Today's youth.

[Rassah]

Libertards fully support being able to sue companies that put the lives of their employees and customers at risk. They just don't support there being arbitrary laws that may or may not allow that risk to exist in the first place. Considering that those same companies now use those same laws to get away with their bullshit, basically using them as guidelines for how far they can go, and when they fuck up and kill a lot of people, point to the laws and say that they were still within the regulatory limits, thus are prevented from being sued, since everything they did was legal (never mind that they fucked up and hurt people), I'm starting to agree with the libertards more and more.
BP is excellent example. Not only were they within EPA's approval, the "fine" of $15 billion or so they eventually paid out is WAY LESS than the ammount of damage they actually did, but thanks to the agreement with the government to pay that fine, they are now exempt from lawsuits by citizens needing to get their ruined oily shit fixed. So, thanks to government regulation and oversight, probably most of the environmental damage done by BP won't get cleaned up now. Especially not by BP.

Companies sometimes get away with breaking laws or bending regulations in their favor. Solution: no laws or regulations! Civil suits for all! Because unlike legislators, America's courtrooms are incorruptible and never favor the rich and powerful!

Government regulations corrupt + government courtrooms corrupt = we can't do shit! Wheee!

Is that what you're saying? I haven't seen quite as much corrupt civil litigation btw. Plenty of companies avoiding fines in the rulings though. Good thing those companies also have government law enforcement to keep the hurt and pissed off masses at bay.

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[Rassah]

You aren't planning to go down that purported path any time soon. (side note: what happened to simple english or whatever the hell you were going to speak? Your post has 66 words to say 'I can't imagine abusing drugs'.) Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out that way. 19 months ago I got creamed by a black-out drunk 19-year-old driving his mom's FJ Cruiser without insurance, doing about 95mph into my back end on the freeway while I was doing 65mph. It is nothing short of miraculous that my girlfriend and I walked out of the car, but both of us were physically trashed. I am still taking painkillers on top of cortisone injections into my spine, and at 27 am a candidate for spinal fusion, if only I had some insurance. I am addicted to opiates because of it. I dream of the day when I don't depend on them to function from the moment I wake up. I have also halved my use of them with medical cannabis, usually eaten. So am I some low-life junky?

Depends on whether you use this as an excuse for having a shitty life and why others should feel sorry for you. Since this is the first I see you post about it, I guess not? Though you're still quite a hell of an immature ahole though.

[RandyFolds]

You aren't planning to go down that purported path any time soon. (side note: what happened to simple english or whatever the hell you were going to speak? Your post has 66 words to say 'I can't imagine abusing drugs'.) Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out that way. 19 months ago I got creamed by a black-out drunk 19-year-old driving his mom's FJ Cruiser without insurance, doing about 95mph into my back end on the freeway while I was doing 65mph. It is nothing short of miraculous that my girlfriend and I walked out of the car, but both of us were physically trashed. I am still taking painkillers on top of cortisone injections into my spine, and at 27 am a candidate for spinal fusion, if only I had some insurance. I am addicted to opiates because of it. I dream of the day when I don't depend on them to function from the moment I wake up. I have also halved my use of them with medical cannabis, usually eaten. So am I some low-life junky?

Depends on whether you use this as an excuse for having a shitty life and why others should feel sorry for you. Since this is the first I see you post about it, I guess not? Though you're still quite a hell of an immature ahole though.

I am not trying to garner sympathy at all, and even at the worst of it, I have never called my life shitty. Everything has always tumbled into my lap from a silver (well, copper) platter. This was just a curve-ball that snuck it's way in there, and though there are times when I just want to curl up and cry, the fact that I walked out of that car brings a smile to my face every time I think of that little 2000 Honda Civic, sitting there in the middle of I5, half the size it was when I got in. There are a lot of ways it could have gone worse, and precious few ways it could have gone better.

It sucks gimping around at 27, but it beats the pants off rolling around.

The only reason I even bring it up is because an external factor brought about my dependence on opiates. I am not in an alleyway slamming horse, I am medicating so I can get through my day. Doesn't change the fact of the matter.

Do I really come off as an immature a-hole? I know I have given you some shit, but malice is never my intent. I use another forum where it is strictly business, and everyone thinks I am an ass there because no one knows when I am joking. I fucking hate emoticons....except for 8==>...

Heh. You're trying to apply your perception to mine? Interesting.

I don't understand your point here...What does a factual series of events have to do with my perception of them? I am sure that my experiences have influenced my writing style and thus my portrayal of the event, but I don't see the relevance.

[rainingbitcoins]

Government regulations corrupt + government courtrooms corrupt = we can't do shit! Wheee!

Is that what you're saying?

No, what I'm saying is that you have to fight the corruption. Giving in and removing regulations is rewarding it. You seem to be the one saying we can't do shit. Too often, the civil lawsuit game ends up being a battle of who has the deepest pockets. Many of the people affected won't be able to afford a lawyer in the first place, let alone drawn-out court battles that require massive legal fees. Like every libertarian idea, the poor get fucked because nobody bothered to think of them yet again.

And companies that do violate regulations still get fined all the damn time in the U.S. even if some of them get away with it.

[elggawf]

No, what I'm saying is that you have to fight the corruption. Giving in and removing regulations is rewarding it. You seem to be the one saying we can't do shit. Too often, the civil lawsuit game ends up being a battle of who has the deepest pockets. Many of the people affected won't be able to afford a lawyer in the first place, let alone drawn-out court battles that require massive legal fees. Like every libertarian idea, the poor get fucked because nobody bothered to think of them yet again.

There's always class action lawsuits... oh wait. :|

[Rassah]

Government regulations corrupt + government courtrooms corrupt = we can't do shit! Wheee!

Is that what you're saying?

No, what I'm saying is that you have to fight the corruption. Giving in and removing regulations is rewarding it. You seem to be the one saying we can't do shit. Too often, the civil lawsuit game ends up being a battle of who has the deepest pockets. Many of the people affected won't be able to afford a lawyer in the first place, let alone drawn-out court battles that require massive legal fees. Like every libertarian idea, the poor get fucked because nobody bothered to think of them yet again.

And companies that do violate regulations still get fined all the damn time in the U.S. even if some of them get away with it.

Giving in is what has been happening and will continue to happen, as long as senators can be bought, and as long as they keep voting to allow others to give them money. How do you propose to change that?
Also, corporations have a special account where they set aside money for future fines to pay out. Most of those fines have no effect on them, and aren't much of punishment. People also tend to anthropomorfise (personify?) corporations too much, thinking it's a single person or entity. It's just a whole bunch of stock holders (mostly mutual funds of people saving for retirement), who elect a group of board members to make business decisions. Responcibility is spread around so much that no one is really responsible. If a corporation does something bad, they just move money from one account to another to pay the fine. Shareholders may get upset, but most of then don't know or care about what's going on. My point is that regulations with fines is a pretty weak and shitty way to keep them in line.
A way more effective method may be for the regulators to just keep a list of corporations that are within regulations, outside of them, and who recently screwed people over, and then relentlessly advertise about the bad ones so people can avoid shopping there. $5mil worth of advertising targeted at the world to hurt their bottom line is WAY more effective than a $5mil fine.
(Granted government advertising about bad corporations is very easily abused, too)

[rainingbitcoins]

I don't usually correct spelling mistakes because it's stupid and pedantic, but I'd think out of all the people on the Bitcoin forums, you'd be the least likely to misspell "anthropomorphize." 

Really, though, I can acknowledge we'd need some serious changes to the system to more effectively levy fines, and we should probably also dust off the corporate death penalty that's still on the books but rarely used. We'd also need to hold employees personally responsible for their crimes. Lock a few CEOs up to show them that they're not invincible.

Which is not to say that fines are completely useless in their current incarnation, just seriously flawed. For example, I doubt FL governor Rick Scott's old company chuckled and brushed it aside when they were fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud. Ain't no rainy day fund gonna cover that.

Your advertising idea isn't bad, but I think it should be done in conjunction with fines that are never less than the amount profited from the crimes, with no upper limit, and have a further general advertising campaign that gets people to think of white collar criminals more like street criminals, since they're far more toxic to society.

[Rassah]

I don't usually correct spelling mistakes because it's stupid and pedantic, but I'd think out of all the people on the Bitcoin forums, you'd be the least likely to misspell "anthropomorphize." 

Heh, yeah, I was pretty certain I misspelled it, but was too lazy to check. Not a word I often use, since we usually call it "furry" (but I couldn't call a corporation that).

Your advertising idea isn't bad, but I think it should be done in conjunction with fines that are never less than the amount profited from the crimes, with no upper limit, and have a further general advertising campaign that gets people to think of white collar criminals more like street criminals, since they're far more toxic to society.

Good idea, especially on the no upper limit and white collar = street criminals point. We still need to improve the fucos on whom to actually hold accountable. When you fine a corporation, all you're essentially doing is punishing old folks and employees with 401ks for making a bad investment decision. If laws were changed to hold some actual people in charge (preferably board of directors as much as the CEOs if not more), that may be more effective, but at the same time many will argue that it will stifle growth due to those people being afraid to take risks, and eventually they may just end up hiring people for the sole job of being a scapegoat. That is if those laws even had a chance of passing.
This whole issue is crazy complicated and quite stuck IMHO. I honestly don't see it going anywhere other than in two ways: A. continuing screwups with less and less effective regulation, with regulatory laws being used as "legal" ways to get away with things, or B. people getting pissed off at corp-government relationships to the point of starting a full-on revolution. I think option B is a horrible one, since America's revolution ending up good is a/MAJOR exception to the rule when it comes to revolutions based on historical trends.

[amencon]

17 year olds 1,000 years back were dumb shits. 17 year olds 100 years ago were dumb shits.

17 year olds these days know more than a typical schoolteacher did a few decades back.
Some of them are brighter than most current adults will ever be, thanks to their open attitudes, unlimited access to internet resources etc.

What does it say about the world humans achieved pretty much nothing for millions of years, but went to the moon, and already sending probes to distant planets in such a short timeframe after the 60-70's?

Today's youth? (Let's say 17-30) No contest between the youth 'back in the day'...
Todays youth is actually worth something.
They are starting revolutions all around the world against unjust dictators, finding new cures for diseases, inventing unimaginable technologies, cryptocurrencies, social responsibility programs, resisting Wall Street's authority as God on all worldy issues, discovering unknown planets, while old people try to resist in shock & vain.

So if you're young.. Don't ever be put down by those old farts. Chances are your perception of reality is already at a much higher level than they will ever achieve.
You are already living a life unimaginable ever before in history for someone so young.

Put it to good use, savour the fact you are finally separated from a wild animal only scavenging food to live another day.
Fight your depression and make your reality a better place one piece at a time.

If there ever was a generation of living species deserving eternal life it's yours. And be careful because you might just get what you wish for some day..

Yeah, except....   skinny jeans.
Game.  Set.  Match.

[Matthew N. Wright]

Unremorsefully, I hate this kind of youth. I'm glad I skipped over this phase.

Since you went ahead and posted a Christmas song response to my bittalk.tv Christmas Special thread, I'll go ahead and give you a tip.

Definitions of unremorseful:

adjective:   not penitent or remorseful

Definitions of unremorsefully:

No such word in the English language exists.

Definitions of remorselessly:

adverb:   without pity; in a merciless manner

Heh.