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...
Happy trails....
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Ironically, Democrats May Be The GOP Key To Nomination
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.*
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.*
Saturday, November 12, 2011
If I had A.D.D. , it would go something like this...
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.
Happy trails...
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.
Happy trails...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
An Open Message To The 99% :
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.
An Open Message To The 99% :
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.
An Open Message To The 99% :
Friday, October 21, 2011
John Locke Would Approve:
If you're not familiar with Doug Stanhope... then you clearly haven't pressed play on the video below. Shame on you.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Apparently I Am The 17% :
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.
Wage Laws Squeeze South Africa's Poor:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/world/africa/27safrica.html?pagewanted=all
Eliminating Minimum Wage, Solving Unemployment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlVFWixxARU
The Western Right: The Case Against Minimum Wage:
http://wmugop.blogspot.com/2007/02/case-against-minimum-wage.html
The Job-Killing Impact Of Minimum Wage Laws:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMMN3UIQmEk
Milton Friedman - The Consequences Of Minimum Wage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1HAbdUw7KE
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.
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.
Wage Laws Squeeze South Africa's Poor:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/world/africa/27safrica.html?pagewanted=all
Eliminating Minimum Wage, Solving Unemployment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlVFWixxARU
The Western Right: The Case Against Minimum Wage:
http://wmugop.blogspot.com/2007/02/case-against-minimum-wage.html
The Job-Killing Impact Of Minimum Wage Laws:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMMN3UIQmEk
Milton Friedman - The Consequences Of Minimum Wage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1HAbdUw7KE
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.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
We'll Be Back, Right After These Messages...
In the absence of an actual thoughtful posting, I will submit to you the following. 'Free To Choose' was a ten part television series aired in the 1980's with one of the most controversial but discussed economists of the time, Milton Friedman. The series is a look at various economic factors and the causes and effects of booms and busts. I feel it is just as relevant today as it was then. I've submitted part one of this series here, and I am confidant you will be able to find the other parts should you wish. I hope you'll enjoy. I will return with more when exams are over.
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Courtroom Of The Mind:
Take a moment and imagine the following:
There is a courtroom with all the various decorations and characters playing the roles you would expect. There is the judge in his black robe with his gavel, and over there sits the prosecuting attorney, and across from him the defense attorney. Both the attorneys are sitting in their chairs before the judge, and beside each attorney, their client.
There has clearly been some event which has transpired between the two of these clients that the court is there to sort out and attempt to rectify.
The judge calls forth the prosecution.
The prosecuting attorney steps before the judge, and begins to tell the judge what has transpired between the two clients. He submits to the judge in orderly fashion, each piece of evidence which reinforces his claims as to what took place. As the prosecution wraps up his opening statements to the judge, and presents his evidence... The defense is gathering together his evidence to support his client, and his side of the story.
The prosecution takes a seat, and the judge then turns to the defense...
Suddenly, he picks up his gavel, bangs it down, and loudly proclaims “The defense is found guilty!” before beginning to proclaim the sentence which will be served out by the defendant.
For most of us, witnessing such a court proceeding we would find ourselves in absolute shock and a disgusted disbelief. After all, this isn’t how the processes of fairness and justice are supposed to work! Both sides are supposed to be heard aren’t they? Both sides should have fair and equal opportunity to make their case before coming to any such verdict!
And yet, so many of us, act in exactly the same capacity that the judge has in this story. We align ourselves so strongly with one party or another that we refuse to even be bothered with so much as listening to the other sides argument before we pick up the gavel in our minds, and bang it down making our declaration as to the other sides guilt or innocence.
On occasion, there are those of us who will at times, attempt to make such a court proceeding look good. We will listen to the other side, all the while simply scoffing to ourselves, as we begin to listen, thinking, “Yeah, let’s hear their side, this should be worth a chuckle!”
In fact, there are probably those of you who are already seeking to defend the actions of the judge. That’s fine. I won’t seek to change that. I only put these considerations before people because I know that there are others who will have the common sense and wisdom to understand what I mean here. They are the ones with the wisdom of mind, and the courage of heart enough to be able to look themselves in the mirror and admit to themselves that perhaps they don’t know everything. Perhaps they aren’t as smart as they thought they were. Perhaps they have acted in the capacity of that judge, and perhaps they can benefit from making a conscious effort to change the practices of what goes on in the courtroom of their own minds. Those are the people to whom I speak. Should you still be defending the judge and his actions in this story, then do what you will. That’s entirely your business.
How many of us from the Liberal position, actually sit down regularly and say, “Oh hey, Rush Limbaugh is about to be on, I wanna listen to his show today.”? How many from the Conservative platform think, “Oh crap... Democracy Now is on now... I need to tune in real quick...”? Pretty much none of us right? I suppose birds of a feather do indeed flock together. But because of this, how much information do any of us miss which could lead to more informed decision making?
Like the judge, shouldn’t our job simply be to collect and gather as much facts, data, and overall information on a particular topic or event before we attempt to formulate our verdict or opinion on it?
The reason I bring all this up is because so widely divided a system is easily conquered. Conquered by who? I’ll get around to that later. The important thing is that we take it upon ourselves as individuals to take the total sum of our beliefs, and values, and place them outside, into the torrential downpour and flood of facts and information from all sides.
By doing so, we are benefited in many ways. In some cases, after our beliefs are submitted to such tests, they will indeed weather the storm of facts quite well, and return to us unscathed. Here we are benefited by having our beliefs transformed into something that we no longer just believe, but rather something we KNOW to be true, otherwise, it wouldn’t have held up through the storm.
On the other hand, we are benefited when these beliefs are torn apart and destroyed by the floods and rains of facts, because we are no longer basing our words and deeds from a position which was flawed to begin with.
In short, it makes us wiser, more knowledgeable, judicious and secure people.
I bring all this up because I want people to be able to benefit from the same experiences I have had. There was a time I very strongly considered myself to be in line with the views and ideologies of one of those parties. Some of the views I held then I still hold strongly because they have held up under these tests. Others, I have abandoned as they fell apart the more they were subjected to information from all sides. It’s not an easy process. It’s one which is at times humbling. It is a process marked with humility, sacrifice, mistake and occasionally loss. I’ve had to adopt entirely different world views at times. This isn’t always an easy process. But then, how often does anything truly worthwhile come freely and easily?
Just know that in order for an argument to exist and persist for any length of time, both sides have to have points which are true and right. Without this, no argument or debate can carry forward for any great length of time. People of great character are seldom marked by their lack of mistakes or their flawless records, but rather a highlight of the mistakes they have made and their open, honest willingness to both recognize, and learn from them.
I hope you'll take these words to heart, and make an effort yourself to make the courtroom of your mind one with fair and just proceedings. As always, feel free to share this with family and friends.
Thanks & Happy trails...
There is a courtroom with all the various decorations and characters playing the roles you would expect. There is the judge in his black robe with his gavel, and over there sits the prosecuting attorney, and across from him the defense attorney. Both the attorneys are sitting in their chairs before the judge, and beside each attorney, their client.
There has clearly been some event which has transpired between the two of these clients that the court is there to sort out and attempt to rectify.
The judge calls forth the prosecution.
The prosecuting attorney steps before the judge, and begins to tell the judge what has transpired between the two clients. He submits to the judge in orderly fashion, each piece of evidence which reinforces his claims as to what took place. As the prosecution wraps up his opening statements to the judge, and presents his evidence... The defense is gathering together his evidence to support his client, and his side of the story.
The prosecution takes a seat, and the judge then turns to the defense...
Suddenly, he picks up his gavel, bangs it down, and loudly proclaims “The defense is found guilty!” before beginning to proclaim the sentence which will be served out by the defendant.
For most of us, witnessing such a court proceeding we would find ourselves in absolute shock and a disgusted disbelief. After all, this isn’t how the processes of fairness and justice are supposed to work! Both sides are supposed to be heard aren’t they? Both sides should have fair and equal opportunity to make their case before coming to any such verdict!
And yet, so many of us, act in exactly the same capacity that the judge has in this story. We align ourselves so strongly with one party or another that we refuse to even be bothered with so much as listening to the other sides argument before we pick up the gavel in our minds, and bang it down making our declaration as to the other sides guilt or innocence.
On occasion, there are those of us who will at times, attempt to make such a court proceeding look good. We will listen to the other side, all the while simply scoffing to ourselves, as we begin to listen, thinking, “Yeah, let’s hear their side, this should be worth a chuckle!”
In fact, there are probably those of you who are already seeking to defend the actions of the judge. That’s fine. I won’t seek to change that. I only put these considerations before people because I know that there are others who will have the common sense and wisdom to understand what I mean here. They are the ones with the wisdom of mind, and the courage of heart enough to be able to look themselves in the mirror and admit to themselves that perhaps they don’t know everything. Perhaps they aren’t as smart as they thought they were. Perhaps they have acted in the capacity of that judge, and perhaps they can benefit from making a conscious effort to change the practices of what goes on in the courtroom of their own minds. Those are the people to whom I speak. Should you still be defending the judge and his actions in this story, then do what you will. That’s entirely your business.
How many of us from the Liberal position, actually sit down regularly and say, “Oh hey, Rush Limbaugh is about to be on, I wanna listen to his show today.”? How many from the Conservative platform think, “Oh crap... Democracy Now is on now... I need to tune in real quick...”? Pretty much none of us right? I suppose birds of a feather do indeed flock together. But because of this, how much information do any of us miss which could lead to more informed decision making?
Like the judge, shouldn’t our job simply be to collect and gather as much facts, data, and overall information on a particular topic or event before we attempt to formulate our verdict or opinion on it?
The reason I bring all this up is because so widely divided a system is easily conquered. Conquered by who? I’ll get around to that later. The important thing is that we take it upon ourselves as individuals to take the total sum of our beliefs, and values, and place them outside, into the torrential downpour and flood of facts and information from all sides.
By doing so, we are benefited in many ways. In some cases, after our beliefs are submitted to such tests, they will indeed weather the storm of facts quite well, and return to us unscathed. Here we are benefited by having our beliefs transformed into something that we no longer just believe, but rather something we KNOW to be true, otherwise, it wouldn’t have held up through the storm.
On the other hand, we are benefited when these beliefs are torn apart and destroyed by the floods and rains of facts, because we are no longer basing our words and deeds from a position which was flawed to begin with.
In short, it makes us wiser, more knowledgeable, judicious and secure people.
I bring all this up because I want people to be able to benefit from the same experiences I have had. There was a time I very strongly considered myself to be in line with the views and ideologies of one of those parties. Some of the views I held then I still hold strongly because they have held up under these tests. Others, I have abandoned as they fell apart the more they were subjected to information from all sides. It’s not an easy process. It’s one which is at times humbling. It is a process marked with humility, sacrifice, mistake and occasionally loss. I’ve had to adopt entirely different world views at times. This isn’t always an easy process. But then, how often does anything truly worthwhile come freely and easily?
Just know that in order for an argument to exist and persist for any length of time, both sides have to have points which are true and right. Without this, no argument or debate can carry forward for any great length of time. People of great character are seldom marked by their lack of mistakes or their flawless records, but rather a highlight of the mistakes they have made and their open, honest willingness to both recognize, and learn from them.
I hope you'll take these words to heart, and make an effort yourself to make the courtroom of your mind one with fair and just proceedings. As always, feel free to share this with family and friends.
Thanks & Happy trails...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Liberty Libido: A Brief Introduction
Greetings! Thanks for taking the time out to check out my blog here. Let’s get to it shall we?
A little about me, a little about the blog, and a little about what I aim to do with it here yes? Ok then...
A little about me:
I’m 32 years old, male and I’m a native to Austin Texas. I’m told I’m something of a unique character (INTJ and/or ENTJ sitting right smack dab on the Virgo/Libra cusp...provided you put stock into such things) & (at times at least), people seem to enjoy listening to what I have to say... and lord have mercy can I say quite a lot. I am extremely verbose. I feel it is both a blessing and a curse. People will inevitably reach a certain “saturation point” when listening to me... a point at which the information, ideas, opinions etc that I discuss simply become more than the individual can digest in a single sitting, and that’s ok.
I entirely understand people reaching that point of total saturation. Generally this occurs when I’m discussing matters of government, politics, economics, history, law & philosophy primarily. These are items I place a greater value on than is average, & have been studying for several years now, going back to about 2004. People reach this saturation point I presume, because what I attempt to do is concentrate the last seven years of study into “short” monologues, highlighting what I feel are the most important points, & then cramming them all into a small diatribe about whatever the topic is at hand. This is why I say I understand people reaching that point of total saturation with me, because let’s be honest... who honestly enjoys being talked AT for any extended period of time, and... how capable are any of us of having seven years of study crammed into our skulls in under 10 minutes? It’s sort of like trying to put an entire road cone in ones rectum... sure, you might be able to eventually do it... but not comfortably in under 2 seconds.
I also have a propensity for drawing up horrible metaphors and analogies. But I suppose I should warned you about that a few sentences ago huh?
A little about this blog:
First of all, blogging... isn’t really my “thing”. While I can belt out somewhere between 80 to 120 wpm (depending on how much coffee I've gotten into), it’s still not really enough to allow my fingers to keep up with my head. Things move really fast in there.
I’m much more inclined to be behind a microphone like the work I’ve done with certain pirate radio stations in the past. My mouth is usually better suited to keep speed with my mind than my fingers. Plus, nobody’s ever said to me, “You know, you have a really nice radio font.” before. Voice yes, font no.
So why the title “Liberty Libido”? In short, I felt it appropriate. I have what I can only describe as a certain “fetish” for Liberty and the causes of promoting her. In fact, I would argue that man’s need for Freedom is greater than his own sexual appetite, no matter how strong it may be. After all, we have ample historical and modern day examples of individuals willingly taking vows of celibacy, abstinence, and the sort. But where do we look to for such examples of man's willingness to engage in celibacy from free will, or even the abstinence of it? Where do we see such abundant examples in the history of humanity, of those willing to sacrifice their fortunes, their honor, and even their lives for the sake of “getting laid”? You can kinda see where the title for this blog comes from then yeah?
And finally, what I aim to do with this blog here:
To be honest, I haven’t even thought about this much. If anything, this will probably serve as more of a pressure release valve than anything for me. More often than is probably healthy, I find myself with thoughts regarding politics, economics etc racing around inside my skull, desperately seeking an outlet. And there’s only so many times you can call someone and wake them from slumber at 3am to discuss the problems and probabilities of the next round of quantitative easing, before they simply stop answering your calls.
I figure by having somewhere to go with these things, I can get this stuff out of my head, and anyone interested in these matters can pursue them at their own leisure rather than having me force feed them facts, data, analogies, theories etc against their will. So really I suppose this is sort of a hybrid of helping myself and others around me in that regard.
So there you have it, a bit about myself, the blog and what it's here for...
In future postings, I will probably be discussing matters such as the “Federal” Reserve system, the current presidential election, theories of self-governance, and what I feel are misconceptions with regards to complete and total governmental deregulation of the markets. I hope you’ll come back, subscribe, give me feedback, and share with friends and family.
Happy trails to you...
A little about me, a little about the blog, and a little about what I aim to do with it here yes? Ok then...
A little about me:
I’m 32 years old, male and I’m a native to Austin Texas. I’m told I’m something of a unique character (INTJ and/or ENTJ sitting right smack dab on the Virgo/Libra cusp...provided you put stock into such things) & (at times at least), people seem to enjoy listening to what I have to say... and lord have mercy can I say quite a lot. I am extremely verbose. I feel it is both a blessing and a curse. People will inevitably reach a certain “saturation point” when listening to me... a point at which the information, ideas, opinions etc that I discuss simply become more than the individual can digest in a single sitting, and that’s ok.
I entirely understand people reaching that point of total saturation. Generally this occurs when I’m discussing matters of government, politics, economics, history, law & philosophy primarily. These are items I place a greater value on than is average, & have been studying for several years now, going back to about 2004. People reach this saturation point I presume, because what I attempt to do is concentrate the last seven years of study into “short” monologues, highlighting what I feel are the most important points, & then cramming them all into a small diatribe about whatever the topic is at hand. This is why I say I understand people reaching that point of total saturation with me, because let’s be honest... who honestly enjoys being talked AT for any extended period of time, and... how capable are any of us of having seven years of study crammed into our skulls in under 10 minutes? It’s sort of like trying to put an entire road cone in ones rectum... sure, you might be able to eventually do it... but not comfortably in under 2 seconds.
I also have a propensity for drawing up horrible metaphors and analogies. But I suppose I should warned you about that a few sentences ago huh?
A little about this blog:
First of all, blogging... isn’t really my “thing”. While I can belt out somewhere between 80 to 120 wpm (depending on how much coffee I've gotten into), it’s still not really enough to allow my fingers to keep up with my head. Things move really fast in there.
I’m much more inclined to be behind a microphone like the work I’ve done with certain pirate radio stations in the past. My mouth is usually better suited to keep speed with my mind than my fingers. Plus, nobody’s ever said to me, “You know, you have a really nice radio font.” before. Voice yes, font no.
So why the title “Liberty Libido”? In short, I felt it appropriate. I have what I can only describe as a certain “fetish” for Liberty and the causes of promoting her. In fact, I would argue that man’s need for Freedom is greater than his own sexual appetite, no matter how strong it may be. After all, we have ample historical and modern day examples of individuals willingly taking vows of celibacy, abstinence, and the sort. But where do we look to for such examples of man's willingness to engage in celibacy from free will, or even the abstinence of it? Where do we see such abundant examples in the history of humanity, of those willing to sacrifice their fortunes, their honor, and even their lives for the sake of “getting laid”? You can kinda see where the title for this blog comes from then yeah?
And finally, what I aim to do with this blog here:
To be honest, I haven’t even thought about this much. If anything, this will probably serve as more of a pressure release valve than anything for me. More often than is probably healthy, I find myself with thoughts regarding politics, economics etc racing around inside my skull, desperately seeking an outlet. And there’s only so many times you can call someone and wake them from slumber at 3am to discuss the problems and probabilities of the next round of quantitative easing, before they simply stop answering your calls.
I figure by having somewhere to go with these things, I can get this stuff out of my head, and anyone interested in these matters can pursue them at their own leisure rather than having me force feed them facts, data, analogies, theories etc against their will. So really I suppose this is sort of a hybrid of helping myself and others around me in that regard.
So there you have it, a bit about myself, the blog and what it's here for...
In future postings, I will probably be discussing matters such as the “Federal” Reserve system, the current presidential election, theories of self-governance, and what I feel are misconceptions with regards to complete and total governmental deregulation of the markets. I hope you’ll come back, subscribe, give me feedback, and share with friends and family.
Happy trails to you...
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