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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#47351: Jan 16th 2013 at 2:39:38 PM

Pyrkete: I fail to see how medical malpractice is in any way connected to Obamacare. Doesn't the law make it easier to sue for that anyway?

Like I said. Dumbass has a limited point.

As for numbers, this is what Wikipedia linked to when bringing that stat up. It appears to be "errors" rather than "malpractice", so take that as you will.

It should be noted that over 50 times as many malpractice suits make it to court at all as there are assault weapon deaths. So at the very least you're looking at a problem that eclipses assault weapons by only two orders of magnitude rather than three. Yaaaay.

And hell — forget the malpractice. Drunk driving is way, way the fuck more likely too. How many people are keen on banning alcohol? Because we're measurably less capable of being trusted with that.

edited 16th Jan '13 2:50:01 PM by Pykrete

Linhasxoc Since: Jun, 2009
#47352: Jan 16th 2013 at 3:27:00 PM

This post ignores cost of living differences. Making 200k in new York converts to around 50k in Midwest dollars. In new York avg apt is 4x the price of natl home avg. so article not as silly as seems.

I find this hard to believe but I have no real way of knowing. Anybody in New York able to enlighten me?

I played around with this toy. A $60,000 income in Appleton, WI is about equal to a $100,000 income in Queens; the vast majority of the difference is in housing prices. In Brooklyn the equivalent salary is about $115,000. That's a significant difference, but much less than 4x. Not to mention, most of the people who live there are relatively wealthy anyway, and most Americans do live in more low-cost-of-living areas like Appleton.

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#47353: Jan 16th 2013 at 3:31:52 PM

Relative wealth of a neighborhood is kind of a problem in itself though. Doesn't matter how rich the people there are on average, most of the infrastructure jobs in that high-cost area are still at or near minimum wage and are getting charged the full cost of living.

I mean, even Wall Street has to have people working the McDonalds.

edited 16th Jan '13 3:33:19 PM by Pykrete

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#47354: Jan 16th 2013 at 3:55:53 PM

Well, part of that is that people then just have to commute.

Belian In honor of my 50lb pup from 42 Since: Jan, 2001
In honor of my 50lb pup
#47355: Jan 16th 2013 at 4:29:34 PM

Ah, what a lovely word "commute" is... Untill you live outside of the big cities and your car breaks down. No car often means you can't do anything yourself unless there is good public transport in your area.

To make this on-topic, my point is that I would be all for additional taxes that improve our public transport systems. Or other options so that you don't have to depend on a car (like more official car-pools).

Yu hav nat sein bod speeling unntil know. (cacke four undersandig tis)the cake is a lie!
Ultrayellow Unchanging Avatar. Since: Dec, 2010
Unchanging Avatar.
#47356: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:04:55 PM

The thing about public transport is that most of its most ardent supporters have never ridden the bus.

Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.
Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#47357: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:09:57 PM

I dunno. Eugene had a pretty kickass bus system, and the EMX that cut through the middle of town from the university to the bus station to Springfield was free.

Portland...ehhhh. The trains are useful and have good spread but are hideously expensive ($100/mo, far more than you'd spend driving for yourself, and more than you'd spend on driving and parking depending).

Public transit gets a reputation for creepers I guess, but in my experience it's not really any moreso than you'd see on the street.

edited 16th Jan '13 5:17:49 PM by Pykrete

TamH70 Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Faithful to 2D
#47358: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:22:43 PM

Oh this one is just brilliant. Seems Barry wants a study on video games.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/01/16/obama-asks-congress-to-commission-violent-games-study

It also seems he fails reading comprehension otherwise he would have already known and digested the ones already out there. Still, it's not like America is trillions of dollars in debt and ten million dollars actually means anything, is it?

Trivialis Since: Oct, 2011
#47359: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:27:30 PM

Well, I don't see a problem with it, considering that we've also had reports on establishing commissions on violence study in general. The basis is that we take the recent violent incidents very seriously so we're looking into learning what we can. And it's better to be a study than a premature restrictive law.

TamH70 Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Faithful to 2D
#47360: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:30:59 PM

He is ordering the repeating of work that has already been done. If he was aware of those previous studies, it isn't unfair to say that he is wanting new ones because those did not give him the answers that he was looking for. I.E games ur bad and mak u kill peoplez.

Lascoden ... from Missouri, USA Since: Nov, 2012
...
#47361: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:32:20 PM

Well, maybe when this study shows that the idea is utter crap, it will finally put the idea to rest. I mean, that's a possibility...right? Not just hopeless optimism on my part?

boop
Trivialis Since: Oct, 2011
#47362: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:34:38 PM

Well, I don't know much about the commission yet. Maybe part of its job will be to compile and apply those existing studies.

And I pretty much agree with this quote:

“…overall, the White House said that while limiting guns is the role of the government, controlling what Americans see in movies and games is best left to parents.”

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#47363: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:35:24 PM

He didn't need a $10 million study to do that. There's already a pretty damn vast body of research on the topic, as well as a staggering amount of evidence that countries that consume the exact same games (some of whom also have similar access to guns) have dramatically less gun violence. None of this is hard to obtain.

I mean fuck, he could've spent a couple hundred giving people access to EBSCO to look it up themselves. This isn't even a week-long project.

edited 16th Jan '13 5:36:46 PM by Pykrete

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#47364: Jan 16th 2013 at 5:41:41 PM

Of course, they could be using skepticism regarding the veracity of those studies' standards as an excuse to immediately discredit their results, while depending on persumed lack of sufficient will of fellow US American researchers to conduct their own surveys into the topic.

edited 16th Jan '13 5:42:46 PM by MarqFJA

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Baff Since: Jul, 2011
#47366: Jan 16th 2013 at 6:49:44 PM

[up]

Lets see what company hires Ken Salazar...

I will always cherish the chance of a new beggining.
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#47367: Jan 16th 2013 at 6:59:05 PM

What does a Secretary of the Interior do?

Lascoden ... from Missouri, USA Since: Nov, 2012
...
#47368: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:01:23 PM

[up]I've heard that the Interior is kind of a "and the rest" thing, covering things that the others don't. I know part of it is federally owned land, and that it's quite different then a normal Ministry/Department of Interior.

boop
Baff Since: Jul, 2011
#47369: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:03:44 PM

[up]

Funny because in most countries the Minister of Interior is the iron fist of the administration.

But who knows... maybe the same happens in the U.S but everyone is too afraid to admit it.

I hope nothing bad happens to me now that I´vygsdfjfeñojiq´jwvwend´0q9

edited 16th Jan '13 7:04:09 PM by Baff

I will always cherish the chance of a new beggining.
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#47370: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:04:59 PM

What, no federal response/comment on the Missouri legislators' open proclamation of defiance against federal authority?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
GameGuruGG Vampire Hunter from Castlevania (Before Recorded History)
Vampire Hunter
#47371: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:05:03 PM

To be fair on the comparison with alcohol, the United States actually tried that with an amendment even, and we had to make an amendment to nullify that previous amendment because crime concerning alcohol got out of hand. One can at least imagine trying to do that with guns would end up the same way because of how pervasive they are in the culture.

Wizard Needs Food Badly
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#47372: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:08:02 PM

According to Wikipedia, the Secretary of the Interior is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, territorial affairs, and to insular areas of the United States.

Also Salazar sound like the name of an evil wizard.

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
GameGuruGG Vampire Hunter from Castlevania (Before Recorded History)
Vampire Hunter
#47373: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:13:08 PM

Salazar is the name of an evil wizard... Salazar Slytherin

Wizard Needs Food Badly
Lascoden ... from Missouri, USA Since: Nov, 2012
...
#47374: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:13:10 PM

[up][up]It's also apparently incredibly corrupt, if Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney is a valid source. To quote, "Simply stated, short of a crime, anything goes at the highest levels of the Department of Interior." I'm imagining like a Banquet of Chestnuts sorta thing, just all the time at the DOI.

edited 16th Jan '13 7:13:27 PM by Lascoden

boop
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#47375: Jan 16th 2013 at 7:13:11 PM

[up][up] And Ramon Salazar is the name of the Big Bad of Resident Evil 4.

edited 16th Jan '13 7:13:30 PM by MarqFJA

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

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