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slakr007's comments:
on Curbing Gang Violence
Why so much religous talk? This is an issue of poverty. Religion cannot fix that.
Gang violence is only one of many reasons why we need to raise the standard of living for the lower class even if it means slightly reducing the purchasing power of the middle and upper classes. Everyone wins in the long run.
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on GM Declares Bankruptcy
@ Desolation
Your absolutism about government owned/run companies is unwarranted. Do you get power or water from a municipal utility? Do you send and receive mail?
I lived in Gainesville, FL for 10 years and loved Gainesville Regional Utilities as a company...especially the way they dealt with the insane ideas that came from the mayor and city commission. Their rates are fantastic, they are very good to their employees, and their customer service is phenominal.
The Government does not "own" the Post Office anymore, but the Post Office is still at the whim of the government in many ways. And, despite all of its faults (and I know them well as both of my girlfriends parents are extremely hardworking supervisors with the Post Office), it is pretty amazing what the Post Office is able to do for the ridiculously low prices they charge. Their customer service may suck pretty much all the time, but they do get the job done as well as UPS or FedEx for a lot less.
You have never bought a new motor vehicle because you can build a better one? Really? I can't. So, I happily buy from Nissan and Honda, both of which get government subsidies. I couldn't care less knowing that my cars will run until the wheels fall off in 20 years with minimal regular maintenance. Note: Regular maintenance does not include replacing alternators and water pumps as it does with American cars.
As far as your comment to scottmil goes... If you have not heard any credible economists supporting the current policies, you have not been listening...unless, of course, you have narrowed your defintion of 'credible' to those that agree with you.
Actually, I think the past policies absolutely defined the word 'naive'. Any free-market absolutist is incredibly naive. Greenspan admitted that to Congress.
In fact, any absolutist is naive. Bush defined absolutism. Obama may be many things, but he is not an absolutist.
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on GM Declares Bankruptcy
Three weeks ago, I bought my second Japanese car and felt no remorse for doing it. There is simply no innovation in American cars. They are second rate. New innovations and technology trickle down from the Japanese and the Germans and end up cheaply and poorly implemented in American cars.
It is fine to have second-rate, cheaper cars. They have a place. But, you cannot expect sustainability when three companies buy up all of the brands and then rely on nationalism ("BUY AMERICAN!") rather than competition and innovation to sell cars.
It is really sad that my girlfriend has been asking Acura and Lexus about the reliability of their sunroofs because Saturn has replaced the sunroof in her car twice and it is still completely inoperable. A sunroof. A decades old technology that should be reliable even on the cheap end.
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on GM Declares Bankruptcy
Yes, this is something very few people are talking about. No one is addressing one of the underlying problems of our economic system: we allow companies like GM to exist.
Even the most staunch free-market people support companies like GM even though they are basically anti-capitalistic and dangerous.
Why anyone thinks having three companies owning almost all of the domestic car brands is a better idea than having 15 different car companies competing against each other is beyond me.
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on GM Declares Bankruptcy
So, you are basically not going to spend your money on anything anywhere? Because, you know, tax breaks and grants are government subsidies...pretty much every company gets tax breaks and grants. I'm sure you have products in your home made by companies that receive obscene tax breaks.
posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on Athletic Diversity
I agree with you here. The issue is definitely not about forcing the athletic departments to hire minorities, it is about giving minorities a chance. And that is a good thing.
However... The typical argument against laws like this is the competitive argument. If you are not interviewing minorities, then you are less competitive than others that are interviewing minorities.
I have to wonder if college athletics is really important enough to worry about this. Eventually, the narrow-minded athletic departments are going to figure out that they need to be more diverse in order to compete.
It seems to me that college athletics have very little relevance in the real world, and there too many more important problems in the real world to worry about.
It is surprising to me that, a state with 12% unemployment, is worrying about coaching positions.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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on Students and Credit Card Reform
I agree wholeheartedly. Georgia's plan to make personal finance a major part of its K-12 curriculum is brilliant.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4673086
Like many of our problems, education is the best solution.
posted 3 years, 12 months ago
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