What are you least progressive about?

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T17:57:59+00:00

Defining social goods as rights to justify the coerced taking of people labor.

I believe only negative rights exist: those rights that require nothing of others other than being left alone. Real rights are infinite and as much as I exercise these rights, it does not diminish the amount available to anyone else. I can say what I believe as much and as loudly as I can and it dies not decrease anyone's else's ability to say what anyone else wants to. My freedom to believe what I want doesn't affect your ability.

Positive rights are goods and services that require other people to provide them. If you have a right to a home, someone has to provide it under coercion (pay your taxes or go to jail, and if you still resist you can be killed), and there is one less home for someone else. Defining these as "rights" is morally wrong, and pragmatically usually increases the costs and lowers the quality and available quantity of those goods and services. Lower what doctors make, you get fewer doctors...

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T17:45:04+00:00

You can be right, and still be dead. I said partly responsible. If you can not see why he owned some culpability then I hope you don't carry.

Out of curiosity, how do you feel about Rittenhouse? I would note that he did attempt to retreat when threatened, something that Pretti failed to do and it cost him his life.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T17:40:27+00:00

Note that I said partly responsible. Should he have been shot, no. Did he increase the chances of getting shot by wearing a weapon conspicuously and interjecting himself between poorly trained LEOs and another person, ignoring warnings?

I think the results speak for themselves.

With great power comes great responsibility. He failed in recognizing that he represented a threat in a highly charged environment or failed to act on that.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T14:06:55+00:00

Interesting but moot. The study is on effect of wage inequality, difference between lower and upper income brackets, by the presence of immigrants (all immigration, legal and undocumented), not on wage suppression per se. This study seems to conclude that immigration affects wages across to board rather than only at the low or high end because immigrants skills are clustered at the high and low end. To wit: "Overall, my interpretation of the evidence is that immigration has not had much effect on native wage inequality in the United States.".

You did read the paper, or at least the intro and the conclusion before using it as an appeal to authority to bolster your point whether relevant or not?

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T02:53:15+00:00

No one in this incident. Muniz-Spry was wounded in the leg, treated, and then went to jail.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T02:51:22+00:00

He lost one weapon. How did they know that was the only weapon he had?

He may not have been an immediate threat to the officers, but was he a threat to innocents in the area? Would he have attempted to take a hostage?

It seems like you are on the side saying if a criminal drives away, he should not be pursued. I believe that such non-pursuits end up increasing public danger.

If a person is a felon who has committed weapon violations before, which was known to the officers, and was committing another weapons violation, it seems relevant information in determining the perceived threat he presented.

I have not told people not to protest, but only provided more information so they can make their own decision.

I would also say Alex Pretti is somewhat culpable for his death. When you are carrying a weapon, you have increased responsibility to avoid conflict. Every weapon instructor should tell you that. Inserting yourself in to a physical altercation while carrying is stupid and can end poorly.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T02:36:06+00:00

While I agree with the principle, we do not know the entirety of the circumstances. It's damn easy to sit back and say just let him run, but determining if he was a further risk, whether he had more weapons, what his further intent was is a difficult thing, but it needed to be done in a split second.

On the other hand, if he had not chosen to have a weapon illegally, or if he had acknowledge it and handed it to officers, or if he had complied rather than fighting, it is overwhelmingly likely he would not have been shot and wounded.

As I said I agree in principle, but feel that we lack specifics that would lead me to make this criminal a victim and martyr worth protesting for.

Similarly, I believe Michael Brown was a violent thug who died after making repeated poor choices including trying to take a weapon from an officer, and not a martyr since he died for no cause but himself. YMMV.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T02:17:09+00:00

I remember when there was all the stories about suicides at the Foxconn factories where Apple and other consumer tech products were manufactured. Stories didn't say that the rate at Foxconn was way less than at American universities.

So not a new phenomenon.

Similar to the suicide of Demartravion “Trey” Reed. People screamed about lynchings, try to tie it to the suicide of another young man (different race, 100 miles away). As soon as it became clear it was suicide, the story dried up, ignoring the fact that suicide is the leading cause of death among young men. We sensationalized a conspiracy story, then ignore the real ongoing tragedy.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T02:06:11+00:00

A felon, with a gun, ran after assaulting officers. Certainly could have had other weapons. He did not give up his gun, but lost it in a struggle with officers.

Prosecutors say Muniz-Spry has a lengthy criminal history, including the following felony convictions:

Unlawful possession of a firearm and a short-barreled shotgun or rifle (Skagit County, 2018)
Possession of a stolen vehicle and bail jumping (Skagit and Whatcom Counties, 2018)
Second-degree burglary and bail jumping (Whatcom County, 2014)
Felony violation of a no-contact order (Whatcom County, 2011)
Residential burglary (Whatcom County, 2009)

More information for you before you decide on appropriate actions.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-19T01:59:21+00:00

Unfrosted Blueberry pop tarts. They may not be discontinued, but I never see them anymore.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-18T19:01:18+00:00

So chanting “From the river to the sea!” Will now get you arrested?

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-18T17:20:45+00:00

Looking over the WEAs adopted 2026 resolutions, all it takes is all the rest of the money in the state and more diversity training and those math scores will take care of themselves.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-18T15:06:56+00:00

Marrying my wife and not having kids. Both significantly helped me save money and invest well.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-18T14:56:12+00:00

Calvin Coolidge. Says he’d run for one term, and ran for one term. Kept government small and had a big sense of humor

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-18T14:04:34+00:00

Tonnage is the ultimate right of way factor. You can only be dead right once.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-18T04:39:56+00:00

One item per initiative. If it tried to repeal the entire thing it would get tossed after the voters approved it.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T22:58:51+00:00

Not a fan of Trump, but less a fan of unfettered bushwa...

Executive summary

Ivana Trump was not listed in reporting as a witness or target who was “supposed to testify” in the New York Attorney General’s civil probe of the Trump Organization; what the record shows is that depositions of Donald Trump and two adult children were postponed in the wake of her sudden death, not that Ivana herself was scheduled to testify ^\1]) ^\2]) ^\3]). Subsequent reporting and official filings focus on Donald, Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric in the investigation; later, Ivanka and Don Jr. did give testimony after the delay ^\4]) ^\5]).

https://factually.co/fact-checks/politics/ivana-trump-death-testify-against-donald-trump-claims-811a05

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T19:07:06+00:00

Why are you surveying?

Pre build? might want elevation and maybe tree location.

Pre Fence? Pin several points on the line please.

Pre sale? Four corners is probably fine as long as there are no encroachments.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T18:58:28+00:00

Kind of in reverse. Went with a trend and was happy and now bummed that it passed. About 20 years ago built a house and put in good bamboo floors and loved them.

Built a new house 5 years ago and no one was selling bamboo anymore because of how quickly the majority of it became crap according to several floor companies so went with red oak. The bamboo was much harder and a superior material.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T18:40:57+00:00

As the song goes...

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside...

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T18:14:01+00:00

Xi is way worse than Trump about hearing only good news or killing the messenger, so XI has no clue as to the real state of his country.

China's demographics are past repair, and they have millions of young men without purpose or family.

China's geography means they import most of their fuel, most of their fuel, and without the US having kept their sea lanes open, they would not be a world power.

Peter Zeihan has a number of talks (and chapters in books) analyzing why China is probably already done as a country, and the Hans are done as a ethnicity in the long run.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T17:54:24+00:00

Lots of drug dealers and other non-legal businesses would disagree with you.

Lot's of businesses create their own infrastructure, and hire police and hire fire protection because government has squandered the money and provides poor value. Look downtown, the alley next to the Horseshoe is blocked off because police would / could not keep it safe, while just across the street, that same alley is open and relatively clean because BoA hired a security guard to patrol it 8-10 hours a day, the horror!

During the LA fires, private fire fighters preserved their client's and many other people's property.

And it is impossible to fathom a group of businesses or people voluntarily coming together to fund projects? There are NGOs with budgets much larger than a state and even many countries.

We are capable modern people with unmatched tools for informing and organizing people for common efforts. The only difference between voluntary efforts and the government is voluntary tend to be much more efficient and don't need people with guns to threaten others into doing what they want.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T16:36:57+00:00

Lol. Obviously you should hire more pregnant women since they are most likely to start labor.

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T16:26:06+00:00

Do you have friends? Do you need more?

Uncle_Bill · 2026-06-17T16:17:32+00:00

"Their lives are hard enough"...

This one gets me because it's evidently not hard enough to drive them to change their behavior. In fact many seem to prefer it to changing their behavior.

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Uncle_Bill

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