OT: 'Off topic' thoughts

[rumman]

So then what in your opinion is a good source for news. politics, and world events?

Plenty if independant news to be found far away from the main stream media who serve their owners and not the public, and you know who owns said media………

 

[TheGreenTBer]

So then what in your opinion is a good source for news. politics, and world events?

I can't speak to Canada but in the States literally all major news media is cancerous. Each and every single one of them.

 

[Evilhomer]

Indeed, I’m 63 and most people my age or older that I know who don’t actively follow politics ate CBC/CNN watchers, hard to form a unbiased opinion when thise are your sole sources of information imo…….

You and I are basically in the same age group but for a few years. I don't worry about this country for me, but I sure do worry about what it being left behind for my kids. It's not a mistake that I have told them they all have to go to university outside of Canada.

 

[Evilhomer]

So then what in your opinion is a good source for news. politics, and world events?

I'm not convinced that the concept of "independent" media or news exists today. Everything has a bias - it's just a question of which way that bias leans. Any major news group is generally going to be left-leaning, some more than others. Conversely, if you only get your news from X, you are likely doing so while wearing a tinfoil hat. The reality is always somewhere between those two extremes.

I am admittedly more centrist, and while I lean left on many social issues (i.e., I don't care who you marry or who you love so long as it is consensual), there are other social issues that drive me crazy (I don't care which gender you want to choose, but if you were born with a penis you don't get to play women's sports). Fiscally, I am as far right as right gets. If I had my way, I would hand over every government function other than the military to the private sector and let capitalism sort things out.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Fiscally, I am as far right as right gets. If I had my way, I would hand over every government function other than the military to the private sector and let capitalism sort things out.

The role of the government is to serve the people, thinking that's something capitalism is capable of doing is just wrong.

 

[keonsbitterness]

If I had my way, I would hand over every government function other than the military to the private sector and let capitalism sort things out.

I have no interest in that under modern corporate ownership, which is as anti-Adam Smith capitalism as it gets outside of authouritarian regimes.

 

[Evilhomer]

The role of the government is to serve the people, thinking that's something capitalism is capable of doing is just wrong.

The idea that the government's function is to "serve the people" assumes that the government is not run by...people. Ultimately, a governing party makes decisions for the purpose of perpetuating the existence and power of the governing party. In that regard, it is no different from the private sector. The difference is that the private sector does it far more efficiently and with a much higher tolerance of failure, because greater gains can only be achieved in tandem with the risk of significant failure. By its nature, a governing party has to be far more risk adverse than the private sector could ever be. That isn't a good thing from my perspective.

 

[Gary Nylund]

The idea that the government's function is to "serve the people" assumes that the government is not run by...people. Ultimately, a governing party makes decisions for the purpose of perpetuating the existence and power of the governing party. In that regard, it is no different from the private sector. The difference is that the private sector does it far more efficiently and with a much higher tolerance of failure, because greater gains can only be achieved in tandem with the risk of significant failure. By its nature, a governing party has to be far more risk adverse than the private sector could ever be. That isn't a good thing from my perspective.

Some of this I disagree with, some of this I don't understand at all so I guess we can just leave it at that.

 

[Gary Nylund]

If I bought 1m worth of gold and buried it in a safe place for 50 years. I am confident I would come back and have about 1m worth of purchasing power or more Vs a 1m dollar sack of cash which would probably be mouldy and not in circulation anymore (worthless)

Maybe so but if you'd bought gold instead of mutual funds 50 years ago, that wouldn't have worked out so well. But my point was that while gold has some intrinsic value, most of it's value comes from being a store of wealth and in that sense it's similar to fiat money. Not identical, but similar.

 

[Evilhomer]

Maybe so but if you'd bought gold instead of mutual funds 50 years ago, that wouldn't have worked out so well. But my point was that while gold has some intrinsic value, most of it's value comes from being a store of wealth and in that sense it's similar to fiat money. Not identical, but similar.

Gold is really just an inflation hedge at this point, which is why the Bitcoin reference always pops up in the discussion. Both are equally impractical in terms of using them to actually buy things or transact commercial business, but they don't degrade because of inflation the way currency does.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Maybe so but if you'd bought gold instead of mutual funds 50 years ago, that wouldn't have worked out so well. But my point was that while gold has some intrinsic value, most of it's value comes from being a store of wealth and in that sense it's similar to fiat money. Not identical, but similar.

Gold is a hedge against inflation.

Inflation is a devaluing of a currency. Consumer products, including precious metals, go up as a result. When inflation is expected to be high gold, as a natural resource, will naturally gain value as well.

As a precious metal it tends to hold it's value more than other commodities which are subjected to greater volatility in supply/demand depending on the stage of the economic cycle.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Gold is a hedge against inflation.

Inflation is a devaluing of a currency. Consumer products, including precious metals, go up as a result. When inflation is expected to be high gold, as a natural resource, will naturally gain value as well.

As a precious metal it tends to hold it's value more than other commodities which are subjected to greater volatility in supply/demand depending on the stage of the economic cycle.

All that is true, but doesn't change what I said - while gold has some intrinsic value, most of it's value comes from being a store of wealth and in that sense it's similar to fiat money. Not identical, but similar.

 

[Confucius]

I'm not convinced that the concept of "independent" media or news exists today. Everything has a bias - it's just a question of which way that bias leans. Any major news group is generally going to be left-leaning, some more than others. Conversely, if you only get your news from X, you are likely doing so while wearing a tinfoil hat. The reality is always somewhere between those two extremes.

I am admittedly more centrist, and while I lean left on many social issues (i.e., I don't care who you marry or who you love so long as it is consensual), there are other social issues that drive me crazy (I don't care which gender you want to choose, but if you were born with a penis you don't get to play women's sports). Fiscally, I am as far right as right gets. If I had my way, I would hand over every government function other than the military to the private sector and let capitalism sort things out.

Capitalism would eventually lead to one winner, maybe a few winners but by and large the population would be losers and have nothing. There would be riots in the streets and society would fall apart. Even a supposed capitalist society has to throw “the losers a bone”.

 

[Evilhomer]

Capitalism would eventually lead to one winner, maybe a few winners but by and large the population would be losers and have nothing. There would be riots in the streets and society would fall apart. Even a supposed capitalist society has to throw “the losers a bone”.

I'm not saying abolish government in its entirety. I'm saying move some of the functions of government to the private sector, even the "cherished" ones like education and healthcare.

 

[rumman]

You and I are basically in the same age group but for a few years. I don't worry about this country for me, but I sure do worry about what it being left behind for my kids. It's not a mistake that I have told them they all have to go to university outside of Canada.

Sadly Universities are where today’s students get brainwashed, can’t tell you the changes I see in nieces and nephews after graduation, that doesn’t happen to the ones who go into the trades and learn at trade schools……..

 

[Confucius]

I'm not saying abolish government in its entirety. I'm saying move some of the functions of government to the private sector, even the "cherished" ones like education and healthcare.

Oh I thought you stated move everything but the military to capitalism. Every society needs socialism.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

I'm not saying abolish government in its entirety. I'm saying move some of the functions of government to the private sector, even the "cherished" ones like education and healthcare.

Isn't that what the States did with their healthcare?

f*** that... I'll take my free socialist healthcare over whatever the hell mess they got down there any day.

 

[rumman]

You and I are basically in the same age group but for a few years. I don't worry about this country for me, but I sure do worry about what it being left behind for my kids. It's not a mistake that I have told them they all have to go to university outside of Canada.

Sadly the next generation has already been conditioned to believe their is no future for them whether it’s environmentally, fiscally, or where they’re going to live. The Blue Wave amongst these younger citizens is encouraging, perhaps they can right the ship going forward……..

 

[Confucius]

Sadly Universities are where today’s students get brainwashed, can’t tell you the changes I see in nieces and nephews after graduation, that doesn’t happen to the ones who go into the trades and learn at trade schools……..

Universities are where we separate the 1 percent from the mere intelligent. We find the people there that have demonstrated the ability to learn and build on past knowledge. How else do we find people capable of being Dr’s , scientists engineers etc. ?

 

[rumman]

Isn't that what the States did with their healthcare?

f*** that... I'll take my free socialist healthcare over whatever the hell mess they got down there any day.

Your socialist healthcare has been in decline for decades, I see nothing changing that direction anytime soon, Tommy Douglas is no doubt rolling in his grave………

 

[rumman]

Universities are where we separate the 1 percent from the mere intelligent. We find the people there that have demonstrated the ability to learn and build on past knowledge. How else do we find people capable of being Dr’s , scientists engineers etc. ?

Don’t confuse education and intelligence, they’re two different things. I know several people with master degrees that are far from smart and know plenty of high school dropouts that are among the smartest people I’ve known……….

 

[Confucius]

Don’t confuse education and intelligence, they’re two different things. I know several people with master degrees that are far from smart and know plenty of high school dropouts that are among the smartest people I’ve known……….

Ofcourse there are dropouts who are very intelligent and realize it’s not for them they dont want what a university is offering. Universities search out the brightest of the bright that want to become, Dr.s, engineers, architects…. Most university students would indeed have been better off learning a trade. However society still needs that system to find the most qualified people willing to learn.

 

[rumman]

Ofcourse there are dropouts who are very intelligent and realize it’s not for them they dont want what a university is offering. Universities search out the brightest of the bright that want to become, Dr.s, engineers, architects…. Most university students would indeed have been better off learning a trade. However society still needs that system to find the most qualified people willing to learn.

I’d argue that Universities don’t seek out the best of the best nowadays, they have instilled equality parameters that in fact do exactly the opposite……..

 

[Gary Nylund]

Sadly the next generation has already been conditioned to believe their is no future for them whether it’s environmentally, fiscally, or where they’re going to live. The Blue Wave amongst these younger citizens is encouraging, perhaps they can right the ship going forward……..

environmentally - they have a point, in this regard the future looks bleak

fiscally - the inequality gap is at record levels and still widening with no end in sight

where they’re going to live - compare the relative cost of housing to what it was 50 years ago, nuff said

So I would say "not conditioned to believe", more like awareness of facts.

 

[rumman]

environmentally - they have a point, in this regard the future looks bleak

fiscally - the inequality gap is at record levels and still widening with no end in sight

where they’re going to live - compare the relative cost of housing to what it was 50 years ago, nuff said

So I would say "not conditioned to believe", more like awareness of facts.

If the climate was in crisis people like the Obamas wouldn’t be buying ocean front estates. If you believed Al Gore, New York and England would have been underwater a decade ago. Plenty of experts on the environment have called out this being grossly overblown, I’ll listen to them, not the bought and paid for alarmists or a Swedish adolence with a nasty attitude.

As for the equity issue I don’t know about you but when I was young I didn’t have anything because I hadn’t worked long enough to amass any wealth, that came from decades of hard work.

And last but not least the housing crisis was created by allowing the rate of immigration to exceed the amount of housing which was the currrent administration doing.

Tough times don’t last, tough prople do and imo it’s your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude. Work hard and you’ll reap what you sow……..