Wtf? Ok Who Listed This One....

[Mjlink]

Considering the unemployment rate and state of our infrastructure, we could pull out of the 2 wars we're in to give out of work American's jobs.

I agree with you, but not for your reasons. A lot of Americans now involved in the military would get out of the military with less need for it (I'm not for just getting out of the 2 wars, but removing the bases abroad that do nothing for us but drain our coffers). Initially, this lower size military would mean... less jobs, not more. But, the jobs that the military personnel would move in would be productive jobs, producing consumer goods or supplying services that actually do what consumers want rather than wasting resources on blowing things up or flying around from place to place using ammunition/etc. which we have to pay for and produce.

Outsourcing tends to create more jobs? WTF are you smoking?

You are right to question the reasoning. In truth, outsourcing does a lot of things, and it's an oversimplification to state it creates more jobs. What it does do is rearrange the structures of production in a way that's designed by the business to achieve lower costs. The business uses the saved funds to expand their operations elsewhere, implying in most cases that they do end up employing people in the new areas.

Now if they were over-leveraged (had too much debt burden or not enough sales) then the outsourcing may streamline the business and not result in any jobs at all, it may really be a net loss, but in general most businesses are streamlining production in order to decide how to expand their business into another area.

Regardless of the reasoning outsourcing can be a good thing to do. It's also done "in country" in many cases (you outsource to a business that is also in the US, but is able to achieve your goals cheaper than you can). In a lot of cases it's done to eliminate overpriced union jobs.

Sometimes outsourcing is done poorly as well, when businesses underestimate the costs or disadvantages of going with the new workers. I'd argue Dell's customer service has tanked and it's probably lost money on India more than it ever gained.

Our media sucks, bought and paid for just like the politicians.

Everything is bought and paid for. It's just a question of how. If it were directly under the control of government, that'd be worse in my view. The government exists to use force to attain ends, it is the "military" part of the military-industrial complex. One thing it should never have is the media on it's side. Unfortunately, because many media personalities support welfare policies that can only exist with big government, you get a combination of bad systems. Nevertheless, I think it's still better than a directly state-run media.

One reason for this is if people don't like it, it fails. A lot of the traditional media companies are dying right now, like newspapers, etc. I'd argue the reason for this is people are tired of listening to them.

Just remember that the military industrial complex controls welfare in America and they make a profit on poor people.

Solution: get rid of the welfare system. It's a system of slavery, dependency, and can lead to nothing but bad on the whole. The few cases it actually helps are the exception. It provides disincentive to work and incentive to game the system.

The MEDIA is owned by companies who manufacture weapons. These people now control our elections, our prisons, our banks, the welfare system that you wish to eradicate, and our media. The politicians are simply middlemen with minimal power. I'm not talking about ending our military, I'm talking about the massive amounts of unemployed people in the US and how those people could fix our failing infrastructure so our grandkids won't hate us anymore than they already will.

I'm asking for the truth in what we see, read, and hear. Our media doesn't provide this and it is in its best interest not to regarding business as usual.

Newspapers are dead because of the internet(duh). Tired of listening to them? its the same AP bullshit you get with any other newspaper across the country, or when you turn on your radio, internet, or TV.

Directly state run media, like Kim Jung Il? The only difference between our media and theirs is the fact we know where their lies are coming from.

As far as the bases, they do suck us dry, but you can't sell weaponry abroad without bases to advertise the goods. I know this, I'm a veteran and was in Bosnia in 1996 when bases were leased for 20 years in Hungary as a staging area. We were training Saudi's at Ft. Knox in 1992/93, they bought 2.9$B from us in 2006 in M1A2 battletanks. I also know how Halliburton pays someone $10/week for a 7 day workweek and $80/hr to the US taxpayer. What's your solution for this buddy!? I'm really curious.

As far as back on topic:
WHAT was the final price of this auction?

Peace & Pandora,

Link

EDIT: changed 1998 to 1996 & added M1A2 battletanks

 

[Iorgy77]

EDIT: changed 1998 to 1996 & added M1A2 battletanks

Best edit ever!

 

[bce23w]

Guys, there's no advantage to posturing like this. None of you are going to convince anyone of anything via a portable electronics forum. Just start insulting one another directly so we can finish the thread.

 

[Pickle]

Why is everybody talking of "Taking risks"?
If Pandora would have failed, or will fail(!) OPT makes even more debts and pay us our money back.
So, I can't see the risk.

In theory, so we are told, they would take a huge hit and pay us our money back.

[...lots of good writing...]

Jumpman. Not a hero, and not a douche. He's just this guy...

Indeed. Excellently put. Applause!

Same feelings here, indeed good post. Sums up the effort(s) thats gone into this project with minimum expectation of any benefits in return other than the success of the project itself.

The one thing that I think about when i see this (in hindsight) is that there probably should have a order limit per person, but I suppose that may have been beyond OP's ability to monitor (i.e. have their friends and family order for them)
Personally Id rather see these pandora's go to someone that actually plans to use it rather then see them go to the highest bidder for the profit of someone who doesnt plan to use it in the first place. And 4 units on top of it....
So while i will agree the seller has the right to sell them, is it ethical? I tend to not think so.

 

[Xanas]

The MEDIA is owned by companies who manufacture weapons. These people now control our elections, our prisons, our banks, the welfare system that you wish to eradicate, and our media. The politicians are simply middlemen with minimal power.

Proof of this conspiracy? If the politicians have little power why aren't they saying so? All of them are "in on it" as soon as they are elected? I'm not against conspiracy theories, I'm probably a believer in them if anyone is, but I need more than your posturing and I have to believe on the merits of the argument that people are convinced.

It should be fairly easy to prove with the listings that your first assertion is correct, that the media is owned solely by weapons manufacturers. I don't think that's true, or haven't seen it to be true as yet.

I'm not talking about ending our military, I'm talking about the massive amounts of unemployed people in the US and how those people could fix our failing infrastructure so our grandkids won't hate us anymore than they already will.

Why should they hate you, all the problems aren't that of the politicians you elect but apparently the weapons manufacturers who use the politicians to foist welfare upon us (they have little power themselves apparently, so the weapons manufacturers must be getting something out of the welfare system).

...or when you turn on your radio, internet, or TV.

Hey, I turned to internet here, as in your post. It doesn't seem quite standard, I'm just looking for your information is all.

Directly state run media, like Kim Jung Il? The only difference between our media and theirs is the fact we know where their lies are coming from.

Well apparently you know in both cases, you just need to convince everyone else. I'm waiting for that.

As far as the bases, they do suck us dry, but you can't sell weaponry abroad without bases to advertise the goods. I know this, I'm a veteran and was in Bosnia in 1996 when bases were leased for 20 years in Hungary as a staging area. We were training Saudi's at Ft. Knox in 1992/93, they bought 2.9$B from us in 2006 in M1A2 battletanks. I also know how Halliburton pays someone $10/week for a 7 day workweek and (bills??) $80/hr to the US taxpayer. What's your solution for this buddy!? I'm really curious.

Solution. Limit government, whether it exists because of weapons manufacturers or anyone else. I consider myself a minarchist, so I don't want to eliminate it entirely but I do want to limit it's scope and power to the point that it can't do these sorts of things you are talking about.

If it's the weapons manufacturers who are the behind-the-scenes cause, without the force and huge revenue stream the government provides via taxation/etc. I doubt they would last too long.

 

[mali]

Whatever. If you want to discuss this further do it in Off Topic.

 

[quartercast]

Mali WIN!