What if bitcoin was PLAN B by the Goverments?

[runpaint]

Capitalism apologist 101:

Because the owners of the company are slaves to the employees.

they're earning money.  They obviously agreed that it was fair, because it's the amount of money they agreed to work for.  

Wal-Mart employees all have the option to own stock.  Most of them sell it immediately.  They choose to stay poor, and that is part of having freedom.  

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. We're done here, let's agree to disagree.

Not so fast.  Let's keep talking about "fair shares".

When a company loses money and/or goes out of business, what fair share do the employees have in that?  What does it cost them?  

As for Wal-Mart, I'm sure you don't really want to get into the details of how much the employees get paid and what they contribute to the company.  (Hint:  the employees keep more of the profits than the company keeps)

[R2D221]

Climate change, or Global Warming?

To clear some confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

I don't watch Youtube videos. 

You don't need to. The description includes links to all its references, including NASA and the Nature journal.

[Westin Landon Cox]

What's next, climate change or Holocaust denial?

Ah, that empathy and compassion really bleeds through the screen, doesn't it?

@runpaint: You're right, and thanks for taking up the argument. Unfortunately we're in the minority. One of the big advantages of bitcoin is it helps protect us from people who are too dumb to learn from history what a disaster socialism is.

And if you just read that and thought, "But hey, why is socialism bad?" You could start by counting the dead. It's one metric, and obviously not perfect. But seriously, how many people starved to death or were directly killed during socialist regimes like Stalin or Mao? And those are just of the international socialist variety. You're playing with an ideology that doesn't work, can't work, is anti-individual liberty, and leads to people being suppressed, starved, imprisoned and killed. Over. And over. And over. And over again. And people are still drawn to it.

The only reason millions of Americans haven't starved under Obama is because he's such a failure at implementing his desired policies.

[runpaint]

Climate change, or Global Warming?

To clear some confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

I don't watch Youtube videos. 

You don't need to. The description includes links to all its references, including NASA and the Nature journal.

So the person who uploaded the video is able to give references and even talk about his ideas?  Good thing the video isn't just a link telling you to go somewhere else, or you wouldn't know what to believe.

[Westin Landon Cox]

As for Wal-Mart, I'm sure you don't really want to get into the details of how much the employees get paid and what they contribute to the company.  (Hint:  the employees keep more of the profits than the company keeps)

It would be interesting to get on the record in advance of looking at the data what percentage of the profits by (low level) employees would be their "fair share" according to Beliathon. And then to explicitly look at the data and determine whether or not it's fair.

I have a feeling Beliathon would be right that they wouldn't be getting their "fair share" according to him. Usually socialists define "fair share" as "more than whatever they're getting now."

[runpaint]

What's next, climate change or Holocaust denial?

Ah, that empathy and compassion really bleeds through the screen, doesn't it?

@runpaint: You're right, and thanks for taking up the argument. Unfortunately we're in the minority. One of the big advantages of bitcoin is it helps protect us from people who are too dumb to learn from history what a disaster socialism is.

And if you just read that and thought, "But hey, why is socialism bad?" You could start by counting the dead. It's one metric, and obviously not perfect. But seriously, how many people starved to death or were directly killed during socialist regimes like Stalin or Mao? And those are just of the international socialist variety. You're playing with an ideology that doesn't work, can't work, is anti-individual liberty, and leads to people being suppressed, starved, imprisoned and killed. Over. And over. And over. And over again. And people are still drawn to it.

The only reason millions of Americans haven't starved under Obama is because he's such a failure at implementing his desired policies.

They love power, they love dictators, and they love forcing people to do and say what they're told.  In other words, they hate freedom.  They fantasize about petty revenge against "the rich" or "the Jews" or "Larry from Pizza Hut who fired me for smoking weed on the clock, he's just a hater cause he's old."

One reason for their destructive policies is that well-adjusted people from functional families don't buy into that hatred so easily.  They know that their main demographic is whiny brats whose fathers didn't pay them enough attention, so they use the government's power to leave millions of children fatherless.

But that's mostly beside the point.  The main point is that socialism doesn't work.  

After the fiery explosion of the Hindenburg, people stopped smoking cigarettes while riding on huge hydrogen-filled balloons.  In fact, it kind of put them off the whole idea of hydrogen-filled balloons altogether.  But people can see the fiery explosions of China, North Korea, the USSR, East Germany - and they still want to go for another ride.  It's hard to understand, but some of them are obviously in it for the explosions.

[ebliever]

What's next, climate change or Holocaust denial?

Ah, that empathy and compassion really bleeds through the screen, doesn't it?

@runpaint: You're right, and thanks for taking up the argument. Unfortunately we're in the minority. One of the big advantages of bitcoin is it helps protect us from people who are too dumb to learn from history what a disaster socialism is.

And if you just read that and thought, "But hey, why is socialism bad?" You could start by counting the dead. It's one metric, and obviously not perfect. But seriously, how many people starved to death or were directly killed during socialist regimes like Stalin or Mao? And those are just of the international socialist variety. You're playing with an ideology that doesn't work, can't work, is anti-individual liberty, and leads to people being suppressed, starved, imprisoned and killed. Over. And over. And over. And over again. And people are still drawn to it.

The only reason millions of Americans haven't starved under Obama is because he's such a failure at implementing his desired policies.

They love power, they love dictators, and they love forcing people to do and say what they're told.  In other words, they hate freedom.  They fantasize about petty revenge against "the rich" or "the Jews" or "Larry from Pizza Hut who fired me for smoking weed on the clock, he's just a hater cause he's old."

One reason for their destructive policies is that well-adjusted people from functional families don't buy into that hatred so easily.  They know that their main demographic is whiny brats whose fathers didn't pay them enough attention, so they use the government's power to leave millions of children fatherless.

But that's mostly beside the point.  The main point is that socialism doesn't work.  

After the fiery explosion of the Hindenburg, people stopped smoking cigarettes while riding on huge hydrogen-filled balloons.  In fact, it kind of put them off the whole idea of hydrogen-filled balloons altogether.  But people can see the fiery explosions of China, North Korea, the USSR, East Germany - and they still want to go for another ride.  It's hard to understand, but some of them are obviously in it for the explosions.

Aye. I'm one of those old enough to remember the fall of the Warsaw Pact (heck, I changed my major - was aerospace engineering - when it happened because of the job market impact I foresaw). It absolutely astounds me how quickly a new and mis-educated generation has arisen decrying capitalism and proclaiming socialism/communism all over again. You can tell them they are being stupid. You can explain to them how they are being foolish. But I have a feeling they are just going to have to experience it the hard way, all over again. I just wish they wouldn't take the rest of us with them into the economic toilet bowl.

I just hope the demagogues and economic charlatans teaching these kids in the universities and schools get what is coming to them. In the meantime maybe we ought to be air-dropping Thomas Sowell books into American universities like some of the old efforts behind the Iron Curtain to wake up the brainwashed zombies.

If you really had compassion for the poor, you'd help them yourselves. With your own time, effort and money. Not by raging against some imaginary bad guy and demanding that the "system" be fixed while you do little or nothing to help the poor in practical ways right now. Set yourself a target (mine is 15%, plus vacation time for volunteer work each year, etc.) for charity and then try to exceed it.

[runpaint]

As for Wal-Mart, I'm sure you don't really want to get into the details of how much the employees get paid and what they contribute to the company.  (Hint:  the employees keep more of the profits than the company keeps)

It would be interesting to get on the record in advance of looking at the data what percentage of the profits by (low level) employees would be their "fair share" according to Beliathon. And then to explicitly look at the data and determine whether or not it's fair.

I have a feeling Beliathon would be right that they wouldn't be getting their "fair share" according to him. Usually socialists define "fair share" as "more than whatever they're getting now."

Exactly.  There is no real definition of poverty that applies to American citizens, but there will always be a "bottom 20%" no matter how well-off they are.  

[R2D221]

Climate change, or Global Warming?

To clear some confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

I don't watch Youtube videos. 

You don't need to. The description includes links to all its references, including NASA and the Nature journal.

So the person who uploaded the video is able to give references and even talk about his ideas?  Good thing the video isn't just a link telling you to go somewhere else, or you wouldn't know what to believe.

You don't understand what references are or how they work, do you? A reference is a source that you use as a basis for a derivative work (in this case, a video), but not using content verbatim not just posting the link and calling it a day. It's a process of understanding the topics in the references and then reaching your own conclusions. That's what the guy in the video did. The references are added so that if other people question their point of view, they can at least know where he got it from and why he believes things work the way they do.

[runpaint]

not just posting the link and calling it a day.

To clear some confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

[BitNerd]

Aye. I'm one of those old enough to remember the fall of the Warsaw Pact (heck, I changed my major - was aerospace engineering - when it happened because of the job market impact I foresaw). It absolutely astounds me how quickly a new and mis-educated generation has arisen decrying capitalism and proclaiming socialism/communism all over again. You can tell them they are being stupid. You can explain to them how they are being foolish. But I have a feeling they are just going to have to experience it the hard way, all over again. I just wish they wouldn't take the rest of us with them into the economic toilet bowl.

That's because communism fights a slow cultural war, infiltrating the media, universities, politics, even religion, and very gradually changing the mindset of people without telling it's communism. When you least expect, you are living in a socialist country. That's known as the strategy of Antonio Gramsci, who makes Machiavelli look like an innocent fool.

[Beliathon]

There is no real definition of poverty that applies to American citizens, but there will always be a "bottom 20%" no matter how well-off they are.  

Meanwhile on reality ranch. Phew, good thing I know you won't watch that video. It might have presented information that challenges or even threatens your carefully constructed, ego-defending worldview!

Everyone knows youtube videos are how Satan gets into the loins of children. Anyway, you definitely should NOT watch this video about revolution, or this one about climate change, or this one about god!

Information can be so terrifying, because it makes you think!

[R2D221]

A reference is a source that you use as a basis for a derivative work (in this case, a video), but not using content verbatim not just posting the link and calling it a day.

To clear some confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

Please don't take my words out of context. I'm not making a derivative work.

[runpaint]

There is no real definition of poverty that applies to American citizens, but there will always be a "bottom 20%" no matter how well-off they are.  

Meanwhile on reality ranch. Phew, good thing I know you won't watch that video. It might have presented information that challenges or even threatens your carefully constructed, ego-defending worldview!

Everyone knows youtube videos are how Satan gets into the loins of children. Anyway, you definitely should NOT watch this video about revolution, or this one about climate change, or this one about god!

Information can be so terrifying, because it makes you think!

LOL!  2 Youtube links & an info-meme.  If that's the "information" that makes you think, then why are you using it as a substitute for thinking?  Oh...because you fear thought.  Never mind.

[BitNerd]

There is no real definition of poverty that applies to American citizens, but there will always be a "bottom 20%" no matter how well-off they are.  

Meanwhile on reality ranch. Phew, good thing I know you won't watch that video. It might have presented information that challenges or even threatens your carefully constructed, ego-defending worldview!

Everyone knows youtube videos are how Satan gets into the loins of children. Anyway, you definitely should NOT watch this video about revolution, or this one about climate change, or this one about god!

Information can be so terrifying, because it makes you think!

LOL!  2 links & an info-meme.  If that's the "information" that makes you think, then why are you using it as a substitute for thinking?  Oh...because you fear thought.  Never mind.

+1 for runpaint.

[runpaint]

not just posting the link and calling it a day.

To clear some confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

Please don't take my words out of context. I'm not making a derivative work.

Right, you're not making anything.  You're just posting a Youtube link and calling it a day.

[R2D221]

A reference is a source that you use as a basis for a derivative work (in this case, a video), but not using content verbatim not just posting the link and calling it a day.

To clear some confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

Please don't take my words out of context. I'm not making a derivative work.

Right, you're not making anything.  You're just posting a Youtube link and calling it a day.

With your attitude, there's no way I will be able to call it a day.

[Westin Landon Cox]

"I owe my life to smoking." - Bertrand Russell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80oLTiVW_lc

[runpaint]

"I owe my life to smoking." - Bertrand Russell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80oLTiVW_lc

Surely you meant to say, "Picture of Bertrand Russell with caption, and then Youtube link"

[Velkro]

Bitcoin is so disruptive technology that it can't be stopped. Its just too good simple as that.