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Originally posted by zeeblebotYou know the way the "private sector" is sanctified is ludicrous because it requires such sweeping, gob smacking generalisations. I can see amazing achievements in the private sector and I can also see enormous swathes of totally pathetic activity, yielding ludicrous returns on investment. Is BP drilling in the Gulf an example of private sector ingenuity or private sector incompetence? I suggest it is both. BP obviously makes a lot of money to be able to offer $20b compensation. But like a lot of business, they are able to externalise many of their environmental and social costs - ie - they extract resources they did not create and enjoy the profit without much in the way of recompense.
people in public service may or may not work harder, depending on the particular department and position. my observance is their efficiency rate is much lower, even for contractors working in public service (as opposed to workers in the commercial world in the same field).
But even disregarding this type of argument, a lot of private companies make depressing returns for their investors. Maybe the market will magically sort them out but I am not sure that is so obvious or simple because private sector management (at its worst) is as selfish and twisted in its motives as public sector management (at its worst) can be. The whole point being that in competitive markets there are many losers - that is intrinsic and inevitable - and the losers have investors, employees et al. So if you must generalize about the private sector, let's hear more about the losers, the lousy managers, the crap strategies and plans, the lousy execution, the selfish greedy managers who are not earning their keep.
Then let's have a more rational debate about public sector values - maybe recognising some of the strengths as well as the flops.
Originally posted by finneganthe latest issue of Newsweek has an entire COLUMN on the nonfunded costs of gasoline production that manages not to include a single word on federal and state per-gallon taxes that apply only to gasoline and diesel.
You know the way the "private sector" is sanctified is ludicrous because it requires such sweeping, gob smacking generalisations. I can see amazing achievements in the private sector and I can also see enormous swathes of totally pathetic activity, yielding ludicrous returns on investment. Is BP drilling in the Gulf an example of private sector ingenuity ...[text shortened]... e about public sector values - maybe recognising some of the strengths as well as the flops.
in 2004 (last year shown in the study linked below), oil industry profits were $42.6B and $58.4B.
private sector spending is voluntarily funded. public sector spending is mandated, is extracted from the public, and there are no curbs on it except the limits of available funds and government's perception of what they can get away with in increasing those limits.
thus the retirement age of 55 for public service employees in California, the cities in California going bankrupt due to pension obligations, and recent attempts by public service employee unions to push legislation that would make it illegal for municipalities to declare bankruptcy.
ref for oil industry profits: http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/1139.html
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Originally posted by zeeblebotNo. The OP is a fraud/error. You made no effort to correct it. Or apologise. Even when prompted. Repeatedly. Your own thread. To which you were posting. Forum deception maybe. Furtive mischief at best. Call it what you want.
so basically you're adam warlock lite. not the posting of random off-topic or counter-to-his-own-argument links, but sometimes clueless as to the actual meanings of words. and less likely to post wild personal accusations, but only less.
Originally posted by FMFhere is the most-recently-active thread i found initiated by yourself: Thread 129980
No. The OP is a fraud/error. You made no effort to correct it. Or apologise. Even when prompted. Repeatedly. Your own thread. To which you were posting. Forum deception maybe. Furtive mischief at best. Call it what you want.
look closely at your original post in the thread.
do you see an "Edit" link in your post initiating the thread?
now look at your most-recent post in the forums. do you see an "Edit" link in that post?
Originally posted by zeeblebotI do ok ok with words, zeeblebot. And I do ok with numbers too. I know the difference between £4,000 and £200 and £400 and a 1,000% error factor and a 2,000% error factor. You could have corrected your OP but chose not to. Hey, public pensions will NOT cost you £4,000 a year, Fancy that.
clueless as to the actual meanings of words.
Originally posted by FMFsee my post just above this one of yours.
I do ok ok with words, zeeblebot. And I do ok with numbers too. I know the difference between £4,000 and £200 and £400 and a 1,000% error factor and a 2,000% error factor. You could have corrected your OP but chose not to. Hey, public pensions will NOT cost you £4,000 a year, Fancy that.
Originally posted by zeeblebotWriggle and squirm. Apologising is too hard for you, it seems.
here is the most-recently-active thread i found initiated by yourself: Thread 129980
look closely at your original post in the thread.
do you see an "Edit" link in your post initiating the thread?
now look at your most-recent post in the forums. do you see an "Edit" link in that post?
DO you see an "Edit" link in your post originating the Sarah Palin thread?
do you have some privilege i don't? there's no expiration date on your ability to edit your own posts?
perhaps this is a no-expiration privilege is extended only to denizens of the Commonwealth.
in any event, i can tell you that my original post in this thread, "Public pensions to cost you £4,000 a year", no longer shows me an "Edit" button and i can no longer update the OP or fix the thread title.
Originally posted by zeeblebotWriggle and squirm. Ad infinitum.
DO you see an "Edit" link in your post originating the Sarah Palin thread?
do you have some privilege i don't? there's no expiration date on your ability to edit your own posts?
perhaps this is a no-expiration privilege is extended only to denizens of the Commonwealth.
in any event, i can tell you that my original post in this thread, "Public pen ...[text shortened]... ger shows me an "Edit" button and i can no longer update the OP or fix the thread title.
Originally posted by FMFwho should i apologize to? you 😵?
And zeeblebot still hasn't apologised for not correcting and clarifying his OP in a subsequent post!
when you say i haven't corrected-and-clarified, did you just skip over the following post (my first post made after noticing someone on this thread caught the error), or are you lying or confused?
Originally posted by zeeblebot
well, do you know the difference between a lie and a mistake?
the first post in Comments for the article is shown below.
Edit: and the Telegraph has updated its headline to show 400.
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alecd
Yesterday 02:03 PM
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Hilarious. The headline was £4000? And the correct figure is 400? Now changed here on the website?
What incredibly sensational irresponsible and sloppy journalism. I wonder what other facts are wrong in this article?