patrick.net

Nomograph says

China doesn’t have the skills to even begin to compete with us in these areas. Imitation is more embedded in Chinese culture than innovation.

That is exactly what was said about Japan in the 1950's. People who discount China will be very very sorry. Everyone forgets how extremely recently, like the late 1980's, China finally shook off Mao's totalitarian rural based version of communism. The amazing transformation from a very poor almost totally rural agrarian society to the second largest manufacturing country and third largest economy in the world has been accomplished in less than 30 years. Do you really think all those Chinese students around the world scooping up advanced degrees like mad are just intellectually curious? Plus China is adding 2.5 million university slots each year domestically.

jkingeek says

@simchaland
Why bother? Your post served no purpose either. Maybe sometimes the best response is no response… I’m just saying.

Just because the purpose was lost on you and others here doesn't mean that the post served no purpose. I'm just sayin'....

@simchaland
Let it go man, let it go.....

Nomograph says

bob2356 says

Do you really think all those Chinese students around the world scooping up advanced degrees like mad are just intellectually curious? Plus China is adding 2.5 million university slots each year domestically.

For the most part, the quality of Chinese Ph.D. scientists is very low. Innovation is not valued in Chinese culture, and is actually discouraged for the most part. Why take a risk of doing something new when you can have a sure thing by copying what’s out there?
The best Chinese Ph.D. students come to the US, and the best of the best get to stay here. The best of the best from China are on par with an average US Ph.D. scientist. Chinese-educated Ph.D.’s are typically equivalent to a third-tier masters here in the U.S. I have a research lab at a large, Ph.D. granting institution, and I’m speaking from many years of experience.

I never said otherwise. BUT, you fail to remember that Mao killed, imprisoned, or send to collective farms virtually any educated person until the 1970's. Chinese didn't even start getting higher degrees or pursuing science again until the late 1980's when they felt it was safe to do so again. So your self described low quality is a quantum leap over what existed less than 25 years ago when the scientific community was starting from pretty much ground zero. If you compare this to a scientific tradition going back centuries in the west it's pretty impressive. If you really think that won't continue then so be it, but I wouldn't bet too much against it.

Wow, many of the responses posted above reveal a lack of common sense, denial, and a failure to comprehend basic economic principals. Shall I try to explain the abstract concept known as "gravity"? No wonder our country is in dire financial, monetary and economic trouble.

Denial is willful and deliberate ignorance. And by the way, in case you conveniently forgot, the constitution is a limit on GOVERNMENT...NOT on the people.

Since many had so much difficulty with these seven concepts, I'm going to post seven additional concepts.

Abe (AKA "Roe vs. Wade survivor")

Honest Abe says

Abe (AKA “Roe vs. Wade survivor”)

Wait a minute. You mean to tell us that you're a survivor of a botched abortion? YIKES! It sucks to be you.

Honest Abe says

abstract concept known as “gravity”

In physics classes, many people who post on this site probably learned of gravity as a very concrete concept rather than an abstract one. We know exactly what it does, even more recent discoveries of how it effects light (Einstein). Not understanding on all levels the why and how of gravity, does not make it abstract.

That's okay, I too continue to get new insights in to what abstraction actually means.

Marcus - right you are. I should have stated "the concept of gravity" rather than "the abstract concept of gravity". I stand corrected. There is also an interesting relation between acceleration and gravity.

Nevertheless, libs, politicians and economists fail or refuse to acknowledge simple concepts such as those stated above.

Honest Abe says

Abe (AKA “Roe vs. Wade survivor”)

simchaland says

Wait a minute. You mean to tell us that you’re a survivor of a botched abortion? YIKES! It sucks to be you.

What kind of parent tells their child they attempted to abort them and failed? I have great sympathy for you now, abeabe. No wonder you feel so victimized by the system...

Bet there are no wire hangers in abeabe's house anywhere... just sayin'

What you seem to be concerned about is a world filled with pity, neediness, sorrow, misfortune, poverty, suspicion, mistrust, anger, exploitation, discrimination, victimization, alienation and injustice.

A world inhabited by the poor, weak, sick, wronged, cheated, oppressed, disenfranchised, exploited and victimized. However, they bear NO responsibility for their problems. Its other people who are responsible for their plight, right? And the world "owes" them - correct?

You focus too much on one small aspect of "liberalism" Abe. One that is sort of over since Clinton helped with Welfare reform ( yes republican congress). Liberals are not against personal responsibility. If you want to frame having a health care system, or investing in public education in that way you can, but a compelling argument can be made that both are very pragmatic ( yes and fiscally intelligent ).

You are obsessed man. Could I ask you, just out of curiosity, and if you are real that is, how old are you ? I ask because I have observed that most people sort of lock on to certain tastes, and biases at about the age of 30, if not sooner. Especially true for music, art and food likes. But I think that some also get locked in to an absurdly biased political perspective.

The usual bias is far more about "our team versus your team" than it is about real substantive ideological differences. Not that the interests involved don't have very different goals or agendas.

"too big to fail"

"too old to learn"

marcus says

“too big to fail”
“too old to learn”

Too conservative to reason...

I think #4, if applied correctly, takes care of the rest.

Ellie, Marcus and the rest of your gang: I think freedom is preferable to coercion. I think liberty is preferable to tyranny. I think free choice is preferable to "government management". And I also think its not OK to trample and destroy the rigths of some in order to "help" others. Accroding the what I read, that is "psychotic and delusional".

"Freedom is slavery" 1984

Abe and the rest of your gang: I think life is better than death. I think good is better than evil. I think dogs are better than cats. And I also think that it's not OK to continuously post strawman arguments on housing crash websites.

tatupu,
RE: your list: Agree (thats why I am anti-abortion), Agree 100% (we just need everyone to agree on what is what), Agree (cats suck), Agree (but, much like the difference between good and evil, the judgement of what is valid and what is straw requires alot of arguements - lol)

Tatupu, I don't subscribe to an authoritarian government that attempts to regulate, manipulate and "manage" every aspect of our lives. To rescue the people from their troubled lives, the government fosters denial of personal responsibility, encourages self pity, encourages government dependency, promotes sexual indulgence, rationalizes violence, excuses financial obligations, justifies theft, prescribes complaining and blaming, denigrates marriage and family, legalizes all abortion, declares inequality unjust and rebels against the duties of citizenship. Is this the "good" you were referring to?

The liberal politician is a "hero" in this ongoing soap opera. They take credit in providing their consitiutients with what ever they want, even though they personally haved not produced by their own effort any of the goods, services or status transferred, but has instead taken them from others by force...regardless of how detremental this is to society. In other words, the radical liberal attempts to create in the real world an idealized fiction which will mitigate all hardship, heal all wounds, eliminate all injustice, and result in a grand collectivist utopia.

Hahaha, and if you believe that, you'll believe anything.

Honest Abe says

Tatupu, I don’t subscribe to an authoritarian government that attempts to regulate, manipulate and “manage” every aspect of our lives. To rescue the people from their troubled lives, the government fosters denial of personal responsibility, encourages self pity, encourages government dependency, promotes sexual indulgence, rationalizes violence, excuses financial obligations, justifies theft, prescribes complaining and blaming, denigrates marriage and family, legalizes all abortion, declares inequality unjust and rebels against the duties of citizenship. Is this the “good” you were referring to?
The liberal politician is a “hero” in this ongoing soap opera. They take credit in providing their consitiutients with what ever they want, even though they personally haved not produced by their own effort any of the goods, services or status transferred, but has instead taken them from others by force…regardless of how detremental this is to society. In other words, the radical liberal attempts to create in the real world an idealized fiction which will mitigate all hardship, heal all wounds, eliminate all injustice, and result in a grand collectivist utopia.
Hahaha, and if you believe that, you’ll believe anything.

And another strawman. At least you're consistent.

I think Honest Abe is really Patrick just trolling us.

Yes Tatupu, and apparently you concure with my assessment of the liberal political agenda - which is why I'm not a liberal.

Honest Abe says

Yes Tatupu, and apparently you concure with my assessment of the liberal political agenda - which is why I’m not a liberal.

How about you make a post where you don't describe what you think a liberal is? Just state what you think about the issue, not what you think a liberal would do or say...

oh yeah, conservatives got it goin' on...

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010062415/reagan-revolution-home-roost-charts