StrangeSox

(paywalled)

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 02:07 PM) Interesting... So, I've always wondered this, and I have to ask -- when you were doing this, did you ever say to yourself, "Wow, this is like working 1.5 jobs for the pay of 1?" I know people that make good money (subjective), and for sake of an example, let's say they make 100,000$. Sounds great when they tell people they make 100k, but knowing their schedules, I always say to myself, "Actually, you make 50k, and work two 50k jobs, since you work 80 hours a week". I was being paid hourly at the time (contracting). Things really worked out in my favor when they switched me to salary based on my 60-hours-a-week income and then my typical work week switched over to 45 and has now been right at 40 almost every week for a couple of years.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 02:03 PM) Oh, so he wants Ma Bell back... The ultimate irony is that limited-liability corporations, the foundation of modern capitalism, are entirely a creation of government. They are intangible entities that only exist because legal documents say they exist.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 02:02 PM) This isn't really true anymore...because the second you get dubbed a monopoly, you are shattered into tiny pieces now. Laws changed this view pretty drastically. Duke is arguing for a "perfect world" free of government interference. You know, no more pesky, freedom-killing things like anti-trust laws.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 02:01 PM) Im referring to Balta's use of "their" instead of "our", a freudian slip that really speaks volumes about how statist his philosophy is. Balta was very clearly referring to private corporations in that sentence.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 01:59 PM) There are zero laws requiring you to stay in this country. I'm not aware of any countries with an open borders policy.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 01:58 PM) Except a competing private conpany, in a perfect world without state endorsed oligopolies, will keep them honest by offering identical services at lower prices. Monopolistic control of a market is the goal and end-point for any capitalist firm. Go back to less-regulated times (Gilded Age) to see how much competition there really was.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 01:56 PM) So much for government by and for the people. Im resigned to the fact that were seen as mere subjects by our rulers, Im always surprised though when people are proud of that dynamic. I know Republicans are trying to suppress the vote as much as possible, but I missed when we abandoned democracy. I could have sworn I heard about some big elections at the state and local levels today?

I've definitely put in 70 hour weeks before. When I first started at my current job, I averaged about 55 a week for a year. 60+ hours is draining when its week-after-week-after-week. Mistakes get made, productivity drops, things get missed, etc. When you're dealing with a job that's often monotonous and repetitive like driving a truck can be, it's even easier to lose your focus and concentration.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 01:44 PM) I dont go to jail if I refuse to give a private company my money. Not exactly relevant to your claims here.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 11:09 AM) Right, and the problem is the government isn't supposed to waste money like that, especially when it's also asking for more from the people (well, the middle class anyway). But it does, continually. Plenty of private companies waste money on dumb projects and inefficient operations. Either way, duke continues to believe that some=all.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 11:24 AM) If you're stuck in that much traffic, then one or more of the following things needs to happen: 1) Existing road needs more lanes, 2) New road needs to be built along a different route to diffuse traffic, 3) Area needs better public transit system to clear some of the local traffic off the roads. The answer to sitting in traffic for 2 hours is not to let you work two hours longer. It's almost as if you need to actually do traffic engineering studies to determine these things! Yeah, when I'm on the road for work, I spend more time not-working during those 8-10 hour days, but that's an odd way of framing it. 70 hours in 8 days at a sustained rate is going to lead to a lot of fatigue. Which is exactly why we have these regulations, because we don't want chronically fatigued truck drivers (or pilots, or nuclear reactor operators, or critical security officers, etc.) on the job because it endangers many people.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 11:09 AM) Well for one, I cannot fathom a single road improvement that could shave 2 hours off an 11 hour day. Im not making up 120 miles because the road is in great shape. And two, the HOS regs prevent me from working. 70 hours in 8 days is pathetic, I spend more time sleeping than working. Imagine I-80 as two lines each way going through the Illinois-Indiana border.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 10:57 AM) I'm no expert, but I have to imagine those grades are on a perfect scale. In other words, a C might be totally acceptable and functional, whereas A is pristine. Anyone who lives in Chicago knows the roads are s*** in the winter and probably get an F, but they're still functional for the most part. Duke expressed exasperation about our electrical grid getting a "C," but he really should read up on the problems with it. I'm sure iamshack can provide some comments as well. Maybe he remembers back in 2003 when a huge chunk of the country lost power for days due to a series of electrical grid failures. There's plenty of reports by groups like ASCE and IEEE and news stories that detail the issues with our current grid. The paperwork. Dear god, the paperwork. Forms on top of forms on top of forms.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 10:54 AM) Duke is obviously going way overboard, but in the most general sense he has a point about government overspending on new construction projects that aren't necessary and/or maintenance work that isn't REALLY necessary. The Bridge to Nowhere is a good example. And while it wasn't built, but the "Road to Nowhere" leading up to it was a complete waste of 25-30 million dollars and was only built because if the state didn't spend it, they'd have to give the money back to the Federal Government. The Thompson federal prison is another. Pork projects like that happen everywhere. Yes, pork projects happen. Dumb projects happen. I happen to be working on a sort of dumb one right now! But Duke can't actually identify anything. All he's doing is restating his priors that "government=bad/failure/waste" while also demonstrating that he doesn't actually know even the basic details of infrastructure engineering and maintenance, or what professional organizations like ASCE are and do. He's just repeating his ideology, not making an argument or presenting any sort of evidence.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 5, 2013 -> 10:53 AM) How the hell could our rail network, which is almost twice the size of any other countries', be a D-? Or our electrical grid be a C? The interstate highway system is the envy of the world and its a D. Its ridiculous. Perhaps you should read their report to find out! Or continue to believe that you can assess infrastructure from the seat of a truck.

Add "professional organizations" to the list of things duke has strong opinions but zero knowledge about.

That's that.

That was a pretty weak call

Woo!

Whew

Huge, huge play

Having the poor man's Brandon Marshall in Alshon is great when you also have Brandon Marshall.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 4, 2013 -> 09:49 PM) Football is so much more fun with good receivers. Absolutely!

Beautiful