ih8music

So let's all agree that we need to abolish (or significantly redefine & weaken) the Senate filibuster rules so we can get out of the situation we're currently in where all legislation & all appointments require an often impossible 60 votes in the Senate to pass. That was never the intent for how the filibuster was to be used. The DREAM act passed the House fairly easily and had 55 votes in the Senate. It should be the law of the land today.

yeah, this. Be honest, Jules -- it's rare for you to write more than a 10 words of snark, especially in this thread. But you're probably a busy guy with your business and whatnot. Sounds like you have a lot on your plate; we can't expect you to waste time opening up your heart on VC every day, now can we?

I agree that it can be annoying, but it's also hard to blame them... when I hear stuff like that, I take it as "we're going to lose our shirts on this tour if you guys don't help us out at the merch table"

I mostly agree with Albini's view of the situation here. Not all downloads are lost sales. People have huge collections of songs that they will never listen to again. My distinction is that I think the downloaded mp3, once you've become a fan of the artist, should be paid for. He seems to think only physical goods like albums, t-shirts and concert tickets need to be purchased -- but most people these days (like the intern who started this debate) never purchase a physical form of music, and just realistically speaking they probably won't make it to a concert any time soon. All I think i

He is who he is. Or, should I say, his persona here is what he wants it to be. It's the same for all of us, really. There are a some posters here who try to write eloquently and elaborately, who you can tell genuinely want to have a conversation about whatever's being discussed. There are others here who often just wait for opportunities to interject their clever (or dickish) thoughts in response to what's been posted. When done well, both styles can be very entertaining... when done poorly, they can each be annoying. I chuckled when I saw Jules tell you to fuck off. Sorry.

Is it stealing? Yes, it technically is. As was mentioned before, making a copy of any copyrighted material (music, books, movies, etc.) is a violation of that copyright and is stealing. But is it wrong? That's debatable. If I copy a CD for you because I think you'll like it and it turns out you don't, then I don't think you (or I) are under any obligation to purchase anything. But if it turns out that you love it and play the music frequently, then yes, I think it would be wrong for you to not purchase your own CD (or me to purchase it for you, since I'm such a generous friend). My i

Thanks. I was pampered by the wife and kids all day. I can get used to this.

Here's the new Mars song: It can be downloaded at http://www.chrismarspublishing.com/ecommerce/products.asp

Jules is a bad mother fucker. That's about all we need to know about him.

Good for you. But did you do it because you got tax breaks or because there was an increase in demand for your product/service? I guess I should clarify what I consider bullshit -- the line of reasoning that says giving "job creators" tax breaks will result in increased hiring. No business operates that way. You hire people because demand for your goods/services exceeds your current capacity. Yeah, depending on the industry you might hire a few more people for R&D if you have extra cash... but that has a relatively minor impact on overall employment numbers.

I bought his latest "Ghost On The Canvas" solely because Paul Westerberg wrote a couple of tunes for it and was thoroughly surprised at how much I enjoyed the entire album.

Does anyone here still buy the "job creator" line of bullshit?

Just heard about these guys. Good stuff.

Right, and that's why it should make everyone happy. People get jobs while private companies make profits. Overall, the economic situation improves for people both at the bottom as well as at the top. It shouldn't be a debate -- both Republicans and Democrats should be in favor of this -- unless the truth is that you actually don't want the economy to improve for political purposes.

For me, that's the type of government spending that should not be questioned during a recession or a time of economic stagnation. Not that there isn't a need for more teachers (because there obviously is a huge need in most areas of the country), but I can see how hiring more teachers and government workers could be seen as a political move in an election year since they generally tend to vote for Democrats. But government contracts for building stuff -- infrastructure like roads, bridges & high speed rail, for improving public school facilities, for developing alternative energy techno

Chris Mars just posted this on his FB page: "I will be releasing a new song next week dedicated to Bob "Slim" Dunlap and available as a download to benefit him. Stand by for additional details." There have also been various rumors that Paul & Tommy are doing something similar, possibly together.

Nate Silver finally has his 2012 election forecast/model out... http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/election-forecast-obama-begins-with-tenuous-advantage/ Guess what - it's gonna be a close race.

I remember reading The Illustrated Man in high school and just loving it.

People who insult & demonize an entire profession (which is, I dunno, 95+%, of hard working, motivated & genuinely compassionate people) based on the fact that they belong to a UNION which advocates political causes counter to your personal beliefs == assholes? Yes. I don't back away from that one bit. Couldn't agree more. We need to make teaching a MORE attractive career choice, not something you fall back into when other things don't pan out.

I haven't seen any evidence that those robo calls actually happened, and even if they did I doubt they had much of an effect on the outcome. Walker had a huge $ advantage; that's a very big reason for why he won. God Bless America.

and how is what I said Limbaugh-esque rhetoric? I said that people who demonize public school teachers are assholes... which was a part of Beltmann's story re: Walker. My wife is a teacher and I have a bunch of friends who are teachers. The notion that they are overpaid, lazy leeches on society is absurd... and insulting.

But you need to understand the ramifications of what Walker's actions have produced. Yes, on paper it might look good (depending on which numbers you care about) but there are casualties inflicted on regular middle-class people by these actions. If you are truly sorry about what happened to Beltmann's family, then I'd hope your opinion of Scott Walker and his like (and the policies they advocate) has changed. If not, then... quite honestly... shut the fuck up with your fake sympathy. Don't be an advocate for a policy and then turn around and pretend to be sorry for what happens when

Huh? You were just just praising Walker's actions. Don't pretend to be sorry for someone impacted by them.