[rescue] Computerfests (was: first real server hardware)

[Mike Meredith]

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 07:50:50 -0400, Patrick Giagnocavo +1.717.201.3366
wrote:
> On Sat, Apr 17, 2004 at 03:58:50AM -0500, Jonathan C. Patschke wrote:
> > And then, when you get somewhere, finally, the suits from .gov take
> > it all away, at the point of a gun and under threat of imprisonment
> > and permanent loss of civil rights, to
> > feed/clothe/bathe/medicate/educate someone who doesn't have their
> > shit together.  Our society -rewards- bad behavior.  Ask any suit or
> > crackwhore with 8 kids on welfare: crime pays.

Taxation is theft, but so is making use of any service provided by the
government without paying for it. Driven on any roads recently ? Live
in a country with a strong army able to defend your country from tinpot
dictators ? Ever made use of the justice system (even if you haven't had
direct contact you will have used it) ?

Education and health care is a bit more contentious, but on an anecdotal
note if it hadn't been for free health care my dad would have died young
from childhood diabetes (type 1), and wouldn't have been able to go to a
free University place and from there lead a productive life.

Feeding and clothing people who cannot afford to do it themselves is
basic human decency. It can be said to be rewarding bad behaviour
(although I don't see how people would prefer to live on welfare rather
than earn a living with a much higher standard of living), but it can
also be said that it's a bribe to stop such people painting the wall
with the blood of those who are richer.

Of course I'm somewhat biased as my salary is paid by taxes ... and a
right bunch of stingy bastards those tax payers are :)

> Example: at $30k per year, you get the full deduction per child.  At
> $200K per year (say a doctor or someone who started his own business,
> who is more likely to have either a high IQ or just a lot of
> initiative), the deduction is gone or severely reduced.

I believe the intention is to ensure that poor families have enough
money to provide a reasonable standard of living for their children (and
to ensure that it is worthwhile economically to work rather than stay on
welfare). Mind you I'm not a fan of paying for other people's
reproductive tendencies.

> > energy[1], and, when I do, I almost don't see the point in fighting
> > the juggernauts and only want to play my music and go to bed.

One possibility there which may not be easy or viable (but is certainly
possible) is to move closer to where you work (or work closer to where
you live). I live 15 minutes walk away from work, which is definitely
pleasant compared with some of my work colleagues who live with up to a
2 hour commute. I pay for that with 50% higher property prices and by
living in a city.

> If you have to have your butt in a chair for 8 hours, but do a lot of
> your work at other times then you have time to work on your projects,

Or if you have a reasonable boss talk to him about working those 8 hours
at unusual times (afternoon and evening), and point out that doing stuff
in the evening after you've done 8 hours is riskier than if you're
fresh.

> > [1] Which, from SWMBO's account of my sleeping, sounds like the
> > result
> >     of sleep apnea.
> 
> Get that looked at, PRONTO!  SWMBO has it, 82-85% vs. a normal
> person's 92+ .

Lots of other things it could be, but that just makes getting it looked
at more important.