RANT: “Default”? No way, not needed

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

As a political junkie, I’m enraged when some bozo (i.e., politician and /or bureaucrat) is allowed by some talking head to say “default” without opposition.

IMHO any reasonable person would pay the interest on the debt first, then the social security and other mandatory welfare payments, and come up with a “total must pay”. Subtract that total from the budget to come up with “what’s left to pay”. Subtract “total must pay” from current receipts for “what’s left”.

Divide “what’s left” by “what’s left to pay” and that’s the haircut that the budget must be slashed by.

No one is going to be happy, but no default. It’ll set off a lot of wailing and gnashing but that’s what fiscal discipline is all about.

That’s why I say don’t raise the debt ceiling. And, don’t let politicians and bureaucrats scare old people by saying no soc sec or the markets by saying default.

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POLITICAL: Too big to fail?

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

http://lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis249.html

Banks Should Die for Their Countries, Not Countries for Their Banks
by Eric Margolis

*** begin quote ***

Greece is using the same scare-tactics that the supposedly too-big-to-fail insolvent US banks employed in 2008: “if I go down, I’ll take everyone with me.”

In this case, it’s Europe’s big banks. Three big French banks, BNP, Crédit Agricole, Société Général, hold large chunks of Greece’s debt. If Greece defaults, goes the hue and cry, French, German, Swiss, and Belgian banks may crash.

Here we go again. Politicians have allowed the banking industry not only to grow larger than manufacturing, notably in the United States where the top five banks control 40% of all deposits, but to become so powerful, over-extended, and risky they are a danger to itself and the public.

Bankers who invested in Greek debt or US subprime mortgages were greedy fools and should be fired, not rescued.

*** end quote ***

Seems logical to me “2big2fail” is “2big2be”.

Only politicians and bureaucrats don’t seem to see the concept.

Nature only allows an efficient size.

“We, The Sheeple” need to update our paradigms and memes.

# – # – # – # – # 2011-Jul-12 @ 07:54


INTERESTING: Poverty; the meme

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/moms-apple-pie-fuels-cyclists-on-last-leg-of-cycling-for-change

Mom’s apple pie fuels cyclists on last leg of Cycling for Change
By Kevin Kelly

*** begin quote ***

“Poverty hasn’t gotten any better,” he said. “It will take a cooperative effort of government, church and business. If we all work together, we can solve this problem. But if we keep fighting, it will continue.”

*** end quote ***

Didn’t the New Testament say that the poor we will always have with us?

And, “poverty” by what measure?

Argh! Seems like we have a fundamental failure of paradigms and memes.

Paradigm in what we see as poverty. If I have food to eat and a roof over my head, am I poor? If I have “stuff”, am I poor? If I have “habits”, am I poor? I refer back to that fellow in Africa waiting on line to get into the USA, who when asked why, answered “You have poor people who are fat”.

Meme failure is that “poverty” is something that can be “cured”. And certainly, anything that depends upon Gooferment is not going to work.

It would seem that people are poor based on the choices that they make. We need to figure out how to help them learn to make better choices. What we have is a system that enslaves them in poverty. We have multigenerational families who are farming the welfare system. And the politicians and bureaucrats like that just fine. Instant voting block.

Some times the way out is tough love?

End the phony fiat money and the inflation that accompanies it. Privatize Social Security so that the poor can pass on their hard work. End the dole. End the minimum wage. End Gooferment Skrules. End the drug war. End all the wars not specifically declared by Congress and accompanied with a surtax to pay for it.

Then maybe you can redefine poverty.

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INTERESTING: What would you do with Jeter’s ball?

Monday, July 11, 2011

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Fan-returns-3-000th-hit-to-Jeter-team-rewards-h?urn=mlb-wp12123

Sat Jul 09 03:48pm EDT
Fan returns 3,000th hit to Jeter, team rewards his generosity
By ‘Duk

*** begin quote ***

As a 23-year-old cell phone salesman, Christian Lopez had thousands of reasons to hold out for the highest bidder on the baseball from Derek Jeter’s(notes) 3,000th hit. In fact, some estimates put the ball’s worth at $250,000, money that the recent graduate from St. Lawrence University could have certainly used.

And yet when New York Yankees officials found Lopez after he corralled Jeter’s historic home run, the only thing that the big Yankees fan wanted was to return the ball to the man who had hit it.

*** and ***

What would you have done?

*** end quote ***

Wow, that’s a tough one.

I doubt I’d have been as gracious as this fellow.

I’d hope that I’d tie two baseball stories together.

Remember that fan who fell to his death leaving his son an orphan?

I’d have gotten my favorite lawyer to negotiate a deal. The fair value of the ball should wind up in the Texas Rangers’ account that was setup for the child and Jeter should get the ball. And, how it all happens are mere details. Since I had possession of the ball, I’m sure it could all be worked out.

I hope I’d have the stones to make it happen.

That’s what I think I’d have done. Or, what I’d like to THINK that’s what I’d have done. It’s what I HOPE i’d have done.

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INTERESTING: Lone parents, the large majority of whom are women

Monday, July 11, 2011

http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/documents/Single%20MothersSingled%20Out%20The%20impact%20of%202010-15%20tax%20and%20benefit%20changes%20on%20women%20and%20men.pdf

SINGLE MOTHERS:SINGLED OUT Summary: the impact of 2010-15 tax and benefit changes on women and men

*** begin quote ***

The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading campaign for equality between women and men and traces its roots back to 1866, to Millicent Fawcett’s peaceful struggle for women’s right to vote. Fawcett’s vision is of a society where women and our rights and freedoms are equally valued and respected and where we have equal power and influence in shaping our own lives and our wider world.

*** and ***

Findings:

• Single women are hit harder than single men, couples and multifamily households by the current government’s tax and benefits changes.

• Lone parents, the large majority of whom are women, are, on average, among the biggest losers as a result of the reforms.

*** end quote ***

I found this interesting. Here’s why:

(1) The groups logo says “closing the inequality gap” and a clever graphic “wo since1866 man”. Excuse me but am I to understand that this group has been going on since 1866? That’s insanity. It’s a cult. Or someone has figured out a multigenerational way to earn a buck. Oh, it’s UK, a pound. Wow, talk about a model for failure. What would you call working on a problem for 177 years and not solving it. Wow!

(2) Economists have long pointed out that single mothers are going to be poor and have a hard life. Old women should be telling younger women this fact from birth. It’s a meme that needs to get into the culture.

(3) Single moms is a poor way to raise a child. I know. Even with a good family structure to give support, the child is deprived. Women need to choose their mates wisely. (Sorry Mom, RIP, but you know that’s true.) In nature, the females make the males prove their worth. In humans, “free love” screws woman and child.

(4) The Gooferment can try to redefine marriage in response to pressure groups. But, the family, a husband and wife joined forever has been the way to “do” children. Regardless if you believe in “evolution”, we have a grazillion years in field testing how to raise children. Nuclear family with a stay at home mom seems to be the best answer.

(5) Once again, women are to blame for these problems. “Yes, when we get out of here. We’re going to have to fix that. You know we control something that can get it done. Not the ballot box, but the other box. (A giant sucking sound as pure Miss Marie used that very rude idiom.) We can end war.” — character “Marie” being anti-war in CHURCH 10●19●62 Volume 1 Page 262

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QUOTE: Women

Monday, July 11, 2011

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”

— Robert A. Heinlein

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FLASH: Another American death!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

http://news.yahoo.com/us-defence-chief-iraq-surprise-visit-152728095.html

Panetta in Iraq as another US soldier killed
By Mathieu Rabechault | AFP – 7 hrs ago

*** begin quote ***

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Baghdad on Sunday to urge Iraqi leaders to act against Iran-backed Shiite militias, as another American soldier was killed in the south of the country.

*** end quote ***

Donna Nobis Pacem

# – # – # – # – # 2011-Jul-10 @ 22:33


TECHNOLOGY: Apple does evil?

Sunday, July 10, 2011

http://m.techeye.net/security/us-spooks-arrest-artist-for-tinkering-with-apple-macs

US spooks arrest artist for tinkering with Apple Macs
It’s terrorism
08 Jul 2011 09:41 | by Nick Farrell in Rome | posted in Security

*** begin quote ***

Tinkering with Apple computers in one of its cathedrals of shallowness is now a terrorist act.

According to AP, the fruity cargo cult called in the US Secret Service after it discovered that some of the Apple Macs in its New York Store had been profaned by unauthorised software which appeared to take pictures of customers.

*** end quote ***

Unfortunately!

  1. My little more than a year old MACBOOKAIR has as many problems as my old WINDOZE machine. And, it’s had two bare metal restores and three type 1 hardware problems.
      
  2. APPLE is arguably as bad as MICROSLOTH! … but with better support at the genius bar.
  3. Linux is the wild frontier. But maybe it’s better?
      
  4. Google’s CHROMEBOOK is an interesting take on Cloud Computing.
  5. Crony capitalism is one of the terrible feature of today’s Gooferment.

So what does one do?

Beats me.

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MONEY: Retirement? fuhgeddaboudit!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

http://lewrockwell.com/north/north1001.html

Never Say Retire
by Gary North

*** begin quote ***

I had concluded that millions of baby boomers would discover at age 65, much to their chagrin, that their plans for a comfortable retirement had been smashed by the reality of low economic growth, low returns from the stock market, their own insufficient savings programs for decades, and inflation. I figured that I might create a Website based on the theme, “never say retire.” I have not developed that site, but at least I set up a department on my Website. So, if anyone types the words “never say retire,” he is directed to my department.

*** end quote ***

The truth about retirement. Argh! “We”, as a society, waste the first 25 years and the last 20+ years of life. “School” isn’t about reading children to take their place in the civilization creating wealth. “Retirement” isn’t about the “golden years”; they are removed from the workforce at the height of the wealth creation capability. Argh!

Retire? fuhgeddaboudit! (translation from the Brooklyn dialect: “forget about it” with a sneer.)

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TECHNOLOGY: Google’s GOOGLE+ might be a big winner

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Recently I scored an invite to GOOGLE+, Google’s competitor to FACEBOOK. While my initial experience with it has been rough, I can see that this could be a BIG winner for Google in the “enterprise space”. It may even compete with LinkedIn, the recruiter’s white pages. This is also a competitor for various products and services that do “management of enterprise identities” (e.g., SALESFORCE; sales funnel management tools, Customer Relationship Management products). That’s how big it could be.

In a nutshell, it’s like FACEBOOK for a User’s define communities.

I’d suggest that every IT person should be grabbing a GOOGLE+ invite and try it for themselves. It’s going to be in the enterprise and everyone should understand the raw power that it represents.

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