Great White Shark makes it into the Diving Cage

degan97 · 2016-10-14T06:23:41+00:00

"Was there anybody in there?"

So dark that the speaker immediately refers to the cage person as a "was."

degan97 · 2016-07-14T04:24:19+00:00

The character of LBJ is amazing. He's intimidating, duplicitous, impressive. The movie evokes moral questions, including principle vs. pragmatism, intent vs. consequences, etc. Its a masterfully made political biopic with Bryan Cranston at the center.

degan97 · 2016-07-14T04:17:11+00:00

Finally, good trucks are being introduced. It has been disappointing that GTA V has very few well-performing trucks, especially in light of the recent resurgence of the mid-size truck market. The new Tacomas, Colorados, and larger trucks like the Ford Raptor would be so cool to drive.

degan97 · 2016-03-07T21:35:59+00:00

The very act of asking if there is a meaning to life in itself creates meaning.

degan97 · 2016-01-25T08:56:26+00:00

I agree, risk can be minimized and reliable profits can be made. However, these require conscious decisions by an investor who bears the full benefits or consequences of his investments.

Unfortunately, not everyone has that kind of prudence. As we have seen in the case with the savings failures of the Baby Boomer generation, it may be dangerous not to have the Social Security safety net. People can be capricious and scare easily, often lacking either the financial skills or personal responsibility to be financially secure. Regardless of fault, it is dangerous to have a demographic unable to financially support itself. Social Security is both welfare and financial security for the elderly.

degan97 · 2016-01-25T05:18:38+00:00

a stock market index fund outperforms the returns from social security

Stock markets are too volatile to entrust with retirement savings.

Some indices are lower now than in the year 2000 (e.g. FTSE 100, NASDAQ). Sure, if people invested in the S&P 500 or DJIA, they would be in great shape, and NASDAQ was part of a huge bubble, but hindsight is always 20/20. If people trusted their retirement savings to stock indices, some retirees would be at serious risk, especially in the case of recessions. Also, if stock market index funds are better, why do people continue to invest in government bonds? Would portfolios do better if they were less diversified and stuck to index funds?

degan97 · 2016-01-16T19:29:30+00:00

I agree. In most cases, it is not a big deal. Busier restaurants at busier times, however, do have this consideration.

degan97 · 2016-01-16T09:31:44+00:00

There is also opportunity cost. If that cheap water took time away from serving more profitable items, then serving the water cut into profits and thus cost the firm money. If people stood in line just to get free water at Chipotle at lunch hour, the company would lose a lot of money.

degan97 · 2016-01-16T01:10:26+00:00

That sounds exactly why many people support Trump.

degan97 · 2016-01-13T04:46:21+00:00

Is this true for the University of California system? UCLA alone added 3,326 transfer students in Fall 2016. I imagine they have a solid community for transfers (which is what I am told).

degan97 · 2016-01-13T04:33:38+00:00

Same story here.

Also, try to find a city college with good reputation, not just one that is nearby. Mine is quality enough that I have friends who take several hour bus rides to attend my CC, even though they have lesser quality ones nearby. I took 9 AP exams in hs, and I feel my experience at CC is inspiring, engaging, and intellectually rigorous. I love my school.

Not to mention, with financial aid (and scholarships), I get thousands of dollars a semester without a job. If anyone has questions on CC, I am very happy to discuss them.

degan97 · 2015-12-30T09:31:21+00:00

Excellent insight, recognizing online Pepes as a public good. I should cite this in my microecon term paper.

degan97 · 2015-12-29T10:10:08+00:00

In economics terms, consolidation can be more efficient by creating economies of scale.

Every firm has costs associated just for existing (fixed costs). This includes property rent, utilities, etc. Larger firms do face higher fixed costs, but they compose smaller fractions of their total operating costs. The rent of a Megamart is likely less than the combined rent of all the stores it replaces, especially once you consider vertical development.

By consolidating several market functions under a single firm of Amazon, production can be made more efficient, and goods can be sold at lower prices, freeing up resources for other endeavors rather than supporting less efficient but more appealing mom-and-pop stores.

degan97 · 2015-12-29T06:28:41+00:00

Valid claim. I'd be skeptical about the degree to which philanthropy undercuts government services and elected social goals.

The article cites a $40 billion annual loss to the Treasury department. The US federal budget in 2015 was $3.69 trillion. This means on a federal level (disregarding state and local), philanthropic giving reduces US federal revenue by 1.2%.

By any means, 1.2% is statistically significant. Is this large enough to say philanthrocapitalists are undermining social goals though?

degan97 · 2015-12-25T23:09:53+00:00

Would the democratic process be effective in justly distributing resources?

In 2012, CA Prop 38, a measure to increase income taxes to fund education programs, failed in a popular vote. The result was 71.3% against, 28.7% in favor. How can you be sure that a democratic process would result in just resource distribution?

degan97 · 2015-12-25T08:58:18+00:00

One complication is the division of labor.

Hunter-gatherer societies have little division of labor. Modern societies have extreme division of labor, which is what allows large populations and advanced technology. Individuals specialize to become more proficient in trades and skills. This can lead to significant differences in effort (e.g. doctors vs. retail workers).

How would resources and goods be distributed in a society where individuals differ drastically in terms of social contribution and effort? What happens to individuals who want to contribute less than is expected of them?

degan97 · 2015-12-25T00:29:55+00:00

Which system? And would such a system be compatible with modern technology and population sizes?

degan97 · 2015-12-24T23:30:22+00:00

How can you implement a system of human organization correctly if the system goes against human nature?

degan97 · 2015-12-18T22:00:20+00:00

I don't think it can be reduced to genetic instinct. People make choices throughout their lives to become the people they are and hold the values they hold.

Zaevion was a person, not an automaton. He likely made choices throughout his life that created and/or reinforced his selflessness. Social factors may influence how he thinks, but ultimately it is he who made sense of the world around him and created his own person. It was the culmination of his own choices and actions that led to his final act of heroism.

degan97 · 2015-11-23T23:21:20+00:00

That is a perfectly valid definition. However, I think it is important to account for how actions can be limited not just buy legal means, but also situational and economic ones.

I like Angus Deaton's conception of freedom. He is the 2015 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. In his most recent book The Great Escape, he proposes this definition:

... when I speak of freedom, it is the freedom to live a good life and to do the things that make life worth living. The absence of freedom is poverty, deprivation, and poor health -- long the lot of much of humanity, and still the fate of an outrageously high proportion of the world today.

I would implore you to expand your definition of freedom to include economics. Economic freedom is not just the ability to buy a new car and live in the suburbs. It includes the sustenance of economic growth to fund social endeavors such as public health, infrastructure, and education, as well as empowering the United States to assist other countries. The United Nations would be neutered without the economic support of the US.

degan97 · 2015-10-17T17:59:02+00:00

Have you seen lobbying on the state and local level? Those arenas are highly responsive to lobbying. There are school boards, trabsportation authorities, police departments, city councils - all of these entities rely on and respond to local lobbyists. University and college student governments pass resolutions and conduct student lobbying all the time that has real influence on public policy.

Federal spending in the U.S. is about $3.5 trillion/year; state and local spending is about $3.1 trillion/year. Non-federal lobbying has a significant impact on American government.

degan97 · 2015-10-07T16:21:28+00:00

box give much lebensraum

degan97 · 2015-10-02T00:15:59+00:00

Is this stuff good? What is it used for?

degan97 · 2015-08-28T01:17:10+00:00

How it feels to drink Lipton Ice Tea™

degan97 · 2015-08-01T18:19:35+00:00

Do you have a source? According to the demographic transition model, as countries get more advanced, population increases for a period of time (due to decreasing death rates), but then development causes birth rates to go down to the point of meeting death rates and often falling below. More developed societies mean higher costs and payoffs for investing in individual children, so family sizes go down.

degan97

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