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[Sheb]

Just wanted to annoy her a bit. We ended up settling on 'Stas'.

Ahah, you just backed down when she called you NS in returned.

[Grim Portent]

Controversial idea: The US government should cut it's discretionary military spending by half and instead distribute that money to all it's residents (including children with their share being allocated to their parents until they're adults) each year, turning the average American into an economic powerhouse by literally dumping millions of dollars into their budget each year.

Military spending would still be 3 times that of Russia by the way.

[Azzuro]

Controversial idea: The US government should cut it's discretionary military spending by half and instead distribute that money to all it's residents (including children with their share being allocated to their parents until they're adults) each year, turning the average American into an economic powerhouse by literally dumping millions of dollars into their budget each year.

Military spending would still be 3 times that of Russia by the way.

Controversial idea: this is not a controversial idea in the political outlook of these forums in general.

[McTraveller]

Controversial idea: The US government should cut it's discretionary military spending by half and instead distribute that money to all it's residents (including children with their share being allocated to their parents until they're adults) each year, turning the average American into an economic powerhouse by literally dumping millions of dollars into their budget each year.

Military spending would still be 3 times that of Russia by the way.

This smells like a confusion between million = 10^6 and million = 10^9.  There are only about 330x10^6 people in the US.  The entire annual US government spending is "only" $3.8 x 10^12.  That is on the order of $1 x 10^4 per person.  I'm not sure how you'd consider this dumping "millions" into the average American's budget each year.

[Max™]

Uncontroversial idea: the metric system is superior to this nonsense we've been raised with over here in the states.

Controversial-ish idea: many of the countries that do use metric also use nonsense like million = 1,000,000,000 and should be roundly mocked for it.

[Helgoland]

Nobody uses million == 10^9. Many use milliard ==  10^9, and yeah, it's slightly dumb - but also slightly useful, because it allows us to talk about really big numbers without resorting to made-up-sounding words.

[TheBiggerFish]

But 10^9 is a billion.

[Max™]

Ah, yeah, I forgot just how ridiculous the long scale was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales

Controversial idea: billion/quadrillion/sextillion is obviously less nonsensical sounding than milliard/billiard/trilliard.

Bi: 1000x1000²
Tri: 1000x1000³
Quad: 1000x1000⁴

[McTraveller]

A more "fun" idea I've heard regarding things like universal income, etc, from http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm:

Every person gets, say, $100k every year.  You aren't allowed to put any into savings or carry any over to the next year, and loans are also outlawed; at the end of the year every account resets.

[Strife26]

"No officer, my family just has a tradition of using gold bullion for stocking stuffers every year."

[Max™]

Sorta politics, but: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39251655 is about Texas (goddammit) being extra backwards and one woman senator there putting forward a bill that would add a fine to any ejaculation done without intent of procreation, a nice "ha ha, fuck you" to the generally male sorts pushing these bills.

Except down at the bottom you see "Elizabeth Graham, blah blah, long time fighter for stripping her own reproductive rights through the power of hateful ignorance" and I'm not sure how controversial it is, but I feel that she's actually worse than the guys doing this shit. Lord knows the sort who push the "women are walking incubators" mindset don't need any help shoveling their bullshit, much less from a woman. "See, see, she agrees with us, we're on the right side!"

Thanks, Graham.

[NJW2000]

I've been wondering about jobs having a wage maximum and minimum according to the social value they created.

So hospital cleaners would earn a lot more, but advertising consultants might earn very little.

Very nebuous concept to measure, but an interesting thought.

[McTraveller]

I've been wondering about jobs having a wage maximum and minimum according to the social value they created.

So hospital cleaners would earn a lot more, but advertising consultants might earn very little.

Very nebuous concept to measure, but an interesting thought.

My "controversial" response: society, in aggregate, already sets wages in proportion to the value they provide.

[Helgoland]

Ah, yeah, I forgot just how ridiculous the long scale was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales

Controversial idea: billion/quadrillion/sextillion is obviously less nonsensical sounding than milliard/billiard/trilliard.

Bi: 1000³
Tri: 1000⁴
Quad: 1000⁵

FTFY.

[NJW2000]

Wait, by "in aggregate", do you mean that the combined wages of all of society equals the combined value created by all society?

Or do you just mean generally? Because I fail to see how that figures with "social value", as in collective value to community.

I might concede the point with "value to the employer". Employers often pay people what it's worthwhile for them to pay them.