those rights, and that any other rights are excluded? Are there rights that are not written but should be considered automatic, and presumed applicable? Like - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Note it says 'pursuit of' happiness. Not the 'guarantee of happiness'. If happiness is being treated for CP, and getting the most out of your life with the disability, then fine - go forth and pursue. If you need help from someone, ask family, ask neighbors, ask church, ask the public. But - this is a far, far cry from taking from those more fortunate and giving to those less fortunate by FORCE(don't pay taxes, and go to prison).

Wish I could offer you more money, but if I pay for you, then I pay for them, and then the other guys, and by the time we're all done - the few are paying all the health bills for the many. Won't work.

140
Spin Zone / Re: Chief Thief
« on: June 22, 2017, 09:59:58 AM »
I'd like to break the OPs rant down and deal with the several parts.

Cut welfare: Absolutely true. Comes in several flavors. 1. Eliminate the new immigrants from getting any fed/state subsidies for five years after they arrive(I think it should be 20 years, but hey - 5 is a good start). 2. Put a lifetime cap on direct welfare payments of 18 years(funny, that's the amount of time from birth to adulthood for a welfare queen), and some other caps for other programs, but all would have a lifetime cap for direct welfare payments. 3. Cut back welfare where the recipient has hidden assets from the feds(bad problem).

Trump's direct payments to landlords: Partly true, mostly false. This is called the Section 8 housing assistance program. Trump does not own any real estate that is directly tied to any Section 8 housing payments. He is a partner in a large real estate trust that owns some redevelopment property that accepts Section 8 payments. I don't know what his stake in it is exactly, but he(and I) are all minority ownership interest. Why does the trust own RE which would be covered by Section 8 payments? Because, the govt tells us that as part of any RE trust where the assets exceed about 5 mil, a certain percent of the holdings MUST be in low-income, or structured relief payment housing - i.e. must accept Section 8. It - is - the - law.

Tax break for one of his golf courses: True. One more more of his courses was converted from a kind of fescue which is high water use to a kind of grass that uses far less water to stay green. The congress(in their infinite wisdom) back in 2009(who was prez?) offered tax rebates for courses which changed grass type. The law is on the books, the golf course qualifies, and Trump is taking LEGAL advantage of the tax break, or dodge, or loophole. BTW, the golf course is part of a collection of assets that is once again publicly owned, and so for the administrators(it is NOT Trump, he's turned all that over to others to manage) to not take advantage of reducing tax liability would be a case of failure to properly reduce taxes and fees, and maximize profits for their shareholders.

Thief and moron. A 'thief' by definition is someone who takes from someone else, or a group of people by force. So - that one's a lie. The moron comment is not worth responding to. Meh - whatev.

141
Spin Zone / Re: One of the secrets of being old
« on: June 19, 2017, 09:57:29 AM »
I'm actually not sure how much of a thing "microagression" is. It seems to me sort of a boutique issue, which a few young folks and professional social critics are prone to latch on to as the issue-du-jour, but which inevitably fades away as a whole lotta' nothing. I know not a single person in my social circle who is on board the microagression train. And that includes some ultra-liberal folks.

This is poor parenting. Social skills are taught, not inherent. In my house, no phones are allowed at the dinner table.

I don't want to get bogged down in this one theme, but I can tell you that the alt-left are using 'microagression' as another tool in the limitation on rights, specifically free speech. In the US, shutting down free speech is particularly hard, due in large part to the 1st amendment. Right or wrong, "hate" speech is protected. If it weren't then we would have a panel of 'experts' trying to decide what is hate speech and what isn't. Frex; 'you people' has NO ethnic or racial content. However, those with the 600Lb chip on their should have taken up the cudgel that 'you people' is now racist. Well just eff that. I'll write or say 'you people' with any social/civil organizational makeup I want. If I'm talking about or to a group of MDs I might use 'you people'. If I'm talking about a group of youths who are causing havoc, I might use it, no matter their gender, color, religion, etc.

Schools and some civic dept are now on the microagression bandwagon trying to use it as a method for limiting rights. It's another of the end-around deals just like the Fast & Furious was an end-around trying to limit the right to keep and bear. This is a major problem with progressive thinking. That you can substitute some kind of elitist panel of experts to decide what is, and what is not a right. Strangely, many liberals think that the labors and materials related to health are somehow a right. That a person has a right to take from those who invest wisely in their health and give that same benefit to those who choose to live unwisely, and don't invest in their health. my answer to that is in the US - there is absolutely a clear right to PURCHASE health insurance. No one from the gov, or private industry will ever limit or eliminate your right to BUY insurance. But - that's not what the libs want. They not only want to limit what is said, written, etc it all needs to be authorized, validated, but they need to control how, where, when, why things get done or not done.

This is in direct contravention of what the US is all about. We are about liberty. We are about equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. We are about leaving people alone, unless they are in dire condition. All this focus on never hearing a bad word, and everyone singing the correct song, in the correct verse, and don't let your lawn grow over 2", and make sure your teeth are brushed every morning, and your car doesn't pollute more than 1 microgram of CO, and no one can ever, ever be offended. Just makes me sick. In fact, it makes me want to go out and offend as many liberals as I can possible work in my schedule.

142
Spin Zone / Re: One of the secrets of being old
« on: June 18, 2017, 05:53:31 PM »
I was also born in 1956. don't want to go through the whole generational incompat thing, but I believe there is a greater disconnect than several previous generations. Not sure how I'm going to keep this short, cuz there seems to be a lot of moving parts. Some of the disconnect has to do with the Mazlowian hierarchy as it relates to US society. There's a lot of polarizing influence around, in part due to the baser needs of the youth being fully accommodated. One of the most obvious signs in the recent socialization of 'microagression'. Man, talk about not getting the point of independent thought, and ideological difference. Young people seem to be attuned to every little thing said, or a look or a statement in context. Putting the words 'you' and 'people' together in a statement causes some folks to get all bent. Jeez, get over yourselves already.

I have two kids. Both are exceptionally smart, one is near-genius. They work hard, in VERY different fields and contribute significantly to betterment of society. They are also very well compensated for their work. One is an engineer, and deals with complex and non-interactive research. The other is a teacher and musician. I find it - literally and figuratively amazing how insensitive the teacher/musician is to other ideas, thoughts, and simple courtesy. I think it's part of the environment. There is a complete entitlement mentality that surrounds the school structure.

I also see a reduction in social skills. Not sure if it's caused by tech or a result of exposure to tech, but I consider tech to be a real focus of problems. When I watch a family at dinner, and the kids are completely sunk in their hand-set games, it makes me very sad. I'd almost prefer a bratty, noisy, obstreperous little terror than a mind-numbed drone kid drowning in electronic soup. Sad.

My engineer kid gets along with almost everyone as peers and in higher or lower relationships. How strange, that the one who doesn't get much human interaction at work is so much better at it than the one who's job it is to interact professionally with kids all the time. Baffling, but kids - ya know?

143
Spin Zone / Re: Trump is a fucking moron
« on: June 18, 2017, 08:57:21 AM »
Every day Trump angers and frustrates millions of liberal/socialists. It's like Christmas every day!! Woo hoo

(BTW, I'm not on tweeter, or twits, or whatever it is called) Seems to me 'journalism' is now copy->paste a tweet from someone then grind on that. Hmmm

144
Spin Zone / Re: The Comey Show
« on: June 09, 2017, 07:54:22 AM »
Every socialist/democrat in the nation is focusing on nothing but his embarrassments, and tweets. He could cure cancer, balance the budget, unite islam and jews and the socialist/democrat would still find hate in everything and anything. Look at the tweets from Winter! This is all we are inundated with from the MSM because they are all about confirmation bias.

Trump is a piece of shit! screams CNN 'journalist'. The weak minded lap it up like pablum. CNN has one principle job. They sell beer, and chebbys, and deodorant. That is what they do. Their secondary job is mass population manipulation. Moving the entire country further left by flaming the HATE of the president. And they are in good company. ABC, MSNBC, CBS, NYT and all the other outlets are on board the hate Trump train.

Does it feel good down in the ball-sack? I guess so, because aside from one actress being censured for hold the bloody stump of the current president in a picture where she is posed as a serious ISIS inspired lunatic, anything and everything else is fair game. The nose ring is in, and the harness is attached. 'Lead on Alinsky! We are with you!'

145
Spin Zone / Re: The Comey Show
« on: June 09, 2017, 07:12:00 AM »
Almost 6 months in office. New strict constructionist supreme court judge. Border crossings way down(not so much in CA, but other border states like mine are way, way down). More deportations. Following the law as written and not making it up to suit political bias. DJIA, NASDAQ, Dow - up, up, and up(new record highs). Just inked new billion $$ sales to SA and other partners in the ME. Finally clear of the Russian thing(see the docs that Winter disclosed, admitting Russian interference but NO coop from or with Trump campaign). Out of the stupid wealth transfer scheme call a 'climate accord' which had NOTHING to do with emission reduction.

You damn right I'm on board. Do I like his idiotic tweets? No. Is he good at intl BS, and 'diplomacy'? No. Does that really matter to me? No. I'm kind of a results guy when it comes to govt functions, and so far - winning.

146
Spin Zone / Re: The Comey Show
« on: June 09, 2017, 06:25:28 AM »
I kind of see that is what Trump seems to be doing. He may be sniping a bit with his tweets(I don't have a twit acct, so don't really know), but actually he's kept busy. Just announced a bunch of bench appts, and taking his travel ban to SCOTUS, also doing his thing with the ME, and he's also working on cutting more regs. As well as his roll-out of the infrastructure update. Comey was a side-show Bob production put on by the libs. They got their face on the tube, along with the dog and pony. Trump didn't seem all that interested aside from some late night tweets.

On with the show!

147
Spin Zone / Re: First Arrest in Govt Leaks
« on: June 08, 2017, 10:58:05 AM »
Hello good people of pilotspin! There is no intro forum which is ok with me, so  I'll just get things started here. I'm a pilot(duh), and have been for decades. I fly a small SE prop plane around the US mostly. Look forward to engaging in lively comms with all of you.

Here's where the media doesn't tell you want you need to know.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/06/07/accused-nsa-leaker-reality-winners-motives-mystery-at-least-to-abc-nbc-and-cbs.html

Mainstream media can't seem to figure out that Winner is an alt-left radical socialist, motivated to bring down Trump any way she can.

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