RANT: A tax on the poor

Friday, October 18, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/10/08/us-news/mega-millions-ticket-price-more-than-doubling-to-5/

Mega Millions ticket price more than doubling to $5 — with promise of bigger jackpots and higher odds
By Allie Griffin 
Published Oct. 8, 2024, 2:50 a.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

Mega Millions tickets will more than double in cost next April from $2 to $5 a pop, lottery officials announced Monday, adding that the new price tag will come with higher cash prizes.

The price increase will come with greater odds of scoring bigger jackpots as part of a “mega overhaul” of the lottery launching in April 2025, Mega Millions said. 

*** end quote ***

Sorry, but this is just a tax on people’s hopes and dreams.  And the tax collector is the biggest winner.

I’d like to see the Gooferment make some regulations to bring back “fair play”.  

  • No taxes on winnings.
  • No repayment of welfare benefits on any “small” winnings.
  • No unclaimed prizes should go the Gooferment; throw it in the next pot for drawing,
  • Strict regulation on “employee compensation”.
  • Strict privacy for big winners.
  • And all numbers from 0 to 99.

Then, maybe it would be “fair”.

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SECURITY: Once again, a warning to “firewall” and “air gap” personal technology from your employer

Thursday, October 17, 2024

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/09/do-not-use-iphone-mirroring-corporate-mac/

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Use iPhone Mirroring on a Corporate Mac

Wednesday October 9, 2024 4:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

*** begin quote ***

Apple’s new iPhone Mirroring feature in macOS Sequoia might seem like a convenient way to access your phone from your work computer, but security firm Sevco has uncovered a significant privacy risk that should make employees think twice before enabling this feature on company-owned Macs, at least for now.

*** and ***

When executed in a Terminal window that has been granted full disk access without setting up iPhone Mirroring, the command returns a normal list of macOS applications. But when executed in that same Terminal window after setting up iPhone Mirroring, it also returns personal iOS applications and metadata.

For employees, this means that apps they use privately could become visible to their employer’s IT department without their knowledge or consent. This could potentially reveal sensitive personal information, such as dating apps, health-related apps, or VPNs used in countries with restricted internet access.

*** end quote ***

Your employer, their network, and their tools should NEVER be used for your private purposes.  

The easiest way to ensure that separation is to maintain a strict “air gap” (i.e., strictly never connecting anything by wire, bluetooth, or network wifi to something “corporate”).  

If for no other reason than when your employer gets hit with a virus, ransomware, or some corporate security “tool”, then it would get your hardware in its grasp.

Argh!

Don’t forget that the employer can claim your hardware is suspect of having their data on it!

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HEALTH: But the Food and Drug Administration’s “pronouncements” should not be construed as medical advice

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

https://worldhealth.net/news/cheeky-discovery-predicting-risk-of-mortality/

Predicting Mortality With A Promising Cheeky Discovery

  • New epigenetic clock based on easy-to-collect cheek cells accurately predicts mortality

October 2, 2024

*** begin quote ***

As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 

*** end quote ***

I’d say after Covid demonstrated the regulatory capture of the FDA, CDC, and NIH, that they are the tools of Big Pharma and just another source of advertising propaganda.

Instead of DOJ applying anti-trust break up to Google, like they did with AT&T and unsuccessfully with IBM, they should focus on BigPharma and the damage it does as a cartel.

Argh!

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POLITICAL: CBS is an arm of the DNC

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

https://nypost.com/2024/10/09/media/ex-cbs-news-reporter-says-theres-precedent-for-releasing-full-transcript-when-it-came-to-donald-trump/

Media  —  exclusive details
Ex-CBS News reporter says there’s ‘precedent’ for releasing full interview transcript — when it came to Donald Trump
By Ariel Zilber and Alexandra Steigrad 
Published Oct. 9, 2024, 7:45 p.m. ET

*** begin quote ***

CBS News remained mum Wednesday amid mounting pressure to release the full transcript of Kamala Harris’ interview with “60 Minutes” — even as a former correspondent said there’s “precedent” for the network doing so when it came to Donald Trump.

Ex-CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge — who was laid off earlier this year as she investigated the Hunter Biden laptop scandal — said the network released the full, unedited transcript of her interview with Trump when he was president in 2020.

The Republican presidential candidate has demanded CBS News publish the full interview with Harris after accusations that the Tiffany Network edited her “word salad” answers during the sit-down with Bill Whitaker.

“As Trump campaign calls on @60Minutes to release ‘full, unedited transcript’ of Kamala Harris interview… There is precedent,” Herridge posted on X on Wednesday.

*** end quote ***

This demonstrates once again, like in the Hunter Biden laptop story, CBS and the rest of the corporate media is an arm of the Obama DNC.

Walter Cronkite, who was a shill too, at least pretended to be fair and balanced.

Argh!

No wonder the traditional media is being ignored.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Time for patriots to “water” the Tree of Liberty — vote them all out

Monday, October 14, 2024

https://savejersey.com/2024/10/op-ed-americans-once-again-betrayed-by-their-own-uncle-sam/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=op-ed-americans-once-again-betrayed-by-their-own-uncle-sam&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=op-ed-americans-once-again-betrayed-by-their-own-uncle-sam

savejersey.com
Op-Ed: Americans Once Again Betrayed by Their Own Uncle Sam 
Dale Glading
Cross-Posted from DaleGlading.com

*** begin quote ***

It may be the greatest betrayal of Americans by their own government in U.S. history, right up there with Congress raiding the Social Security “lockbox” to pay current expenses. In that latter instance, the $2.8 trillion surplus that the Social Security Administration amassed from the mid-1980s through 2020 has been invested in interest-bearing Treasury securities. In other words, by investing in T-bills, the SSA has loaned the federal government money for its general operating budget, money that will have to repaid to cover future benefits by borrowing even more money (with interest) down the road.

Got it?

As a result of that “rob Peter now to pay Paul later” mentality, Social Security is expected to deplete its trust fund by 2037, after which benefits will have to be reduced by approximately 25% for the program to remain solvent. That means that a government program that was built upon the shoulders of Baby Boomers in the workforce is projected to collapse when those same Boomers are fully retired.

Sounds like a Ponzi scheme on steroids to me.

<< EDITOR ADDED: Absolutely!>

*** and ***

Even worse, FEMA is now in no position to assist American citizens in the path of Milton because it mismanaged its $33 billion budget, only $20 billion of which is actually designated for major disaster relief. How incompetent, unconscionable, and unforgiveable is that?

By comparison, Samaritan’s Purse operates on a $1 billion annual budget and provides far more emergency relief in a far more effective manner. According to Christianity Today, “the organization’s 160,000-square-foot warehouse and offices in North Wilkesboro, NC employ 385 people who buy, repair, maintain and retrofit millions of dollars’ worth of medical equipment, generators and water filtration systems, much of them donated. The warehouse has six emergency field hospitals ready to ship, four with tents, hospital beds, anesthesiology equipment, X-ray machines, and surgical suites – all engineered to fold into a plane’s fuselage. There are also miles of plastic tarps, mountains of clothing and boxes full of small brown teddy bears with the Samaritan’s Purse logo – a cross inside a circle.”

*** and ***

And so, I suggest the following: impeach Secretary Mayorkas for a second time and turn the rest of FEMA’s annual operating budget over to Samaritan’s Purse.

*** end quote ***

Clearly, the Federal Gooferment is a complete failure in so many many dimensions.  Time to start over.  Let’s dissolve “The United States” into its component parts and let the individual States figure out the problem.  Just declare bankruptcy and let the chips fall where they may.

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RANT: Stolen license plate reported on Nextdoor

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Some poor soul had his front plate stolen.  While it might have been an (old) prank, it’s more likely a prelude to criminal acts.

The consensus was that the following actions should be taken immediately:

STOLEN PLATE REACTION

  1. Police — make a report & get a copy
  2. DMV — get some documentation & new plates
  3. Insurance — make a report and change plate number
  4. Ezpass — make a report & if you’re an expats holder change plate number 

I, for one, will start checking my plates every day.

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INSPIRATIONAL: How to be a good father to your ex and your children

Sunday, October 13, 2024

FROM QUORA

*** begin quote ***

Regular People & Their Amazing Stories
Posted by Richard Strachan

“”This is my ex. This right here is more valuable than gold.

This is a man who doesn’t pay a dime through the state because when my son needs new clothes, I just call him.

This is a man who buys a bundle of kids’ movies on Vudu so even I can enjoy them with my son in my own home.

A man who drops off the $45 box of pull-ups at my front door so I don’t have to load my son up and go to the store.

One who takes his son in on 10 minute notice, far more often than he should, because I have too much to get done or just need a nap.

This is a man who listens to me cry because I’m stressed out.

This is a man who tells his son not to forget mommy’s boyfriend when he lists his favorite people off the top of his head.

A man who rushes over because we got locked out of the house, or spends his evening fixing something for us.

This is a man who labeled the presents he bought his son from ‘mommy’ because mommy couldn’t get him as many.

A man who still watches my sister’s kids so our son can be with his cousins.

One who accompanies me to meet strangers from Craigslist to ensure we are safe.

This is the diaper-bag-wearing, chocolate-milk-making, selfless, protective, generous, accomplished FATHER to my son.

The amount of obstacles we’ve had to overcome to get to this point are tremendous. This was not easy; this was a choice. Stop giving excuses and come together for your children. I’m the most stubborn person I know and forgiveness came easy to us for the sake of our son. And because of that, I see my son every single day. We always welcome each other’s presence.

In case I haven’t told you lately, I’m grateful for you. Most importantly, for the motivated individual you are and how you provide Pierson with a phenomenal role model despite the foundation you once had. I love the amount of love my son will always have from you.””

Credit: Jessica Singleton

*** end quote ***

I’ve seen lot of broken homes and this “ex” should be the exemplar that we all seek to emulate.

Makes me sad to think of what could have been.

In my own life and those of many many others.

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SECURITY: A static social security number is the flaw in EVERY financial security scheme

Saturday, October 12, 2024

https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/comcast_fcbs_ransomware_theft/

Cybersecurity Month
About a quarter million Comcast subscribers had their data stolen from debt collector

  • Cable giant says ransomware involved, FBCS keeps schtum

Connor Jones
Fri 4 Oct 2024 // 20:13 UTC

*** begin quote ***

Among the data types stolen were names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and the Comcast account numbers and ID numbers used internally at FBCS. The data pertains to those registered as customers at “around 2021.” Comcast stopped using FBCS for debt collection services in 2020.

*** end quote ***

As with ALL problems, digging down for who’s at fault, eventually end at the Gooferment.

I remember n=my original Social Security card as saying in big red font all caps “NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES”.

I’m sure that the tin foil hats of that era would have opposed it for either “THE MARK OF THE DEVIL” or “where is your papers please” or just the enumeration of privacy concerns.  And they, like almost all Conspiracy Theorists, would have been correct.  Look what a mess SSN has created.

At the root of the problem is the SSN.  

Fundamentally insecure!  Medicare abandoned the SSN on its own medicare cards.  Never explained but probably due to fraud.  Which still is a huge problem.

I suggest that the SSN be abandoned.  Credit cards use a 16 digit number with error correction in it and the “secret” card code on the back.  Why can’t the same be done to replace SSN.

Sure “credit reporting agencies”, banks, brokers, and all would have to retool.  

So what.

No one ever voted to approve this Universal Identifier.  

So let’s unvote it out.

Surely SCIENCE can come up with a better one.  Maybe based on our DNA, or biometric, or maybe nothing is best.

Google and Apple now have passkeys based on their device’s “biometric”.  

Even that would be better than SSN!

# – # – # – # – # 

FOOTNOTE: The word schtum means to remain silent. Specifically, it means not sharing any information, or telling anyone what you know. Schtum is most often used when referring to information that is harmful or sensitive in nature.

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ECONOMICS: My thoughts to save the USA

Friday, October 11, 2024

One would think that someone would recognize that “shipping all the jobs overseas” was a fundamentally flawed strategy to bankrupt the middle class. Seems obvious to me.

DJT’s tariffs would be a step in the right direction IF AND ONLY IF it was done “gently” (so as not to ignite a trade war) and strategically (focus on the key industries need in war time). Same with mergers and acquisitions approval.

In the financial realm, TBIF (too big to fail) is TBTE (too big to exist). Balance sheets should be limited to a reasonable amount percentage relative to the national GDP.

Unfunded liabilities by any entity should be outlawed.

Also, executive compensation should be “taxed” to the extent that it exceeds what the President is paid and any other compensation should be “laddered” (i.e., vested non-transferable corporate bonds staggered in equal amounts over a long term time horizon) say thirty years to encourage long term decision making (i.e., no sacrificing long term survival for short term profitability).

Don’t tax savings or whatever it earns.  Distinguish between savings, investment, and speculation.

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MEME: None of us WANT to pay the price, but some of us wll have to

Thursday, October 10, 2024

 

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