The Zimmerman Trial

[Felch]

If you believe in the capitalist system then this should be a no brainer. Who is more efficient, Walmart or a local mom & pop store?

You think that the same factors that motivate Walmart to control costs would apply to a large centralized government? You really are a ****ing moron.

[kentonio]

You think that the same factors that motivate Walmart to control costs would apply to a large centralized government? You really are a ****ing moron.

Why did I even imagine for a second that a stoner hick with fed paranoia could have a reasonable discussion about this? My bad.

[molly bloom]

Any idiot can learn a language.

Computer says no.

[molly bloom]

In all fairness, over many decades years of watching the news and listening to family and friends of those that died tragically comment on the victim, I've never once heard anyone say that the victim was an evil person. What are the odds?

Every child murdered is, or was, an angel. Statistically unlikely, I'd say.

[molly bloom]

No. It's called being sane.

Skeet shooting is stupid. Get a hobby that doesn't involve murdering people.

Do you get a giant teddy bear like at the carnival if you win?

reg gets a stiffy if he wins. Isn't that the point ?

[notyoueither]

Absolutely, the savings from things like large scale procurement, group administration, wide scale coverage of services etc are mind-numbingly huge. The problem is that because the budgets are so vast, money lost to inefficiency appears equally massive. People freak out because a national service wastes millions of dollars (and rightly so, they should) but don't consider that many times more that would be lost through inefficiency and waste if that service was being carried out locally in thousands of different places.

If you believe in the capitalist system then this should be a no brainer. Who is more efficient, Walmart or a local mom & pop store?

As for cronyism and nepotism, huge organizations are absolutely far less prone to it than small local ones. Washington at its very worst is nothing compared to some of the state governments. If the same party is always going to be in control of that state, then it especially becomes a massive issue.

There're important elements missing from government compared to Walmart, and they are some of the most important things leading to efficiency.

[molly bloom]

There're important elements missing from government compared to Walmart, and they are some of the most important things leading to efficiency.

Compulsory drug testing ? Low wages ? Job insecurity ? Unaffordable insurance ? Be more specific.

[Sava]

you forgot chinese slave labor

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I'd say Martin came out a little worse due to the idiocy of both.

You mentioned innocent in your previous post. Only Zimmerman has been given an innocent verdict.

[molly bloom]

you forgot chinese slave labor

That's because I hate Asians, obviously. Or am secretly running a Chinese slave labour mill and smuggling operation.

[Felch]

Compulsory drug testing ? Low wages ? Job insecurity ? Unaffordable insurance ? Be more specific.

No, yes, yes, and yes, but most importantly there's the profit motive. Economies of scale only contribute to efficiency if they're employed correctly. Otherwise you wind up with something less like Walmart and more like 1980s GM.

[Sava]

labour

[kentonio]

No, yes, yes, and yes, but most importantly there's the profit motive. Economies of scale only contribute to efficiency if they're employed correctly. Otherwise you wind up with something less like Walmart and more like 1980s GM.

The pathetic part is that you can only see job motivation is pure profit terms. Hell even within non-profit organizations people can be motivated to achieve higher and better paying jobs by performing their role as successfully as possible.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

No, yes, yes, and yes, but most importantly there's the profit motive. Economies of scale only contribute to efficiency if they're employed correctly. Otherwise you wind up with something less like Walmart and more like 1980s GM.

I, too, would support employee ownership of Walmart.

[Elok]

The pathetic part is that you can only see job motivation is pure profit terms. Hell even within non-profit organizations people can be motivated to achieve higher and better paying jobs by performing their role as successfully as possible.

Yes, but NGOs are intrinsically altruistic organizations which appeal to idealistic, self-sacrificing people. A lot of their workers, in many cases, are unpaid volunteers. The government tends to attract mid-grade professionals--the incredibly drawn-out and tedious hiring process weeds out the unmotivated and lazy, while also discouraging the truly talented who can find more profitable work with less hassle elsewhere. And, once they come aboard, those mid-grade professionals find that their pay/job security, and even their employer's continued existence, are largely unrelated to their performance. The government runs on tax revenue rather than profit, and that makes any comparison to a private company a nonstarter.