Somehow NAPA has the image of knowing what they are doing and being the house of real car parts.
Wrong. Not just in Alpine, but I've noticed this in some other towns, NAPA has arrogant people, who appear to be hoping you will give them reason to start a fistfight, behind the counter sneering as if to say, I know more than you do about your car. But they do not know jack about anything.
They suck. NAPA in Alpine can't even get the simplest part right. You look it up; '08 subaru forester non turbo. You note the part number. You go get it. You wipe that sneer off of your face. High school ended many years ago for you and it looked stupid then, too.
[a note to those who may not know this: California has probably more rednecks than all the Southern states combined, but not more than AZ, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Nevada combined]
I will stop short of indicting the entire NAPA company, but not very short. It has been over ten years since I found a transaction at a NAPA store satisfactory in the long run.
NAPA in Alpine sure sucks. It's like walking into a seriously unfriendly redneck bar out in the sticks. Suddenly your mind starts playing Dueling Banjos.
Auto Zone, and O'Reilly are far better, provide better service, better price and their stuff lasts longer. NAPA somehow went downhill. Judging from some of the employees, I think they may be a front for union goons to cool their heels between vandalism gigs.
It is an outrage that NAPA is Alpine's only parts place. From now on I will just go to the O'Reilly store in Poway. Like most Poway businesses, those people are competent and go out of their way to get you what you need. They don't screw it up.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Can't Figure The Weather
Here I thought I'd returned from m trip to weeks and weeks of 90 and 100 degree days. As it turns out there weren't that many really hot days and then the just disappeared. Our hot times, as best I understand, fall a little more toward fall than they do in other places like Memphis or Ponca City.
This year, it is all different. We've been having nights in the 40's and days that hardly reach 70. Of course that varies greatly just a few miles away in any direction. The coast is always nice and perfect. The desert is hot during the day, fairly cool at night.
I've even seen lots of clouds and some rain this past week. I was expecting to go a month without seeing a cloud in the sky. This certainly was no record breaking summer here. I shouldn't complain. It's just that I was still in the mood for a little bit of hot weather. I'd become acclimated to it on my trip, although some of that was way too hot.
Really, I'm confused about other things, and weather is a good subject for expressing that confusion without delving into the more substantive matters. And it is still all true, what I've said.
This year, it is all different. We've been having nights in the 40's and days that hardly reach 70. Of course that varies greatly just a few miles away in any direction. The coast is always nice and perfect. The desert is hot during the day, fairly cool at night.
I've even seen lots of clouds and some rain this past week. I was expecting to go a month without seeing a cloud in the sky. This certainly was no record breaking summer here. I shouldn't complain. It's just that I was still in the mood for a little bit of hot weather. I'd become acclimated to it on my trip, although some of that was way too hot.
Really, I'm confused about other things, and weather is a good subject for expressing that confusion without delving into the more substantive matters. And it is still all true, what I've said.
Occupy Atlanta Silences Civil Rights Hero John Lewis!
This is not what freedom looks like.
This is how true oppression grows. Let's see if we have a consensus on whether the sky is blue.
I ignore comments on youtube as they are rarely worth the read.
The video the video speaks for itself speaks for itself
Dare I say this is what crazy ass white people look like? Collectivists tend to freak me out because they are intolerant toward those who seek to mind their own business and think for themselves. No need to let a person speak for fear he or she might be thought of as somehow better, smarter, different or that he might offer a differing point of view.
The key to everlasting ignorance is contempt prior to investigation. Another vehicle to ensure ignorance is to practice being a parrot.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Best Way To Beat The Man
Warning: This is another instance which finds me preaching that which I rarely practice, or have a very difficult time practicing.
The Man is actually more of a force than any particular person or even institution. People and institutions can be The Man, but aren't the totality of The Man. The Man is that force which seeks to prevent you from living your life and dreams as you see fit, even if you aren't harming others. To do this He finds ways to keep you paranoid, in fear, angry, envious, confused, and sometimes full of vengeful rage.
How can you fight a thing like that? That's what I've been asking myself, and that leads me to a couple of realizations. One is that I have allowed myself to look at local, national, and world events (as presented in news media and some entertainment shows) and I've suckered right into the desired reaction; despair and a feeling of powerlessness over my life and future. The other realization is that it would be healthier to look and see the positive aspects of life.
If I didn't know about obscure, bizarre regulations which kill businesses and enterprise, I would not let that hinder my thoughts of starting some productive independent effort. Maybe it would work out, and maybe I'd just do things as well and responsibly as I think they should be done and be below the radar. It is better to do that than to let The Man convince me that mere mortals need not apply. That is His goal, and I can't say playing into it is an enlightened approach.
I do consciously make an effort not to be a part of The Man's force, and will continue to do so. And the very best way to do that is to try to avoid being suckered any more into believing that we're all doomed and that no one would pay me to do whatever it is that piques my passion. In short, I will resist the brain washing which would make slaves of us all. Or most of us, except the one's who seem to be the core of the machine that is The Man.
Certain enterprises would be better off moved to another state if any success were realized, but that is nothing to a gypsy like me. First one must begin the project and do the work to make it grow. And not be afraid to fail, or to succeed.
That doesn't mean I won't monitor public affairs, but the reality is that the news is pretty much just a droning message which is aimed toward convincing people that government is the end all and be all of life. The average journalist and news publisher is merely the government's salesman, pitching the idea that government is something greater than people and that it is your only hope for making it to the mailbox alive and for making decisions of every sort. They paint it as a god who knows best how everyone should live and think.
It gets more involved than that, and that is part of the trap. People like to puzzle things out and to have enemies, so there is something for everyone. Except me. I want out.
My happiest days have been days when I was too busy living my life to pay much attention to news and governmental hijinx; getting my heart broken, or breaking hearts, and just generally tasting the beauty of the world and life, bringing ideas to material fruition. Creative endeavors, whether of a technical, artistic or other nature, which tweak one's passion, are more than the spice of life. They are a big part of what makes the human race a special species. Those things are life enhancing and life giving.
An enterprise need not be great and earth shaking to be a spectacularly invigorating aspect of one's life. It could be a hot dog stand, or landing a job you love, or selling homemade products out of the house. It is often better to go for it without a lot of knowledge of possible drawbacks, and without the idea that if attempt 1 yields no results that it is time to quit.
That's my goal--to see some positive and not let The Man sucker me into passionate opinions about things I know little about. Like Wall Street, or any number of things I don't even think are The Man's business. More and more I attempt to resist deciding that some person or group is my enemy based upon info floated out there by The Man.
Blind and ignorant hatred is one of His favorite foods. Sure, there are misguided and even defective souls out there, but rarely is it necessary to squander my energy hating them. Most of the time I am not in a spot to do anything directly about these miscreants. Cross that bridge when I get there. And avoid contributing money to The Man's cause when possible.
When you think of it, who is really benefitting humanity more, masses of people chanting with signs, or dumping grain from rail cars, or someone who started making a product in the basement and now finds the need to hire some helpers, rent a building and continue to improve the product that people have shown they want? I think the producer is the greater humanitarian, in reality.
I've decided that in response to consumer advocates I will become a producer advocate. Anyone can consume, and, speaking for myself, their advocacy is neither needed nor wanted. It takes a lot more to produce. I'd love to figure out the game well enough to get paid to be a producer advocate.
That may be difficult. Consumer advocates make their money by slamming the product and the producer, and often unfairly. Ralph Nader got rich off it. It turns out the Corvair, when run through later government tests, proved superior to most cars on the road. But he managed to kill it without personal consequence. It became a big business--consumerism.
How can I pull the same stunt but as a producer advocate? Maybe I'd have to slam consumers, but everyone is a consumer, or he/she quickly dies. Be that as it may. I now declare myself the new voice for producer advocacy.
The Man is actually more of a force than any particular person or even institution. People and institutions can be The Man, but aren't the totality of The Man. The Man is that force which seeks to prevent you from living your life and dreams as you see fit, even if you aren't harming others. To do this He finds ways to keep you paranoid, in fear, angry, envious, confused, and sometimes full of vengeful rage.
How can you fight a thing like that? That's what I've been asking myself, and that leads me to a couple of realizations. One is that I have allowed myself to look at local, national, and world events (as presented in news media and some entertainment shows) and I've suckered right into the desired reaction; despair and a feeling of powerlessness over my life and future. The other realization is that it would be healthier to look and see the positive aspects of life.
If I didn't know about obscure, bizarre regulations which kill businesses and enterprise, I would not let that hinder my thoughts of starting some productive independent effort. Maybe it would work out, and maybe I'd just do things as well and responsibly as I think they should be done and be below the radar. It is better to do that than to let The Man convince me that mere mortals need not apply. That is His goal, and I can't say playing into it is an enlightened approach.
I do consciously make an effort not to be a part of The Man's force, and will continue to do so. And the very best way to do that is to try to avoid being suckered any more into believing that we're all doomed and that no one would pay me to do whatever it is that piques my passion. In short, I will resist the brain washing which would make slaves of us all. Or most of us, except the one's who seem to be the core of the machine that is The Man.
Certain enterprises would be better off moved to another state if any success were realized, but that is nothing to a gypsy like me. First one must begin the project and do the work to make it grow. And not be afraid to fail, or to succeed.
That doesn't mean I won't monitor public affairs, but the reality is that the news is pretty much just a droning message which is aimed toward convincing people that government is the end all and be all of life. The average journalist and news publisher is merely the government's salesman, pitching the idea that government is something greater than people and that it is your only hope for making it to the mailbox alive and for making decisions of every sort. They paint it as a god who knows best how everyone should live and think.
It gets more involved than that, and that is part of the trap. People like to puzzle things out and to have enemies, so there is something for everyone. Except me. I want out.
My happiest days have been days when I was too busy living my life to pay much attention to news and governmental hijinx; getting my heart broken, or breaking hearts, and just generally tasting the beauty of the world and life, bringing ideas to material fruition. Creative endeavors, whether of a technical, artistic or other nature, which tweak one's passion, are more than the spice of life. They are a big part of what makes the human race a special species. Those things are life enhancing and life giving.
An enterprise need not be great and earth shaking to be a spectacularly invigorating aspect of one's life. It could be a hot dog stand, or landing a job you love, or selling homemade products out of the house. It is often better to go for it without a lot of knowledge of possible drawbacks, and without the idea that if attempt 1 yields no results that it is time to quit.
That's my goal--to see some positive and not let The Man sucker me into passionate opinions about things I know little about. Like Wall Street, or any number of things I don't even think are The Man's business. More and more I attempt to resist deciding that some person or group is my enemy based upon info floated out there by The Man.
Blind and ignorant hatred is one of His favorite foods. Sure, there are misguided and even defective souls out there, but rarely is it necessary to squander my energy hating them. Most of the time I am not in a spot to do anything directly about these miscreants. Cross that bridge when I get there. And avoid contributing money to The Man's cause when possible.
When you think of it, who is really benefitting humanity more, masses of people chanting with signs, or dumping grain from rail cars, or someone who started making a product in the basement and now finds the need to hire some helpers, rent a building and continue to improve the product that people have shown they want? I think the producer is the greater humanitarian, in reality.
I've decided that in response to consumer advocates I will become a producer advocate. Anyone can consume, and, speaking for myself, their advocacy is neither needed nor wanted. It takes a lot more to produce. I'd love to figure out the game well enough to get paid to be a producer advocate.
That may be difficult. Consumer advocates make their money by slamming the product and the producer, and often unfairly. Ralph Nader got rich off it. It turns out the Corvair, when run through later government tests, proved superior to most cars on the road. But he managed to kill it without personal consequence. It became a big business--consumerism.
How can I pull the same stunt but as a producer advocate? Maybe I'd have to slam consumers, but everyone is a consumer, or he/she quickly dies. Be that as it may. I now declare myself the new voice for producer advocacy.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Household Tip: Stop the bleeding
Quite often I find a nick or spot that just wants to bleed like a stuck pig. It is inconvenient and I'm in a hurry. Styptic pencil won't quite do it because this is more than the little shaving nick.
What do I use? Krazy Glue or Super Glue. It works. My sources tell me the stuff was invented to hold battlefield wounds together since there is no time for stitches while putting a guy on a stretcher to be hauled to safety by helicopter. That makes sense because it works better on skin than anything else.
There you have it. I stopped a skinned knee from bleeding all over clothes and such and a skinned knuckle from worrying people, all just this week.
I must say, I've used super glue/krazy glue a lot, but with very mixed results. Once I started using it to seal wounds the success rate improved dramatically. It is the only application in which it always works.
What do I use? Krazy Glue or Super Glue. It works. My sources tell me the stuff was invented to hold battlefield wounds together since there is no time for stitches while putting a guy on a stretcher to be hauled to safety by helicopter. That makes sense because it works better on skin than anything else.
There you have it. I stopped a skinned knee from bleeding all over clothes and such and a skinned knuckle from worrying people, all just this week.
I must say, I've used super glue/krazy glue a lot, but with very mixed results. Once I started using it to seal wounds the success rate improved dramatically. It is the only application in which it always works.
The Western Gods Must Be Crazy
The East has always been a different thing, and the idea of individual freedom and maximum choice never seems to have been quite as catchy a thought as it was in the Western world. But we were disorganized barbarians while they were doing the bidding of opium heads and making fancy ceramics and such.
These days it is as if a spell was cast upon intellectuals, government officials, bankers and others in the West. They manufacture crisis after crisis, mostly through efforts to curb freedom in the name of something fuzzy and warm, then cry about the crisis and give more power to those who created the crisis so that they might curb the crisis.
The rationalizations for both the non-solutions and the anger at everyone but the real crisis creators are complicated, clever, and fallacious. What happens is partial truth substitutes for the whole truth.
If I steal a gun from you, then hire a guy to shoot you with it, and then he gets caught and you ask me to punish him and maybe even do something to make sure this doesn't happen to others, that would be kind of strange don't you think? It would become even more bizarre if I act shocked and dismayed and am the most vocal in denouncing this vile crime, even though anyone paying attention knows I planned and facilitated the crime. People know I'm guilty but are willing to pretend otherwise since I pretend innocence.
That is exactly what is going on in this country. Why no one would call me out in the above example is the same reason the real trouble makers keep there jobs in the real world today. But I cannot explain that reason other than to say people like the easy targets, do not care to examine a thought which has too many parts or too much depth, and do not want to appear odd, flakey or uncool by going against the snowball effect of peer pressure. It is unbelievable.
The West had a shot at really expanding the level of freedom their cultures and countries, yet they are hell bent on ensuring quite the opposite. It's all for our own good though, so that makes it holy and right. I'm so happy this obesity crisis and its insane solutions have gone global. If a paternal or maternal higher authority wasn't going to punish me by taxing or outlawing certain foods, or taking even stronger measures, I'd be a 600 pound blob who couldn't even fit into his own tourmobile.
Thank you, diet police. I owe my slimness and ability to see my toes all to you.
These days it is as if a spell was cast upon intellectuals, government officials, bankers and others in the West. They manufacture crisis after crisis, mostly through efforts to curb freedom in the name of something fuzzy and warm, then cry about the crisis and give more power to those who created the crisis so that they might curb the crisis.
The rationalizations for both the non-solutions and the anger at everyone but the real crisis creators are complicated, clever, and fallacious. What happens is partial truth substitutes for the whole truth.
If I steal a gun from you, then hire a guy to shoot you with it, and then he gets caught and you ask me to punish him and maybe even do something to make sure this doesn't happen to others, that would be kind of strange don't you think? It would become even more bizarre if I act shocked and dismayed and am the most vocal in denouncing this vile crime, even though anyone paying attention knows I planned and facilitated the crime. People know I'm guilty but are willing to pretend otherwise since I pretend innocence.
That is exactly what is going on in this country. Why no one would call me out in the above example is the same reason the real trouble makers keep there jobs in the real world today. But I cannot explain that reason other than to say people like the easy targets, do not care to examine a thought which has too many parts or too much depth, and do not want to appear odd, flakey or uncool by going against the snowball effect of peer pressure. It is unbelievable.
The West had a shot at really expanding the level of freedom their cultures and countries, yet they are hell bent on ensuring quite the opposite. It's all for our own good though, so that makes it holy and right. I'm so happy this obesity crisis and its insane solutions have gone global. If a paternal or maternal higher authority wasn't going to punish me by taxing or outlawing certain foods, or taking even stronger measures, I'd be a 600 pound blob who couldn't even fit into his own tourmobile.
Thank you, diet police. I owe my slimness and ability to see my toes all to you.
Staying Above Water
OK. I still don't know what to call Mr Big that sounds right or fits. He's the money guy that may have more influence over this administration than most. I'll call him the Puppeteer.
So, one of the US Cabinet members came to stay at the puppeteer's socal house with his family, and secret service entourage. Guys like that get secret service too. They use them to run errands, do favors, go to the grocery store. All the stuff we are glad to pay for to keep our elected and not elected officials safe and sound.
As I was readying the place I was carrying some outdoor item, either a long cushion or a pool float from point A to point B. The path I took went right by the end of the spa. It is a concrete pond which is at the end of the larger concrete pond, or swimming pool as we call them in Miami.
The patio is up a few steps where the spa is located. That way it can spill over the waterfall thing down to the pool. I was on that upper patio part looking toward point B, thinking, "I'll put this thing over there". I was holding it so that it blocked any peripheral vision on my right side.
As luck would have it I cut a little too close to the corner of the spa. My left foot was still on solid ground but my right foot went straight down to the first ledge in the spa, about an 18" or so drop--just to the point where the water level reached the bottom of my knee.
You may not know this, but when you are walking and the ground is suddenly way below where it is supposed to be and you do not realize this until you take a step, or later, it is quite a shock and often throws your whole rhythm off, or even kills you.
I still have no idea where my left leg went when I fell. Somehow through my shoe it almost caused my left big toe nail to rip off. It was a sudden and definite pain experience. The positive part is that I only bruised the inside of the right knee rather than break something, and the majority of me landed on dry land.
It seemed like a good idea to just leave the shoe on. For once I wore heavier tie up shoes rather than work barefooted or in moccasins. And I did what needed doing. That was the right thing. The pain became minimal and I didn't have to know what the damage was.
It turns out that the shoe and sock held it so that the blood acted like glue to keep it all together. That kept it from being all that painful later.
Should I sue the government for this mishap? There are no warning signs or barriers. My employer did not supply a helmet. And no one told me that if I am walking that way trying to ready the place for the Secretary of xyz that I could step into the abyss and be nearly maimed for life. I think I could sue the Puppeteer, and the US government, ie, you.
It seriously amazes me that I have a big bump on the inside of my knee which in no way influences its function, and that this toe thing is not painful. I do have it wrapped tight in heavy bandaids, but what luck.
Once again, I've been blessed with minimum consequence for maximum negligence and carelessness. Thank you guardian angels or whatever.
I am pretty sure that, when I go, it will be due to a freak accident of some kind and the actual cause of death will be blunt force trauma. It has happened too many times, and I've come out OK. I just think that one day, whatever watches out for me may be taking a break just at the moment when it happens. Maybe guardians have to go smoke, or pee. If my timing coincides with that, it is curtains.
So, one of the US Cabinet members came to stay at the puppeteer's socal house with his family, and secret service entourage. Guys like that get secret service too. They use them to run errands, do favors, go to the grocery store. All the stuff we are glad to pay for to keep our elected and not elected officials safe and sound.
As I was readying the place I was carrying some outdoor item, either a long cushion or a pool float from point A to point B. The path I took went right by the end of the spa. It is a concrete pond which is at the end of the larger concrete pond, or swimming pool as we call them in Miami.
The patio is up a few steps where the spa is located. That way it can spill over the waterfall thing down to the pool. I was on that upper patio part looking toward point B, thinking, "I'll put this thing over there". I was holding it so that it blocked any peripheral vision on my right side.
As luck would have it I cut a little too close to the corner of the spa. My left foot was still on solid ground but my right foot went straight down to the first ledge in the spa, about an 18" or so drop--just to the point where the water level reached the bottom of my knee.
You may not know this, but when you are walking and the ground is suddenly way below where it is supposed to be and you do not realize this until you take a step, or later, it is quite a shock and often throws your whole rhythm off, or even kills you.
I still have no idea where my left leg went when I fell. Somehow through my shoe it almost caused my left big toe nail to rip off. It was a sudden and definite pain experience. The positive part is that I only bruised the inside of the right knee rather than break something, and the majority of me landed on dry land.
It seemed like a good idea to just leave the shoe on. For once I wore heavier tie up shoes rather than work barefooted or in moccasins. And I did what needed doing. That was the right thing. The pain became minimal and I didn't have to know what the damage was.
It turns out that the shoe and sock held it so that the blood acted like glue to keep it all together. That kept it from being all that painful later.
Should I sue the government for this mishap? There are no warning signs or barriers. My employer did not supply a helmet. And no one told me that if I am walking that way trying to ready the place for the Secretary of xyz that I could step into the abyss and be nearly maimed for life. I think I could sue the Puppeteer, and the US government, ie, you.
It seriously amazes me that I have a big bump on the inside of my knee which in no way influences its function, and that this toe thing is not painful. I do have it wrapped tight in heavy bandaids, but what luck.
Once again, I've been blessed with minimum consequence for maximum negligence and carelessness. Thank you guardian angels or whatever.
I am pretty sure that, when I go, it will be due to a freak accident of some kind and the actual cause of death will be blunt force trauma. It has happened too many times, and I've come out OK. I just think that one day, whatever watches out for me may be taking a break just at the moment when it happens. Maybe guardians have to go smoke, or pee. If my timing coincides with that, it is curtains.
I Shouldn't Say This
It puzzles me that certain facets of the self created economic CRISIS are ignored by concerned citizens who protest, and others. I am not that convinced that many of the Occupy this or that crowd know what they are protesting for or against. If they do, it certainly is not very well articulated in simple clear terms.
If people want to focus just on the mortgage market which suffered because too many loans were made to sub-prime borrowers, the ought to ask why this occurred. Do they think lending institutions initially thought loaning to dead beats was a good strategy?
I do not think so. The US government mandated much of it under the guise of diversity and helping the downtrodden. As with most such efforts, the result was to further create dependence upon various agencies for survival. It is a huge scam. What some Black economists call "the 21st century plantation".
The thing is, there are always opportunists who will not resist the temptation to get rich off of things which are wrong and vile, but not necessarily illegal. Then people ignore the real core cause and focus soley on the shysters who cashed in on it. The sick thing is they cry for the same people who caused the problem to fix it, and buy the rhetoric of those creeps while they point fingers everywhere but at themselves, as if they are shocked and dismayed. They are the damned problem.
Wall street, per se, is not the culprit. Corrupt officials and a government operating outside its proper functions make this stuff happen. It is part of The Big Pretense that the public still refuses to see that. I believe it is because so many are involved with government contracts, receiving grants, subsidy or other wealth tossed out like little crumbs to pay for silence and cooperation. It is much easier to blame corollary operatives and beneficiaries of the corrupt behavior than to examine what makes it possible.
Because what makes it possible is the bread and butter of far too many. And the PR work has been brilliant in labeling vague enemies like "the Rich", or "Wall Street", much like the nazis managed to vilify Jews back when. Though the drastic nature may not be the same, the technique remains intact.
Those under the top 10% but above the bottom 50% of wage earners account for 25% of the revenue to the US government. The top 10% pay the rest--75%. The bottom 50% account for zero. I think those figures are accurate. I'm thinking the bottom 50% net out to zero because of earned income tax credit, but I think the upper part of that group has to pay. Still, it is apparently the case that half the country does not contribute to their revenue. That statistic has not been disputed in any discussions and debates I've heard. There is a huge and growing number who fall into the official definition of the poverty level. That figure may or may not reflect true poverty, but it is their definition.
The point is, the rich pay a lot. They are taxed. Maybe not to the point that that aren't still rich, and perhaps that irks the envious. The rich pay for things, hire people and are often honest and not corrupt. To label the group as if they all stole their wealth is purely a false accusation. The people I know and have known who fall into the multi-millionaire and above category earned through persistence, hard work, vision, and sometimes a bit of luck, but rarely is luck the significant factor. They are not bad people and their wealth does not make me poor. It helps me survive because they can afford to pay me to do things for them.
The general attitude being fomented is a trap. Do you really think Warren Buffet wants to help you? And do you really think he isn't leaving out many relevant facts in his claims? There is something in it for him. Otherwise he'd just write checks to the treasury instead of whine that he doesn't pay enough. He'd hate the Fair Tax because there's no way he can beat it. He likes the IRS and the complicated code. People like him wrote it.
The point is that what is called a tax break for the rich just means they don't pay 70% of their income like they once did. You really want a reasonable tax which doesn't require hiring people so you can keep some of your money, and doesn't provide loopholes for the elite? Then demand this system be abolished, the 16th amendment be repealed, and go to the Fair Tax, or an across the board flat tax. No deductions or rewards for behavior or life choices. You want to have kids, that's fine. Married, fine. But no reward or penalties based on that.
The present system (IRS) is merely a weapon used by those in power against those who threaten that power, and as a tool to keep people down and afraid. It is an aberration in a society which claims to value freedom and inalienable individual rights.
Occupy the IRS and most of the other agencies in DC, not Wall Street. Some of wall street may be in bed with the enemy, but they aren't prime movers of the evil deeds which result in the things you are protesting. Many of your fellow protestors are but minions and controllers of those who created this CRISIS. If you trust Jimmy Hoffa2, then I have a deal for you! I'll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge for a fraction of its worth. Trust me, I'm on your side. Oh this? Dat's my Louisville Slugger. I always carry it--for luck. Pay no attention ta dat.
If people want to focus just on the mortgage market which suffered because too many loans were made to sub-prime borrowers, the ought to ask why this occurred. Do they think lending institutions initially thought loaning to dead beats was a good strategy?
I do not think so. The US government mandated much of it under the guise of diversity and helping the downtrodden. As with most such efforts, the result was to further create dependence upon various agencies for survival. It is a huge scam. What some Black economists call "the 21st century plantation".
The thing is, there are always opportunists who will not resist the temptation to get rich off of things which are wrong and vile, but not necessarily illegal. Then people ignore the real core cause and focus soley on the shysters who cashed in on it. The sick thing is they cry for the same people who caused the problem to fix it, and buy the rhetoric of those creeps while they point fingers everywhere but at themselves, as if they are shocked and dismayed. They are the damned problem.
Wall street, per se, is not the culprit. Corrupt officials and a government operating outside its proper functions make this stuff happen. It is part of The Big Pretense that the public still refuses to see that. I believe it is because so many are involved with government contracts, receiving grants, subsidy or other wealth tossed out like little crumbs to pay for silence and cooperation. It is much easier to blame corollary operatives and beneficiaries of the corrupt behavior than to examine what makes it possible.
Because what makes it possible is the bread and butter of far too many. And the PR work has been brilliant in labeling vague enemies like "the Rich", or "Wall Street", much like the nazis managed to vilify Jews back when. Though the drastic nature may not be the same, the technique remains intact.
Those under the top 10% but above the bottom 50% of wage earners account for 25% of the revenue to the US government. The top 10% pay the rest--75%. The bottom 50% account for zero. I think those figures are accurate. I'm thinking the bottom 50% net out to zero because of earned income tax credit, but I think the upper part of that group has to pay. Still, it is apparently the case that half the country does not contribute to their revenue. That statistic has not been disputed in any discussions and debates I've heard. There is a huge and growing number who fall into the official definition of the poverty level. That figure may or may not reflect true poverty, but it is their definition.
The point is, the rich pay a lot. They are taxed. Maybe not to the point that that aren't still rich, and perhaps that irks the envious. The rich pay for things, hire people and are often honest and not corrupt. To label the group as if they all stole their wealth is purely a false accusation. The people I know and have known who fall into the multi-millionaire and above category earned through persistence, hard work, vision, and sometimes a bit of luck, but rarely is luck the significant factor. They are not bad people and their wealth does not make me poor. It helps me survive because they can afford to pay me to do things for them.
The general attitude being fomented is a trap. Do you really think Warren Buffet wants to help you? And do you really think he isn't leaving out many relevant facts in his claims? There is something in it for him. Otherwise he'd just write checks to the treasury instead of whine that he doesn't pay enough. He'd hate the Fair Tax because there's no way he can beat it. He likes the IRS and the complicated code. People like him wrote it.
The point is that what is called a tax break for the rich just means they don't pay 70% of their income like they once did. You really want a reasonable tax which doesn't require hiring people so you can keep some of your money, and doesn't provide loopholes for the elite? Then demand this system be abolished, the 16th amendment be repealed, and go to the Fair Tax, or an across the board flat tax. No deductions or rewards for behavior or life choices. You want to have kids, that's fine. Married, fine. But no reward or penalties based on that.
The present system (IRS) is merely a weapon used by those in power against those who threaten that power, and as a tool to keep people down and afraid. It is an aberration in a society which claims to value freedom and inalienable individual rights.
Occupy the IRS and most of the other agencies in DC, not Wall Street. Some of wall street may be in bed with the enemy, but they aren't prime movers of the evil deeds which result in the things you are protesting. Many of your fellow protestors are but minions and controllers of those who created this CRISIS. If you trust Jimmy Hoffa2, then I have a deal for you! I'll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge for a fraction of its worth. Trust me, I'm on your side. Oh this? Dat's my Louisville Slugger. I always carry it--for luck. Pay no attention ta dat.
Thank You Steve
Despite much overseas production of Apple products, Steve Jobs generated more revenue producing jobs than all the President's men put together. And if all the president's men and those in legislative houses, such as those in California, were not so intent on punishing enterprise, even more domestic jobs would have been produced by Mr. Jobs.
My favorite recording experiences always featured a sound engineer running it all with a MacBook of some kind. I found the transition tough when I went from a desktop HP PC to a Mac Powerbook, but I have had far fewer difficulties over a 3.5 year span with this than I had in most 3 month spans with the PC.
To die at 56 is tough. But to have lived the dream by creating so much, and producing things which allowed so many others to create and live their dreams, seems almost a good trade off. Would I rather live to 100 and never see a vision through, or make a difference in the lives of millions, maybe billions? I'd settle for 56 years given the choice.
Thank you, Steve Jobs for this expensive device which has weathered far more abuse, heat, campsite shenanigans, and heavy handed typing style than one would expect. Rest in peace and I hope your family lives long, well, and happily.
My favorite recording experiences always featured a sound engineer running it all with a MacBook of some kind. I found the transition tough when I went from a desktop HP PC to a Mac Powerbook, but I have had far fewer difficulties over a 3.5 year span with this than I had in most 3 month spans with the PC.
To die at 56 is tough. But to have lived the dream by creating so much, and producing things which allowed so many others to create and live their dreams, seems almost a good trade off. Would I rather live to 100 and never see a vision through, or make a difference in the lives of millions, maybe billions? I'd settle for 56 years given the choice.
Thank you, Steve Jobs for this expensive device which has weathered far more abuse, heat, campsite shenanigans, and heavy handed typing style than one would expect. Rest in peace and I hope your family lives long, well, and happily.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Going Global
It has been determined by the Ballistic Advisory Department that I should take this blog global, so from now on it will be available to anyone with internet access, unless it is banned in your area. That may come as a shock to some, but I'm always one to take a gamble, live on the edge, and go for the gusto.
The look and feel of the page will probably not change, so you won't be able to tell any difference. We're doing this so those poor starving people, and women confined to their homes wrapped in black sheets can achieve enlightenment and forget their troubles, or, better yet, overcome obstacles put before them by The Man. Being global now, I recognize the fact that The Man may take different shapes in different places. Since we deal in universal truth and principle here, The Man's many disguises will not fool us.
Because the world obviously revolves around the USA, most of my commentary will be local. I know the good people of Zaire will hang on every word. And if I'm lucky some of them will be able to answer questions that plague me.
One such question is what the goal of the mob in NYC is. I've heard conflicting explanations about the purpose and philosophy which is driving this event. It is hard to class it as a protest or a demonstration, judging from things I've heard.
Some reports claim it is a protest against corporate greed, which I hope my friends in Zaire will better define for me. I heard an interview with one woman who claimed it was not a protest against anything but rather a gathering of people showing how things could be; a little slice of Utopia. Another person said it was to bring pressure and shed light on the corrupt dealings between government and the largest or more connected corporations who receive bailouts and otherwise serve to enrich a few at the expense of the public.
There were also people talking something about "the masses" and left wing opposite of the Tea Party. That one was a bit hard to follow, as was the talk comparing it to the "Arab Spring". I do not yet know what direction that Arab thing was going. Judging from some indications it looked like it might go more toward religious state philosophy rather than democratic republics with freedom and justice for all under governments whose rights and powers are stingily doled out by the people. One can only hope. I suspect there has been much glamorization of the Arab activity without a lot of investigation. Not much of the way things run there appeals to me.
Maybe someone on the globe will get global and rap to me about the situation in terms I can comprehend. Whatever is happening with the Wall Street stuff, I hope no one's rights are being violated. Oh, I think they did some traffic interference so maybe that has already happened. There are few instances of union involvement in such matters which do not entail a bit of boundary jumping when it comes to the rights of others. They tend to define the term "rights" differently than I would.
I'll bet there are plenty of kids out there looking to get lucky and succeeding. Great place to meet chicks while projecting an air of intellectual passion and global vision. As we have seen, there is no need to actually define it. Some "hell yeas" mixed with non specific references to Wall Street, corporate greed, and unemployment will do the trick. Got your global vision right here, Baby!
My thinking is that their efforts would be better placed if they were to congregate in front of the Capitol in DC or at the White House. But what do I know? Ok, I do know that lots of people have been duped in a myriad of ways, and many of them are not employed or finding it easy or possible to operate businesses, depending on what it is and who they know. I'm not so sure throwing in with union bosses and chanting on Wall Street will lead to a better direction. But, it is still a semi-free country so have at it.
The look and feel of the page will probably not change, so you won't be able to tell any difference. We're doing this so those poor starving people, and women confined to their homes wrapped in black sheets can achieve enlightenment and forget their troubles, or, better yet, overcome obstacles put before them by The Man. Being global now, I recognize the fact that The Man may take different shapes in different places. Since we deal in universal truth and principle here, The Man's many disguises will not fool us.
Because the world obviously revolves around the USA, most of my commentary will be local. I know the good people of Zaire will hang on every word. And if I'm lucky some of them will be able to answer questions that plague me.
One such question is what the goal of the mob in NYC is. I've heard conflicting explanations about the purpose and philosophy which is driving this event. It is hard to class it as a protest or a demonstration, judging from things I've heard.
Some reports claim it is a protest against corporate greed, which I hope my friends in Zaire will better define for me. I heard an interview with one woman who claimed it was not a protest against anything but rather a gathering of people showing how things could be; a little slice of Utopia. Another person said it was to bring pressure and shed light on the corrupt dealings between government and the largest or more connected corporations who receive bailouts and otherwise serve to enrich a few at the expense of the public.
There were also people talking something about "the masses" and left wing opposite of the Tea Party. That one was a bit hard to follow, as was the talk comparing it to the "Arab Spring". I do not yet know what direction that Arab thing was going. Judging from some indications it looked like it might go more toward religious state philosophy rather than democratic republics with freedom and justice for all under governments whose rights and powers are stingily doled out by the people. One can only hope. I suspect there has been much glamorization of the Arab activity without a lot of investigation. Not much of the way things run there appeals to me.
Maybe someone on the globe will get global and rap to me about the situation in terms I can comprehend. Whatever is happening with the Wall Street stuff, I hope no one's rights are being violated. Oh, I think they did some traffic interference so maybe that has already happened. There are few instances of union involvement in such matters which do not entail a bit of boundary jumping when it comes to the rights of others. They tend to define the term "rights" differently than I would.
I'll bet there are plenty of kids out there looking to get lucky and succeeding. Great place to meet chicks while projecting an air of intellectual passion and global vision. As we have seen, there is no need to actually define it. Some "hell yeas" mixed with non specific references to Wall Street, corporate greed, and unemployment will do the trick. Got your global vision right here, Baby!
My thinking is that their efforts would be better placed if they were to congregate in front of the Capitol in DC or at the White House. But what do I know? Ok, I do know that lots of people have been duped in a myriad of ways, and many of them are not employed or finding it easy or possible to operate businesses, depending on what it is and who they know. I'm not so sure throwing in with union bosses and chanting on Wall Street will lead to a better direction. But, it is still a semi-free country so have at it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
- John0 Juanderlust
- Ballistic Mountain, CA, United States
- Like spring on a summer's day
