Elon Musk

BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
The difference between Gates and most (but not all) billionaires, is that Gates is actually incredibly smart - Musk isn't. Whatever take Gates makes public on a topic is bound to be very well researched. I'm not sure what you have against Gates' beliefs about education, but his charity work in this area seems reasonable.
usprogram.gatesfoundation.org

K-12 Education

usprogram.gatesfoundation.org usprogram.gatesfoundation.org
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Nice website. But in the real world.

I remember seeing an interview of him talking as if teaching is like being a sales person, where you can be judged on your quarterly results. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with anything he's doing, but they act like these are things that aren't happening already. The difference between a Microsoft employee and a teacher is that teachers are typically already intrinsically motivated to do their best, and it tends to be systemic issues that prevent them from doing so.

The other issue is this one: "The foundation poured $212 million into these partnerships over about six years, and the districts put up matching funds." At this point, it's not charity, it's using your money to influence government policy, because that's money that they might well have used for other initiatives, but obviously the temptation of having double the budget if we hand control to this billionaire's organisation is too much.

Bill Gates is an incredibly smart man, but he doesn't have a PhD in education. He doesn't have a history of managing public education. And that would be fine if he hired experts to get on with it, but everything I've seen suggests he has his own views on how to best tackle America's issues in education (which in reality, often have little to do with what happens in the classroom itself).

And I deliberately picked Gates because he's the most benign example I can think of. I have little doubt he has good intentions, and he's intelligent enough to surround himself with experts. And still, it demonstrates how billionaires with no personal expertise can massively influence government policy with their charity. When it's Gates, you might get a few ineffective programmes. When it's someone else, it can be far more damaging. Someone charitably funding all the sex education in your district as long as it's abstinence only, for example.

I remember seeing a panel with Michael Dell when someone on the panel brought up the issue of higher taxes for billionaires. His response was the classic like "I think I know how to spend my money better than the government." It's an easy line to say and plays well in certain circumstances, but it's also typical of the arrogance I was talking about. The idea that he's completely across the needs to the country to the point that he's better placed than actual government departments to meet the needs of vulnerable people. And of course we all know it's utter bollocks. It's just an excuse to pay less tax, because there's no way he's paying it 50, 60, 70% of his income in charitable donations.

iu
 
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Strangerepublic said:
Didn't know the exact details so took about 30 seconds of Google to find this:
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said fewer than 400 FAA employees were fired and “Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.”

Let me guess, you think Trump suggested drinking bleach?
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No just inject it
 
I'm With Stupid said:
Nice website. But in the real world.

I remember seeing an interview of him talking as if teaching is like being a sales person, where you can be judged on your quarterly results. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with anything he's doing, but they act like these are things that aren't happening already. The difference between a Microsoft employee and a teacher is that teachers are typically already intrinsically motivated to do their best, and it tends to be systemic issues that prevent them from doing so.

The other issue is this one: "The foundation poured $212 million into these partnerships over about six years, and the districts put up matching funds." At this point, it's not charity, it's using your money to influence government policy, because that's money that they might well have used for other initiatives, but obviously the temptation of having double the budget if we hand control to this billionaire's organisation is too much.

Bill Gates is an incredibly smart man, but he doesn't have a PhD in education. He doesn't have a history of managing public education. And that would be fine if he hired experts to get on with it, but everything I've seen suggests he has his own views on how to best tackle America's issues in education (which in reality, often have little to do with what happens in the classroom itself).

And I deliberately picked Gates because he's the most benign example I can think of. I have little doubt he has good intentions, and he's intelligent enough to surround himself with experts. And still, it demonstrates how billionaires with no personal expertise can massively influence government policy with their charity. When it's Gates, you might get a few ineffective programmes. When it's someone else, it can be far more damaging. Someone charitably funding all the sex education in your district as long as it's abstinence only, for example.

I remember seeing a panel with Michael Dell when someone on the panel brought up the issue of higher taxes for billionaires. His response was the classic like "I think I know how to spend my money better than the government." It's an easy line to say and plays well in certain circumstances, but it's also typical of the arrogance I was talking about. The idea that he's completely across the needs to the country to the point that he's better placed than actual government departments to meet the needs of vulnerable people. And of course we all know it's utter bollocks. It's just an excuse to pay less tax, because there's no way he's paying it 50, 60, 70% of his income in charitable donations.

iu
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Gates' position on taxing the very rich:
www.businessinsider.com

Bill Gates calls for higher taxes on the rich — but warns against crushing the American dream

Bill Gates said his ideal tax system would slash his net worth by 62% or about $100 billion, but still reward entrepreneurs.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com

Gates is an expert in those areas he chooses to invest in. The guy doesn't form an opinion off the cuff and then back it - he carefully researches - he's a genius - the topic and if he decides to put his money behind it - he's extremely well informed - an expert in the subject area. And not some bullshit "Internet" researcher - the guy is up to speed on the latest, most informed, expert opinion.

Lest you think I'm some sort of Gates fanboy cultist - I am not. At all. The guy is a womanizer - and his infidelity towards Melinda is deplorable. And, under Gates, Microsoft endorsed the "fire the bottom 10%" each year bullshit expounded by Jack Walsh.

Gates is far from perfect - but one thing's for absolute sure - if he's investing in something, he's an expert in the field.
 
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BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Gate's position on taxing the very rich:
www.businessinsider.com

Bill Gates calls for higher taxes on the rich — but warns against crushing the American dream

Bill Gates said his ideal tax system would slash his net worth by 62% or about $100 billion, but still reward entrepreneurs.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com

As far as Gates not being an expert on anything he personally gets involved in is misguided. The guy doesn't form an opinion off the cuff and then back it - he carefully researches - he's a genius - the topic and if he decides to put his money behind it - he's extremely well informed - an expert in the subject area. And not some bullshit "Internet" researcher - the guy is up to speed on the latest, most informed, expert opinion.

Lest you think I'm some sort of Gate's fanboy cultist - I am not. At all. The guy is a womanizer - and his infidelity towards Melinda is deplorable. Microsoft also endorsed the "fire the bottom 10%" each year bullshit expounded by Jack Walsh.

Gates is far from perfect - but one thing's is for absolute sure - if he's investing in something, he's an expert in the field.
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Agree with this. I’ve never bought the line that “charity is a failure of government”. Charity is a way of targeting need that matters to the individual specifically rather than pooling it and having the broad populace (through the electoral process) decide on how it is to be spent. By paying taxes and giving away money you both benefit the nation on the whole based on electoral consensus and target what’s closest to your heart, which for everyone will be different. And you don’t even need to donate money — you can donate time or other resources too. One of America’s strengths is its enormous network of non-profits and the people who work in and support them IMO.
 
Why do Trump/Musk supporters spend so much time fact checking people here. Facts don't seem to matter to Trump/Musk etc.
Maybe spend more time fact checking the above (and realise you've been had), and save us having to do the job for you.
 
fulabeer said:
Why do Trump/Musk supporters spend so much time fact checking people here. Facts don't seem to matter to Trump/Musk etc.
Maybe spend more time fact checking the above (and realise you've been had), and save us having to do the job for you.
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It's the echo chamber at work - up is down, right is wrong, black is white, and fact is fake news.
 
SWP's back said:
So they sacked even more FAA employees than I suggested and now they want people to come back.
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"Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go."
Do you realise there is a difference between"employees" and traffic controllers, or that, in a normal well functioning organisation, you want to enhance numbers of performing, mission critical staff rather than random "employees".

The US is short by around 4k controllers, thanks to multiple terms of democrat governments focusing on things other than the main function - we can guess what they were.

So, question remains:
Busy time, do you want one 30 year old, overburdened ATC or two controllers, one of whom happens to be 58 years old?
 
Strangerepublic said:
"Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go."
Do you realise there is a difference between"employees" and traffic controllers, or that, in a normal well functioning organisation, you want to enhance numbers of performing, mission critical staff rather than random "employees".

The US is short by around 4k controllers, thanks to multiple terms of democrat governments focusing on things other than the main function - we can guess what they were.

So, question remains:
Busy time, do you want one 30 year old, overburdened ATC or two controllers, one of whom happens to be 58 years old?
Click to expand...
And this has already been answered.
 
Strangerepublic said:
"Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go."
Do you realise there is a difference between"employees" and traffic controllers, or that, in a normal well functioning organisation, you want to enhance numbers of performing, mission critical staff rather than random "employees".

The US is short by around 4k controllers, thanks to multiple terms of democrat governments focusing on things other than the main function - we can guess what they were.

So, question remains:
Busy time, do you want one 30 year old, overburdened ATC or two controllers, one of whom happens to be 58 years old?
Click to expand...
Have you ever controlled aircraft? Have you ever seen the approach and departure to a busy airfield, you have to be on your A game, they do an hour on hour off for a reason, it’s not a fucking computer game, sacking support staff who train them as well so how do all those retired get requalifued and get their ratings, you haven’t a fucking clue now bow out before you embarrass yourself more. Oh and Regan fired 11000 of them all in the 80s.
 
Blue Maverick said:
Have you ever controlled aircraft? Have you ever seen the approach and departure to a busy airfield, you have to be on your A game, they do an hour on hour off for a reason, it’s not a fucking computer game, sacking support staff who train them as well so how do all those retired get requalifued and get their ratings, you haven’t a fucking clue now bow out before you embarrass yourself more. Oh and Regan fired 11000 of them all in the 80s.
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Aye, I love this line of reasoning. Anyone in a hospital who's not a doctor is a waste. Anyone in a school who's not a teacher is a waste. Anyone at a football club who's not in the first team is a waste. And then when all the support staff are gone, they'll use that as an excuse to accuse the frontline staff of underperforming.
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Gates' position on taxing the very rich:
www.businessinsider.com

Bill Gates calls for higher taxes on the rich — but warns against crushing the American dream

Bill Gates said his ideal tax system would slash his net worth by 62% or about $100 billion, but still reward entrepreneurs.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com
Click to expand...
He can have that position all he likes, but he's not volunteering to pay extra tax, is he? He's still choosing to spend that money on what he considers to be the best causes, basically admitting that he believes he is better placed to decide needs and methods than democratically elected officials and the government departments in charge of implementing things. He's basically a billionaire version of someone buying a goat from Oxfam, regardless of whether a poor family wants or needs a goat (although I'm reliably informed that 'buying a goat' doesn't actually mean they spend the money on a goat).

BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Gates is an expert in those areas he chooses to invest in. The guy doesn't form an opinion off the cuff and then back it - he carefully researches - he's a genius - the topic and if he decides to put his money behind it - he's extremely well informed - an expert in the subject area. And not some bullshit "Internet" researcher - the guy is up to speed on the latest, most informed, expert opinion.
Click to expand...
Maybe we've got a different definition of expert. I doubt he'd describe himself as an expert in the field, but he's no doubt intelligent enough to hire experts. But an expert with unlimited resources should be able to get better results that 'no noticeable improvement in scores.' If we were to judge him by the metrics he tried to use to judge teachers, then he'd be fired.
 
Strangerepublic said:
The US is short by around 4k controllers, thanks to multiple terms of democrat governments focusing on things other than the main function - we can guess what they were.
Click to expand...
I dislike liars. I also dislike stupid people. So please lay out for us proof of the above statements and your specific qualification to discuss air safety and the inner workings of the FAA. I suggest you begin with the 80s ATC strike during Reagan’s presidency.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I dislike liars. I also dislike stupid people. So please lay out for us proof of the above statements and your specific qualification to discuss air safety and the inner workings of the FAA. I suggest you begin with the 80s ATC strike during Reagan’s presidency.
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Don’t bother he’s thick as fuck and doesnt know what he’s talking about.
 
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