We Are All Confident Idiots • Hacker News Board

Re: We Are All Confident Idiots

#161

Post by DigitalJack » Thu, Oct 30, 2014, 2:31 AM UTC

jerf wrote: post #121

DigitalJack wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a perfect example. My wife was telling me that her sister's workplace required women to wear skirts. I told her that was absurd and could not possibly be legal. I was wrong. I believe in nutshell that all that is required is a consistently applied dress code (pun intended I guess) and not violating religious beliefs. I was stunned.

Bear in mind the rules cover all workplaces. Of course workplaces can enforce dress rules, even ones as specific as that, because workplaces are also allowed to enforce the wearing of uniforms . It doesn't make it a good idea for a specific place, but, well, the purpose of the law is not to provide "good idea" guidelines for every scenario, or to prevent people from making bad decisions. It's only supposed to prevent…

But on the basis of gender? Can they make Hispanics wear green?

Re: We Are All Confident Idiots

#162

Post by unknownBits » Thu, Oct 30, 2014, 2:22 PM UTC

I don't really mind people not realizing they are idiots, if they could at least stop trying to be in power and stop ruling over others. Most of our leaders/rulers are complete idiots without realizing it, that's the worse problem on this planet; if you try to convince them of their ignorance, they react with power, insolvable..

Re: We Are All Confident Idiots

#163

Post by byEngineer » Thu, Oct 30, 2014, 6:30 PM UTC

thedufer wrote: post #158

byEngineer wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The data you have from the U.S. Gov is false as it down NOT include benefits like social security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc that are substantial part of the budget. Once you include these guarantees among other guarantees ( like the bank guarantees ) you are looking at 600%

A quick internet search shows that one person came up with that estimate and published it without any actual calculations. I'd be curious to see the calculations, if only to point out what happens when a non-economist tries to make such calculations. And the whole point is moot, because Medicare and Medicaid obligations can be easily lowered by legislation. Which is why the actual debt number is the one that matters.

http://www.shadowstats.com -- try that. See who opened that site. And no, they are not charging close to $200 / year and have the type of Customers they do because the US Gov stats are trustworthy. See which insitutions follow thesee stats vs. official stats, you will be surprised.

And just logically thinking, really: don't you think that the debtor with debt in USD that prints USD at the same time, doesn't have an incentive to under-report inflation? The situation is akin to you being able (as a debtor) to set APR on your own mortgage.

And then, the mystery of people complaining about raising prices of food, gas, housing, everything, and then believing in the official propaganda of "no inflation" in the past 7 years. Are you kidding me? Is your insurance cost the same as 7 years ago? Is the grocery bill the same? Cars cost the same? Maybe equities propped by inflationary policy have the same price?

I don't care if Nobel Price in Economics Krugman tells me I have no inflation for 7 years when I have been shopping for 7 years, watching equities and bond markets, just to know better. Sure, Keynsians are paid "economists" to peddle the idea of no inflation, they are all paid by Government. What do you expect them to do? Report 5-10% inflation y/y ?

And inflation is often hidden: $50k BMW 5-series is now 4-cylinder. Used to be 6. The can of coke in Germany for 1 euro used to be 330ml. Now it is 250ml. Price stays the same. So on, so forth. Isn't that inflation?

Re: We Are All Confident Idiots

#164

Post by thedufer » Fri, Oct 31, 2014, 9:54 PM UTC

byEngineer wrote: post #163

thedufer wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A quick internet search shows that one person came up with that estimate and published it without any actual calculations. I'd be curious to see the calculations, if only to point out what happens when a non-economist tries to make such calculations. And the whole point is moot, because Medicare and Medicaid obligations can be easily lowered by legislation. Which is why the actual debt number is the one that matters.

http://www.shadowstats.com -- try that. See who opened that site. And no, they are not charging close to $200 / year and have the type of Customers they do because the US Gov stats are trustworthy. See which insitutions follow thesee stats vs. official stats, you will be surprised. And just logically thinking, really: don't you think that the debtor with debt in USD that prints USD at the same time, doesn't have an i…

Oh. I honestly didn't see the conspiracy theory coming. You got me.

Re: We Are All Confident Idiots

#165

Post by jeangenie » Sun, Nov 02, 2014, 11:49 PM UTC

PavlovsCat wrote: post #160

jeangenie wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this your own translation?

Yes, I made it for the occasion :) It's a bit awkward though, "the one" would better be translated with "him"; I wanted to make it gender neutral and couldn't think of anything good. Wikiquote translates it as " Do not doubt him who tells you he is afraid, but be afraid of him who tells you he has no doubts. "

I prefer yours. Nice work!