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Comment: Re:Peculiarities? (Score 1) 307

by SandwhichMaster (#42936827) Attached to: Tax Peculiarities Mean Facebook Paid No Net Taxes For 2012

Middle income earners get to deduct health care expenses

Not really. Not unless you have some crazy high medical expenses.

According to the IRS (irs.gov): "You may deduct only the amount by which your total medical care expenses for the year exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income"

There's too many examples to list that refute your claim that everybody will pay their share eventually. There are many companies that are given a low to 0% taxation rates to lure them into a particular state/city. Just ask Walmart. How is the poor guy going to get that same break?

+ - A guide to the next 150 years->

Submitted by tad001
tad001 writes "The BBC has a story up about what might happen over the next 150 years including odds on it happening. Things like the great "firewall" of China no longer being able to stop the people from seeing what is really happening this year (7 to 4 odds) to a human living past 150 by 2150 (40 to 1 odds)."
Link to Original Source
The Internet

+ - Community owned ISPs offer better service->

Submitted by
Presto Vivace


The service has saved Lafayette citizens millions of dollars."
Link to Original Source

Comment: Re:One Little Problem with "Increasing" Crime Idea (Score 1) 449

Interesting correlation to that drop in violent crime...

Leaded gas, known to mess with development, was banned in 1978. Roughly 20 years later, about the time it takes for a new born to fully mature, violent crime begins to suddenly drop.

Not saying it's the cause, but it might be a factor.

Comment: Re:Tasing Is An Improvement (Score 1) 936

by SandwhichMaster (#42277837) Attached to: New Hampshire Cops Use Taser On Woman Buying Too Many iPhones

Tasers are anything but a humane alternative. Consult Youtube for about 15 seconds for an example.

The thought behind the taser, is to use the weapon in a situation that would have otherwise necessitated lethal force (i.e. a gun). In practice, however, police just zap anyone that they find annoying. Worse still, because it's not a gun, these idiots don't consider tasers to have lethal consequences. There have been numerous serious injuries and even deaths as a result of the abuse of a weapon.

Consider the folks who have heart conditions, or who have been struck by multiple tasers.

Tasers should be banned.

Comment: Re:Why not reduce emissions? (Score 1) 623

by SandwhichMaster (#42058615) Attached to: Report Says Climate Change Already Evident, Emissions Gap Growing

Wow, lot's of hostility to my comment, and a few good points too.

Boats - I stand corrected, boats have some modest emissions controls. We could definitely stand to see something stronger though:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/09/shipping-pollution, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1229857/How-16-ships-create-pollution-cars-world.html

Planes - Yes, I understand that the U.S. is large, but we can start with modern trains that connect smaller distances, like Milwaukee to Chicago, L.A. to Vegas, etc. Trains are more efficient than planes, and can actually travel very fast. I'm also speculating that trains suffer from fewer delays, have quicker security checkpoints, and require less maintenance.

Coal power plants: There is no such thing as clean coal plant. Look at the destruction caused just to GET the coal, let alone burn it. It's dangerous for the workers and disastrous for our environment. Search for images before and after mining, it's unsettling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_power_in_the_United_States, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania

Lawn Mowers - Operating a mower for an hour is the pollution equivalent of driving a car 200 miles. Consider how many lawns are in the U.S. alone. That is not insignificant: http://www.epa.gov/oaqps001/community/details/yardequip_addl_info.html.

Excessive Water Consumption - Too many people underestimate the value of clean, fresh water. It takes energy and costly equipment to clean and deliver fresh water to your home. Water is also a limited resource. If/when our rapidly draining aquifers run dry, the consequences will be disastrous to our food supply and economy. We can do some simple things to reduce our usage, without much effort. Front load washing machines save ~20 gallons per use. Low flow toilets can save ~2 gallons per flush. I have no regrets switching to either, and I have a lower water bill. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-conservation-tips/

Comment: Why not reduce emissions? (Score 4, Insightful) 623

by SandwhichMaster (#42055645) Attached to: Report Says Climate Change Already Evident, Emissions Gap Growing


To name a few:

- Boats - No emissions controls at all currently
- Coal power plants - Outdated tech
- Lawn mowers - Electric mowers could replace most people's mowing needs


Comment: Re:Gas is still affordable so far (Score 3, Insightful) 467

If it (gas) suddenly doubled in price, our economy might collapse.

This is something that doesn't get noticed enough. You can talk about "Drill baby drill", "global warming is a myth", etc. all you want, but at the end of the day, it is wildly unwise to have our entire economy based around one technology. We are much better equipped to handle change if we're diversified.

We've seen oil prices spike too many times not to know better by now.

Comment: Re:Missed Opportunity (Score 3, Interesting) 359

by SandwhichMaster (#41821605) Attached to: Google's Nexus 4, 7, 10 Strategy: Openness At All Costs

I was hoping to purchase a Nexus 4, and was very disappointed that I can't get one for Sprint. After a little research, I came across this article explaining the lack of LTE: http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3569688/why-nexus-4-does-not-have-4g-lte

In short, blame your greedy carrier.

Comment: Re:one caveat (Score 1) 359

by SandwhichMaster (#41821541) Attached to: Google's Nexus 4, 7, 10 Strategy: Openness At All Costs

I can appreciate your monopoly concern, but I think you're missing the obvious. If Google gets more control, it means that the carriers have less control.

Carriers and phones need to be 2 VERY separate entities. Google is pushing for that openness and separation. They are not asking for their own set of locks and restrictions. So, if Google wins this, it stands to reason that more manufacturerswill be able to build open devices.
