Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web • Hacker News Board

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#51

Post by fffggg » Thu, May 31, 2012, 4:59 AM UTC

pessimizer wrote: post #35

Aloisius wrote: post #27

I find most of her slides interesting, but she circled the area from around 2002 to 2011 on slide 96 as "the biggest peacetime gap between revenue and expenses in USA history." I'm not sure Ms. Meeker is aware, but we are _at war_ right now. For most of that period, we were fighting multiple wars at once. Further, she used the 2010 budget outlook report from the CBO which takes the most pessimistic view that the Bush…

We've been at war since 1898, usually fighting more than one at once. Healthcare costs are 120% of the problem.

That's sarcasm, right? Military spending outstrips healthcare costs by nearly 2:1, and has for decades.

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#52

Post by danielharan » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:21 AM UTC

fffggg wrote: post #51

pessimizer wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've been at war since 1898, usually fighting more than one at once. Healthcare costs are 120% of the problem.

That's sarcasm, right? Military spending outstrips healthcare costs by nearly 2:1, and has for decades.

I guess you guys are fucked, 360%!

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#53

Post by joshsegall » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:30 AM UTC

fffggg wrote: post #51

pessimizer wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've been at war since 1898, usually fighting more than one at once. Healthcare costs are 120% of the problem.

That's sarcasm, right? Military spending outstrips healthcare costs by nearly 2:1, and has for decades.

That's true but irrelevant. Military spending as a percentage of GDP has decreased significantly over the last 50 years. Government healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP has grown unabated over the same time and shows no signs of stopping. It's this trend that makes healthcare spending a priority to solve today instead defense.

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#54

Post by fffggg » Thu, May 31, 2012, 5:53 AM UTC

joshsegall wrote: post #53

fffggg wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's sarcasm, right? Military spending outstrips healthcare costs by nearly 2:1, and has for decades.

That's true but irrelevant. Military spending as a percentage of GDP has decreased significantly over the last 50 years. Government healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP has grown unabated over the same time and shows no signs of stopping. It's this trend that makes healthcare spending a priority to solve today instead defense.

Military spending as a percentage of GDP only decreases if you don't count military spending outside the DoD's official budget -- which is why it appears to have shrunken when it actually has not.

For example, 50 years ago veteran's benefits were part of the DoD budget. Today, they're part of the healthcare budgets. VA spending accounts for 20% of all government health spending -- and has grown astronomically over the last decade. It's huge.

I urge you to take a second look at the numbers you're quoting. Specifically, consider how much of the "healthcare spending" increase is actually a hidden increase in military spending which has been quietly shifted into a non-military budget.

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#55

Post by [deleted] » Thu, May 31, 2012, 6:03 AM UTC

adventureful wrote: post #32

muzz wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Social Security trust fund is $2.7 Trillion http://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/assets.html Changes to the program-- much smaller than the 1983 reform-- can insure solvency for a long, long time to come.

That trust fund doesn't exist, there is no actual money in it, as noted by the other comments. The Federal Reserve ultimately will lend the US Government that money (the Fed is now buying 95% of all long term US govt debt), now with interest on the debt, instead of there being an actual trust there earning interest. So any math that relies on that trust existing, is Enron accounting.

[deleted]

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#56

Post by me2i81 » Thu, May 31, 2012, 6:14 AM UTC

jandrewrogers wrote: post #21

muzz wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Social Security trust fund is $2.7 Trillion http://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/assets.html Changes to the program-- much smaller than the 1983 reform-- can insure solvency for a long, long time to come.

Those are "assets" in an accounting sense but they do not represent capital held by the government. Those assets can only be redeemed by taxing citizens. Social Security is only "solvent" in a conventional sense if those assets can be redeemed without taxation. Since Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system, the cash-flow definition of "solvency" is appropriate.

That's the case for all government securities, marketable or non-marketable.

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#57

Post by bluedanieru » Thu, May 31, 2012, 9:15 AM UTC

newbie12 wrote: post #42

Aloisius wrote: post #27

I find most of her slides interesting, but she circled the area from around 2002 to 2011 on slide 96 as "the biggest peacetime gap between revenue and expenses in USA history." I'm not sure Ms. Meeker is aware, but we are _at war_ right now. For most of that period, we were fighting multiple wars at once. Further, she used the 2010 budget outlook report from the CBO which takes the most pessimistic view that the Bush…

The answer to runaway health care costs is less government, and more innovation and competition.

I could take this more seriously if I didn't strongly suspect that's your answer to everything.

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#58

Post by aw3c2 » Thu, May 31, 2012, 10:37 AM UTC

Direct link to PDF: http://www.kpcb.com/file/kpcb-internet-trends-2012

The linked story has nothing too interesting or important to say by itself so you can safely skip it.

edit: Actually, I would say it might not be worth it if you are not an Apple fanboy and neither too fond of sources like StatCounter.

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#59

Post by cpr » Thu, May 31, 2012, 11:32 AM UTC

silverlake wrote: post #12

nick_urban wrote: post #5

The biggest take-away for me is that we are changing the way we do... pretty much everything. Two things I noticed: 1. There is a big shift towards convenience and broader participation. 2. An increasing proportion of our activities are conducted through smart phones and tablets instead of going somewhere or using a device specifically designed for a given purpose. Many activities are becoming "just another app" and…

> At the current rate, in 2025... If something can't go on forever, it won't. The US will solve the budget problem at the very last second before financial self-destruction, but not one minute earlier.

Can you provide any base for this assertion?

That's not working well in Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland, etc.

Re: Mary Meeker’s eye-popping annual Internet Trends report hits the web

#60

Post by pessimizer » Thu, May 31, 2012, 12:41 PM UTC

fffggg wrote: post #51

pessimizer wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've been at war since 1898, usually fighting more than one at once. Healthcare costs are 120% of the problem.

That's sarcasm, right? Military spending outstrips healthcare costs by nearly 2:1, and has for decades.

US public spending on healthcare is larger per capita than many other western countries with universally inclusive healthcare systems that also have better health outcomes.

As a bonus, public spending on healthcare in the US is matched by massive private spending, being responsible for most bankruptcies and foreclosures and tying many people to wage labor who would rather be entrepreneurs.

We know that healthcare with better outcomes than current ones doesn't have to be expensive. That money has been wasted. There's no established cost for endless multifront war other than our own historical experience, so it's hard to know if money is being wasted there.

We do know that we would have been running surpluses through the recession and into the foreseeable future if our healthcare system had the same costs as other systems, and wasn't a pile of rent-seeking, kickbacks, monopoly and artificial scarcity, and rats.