I know it's been a while since I've posted much of anything and I had a few minutes so I figured I'd hop on with a brief update, a few thoughts, etc.
First off, I hope everyone had a spectacular holiday season (and no, me saying "holiday season" is not an attack on Christmas, it's just a lot easier than writing out every winter holiday various persons celebrate) & a safe and happy start to your New Year.
I'm sure many of you made New Year resolutions, and I hope you're sticking with them! I couldn't decide if I wanted to quit smoking, get in shape or any of the other usual suspects, so I went the unconventional route once again and rolled them all into one big resolution... This year, I'm going to try to be just a little bit more like Hulk Hogan. That said, I've quit smoking (minus a couple little slips here and there), started exercising, taking my vitamins, & saying my prayers (actually got a good book from mom this year which they call "The Good Book". It must be pretty good I figure since it's been on the best seller list for so long... so I'm giving that a read lately). Oh, and I lost the beard... and traded it in for a comically over sized horseshoe mustache.
This is not your run of the mill upper lip honor badge however. This is a multipurpose mustache! Sure it helps me achieve my resolution to "be more like Hulk Hogan", but it's also my secret weapon in the political arena since I am now officially on the ballot for Texas State Senate!
Didn't see that one comin' didja?
Right now everything is in it's infancy, but I'm working on some issues I'd like to address that nobody else seems interested in touching (like trimming back the size of the TABC for example). Preliminary discussions with folks in the local alcohol industry seem interested in this idea, so hopefully we can get them behind me to help throw a "Stache Bash" fundraiser for me and my mustache. I'm fairly certain it pays a ridiculously high salary, so I think I want to take a page from Dr. Paul and offer to take a pay cut if elected, & just bring it down to the average annual household income instead. I'm sure there will be plenty to look at and mill over and discuss and everything as this progresses though. Either way though, I think it's time we return to politicians sporting robust facial hair styles... remember Ambrose Burnside?
Other than that, school is getting ready to start again, which I'm actually fairly excited about. I figure the Texas Government class is probably coming just in time given the circumstances, and the professor is a truly delightful person. I had her for an American Government class and was pretty impressed... despite her being a "moderate Democrat" (hey, we all make mistakes right?)
Well that's it for the time being! I'll be back with more soon! As always, thank you for reading, sharing, commenting and subscribing!
TRIM THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT! NOT THE SIZE OF MUSTACHES!
Happy Trails!
Here's the fellow I'll be running against... check out the total lack of mustache on this guy. Who does he think he is?!?!
I realize it's been some while since my last post, so I just wanted to get something out there real quick as proof that I have not been abducted by aliens, (why Mexicans are kidnapping so many people is beyond me), nor has our own government, (which is supposedly established to protect the rights of the people) targeted me for assassination or indefinite detention without due process of law. I can't understand why though, I mean... I almost always disagree with what they are doing, and I'm seldom quiet about such disagreements. Perhaps I don't look menacing enough. To remedy this, I have decided to grow a beard. I've heard the government is very intimidated by fellows with dark beards. I feel the beard should get me one step closer to being "disappeared", and hauled off to some dark, cold dungeon where "enhanced interrogation techniques" will be used on me. I hope they don't ask me who I voted for in the most recent American Idol competition. Truth be told, I didn't even see it! They'll just KNOW I'm some kind of terrorist then! "WHAT?!?! YOU DON"T LIKE COKE-A-COLA & FORD TRUCKS?!?! YOU DON"T LIKE AREOSMITH?!?!". After this discovery, they will surely hook up electrodes to my testicles... and proceed to interrogate me about my whereabouts on November 22nd 1963... and they will discover, that I indeed... was the 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll.... despite my being 32 years old. But then, "enhanced interrogation techniques" are quite remarkable at extracting information which would otherwise be impossible to get. I mean, how else would you get me to tell you that I'm a warlock angel assassin, capable of shape shifting and time travel, who pulled the trigger that fateful day?
Enhanced interrogation techniques aside, I'm almost done with this semester of school, and should be blogging with a bit more frequency during my downtime. Until then, I'd like to share with you something I came across recently which I think is a real gem.
This next one is an oldy but a goody... from the top 40 charts going all the way back to 1850, here's #7... "The Law", by Frédéric Bastiat...
Among the myriad of various ironies to choose from as it relates to the current GOP nomination, perhaps the greatest of them is that there is a very real possibility that the outcome will be determined by the voting public who consider themselves Democrats.
Of course I'm speaking primarily of the recent news that there is a statistical 4-way dead heat in a poll which was aimed strictly at Iowans likely to vote in the GOP presidential caucus. The poll had a error margin of 4.4% (meaning any of the numbers could swing 4.4 % points in either direction.), and with Cain at 20%, Ron Paul at 19%, Romney at 18% and Gingrich at 17%, this means that when you toss in the margin for error, this race belongs to any of these guys now.
For those that don't know, Iowa is one of the "must win" states in a Presidential race for reasons to numerous to go into in this posting. When you couple the importance of Iowa with this recent poll aimed strictly at likely GOP voters in the caucus, it becomes no surprise that a statistical 4-way dead heat is getting so much buzz in the mainstream media and the blogosphere.
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about this particular news story, is that while it has been one of the worst polls Paul has performed in (usually taking a fairly commanding lead in nearly every poll he appears in), it also seems to be the one which is giving him the greatest boost as far as public opinion goes. After this poll came out, the opinion held by most people in America seems to be that he has a very real chance at taking the nomination.
So now with this recent development, and massive boost to the Paul campaign we have a 4-way dead heat. Cain, Paul, Romney or Gingrich. This bodes exceptionally well for the Paul campaign or two reasons. The first, is that when campaigns get this close they become incredibly expensive. This works for Paul of course because not only has he built up a pretty enviable sized war chest among the candidates, but he's also done so remarkably, by grassroots "moneybomb" efforts coming from floods of individual citizens. Compare this to the the other candidates, who have gotten the majority of their money from the two groups which have become the recipients of American scorn from both the left and the right…. Wall St & The Banks. Call into question where they have been receiving their campaign contributions from and suffice it to say I don't see it being warmly received by the indignant American voter, eager to send nearly any politician they can to the unemployment line for any reason whatsoever.
The second reason is that when campaigns get this close, they become ugly, even to the point of character assassination. What could possibly be better for a candidate like Paul (if there's ever been a candidate like Paul), who has a sterling and consistent voting record which is perfectly in harmony with the Constitution, who has a sterling personal and political background (What? You don't think they've been desperately trying to dig something up on him since at least his 2008 run for President?!?!) , and who has been warning of and offering solutions to our current economic crisis for perhaps longer than the author of this article has been alive?
Still, with all this recent news working tremendously to Paul's advantage, there's an old adage that says something about not counting chickens before one's eggs are hatched. It would be unwise at this time for those who support Paul to do anything but re-double their efforts at such a crucial time. Even so however, there is still no absolute guarantee of victory. Which leads me back to the great irony, that there is a very real possibility that the outcome of this GOP nomination and subsequent Presidential election may rest almost entirely in the hands of those voters who consider themselves Democrats.
Fortunately, for those of us who are favorable to ending wars and occupations, for those of us who disagree with imprisoning non-violent "criminals" for drug related "offenses" in which no person was the subject to loss harm or injury of person, limb or property, for those of us who disagree with putting the public Trillions upon Trillions of dollars into debt just so politician's buddies over in the weapons manufacturing industry can make a tidy sum, for those of us who like the idea of letting the banks fail instead of bailing them out with our own money, for those of us who value common sense and compassion for our fellow man, for those of us who disagree with the death penalty particularly in a time when we are discovering so many people who were sentenced to death row only later to have their innocence discovered... and, for those of us who could use a 25% pay increase from our current wages (this of course happening by eliminating the Federal Income Tax which, as was shown in the Grace Commission Report "not one nickel of the Federal Income Tax goes to providing the basic services the people expect from their government such as roads, schools...")…which, I'll remind you could be used to buy an awful lot of health insurance… fortunately there is already, The Blue Republicans. A group which allows for the disenchanted Democrat to still vote on their primary values and beliefs, and to say to both the Republican party… "THIS… is what you should be doing." And to the Democratic party, "THIS… is what happens when you don't deliver on your campaign promises"…All while maintaining their identity as a Democrat (or Independent) and perhaps altering the way in which politics is conducted in America for a very long time to come.
I could go into length here about what a major influence this single group could prove to be in this election, however I find this just as appropriate a time to provide a link, and allow the reader and the group itself to get to know each other a little better.
Enjoy: http://www.bluerepublican.org/
Happy Trails...
*Note: The author of this writing is in no way affiliated with the Blue Republican movement, nor do any of their views or opinions expressed in the past, present or future necessarily constitute his own. Nor do any of the views or opinions expressed here necessarily represent those of the Blue Republican organization.*
Well folks, this is it. We're at the crossroads leading to Heaven or Hell. I hate to be so absolutist about this, but it is what it is I guess. I just wanted you to know that which way we go is pretty much going to be determined by you... yes, YOU.
I just finished watching the CBS (or See B.S. perhaps more appropriately) South Carolina GOP "debate" (if that's what you want to call it)... and just... wow. I tuned in to watch my long time personal pick, Dr. Ron Paul. If you missed the 90 minute debate... here's the whopping 89 seconds they allocated for him:
Let's set aside the fact that I'm a fan of Ron Paul for just a moment however. Hell, for the sake of argument, let's say I don't even like the guy. With that said, I still don't see how something like this is defensible. The media's job (or at least what it is supposed to do anyway), is to collect as much information as it can on a given subject, and to then in turn present that information to the public, so that each individual may establish and create their own fully informed positions and opinions on the subject at hand. This is no small thing either. I believe it was Buddha who had said that "We exist in a world of thought" (but don't quote me on that, it could have just as easily been Tony Robbins or something I read in a fortune cookie for all I know. Everything around us is a by-product of what was once nothing more than someone's thoughts. I mean, even you are the by-product of two people thinking that having sex with the other person was a favorable notion. What I'm saying is that you, me, and nearly everything around us is simply:
Thought + Energy + Time.
So it stands to reason, that if you can control or influence what an individual thinks, you can in consequently influence what they do, and as such what becomes. Sorry, I'm not trying to get all Confucius on you here or anything, I just need to bring that up to illustrate my point here (I'm not even sure what my point is yet, so bare with me here)...
You see, what we're experiencing here is a very unique time. We are witnessing more than a Presidential election here in America right now. What we are witnessing is an ideological shift... quite literally, a revolution of the mind. That is to say, people are beginning (and quite rapidly I must say, possibly due to the relatively recent prevalence of technology as it applies to communications), to actually think differently.
This is particularly noticeable with regards to politics. Self-identifying Democrats I talk to seem to be adopting different views on a variety of subjects than they once traditionally had. And the same can be said of those who are self-identifying Republicans. I think much of this honestly has to do with Ron Paul (and I swear I'll get back on topic here in a second... A.D.D. can be a son of a bitch sometimes). You know the saying "square peg / round hole" used to describe when something just doesn't fit or match? I think the relationship politicians have to the public is really a lot like that. The public, and public opinion is much like the hole in this instance. Politicians, and what they say they'll do, is the peg. Traditionally however, what you see politicians do is whittle their peg down so that it fits whatever the shape of the hole is. And it's almost like a race to see who can whittle their peg to fit the hole first. But then you have this guy Ron Paul. For over 30 years now, he has held the exact same shape peg. Not once has the guy attempted to whittle it to be a different shape than what it is. He just says, "the shape of the peg is exactly right, and I'll just keep pushing it against the hole until eventually, the shape of the hole changes to fit the shape of my peg." I think we're starting to see the hole being pushed on enough that it's starting to fit the peg instead of the other way around.
This sort of ties into what I was talking about with regards to Thought+ Energy+ Time though...
What the media did this evening was effectively attempt to simply shelter the hole from the peg. They tried to make sure that YOU and the rest of your fellow Americans, received as little exposure to Ron Paul as was possible in order to prevent him from being able to shape public opinion (the hole), to fit his peg (or his ideologies/economics/politics). This is exactly the opposite of what they are supposed to be doing. They are supposed to be presenting you with a fairly balanced amount of coverage of each of these candidates so that YOU can make a fully informed decision as to what you think... and therefore will do...and therefore... what will become.
Why would they do something like this? Well, if I had to take a crack at it... considering that people will more often than not work in their own self interest, I have to presume that it is most likely that something Ron Paul is saying he wants to do as President is not in the self interest of the individuals at the top of such mainstream media outlets like CBS. Perhaps some of the same people that own CBS also are being well served by their relationship with some of the privately owned banks which make up the "Federal" Reserve that Dr. Ron Paul keeps saying he wants to abolish. Or, maybe they're making a healthy chunk of change being involved in weapons manufacturing and sales which would take an obvious hit if we weren't engaged in wars with... what is it now? 6 or 7 countries now?
The reason this is of such great concern to me though is that throughout history, we have seen several various ideological revolutions. When something like this gets underway however, there seems to be little to nothing which can be done to stop it. Like Victor Hugo had said, "Nothing is stronger than an idea whose time has come.". That being said, revolutions come in two different flavors... you have your non-violent revolutions. And then you have your less desirable revolutions filled with bloodshed, misery, loss, tragedy, and sorrow. When revolutions are effectively prevented from manifesting themselves through non-violent means, the unstoppable ideas which fuel them seek other means by which to manifest themselves in our world... in this case, the only other alternative to non-violent means, becomes violent means. You can see my cause for concern when I see individuals who are central in non-violent, ideological revolutions being subjected to attempts of suppression.
This is the part of the blog where we come full circle back to my mention of us being at the crossroads to Heaven or Hell and how which direction we go is very much your decision. I think most people recognize this ideological shift that I have been discussing is all around us. I think most people understand and would agree with Victor Hugo and his assessment of the unstoppable nature of ideas. If it's true that there is an ideological shift in this nation, and that an idea whose time has come is indeed unstoppable... then what will each of us do? What will we do, knowing these things? What will we do knowing that non-violent means are currently being pursued to manifest these ideas, and that when non-violent means are successfully suppressed, those ideas seek other means by which to manifest themselves, given their unstoppable nature? Will we gamble against the odds as history as given us, and just hope that if the non-violent means of manifestation are suppressed that this will effectively put an end to people's changing ideas? Will we simply continue to have 4% voter turn outs in local elections? Will we continue to care more about what happens in sports, game shows, reality tv programs, and soap operas than what happens in our Congressional, our Judicial, and our Executive branches? Will we continue to leave politics to career politicians rather than seeking office ourselves? Will we continue to place more value on knowing all the lyrics to modern pop-music songs than the words written in our Bill of Rights and our Constitution?
I don't like to be the one to say it, but we must be aware more now than ever that for every action we take, we also take inaction. If we take it upon ourselves to attempt to suppress the existence of such ideological changes through non-violent means, then we are only taking action to ensure that such changes will most likely occur through violent means as they have all throughout history. However, it is also impossible to be neutral where this issue is concerned. If for example, we choose to remain neutral in these matters, and instead, go back to our circuses of Rome as it were... then we are in effect advocating for the further allowance of those who would attempt to suppress such non-violent means of an ideas manifestation. That is to say that if we choose to do nothing, we have also chosen to do something which favors violent outcomes for ourselves, our families, our friends and our communities.
Let us hope that we have the courage of heart and the strength of mind to accept these things, and to conduct ourselves in a manner which is consistent with such acceptance. May Freedom, prosperity, happiness, wisdom and Love be the path we collectively embark upon as we move forward from here.
I have been meaning to post a longer, thoughtful piece on the topic of the Occupy Wall Street movement going on in America (and now seemingly across the globe). I have however, largely been consumed recently by such things as looking for work, going to school, etc and so consequently have yet to really have time to sit down and articulate my thoughts on this issue. As a temporary substitute for this however, I would like to offer the following which I found on YouTube. It expresses in a nutshell many of the things I wish to communicate and share with the well intending participants of the OWS movement.
I hope you'll watch it and take the message into consideration. I will be back to expand more on this item later. As always, thank you for visiting. I hope you'll comment, share, subscribe, re-post, etc.
Up until only a few days ago, I’d never really invested much thought into the subject of minimum wage laws. Like most, I sort of took it for basic common sense that when you raise the minimum wage, you raise the standard of living for those who are generally poor, under-skilled, etc.
However, recently I’ve heard some discussion from some political candidates seeking the Presidency about abolishing the minimum wage altogether. Suffice it to say this really peaked my curiosities. I mean, why the hell would you say something like that while trying to gain as many votes as possible?!?! Isn’t it simply the conventional wisdom that the minimum wage is a good thing, and if anything needs to be raised?
So I set out to explore what possible case there could be for eliminating the minimum wage laws in America. What I found was stunning, and almost embarrassing in a way. How had I never stopped to look at this before?!? One of the more recent polls I saw stated that 83% of Americans believe that the minimum wage is a good thing. I would hazard a guess however to say that the overwhelming majority of those 83% have never really sat down and challenged that belief on their own and taken some time out to study the causes and effects on this matter. Having done so, I can say now that I am not part of this 83%...
I am the 17%.
Provided below are just some of the most interesting things I’ve come across regarding this subject. If you are going to pursue researching this subject, may I recommend doing so with an open and curious mind, rather than entering into it to argue in favor of your current beliefs. I sort of address this more in my “Courtroom Of The Mind” posting.
Below are some links to various articles, videos, etc which I’ve been looking at lately. They go to give case examples, and explain some of the theoretical ideologies behind this notion of eliminating the minimum wage. If you find other articles/videos etc, relating to this subject, please share them in the comments section because I would love to learn more about this topic. I hope you’ll read, watch, comment and share with friends and family. Thank you as always for visiting.
There are plenty more sources that look at the causes and effects of the minimum wage, but the above should help to get you started on looking at the case against the minimum wage. I look forward to your thoughts and opinions on the matter. Thank you.
