Disclaimer

He's a grow-er, not a show-er

Posting links to blogs about the rich running the government isn't throwing out ideas.

Instead, you pull the typical Democrat/Republican move, just attack your opposition instead of actually offering anything worth wild.

Well, you apparently missed my link on why you shouldn't even give a sh*t because you're NOT rich and statistically change happens when the RICH want it to happen.

Government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freee...itical_economy

Buried in that link, you'll find this from Princeton:

Inequality and Democratic Responsiveness in the United States

http://www.princeton.edu/~piirs/events/PU%20Comparative%20Conf%20May%202007%20Gilens.pdf

Happy reading, unless you don't think that paper isn't an academic paper since somehow linking it from the economist blog section invalidates the research somehow?

So my solution.... get rich and call the shots. Until then, enjoy your ride.

I can't tell you because it wouldn't be "thinking for myself" -- I post links to validate my opinions and I'm part of the sheeple, only repeating what "they" want me to learn, whoever THEY is like my contrasting ideas are part of some big conspiracy theory that I haven't been clued in on.

Must be that liberal education I got. I know how engineering, business, and information system degrees are known as 'liberal arts' -- and I'm none too pleased about it.

Wasn't this tried before? The Civilian Conservation Corps?

Nope.

Completely fresh idea, Casper thought of it himself. Everyone before him was obviously too dumb to come up with anything original.

I'm really trying Casper's approach and thinking on my own and doing my own calculations, but it's hard because everywhere I turn, someone's already thought of it. Like math, I feel guilty using math because I didn't think of it.

Here are a few of my ideas, some I've stated before. I have more. I'm trying to consolidate them.

And those are fine ideas, and it's much easier to shoot holes in them than to come up with them, but please allow me to shoot holes -- since "trolls shoot holes".

- Stop all foreign aid. In the last ten years, we have given Israel over $24.7 billion and Egypt over $17.9 billion. We've given them $42.6 billion in the past ten years. Total we shelled out over $44.9 billion in foreign aid in 2009 alone. That's $5 billion more than what Congress just agreed to cut out of our entire budget for this fiscal year.

Not bad, but hardly a dent in the grand scheme.

- Flat tax or "fair tax". I'm becoming a fan of the fair tax idea, or even a combination of the two.

I oppose a flat tax, as do most economists versed in this area, but a consumption or VAT tax may meet my personal approval.

- Cut all forms of welfare and unemployment. Instead of just sending them a check, put them to work on public works projects. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Bridges, levies, highways, dams, etc are all in need of rebuilding. This idea works. It's been proven. Any decent human would rather be paid for work done than given a handout. We have lots of public works projects needing workers, and we have lots of workers needing work, lots of whom we're already paying. This one really solves itself. You want an unemployment check? Go pick up litter on the side of the road, help sandbag a river, help stop a forest fire, help build a school, etc and we'll pay you for it. Not only will this get needed things done, it'll discourage those trying to abuse the system. It's a win win.

No, I absolutely do not want these people anywhere near projects that would put my life and others in danger if they weren't done by someone with the physical and mental competence to do them (you really want welfare people to build a bridge you drive on?). Consider the meager welfare pay as "compensation for not f*(king up the productivity of everyone and everything else that knows WTF they're doing".

I think you have a better idea than that in you.

- Bring the troops home. We are not the world police (America, fuck yeah! Ha, beat you all to it). Bring them home to take care of the US. Put them to work on the public works projects, or even managing them.

Score.

- Don't cut military spending, but redirect that money to research and development. Instead of constantly funding the offense, we should be funding defense. Protect our country from possible attack.

Disagree, there's plenty of money that can be cut plus have R&D. So I agree on the shifting of funds, but disagree to maintain current levels.

Should've invested in a shittyhouse instead of a shittygsxr, you would've lost less.

All those "op-ed" articles have underlying source material... just like the Wiki figures you quoted on the debt-to-GDP ratio, which only take into account certain parts of the debt if you really dig into the Wiki source (CIA Factbook).

So, yea, I would feel comfortable using those as sources as long as I vetted the underlying material.

No, you'll just be a sheep and think what you're told to think.

That doesn't even make sense.

Think for yourself for once.

Yea, because I'm an expert on everything. I'm going to put my blinders on and not take ANY other opinions or data into account and end up just doing what's right by my 'gut feel' since I'm going to go pray on it.

The party of the rich, by the rich, for the rich

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/dec/02/taxandspending-us-politics

Government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/02/political_economy

Nine Charts to Better Understand the Budget

http://www.good.is/post/nine-charts-to-better-understand-the-budget/?utm_content=headline&utm_medium=hp_carousel&utm_source=slide_3

Do-Nothing Congress as a Cure

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/business/economy/13leonhardt.html?_r=1

Dems Maneuver GOP Into Voting Against Their Own Budget Proposal

Define, worse? The unemployment rate is dropping, and the vast amount of economists don't back what the GOP is doing... So, just because it's not happening RIGHT NOW, ZOMFG!!1!!11!, doesn't mean progress isn't being made. We can yo-yo the economy all you want, but slow and steady wins the race.

If you don't understand what mistakes were made in the past, then you're doomed to repeat them. Obama isn't perfect, and I never said he was, but he's only ONE guy.

The U-turn president: Barack Obama’s top ten flip-flops

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100083104/the-u-turn-president-barack-obama-top-ten-flip-flops/

Of course, the people who most often say "Let's not place blame" are the ones where the blame lays, so I don't find that shocking.

You really don't want to get into the numbers game on the deficit, because you're not giving percentages. Bush all but DOUBLED the deficit -- 100%, and you'll grill Obama for raising it 40% as a temporary measure

Besides, President Bush presided over one of the longest periods of economic stagnation since Herbert Hoover. Look at the S&P index from 2000 to 2010 and tell me how much it grew...

All of a sudden we need to hurry up and balance the budget, and of course if Obama doesn't do it, it's the Dems fault, right?

Boy, would've been nice to keep that surplus Clinton had... I wonder what happened between Clinton and now that royally f*(ked us? Things that make you go hmmmm.... I'm just enjoying my tax break that you poor people keep giving me.

Super rich see federal taxes drop dramatically

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110417/ap_on_re_us/us_no_taxes

What's Jinx quote out a Tmax for a day? At the UP discount rate...

Jinx have demos?

But not for sex.... think about that.

If you really want something different... get an S1000RR. That's the only liter-bike I'd consider for the strip just because the engine is that good.

But it'll get $$$$ real quick, plus AM parts are going to be a b*tch. And, how much punishment that engine can take is left to be seen, esp. if you throw funny juice or a turbo on it.

I run 10.40s short shifting on a bone stock, not lowered, no mods Hayabusa.

I'm guessing get 10.20s with a PC, and probably 10.0s stretching it and clamping the front down.

The power commander/bazazz quick shift is an ignition interrupt, which you'll need for an air shifter too, but all they do is allow you to keep on the throttle while you upshift.

An air shifter kit (they make electric ones too, but that's beside the point) has a pneumatic piston that uses compressed air and a solenoid to physically move the shift lever as well as interrupt the ignition.

So, air piston + compressed air + solenoid + electric interrupt = fast, full throttle shifting. The PC/Bazazz is only the last part of that equation (and why it's relatively cheap compared to an $800 air shifter kit)

For what you wanna do, here's what I'd suggest for a minimal competitive street/strip setup.

1) Get a Hayabusa (because the AM is HUGE, so you can just buy-n-bolt parts)

2) Get swingarm extensions, a new stretched swingarm, or bolt-on wheelie bars

3) Get air shifter

4) Get two-step (RPM launch controller)

5) Practice, Practice, Practice

Go racing.

Agreed, and my preference is to do business with a handshake and my word, but this is why you can't always do that.

Make what right? Assuming Hoblick's story is true, even if Paul offered the job for free, I'd still like to know all that Hoblick put up with to make it free.

Even if Hoblick's story ended with, "After all that, he just gave me the parts" -- that still doesn't negate everything that happened before, which I would've liked to know. Rather than keeping this story to himself or just giving a "Finally got back my parts, there were some issues, but they ended up being taken care of" -- that kind of review helps no one objectively evaluate a potential supplier.

It's not like Hoblick was being a dick about it. Again, assuming everything is true, as long as it's true, then it is what it is. If someone constantly changes schedules, misses delivery or communication dates, then they may be a great person, but they still lacked in areas where they promised to deliver.

What exactly would you've done if you mentioned it face-to-face? Would that've changed anything?

An experience is an experience... I'd rather hear about how someone was treated from an honest perspective rather than trying to figure out if they were swayed prior to posting, or kept from posting their experience because they were offered some "settlement".

I'd play, but I'm on an iPad, so I think it'd explode or lock or make me e-mail Steve Jobs and tell him I'm a naughty boy if it found out I was playing against someone on an Android device.

More importantly, what idiot does donuts at full lock?