Economic Development WHEN It's Politically Advantageous

Today's blog will focus on something that we all benefit from, Economic Development. In my part of the world, economic development has been in the news around the whole country. Unemployment, Job Growth, Job Creation and Investment all come to the forefront. I come from a small 'mill town' in Northern Maine and have felt the pain of a large employer closing it's doors. Today, while watching the news, the topic of the Verso Paper Company plant closure in Bucksport, Maine came up. Suddenly a number of 'brain trusts' pop up to explore economic development opportunities...But I ask, why did you wait until now?

There is a very easy answer for this, Complacency. We see it on the national level and it starts at the local level. A locale like Bucksport, Maine with a large taxpayer like Verso can afford to just sit back and let the money roll in. Many towns like this just assume that money will always be there, just like our ever growing federal government. When you have a, perceived, guaranteed 60% of your budget coming from one taxpayer, where is the incentive to push for greater economic diversity? There is none. They have plenty of money coming it and it's wouldn't necessarily be politically advantageous to seek out other economic opportunities for the area.

That same scenario is played out on the national level, that's why we don't see more job bills and precisely why we see more handouts. How can handouts be more advantageous that jobs you may ask? Look at it like this, you get 5000 people jobs in a plant that makes televisions, possibly 70% of those are so thankful that they'll remember it when it comes time to vote, the other 30% feels it is their own hard work that keeps them employed. Now, another politician gets 50,000 a handout, such as a new phone. When it comes time to vote, these politicians come to the mic and the guy that brought in the 5000 jobs goes on and on about trying to bring in more jobs, greater growth, self-reliance and promote individual accountability. He has great ideas and speaks for a full 30 minutes. The guy that gave out the phones simply states "the other guy wants to take your phone" Boom, mic drop, which spurs all of the 50,000 that go out to vote to vote for the politician that got them the phone.

They play to the numbers, even at the local level. That 60% tax base at the local level could be jeopardy if they tried to bring in other businesses that would create a competitive labor market and possibly end up costing that large employer more in labor costs. I'd be willing to be that there is a company representative that is in contact with the town council parroting these same remarks. At the national level it's the same story. Go ahead, don't take my word for it, get on Google and see just who benefits from legislation around the country. Sure your going to find some rather large companies that are being beat up by regulation, taxation and being demonized, but there has to be a good guy and a bad guy. If you dig a little deeper you'll find that a lot of these same companies enjoy huge tax breaks/incentives, government contracts and juicy backroom deals crafted to enrich them. It's a bonus for both sides! Politicians get their bad guy, the company actually benefits on the back end. Politicians are in it for the short game, most of these companies are playing long. The average voter is like Ten Second Tom from 50 First Dates. This needs to change!

Imagine, if you will, this scenario: We have a politician who is looking for an immediate boost in the polls and an oil company that would love to have a politician to possibly use in the future. BigBadOil, "Hey Candidate A, we have a sure fire way to get you a 15 point bump in the polls". Candidate A, "Ok, you have my attention, go on." BBO, "We've been fracking for gas over in Hazzard County and it seems we've had a few people who have had their water catch fire...but only a few!" Candidate A, "Wow, that's crazy! How does that help me?" BBO, "Well, we've just about got all we can out of the ground over there and there happens to be a large base of voters over there that support your opponent. You come in stomp your feet, makes us the bad guy and we'll pack up and move out." Candidate A,"But I don't understand, what do you get out of this, isn't this really bad for your image?" BBO, "Oh, let us worry about image, we have a team for that. What we get out of it, is that later on AFTER you're elected, we just want a seat at your table any time energy policy comes up. That's it, just a seat. We'd like a guaranteed voice at that table. Nothing hinky." Candidate A, "Just a seat? I can do that!" BBO, "Thank you, SENATOR A (wink wink)! We'll have our public relations representative give your assistant the details so this all works out the way we've postulated. We look forward to working with you in the future!"

What the Candidate doesn't understand, is that BigBadOil has employed a very persuasive person with a doctorate in psychology to sit at that table. They have analyzed the future senator's likes and dislikes right down to his aversion to women with large feet and have chosen the perfect person to help steer the good senator how they see fit. They understand that this is an imperfect science, but they remove all the variables they can control. That guaranteed voice at the table is not only a voice, it's a cacophony of ques crafted to ply the vote to their favor. The individual tax payer/citizen no longer has a guaranteed place at the table.

We need politicians that don't worry so much about the short game and always play long. Let's start with term limits, that will help them not worry about longevity. They will be able to make tough decisions that way all the options but focus on the long game. Special interests can't ply their vote with sweet deals and giving them a bad guy to pick on. 

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

A Police State Really Isn't A Police State

 It's been a very long time since I've set out to write a blog. On one hand I felt that I wasn't reaching as big an audience that I would hope to, on the other hand I felt as if my words were becoming a bit 'tin foil hatish'.
A recent comment on a friends Facebook page really was for myself. My words are a release for me, getting my thoughts out on paper helps me. If these words help another, then that's a bonus! Now, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I AM NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORIST. I look at facts and form a plausible opinion, some of my opinions may take a little creative license but they are my opinions, this is my sandbox and my toys. Don't like them find another sandbox. Now that we have that disclaimer out of the way....

There has recently been a huge surge in an 'Us against them' mentality when it pertains to the police. What should be a local issue, many issues in the news appear to be pulled to the national spotlight prior to being vetted as an issue altogether. While there has seemingly been a few instances of, what could be deemed, overreach of authority, it appears to be relatively isolated and, in many cases, erroneously placed. The current political followers have put there faith in a media that places sensationalism above journalism, paid mouthpieces like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson (I refuse to call him Reverend, no 'Man of God' would run his mouth like Jesse) to drive their collective viewpoint. I, personally, stand with local police as those who should be enforcing the law.

Those that put on a uniform with the express intent of enforcing the laws of local, state and federal society should be lauded for their service. It's can not be an easy task to get up in the morning (or night) put on that outfit complete with bullet proof vest and say goodby to your family, for what could be the last time. It also has got to be unbelievealby frustrating to be demonized by a public that expects you to question every move you make, up to and including, taking a life to protect your own or innocent bystanders. If any of my readers are in the category of 'Cop Haters', stop reading now, for I'd hate to burst your bubble. If you think your bubble ain't all that strong to begin with, keep right on reading.

Policeman with two lost dogs (Click to follow link)

Police are often described as highly trained individuals when in fact many local police are fresh out of a quick training course that merely emphasizes safe handling of a firearm, safe driving, basic overviews of laws and rules and personal conduct. These people are very often someone that resides in the area and have a vested interest in it's safety. These are people that are our brothers, sisters, cousins, friends. The vast majority of them have chosen this path because they truly believe they can make a difference. While in any profession there are bad people, I don't believe for a second that all those whom choose this path are bad. There are some extremely horrible chefs out there, but you don't go into a restaurant expecting the chef to poison you do you? Why is it that we currently have people in areas protesting police and going as far as chanting 'Kill All Cops'? What would happen if we were out in the street chanting 'Kill All Chefs' because of a bad chef taking out a few people with salmonella? Can you see the irony?

Here's some 'tin foil hat' shit for you to chew on, what if it's a coordinated effort to strip local control? What could the federal government gain from destroying the belief that local police have your best interest at heart?

Would you rather run TO this?

Imagine, if you will, an America that no longer had local police. An America where when you needed an enforcer of our system of laws and rules you'd call a representative of the federal government, to which they'd send someone out. What would that person look like? Would that person be a local? Would that person have a vested interest in the safety and well-being of his neighbors? I think not. I think that a federal police force would look very much like an army. In order for these 'officers' to follow orders blindly, without question, they would need to be taken from an area and relocated as far away from home as possible. With no vested interest in the local people, it really takes no thought to, bruttally if needed, enforce the law. Maybe even enforce a quickly crafted dictate to strip that locale of it's rights and liberties if those in power deem necessary.

Or would you rather run FROM this?

In a perfect society, we wouldn't have to worry about criminal activity, but we are a decidedly imperfect society. A society with a mix of all walks of life. In our country we have individuals from every nationality across the globe. All came to America for a better life, for the chance to grab at the gold ring, a chance afforded to all of us. We are a proud people, we are a free people, but all that could change in a generation. What can be perceived as a little thing, reliqueshing any of our liberties or local control quickly balloons into a federalists state, a country with a central government. A government that could easily be converted to a tyrannical dictatorship. Already we are seeing a President that cares not for the Constitution that he pledged to protect applying his 'Executive Orders' as he sees fit. Selectively enforcing laws and rules to help 'friends of the state'. Are you considered a friend of the state and how long will your usefulness take you?

How long before we no longer recognize our own country? How long before we are no longer the beacon of light for many whom struggle to get to our shores for a better future? All questions that, sadly, I'll wager I'll see answered in my time left on this big blue marble swinging through our universe.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Right vs. Left, Who is really correct?

I've been binge watching documentaries due to a shoulder injury that has left me a bit sedentary for a number of weeks. My viewing taste varies but inevitable I find myself watching topics on what drives our societies. From the earliest records, the present and into the future, the driving force behind our evolving social strata is human nature. Currently residing in the United States, places me in a time of extremes. Our current governmental structure seems, at best, corrupted with factions on the Left and Right crafting legislation and orchestrating crimes to further their respective agenda. Who, the Left or the Right, has the answers?

On the Right, we have people whom believe that man can create, progress and thrive in unchecked capitalism. While this is true to an extent, unchecked capitalism can and does infringe on the liberties of others. Whether it be pollution, depleting resources or taking advantage of labor, capitalism needs some oversight. I do believe that we could easily accomplish this with stronger whistle-blower laws. Billion dollar fines from a government that will not use those monies to improve a situation is not the answer. Instead some well-meaning politician will spend those monies on a feel good project. One that big government sees fit to oversee, which uses 3/4 of those monies just to administer. Which brings me to another ideal of the Right, smaller, less intrusive government. This is an ideal that I think we all could get behind. When has the government done anything that has not had terrible unintended consequences? Also, bailouts for businesses should not be the job of the government. The Right regards this as both bad and good with no solid stance. It all depends on who happens to be benefiting from it.

On the Left, we have a pretty simple social ideal. People on the left want equality. Across the board equality. This is an fools folly. Why you ask? Simple, Human Nature. This quality we all have prevents us, both Liberal and Conservative from creating a perfect utopian society. We have crafted a system of government that tries to give all people a chance at the gold ring, but equality..socially, economically and judiciously will always be stratified. It sounds wonderful but it's unattainable.

Quick example: If we suddenly adopted a utopian, socially equal society, without a monetary base there would have to be some sort of system that equally distributed the resources. This system would have to be overseen by some sort of elected or appointed officials. Now, the way that this system would work would be to give resources to those who need it, but who would determine need? What happens when a resource becomes scarce? Who would be those that would work to make and provide these resources and would they be compensated at a higher rate than those that don't contribute to the work load?

You see, in a system such as this, Human Nature and Self Preservation kicks in. If resources get scarce, people start to horde them, taking more than their 'fair share'. People at the top will take the most resources believing that they are in a higher position and are deserving of more. People that work to provide the resources give up working because they get the same as those that do nothing. Society comes crashing down upon itself. We do not adhere to a hive mentality so therefore shall never be able to build a utopian society until we can quell free will and that will never happen.

So who is correct? Which ever side of the aisle you place yourself on, I don't believe either side is correct. A balanced approach is the only one that will stand the test of time. Our founding fathers knew this and addressed these issues in our founding documents. Maybe y'all ought to read them before placing yourself on the Right or the Left.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

It Won't Have the Desired Effect

We've become a nation of causes. The enviroment, phthalates in our plastic things, soft drinks, gay marriage and a living wage It's still coming up in the media, the topic of a wage increase to $15/hr for fast food service workers. Nothing the government comes up with will have the desired effect and here is why.

Here's a scenario:

On a busy street in a large city there is situated 10 restaurants. They are on both sides of the street and vary in tastes/offerings. In no particular order:

1. McDonalds
2. Burger King,
3. KFC/Taco Bell
4. Wendy's
5. Friendly's
6. Dunkin' Donuts
7. Great Wall Super China Buffet
8. Thai Express
9. Bagels and More
10. Joe's Hot Diggity Dogs

These restaurants have carved out a little chunk of the business and burble along happily making enough to survive a faltering economy. Then along comes Uncle Sam and imposes an immediate raise to all food service workers at $15/hr. Interesting things are about to happen behind the scenes that we never see. First, Mcdonalds, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell, Wendy's, Friendly's and Dunkin' Donuts reduce the number of staff on a shift (ie get rid of people). Then they all begin to adjust menu and prices, no more dollar menu and it's becoming less affordable to take the family out for dinner. Friendly's is the first to shut the doors and close up shop, people lose their jobs. Mcdonald's, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell and Wendy's all experience drops in patronage, which causes more lay offs and higher pricing.

Interestingly, Great Wall Super China Buffet, Thai Express, Bagels and More and Joe's Hot Diggity Dogs appear to be operating the same. If we look a little deeper it becomes apparent why. You see, Great Wall Super China Buffet and Thai Express utilizes undocumented workers. A handful of employees are on the books while quietly behind the scenes three times that amount are toiling away for under the table cash. I'm not just talking about illegal aliens, but also desperate people who want to work and will even take $8 cash under the table to survive. This allows Great Wall Super China Buffet and Thai Express to appear relatively stable as compared to the businesses that adhere to the laws.

Bagels and More and Joe's Hot Diggity Dogs seem to be business as usual as well, but behind the scenes we see that Bagels and More is a family owned operation. No outside the family labor is used and they have changed to a salary model for compensation so that the $15 an hour doesn't apply. It does however put a strain on family life and what used to be a happy family business starts to cause rifts within the family. The family begins to question whether or not their collective dream is worth the struggle anymore. They are considering closing up shop. Joe's Hot Diggity Dogs is family owned as well, but because it's got a limited menu, only Joe himself and his wife Jill work there. They used to have four other employees that they utilized on varying shifts to get away from the business and do paperwork, or even a vacation or two, but now Joe and Jill are working open to close five days a week. They are putting in 15 hours a day, 5 days a week. 75hrs a week, then add up the paperwork for each week that runs up into the 10 to 15 hour range, oh and don't forget the weekly deliveries that come Tuesday and Thursday that needs someone on site at 6am open for business at 10:30am. Joe and Jill easily clock 90 to 100 hours a week each.

Across the country franchises start to fail. No longer able to offer affordable food and exceptional service, franchise owners decide to get out of the business altogether. McDonald's, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell and Wendy's all close up. Great Wall Super China Buffet and Thai Express continue business with more undocumented workers despite being raided by ICE several times. There seems to be no shortage of people that will work under the table now that all the national fast food places are closing. Bagels and More has closed because patronage dropped sharply after a few loud arguments within the family workers during business hours. Word gets around fast and people don't want to be part of that scene. Joe and Jill got a divorce. Joe's Hot Diggity Dogs sits empty and dark awaiting it's fate from the divorce judge.

Things are looking up though, a Mexican restaurant has leased the old McDonald's. An immigrant entrepeneur, Jose Juarez, has begun the process of opening up! Once he wades through the myriad of governmental beauracracies for licensing and ponies up the $200,000 in start up costs, he'll undoubtedly fill his back end with a few highly skilled employees!! Of course, Jose has a very large family back in Guatamala! It would be remiss of him not to have them come to take part in his wonderful venture! Wading through the myriad of governmental beauracracies has taught Jose to stay clear of the man and encourages his family to find other methods to enter this great country.

So this once bustling street, with 10 choices for food, now gives you the choice between Chinese, Thai and possibly future Mexican. All the food service workers whom used to work on the street are all gone. A few work for the Great Wall Super China Buffet and Thai Express for the same wage they made at the other places but under the table and not contributing to their Social Security, Medicare or taxes. The only franchise that survives is Dunkin' Donuts because, let's face it, people still got to have their Dunkin'! These three out of ten restaurants are feeling the pinch as well because of all the vacant businesses people tend to steer clear of that area. It just doesn't look appetizing anymore.

It might look good on paper, but I don't know too many liberals that run their own business. The unions would love to corner the fast food sector. It would bring great, if fleeting, power to the unions again. It took fifty years, but look what the unions have done to the manufacturing sector in this nation.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Climate Change re-revisited

I recently caught the show Cosmos with Neil Degrasse Tyson and though I very much respect his stature in the scientific community, I respectfully disagree with his stand on current co2 issues as a problem. I'm not sure if he really truly buys into the rhetoric or if some how he's been recruited to 'fight the good fight' along side the many public figures that choose anthropogenic global warming as their cause du jour. It's very difficult to believe a scientist that so easily recites flawed science as fact.

I recently read a great article in the July/August 2014 issue of Analog: Science Fiction and Fact. The article was 'Spanking Bad Data Won't Make Them Behave, by Michael F. Flynn' that goes on to discuss how facts are postulated through theory and how those facts can be interpreted differently by others. It really lays out a good argument against the global warming theory. The author makes a pretty good case that all theories are subject to dismissal if put in context against dissenting data of a conflicting theory.

There are several ways to collect data, but all collection methods can be subject to issues given the parameters of the sample set. You see if you were to take climate change numbers for example, CO2 being the one always quoted, the numbers currently seem to be on the rise. A sudden sharp rise from about the 1960s to now. If we look at how those samples were taken we also see a direct correlation with the evolution of transistors, a key component in the measuring equipment of CO2. Kind of makes you think does it not? Could the meteoric rise in measurable CO2 actually be a function of more efficient measuring equipment? Which brings us to 'Operational defintions'. The act of changing equipment, method and even operator can change the data. I would be very curious to compare notes with some of these climate scientists who champion CO2 as a deciding factor of this change.

Every 100,000 years or so there is a noticeable spike in CO2 levels that is followed by a cooling period. Guess how many years ago the last spike occurred? They like to point to this data and jump up and down at their 'EUREKA!!' moment because of the 100ppm higher spike than the fossil record. This is where the issues with data comes into play. There are several ways that data can 'behave badly'. Usually this behavior is driven by the collection methods. Judgement and Convenience samples are sometimes what skews the data. It's be proven that global warming data has been subject to both of these data killers. According to the data they have used there have been swings from a high of 7000ppm to a low of 180ppm. It is near impossible to measure past CO2 levels accurately because all samples are subject to 'Convenience' data contamination. You can't just fly back a million years ago and take a measurement at the Mauna Loa Observatory can you? So all of the samples are samples of convenience. They had to get them where they could and it was not a broad spectrum analysis. Currently we are using data from a near volcanic(source of CO2) equatorial site and the fossil records are all from polar regions. It's very difficult to put these data sets in the same column.



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To quote the article from Flynn, "Probabilities depend on statistical model applied, and for an unstable process there may be no model. Even for stable processes, the appropriate model may not be the normal; yet many folks use the good ol' Bell Curve as a substitute for thought." There are too many variables to use strictly CO2 as deciding factor of climate change. We do not completely understand the other factors being that our knowledge of how our climate works is still in it's infancy. Best models peg water vapor at being the largest contributor to global warming and the percentage swings from 36 to 70%. Quite a variation huh? How can you build a reliable model on a 100% variation? I don't expect my views to change the world. I do expect it to broaden horizons, to spark dialog and question the status quo. The question we should be trying to answer isn't how do we stop global warming. The real question should be, "Who profits from it?". 

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Arrogance or Calculated Propaganda?

The government has released new data on the 'global warming' problem. (See here) As a non-believer in all things government, I ask myself is this an example of man's arrogance at an attempt to understand a non-existant problem, or is it calculated propaganda? Quite possibly it's a mixture of both.

For 1000 years Venice Italy has been 'sinking' according to historians. Now the sea level appears to be rising over the last 100 years according to current climate scientists. Who is right? And if Venice is sinking, what about the rest of the world? Is the sea level rising or are we all just sinking? It's pretty hard to believe any science that is trying to find a pattern to an unstable macro-environment by sampling microcosms of said enviroment. Science is founded on reproducibility of a theorem. The climatologists would have you believe that drought, tornados, hurricances, record highs, record lows are all part of a bigger picture that supports their claims. We're talking about a 2 degree change over the course of a hundred years! We only have accurate record keeping for a couple hundred years and yet IN OUR ARROGANCE profess to understand our role in global climate.

What are we supposed to believe? They bring out colorful charts and graphs, samples of air quality, water quality and make a wonderful case that we need to change our ways. Then when someone comes along and finds out they have been cherry picking their numbers that support the science for their colorful charts and graphs they attack that person or entity with as much enthusiam as they can possibly muster. Terrible behavior from the scientific community against any who question them. Scientists with information that would help to debunk the theories behind climate change in fear of their future and very lives. Threats of harm both professionally and phyically. Is this the behaviour of a consortium trying to understand a common problem or protectionism of their livelyhood?

I look at it from a different stance. Whom profits from the science? Who benefits from the environmental initiatives pushed by the self-appointed global saviours? The same people who profess to be champions for the environment are the same people behind the scenes trying to profit from it. Trillions of dollars up for grabs. Scientists vying for grant money, companies building 'green' cars that no one wants and have a larger 'carbon footprint' than most conventional vehicles and politicians. That's right the politicians are probably the biggest winners of this whole mess. They get a 'hot button' issue that eats up news time and gives them even more control. In the great words of Winston Churchill, "Never let a good crisis go to waste". This is one fabricated crisis that they are getting all they can get out of.

To believe our brief recording of the climate as compared to the age of the Earth means anything of importance is Arrogant. The length of record keeping equates to a literal blip on the Earth's 4.54 billion years of existence. Continued outcry by those who directly or indirectly profit from the rhetoric amounts to calculated propaganda.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

We all want to be on the winning team.

We all want to be on the winning team, even if it's the team that's cheating to stay in the game. We have become slaves to a two party political system that capitalizes on our need to be part of a group. The problem is that there is no clear line, no consistent ideal that either party adheres to. They merely pick and choose the issues that they believe will keep them in power, then vote for the powerful people and entities that pull their strings behind closed doors. Many of the discussions I have with people of both sides takes on an air of confrontation. All to protect people of the same political persuasion, not necessarily the same ideals. What I'm going to say might shock you, but the Republicans and the Democrats are playing for the same team and it's not the one that your necessarily rooting for.

In the years before and during the American Revolution, it's estimated that less than 40% of the populace of the colonies were Revolutionaries, 20% Loyalists and the rest kept quite about their respective affiliation. This great nation we now call the United States was born on the backs of less than 40% of the population. Currently the estimated breakdown of political affiliation is about 35% Republican, 34% Democrat and 30% that could really give a shit. The levels are pretty much equal today and for some reason we're on a path to self destruction. How did 40% of a populace create a government that has stood the test of time only to be shaken to it's very core by a perceived even split of the populace now? Because it's all smoke and mirrors. Both sides are playing the same game. The fix is in.

So why is a country that is supposed to be the model of Democracy for the world being run like a company headed for bankruptcy? Why are we on the verge of trading our liberties for government controlled safety? Because of the two party system. Because people like me can't enter the political arena. Because I use a lot of profanity, because I can't follow a narrative put forth by the corrupt party that I'd be forced to choose, because I have skeletons in my closet that I know people will dig up that I don't care about but will be used hurt my family. We've elected a admitted stoner that professes that his dream job is to be an ESPN sports analyst, that shirks his responsibility daily and apologizes for everything that makes this country great, but stays on point. Allows the real power players to pull his string. Reads all of his lines off the teleprompter with a charisma that rivals Al Pacino. A willing puppet. Being outspoken has become a bad thing. Every word is choreographed carefully and he's one hell of an actor.

We've been taught that winning is joyous, that being on the winning team feels good. I agree, but politics shouldn't be treated like a team sport. It's this state of mind that we've allowed ourselves to pushed into that's killing our country. There is no team. These people on both sides of the isles in Washington go to work together every day. They eat together, they vote together, they call each other friends. WE MAKE THEM WEALTHY   VERY FUCKING WEALTHY (there's that profanity I was talking about). We send these folks to Washington to do the peoples work. To make sure our country has laws that are clear and concise to insure domestic tranquility(ObamaCare is unreadable even by our elected officials and our homes are fair game under terror legislation, FAIL), to provide for the common defense (from foreign invaders FAIL), to promote general welfare (cell phones, health care, CASH BENEFITS? FAIL) and secure the blessings of liberty (under constant attack and scrutiny by various elected and unelected entities of the government FAIL.)


We can't settle anymore. We can't just lie down like dogs and allow them to fundamentally change our country. That's right, I said OUR country. It was designed by our forefathers to be controlled, by force if necessary, to be a country by the people, for the people. I do not call for violence, but we need an abrupt change. If the time comes to take our country back I will stand shoulder to shoulder with my fellow brother and sister patriots. Armed and ready to protect my constitution from those who would do it harm. The very people sworn to protect it are enemies of my liberties and if called upon would stand in peaceful, armed protest.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

A short take on climate change.

As I sit here on March 26th in my warm living room with the temperature outside hovering around 21 degrees Fahrenheit and the threat of several inches of snow bearing down on the great state of Maine, I'm left to ponder...global warming real or myth? Do I trust the people who tell us everyday that we are effecting our climate and we need to buy their products to help prevent a cataclismic change to our world, or do I follow my own instincts that have proven over time that man's arrogance has no boundaries? On one hand I'm like "We haven't seen a winter like this in years!" on the other hand, "This is Maine, I remember snowmobiling in April!" I'm more apt to rely on my instinct.

Looking at it from a purely scientific stand point is near impossible because it's been proven that the science behind climate change has been tampered with. For years the data that was spoon fed to the media which in turn glamorized it for us, was hand picked to support their thesis. Wild swings of the environmental historical record were omitted from their carefully crafted timelines and graphs to create non existent trends. These 'climate scientists' have been exposed fabricating supporting data and still they push the agenda. (See the details here.)

They push 1 or 2 degree temperature changes over time, but no one (except this study) has done a credible study on the effect of pavement on global warming. Sitting here in my warm living room realizing that my baseboard heating elements, a relatively small surface area that is heating my entire house, is much like the pavement that runs around the world. Wouldn't this create a corresponding 1 or 2 degree fluctuation? Why hasn't a credible study been done about that? The only thing I could dredge up was studies on how the use of the natural resources effect climate change. This short-sighted, ideal driven type of inquiry leads me to believe these people are daft.

So, I like to think I'm a deep thinker. So I got to thinking, what if? What if our goings on as humans was creating a change in our environment. I don't buy into the greenhouse effect, after delving into the science I'm pretty sure if it wasn't FOR the greenhouse effect our species wouldn't even be here. It's a self perpetuating cycle. It's what heats and cools our world. All of the gases in the air come, in abundance, from natural sources, not only us. Believe it or not it's a pretty good balance. This is what they don't want you to know. Anyone been to Detroit lately? Do you realize that 50 years ago the smog in Detroit rivaled that of some industrial areas in China, now it's relatively clean living. The population has shrunk and manufacturing dried up. The Earth heals itself. 



These are the lies they want us to hang on to. They powers that be rely on our fears to herd us in directions they see fit. Climate change is just another one of those fears they use to prey on us. Aside from population change, I've seen little to support the data they put forth.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person. 

Finding Balance

This is probably going to be a bit long, for those who subscribe to an end all be all government please avert your eyes. With that said, this is a rough draft of what we as a nation, We The People, can do to fix the current state of our country. It's not perfect the, Constitution of the United States isn't perfect, but it was a damn good rough draft that got us this far. Here's my solution:

An Act To Balance The Power Of Government

We the people of the United States have come to the realization that our elected officials, charged with being stewards of our defense, and general welfare, have twisted the system to suit their own agenda. A system of laws that no one man can understand, a system of taxation that is rife with inequalities, a judiciary with lifetime appointments of men and woman who judge with an slant towards personal ideals rather than law and elected officials that vote in laws that they do not have to adhere to. We will therefore need to make some changes to balance the power and return it back to the people where it belongs.  

1. Revue all laws and regulations so that they can be understood by the general public and therefore easily adhered to. Make all laws, rules and regulation equally applicable to all citizens, elected officials, visitors and political guests to the United States and United States Territories. State law will trump federal law. 
2. Replace our tax system with a easily applied flat tax not to exceed seventeen percent (17%). At this writing with current GDP numbers at or about $15.68 Trillion dollars, 17% would translate to $2.6656 Trillion dollars. This tax applies to all goods, services and corporate income.
3. Require a balanced budget. While it is understandable that number 2 would prevent us from paying off our debt with a balanced budget, require that 20% of all tax revenues be applied to the debt, with the first payments used to pay back the Social Security system and Medicare until it is paid up. From that point on Social Security and Medicare monies collected shall be separate and UNTOUCHABLE and can not be borrowed from by any other government programs. The budget shall then be considered balanced with no less than 5% annually set aside as a 'rainy day' fund. If said fund exceeds 30% of yearly budget, then that money shall be returned to the people in the form of a TAX REDUCTION to overall tax base rate.  Any future monies collected for Social Security and Medicare CAN NOT BE APPLIED TO ANY CURRENT BUDGET.
4. No lifetime appointments to any public office. All elected and appointed offices shall be held no longer than 2 (two) terms and shall not exceed 10 (ten) years. 
5. Any elected or appointed official found to have committed a crime this included inproprieties that may arise from holding public office such as, but not limited to, voting on laws and rules that directly benefit the elected official, voting on laws that benefit directly family of the elected official, voting on laws that indirectly benefit the elected official (ie:investments), while in office shall be immediately removed from office and forfeits any and all future benefits from his/her government for self and immediate family.  This includes, but is not limited to, retirement, insurances and government assistance federal,state and local.
6. No elected official shall be paid more than the median wage of his/her home district. Stipends for travel and lodging will be exclude but be subject to scrutiny by his/her home district, if found to be excessive by a panel of 12(twelve) citizen picked at random (not unlike jury duty) bimonthly, said elected official will be required to cover the discrepancy. 
7. Elected officials shall be subject to normal rules of retirement that all government employees are subject to. No longer shall they be given full retirement after such a short tenure.
8. Public assistance can not exceed 50% of the budget. Priority will be given to the elderly and children.
9. Immediately disband any and all entities of the United States Government that is/has collected information on any citizens of the United States and its territories in all forms without consent or court order. All information garnered from these unconstitutional activities shall be destroyed immediately.

While none of this is a magic pill, it would turn us back in to the republic that our forefathers envisioned. A republic that is for the people, by the people. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some of my readers may cry foul and say that the rich should pay more, that income inequality needs to be corrected. I'll be the first to ask, isn't our taxation system a model of inequality? Rob from the rich and give to the poor? What is the cost of our current system that takes from the productive to give to the unproductive? All money taken from the productive is ultimately added to the cost of goods and services purchased by the unproductive, so are we not just supporting an endless cycle?

Anyone that has a better idea feel free to make changes!

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

We are lost.

I've been absent for quite some time reading things and watching documentaries on various topics. One thing lead to another and another and so on, so forth. Originally my focus was on the Obama campaign's use of psychoanalysis to engineer a win in the presidential race. It morphed into something that brought me to an epiphany. They are using our ideals against us...we are unknowingly playing right into their plans. My friends, we are unknowingly willingly being controlled by a subversive tyranny.

Starting out with the Obama teams use of a group of behavioral scientists and statisticians, I began a long journey through what I originally thought was going to be answers on how our election system has become 'fixable'. What I've deduced, in my own opinion, is that the system is more 'fixed' than I could have ever imagined. Through information garnered through something as simple as the census, tax returns, job reports even school testing scores, behavioral scientists can postulate data in ways that map how a sector of our populace will respond to certain stimuli. This goes well above what we've see from the focus groups of political pundits.

What I believe is happening is that they are using our ideals to prevent us from forming a cohesive message. Fracturing "We The People" into "We The People who support this" or "We The People that support that" but keeping those groups from coming together to complete a common goal.


I have never been much of a conspiracy theorist and this is basically one man's opinion, but what if? The area of behavioral science has expanded with the use of computer modeling. Information is but a mouse click away. The people in power, nay, the people who want to keep that power, have control of that mouse. I don't expect a gun totin' redneck to suddenly start hugging trees, but take a deeper look at what these attacks on our ideals are doing to us as a nation or for that matter the world. We are a people divided. Divided by the very ideals we hold dear that are consistently threatened by the people who want to remain in power. I don't believe these attacks on our liberties are driven by a need for change, but a continued need to keep the people in a hyper vigilant state. It allows them to hide in plain sight, to sway our vote, to prevent us from forming a cohesive attack against an unseen foe that is right under our collective noses but out of reach due to our fractured state.

Every day it plays out in Washington D.C. when they get in front of the cameras. They state for the record that they are strategically forming policy to 'better' our lives. To improve something or protect something. Republicans and Democrats alike professing to hold our ideals at heart. Democrats fighting for the less fortunate, Republicans fighting for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, or so they say. What I postulate is that they are both on the same team. They make back room deals to stay in power. They don't care about the other sides ideals nor do they care about their own. They are drunk on power. Why else would they spend millions to get that power? Why would they fight so hard to retain it?

What I'm about to say is a prediction of what is to come. We are lost. We are no longer at the precipice of disaster. We have gone over the edge and it's only time before reap what we've sown. Our government has made promises that it can not keep. Our economy will pay the price. The shell game that is our debt and unfunded liabilities will come to bear pretty soon. We only need to look to the past to see what happens when an economy falters. The past examples pale in comparison to what we will see when our economy has the inevitable reset when the burden of the last 20 years of promises finally breaks the system. The patches they've placed on the system do nothing to fix the overall problem. The left would have you believe that they just need to tax the rich more, the right...well I'm not sure what they are for anymore. Already there isn't enough productivity to pay what we've promised. They make cuts to Medicare and Social Security, both ENTITLEMENTS (ie: we've paid for these with money from our own pockets through work) because these are FUNDED. These are revenue streams for the bastards that are playing the shell game.

Who is poised to suffer? We the people. The poor who think they have it pretty good with all the government BENEFITS (ie: things they get that THEY DIDN'T PAY FOR) will suffer the most. They spigot will run dry and hit them the hardest. Next the middle class will be hammered. Think about it, the Federal Reserve has been printing money at a staggering rate. Nearly a Trillion dollars a year that they just add to the United States economy. Where did that money come from? From thin air that's where. It had no value when it was added to the economy but the economy did not reset the value of the dollar. What does that mean to us? I think we are about to find out. We are going to see a crash that'll make the last one look like a fender bender. Mark my words. If you don't have a skill or stuff to barter with, your toast. We think crime is bad now? Wait until bread is $12 a loaf, gas $15 gallon and other essentials sky rocket. This is not something I just made up, our own government has written contingency plans for just such a scenario. Do you think the people that currently sit in power will suffer? I think not. The government is going to profess they can fix it. They will step in and freeze prices on some things, but that will just make the companies that sell those things to stop offering them. Sorry lefties, I know some of you will say the government can fix it, but show me one thing they have fixed.

What can we do to prevent this? Nothing. The wheels are in motion, every action requires an equal and opposite reaction. We've had a run of perceived prosperity and now it's time to suffer. We can easily blame the politicians for this but we've become complacent. A nation of people that expect instant gratification. We reacted to their stimuli exactly how they modeled it. We traded our liberties for comfort. Now the only way we'll get it back is to trade that comfort for self reliance and I don't see that happening. We are a nation divided into fractured factions easily plied by the people in power.

Prepare for it people.

That's my two cents and it ain't worth a damn.

Eisenhower's warning comes to bear.

In Dwight D. Eisenhower's January 17th, 1961 he warned about the possibility of political pressure and control that the military industrial complex would inevitably exert on our leaders. We are no longer a nation for the people, by the people. The left see the rise in the collective wealth as the root of the problem but the wealthy are making their money on legitimate business ventures, some of which may be as a result of government contracts. Their is a rising number of individuals and groups that thrive on war. We've heard about Cheney's connections to Haliburton, Joe Biden's son's connection to a group with a $100 million contract to rebuild parts of Iraq and the list could go on the deeper you dig.

Politicians go to Washington as wage earners (some of them) in their respective home state and become millionaires seemingly over night. Am I the only one that sees a problem here? Both sides pick their teams and herald the 'wins' of their champions, but who really wins in a nation divided? Eisenhower's words are more poignant now than ever before. We've given up our privacy for perceived safety. Our liberties are under attack to quell societal discourse. We now have a nation led by individuals and groups that seek to further their interests, both political and monetarily, by making rules and laws that benefit themselves.

We the people allow this to occur by 'picking our teams'. We are a nation divided not by ideals, but by ideological rhetoric. Many of the people who say they oppose my views have very similar thoughts about how things should be after brief discussion. We the people for the most part aspire to espouse our national values yet subscribe to the bullshit slung by our selected media champions. We the people have set aside our voice in favor of celebrities and polarized individuals very loud proclamations of right and wrong. I'm not sure if I will ever point this out to anyone that really truly cares. In my lifetime I believe I will see the slow demise of this once great nation. We the people are sheep. When the wolves want something, they take it and we let them.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

A collective slap. Reality sucks.

Thru the last five Presidents, this country has added more to the national debt than our gross domestic product is worth. Currently our debt stands at over $17 Trillion dollars. That's money that WE THE PEOPLE spent that WE THE PEOPLE will never pay back. It is our future citizens that are being put on the hook for our GREED. We the People have sat idly by and watched from the sidelines as the government has raped and pillaged our children's future and have done little about it. We the People have allowed our great nation to be steered by idealistic 'journalists' that pander to the party of their choice. We the people have been lulled into a trance by a need for instant gratification. We the people want it now, two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun with a venti, non-fat, sugar free, cinnamon mocha dolche latte with whip cream and a caramel drizzle. The problem with this we want it now attitude is that we don't factor in cost. The cost to our future citizens is enormous.

The recent stand off on the ACA (Obamacare) and the debt has brought the Tea Party groups under a microscope. I've heard it from many people, derogatory statements about the political action group. Even an editorial that covered the estimated cost of what the author deemed was the Tea Party's actions. (Article can be found here) What people fail to understand is that neither party has OUR best interests at heart. The Tea Party folks want limited government, a reasonable tax system and a government that CHAMPIONS SELF RELIANCE. A forgotten skill that this country was founded upon. Why is wanting to stem the bleeding of future productivity a bad thing? Why do people seek to demonize the Tea Party with a burden that is of OUR making? It's because people are scared of change and the government is scared of the people.

The government uses schemes and surveillance to retain control over the masses. The current scheme is to print enough money to sustain America's current addiction to the status quo, but not too much that will tank the dollar. This is unsustainable. There will soon come a time when all the money they are printing will have to reset the value of our monetary system. Currently our government is printing $85 Billion a month and buying their own debt with it. That's like using a credit card to pay a credit card that you paid a credit card with just so you can have cash to pay for your day to day bills. The current surveillance is scary to say the least. The NSA with a funnel that captures all internet traffic, cell and land line calls, text messages and now possibly black box information from automobiles.

It's been awhile since my last post. I'm beginning to believe that it's a very small portion of We The People that care. It's a terrible burden to carry an understanding of what we once were and the direction we are going. Political debates with citizens who have little understanding of what liberty actually means but feel entitled to weigh in on subjects that they feel passionate about but do not have any idea how they work. We've been taken over by idiots and now the passionate feel that these idiots are their champions.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person. 

More concerning than the shut down, is the restart.

The noise surrounding the government shut down has started to turn into a dull roar. Social media is blowing up over reported 'suffering' that is happening to the poor, veterans and government employees (who I might add have been promised pay post shut down). The reasons we've heard about the shut down varies from which side of the isle you hear it from, but two subjects seem to rise to the top, the ACA (ObamaCare) and the debt. In my opinion these two are inextricably linked because ObamaCare can have a HUGE effect on the debt.

Let's look at just how much ObamaCare will cost us. Currently there are about 49 million people on Medicare/Medicaid at a cost of about $1 Trillion per year. The expected (hopeful?) outcome for ObamaCare is to have the 44 Million Americans without insurance to be covered with some form of insurance. If you factor in businesses that are dropping insurance and dropping coverage on spouses and children that number will probably climb to about 50 Million (Obama's own estimate) people and another $1 Trillion per year. For fiscal year 2014 the projected budgetary deficit is expected to be $744 Billion. The expected budget for 2014 of $3.778 Trillion compared to an expected revenue of $3.034 Trillion. We're projected to have three quarters of a trillion dollars in debt BEFORE ObamaCare. Is it starting to become any clearer to anyone? If ObamaCare goes as the Democrats expect (but it's not looking good) it stands to add another $1 Trillion dollars on top of an already bloated deficit adding budget.

Now let's look at the current debt level of $16.7 Trillion and talk about paying all that back. That is currently what the government has BORROWED and has to pay back. Kinda like a car loan but really friggin' big. The problem with all that debt, is that we're not paying it down. So we're borrowing debt to pay debt. Anyone out there know anyone that paid credit card bills with credit cards and how did that work out for them? Currently about $500 Billion a year is just to 'service' the debt. That's a nice way of saying that we're paying the interest so that the banks keeping handing over the cash. We are not paying any of the principle just the interest. Two-thirds of the debt we incur this year will be used just to 'service' the debt. That's friggin' ridiculous on any level. To appease any liberals that read this: Do you realize the good that $500 Billion would do? To put that in perspective, thats more than SIX YEARS OF FOOD STAMP FUNDING AT CURRENT LEVELS. With absolutely nothing to show for it but more debt.

This doesn't even take into account our unfunded liabilities (potential or actual debts for which no current funding is available) of $126 to $150 Trillion depending on who you asked. These are programs and political promises made but not paid. There is currently $50 Trillion in currency in the WORLD. That's every dollar, franc, ruble, euro, yen, etc. Our government has made it a habit to promise the moon and kick the can down the road when it comes to the tab. When all this comes due WE ALL WILL SUFFER. Not just the poor, the veterans or government employees, all of us. We all shoulder a portion of the blame. The only thing that this administration has said that's true is how they feel about the debt. It doesn't matter to them.

So is the government shut down because of ObamaCare or the debt? YES. 

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person. 

A cage of your own design is still a cage.

In recent days there has been a lot of banter on social media with both 'sides' weighing in with their thoughts on who is the root cause of this mess. I've said it before and I'll say it again...we own this mess. We The People have let these criminals posing as politicians run our country into the ground. Making policy based on pure emotion and idealism. This mess is headed for the crapper and it's dragging all 300 million of us right along with it.
 
With the government shut down in full swing, the two sides of the isle are busy lobbing blame and conjecture. Well, at least the law makers are, Obama is off playing golf. I figured I'd jump into the blame game myself. I think the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of...wait for it...WE THE PEOPLE. Yes, I said it. We The People have let this charade go on way too long. Politics have become a monstrosity that casts a shadow over the true nature of our republic and we are to blame. Of course it was at the direction of our elected officials that we've created a subset of society that feels that without the government handout they could not survive. So they vote with their stomachs, health and what ever else the government takes care of instead of their morals or convictions. We've built a nation of people that will vote in the person most likely to fill their cup to the brim. Greed has replaced need.

Recently I tried to explain the difference between reality and fantasy to some left leaning social media friends. I used an analogy that I'd like to share with you.

What if there was this zoo, with a really charitable zookeeper that didn't really care what it cost to make sure that the animals were very comfortable. His ideals were that any animals in his care were better off than those out in the wild, fending for themselves, sometimes starving, sometimes full bellied, but forever free, because his animals never had to want for anything. The only trade off to full bellies and a relaxed life was that they'd have to spend their days in a cage, albeit a comfy cage. Now, this zookeeper made the animals in his care pretty happy, feeding them what they needed and some of what they wanted, medicine to ward off disease and keeping them in relative comfort. Because the wonderful zookeeper spared no expense to take care of the animals, the money to run the zoo soon got pretty tight. The people that oversaw the day to day expenses realized that the zookeeper, though noble in his ideals, was bad for business and decided to let him go. In comes this real prick of a zookeeper. He gives the animals just enough to survive, medicine only when they absolutely need it and comfort when it was only imperative. The animals weren't very happy with this turn of events but there was really little they could do, for the money that the good zookeeper spent was far and above what the zoo could support. When the debts came due the animals, who shared in making the debt, would now suffer now that the zoo was broke.

Do I look happy?

This is exactly what is happening now in our country. All the left leaning people think that all the nice things that government is handing out are free. That there is no bad that could come from it. They gladly offer up freedoms that they don't hold dear to cement more free stuff. Beware of men bearing gifts. They will happily build a cage of their own design in order to keep the free stuff coming. It may feel like a comfortable life, but what happens when the money runs out? What happens to all these people that are getting comfortable and then a new zookeeper comes along? The current administration only has another 3 years left, then regardless we get a new zookeeper. If it's another one bearing gifts then we're in a world of shit. As I saw on a post recently an analogy concerning the debt ceiling, "If your house was filled to the ceiling with shit, would you raise the ceiling, or get rid of the shit?"

I'd rather starve in freedom than grow fat in servitude.

Liberals don't see the end. They have absolutely no forward thinking. They like to be called progressive thinkers, but what are they progressing to? Here's another analogy: If the IRS told you they were going to tax any money you made over $1 Million at 90% and you had the ability to stop working when you hit that point, would you work more at 10% your normal operating cost? I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't. I'd love to sit down with the liberal mouth pieces like Rachael Maddow, Bill Maher and Chris Matthews and have their accountants in the rooms and watch them squirm when I asked them if they've ever used deductions to lower their tax burden. Or if they've used any questionable tactics to reduce their tax burden. Everyone does it. Even the pukes that the left call their champions.

The government is the first to tell you that ignorance is no excuse of the law, but they pass laws without first letting us know what they entail relying on that ignorance to pull it off. Then they go on lying about said law to make us 'feel better' about it. The full effect of the Affordable Care Act with take years to materialize, but the here and now feels pretty bad. Insurance premiums skyrocketing, part-time employees being cut and held to a 29 hour maximum work week, companies putting off expansion and hiring to stay under the 50 worker minimum and other companies kicking spouses and children off their policies all together. Still, Obama goes on TV to extol the virtues of said law, he says there is no evidence these things are taking place. Well, I'm here to say I see it first hand. I don't need a bad President / mediocre golfer telling me that it ain't happening. The majority's willful and continued ignorance on this issue is the culprit. I didn't vote for the man. I saw through his shiny persona to the snake oil salesman inside. This administration is just making the cage a little more comfortable until another zookeeper comes along.

This problem was created by us through complacency and acceptance of shiny things and baubles and it's up to us to SUFFER through the fix. Not just for the current citizens of the United States, but all of the future. I'd rather starve in freedom than grow fat in servitude.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.