is...trading (occasionally), trying to improve our political system (persistently) and just hangin' out.
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Alas, Alack, the old man is back ...
I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I don't know how to browse through my old private messages. I have two "folders" and can get to those messages easily, but I can't figure out how to look through the mass of messages I never put in folders.
Do you suppose that's because I'm REALLY old?
Or am I just DUMB?
Fred
Uhhhhh. For the many lovely ladies on iHub, I may be old, but I ain't DAID. fg.
I dunno. Seems like a pretty good call, to me.
Fred
Did you know corporations are allowed to fully expense capital expenditures this year? No depreciation necessary. (See Alan Abelson's column in tomorrow's Barron's.)
I didn't --- but I'm not an accountant.
I can't begin to understand the nuances of oil depletion allowances and other such arcana, so I make no attempt to keep abreast of them. In other words, I'm pretty much the average human citizen.
I did wonder why the market couldn't seem to find a top, but, gradually, the magic effect of such manipulations as quantitative easing and this change in depreciation rules have become clear. It's not that I understand them now, it's just that they help me recognize there are much smarter folks than me in this world.
Fred
No sweat, Mo!
I do understand why someone objected, though. I, too, hold Bruce Thompson in very high regard. He has a rare talent. He's been around for a long time and has been a great help to many people.
Actually, I thought your 'hint' was just a touch of humor and I tried to respond in the same vein. I hope I haven't stoked anyone's fire. Your comments have been helpful, and I appreciate the fact that you posted them.
Fred
Thanks for the 2x4 --- I missed it the first time.
Fred
Thank you, very much, for your response.
Yesterday, I created a test program and sent it to someone with Windows 7 to run for me. I haven't had a response yet, but, based on your note, I expect a good result.
Thanks, again
Fred
Thanks very much, Newly.
I'll be checking it out before I jump in with both feet.
Fortunately, among my offspring's offspring are a couple of kids working in the field. I'll seek their aid, after I've dug a bit more. I can send them a small package they can run on their Windows 7 machines to be sure they work.
Thanks, again
Fred
No. According to the salesman I discussed it with, the Command Line in 7 is a fake-out and does not support DOS programs.
I'm going to do some more checking.
Thanks, Newly
Fred
Thanks, very much, Pam
I was at a computer store yesterday and the young man I spoke to, who seemed very capable to me (which may not be a great compliment), told me the command line in Windows 7 is not like in Windows 2000. He brought up DOSBOX and went online where he found comments that dBASE could not access CONFIG.SYS but there was a way to fake out AUTOEXEC.BAT. He did so much, so fast, that I couldn't digest all he did, but he did lose a sale, so it left me pretty nervous.
I guess I'd better go hitch my horse to the buggy so I can be home in time for supper.
EDIT: I'm saving your post for reference. Thanks a lot. flg
Fred
I'm not sure, Newly, some kind of dual boot might be possible.
I'm thinking of buying a new machine, and am trying to figure out how I'll be able to keep my dBase programs and some 114,350,000 of WordStar (text) files. I guess I'll have to bring my WordStar files into Word if I want my kids, grandkids, greatgrandkids (present versions) and future progeny to have access to my deathless prose --- he said with a huge smile.
Fred
Good Morning, Newly
I gather you don't try to put dBASE on your newer machine(s), but have you done any research on it?
I want to buy a new machine, but Windows 7 does not run DOS programs. There's a DOS emulator called DOSBOX, but it won't run dBASE because it doesn't provide for a CONFIG.SYS file.
Do you know if there are any alternatives?
Fred
Corruption pervades our political system because the parties control the selection of candidates for public office. Candidates are not chosen for their integrity. Quite the contrary, they are chosen after they demonstrate their willingness and ability to dissemble, to obfuscate and to mislead the electorate.
When we allow political parties to usurp the power of governing our nation, it is foolish to imagine that we retain the power bestowed on us by our Constitution. It is a tragedy that so few of us recognize (or are willing to acknowledge) that we have relinquished our right to govern ourselves to unknown people who proclaim themselves our agents.
When I look around me, I see friends and neighbors who are honest people, doing the best then can. Allowing these people to select, from among themselves, the best of their number is a lot more than 'tweaking'.
Fred Gohlke
You know it --- and I know it.
How, then do we apply reason to the problem. Lamenting our situation is not going to make it better.
My own opinion is that ...
1) Since our representatives pass the laws that are crippling us, we must elect better representatives.
2) Since our representatives are selected by political parties and since political parties are indebted to the money that supports and controls them, we must find an electoral method that is not based on political parties.
That much is easy to understand. Finding a way to do it is more difficult. One possibility, Practical Democracy, is described in Participedia. It has attracted considerable interest in recent months. You might like to take a look at it:
http://participedia.net/wiki/Welcome_to_Participedia
The Practical Democracy link is listed alphabetically on Participedia's main page, under 'Recently Edited Method Entries'. The process described there is intended to:
1) Allow the participation of every member of the electorate, to the full extent of each individual's desire and ability.
2) Let the people seek, from among themselves, the best advocates of the common interest and elevate them to positions of political leadership.
3) Eliminate money, and the influence of money, from the electoral process.
4) Let ad hoc interest groups form to persuade the people of the value of their perspective and raise the best advocates of that view as high as the strength of their support allows.
Since Participedia is a Wiki, perhaps thoughtful people will help hone the concept of Practical Democracy.
Fred Gohlke
Yup. It's their excesses that are killing us.
I tried to get the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform to work on our national debt problem by taxing excessive size (see #msg-54994279) --- but without success.
All we can do is keep trying. Slowly, people will realize that we do not have to tolerate exploitation.
Fred Gohlke
That was Economics 101 two hundred years ago, Dick.
It's true that corporations grow through ability, but their beneficial effect evaporates when their growth is unfettered. When they grow too large, they believe their best interests are attained at the expense of the community rather than in harmony with it. As they grow, they target our wealth and suck it out, leaving an empty husk.
While we can recognize corporations whose growth has become cancerous, we have no way to penalize them or inhibit their greed before it becomes intolerable. They evade control by influencing those who make the rules intended to control them. They use their money and their influence to render legislation ineffective or divert its impact. A society with no penalty for greed is flawed.
Our wealth flows from our people, Dick, not from our corporations. We must learn to make parasitic corporations less destructive.
Fred Gohlke
Gee, Frankie, don't ban me --- just put me on IGNORE.
That way others can still enjoy my deathless prose and you don't have to be bothered with it.
Fred
Yeah, but ... 40,000,000 of them are whines about pumpers, Janice Shell, evil moderators, and the deletion of someone's deathless prose.
Do they count, too?
Fred
If you can get to the command line and into the directory where your .CRD files are located ...
1) do a quick test ... select a file (for example, FRED.CRD)
2) type: REN FRED.CRD FRED.RTF
3) check the file to be sure it has the ".RTF" extension
4) if that worked, type
REN *.CRD *.RTF
to rename all the .CRD files in the directory. Then you can copy them, and, when you're finished copying, type
REN *.RTF *.CRD
to put all the files back to their original name.
Fred
There is another point of view ...
In a world dominated by deceptive advertising and deceitful politicians, iHub provides a medium in which you can hone your perceptive skills. Instead of lamenting "the general pumping and singing of kum b(uy) ya", we should thank our lucky stars for a site that lets us judge for ourselves the quality of the material we read.
The admonition of my youth, to "believe one-half of what you see and none of what you read" has not lost its potency with age. As we learn from hoary lore, "the more things change, the more they stay the same". Even "Caveat Emptor", which has been been around at least as far back as the days of Herr Caesar, is still valid.
Thinking is hard work, but it pays big dividends.
Embrace it!
Fred Gohlke
You're on the right track, SoxFan.
Did you happen to see this: #msg-54994279
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform did not acknowledge receipt of this submission.
Fred Gohlke
Matt never liked politics, but he did provide a "Politics" board. I'm not sure if it still exists, but it was in the free zone. I wonder if Matt (and, of course, the folks in the UK) would consider another 'free' class of boards: Politics and Religion Both can be quite contentious, but they tend to attract a lot of interest.
For what it's worth, Zeev Hed used to have two boards: Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics and Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP). Both were in the free zone. Zeev, of course, died --- It was a great loss for all of us --- it seems to me the Your Economy board has grown up to replace Zeev's Turnips as THE place for serious discussion of the market and its environs.
Fred
Footnote: It just occurred to me as I was writing this that, if Matt did create a new class of free boards for politics and religion, I'd ask to move my TOWN MEETING (Selecting Our Leaders) board into it.
Even if Matt doesn't go that far, though, I hope he will consider putting the Your Economy OT - Politics, Religion, Conspiracy, Terrorism & War (YE2OT) in the free zone.
Fred
Ahhhh - someone after my own heart.
Any time you are surrounded by hype for The Next Big Thing, you can be sure the intended beneficiary is not you.
This 'cloud' thing is so transparent it should make us laugh at the ogres sitting behind it stretching out their attractively gloved claws. But, alas, many gullible folks will grasp those gloves --- and never realize they've been duped.
There ain't no free lunch, chum.
Fred
You're getting charged extra for that hard-to-read green.
Fred
Who defines reliable?
Fred
I think that's the height of folly.
Only allow one entry point into your system --- and guard that one like a hawk!!!
Fred
Hmmmmm, I wasn't the only one who noticed.
Fred
I (almost) never click on links --- dunno who's peddlin' what.
But, after all these years, I trust you!!!!
And it was worth it.
Thanks,
Fred
Diffusing a bomb would be spreading it pretty thin, wouldn't it?
De-fusing one is a challenge I wouldn't want to accept, though, so I guess diffusing it's not such a bad idea.
Fred
This may be inappropriate, but ...
I'd think little copies of the iHubites you skewer might make your tree more entertaining. Some of them do strike hilarious poses.
Fred
Now, T-H-A-T's a sensible post.
Could your attitude be the start of something big???
Fred
re: If all citizens of the populace are allowed an equal vote with no qualification requirements required to understand issues from an educated vantage point, then a majority will be lead astray by the sleight of hand by those using the "Divide and Conquer" tactics to obtain an unworthly win.
I'm not entirely clear on your meaning, Doug, but, "if all citizens of the pupulace are allowed an equal vote with no qualification requirements", very small groups of them can select those of their peers they believe the best advocates of their point of view. And when those they select must vie with those selected by other groups, they will ultimately select the best among them.
Fred
That works, in terms of laying blame --- but it does not suggest a way to improve things. If we want a better government, we must find a better way to select --- and elect --- better people to represent us.
In 1980, Jane Mansbridge wrote Beyond Adversary Democracy, which gives a little insight into the problem. Since then, she has written a lot more. Her recent work explains why we should spend more time selecting good people and less time trying to sanction the ones we elect.
Since I'm on this topic, I should also mention Robert Michels, who, in 1915, wrote Political Parties, a book that explains in exquisite detail why political parties are inherently oligarchical. The book is available in PDF format at
http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/~econ/ugcm/3ll3/michels/polipart.pdf
For those interested in finding something better than the stupidity of partisan politics, it's worth a look.
Fred Gohlke
Thank you, Will
I wrote a response to this message yesterday and then canceled it because none are so blind as those who will not see.
The word "safety" is trigger-word, used to eliminate individual freedom --- and anyone who says so is a reactionary bigot.
I had the privilege of spending most of my life before the insurance companies wrote our public laws. I'm ashamed I've lacked the wit and the ability to slow the tide, but much of it happened before I realized how we were being victimized.
Fred Gohlke
No democratic government can be better then the people we elect to run it.
Our only hope of eliminating the corruption is to change the way we select the people we elect to represent us in our government. Getting folks to consider that option is a non-trivial exercise.
Fred Gohlke
What would they do about it?
What could they do about it?
Fred
I am already a GOOOH supporter. Tim Cox has the best idea I've heard in years.
I'm glad you mentioned him. He needs support and publicity.
Thanks,
Fred
Thank you, nlightn
I'll bet you and I aren't the only ones who realize it, either. I wonder how we can find others?
Five years ago, I started a board on iHub, hoping for a rational examination of the problem:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.aspx?board_id=3734
Didn't work. I don't have the ability to encourage thoughtful discussion.
Even so, I keep trying.
Fred
No, Sir.
"They" are not destroying the USA, we are.
We elected the people who created that 'sucking sound' and let it grow into a destructive typhoon.
Until we are willing to seek out and elect the best, instead of the worst, people to represent us in our government, our rapid slide into the muck will not slow, much less stop.
I watch the silly nonsense on this board about Democrats and Republicans and Liberals and Conservatives and marvel that seemingly bright people can't see how partisan politics does nothing but divide us. We are the victims of our own stupidity. We let those who dominate us use the oldest, simplest and most effective tool of all --- Divide and Conquer.
Our circumstances won't change until we change.
Fred
Hi, Castle
Just a note to tell you I have Avast installed and running.
I ran into a problem with it because I needed to download something else for it to run. My grandson came by a week ago and did the necessary for me. It needed Service Pack 4 and some other thing. Whatever. He took care of it and I'm running free and clear.
Thank you very much for the suggestion.
Fred
If --- and when --- we find out about the next set of dilution, we'll know better.
Fred