Blowing up a house, to get rid of an infestation of cockroaches is not a real solution to the problem. Too many people on this planet don't seem to understand why it's such a bad thing. That's probably why there are more problems getting created than there are getting solved.
Read more...Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Countries should be forced to always live by their own rules. They should not be allowed to do to someone else's civilians what they cannot do to their own.
Any technique that a country uses to get its way, should be one that is used equally internally and externally. All they need to to comply with this, is to be honest and document what they've done, and what they are planning to do. Just paperwork, how hard can that be?
Mankind iterates its knowledge. Somewhere, in some dark and dank corner of the web sits the answers to most of our problems. It's just that with all the noise out there, it's unlikely that we'll be able to recognize them in time.
Read more...Monday, February 23, 2009
The world is over-populated. Nearly 6.5 billion is a staggering number of people. Why then are we focusing on curing cancer or saving starving children from dying in regions of the world that clearly can't support them. What we really need is not more old or young, it's a model for how we could possibly live a sustainable life-style. Until we understand how to manage our limited resources, our hubris will just keep making monkeys out of us. A space-ship might help too.
Read more...Monday, February 16, 2009
Competitism -- a form of government based around the idea that competition is good. In general, the goal is to promote competition wherever possible, and intervene when it has become unbalanced for some reason.
In all circumstances, those who are winning bear the greater share of the burden. That is, if you are rich you pay more taxes, if you are better known you carry more public duties. That levels the playing field somewhat, as those trying to pull away from the rest, must go way beyond their abilities. The opposite is also true, if you are poor, you pay no tax, you get lots of help. The systems seeks to keep the gaming going as long as possible, and to balance it as needed.
In any case where competition is no long viable, whether because there are not enough players or collusion has occurred, the government must step in to regulate the circumstance. They must in some way restore competition, at least to the remaining players.
And finally, "caveat emptor" is no longer valid. The buyers are not on the hook to be smart, as cheating them is a way of cheating the game itself. Anyone finding a way around the rules by abusing their customers for example, must carry an extra weight as a consequence. Competition to be valuable has to be fair and honest competition, otherwise it degenerates into something ugly (a principle we hold to in forums like the Olympics).
We need people to accept that there is no "personal" god. That is, one that you can call upon to fix the things in your life, or one that routinely enters into conversations with lots of people.
The problem is that it is too easy for people to claim conversations and divine guidance. The sick or untruthful benefit from this. In that way, they can direct others to do things that are inappropriate. They can claim an authority above and beyond their own; one that they do not have.
Often people just need a reason, so it best not to make it easier for them to get one.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Laws should not restrict us from doing things, unless other people are impacted. People should be allowed the maximum freedom; a government should never play the role of parent. If it's bad for you, it's your problem.
In those cases where society really wants to stop some behavior because it is expense or unpopular, they need only restrict half of the transaction. For instance, it might be illegal to sell weed, but there shouldn't be a law restricting someone from smoking it.
People shouldn't be forced to wear a helmet on a bicycle, but parents can be held responsible for making sure their children do (since it effects their child, who is not able to make their own rational choice). Easy eh?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
We need something better than capitalism. While the competition aspect may work wonders, the system degenerates into a lot of slimy people producing a lot of crap. And the worst part is that it's not sustainable in any way. We need something similar, but where the winners can't pull quite as far ahead of the others, as they do now.
A nicer life, sure. More stuff, OK. Hundreds of people ripped off and pissed, no thanks.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Frequent-customer plans should be regulated. If you're going to jack up the price to cover some optional annoying plan that is based around everybody carrying yet another stupid card in their wallet, the least you can do is not be allowed to just arbitrarily enforce some expiry date.
Many people think these things are just 'free gifts', but in reality we pay for them, is it just another excuse to raise the underlying prices. It's easy money.
If they're allowed to 'tax' me to reward frequent customers, at very least I expect them to honor their commitments for as long the customers are willing to continue engaging with the company. Yes, it's expensive to maintain these stupid schemes for years and years, so hopefully it convinces a lot of businesses to stop with these crappy programs, since they are just alternatives to actually providing value at a fair price.
Justice should be swift and decisive. If there is no evidence, or it's circumstantial, the waiting just compounds the problems. If there is evidence, then waiting is a waste. Either way, the accused has a right to get the proceedings over with 'as fast as possible'.
Trial by jury should only be applicable when there is some underlying possibility of doubt. If you have enough solid witnesses, footage, or other irrefutable evidence, the proceedings should go straight to a resolution. People are innocent until proven guilty, sure, but they are proven guilty not always in a court, but when the evidence itself leaves no possibility of reasonable doubt. Give the system a fast-track, and it will improve. Save the long-drawn out proceedings for the really difficult cases.
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