Well, I think it might be time to start the discussion.
We have:
- government nationalization of private industries (ex: GM),
- government persecution of individual citizens (ex: Rush Limbaugh),
- executive branch bypassing the legislative branch (ex: 34 unaccountable czars)
- economic destruction (ex: $7 trillion new debt)
- government dictation of religious conduct (ex: forced taxpayer support of abortion)
- denial of participation in the democratic process (ex: exclusion of Republicans from committee)
- coercion of the press (ex: townhall hosted by ABC at the WhiteHouse without participation by any opposing parties)
It's a small list, but actually quite impressive given the hoaxter has only been in office for 9 months!
Let's go ahead and start getting the papers drawn up. Perhaps after the 2010 elections we can get a vote on a solid set of charges, and a full trial in the Senate.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
52 and fragile too!
So I spent 2 years and 4 months learning the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do - literally: "hand foot way", or close to that. I started at the White Belt, or "no knowledge" belt, and progressed through many colored belts at the rate of 1 every 2 or 3 months. Along the way I learned how to do pretty moves like you saw in Karate Kid or Mulan (sort of), used my hands, feet, elbows, fingers, and head to break boards, and studied 1 on 1 sparring (kicking each other until somebody gets hurt) and overall kicking - front, side, back, high, low, spinning, and jumping.
Also along the way I hurt myself frequently and substantially. I stubbed toes, rolled ankles, tore muscles, sprained wrists, cut my hands and feet, suffered headaches, and finally, broke my arm. You see, the problem for me is that I am 52. Most of my Tae Kwon Do classmates are between 6 and 16. A few are between 18 and 20, and a couple are in their 30's. One other person is also 52, and that person has experienced damages along the lines of those I regularly incur. We get to stretching, jumping, kicking, and practicing form movements, and suddenly in my head I am 18 again. If the kid in front of me kicks a board held over his head, I see no reason that I cannot reach a board the same height. I try. Not quite. I try again. I am certain I can do it! I give the good Korean scream which means "one of us is going to die right here right now!", and I jump and kick with everything I've got! POP - uh, oh, something's not right in my left calf...PPPPPAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Voila, I am on the ground, writhing. The Master of the school rushes over. He can fix me. Unfortunately, the method he uses has been banned by the Geneva Convention. He palms several short acupuncture needles. He lifts my leg straight up into the air as I lie on my back. I scream louder. He pays no attention, and begins swatting his palm, needles out, into my torn calf. WOWWWWOOOOOWWWWOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!
And he doesn't stop. Every now and then he does pause and wipe his hands on a towel. I see blood. Blood on his hands, blood on the towel. Where is he getting it from? HA! He has made my calf a pin cushion!. He finishes and we towel remaining blood off my leg. We wrap the calf in ace bandage. I am about 3 weeks healing up from that one. Who knows, without the acupuncture I may have been 4 or 5 or 6 weeks. Oh, did I mention I could barely walk for 2 weeks?
Once recovered I'm back to spraining joints and pulling muscles. Finally, after 2 years and some months I am ready to test for the Black Belt! I am psyched. I am ready. I do 100 pushups. I do 100 jumping jacks. I do 100 of several other exercises each. I do forms. I demonstrate kicks, and then I am ready for the finale: breaking boards. "How many" they ask, as I flex my macho fist. I am going to demonstrate my strength, speed, dexterity, and pure power! "FOUR", says I! "Are you sure?" "Do you want three?"
"FOUR" I affirm.
Right arm up.
Focus
Concentrate
Screammmmm KiiiiiiYAAAAA! The boards split like kindling. I am triumphant!
Hmmm. The arm feels funny - it's tingling and aching. What a smack I delivered!
Next boards up for a side chop. Should I do it? There's a little voice....
My pride and machismo is at stake. Of course I will do it!
Focus
Concentrate
Screammmm KiiiiiiYAAAAA! The boards fly across the room, broken.
I'm ecstatic. But my arm is throbbong. I look down. It is red, and swelling up in a weird and disgusting fashion. I sit. A fellow student, who is also a nurse says "you better take that to the emergency room - I think you broke it!"
I wiggle my fingers. I move my arm. Ow! But they move. I promise to go as soon as testing is over. I have other breaks with my feet and my left arm. They all go OK.
On to the ER. Yep. Ulna is snapped clean thru. Dang it. Old, brittle bones. No one breaks their arm chopping a few boards! Why me?
So I am in a brace, with a plate and 9 screws in my right arm. My left rib hurts where I fell on it during sparring. Huh? It didn't hurt during testing! Why now?
I know. It's because I'm 52. I shouldn't be jumping around like I'm 18. But I can't help it. Something tells me I've learned nothing. As I ease back into classes, heading to my 2nd degree black belt, I find I'm: kicking harder, jumping higher, and spinning faster. Heads up, bones, one of you may be next! Can't let some KID do better than me, after all. Right?
Also along the way I hurt myself frequently and substantially. I stubbed toes, rolled ankles, tore muscles, sprained wrists, cut my hands and feet, suffered headaches, and finally, broke my arm. You see, the problem for me is that I am 52. Most of my Tae Kwon Do classmates are between 6 and 16. A few are between 18 and 20, and a couple are in their 30's. One other person is also 52, and that person has experienced damages along the lines of those I regularly incur. We get to stretching, jumping, kicking, and practicing form movements, and suddenly in my head I am 18 again. If the kid in front of me kicks a board held over his head, I see no reason that I cannot reach a board the same height. I try. Not quite. I try again. I am certain I can do it! I give the good Korean scream which means "one of us is going to die right here right now!", and I jump and kick with everything I've got! POP - uh, oh, something's not right in my left calf...PPPPPAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Voila, I am on the ground, writhing. The Master of the school rushes over. He can fix me. Unfortunately, the method he uses has been banned by the Geneva Convention. He palms several short acupuncture needles. He lifts my leg straight up into the air as I lie on my back. I scream louder. He pays no attention, and begins swatting his palm, needles out, into my torn calf. WOWWWWOOOOOWWWWOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!
And he doesn't stop. Every now and then he does pause and wipe his hands on a towel. I see blood. Blood on his hands, blood on the towel. Where is he getting it from? HA! He has made my calf a pin cushion!. He finishes and we towel remaining blood off my leg. We wrap the calf in ace bandage. I am about 3 weeks healing up from that one. Who knows, without the acupuncture I may have been 4 or 5 or 6 weeks. Oh, did I mention I could barely walk for 2 weeks?
Once recovered I'm back to spraining joints and pulling muscles. Finally, after 2 years and some months I am ready to test for the Black Belt! I am psyched. I am ready. I do 100 pushups. I do 100 jumping jacks. I do 100 of several other exercises each. I do forms. I demonstrate kicks, and then I am ready for the finale: breaking boards. "How many" they ask, as I flex my macho fist. I am going to demonstrate my strength, speed, dexterity, and pure power! "FOUR", says I! "Are you sure?" "Do you want three?"
"FOUR" I affirm.
Right arm up.
Focus
Concentrate
Screammmmm KiiiiiiYAAAAA! The boards split like kindling. I am triumphant!
Hmmm. The arm feels funny - it's tingling and aching. What a smack I delivered!
Next boards up for a side chop. Should I do it? There's a little voice....
My pride and machismo is at stake. Of course I will do it!
Focus
Concentrate
Screammmm KiiiiiiYAAAAA! The boards fly across the room, broken.
I'm ecstatic. But my arm is throbbong. I look down. It is red, and swelling up in a weird and disgusting fashion. I sit. A fellow student, who is also a nurse says "you better take that to the emergency room - I think you broke it!"
I wiggle my fingers. I move my arm. Ow! But they move. I promise to go as soon as testing is over. I have other breaks with my feet and my left arm. They all go OK.
On to the ER. Yep. Ulna is snapped clean thru. Dang it. Old, brittle bones. No one breaks their arm chopping a few boards! Why me?
So I am in a brace, with a plate and 9 screws in my right arm. My left rib hurts where I fell on it during sparring. Huh? It didn't hurt during testing! Why now?
I know. It's because I'm 52. I shouldn't be jumping around like I'm 18. But I can't help it. Something tells me I've learned nothing. As I ease back into classes, heading to my 2nd degree black belt, I find I'm: kicking harder, jumping higher, and spinning faster. Heads up, bones, one of you may be next! Can't let some KID do better than me, after all. Right?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
We're losing the race, because we are running backward
South Korea's economy is having trouble. In their words. Their public debt has risen. It is 33% of their total GDP. Compare them with us. Our public debt is now a staggaring 81% of our GDP (which is emormous by itself), thanks to the buffoon in the White House and his cronies running [ruining?] every branch of our federal government. How is Korea addressing their economic troubles? 2 ways: They are lowering interest rates, and they are cutting taxes. That's it. No borrowing. No "stimulus." No nationalization of banks, mortgage lenders, car companies, and health care. They are embracing free market principles, while we race to see how fast we can adopt those of the old Soviet Union.
I just visited South Korea for a whirlwind cross-country tour. What I saw at every turn was a country dedicated to progress, growth, and an increase in quality of life. Their infrastructure is renewed, modernized, and grown on a daily basis. Their public availability and use of technology is amazing. Their auto industry is going gangbusters, and they are encroaching on their world competitors by leaps and bounds. They have 4 car companies: the well known Hyundai and Kia, and Daewoo and SSangYong. The latter makes cars in partnership with and based on Mercedes platforms. So well in fact, that Mercedes forbids marketing in Europe of these cars. In 2 weeks, I saw thousands of cars, of which one was American. And that one car was a 5 or 6 year old Mercury Sable.
I had internet everywhere I went - high Speed. I watched people on cell phone conversations using video. I visited restrooms which were numerous, spotless, modern, and sanitary, even in the country side. I stopped at rest stops across the country which had vast play areas, numerous stores and restaurants, entertainment, and information centers. All stocked. All busy. All thriving, and all spotless. I immediately compared that to Virginia's announcement that we are closing a number of our rest stops along I95 because we can't afford them. Literally folks, you can spend a week's vacation at a Korean rest stop.
The food was amazing. The meat was fresh. The produce was just-picked and organic. The cars were, for the most part, fairly new. Every family I visited had 2. The internet was fast. The stores were stocked with goods and packed with people. Everyone was fit and skinny. I think we counted 8 overweight Koreans in 2 weeks. The first thing I noticed when we arrived back in the US was that almost all of the people in the airport were obese, including me. Ugh.
We have two things going for us, as far as I'm concerned, but we are rapidly removing that advantage. We have space, and we have natural resources. But we are fencing off the space, and forbidding the development and use of our resources in the name of, well, they say ecology, but actually, in the name of socialism and behavioral control. We would rather see 10 thousand farmers lose their farms and go on the public dole than risk extinction of a 2-inch nondescript minnow http://westernfarmpress.com/mag/farming_california_reels_savetheminnow/
We would rather see the economy crash and burn than build a few more nuclear plants, burn clean coal, or drill and refine more of our own vast oil resources. We would rather hit the bottom of international education ranking than exchange sex education for math and science. Our current "leadership" seems more willing to communicate and negotiate with communist North Korea than with our ideological and economic partners in the South. It makes me weep.
As I watch us race to ruin, listen to our leaders tell us to "sit down and shut up and take what's good for us", witness the repression of free speech and debate of ideas, I am alarmed to think of where we will end up. In 2002, then president Bush was met with vigorous demonstrations and vitriol at public stops. I don't remember the press having anything to say except for how "American" these protests were. Now that we have poll after poll telling us that a majority of Americans question or oppose the national health care plan, I see the press quietly agreeing with the White House and Democratic leaders in congress that Joe American should just stop with the protests and debates, and let the leaders ru[i]n things.
Well, not me. I like how Korea is doing things. I think we should model them. They shout and push and shove in their legislative sessions! Perhaps it is time we started doing the same. I think I will find myself a couple of nearby town hall meetings, pull on a pair of boxing gloves, and head on over. What's the worst that could happen? I'd get arrested? Well, then maybe that's exactly what needs to happen. There is not enough jail space to hold us all. They might have to start shooting us - like the Soviet Union or Iran. Won't THAT look nice on TV?
I just visited South Korea for a whirlwind cross-country tour. What I saw at every turn was a country dedicated to progress, growth, and an increase in quality of life. Their infrastructure is renewed, modernized, and grown on a daily basis. Their public availability and use of technology is amazing. Their auto industry is going gangbusters, and they are encroaching on their world competitors by leaps and bounds. They have 4 car companies: the well known Hyundai and Kia, and Daewoo and SSangYong. The latter makes cars in partnership with and based on Mercedes platforms. So well in fact, that Mercedes forbids marketing in Europe of these cars. In 2 weeks, I saw thousands of cars, of which one was American. And that one car was a 5 or 6 year old Mercury Sable.
I had internet everywhere I went - high Speed. I watched people on cell phone conversations using video. I visited restrooms which were numerous, spotless, modern, and sanitary, even in the country side. I stopped at rest stops across the country which had vast play areas, numerous stores and restaurants, entertainment, and information centers. All stocked. All busy. All thriving, and all spotless. I immediately compared that to Virginia's announcement that we are closing a number of our rest stops along I95 because we can't afford them. Literally folks, you can spend a week's vacation at a Korean rest stop.
The food was amazing. The meat was fresh. The produce was just-picked and organic. The cars were, for the most part, fairly new. Every family I visited had 2. The internet was fast. The stores were stocked with goods and packed with people. Everyone was fit and skinny. I think we counted 8 overweight Koreans in 2 weeks. The first thing I noticed when we arrived back in the US was that almost all of the people in the airport were obese, including me. Ugh.
We have two things going for us, as far as I'm concerned, but we are rapidly removing that advantage. We have space, and we have natural resources. But we are fencing off the space, and forbidding the development and use of our resources in the name of, well, they say ecology, but actually, in the name of socialism and behavioral control. We would rather see 10 thousand farmers lose their farms and go on the public dole than risk extinction of a 2-inch nondescript minnow http://westernfarmpress.com/mag/farming_california_reels_savetheminnow/
We would rather see the economy crash and burn than build a few more nuclear plants, burn clean coal, or drill and refine more of our own vast oil resources. We would rather hit the bottom of international education ranking than exchange sex education for math and science. Our current "leadership" seems more willing to communicate and negotiate with communist North Korea than with our ideological and economic partners in the South. It makes me weep.
As I watch us race to ruin, listen to our leaders tell us to "sit down and shut up and take what's good for us", witness the repression of free speech and debate of ideas, I am alarmed to think of where we will end up. In 2002, then president Bush was met with vigorous demonstrations and vitriol at public stops. I don't remember the press having anything to say except for how "American" these protests were. Now that we have poll after poll telling us that a majority of Americans question or oppose the national health care plan, I see the press quietly agreeing with the White House and Democratic leaders in congress that Joe American should just stop with the protests and debates, and let the leaders ru[i]n things.
Well, not me. I like how Korea is doing things. I think we should model them. They shout and push and shove in their legislative sessions! Perhaps it is time we started doing the same. I think I will find myself a couple of nearby town hall meetings, pull on a pair of boxing gloves, and head on over. What's the worst that could happen? I'd get arrested? Well, then maybe that's exactly what needs to happen. There is not enough jail space to hold us all. They might have to start shooting us - like the Soviet Union or Iran. Won't THAT look nice on TV?
Monday, July 20, 2009
So you wanna be a doctor...
Hey, I started late. My 'rents enrolled me in a semester at George Mason in 1976. I didn't want to go, and I was more interested in beer than anything else at the time. I flunked out right away, and mom and dad moved on to the next kid. I was free to do what I liked, and I did, until I had to sober up at the young age of 24.
My older brother Mike convinced me to take a few computer classes in an effort to as he put it: "get my head out of the rock and roll star clouds and get a real job..." (sorry if I misquoted that, Mike, it was a long time ago). I said "with what money?" Well, Mike offered tuition for 2 classes as a gift, and that seed money turned out to be very valuable. I decided to get an associate degree in computer information systems. I was frustrated that when I scheduled out working full time and going to school at night - the degree would take 6 years. A wise friend of mine told me "so what? 6 years will go by anyway - you may as well be in school". Six years later, almost to the day, I collected an A.A.S. (associate in applied science), magna cum laude.
I also got married, bought a house, and launched a computer career. after a couple years, the school bug bit me again, and I entered an undergraduate program, again in computer information systems. 3 years later, I earned a B.S. in my chosen field. THen I bought a bigger house, and my wife delivered a beautiful baby girl for us. I was out of the education business for 10 years.
A flurry of events coincided to again push me to consider enhancing my education. I chaecked out Masters Degree programs at various schools. What field? I had two degrees in Information Systems, so I decided to go the business route, and chose to go fo rthe MBA. It took 2 years, and I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. The school had no honor society, so I could not tag a 'Magna' or a 'Summa' onto it, but I'm happy none the less that my grades were so good.
The MBA was complete. I had momentum. Should I go for the doctorate? I asked friends and peers. Generally the answer was negative. "It is really tough." "It will strain your marriage." "It is pure insanity." Then there were a few that said - "It is very hard, and it takes a long time. You need support from your family and friends and work. But you CAN do it, and the reward is unmeasurable. It is achievement, awareness, capability, and understanding all wrapped up into one package."
So I aplied for the loans, signed the papers, and enrolled. That was 2 and a half years ago. In another year or year and a half I expect to complete my dissertation, walk across the stage, and get hooded as a doctor of management (DM). It has been tough. Really tough. It has strained my marriage. It has worn my nerves to a frazzle. It has affected my performance on the job. All but my very closest friends and my wife have said "quit, if it's so much trouble!" But I will not. I will finish, and it will be a crowning achievement, in my view.
The few that have continued their support will be listed in my acknowledgements. They are invaluable. As were the ones that advised me: "It is tough, but you CAN do it, and it is worthwhile.". They are my champions and my heroes. They are the people I model myself after. Simply put, I want to be like them. Do you? If you are thinking of a phD or a doctorate, I have this to say: "It is tough. It takes a long time. And it takes away from all other aspects of your life. But you CAN do it. And I believe the results will be worthwhile."
I'll let you know in another year. Until then - pray for me, if you will!
Jimmy Jones
My older brother Mike convinced me to take a few computer classes in an effort to as he put it: "get my head out of the rock and roll star clouds and get a real job..." (sorry if I misquoted that, Mike, it was a long time ago). I said "with what money?" Well, Mike offered tuition for 2 classes as a gift, and that seed money turned out to be very valuable. I decided to get an associate degree in computer information systems. I was frustrated that when I scheduled out working full time and going to school at night - the degree would take 6 years. A wise friend of mine told me "so what? 6 years will go by anyway - you may as well be in school". Six years later, almost to the day, I collected an A.A.S. (associate in applied science), magna cum laude.
I also got married, bought a house, and launched a computer career. after a couple years, the school bug bit me again, and I entered an undergraduate program, again in computer information systems. 3 years later, I earned a B.S. in my chosen field. THen I bought a bigger house, and my wife delivered a beautiful baby girl for us. I was out of the education business for 10 years.
A flurry of events coincided to again push me to consider enhancing my education. I chaecked out Masters Degree programs at various schools. What field? I had two degrees in Information Systems, so I decided to go the business route, and chose to go fo rthe MBA. It took 2 years, and I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. The school had no honor society, so I could not tag a 'Magna' or a 'Summa' onto it, but I'm happy none the less that my grades were so good.
The MBA was complete. I had momentum. Should I go for the doctorate? I asked friends and peers. Generally the answer was negative. "It is really tough." "It will strain your marriage." "It is pure insanity." Then there were a few that said - "It is very hard, and it takes a long time. You need support from your family and friends and work. But you CAN do it, and the reward is unmeasurable. It is achievement, awareness, capability, and understanding all wrapped up into one package."
So I aplied for the loans, signed the papers, and enrolled. That was 2 and a half years ago. In another year or year and a half I expect to complete my dissertation, walk across the stage, and get hooded as a doctor of management (DM). It has been tough. Really tough. It has strained my marriage. It has worn my nerves to a frazzle. It has affected my performance on the job. All but my very closest friends and my wife have said "quit, if it's so much trouble!" But I will not. I will finish, and it will be a crowning achievement, in my view.
The few that have continued their support will be listed in my acknowledgements. They are invaluable. As were the ones that advised me: "It is tough, but you CAN do it, and it is worthwhile.". They are my champions and my heroes. They are the people I model myself after. Simply put, I want to be like them. Do you? If you are thinking of a phD or a doctorate, I have this to say: "It is tough. It takes a long time. And it takes away from all other aspects of your life. But you CAN do it. And I believe the results will be worthwhile."
I'll let you know in another year. Until then - pray for me, if you will!
Jimmy Jones
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Let's pretend it's warming up
We may need to soon, as we try to convince ourselves that we are warm, even as we shiver. The main problem right now is that the sun is not being cooperative in helping man turn the Earth into a gigantic ball of fire. Solar activity (sunspots and flaring) have been decreasing since 2002, and it seems that aside from all the screaming, these phenomena contribute the most, by many magnitudes, to global warming.
Less Sun activity means reduced solar winds, longer-lasting and more frequent cold advection around the polar ice caps (yes, they will grow), refreezing of freshwater bodies such as the Dutch canals and portions of the Thames, and reduction in ariable land for food production. Climate scientists including NASA solar physicists, climatologists, geophysicists, and other professionals predict that another full solar cycle, which concludes sometime in 2012, should be enough to provide strong indications for which side is right, the warming fanatics or the cooling advocates.
The reason I use these two descriptive terms (fanatics and advocates), is that global warming ideology permits no debate at this time. Try to debate the point with anyone who tells you you should stop using incandescent bulbs. Count the sentences before they call you "ignorant" or worse. Those of us who believe that the science is incomplete are not allowed to participate in the conversation.
Look at the climate legislation that just passed the US Congress without one single member of the House, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, having read the bill.
By around 2020, I believe we will have a firmly established trend of either global warming or cooling. In the mean time we need debate and peer-reviewed study - not political grandstanding. We need to hold off on decisions that materially affect the economy and the national well-being, such as the boondoggle that just made it through Congress. We need to return the debate to the scientific, not political arena.
Let us take that step in the Senate, and throw this piece of legislative junk in the trash, where it belongs. We can do it even though Al Franken was allowed to steal his Senate seat. Since Kennedy and Byrd are out for medical reasons, the vote need not be fillibuster-proof. If Republicans can act together (hear me, Olympia and Susan?), we can help protect America from its non-representing representatives. I hope this will be the case. In any event, I am stocking up on 1,000 incandescent bulbs and dimmer switches, so I can at least enjoy my lighting until I pass away. When I'm dead, I won't hear my kids and grandkids screaming at me for bequeathing them such lunacy as this climate bill.
Less Sun activity means reduced solar winds, longer-lasting and more frequent cold advection around the polar ice caps (yes, they will grow), refreezing of freshwater bodies such as the Dutch canals and portions of the Thames, and reduction in ariable land for food production. Climate scientists including NASA solar physicists, climatologists, geophysicists, and other professionals predict that another full solar cycle, which concludes sometime in 2012, should be enough to provide strong indications for which side is right, the warming fanatics or the cooling advocates.
The reason I use these two descriptive terms (fanatics and advocates), is that global warming ideology permits no debate at this time. Try to debate the point with anyone who tells you you should stop using incandescent bulbs. Count the sentences before they call you "ignorant" or worse. Those of us who believe that the science is incomplete are not allowed to participate in the conversation.
Look at the climate legislation that just passed the US Congress without one single member of the House, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, having read the bill.
By around 2020, I believe we will have a firmly established trend of either global warming or cooling. In the mean time we need debate and peer-reviewed study - not political grandstanding. We need to hold off on decisions that materially affect the economy and the national well-being, such as the boondoggle that just made it through Congress. We need to return the debate to the scientific, not political arena.
Let us take that step in the Senate, and throw this piece of legislative junk in the trash, where it belongs. We can do it even though Al Franken was allowed to steal his Senate seat. Since Kennedy and Byrd are out for medical reasons, the vote need not be fillibuster-proof. If Republicans can act together (hear me, Olympia and Susan?), we can help protect America from its non-representing representatives. I hope this will be the case. In any event, I am stocking up on 1,000 incandescent bulbs and dimmer switches, so I can at least enjoy my lighting until I pass away. When I'm dead, I won't hear my kids and grandkids screaming at me for bequeathing them such lunacy as this climate bill.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Great Global Warming Quote
Nothing from me - just thought this guy was worth quoting. Not that any GW fanatics will be able to understand it at all...
"In the ice core record, CO2 increase has always lagged behind temperature rises and the lag involved is estimated to be 400 to 800 years." [emphasis mine] "There has never been a period when a CO2 rise has preceded global warming. I have seen it argued that the past 30 years has been so exceptional that it MUST, for the first time in the history of the globe, be CO2 driving the warming trend. That is an assertion of such low probability that it should require very powerful evidence to support it. I have seen no such evidence. Indeed, on a cursory inspection the slow but steady increase in atmospheric CO2 is clearly not coming through in a slow but steady rise in global temperatures. Instead we see rises and falls in global temperatures that bear no obvious relationship to the steady rise in CO2 unless one puts the cart before the horse and announces that there is no other possible reason and the trend period adopted is carefully chosen to suit the proposition." - Stephen Wilde
The whole article can be seen at:
http://climaterealists.com/index.php?id=1041
"In the ice core record, CO2 increase has always lagged behind temperature rises and the lag involved is estimated to be 400 to 800 years." [emphasis mine] "There has never been a period when a CO2 rise has preceded global warming. I have seen it argued that the past 30 years has been so exceptional that it MUST, for the first time in the history of the globe, be CO2 driving the warming trend. That is an assertion of such low probability that it should require very powerful evidence to support it. I have seen no such evidence. Indeed, on a cursory inspection the slow but steady increase in atmospheric CO2 is clearly not coming through in a slow but steady rise in global temperatures. Instead we see rises and falls in global temperatures that bear no obvious relationship to the steady rise in CO2 unless one puts the cart before the horse and announces that there is no other possible reason and the trend period adopted is carefully chosen to suit the proposition." - Stephen Wilde
The whole article can be seen at:
http://climaterealists.com/index.php?id=1041
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tax these idiots
2 posts in one day? Well, I couldn't resist after reading a few recent quotes from Hollywood "stars" about politics, along with all the utter meanness these morons exhibit for anyone that doesn't engage in herd think like they do.
I Googled for the top paid actors and actresses, and came up with numbers for the top 20 in 2006. That is good enough for my purpose. I propose that we simply pass a law for these 20 alone - all income is taxed at 90%.
Oh, sure - we can pass a law for these 20. What, you missed Barney Frank and Fu...er...Chuck Schumer passing a law recently for just the AIG employees that received bonuses? Get with the program.
Here goes. The top 20 actors and actresses earned an average of $23 million each in 2006. Taxed at 90%, this would have netted the U.S. Treasury $414 million for just 20 people in ONE YEAR!! And hey, this tax STILL leaves these imbeciles almost $2.5 million to spend as they like. Perhaps we should pass another law that says they have to donate 90% of the left over income to reducing their carbon footprint - you know, all the pollution they create jetting here and there, living in their multi-million dollar mansions, driving their Maybachs and Escalades...
Wow - that would STILL leave them almost $250K per year - a LOT more than I make!
Hey, let's do this! If we expand the 90/90 rule to ALL rich celebrities, we could probably pay back the trillions of dollars of debt being created by Nobama! And, we reduce class envy - the overriding goal of liberal Democrats. Should pass easily given the current makeup of the executive and legislative branches. We wouldn't even need a Supreme Court battle :)
Actors, musicions, football/basketball/baseball players...they all vote liberal anyway, so they should be on board with this. We all need to sacrifice, right?
Right?
WooHOOO! Let's DO it!!
I Googled for the top paid actors and actresses, and came up with numbers for the top 20 in 2006. That is good enough for my purpose. I propose that we simply pass a law for these 20 alone - all income is taxed at 90%.
Oh, sure - we can pass a law for these 20. What, you missed Barney Frank and Fu...er...Chuck Schumer passing a law recently for just the AIG employees that received bonuses? Get with the program.
Here goes. The top 20 actors and actresses earned an average of $23 million each in 2006. Taxed at 90%, this would have netted the U.S. Treasury $414 million for just 20 people in ONE YEAR!! And hey, this tax STILL leaves these imbeciles almost $2.5 million to spend as they like. Perhaps we should pass another law that says they have to donate 90% of the left over income to reducing their carbon footprint - you know, all the pollution they create jetting here and there, living in their multi-million dollar mansions, driving their Maybachs and Escalades...
Wow - that would STILL leave them almost $250K per year - a LOT more than I make!
Hey, let's do this! If we expand the 90/90 rule to ALL rich celebrities, we could probably pay back the trillions of dollars of debt being created by Nobama! And, we reduce class envy - the overriding goal of liberal Democrats. Should pass easily given the current makeup of the executive and legislative branches. We wouldn't even need a Supreme Court battle :)
Actors, musicions, football/basketball/baseball players...they all vote liberal anyway, so they should be on board with this. We all need to sacrifice, right?
Right?
WooHOOO! Let's DO it!!
Social Networks
I'm finally discovering social networking a-la the internet. Oh, I've known about MySpace, FaceBook, and more for a while, but I never really saw any benefit wasting time "chatting" with people that had nothing better to do than sit at their computer...hey, wait.
All I DO is sit at my computer. Having become certifiably insane to the point of continuing in higher education as a "mature" adult, and having an IT job, I never get to leave my computer(s). I feel naked without a keyboard and monitor, and an internet hookup.
So I did the mature thing and signed up with some professional sites first, like LinkedIn. Then I meandered into MySpace and Twitter. Well, nothing happened for a while, and I got bored after the initial few days of learning my way around.
Then I signed up at FaceBook. The first day, someone I hadn't seen for 30 years asked me if I was the Jimmy Jones who.... Yes, I was. Then: 'Bam'. The hits kept pouring in. After a few months on FaceBook, I have hooked up with more than a dozen people that I haven't seen or spoken to since high school, which was almost before we had electric lights. I have really caught up with them too, because they posted not just pictures, but family albums, with captions! And they TALK about the pictures. And they TALK about what they are doing, and what they are going through. And I do the same thing! And it seems as if the 30 plus years has all but vanished in many cases.
My sister has been digging through old family photos, restoring some, and posting a LOT on FaceBook. The ones that can't be determined are put up for all to guess at: "anybody know (where, who, what) this is? And inevitably someone does. This is great. Talk about knowledge-building, friendship-making, family-strengthening, and just plain good times.
I don't know where it will go. And like all new technologies and practices it is getting abused and tiresome in some cases. Especially all the "what animal are you", "what superstar are you" type quizzes. Enough, already.
But the basic function and service provided have a lot of value to me, and I plan to get as much out of it as I can. I'm excited about the potential, and look forward to checking everyone out each day to see what new goodies people have posted, or what new "old" friends and acquaintances have joined.
Hope to see you there. Say "Hi" if you find me!
Jimmy Jones
All I DO is sit at my computer. Having become certifiably insane to the point of continuing in higher education as a "mature" adult, and having an IT job, I never get to leave my computer(s). I feel naked without a keyboard and monitor, and an internet hookup.
So I did the mature thing and signed up with some professional sites first, like LinkedIn. Then I meandered into MySpace and Twitter. Well, nothing happened for a while, and I got bored after the initial few days of learning my way around.
Then I signed up at FaceBook. The first day, someone I hadn't seen for 30 years asked me if I was the Jimmy Jones who.... Yes, I was. Then: 'Bam'. The hits kept pouring in. After a few months on FaceBook, I have hooked up with more than a dozen people that I haven't seen or spoken to since high school, which was almost before we had electric lights. I have really caught up with them too, because they posted not just pictures, but family albums, with captions! And they TALK about the pictures. And they TALK about what they are doing, and what they are going through. And I do the same thing! And it seems as if the 30 plus years has all but vanished in many cases.
My sister has been digging through old family photos, restoring some, and posting a LOT on FaceBook. The ones that can't be determined are put up for all to guess at: "anybody know (where, who, what) this is? And inevitably someone does. This is great. Talk about knowledge-building, friendship-making, family-strengthening, and just plain good times.
I don't know where it will go. And like all new technologies and practices it is getting abused and tiresome in some cases. Especially all the "what animal are you", "what superstar are you" type quizzes. Enough, already.
But the basic function and service provided have a lot of value to me, and I plan to get as much out of it as I can. I'm excited about the potential, and look forward to checking everyone out each day to see what new goodies people have posted, or what new "old" friends and acquaintances have joined.
Hope to see you there. Say "Hi" if you find me!
Jimmy Jones
Friday, April 24, 2009
What I believe
I find it important to list these things, more for me than for you. My beliefs are founded on research, supported by history, validated by current events, fueled by passion and presented with emotion. I do care what you think, although I have learned that you are equally inspired to find your own path in this world.
First, I believe in an ultimate Maker, who is in charge of everything, and who expects me to act "right" of my own volition.
Built on that, I believe that I can choose to do wrong, but that by violating physical, mental, and spiritual principles, I will end up damaging myself and others as a consequence.
Next I believe that mankind is basically flawed. I happen to believe it is because of original sin, but whatever the cause, people are just "not right". We are capable of the highest good, and the most despicable evil, and I believe that under the right conditions, any of us are capable of either.
Built on that, I believe there is a resolution for that flaw, and that is our continued journey toward reunion with our Maker. Any time we turn away, we are unhappy, and our level of defiance and self assurance in ourselves doesn't matter. When we turn away, we are unhappy.
I believe that people should freely choose to help each other, but should not be compelled to do so by outside forces.
Built on that I believe that each of us has a responsibility to care for ourselves, and not to expect others to do for us what we can do for ourselves.
Built on that, I believe the world is a place of opportunity, but not of guaranteed results, and that any effort to make everyone equal is doomed not only to failure, but to inflicting more harm than good on target and surrounding populations.
I believe that man (generic) is arrogant in the extreme to think that he can materially affect planet earth in any long-term sense. All we do is play in the dirt. What we use comes from the earth. What we make goes back to the earth. Man cannot break this cycle.
I believe that man must be governed by laws, not by other men - when we forget this, we end up with chaos, dictatorships, and worse. I believe we are forgetting this now.
I believe that money cannot buy happiness, but that it does make shopping for happiness a lot more fun.
I believe government should live within its means - just like families. Enough is enough.
I believe strength (and its use) guarantees peace - history is justification.
On the lighter side, I believe in energy, convenience, comfort, and fun.
I believe in nice cars - anyone should be able to drive whatever he wants and delight in it.
I believe in Heating and A/C - stay warm in winter and cool in summer - do not sacrifice.
I believe in lights. Incandescent bulbs are prettier, can be dimmed, and are cheap. Use them.
I believe in land ownership, not oversight. If I want to fill my bog, I should be able to.
I believe in food. Good food makes me happy, and I want my fat, salt, sugar, meat, and caffeine.
I believe in well-behaved children. If I need to cause a little pain to generate good behavior, OK.
I believe that everyone deserves more chances. We all make mistakes, and plenty of them. If we admit we are wrong, and try to start over, our past should not be held against us.
Built on that, I believe in forgiveness. And it is simple. If we want to be forgiven we should forgive.
Built on that, I believe in St. Francis' prayer:
First, I believe in an ultimate Maker, who is in charge of everything, and who expects me to act "right" of my own volition.
Built on that, I believe that I can choose to do wrong, but that by violating physical, mental, and spiritual principles, I will end up damaging myself and others as a consequence.
Next I believe that mankind is basically flawed. I happen to believe it is because of original sin, but whatever the cause, people are just "not right". We are capable of the highest good, and the most despicable evil, and I believe that under the right conditions, any of us are capable of either.
Built on that, I believe there is a resolution for that flaw, and that is our continued journey toward reunion with our Maker. Any time we turn away, we are unhappy, and our level of defiance and self assurance in ourselves doesn't matter. When we turn away, we are unhappy.
I believe that people should freely choose to help each other, but should not be compelled to do so by outside forces.
Built on that I believe that each of us has a responsibility to care for ourselves, and not to expect others to do for us what we can do for ourselves.
Built on that, I believe the world is a place of opportunity, but not of guaranteed results, and that any effort to make everyone equal is doomed not only to failure, but to inflicting more harm than good on target and surrounding populations.
I believe that man (generic) is arrogant in the extreme to think that he can materially affect planet earth in any long-term sense. All we do is play in the dirt. What we use comes from the earth. What we make goes back to the earth. Man cannot break this cycle.
I believe that man must be governed by laws, not by other men - when we forget this, we end up with chaos, dictatorships, and worse. I believe we are forgetting this now.
I believe that money cannot buy happiness, but that it does make shopping for happiness a lot more fun.
I believe government should live within its means - just like families. Enough is enough.
I believe strength (and its use) guarantees peace - history is justification.
On the lighter side, I believe in energy, convenience, comfort, and fun.
I believe in nice cars - anyone should be able to drive whatever he wants and delight in it.
I believe in Heating and A/C - stay warm in winter and cool in summer - do not sacrifice.
I believe in lights. Incandescent bulbs are prettier, can be dimmed, and are cheap. Use them.
I believe in land ownership, not oversight. If I want to fill my bog, I should be able to.
I believe in food. Good food makes me happy, and I want my fat, salt, sugar, meat, and caffeine.
I believe in well-behaved children. If I need to cause a little pain to generate good behavior, OK.
I believe that everyone deserves more chances. We all make mistakes, and plenty of them. If we admit we are wrong, and try to start over, our past should not be held against us.
Built on that, I believe in forgiveness. And it is simple. If we want to be forgiven we should forgive.
Built on that, I believe in St. Francis' prayer:
- Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
- where there is hatred, let me sow love;
- where there is injury, pardon;
- where there is doubt, faith;
- where there is despair, hope;
- where there is darkness, light;
- and where there is sadness, joy.
- O Divine Master,
- grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
- to be understood, as to understand;
- to be loved, as to love;
- for it is in giving that we receive,
- it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
- and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
- Amen.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Dr. Malveaux
Dr. Julianne Malveaux is onto something. Normally, I am not a big follower of hers, but she has spoken up for a bailout for students (http://www.juliannemalveaux.com/bailout-for-our-students.html).
The concept is something like this: carmakers and banks are getting bailouts to keep from going under - why not students? Home-buyers are getting payouts and renegotiated lower interest rates - why not extend the same to students? I agree with the good Doctor that we students need 1% loans, more time to repay our loans, and higher Pell Grants. Go, Dr. Malveaux, GO!!!
Oh, one more thing. I think it's really, really, really MEAN that Dr. Malveaux recently said this about Barack Obama:
"I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease. "
What - you don't believe that an educated black woman in the public eye would say that about a prominent African American in today's society?
Well, I lied......a little bit. Dr. Malveax actually did offer those same intentions, but for a different prominent African-American, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/12/28/hate_speech_of_the_left/)
Hmmm. Maybe, seeing how mean-spirited Dr. Malveaux can really be, I should look for college funding assistance elsewhere...
The concept is something like this: carmakers and banks are getting bailouts to keep from going under - why not students? Home-buyers are getting payouts and renegotiated lower interest rates - why not extend the same to students? I agree with the good Doctor that we students need 1% loans, more time to repay our loans, and higher Pell Grants. Go, Dr. Malveaux, GO!!!
Oh, one more thing. I think it's really, really, really MEAN that Dr. Malveaux recently said this about Barack Obama:
"I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease. "
What - you don't believe that an educated black woman in the public eye would say that about a prominent African American in today's society?
Well, I lied......a little bit. Dr. Malveax actually did offer those same intentions, but for a different prominent African-American, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/12/28/hate_speech_of_the_left/)
Hmmm. Maybe, seeing how mean-spirited Dr. Malveaux can really be, I should look for college funding assistance elsewhere...
Friday, March 27, 2009
The great viral fight
I have a virus. If there is any war to fight, this one should be the biggest. After 4 days and several tactical defeats, my immune system seems to be gaining the strategic advantage. Ahhhhh.
I remember an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun, where the family members each got sick, and it was hilarious. You know - how we love to laugh at the suffering of others. That kind of hilarious. They thought they had been poisoned and were going to die. Well, sometimes that's how it feels. Being so cold you know you can never get warm again, and shivering so hard you feel like you might have a heart attack. Being sick to your stomach and hungry at the same time - what's up with that?
And the worst part, for you older sickies like me, we don't eat for 3 days and think "well at least I lost some weight!" WRONG. I step on the scale this morning and I haven't lost an ounce. My wife says - "you probably drank a lot of water". Nope, I didn't despite all the warnings: "Drink lots of water" "You better drink a lot of water" "Just keep drinking water". I didn't. I dind't eat. I didn't drink much. Still, no weight loss. Oh well. Maybe this virus stopped my metabolism too. I'm getting over it and think it will be gone within 1 or 2 more days. I can't wait.
I remember an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun, where the family members each got sick, and it was hilarious. You know - how we love to laugh at the suffering of others. That kind of hilarious. They thought they had been poisoned and were going to die. Well, sometimes that's how it feels. Being so cold you know you can never get warm again, and shivering so hard you feel like you might have a heart attack. Being sick to your stomach and hungry at the same time - what's up with that?
And the worst part, for you older sickies like me, we don't eat for 3 days and think "well at least I lost some weight!" WRONG. I step on the scale this morning and I haven't lost an ounce. My wife says - "you probably drank a lot of water". Nope, I didn't despite all the warnings: "Drink lots of water" "You better drink a lot of water" "Just keep drinking water". I didn't. I dind't eat. I didn't drink much. Still, no weight loss. Oh well. Maybe this virus stopped my metabolism too. I'm getting over it and think it will be gone within 1 or 2 more days. I can't wait.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A Wrinkle (or two) in Time
Y'know what is a pain in the tuckus? Trying to get a good photo - it gets harder and harder to find the right angle and lighting as the years go by. One try displays the tummy in all its glory, another the triple chin, a third the mottled skin and red eyes, a fourth the stunning loss of hair. Fat face, gray hair (what's left of it), skinny arms, and wrinkles.
It's all vanity anyway, and I know that the best thing to do is forget it. People like photos for remembering people, times, places, and events. Not for what I looked like at the time. Still and all, I find myself critiquing every photo and saying to myself "next time tilt your head this way, smile differently, suck in the gut, etc, etc. Do I ever remember those things? No.
Photo albums, in books or digital format do one thing unbelievably well. They remind us that we are mortal, that we are all subject to same physical laws of wearing out (all except Cher and Goldie, of course), and that we will take our place in history along side the billions that have gone before us. It is only a matter of time.
I try to grin and bear it. Most of the time I am successful. Every now and again I think about visiting the hair loss clinic, checking out skin rejuvenation methods more extreme than lotions, teeth whitening, face lifts, getting a body trainer, and, of course various "male enhancement methods". Ah well - it is to laugh. I don't think I will ever actually do any of those. If I can live with seeing lots of scalp, a paunch, multiple chins, and that "old person" posture, then others can live with it too. In the intimacy dept., well, we just have to work harder, don't we? Lower lights can help as well for the self-conscious, I've found.
Hey - aging sucks. But consider our only alternative. Suddenly it doesn't seem so bad. So I walk a little slower, eat a little better, spend more time in the mirror becoming presentable, and exercise more. It's not a cure for aging, but it is a way of taking action against a common enemy, so to speak. That in itself makes me feel better.
So I have joined the legion that says things like:
"I earned my gray hair"
"Wrinkles add character"
"I enjoy my food"
"Now I look more distinguished"
"I don't care what others think"
and so on.
Works for me!
Oh, and if you aren't "there" yet, you young skallywags, you...well, just wait. You'll get there. It's guaranteed.
Unless you're Cher. You will look perfect until you are 110. Then you will get hit by an errant ping-pong ball at a party, and you will shatter into a thousand pieces...
It's all vanity anyway, and I know that the best thing to do is forget it. People like photos for remembering people, times, places, and events. Not for what I looked like at the time. Still and all, I find myself critiquing every photo and saying to myself "next time tilt your head this way, smile differently, suck in the gut, etc, etc. Do I ever remember those things? No.
Photo albums, in books or digital format do one thing unbelievably well. They remind us that we are mortal, that we are all subject to same physical laws of wearing out (all except Cher and Goldie, of course), and that we will take our place in history along side the billions that have gone before us. It is only a matter of time.
I try to grin and bear it. Most of the time I am successful. Every now and again I think about visiting the hair loss clinic, checking out skin rejuvenation methods more extreme than lotions, teeth whitening, face lifts, getting a body trainer, and, of course various "male enhancement methods". Ah well - it is to laugh. I don't think I will ever actually do any of those. If I can live with seeing lots of scalp, a paunch, multiple chins, and that "old person" posture, then others can live with it too. In the intimacy dept., well, we just have to work harder, don't we? Lower lights can help as well for the self-conscious, I've found.
Hey - aging sucks. But consider our only alternative. Suddenly it doesn't seem so bad. So I walk a little slower, eat a little better, spend more time in the mirror becoming presentable, and exercise more. It's not a cure for aging, but it is a way of taking action against a common enemy, so to speak. That in itself makes me feel better.
So I have joined the legion that says things like:
"I earned my gray hair"
"Wrinkles add character"
"I enjoy my food"
"Now I look more distinguished"
"I don't care what others think"
and so on.
Works for me!
Oh, and if you aren't "there" yet, you young skallywags, you...well, just wait. You'll get there. It's guaranteed.
Unless you're Cher. You will look perfect until you are 110. Then you will get hit by an errant ping-pong ball at a party, and you will shatter into a thousand pieces...
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Abolish Income Tax Withholding
Hi Folks,
Not any more to it than that. I think we should do away with income tax withholding. Why? It is tyranny, plain and simple. In our representative government, we supposedly have agreed to the repressive and oppressive sums we fork over to the Federal Conglomerate each payday. Perhaps we DID agree. Perhaps we didn't. It is hard to know when we are beset with so many different taxes and fees, that are automatically withheld before we ever see the paycheck remainder we are allowed to keep.
So my solution is simple. And I think it will tell us in a heartbeat whether we really agree to the confiscatory tax levels currently imposed on us. We repeal income tax withholding, and simply write a check or three each payday. That's it. No changes to tax rules or levels. No cuts, increases, stimulii, or credits. Simply look at your pay stub, record the gross amount, and then write two or three checks: one to the federal government for the income, social security, and medicare taxes, and one to each state that claims a portion of your income. Drop them in the mail and forget about it until next payday.
My prediction is that if we did this, within the space of one year our tax burden would be drastically reduced as our state and federal representatives were faced with public lynchings over the gross theft that is our current system.
Picture this: A family wage-earner earns $4,800 every 2 weeks - pretty well paid, right?
After all reductions, the net check is for $3500. Whoa, he or she would say, except that he or she has grown used to not looking at the stub, and accepting the net as the "way of things."
Now say that individual deposits $4,800 to his or her bank account.
S/he rubs hands together thinking about the nice new flat-screen to be purchased. Oops, but first, write a check to the federal government for $1,000 for income, FICA, and medicare taxes. Now we have $3,800. Now write a check to the state for $300, and we are down to $3,500.
Still cool, right? Then we take out for the mortgage, the car(s), the groceries, clothes, utilities, and credit card payments. Suddenly there are only a few hundred left for entertainment and unexpected expenses. Wouldn't that extra $1,300 have been useful? Heck - give the governments $800 and wouldn't the extra $500 have been useful? Heck, give the governments $1,000, and wouldn't the extra $300 have been useful?
Yes amigos, a few months of this, and there would be a sea of pitchforks outside of city hall and outside of the Capitol Building, protesting government greed.
We are asleep, and we are hearing [N]Obama tell us he is about to dramatically increase taxes in businesses and individuals. We won't know when enough is enough, because we aren't watching.
Remove the stealthy income withholding, and we will wake up, I predict, and shortly thereafter, our "representatives" will wake up as we discover we don't NEED to spend money on all ths pork, and that we demand better accounting and demonstrated results for the money we DO spend.
Study cow flatulence? It is to laugh. Fund Viagra for senior citizens? Abortions for Latin Americans? "Tax cuts" for those that do not even work? Nope, nope, and nope. Pay farmers not to grow things? Huh-unh. Subsidize losing mass transit systems such as AMTRAK? Negatory.
I predict we will also start watching how our individual representatives spend money on themselves with perks, trips, and undebated salary increases. I bet we start demanding they account for every dollar they want spend via some public forum, such as a town-hall discussion.
I bet the economy would heal up in a heartbeat.
I bet....ah, well. It is only fantasy. How could this land of sheeple ever stand up to the tyranny of withholding? It's too scary. It's too much work. Let somebody else do it.
Jimmy
Not any more to it than that. I think we should do away with income tax withholding. Why? It is tyranny, plain and simple. In our representative government, we supposedly have agreed to the repressive and oppressive sums we fork over to the Federal Conglomerate each payday. Perhaps we DID agree. Perhaps we didn't. It is hard to know when we are beset with so many different taxes and fees, that are automatically withheld before we ever see the paycheck remainder we are allowed to keep.
So my solution is simple. And I think it will tell us in a heartbeat whether we really agree to the confiscatory tax levels currently imposed on us. We repeal income tax withholding, and simply write a check or three each payday. That's it. No changes to tax rules or levels. No cuts, increases, stimulii, or credits. Simply look at your pay stub, record the gross amount, and then write two or three checks: one to the federal government for the income, social security, and medicare taxes, and one to each state that claims a portion of your income. Drop them in the mail and forget about it until next payday.
My prediction is that if we did this, within the space of one year our tax burden would be drastically reduced as our state and federal representatives were faced with public lynchings over the gross theft that is our current system.
Picture this: A family wage-earner earns $4,800 every 2 weeks - pretty well paid, right?
After all reductions, the net check is for $3500. Whoa, he or she would say, except that he or she has grown used to not looking at the stub, and accepting the net as the "way of things."
Now say that individual deposits $4,800 to his or her bank account.
S/he rubs hands together thinking about the nice new flat-screen to be purchased. Oops, but first, write a check to the federal government for $1,000 for income, FICA, and medicare taxes. Now we have $3,800. Now write a check to the state for $300, and we are down to $3,500.
Still cool, right? Then we take out for the mortgage, the car(s), the groceries, clothes, utilities, and credit card payments. Suddenly there are only a few hundred left for entertainment and unexpected expenses. Wouldn't that extra $1,300 have been useful? Heck - give the governments $800 and wouldn't the extra $500 have been useful? Heck, give the governments $1,000, and wouldn't the extra $300 have been useful?
Yes amigos, a few months of this, and there would be a sea of pitchforks outside of city hall and outside of the Capitol Building, protesting government greed.
We are asleep, and we are hearing [N]Obama tell us he is about to dramatically increase taxes in businesses and individuals. We won't know when enough is enough, because we aren't watching.
Remove the stealthy income withholding, and we will wake up, I predict, and shortly thereafter, our "representatives" will wake up as we discover we don't NEED to spend money on all ths pork, and that we demand better accounting and demonstrated results for the money we DO spend.
Study cow flatulence? It is to laugh. Fund Viagra for senior citizens? Abortions for Latin Americans? "Tax cuts" for those that do not even work? Nope, nope, and nope. Pay farmers not to grow things? Huh-unh. Subsidize losing mass transit systems such as AMTRAK? Negatory.
I predict we will also start watching how our individual representatives spend money on themselves with perks, trips, and undebated salary increases. I bet we start demanding they account for every dollar they want spend via some public forum, such as a town-hall discussion.
I bet the economy would heal up in a heartbeat.
I bet....ah, well. It is only fantasy. How could this land of sheeple ever stand up to the tyranny of withholding? It's too scary. It's too much work. Let somebody else do it.
Jimmy
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Just watch the movie
Somebody recommended this to me once - an old friend no longer here, who said: "when times are bad, just step outside of yourself and watch everything as if it were a movie".
It didn't make much sense, but over time, I found occasion to try the tactic, and the more I used it the more sense it made.
See, I get paralyzed when I get into situations that overwhelm me, such as when I make a big mistake, or when someone is screaming at me, or when I have performance anxiety for speeches and presentations. I get really scared at financial worries and family sickness, and I become furious at negative behavior in others that makes no sense.
So the first time that I had to get through a really uncomfortable situation at work, where my manager didn't have the cojones to let someone go, and made me do it, I simply had the conversation and watched myself do it as if I was standing next to me - does that make sense?
Well, it worked. I handled the defensiveness and anger from the person being fired, I observed my anxiety, and noted that it didn't affect my functioning, and I felt oddly calm once it was all over, with no "gee, I wish I had said that or not said that" reactions.
Over time I have gotten very good at this, and it has sustained me through some very difficult times, indeed. Deaths, fights, accidents, accusations, public performances, and school. (Oh, God, school - I have to do another blog entry about that).
Recently I read Spencer Johnson's "Who moved my cheese", and to my delight, I came across a page where the main character in a difficult situation, asked himself: "What would I do if I wasn't afraid?"
Exactly, I thought. When I switch to movie-watching mode, I am not afraid. It's like going to a horror movie because we want the thrill but also to be safe at the same time.
So now I apply that question as well: "What would I do in this situation, if I wasn't afraid?". Then I go to movie watching because it helps me to remain unafraid. Then I get my own answer to the question.
This practice has helped me at work, at home, at school, and just pretty much everywhere.
Some may call it a crutch. I believe in crutches. I think we all need as much help as we can get to muddle our way through life. The nice thing about crutches is that they do not inhibit the joys of success. I have found that even in celebrations, movie watching mode can help me appreciate the magnitude of blessings, achievements, shared joys, and friendship.
My friend who turned me on to this way of thinking and acting has since passed away, and I don't think I had "got it" before then - so Buddy, if you can hear this "Thank you".
Life around me has turned a bit tough recently, and that in turn has gotten me using this technique a bit more than usual. It still works like a charm, and thus, merits entry in this blog!
Lights!
Camera!
Action!
It didn't make much sense, but over time, I found occasion to try the tactic, and the more I used it the more sense it made.
See, I get paralyzed when I get into situations that overwhelm me, such as when I make a big mistake, or when someone is screaming at me, or when I have performance anxiety for speeches and presentations. I get really scared at financial worries and family sickness, and I become furious at negative behavior in others that makes no sense.
So the first time that I had to get through a really uncomfortable situation at work, where my manager didn't have the cojones to let someone go, and made me do it, I simply had the conversation and watched myself do it as if I was standing next to me - does that make sense?
Well, it worked. I handled the defensiveness and anger from the person being fired, I observed my anxiety, and noted that it didn't affect my functioning, and I felt oddly calm once it was all over, with no "gee, I wish I had said that or not said that" reactions.
Over time I have gotten very good at this, and it has sustained me through some very difficult times, indeed. Deaths, fights, accidents, accusations, public performances, and school. (Oh, God, school - I have to do another blog entry about that).
Recently I read Spencer Johnson's "Who moved my cheese", and to my delight, I came across a page where the main character in a difficult situation, asked himself: "What would I do if I wasn't afraid?"
Exactly, I thought. When I switch to movie-watching mode, I am not afraid. It's like going to a horror movie because we want the thrill but also to be safe at the same time.
So now I apply that question as well: "What would I do in this situation, if I wasn't afraid?". Then I go to movie watching because it helps me to remain unafraid. Then I get my own answer to the question.
This practice has helped me at work, at home, at school, and just pretty much everywhere.
Some may call it a crutch. I believe in crutches. I think we all need as much help as we can get to muddle our way through life. The nice thing about crutches is that they do not inhibit the joys of success. I have found that even in celebrations, movie watching mode can help me appreciate the magnitude of blessings, achievements, shared joys, and friendship.
My friend who turned me on to this way of thinking and acting has since passed away, and I don't think I had "got it" before then - so Buddy, if you can hear this "Thank you".
Life around me has turned a bit tough recently, and that in turn has gotten me using this technique a bit more than usual. It still works like a charm, and thus, merits entry in this blog!
Lights!
Camera!
Action!
Friday, January 23, 2009
My favorite candies
I can't think about the insanity of politics today. So instead, I choose to focus on all the favorite sweets in my life.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet
and I want a LOT of it...
Mike & Ike - My all-time favorite snacker. Like jelly beans, but "jellier". Sweeter. Sour-er. Better shape. Convenient box.
MilkDuds - No other choice for watching a movie, and the ONLY candy worth paying $3.50 a single-serving box for. Chewy. Chocolate & caramel. What's not to like, except that they run out too soon?
Orange Slices - Mmmm. Large, fruity (if you get a good brand), chewy, granulated sugar on the outside, smooth and chewy on the inside. Shaped appropriately. Runner-up: multi-flavor fruit slices.
Sweet Tarts - Woefully misnamed. These little buggers are the bomb! A light dusting of sweetness on first sample, followed by a fruity explosion of tongue-curling sourness that keeps you coming back again and again! Small ones are best, because those gigantic Sweet Tarts get too messy to eat after a few nibbles.
Lik-em-ade - Basically powder-version of Sweet Tarts. This brand was in a paper pouch. Another version - Pixie Sticks - was packaged in thin paper straws. Both allow you to dump quantities of powdered Sweet Tarts directly on your toungue for a sweet/sour sensation. Beware - these are also messy.
Reisen - To die for. Chocolate nougats that start hard and gradually become chewy, and the chocolate keeps getting more intense. Buy a bag for yourself, and you will eat enough at one sitting to make you feel sick.
Candy Corn - I would have traded all the candy in my Halloween collection for Candy Corn, and often tried. What are they - just sugar? I don't know. Corn syrup, 3 colors, and you have to eat them one color at a time. First the white tip, then the orange middle, then the chocolate bottom.
Snickers - An angel visited the designer of this exquisit treat, and inspired the candy bar that will never be beat. Rumor has it that this candy bar may have been alien technology recovered from the Roswell UFO crash site...
Bit-O-Honey - Well, it will pull your fillings out, but it must be experienced. Peanut butter, honey, toffee. Another hard candy that turns chewy and juicy in your mouth, and keeps you reaching for more.
Hershey Kisses - Just good, solid, milk chocolate. Who could ask for anything more?
I may add to this list as I consider all the candy I enjoy. Feel free to add your favorites too.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet
and I want a LOT of it...
Mike & Ike - My all-time favorite snacker. Like jelly beans, but "jellier". Sweeter. Sour-er. Better shape. Convenient box.
MilkDuds - No other choice for watching a movie, and the ONLY candy worth paying $3.50 a single-serving box for. Chewy. Chocolate & caramel. What's not to like, except that they run out too soon?
Orange Slices - Mmmm. Large, fruity (if you get a good brand), chewy, granulated sugar on the outside, smooth and chewy on the inside. Shaped appropriately. Runner-up: multi-flavor fruit slices.
Sweet Tarts - Woefully misnamed. These little buggers are the bomb! A light dusting of sweetness on first sample, followed by a fruity explosion of tongue-curling sourness that keeps you coming back again and again! Small ones are best, because those gigantic Sweet Tarts get too messy to eat after a few nibbles.
Lik-em-ade - Basically powder-version of Sweet Tarts. This brand was in a paper pouch. Another version - Pixie Sticks - was packaged in thin paper straws. Both allow you to dump quantities of powdered Sweet Tarts directly on your toungue for a sweet/sour sensation. Beware - these are also messy.
Reisen - To die for. Chocolate nougats that start hard and gradually become chewy, and the chocolate keeps getting more intense. Buy a bag for yourself, and you will eat enough at one sitting to make you feel sick.
Candy Corn - I would have traded all the candy in my Halloween collection for Candy Corn, and often tried. What are they - just sugar? I don't know. Corn syrup, 3 colors, and you have to eat them one color at a time. First the white tip, then the orange middle, then the chocolate bottom.
Snickers - An angel visited the designer of this exquisit treat, and inspired the candy bar that will never be beat. Rumor has it that this candy bar may have been alien technology recovered from the Roswell UFO crash site...
Bit-O-Honey - Well, it will pull your fillings out, but it must be experienced. Peanut butter, honey, toffee. Another hard candy that turns chewy and juicy in your mouth, and keeps you reaching for more.
Hershey Kisses - Just good, solid, milk chocolate. Who could ask for anything more?
I may add to this list as I consider all the candy I enjoy. Feel free to add your favorites too.
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