Alas, Babylon? (Trees And Things)

pO157: Re: Immigration and our decline

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:19:19 EST

Unskilled labor is not a great suck, it is a great benefit. Cheap labor benefits everyone. Everyone who pays to eat fruits and vegetables are fortunate that they were not picked, processed and shipped by the likes of Einstein or Oppenheimer. Likewise, e

wetkarma: Re: Immigration and our decline

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:22:39 EST

As long as there are better opportunities, there will be immigration, legal and otherwise.
Agreed. Therefore if you remove the opportunity, you remove the demand for immigration. What is so objectionable to this point?

Employment

teaweed: Immigration and our decline

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 14:02:34 EST
I disagree with almost every aspect of your analysis.
Immigration: As long as there are social programs there will be illegal immigrants. Either kill the social programs - thereby reducing the cost of immigrants, or transfer that cost to those who b

pO157: Re: Alas, Babylon?

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 04:51:03 EST
As a libertarian-type I understand the cons associated with REAL ID and any other alternate national id systems -- however you can't get a handle on controlling immigration unless you can create a viable method for employers to check the legal work stat

wetkarma: Re: Alas, Babylon?

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 01:46:21 EST
Are you talking REAL ID there? Otherwise I am 100% behind you.
As a libertarian-type I understand the cons associated with REAL ID and any other alternate national id systems -- however you can't get a handle on controlling immigration unless you

Coelacanth: Re: Alas, Babylon?

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:53:57 EST
Interesting point. Economically, I agree, the "stealth guest worker program" we have now seems to work. But it breeds violent stupidity wherever illegals try to cross the border. If we could come up with a rational set of laws that codify

thefadd: Re: Alas, Babylon?

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:12:12 EST
Immigration is only a problem to the degree that it is being made a political hot button issue. No fix is needed for the current system because there's nothing wrong with it. The services that are provided to immigra

Lou: An urgent phone call from Maine

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:50:47 EST
"Hello, TNT Strike Team? False alarm...I repeat False Alarm. Pull the the Intervention Squad"

pO157: Re: Curious

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:33:57 EST
Ack! Strike that, make it 90 degrees, at least according to the chart attached to the"World's Smallest Politcal Quiz" (pdf). I went from left-leaning liberal to libertarian, and I suppose I do agr

Lou: Curious

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:26:21 EST
which is odd since pre-Bush I used to be as left-liberal as they came.
I must not have read that right...Since Bush you have become a conservative? I'm not being critical, mind you...I just didn't think that was possible.

pO157: Re: Alas, Babylon?

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:02:14 EST
Thank you for the kind words. I am glad somebody enjoys my writeups. :)
Economics: Right -now- our economic situation is "ok"..not great, not terrible. However because of our commitments to certain spending programs (social security/medicare) the fe

pO157: Re: Conundrum

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:44:23 EST
Or this garbage.
I have lost all faith in even the Democrats standing up, growing a pair, and doing jack shit to stop crap like this. And don't even get me started on how far the "s

Coelacanth: Re: Conundrum

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:18:24 EST
If the current crop of people in office were expected to stay longer than ~16 months I would be worried that the above might eventually be true...
I'd like to believe this, and sincerely hope you are right. But do you think the next crop, w

permazorch: Last Mornings of Civilization

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:11:05 EST
With the heat so high out here, 8:45 AM looks pretty apocalyptic at the downtown corner where I work, too. I'm talking a scant three days ago, on 2-for-1 Tuesday (coffee at next-door shop). The caffeine addicts make me a bit nervous-in-the-service.
Mani

wetkarma: Re: Alas, Babylon?

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:42:17 EST
If there are awards given out at end of year for best writeup, I nominate this one.
I think the very fact that such an article is being written is indicative of a problem or rather awareness of the problem.
Economics: Right -now- our economic situat

pO157: Re: BTW

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:57:58 EST
Never read it, just thought of it as a title because I know it is on a myriad of high school and college required reading lists as a famous work of american sci-fi/alternative history literature. Cliff Notes and other online digesting companies apparently

Lou: BTW

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:53:26 EST
Did anyone read the book by the same name? Great book...I just wish I had read it when I was a little older. I was 12 at the time. Not a good thing for a hyper-imaginative drama pri

pO157: Re: Conundrum

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:01:34 EST
Do you think we could have a non-superpower government here which thus turns its designs to internal matters without ending up in a crazy Big Brother style dystopia seen in, say, V for Vendetta or '84? I mean, hell, it's not like there was much fuss raised

Lou: Re: Conundrum

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:50:01 EST
I agree. Hell, I'd be happy as a citizen of a superpower country that could keep the bullshit and military adventures to a minimum.
sigh...testify brother, testify.

pO157: Re: Conundrum

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:49:51 EST
In the meantime, there is possibility (albeit slim) that Islam could get its collective act together. Won't that be a fun time?!
Granted, this is probably overblown...but I still worry about how there are so many powerful people running

pO157: Re: Conundrum

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:48:27 EST
Actually...all things being equal, that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
I agree. Hell, I'd be happy as a citizen of a superpower country that could keep the bullshit and military adventures to a minimum.

Lou: Re: Conundrum

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:42:00 EST
It would likely be something like England is now. A decline to a country that is not the superpower it used to be but a smaller influence on the world stage looking inward more than outward.
Actually...all things being equal, that wouldn't be suc

pO157: Re: Conundrum

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:04:14 EST
Yeah. I mean, things are not going to hell right now. They're just on track to. The country could handle a few... decades? of deficit spending, eroding borders and trade, and military powers before everything goes tits up. And even if it did, we're not tal

Lou: Conundrum

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:29:39 EST
For a few shivery moments I look out at the world today and think, "fuck...maybe this are the endtimes."
But, it only takes a glass or six of scotch for me to remember that it only looks like the endtimes are here because there are too many fundy Armage