illegal to buy light bulbs...

[Dunkopf]

Q9 Quote
Trust me, no corporation would be careless with a nuke plant. The public is already suspicious, perhaps a little unjustly, of nuclear power, and there's no way in heck a company would be stupid enough to cut corners on one of those.

I agree with Organics about your reading and level of intelligence. The statement above shows a serious lack of life experience. We just went through the worst ecological disaster that the world has ever experienced.

Why did it happen? Because the clowns that were in office that wrote the regulations were in the pockets of the big oil companies. Those regulations allowed BP to take shortcuts and use an inferior cut off valve not to mention monitoring systems and alarms that were inoperative at the time of the accident. Virtually every accident that occurs in the industrial world is caused by the corporation in charge taking shortcuts. So please don't ask me to trust you about the integrity of any corporation. Were you even born during 3 mile Island or Chernobyl?

As Organic said and I strongly second. Read some material written by other than people that support your viewpoint. You will probably still have close to the same viewpoints as you do now. However it might give you a peek at what other people think before it is run through the strainer and convoluted by people that disagree..

Most Americans support big gov because the Libertarian dream would not work anymore than a strictly liberal or conservative system would work. I agree with a number of items from each school of thought. I also strongly disagree with certain aspects of each school of thought. Without a strong central government we would just be a rag tag collection of separate countries constantly fighting with each other. Our founders lived almost 300 years ago. You can't compare then to now. What applied then doesn't apply now. At least not in all cases. The Constitution is indeed a living document made better in most cases by amendments. That's just my opinion though.

 

[Dunkopf]

Quote Q9
The sick fact is that most of the large companies are run by people in the government, who have no incentive for safety. After all, they have government guns and other people's money at their disposal.

Partly right, just backwards. The sick fact is that most politicians are run by people in large corporations and that those politicians could care less about their constituents. They only care about where the money is going to come from to make lying commercials so they can stay in their position of power.

 

[nonseq]

If we took away the subsidies on food and energy production, those things would be more expensive. Our standard of living would be lower. We would no longer be able to support all those businesses that make luxuries - anything other than food, clothing, shelter. I am torn on whether lowering our standard of living is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand it could be good, b/c we would consume a lot less of the world's resources. We would also be more consumed with survival, and all those folks who dream of complete independence from the community and society could try that little situation out. On the other hand, I like being a member of the middle class and having disposable income. W/o my disposable income, the purveyors of internet services, computers, books, furniture, and school curricula would have one less customer. And if a lot of people were in the same situation, the economy would be sadder than it is.


I'm from PA, and I remember TMI. That reactor is still shut down.

 

[Dunkopf]

I had a very nice paying job working for GE Nuclear Energy Division when TMI came along. We had contracts for 14 reactors at the time. Every single one was canceled. It took 15 years back then from groundbreaking to start up. Can't imagine what it would take now. People don't realize how complex those things are and how dangerous they can be if they lose their coolant. The theory is that the core would be so hot it could melt straight through the core of the earth. I'm sure you remember the movie named after it.

I of course don't see that actually happening. A hydrogen explosion from a ruptured core could be very devastating though. Remember Chernobyl and the way the radioactive cloud drifted a few hundred miles. Scary stuff. I think we will be forced to use Nuclear Energy but it will be very expensive.

I agree about the subsidies. Hate to say it but the evil Monsanto is part of that equation too. As well as the Frankenstein Salmon. There's just too many people in the world to do everything the way most people on this forum like to do it. so if you have the resources then have it your way.

We grow our own poultry for eggs and meaties for meat. The hens that stop laying get a free ride for now. We might get a cow too. I hate what they do at the factory farms but that's the only way to feed millions of people. Right now hay isn't too high priced. Might be worth it if I can keep the kids from making it into a pet. Our next door neighbor has 3 cows that are past the usual slaughter age. I think he has made them into pets. Poor guy. Horses are bad enough but at least they give a return if you train them. What good is a cow besides milk or beef. Makes an expensive dog.

 

[nonseq]

A cow can be trained to harness or saddle. For real.

Of course, I have no idea how to do that.

I don't have any chickens now. I was told chickens were OK in my town of 16,000 people. This proved untrue. My neighbor complained about my chickens (8 hens) after we wouldn't let him move his fence into our yard w/o a surveyors report. Thankfully another person with illegal chickens is supplying me with eggs. I buy my beef from my SIL's mother. And yesterday I brought home four little bunnies, 2 male and 2 female - 3 NZW and 1 rex. By next summer I will have rabbit in the freezer. And hopefully some cute bunnies to sell by Easter. The Rex is gorgeous.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

without subsidies you would have more money. Taxes are took from you to subsidies food for here an other countrys. If that money was still in your pocket you would pay more for food but you wouldent be buying food from farmers for other countrys like you are now. So in reality subsidies cost us more it dont save us any. Same with power.

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Quote:
Yes, one blew in one of our lamps and burned the lamp up! Scary as all get out, we got rid of all of ours after that. And now they're talking about this "dirty electricity" thing and a possible connection to migraines. Just give me the old bulbs I grew up on, please!

 

[nonseq]

http://www.investorguide.com/taxtrackr/

This is the easiest to read. CBO didn't break it down enough. Their methodology does not define "average taxpayer." So I don't know what the average taxpayer earns per year. $88 goes to "Agriculture."

 

[Dunkopf]

Quote:
One thing I have found about the government. If they stop a program you don't see that money in your pocket. They will just spend it somewhere else or they will lower taxes on wealthy people so they can "Create jobs" you know add an extra accountant to keep track of the extra money they are saving. The subsidies do save us money. Cut the subsidies and you'll have a bunch of farmers that won't have anybody that can afford to buy their food. More poor people starving or stealing.Politicians throw around a lot of rhetoric about all the wasted spending when they are running for office. When they get in they are the first to put their hand out. As the saying goes. If their lips are moving they are lying. I don't care who it is either. The only thing that changes is who benefits the most from the excessive spending. One party gives it to the rich, the other gives it to the poor and middle class. Nobody is going to lower your taxes enough to make a difference.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

The math says it dont save you money. It makes a lot of people money but it does not save you any. Saying its good because the money would go elsewhere does not change the fact that we are now paying more for food than we would if we had never started it.

If they had never started it we would now be paying more for food at the store but that presentage would be less than how much we are spending on subsidies. Were saving third world countrys money on food though.

If they were gone then food prices would go up but after a few years with tax rate increases we would end up paying less for food in a few years then we will in those same years if nothing changes.