INTERESTING: GLenn Beck does the Nolan chart

Friday, February 26, 2010

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/36981/

Glen Beck is “doing” the Nolan Chart.

Wonder if he’s going to mention the Zero Aggression Principle?

# – # – #

http://www.ncc-1776.org/whoislib.html

*** begin quote ***

Who is a libertarian?

Zero Aggression Principle (“Zap”)

   “Zero Aggression Principle”:

   A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being for any reason whatever; nor will a libertarian advocate the initiation of force, or delegate it to anyone else.

   Those who act consistently with this principle are libertarians, whether they realize it or not. Those who fail to act consistently with it are not libertarians, regardless of what they may claim.

   — L. Neil Smith

   Formerly called the “Non-Aggression Principle”, or “NAP”

*** end quote ***

Or Amendment Zero?

*** begin quote ***

I propose a Constitutional Amendment providing that, if any public official, elected or appointed, at any level of government, is caught lying to any member of the public for any reason, the punishment shall be death by public hanging.

— L. Neil Smith

*** end quote ***

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | INTERESTING, LIBERTY | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

QUOTE: the sex lives of teenagers

Friday, February 26, 2010

Any idiot, upon seeing the first automobile, could easily predict that it would revolutionize transportation. Only someone with exceptionally keen insight could have foreseen that it would also revolutionize the sex lives of teenagers.

— Isaac Asimov

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Quotes | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

TECHNOLOGY: “system assurance”; yeah, right!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

As old old mainframe guy, I am positive that most platforms have enough “junk” installed on them so that NO ONE can have what we in the old days would call “system assurance”. Say what one wants about the old centralized computing systems, they had change control. Until IBM started to NOT share its microcode and source code with its Customers, any one could sit down with a module and examine what was in fact running with what was supposed to be running. Often when there was an “opportunity”, the first thing that folks did was conduct a “witch hunt” for what was wrong. Today, that is impossible and unheard of.

What’s even more amusing to us “old hands” is the Linux movement and the Web-i-fication of applications. Funny how the world of “distributed computing” is swinging back to “centralization” with Web Operating Systems and Web Applications.

The Linux distribtuions are putting the end users back in control of the Operating System source code.

The Web application are making “system assurance” impossible.

A virus writer no longer has the luxury of the Microsoft mono-culture. Find a operating system hole and exploit it everywhere. And, the Microsoft death grip on applications (i.e., word processing) is being exploded by Google Docs, Zoho, and their ilk. As well as competed with by Open Office.

Anyone who feels confident that they, and their data, are not literally walking a high-wire tight rope across Niagra Falls on a windy day … Well, they are at best naive and at worst foolish.

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: Ship your luggage?

Thursday, February 25, 2010

http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/kiptips/archives/save-money-by-shipping-your-luggage.html

Kip Tips
Save Money by Shipping Your Luggage
You may spend less by using a shipping company — rather than the airlines — to get your bags to your destination.
By Cameron Huddleston, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger.com

*** begin quote ***

You may be able to save money by shipping your luggage rather than checking it in the next time you fly. The idea might sound absurd. But if you do the math – as Airfarewatchdog.com has done for you in this chart — you’ll see that it would cost you less in some cases to send your bags to your destination by FedEx, UPS or U.S. Postal Service ground shipping.

*** end quote ***

We did it once before it was fashionable. Worked excellent. Not cheap. Probably cheaper now. And, easier.

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

NEWJERSEY: Tackling the NJ financial mess

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

www.cnbc.com/id/35461056  

Kneale: With NJ Governor Christie, a Star Is Born
Published: Thursday, 18 Feb 2010 | 12:35 PM ET
By: Dennis Kneale
CNBC Media & Technology Editor

*** begin quote ***

And he cited a stunning stat: A 42-year-old state government worker in New Jersey who gets a 20-year pension has paid in all of $124,000—and will take out $3.8 million in payments and health coverage for the rest of his life.

This simply can’t continue, yet few other politicians are talking about the government pension bubble that could bankrupt some cities. A new report from the Pew Center on the States says states have promised to pay $3.35 trillion to current and retired workers—and are running $1 trillion short in funding that obligation.

The worst-off state: President Obama’s home state of Illinois, which has funded only 54% of what it will have to pay out. Unions now represent 40% of all government workers, and they are especially powerful at the local and state levels. Given the Dems’ union ties, ya gotta question whether benefit cuts are a viable option, as I wrote about here.

But I now hold out new hope, thanks to Gov. Christie of New Jersey. He brings a fresh new face and a voluble, emphatic voice to politics. Let us pray we hear a lot more from him.

*** end quote ***

Politicians “adding” part time jobs into lucrative pensions at the taxpayers’ expense is also a big problem.

Time to shift to something that resembles private industry.

(1) No defined benefit pensions for anyone.

(2) Eliminate ALL abuses.

(3) 401ks for everyone. “Recognition bonds” for all unfunded liabilities. Use rock solid Insurance Companies to protect both the employees and taxpayers.

Argh!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | NEW JERSEY | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

QUOTE: Communist

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

“How do you tell a communist? It’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. How do you tell an anti-communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.”

—-Ronald Reagan

# – # – #

Very applicable to the District of Corruption and all the various inhabitants.

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | LIBERTY, Quotes | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Reconcilliation may come back to haunt the D’s

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

http://www.lifenews.com/nat6022.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed
&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeNewsHeadlines+%28LifeNews.com+Pro-Life+Headlines%29

White House May Unveil Pro-Abortion Health Care Proposal Before Summit
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 18, 2010

*** begin quote ***

The idea behind reconciliation is for the House to approve the Senate bill, which contains massive abortion funding and other pro-abortion problems. Then, both the Senate and House would approve a “corrections” bill that would make change…s to the Senate bill (but not revoking the abortion funding) so members of the House are more likely to vote for the Senate bill.

*** end quote ***

Just like when the R’s shot themselves in the foot with the “Two Term” amendment to prevent FDR from running again (He died anyway before he could run again!), the D’s — if they use reconciliation — will load the gun and aim it at their own foot. Eventually the R’s will have the “controls” and will use reconcilliation again to “rahm” something through!

Turn about is “fair play”. The worm always turns! And, the taxpayer always gets screwed. Sheeple!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Political | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

JOBSEARCH: We Don’t Need As Many College Grads

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/

Are We Educating for the Right Jobs?
We Don’t Need As Many College Grads As People Think
Steve Roesler

*** begin quote ***

How Many College Graduates Does the U.S. Really Need?

*** end quote ***

I have lately questioned the ROI of an “expensive” college education.

I’m sure I’m not the first. Nor, the last.

By “expensive”, I think efficient and effective. Efficient, in that, it’s affordable. Effective, in that, it leads to a lifetime of satisfying and rewarding employment in the service of others.

REMEMBER my personal formulation of “Success For Your Generation”

Success for your generation is:

(1) ruthless financial discipline — no bad debt;

(2) a life long interest in learning — education — a degree — they can’t take it away from you;

(3) a NON-OFFSHORABLE white collar job in order to save big bux;

(4) a blue collar skill for hard times — never saw a poor plumber;

(5) one or more internet based businesses — your store is always open;

(6) a free time hobby that generates income; and

(7) a large will-maintained network of people who can “help” you.

I disagree SLIGHTLY with Steve on “We can and should question whether the current system is designed to effectively produce what, and who, is needed.” That’s a good MACRO question. But as participants in the job market, we can’t care about grand scale problems; we have to worry about the MICRO question. What’s good for me?

The country is beset with so many political problems caused by “fuzzy thinking”. A good college education might help create an “educated electorate”. Unfortunately the current education paradigm — schools completely under the control of secular progressives who think esteem is more important than wisdom — is unlikely to produce the hard-nosed pragmatic thinkers we need to work our way out of these problems. (My personal suggestion is to KICK the gooferment out of education completely. It’s only job is to prevent the residents from force. So private schools should be the rule; with the gooferment ensuring that there is no fraud.)

I think that my alma mater, Manhattan College, strikes a great balance. Remember it’s just the “well”; it’s the students who bring the energy and the “bucket”. When I was taking my engineering courses, I questioned the need for philosophy, theology, and literature courses. Upon reflection, maybe those were MORE important.

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | JOBSEARCH | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RANT: ONLY REAL PEOPLE PAY TAXES

Monday, February 22, 2010

http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2010/02/driving-rich-away.html

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Driving the rich away

Hank Kalet

FROM THE COMMENTS

# – # – #

Dear Anonymous:

>we should reduce taxes on businesses and corporations because it will create jobs.

Help me understand something: A business sells “stuff”. It adds up all its costs, tacks on some profit, and people but that “stuff”. A corporate tax is just ANOTHER cost. The business actually EITHER passes it along to the consumer OR goes out of business.

Right?

(Ignore for the moment that if it reduces its obscene profit to cover the tax so as not to pass it along. It still is passing that tax along by accepting a lower profit.)

So, we should have a ZERO corporate tax for NO OTHER REASON than it conceals exactly how much we are paying in taxes.

ONLY REAL PEOPLE PAY TAXES.

Jobs has nothing to do with it! Honesty does.

If I buy a can of beans, I have NO way of knowing how much “tax” I am paying in the price of that can of beans.

On April 15th, the tax I paid on that can of beans isn’t in what I pay as “my taxes”. It’s hidden.

I think if people knew what they were paying, really and truly, bottom line number, there would be a GIANT revolt. Make the Tea Parites of last summer look like a gardent tea party.

It’s actually much worse than we can intuit. When a company makes a capital good that other companies use to make “stuff” we have taxes on top of taxes being hidden. Buried hip deep in obfuscation.

And the congresscritters like it just that way. Keep the rubes dumb about what they are actually paying for this class of a “new priesthood” in the District of Corruption and other “capitols”!

Argh!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Answer the Census; question 1 only!

Monday, February 22, 2010

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=125279

My 1-question census form
Posted: February 17, 2010
Walter E. Williams

*** begin quote ***

Americans need to stand up to Washington’s intrusion into our private lives. What business of government is the number of times a citizen has been married or what he paid for electricity last month? For those who find such intrusion acceptable, I’d ask them whether they’d also find questions about their sex lives or their marriage fidelity equally acceptable.

What to do? Unless a census taker can show me a constitutional requirement, the only information I plan to give are the number and names of the people in my household. The census taker might say, “It’s the law.” Thomas Jefferson said, “Whensoever the General Government (Washington) assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.”

*** end quote ***

Prof Williams challenges us to fight for our rights.

You have only the rights you are willing to fight for.

Buzz off!

# # # # #

Leave a Comment » | LIBERTY, Political | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »