Drowning In The Mainstream

 Glad I listened  2X.  

1.  Not a lot of grounding in law, history or philosophy, huh guys?  2.  ”They” and “The Government” are, in fact, US
3.  Jason argued both sides of the Suicide Kit issue, since it was local law, California law, that prohibited selling the kit.  And Jason supports local control.  
4.  it would be less confusing if you’d pick just one instance and investigate it thoroughly, like Seat Belts.  
5.  Also, everything relates to everything else, too. So when a car accident victim’s insurance runs out–maybe he wasn’t wearning a seatbelt–do we put them on the street?  No, the tax payer picks it up.  Last year the uninsured left $49 BILLION dollars worth of unpaid bills at hospitals.  So either the tax payer picked up the difference (through a county hospital system) or insurance rate payers picked that up.  We’re not a country that puts sick people on the curb, like in India.  Up to $49 billion unpaid by uninsured for hospitalizations – USATODAY.com
http://usat.ly/mU5MhB  I don’t see a lot wrong with rationalizing the healthcare system, making it saner and logical, particularly since we’re paying either way. 
 a. that patient’s also taken out of the tax generating base and often the income producing class, leaving dependents impoverished. Maybe spouse has to quite work to care for the patient.  Maybe college bound kids settle for less and therefore earn less.  in the end, maybe a seatbelt law isn’t such a bad idea from a societal standpoint.  
 b. besides, states can opt out of the seatbelt law.  I think Wyoming or one of those states did too, as well as lifted all speed limits.  They just voluntarily forego federal highway funding.  
6. Canadian Healthcare.  Interesting study Phantoms In The Snow: Canadians’ Use Of Health Care Services In The United States
http://bit.ly/iniW9o  
Basically, all those patients coming to the US for healthcare that can’t be provided in Canada are either sent by the Canadian Healthcare system OR the procedures the patients wants are elective (optional), like Lasiks eye surgery and the waits are long in Canada.  At straight-up basic healthcare, the Canadians do extremely well.  

“Not a lot of grounding in law, history or philosophy, huh guys?”

 Well you listened to it twice so it couldn’t have been that bad. This is a discussion at a bar not a well researched thesis. I hope you’ll come back for more episodes.

If you want un-researched babble wait for episode 5!

Btw.. .cool factoid about Canada health care. I read an article recently saying that the reason these socialist nations can have cheap drugs is because all of the r&d money is made up on the good old USA citizens… so by the time they hit Switzerland they can afford to charge a song. We are footing the bill for this pharma advances… not surprising… 

Thanks for commenting Rick.

I’ll try to address your concerns.

1.  I never claim to be anything but just a guy.  I can’t know every state law nor everything about history.  My take on philosophy would just about piss everyone off so I try not to trot it out that often. LOL

2.  Historically speaking I would agree with you.  Pragmatically speaking I would not.  Everyone in government was put there by people in power and people with money.  If you doubt that look at the campaign costs versus success rate.  Elections are bought nowadays.

3.  I can’t find any instance where California prohibits the sale of a book, a plastic bag and a tube (a suicide kit).  They do prohibit assisted suicide but there has to actually be an assist for that to work.  The law is proceeding in Oregon where the issue got picked up by the press.  And yes I do support local choice.  If Oregonians want to die they can simply drive to California, pick up a kit and drive back.

5b.  States can opt out of the seat belt law.  They can also lose their Federal funding for roadways (even though their citizens paid the taxes as well). 

no, I listened at 2X speed to ease the pain ;->

It’s a strange system, indeed.  But just to be clear, it’s not big pharma that’s putting out all the R&D money.  Basic research is grueling, frustrating, time consuming and expensive so it is university and federally funded.  Patentable pay offs are minuscule for any one research lab.  

Much of Big Pharma R&D actually consists of trolling watering holes around research schools looking for grad students who will talk about the work, possible breakthroughs, and advances.  

I have a PhD/MD friend who just retired from 36 years of running a brain research lab at University of Texas.  In his nearly 4 decades they made tiny incremental advances in understanding and published hundreds of major papers and trained several hundred graduate researchers (some of whom have gone on to make major discoveries).  But in 4 decades his lab had exactly 3 patentable findings and of the four, none turned to gold.  

That’s the way it is in basic research.  

They don’t charge “a song” in Switzerland, the state limits it to a song. 

1.  ;-> 
2. then you’re part of the problem.  There are democracy movements aflame all over the world, even in Wisconsin.  Governing has never been easy.  It’s messy, frustrating, and so American.

3. good catch, should have said Ore. Actually, not a lot of difference politically between the two states.  But you take my point. 

5b.  And you can also work this question from the insurance side, which pressed states to pass seatbelt laws.  There are even policies now that reduce payout if the FS driver and passenger are not buckled in. In the end, lower payouts mean lower premiums and we all benefit from having passengers belted in.

In fact, insurance is pushing a lot of issues related to climate change.  They’re green shading the numbers and refusing to insure homes and businesses in certain areas.  Already locally here in Norfolk, Va., there are properties that insurance companies will not innitiate new policies for (although they will continue a policy if they have one), forcing homeowners to go to Lloyd’s of London to get homeowner insurance.  

My greater point was the state can buy and sell the drugs cheap because we have shouldered the cost.

Well your not going to find what you want here. You should listen to audibooks.

Btw smiley faces don’t negate insults

I think the resolution to the Wisconsin “uprising” responds to your talking point better than I can.  You call me part of the problem.  What are you doing?  At least I’ve left denial stage in regard to what its really about. 

 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30916
this isn’t the one I had read… too much spam in the google search results, however it is in the same spirit

And now it’s come to this so soon after the podcast on rational thought.  

 Rick, what i mean to say is we aren’t going to transform into a butterfly in 2 episodes. You want something currently that we are not capable of giving you. If you are in pain from listening then my advice is not to listen, much less listen twice.

not sure that’s over yet.  Gov’s move certainly didn’t spread to neighboring states.  

I’m in the system without being of the system.  In fact, I was a lot like you guys back when this rolled through back in the late 60′s-70′s.  And then the survivalist movements in the early 80′s.   Certainly the foundational reading list hasn’t changed much.  

What was that recurring line in Battle Star Gallactica series?  This has all happened before and it will happen again. 

Well, but it’s not as if paying exorbitant prices to American drug companies for selling us products based on our own taxpayer funded basic research is the answer either.  

And what’s an American company anyway?  The Japanese have nearly as many MRI machines per capita as we do, but limit their costs to under $500 per scan where it’s around $2k a scan in the US, but we still sell them plenty of MRI machines. We shoulder the costs for a lot of things.  The initial space program was built on our backs and we benefited from it, but we also spread the technology to the rest of the world, and now private groups are exploring space. 

We developed all of the alternative energy equipment back in the 70s: solar panels, utility scale wind gens, geothermal, high energy efficiency building, but now it’s being sold back to us because we couldn’t/wouldn’t capitalize on it.  

 just calling you to your better selves. And I think you are capable of giving a better reasoned, more articulate argument to your your points of view.  

& BTW, the smiley was up where you misunderstood/I miscommunicated what I’d written before.    

I appreciate the sentiment. Our goal is not, obviously, to get worse, however we made a mutual agreement that this podcast is going to be “off the cuff” and would not become a large time commitment for us. We have gone out of our way to say that multiple times on the podcast. We literally decide the topics in one or 2 line emails and then just discuss whatever comes to mind.  You might, and probably do, think this is a stupid premise for a podcast, which is why I suggested that you listen to other audio programs such as audio books or possibly someone more seasoned like Dan Carlin “Common Sense” 

I appreciate that your goal is to make us better, however when you act in a condescending manner you really can only expect a hostile response, so that is what you got.

Ok I understand you had your MP3 set to a higher rate of speed.

Our primary focus is on the more nuts an bolts podcasts we run outside of this one.

finally read the article.  So the answer’s one world government to administer patent law?  enforced by the SEALs?  or the UN?  

The cat is out of the bag on globalization, whether we like it or not.  (I don’t, for the record). 

Anyone in any country can reverse engineer or replicate almost anything, given the right lab.  It’s not just drugs, biological processes, and medicine.  It’s also electronics, manufacturing, and aerospace.  

When Toyota and Hyundai and Ford look over their shoulders it the Indians and Chinese and Brazilians they see gaining on them.   

Funny you should bring up the table saw, search for sawstop technology. Coming soon to all tablesaws near you. I think you ease listeners critiques if there was an occasional beer opening noise.

Yes that guy is coming from a more traditional conservative viewpoint.

I couldn’t find the article I wanted to reference.

My original intent was to compliment your post as I had posted one negative post and wanted to post something positive as well.  So there you go…

I suppose the fact that I keep posting here means I do care overly much about these comments. I need to take a Darcy’s lead on this.

Sorry if you find my attitude condescending, but I’m not the one holding forth publicly.  

Funny, however,  whether broadcast or said face to face, I’d still think ones argument should be considered and judicious.  based on some sense of history and facts.  I’ll check Common Sense.  You might enjoy Clay Jenkinson’s The Thomas Jefferson Hour.  

That’s about it for this thread for me, the column is only about 3 words wide as it is.  

Keep pitching.

 you are in fact holding forth publicly… we can split hairs all the way to one word wide

Kenneth

I had a large glass of bourbon during episode 5.  Does that count?  LOL

Seriously-there are topics we avoid due to really pissing people off.  No one likes to have their political beliefs questioned.  I don’t pander to what I think people want to hear but I would have strongly guessed that our target audience was way more libertarian minded than they are turning out.  Its ok though.  Anytime you have to defend your beliefs you either grow stronger in them or evolve to better.

Jason

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV8eEGUDYc4

Looks like pretty cool technology! I’d be interested to try this experiment.  Now having said that I’ll not get rid of my 1970s craftsman tablesaw

But you invited comment; I’m only a listener. Just write me off as another crackpot.

Rick

Hi Guys, Love all your individual podcasts, and I’m finding it very interesting to hear your opinions on some social, political and moral things. Darcy – speak up man… I wish I had learned more about your ideas on the topics discussed in this episode. Keep up the good work!

Way late here, just started listening a couple of days ago.  Glad you (Rick) commented on the seatbelt laws.  I’m glad it’s there.  All the things it was compared to (like bungee jumping) are things that you choose to do.  Driving, these days, is something you’d have to go out of your way to choose NOT to do.  I can keep my kids from seeing a bad bungee jumping accident much more easily than I can keep them from seeing a car accident.
Even if it was that kids had to be buckled but adults didn’t (not sure where most anti-seatbelt law folks fall on that one), I want adults to have to have the best chance of being able to help kids after a car accident, and I don’t want kids to have to see an unbelted adult (parent most likely) unnecessarily injured. 
There are more and more cars on the road, faster cars.  So we can’t really compare how it was before those laws. 
I do get emotional about this, my husband had this attitude that he wouldn’t wear his *because* he was being told to.  He’s generally a smart man but actually said to me “it doesn’t affect anyone else” if he was injured (or worse) in an accident.  If they are going to give out drivers licenses to people who believe that then there need to be laws that look out for the rest of us (who pay in many ways).