I just received my annual TCP-1 letter from LLNS and a summary of the LLNS Pension Plan. Looked in pretty good shape in 2013. About 35% overfunded (funding target attainment percentage = 134.92%). This was a decrease from 2012 where it was 51% overfunded (funding target attainment percentage = 151.59%). They did note that the 2012 change in the law on how liabilities are calculated using interest rates improved the plan's position. Without the change the funding target attainment percentages would have been 118% (2012) and 105% (2013). 2013 assets = $2,057,866,902 2013 liabilities = $1,525,162,784 vs 2012 assets = $1,844,924,947 2012 liabilities = $1,217,043,150 It was also noted that a slightly different calculation method ("fair market value") designed to show a clearer picture of the plan' status as December 31, 2013 had; Assets = $2,403,098,433 Liabilities = $2,068,984,256 Funding ratio = 116.15% Its a closed plan with 3,781 participants. Of that number, 3,151 wer...
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Who cares about China, we need to throw everything we have at defeating Russia.
Shangai is incredible.
Makes NYC look like an aging hell hole.
Clean(!), safe(!!), affordable(metro to anywhere just US$.70), no tattoos, no weed, minimal alcohol (bars, liquor stores, etc.), great food, pristine public bathrooms everywhere, no vagrancy, etc.
The future is with the Asians - I'm thoroughly convinced of thatweek,
It is a paradise, if you don’t mind not having regular and fair elections, universal suffrage, independent media, the separation of powers or the independence of the judiciary. Then throw in the absence of freedom of association and freedom of expression.
Of course you may say that the Chinese approach is more enlightened, with their alleged focus on the justification and intentions of ‘Democracy,’ and how good governance can engineer the proper delivery system of democracy to the people. But this is a circular argument, where government always refers back to itself and not the people. It is a totalitarian/authoritarian surveillance regime. Feel free to move to this paradise and report back your findings.
Look everything is say is true, the problem is we are going to end up with the same thing in the United states. Less freedom, meaningless elections, state run media and the the justice system now has a clear agenda.
The problem is that things will run just much better in China. The US will have all the disadvantages of China and none of the advantages.
What 'things' are you speaking of? Totalitarian brutality? You might be on to something. China is much better at that than the west.
"Advantages" such as media suppression, imprisonment of dissidents, forced labor or genocide of minorities, etc. The fact that those things will "run better" in China is a loss for US freedom and democracy? Yeah.
I suppose that if the mechanistic outcome, that being an efficient state that controls most aspects of its people’s lives was all that mattered, you might have a point.
Democracy is not about having things run efficiently. It’s about people having a say in the running of their government. And in that respect, it’s messy and non-deterministic, except in the sense that people have a freedom of movement and expression. Especially expressions that the government does not like.