WND - Needing help, Newsome and Cuomo tone down criticism of Trump.
So, the states which had the strictest lockdowns made less in tax payments. What a surprise. If you cannot sell products or services and cannot pay employees, states get less in tax revenue. California claims it needs $54 billion and New York claims it needs $13 billion. These governor's are the same people that closed down the businesses. Did they not know it would effect tax collection? They want the states that didn't shut down all business to pay for their decisions. The coastal states did nothing for the Midwest other than outsource their jobs and industries and now want to take their money away too. If we bail out California and New York, I guarantee you they will lock us down again come October. BTW, I live in California.
Instead of bailing out these states, let them take their boot off of the local businesses and the taxes will be made up. Let them increase their own taxes and take responsibility for their actions, see if they get re-elected.
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Thursday, May 23, 2019
China, Climate and the Paris Accord
We are being told contradictory things. We are told the Paris Climate Accord will save our planet. We are also told that if we don't stabilize CO2 emissions by 2030 that the world will be doomed by 2050. We are told this by the exact same people; but, the facts are a little different.
The human activity caused CO2 was 37,077,404 gigatons in 2017. China produced 10,877,218 of those emissions or roughly slightly more than 1/4. The United States produced 5,107,393 of them. Australia produced 402,253 of them. China has been praised for taking a leadership role in the Paris Accord after the United States pulled out of the agreement. At the same time, China plans of increasing emissions by 100% by 2030, much of it from burning coal. By the way, since 2005, the United States has reduced it's emissions by about 1/6th.
A video showing the changes by year.
During the recent elections is Australia, their "Labor" party called for Australia to reduce their emissions by 45%. That wouldn't even make a dent in total emissions with China increasing their by 100%. This should make you wonder why the United Nations doesn't discuss this in their climate reports. This should make you ask why the media doesn't discuss it. In fact, 66% of the electrical energy in China comes from coal burning which is more than double the percentage coming from coal in the United States and China will be doubling the number of coal powered plants between now and 2030.
If every country in the world, except China, kept steady at their carbon emissions, we would still see a 25% increase in total emissions due to China alone. Include India in that equation and we are easily looking at a 35% increase overall.
Wikipedia - List of Countries by Carbon Emissions.
Why are we moving manufacturing to the country that is the biggest user of coal and producer of CO2 if we are concerned about CO2 emissions? Why don't the climate scientists, the media pundits or Bill Nye discuss this? Why don't climate scientists use the scientific method and prove their theories using experiments?
Time - It Didn't Take Long For China to Fill America's Shoes On Climate Change. Reads like propaganda to me and leaves out the facts I just mentioned.
National Review - The Key Charade of the Paris Agreement.
Western countries companies will tell you how they have reduced their CO2 emissions, their carbon footprint when in fact all they have done is outsource the emissions to China. You are told that if you don't eat meat one day a week, you will save the world; but, that is not even remotely going to offset China doubling their emissions.
People in the western world are being lied to. You are being told that if you live with less, the world will be saved while jobs and industry are being sent to the biggest polluters resulting in a net increase in CO2 which is in fact harmless.
The human activity caused CO2 was 37,077,404 gigatons in 2017. China produced 10,877,218 of those emissions or roughly slightly more than 1/4. The United States produced 5,107,393 of them. Australia produced 402,253 of them. China has been praised for taking a leadership role in the Paris Accord after the United States pulled out of the agreement. At the same time, China plans of increasing emissions by 100% by 2030, much of it from burning coal. By the way, since 2005, the United States has reduced it's emissions by about 1/6th.
A video showing the changes by year.
During the recent elections is Australia, their "Labor" party called for Australia to reduce their emissions by 45%. That wouldn't even make a dent in total emissions with China increasing their by 100%. This should make you wonder why the United Nations doesn't discuss this in their climate reports. This should make you ask why the media doesn't discuss it. In fact, 66% of the electrical energy in China comes from coal burning which is more than double the percentage coming from coal in the United States and China will be doubling the number of coal powered plants between now and 2030.
If every country in the world, except China, kept steady at their carbon emissions, we would still see a 25% increase in total emissions due to China alone. Include India in that equation and we are easily looking at a 35% increase overall.
Wikipedia - List of Countries by Carbon Emissions.
Why are we moving manufacturing to the country that is the biggest user of coal and producer of CO2 if we are concerned about CO2 emissions? Why don't the climate scientists, the media pundits or Bill Nye discuss this? Why don't climate scientists use the scientific method and prove their theories using experiments?
Time - It Didn't Take Long For China to Fill America's Shoes On Climate Change. Reads like propaganda to me and leaves out the facts I just mentioned.
National Review - The Key Charade of the Paris Agreement.
Western countries companies will tell you how they have reduced their CO2 emissions, their carbon footprint when in fact all they have done is outsource the emissions to China. You are told that if you don't eat meat one day a week, you will save the world; but, that is not even remotely going to offset China doubling their emissions.
People in the western world are being lied to. You are being told that if you live with less, the world will be saved while jobs and industry are being sent to the biggest polluters resulting in a net increase in CO2 which is in fact harmless.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
News Dump Friday. LOL. Good stuff going on you should know about.
No fancy post today, just cleaning up all the articles that I have been saving for you.
Fortune - Paris Wants to Ban the Combustion Engine by 2030. Yes, the City of Paris, not the country or province is making this decision on their own.
Fortune - France to Ban Sale of Gas Vehicles by 2040. Here is a line from this article, "The announcement follows Volvo’s announcement on Wednesday that it planned to cease making gas-powered cars and trucks and would instead only make electronic and hybrid vehicles starting in 2019."
Bloomberg - California Considers Following China With Combustion-Engine Car Ban. It might be a really bad time to invest in a new gas station.
Bloomberg - U.K. Joins France, Says Goodbye to Fossil-Fuel Cars by 2040. Don't worry, you won't have to think about this too much because you are never going to get a chance to vote on it.
The Sacramento Bee - California secessionists think their path to independence is easier than Catalonia’s. California is not going to secede. The money behind this is the tech industry, they don't want to be taxed.
MSN - Bloomberg - This country has plenty of jobs. Where are all the workers? Here is the narrative they are attempting to sell. Sweden has taken in hundreds of thousands of migrants; but, still can't fill their jobs. Somehow I don't think bringing I more unskilled Arab workers is going to fix this problem. Many of the migrants, if not most, do not speak or write Swedish.
Washintonian - The Washington Post’s New Social Media Policy Forbids Disparaging Advertisers. Corporate media like the Washington Post, frequently call for censoring the internet and apparently even what their employees say on their own time; but, think it is outrageous that Trump thought the FCC (which is responsible for regulating the airwaves, not cable or the internet) should look at whether or not media conglomerates should have their licenses reviewed when they post knowingly false stories. The concept is that they want to regulate free speech unless they have approved it.
CNET - Jeffrey Katzenberg: Harvey Weinstein 'not a lone actor'. By paragraph two of the article it becomes about Trump.
MSN - Washington Post - Analysis | Longtime foes on foreign policy, McCain and Biden form alliance against Trumpism. For his part, McCain who has made his career pushing nationalism to get elected now says that nationalism is bad and we should be internationalist. While Biden (from a different article) who has long claimed to be for the average guy is now promoting elitism and says populism (democracy) is the problem. There is no left or right, just globalist working for international corporations.
Julia Reda - What the Commission found out about copyright infringement but ‘forgot’ to tell us. While the article is interesting as it pertains to copyright, the thing that stuck out for me was that the EU was considering requiring internet providers to use filters that prevent people from uploading material to the internet that hasn't been checked for copyright infringement. The same filter could be used to prevent other things from being uploaded.
Yahoo - Reuters - U.S. bill to regulate internet ads gains bipartisan support with McCain. McCain is so full of it. Lets go back a bit. PC Magazine - McCain Bill Would Ban FCC Internet Regulations. That article is from 2009.
Huffington Post - What The Hell Was This Rachel Maddow Segment? I am not even going to comment. It is pretty bad when the uberliberal Huffington Post has to call out uberliberal Trump hating Rachel Maddow for making stuff up about him.
Yahoo - AFP - G7, tech giants agree on plan to block jihadist content online. Here is a line from the article, "While acknowledging progress had been made, Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd insisted "companies need to go further and faster to not only take down extremist content but also stop it being uploaded in the first place"." Now if all you read was this article, you might miss this line or the fact that the EU wants to regulate what you can upload as is pointed out in one of the articles above. They want to regulate copyright material and anything that is not acceptable in their eyes; but, the excuse is to fight terrorists.
I have never attempted to hide what I believe in on this blog. I will restate it. I believe in strong national borders, a flat income tax with no deductions, taxing inheritances (you really are not entitled to your parents money), free trade or college education for all, universal healthcare, nationalizing any company that refuses to return it's taxes to the US, freedom of speech (on and off the internet using the same legal precedent - you cannot libel people or engage in a criminal conspiracy) and that we should have a new WPA (government jobs for all rebuilding our infrastructure and building the infrastructure of the future, including sending people to Mars). I believe in reasonable gun control, I do believe people have a right to own guns for hunting and self protection (even though I am a pacifist). I was against the war in Iraq. I have written about all of these things, except the Mars thing, I am going to post on that soon enough. I doubt very much that Trump would agree with me on most of these items; but, I will continue to call out the oligarchical media for lying about him. Read my next post about labor.
Fortune - Paris Wants to Ban the Combustion Engine by 2030. Yes, the City of Paris, not the country or province is making this decision on their own.
Fortune - France to Ban Sale of Gas Vehicles by 2040. Here is a line from this article, "The announcement follows Volvo’s announcement on Wednesday that it planned to cease making gas-powered cars and trucks and would instead only make electronic and hybrid vehicles starting in 2019."
Bloomberg - California Considers Following China With Combustion-Engine Car Ban. It might be a really bad time to invest in a new gas station.
Bloomberg - U.K. Joins France, Says Goodbye to Fossil-Fuel Cars by 2040. Don't worry, you won't have to think about this too much because you are never going to get a chance to vote on it.
The Sacramento Bee - California secessionists think their path to independence is easier than Catalonia’s. California is not going to secede. The money behind this is the tech industry, they don't want to be taxed.
MSN - Bloomberg - This country has plenty of jobs. Where are all the workers? Here is the narrative they are attempting to sell. Sweden has taken in hundreds of thousands of migrants; but, still can't fill their jobs. Somehow I don't think bringing I more unskilled Arab workers is going to fix this problem. Many of the migrants, if not most, do not speak or write Swedish.
Washintonian - The Washington Post’s New Social Media Policy Forbids Disparaging Advertisers. Corporate media like the Washington Post, frequently call for censoring the internet and apparently even what their employees say on their own time; but, think it is outrageous that Trump thought the FCC (which is responsible for regulating the airwaves, not cable or the internet) should look at whether or not media conglomerates should have their licenses reviewed when they post knowingly false stories. The concept is that they want to regulate free speech unless they have approved it.
CNET - Jeffrey Katzenberg: Harvey Weinstein 'not a lone actor'. By paragraph two of the article it becomes about Trump.
MSN - Washington Post - Analysis | Longtime foes on foreign policy, McCain and Biden form alliance against Trumpism. For his part, McCain who has made his career pushing nationalism to get elected now says that nationalism is bad and we should be internationalist. While Biden (from a different article) who has long claimed to be for the average guy is now promoting elitism and says populism (democracy) is the problem. There is no left or right, just globalist working for international corporations.
Julia Reda - What the Commission found out about copyright infringement but ‘forgot’ to tell us. While the article is interesting as it pertains to copyright, the thing that stuck out for me was that the EU was considering requiring internet providers to use filters that prevent people from uploading material to the internet that hasn't been checked for copyright infringement. The same filter could be used to prevent other things from being uploaded.
Yahoo - Reuters - U.S. bill to regulate internet ads gains bipartisan support with McCain. McCain is so full of it. Lets go back a bit. PC Magazine - McCain Bill Would Ban FCC Internet Regulations. That article is from 2009.
Huffington Post - What The Hell Was This Rachel Maddow Segment? I am not even going to comment. It is pretty bad when the uberliberal Huffington Post has to call out uberliberal Trump hating Rachel Maddow for making stuff up about him.
Yahoo - AFP - G7, tech giants agree on plan to block jihadist content online. Here is a line from the article, "While acknowledging progress had been made, Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd insisted "companies need to go further and faster to not only take down extremist content but also stop it being uploaded in the first place"." Now if all you read was this article, you might miss this line or the fact that the EU wants to regulate what you can upload as is pointed out in one of the articles above. They want to regulate copyright material and anything that is not acceptable in their eyes; but, the excuse is to fight terrorists.
I have never attempted to hide what I believe in on this blog. I will restate it. I believe in strong national borders, a flat income tax with no deductions, taxing inheritances (you really are not entitled to your parents money), free trade or college education for all, universal healthcare, nationalizing any company that refuses to return it's taxes to the US, freedom of speech (on and off the internet using the same legal precedent - you cannot libel people or engage in a criminal conspiracy) and that we should have a new WPA (government jobs for all rebuilding our infrastructure and building the infrastructure of the future, including sending people to Mars). I believe in reasonable gun control, I do believe people have a right to own guns for hunting and self protection (even though I am a pacifist). I was against the war in Iraq. I have written about all of these things, except the Mars thing, I am going to post on that soon enough. I doubt very much that Trump would agree with me on most of these items; but, I will continue to call out the oligarchical media for lying about him. Read my next post about labor.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Would You Sleep With Me for a Million Dollars?
Nothing important just an observation. TMZ reported - Harvey WeinsteinFlying to Europe Tonight For Sex Addiction Rehab on 10/10/17, 7:40 PM PDT. This was also reported by the Daily Mail in England and other newspapers. Alex Jones reported "REPORT: Trump’s Justice Department Moves on Weinstein, Orders FBI to Open Probe Over Fears he will ‘do a Polanski’"
A note to my readers, I do not endorse Alex Jones, in fact I do not as a rule even link to him. I had to link to what he said, if I am to be fair when discussing this event, the subject of the post.
So here is the timeline. Weinstein is called out as a molester by multiple women in a magazine report. Other famous women come forward and a tape on which Weinstein appears to admit having groped women. His ship quickly sinks, his attorney quits his case and his wife announces she is leaving him after he is forced to leave the company he founded. It is then claimed that he is attempting to leave for Europe to attend rehab; but, ends up staying and it is reported he is headed to Arizona for rehab. In between was the Alex Jones report that the Justice Department is moving on him. See, the federal government does not have any jurisdiction over these matters and as far as I know, no criminal charges have made against Weinstein. That should mean that he would be free to leave the country, so why didn't he?
What if Mr. Weinstein was put on a "no fly" list? Guess what, they don't need to charge you with a crime to put you on a no fly list. Can they put people on no fly lists on the mere suspicion that they might be charged with a crime? The answer is yes.
After Mr. Weinstein decided to stay in the US, his daughter called the police to say he was suicidal. TMZ - Harvey Weinstein Suicide Threat Prompts Police Response.
While I could care less about Weinstein, I find this story interesting. Not the fact that he molested women, that would never surprise me in Hollywood. The fact that everyone had heard the rumors and said nothing does not surprise me. The abject fear it has caused in Hollywood surprises me. They may be afraid of who is taken down next. We cannot even imagine what secrets Weinstein knows about people in Hollywood or who he would be willing to sell out for a better plea deal if charged. This guy begged others executives to help him to keep his job and he is known for being vengeful. Maybe that is why it took a week for so many in Hollywood to say anything. The insane attempts to make this about Trump (the LA Times has chosen to make it about Bannon, it is a company town) is a desperate attempt to kill the story that is not proving successful. The attempt is being made because Weinstein still has power in this town and still owns lots of shares in the company and knows lots of secret.
Weinstein is sort of like Kaddafi when he was captured by his opponents. He is in shock that none come to help him, he cannot believe his kingdom is crumbling because he masturbated in a plant pot in front of an actress or asked for naked massages or even touched them. He cannot believe it because he thinks that is how this industry works and it has been since the beginning. Washington DC is no different. Power and sex go hand in hand, it does not take much power to get lots of sex. If people will cheat on their spouse for free or hook up for dinner and drinks than they will certainly have sex in exchange for becoming a celebrity or getting a promotion.
While it is easy to condemn people who abuse power as Harvey Weinstein did, the fact is that it is really a question of what people will do to get ahead, to achieve their personal dreams. If you could avoid the gas chamber by sleeping with your guard, would you? If you were homeless would you sleep with a cop to drugs and a hotel room for the night? Would you sleep with a Hollywood producer to get a million dollars? How about to get a career worth $100 million?
I have talked about the Aussie sex worker who stayed with me and my family for a week or so (I don't remember exactly how long it was), she was stunned that I would not consider sleeping with her. She told me that she expected men in their 40s (as I was at the time) to seek it.
For my male readers I will ask a question. Would you turn down sex from a woman who offered it to you if there was no price tag for the service? We live in a world where sex is a commodity, it is traded on a daily basis and I am not referencing prostitution. Contrary to popular belief, prostitution is not illegal in Hollywood, in fact porno movies pay people to have sex, the definition of prostitution. I pointed this out in law school over 30 years ago. I asked why we did not charge porno movie producers and directors as pimps as they paid people to have sex. I was laughed at; but, nobody has ever answered the question from a legal perspective. Is it okay to pay people for sex as long as you film it?
There is a schism in people's minds. They will tell you that we should not allow people to go to jail for prostitution; but, we should put people in jail for asking for sex in exchange for getting a job. What is the difference?
Now, lets get away from sex. Would you lie for your company if it meant you would make $! million a year? What about a hundred million a year?
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Jobs, Water and Banking. Things you should follow.
Washington Examiner - Jeb Bush warns robots taking US jobs is not science fiction. Jeb points out that 38% of the jobs could be gone in the next decade. His answer, more education. The truth, not everyone can learn to be a computer programmer well enough to start their own game company. If the average IQ is 100 then half the people on earth have IQs that are lower than that. How many people with IQs of 80 can we really expect to become scientists or computer programmers? Jeb also wants Trump to bring up the issue; but, not do anything to address it.
PWC- Up to 30% of existing UK jobs could be impacted by automation by early 2030s, but this should be offset by job gains elsewhere in economy. Basically, tech people are saying the same thing as Bush. Funny thing is none of them can tell you why we will need the same number of employees when all the manufacturing and physically strenuous labor jobs are gone or why we would suddenly need ten times as many people in tech jobs. They do admit the rich will get richer; but, ignore the poor getting poorer as much as possible.
Las Vegas Sun - Water officials to crack down on overuse of private wells. In 2009 Nevada began planning on regulating the use of wells on people's private property.
Pahrump Valley Times - Voluntary well metering urged. In 2014 a county in Nevada decides they don't want to follow state law and issue water permits for people using private wells.
Pahrump Valley Times - Well owners, utilities quarrel over water plans.
mynews4.com - Hundreds voice opinions on recommendations to meter Nevada wells.
Bloomberg - Cohn Backs Wall Street Split of Lending, Investment Banks. There are fears on Wall Street that the Trump administration wants to bring back Glass Steagall. We would not have had the crash if Glass Steagall had not been gutted by the Republicans and Democrats.
PWC- Up to 30% of existing UK jobs could be impacted by automation by early 2030s, but this should be offset by job gains elsewhere in economy. Basically, tech people are saying the same thing as Bush. Funny thing is none of them can tell you why we will need the same number of employees when all the manufacturing and physically strenuous labor jobs are gone or why we would suddenly need ten times as many people in tech jobs. They do admit the rich will get richer; but, ignore the poor getting poorer as much as possible.
Las Vegas Sun - Water officials to crack down on overuse of private wells. In 2009 Nevada began planning on regulating the use of wells on people's private property.
Pahrump Valley Times - Voluntary well metering urged. In 2014 a county in Nevada decides they don't want to follow state law and issue water permits for people using private wells.
Pahrump Valley Times - Well owners, utilities quarrel over water plans.
mynews4.com - Hundreds voice opinions on recommendations to meter Nevada wells.
Bloomberg - Cohn Backs Wall Street Split of Lending, Investment Banks. There are fears on Wall Street that the Trump administration wants to bring back Glass Steagall. We would not have had the crash if Glass Steagall had not been gutted by the Republicans and Democrats.
Monday, November 21, 2016
All the Post Election Noise Explained
This is the noisiest post election in my life. There are a couple of reasons for this.
1. There are those that hope that if they make enough noise electors will violate their trust and vote in the electoral college differently than the people of their state voted and the election will be given to Hillary instead of Trump. That noise will end in December after the electoral college meets. Just so you know, the Electoral college is a constitutional mandate. To claim that it is undemocratic because it gives small states a say would be the same as saying congress is undemocratic because your state gets the same number of electors as it gets congressional representation.
2. The blaming game amongst Democrats over why they lost the election will continue for longer. The Democratic party is fighting over who they will represent. The Democratic party used to represent the working class; but, turned their back on them to outreach to changing demographics, especially the Latino vote and people in the tech industry. Right now they are fighting over whether or not they are going to make efforts to reach out to the Midwest and working class and the party establishment wants to continue ignoring them while the progressive wing wants to stick to supporting their Midwest rust belt working class voters. My guess is that they will continue with the path they have been on and lose the Midwest.
3. The Republican party, for it's part, is attempting to guide Trump to follow their old policies that he has already rejected. Trump is not a hawk; but, is instead more protectionist and isolationist. He is not focused on "social issues" or "wedge issues". Those are issues like abortion, gay marriage, marijuana legalization, and other non-economic issues. The Republican establishment, like the Democratic establishment, is infighting over who they are going to represent over whether or not it will represent the working class and middle class or go after Latino and tech voters.
4. The media is adding to all the above noise because they were unable to stop Trump winning and it shows that they are not as powerful as they thought they were. It also demonstrates that they over charge for advertising. MSN - Wall Street Journal - After Trump's Win, Ad Agencies Worry They Misunderstand Consumers.
1. There are those that hope that if they make enough noise electors will violate their trust and vote in the electoral college differently than the people of their state voted and the election will be given to Hillary instead of Trump. That noise will end in December after the electoral college meets. Just so you know, the Electoral college is a constitutional mandate. To claim that it is undemocratic because it gives small states a say would be the same as saying congress is undemocratic because your state gets the same number of electors as it gets congressional representation.
2. The blaming game amongst Democrats over why they lost the election will continue for longer. The Democratic party is fighting over who they will represent. The Democratic party used to represent the working class; but, turned their back on them to outreach to changing demographics, especially the Latino vote and people in the tech industry. Right now they are fighting over whether or not they are going to make efforts to reach out to the Midwest and working class and the party establishment wants to continue ignoring them while the progressive wing wants to stick to supporting their Midwest rust belt working class voters. My guess is that they will continue with the path they have been on and lose the Midwest.
3. The Republican party, for it's part, is attempting to guide Trump to follow their old policies that he has already rejected. Trump is not a hawk; but, is instead more protectionist and isolationist. He is not focused on "social issues" or "wedge issues". Those are issues like abortion, gay marriage, marijuana legalization, and other non-economic issues. The Republican establishment, like the Democratic establishment, is infighting over who they are going to represent over whether or not it will represent the working class and middle class or go after Latino and tech voters.
4. The media is adding to all the above noise because they were unable to stop Trump winning and it shows that they are not as powerful as they thought they were. It also demonstrates that they over charge for advertising. MSN - Wall Street Journal - After Trump's Win, Ad Agencies Worry They Misunderstand Consumers.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
The Reality of the Midwest, Not Glee
Lima, Ohio is the town where the show Glee takes place. If you watch the show it has a lot of middle class happy people and they are all doing well. That is not the reality. In 1999 a documentary was made about the town. The show was called, "Lost in Middle America (and what happened next).
Lima is like a lot of the Midwest, deindustrialized with less and less hope. While it is relatively easy for people who are doing well and living on the coast to disparage Trump voters as racist, xenophobic and sexist, the reality is a little more complicated. For people in Detroit, Pittsburg and hundreds of cities in the Midwest, there are no jobs. These people want jobs and they are laughed at by people in Washington D.C. and New York as stupid.
The Democratic party used to be for the workers; but, no longer. It is focused on social issues and ignores economic ones. The new Democrats are people who make their money in the tech industries and minorities. That is the reality. The Republican party in the meantime is now filled with people in the financial industry and what is left of the manufacturing workers. This election was about traditional workers in both parties revolting against their parties establishment.
In regards to the Democratic party, the establishment won and the workers lost. Hillary said nothing about bringing jobs back or even slowing their leaving. In regards to the Republican party, the workers won and the establishment lost. Trump mainly spoke about bringing jobs back.
Both parties are now reshaping themselves and it will be interesting to see if either party reaches out to the working class in the future. The media, for it's part, has made it clear, they do not like, respect or want to hear from the workers who have lost their jobs. They could at least show some sympathy and try and offer something to them; but, they just don't care about them.
Lima is like a lot of the Midwest, deindustrialized with less and less hope. While it is relatively easy for people who are doing well and living on the coast to disparage Trump voters as racist, xenophobic and sexist, the reality is a little more complicated. For people in Detroit, Pittsburg and hundreds of cities in the Midwest, there are no jobs. These people want jobs and they are laughed at by people in Washington D.C. and New York as stupid.
The Democratic party used to be for the workers; but, no longer. It is focused on social issues and ignores economic ones. The new Democrats are people who make their money in the tech industries and minorities. That is the reality. The Republican party in the meantime is now filled with people in the financial industry and what is left of the manufacturing workers. This election was about traditional workers in both parties revolting against their parties establishment.
In regards to the Democratic party, the establishment won and the workers lost. Hillary said nothing about bringing jobs back or even slowing their leaving. In regards to the Republican party, the workers won and the establishment lost. Trump mainly spoke about bringing jobs back.
Both parties are now reshaping themselves and it will be interesting to see if either party reaches out to the working class in the future. The media, for it's part, has made it clear, they do not like, respect or want to hear from the workers who have lost their jobs. They could at least show some sympathy and try and offer something to them; but, they just don't care about them.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Why Hillary Lost and Protests
Hillary could have won. The Democrats could have won the senate and house. Part of the reason they failed was because they ignored and insulted the future of the party, people who wanted change. Hillary promised no change.
Do you remember the Occupy movement? Do you remember their issues. They wanted an end to trade agreements that leave them without jobs and they wanted the banks to be regulated more. She promised neither of those things and in fact, the exact opposite. They assumed Sanders people would support her no matter what she did and that did not work out.
As for the protests. They are meaningless and silly. You do not see protests by blacks in Detroit because they don't want to see more auto jobs being outsourced. We saw protests in Philadelphia (the City of brotherly love?); but, not in Pittsburg because they want manufacturing jobs back. We did see protests in Berkley and Los Angeles because those places are not manufacturing centers and are doing pretty well. The protests are happening where the few are doing well, not where the many are doing poorly. That is the group that voted for Trump, the people who have had to bear the consequences of the disappearing jobs, high unemployment and lack of opportunity.
The Midwest is in shambles. Not because of sexism, xenophobia, racism or any other ism. The Midwest is in trouble because all the good jobs left the vast middle of this country that sits between New York and Los Angeles. Those are the people who voted for Trump and would have voted for Sanders if they had been given the chance.
Do you remember the Occupy movement? Do you remember their issues. They wanted an end to trade agreements that leave them without jobs and they wanted the banks to be regulated more. She promised neither of those things and in fact, the exact opposite. They assumed Sanders people would support her no matter what she did and that did not work out.
As for the protests. They are meaningless and silly. You do not see protests by blacks in Detroit because they don't want to see more auto jobs being outsourced. We saw protests in Philadelphia (the City of brotherly love?); but, not in Pittsburg because they want manufacturing jobs back. We did see protests in Berkley and Los Angeles because those places are not manufacturing centers and are doing pretty well. The protests are happening where the few are doing well, not where the many are doing poorly. That is the group that voted for Trump, the people who have had to bear the consequences of the disappearing jobs, high unemployment and lack of opportunity.
The Midwest is in shambles. Not because of sexism, xenophobia, racism or any other ism. The Midwest is in trouble because all the good jobs left the vast middle of this country that sits between New York and Los Angeles. Those are the people who voted for Trump and would have voted for Sanders if they had been given the chance.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Uber Invests in Self-Driving Trucks
MSN - Motor Trend - Uber Buys Self-Driving Truck Company Otto. Kids, when the biggest companies in the world are all betting on self driving vehicles taking over in the next five to ten years, pay attention. Mercedes, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Ford and GM all start betting on self driving vehicles being the next big thing, listen to them. When every country in the world, all the major banks and all retailers start betting on a cashless society, listen to them. Where your gold is, there is where your heart is, or something close to that is in the bible. Ignore the media, follow the money (the investments)
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Social Security, Pensions and Fewer Workers to Pay Taxes.
The media and the politicians who are owned by the wealthy are all telling us that we can no longer afford social security, welfare, public colleges at low cost or any other public expenditures that benefit the middle class, the working class or the poor. Yet, at the same time we are told that everything is fine and that the nation is actually making more money than it used to. If we used to be able to afford these things when the country had less wealthy than why can't we still afford them?
Here is what is really going on. The truth is that we can afford these things; but, because automation is going to continually reduce the number of workers needed, taxes will have to fall more on the few who are wealthy. We all know that since 2008 all the gains that have been made economically have gone to the top half of the one percent. That income inequality will only increase as we have fewer and fewer jobs.
I have previously written that people need to understand this trend so that we can have a real discussion about these issues. If you are wondering why the wealthy donors who used to support the Republican presidential nominee are turning away from Trump for Clinton or the Libertarian party, it is because they believe that the Clintons and Libertarians will weaken these social programs. Remember, Bill Clinton made major reductions to welfare during his term in office.
Here is what is really going on. The truth is that we can afford these things; but, because automation is going to continually reduce the number of workers needed, taxes will have to fall more on the few who are wealthy. We all know that since 2008 all the gains that have been made economically have gone to the top half of the one percent. That income inequality will only increase as we have fewer and fewer jobs.
I have previously written that people need to understand this trend so that we can have a real discussion about these issues. If you are wondering why the wealthy donors who used to support the Republican presidential nominee are turning away from Trump for Clinton or the Libertarian party, it is because they believe that the Clintons and Libertarians will weaken these social programs. Remember, Bill Clinton made major reductions to welfare during his term in office.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Sanders Supporters and the Media.
Bernie Sanders had many supporters and I believe was a sincere man. If anything his problem was that he tried to play a game and didn't understand the rules or how to keep true to his beliefs when confronted with the need to drop out of the race. While I have said that I detest the Clintons and the Bushes, I have never said I disliked Bernie, what I have said is that I am disappointed in him. Since he has supported Hillary, I am not alone in being disappointed. Imagine if Jeb Bush had won the primaries and Trump came out and supported him, how do you think the Trump supporters would have felt. Trump and Sanders both ran on being against the establishment and a rigged system.
One thing I have not done is insult Bernie, Hillary, Bush, Trump or anyone else's supporters. That is the last sign or desperation and is despicable in a democracy. To describe anyone's supporters as all the same is both stupid and stereotyping. I have seen a lot of that this year by the establishment media. I have seen Trumps supporters all be called racist, stupid, joe six pack, women haters and everything else you can think of, oh yeah and Nazis. That last onw bothers me and is an insult to all the people killed by the Nazis. I have seen the same type of stereotyping used against the Sanders supporters by the Democratic establishment. They are accused of being young, stupid, crybabies and disloyal to the Democratic party. People, they are not members of your party or your establishment, that was what this election was all about, the establishment versus the people. At the convention Sarah Silverman called Sander's supporters "ridiculous" for not wanting Hillary Clinton while also wanting them to chant "unity". People don't want unity with people who call them ridiculous. Think about this, Trump never slammed his opponents supporters, not Hillary's and not Bushes.
I watched a number of videos today about the election. Lets see, there are more articles asking whether or not the Russians hacked the DNC's e-mails than discussed the fact that they showed the DNC was actively working to get Hillary elected and undermine Sanders. They wanted to attack Sanders for being an atheist. Wait, please tell me what religion Clinton is. Is she a Baptist, Lutheran or what. She is no Christian. Nobody is voting for Hillary because of her devout Christianity. The fact of the matter is that Hillary is smug, condescending and insincere.
Why has this come up? Well, I have been collecting videos to compare and contrast; but, I cannot post them until after the DNC has closed. It will be a post about media manipulation and propaganda. In preparation of the post, I have been watching all the late night shows. The post will be about how the media treats Hillary and Trump. In the course of watching these videos I found one particularly annoying, smug, condescending and insincere and it is by Seth Meyers. It is an attack on Sanders supporters and you should watch it. He can kiss away lots of his younger audience and rightly so.
YouTube - Hey! A Message to Bernie or Bust Die-Hards. He begins by saying that the Sanders supporters who booed the head of the DNC that actively worked to help Hillary and hurt Sanders were all white. Wow. He then says that "We don't have time for this", I don't recall him saying that about the Cruz supporters who attempted to steal the election by changing the majority rules at the RNC. He then tells Sanders supporters to "stop crying". He also says, "I don't know what class you ditched to go to those Sanders rallies". What he knows is that the younger people don't trust, like or want Hillary and he proceeds to chastise them and threaten them will Trump taking over as a dictator.
I should also point out that Meyers says about 48% of all Americans are crazy. He then goes on to say that even though the Bernie supporters hate her, they should have the decency to not say it and he says that Bernie is too old and needs to retire. This is his appeal for Democratic unity. He finishes by telling Sanders supporters to be quiet and basically shut up.
Many pundits have said that Trump is the end of the GOP; but, this election will probably be the end of the Democrats. Those young people who are roundly being insulted by the Democrats do not like globalism or the establishment and they are being slapped in the face by the Democratic party.
UPDATE:
You know what is really upsetting me, I didn't know all of it; but, I am mad at Sanders for not standing up for his supporters.
One thing I have not done is insult Bernie, Hillary, Bush, Trump or anyone else's supporters. That is the last sign or desperation and is despicable in a democracy. To describe anyone's supporters as all the same is both stupid and stereotyping. I have seen a lot of that this year by the establishment media. I have seen Trumps supporters all be called racist, stupid, joe six pack, women haters and everything else you can think of, oh yeah and Nazis. That last onw bothers me and is an insult to all the people killed by the Nazis. I have seen the same type of stereotyping used against the Sanders supporters by the Democratic establishment. They are accused of being young, stupid, crybabies and disloyal to the Democratic party. People, they are not members of your party or your establishment, that was what this election was all about, the establishment versus the people. At the convention Sarah Silverman called Sander's supporters "ridiculous" for not wanting Hillary Clinton while also wanting them to chant "unity". People don't want unity with people who call them ridiculous. Think about this, Trump never slammed his opponents supporters, not Hillary's and not Bushes.
I watched a number of videos today about the election. Lets see, there are more articles asking whether or not the Russians hacked the DNC's e-mails than discussed the fact that they showed the DNC was actively working to get Hillary elected and undermine Sanders. They wanted to attack Sanders for being an atheist. Wait, please tell me what religion Clinton is. Is she a Baptist, Lutheran or what. She is no Christian. Nobody is voting for Hillary because of her devout Christianity. The fact of the matter is that Hillary is smug, condescending and insincere.
Why has this come up? Well, I have been collecting videos to compare and contrast; but, I cannot post them until after the DNC has closed. It will be a post about media manipulation and propaganda. In preparation of the post, I have been watching all the late night shows. The post will be about how the media treats Hillary and Trump. In the course of watching these videos I found one particularly annoying, smug, condescending and insincere and it is by Seth Meyers. It is an attack on Sanders supporters and you should watch it. He can kiss away lots of his younger audience and rightly so.
YouTube - Hey! A Message to Bernie or Bust Die-Hards. He begins by saying that the Sanders supporters who booed the head of the DNC that actively worked to help Hillary and hurt Sanders were all white. Wow. He then says that "We don't have time for this", I don't recall him saying that about the Cruz supporters who attempted to steal the election by changing the majority rules at the RNC. He then tells Sanders supporters to "stop crying". He also says, "I don't know what class you ditched to go to those Sanders rallies". What he knows is that the younger people don't trust, like or want Hillary and he proceeds to chastise them and threaten them will Trump taking over as a dictator.
I should also point out that Meyers says about 48% of all Americans are crazy. He then goes on to say that even though the Bernie supporters hate her, they should have the decency to not say it and he says that Bernie is too old and needs to retire. This is his appeal for Democratic unity. He finishes by telling Sanders supporters to be quiet and basically shut up.
Many pundits have said that Trump is the end of the GOP; but, this election will probably be the end of the Democrats. Those young people who are roundly being insulted by the Democrats do not like globalism or the establishment and they are being slapped in the face by the Democratic party.
UPDATE:
You know what is really upsetting me, I didn't know all of it; but, I am mad at Sanders for not standing up for his supporters.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
American Manufacturing and the Election
I have been reading articles that ridicule the idea of bringing back manufacturing. They all basically say that jobs coming back will go to robots. Okay; but, the revenue from manufacturing would return to the United States which would help take care of this country. The wealthy do not want that but the middle class and working class do, that is what the Sanders and Trump campaigns are about.
The wealthy's hate of Democracy and a strong middle class became fervent in the late 1960s and one indication of it was a memo written by Lewis Powell, who became a Supreme Court justice when he pleaded with the Chamber of Commerce to help change public opinion so that the power could be taken away from the majority.
The Powell Memorandum
He basically claimed that business could not tolerate the democratic process being used to fight against big business or for consumers. He called for using the educational system and the media to propagandize the middle class. Nothing has changed. Oh, that memo was issued in 1971, that is when the attacks on the middle class were began in earnest.
The wealthy's hate of Democracy and a strong middle class became fervent in the late 1960s and one indication of it was a memo written by Lewis Powell, who became a Supreme Court justice when he pleaded with the Chamber of Commerce to help change public opinion so that the power could be taken away from the majority.
The Powell Memorandum
He basically claimed that business could not tolerate the democratic process being used to fight against big business or for consumers. He called for using the educational system and the media to propagandize the middle class. Nothing has changed. Oh, that memo was issued in 1971, that is when the attacks on the middle class were began in earnest.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Donald Trump Wins the Republican Party Nomination
This has been the most fascinating election in my lifetime. I am clearly a news junkie and follow this stuff intensely. While I personally am a social Democrat, I cannot help but look at the media manipulation and spin that they put out to lead us to vote as they would want. Lets start with how this race began, it began with the media saying that nobody would vote for Trump and that he was a joke candidate. The Huffington Post actually put reporting on Trump in the Entertainment section.
In Indiana 92% of the people said the issue was jobs and the economy. Trump has won more votes than any other Republican in the history of the primaries. Trumps number one issue is American jobs and how illegal immigration and outsourcing to China effects those jobs. Here is what you need to understand, the people do not wish to be told how to vote by the media. They do not trust the media. This is a fact and their shrill attacks on Trump and even more importantly against people who voted for him has made the media even less trusted.
The Trump and Sanders candidacies are a slap in the face of the "business as usual" establishment. Neither Trump nor Sanders wants to see American jobs continue being sent overseas. Why didn't anyone else address this issue. Most of the Republicans said the way to create jobs was to give tax breaks to the wealthy; but, ignored that those jobs would be in China and not here. When Carrier decided to move their business it helped Trump win and that was the news story. That was the story because the media knows that the real issue is American jobs and the economy. The problem is that the media supports outsourcing because their owners support it. The 6 companies that own 90% of all the media are globalist companies.
When this election is over, there will be a lot that the media and the establishment will have to pay for. The media spin will no longer work and they will be trying to figure out what their future approach will be.
The media has constantly said that Cruz, Kasich and everyone other than Trump has a better chance of beating Hilly. Who could possibly believe such nonsense. Kasich got less than 10% of the vote in Indiana. Trump has locked up the nomination faster than any recent Republican candidates, has brought in millions of Democrats and Independents and has a greater turnout than anyone else. Trump has secured the nomination quicker than Clinton who lost tonight in Indiana. Combined Sanders and Clinton got just about the same amount of votes as Trump by himself. Trump had more votes in Indiana than ANYONE else. We had been told that Trump is hated by 2/3rds of the Republican likely voters; but, he has won more than half the delegates to date. Those numbers don't jive with what we are being told.
Trump has had over 10,000,000 votes cast for him. He has had more people vote for him than have voted for Clinton. People who voted for Cruz would NEVER vote for Clinton. People who voted for Sanders will vote for Trump. 92% of the voters identified jobs and the economy as the most important issue. The Republican party has seen the most votes in their history and those votes have been for Trump. These are just facts, personal feelings only deny us the ability to objectively view the facts. Hey, I would have preferred Sanders; but, I don't think he has a chance because of the Super Delegates and that annoys a lot of Democrats, like me. I am registered as a Democrat. In the primary, I will vote for Sanders because I cannot vote for Trump. It is not allowed in my state. If Sanders dropped out, I would not vote at all. I would not and have never voted for a Clinton. I have consistently said that I dislike the Clintons and Bushes. I do not trust them.
I have traditionally voted Republican, with a few Democrats in between. I voted as soon as I turned 18, knew the candidates and knew the issues. I stopped voting with Clinton and Bush. I mean I stopped voting. I stopped voting for Republicans because of the Bushes and Schwarzenegger and for Democrats because of the Clintons. I haven't seen anyone worth voting for in years. I didn't even see a viable protest vote to make, so I stopped. I lost hope that people would wake up and actually vote for someone who cared about this nation and the middle and working classes. Sanders and Trump, I believe, actually care about the people of this country and not just the wealthy.
I don't care if someone is Liberal or Conservative, as they used to say in the 60s, "Some of my best friends are conservatives (they used to say black)". Truth is, most of my friends are conservatives, not all, most. Hardworking, working and middle class, backbone of this country, self-reliant people. Everyone of them is voting for Trump. Everyone of my friends gives to charity, everyone of my friends would give someone in need the shirt off their back. I personally have taken in the homeless to live with me. My conservative friends know about that, they knew it when I was doing it. Most of my friends are Christians who I did not meet in church, I don't have any close friends from churches that I attended. While the people who I preached to may have liked me a lot, they were poor gay Hispanics most of which did not speak English. We didn't have a lot in common and I don't speak Spanish so we didn't talk about politics.
I should point something out. The church I preached at was not just gay and Hispanic, most of them were illegal aliens at some point. Yep, they were Christians who came here to avoid being killed in their own countries because they were gay. Most were given asylum for that reason. I am going to make a guess about something. Trump has said that he is against illegal immigration; but, he has also said that we should take in more Christian immigrants from Arab nations because there are threats against their lives. I bet he would allow in more gay Christian Hispanics if they lived in countries where their lives were at risk too. I would love to ask him that question because I would. I would take in any Christian whose life was threatened and any gay. I am as straight and square as a Saltine cracker; but, what I have in common with my conservative friends is that I am Christian and love others. Those are the Trump supporters I know.
Look, my friends and my world is as diverse as is possible. I have friends that are multi-millionaires and friends that don't have a dime to their name and need my help sometimes. I have as many young friends as old friends. I have friends of every color, creed, sex and sexual preference. I have friends from private industry and government and interest group. All my friends know my position on issues. I have the best friends in the world and they know my heart and I know theirs. I do not have friends that do not care about others or this country. That is the only thing we all have in common. We disagree on so many things, the people I go out to dinner with the most often, they are as old school conservative, working class, Republican as they come. They are also some of the most loving people I have ever had the pleasure to be around.
I would have to say that my heart is for Sanders and the pragmatist in me is for Trump. I think Trump is more like my friends than any of the others. I believe I could sit down with Trump, ask him hard private questions and I think I know how he would answer. Trump said something really important to me, he said that if he were president no American would die on the street because he couldn't get healthcare. He said that to the Republican party. A party that voted in congress 100% against Obamacare (the Affordable Healthcare Act, it's real name).
Trump is not a conservative and he is not a liberal, he is a pragmatist, nationalist and capitalist, just not crony capitalism. Trump has a middle class attitude and his children are the best example of this, they are not just some trust fund children, they have to work and work hard. I would love to meet his kids, especially, Ivanka and Eric (sorry Donald Jr., you are also impressive; but, I would rather ask them questions - test them). I know the question I would ask all of his children. If your father is the Republican nominee and he could not own any corporation and had to sell Trump Industries to go into the general election, would you tell him too. Now remember, his kids all work for that company. I think his kids would all tell him to sell the company and continue the race. I asked my kids once if they thought I should have taken jobs in the private industry that paid a lot more and were offered to me, they all said no, we had enough. That is what my kids told me and that is what his kids would say. I believe that and your kids don't learn that if they are lazy, greedy people.
There is no way that anything I say on this blog will effect the election. I have a very limited readership. I will probably never meet any of the Trumps and I am a social democrat. Socialism just means taking care of your neighbors, that is all it means. If Trump is alive when the final Presidential election is held, I will vote for Trump rather than Clinton. That will mean that in the past 20 years or so, I will voted for one Democrat (Sanders) and one Republican (Trump). I think that makes me an Independent. Have a great day.
In Indiana 92% of the people said the issue was jobs and the economy. Trump has won more votes than any other Republican in the history of the primaries. Trumps number one issue is American jobs and how illegal immigration and outsourcing to China effects those jobs. Here is what you need to understand, the people do not wish to be told how to vote by the media. They do not trust the media. This is a fact and their shrill attacks on Trump and even more importantly against people who voted for him has made the media even less trusted.
The Trump and Sanders candidacies are a slap in the face of the "business as usual" establishment. Neither Trump nor Sanders wants to see American jobs continue being sent overseas. Why didn't anyone else address this issue. Most of the Republicans said the way to create jobs was to give tax breaks to the wealthy; but, ignored that those jobs would be in China and not here. When Carrier decided to move their business it helped Trump win and that was the news story. That was the story because the media knows that the real issue is American jobs and the economy. The problem is that the media supports outsourcing because their owners support it. The 6 companies that own 90% of all the media are globalist companies.
When this election is over, there will be a lot that the media and the establishment will have to pay for. The media spin will no longer work and they will be trying to figure out what their future approach will be.
The media has constantly said that Cruz, Kasich and everyone other than Trump has a better chance of beating Hilly. Who could possibly believe such nonsense. Kasich got less than 10% of the vote in Indiana. Trump has locked up the nomination faster than any recent Republican candidates, has brought in millions of Democrats and Independents and has a greater turnout than anyone else. Trump has secured the nomination quicker than Clinton who lost tonight in Indiana. Combined Sanders and Clinton got just about the same amount of votes as Trump by himself. Trump had more votes in Indiana than ANYONE else. We had been told that Trump is hated by 2/3rds of the Republican likely voters; but, he has won more than half the delegates to date. Those numbers don't jive with what we are being told.
Trump has had over 10,000,000 votes cast for him. He has had more people vote for him than have voted for Clinton. People who voted for Cruz would NEVER vote for Clinton. People who voted for Sanders will vote for Trump. 92% of the voters identified jobs and the economy as the most important issue. The Republican party has seen the most votes in their history and those votes have been for Trump. These are just facts, personal feelings only deny us the ability to objectively view the facts. Hey, I would have preferred Sanders; but, I don't think he has a chance because of the Super Delegates and that annoys a lot of Democrats, like me. I am registered as a Democrat. In the primary, I will vote for Sanders because I cannot vote for Trump. It is not allowed in my state. If Sanders dropped out, I would not vote at all. I would not and have never voted for a Clinton. I have consistently said that I dislike the Clintons and Bushes. I do not trust them.
I have traditionally voted Republican, with a few Democrats in between. I voted as soon as I turned 18, knew the candidates and knew the issues. I stopped voting with Clinton and Bush. I mean I stopped voting. I stopped voting for Republicans because of the Bushes and Schwarzenegger and for Democrats because of the Clintons. I haven't seen anyone worth voting for in years. I didn't even see a viable protest vote to make, so I stopped. I lost hope that people would wake up and actually vote for someone who cared about this nation and the middle and working classes. Sanders and Trump, I believe, actually care about the people of this country and not just the wealthy.
I don't care if someone is Liberal or Conservative, as they used to say in the 60s, "Some of my best friends are conservatives (they used to say black)". Truth is, most of my friends are conservatives, not all, most. Hardworking, working and middle class, backbone of this country, self-reliant people. Everyone of them is voting for Trump. Everyone of my friends gives to charity, everyone of my friends would give someone in need the shirt off their back. I personally have taken in the homeless to live with me. My conservative friends know about that, they knew it when I was doing it. Most of my friends are Christians who I did not meet in church, I don't have any close friends from churches that I attended. While the people who I preached to may have liked me a lot, they were poor gay Hispanics most of which did not speak English. We didn't have a lot in common and I don't speak Spanish so we didn't talk about politics.
I should point something out. The church I preached at was not just gay and Hispanic, most of them were illegal aliens at some point. Yep, they were Christians who came here to avoid being killed in their own countries because they were gay. Most were given asylum for that reason. I am going to make a guess about something. Trump has said that he is against illegal immigration; but, he has also said that we should take in more Christian immigrants from Arab nations because there are threats against their lives. I bet he would allow in more gay Christian Hispanics if they lived in countries where their lives were at risk too. I would love to ask him that question because I would. I would take in any Christian whose life was threatened and any gay. I am as straight and square as a Saltine cracker; but, what I have in common with my conservative friends is that I am Christian and love others. Those are the Trump supporters I know.
Look, my friends and my world is as diverse as is possible. I have friends that are multi-millionaires and friends that don't have a dime to their name and need my help sometimes. I have as many young friends as old friends. I have friends of every color, creed, sex and sexual preference. I have friends from private industry and government and interest group. All my friends know my position on issues. I have the best friends in the world and they know my heart and I know theirs. I do not have friends that do not care about others or this country. That is the only thing we all have in common. We disagree on so many things, the people I go out to dinner with the most often, they are as old school conservative, working class, Republican as they come. They are also some of the most loving people I have ever had the pleasure to be around.
I would have to say that my heart is for Sanders and the pragmatist in me is for Trump. I think Trump is more like my friends than any of the others. I believe I could sit down with Trump, ask him hard private questions and I think I know how he would answer. Trump said something really important to me, he said that if he were president no American would die on the street because he couldn't get healthcare. He said that to the Republican party. A party that voted in congress 100% against Obamacare (the Affordable Healthcare Act, it's real name).
Trump is not a conservative and he is not a liberal, he is a pragmatist, nationalist and capitalist, just not crony capitalism. Trump has a middle class attitude and his children are the best example of this, they are not just some trust fund children, they have to work and work hard. I would love to meet his kids, especially, Ivanka and Eric (sorry Donald Jr., you are also impressive; but, I would rather ask them questions - test them). I know the question I would ask all of his children. If your father is the Republican nominee and he could not own any corporation and had to sell Trump Industries to go into the general election, would you tell him too. Now remember, his kids all work for that company. I think his kids would all tell him to sell the company and continue the race. I asked my kids once if they thought I should have taken jobs in the private industry that paid a lot more and were offered to me, they all said no, we had enough. That is what my kids told me and that is what his kids would say. I believe that and your kids don't learn that if they are lazy, greedy people.
There is no way that anything I say on this blog will effect the election. I have a very limited readership. I will probably never meet any of the Trumps and I am a social democrat. Socialism just means taking care of your neighbors, that is all it means. If Trump is alive when the final Presidential election is held, I will vote for Trump rather than Clinton. That will mean that in the past 20 years or so, I will voted for one Democrat (Sanders) and one Republican (Trump). I think that makes me an Independent. Have a great day.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
The Death of Trucking Being a Good Job.
L.A. Daily News - America’s trucking industry faces a shortage. Meet the immigrants helping fill the gap. The trucking industry complains that it doesn't have enough truckers because people don't want the job while not increasing wages even as gas was going up. The industry answer is to hire people from other countries and work on self driving 18 wheelers. I read articles where they said that immigrants made good truckers because they were willing to work longer. Wait, I know truckers and over the road truckers are limited in the number of hours they can work for the safety of others on the highway. In fact, they are required to keep log books showing how many hours they have been driving. So the fact that they are willing to work more hours than are legal is a good reason to hire them?
Saturday, March 19, 2016
How the Establishment Continues to Rig the Game.
This is going to be a collection of news stories that I haven't had a chance to get to yet.
Huffington Post - Donald Trump Prefers His Steak Well Done, AKA The Worst Possible Way. I like starting with this one. The propaganda machine is on full tilt against Trump; but, this article is fanatical in it's stupidity. It basically says Trump is a bad person because he likes his steak well done. Wow, now that is what I call insane. Next they will be saying he is bad because he flosses his teeth.
Fox News - No Right to Rent? Cities barring property owners from renting out. If you think about who this benefits you will understand why cities have passes laws restricting who can rent out a home. Yep, it benefits apartment building owners. Keep an eye on this because they are going to go after mom and pop rental buildings next.
CNBC - Here's how the GOP could stop Trump AND Clinton. Basically the article promotes a third party candidate just so neither Trump nor Clinton could get a majority and that would allow the House of Representatives to choose the President and the Senate to choose the Vice President. CNBC is literally saying that the will of the voters should be superseded by a congress that has less than a 10% approval rating.
YouTube - Harper Suspends Parliament Giving Him All Power. The title of the video is actually wrong, it was the Queen of England's representative that closed the Parliament and did not allow the Canadian legislature vote on ousting their Prime Minister. Another example of how the vote of the people does not meet the wishes of the wealthy so the vote is taken away.
YouTube - EU faces existential crisis as democracy becomes contagious - UKIP Leader Nigel Farage. Yes, Europe's laws are voted on by people who frequently were not chosen by the people.
Yahoo - Reuters - Uber seeking to buy self-driving cars: source. Yes, Uber is seeking to buy 100,000 self driving cars so that it doesn't have to pay for drivers. I really enjoy listening to people who try to tell me that this will not happen in their lifetime.
Investor's Business Daily - Blame Minimum Wage, Not Carl’s Jr. CEO, For Automated Restaurants. Face it, employees are not wanted, go back and read my post on "What's Going On". Even slavery would not stop automation from taking away jobs, if you doubt it just look to China.
Fortune - Conservatives Grasp For a Plan to Stop Trump. Another article calling for letting congress pick your next President and Vice President. We will be seeing more of these because the wealthy don't like the people deciding anything.
The Economist - Top Ten Global Risks. This is from an English publication and it claims that if we elect Trump as President it would be one of the top ten threats to globalism.
Huffington Post - Donald Trump Prefers His Steak Well Done, AKA The Worst Possible Way. I like starting with this one. The propaganda machine is on full tilt against Trump; but, this article is fanatical in it's stupidity. It basically says Trump is a bad person because he likes his steak well done. Wow, now that is what I call insane. Next they will be saying he is bad because he flosses his teeth.
Fox News - No Right to Rent? Cities barring property owners from renting out. If you think about who this benefits you will understand why cities have passes laws restricting who can rent out a home. Yep, it benefits apartment building owners. Keep an eye on this because they are going to go after mom and pop rental buildings next.
CNBC - Here's how the GOP could stop Trump AND Clinton. Basically the article promotes a third party candidate just so neither Trump nor Clinton could get a majority and that would allow the House of Representatives to choose the President and the Senate to choose the Vice President. CNBC is literally saying that the will of the voters should be superseded by a congress that has less than a 10% approval rating.
YouTube - Harper Suspends Parliament Giving Him All Power. The title of the video is actually wrong, it was the Queen of England's representative that closed the Parliament and did not allow the Canadian legislature vote on ousting their Prime Minister. Another example of how the vote of the people does not meet the wishes of the wealthy so the vote is taken away.
YouTube - EU faces existential crisis as democracy becomes contagious - UKIP Leader Nigel Farage. Yes, Europe's laws are voted on by people who frequently were not chosen by the people.
Yahoo - Reuters - Uber seeking to buy self-driving cars: source. Yes, Uber is seeking to buy 100,000 self driving cars so that it doesn't have to pay for drivers. I really enjoy listening to people who try to tell me that this will not happen in their lifetime.
Investor's Business Daily - Blame Minimum Wage, Not Carl’s Jr. CEO, For Automated Restaurants. Face it, employees are not wanted, go back and read my post on "What's Going On". Even slavery would not stop automation from taking away jobs, if you doubt it just look to China.
Fortune - Conservatives Grasp For a Plan to Stop Trump. Another article calling for letting congress pick your next President and Vice President. We will be seeing more of these because the wealthy don't like the people deciding anything.
The Economist - Top Ten Global Risks. This is from an English publication and it claims that if we elect Trump as President it would be one of the top ten threats to globalism.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
The Death of the Republican Party and Who is to Blame - It Isn't Trump
The media and the establishment are blaming Trump, gay marriage and abortion for the death of the Republican party, it is a cynical lie, a denial of the truth. Trump is not killing the Republican party, if he was not in the race Cruz would have 70%+ of the vote, Trumps supporters are not going to suddenly switch to Kasich if Trump fails and Cruz's supporters will not support Kasich. They both represent the middle class and working class, not the moneyed donors. People are not voting for Trump because he is not anti-gay, he is not running as an evangelical; but, Cruz is, yet he is still running against the establishment. This election for Republicans IS about changing the policies that only benefit the establishment and not working Americans.
Rubio and Kasich were the last of the establishment guys. Cruz is anti-establishment and his voters are to. If it comes down to a brokered election, Cruz's delegates will go for Trump. If the convention is brokered, it still goes to Trump. Cruz cannot effectively tell his people to support the establishment candidate, they will ignore him. There is no convention where Trump or Cruz's delegates vote for either Bush, Rubio or Romney. It will not happen.
The party establishment could regain control, it is very simple, they only need to put the needs and wishes of the majority of Republicans (workers and small business) above the wishes of the cleptokratic donors who only want tax breaks for themselves and to outsource jobs.
Rubio and Kasich were the last of the establishment guys. Cruz is anti-establishment and his voters are to. If it comes down to a brokered election, Cruz's delegates will go for Trump. If the convention is brokered, it still goes to Trump. Cruz cannot effectively tell his people to support the establishment candidate, they will ignore him. There is no convention where Trump or Cruz's delegates vote for either Bush, Rubio or Romney. It will not happen.
The party establishment could regain control, it is very simple, they only need to put the needs and wishes of the majority of Republicans (workers and small business) above the wishes of the cleptokratic donors who only want tax breaks for themselves and to outsource jobs.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Jobs, Taxes and Infrastructure.
I recently received a comment from a reader asking which candidate I favored and which policy Kool Aid I would drink. While I do not support any of the candidates, I would like to see either Trump or Sanders win and would prefer Sanders. Obviously Trump and Sanders are vastly different so it is not their personalities or their policies that makes me prefer them. In fact, I don't think either could change the laws as neither would have their parties support. The fact is that it is easier to pay off and control a party then it is to control every politician. A Trump Sanders presidential showdown would tell the politicians that voting only the party line will not get them elected.
The biggest issues facing the United States are our long tern health are not gay marriage, abortion or even immigration. Lets look at the individual issues facing the country and talk about how the two parties view them as neither will solve them.
JOBS
Since the Reagan era we have seen an increasing push to ship jobs oversees for slave wages (some actual slave workers in China) and avoiding environmental and safety laws and any regulation. It should be noted that these same companies are failing to pay taxes and keep the money oversees. While shipping jobs oversees the nation has seen an attack on wages in this country. The leading factors in this are increasing automation, "subcontracting" and financial manipulation by the finance industry. Most of the presidential candidates were part of the problem that caused these things in the first place, Trump and Sanders were not. Trump is a "realist" and would tell you this is the game we are playing and we need to play it smarter. Sanders would say we need to change the rules.
Let us look at the Republican parties answer to these questions. The vast majority of the party wants to eliminate income tax, eliminate regulations and allow more educated immigrants to come over and take jobs away from citizens. The Democratic party has given up on trying to change these things and are just looking to slow down the changes. Neither is putting forward plans for changing the game in any significant way and that is what is needed. The next wave in job destruction in America is going to be self-driving trucks.
Huffington Post - Self-Driving Trucks Are Going to Hit Us Like a Human-Driven Truck.
Huffington Post - Self-Driving Trucks Will Actually Be Great For Truckers, For Now.
Please read the articles in the links. The biggest job in 29 states is trucking and that is going to go away with self-driving trucks. While this new technology will require someone to build the trucks, it will not be Americans. The estimate is that these self-driving trucks will become common in about 5 years, not forty. All of the people running for president know this and they have no solution. Well Marco Rubio thinks we should be cheaper than machines, he also wants to eliminate the minimum wage. I guess if we require self-driving trucks to have a human on board, the human will only get $5.00 an hour. That is not a solution. His other idea that we all become welders is equally ludicrous.
The idea that eliminating taxes on the rich will increase job creation in the United States is equally ludicrous.. If it is cheaper and easier to build in China then the companies will continue to and they are increasingly automating their businesses. If employees in China cannot compete with automation at $1.00 an hour, how can Americans? If the United States eliminated any wage guarantees and all regulation, it still wouldn't bring the jobs back because the companies already have the industrial capability in China. We need to change the laws that make it profitable to ship jobs oversees.
TAXES
There are two, equally dumb, approaches to taxes that the Republicans want to initiate. While some believe we should cut the taxes on the rich others are calling for a flat tax; but, both believe we should cut the total amount of taxes going to the government and thereby reduce government services. I should point out that at least Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders want to decrease military spending. The Democratic party calls for increasing the tax rate for the rich; but, doesn't seek to eliminate all the deductions which just means that some very profitable companies will continue to pay no taxes. Whether they don't pay 35% or 40% is irrelevant when the taxes are not being paid.
What if we only gave tax cuts to companies that either increase overall wages or created more jobs in the United States? If they don't do either of those things, then we increase their taxes. We also need to eliminate all of these free trade agreements that are only hurting American workers.
INFRASTRUCTURE
We all know that our roads, bridges and industrial capability needs to be rebuilt. We need to spend on these things so that we can make us able to compete with foreign countries. Rebuilding our infrastructure will also create jobs in America. The Republicans are not even willing to transportation funding and have consistently held up fixes to the Transportation fund. Sanders would push for more funding of infrastructure.
ANSWER
My answer to the question I was asked is that I will vote for whoever will support and promote the policies I have outlined above.
The biggest issues facing the United States are our long tern health are not gay marriage, abortion or even immigration. Lets look at the individual issues facing the country and talk about how the two parties view them as neither will solve them.
JOBS
Since the Reagan era we have seen an increasing push to ship jobs oversees for slave wages (some actual slave workers in China) and avoiding environmental and safety laws and any regulation. It should be noted that these same companies are failing to pay taxes and keep the money oversees. While shipping jobs oversees the nation has seen an attack on wages in this country. The leading factors in this are increasing automation, "subcontracting" and financial manipulation by the finance industry. Most of the presidential candidates were part of the problem that caused these things in the first place, Trump and Sanders were not. Trump is a "realist" and would tell you this is the game we are playing and we need to play it smarter. Sanders would say we need to change the rules.
Let us look at the Republican parties answer to these questions. The vast majority of the party wants to eliminate income tax, eliminate regulations and allow more educated immigrants to come over and take jobs away from citizens. The Democratic party has given up on trying to change these things and are just looking to slow down the changes. Neither is putting forward plans for changing the game in any significant way and that is what is needed. The next wave in job destruction in America is going to be self-driving trucks.
Huffington Post - Self-Driving Trucks Are Going to Hit Us Like a Human-Driven Truck.
Huffington Post - Self-Driving Trucks Will Actually Be Great For Truckers, For Now.
Please read the articles in the links. The biggest job in 29 states is trucking and that is going to go away with self-driving trucks. While this new technology will require someone to build the trucks, it will not be Americans. The estimate is that these self-driving trucks will become common in about 5 years, not forty. All of the people running for president know this and they have no solution. Well Marco Rubio thinks we should be cheaper than machines, he also wants to eliminate the minimum wage. I guess if we require self-driving trucks to have a human on board, the human will only get $5.00 an hour. That is not a solution. His other idea that we all become welders is equally ludicrous.
The idea that eliminating taxes on the rich will increase job creation in the United States is equally ludicrous.. If it is cheaper and easier to build in China then the companies will continue to and they are increasingly automating their businesses. If employees in China cannot compete with automation at $1.00 an hour, how can Americans? If the United States eliminated any wage guarantees and all regulation, it still wouldn't bring the jobs back because the companies already have the industrial capability in China. We need to change the laws that make it profitable to ship jobs oversees.
TAXES
There are two, equally dumb, approaches to taxes that the Republicans want to initiate. While some believe we should cut the taxes on the rich others are calling for a flat tax; but, both believe we should cut the total amount of taxes going to the government and thereby reduce government services. I should point out that at least Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders want to decrease military spending. The Democratic party calls for increasing the tax rate for the rich; but, doesn't seek to eliminate all the deductions which just means that some very profitable companies will continue to pay no taxes. Whether they don't pay 35% or 40% is irrelevant when the taxes are not being paid.
What if we only gave tax cuts to companies that either increase overall wages or created more jobs in the United States? If they don't do either of those things, then we increase their taxes. We also need to eliminate all of these free trade agreements that are only hurting American workers.
INFRASTRUCTURE
We all know that our roads, bridges and industrial capability needs to be rebuilt. We need to spend on these things so that we can make us able to compete with foreign countries. Rebuilding our infrastructure will also create jobs in America. The Republicans are not even willing to transportation funding and have consistently held up fixes to the Transportation fund. Sanders would push for more funding of infrastructure.
ANSWER
My answer to the question I was asked is that I will vote for whoever will support and promote the policies I have outlined above.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Outsourcing To China Versus American Production
I was getting ready to go to bed and I read and saw a couple of news articles. One was about all the toxic products, like toys and sheetrock, that China sells to the rest of the world and the other about clothes made in foreign countries using child labor and having little if any safety checks. Anyways, I had a thought about how to improve the products sold here and make American producers more competitive. What if we required all products sold in America to meet the same requirements that we make of American companies?
I know this is crazy; but, what if we held foreign companies selling in the United States to the same rules that we hold our own companies to? Why does our government allow foreign companies to sell in America; but, not require them to not use slave labor or children or put toxins in the products they sell here? Does allowing toxic products from foreign countries to be sold in America protect Americans? I don't see how. And if you think about it, making that requirement would increase the profitability of American manufacturers. Heck, if you are liberal and believe in global warming, the requirement that other countries companies meet American pollution standards to sell in America you would decrease global warming. For conservatives, making foreign countries follow the same rules for selling in America as we do our own companies is even better than a tariff. It takes longer to meet health and safety laws than to pay an extra fee. Oh, and buy the way, the United States holds a lot more patents on clean air products than China, just look at their smog and it should be clear. They haven't invested much in clean technology.
Let's go a little bit deeper. Every American company should be in favor of what I have proposed. Heck, if the real problem is American wages or unions then it will still make sense to outsource our jobs because our competitors in foreign countries would still be cheaper. We are willing to tell other countries what weapons they can and cannot make; but, don't believe it is right to tell them what products they can sell here?
By the way, the free trade agreements make it so we cannot question the methods employed by foreign countries in making products for sale in the United States and also allows corporations to sue the United States for having standards, like age and safety requirements. That is what the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is all about. Fight any trade agreements that do not put basic health and safety requirements on goods to be sold in this country.
I know this is crazy; but, what if we held foreign companies selling in the United States to the same rules that we hold our own companies to? Why does our government allow foreign companies to sell in America; but, not require them to not use slave labor or children or put toxins in the products they sell here? Does allowing toxic products from foreign countries to be sold in America protect Americans? I don't see how. And if you think about it, making that requirement would increase the profitability of American manufacturers. Heck, if you are liberal and believe in global warming, the requirement that other countries companies meet American pollution standards to sell in America you would decrease global warming. For conservatives, making foreign countries follow the same rules for selling in America as we do our own companies is even better than a tariff. It takes longer to meet health and safety laws than to pay an extra fee. Oh, and buy the way, the United States holds a lot more patents on clean air products than China, just look at their smog and it should be clear. They haven't invested much in clean technology.
Let's go a little bit deeper. Every American company should be in favor of what I have proposed. Heck, if the real problem is American wages or unions then it will still make sense to outsource our jobs because our competitors in foreign countries would still be cheaper. We are willing to tell other countries what weapons they can and cannot make; but, don't believe it is right to tell them what products they can sell here?
By the way, the free trade agreements make it so we cannot question the methods employed by foreign countries in making products for sale in the United States and also allows corporations to sue the United States for having standards, like age and safety requirements. That is what the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is all about. Fight any trade agreements that do not put basic health and safety requirements on goods to be sold in this country.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Let's talk transportation again
I've been working on a couple of ideas; but, I have also been reading the news. I thought these three stories went together nicely.
Yahoo - CNBC - Ford jumps into car-share business. I like the comment from the CEO of Ford where he says that their company believes there are more and more people who don't want to own cars and then he says how they are going to sell them cars that they can rent out to others. If you really think about it, you will see what garbage the statements are. Ford and every other car manufacturer wants to sell as many cars as possible; however, they see that self driving and shared cars are the wave of the future.
Bidness - Why autonomous cars could lead to fewer auto sales. The estimate is a drop in sales of 40% by some. Funny how this article and the prior one seem to fit a pattern and neither refers to the other.
Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) - More than five million Aussie jobs gone in 10 to 15 years. By the way, that is 40% of all their jobs. CEDA - Australia's future workforce? If you want to know what to expect, read these two articles by the people trying to prepare their country for what is coming.
Yahoo - CNBC - Ford jumps into car-share business. I like the comment from the CEO of Ford where he says that their company believes there are more and more people who don't want to own cars and then he says how they are going to sell them cars that they can rent out to others. If you really think about it, you will see what garbage the statements are. Ford and every other car manufacturer wants to sell as many cars as possible; however, they see that self driving and shared cars are the wave of the future.
Bidness - Why autonomous cars could lead to fewer auto sales. The estimate is a drop in sales of 40% by some. Funny how this article and the prior one seem to fit a pattern and neither refers to the other.
Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) - More than five million Aussie jobs gone in 10 to 15 years. By the way, that is 40% of all their jobs. CEDA - Australia's future workforce? If you want to know what to expect, read these two articles by the people trying to prepare their country for what is coming.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Article about how you will be taken advantage of.
Yahoo - California water fight raises free market issues.
Here is the most important quote from the article. “Everybody is going to have the right to some water,” he says. “The argument here is whether some people can get a lot more water. And I think they will if they pay for it. We’ll be seeing water traded as a commodity.” Water is going to be traded like a commodity, certain interests have been spending a lot of time to prepare and create this new market.
Yahoo - AP - In next strike against unions, GOP states go after wage laws. Why are financial interests against Americans making a decent wage or having a say in their lives?
Yahoo - The federal government is offering million-dollar identity theft insurance to millions of workers after hack. Someone or some organization hacked the Federal Government's Office of Personnel Management and has all federal employees personal information (address, social security code,...), as a consequence the Federal government has partnered with a company that will track all actions using the employees personal information, the internet, chatrooms a whole bunch of things. The employees get a cookie in exchange for allowing a government contractor to monitor all their activities.
Forbes - Billionaire Bunkers: Exclusive Look Inside the World's Largest Planned Doomsday Escape. Sort of says it all; but, interesting to look at the pictures.
HC Online - Wearable technology: the end of the sickie? An interesting line from the article, “The technology could certainly help towards [cutting sickies],” he suggested. “Employers could request that workers present data from their devices to prove that they haven’t been feeling well.”
Yahoo - Reuters - A Greek paradox: many elderly are broke despite costly pensions. The bigger story is that the west does not want to provide security or pensions to anyone once they cease to be useful.
Here is the most important quote from the article. “Everybody is going to have the right to some water,” he says. “The argument here is whether some people can get a lot more water. And I think they will if they pay for it. We’ll be seeing water traded as a commodity.” Water is going to be traded like a commodity, certain interests have been spending a lot of time to prepare and create this new market.
Yahoo - AP - In next strike against unions, GOP states go after wage laws. Why are financial interests against Americans making a decent wage or having a say in their lives?
Yahoo - The federal government is offering million-dollar identity theft insurance to millions of workers after hack. Someone or some organization hacked the Federal Government's Office of Personnel Management and has all federal employees personal information (address, social security code,...), as a consequence the Federal government has partnered with a company that will track all actions using the employees personal information, the internet, chatrooms a whole bunch of things. The employees get a cookie in exchange for allowing a government contractor to monitor all their activities.
Forbes - Billionaire Bunkers: Exclusive Look Inside the World's Largest Planned Doomsday Escape. Sort of says it all; but, interesting to look at the pictures.
HC Online - Wearable technology: the end of the sickie? An interesting line from the article, “The technology could certainly help towards [cutting sickies],” he suggested. “Employers could request that workers present data from their devices to prove that they haven’t been feeling well.”
Yahoo - Reuters - A Greek paradox: many elderly are broke despite costly pensions. The bigger story is that the west does not want to provide security or pensions to anyone once they cease to be useful.
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