Article V of the Constitution authorizes the deployment of magical pixies to fix all the world's ills.
Perhaps a global political apocalypse has already arrived.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
The Evolution of Evil - Comments Page 2
Article V of the Constitution authorizes the deployment of magical pixies to fix all the world's ills.
Perhaps a global political apocalypse has already arrived.…
Article comments
26 - Les Slater
“Hell, you really ought to compare after tax increases, because people in the bottom quintile aren't paying any taxes at all.”
They do pay sales taxes which have a disproportionately greater effect on lower income families.
27 - troll
the idea that you cannot compare the 'income' of the owner and worker classes (obscene on the face of it) begs the question of the purpose of one's analysis
28 - Dave Nalle
It's not obscene, troll, it's just obvious good sense.
The income of the top 1% comes largely from investment of various sorts. The income of the lower 20% comes mostly from salary. There's no relationship between those two types of income, so why does it make any sense to compare them?
Les' point on sales tax has some validity, except that he's got it backwards. Sales tax has a larger impact on the wealthy than the poor, because a larger proportion of their spending is on luxury goods taxed at special rates, hotels which are taxed at higher rates, and a much smaller portion of their spending is on untaxed staple goods.
Dave
29 - troll
coordinated worker class action to increase its income directly affects the income of the owner class -
Paula Voost and Steve Abraham (using 'event analysis') have demonstrated that the very act of unionizing decreases the owner class' bottom line as do actions that empower existing unions (you'll find their work posted at allbusiness.com)
and if you consider the impact of owner class decisions to increase it's income by 'seeking cheap labor' on the income of the US based segments of the worker class the 'relationship' is pretty clear
wage and investment incomes are not independent and proposals to view them in the abstract as if they have independent histories serves only the owner class
30 - Les Slater
"Sales tax has a larger impact on the wealthy than the poor, because a larger proportion of their spending is on luxury goods taxed at special rates, hotels which are taxed at higher rates, and a much smaller portion of their spending is on untaxed staple goods."
Let's talk about discretionary spending. '...a larger portion of their spending is on luxury goods taxed at special rates...' They do have that discretion though, don't they? On the other hand low income families do NOT have ANY such discretion. Such is out of the question. The lower income families' wages do not keep up with real inflation. They are being squeezed, at least partially, by the so-called 'volatile' components the CPI, those not counted, like food and fuel prices. Food prices were removed from the CPI because 'if the price of steak went up they could always eat hamburgers, anyways a diet of rice and beans is healthier'. In this scenario a sales tax on anything they buy is a much greater burden to the poor than to the wealthy.
31 - STM
Doc: I now can't bloody look at the title of this thread without thinking of a little fellow with a bad accent strumming a ukele, and imagining the tune "they're dropping like flies after floridaaaa". Luckily, the superbowl's on and the Giants have just scored with 30 second to go (which translates to about another 15 minutes' REAL time in American Football).
I love it when the unxderdog gets up. If they do ...
32 - Clavos
It's over; the Giants have won, and there is great rejoicing here in South Florida as the 1972 Miami Dolphins retain their place as the ONLY team in NFL history to have played a perfect season!!
Ironic, since the 2007 Dolphins had one of the shittiest seasons in NFL history...
33 - STM
Patriots undefeated this season until today, according to a bloke at work. Is that right?
Bad end result for them then, especially when the game was so close.
BTW Doc .. It was the "dropping like flies in florida" thread I meant, not Joel's bollocky one.
34 - Dr Dreadful
I got that, Stan...
Now "The Evolution of Evil" sounds more like it could be the title of an Iron Maiden album...
I'm not surprised the Patriots lost. I always felt that they would go undefeated in regular season play, then come a cropper somewhere in the postseason. And so it proved.
It was a very cagey game with an exciting ending. Except for their final scoring drive, the Pats certainly weren't firing on all cylinders. Perhaps all those Superbowl rings they already have were weighing them down. Don't tell Mr T, but it is possible to have too much bling!
35 - STM
Lol. Clav's obviously a Miami Dolphins fan, and possibly knows every score since 1823.
He's doing better than me though Doc. My rugby league team, he mighty North Sydney Bears, didn't win a premiership after 1922, although they did make the GF in the 40s, but survived long enough to be one of the few clubs punted after a failed merger with their local arch-enemies, the Sea Eagles, a few years back when the competition became the NRL.
Now I couldn't give a damn about it, as I don't have a team. I can't understand why there's a team in Melbourne - where they play that other, heathen game that has NO rules - of all places, 'cause no one's interested in it, and bloody d. Why have a kiwi team in the comp?? Bring the game back to its heartland, I say. If New Zealand wants a competition, let 'em have their own own.
Hence, I was more interested in the yankee Superbowl today, even with all that nancy-boy padding, soft hits, stop-start umpiring and faux motorbike helmets, than I am about the game I love:) Just joking. It was actually quite exciting.
But the very fact that I did enjoy ... sad state of affairs, that ...
36 - Dr Dreadful
But the very fact that I did enjoy ... sad state of affairs, that ...
Yeah, I feel the same way. A bit worrying.
I admitted as much to folks over here a few weeks ago, and they all got really excited and started arguing over which team I should support.
I told them to give me a break - I'm still trying to figure out why they throw all those flags onto the field every time the coach farts or a player looks at his opponent a bit funny.
BTW, did you notice how, not content with all the helmets and padding, some of the players have now taken to wearing little perspex windshields attached to their helmet visors? What the heck's that about?
And I just love the way they're calling the New York Giants 'world champions' - of a game only Americans play...
37 - Clavos
It's a seppo thing; you wouldn't understand.
Well, maybe -- if you live to be a hundred...
Nah.
:>)
BTW. Re the helmets and padding, a serious note for a moment:
My wife is receiving treatment developed here in Miami at a foundation established at the University of Miami School of Medicine to study spinal cord injuries called The Miami Project To Cure Paralysis. It is the largest center in the world for such studies, and was founded in 1985.
The Project, ironically, got started with funding from one of those 1972 Dolphins players, Nick Buoniconti, with funds from his own pocket initially, and subsequently from his efforts at fundraising over the past two decades. Buoniconti got involved because his son, Marc, also a football player, was injured when tackled in a college game and has been paralyzed ever since.
Even the nancy boy padding and helmet didn't prevent it. Those guys hit (and get hit) hard.
[Steps down from soapbox]
38 - Colin
It's Phillips going for the corner, is he over? He is you know!
Teehee.
Stick that up your Sweet Chariot!
39 - Dr Dreadful
OK, Colin, OK. You and the entire Welsh team get buns.
40 - bliffle
Talking about the evolution of evil, Phillip Zimbardo, who created a famous jail experiment at Stanford several years ago, is talking tonight on NPRs "It's Your World" :
It's your World
Earlier interviews with Michael Krasny are available here:
interview
interview
41 - STM
DD: "BTW, did you notice how, not content with all the helmets and padding, some of the players have now taken to wearing little perspex windshields attached to their helmet visors? What the heck's that about?"
It's so they don't a poke in the eye, the poor luvs.
Maybe it's for rainy-day games, and they are working on a little set of mini-windscreen wipers?
Clav, on a serious note ... the neck injury potential in American Football, Rugby Union and Rugby League is always high, mainly at the tackle in AF and RL, but also at the set piece (scrum, lineout) and the ruck or maul in RU.
I have had a suspected neck injury myself, and luckily just got away with some pins and needles but they were pretty heavy on me at the hospital, and made me do the full battery of tests and wouldn't let me a) move or b) go home until they were absolutely certain.
I was always worried about my son when he was playing, as he played at a high level and the speed of the game and the ferocity of the hits were amped right up. Playing halfback too he was in the thick of the action all the time. They used to spend 15 minutes in an ice bath after each game, which gives you an idea of how much they were getting bashed around.
In the end, it was a groin injury that got him. Although I loved watching him play, I always had that niggling worry that he might get a serious injury, so in a way I'm glad he made the decision to give it away. I like going to international Test matches and Super 14 games with him, however, as he has a great knowledge and understanding of the game and began playing it at age 7. He can see everything unfolding before it happens and will till me there's a try (touchdown) in the offing ... and then, sure enough, someone will go over.
Much better than putting my hands over my eyes every time he gets smashed.
42 - Clavos
I'm going through the same experience now, Stan.
My 13 year old nephew is turning out to be a much better than average (for his age) quarterback in American football, and has his sights set on playing in high school (next year) and hopefully beyond.
I worry about him, too.
43 - STM
Colin: "It's Phillips going for the corner, is he over? He is you know! Teehee. Stick that up your Sweet Chariot!"
Lol.
Wales 26
England 19
Must have been hard to take eh Colin, especially at the World HQ of evil (Twickenham)?
They looked like they were goners early in the 2nd half, your mob, so that's a specatcular comeback.
The Poms looked like they lacked ticker in the last 20, although they made too many unforced errors and Mike Tindall's bruised liver might have put the wind right up 'em. How hard do you have get tackled to go to hospital with a bruised liver? Geez, that's hard footy that ...
Not like a Welshman to gloat about beating the Chooms. The forces of goodness (well, KIND of ... we have a different view of all northern hemisphere rugby players down here in the arse-hole end of the world) have once again prevailed over the forces of rottenness (apologies to Maxwell Smart).
44 - STM
Clav, I guess the reality is, if we worried about all that stuff endlessly, we'd never do anything exciting..
Tell him to warm up and stretch his neck, though, before each game and to stay warm. Kids need to learn how to do it when they're young.
There are tricks at the tackle too.
He should keep his head on the outside, ie in a tackle around the thighs from the side, use the arm at first contact that will keep your head behind the legs not under them as the tackled player goes down.
I've gotta say too, I've seen some dumb, dangerous tackles in AF ... guys going in head first around the midriff, with the arm and body only the second or third points of contact. Head on tackles should never have the tackler using his head for first point of contact.
That should be discouraged, and it doesn't serve any more purpose than a ball-and-all tackle that wraps up an opposing player or a tackle around the thighs or legs that brings them down with the ball.
Unfortunately, there's not much that be done about falling at an awkward angle when YOU are tackled, which is why the warm up is paramount.