POLITICAL: MYOB as a foreign policy

Saturday, February 25, 2012

http://lewrockwell.com/buchanan/buchanan212.html

Who Commissioned Us to Remake the World?
by Patrick J. Buchanan

*** begin quote ***

We believe in freedom of speech and the press.

Yet, in France, if you deny the Turks committed genocide against the Armenians in 1915, you are guilty of a crime, while in Turkey if you affirm that the Turks committed genocide, you have committed a crime. Should U.S. diplomats battle for repeal of both laws? Or mind our own business?

If America wishes to lead the world, let us do it by example, as we once did, not by hectoring every nation on earth to adopt the American way, which as of now, does not seem to be working all that well for Americans.

McFaul should stick to his diplomatic duties.

Jefferson had it right, “We wish not to meddle with the internal affairs of any country.”

*** end quote ***

Seems pretty simple?

As Ron Paul said in the debates that “we” do to others what “we” wouldn’t like done to us.

No humility in our dealings with other countries.

When “we” get all our problems fixed here, “we” should still refrain from commenting on policies in other countries.

If they want to handicap themselves, that’s their business.

Argh!

# – # – # – # – #

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

INSPIRATIONAL: Veterans Take A Backseat

Friday, February 24, 2012

http://bigpeace.com/kpatton/2012/02/20/devaluing-the-american-hero-veterans-take-backseat-to-sports-entertainment-figures/

Devaluing the American Hero: Veterans Take Backseat to Sports, Entertainment Figures
Posted by Kerry Patton Feb 20th 2012 at 9:42 am in Featured Story
Written by New York times Best Selling Author James M. Pratt and Kerry Patton.

*** begin quote ***

In 2012, a ticker tape parade in New York City is reserved for a Super Bowl team while those who served in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 get a collective “thanks,” at best. A serviceman from New Jersey who gave all he had dying this year gets his parents or wife a flag from his coffin, while this week a flag at “half staff” is reserved for a famous singer from the same state simply because she gave us great music.  Should the same be done for Jon Bon Jovi or Bruce Springsteen when they pass? Should they be granted the same honors as our brave men and women who gallantly fight for our freedoms?

Basketball, baseball, football players, actors, and singers all receive financial and other rewards beyond most people’s wildest dreams and are all too often mislabeled in terminology  and public adoration as “heroes.”

*** end quote ***

Sad that we don’t honor the vets.

Let’s bring them all home now.

Then, let’s work on getting our heads screwed back on correctly.

# – # – # – # – #

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

RANT: Secondary authentication questions are an invitation to identity theft

Friday, February 24, 2012

FORCED BY A “HUMAN RESOURCE” SYSTEM TO ANSWER:

*** begin quote ***

What’s your father’s middle name?

What’s your spouse’s middle name?

What’s your first child’s middle name?

What was your grandfather’s occupation?

What was the name of the first car you drove?

*** end quote ***

Of course, everyone knows or can find out the answers to these questions.

To save the identity theives time and trouble, the answers are:

bkd7ce5bw9d3

tm7d59c8zyyj

4w2uqfr77vyn

uqfz2rq2tyjv

w84p6ze8u22s

Yes that “w84 p6z e8u 22s” was some little car.

# – # – #

Anyone see the LIFELOCK commercial where the identity thief steals your money by knowing Mother’s Maiden Name and some other factoid?

Yeah, you can guess how well that works.

When at the bank and they asked that question, I whipped out my sheet of one time passwords and with a straight face told the nice lady “dpdes5 mkkey9”. And, she said: “Seriously?” I quipped: “Yes, she was Armenian.” And, that ended that conversation.

Now when I go to the bank she asks how “dp” is. I say: “Fine”.

Argh!

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Feb-24 @ 14:35

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

RANT: BHO44 is stuck with the “gas price” crisis!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Richard Billies: “Barack Obama Claims It Wasn’t Me that caused higher gas prices, it was the other guys: http://t.co/aeCiCY7X Retweet it if you like it.”

# – # – #

He did the following:

(1) Drilling in the Gulf? (But we give money to Brazil to do it!)

(2) No or slow oil leases.

(3) ANWAR off-limits.

(4) Keystone pipeline

What he could do today?

(a) Preempt all the “blends of gas” nonsense with a sweeping Federal regulation.

(b) Gas tax relief paid for by tariff.

(c) Tariff on gas exports.

(d) Open ANWAR and the Gulf

(e) Sic the IRS on the Oil Companies

(f) Have every Gooferment department come up with a real 1% cut.

(g) …

Guess that’s enough for the first day.

Argh!

He’s hung with this millstone.

He might want to think about calming the Middle East as opposed to appeasing the crazies.

# – # – # – # – #

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

FUN:ANWAR = Central Park

Friday, February 24, 2012

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/alaska-lawmakers-ask-fed-to-take-over-central-park-to-point-out-hypocrisy/

Government Alaska Lawmakers Ask Fed to Take Over Central Park to Point Out Hypocrisy
Posted on January 27, 2012 at 10:49pm by Tiffany Gabbay

*** begin quote ***

Perturbed with outsiders interfering with the right to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Republican Congressman Kyle Johansen introduced a resolution in Juneau Monday that gives those on the east coast a taste of their own medicine.

Thus, in the interest of preserving one of the few remaining glimmers of urban greenery left, Alaska state legislators are asking the federal government to take over Central Park.

Yes. The Central Park in New York City.

*** end quote ***

You have to laugh when the shoe gets put on the other foot.

# – # – # – # – #

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

FUN: Little Boy and His Dog

Thursday, February 23, 2012

FROM LUDDITE

http://zanylol.com/littleboy.html

Little Boy and His Dog

# – # – #

Sappy!

# – # – # – # – #

Leave a Comment » | FUN | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

FLASH: 7 Marines Killed in Helicopter Crash in AZ

Thursday, February 23, 2012

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/7-marines-killed-in-midair-helicopter-crash-in-ariz/

US 7 Marines Killed in Midair Helicopter Crash in Ariz.
Posted on February 23, 2012 at 9:25am by Madeleine Morgenstern

*** begin quote ***

Seven Marines were killed Wednesday night when two military helicopters collided in midair during routine training near Yuma, Ariz., the Associated Press reported.

*** end quote ***

Sadly. Accidents happen.

# – # – # – # – #

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

POLITICAL: Morris on the Income Tax

Thursday, February 23, 2012

http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/the-history-of-the-income-tax-dick-morris-tv-history-video/

THE HISTORY OF THE INCOME TAX – DICK MORRIS TV: HISTORY VIDEO!
By Dick Morris
01.28.2012

*** begin quote ***

In this video History commentary, I discuss how income tax came to be, how tax cuts grew the economy, and how tax hikes hurt it.

*** end quote ***

The Stock Market Crash was due to the Smoot Hawley Tariff being passed in Congress.

That was the straw.

The FED and the politicians further made things worse by raising the interest rate and the tax rate.

The Dead Old White Guys had it right — tariffs and excise taxes.

That would have saved our manufacturing base or at least not allowed the export of jobs and the import of “stuff” minus the cost of our social welfare programs.

They’ve demonstrated that we don’t understand the impact of changing things. Especially when those things being changed are large complex economic systems with lost of moving parts.

Capitalism with economic freedom and personal liberty have lifted us out of poverty. We need to insist on that going forward. The economy and the political order is too complex for humans to “tinker with”. Especially when those humans attempting to “run” it are so corrupt and corruptible.

# – # – # – # – #

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

MONEY: Roth IRA Conversions are problematic?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

http://mortonlaw.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/02/roth-may-become-more-compelling-planning-option.html

February 13, 2012
Roth may become more compelling planning option

*** begin quote ***

If the current proposal before congress to eliminate the stretch IRA provisions from the tax code go into effect, it presents an even more compelling reason to convert traditional IRA’s into Roth IRA’s.  While most people are reluctant to pay taxes now on a tax deferred account, the ability to pay taxes now under current rates, rather than under future rates which are likely to be higher.  Now with the potential loss of the ability of beneficiaries to stretch withdrawals when they inherit, thereby paying the taxes on the account within 5 years of their inheritance, the case for the Roth becomes more compelling.

*** and ***

Their growth and distributions would be tax free – unless, of course, congress eliminated the tax free character of the Roth IRA.  But they would never break a promise like that (unless, of course, you count their original promise not to tax social security benefits).

*** end quote ***

Wow, even more cynical people.

Converting to Roth now ENSURES that a tax is to be paid. Waiting MAY cause a higher tax to be paid.

What’s the time value of money in a zero interest rate environment?

That argues BOTH ways.

* Since money today has ZERO value, why not pay the tax (i.e., there is no better use of the funds; the NPV of the tax loss in the future is huge; confiscation of IRA / 401Ks for the “enhanced socsec benefit)?

* Since money today has zero value, why not try to convert it into something that will become valuable (i.e., real estate; gold; dividend paying growth stock)?

Pretty good argue with myself and lose twice.

# – # – # – # – #

 

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

POLITICAL: Lessig’s One Way Forward

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

http://boingboing.net/2012/02/21/lessigs-one-way-forward.html

Lessig’s One Way Forward
by Cory Doctorow at 6:41 am Tuesday, Feb 21

*** begin quote ***

Lawrence Lessig’s new ebook One Way Forward is one of the most exciting documents I’ve read since I first found The Federalist Papers. One Way Forward is more of a long pamphlet than a book. It’s tempting to call it a “manifesto,” except that it’s so darned reasonable, and that’s not a word that comes readily to mind when one hears “manifesto.”

At the core of Lessig’s reasonable manifesto is the corrupting influence of money in politics, a corruption that predates the notorious Citizens United Supreme Court case. Lessig ascribes to this corruption the outrage that mobilizes both Occupy and the Tea Party, and he believes that the corruption can’t be ended until both the left and right realize that though they don’t have a common goal, they do share a common enemy, and unite to defeat it.

To this end, Lessig has a series of extremely practical suggestions, legislative proposals that, individually, strike at the root of the corruption, and, collectively, could kill it. Most of these don’t require any kind of constitutional amendment. All are designed to be passed through the nonpartisan action of activists of all political stripes, working together on ideals that neither should find fundamentally objectionable.

*** end quote ***

Lessig is a known forward thinker.

Cory Doctorow is another thought leader.

So why can’t us little people drain the swamp?

# – # – # – # – #

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

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »