The NY City council has voted and high school baseball teams are now banned from using aluminum bats.

Reasoning: The ball generally travels faster off an aluminum bat (from 0%-10%) and little Bobby or Suzy could get hurt more easily.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04242007/news/regionalnews/..._frankie_edozien.htm

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/alumwood.html

In related news, coming next week, the U.S. Congress will review the infield fly rule.

That was a joke. (It's impossible to tell the difference these days.)

This isn't. Mayor Bloomberg wants to charge cars entering NYC $8.00 and trucks $21.00 for the pleasure of entering New York City. Why? Because NYC is Going Cra...I mean, Going Green.

Bloomberg must be a billionaire because of his unique views on economics. He said, “Using economics to influence public behavior is something this country is built on, it’s called capitalism.” Apparently the mayor believes that the public sector is just one big business owned by him. I'm sorry, but, did he just say that the purpose of government is to create wealth for the government? Does this mean I have to take those "Bohemian Grove"/"New World Order" cospiraicists seriously now?

“Bloomberg’s success with the smoking ban might augur well for his chances with congestion pricing: widely derided at first, it’s now almost completely accepted.” says Larry Livermore (whoever that is).

http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2007/04/20/...her-cost-of-driving/

As goes New York, so goes The Nation, and so goes The World.

It is extremely odd to find yourself wondering if it's better to be 85 years old than 25 years old while living 1n 2007.

Extra Credit, Gang.

In my post above, Mayor Bloomberg calls capitalism "using economics to influence public behavior" while referring to a government project.

When the government, not the private sector, "uses economics to influence behavior", it's called something else.

Can anyone tell me what it's called when means of economic production and distribution
are controlled by the government, instead of the private sector?

quote:

Originally posted by WinstonSmith:
Extra Credit, Gang.

In my post above, Mayor Bloomberg calls capitalism "using economics to influence public behavior" while referring to a government project.

When the government, not the private sector, "uses economics to influence behavior", it's called something else.

Can anyone tell me what it's called when means of economic production and distribution
are controlled by the government, instead of the private sector?

Ummm;let's see: 4th Reich, Communism,Elite Socialist agendas,Left Wing Lunacy,and something that I learned at the Naval Academy many,many years ago: "The defecationary residue of the male of the bovine species"!!!
Gary K.
American Smokers Party

"Can anyone tell me what it's called when means of economic production and distribution
are controlled by the government, instead of the private sector?"

I believe that's the text-book definition of facsism.

Socialism

In theory, socialism is an economic system based upon the individual's good will toward others, rather than a function of his or her own self-interest. Socialism attempts to influence individuals to take other people's needs into account and to adjust their own needs in accordance with what's available. In socialist economies, individuals are urged to consider the well-being of others; if individuals don't behave in a socially desirable manner, the government will intervene. In practice, socialism has become an economic system based on government ownership of the means of production, with economic activity governed by central planning.


Communism

Under a communist economic system, all resources, both human and non-human, are owned by the state. The government takes on a central planning role directing both production and consumption in a socially desirable manner.

What and how much will be produced? How will it be produced? For whom will it be produced? Central planners forecast a socially beneficial future and determine the production needed to obtain that outcome. The central planners make all decisions, guided by what they believe to be good for the country. The central planners also allocate the production to consumers based on their assessment of the individual's need. Basic human needs and wants would be met according to the Marxist principle, "From each according to his ability to produce, to each according to his need."

http://www.answers.com/topic/economic-system-1

Fascism isn't really an economic system, but a system of complete centralized control that does include a communistic form of economics. Fascism creates a national identity around the hatred of a group and promotes nationalism as an opposing force to that group.

Socialism is historically known for being a stepping stone to Communism. A fascist government, I would personally contend, is just a government waiting to be picked up by Communism.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: WinstonSmith,

Hi, guys,
coming in a year later - the point was government using economics to influence public behaviour.
Democratic government is supposed to be of, by for the people - not somebody who restricts freedoms to those who can afford them, or somebody who determines what basic freedom of movement or other essential should be permitted to the general public.
Since the big problem with fossil fuel pollution and road wear is with industrial diesel trucks, it would make sense to demand that industry adopt the sort of emission controls that the public has long since, or even that they pay some additional tax to use public roads damaged thereby.
Instead, the public, one way or another, pays for the costs of larger and more powerful industries while Big Business profit and power increases and the general public standard of living and accepted rights shrink in endless tandem.
The idea of anyone or group exerting behavioural control over a law-abiding and pacific population is sick indeed - especially when it almost invariably works out that the population suffers health and other effects resulting from the various industries' transfering costs and controls to personal choice blame, as has occurred with regard to smoking, diet and exercise and now extended even to driving on public roads into a public city (hint) owned by the public...
You'd think by now we'd be picking up up better on these things.
Of course, a year after the fact, I guess we are.