I am sick and tired of everyone talking trash on Walmart. Now, don't get me wrong, compared to other stores in every other area besides price, shopping at Walmart sucks. From the time I walk into the store until the time I walk out of the store, every second is overwhelmingly filled with my desire to get out of the store, but once you are outside and the ordeal is done, the amount of money you have just saved is worth while.
Add that savings up over the course of the year, and it is even more worthwhile. See, Walmart and I have an agreement. They are going to suck, but I am going to save a lot of money. The stores are dirty, Lord help you if you need help and have to ask an Associate to help you find something, and the people who shop there (besides us, of course) are a monument to humanity and its constant struggle against itself, but if you can get your head around the fact that this is just how it is inside the walls of Walmart, and you can stomach it, you are going to reap the rewards.
Now, maybe you are principled and say that Walmart doesn't provide the best employment opportunity for its Associates and team members. Well, I have two things to say to you.
The first is...really? If as a shopper I know the bottom line is to save me money, not provide me good service, then every single employee at Walmart must know the same to be the truth. And that drive for the bottom line is why Walmart employees get a paycheck, but not much more. Just how I know what I am getting when I shop there, people who take a job at Walmart also know what they are getting.
The second is...really? How is it that if Walmart is the worst employer in the world, they manage to employ such a large army of people? How is it that a great deal of their senior leadership started decades earlier as Associates on the floor? If it was really, truly, that bad, do you think that would be the case?
Again, compare Walmart to other employers, and they will probably be found lacking, but it's not like Walmart is telling people they are going to get a full package of benefits during their interview, then telling them on their first day, "Ha ha, you fell for it".
So here is a company that employs a large mass of Americans (and let's face it, a lot of people who would not be able to find work at other places, especially in today's economy); provides the same exact products as all of the other stores out there, yet does it at a discount; continually still manages to churn out a profit, resulting in growth; and is one of the largest companies in America that has not needed the taxpayer to bail them out.
Yet, somehow, in the midst of this, people in this country still find a need to vilify Walmart as bad for America and bad for Americans. I beg to differ.
What would be far worse for America would be for Walmart to close up shop tomorrow, eliminating thousands upon thousands of jobs, and eliminating vital competition in the market place to keep prices low for American families.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Why The U.S. President Should Not Bow To World Leaders
I know I am about a week late, but I feel the need to chime in on the picture of The Magician bowing before Japanese Emperor Akihito that is floating around on the Internet, and the grumbling over the image that is going on across America.
The picture shows The Magician bowing, almost at a 90-degree angle with his head down before the Japanese Emperor. The proper way to bow to a peer is to keep your head up, look forward with your eyes looking directly at the person you are bowing to, both of you bowing at the same time, both of you bowing to an equal level, and in this case, regardless of height difference. If the other person chooses to not look up at you or bow down further than you, then that is their choice, but you should not do so under any circumstance, especially if you are the President of the United States of America. Make no mistake about it. The bow in this picture is how you would bow to show respect to someone above you, or to show your submission.
I think that someone in his staff should have briefed The Magician on this beforehand, and maybe even practiced it with him. The briefing should have touched on ensuring that he sent a message that he is on a level playing field, but I am afraid that The Magician was probably briefed with more of a stance that ensured proper respect was shown, even to the extent of it erring on the side of submission. That, my friends, was the mistake in this situation.
Let's bear in mind that a lot of what is circulating around the web is a still image, so we must be considerate of the fact that this is one frame in what was a fairly quick action, but the fact remains, these still images do now exist and are making their way around the world, and they show, unmistakably, the President of the United States of America bowing submissively before the Japanese Emperor.
I think most Americans are not necessarily bothered by the fact that The Magician would bow to a world leader out of respect, but it is the interpretation of him bowing so low in front of another world leader that is causing the uproar, especially among folks on my side of the aisle. Any sitting U.S. President should show respect to the Queen of England, but not take a knee before her. These pictures show the President of the United States of America making a very similar gesture as kneeling before the Queen in bowing in that manner before the Japanese Emporer.
You take this incident in conjunction with the already infamous bow before the King of Saudi Arabia and the infamous exchange with Hugo Chavez at the U.N., and you have the makings of a very strong case that the United States of America no longer considers itself to be a world leader, the world's sole remaining Super Power, but in fact, an America that is not only possibly on a level playing field with all of the world, but on its way to being someone's whipping boy. I, for one, do not like this message.
These, in my opinion, are prime examples of why the arguments were being made that The Magician was not ready for this post. Call the Great Satan George Junior all that you want to, but that man never put this country in a position of submission at any point during his eight years in office, even with the King of Saudi Arabia, who for all intents and purposes was one of his father's peers and associates.
The bottom line is that in just his first year in office, The Magician is sending a very clear message to leaders around the world, and yes, our enemies around the world, that the United States of America is no longer a power to be reckoned with; that we are no longer a shining beacon on a hill, but simply another suburbanite in the world's neighborhood.
The picture shows The Magician bowing, almost at a 90-degree angle with his head down before the Japanese Emperor. The proper way to bow to a peer is to keep your head up, look forward with your eyes looking directly at the person you are bowing to, both of you bowing at the same time, both of you bowing to an equal level, and in this case, regardless of height difference. If the other person chooses to not look up at you or bow down further than you, then that is their choice, but you should not do so under any circumstance, especially if you are the President of the United States of America. Make no mistake about it. The bow in this picture is how you would bow to show respect to someone above you, or to show your submission.
I think that someone in his staff should have briefed The Magician on this beforehand, and maybe even practiced it with him. The briefing should have touched on ensuring that he sent a message that he is on a level playing field, but I am afraid that The Magician was probably briefed with more of a stance that ensured proper respect was shown, even to the extent of it erring on the side of submission. That, my friends, was the mistake in this situation.
Let's bear in mind that a lot of what is circulating around the web is a still image, so we must be considerate of the fact that this is one frame in what was a fairly quick action, but the fact remains, these still images do now exist and are making their way around the world, and they show, unmistakably, the President of the United States of America bowing submissively before the Japanese Emperor.
I think most Americans are not necessarily bothered by the fact that The Magician would bow to a world leader out of respect, but it is the interpretation of him bowing so low in front of another world leader that is causing the uproar, especially among folks on my side of the aisle. Any sitting U.S. President should show respect to the Queen of England, but not take a knee before her. These pictures show the President of the United States of America making a very similar gesture as kneeling before the Queen in bowing in that manner before the Japanese Emporer.
You take this incident in conjunction with the already infamous bow before the King of Saudi Arabia and the infamous exchange with Hugo Chavez at the U.N., and you have the makings of a very strong case that the United States of America no longer considers itself to be a world leader, the world's sole remaining Super Power, but in fact, an America that is not only possibly on a level playing field with all of the world, but on its way to being someone's whipping boy. I, for one, do not like this message.
These, in my opinion, are prime examples of why the arguments were being made that The Magician was not ready for this post. Call the Great Satan George Junior all that you want to, but that man never put this country in a position of submission at any point during his eight years in office, even with the King of Saudi Arabia, who for all intents and purposes was one of his father's peers and associates.
The bottom line is that in just his first year in office, The Magician is sending a very clear message to leaders around the world, and yes, our enemies around the world, that the United States of America is no longer a power to be reckoned with; that we are no longer a shining beacon on a hill, but simply another suburbanite in the world's neighborhood.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Why California Should Continue To Try Children As Adults For Murder
California law says suspects 14 and older can be charged and tried as adults. About 20 percent of murders in the state are committed by people between the ages of 11 and 17.
Think about that for a second...think back to what you were doing when you were 11 years old. Try to find the situation that you were in at 11 years old that would have led to you commit murder.
I was in fifth grade at Webber Elementary in Westminster. I was playing Junior All-American Football and Little League Baseball. I was in karate, and playing on a basketball team at the Westminster Boys & Girls Club. I spent a lot of time at home with my family, hanging out with my friends from the neighborhood, and venturing off further than our parents wanted us to go, up to the liquor store our parents said was too far away, to play video games and buy more candy than we probably should have.
To think that there is a good percentage of kids out there who are committing murder at or around that same age is just astounding to me.
Before you counter my statement with my South Orange County livin' lifestyle, I'll counter back that I grew up in the poorest neighborhood in Westminster, an area heavily worked by a well-known street gang at the time, yet still, here I sit today, never having murdered anyone.
I was able to get to 18 without killing. Is it wrong of us not to expect that of all young people in California? I don't think it is an unrealistic goal. Again, I defer to my theory that I've done it, anyone can do it.
With a number like 20 percent of murders being committed by people who are not yet adults, what choice do we have other than to try these kids as adults?
As juveniles, they will go into the system, be released when they are 18, essentially having served very little time for the murder that they have committed.
Our murder rates are bad enough as they are...can you imagine if on top of that, these kids knew that even if they murdered someone, they got a free pass on their 18th birthday? While I will grant that there may be certain special circumstances in all mandatory sentence laws that should be overturned by a judge and taken on a case by case basis, making a declaration as a society that if you commit a murder at 14, you could be thrown in jail for the rest of your life, sends a powerful message.
Let me also counter your argument in advance that at that age, you do not really have an understanding of the law and the consequences of your actions. Again, think back to when you were that age and tell me that you didn't know right from wrong, that you didn't know that you shouldn't kill other people, and that you didn't have an understanding that you would go to jail for doing so.
Think about that for a second...think back to what you were doing when you were 11 years old. Try to find the situation that you were in at 11 years old that would have led to you commit murder.
I was in fifth grade at Webber Elementary in Westminster. I was playing Junior All-American Football and Little League Baseball. I was in karate, and playing on a basketball team at the Westminster Boys & Girls Club. I spent a lot of time at home with my family, hanging out with my friends from the neighborhood, and venturing off further than our parents wanted us to go, up to the liquor store our parents said was too far away, to play video games and buy more candy than we probably should have.
To think that there is a good percentage of kids out there who are committing murder at or around that same age is just astounding to me.
Before you counter my statement with my South Orange County livin' lifestyle, I'll counter back that I grew up in the poorest neighborhood in Westminster, an area heavily worked by a well-known street gang at the time, yet still, here I sit today, never having murdered anyone.
I was able to get to 18 without killing. Is it wrong of us not to expect that of all young people in California? I don't think it is an unrealistic goal. Again, I defer to my theory that I've done it, anyone can do it.
With a number like 20 percent of murders being committed by people who are not yet adults, what choice do we have other than to try these kids as adults?
As juveniles, they will go into the system, be released when they are 18, essentially having served very little time for the murder that they have committed.
Our murder rates are bad enough as they are...can you imagine if on top of that, these kids knew that even if they murdered someone, they got a free pass on their 18th birthday? While I will grant that there may be certain special circumstances in all mandatory sentence laws that should be overturned by a judge and taken on a case by case basis, making a declaration as a society that if you commit a murder at 14, you could be thrown in jail for the rest of your life, sends a powerful message.
Let me also counter your argument in advance that at that age, you do not really have an understanding of the law and the consequences of your actions. Again, think back to when you were that age and tell me that you didn't know right from wrong, that you didn't know that you shouldn't kill other people, and that you didn't have an understanding that you would go to jail for doing so.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Rising Fees: Why We Hate Our Banks
I am personally among the small percentage of Americans that ensures that I never pay ATM fees, receive interest on my checking account regardless of daily average balance, and never pay overdraft fees.
In order to accomplish this, I have accounts at four different banks (three large banks and an online) and check their balances every day. It is a fight that I have to continually wage to ensure that I do not give those banks an extra penny.
It is bad enough that the interest rates I get from my banks are just a hair above 0% (yes, even most Internet banks are offering really crappy rates right now) with them then loaning that money out to people at well over 10%, 20%, even 30%, but those very banks spend millions and millions of research dollars trying to figure out how to keep more of my money.
I refuse to let them succeed, however. They started the fee wars, but I am determined to defeat them. I wish more Americans were just as resolved.
Perhaps these numbers will help you get started in waging a better war against your bank:
ATM costs are up 33% from 2002 to 2009 vs. 20% cumulative inflation with the average ATM fee up from $2.66 to $3.54.
The average checking account balance in order to begin earning interest was $1866 in 2002, but is $3,372 today.
Overdraft charges at the biggest banks are up 47% in the same period, up from $23.70 to $34.73, on average.
Total fee income from overdrafts at all institutions is up from $25 billion in 2002 to $38.5 billion for 2009.
In order to accomplish this, I have accounts at four different banks (three large banks and an online) and check their balances every day. It is a fight that I have to continually wage to ensure that I do not give those banks an extra penny.
It is bad enough that the interest rates I get from my banks are just a hair above 0% (yes, even most Internet banks are offering really crappy rates right now) with them then loaning that money out to people at well over 10%, 20%, even 30%, but those very banks spend millions and millions of research dollars trying to figure out how to keep more of my money.
I refuse to let them succeed, however. They started the fee wars, but I am determined to defeat them. I wish more Americans were just as resolved.
Perhaps these numbers will help you get started in waging a better war against your bank:
ATM costs are up 33% from 2002 to 2009 vs. 20% cumulative inflation with the average ATM fee up from $2.66 to $3.54.
The average checking account balance in order to begin earning interest was $1866 in 2002, but is $3,372 today.
Overdraft charges at the biggest banks are up 47% in the same period, up from $23.70 to $34.73, on average.
Total fee income from overdrafts at all institutions is up from $25 billion in 2002 to $38.5 billion for 2009.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Why Trying Terrorists On U.S. Soil Is Such A Huge Mistake
It has been decided that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad will be tried on U.S. soil in a U.S. court room, just as if he had held up a liquor store or the Try N' Save.
In the wake of 9/11, Bush the Great Satan Junior put a $25 million bounty on Obama Bin Laden’s (oh, sorry, that was a typo) head, calling on any mercenary in the world to bring us his corpse.
After the decision to treat KSM like a common street thug, I am beginning to wonder if that attack had occurred on 9/11/2009 instead, if the Magician would have put out an All Points Bulletin with strict orders to bring Obama bin Laden (ooops, sorry again) in alive so that he could stand trial in a U.S. federal court, afforded the full rights and liberties of a U.S. citizen, much like KSM will be.
I do understand that there is a difference between Obama bin Laden (oh, look, did it again…sorry) and KSM, but this is as close as you can get to OBL, folks. Is KSM any less a terrorist than OBM? Was Goring less of a Nazi than Hitler?
Unfortunately, the decision has been made and there is nothing that we can do about it. America voted for hopey changey and that is what has been delivered to our doorstep…delivered just as easily as the invitation for every terrorist in the world to be in New York City during these upcoming trials.
Under the Bush administration, they were terrorists, but under the Obama administration, they are federal criminals. That is not just a play on words, folks, but in fact, two very different categories of criminal.
While I absolutely agree 100% that every American citizen should be given a fair trail for committing crimes in America, I do not, however, agree that an act of war committed by a foreign nationals, especially acts committed primarily against U.S. civilians, should not fall under the same category as a U.S. citizen who has committed a federal crime.
Again, this is not just a matter of semantics, but a matter of us creating a dangerous precedence; a matter of changing how the Western world has dealt with terrorism from September 11, 2001 until now.
If you refer back to Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, it reads, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
This defines what a citizen is in the context of the 14th Amendment, which has been in place since we had to re-define citizenship and the rights afforded to citizens and non-citizens following the Civil War. Under this wording, a foreign national does not have the same rights afforded to a U.S. citizen, including our right to a fair trial, tax-payer provided defense attorneys, etc., until the point at which they are brought to and housed within the jurisdiction of a U.S. state, either voluntarily, or against their will.
That is the reason why Gitmo was at Gitmo and not on U.S. soil. Frankly, the U.S. constitution does not apply to you until you are on U.S. soil as defined by the constitution. Gitmo, and the rest of our military bases around the world, are not governed in relation to foreign nationals as being covered under the U.S. constitution. Whether you agree with Bushie or not, this is why the terrorists, aka enemy combatants, were housed at Gitmo. That is also why you try war criminals and terrorists in a military tribunal and most definitely not on U.S. soil. Why in the world would you want to give the people that are fighting against you…the people that are trying to kill U.S. citizens the very same rights and liberties of a U.S. citizen?
I don’t know, and I wouldn’t think you would, but that is a question we are going to need to ask our President. What The Magician has done by bringing these terrorists to trial in a federal court on U.S. soil is immediately change their classification from a terrorist and enemy combatant to simply a foreign national who has committed a federal crime. He has reduced 9/11 from an act of war and barbarism against the American people to a federal crime committed against the people who were murdered that day. This act by The Magician moves this from a military matter of war to a civil matter of federal crime, providing these terrorists (oh, sorry, criminals) with the same liberties and rights that we all have as U.S. citizens in a federal courtroom. What a fantastic reward for masterminding the death of 4,000 of us! Honorary citizenship!
This President has made these terrorists honorary citizens of the United States, just as we do with any foreign nationals that we catch committing a crime against us within our borders. Access to tax-payer funded courts, judges, lawyers, resources, and jails (yes, some serve out their sentences here because we don’t want them to be mistreated when we send them back home to their own jails). The right to a fair trial for a foreign national who has committed a crime on our soil may make us a better country, Mr. Magician, but these guys aren't students who stayed here too long on an expired student visa and robbed a 7-11 -- these are the fundamentalists who masterminded the 9/11 attacks, and you have just humanized, and yes, even Americanized them in a way that we will be paying for even long after you have left office.
In the wake of 9/11, Bush the Great Satan Junior put a $25 million bounty on Obama Bin Laden’s (oh, sorry, that was a typo) head, calling on any mercenary in the world to bring us his corpse.
After the decision to treat KSM like a common street thug, I am beginning to wonder if that attack had occurred on 9/11/2009 instead, if the Magician would have put out an All Points Bulletin with strict orders to bring Obama bin Laden (ooops, sorry again) in alive so that he could stand trial in a U.S. federal court, afforded the full rights and liberties of a U.S. citizen, much like KSM will be.
I do understand that there is a difference between Obama bin Laden (oh, look, did it again…sorry) and KSM, but this is as close as you can get to OBL, folks. Is KSM any less a terrorist than OBM? Was Goring less of a Nazi than Hitler?
Unfortunately, the decision has been made and there is nothing that we can do about it. America voted for hopey changey and that is what has been delivered to our doorstep…delivered just as easily as the invitation for every terrorist in the world to be in New York City during these upcoming trials.
Under the Bush administration, they were terrorists, but under the Obama administration, they are federal criminals. That is not just a play on words, folks, but in fact, two very different categories of criminal.
While I absolutely agree 100% that every American citizen should be given a fair trail for committing crimes in America, I do not, however, agree that an act of war committed by a foreign nationals, especially acts committed primarily against U.S. civilians, should not fall under the same category as a U.S. citizen who has committed a federal crime.
Again, this is not just a matter of semantics, but a matter of us creating a dangerous precedence; a matter of changing how the Western world has dealt with terrorism from September 11, 2001 until now.
If you refer back to Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, it reads, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
This defines what a citizen is in the context of the 14th Amendment, which has been in place since we had to re-define citizenship and the rights afforded to citizens and non-citizens following the Civil War. Under this wording, a foreign national does not have the same rights afforded to a U.S. citizen, including our right to a fair trial, tax-payer provided defense attorneys, etc., until the point at which they are brought to and housed within the jurisdiction of a U.S. state, either voluntarily, or against their will.
That is the reason why Gitmo was at Gitmo and not on U.S. soil. Frankly, the U.S. constitution does not apply to you until you are on U.S. soil as defined by the constitution. Gitmo, and the rest of our military bases around the world, are not governed in relation to foreign nationals as being covered under the U.S. constitution. Whether you agree with Bushie or not, this is why the terrorists, aka enemy combatants, were housed at Gitmo. That is also why you try war criminals and terrorists in a military tribunal and most definitely not on U.S. soil. Why in the world would you want to give the people that are fighting against you…the people that are trying to kill U.S. citizens the very same rights and liberties of a U.S. citizen?
I don’t know, and I wouldn’t think you would, but that is a question we are going to need to ask our President. What The Magician has done by bringing these terrorists to trial in a federal court on U.S. soil is immediately change their classification from a terrorist and enemy combatant to simply a foreign national who has committed a federal crime. He has reduced 9/11 from an act of war and barbarism against the American people to a federal crime committed against the people who were murdered that day. This act by The Magician moves this from a military matter of war to a civil matter of federal crime, providing these terrorists (oh, sorry, criminals) with the same liberties and rights that we all have as U.S. citizens in a federal courtroom. What a fantastic reward for masterminding the death of 4,000 of us! Honorary citizenship!
This President has made these terrorists honorary citizens of the United States, just as we do with any foreign nationals that we catch committing a crime against us within our borders. Access to tax-payer funded courts, judges, lawyers, resources, and jails (yes, some serve out their sentences here because we don’t want them to be mistreated when we send them back home to their own jails). The right to a fair trial for a foreign national who has committed a crime on our soil may make us a better country, Mr. Magician, but these guys aren't students who stayed here too long on an expired student visa and robbed a 7-11 -- these are the fundamentalists who masterminded the 9/11 attacks, and you have just humanized, and yes, even Americanized them in a way that we will be paying for even long after you have left office.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
I'm Not The Only One Calling Him A "Magician"!
During commentary on Tuesday's election results, political pundit Charles Krauthammer called our president a "magician". He said that Americans somehow thought that Barak Obama was a magician who sold them on his ability to somehow solve all of their problems, which is why they voted for him, yet, a year later, as reality is setting in, they are seeing that campaign promises and actual implementation of these promises are two entirely different things.
These comments put a particularly large smile on my face. I have called this president, first The Leader, which was not necessarily my doing, but a reference to a cult leader from The Simpsons, and now secondly, The Magician.
I call him The Magician because I think the only way for his Healthcare initiatives to work as he is selling them would be through magic. He says that he is going to find and cut all of the existing spending necessary to pay for $1 trillion in new spending after the money has already been spent (a common practice of politicians who end up never cutting the existing spending after the fact), cram people who have no money to pay for services into the healthcare system without increasing its capacity, and somehow reduce the cost of care to the people who are paying for the system, and somehow still increase the quality of care that everyone is receiving. There is only one way that this can be achieved...magic!
Barak Obama's win a year ago had a lot to do with people who don't normally vote getting out and voting. They, unlike the rest of us who vote all the time, were not able to filter out the campaign promises from what he would actually be able to achieve. So many of these first-time, or seldom-time voters saw him as someone who would fix all of the problems in their lives that they had been unable to fix for themselves.
Now, after a good ten months in office, I think they are seeing that this is just not the case. They are seeing that The Magician is not going to be able to wave his wand and somehow magically fix Taxington, D.C., the politicians, the economy, and their own personal problems.
If they would vote once in a while, they would know that this is what the rest of us deal with on a regular basis...politicians that make campaign promises that they just simply will never have the power to deliver on.
We investigate the facts, read the bills, read the platforms, and do not simply just get caught up in the political whirlwinds like the perfect storm that got The Magician elected last year. We recognize that a Presidential Election is a far more important thing than a road show to take an interest in for a couple of months every four years.
I think the honeymoon is over, which is why you are seeing The Magician's numbers turning. When the excitement about this man's youthfulness, his lack of tarnishing years as a Taxington politician, his desire to shake up the system, and yes, even his race, all wear off, we as Americans are seeing that despite all of the campaign rhetoric, there is still a politician in the White House.
For the life of me, what I cannot figure out, is why all of the first-time and seldom-time voters out there thought it would be any different. Oh, yeah, that's right, it is because despite living in this country and reaping its benefits, this is the first time that you actually got involved with the rest of us in the political process and took the time to vote. Well, welcome to American politics, where you are seldom happy with the results of any election. Now, go crawl back into your hole of political oblivion and let the rest of try to fix the mess that you have created.
There is not an easy solution to the problems that this country is facing, and we should all be suspect of anyone who tells us that they have the formula to fix it all. We all have a duty to vote for someone who will do what is in the best interest of the nation, not just simply promise to provide us with the things that we do not have, have always wanted, yet somehow, have never found the means to provide for ourselves.
Money will be borrowed, money will be printed, services that we cannot afford will be provided, yet one day, the bill will come due and we may see the first time in the history of this nation where the bill is just so overwhelming that it drags the entire country down with it, and no amount of magic will be able to save us when that happens.
These comments put a particularly large smile on my face. I have called this president, first The Leader, which was not necessarily my doing, but a reference to a cult leader from The Simpsons, and now secondly, The Magician.
I call him The Magician because I think the only way for his Healthcare initiatives to work as he is selling them would be through magic. He says that he is going to find and cut all of the existing spending necessary to pay for $1 trillion in new spending after the money has already been spent (a common practice of politicians who end up never cutting the existing spending after the fact), cram people who have no money to pay for services into the healthcare system without increasing its capacity, and somehow reduce the cost of care to the people who are paying for the system, and somehow still increase the quality of care that everyone is receiving. There is only one way that this can be achieved...magic!
Barak Obama's win a year ago had a lot to do with people who don't normally vote getting out and voting. They, unlike the rest of us who vote all the time, were not able to filter out the campaign promises from what he would actually be able to achieve. So many of these first-time, or seldom-time voters saw him as someone who would fix all of the problems in their lives that they had been unable to fix for themselves.
Now, after a good ten months in office, I think they are seeing that this is just not the case. They are seeing that The Magician is not going to be able to wave his wand and somehow magically fix Taxington, D.C., the politicians, the economy, and their own personal problems.
If they would vote once in a while, they would know that this is what the rest of us deal with on a regular basis...politicians that make campaign promises that they just simply will never have the power to deliver on.
We investigate the facts, read the bills, read the platforms, and do not simply just get caught up in the political whirlwinds like the perfect storm that got The Magician elected last year. We recognize that a Presidential Election is a far more important thing than a road show to take an interest in for a couple of months every four years.
I think the honeymoon is over, which is why you are seeing The Magician's numbers turning. When the excitement about this man's youthfulness, his lack of tarnishing years as a Taxington politician, his desire to shake up the system, and yes, even his race, all wear off, we as Americans are seeing that despite all of the campaign rhetoric, there is still a politician in the White House.
For the life of me, what I cannot figure out, is why all of the first-time and seldom-time voters out there thought it would be any different. Oh, yeah, that's right, it is because despite living in this country and reaping its benefits, this is the first time that you actually got involved with the rest of us in the political process and took the time to vote. Well, welcome to American politics, where you are seldom happy with the results of any election. Now, go crawl back into your hole of political oblivion and let the rest of try to fix the mess that you have created.
There is not an easy solution to the problems that this country is facing, and we should all be suspect of anyone who tells us that they have the formula to fix it all. We all have a duty to vote for someone who will do what is in the best interest of the nation, not just simply promise to provide us with the things that we do not have, have always wanted, yet somehow, have never found the means to provide for ourselves.
Money will be borrowed, money will be printed, services that we cannot afford will be provided, yet one day, the bill will come due and we may see the first time in the history of this nation where the bill is just so overwhelming that it drags the entire country down with it, and no amount of magic will be able to save us when that happens.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
California Stealin': Are You Ready To March On Taxramento With Me Yet?
Did you know that starting on November 1st, you began loaning even more money to the crooked politicians in Taxramento?
It is bad enough that they force withholding rates on us that result in an average refund of $900 per year for each Taxifornian, but now, they are taking 10% more on top of that from each and every one of us. Yes, taking. Do you recall being asked? I sure as hell don't.
While this should be the lead story every night on your local news, it seems that the Taxifornia media doesn't think this is a big deal. I think these crooks in Taxramento are hoping that the next time we get paid, we just don't notice the decrease in our take-home pay.
This is a classic example of why, we the people, need to rise up against the spendo-crats in our local communities, in our states, and in Taxington, D.C., and get them to stop spending our hard-earned money.
We are all being forced to live within our means, yet each and everyday, Taxramento and Taxington waste millions of our dollars, literally stealing our money, yet we do not hold these politicians accountable. Take a read of this Wall Street Journal article called "California Stealin'" and get ready for your blood to boil even further:
Desperation grabs for revenue are nothing new in politics, but California is once again leading the way in creative financing.
To help close yet another gaping budget deficit, now estimated to be $7 billion this year and reach as high as $20 billion next, Sacramento lawmakers have authorized a 10% increase in the amount of taxes withheld from worker paychecks starting November 1 and through 2010. The extra withholding tax will reduce Californians' take-home pay by about $1.7 billion for the year. But the lawmakers say this isn't a tax increase. OK, how about calling it a compulsory interest-free loan from taxpayers to the state?
According to the Franchise Tax Board, 10,004,000 Californians overpaid their state taxes last year and received an average refund of $903. The withholding penalty is expected to snatch between $20 and $90 a month from middle-class families. For those feeling the pinch of recession and living paycheck to paycheck, that penalty will hurt.
Of course, the government is obliged to return this money next spring when workers get their tax refunds, so this is the ultimate budget gimmick. It borrows from taxpayers now and deepens the budget hole next year. And we almost hate to ask: What happens come April if the state doesn't have enough money to pay the tax refunds it owes its citizens? Will taxpayers get IOUs the way state contractors did last year when Sacramento ran out of money?
Meanwhile, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the legislature now face their sixth "extraordinary session" to balance the budget. Income tax rates went up last year by 0.25%, bringing the top rate to 10.55%, but receipts are already coming in $1 billion below projections, according to the state controller.
The politicians could use this continuing crisis as an opportunity to reform the state's tax code with lower rates and fewer deductions and loopholes, as recently proposed by the governor's tax reform commission. But that plan has been panned by the ruling classes in Sacramento. They claim to want to steal only from the rich, but their latest withholding ruse is showing that they'll steal from anyone with a paycheck.
So, through this recession, you have been working hard, keeping your head down, and getting results, doing everything that you can to keep the economy going while saving every penny possible, yet Taxramento waves their wand and now you are going to be bringing home somewhere between $20 - $90 less per month for the next 14 months.
As the article points out, do you all remember what happened last time the state owed you a refund? We almost didn't get it. So, while these taxititians in Taxramento say they are not actually stealing this money from us, they will not actually know if they are or not until we file our tax returns.
I'll be filing mine the day I get my W-2's so I can at least be at the top of the list of people that Taxramento owes money to. Oh, wait, I'm already on that list. We all have been...since the day we got our first job. We work and they get the money. On what planet is that fair? Apparently, ours.
That all being said, can you all please stop voting for this politicians who think they can spend their way out of a budget crisis?
It is bad enough that they force withholding rates on us that result in an average refund of $900 per year for each Taxifornian, but now, they are taking 10% more on top of that from each and every one of us. Yes, taking. Do you recall being asked? I sure as hell don't.
While this should be the lead story every night on your local news, it seems that the Taxifornia media doesn't think this is a big deal. I think these crooks in Taxramento are hoping that the next time we get paid, we just don't notice the decrease in our take-home pay.
This is a classic example of why, we the people, need to rise up against the spendo-crats in our local communities, in our states, and in Taxington, D.C., and get them to stop spending our hard-earned money.
We are all being forced to live within our means, yet each and everyday, Taxramento and Taxington waste millions of our dollars, literally stealing our money, yet we do not hold these politicians accountable. Take a read of this Wall Street Journal article called "California Stealin'" and get ready for your blood to boil even further:
Desperation grabs for revenue are nothing new in politics, but California is once again leading the way in creative financing.
To help close yet another gaping budget deficit, now estimated to be $7 billion this year and reach as high as $20 billion next, Sacramento lawmakers have authorized a 10% increase in the amount of taxes withheld from worker paychecks starting November 1 and through 2010. The extra withholding tax will reduce Californians' take-home pay by about $1.7 billion for the year. But the lawmakers say this isn't a tax increase. OK, how about calling it a compulsory interest-free loan from taxpayers to the state?
According to the Franchise Tax Board, 10,004,000 Californians overpaid their state taxes last year and received an average refund of $903. The withholding penalty is expected to snatch between $20 and $90 a month from middle-class families. For those feeling the pinch of recession and living paycheck to paycheck, that penalty will hurt.
Of course, the government is obliged to return this money next spring when workers get their tax refunds, so this is the ultimate budget gimmick. It borrows from taxpayers now and deepens the budget hole next year. And we almost hate to ask: What happens come April if the state doesn't have enough money to pay the tax refunds it owes its citizens? Will taxpayers get IOUs the way state contractors did last year when Sacramento ran out of money?
Meanwhile, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the legislature now face their sixth "extraordinary session" to balance the budget. Income tax rates went up last year by 0.25%, bringing the top rate to 10.55%, but receipts are already coming in $1 billion below projections, according to the state controller.
The politicians could use this continuing crisis as an opportunity to reform the state's tax code with lower rates and fewer deductions and loopholes, as recently proposed by the governor's tax reform commission. But that plan has been panned by the ruling classes in Sacramento. They claim to want to steal only from the rich, but their latest withholding ruse is showing that they'll steal from anyone with a paycheck.
So, through this recession, you have been working hard, keeping your head down, and getting results, doing everything that you can to keep the economy going while saving every penny possible, yet Taxramento waves their wand and now you are going to be bringing home somewhere between $20 - $90 less per month for the next 14 months.
As the article points out, do you all remember what happened last time the state owed you a refund? We almost didn't get it. So, while these taxititians in Taxramento say they are not actually stealing this money from us, they will not actually know if they are or not until we file our tax returns.
I'll be filing mine the day I get my W-2's so I can at least be at the top of the list of people that Taxramento owes money to. Oh, wait, I'm already on that list. We all have been...since the day we got our first job. We work and they get the money. On what planet is that fair? Apparently, ours.
That all being said, can you all please stop voting for this politicians who think they can spend their way out of a budget crisis?
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