Reinke Faces Life

So why do they waste my time, electrons, and processing power when they have ZZEERROO chance of converting it to a sale?

Argh!

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Looks like UAL is pulling out all the stops to keep its Customer base?

Interesting in that this is the FIRST time I’ve ever heard from them. Other than canned emails.

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MileagePlus # XXXXX168

Dear Mr. Reinke, Each flight you take with us represents an important promise we make to you, our customer. It’s not simply that we make sure you reach your destination safely and on time, but also that you will be treated with the highest level of service and the deepest sense of dignity and respect. Earlier this month, we broke that trust when a passenger was forcibly removed from one of our planes. We can never say we are sorry enough for what occurred, but we also know meaningful actions will speak louder than words. For the past several weeks, we have been urgently working to answer two questions: How did this happen, and how can we do our best to ensure this never happens again? It happened because our corporate policies were placed ahead of our shared values. Our procedures got in the way of our employees doing what they know is right. Fixing that problem starts now with changing how we fly, serve and respect our customers. This is a turning point for all of us here at United – and as CEO, it’s my responsibility to make sure that we learn from this experience and redouble our efforts to put our customers at the center of everything we do. That’s why we announced that we will no longer ask law enforcement to remove customers from a flight and customers will not be required to give up their seat once on board – except in matters of safety or security. We also know that despite our best efforts, when things don’t go the way they should, we need to be there for you to make things right. There are several new ways we’re going to do just that. We will increase incentives for voluntary rebooking up to $10,000 and will be eliminating the red tape on permanently lost bags with a new “no-questions-asked” $1,500 reimbursement policy. We will also be rolling out a new app for our employees that will enable them to provide on-the-spot goodwill gestures in the form of miles, travel credit and other amenities when your experience with us misses the mark. You can learn more about these commitments and many other changes at hub.united.com. While these actions are important, I have found myself reflecting more broadly on the role we play and the responsibilities we have to you and the communities we serve. I believe we must go further in redefining what United’s corporate citizenship looks like in our society. You can and ought to expect more from us, and we intend to live up to those higher expectations in the way we embody social responsibility and civic leadership everywhere we operate. I hope you will see that pledge express itself in our actions going forward, of which these initial, though important, changes are merely a first step. Our goal should be nothing less than to make you truly proud to say, “I fly United.” Ultimately, the measure of our success is your satisfaction and the past several weeks have moved us to go further than ever before in elevating your experience with us. I know our 87,000 employees have taken this message to heart, and they are as energized as ever to fulfill our promise to serve you better with each flight and earn the trust you’ve given us. We are working harder than ever for the privilege to serve you and I know we will be stronger, better and the customer-focused airline you expect and deserve. With Great Gratitude, Oscar Munoz CEO United Airlines

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FROM THE READERS DIGEST

*** begin quote ***

SMOKE SIGNALS
by Dan Rolince, Golden, Colorado

On a cool night lit only by the orange glow of fire, we rushed to my grandfather’s home as his decades-old barn burned to the ground. The firemen let us stand nearby as they pumped water from the creek a quarter mile away. We watched the barn go up in flames, which stirred memories of jumping off foot-wide wooden beams into the hay below. The real sadness came as my elderly grandfather, who did not get out of bed, quietly asked if his cows were safe. He hadn’t had dairy cows in a dozen years.

*** end quote ***

I just did the RD vocabulary test and only got 8/15.

Argh!

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<A real friend stated on Facebook>

*** begin quote ***

John, I would like to think the world is full of caring People. However, that is not the case. I choose to believe that we live in a nation, the United States, that has the capacity to care about the needs of all citizens. The evidence is that our corporate world, through Citizens United, is able to suppress our best human instincts.

*** end quote ***

OF COURSE, I REPLIED:

*** begin quote ***

Unfortunately, I think your paradigm or perception is wrong.

The USA is a very charitable nation. Even with the high taxation, Americans donate a lot to charity. (Not the politicians and bureaucrats, but real people.) Look at how they respond to international disasters or 911.

AND, if we stop Gooferment funding, then people will not think “oh the Gooferment is taking care of it”.  

When real people and private charities get involved, charity is more efficient and effective. Example, the Salvation Army. Or the myriad of stories about individuals stepping up. The USA has a tradition of neighbors helping neighbors.

It’s only when Gooferment takes over “the problem” does it become a “real problem”.

*** end quote ***

Or course, I forgot to cite that “Effective Compassion” article. http://www.acton.org/public-policy/effective-compassion/seven-principles-century-ago

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My USPS® Free Upgrade Offers Preview of Incoming Mail

We are excited to announce that the My USPS application will soon be upgraded to offer you more benefits and convenience. No action is required from you – you will retain your My USPS benefits, but will also have access to Informed Delivery® notifications, a new, free feature that gives you the ability to see a digital preview of your incoming mail. Informed Delivery allows you to view grayscale images of the exterior, address side of your household’s letter-sized mailpieces* on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. This new feature offers the convenience of seeing what is coming to your mailbox – anytime, anywhere. Now when you log in to your My USPS account, you will be able to track packages and view a preview of your letter-sized mailpieces in one, integrated dashboard. Your dashboard will display mailpiece images for a seven-day period; you can also opt to receive these images via email notification. To learn more about Informed Delivery notifications, please visit the Informed Delivery FAQs. We are proud to offer you more insight into your mail delivery, and thank you for being a valued USPS customer. Sincerely, Your United States Postal Service®

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Now all I need is a way to discard it — electronically.

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FROM WSJ

The Rewards of Charity 

Charities are becoming a lot more generous with pay at the top. The tax-exempt organizations, which include many hospitals and colleges as well as traditional charities, provided seven-figure compensation to roughly 2,700 employees in 2014, our analysis of newly available data shows. The total is higher by a third than in 2011. While many of the big earners ran large enterprises, others were leaders of small charities, such as a couple who run an online ministry. Researchers who study pay at charities say it has been increasing for decades as organizations have grown more professional and adopted pay strategies from the corporate world, where executive compensation has also been on the rise. High pay at charities has drawn scrutiny from some lawmakers because the organizations receive substantial tax breaks for committing to public service.

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I use the Salvation Army as the exemplar.

And all Big Charity entities (i.e., Red Cross; anything connected with the UN or the Clinton Foundation) as the negative!

Sigh!

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https://qz.com/911968/bill-gates-the-robot-that-takes-your-job-should-pay-taxes/

DROID DUTIES
The robot that takes your job should pay taxes, says Bill Gates
Why Bill Gates would tax robots
WRITTEN BY Kevin J. Delaney
February 17, 2017

*** begin quote ***

Robots are taking human jobs. But Bill Gates believes that governments should tax companies’ use of them, as a way to at least temporarily slow the spread of automation and to fund other types of employment.

It’s a striking position from the world’s richest man and a self-described techno-optimist who co-founded Microsoft, one of the leading players in artificial-intelligence technology.

In a recent interview with Quartz, Gates said that a robot tax could finance jobs taking care of elderly people or working with kids in schools, for which needs are unmet and to which humans are particularly well suited. He argues that governments must oversee such programs rather than relying on businesses, in order to redirect the jobs to help people with lower incomes. The idea is not totally theoretical: EU lawmakers considered a proposal to tax robot owners to pay for training for workers who lose their jobs, though on Feb. 16 the legislators ultimately rejected it.

*** and ***

Question: And you’re more on the side that government should play an active role rather than rely on businesses to figure this out?

Well, business can’t. If you want to do [something about] inequity, a lot of the excess labor is going to need to go help the people who have lower incomes. And so it means that you can amp up social services for old people and handicapped people and you can take the education sector and put more labor in there. Yes, some of it will go to, “Hey, we’ll be richer and people will buy more things.” But the inequity-solving part, absolutely government’s got a big role to play there. The nice thing about taxation though, is that it really separates the issue: “OK, so that gives you the resources, now how do you want to deploy it?”

*** end quote ***

So there we have it. Bill Gates is a Big Gooferment socialist or worse. 

Ignoring the fact that taxation is theft and there isn’t a SINGLE Gooferment program that meets its goals in an effective and / or efficient manner, how is giving the Leviathan more wealth a good thing?

Bill should stick to retirement and stop trying to save the world. He’s not very good at it.

I just shake my head at the colossal arrogance of left liberal pontificators.

“Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” — Robert A. Heinlein

All can say is repeat a great movie line:

Kaffee: [interrupts with game-show buzzer sound] eeehhhhh! I’m sorry, your time’s run out! What do we have for the losers, judge? Well, for our defendants, it’s a life time at exotic Fort Leavenworth! And, for defense counsel Kaffee, that’s right, it’s a court martial! Yes, Johnny! After falsely accusing a highly decorated Marine officer of conspiracy and perjury, Lieutenant Kaffee will have a long and prosperous career teaching… typewriter maintenance at the Rocco Globbo School for Women! Thank you for playing “Should we or should we not follow the advice of the galactically stupid!” — Lt. Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men played by Tom Cruise

Argh!

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“The Immaculate Corruption”
https://sharylattkisson.com/the-immaculate-corruption/

*** begin quote ***

Big banks paid tens of billions of dollars in fines for alleged fraud and misrepresentation after the U.S. mortgage crisis. But not one top banker has been indicted or gone to prison. Some call it The Immaculate Corruption. Sunday on Full Measure, I’ll investigate why the Congressionally-appointed panel convened to look into the crisis sealed its records — and what was in them.

*** end quote ***

http://ncc-1776.org/tle2017/tle908-20170129-03.html

The Unapologetic Falsehoods of the Increasingly Discredited Associated Press 
by Vin Suprynowicz vin@catscuriosities.com
Special to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

*** begin quote ***

In an otherwise unrelated Jan. 24 news story about President Donald Trump signing executive orders to get some major oil pipelines (purposely stalled by Barack Obama in his ongoing effort to cripple America’s energy industry and thus drive up our electric bills) back on track, The Associated Press couldn’t help themselves, adding:

“Yet even as Trump moves to implement his agenda, he is still making false claims.”

*** and ***

(In Nevada, as in many states, unions can and do instruct their members to request absentee ballots. There’s no longer any need to prove—or even claim—you’ll be out of town or in the hospital on election day. Union shop stewards can then collect the completed ballots—no safeguard prevents them from checking to make sure they’re filled out “correctly”—and mail or deliver them in bulk to the county clerk’s office for counting. So much for the “privacy of the voting booth.”—V.S.)

“In Nevada you never have to prove you’re a citizen to register to vote or cast a ballot,” Cook explains. “Forget about showing government-issued photo identification at the polls, as several states now require. You don’t have to show a photo ID at any point in the process. The immigrants I met could vote Tuesday just by showing a Culinary health insurance card and a power bill.

Evidence? Cook went to the source.

“‘One would establish identity and one would establish residence,’ Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said of state standards. ‘Just like every other voter in Nevada, they will not be asked to prove citizenship.’

“You can’t cash a check in this town with such flimsy identification,” Cook concludes.

But you can vote.

*** end quote ***

Sorry, but I am concerned about this issue.

Funny that it seems to be the “specialty” of Unions and Democrats.

Those are the same folks who protest voter id laws and yell about disenfranchizement.

Wonder what an “honest election” would look like?

If you need id to get on a plane, then you need id to vote.

Seems simple enough to me

Seniors get non-drivers licenses to get discounts at restaurants.

And maybe if some one is unable to figure out how to get id, then maybe they shouldn’t be voting anyway.

Argh!

Personally, I think only vets should be allowed to vote or be in politics.

Not that vets are better, but (1) they have taken up arms and can do it again; (2) they understand what the implications of war are; and (3) they have answered their Nation’s call and so have a in stake in the results.

But that’s just my opinion.

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“DUI” should only be when there is a real injury. Then, throw the proverbial “book” at them.

For example, why should a free man have to worry about prosecution for “possessing”anything? In what way does the mere fact of “possession” entail a harm caused to some other person?

How is it that a free man can be told – at gunpoint – what he may not put into his body?

I refer, of course, to the lunacy that is the “war” on some (arbitrarily decided upon) “drugs.”

Of all the many things wrong with America, this is perhaps the most obvious – and yet, the one most people seem to have trouble appreciating. A cop who drinks alcohol – who possesses and consumes this drug – is legally empowered to throw people in a cage for possessing or consuming that drug.

Or even if not.

And don’t get me started on the whole aspect of the rationale for these drug arrests — “civil forfeiture”. See it’s all about stealing money to feed the Gooferment’s endless desire to spend more.

Argh!

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Why Are Jurors Drafted?.

Because the state owns everyone?

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From WSJ 10 points 2016-Dec-08:

*** begin quote ***

Into Thin Air Stop focusing on legroom. It’s the headroom that is shrinking on flights, and making us feel really uncomfortable. Seat density has increased significantly the last couple of years. One passenger’s nose may be 3 inches closer to the back of the head in front of her. The skinny seats installed recently largely preserve knee and legroom, but in rows that are compressed, while installing skinny bathrooms and minimizing galleys have let airlines pack more rows in, too. Psychologists say the eye-level squeeze is a big reason travelers are feeling more anxious on densely packed planes. And it’s only going to get tighter in there.

** end quote ***

My answer to this and the TSA is to stop flying. (I did it three times in the last decade because “I had too”. Argh! And I didn’t like it.)

I more folks do it: (a) the airlines will change; and (b) the airlines being the Crony Capitalists they are, will change the Gooferment policies.

Come on folks vote with your wallet.

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http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/10/13/debunked-another-buzzfeed-hottest-year-evah-story/

Debunked: Another Buzzfeed ‘Hottest Year Evah’ Story

*** begin quote ***

Here’s his latest effort, titled “Here’s What’s Going On Behind Those “Hottest Day/Month/Year Headlines”

Does young Tom go on to write about the data-fudging, noble-cause corruption, groupthink, institutional malfeasance, pal review and scaremongering which have brought about all those “Hottest Day/Month/Year Headlines”?

Of course he doesn’t. Instead, he rings up three of the climate scientists currently growing fat on the climate science gravy train by promoting the accepted climate science narrative and listens uncritically while they explain to him how yes, global warming really is as bad as the scientists are saying, in fact it’s probably worse, much much worse…

*** end quote ***

Last I looked, there were no records kept until late in the Twentieth Century!

Anyone remember why Greenland was called “green land”? Must have been warm then.

Argh!

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https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/09/no_author/home-invader-smashes-70-year-olds-head/

Resident with Cane Shoots Home Invader Dead
By Bob Irwin AmmoLand.com
September 30, 2016

*** begin quote ***

Deputies found that a 48-year-old intruder had broken into a home and attacked a 70-year-old male resident with a bamboo stick and a hockey stick. The victim suffered a severe head injury but was able to shoot the intruder in the chest with his .38 caliber handgun.

*** end quote ***

Every household should be “suitably equipped”!

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http://heatst.com/politics/lester-holt-the-third-debater/

Lester Holt: The Third Debater?
By Heat Street Staff | 11:01 pm, September 26, 2016  

*** begin quote ***

At tonight’s debate, Donald Trump faced off not just against Hillary Clinton, but against moderator Lester Holt.

• Hillary’s emails
• Benghazi
• The Clinton Foundation

While ignoring these issues, Holt grilled Trump on

• stop-and-frisk,
• the birther story,
• his comments about women,
• his many bankruptcies,
• why he hasn’t released his tax returns

— and a host of other issues the media sees as unfriendly to the Republican candidate.

*** end quote ***

Disgraceful.

Trump was “Candy Crowley-ied”!

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http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/09/27/lester-holt-spins-debate-for-hillary-6-huge-ways-plays-gotcha-with-trump.html

1)      Jobs: Holt pressed Trump with two questions on how he was going to add jobs even though the first answer discussed renegotiating trade deals.

2)      Taxes: He portrayed the tax plans from the left – Clinton wanting to tax the rich and Trump “calling for tax cuts for the wealthy,” forcing Trump to correct him.

3)      Tax Returns: Trump got hit hard with tax return questions for “business conflicts” while Hillary got a slide on emails, her hidden speeches and Clinton Foundation business conflicts.

4)      Birthers: Holt asked a “birther” question that lasted longer than Clinton’s email answer. He then added three separate follow-ups to jam up Trump.

5)      Iraq: He hammered Trump for supporting the Iraq War, downplaying how Hillary had voted to do the same.

6)      Hillary’s Gaffe: When asked about biased policing, Clinton said, “I think implicit bias is a problem for everyone, not just police.” Holt ignored it, rather than challenge the idea everyone is bigoted.

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http://baltimoregazette.com/clinton-received-debate-questions-week-debate/

Argh!

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Which of the following issues were discussed during last night’s Presidential Debate?

a) The sanctity of life
b) Religious freedom
c) Helping poor children attend a better school
d) Taxpayer-funded abortion

Answer: That’s right. None of the above.  

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https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/09/no_author/neocons-remove-mask/

The Neo-Liberals
The Z Man
September 24, 2016

*** begin quote ***

It is a good reminder that neo-conservatism was always a Progressive heresy and never had roots in Anglo-Saxon conservatism. Modern Progressivism has curdled into a list of hatreds, offering nothing but an increasingly dark vision of society. The neocons are following the same path. Guys like Jeff Jacoby can only tell you what they are not, and increasingly that sounds like “not American.” To be a neocon today is to do little more than spew venom at normal Americans for not supporting wars of choice and unlimited immigration.

*** end quote ***

Seems like if Trump wins the “conservatives” will take their warfare / welfare principles off to the D’s.

Can’t hurt for them to go away.

Argh!

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https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/09/walter-e-williams/left-wing-cruelty-black-students/

Cruelty to Black Students
By Walter E. Williams
September 23, 2016

*** begin quote ***

The problem of black education begins long before college. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as The Nation’s Report Card, shows that nationally in 2015, only 7 percent of black 12th-graders scored proficient in math, and only 17 percent did so in reading. This suggests that the average black 12th-grader has the academic proficiency of a white eighth- or ninth-grader. Consider the following question: If one admits 1,000 randomly selected eighth- and ninth-graders to college and admits 1,000 randomly selected 12th-graders, who do you think is going to come out on top? Who would be surprised if the eighth- and ninth-graders felt inferiority, oppression, and insensitivity?

*** end quote ***

Clearly the Goofement Skrules are failures. They are not preparing posterity for “real life”.

Then, the politician and bureaucrats want to “send everyone to college”. How stupid.

What’s the ROI of wasting everyone’s time and a ton of money on “students” who will never succeed with majors that are virtually useless.

And, I still have never seen a poor plumber.

The problem, as I see it, is just another instance of the “socialist calculation problems”. How can one or anyone calculate an ROI? When a private entrepreneur invests their own capital, they calculate — perhaps at a gut level — what will be the likelihood of a return. Unfortunately, students and their families going into debt are essentially misled by the Gooferment Skrules about the return.

Argh!

Of course, the Liberals in the Colleges profit from the bodies pushed through their “meat grinders”!

Argh!

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