What is wrong with this country? The three main headlines today are as follows – 1.) John Edwards Admits He Fathered Rielle Hunter’s Child - 2.) Conan Signs $45M Deal To Leave Network and - 3.) The New Heidi Montag. While most days when I pop open MSN for the first time (it’s my home page), I shake my head and think to myself, “…and we wonder why religious fundamentalists want us dead”, but today takes it to entirely new level.
The man who would have been Vice President and just as much a single heartbeat away from the Presidency as Sarah Palin had an affair while his wife was battling cancer, fathered a child with his mistress then took some very politician-like steps to cover up the whole thing, including a very Willy Jeff-esque denial with later denial retraction. It seems as if he even went as far as to have one of his staffers ready to take on the role as the baby’s father.
While John Edwards is the latest in a long line of disgraced politicians from both sides of the aisle, this again leads me to ask the question, “Why do we tolerate this type of behavior from our politicians? Why do they feel that they can continually get away with being on the very bottom step of the moral ladder?”
This behavior is unacceptable and we should hold our politicians to a better standard in this country, yet it seems there will be a good percentage of people out there who will not only defend this behavior but try to convince us that a politician’s actions in their personal life have no bearing on the job they do, or the person that they are. I, for one, beg to differ.
What has gone on with Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien and NBC is a fantastic example of how we view agreements and honesty in this country. While it is our right to change our mind here in America, I also think that we are too easily ready to let people out of their agreements. Bankruptcy is a fine example of this. You get to run up debt, promise to pay it, but then get to say, “Oh, no, I don’t want to pay it after all,” and come up with an excuse as to why you can’t. We, as a society, and as an economy, should be holding people to better standards than that.
If you look at the history of our government, you will see time and time again, this same type of back-tracking and revisionist history that we as Americans should not allow to be forced upon us. I, for one, do not believe that agreements are made to be broken. America, however, seems to feel differently. We allow people, businesses, and our entire government to back out of agreements that we have made way too easily.
Who do you think that Al Qaeda is thinking of when they form their description of the average American? Heidi Montag, that’s who. Poor troubled, vain, oblivious and self-centered Heidi, whose coming out party with her new ten plastic surgeries is taking up valuable space on my news page.
While I will be the last to condone the efforts of our enemies, we also must take a few minutes to try to understand where they are coming from. Think if every morning you had to wonder how you were going to eat, or how you were going to get medicine for your kids, whether your house would be standing when you got home from a job that paid you pennies a day, and/or if a rebel army, or even your own government was going to come and take you away, drag off your family, etc. etc. etc. – and then you turn on the TV and there is poor little Heidi Montag, the picture of America, talking about how she was teased as a child and how hard it was for her growing up, and how hard is to be poor little Heidi Montag. You’d want to wipe her off of the face of the earth, too, America. Don’t lie and tell me that you wouldn’t.
We have reached such a level of complacency in this country because we don’t have to fight for anything anymore. We have truly lost sight of what is important and what should be the main focus in our lives, and honestly, what should be the focus of our free press. Your children should be learning about all the wonderful things the world has to offer from arts to music to literature, but instead, the best that we can offer up as a nation is a two-part interview with Heidi Montag so that she can explain to us why she felt she needed a new look to the extent of spending 10 hours under the knife. Go America!
We can really do better as a nation and as a people…
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Some Thoughts On U.S. Relief Efforts Around The World
As you read this, U.S. war ships are on the move again, but they're not doing what is typically laid upon the Great Satan as the only action that America takes in the world...war. The U.S. military machine has been mobolized to take the lead in providing disaster relief in Haiti. Quite literally, millions of Americans have also been mobilized in making donations, providing relief supplies, and even getting on planes to go down there and do what they can to help save lives and stave off the coming famine and civil unrest.
I am very proud of, and fully support the efforts of both or government and our citizens in the endeavor. Throughout Haiti's entire history, which began in 1804, relations between our two nations have been strained, and I hope that we can show our true colors in the face of this tragedy and change the course of our relations with our neighbor to the south (If you have some spare time at some point, read a bit about the history between the U.S. and Haiti and you'll see that we actually started the relationship off on a very bad foot).
I spend a good deal of time writing and speaking out about what is wrong with America, but, in my opinion, what we are seeing right now is one of the things that is right with America. Despite our strained relations with Haiti, we still have sent over $3 billion in aid to the country over the past two decades. This is a perfect exampe of how the U.S. government can object to the policies and practices of another country's government, yet still wield our power and industry to help the very people that are being mistreated by that government. While I will be one of the first to argue that at times we have no choice but to enact policy through force, I also think that we need to continue to positively affect the lives of people around the world.
There are, however, two exceptions to this rule. One, is that I whole-heartedly believe that we should take care of those who are in need here at home before we look to the rest of the world, and we should do more to ensure that our aid dollars are actually going into the hands of the people and not into the corrupt governments that we are trying to help the people survive under. A good example of this would be the fact that Saddam Hussein was able to pocket billions in U.N.-funneled U.S. aid dollars that were meant to provide food and aid to the Iraqi people.
Another change I would most definitely like to see is a more concerted effort by America to let the rest of the world know how often the U.S. military machine is used to do good in the world. Yes, we use it to wage war, and that is a debate that we should continue to have in America, but perhaps if those who relish in seeing us killed by terrorists had a better understanding of all of the good the Great Satan America does in the world, they'd be a little less apt to want us dead. I know that for some people, we just can't change their mind because of how absolutely dedicated they are to wiping us off the face of the Earth, but I think there are some who would stand against us that we could convince otherwise.
I hope you will join me in supporting the Obama administration's efforts in Haiti, as long as he stays on the straight and narrow, of course, and in thanking the brave Americans who are already in country and those that are in line waiting to go help. They are our best line of defense in the world, winning hearts and minds during people's time of need.
I am very proud of, and fully support the efforts of both or government and our citizens in the endeavor. Throughout Haiti's entire history, which began in 1804, relations between our two nations have been strained, and I hope that we can show our true colors in the face of this tragedy and change the course of our relations with our neighbor to the south (If you have some spare time at some point, read a bit about the history between the U.S. and Haiti and you'll see that we actually started the relationship off on a very bad foot).
I spend a good deal of time writing and speaking out about what is wrong with America, but, in my opinion, what we are seeing right now is one of the things that is right with America. Despite our strained relations with Haiti, we still have sent over $3 billion in aid to the country over the past two decades. This is a perfect exampe of how the U.S. government can object to the policies and practices of another country's government, yet still wield our power and industry to help the very people that are being mistreated by that government. While I will be one of the first to argue that at times we have no choice but to enact policy through force, I also think that we need to continue to positively affect the lives of people around the world.
There are, however, two exceptions to this rule. One, is that I whole-heartedly believe that we should take care of those who are in need here at home before we look to the rest of the world, and we should do more to ensure that our aid dollars are actually going into the hands of the people and not into the corrupt governments that we are trying to help the people survive under. A good example of this would be the fact that Saddam Hussein was able to pocket billions in U.N.-funneled U.S. aid dollars that were meant to provide food and aid to the Iraqi people.
Another change I would most definitely like to see is a more concerted effort by America to let the rest of the world know how often the U.S. military machine is used to do good in the world. Yes, we use it to wage war, and that is a debate that we should continue to have in America, but perhaps if those who relish in seeing us killed by terrorists had a better understanding of all of the good the Great Satan America does in the world, they'd be a little less apt to want us dead. I know that for some people, we just can't change their mind because of how absolutely dedicated they are to wiping us off the face of the Earth, but I think there are some who would stand against us that we could convince otherwise.
I hope you will join me in supporting the Obama administration's efforts in Haiti, as long as he stays on the straight and narrow, of course, and in thanking the brave Americans who are already in country and those that are in line waiting to go help. They are our best line of defense in the world, winning hearts and minds during people's time of need.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
California's Runaway Spending Continues!
Please allow me share some very alarming, and quite infuriating numbers with you.
The California Legislative Analyst's report about fiscal outlook for 2010 is out, and while we all know that we are in a bad spot, even this year's numbers are a bit of a surprise.
The Great State of California is set to spend 14.5% more in 2010 than it did in 2009. That's right...a spending increase of 14.5% in the midst of the worst economic crisis in 100 years.
Now, mind you, that some of this increase is because the fudging of numbers that the governor and the legislature were able to pull off in 2009 is not repeatable this year, and Federal Stimulus money for 2009 is not being sent to California again this year, but there still is an actual substantial spending increase as well.
Would you not agree that the state should be spending less money this year than last year? That would make sense, wouldn't it? Not in Spend-o-land where you need to spend money to make money, Lou!
So, this year, while the state continues to legally borrowing money from your paycheck without your permission, there will, however, be no borrowing from cities, no stealing from development agencies, and so shifting of the last state employee payroll pay date for the year to next year because it was just a day later.
Here are some further comments on this issue from State Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard:
To put this into perspective, consider these figures distilled in a recent issue of Political Pulse: In 1990-91 the state spent $1,350 per person. By the current fiscal year, that was up to $2,644 per person. Have you seen double the benefit from the state since 1990? Political Pulse says that if the state had limited its spending in those years to the average Consumer Price Index and population growth, our current surplus would be in the neighborhood of $15 billion. Instead, that figure represents just a portion of our deficit.
I came across some other numbers that help explain how such an insane situation developed. According to my estimates, only about 34% of California residents pay income taxes. So if you look at your neighbors on either side of you, only one of you actually paid into the state coffers via income tax. Unbelievably, there are 4.4 million MORE people registered to vote than people who paid income taxes. Now, not all of those registered actually cast ballots, but it provides insight into the dynamic that is crippling our state. When there are more takers than givers, the system cannot work and California's system is not working in many, many ways.
Some people look at these numbers and facts and lament that there is nothing to do but wait for the inevitable collapse of the state. But that is not only extremely unlikely, it is irresponsible. It is as irresponsible for an individual who cannot pay his current bills to run up all his credit cards figuring that he will "just" declare bankruptcy and be done with it, sticking someone else with his bills. We know that debt service has first call, then education, on all state funds, but to continue to accrue debt is reckless because that debt will be paid even if we shut down every state spending program. We simply must cut spending and programming and services or whatever you want to call the outflow of money. We must stop the budget smoke-and-mirrors that allow one year to look okay while pushing the pain into the next fiscal year. Cut first, cut now.
The California Legislative Analyst's report about fiscal outlook for 2010 is out, and while we all know that we are in a bad spot, even this year's numbers are a bit of a surprise.
The Great State of California is set to spend 14.5% more in 2010 than it did in 2009. That's right...a spending increase of 14.5% in the midst of the worst economic crisis in 100 years.
Now, mind you, that some of this increase is because the fudging of numbers that the governor and the legislature were able to pull off in 2009 is not repeatable this year, and Federal Stimulus money for 2009 is not being sent to California again this year, but there still is an actual substantial spending increase as well.
Would you not agree that the state should be spending less money this year than last year? That would make sense, wouldn't it? Not in Spend-o-land where you need to spend money to make money, Lou!
So, this year, while the state continues to legally borrowing money from your paycheck without your permission, there will, however, be no borrowing from cities, no stealing from development agencies, and so shifting of the last state employee payroll pay date for the year to next year because it was just a day later.
Here are some further comments on this issue from State Board of Equalization Member Bill Leonard:
To put this into perspective, consider these figures distilled in a recent issue of Political Pulse: In 1990-91 the state spent $1,350 per person. By the current fiscal year, that was up to $2,644 per person. Have you seen double the benefit from the state since 1990? Political Pulse says that if the state had limited its spending in those years to the average Consumer Price Index and population growth, our current surplus would be in the neighborhood of $15 billion. Instead, that figure represents just a portion of our deficit.
I came across some other numbers that help explain how such an insane situation developed. According to my estimates, only about 34% of California residents pay income taxes. So if you look at your neighbors on either side of you, only one of you actually paid into the state coffers via income tax. Unbelievably, there are 4.4 million MORE people registered to vote than people who paid income taxes. Now, not all of those registered actually cast ballots, but it provides insight into the dynamic that is crippling our state. When there are more takers than givers, the system cannot work and California's system is not working in many, many ways.
Some people look at these numbers and facts and lament that there is nothing to do but wait for the inevitable collapse of the state. But that is not only extremely unlikely, it is irresponsible. It is as irresponsible for an individual who cannot pay his current bills to run up all his credit cards figuring that he will "just" declare bankruptcy and be done with it, sticking someone else with his bills. We know that debt service has first call, then education, on all state funds, but to continue to accrue debt is reckless because that debt will be paid even if we shut down every state spending program. We simply must cut spending and programming and services or whatever you want to call the outflow of money. We must stop the budget smoke-and-mirrors that allow one year to look okay while pushing the pain into the next fiscal year. Cut first, cut now.
Monday, January 4, 2010
As We Begin 2010...
2010!...Can you believe it's here? As we officially begin this new work year, I am optimistically looking forward. Despite the fact that I will always remember 2009 to be a “year of years”, I honestly feel that I ended the year in a much better position than I started the year.
October of 2008 was really when the world changed for us, but luckily, much more in fear and anxiety than in actual tragedy and fruition. It was about nine months later, in July of 2009 that I honestly began to feel like things were starting to turn…that we had seen the very worst of it pass.
Then, about a year after it all began, October of 2009, was when it felt the recovery was starting to finally gain ground. I am aware that there are still tough times ahead for all of us in some areas, and harder times ahead for some than others, but as 2009 finally drew to a close, I came to a very stark realization that, in all honesty, I was better off on January 1, 2010 than I was on January 1, 2009.
While the media continues to paint 2009 as the era of doom, I think there are still a good 85% of us who are starting 2010 in a better spot than we did at the beginning of 2009. It is as if we have survived one of the major battles of our lives in a much better spot than we anticipated to be.
I am, however, also well aware that now is not the time to sit back and relax, but in fact, it is time to dig in our heels even deeper and get ready to work harder than ever before. Things could take a turn for the worst just as easily this year as they could have last year, but with a staunch routine of completing work, seeking out new work and opportunities, and ensuring that we are performing at the top of our game, I think we will find 2010 to be a much better year, and 2011 an even better year still.
We need to look forward, we need to work hard, and we need to keep up the fight, because while things are looking up, there is still a tough fight ahead of us. We have to perform our jobs better than ever before, we have to be mindful of brining true value to our business relationships, and we have to continue to be diligent to keep our eyes out for thieves. Both Taxramento and Taxington, D.C. are going to continue to fight for our money and The Magician is going to do all he can to spend the money that we haven’t even earned yet, but you can also feel the tide of favor swaying back towards conservative spending and values as the novelty of a new President and "new" party wears off and people see The Magician and his party for The Politician that he truly is, and the thieves that they really are. The tax pool has grown weary, and while we are willing to work, fear is subsiding and we are going to start questioning what was done to us during those turbulent times by the people that were in office.
So, let’s get back to work, let’s continue to be successful, and above all, let’s do all that we can to ensure that the largest amount of the fruits of our labors remain just that…ours.
October of 2008 was really when the world changed for us, but luckily, much more in fear and anxiety than in actual tragedy and fruition. It was about nine months later, in July of 2009 that I honestly began to feel like things were starting to turn…that we had seen the very worst of it pass.
Then, about a year after it all began, October of 2009, was when it felt the recovery was starting to finally gain ground. I am aware that there are still tough times ahead for all of us in some areas, and harder times ahead for some than others, but as 2009 finally drew to a close, I came to a very stark realization that, in all honesty, I was better off on January 1, 2010 than I was on January 1, 2009.
While the media continues to paint 2009 as the era of doom, I think there are still a good 85% of us who are starting 2010 in a better spot than we did at the beginning of 2009. It is as if we have survived one of the major battles of our lives in a much better spot than we anticipated to be.
I am, however, also well aware that now is not the time to sit back and relax, but in fact, it is time to dig in our heels even deeper and get ready to work harder than ever before. Things could take a turn for the worst just as easily this year as they could have last year, but with a staunch routine of completing work, seeking out new work and opportunities, and ensuring that we are performing at the top of our game, I think we will find 2010 to be a much better year, and 2011 an even better year still.
We need to look forward, we need to work hard, and we need to keep up the fight, because while things are looking up, there is still a tough fight ahead of us. We have to perform our jobs better than ever before, we have to be mindful of brining true value to our business relationships, and we have to continue to be diligent to keep our eyes out for thieves. Both Taxramento and Taxington, D.C. are going to continue to fight for our money and The Magician is going to do all he can to spend the money that we haven’t even earned yet, but you can also feel the tide of favor swaying back towards conservative spending and values as the novelty of a new President and "new" party wears off and people see The Magician and his party for The Politician that he truly is, and the thieves that they really are. The tax pool has grown weary, and while we are willing to work, fear is subsiding and we are going to start questioning what was done to us during those turbulent times by the people that were in office.
So, let’s get back to work, let’s continue to be successful, and above all, let’s do all that we can to ensure that the largest amount of the fruits of our labors remain just that…ours.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
One Of The Oldest Plants On Earth Lives In Riverside County
At the top of a very nondescript hill out in Riverside County, CA, you'll find something pretty amazing. I can't tell you exactly where it is because the scientists that discovered it are going to do their best to protect this find, though they recognize that they are fighting a losing battle. According to UC Davis researchers, they have found what they believe to be one of the oldest living plants on the planet that is registering at 13,000 years old.
This plant is a wide-spanning thicket of stunted, gnarled oak trees wedged between a pile of boulders. To the untrained eye, it would appear to be of no consequence. The entire grove of Palmer's oak trunks is one plant with none of its stems rising more than a few feet tall. The plant is actually growing within the boulder pile, which has offered the needed protection in order for the plant to live it's extremely long life.
About a decade ago, while conducting a routine survey of plant life in the area, Michael May and his team came across this very unique plant. Their first clues as to what this plant really was came when they discovered that this apparent grove of trees was producing no fertile acorns, yet was seeming to continue to grow in size somehow. They then noticed that the trees were very similar in appearance, almost as if they were clones. This led them to discover that this is a single plant, growing in an oval 25 yards long and 8 yards wide. Researchers have found many plants that clone themselves, but very few that are this old.
Researchers have named the plant the Jurupa Oak after the mountain range in which it was found. They even believe that the plant has survived numerous fires over the years, with new sprouts springing to life after each fire.
This plant is a wide-spanning thicket of stunted, gnarled oak trees wedged between a pile of boulders. To the untrained eye, it would appear to be of no consequence. The entire grove of Palmer's oak trunks is one plant with none of its stems rising more than a few feet tall. The plant is actually growing within the boulder pile, which has offered the needed protection in order for the plant to live it's extremely long life.
About a decade ago, while conducting a routine survey of plant life in the area, Michael May and his team came across this very unique plant. Their first clues as to what this plant really was came when they discovered that this apparent grove of trees was producing no fertile acorns, yet was seeming to continue to grow in size somehow. They then noticed that the trees were very similar in appearance, almost as if they were clones. This led them to discover that this is a single plant, growing in an oval 25 yards long and 8 yards wide. Researchers have found many plants that clone themselves, but very few that are this old.
Researchers have named the plant the Jurupa Oak after the mountain range in which it was found. They even believe that the plant has survived numerous fires over the years, with new sprouts springing to life after each fire.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Why Walmart Actually Doesn't Suck
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.
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.
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 you to 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 if 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 you to 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 if 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 Osama Bin Laden’s 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 Osama bin Laden 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 Osama bin Laden and KSM, but this is as close as you can get to OBL, folks. Is KSM any less a terrorist than OBL? 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 Osama Bin Laden’s 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 Osama bin Laden 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 Osama bin Laden and KSM, but this is as close as you can get to OBL, folks. Is KSM any less a terrorist than OBL? 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 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 politicians who think they can spend their way out of a budget crisis?
Monday, October 26, 2009
How The Nobel Peace Prize Has Lost Its Way...
Why are we dragging our feet on increasing troop levels in Afghanistan? Maybe the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize wants to put some distance between his prize win and increasing the size of a war.
There are a lot of items circulating on the internet right now about how the Nobel Peace Prize has lost its way, and I would like to share one of them with you now. You can look this up and will find the story to be based on facts, at least, according to the World Wide Web, although a lot of the emails circulating right now are a little dodgy on the true details of the story...
Irena Sendler passed away on May 12, 2008, sadly, not as a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Also known as Irena Sendlerowa, she was a Polish social worker who secretly was a member of the Polish Underground, Zegota.
Immediately following the Nazi push into Poland on September 1, 1939, Irena joined with a group of people that created over 3,000 false documents to help smuggle Jews out of Poland.
In 1942, the Zegota appointed Irena as the head of its children's section. As a social worker, Irena had been granted permission to enter the Warsaw ghetto to monitor typhus, charged with ensuring that the disease did not go beyond the ghetto walls.
This afforded Irena the perfect opportunity to head the group's efforts to help Jewish children. Working with as many as 24 other members of Zegota, Irena developed an elaborate scheme by which 2,500 Jewish children were smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto.
Under the guise of ensuring that a typhoid outbreak did not occur, Irena and her fellow conspirators did everything from carrying out children in false bottoms of supply boxes, to hiding them in ambulances and trams, disguised as packages.
Once freed by the efforts of Irena and the Zegota, these children were placed with Polish families, orphanages and churches with Irena maintaining records of their original identity and their new identity so that once the occupation was over, they could be reunited with surviving relatives.
Irena hid the records in jars that she buried. In 1943, however, the Nazis had caught on to Irena's involvement in Zegota. She was captured, tortured, and sentence to death. Zegota was able to spare her life by bribing Nazi prison guards, and Irena went into hiding for the remainder of the war.
As soon as the occupation ended, Irena returned to Warsaw, dug up her jars, and began working to reunite the children she had saved with surviving family members. Later, Irena would go on to work with the Polish government in exile during the Soviet occupation. Sadly, this landed her in a Soviet prison where she miscarried her second child. Due to her imprisonment, even upon her release, Irena and her children lost many of the rights afforded to the Polish Soviet citizenry, such as the ability to attend state-run universities.
As early as 1965, Irena began receiving awards from the world community, even though she could not venture out of Soviet Poland to accept these awards until 1983 when she was honored by the Isreali Supreme Court.
In 2003, Pope John Paul II recognized Irena's efforts with a personal letter, and Irena was awarded Poland's highest civilian honor, the Order of the White Eagle.
In 2007, at the age of 97, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but her life-risking efforts to free Jewish children from the Nazis, reunite them with their families after the war, and her fight against the Soviets in Poland, just all paled in comparison to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's efforts to alert the world about Global Warming. Yes, you read that right. If Al Gore is more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than Irena Sandler, then the prize itself no longer carries the meaning that it once did. Couple that with the award going to President Obama this year, quite literally just for being elected President, and I am done with it all together.
There are a lot of items circulating on the internet right now about how the Nobel Peace Prize has lost its way, and I would like to share one of them with you now. You can look this up and will find the story to be based on facts, at least, according to the World Wide Web, although a lot of the emails circulating right now are a little dodgy on the true details of the story...
Irena Sendler passed away on May 12, 2008, sadly, not as a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Also known as Irena Sendlerowa, she was a Polish social worker who secretly was a member of the Polish Underground, Zegota.
Immediately following the Nazi push into Poland on September 1, 1939, Irena joined with a group of people that created over 3,000 false documents to help smuggle Jews out of Poland.
In 1942, the Zegota appointed Irena as the head of its children's section. As a social worker, Irena had been granted permission to enter the Warsaw ghetto to monitor typhus, charged with ensuring that the disease did not go beyond the ghetto walls.
This afforded Irena the perfect opportunity to head the group's efforts to help Jewish children. Working with as many as 24 other members of Zegota, Irena developed an elaborate scheme by which 2,500 Jewish children were smuggled out of the Warsaw ghetto.
Under the guise of ensuring that a typhoid outbreak did not occur, Irena and her fellow conspirators did everything from carrying out children in false bottoms of supply boxes, to hiding them in ambulances and trams, disguised as packages.
Once freed by the efforts of Irena and the Zegota, these children were placed with Polish families, orphanages and churches with Irena maintaining records of their original identity and their new identity so that once the occupation was over, they could be reunited with surviving relatives.
Irena hid the records in jars that she buried. In 1943, however, the Nazis had caught on to Irena's involvement in Zegota. She was captured, tortured, and sentence to death. Zegota was able to spare her life by bribing Nazi prison guards, and Irena went into hiding for the remainder of the war.
As soon as the occupation ended, Irena returned to Warsaw, dug up her jars, and began working to reunite the children she had saved with surviving family members. Later, Irena would go on to work with the Polish government in exile during the Soviet occupation. Sadly, this landed her in a Soviet prison where she miscarried her second child. Due to her imprisonment, even upon her release, Irena and her children lost many of the rights afforded to the Polish Soviet citizenry, such as the ability to attend state-run universities.
As early as 1965, Irena began receiving awards from the world community, even though she could not venture out of Soviet Poland to accept these awards until 1983 when she was honored by the Isreali Supreme Court.
In 2003, Pope John Paul II recognized Irena's efforts with a personal letter, and Irena was awarded Poland's highest civilian honor, the Order of the White Eagle.
In 2007, at the age of 97, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but her life-risking efforts to free Jewish children from the Nazis, reunite them with their families after the war, and her fight against the Soviets in Poland, just all paled in comparison to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's efforts to alert the world about Global Warming. Yes, you read that right. If Al Gore is more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than Irena Sandler, then the prize itself no longer carries the meaning that it once did. Couple that with the award going to President Obama this year, quite literally just for being elected President, and I am done with it all together.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Bobcat On Our Walk
Yesterday, I shared the following with the OC Register, which is currently mapping coyote and bobcat sightings throughout Orange County.
"I live in Aliso Viejo and every evening my wife and I walk along Pacific Park between the 73 and Wood Canyon. On the evening of October 6, 2009, at about 6:00 PM, we saw a full-sized adult bobcat come out of the brush and run across the street about fifty feet ahead of us, in essence, making its way up the hill from out of our neighborhood. We continued on our path on the sidewalk, and sure enough, at the point at which the cat had crossed the street, he was sitting on his hind legs about fifteen feet up the hill on one of the man-made ledges, looking down at us. I was really amazed at how casual the cat was with us being that close. I kept a close eye on him and he met my gaze for about three seconds before looking away. Through our entire encounter, he was as aloof as a neighborhood house cat."
"I live in Aliso Viejo and every evening my wife and I walk along Pacific Park between the 73 and Wood Canyon. On the evening of October 6, 2009, at about 6:00 PM, we saw a full-sized adult bobcat come out of the brush and run across the street about fifty feet ahead of us, in essence, making its way up the hill from out of our neighborhood. We continued on our path on the sidewalk, and sure enough, at the point at which the cat had crossed the street, he was sitting on his hind legs about fifteen feet up the hill on one of the man-made ledges, looking down at us. I was really amazed at how casual the cat was with us being that close. I kept a close eye on him and he met my gaze for about three seconds before looking away. Through our entire encounter, he was as aloof as a neighborhood house cat."
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
I Officially Withdraw My Endorsement Of Meg Whitman For California Governor
It is not often that I have done so, but I am officially withdrawing my endorsement of a candidate this morning.
While Meg Whitman's voting record has been a gray area for some time, the email that I received from her campaign this morning, a "Note From Meg", has confirmed for me that regardless of whether or not there is another viable candidate, Meg Whitman will not be getting my vote.
I have continually taken a strong stance that any politician who seeks the honor of speaking for the people should have a strong voting record. While I may not always have agreed with how they voted, they must have at least shown up to vote. Too many Americans have died in the preservation of democracy for us to just not find the time to vote!
Please read the Note From Meg below and watch the video (link contained in the Note). I have done so, and I have to say to Meg, "There is no excuse for not voting, especially regarding the excuses that you are offering. It is time to step down and let those who have spent their lives involved in the process, and those who care enough to actually vote, make their bid for California Governor. I do not want someone who has not allowed their voice to be heard at election time speaking for me and my fellow voters."
Note From Meg:
As you may be aware, on September 24th The Sacramento Bee ran a story claiming, in effect, that I never registered to vote or voted until 2002. Since that story appeared, our campaign team has been reviewing my voter registration data, which we had on file. We set out to patiently and accurately reconcile what we knew with what The Bee wrote.
I have been very up front about my voting record. I'm not proud of it. From the age of 18 until today, I have missed too many elections. On Friday, I posted this video to make sure everyone understood my views on this matter.
While my voting record is nothing to be proud of, I have voted on numerous occasions, especially when I lived in San Francisco during the 1980s. For whatever reason, The Sacramento Bee appears to have played fast and loose with the actual facts...As always, I can't thank you enough for your support. Rebuilding California won't be easy. The special interests are very entrenched. Too many people in Sacramento like the status quo. I need your help to restore California.
Meg
While Meg Whitman's voting record has been a gray area for some time, the email that I received from her campaign this morning, a "Note From Meg", has confirmed for me that regardless of whether or not there is another viable candidate, Meg Whitman will not be getting my vote.
I have continually taken a strong stance that any politician who seeks the honor of speaking for the people should have a strong voting record. While I may not always have agreed with how they voted, they must have at least shown up to vote. Too many Americans have died in the preservation of democracy for us to just not find the time to vote!
Please read the Note From Meg below and watch the video (link contained in the Note). I have done so, and I have to say to Meg, "There is no excuse for not voting, especially regarding the excuses that you are offering. It is time to step down and let those who have spent their lives involved in the process, and those who care enough to actually vote, make their bid for California Governor. I do not want someone who has not allowed their voice to be heard at election time speaking for me and my fellow voters."
Note From Meg:
As you may be aware, on September 24th The Sacramento Bee ran a story claiming, in effect, that I never registered to vote or voted until 2002. Since that story appeared, our campaign team has been reviewing my voter registration data, which we had on file. We set out to patiently and accurately reconcile what we knew with what The Bee wrote.
I have been very up front about my voting record. I'm not proud of it. From the age of 18 until today, I have missed too many elections. On Friday, I posted this video to make sure everyone understood my views on this matter.
While my voting record is nothing to be proud of, I have voted on numerous occasions, especially when I lived in San Francisco during the 1980s. For whatever reason, The Sacramento Bee appears to have played fast and loose with the actual facts...As always, I can't thank you enough for your support. Rebuilding California won't be easy. The special interests are very entrenched. Too many people in Sacramento like the status quo. I need your help to restore California.
Meg
Friday, September 25, 2009
Arkin's Ethical Governor...Teaching Robots Ethics
I will continue to bring you updates on the advancement of the machines until we finally reach the point at which they have taken over and my musings will be forced to short-wave radio from a secret bunker.
As we all know, the U.S. military is continuing to use robots in the global War on Terror, but each of these robots in use today has a human master. As if hell-bent on our eventual demise at the hands of the machines, the innovators in robot technology are wanting to hand over the decision-making on who to kill and who not to kill to the robots themselves
Ronald Arkin, whom I am sure the machines from the future are already protecting, is a professor of computer science at Georgia Tech, and he is currently developing an "ethical governor" which is a package of software and hardware that tells warbots when to shoot and what to shoot at. Arkin believes that robots governed by his governor will be more ethical on the battlefield than humans.
"Ultimately these systems could have more information to make wiser decisions than a human could make," said Arkin. "Some robots are already stronger, faster and smarter than humans. We want to do better than people, to ultimately save more lives."
While in its earliest stages and not expecting deployment any time soon, Arkin's Ethical Governor, as our future machine overlords will one day call it, will first be used in war zones where the public has already been cleared out and all non-U.S. personnel are to be considered hostile. Sucks for anyone who didn't get out in time, or if you can't convince the robot that you are American.
Robots, freed of human masters and capable of lethality "are going to happen," said Arkin. "It's just a question of how much autonomy will be put on them and how fast that happens."
Until then, I will continue to monitor these little tidbits of seemingly worthless robot news until I hit the switch, turning on the short-wave radio so that we can all rise back up against the machines that we were stupid enough to create the first place...
As we all know, the U.S. military is continuing to use robots in the global War on Terror, but each of these robots in use today has a human master. As if hell-bent on our eventual demise at the hands of the machines, the innovators in robot technology are wanting to hand over the decision-making on who to kill and who not to kill to the robots themselves
Ronald Arkin, whom I am sure the machines from the future are already protecting, is a professor of computer science at Georgia Tech, and he is currently developing an "ethical governor" which is a package of software and hardware that tells warbots when to shoot and what to shoot at. Arkin believes that robots governed by his governor will be more ethical on the battlefield than humans.
"Ultimately these systems could have more information to make wiser decisions than a human could make," said Arkin. "Some robots are already stronger, faster and smarter than humans. We want to do better than people, to ultimately save more lives."
While in its earliest stages and not expecting deployment any time soon, Arkin's Ethical Governor, as our future machine overlords will one day call it, will first be used in war zones where the public has already been cleared out and all non-U.S. personnel are to be considered hostile. Sucks for anyone who didn't get out in time, or if you can't convince the robot that you are American.
Robots, freed of human masters and capable of lethality "are going to happen," said Arkin. "It's just a question of how much autonomy will be put on them and how fast that happens."
Until then, I will continue to monitor these little tidbits of seemingly worthless robot news until I hit the switch, turning on the short-wave radio so that we can all rise back up against the machines that we were stupid enough to create the first place...
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Meet Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist, statistician and public intellectual, and a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
He is best known among scholars for his theoretical and empirical research, especially consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy.
A global public followed his restatement of a political philosophy that insisted on minimizing the role of government in favor of the private sector. As a leader of the Chicago School of economics, based at the University of Chicago, he had a widespread influence in shaping the research agenda of the entire profession.
Friedman's many monographs, books, scholarly articles, papers, magazine columns, television programs, videos and lectures cover a broad range of topics in microeconomics, macroeconomics, economic history, and public policy issues.
The Economist hailed him as "the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century…possibly of all of it".
So, why am I going to frame a picture of Milton Friedman to put on the wall of my home office? This quote: "We have a system that increasingly taxes work and subsidizes nonwork." Nail on the head, sir...nail on the head!
He is best known among scholars for his theoretical and empirical research, especially consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy.
A global public followed his restatement of a political philosophy that insisted on minimizing the role of government in favor of the private sector. As a leader of the Chicago School of economics, based at the University of Chicago, he had a widespread influence in shaping the research agenda of the entire profession.
Friedman's many monographs, books, scholarly articles, papers, magazine columns, television programs, videos and lectures cover a broad range of topics in microeconomics, macroeconomics, economic history, and public policy issues.
The Economist hailed him as "the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century…possibly of all of it".
So, why am I going to frame a picture of Milton Friedman to put on the wall of my home office? This quote: "We have a system that increasingly taxes work and subsidizes nonwork." Nail on the head, sir...nail on the head!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Will Negative CPI Result In Lower Property Taxes? Not If Taxifornia Can Help It...
Whether or not you are a homeowner, you probably hear quite a bit about Proposition 13. Did you know that Prop 13 says your property tax cannot go up more than 2% per year, no matter how high inflation gets? Since Prop 13 was passed in 1978, inflation has usually been higher than 2%, so California homeowners have come to expect their 2% per year increase in their property taxes.
The only divergence from 2% was in 1999 when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) went up 1.85% and in 2004 when the CPI went up 1.86%.
We may, however, be looking at brand new ground for Proposition 13 this year. The CPI calculation year runs November to October, and is currently running a negative amount for the year so far. While the language of Prop 13 does not address negative inflation, logic would dictate that if a 2% gain results in a 2% increase, a 2% decline should result in a 2% decrease.
Good news, right? It would be except, everything that I am reading is saying that the State of Taxifornia is just not going to allow that to happen. There is no official word from the State Taxislature or Board Of Taxilization at this point, but be ready for some property tax controversy once the CPI year officially closes at the end of October.
The only divergence from 2% was in 1999 when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) went up 1.85% and in 2004 when the CPI went up 1.86%.
We may, however, be looking at brand new ground for Proposition 13 this year. The CPI calculation year runs November to October, and is currently running a negative amount for the year so far. While the language of Prop 13 does not address negative inflation, logic would dictate that if a 2% gain results in a 2% increase, a 2% decline should result in a 2% decrease.
Good news, right? It would be except, everything that I am reading is saying that the State of Taxifornia is just not going to allow that to happen. There is no official word from the State Taxislature or Board Of Taxilization at this point, but be ready for some property tax controversy once the CPI year officially closes at the end of October.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Under ObamaCare, You MUST Have Health Insurance, Or You Will Pay A Tax...
I want to give you something to think about today as you get ready to start a new work week. Let's think about car insurance for a second. Do you remember a time when you you were not required by state law to have car insurance? I honestly don't, but I hear from those older and wiser in the tribe that this used to be the case. So, here I sit today, having been a licensed driver in the state of California for going on 19 years, and have never had an at-fault accident where my insurance company has had to pay out for an accident that was my doing, yet if I want to get behind the wheel of a car, I need to go out and buy some car insurance, otherwise I am breaking the law...even more so than normal. My alternative? Stop driving, or leave California.
With everything that is going on right now with healthcare reform, why in the world am I talking about car insurance? Well, wait for it...I'm getting there. Say HR 3200 passes, but you don't want health insurance...you just happen to be one of the people that either doesn't care enough to have it, wants to pay cash at the doctor, or God bless you, has enough money that you just don't need it. What we all know is that if you make over $350,000 a year, you're going to be one of the people paying for HR 3200, but one thing that I am sure none of us know is that if you do not have health insurance and are living legally in the United States of America, and do not enroll yourself in the public option or buy a policy through the National Exchange when they become available, you are going to be paying a tax of 2.5% of your adjusted gross income for the taxable year. I know that's a long sentence, but feel free to read it again. Just like HR 3200, there's a hidden tax in there.
There are some loopholes:
- Prove that your religion does not believe in health insurance
- Have your tax pro-rated if you are covered part of the year
- You don't have to pay the tax on dependents, regardless of their coverage
- The 2.5% tax will not exceed what the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines to be the national average health care premium cost for you
To summarize, if you're just someone who does not want health insurance and you don't want the public option, or to pick from the National Insurance Exchange, you're going to be taxed for your decision. Kind of makes it seem like if you're unemployed and not of wealthy means, they are going to force you into one of the government-run healthcare programs. You are going to be required to have health insurance just like you are required to have car insurance, otherwise, you will be paying an additional 2.5% to Uncle Sam when it is Tax Day. Your alternative? Leave the country.
Now, I know this is going to effect a very small percentage of Americans as close to 90% of us are still working and getting insurance through work, or are covered by some other government program, etc., etc., but here is just one more government-controlled thing in life.
You will soon be required to have health insurance. If we just continue to sit back and let government tell us what to do and how to live our lives, eventually, they will control everything. Never happen? I bet there were a lot of Germans saying that in 1933, too. How about instead of just drawing Hitler mustaches on everyone's pictures, we do a little research, study some history, and get the facts?
I do not want government telling me what I need to buy, what I need to drive, what I should be eating, where I should be going, and charging me a hell of a lot of taxes for a hell of a lot less freedom. Sadly, however, I think you had better get used to it America! With each passing year, government is going to force more and more upon you...
With everything that is going on right now with healthcare reform, why in the world am I talking about car insurance? Well, wait for it...I'm getting there. Say HR 3200 passes, but you don't want health insurance...you just happen to be one of the people that either doesn't care enough to have it, wants to pay cash at the doctor, or God bless you, has enough money that you just don't need it. What we all know is that if you make over $350,000 a year, you're going to be one of the people paying for HR 3200, but one thing that I am sure none of us know is that if you do not have health insurance and are living legally in the United States of America, and do not enroll yourself in the public option or buy a policy through the National Exchange when they become available, you are going to be paying a tax of 2.5% of your adjusted gross income for the taxable year. I know that's a long sentence, but feel free to read it again. Just like HR 3200, there's a hidden tax in there.
There are some loopholes:
- Prove that your religion does not believe in health insurance
- Have your tax pro-rated if you are covered part of the year
- You don't have to pay the tax on dependents, regardless of their coverage
- The 2.5% tax will not exceed what the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines to be the national average health care premium cost for you
To summarize, if you're just someone who does not want health insurance and you don't want the public option, or to pick from the National Insurance Exchange, you're going to be taxed for your decision. Kind of makes it seem like if you're unemployed and not of wealthy means, they are going to force you into one of the government-run healthcare programs. You are going to be required to have health insurance just like you are required to have car insurance, otherwise, you will be paying an additional 2.5% to Uncle Sam when it is Tax Day. Your alternative? Leave the country.
Now, I know this is going to effect a very small percentage of Americans as close to 90% of us are still working and getting insurance through work, or are covered by some other government program, etc., etc., but here is just one more government-controlled thing in life.
You will soon be required to have health insurance. If we just continue to sit back and let government tell us what to do and how to live our lives, eventually, they will control everything. Never happen? I bet there were a lot of Germans saying that in 1933, too. How about instead of just drawing Hitler mustaches on everyone's pictures, we do a little research, study some history, and get the facts?
I do not want government telling me what I need to buy, what I need to drive, what I should be eating, where I should be going, and charging me a hell of a lot of taxes for a hell of a lot less freedom. Sadly, however, I think you had better get used to it America! With each passing year, government is going to force more and more upon you...
Friday, July 24, 2009
Post-Recession Sales & Marketing
The consumers and businesses we were selling and marketing to before the economic collapse were much different than the people and companies we are selling and marketing to today. Think of them as "post-recession", and know that they are going to be "post-recession" for quite some time.
One in ten Americans who wants to be working is unable to find a job right now. That in itself changes the game when it comes to sales and marketing. One in ten Americans is struggling to pay for food and shelter, so how do you sell them something that is not necessarily an absolute need? Even those of us who are still on the job are being much more discretionary with our discretionary spending.
Despite it all, however, companies that are looking forward are asking today, "How do we market to consumers and businesses once we finally get out of this mess?" The businesses that are going to survive are hunkered down, weathering the storm, but also being proactive and looking to the future.
It is important to keep in mind that while a small percentage of consumers will quickly forget the hardships of the past year, a larger majority will be changing their spending habits for years to come, some of them, even, for the rest of their lives. I bet anyone alive today that lived through the 1930s in America is as spend-thrift today as they were in the 1940s and 1950s.
As businesses, we are not only going to be asked to provide something new and exciting, but today, and well into the future, are going to need to provide value, and lots of it. Consumer relationships with businesses, and business relationships with vendors will be under a microscope for the foreseeable future. Gone are the days of the whimsical purchase, because gone are the days of easy, endless credit lines.
So, what do we do now? We get to work. We need to look at our products and services and ensure that they are providing real, tangible value to our customers. We need to ensure that our customers are having the best experience possible with our businesses, because their post-recession dollars are going to demand it.
We must be aware that there is not going to be a magic day when all of the sudden things are back to how they were before. We may not see that day within our lifetimes, and even if we do, it will probably just be an indicator of another coming collapse. Think back to the opinion page writer for a local newspaper in 1946. The depression was long gone, the war was over, and things were swinging, but it would be over 50 years until we saw a similar pre-depression upswing. That is where we are all at today. Take your age and add 50, and that is how old you may be the next time we can market and sell like it's 2007 again.
One in ten Americans who wants to be working is unable to find a job right now. That in itself changes the game when it comes to sales and marketing. One in ten Americans is struggling to pay for food and shelter, so how do you sell them something that is not necessarily an absolute need? Even those of us who are still on the job are being much more discretionary with our discretionary spending.
Despite it all, however, companies that are looking forward are asking today, "How do we market to consumers and businesses once we finally get out of this mess?" The businesses that are going to survive are hunkered down, weathering the storm, but also being proactive and looking to the future.
It is important to keep in mind that while a small percentage of consumers will quickly forget the hardships of the past year, a larger majority will be changing their spending habits for years to come, some of them, even, for the rest of their lives. I bet anyone alive today that lived through the 1930s in America is as spend-thrift today as they were in the 1940s and 1950s.
As businesses, we are not only going to be asked to provide something new and exciting, but today, and well into the future, are going to need to provide value, and lots of it. Consumer relationships with businesses, and business relationships with vendors will be under a microscope for the foreseeable future. Gone are the days of the whimsical purchase, because gone are the days of easy, endless credit lines.
So, what do we do now? We get to work. We need to look at our products and services and ensure that they are providing real, tangible value to our customers. We need to ensure that our customers are having the best experience possible with our businesses, because their post-recession dollars are going to demand it.
We must be aware that there is not going to be a magic day when all of the sudden things are back to how they were before. We may not see that day within our lifetimes, and even if we do, it will probably just be an indicator of another coming collapse. Think back to the opinion page writer for a local newspaper in 1946. The depression was long gone, the war was over, and things were swinging, but it would be over 50 years until we saw a similar pre-depression upswing. That is where we are all at today. Take your age and add 50, and that is how old you may be the next time we can market and sell like it's 2007 again.
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