For sci-fi, I've had luck with Octavia Butler. The "Parable" books (Parable of the Sower, and Parable of the Talents) are my new favorites, and even got my wife into voraciously reading all of her works.
Unfortunately, I've already become disillusioned. I started off as a bright, young lad who was a poll judge in the 2012 primaries (despite narrowly being cut off from voting in the ensuing presidential election by a month), and continued to vote. This was especially true in local elections as I knew my vote counted for more, and I had a stake in the election, as I'd lived there my whole life. As it stands currently, my parents moved last December to a new ward/district, and I'm not living there most of the time (though it's considered my permanent residence) due to my university being in a different town. As such, I don't give a shit about the Presidential Election, with the candidates being sociopaths, not giving the fuck about the Constitution or foreign policy, or simply unqualified. At the State level, my Federal and State Representative choices all suck, whether it be due to policy positions or a simple lack of responding to constituents. This lack of response is due to my (attempting to) keep in touch with the offices and have my concerns voiced. At the local level I have no clue and frankly don't give a shit as my parents just moved there, I'm rarely ever there, and I don't plan on staying there. Is there a solution to my disillusionment, or am I just fucked for the foreseeable future?
You'd be surprised. I've always found that shit fascinating yet horribly depressing. Start a tag with it, what do you have to lose?I don't think that everyone wants to hear about techno-copyright issues as much as I do all the time.
Here Is a good documentary about this issue that came out a while back called "Stadium Status"
I wholeheartedly agree, and it sucks that more people don't adopt this attitude. My family and I live in Illinois (consistently Democrat due to Chicago), and even they consider voting third party as throwing away their vote, it's frustrating. They even voiced that opinion when I voted Libertarian in the mid-term election solely because I wanted them to overcome the shit the election committee pulls with getting on the ballot.
And they've evaded that by just remaining an oligopoly/cartel. They may not be one singular entity by law/trade, but they damn sure act like one.
Money happened. From the time of the railroad barons, they've been slowly chugging along (pun intended) to get the laws as favorable towards corporations as possible, regardless of what damage it might cause their posterity.And no one can do anything about it. How did that happen?
The guy seems like an idiot, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has that complex where they claim to do more than is true/possible (forget the term, it's named after some guy known for the behaviour).
Does the author have any sources?
It's because it doesn't directly, explicitly affect them. I've linked part of the to protect and infect talk, and one of my facebook "friends" (Ive wanted to quit facebook for a while, but idk of a messenger my friends would bother using) said, and I'm quoting here: "Yeah, I skipped to the last two minutes. I suppose it's probably ignorant to jusy say I dont care, but.. Lol". I used to share police brutality stories with family, but my mother put a stop to that ("why are so cynical"), or she just doesn't read the stories i send her (articles about the LIBOR scandal, or why bank of america--which she uses--is horrid). I tried sending her an article about the latest NSA leaks that were relevant to her, but after a brief description she declined and said it was "too depressing." The only way any of this shit will change will be when it becomes a direct/explicit inconvenience.I feel ya on this one. Being a teenager that actually cares about sociopolitical issues is tremendously frustrating. There's some seriously messed up stuff going on in the world, and none of my peers seem to give a damn.
Totally relevant. Apparently her dad works with a guy that has been doing the research she's taking credit for.
Well, they already do it based upon tips by the NSA (see: parallel construction), so this isn't all that surprising--as unfortunate as that sounds.
Naw, the more fucked up thing is that you can't do anything about it, unless you want to get vanned/killed yourself.
Haven't you heard? The USA has already drone-struck a USA citizen (and son) while they were in a foreign country.It makes me want to go to the ground in Pakistan and form a human shield of Americans.
While I may not enjoy it, but it seems my de facto motto is "fuck it, we'll do it live." This usually happens during group projects (even though I try to communicate as best I can, and keep people accountable, it seems inevitable), but sometimes it seeps out into other facets of my life. It's either that, or "honey badger don't give a shit, honey badger takes what he wants."
While I understand the sentiment, that kind of consent (eh, whatever, I expected it) is bad. Disregarding how the program is in total violation of the 4th amendment, and the NSA's charter document is secret (last time I checked), there is a relevant quote to the situation.
If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.
That was said by Cardinal Richelieu (featured in the Three Musketeers), and I find it quite fitting. There's also a book, Three Felonies a Day that discusses how everybody breaks at least one felony a day. The reason? There's so many different laws it's nigh-impossible for one person to keep track of. It's barring the absurd, in my opinion.
Wonderful... Hopefully it'll be leaked in future document releases from Snowden. Speaking of secret, it reminds me of the fact that the founding charter of the NSA (the document which establishes its legality) is itself secret...
I sense a slight twinge of libertarianism, yes? Ahh, just yanking your chain. I think a step in the right direction would to disband the Federal Reserve entirely. Doesn't it say in the Constitution that only Congress has the right to coin money? Right, here's the relevant excerpt ( Article 1, Section 8 ): "The Congress shall have Power... To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof" How does the Federal Reserve fulfill that when it's a private entity? Isn't that breaking the Constitution?
All humans have potential, and it should be our Right to explore these potentials to their fullest.
Wouldn't that be covered under the "pursuit of happyness" clause in the Constitution?
I hadn't heard about this "MyRA" before this, so thanks for bringing it to my attention. Here are some articles on it: Businessweek, CNN, Forbes, and the Whitehouse Press Release From the White House: "FACT SHEET: Opportunity for All: Securing a Dignified Retirement for All Americans" | Women continue to be less prepared for retirement than men|
Again, wouldn't education be better served before implementing a program? Summary: You should be wary when the government says "we're here to help." Where are their sources; making claims without sources is useless, especially coming from the White house. Businessweek: The myRA Is Good. Don't Stop There Summary: I would say there's just a teensy bit of a big-government slant. CNN: What Americans think about Obama's myRA retirement accounts Summary: Okay article, but who cares what other readers have to say? If I wanted to know, I'd check either the comments section on the website, or on sites such as Reddit, Hubski, or Facebook if I'm truly desperate. Forbes: "myRA Not Needed: You Can Set Up Your Own Retirement Plans Summary: I enjoyed this article. It explains the plan well, and has constructive criticism. The author said it well: From OP: In the end, if things keep going the way they are... I wouldn't say government bonds are as great of an investment as they used to be. What does MyRA achieve that doesn't already exist, or does better than existing options? Why do we need another government program, and how much will this program cost?While Social Security is and must remain a rock-solid.
Debatable, and it didn't help that the money backing it has been pillaged continually. We were on track back when Clinton was POTUS (it was even projected to, if we kept on track, have a huge surplus), but that's clearly not the case anymore. Unless Congress, or the government in general, changes their ways.... I don't see Social Security lasting much longer, unfortunately.fewer than 1 out of 10 workers eligible to contribute to an IRA voluntarily do so
Then maybe it would perhaps be better to include education ("raising awareness") before/whilst this program is being implemented?will propose to establish automatic enrollment in IRAs (or “auto-IRAs”) for employees without access to a workplace savings plan
Ooooo boy, I love it when the government automatically does things for me.proposed to limit contributions to tax-preferred savings accounts once balances are about $3.2 million, large enough to fund a reasonable pension in retirement.
How did they determine that number? Who will determine when that number will change?The population is aging, and on average, Americans haven’t saved enough for their elder years.
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but seriously, education helps; you can't do something you don't know about or how to do.The typical value of 401(k)s and IRAs for workers nearing retirement was about $120,000 in 2010, according to the Federal Reserve.
I'm surprised, they actually cited their source. They're already doing a better job than the White House by doing that simple thing.The president’s newfound reliance on executive orders may be controversial
That's a goddamn understatement.“We are on the cusp of being able to make defined contribution plans work for everyone, but we really have to act differently and think differently, and we really need to get at it in the next five years,”
Then is a government really necessary? The government can force people to do things, but that doesn't mean they'll do it willingly (see: Affordable Care Act)“What’s the downside?” asks Dean Baker, co-director at the Center for Economic & Policy Research
It's a government program.These reforms won’t completely solve the puzzle over how best to ensure retirement income security for all Americans.
Is that really the job of the government?Returns about 2%
Isn't that less than inflation? So the government gets your money (automatically, unless you opt out), and doesn't even cover inflation?"Why would anyone consider giving a broke and bankrupt government any more of your money? That's foolish," said 62-year-old reader Steve Keller.
Smart man.I'm going to be pretty much dependent on Social Security.
Ahh, because isn't that the point of social security? (/s)Riss said they would like the security and slightly higher returns that the government-backed accounts would offer.
The video said the MyRA is investing in government bonds.... can't people just do that themselves?Dave Elwell "(Obama is) making it seem like people can take money and put it in this account and really have something special," he said. "But after inflation, what will that really be worth?"
I enjoy that they put this at the end of the article, leaves the reader to think about it.only 14 percent of businesses employing 100 workers or fewer sponsored some type of savings retirement plan; among employers with one to four workers, only 5 percent offer retirement savings plans.
Surely there exists a better path to fix that than a government program, if that's what Obama is trying to fix/alleviate.workplace retirement savings plans, which is usually the most effective way to save for retirement.
Perhaps that needs to be alleviated, then? If the MyRA is trying to alleviate it, it's not doing a very good job (since it's 2% return, which is shit).savers will benefit from government-backed principal protection, so the account balance will never go down in value
How much will this cost?Savers will earn interest at the same variable interest rate as the federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Government Securities Investment Fund.
Well then, why wasn't that stated (if I missed it, let me know) in the White House release?The Roth IRA Connection. You can currently set up a Roth IRA account with any financial institution. What makes the myRA different?
Good question, the White House release didn't really say.The larger problem is that the retirement system is a sorry, ragged patchwork quilt of plans and programs.
Perhaps fixing this would be better than MyRA, then? While you're at it, fix the tax code too.So rather than dress up yet another retirement account and pretend it’s going to help America’s dismal savings rate, let’s improve upon what we have.
It is a tax on poor people
I thought it was opt-out, though? So the people who don't want it can just opt-out. I mean, this could be an easy way for the government to get free money from people ignorant about retirement. If they're ignorant now, why not take advantage of it to the tune of free money?It is a way to get people to start saving. Yes, the returns aren’t great, but that idea is to get people used to the idea of putting some money from every paycheck aside for the future and eventually, when you hit the $15,000 cap, it starts rolling into a traditional IRA account which has better returns.
Then why not just encourage people to enroll in IRAs with better returns? The government will still have to subsidize peoples' retirements if the MyRA doesn't even cover inflation.but do think there might be more effective ways of helping people save.
Most definitely.
Could you explain why? Do you mean in its current form, or altogether?A death to lobbying