Wealth disparity is a red herring. It is one economic indicator out of literally thousands. Neolibs like to harp on it, but when the poorest schlub in the US has 2 cars, 2 flat screens, air conditioning, and more food than they can possibly eat then it holds very little meaning. I'm a statistician, and there is always a curve in wealth with extreme ends. Deal with it.

Again - they're focusing on the wrong problem. The problem is a corrupt and powerful government. Lobbyists push for bad laws, but bad laws can't get passed without corrupt legislators. In the past, the robber-barons just did what they wanted and government was too toothless and feckless to stop abuses. Today the robber-barons are back, but they are aided and abetted by a powerful, corrupt government that creates a maze of loopholes, exemptions, and laws to pick and choose which company gets to be the one to get away with murder.

The first thing that has to happen is that government needs to be reduced in size and power so that they cannot be the kingmakers. Then you pass a set of simple reforms that are clear and basic so everyone knows 'the rules'. Companies get away with crap because government passes laws that allows it (like the repeal of Glass/Steagall). Peel the lobbyists out of such a system, and all you do it create an all-powerful government that crushes (or blesses) specific industries according to its whimsy.

For example - Obama has been literally shovelling cash at the 'green' industry. Solyndra (and others) have shown that it was all a subsidy-scam. There was no possible way these solar companies could possibly turn a profit. Not to mention ethanol subsidies, et al... They all lobbied big time and got a pile of political payola. It is modern day patronage. Meanwhile Obama is doing all he can to slap down oil and coal. The government is picking some industries to grow, and others to punish. That is totally bogus. And (just so you neolibs don't get mad) it is bogus when it happens to companies like Exxon or Haliburton too.

The government should not be this power broker that picks and chooses which industries get favoritism, and which ones get the thumbscrews based on the political preference of the legislators in power. That creates an unpredictable, uncertain, arbitrary system where industry is more beholden to politicians than the public. Who cares if a company makes a lousy or unprofitable product when they can just pay a lobbyist, or donate to a candidate, and end up getting piles and piles of taxpayer cash?

THAT is the real problem here. Wall Street, Solydra, Enron - all these companies are just symptoms. The disease is the government.

>> ^marinara:

non-correlation (in that japan study) is not a fact in your favor. We're determining if vaccines are a cause of autism, not if vaccines cause all autism.
delivery methods or "drug absorption" does affect toxicity. There are exceptions to the rule, some drugs are absorbed well through ingestion, but they are the exception.
I guess it's easier to call marbles names than to do real science. I think marbles would be happy for science to speak for itself.


Huh?

As the article I linked to a few comments above stated, the medical community took the claims that autism could be caused by vaccines very seriously... and so many studies have been undertaken, and none of them have found any link.

They might in the future, who knows. The HUGE bloody issue is that all of this was kicked off by one crooked doctor who scammed people into giving him money based on bogus research and a false link between the MMR vaccine and Autism. Suddenly, all these parents who have kids who developed Autism started blaming the vaccines with NO PROOF AT ALL... NONE, other than the two things happened at vaguely the same time... vaguely. And they just DO happen at the same time, so it's not causation.

So all these unknowing parents who are scrambling for someone/thing to blame for their apparently normal child becoming autistic latch onto vaccines. This makes thousands of people become unnecessarily fearful of vaccines and stop immunising their children, based on NO EVIDENCE. This leads to children dying due to the diseases the vaccines were preventing coming back.

So, the Japanese splitting the vaccine into three different ones (which is what the bogus doctor was saying people should do because, surprise, surprise, he had developed vaccines for that and so would profit hugely) has made no impact on the rise of Autism.

Absolutely there should always be people looking into the validity of claims made against medicines.

But if the science is done, done correctly, done multiple times and STILL shows things to be safe then people need to STOP SPOUTING SHIT. People like marbles are harmful individuals for just the reason @ChaosEngine states. There is critical thinking, and judging validity of sources, and not just accepting things with blind faith.

And then there is this insane 'anything to do with anyone other than my fellow conspiracy nuts is all just 'big business' and 'government conspiracy''. All this does is to make people either:

a) Mistrust absolutely everything, no matter how valid, and therefore end up 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater' and rejecting all the good things that are done by large business and the government and society at large.

OR

b) Regard every single thing going against authority as a raving loon notion and so just accept EVERYTHING they are told, which is the opposite mindless sheep approach to life.

There is a happy medium where you critically take that things that make sense and are for the betterment of us all, and sometimes reject things which you can see through REASON and logic and critical thinking to be perhaps created with someone elses betterment in mind rather than yours.

Nice job. Marbles reminds me of my Aunt Edna. Paranoid and conspiracy spinner. She gets her facts from out of print copies of Reader's Digest, cobbles them together and scares the shit out of her grand nieces and nephews with stories of government cover-ups leading to death. We don't visit much anymore. The last straw was the "mercury in tooth fillings" debacle. Told us to get all of our teeth pulled or we would die hideous deaths. We reminded her that she had such fillings, and she's 97. She threw pie at us.
>> ^spoco2:

>> ^marbles:
>> ^spoco2:
@marbles... shit then, better keep kids away from Parmesan cheese, or Mussels or Spinach you don't want them to die from Aluminium poisoning do you?
Also, don't let them ever eat Ice Cream, fuck no! They'll die from the polysorbate 80.
And come on... sodium borate, it's used as a food preservative in many countries, and is ONLY dangerous when ingested in high quantities for long periods of time... like, 5-10 years long.
Sorry, but your bullshit scaremongering, ill thought out crap doesn't cut it, it makes no sense, it does not gel with reality. You can find dangerous substances in pretty much anything you eat or drink. It's all about quantities and timeframes. Also, things that CAN be dangerous in situation A can be beneficial in situation B.
But hey... continue siding with idiots like Jenny McCarthy who have contributed to the deaths of kids... you keep on with that.

I'm sorry. Am I scaring you with facts? Aren't you the one that keeps claiming people that question the safety of vaccines are going to cause health pandemics and contribute "to the deaths of kids"???
First you say there's zero evidence, but now you say it's all about "quantities and timeframes". I say GOOD POINT! When you administer a substance intravenously, the entire quantity is delivered into the bloodstream instantaneous. So why are comparing it to ingesting where the process is slow and little is even absorbed.

You have no facts, you have bits and bobs pulled from all over the place and yet NO scientific basis for any of your claims.
Sorry, but again... People like Jenny McCarthy HAVE already contributed to the death of children. Thanks to Wakefield's bogus findings, and the bleating of McCarthy: "... the inoculation rate for MMR in the UK was 92%; after publication, the rate dropped to below 80%. In 1998, there were 56 measles cases in the UK; by 2008, there were 1348 cases, with 2 confirmed deaths.[43]" That's 2 100% preventable deaths right there.
And guess what?
"In Japan, the MMR vaccination has been discontinued, with single vaccines being used for each disease. Rates of autism diagnosis have continued to increase, showing no correlation with the change."
Sorry, am I fucking up your bullshit with facts?

>> ^marbles:

>> ^spoco2:
@marbles... shit then, better keep kids away from Parmesan cheese, or Mussels or Spinach you don't want them to die from Aluminium poisoning do you?
Also, don't let them ever eat Ice Cream, fuck no! They'll die from the polysorbate 80.
And come on... sodium borate, it's used as a food preservative in many countries, and is ONLY dangerous when ingested in high quantities for long periods of time... like, 5-10 years long.
Sorry, but your bullshit scaremongering, ill thought out crap doesn't cut it, it makes no sense, it does not gel with reality. You can find dangerous substances in pretty much anything you eat or drink. It's all about quantities and timeframes. Also, things that CAN be dangerous in situation A can be beneficial in situation B.
But hey... continue siding with idiots like Jenny McCarthy who have contributed to the deaths of kids... you keep on with that.

I'm sorry. Am I scaring you with facts? Aren't you the one that keeps claiming people that question the safety of vaccines are going to cause health pandemics and contribute "to the deaths of kids"???
First you say there's zero evidence, but now you say it's all about "quantities and timeframes". I say GOOD POINT! When you administer a substance intravenously, the entire quantity is delivered into the bloodstream instantaneous. So why are comparing it to ingesting where the process is slow and little is even absorbed.


You have no facts, you have bits and bobs pulled from all over the place and yet NO scientific basis for any of your claims.

Sorry, but again... People like Jenny McCarthy HAVE already contributed to the death of children. Thanks to Wakefield's bogus findings, and the bleating of McCarthy: "... the inoculation rate for MMR in the UK was 92%; after publication, the rate dropped to below 80%. In 1998, there were 56 measles cases in the UK; by 2008, there were 1348 cases, with 2 confirmed deaths.[43]" That's 2 100% preventable deaths right there.

And guess what?

"In Japan, the MMR vaccination has been discontinued, with single vaccines being used for each disease. Rates of autism diagnosis have continued to increase, showing no correlation with the change."

Sorry, am I fucking up your bullshit with facts?

@Lawdeedaw, I'm glad I could be of some help, you're welcome.

People tend to get upset when you generalize about an entire group of people, especially if the defining characteristic of the group is something that wasn't a matter of choice (e.g. race, gender, height, sexual orientation, eye color, etc.).

I say talking about public policy is a whole other category of conversation. Personally I think the theory that the truth always lies somewhere in the middle is pretty much bogus. Even if you make the reasonable assumption that both sides are telling lies to amplify their position, it's a mistake to assume those lies are always equal.

Taking your health care example, the most extreme lefties were saying some rather radical things about single payer health care (Medicare for everyone). They'd say it'd improve overall care, reduce costs, and make health care accessible to all.

The other side says it'll mean the government "comes between you and your doctor", it'll mean death panels, it'll lead to genocide, and the end of freedom itself. Not only that, it won't even cut costs, it'll just mean more taxes, and worse care.

I don't think it's reasonable to look at those things and say "the truth is in the middle." For example, is Canada a genocidal totalitarian socialist state that's executing its elderly? Is France?

How about the slightly less crazy-sounding stuff. Are they spending a higher share of their GDP on health care than we are? How do medical professionals rate the quality of care there? How are health outcomes generally (e.g. life expectancy, infant mortality, etc.)? Do they offer that health care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay?

>> ^pmkierst:

It is similar to arguing that birth control is equivalent to abortion or that copying a CD is the same as theft. Some argue that if you take actions which decrease potential, it is the same as decreasing actuality. It isn't a mistake, really, it is an interpretation. IMO, a bogus one, but clearly he won't back down on his interpretation, since he does not consider it mistaken.


He's basically setting you all up for taxation based on potential income, rather than actual.

It is similar to arguing that birth control is equivalent to abortion or that copying a CD is the same as theft. Some argue that if you take actions which decrease potential, it is the same as decreasing actuality. It isn't a mistake, really, it is an interpretation. IMO, a bogus one, but clearly he won't back down on his interpretation, since he does not consider it mistaken.

>> ^redyellowblue:

GradFAILation Ceremony.
on a side note, I think all high heels on girls is just plain bogus. Not very tactical and practical footwear if you ask me.


You don't know about the magic high-heels can do?

GradFAILation Ceremony.

on a side note, I think all high heels on girls is just plain bogus. Not very tactical and practical footwear if you ask me.

>> ^shagen454:

The real shame is that people take out of court settlements for this sort of thing. Yes, it is a pain to go to court for years - but when people opt out of the system and take money instead it only obscures the underlining problem.


Another shame is that agencies will settle out of court on plainly bogus accusations in order to avoid the waste too. It works both ways.

oh man, I just remembered I was suspended for some bogus crap back in the day...

Gah, highschool,... what was that all about...

>> ^BicycleRepairMan:

>> ^DerHasisttot:
Hmmm I downvoted... kids see this & kids are dumb = Dead kids
The glorification of violence by smiling kids 'killing' each other... There are kids right now in armies, killing each other. And they are not happily smiling, unless they're drugged out of their mind to keep theam attached to their army by addiction.
Edit: The kids smile, there are no consequences seen for their actions, to me, this is glorification. And yes, it's not aimed at children, but they'll see it. And they know where their dad has his hunting rifle.

Oh for fuck sake, get off the insane, constructed PC horse. Who didnt play Cowboy and indians as kids (ooohh racist-alarm!!!) This is all such bogus nonsense. Kids play with guns, in video games or in the backyard. If you dont buy them plastic shit, theyll use a fucking stick, like I did when I was a kid. This video is a wonderful tribute to the imagination of kids. Get over it. If one of these kids grow up to be some sort of serial killer, its not going to be because someone made this video, same goes for any kid watching it. Get real.


Nothing bad can come from a widespread disregard for human life and the fragility thereof

>> ^DerHasisttot:

Hmmm I downvoted... kids see this & kids are dumb = Dead kids
The glorification of violence by smiling kids 'killing' each other... There are kids right now in armies, killing each other. And they are not happily smiling, unless they're drugged out of their mind to keep theam attached to their army by addiction.
Edit: The kids smile, there are no consequences seen for their actions, to me, this is glorification. And yes, it's not aimed at children, but they'll see it. And they know where their dad has his hunting rifle.


Oh for fuck sake, get off the insane, constructed PC horse. Who didnt play Cowboy and indians as kids (ooohh racist-alarm!!!) This is all such bogus nonsense. Kids play with guns, in video games or in the backyard. If you dont buy them plastic shit, theyll use a fucking stick, like I did when I was a kid. This video is a wonderful tribute to the imagination of kids. Get over it. If one of these kids grow up to be some sort of serial killer, its not going to be because someone made this video, same goes for any kid watching it. Get real.

OK, I know it's picky but here goes: I don't like the mannerisms affected by people in these slam poetry exhibitions. I don't really have a problem with what she's saying, I think, because when I see people take on those mannerisms, all I hear is, "blah, blah, blah". I realize she's trying to speak from the heart about an issue that's really important but I just can't get past the whole hand-gesturing-Ebonics thing. About the best way I can put how it makes me feel is with another quote from professor Carlin:

"Elvis was a bogus white guy with sex appeal and good looks who ripped off a lot of great black music, watered it down, and made it safe for lame whites who couldn’t handle the experience of raw, emotional black music."

That's pretty much exactly what I think of when I see hipsters attempting slam poetry.

When was the last time the TSA actually caught a terrorist?

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/10/a_critical_essa.html

Got a video camera and are you arrogant? You're now a terrorist. Also, do they have any science to back any of their, bogus, claims? As with most security, even so called, Cyber Security, it's all probably a smoke screen to keep a bunch of people employed on that fat TSA budget.