John Carmack on the Government • Hacker News Board

Re: John Carmack on the Government

#41

Post by Canada » Sat, Jan 28, 2017, 5:06 AM UTC

badsock wrote: post #38

Canada wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Canadians don't have to buy medical insurance That's just not so. Canadians are required by law to pay medical premiums in the amount and manner determined by their province. It's currently C$75 per month for a single person in BC, with subsidies available to those with low income. It's paid just like any other utility bill. Overall people seem happy with the system, though most of them have nothing else to compare…

That's not insurance, and it's only in three of the thirteen provinces/territories. For all intents and purposes it's a tax, and I'm pretty sure it's included in the figure I listed above. I don't know what you're getting at with "most of them have nothing else to compare it with". Are you suggesting that Canadians are ignorant of other countries health care systems? Certainly not of America's - many Canadians go to…

> For all intents and purposes it's a tax

Yes, you're right. The rate is fixed, not based on individual risk. Really, it's no different than Employment Insurance, which is also more of a tax than an insurance.

> Are you suggesting that Canadians are ignorant of other countries health care systems?

I'm suggesting that the vast majority of Canadians, myself included until relatively recently, are almost completely unaware of affordable options available world wide. (Other than in the US, which isn't affordable at all)

Re: John Carmack on the Government

#42

Post by davidivadavid » Sat, Jan 28, 2017, 9:40 AM UTC

matt4077 wrote: post #23

sremani wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is absolutely crazy, he did say, that he gained much of data point from Armadillo Aerospace project. Again, Peter Thiel reiterates the similar thing about "bytes and atoms". What if the state of CA regulated Quality Controls and Error rates on Software produced? What if there is a regulation to prove that a Video game does not impair congnitive skills of 1% of people who play it etc. The tech world is so lefty b…

He calls out regulation but can't provide a single example? How can that be called "empiricism"? And while he lists "regulation", this rant is almost exclusively a complaint about taxes. The old chestnut about "how can it be fair to extract money with the threat of jail" is also a huge warning sign. The government only has two methods of enforcement, one being fines and the other being prison. If you buy into that id…

Is John Carmack 14 years old? What makes you think your ideas are more "serious" than his?

Re: John Carmack on the Government

#43

Post by taserian » Tue, Jan 31, 2017, 7:07 PM UTC

humanrebar wrote: post #36

taserian wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I need an example of local authority, I always refer to the Catholic idea of subsidiarity, an organizing principle that states that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. Political decisions should be taken at a local level if possible, rather than by a central authority. However, we've seen how well that has handled the improper behavior of priests. What te…

> What tends to happen in the US is that issues tend to get ignored at the local level, and they basically go up the chain of authority until it falls in the hands of the federal government, not because they want to handle the issue, and not because they're the most capable, but because they can't pass the buck any further. Counterpoint: the various states suing the national government for overstepping its authority…

If "more and more issues are national issues", the average citizen is ill-equipped to deal with them. To propose that every citizen must know about everything that affects the nation is untenable.

My apologies for the late reply.