Monday, January 30, 2012

Tax and spend

It is a mystery to me how intelligent human beings can actually subscribe to socialist concepts. Is it because they don't understand human nature and are ignorant of man's willingness to live off of the labors of others? When in fact all of them are doing that exact thing. Are they oblivious to the fact that nothing is really free? Do they not know or are they simply unwilling to accept the realities of this life which are that fairness does not exist and inequities of skill, fortune, and opportunity abound?

The only people who come up with socialist concepts like Marx and others like him especially the socialists of today are those who don't have to labor for themselves but exist on the good will of others, drink from the government trough, and fool themselves thinking that they are earning a living while being paid with tax dollars.

Anyone who actually earns their money and realizes that it does not come easily knows that socialism is a illness not a panacea. Anyone who has not inherited they money realizes the importance of work and dedication and does not pretend that money is no object. Anyone who has not stolen their profits, through dishonorable practices, shady deals, or over priced indulgences, products, and services do not assuage their guilt by subscribing to socialist ideology.

Everyone else who derives their livelihood from the confiscated taxes on the labor and products of others should not be able to give themselves a raise. Unfortunately the representative process is flawed and the control agents have become the controlling forces. The regulators have been captured by the governing body and the concept of socialism flourishes among the idle, ill informed, and power hungry.

The rhetoric has migrated from individual responsibility and civil accountability to collective well-being and socialized welfare.  This seems to have occurred because of the individuals unwillingness to master one's self and the irresponsible desire to have someone else do it. This seems to have occurred because the individual was too selfish with their money and time and too many people were not responsible with their money and their time so it provided and opportunity for the aforementioned socialists to point and complain and the ever present power-hungry to rush in and say that they knew how to fix it! Tax and spend!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

SOTU

B.O. in collusion with his communist buddies prepared and gave a speech last night  which prevaricated,obfuscated and exaggerated his contributions, his intentions, and his actions. He ignored the fact that this country is broke and then brazenly advocated a treasonist act by stating his intention to act independently from congress. A definition of Treason is to betray trust and confidence. He is not faithful to his oath of office and has shown a disdain for the people of this country by inciting class envy as means of political brinkmanship. He substituted arrogance, condescension, and bravado for leadership. He defended his appointment of the extra-legislative appoints and the expansion of big government as the solution to all of America's ills.

 This arose as a quotation by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902). The historian and moralist, who was otherwise known simply as Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887:
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

The notion that the presidency is the most powerful position in the world can't help but attract the wrong people or I believe can't stop from corrupting or dissuading the right ones.

Americans need to divest themselves of the acquired interest of investing all of their faith and money in someone or something that they mistakenly think can solve all of their problems, make all of their difficult decisions, and protect them from their ignorance or the irresponsible actions of others.

I think not but I can only hope and pray that B.O. is the last of the ultra-progressive, tax and spend, big government and wannabe dictators this country's electorate will ever put in office again. I fervently hope that we will see the errors of our lackadaisical, irresponsible, and apathetic ways and rise to our potential rather than succumb to our base instincts.

America as we knew it, is gone, America as we know it, is scary, and America as we expect it, may no longer be possible.  What is America transforming into?

Monday, January 23, 2012

Destiny?

Are we in this existence by chance or by process? One philosophy is that everything is a random act of chance. That there are an infinite number of alternative scenarios dependent upon the convergence of every action and condition in relationship to every other action and condition. Existence was set in motion by the big bang (what existed prior the big bang enable the big bang to have a place to happen) and everything else was, is or will be a consequence.

A second philosophy is that there is no beginning or end but every thing comes into its season and all events have the purpose of extending existence into the future.  So whether I choose to step on an ant, or not, is not actually my choice but my and its destiny.

The interesting thing is that neither philosophy can be disproven. The first can only be accepted on the faith of science and the short comings of its empirical evidence.  The second can only be accepted by faith and its apparent lack of empirical evidence.

Do we stumble, bumble, and blunder our way into the future or is the future our very purpose? Do I have hope than in this insiginificant situation and lowly circumstance my life has meaning and that I am the master of my fate and that my fate is and important aspect of this existence. Do I loose hope that in this insignificant situation an lowly circumstance that my life is actually meaningless and that my existence has little to no impact on the outcome of the future. Yet our choices do seem to make a difference. we are the offspring of the past and progenetor of the future. Our existence is dependent upon the situations and circumstances affecting our parents who are likewise dependent upon all that went on before them etc. My existence in this place and at this time along with all of the decisions and actions I make and take affect the future in ways no other person can because everyone else is affecting the future in ther own specific ways.   My, we , or our existence is both insignificant and paramount. The future will be affected either by our very existence and because of our abscence.

This seems to be true in all aspects.  Someone who wonders why their lives, apparently meaningless and devoid of purpose should be prolonged. It is easy to assume that our very existence is worthless and yet it is not impossible to understand our relative importance because the futue will be different upon our demise and so our existnce is necessary up to the very point of ceasing to exist. The question is can we actually change destiny? So if I choose, or think I choose something that is contray to my normal choice, am I really making a choice? If I solve a problem or answer a question is that by agency or destiny.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Letter to Congress members.

I do not agree with piracy but the SOPA-PIPA legislation is not the solution.  There are laws on the books that need to be enforced. There are actions that the citizens of this country need to take. There are conditions that producers must be cognizant of and account for. As a representative of the peoples of Wyoming I emplore you to vote against any bill that empowers the federal government in any commercial or social way that will be used to deminish our freedoms and liberties. (Which is just about all of it)
I do not support a budget increase. It is time to cut governement expenses and you can begin with the departments of education, commerce, energy, and EPA. You can eleminate foreign aid and the NEA.  Absolutely everything else can be reduced by 15%.  If that's not enought keep cutting. Leave what little money there is in our pockets there.

I have a novel idea. Why doesn't the house of representative pass a law that requires the President to sumbit a budget that recommends expenses or cuts equal to the expected income of the government. Oh that's right its called a balanced budget. I guess my idea wasn't very novel.  Too bad the smartest people in the room can figure that out.

Cause and Affect

Cause and Affect has the same problem as Illness and Symptoms.  The second issue is too often confused as the first. As a consequence our time and effort is wasted or our money and resources are spent dealing with and affect or a symptom which will not resolve the cause or the illness. (Political correctness)

What is the solution? Education and commitment.  Education is the transference of knowledge gained in the processes of life.  Commitment is the willingness of the individual to spend the time and make the effort to gain as much knowledge as is possible.

The challenges are the expense of time and money associated with education and our human nature.

The consequences are lost knowledge and lost lives but the persistence of the most vital knowledge and the propagation of the species. Unfortunately the result are the reduction of our knowledge to the lowest common denominator and the adulteration of our genes to the point of inviability.

The reliance on technology as the depository of all knowledge and the facilitator of life positions us at the brink of disaster.

The problem with any initiative is that eventually it runs afoul of the agency of the individual. Entropy insures that order will break down.  The fascinating thing about natural diversity, not imposed diversity, is that probability is actually reversed assuming that there is enough time for the improbable to happen.

That's why history seems to repeat itself and our societies vacillate between prosperity and destitution. That seems to describe why our societies have ascended and our knowledge accumulates.

One can only imagine what more could be achieved if we had focused our time and effort on determining the cause of things and sought treatments for our illnesses rather than wasted time chasing affects and treating symptoms.  That takes honesty and integrity which seems to be lacking in our species.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

SOPA--PIPA

Governmental censorship and control is a consequence of a lack of individual censorship and self control. Piracy is wrong. Is this a delima or a cundrum? Neither choice is acceptable. The outcome of both is objectionable. The third alternative is transparency.  Make the Internet absolutely transparent and the individual accountable. If all activities were traceable then any perpetrator would stand the high risk of being found out. All illegal activities could be prosecuted by the parties offended. Divergence would be the exception rather than the rule. Any objectionable content could be filtered out at the individual's computer based on their profiles contained on an inserted jump drive or dongle.  Secrecy and anonymity are the enemies not the individual and their activities. Big government is the problem not the solution. The individual should be able to say and do whatever they want but they must also be legally and personally accountable for their words and actions. It should be the role of government to insure transparency not try to define and enforce liberty.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Letter to Forbes


Letter to  James Marshall Crotty, Contributor to Forbes
kudos, I am hearing more voices like yours every day. I believe like you that the currents are changing but unfortunately the liberal apologists have the bigger mega phone. Unfortunately there are too many folks looking for a hand out rather than a hand up. Unfortunately the leadership of this country have become politicians. Most unfortunately the coincidence of the dumbing-down of America has contributed to the pilfering of its manufacturing, the over regulation of its industries, and the sequestering of it resources. With the freightliner called American Exceptionalism Debunked under full-steam to the left and liberal coasts a few current changes are inconsequential. Keep up the good work and we can only hope that there are a few leaders remaining and that the populous has enough intelligence to elect them, an even greater capacity to accept the accompanying hardships, the foresight to see the distant horizon of accountability, and the willingness to endure the journey.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Somethin for nothin

What is it in man's nature that causes him to think that he can get something for nothing? Every worthless ideology is bases on the same premise, that it should be free for the taking. Communism, socialism, and welfare all pretend to supply the needs of the individual at no cost. Someone else is going to give it at no expense or effort to themselves. The resources are simply free for the taking and there is no cost or consideration required. The production and transportation of any goods or services are non-issues. Repair and maintenance are unnecessary because duration plays no part in the thinking or acting.

There are three causes. First selfishness, second mortality, and third empathy. while we exist what's in it for us?  Because death is inevitable and we can't take it with us, things do not actually have a value.  And to some extent, we actually care about others.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Econtalk response: Education


Alax Tabarrok suggested that our teachers should be paid more. I Suggest that they should be able to earn more. I submit that this can be accomplished by rewarding students for achievement.
The state board's decides which curriculum they will subsidize by awarding educational grants to be awarded only to the student for achievement. No overhead can be withdrawn.The district's decides which achievements they want to pay for and the effeciencies of the process. Teacher's decides what course(s) and how many students they want to teach. The student's decide how well they want to perform. All of the money funded will be allocated to students for their relative achievements.

The parents at first, then the student's get to choose the  school, course and which teacher they want or are qualified for. It must be a curiculum and performance based award system. 
Those students who accomplish the set goals and achieve the highest grades are awarded the most credits realitively.

The teachers earn their wages and operational funds through which and how many students select them as a teacher.Teachers are allowed to bid for the school they want to teach at. The schools are funded by the state at a general level for space and operations. Administration, Curriculum and facilities are afforded by the district through the teacher's bids. No outside or supplemental funds are allowed. The challenge will be to determine whether or not the states, counties, and districts will work togather to equalize the environments, enforce the accountability, publish, and punish  violations.

The standards are high, the accountability measurable, and the educational funds zero sum.The student's ability to qualify is not relative to their out-of-school wealth. All educational funds are
localized.

This would not preclude or prevent extracurrucular preperation by student, parent, district, county, or state. We want achievement and performance. We want accomplishment and advancement.  We want success and honor.

The motto must be: The Highest Achievement at The Highest Integrity.

The advantage of a bottom up funding system is that overhead is minimized and corruption at the administrative level is reduced because performance rather than position is valued. Accountability rather than suitability is determined, and mostly  because service rather than power is rewarded.

The operational philosophy is that nothing is fair and the choices I make have consequences. If I choose not to perform at my highest level possible: If I choose not to participate in the best activity
available; If I choose not to be in the best places affordable then only I am responsible. The objectives are to facilitate the cream rising to the top, the milk to be filtered too the highest quality, and the milking process to be equitible and consistent. What the product is and what happens to the rejected product is the measure of the society that produces it.

We should not sacrifice quality for medocrity because of the cry for fairness rather we should seek excellence by measuring the  magnitude of the ineqity in the student's agreement to split the pie.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Life

The interesting thing about life is that it goes on.
The old die and the young persist and the weather changes.
Ideas, things, circumstances and situations evolve, generally for the best.
In spite of our less than best efforts the quality of life is improving.
Despite our nature evil only subverts our progress it does not replace it.
Throughout history the battle has been waged, for the foreseeable future the battle will go on.
The question is whether there is a tipping point or a circumstance that will change that?
If there is what will life be like or will life be possible?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Means

The seeds of greatness and destruction were sown by the founders.
The choice to water one and not the other requires us to participate and choose.
Our chosen leaders were corrupted by the power and we were acquiesced by the abundance.
Wilson ushered in the age of entitlement and set the stage for demise and destitution.
Agency was squandered and welfare was exchanged for dependency by Roosevelt.
This country has been living beyond our means since leaving the gold standard. No thanks to Nixon.
The Morales of this country has been racing to the bottom since the presidency of Clinton.
Hypocrisy in politics have reached new levels courtesy of the Republicans.
Bankruptcy now extends beyond our great-great grandchildren facilitated by the Democrats.
The incompetency of leadership epitomized by B.O. enables corruption and conspiracy.
Is it too late to change our course, too slavage our potential, to plot a new future?
Is our fate sealed?
Is it not possible to live within our means?
Will we accept responsibility for our own actions?
Can we regard unfair, unjust, and inequitable as circumstances rather than affronts?
Are challenges, setbacks, and failures justification for quitting.
Do we fear the accomplishments of others so much that we hope for and rejoice in their failure?




Motto

A sign above a ship builders shop

       I build good ships for a profit when I can.
       I build good ships for a loss if I have too.
       I always build good ships.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Nature, Nurture and Proximity


I believe that there needs to be a third condition added to the title.  i.e. Proximity.


 It appears to me that virtuoso's have a propensity for a particular skill or aptitude which may be a genetic proclevity nurtured by its proximity to a supportive circumstance.  Pavarotti can sing but was his success facilitated by his environment? Michael Jordan can jump so was his "natural" ability augmented by the place and time of his birth?  My physical development is influenced by testosterone levels during gestation so does that trigger a genetic response and/or will my behavior be augmented by action, incident, or accident?


This is a comment left at:  Mcleod, S. A. (2007). Simply Psychology; Nature Nurture in Psychology. Retrieved 1 January 2012, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html