I have to give a whole bunch of history for people to understand this. First off, I don't watch basketball, don't know the teams, the owners or even the players. When I was a kid I used to play it. That is my basketball knowledge. As you may also know, I don't usually write about big stories in the news that are meaningless to the bigger picture. I didn't really even know about this story, I saw something in the news about some team owner saying bad things about blacks. That was all I knew until today.
I was driving and heard on the radio that Mr. Sterling, the owner of the "Clippers" was told that he was banned from life from basketball and a couple million in fines. I didn't really care about him or the penalty he was facing, I am sure he can afford it and won't end up as homeless for being a bigot. That is the problem, I had to ask myself if the punishment fit the crime. Sorry, my doctorate in law demands it of me.
I think the thing that bothered me was that you could lose so much without even having a trial or a hearing by an impartial judge. The people that made the decision were far from impartial, they have a business interest in the NBA. I decided to read some of the news stories to understand what had happened. Funny thing, those kind of convinced me that he was being punished in a way that did not fit the crime; but, there was something even worse. He was never punished in the past for things that should have gotten him in the same position.
If the moral of this story was simple, I wouldn't write about it so play along with me while I show my logical progression. The moral of the story that the NBA, mass media and many players is that he was appropriately punished for being a bigot. Minutes after the decision the Mayor of Los Angeles came out at a press conference to declare that he supported the punishment.
Los Angeles Times - NBA's use of 'hammer' on Donald Sterling welcomed by Garcetti
Not to be outdone, a number of councilmembers also expressed their support for the decision by the NBA. I did not read one person who questioned any of this. Wow. There is a little irony in all of this for me. My popular post is about a black, female pastor who was killed in the south. 60 years ago when someone like her got killed, the little Louisiana, Mississippi and other southern state governments would not have spent hardly a minute looking into what had really occurred. Back in the day there was two types of justice, black and white. Especially in states that prohibited blacks from voting, they therefore could not be on juries.
Mr. Sterling was tried by public opinion and the mass media. Shouldn't the opinions of other bigots be considered? I'm not being funny. I don't find any of this funny and have no use for Mr. Sterling; but, everybody deserves to be heard and considered when there is so much at stake. I know a woman, she is black and does not like white people very much. I used to supervise her. I have funny ways of thinking about employment. People ask me who I work for and I say myself, if I don't get paid, I don't work. I work with people that are to differing degrees willing to work with me. Anyways, I had left my organization for a few years and then returned in higher position. There were a lot of people who didn't want me back because they did not wish to compete with me. They lied about me and made many false statements. Yeah, well, the black lady that didn't like whites much, she straightened them out because in the end she was a Christian and had to tell the truth. The only reason I know this is because she told me about it and others told me what she had done.
Now, lets talk about God, I will get back to the story. Every day and every night and every moment, Satan is before God accusing us of being sinners and we are. Every second Satan is telling God what horrible things we be; but, he is deceiver and ignorant. We are born into a world blind and confused, barely able to understand our senses. Babies cannot focus on what is in front of them, they are babies. Jesus died for our sins because he knows we are human and knows what that feels like as he took human shape and then died so that we were not punished for being less than perfect. That is the essence of the bible. Maybe some of you forgot that I preach for free some of the time. I preach like I write, from the heart. I think I am a better writer; but, any audience is an audience.
Now, back to Mr. Sterling. No, wait, not Mr. Sterling the crime. Lets start with the basics. What should the penalty be for being a bigot who hides it in public and is taped by a mistress, illegally in California as far as I know as in California you have to tell someone their words are being taped. Does that bother anyone? I haven't read anyone mention it in the press and that is what got Nixon impeached and people outraged. At the time they were shocked that Nixon was secretly taping people. It is another Mel Gibson moment except government officials don't go on the papers and news talking about how it is justice that he does not get a part in a movie.
This all sort of gets us back to the question about justice and state action, crime and punishment You have a private conversation, don't know you are being recorded, your in your eighties and make a racist comment. Should you be fined over 2 million dollars and be forced to leave your industry for life? I am not asking about Mr. Sterling, read what I did ask, it is a hypothetical.
There was a post in the New York Times during the potato famine in Ireland when 1/4 of us, yes, I am Irish, died from starvation. At the time, the food from Ireland was being shipped to England. As they starved to death. The article talked about how the famine could be a good thing because it might eliminate the "Irish problem". If that would have happened, I would not be here. I think about that sometimes. I am an American first; but, am Irish in my bones. My loyalty is to the country that took my family in when my birthright and land are Ireland. I chose to die in America and have my body planted here because it is now my home because we, my family was allowed her, the miscreants that we are and I have placed allegiance with the same causes that this country tried to be founded on. Fairness, Love of God, belief in a fair chance and freedom to explore your beliefs. That is why I hold the constitution second to the bible in my heart and mind.
I do hope my readers are getting this, I will stay up until I am done writing it and it is later than I had wished. I find myself defending a person I would want to be around. I cannot get away from the bigger issue. At what point in time did we decide that we could take everything away from a person because we don't like them because they are a jerk, because they hate us for just being. I wouldn't feel that way about the jerk that wrote how all of my people should be dead by starvation. I don't have that in my heart.
The purpose of discipline is to change behavior, that is a tenet of human resource work and I have managed such a section for decades. When people do wrong you want to learn from them, to become better. Mr. Sterling was not taught to be better, he was banned for life. Not much of a chance for redemption. That is not the end of the story, as you credit all the people in the media and government and ex-players who decried Mr. Sterling and applauded his condemnation by the NBA, ask yourself why they did it. Now here is where it gets really interesting. Seems Mr. Sterling is scum bag in many ways and has been for a long time.
Los Angeles Times - Banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling--not just racist but sexist, too
. This article outlines how Mr. Sterling was a slumlord and sleazy in other ways. Yahoo - Commish Adam Silver's bold ban of Clippers owner Donald Sterling was long overdue from NBA
.
Kind of interesting that it was long overdue, why wasn't his attitude been corrected earlier? We can also get into how the NAACP is now taking back their commendation for him or how people are returning contributions to help others because he is a bigot.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
They Don't Like You Knowing What They Are Stealing From Us
Los Angeles Times - Americans differ sharply on causes of income inequality, study finds. There are so many problems with this article. It states that Republicans believe that people are poor because they are lazy. It attempts to polarize people by political parties as to the cause of income inequality and implies that only Democrats believe it is because of tax laws that primarily benefit the rich. Well, follow it up with this article.
Huffington Post - The Big Fix: How Congress Rigs the Rules. Congress is about to make permanent tax breaks that it gave to the people who destroyed the financial industry and let unemployment payments expire. The thing to watch is not tax rates, it is deductions.
Huffington Post - What Problem Is Privatizing Fannie and Freddie Meant to Solve?. This is one of the only articles to talk about something I wrote about weeks or months ago. A couple of Senators want to sell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for pennies on the dime when they are about to provide over $200 Billion back to the taxpayers who bailed them out.
Huffington Post - The Big Fix: How Congress Rigs the Rules. Congress is about to make permanent tax breaks that it gave to the people who destroyed the financial industry and let unemployment payments expire. The thing to watch is not tax rates, it is deductions.
Huffington Post - What Problem Is Privatizing Fannie and Freddie Meant to Solve?. This is one of the only articles to talk about something I wrote about weeks or months ago. A couple of Senators want to sell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for pennies on the dime when they are about to provide over $200 Billion back to the taxpayers who bailed them out.
Monday, April 28, 2014
The State of Finance and Industry
The Independent - Stop moaning about our bonuses: Barclays boss slaps down investors angry at bank's pay practices.
Corporations were created to benefit the owners, the investors. They were not created to benefit just the executives. The way the laws have been changed, the owners do not benefit as much as the executives and neither does the average employee. The investors can change all of that and make American companies benefit Americans and the British and the Europeans can do the same.
Corporations were created to benefit the owners, the investors. They were not created to benefit just the executives. The way the laws have been changed, the owners do not benefit as much as the executives and neither does the average employee. The investors can change all of that and make American companies benefit Americans and the British and the Europeans can do the same.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Just Some More News Articles and Nonsense
The New York Times - The American Middle Class Is No Longer the World’s Richest. An interesting article and Stephen Colbert had some interesting comments about the change. Raw Story - Colbert: Canadian middle class ‘ice-holes’ bring home more bacon, and it’s that round sh*t. My favorite quote from Mr. Colbert, “How is Canada’s middle class doing so well?” he asked. “I mean, they’ve got socialized medicine, subsidized child care, and high taxes for the rich.” “There are only two possible reasons we are falling behind the ice-holes: one, America’s middle class is lazy; or two, America doesn’t have enough tax cuts for the wealthy.”
“Just think about it folks,” he continued. “How can we rich trickle down prosperity to everyone else unless we have all the money? Our cup must filleth before it runneth over.”
The Washington Times - CARSON: When government looks more like foe than friend. Oh, the hypocrisy. There is a rancher named Bundy who had his cows grazing on federally owned land and refused to pay his permit. The federal government came to take his cows and armed citizen militia came to help the rancher. He is now being called a hero by certain right wing elements. The argument is claimed to be over freedom of speech and to use open spaces. My problems with this case are many fold; but, where these same people when the Occupy movement people, who were legally using public spaces to protest, were corralled and arrested by the police? Heck, where was Mr. Bundy? Thats right, they were applauding the removal of the communist scum. Be careful what you allow to happen to your neighbor or it will happen to you. Lets not forget the Occupy people were unarmed and peaceful.
Yahoo - Soldier in battle to rid home of squatters, Florida sheriff’s office says it can’t do anything [UPDATED x2]. The story says that the police refused to remove a "squatter" from a soldiers home. Great headline, the facts don't support it and the soldier is apparently lying. The "squatters" had been allowed in the house while the soldier was away to make some repairs to the property. They claim that they were allowed to live there while he was gone and he claims they were only allowed in to make repairs. If what he is saying is true then what was he supposed to pay them and did he? That is not in the article because his allowing them to stay there while doing the work was the payment.
Yahoo - Ellen's Good News - Meet the Kid Who Received 150 College Scholarship Offers. An amazing young man who is talented in everyway is accepted to all the big schools, a nice story. Of course he was accepted to all the colleges; but, what about the other kids who don't get into college because the colleges make more by letting in foreign students?
Yahoo - Reuters - Buffett: moving oil by rail safely major industry concern. Warren Buffet bought a railway a few years back, at a time when railroads were losing money. How fortunate for him that we are now shipping oil by train rather than creating a pipeline from Canada.
Stop reading the news to see if they agree with you and try and learn that each story is bent individually rather than being connected to the bigger picture.
“Just think about it folks,” he continued. “How can we rich trickle down prosperity to everyone else unless we have all the money? Our cup must filleth before it runneth over.”
The Washington Times - CARSON: When government looks more like foe than friend. Oh, the hypocrisy. There is a rancher named Bundy who had his cows grazing on federally owned land and refused to pay his permit. The federal government came to take his cows and armed citizen militia came to help the rancher. He is now being called a hero by certain right wing elements. The argument is claimed to be over freedom of speech and to use open spaces. My problems with this case are many fold; but, where these same people when the Occupy movement people, who were legally using public spaces to protest, were corralled and arrested by the police? Heck, where was Mr. Bundy? Thats right, they were applauding the removal of the communist scum. Be careful what you allow to happen to your neighbor or it will happen to you. Lets not forget the Occupy people were unarmed and peaceful.
Yahoo - Soldier in battle to rid home of squatters, Florida sheriff’s office says it can’t do anything [UPDATED x2]. The story says that the police refused to remove a "squatter" from a soldiers home. Great headline, the facts don't support it and the soldier is apparently lying. The "squatters" had been allowed in the house while the soldier was away to make some repairs to the property. They claim that they were allowed to live there while he was gone and he claims they were only allowed in to make repairs. If what he is saying is true then what was he supposed to pay them and did he? That is not in the article because his allowing them to stay there while doing the work was the payment.
Yahoo - Ellen's Good News - Meet the Kid Who Received 150 College Scholarship Offers. An amazing young man who is talented in everyway is accepted to all the big schools, a nice story. Of course he was accepted to all the colleges; but, what about the other kids who don't get into college because the colleges make more by letting in foreign students?
Yahoo - Reuters - Buffett: moving oil by rail safely major industry concern. Warren Buffet bought a railway a few years back, at a time when railroads were losing money. How fortunate for him that we are now shipping oil by train rather than creating a pipeline from Canada.
Stop reading the news to see if they agree with you and try and learn that each story is bent individually rather than being connected to the bigger picture.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
It is Fun to Dream - Microhomes
As I prepare to retire I have been thinking about ways that I will have to live on less, a lot less. Well, that is not quite true, I know how to make six figures when I retire; but, I think I need to take some time off completely. I always knew I would go back to being a minimalist and a hermit. My ex and kids knew it too. My siblings never real saw it.
In law school I lived in a very small studio apartment in one of the worst parts of town and I loved it. I had mini-fridge, a hot plate, a bathroom and a fold out couch. It may have been a whopping 150 square feet. I didn't own a television and only had a radio, there were no personal computers. I didn't have a phone and there were no cell phones. I read a lot and enjoyed the peace and quiet. For awhile, my-exwife, my stepchild and me all lived in it together and it worked okay.
After the divorce I lost a lot of stuff and my 2,700 square foot home. Since then I have lived in a quarter of the space and it feels very roomy. When not cooking I tend to use only a couple of hundred square feet. When you spend most of your time reading and writing, you don't really need a lot of space.
All of this has caused me to follow the tiny home movement. Basically it is people building and moving into 250 square foot spaces. It is the wave of the future as times only get harder in America. I regret to say that many children will never know the job of having the privacy of having your own room. I didn't know that privacy till I was 18, I always shared a room with my brother till then. That was okay too; but, there is something special about getting your own space.
Anyways, there is a movement called tiny homes and it looks good for me. So, I have been watching these videos about different tiny homes and evaluating what amenities do and do not matter to me. I was a cabinet maker long ago and am fantasizing about making my own tiny home and towing it to different places as I have the opportunity to do. I am even thinking of doing something very original using a compound that nobody else has considered that was created for NASA. There is a company that sought to hire me once that made such compound.
What I am doing is enjoying thinking about all the different ways I could build a tiny home for me and make it the most inventive tiny home ever. One of the problem I have with most tiny homes is that they put the beds in lofts which require you to climb a ladder. It does not seem very handicapped or elderly friendly and I am aging. I saw a Canadian guy who put his bed on the first and only floor, he said he drank a lot and didn't want to fall down. He made it a pull out bed that also functioned as a couch. There are some pretty smart people thinking about tiny homes and trying to consider as much as they can. I think I might be able to add to that conversation and might enjoy doing so.
Microhomes, my future and retirement. Questions that are on my mind. With each one of the questions, I feel freer.
In law school I lived in a very small studio apartment in one of the worst parts of town and I loved it. I had mini-fridge, a hot plate, a bathroom and a fold out couch. It may have been a whopping 150 square feet. I didn't own a television and only had a radio, there were no personal computers. I didn't have a phone and there were no cell phones. I read a lot and enjoyed the peace and quiet. For awhile, my-exwife, my stepchild and me all lived in it together and it worked okay.
After the divorce I lost a lot of stuff and my 2,700 square foot home. Since then I have lived in a quarter of the space and it feels very roomy. When not cooking I tend to use only a couple of hundred square feet. When you spend most of your time reading and writing, you don't really need a lot of space.
All of this has caused me to follow the tiny home movement. Basically it is people building and moving into 250 square foot spaces. It is the wave of the future as times only get harder in America. I regret to say that many children will never know the job of having the privacy of having your own room. I didn't know that privacy till I was 18, I always shared a room with my brother till then. That was okay too; but, there is something special about getting your own space.
Anyways, there is a movement called tiny homes and it looks good for me. So, I have been watching these videos about different tiny homes and evaluating what amenities do and do not matter to me. I was a cabinet maker long ago and am fantasizing about making my own tiny home and towing it to different places as I have the opportunity to do. I am even thinking of doing something very original using a compound that nobody else has considered that was created for NASA. There is a company that sought to hire me once that made such compound.
What I am doing is enjoying thinking about all the different ways I could build a tiny home for me and make it the most inventive tiny home ever. One of the problem I have with most tiny homes is that they put the beds in lofts which require you to climb a ladder. It does not seem very handicapped or elderly friendly and I am aging. I saw a Canadian guy who put his bed on the first and only floor, he said he drank a lot and didn't want to fall down. He made it a pull out bed that also functioned as a couch. There are some pretty smart people thinking about tiny homes and trying to consider as much as they can. I think I might be able to add to that conversation and might enjoy doing so.
Microhomes, my future and retirement. Questions that are on my mind. With each one of the questions, I feel freer.
Monday, April 21, 2014
You Don't Matter to Those in Charge
Yahoo - AP - As Army shrinks, young officers being pushed out. If you do less than 20 years you get NO Pension from the military. 3,000 plus career officers are going to be let go because we don't need them anymore. We could let them serve out there last couple of years and get a pension for the decades of service they gave willingly to this country; but, we don't care about them. Nope, we are going to spend more on drones and less on people, we won't even let them retire from the military. It makes me puke and I am a pacifist.
Yahoo - Thomas Piketty's Rx for income inequality: "You don't need to go all the way to socialism". This academic is so smart he doesn't understand how he has been set up by a shYOU ill for the financial services sector. Read the article and watch the video. In the end they focus on socialism; but, what he is really discussing is taxes. Now personally, I believe in a flat tax with no deductions. You pay as you benefit from this society, that to me is fair.
Yahoo - Illinois mayor sends cops after man who created parody Twitter account. A guy made a fake Twitter account making fun of the mayor and the police raided his home. Then they took him to jail.
If you want to have an impact on a local level and feel that your police and government is out of control, demand that your police force be cut by 10%. It is your taxes being used against you. People are concerned that the police are becoming militarized, cut their funding on a local level. If the local police are not protecting your interests, fire them and the cut the number of them. Take that money and put it into your schools or social services. They are willing to take advantage of the military.
You don't matter. They want you to agree with that. You don't deserve enough to even feed and house yourself, $8 an hour is enough and if you complain, they fire you. You don't have the value of a slave. They killed Christ because he said that people mattered and that those who helped the poor and weak helped him.
Not long ago the new Pope said that the wealthy should help the poor. A wealthy Catholic responded by saying that if the Pope didn't watch his words, the wealthy would stop giving to the church. Sounds like blackmail to me. God doesn't need their money.
YOU MATTER. If you understand Jesus' meaning was true then you understand that everyone matters. He allowed those who did not believe that to condemn themselves.
Yahoo - Thomas Piketty's Rx for income inequality: "You don't need to go all the way to socialism". This academic is so smart he doesn't understand how he has been set up by a shYOU ill for the financial services sector. Read the article and watch the video. In the end they focus on socialism; but, what he is really discussing is taxes. Now personally, I believe in a flat tax with no deductions. You pay as you benefit from this society, that to me is fair.
Yahoo - Illinois mayor sends cops after man who created parody Twitter account. A guy made a fake Twitter account making fun of the mayor and the police raided his home. Then they took him to jail.
If you want to have an impact on a local level and feel that your police and government is out of control, demand that your police force be cut by 10%. It is your taxes being used against you. People are concerned that the police are becoming militarized, cut their funding on a local level. If the local police are not protecting your interests, fire them and the cut the number of them. Take that money and put it into your schools or social services. They are willing to take advantage of the military.
You don't matter. They want you to agree with that. You don't deserve enough to even feed and house yourself, $8 an hour is enough and if you complain, they fire you. You don't have the value of a slave. They killed Christ because he said that people mattered and that those who helped the poor and weak helped him.
Not long ago the new Pope said that the wealthy should help the poor. A wealthy Catholic responded by saying that if the Pope didn't watch his words, the wealthy would stop giving to the church. Sounds like blackmail to me. God doesn't need their money.
YOU MATTER. If you understand Jesus' meaning was true then you understand that everyone matters. He allowed those who did not believe that to condemn themselves.
Lets Talk Financial Crimes
For the past couple of weeks I have found reason to discuss the Pastor Daniels case; but, the focus of this blog is much more about financial crimes and how we are all being taken advantage of. We are told that we are a democracy or at best a republic and this all goes back to the creation of the United States and some simple concepts that seem to have been forgotten. I want to talk about them.
Europe in the 1700s was not a democracy, it was a series of Monarchies. Because of "birthright" a few individuals owned all of Europe and were all related to each other. People were told this was the natural order of things and killed for arguing that the world should belong to the people of the nations and not just a couple of people who inherited wealth. We used to believe that in America; but, now we quietly sit by while we are told that should not be true.
Lincoln said, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." Who are the people if not society at large? The background to the concept of the United States came from European philosophers, specifically Locke, Hobbs and Rousseau. They talked about what they called the social contract. The agreement to allow one another to be free within a firm set of rules and responsibilities. These crazy people thought that all people had certain rights, not just the people in power. They believed that if we worked together we could all benefit and it worked pretty well as we became the most productive and free country in the world.
There were things that we did that were very wrong. Slavery was not a high point and neither was the undue influence we tool over Latin America. We stole land from the Indians and claimed it as our destiny. Still our highest aspiration was found in the words of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we sought to be a nation based on laws which allowed everyone to participate in choosing. That is not what is being fought for anymore.
Not long ago I linked to an interview with a Billionaire who argued that the wealthy should be given a vote for every dollar that they paid in taxes. What he forgot was that since the 80s, they do. They buy all the lobbyist and eliminate any law that doesn't benefit them. That may or may not be capitalism; but, it is not democracy.
Once the social contract, the agreement is broken then the government looses all legitimacy and right to rule. If contracts are not enforced against both parties then it is silly to contract at all. Heads I win, tails you lose is a false agreement. The absence of freedom is slavery. If the rules only apply to some then it is slavery for those who the rules apply to.
I have actually seen a Bugatti, a million plus car. The car was parked in a very expensive area in front of a fire hydrant. The owner did not care about getting a ticket or that they were endangering others because they could afford to pay the ticket. That is a type of arrogance that is not appropriate in a democratic nation.
Obama had it wrong, he wasn't clear enough. If you succeeded in this country then don't take all the credit. The guy that runs the touch down does it with help from the whole team. The road system in the world was not created by any one person, it was created by millions of people over hundreds of years and everyone benefited from it. I have been very successful in life; but, I did not birth myself or teach myself everything I know. Others were involved and this nation allowed that and promoted it.
Over the years there has been a lot of comparisons between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Jobs was a narcissistic, cruel to his employees and completely obsessed with proving to himself that he was better than everyone else. Gates was equally hard working; but, actually cared about others. While Mr. Gates is a globalist, he wants to help people in other countries. Mr. Jobs was more than happy to pay people in Communist China slave wages to make his products even though many committed suicide in the plants that make Apple products.
There seems to be this idea going around that globalism is the appropriate; but, where is the vote? Where is the democratic agreement and what are we being asked to agree to? Do you agree that a few oligarchs in the world should have the right to tell us what American law should be? I don't, we have no social contract on this issue.
I just watched the right in this country make a big deal about the Bundy ranch. They claimed that Bundy's rights were being taken away, for instance his right to have his cattle graze on federal lands without having to compensate the federal government. They complained that "free speech zones" were set up in limited spaces; but, they rejoiced when the Occupy members were kicked out of free speech areas in New York and other cities. They missed the real issue, it was about freedom of assembly even more than being about freedom of speech.
The financial crimes that are going on are part of a much more fundamental problem and that is the elimination of consent and participation by all equally in the laws of this nation, democracy is what we are losing. Congress is no longer protecting our right to representation. Romney flat out said that he did not represent everyone, only the successful. When the TARP bill was passed under Bush, members of congress said that they had been told if they did not pass the bail outs of the banks that martial law would be declared.
YouTube - Rep. Brad Sherman: Martial Law If Bailout Bill Not Passed. Mr. Sherman was interviewed about this comment and he repeated that some had been told that if the bill was not passed martial law would be put in place. That is not democracy. The vast majority of people opposed the bail out and yet, it went through because congress does not believe your opinion matters.
Huffington Post - Bill Moyers - Watch: What the 1 Percent Don't Want You to Know. I recommend you watch the video. The point the person is making is that if the wealthy control politics, eventually all the laws benefit them. There is a wealth distribution going on and the wealth of the middle class is being transferred to the wealthy.)
Huffington Post - The Terrible Fear of Paying the Poor Too Much. What is this insanity where people are afraid of having a decent minimum wage? They say we will not be able to compete economically with the Communist Chinese. This is like saying that if another country uses all slave labor we have to do the same or we won't be able to compete. We banned goods from South Africa because of how they had apartheid. Is such slavery okay because they are Chinese? I don't believe in tariffs (charging foreign goods taxes)I believe in banning goods from countries that act criminally to their people or other nations.
Los Angeles Times - Moving in with parents becomes more common for the middle-aged. While 92% of all the economic gains have gone to the top 1% since the crash (taxpayer money by the way), the bottom 40% have lost ground and people who worked for decades have been left with nothing except the remote hope that they might someday get social security that they paid into and they want to take that away from them.
CNBC - For many Americans, 'temp' work becomes permanent way of life. Where is that old concept of upward mobility without having to commit crimes?
If you write a bad check for ten dollars you can go to jail. If you write bad financial instruments like derivatives for hundreds of billions of dollars, you get a bonus. If your father is a politician and friends with the governator then you get a pardon for murder because as Arnold Schwarzenegger said, that is what you do for friends. The problem is not inequality of outcome, the problem is inequality of opportunity and unequal laws that benefit those who have benefited from the misery of others. The problem is that this nation is being perverted into a nation where there is no democracy.
This nation started out horribly unfair; but, because of the insistence that all men deserved to have a say became a nation constantly moving towards benefiting all of it's citizens. We saw the greatest distribution of wealth in history because we allowed people to benefit from their own hard work and inventiveness. They got to share in the benefit of their labor. That is capitalism and that is dead in America. Wage earners do not share in the benefit that they provide to their organizations, their wages do not go up as their productivity goes up. There are stats on these things.
If the wealthy really believe in Social Darwinism than the best thing for us to do is defund the military and the police and the fire departments and the public works departments and the schools. Ayn Rand believed that society held the special people back, she did not consider what how it was why people could succeed on a grand level. This is why the United States flourished; because we worked together as a nation.
Europe in the 1700s was not a democracy, it was a series of Monarchies. Because of "birthright" a few individuals owned all of Europe and were all related to each other. People were told this was the natural order of things and killed for arguing that the world should belong to the people of the nations and not just a couple of people who inherited wealth. We used to believe that in America; but, now we quietly sit by while we are told that should not be true.
Lincoln said, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." Who are the people if not society at large? The background to the concept of the United States came from European philosophers, specifically Locke, Hobbs and Rousseau. They talked about what they called the social contract. The agreement to allow one another to be free within a firm set of rules and responsibilities. These crazy people thought that all people had certain rights, not just the people in power. They believed that if we worked together we could all benefit and it worked pretty well as we became the most productive and free country in the world.
There were things that we did that were very wrong. Slavery was not a high point and neither was the undue influence we tool over Latin America. We stole land from the Indians and claimed it as our destiny. Still our highest aspiration was found in the words of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we sought to be a nation based on laws which allowed everyone to participate in choosing. That is not what is being fought for anymore.
Not long ago I linked to an interview with a Billionaire who argued that the wealthy should be given a vote for every dollar that they paid in taxes. What he forgot was that since the 80s, they do. They buy all the lobbyist and eliminate any law that doesn't benefit them. That may or may not be capitalism; but, it is not democracy.
Once the social contract, the agreement is broken then the government looses all legitimacy and right to rule. If contracts are not enforced against both parties then it is silly to contract at all. Heads I win, tails you lose is a false agreement. The absence of freedom is slavery. If the rules only apply to some then it is slavery for those who the rules apply to.
I have actually seen a Bugatti, a million plus car. The car was parked in a very expensive area in front of a fire hydrant. The owner did not care about getting a ticket or that they were endangering others because they could afford to pay the ticket. That is a type of arrogance that is not appropriate in a democratic nation.
Obama had it wrong, he wasn't clear enough. If you succeeded in this country then don't take all the credit. The guy that runs the touch down does it with help from the whole team. The road system in the world was not created by any one person, it was created by millions of people over hundreds of years and everyone benefited from it. I have been very successful in life; but, I did not birth myself or teach myself everything I know. Others were involved and this nation allowed that and promoted it.
Over the years there has been a lot of comparisons between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Jobs was a narcissistic, cruel to his employees and completely obsessed with proving to himself that he was better than everyone else. Gates was equally hard working; but, actually cared about others. While Mr. Gates is a globalist, he wants to help people in other countries. Mr. Jobs was more than happy to pay people in Communist China slave wages to make his products even though many committed suicide in the plants that make Apple products.
There seems to be this idea going around that globalism is the appropriate; but, where is the vote? Where is the democratic agreement and what are we being asked to agree to? Do you agree that a few oligarchs in the world should have the right to tell us what American law should be? I don't, we have no social contract on this issue.
I just watched the right in this country make a big deal about the Bundy ranch. They claimed that Bundy's rights were being taken away, for instance his right to have his cattle graze on federal lands without having to compensate the federal government. They complained that "free speech zones" were set up in limited spaces; but, they rejoiced when the Occupy members were kicked out of free speech areas in New York and other cities. They missed the real issue, it was about freedom of assembly even more than being about freedom of speech.
The financial crimes that are going on are part of a much more fundamental problem and that is the elimination of consent and participation by all equally in the laws of this nation, democracy is what we are losing. Congress is no longer protecting our right to representation. Romney flat out said that he did not represent everyone, only the successful. When the TARP bill was passed under Bush, members of congress said that they had been told if they did not pass the bail outs of the banks that martial law would be declared.
YouTube - Rep. Brad Sherman: Martial Law If Bailout Bill Not Passed. Mr. Sherman was interviewed about this comment and he repeated that some had been told that if the bill was not passed martial law would be put in place. That is not democracy. The vast majority of people opposed the bail out and yet, it went through because congress does not believe your opinion matters.
Huffington Post - Bill Moyers - Watch: What the 1 Percent Don't Want You to Know. I recommend you watch the video. The point the person is making is that if the wealthy control politics, eventually all the laws benefit them. There is a wealth distribution going on and the wealth of the middle class is being transferred to the wealthy.)
Huffington Post - The Terrible Fear of Paying the Poor Too Much. What is this insanity where people are afraid of having a decent minimum wage? They say we will not be able to compete economically with the Communist Chinese. This is like saying that if another country uses all slave labor we have to do the same or we won't be able to compete. We banned goods from South Africa because of how they had apartheid. Is such slavery okay because they are Chinese? I don't believe in tariffs (charging foreign goods taxes)I believe in banning goods from countries that act criminally to their people or other nations.
Los Angeles Times - Moving in with parents becomes more common for the middle-aged. While 92% of all the economic gains have gone to the top 1% since the crash (taxpayer money by the way), the bottom 40% have lost ground and people who worked for decades have been left with nothing except the remote hope that they might someday get social security that they paid into and they want to take that away from them.
CNBC - For many Americans, 'temp' work becomes permanent way of life. Where is that old concept of upward mobility without having to commit crimes?
If you write a bad check for ten dollars you can go to jail. If you write bad financial instruments like derivatives for hundreds of billions of dollars, you get a bonus. If your father is a politician and friends with the governator then you get a pardon for murder because as Arnold Schwarzenegger said, that is what you do for friends. The problem is not inequality of outcome, the problem is inequality of opportunity and unequal laws that benefit those who have benefited from the misery of others. The problem is that this nation is being perverted into a nation where there is no democracy.
This nation started out horribly unfair; but, because of the insistence that all men deserved to have a say became a nation constantly moving towards benefiting all of it's citizens. We saw the greatest distribution of wealth in history because we allowed people to benefit from their own hard work and inventiveness. They got to share in the benefit of their labor. That is capitalism and that is dead in America. Wage earners do not share in the benefit that they provide to their organizations, their wages do not go up as their productivity goes up. There are stats on these things.
If the wealthy really believe in Social Darwinism than the best thing for us to do is defund the military and the police and the fire departments and the public works departments and the schools. Ayn Rand believed that society held the special people back, she did not consider what how it was why people could succeed on a grand level. This is why the United States flourished; because we worked together as a nation.
I Will Be Back Soon
Sorry dear readers; but, I have been spending time on another site and not paying attention to the news in my normal manner. A couple of articles I did read are worthy of following.
New York Times - Paper Shows U.S.-Flagged Plane in Iran Has Ties to Ghana. The story is a cover for something else, this should be apparent. During the Vietnam war, Kissinger was holding discussions with North Vietnam in Paris I believe. The negotiations were hidden from the public and the news stories about Kissinger were about how he was jet setting with an actress. This story is just as nonsensical.
Yahoo - AP - Governor: Closing Boston amid bomber hunt 'tough'. This is interesting. Firstly, the governor took responsibility for closing Boston. That would mean that neither the Boston police, Boston mayor or the City of Boston made the decision. When a governor closes down a City it means that a state of emergency has been declared and martial law is in effect.
Here is a great nonsensical line from the article: "That the population of greater Boston overwhelmingly agreed to shelter in place — it was not mandatory — and that there was little second-guessing despite the inconvenience and disruption of commerce it caused, was viewed as a reflection of the anxiety gripping the region."
Lets look at these one by one. The author states that the people of Boston "agreed" to shelter in place and that it was not mandatory is garbage. You can go look at the pictures of police in military style vehicles holding machine guns and aiming them at houses. Would you run outside? It was a door to door manhunt. The statement that there was little "second-guessing" is both untrue and depressing. Many people questioned this and it's legality. Why is closing down whole cities (it was also done in Southern California in the case of the ex-cop who killed two people) supposed to be okay or the new normal?
I am particularly tired of mainstream media shills being nothing more than mouthpieces for the authorities. "Shelter in place" from whom, the people who threatened to shoot them were the police. Why should innocent people be forced to hide from the police? Watch out for their logic, it is really scary. How many crimes happen everyday? How many killings happen everyday? Will we shut down whole cities everytime there is a murder and then not be expected to question it?
I ask my readers to have a little patience as I am bouncing a lot of balls right now, just had my first grandchild and am trying to find a place to retire to. I should also point out that this little one many show takes a lot of time as it requires that I read at least 30 news sources a day to find just one or two articles worthy of repeating. Hope you all had a nice Easter. It is worth remembering why it is remembered, it is remembered not because of bunnies and candy or even because our Lord died; but, to remember that we have salvation available and that he rose again. It is a day commemorating hope.
New York Times - Paper Shows U.S.-Flagged Plane in Iran Has Ties to Ghana. The story is a cover for something else, this should be apparent. During the Vietnam war, Kissinger was holding discussions with North Vietnam in Paris I believe. The negotiations were hidden from the public and the news stories about Kissinger were about how he was jet setting with an actress. This story is just as nonsensical.
Yahoo - AP - Governor: Closing Boston amid bomber hunt 'tough'. This is interesting. Firstly, the governor took responsibility for closing Boston. That would mean that neither the Boston police, Boston mayor or the City of Boston made the decision. When a governor closes down a City it means that a state of emergency has been declared and martial law is in effect.
Here is a great nonsensical line from the article: "That the population of greater Boston overwhelmingly agreed to shelter in place — it was not mandatory — and that there was little second-guessing despite the inconvenience and disruption of commerce it caused, was viewed as a reflection of the anxiety gripping the region."
Lets look at these one by one. The author states that the people of Boston "agreed" to shelter in place and that it was not mandatory is garbage. You can go look at the pictures of police in military style vehicles holding machine guns and aiming them at houses. Would you run outside? It was a door to door manhunt. The statement that there was little "second-guessing" is both untrue and depressing. Many people questioned this and it's legality. Why is closing down whole cities (it was also done in Southern California in the case of the ex-cop who killed two people) supposed to be okay or the new normal?
I am particularly tired of mainstream media shills being nothing more than mouthpieces for the authorities. "Shelter in place" from whom, the people who threatened to shoot them were the police. Why should innocent people be forced to hide from the police? Watch out for their logic, it is really scary. How many crimes happen everyday? How many killings happen everyday? Will we shut down whole cities everytime there is a murder and then not be expected to question it?
I ask my readers to have a little patience as I am bouncing a lot of balls right now, just had my first grandchild and am trying to find a place to retire to. I should also point out that this little one many show takes a lot of time as it requires that I read at least 30 news sources a day to find just one or two articles worthy of repeating. Hope you all had a nice Easter. It is worth remembering why it is remembered, it is remembered not because of bunnies and candy or even because our Lord died; but, to remember that we have salvation available and that he rose again. It is a day commemorating hope.
Friday, April 18, 2014
More Spin and Lies About Wealth
Yahoo - Bloomberg - Why Rich People Feel Poor. The article begins by asking us to think about the top income earners. The problem is not the top income earners, it is the people who inherit mass amounts of wealth without contributing anything to society and then game the system and bribe politicians. Executives, doctors and lawyers who make $400,000 a year doing their job are not who people are mad at and they are not the one's bribing politicians to change the tax laws that would give a $15 million tax break to multi-millionairs who choose to invest in a Broadway play.
Here is a nifty little quote from the article, "Second, and more important, it doesn't demonstrate how little wealthy Americans get for their tax dollars. Sure, the rich benefit from the court system, national defense and everything else that maintains the society that underpinned their success." How little they get from paying taxes is apparently irrelevent and the writer is too stupid to understand what the wealthy do get. Lets start with all of the infrastructure that allowed them to make money, the roads, the sewer system, the water system, the electrical system, the petroleum industry, the legal system, the educational system that created knowledgeable employees, the government which buys billions in products each year. There is a reason that JP Morgan is so big and why GM was created in American and not the Soviet Union.
Now, here is what is really interesting about this article, it says that we should not compare the high wage earners to the idle inheritors of wealth. That friends is a bad sign for the trust fund babies. This article is sympathetic to people who earn their money through hard work. Wealthy Americans are scared, they know the poor and middle class are being screwed and are separating themselves from the wealthy, they see problems coming. Keep watching the tone of articles about "class warfare".
The Raw Story - Bryan Fischer tells poor people: ‘Kiss the ground’ beneath the richest 1 percent. I don't know much about the source; but, the statements in the video are good enough. The man is an imbecile and a cold-hearted, ignorant swine. Lets start with taxes, I am in the 20% of top wage earners because this country and my parents provided me an opportunity; but, I did the work and don't have a problem with paying higher taxes because I benefited from this country more than most. I succeeded in part because I was born very intelligent, that was an accident and my parents fault, I take no credit for birthing me.
This nation and the whole concept of Capitalism is supposed to be built on self-achievement and competition. I agree with that. Inherited wealth and privilege is contrary to the concepts of Capitalism and democracy. Idiots like this guy are basically promoting monarchies, inherited wealthy giving the undeserving more influence than is fair.
He then talks about entitlements like Social Security as if it is a gift from the wealthy. It is not, people contribute to Social Security for 40 and more years so that they will have some money in retirement. It is their money and they are entitled to have it returned to them when they retire. It is an insurance policy. He is basically saying that if you buy life insurance, there is no reason the insurance company should pay out to your beneficiary.
myfoxny - Future of money. Just another article with people swooning over the idea of an all electronic currency where your biometrics connects businesses and the government to your bank account.
Here is a nifty little quote from the article, "Second, and more important, it doesn't demonstrate how little wealthy Americans get for their tax dollars. Sure, the rich benefit from the court system, national defense and everything else that maintains the society that underpinned their success." How little they get from paying taxes is apparently irrelevent and the writer is too stupid to understand what the wealthy do get. Lets start with all of the infrastructure that allowed them to make money, the roads, the sewer system, the water system, the electrical system, the petroleum industry, the legal system, the educational system that created knowledgeable employees, the government which buys billions in products each year. There is a reason that JP Morgan is so big and why GM was created in American and not the Soviet Union.
Now, here is what is really interesting about this article, it says that we should not compare the high wage earners to the idle inheritors of wealth. That friends is a bad sign for the trust fund babies. This article is sympathetic to people who earn their money through hard work. Wealthy Americans are scared, they know the poor and middle class are being screwed and are separating themselves from the wealthy, they see problems coming. Keep watching the tone of articles about "class warfare".
The Raw Story - Bryan Fischer tells poor people: ‘Kiss the ground’ beneath the richest 1 percent. I don't know much about the source; but, the statements in the video are good enough. The man is an imbecile and a cold-hearted, ignorant swine. Lets start with taxes, I am in the 20% of top wage earners because this country and my parents provided me an opportunity; but, I did the work and don't have a problem with paying higher taxes because I benefited from this country more than most. I succeeded in part because I was born very intelligent, that was an accident and my parents fault, I take no credit for birthing me.
This nation and the whole concept of Capitalism is supposed to be built on self-achievement and competition. I agree with that. Inherited wealth and privilege is contrary to the concepts of Capitalism and democracy. Idiots like this guy are basically promoting monarchies, inherited wealthy giving the undeserving more influence than is fair.
He then talks about entitlements like Social Security as if it is a gift from the wealthy. It is not, people contribute to Social Security for 40 and more years so that they will have some money in retirement. It is their money and they are entitled to have it returned to them when they retire. It is an insurance policy. He is basically saying that if you buy life insurance, there is no reason the insurance company should pay out to your beneficiary.
myfoxny - Future of money. Just another article with people swooning over the idea of an all electronic currency where your biometrics connects businesses and the government to your bank account.
Thank You to WebSleuths
I will start with the Thank You. This blog started in 2007, I can hardly believe it. For the first few years I wrote everyday, it became too much especially considering all the personal tragedies I was facing at the time. It began with a purpose which it succeeded in achieving and I then killed it off, deleting all posts. I started the blog anew and changed the purpose and subjects, when that was achieved, I deleted all the posts again. I then started this third iteration with a different intent and focused more on a different series of subject. The blog expanded it's scope.
This current set of posts, the third iteration of my blog was more focused on financial misdeeds within the government, public pensions and large financial institutions. Along the way I have tried to throw in some analysis of the news, particularly how the media misrepresents and misleads the public. I have also tried to bring up some social issues. One day a few years ago I read about the killing of Pastor Carol Daniels, her story had touched my heart. Not the story of her death; but, the story of what a dedicated preacher she was. I was impressed that she would drive so far on the mere possibility that people might come to her church on that day. I was impressed by her character. I have never written about this until now.
I am impressed by selflessness, commitment and concern for others. She paid for these things with her life. It doesn't matter why her killer did what he did, the win was Pastor Daniels achievement. She lived a life of intent, not just words; but, intent. When I read that story, I had to tell it to others. I had to let them know about this amazing woman. Because of how I was raised, I could not help but analyze the crime scene information. I solve puzzles for a reason, it is how my brain is wired. Next thing I knew it was my most read post in history (not knowing the count on posts from the last two iterations of this blog). I started getting comments on it from all sorts of people who did not follow the blog or read it daily. My regular readers barely noticed it, it was not the subject matter that I write about usually. I did not know what to make of it all.
Well, time went by and I continued getting comments on the first post and she remained in my mind. When I would see an increase in viewership to that post, I would check the news and recent events to see if there was any new news about the Pastor's death. I would see that the reward was renewed or someone had been interviews and whether or not there was anything new worthy of mention on my blog and I wanted to know if there was any promising news regarding catching the killer. I always tried to be respectful; but, recognize that the subject matter alone was tragic and I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I try to keep this blog readable by anyone including children.
Then one day, I got a comment from one of the family members. Well, first I was asked to preach. I never intended to preach in my life, I never felt driven in that way. I was the token, non-Spanish speaking, old, bald, white guy preacher to the people who didn't speak Spanish and showed up at this Spanish speaking church. Somedays people would show up and other days nobody showed up. So, here I am standing in a old church, in the basement, waiting to see if anyone will show up. At 6:00 on Sundays. LOL. I started thinking about how Pastor Daniels not only did this; but, drove like 65 miles to do it. The church was only about 12 miles from my house. She drove a lot longer and as I used to commute that far to work, church was a breeze. When I would get disheartened, I would think of Pastor Daniels, she became an inspiration to me.
Then one day something very strange happened, her family contacted me and thanked me. I was stunned and humbled. This occurrence stopped me dead in my tracks. When I wrote it, I wrote it to my regular readers not to the family or people interested in the case. How could I possibly know that I would become one of the top searches when people search her name? This is not NBC or the Drudge Report, very few read this blog. My whole opinion of this blog changed and I couldn't delete the past posts anymore, I couldn't kill the blog. It had done something I had never considered, it became important to some people. It found it's purpose and maybe I found my purpose again because of it.
I did not write it because she died, I wrote it because she had lived. The rest of the original post was about the crime because that is how my mind works. Pastor Daniels is a hero to me not a victim. The greatest love is shown when someone gives their life for another, that is what the bible says. She was a preacher, I am pretty sure she knew that and the words of her relatives make me believe that even more. She died because she was willing to drive 65 miles each way, wait inside a shoddy church, in a small town in the middle of nowhere every Sunday on the chance that someone would need to know about Christ.
I don't know how to take a thank you for this from the family or WebSleuths or anyone else. It wasn't planned. I had never even heard of Anardarko. I know about it now; but, it wasn't on my radar back in the day. I didn't read their daily paper and did not follow crimes. I hate following crimes, crimes shows and anything that glorifies criminal behavior. As a kid, I couldn't do anything without my dad asking me if there was any crimes going on. I would spend my weekends as a child with him checking on criminals and confiscated items. It began in elementary school. Imagine growing up with a mind that seeks out puzzles to a father who is always asking you to figure out criminal puzzles? The point is, I didn't write the post to solve a crime, I wrote it to highlight a life that amazed me. I am pretty sure that is not what people take away from the post because I focused on the crime and couldn't explain the reason why I was writing about it in the first place well enough.
I thank the people of Websleuths for seeking to right wrongs and caring about the families of victims of crimes. If anyone wishes to thank me for anything in regards to that post. Thank me for loving and forgiving others as did Pastor Carol Daniels. The reason I wrote about her.
This current set of posts, the third iteration of my blog was more focused on financial misdeeds within the government, public pensions and large financial institutions. Along the way I have tried to throw in some analysis of the news, particularly how the media misrepresents and misleads the public. I have also tried to bring up some social issues. One day a few years ago I read about the killing of Pastor Carol Daniels, her story had touched my heart. Not the story of her death; but, the story of what a dedicated preacher she was. I was impressed that she would drive so far on the mere possibility that people might come to her church on that day. I was impressed by her character. I have never written about this until now.
I am impressed by selflessness, commitment and concern for others. She paid for these things with her life. It doesn't matter why her killer did what he did, the win was Pastor Daniels achievement. She lived a life of intent, not just words; but, intent. When I read that story, I had to tell it to others. I had to let them know about this amazing woman. Because of how I was raised, I could not help but analyze the crime scene information. I solve puzzles for a reason, it is how my brain is wired. Next thing I knew it was my most read post in history (not knowing the count on posts from the last two iterations of this blog). I started getting comments on it from all sorts of people who did not follow the blog or read it daily. My regular readers barely noticed it, it was not the subject matter that I write about usually. I did not know what to make of it all.
Well, time went by and I continued getting comments on the first post and she remained in my mind. When I would see an increase in viewership to that post, I would check the news and recent events to see if there was any new news about the Pastor's death. I would see that the reward was renewed or someone had been interviews and whether or not there was anything new worthy of mention on my blog and I wanted to know if there was any promising news regarding catching the killer. I always tried to be respectful; but, recognize that the subject matter alone was tragic and I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I try to keep this blog readable by anyone including children.
Then one day, I got a comment from one of the family members. Well, first I was asked to preach. I never intended to preach in my life, I never felt driven in that way. I was the token, non-Spanish speaking, old, bald, white guy preacher to the people who didn't speak Spanish and showed up at this Spanish speaking church. Somedays people would show up and other days nobody showed up. So, here I am standing in a old church, in the basement, waiting to see if anyone will show up. At 6:00 on Sundays. LOL. I started thinking about how Pastor Daniels not only did this; but, drove like 65 miles to do it. The church was only about 12 miles from my house. She drove a lot longer and as I used to commute that far to work, church was a breeze. When I would get disheartened, I would think of Pastor Daniels, she became an inspiration to me.
Then one day something very strange happened, her family contacted me and thanked me. I was stunned and humbled. This occurrence stopped me dead in my tracks. When I wrote it, I wrote it to my regular readers not to the family or people interested in the case. How could I possibly know that I would become one of the top searches when people search her name? This is not NBC or the Drudge Report, very few read this blog. My whole opinion of this blog changed and I couldn't delete the past posts anymore, I couldn't kill the blog. It had done something I had never considered, it became important to some people. It found it's purpose and maybe I found my purpose again because of it.
I did not write it because she died, I wrote it because she had lived. The rest of the original post was about the crime because that is how my mind works. Pastor Daniels is a hero to me not a victim. The greatest love is shown when someone gives their life for another, that is what the bible says. She was a preacher, I am pretty sure she knew that and the words of her relatives make me believe that even more. She died because she was willing to drive 65 miles each way, wait inside a shoddy church, in a small town in the middle of nowhere every Sunday on the chance that someone would need to know about Christ.
I don't know how to take a thank you for this from the family or WebSleuths or anyone else. It wasn't planned. I had never even heard of Anardarko. I know about it now; but, it wasn't on my radar back in the day. I didn't read their daily paper and did not follow crimes. I hate following crimes, crimes shows and anything that glorifies criminal behavior. As a kid, I couldn't do anything without my dad asking me if there was any crimes going on. I would spend my weekends as a child with him checking on criminals and confiscated items. It began in elementary school. Imagine growing up with a mind that seeks out puzzles to a father who is always asking you to figure out criminal puzzles? The point is, I didn't write the post to solve a crime, I wrote it to highlight a life that amazed me. I am pretty sure that is not what people take away from the post because I focused on the crime and couldn't explain the reason why I was writing about it in the first place well enough.
I thank the people of Websleuths for seeking to right wrongs and caring about the families of victims of crimes. If anyone wishes to thank me for anything in regards to that post. Thank me for loving and forgiving others as did Pastor Carol Daniels. The reason I wrote about her.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Interesting Comments Regarding Pastor Carol Daniels
As a rule I am very cautious about allowing comments that identify specific people as being suspects in the murder of Pastor Daniels. While I have a legal background and some formal training in criminal investigations, I am not nor have I ever been involved in police work and have no interest in it as a career. I do not believe that this blog will in anyway lead to the arrest or conviction of the murderer in the Pastor Daniels case and do not write about crimes usually unless they involve financial crimes and I can back up what I say.
Having said all of the above, I have just received some comments from my original post that I believe are worthy of being repeated. The short of the comments was that there was a serial killer in Alaska who would travel to other parts of the country and had some tendencies that fit with some of the things that happened in the Pastor Daniels case. I had never heard of this person and did a quick check to make sure that he deserves to be considered and he does. In addition, he is dead so he is not being defamed by being considered. Here is what was sent to me"
"Pimpemel, very interesting blog and perspectives on Pastor Carol Daniels tragic murder. I am a firm believer that Good triumphs over Evil and that the light will eventually shine through..
I live in the north GA mountains and am a member of the Websleuths crime sleuthing community. My Nickname on this forum is Foxfire, previously & on other forums; Wolfscratch. For the past 6+ years I have been researching cases where sexual predators/serial killers are indicated.
We have been researching an Alaskan serial killer; Israel Keyes. I am very confident that IK may be responsible for Pastor Daniels heinous murder. There are many threads on IK on the Websleuths Forum. One focuses on the Carol Daniels murder; http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88118&page=9&highlight=israel+keyes
See Wolfscratch's posts on this Topix forum thread. Pay attention too the Discovery ID Dark Minds episode season 3; http://www.topix.com/forum/city/oklahoma-city-ok/TPLAK039MLUU2A033/p5#lastPost
________________
AK SK Israel Keyes traits, etc;
Arsonist; 2 suspicious fires
IK's Preferred firearm 38 Cal-38 cal firearm found in the grass by the gazebo across from the Anardarko Daily News(found by owners of the ADN who gave it to APD) the day of the fire(one day before Pastor Daniels murder) APD did not connect the dots, imo.
IK used chemicals on his victims(forensically aware)
IK's weapon of choice; Knife.
IK was organized and would place kill kits across the US years before committing the murders.
IK, also robbed banks to support his travels(construction co was only a front)
IK was very brazen; ran half marathons, bicyclist, avid hiker.
IK had no victim profile and was bisexual & necrophiliac..
"Israel Keyes was the Devil's Deciple"! IK was an Emulator; a serial killer that copied many prior & added his on twists of creativity to prevent being patterned by the FBI BAU2. The FBI has requested the public's help to identify his many unknown victims. IK was arrested for the abduction/murder of Samantha Koenig(AK), but later committed suicide in jail and took this info to the grave rather than share it..
Wolfscratch/Foxfire"
Now, I have always believed that the killer was from Anandarko; but, Mr. Keyes could be the type of person who could have planned it while driving through town based on his history. I will watch the video and read the articles and come back with my opinions.
UPDATE:
I want to thank the people at WebSleuths for taking an interest in this case and I know with my heart that the family of Pastor Daniels will also appreciate their efforts. As this blog is not a crime solving blog, I have not reported some of the more graphic details; but, I have read the autopsy report online. I have received a few views and comments from people who are members of the WebSleuth site over they years and have found them to be concerned and courteous. For members of that site that visit my poor little blog, I send my best wishes. I do not usually provide links to other sites which discuss the case because many of them degraded into Christians attacking Atheists or Atheists attacking Christians, I find the WebSleuth site to be better than many of the others and yes, I have visited the site in the past to see if there were any updates.
After receiving the most recent comments, I started this post and then paused as I was going to dinner with the leader of the church that I preach at and didn't have time to go and read the links that were provided to me before dinner, so, I came back and read them all. I am posting these comments as I do know that Pastor Daniels family has read my blog in the past and I also know that the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation knows about this blog. I believe the issues raised by Foxfire deserve to be considered and found many of the details interesting.
Of particular interest was the Mr. Keyes going to far away places to commit the murders, his use of chemicals, his use of a knife, his arson and his following natural disasters. While I find Mr. Keyes worthy of consideration, I have to remind myself of a couple of things. Firstly, for years Zodiac Killer researchers openly stated that the Zodiac was a man named Arthur Leigh Allen and the evidence was all circumstantial. By the time the DNA evidence was analyzed it showed it was not him (same for the palm print). Secondly, nobody believed BTK was still alive when he resurfaced and all 40 years of profiling by the FBI was all wrong.
Here is what I believe. I believe that crimes are not solved by understanding motive, I believe they are solved based on evidence. In the case of Pastor Daniels we are talking about a very small town in the middle of nowhere. While there is a casino on the road, it is also very small and miles away. Why do I mention this. Well there are some very small towns (like Baker California) that are on the road to Las Vegas and because of that are constantly being driven through by hundreds of thousands of people, I don't believe that is true for Anandarko. I find it hard to believe; but, not impossible, that the killer was from outside the area. Having said that, the case cited by Foxfire could just be that exception and deserves being considered.
The well being of the Daniels family is always on my mind when I post about her, in fact it is my priority. I don't see my blog as contributing to solving the crime and do know that the OSBI has put a cold case expert on the case, they have not forgotten and care. I don't expect them to release all the information that they have and understand that. The issue is not figuring out who did it, it is in proving it and getting a conviction.
UPDATE 2:
Nope, I have thought about it and Mr Keyes is an unlikely candidate. One of the problems begins with the 38 Police Special. Pastor Daniels killer used a knife exclusively that we know of, no shots were fired. It would be very difficult to hold a gun in one hand and kill someone who showed defensive wounds with a knife in the other hand while they were screaming in pain. The gun found after the arson in Anadarko is not related to the killing and I am not even convinced that the fire is related. The biggest problem is how Mr. Keyes would have known that the church Pastor Daniels was at would be empty on that day, on a Sunday. He couldn't know that just from driving through town once. The person who killed Pastor Daniels had been inside that church and knew that it was very possible that nobody would be inside other than Pastor Daniels.
Having said all of the above, I have just received some comments from my original post that I believe are worthy of being repeated. The short of the comments was that there was a serial killer in Alaska who would travel to other parts of the country and had some tendencies that fit with some of the things that happened in the Pastor Daniels case. I had never heard of this person and did a quick check to make sure that he deserves to be considered and he does. In addition, he is dead so he is not being defamed by being considered. Here is what was sent to me"
"Pimpemel, very interesting blog and perspectives on Pastor Carol Daniels tragic murder. I am a firm believer that Good triumphs over Evil and that the light will eventually shine through..
I live in the north GA mountains and am a member of the Websleuths crime sleuthing community. My Nickname on this forum is Foxfire, previously & on other forums; Wolfscratch. For the past 6+ years I have been researching cases where sexual predators/serial killers are indicated.
We have been researching an Alaskan serial killer; Israel Keyes. I am very confident that IK may be responsible for Pastor Daniels heinous murder. There are many threads on IK on the Websleuths Forum. One focuses on the Carol Daniels murder; http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88118&page=9&highlight=israel+keyes
See Wolfscratch's posts on this Topix forum thread. Pay attention too the Discovery ID Dark Minds episode season 3; http://www.topix.com/forum/city/oklahoma-city-ok/TPLAK039MLUU2A033/p5#lastPost
________________
AK SK Israel Keyes traits, etc;
Arsonist; 2 suspicious fires
IK's Preferred firearm 38 Cal-38 cal firearm found in the grass by the gazebo across from the Anardarko Daily News(found by owners of the ADN who gave it to APD) the day of the fire(one day before Pastor Daniels murder) APD did not connect the dots, imo.
IK used chemicals on his victims(forensically aware)
IK's weapon of choice; Knife.
IK was organized and would place kill kits across the US years before committing the murders.
IK, also robbed banks to support his travels(construction co was only a front)
IK was very brazen; ran half marathons, bicyclist, avid hiker.
IK had no victim profile and was bisexual & necrophiliac..
"Israel Keyes was the Devil's Deciple"! IK was an Emulator; a serial killer that copied many prior & added his on twists of creativity to prevent being patterned by the FBI BAU2. The FBI has requested the public's help to identify his many unknown victims. IK was arrested for the abduction/murder of Samantha Koenig(AK), but later committed suicide in jail and took this info to the grave rather than share it..
Wolfscratch/Foxfire"
Now, I have always believed that the killer was from Anandarko; but, Mr. Keyes could be the type of person who could have planned it while driving through town based on his history. I will watch the video and read the articles and come back with my opinions.
UPDATE:
I want to thank the people at WebSleuths for taking an interest in this case and I know with my heart that the family of Pastor Daniels will also appreciate their efforts. As this blog is not a crime solving blog, I have not reported some of the more graphic details; but, I have read the autopsy report online. I have received a few views and comments from people who are members of the WebSleuth site over they years and have found them to be concerned and courteous. For members of that site that visit my poor little blog, I send my best wishes. I do not usually provide links to other sites which discuss the case because many of them degraded into Christians attacking Atheists or Atheists attacking Christians, I find the WebSleuth site to be better than many of the others and yes, I have visited the site in the past to see if there were any updates.
After receiving the most recent comments, I started this post and then paused as I was going to dinner with the leader of the church that I preach at and didn't have time to go and read the links that were provided to me before dinner, so, I came back and read them all. I am posting these comments as I do know that Pastor Daniels family has read my blog in the past and I also know that the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation knows about this blog. I believe the issues raised by Foxfire deserve to be considered and found many of the details interesting.
Of particular interest was the Mr. Keyes going to far away places to commit the murders, his use of chemicals, his use of a knife, his arson and his following natural disasters. While I find Mr. Keyes worthy of consideration, I have to remind myself of a couple of things. Firstly, for years Zodiac Killer researchers openly stated that the Zodiac was a man named Arthur Leigh Allen and the evidence was all circumstantial. By the time the DNA evidence was analyzed it showed it was not him (same for the palm print). Secondly, nobody believed BTK was still alive when he resurfaced and all 40 years of profiling by the FBI was all wrong.
Here is what I believe. I believe that crimes are not solved by understanding motive, I believe they are solved based on evidence. In the case of Pastor Daniels we are talking about a very small town in the middle of nowhere. While there is a casino on the road, it is also very small and miles away. Why do I mention this. Well there are some very small towns (like Baker California) that are on the road to Las Vegas and because of that are constantly being driven through by hundreds of thousands of people, I don't believe that is true for Anandarko. I find it hard to believe; but, not impossible, that the killer was from outside the area. Having said that, the case cited by Foxfire could just be that exception and deserves being considered.
The well being of the Daniels family is always on my mind when I post about her, in fact it is my priority. I don't see my blog as contributing to solving the crime and do know that the OSBI has put a cold case expert on the case, they have not forgotten and care. I don't expect them to release all the information that they have and understand that. The issue is not figuring out who did it, it is in proving it and getting a conviction.
UPDATE 2:
Nope, I have thought about it and Mr Keyes is an unlikely candidate. One of the problems begins with the 38 Police Special. Pastor Daniels killer used a knife exclusively that we know of, no shots were fired. It would be very difficult to hold a gun in one hand and kill someone who showed defensive wounds with a knife in the other hand while they were screaming in pain. The gun found after the arson in Anadarko is not related to the killing and I am not even convinced that the fire is related. The biggest problem is how Mr. Keyes would have known that the church Pastor Daniels was at would be empty on that day, on a Sunday. He couldn't know that just from driving through town once. The person who killed Pastor Daniels had been inside that church and knew that it was very possible that nobody would be inside other than Pastor Daniels.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
More Dumb News to Think About
Variety - Neil Patrick Harris, Harvey Weinstein, Bryan Cranston Lobby for Broadway Tax Incentive. Tax breaks are the least capitalistic thing that the government does. Do we really need to give people a tax break of $15 million to put on Broadway shows and why are we giving this tax break to people who make movies?
Yahoo - New York Times - Tech Firms May Find No-Poaching Pacts Costly. Steve Jobs was not a capitalist, he was a cheap, selfish, self absorbed jerk. In addition to sending 1 million jobs over to Communist China (where numerous "employees" committed suicide because they couldn't take working for Apple), he was also making illegal agreements with others in the tech industry to prevent his American employees from working for other tech companies.
BBC - The people with ‘animal powers’. Another article about how it is okay for humans to become animals. This is not science fiction, this is now and it is evil. It is man attempting to become his own God and only becoming less than we were created.
Huffington Post - Getting Walmart Workers Off Food Stamps Would Cost Customers Barely Anything. Pretty much the same numbers I arrived at when I wrote a post about this months ago.
Huffington Post - 'Gospel of Jesus' Wife' Papyrus Is Ancient, Not Fake, Scientists And Scholars Say. Simply put, they found document fragments that were written 600 to 800 years after Jesus died that claimed he had a wife. The researcher involved determined that the fragments were in fact from 600 to 800 after the death of Jesus and said that they were not "forgeries". She did not claim that they were true; but, that is the impression that the media would like you to take. There is a reason the bible was put together and that was so that the churches that had been visited by the apostles could show the letters and writings that they had been given by the apostles to be consistent and have a history. The apostles sent letters to the churches at the time that Jesus died as the word spread and these churches treasured the letters and could attest to the fact that Paul or Peter was known by them, that they knew the letters were authentic, that is not true for "The Gospel of Mary". I am continually fascinated by the stupidity that will claim that Jesus did not exist and was married, pick one or the other.
Yahoo - New York Times - Tech Firms May Find No-Poaching Pacts Costly. Steve Jobs was not a capitalist, he was a cheap, selfish, self absorbed jerk. In addition to sending 1 million jobs over to Communist China (where numerous "employees" committed suicide because they couldn't take working for Apple), he was also making illegal agreements with others in the tech industry to prevent his American employees from working for other tech companies.
BBC - The people with ‘animal powers’. Another article about how it is okay for humans to become animals. This is not science fiction, this is now and it is evil. It is man attempting to become his own God and only becoming less than we were created.
Huffington Post - Getting Walmart Workers Off Food Stamps Would Cost Customers Barely Anything. Pretty much the same numbers I arrived at when I wrote a post about this months ago.
Huffington Post - 'Gospel of Jesus' Wife' Papyrus Is Ancient, Not Fake, Scientists And Scholars Say. Simply put, they found document fragments that were written 600 to 800 years after Jesus died that claimed he had a wife. The researcher involved determined that the fragments were in fact from 600 to 800 after the death of Jesus and said that they were not "forgeries". She did not claim that they were true; but, that is the impression that the media would like you to take. There is a reason the bible was put together and that was so that the churches that had been visited by the apostles could show the letters and writings that they had been given by the apostles to be consistent and have a history. The apostles sent letters to the churches at the time that Jesus died as the word spread and these churches treasured the letters and could attest to the fact that Paul or Peter was known by them, that they knew the letters were authentic, that is not true for "The Gospel of Mary". I am continually fascinated by the stupidity that will claim that Jesus did not exist and was married, pick one or the other.
Bundy Ranch and Stupidity
There is this place in Nevada, it is owned by the Federal Government and it charges a fee for having your cows graze on it. That is a fact. There is a rancher who has failed to pay the fees for having his cows graze on the land and the federal government wants to take his cattle to pay for the $1 million in fees he owes. The rancher says that they are taking away his rights and that the federal government is not allowed to buy property for wildlife reserves or prevent his cows from grazing on them. There are many "militia" people who are siding with him and have gone out to block the government from taking his cows and there are ultra conservative talking heads who are also supporting him. He is claiming that his Constitutional rights are being taken away. This is the story of the Bundy Ranch.
Lets start with this, his Constitutional argument is stupid. Maybe he never heard of the Louisiana Purchase or how we bought Alaska from the Russians. Maybe he doesn't understand how Nevada became part of the United States. Maybe he doesn't understand that he has no rights and following his logic the land would still belong to the American Indians. I saw an interview with the man, he claimed that the lands were his ranch; but, he never bought these lands and neither did his ancestors. Land ownership is a funny thing. You cannot own land, you die and the land continues to exist.
This disagreement has become a icon for the Tea Party movement. Those on the right who resent how the nation is changing have made this case a rallying cry. One should pick their battles carefully rather than looking for opportunities to battle. I resent how the nation is changing; but, lets look at this situation. Mr. Bundy has been interviewed saying that he is protecting "his ranch", the world is not his ranch or he does not believe in private property.
Now as boring as I find this little controversy, the problem is that people are using this as an excuse to stand in front of federal forces with guns and attempt to have a showdown. What concerns me is the polarizing positions that the media is attempting to promote. The media actually talked about how people could be killed and that it could be the next Waco and the Drudge Report talked about how the government had "backed down", like this is all some sort of schoolyard fight and was gloating over who won, nobody won and this is far from over.
Lets start with this, his Constitutional argument is stupid. Maybe he never heard of the Louisiana Purchase or how we bought Alaska from the Russians. Maybe he doesn't understand how Nevada became part of the United States. Maybe he doesn't understand that he has no rights and following his logic the land would still belong to the American Indians. I saw an interview with the man, he claimed that the lands were his ranch; but, he never bought these lands and neither did his ancestors. Land ownership is a funny thing. You cannot own land, you die and the land continues to exist.
This disagreement has become a icon for the Tea Party movement. Those on the right who resent how the nation is changing have made this case a rallying cry. One should pick their battles carefully rather than looking for opportunities to battle. I resent how the nation is changing; but, lets look at this situation. Mr. Bundy has been interviewed saying that he is protecting "his ranch", the world is not his ranch or he does not believe in private property.
Now as boring as I find this little controversy, the problem is that people are using this as an excuse to stand in front of federal forces with guns and attempt to have a showdown. What concerns me is the polarizing positions that the media is attempting to promote. The media actually talked about how people could be killed and that it could be the next Waco and the Drudge Report talked about how the government had "backed down", like this is all some sort of schoolyard fight and was gloating over who won, nobody won and this is far from over.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
A Question For Fools
God said that the smartest of us will be shown to be fools. Here is a simple question. Is it less sinful for a man to kill another man or sleep with another man? Simple question. I personally choose to do neither; but, the bigger question exists. We give awards to people for killing, we give the Congressional Medal of Whatever for killing people. What if we gave awards for men sleeping with other men rather than killing them? These questions are aimed at people who think they are Christians.
If you think that God wants kids to join the military then tell me how many of the Apostles joined the military. Yeah.... As long as people call themselves Christians and support people violating the ten commandments, the truth will not be understood and only those supporting the lies will be held accountable. The bad shepherds are the ones who beg for the penalty for short term gain.
If you think that God wants kids to join the military then tell me how many of the Apostles joined the military. Yeah.... As long as people call themselves Christians and support people violating the ten commandments, the truth will not be understood and only those supporting the lies will be held accountable. The bad shepherds are the ones who beg for the penalty for short term gain.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Lies, Liars and the Pimpernel's Future
The Pimpernel is intending on retiring late this year. I plan on retiring from my job and moving back to the desert. A different part of the desert; but, the desert still. I am seriously considering doing a AM radio talk show at a small radio station in the desert and doing it using my real name and explaining things that I have seen, know about and cannot talk about without revealing my real name.
Would you listen to the old Pimpernel talk on the radio (the station also produces internet podcasts for the radio shows)? Oh, no the Pimpernel would not get paid unless I played commercial; but, then again, I don't get paid for preaching either and I have never made a dime form this blog or monetized it. I would consider selling commercial time on a radio show; but, would be really picky about to whom. I think I would use all the money for more airtime. I am preparing a budget to determine how man hours I can afford to be on the air. I am thinking one hour a week at the 2 am slot.
Here are the kind of things I am thinking of discussing:
MyWay - GOP seeks coverage choices in health law they hate. So members of the Republican party that voted against "Obamacare" are trying to use it to help small businesses while still claiming they will see it eliminated next year. It is all theater and lies.
The Motley Fool - Mortgage Resets Are Beginning, and Things Could Get Ugly. The article is complete lies, let me give you a quote from it.
"Which institutions hold these loans? Of the 10 major servicers involved with HAMP, Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC ) , JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) are in the top five. At the end of 2013, redefaults for each bank associated with HAMP loans was 31% for B of A, 23% for JPMorgan, and 24% for Wells. Ocwen Loan Servicing and Nationstar Mortgage, the other two servicers in the top five, each had redefault rates of 30% and 26%, respectively. Can they expect a whole lot more in the next few years? It certainly seems like it."
The first sentence is contradictory because it is a lie. They ask which banks hold the mortgage loans, the real answer is none. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Reserve hold all the mortgage loans, not the banks. You doubt me; but, read the next sentence in the quote. It says that these banks are loan servicers because that is all they are. Your mortgage is owned by the government which owns Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, not by the banks.
Bloomberg - Fannie-Freddie Elimination Model in Apartments: Mortgages. Read through the article and remember that I wrote about this a month or so ago. People want to have the government sell off Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; but, keep 90% of it's liabilities with the government. They are proposing outright theft of government assets by selling the assets of and retaining all the liability.
Would you listen to the old Pimpernel talk on the radio (the station also produces internet podcasts for the radio shows)? Oh, no the Pimpernel would not get paid unless I played commercial; but, then again, I don't get paid for preaching either and I have never made a dime form this blog or monetized it. I would consider selling commercial time on a radio show; but, would be really picky about to whom. I think I would use all the money for more airtime. I am preparing a budget to determine how man hours I can afford to be on the air. I am thinking one hour a week at the 2 am slot.
Here are the kind of things I am thinking of discussing:
MyWay - GOP seeks coverage choices in health law they hate. So members of the Republican party that voted against "Obamacare" are trying to use it to help small businesses while still claiming they will see it eliminated next year. It is all theater and lies.
The Motley Fool - Mortgage Resets Are Beginning, and Things Could Get Ugly. The article is complete lies, let me give you a quote from it.
"Which institutions hold these loans? Of the 10 major servicers involved with HAMP, Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC ) , JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM ) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC ) are in the top five. At the end of 2013, redefaults for each bank associated with HAMP loans was 31% for B of A, 23% for JPMorgan, and 24% for Wells. Ocwen Loan Servicing and Nationstar Mortgage, the other two servicers in the top five, each had redefault rates of 30% and 26%, respectively. Can they expect a whole lot more in the next few years? It certainly seems like it."
The first sentence is contradictory because it is a lie. They ask which banks hold the mortgage loans, the real answer is none. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Reserve hold all the mortgage loans, not the banks. You doubt me; but, read the next sentence in the quote. It says that these banks are loan servicers because that is all they are. Your mortgage is owned by the government which owns Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, not by the banks.
Bloomberg - Fannie-Freddie Elimination Model in Apartments: Mortgages. Read through the article and remember that I wrote about this a month or so ago. People want to have the government sell off Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; but, keep 90% of it's liabilities with the government. They are proposing outright theft of government assets by selling the assets of and retaining all the liability.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Learn the Real Game, Watch These Videos
This blog is more about providing information than it is about providing answers. I don't care if people disagree with my conclusions, have fun with that. It is about identifying information that is relevant to making decisions. When I was in college a professor had us read "The History of the Peloponnesian War" By Thucydides. He is generally considered one of the first historians and political scientists. I have provided a link to the book and it was written in about 480 B.C.
Thucydides wrote about what both sides were saying during a particular war. The exact same stories are told to the public today, the garbage that we are told has not changed one bit. I was stunned when I read the book. Now the United Kingdom is discussing leaving the European Union and the nonsense being discussed is also the same as we will be confronted with in the future. The question of the elimination of national sovereignty in exchange for jobs. Watch the videos.
YouTube - Nick Clegg vs Nigel Farage, Europe debate 1 (26Mar14).
YouTube - Nick Clegg vs Nigel Farage, Europe debate 2 (02Apr14).
To learn the world, one must watch the world and not just complain about changes in their world.
Thucydides wrote about what both sides were saying during a particular war. The exact same stories are told to the public today, the garbage that we are told has not changed one bit. I was stunned when I read the book. Now the United Kingdom is discussing leaving the European Union and the nonsense being discussed is also the same as we will be confronted with in the future. The question of the elimination of national sovereignty in exchange for jobs. Watch the videos.
YouTube - Nick Clegg vs Nigel Farage, Europe debate 1 (26Mar14).
YouTube - Nick Clegg vs Nigel Farage, Europe debate 2 (02Apr14).
To learn the world, one must watch the world and not just complain about changes in their world.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Just Wondering
This blog continues to fascinate me. Someone left a comment on a post that I wrote years ago. It was nothing spectacular, I was questioning the use of DMT, a very powerful drug. The drug is claimed to have the ability to really open your mind. I don't believe most people can handle having their mind truly blown in such a short period. I am all for considering possibilities; but, I also know how hard it can be to have your whole world perspective taken away in a moment. I don't believe understanding comes in a pill.
Knowing everything is not the same as understanding everything, it does not mean that one would know what to do with all knowledge. It is narcissism in a pill, not earned and therefore foolishness. To seek knowledge for gain over others rather than seeking wisdom or understanding is the greatest folly in the universe. Have a great day.
Knowing everything is not the same as understanding everything, it does not mean that one would know what to do with all knowledge. It is narcissism in a pill, not earned and therefore foolishness. To seek knowledge for gain over others rather than seeking wisdom or understanding is the greatest folly in the universe. Have a great day.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Some news and talk about the media
New York Times - Why Employers Will Stop Offering Health Insurance. An interesting interview with one of the people behind the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He talks about how in the future he believes businesses will stop offering healthcare insurance to employees and instead give them pay increases to allow them to pay for it themselves. I believe this is exactly what we will see and that is in keeping with the way 401k plans work. The real bottom line is that businesses in the United States will be seeking to put more of the risk of being an employee on employees.
Yahoo - AFP - US, Dutch try to deposit billions in fake bonds in Vatican bank. I find this story intriguing as it is not the first time this has happened. On at least two other occasions people were caught trying to deposit billions of dollars in what is said to be fake treasury bonds. Nobody ever seems to follow up on these stories or get more detail and sometimes the perpetrators are let go. Funny.
Yahoo - Daily Ticker - We're in a private debt crisis that could lead to the next economic collapse: Richard Vague. I highly recommend you watch the very short video interview. The interviewee gives some numbers on debt in the United States. He says that the United States consumers and businesses have about $28 billion in debt. Okay, we also know that the US government has about $17 billion in debt. I have yet to hear a number that reflects debt from local and state government. Of the consumer and business debt about $1 trillion is student loans, $13 trillion is business loans, $9 trillion is mortgage loans. Hmm, let me test my math skills. Hey, that means $23 trillion is student, mortgage or business loans. That would mean that $5 trillion was car loans and unsecured or credit card loans (credit card loans are only about $600 billion). Earlier the man mentioned that household debt was about 160% of GDP (which happens to be about $17.5 trillion). 160% of $17.5 trillion is about $26.3 trillion.
He talked about how household debt was 160% of GDP; but, he used a figure that combined household debt with corporate debt. Here is where this gets real interesting, we are told that because of the government debt, every child is born with $50,000 in debt and if you multiply that by 350,000,000 people in the United States it comes out to $17.5 trillion if my calculator is working properly. Hmmmm. If you combine government debt with private and business debt the total is about $43.8 trillion or a little better than twice the GDP.
Now lets talk about household debt for a second. For every $50,000 someone makes, they would traditionally qualify for a 30 year fixed rate loan of $100,000 for a home and this would equate to 40% of their income not including their tax refund for paying their home loan. 40% of $50,000 is $20,000. I know this is a lot of numbers; but, I care about my readers and it upsets me how they are misled by the media which uses experts to explain the numbers while hiding the reality about them. The numbers aren't that bad, the debt is not that much, there is something else going on.
I used to make about $150,000 a year. I bought a house for a little less than $300,000 with a 30 year, 4% fixed loan. I was completely within the traditional requirements for buying a house and was more than capable of making the $2,100 per month payment which included property taxes and insurance. Now before you get too jealous you should know that I turned down well over triple that amount to work for others. You should also remember that I lost everything in my divorce including my house and ended up paying as much in alimony as I did for my house payment. My debt was over 200% of my income when you include credit card debt and car loans. It was not a problem to pay and I paid my taxes in full. Here is what I am saying, it is not uncommon for homeowners to have over 200% income to debt ratio and still easily pay off their debts over 30 years.
Now that is lots and lots of talk about debt numbers and it may be unclear why I bring this up, this is why you should have watched the video. In the video the man says that government debt is never the problem and that private debt is what takes down countries. It all sounds so reasonable until you understand what is really going on and what the man is really driving at, he wants to restructure private debt over a longer period of time and allow government debt to increase. The issue is the total debt that can be had.
He is saying the problem is that you cannot afford more government debt because you bought things for yourself on credit. The fact that the vast majority of household debt is home loans and car loans doesn't get mentioned. Imagine a world where the longest a home loan could be was 10 years and they would not lend you more than your total income. If you made $50,000 a year than you could only buy a house worth $50,000. Okay what would be the effect. Firstly house prices would drop immediately by half and then your payment would drop by half. Heck and increase in taxes by 50% would still leave you with more spendable cash than today.
I have been bothered by all the talk about eliminating the federal income tax. Personally, and I have said this before, I believe in a flat tax and eliminating all deductions. Everyone should pay 15% or so in income tax regardless of how they make the money or how they spend the money, pay as you benefit from living here. What if the end game was to eliminate the federal income tax and institute a federal property tax? Think it sounds crazy, how bout this. Imagine them getting rid of the mortgage deduction from your federal taxes, that would be a federal property tax and you wouldn't even call it that. By the way, I have been talking for 7 years about people who want to get rid of the tax deduction for mortgage payments.
Now I am going to go back to the man who gets interviewed. He lies. He said that banks needed to restructure the home loans that make up $9 trillion in debt. Banks don't own those loans, they are owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government. I wrote a post not long ago about how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are about to return hundreds of billions of dollars to the government based on the payment of these loans, what if they took those "profits" and used them to restructure the home loans they own and reduce the payments? It wouldn't cost the taxpayer a dime as the loans to Fannie and Freddie were paid off this year.
Right now England is experiencing a housing bubble. Whatever the decision we make on how to deal with this debt will be followed in England if this is all coordinated. Sorry, lost my train of thought and have to go to bed.
Yahoo - AFP - US, Dutch try to deposit billions in fake bonds in Vatican bank. I find this story intriguing as it is not the first time this has happened. On at least two other occasions people were caught trying to deposit billions of dollars in what is said to be fake treasury bonds. Nobody ever seems to follow up on these stories or get more detail and sometimes the perpetrators are let go. Funny.
Yahoo - Daily Ticker - We're in a private debt crisis that could lead to the next economic collapse: Richard Vague. I highly recommend you watch the very short video interview. The interviewee gives some numbers on debt in the United States. He says that the United States consumers and businesses have about $28 billion in debt. Okay, we also know that the US government has about $17 billion in debt. I have yet to hear a number that reflects debt from local and state government. Of the consumer and business debt about $1 trillion is student loans, $13 trillion is business loans, $9 trillion is mortgage loans. Hmm, let me test my math skills. Hey, that means $23 trillion is student, mortgage or business loans. That would mean that $5 trillion was car loans and unsecured or credit card loans (credit card loans are only about $600 billion). Earlier the man mentioned that household debt was about 160% of GDP (which happens to be about $17.5 trillion). 160% of $17.5 trillion is about $26.3 trillion.
He talked about how household debt was 160% of GDP; but, he used a figure that combined household debt with corporate debt. Here is where this gets real interesting, we are told that because of the government debt, every child is born with $50,000 in debt and if you multiply that by 350,000,000 people in the United States it comes out to $17.5 trillion if my calculator is working properly. Hmmmm. If you combine government debt with private and business debt the total is about $43.8 trillion or a little better than twice the GDP.
Now lets talk about household debt for a second. For every $50,000 someone makes, they would traditionally qualify for a 30 year fixed rate loan of $100,000 for a home and this would equate to 40% of their income not including their tax refund for paying their home loan. 40% of $50,000 is $20,000. I know this is a lot of numbers; but, I care about my readers and it upsets me how they are misled by the media which uses experts to explain the numbers while hiding the reality about them. The numbers aren't that bad, the debt is not that much, there is something else going on.
I used to make about $150,000 a year. I bought a house for a little less than $300,000 with a 30 year, 4% fixed loan. I was completely within the traditional requirements for buying a house and was more than capable of making the $2,100 per month payment which included property taxes and insurance. Now before you get too jealous you should know that I turned down well over triple that amount to work for others. You should also remember that I lost everything in my divorce including my house and ended up paying as much in alimony as I did for my house payment. My debt was over 200% of my income when you include credit card debt and car loans. It was not a problem to pay and I paid my taxes in full. Here is what I am saying, it is not uncommon for homeowners to have over 200% income to debt ratio and still easily pay off their debts over 30 years.
Now that is lots and lots of talk about debt numbers and it may be unclear why I bring this up, this is why you should have watched the video. In the video the man says that government debt is never the problem and that private debt is what takes down countries. It all sounds so reasonable until you understand what is really going on and what the man is really driving at, he wants to restructure private debt over a longer period of time and allow government debt to increase. The issue is the total debt that can be had.
He is saying the problem is that you cannot afford more government debt because you bought things for yourself on credit. The fact that the vast majority of household debt is home loans and car loans doesn't get mentioned. Imagine a world where the longest a home loan could be was 10 years and they would not lend you more than your total income. If you made $50,000 a year than you could only buy a house worth $50,000. Okay what would be the effect. Firstly house prices would drop immediately by half and then your payment would drop by half. Heck and increase in taxes by 50% would still leave you with more spendable cash than today.
I have been bothered by all the talk about eliminating the federal income tax. Personally, and I have said this before, I believe in a flat tax and eliminating all deductions. Everyone should pay 15% or so in income tax regardless of how they make the money or how they spend the money, pay as you benefit from living here. What if the end game was to eliminate the federal income tax and institute a federal property tax? Think it sounds crazy, how bout this. Imagine them getting rid of the mortgage deduction from your federal taxes, that would be a federal property tax and you wouldn't even call it that. By the way, I have been talking for 7 years about people who want to get rid of the tax deduction for mortgage payments.
Now I am going to go back to the man who gets interviewed. He lies. He said that banks needed to restructure the home loans that make up $9 trillion in debt. Banks don't own those loans, they are owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government. I wrote a post not long ago about how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are about to return hundreds of billions of dollars to the government based on the payment of these loans, what if they took those "profits" and used them to restructure the home loans they own and reduce the payments? It wouldn't cost the taxpayer a dime as the loans to Fannie and Freddie were paid off this year.
Right now England is experiencing a housing bubble. Whatever the decision we make on how to deal with this debt will be followed in England if this is all coordinated. Sorry, lost my train of thought and have to go to bed.
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