qorkfiend: Needlessly Complicated: Xcott: All jokes aside, this guy's argument seems to be that spending money for X will hurt competing business Y.

For example, building the Interstate highway system took business away from rail lines. And winning World War II took business away from sellers of German language audio books.

For that matter, you can say the same for businesses, not just government: Intel developed integrated circuits, and took business away from manufacturers of tubes and SSI components. A polio vaccine hurt manufacturers of crutches and kiddie-sized wheelchairs.

Stossel's logic isn't simply that this happens, but that it's bad. That it's bad to build an interstate highway system or invent an integrated circuit or create a nationwide solar smart grid or vaccinate the population, because it will hurt some existing business sector.

Ironically, this seems to be exactly the mindset he is railing against: that we should choke our economy in order to preserve an existing landscape.

It's as though there are markets for things and companies are free to sell things in those markets. And when markets change, companies are free to change things they sell....If only there were some economic concept that covered this.....

That sounds needlessly complicated.

Ahhh to have a truly free market! That would fix everything....
- freedom to pollute without controls
- freedom to bring back slavery
- freedom to not pay socialist taxes
- freedom for the peasants to revolt and string up the aristocracy

I like getting my snake oiled more than most men but nothing compares to the great taste of

lennavan: skullkrusher: lennavan: skullkrusher: wrong - a complaint which was not proven nor admitted is not evidence.

Hehe yeah. When one side is completely in the right, they tend to settle rather than fight it out anyways. I mean, of all people you would know this, you always just settle rather than continue on with your arguments when you think you're right, no matter how stupid or pedantic! BOOM gutshot.

You're right. Instead of paying no fines and admitting no wrong doing in a settlement they should have spent the time and money in court to pay no fines and admit no wrongdoing. I don't know why you get so angry with me. It is not my fault you are an idiot.

Good point. WalMart may have been really worried about spending time and money in court. They can't really afford a lawyer right now, it would drive them bankrupt or something. BOOM legshot.

yeah, successful companies spend money because they can afford to, not because they have to. Are you trolling yourself now?

Walmart legal counsel: We can settle the case and achieve the same results as we would have if the case proceeded.
Walmart executive: yeah, but we aren't bankrupt! We can afford to litigate!
Walmart legal counsel 1: Didn't you hear me? We can settle, pay no fines and admit no wrong doing and save ourselves the trouble of a court case
Walmart executive: SHUT UP! I went to lennavan Business School for Kids Who Don't Think Good. NO SETTLEMENT!

An article from Townhall?

Friction8r: Stopped in to see whether the Fark Liberal Circle Jerk Clique was in full effect to begin this thread...leaving fulfilled.

I've noticed a lot more of you "hurr durr libs" posters on the politics tab lately. Did a bunch of you guys just start internships/volunteer with the Romney campaign doing social/online media outreach?

Friction8r: Stopped in to see whether the Fark Liberal Circle Jerk Clique was in full effect to begin this thread...leaving fulfilled.

Sorry, the men's room at this airport is THAT way, Mr. Craig. ------------->

Friction8r: Stopped in to see whether the Fark Liberal Circle Jerk Clique was in full effect to begin this thread...leaving fulfilled.

When did you first find yourself fulfilled watching circle jerks?

Anyone who understands economics knows that we don't have a spare planet to move to if we damage the ecosystems and drain the resources on this one beyond short-term recovery.

But, sure, let's keep pretending we can control everything, that Resilient Private Enterprise will mitigate unpriced negative externalities without outside influence, and that the only people who make noise about little things like "water supplies" and "inhabitability" are crypto-communist hipsters who wish to condemn everyone to living in Soviet-style apartment blocks while sipping lattes and worshipping Che Guevara. Yeah. Because it's all about you, John Stossel, fark everyone else; if they were worth worrying about, they'd all be rock-ribbed job c'rators.

/headdesk
//headdesk
///headdesk

Dancin_In_Anson: Aarontology: It's called the Ogallala Aquifer and it provides irrigation water to 30% of America's irrigated farmland. Now, you might think the risk of poisoning a third of America's farmland is worth it for the sake of a Canadian oil company's profits, but I would consider that foolish at best.

Yeah...um....about that.


"The aquifer has problems so lets not worry about farking it up even more. Also Daddy!"

Compelling argument.

MaudlinMutantMollusk: But we're still going to get trickled down to, right?

Hey, we only need five more tax cuts for the hyper-wealthy before it works! Seriously this time!

/[projector.jpg]
//But what else can you expect from Townhall?