tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post2168385163729959337..comments2023-10-30T06:31:05.501-07:00Comments on MilPub: Future Guiding Principles for US Policy???FDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-45972769563577000662016-12-13T13:58:30.399-08:002016-12-13T13:58:30.399-08:00Regardless of any moral concern, banning insurance...Regardless of any moral concern, banning insurance coverage would not pass the courts here. The only way to pin the tail on the donkey in this case is to make it a felony. But as FDChief has said so eloquently elsewhere in this comment thread, there no way the right wing is going to start jailing a CEO. But they would have no such compunction about jailing low level IT employees who carry out that CEO's cost-cutting policy.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-52775317852034491602016-12-13T13:56:09.420-08:002016-12-13T13:56:09.420-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-31970949740348409012016-12-13T09:38:29.863-08:002016-12-13T09:38:29.863-08:00No, stockholders usually give up their right to su...No, stockholders usually give up their right to sue the CEO every year on the main assembly. The CEOs get away if only they hide (for a while) what they did.<br />Stockholders could at most fire the CEO, but by that time he or she is filthy rich and will stay so. Nothing like a lifetime liability.<br /><br />To allow insurances on management misbehaviour means to externalise the costs of it. An insurance in this field has terrible moral hazard issues, including moral hazard at selection of top management.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-21755127453877388632016-12-13T07:55:05.500-08:002016-12-13T07:55:05.500-08:00Sigh. Yep, I hear ya. Frustrating as hell...Sigh. Yep, I hear ya. Frustrating as hell...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-57020374904589140312016-12-12T22:42:14.402-08:002016-12-12T22:42:14.402-08:00FDChief -
Good luck with that weaning job. That ...FDChief -<br /><br />Good luck with that weaning job. That tarbaby is going to be latched on to our national nipple for decades or more.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-49569072532417086172016-12-12T22:31:44.301-08:002016-12-12T22:31:44.301-08:00I like your incentivisation and liability themes. ...I like your incentivisation and liability themes. Not sure you could enforce 'personal laibility' and ban insurance coverage in the courts here. Why ban insurance? The Actuarials would have experts to assess risk and ensure the company pays through the nose appropriately. Stockholders would crucify any CEO that caused them financial loss.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-87186920976334410322016-12-12T22:13:41.785-08:002016-12-12T22:13:41.785-08:00Sven -
The fact is that the Euros wanted Qaddafi ...Sven -<br /><br />The fact is that the Euros wanted Qaddafi out. We were fools to go along with it.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-83703180459978261552016-12-12T22:08:46.975-08:002016-12-12T22:08:46.975-08:00Hey Eddie! You are right on. They bribe us with ...Hey Eddie! You are right on. They bribe us with our own money. Everybody knows that is going on, so why are we so stupid to let it happen? We need term limits for them congress critters. Orrrr, maybe bribe limits, once they reach the threshhold they are forced to retire to K street. <br /><br />PS - Did you ever tap into to a B-day Ball or get together. I scored some Jarhead Red wine at my gathering.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-65306000499586732852016-12-12T22:08:03.772-08:002016-12-12T22:08:03.772-08:00Gini coefficients
USA: 40.8
Mozambique 45.7
Mexico...Gini coefficients<br />USA: 40.8<br />Mozambique 45.7<br />Mexico 48.2<br />South Africa 63.1<br /><br />It's not so much that Mexico is extraordinarily unfair, but rather South Africa. Yet immigrants could expect little but being lower class in either pairing.<br /><br />Long story short; the U.S. isn't unique in its problem of facing unwanted immigration from poorer countries, and given that many of them arrive legally it's not even about borders.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-70748433057997477392016-12-12T17:46:13.281-08:002016-12-12T17:46:13.281-08:00Mike, the USA is a vassal to both Israel and the G...Mike, the USA is a vassal to both Israel and the Gulfies, this negates the term alliance. As for the former, there is no reciprocity in a military sense, unless you suggest that reciprocity means we give (more and more), and they receive, this a country that did not suffer any downturns in their economy in the 2008-2009 recession/depression. The Izzies, however, give some of the given funds to bribe US decision makers.....now that is a real alliance. As they used to say in the Ancient Regime of the green Frog Force ..... They got street signs named after them, ONE WAY. Fasteddiezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10431990022248470187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-34578829544329130012016-12-12T16:03:55.049-08:002016-12-12T16:03:55.049-08:00I don't think I'll cross-post. I will put...I don't think I'll cross-post. I will put up a link to it here, tho, in case anyone's interested.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-60255947918153412392016-12-12T15:58:23.954-08:002016-12-12T15:58:23.954-08:00The problem with Mexico is that you're taking ...The problem with Mexico is that you're taking the "per capita" GDP and assuming that the distribution of that wealth is similar to a developed nation. But Mexico shares the problem of many developING nations in that its' wealth is extremely poorly distributed.<br /><br />The other problem with comparing Mexico and Serbia is that Mexico shares a border with the much-wealthier US that already has a significant Spanish-speaking population that makes integrating into the wealthier nation much, much simpler than a refugee Serb could - assuming that he or she could make it through Hungary into Austria or through Croatia and Slovenia into Italy - domicile in Italy or Austria. Not saying that the Serb couldn't do it, but unless the Serbian refugee minority in Milan or Vienna is fairly substantial already I don't see how it's as relatively possible as going from Chiapas to Los Angeles... FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-16588451221853123512016-12-12T15:51:32.619-08:002016-12-12T15:51:32.619-08:00If you go read the post I linked to you'll see...If you go read the post I linked to you'll see what I advocate is a significant change in our policies to our southern-tier neighbors. One change that would be greatly in our national interest would be an increase in wealth and a decrease in inequality in those neighbors. Things like putting the kibosh on the damn Drug War would help. Reducing the number of goddamn weapons here (that will inevitably end up there) would help.<br /><br />Working with the peoples of Guatemala and Mexico and El Salvador to increase things like unionization and wages and reducing corruption would help.<br /><br />The bottom line is that so long as the U.S. is wealthy and stable and (relatively) safe and Latin America is poor and fractious and dangerous the U.S. and Latin America will have problems with mass migration.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-61336932198263764722016-12-12T15:46:53.899-08:002016-12-12T15:46:53.899-08:00I understand where you're coming from, but &qu...I understand where you're coming from, but "We believe something idiotic" is not really a good reason to keep believing something idiotic. I don't know how, but the U.S. public has GOT to be weaned off the terrorism tit. "Terrorism" in places that are not vital to U.S. interests just isn't a U.S. problem nor should it be, anymore than things like dictatorships or genocide "have to be" U.S. problems. That's brutally cold-blooded, but that's geopolitics; nations don't have "friends" or "enemies", they have interests, and they need to clearly define those interests and then act in ways that support them.<br /><br />Getting our panties in a knot every time Pam Fucking Gellar shrieks <i>"Islamic terrorism!!!!"</i> is a fucking stupid way to make national policy.<br /><br />Largely because the bottom line on "terrorism" is that "acting vigorously" is often extremely counterproductive to actually doing valuable work to suppress the sort of political pressures that produce terrorist-type violence. If we haven't learned this over the past 15 years - that "more rubble" often equals MORE trouble - then we need to start, and fast. "Terrorism" is usually rooted in social, political, economic, or racial problems (and combined with good old fashioned rapacity and criminality). You can't smash those with drones, or tanks, or by funding crudely brutal local secret police. You need tremendously good local intelligence, often if not exclusively HUMINT (which our intelligence agencies typically have not been good at...), outstanding analyses, also informed by deep, thoughtful understanding of local conditions, and then a well-disciplined, tightly-controlled use of force biologically interconnected with social, economic, and political maneuvers to take down a offshore "terror" organization.<br /><br />The chances of the U.S. doing that are about the same as my being elected Dragon King of Bhutan. So the BEST option is to get over this goddamn terrorist obsession ASAP and get back to doing geopolitics like a sensible Great Power.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-76735627895140952502016-12-12T15:45:31.306-08:002016-12-12T15:45:31.306-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-73739449298904743172016-12-12T10:38:03.112-08:002016-12-12T10:38:03.112-08:00Sven -
I hope to soon read that past post of your...Sven -<br /><br />I hope to soon read that past post of yours you mentioned.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-60023281023763917212016-12-12T10:35:43.576-08:002016-12-12T10:35:43.576-08:00FDChief -
I just noticed your Santa Clara & ...FDChief - <br /><br />I just noticed your Santa Clara & Yaguajay post at GFT. I was hoping you would post that here also. Didn't mean to step on you. When I posted this Saturday you still had an old post up over there. Haven't had a chance to read it yet. Tonight maybe. Again, I hope you will cross-post it.<br /><br />re your remark on terrorism: True, but the word is now embedded in America's psyche. Any attempt to ignore the word itself invites the wrath of the Harpies. Perhaps my point #7 would be better stated as <i>"Act vigorously to stop terrorist attacks on our country and Americans abroad."</i><br /><br />re border security: I have no beef against immigration from El Sur. I have a great grandson whose ancestors came from there. In my point #10 I deliberately used the word 'maintain' in the sense of 'continue with what we are doing now'. I am not advocating anything draconian. On the other hand, I do not believe we (or any other country) should have completely open borders.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-38382043956829358922016-12-12T10:26:39.560-08:002016-12-12T10:26:39.560-08:00Actually, the PRC has quite an issue with illegal ...Actually, the PRC has quite an issue with illegal immigration from NK.<br />http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-18208831<br /><br />GPD/capita in PPP<br />USA 57,220<br />Mexico 18,857<br />South Africa 13,321<br />Mozambique 1,327<br /><br />The contrast is x3 and x10. A tenth of U.S. GDP per capita in PPP - that's rather a West African level of economy than Latin American.<br />Mexico is actually not THAT poor. Serbia is much poorer, for example.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-76016785651386579532016-12-12T07:14:09.063-08:002016-12-12T07:14:09.063-08:00The wingnuts are stoolies for "employers"...The wingnuts are stoolies for "employers"; they will not act - hell, they won't even THINK - against the interests of the "job creators". AND they like their lawns mowed and pools cleaned for less-than-a-living-wage and until they succeed in wrecking the New Deal they can't get that from non-undocumented-immigrants.<br /><br />So despite what they CLAIM...that won't happen. (Oh, and if by some bizarre magic they DO it would cost billions that they won't raise taxes to pay for.)FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-61362918759154155382016-12-12T07:10:41.218-08:002016-12-12T07:10:41.218-08:00Meh. Maybe. But I'd rather simply get over t...Meh. Maybe. But I'd rather simply get over this bizarre obsession with a tactic and start thinking more like a Great Power; I'd settle for a concise, relatively narrow, and nationwide binding assessment on "what are the US' "national interests". I think, honestly, that would be harder to do but more valuable to this country's political health.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-28658378757981052152016-12-12T07:08:29.662-08:002016-12-12T07:08:29.662-08:00The only one of these that I'd buy is Spain an...The only one of these that I'd buy is Spain and Morocco, and that's pretty weak because, as you say, the land border is relatively tiny.<br /><br />South Africa was effectively at war with Mozambique through much of the apartheid regime, and now is much less wealthy than the US compared to the US' southern neighbors. And the Nork borders? Seriously?<br /><br />Mexico's southern border security is such that it serves as little more than a sieve through which anyone with the gumption to head towards El Norte can pass. So you can't - unless you're a moron or Donald Trump but I repeat myself - simply conflate the US-Mexico border with Mexico. What happens in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua...all that has a strong possibility to pass through to the United States through the US' southern border...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-9151917691192822532016-12-12T04:25:36.815-08:002016-12-12T04:25:36.815-08:00I just noticed/remembered that I did something sim...I just noticed/remembered that I did something similar back in 2011, kinda rules for German security policy:<br />http://defense-and-freedom.blogspot.de/2011/03/draft-for-new-german-security-policy.html<br /><br />Back then I still wrote "security policy", nowadays I prefer "defence policy" because "security policy" has been inflated to include great power games.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-75121080456253204162016-12-12T03:15:03.785-08:002016-12-12T03:15:03.785-08:00South Africa/Mozambique. South Korea/North Korea. ...South Africa/Mozambique. South Korea/North Korea. PR China/North Korea. <br />Spain/Morocco (though that land border is not "immense", but Mexico ain't a "group of nations" either).S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-51154982164325388852016-12-12T03:12:28.096-08:002016-12-12T03:12:28.096-08:00It would help to have a concise, narrow and nation...It would help to have a concise, narrow and nationwide binding definition of "terrorism" that excludes all ordinary acts of warfare, even excluding GC violations.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-35310935502456717702016-12-12T03:10:15.095-08:002016-12-12T03:10:15.095-08:00I read that about 30% or new illegal immigrants ar...I read that about 30% or new illegal immigrants arrived with visa. Border security as a whole gets circumvented.<br /><br />Some right winger pages claimed that (re-?)introducing a mandatory check for employers when they hire someone coupled with same check for all forms of welfare would lead to self-deportation of millions.<br />Maybe, maybe not - but border security is neither the answer to unwanted immigration nor to drug smuggling. It's counter-intuitive, but also quite evident.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.com