MONEY: Renewed my XM subscription

Saturday, July 28, 2007

OK, it’s Frau’s subscription, but it was a “honey do”! It was interesting that there was a 28% discount for a multi year subscription. There were no human beings handling the call. (Activating Frau’s replacement credit card was an automated experience as well. Another honey do! She lose her card and I get work to do. Sigh!) Of interest in this exchange was that there was no confirmation number. And, a lot of dumb repetition. Sigh. SO, if the transaction gets “lost”, how do I prove I did it. Better yet, how do I get credit for completing a honey do?

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Edwards: “They want to shut me up” Yup, I do!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0707/Edwards_They_want_to_shut_me_up.html

July 27, 2007
Edwards: “They want to shut me up”

*** begin quote ***

This stuff’s not an accident. Nobody in this room should think this is an accident. You know, I’m out there speaking up for universal healthcare, ending this war in Iraq, speaking up for the poor. They want to shut me up. That’s what this is about. “Let’s distract from people who don’t have health care coverage. Let’s distract from people who can’t feed their children…. Let’s talk about this silly frivolous nothing stuff so that America won’t pay attention.”

They will never silence me. Never.

If we don’t stand up to these people, if we don’t fight em, if we don’t beat them, they’re going to continue to control this country. Thye’re going to control the media. They’re going to control what’s being said. They do not want to hear us talking about health care for everybody.

*** end quote ***

“Universalhealthcare”!?!

Please a tax funded boobdoggle (Not just an ordinary boodoggle! This appeals to boobs who can’t see the “barbara streisand” he’s peddling!) boon to the medical establishment, gooferment bureaucrats of all shapes ‘n’ sizes, and the trial lawyers.

The Soviet Union demonstrated how well <insert favorite service> can be delivered by the gooferment. Examine how well the Post Office delivers mail. Is the VA the exemplar of how the gooferment will provide you health care. We already have working examples about how everyday health care will be delivered by the gooferment — Medicare and Medicaid. We already have examples of “universal healthcare” Canada, England, and Australia.

No, “universal healthcare” is an attempt by the politicians, who created the problem with various laws, to convince us to let them “solve” it.

Shut up and sit down, Senator.

You’ve contributed to the mess, voted for the war, and gotten some expensive hair cuts.

You are a joke. Time for you to get a real job.

My fellow alum had a great cartoon (http://www.jerrybreen.com)

xcaricature hillbillies

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1 Comment | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

FUN: Latest Die Hard movie

Saturday, July 28, 2007

I was a good boy this week so Frau took me to see the latest Die Hard movie. I enjoyed it. Some what believable premise. Unbelievable scrapes. But a nice root ’em toot ’em shoot ’em up. I love “cowboy” movies. Yippeee Kye yah … …

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: what can we reasonable expect to accomplish in a solidly “Democratic” state

Friday, July 27, 2007

FROM AN EMAIL TO THE MEETUP GROUP

*** begin quote ***

Hi Fred, and all the others here at Edison aka Ron_Paul_Edison_MeetUp,

Of course as a little L libertarian, I’m wildly interested in supporting Ron Paul. (I’ve sent him two modest contributions.) However, given that NJ is a solidly “Democratic” state, what can we reasonable expect to accomplish?

The NJ primary is late in the season; so the issue of nomination should be decided by the time we get to vote. I’d suggest that probably the “best” that we achieve is to split the anti-war dems from their machine. We can also probably drive a wedge between the grass roots republicans and their machine. In terms of the electoral map, I don’t see that there’s much that can be done. NJ votes Democratic and there’s not a lot that can be done about that. Even if we split the people on the war issue, AND we could surprise with the vote (That’s a big if!), so what! (If NJ was to go for Ron Paul, then he’s already won by the time it gets to us.) So how can we help get this past where the NJ vote even matters. (If Ron Paul needs NJ to get nominated or elected, he’s probably “duck soup”.)

I’m not a defeatist, “woe is me” type fellow. Just practical.

So what I would propose is that the single most effective thing we can do is fund raise for Ron Paul.

Follow that up by “out reach out of state” to have NJers who are Ron Paul supporters reach out to friends, family, and others OUTSIDE of New Jersey to support Ron Paul. Finally, we can blanket the NY/NJ media, which is part of the media duopoly between LA & NYC, with Ron Paul stuff: email to outlets, letter to the editor, blog comments, other web 2.0 social networking.

That would be my suggestion for NJ Ron Paul 2008 priority efforts:

  • Money
  • Out state personal exhortations (i.e., Iowa)
  • NJ/NY media blitz
  • Building grass roots buzz

If we can do that, it might be MORE important than any failed effort to “win” NJ for Ron Paul. The buzz that we create might be a “bigger win”.

IMHO,
a frustrated NJ libertarian,
fjohn

Ferdinand J. Reinke
Kendall Park, NJ 08824

——————————————————————————–
From: ron paul edison nj @ meetup.com] On Behalf Of fred stein
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 6:54 PM
Subject: Re: [ronpaul edison] Lets get the Ball Rolling

Ron Paul is going to shock America when he wins in New Hampshire.

Fred Stein

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Posted by reinkefj

GUNS: BEST GUN BUYBACK

Friday, July 27, 2007

http://www.clairewolfe.com/wolfesblog/00002633.html

BEST GUN BUYBACK

***Begin Quote***

One member, acting as clueless about guns as the organizers of the event, proceeded to turn this junk in 10 guns at a time to several of the buyback locations. His bags of rusty junk revolvers was, in the course of the morning, turned several thousand dollars worth of prepaid Mastercards. And here’s the best part – the money was then used to help fund a local youth shooting camp. Ha! What cooler thing to do than take the gun-grabbers’ money and use it to introduce youngsters to shooting sports?

***End Quote***

You have to love ingenuity!

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: The state makes us pay for things

Friday, July 27, 2007

http://www.lewrockwell.com/lora/m.lora35.html

Against Cross-Subsidization, Against Socialism
by Manuel Lora

***Begin Quote***

The state makes us pay for things that we either do not want, or do not want as much of as we are made to finance.

***End Quote***

Maybe this is how we reduce the size of gooferment. But we can’t refuse to pay for services we don’t want, can’t use, or are too expensive for us.

Sigh!

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Posted by reinkefj

PRODUCTIVITY: and asking someone else to confirm

Friday, July 27, 2007

http://www.clairewolfe.com/wolfesblog/00002632.html

07/26/2007 Entry: “Quote from “Crazy Time” (definition of sanity)”

***Begin Quote***

Sanity was being firm with clients and telling them there was self-esteem in standing on an assembly line all day putting a gidget in a gadget; and it was putting the damn gidget in the damn gadget and asking someone else to confirm that it was all right to do that.

***End Quote***

No checking the checkers!

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Why I support Ron Paul

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Why Dr Ron Paul?

• He has never voted to raise taxes.
• He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
• He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
• He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
• He has never taken a government-paid junket.
• He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
• He voted against the Patriot Act.
• He voted against regulating the Internet.
• He voted against the Iraq war.
• He opposed the Federal Reserve.

And, he speaks from his heart and doesn’t change his position based on this poll or that.

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2 Comments | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

YahooAnswers: Status “BEST” awarded; selected “best by voters”

Thursday, July 26, 2007

YAHOO ANSWER: start investing

http:// answers.yahoo.com/question/
;_ylt=Ajc.cSp3s66dlx8NU73r
fQ6vxQt.?link=answer&.crumb=sXRU6OYqF03&qid=20070712
090500AANTLkC&.done=http%253A%252F%252Fanswers.yahoo.com
%252Fquestion%252Findex%253Fqid%253D20070712090500AANTLkC

http://tinyurl.com/yo22zb

*** begin quote ***

start investing

QUESTION

Asked by “barteq007?

How do I start investing?

*** end quote ***

Just received word that this was selected “best by voters”.

2 votes of 3 cast among 2 answers.

Ten meaningless points.

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: All Ponzi schemes end

Thursday, July 26, 2007

The Old Mercantilism and the New
by Gary North
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north551.html

 

***Begin Quote***

There are hints that there is a new form of mercantilism coming. China, meaning the People’s Bank of China, purchased 9.9% of the Blackstone hedge fund in May. It paid $3 billion. The PBOC has set up a rumored $300 billion fund for purchasing foreign equities and other unnamed assets. This is a shift from debt to equity, from foreign governments’ promises to pay to actual ownership of foreign companies and assets.

***End Quote***

Does the USA’s empire end “soon”?

We converted from the Revolutionary War America in 1860 with the War of Northern Aggression. We converted from a peaceful country with a bias for isolationism with WW1 that our political class steered us into. We allowed that political class to shoot us in the foot with the Smoot Hawley tariff and mislead us by calling The Great Depression. We were robbed of our sound money by FDR with his socialist agenda. When even that didn’t work, he shoved us into WW2. With that we became an empire. Fast forward six decades later, the “rewards” of these policies, like the proverbial chickens, are coming home to roost.

Is it China that, to use a poker term, “felts us”?

Are they in such a world of hurt that we’re going to be another unfortunate casualty? Of the monetary war to come.

One can envision some of the disastrous consequences of our past excesses.

  • The social security insurance timebomb explodes and the youth can’t afford to pay the claims of the old folks.
  • The health care bills zoom even further out of sight as the lifespan increases.
  • The Arabs start selling oil in the golden dinar as opposed to fiat currencies.
  • The Chinese use their reserves to own the resources everyone needs.

The dollar plummets on a fast track to the bottom. Do we, the American people, just abrogate our agreements and return to Constitutional dollars. It would be an “interesting strategy”. I’m not sure how it really unwinds. Does some future President just declare a bank holiday and “go fishing” after making the announcement that the Federal Reserve bank Note is no longer legal tender in the USA. That’s a good strategy. Let the marketplace figure it out. Maybe the Federal Reserve can figure out how it survives without it’s monopoly on money.

So what does the local savings bank do? Run this play out. Depositors are insured by the FDIC to 100k. If the FRBN is no longer money, then the bank’s dollars are in effect worthless. It probably has stocks and bonds. So the FDIC will have to make good on deposits. But clearly everyone is taking a big haircut.

Think about the ante bellum South where you’re rich with a pocket full of Confederate dollars. Or post WW2 Germany with paper marks. Or post WW1 Germany with paper marks. Or modern day Zaire with 1000% annual inflation.

It’s really hard to envision.

How does one prepare for a fiscal tsunami?

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1 Comment | INTERESTING | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

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