MONEY: Inflation = 2, 6, or 10 percent?

Friday, April 25, 2014

http://dailyreckoning.com/the-art-of-central-banking/

The Art of Central Banking
by Kate Incontrera.
Posted Apr 16, 2014.

*** begin quote ***

What is the inflation rate? Now, you think that’s just quantity, right? Just add up stuff. Anybody can do that. But it’s not that easy. There are lots of things go on in deciding what to put into that basket, and if you work hard enough, you can get that number anywhere you want it.

And the feds have done a great job at that. They have redone the way they calculate the inflation rate twice in the last 30 years and – guess what? – Each time, they’ve gotten a lower number. How do you like that? What a coincidence.

Right now, we have an inflation rate of about 2 percent. If you did it the way they did it in the ‘90s, you’d have 6 percent. Okay, that’s 4 percent difference, but it’s – you know, it’s three times the rate that we’re working from. And, if you did it the way they did it during the Carter Administration, you’d have an inflation rate of almost 10 percent. That’s five times the number we’re working with.

Now, here’s the question. Each time each of these numbers was done by a group of economists, the brightest and best in the country. Now, which one of these groups was a bunch of dunderheads? One of them was! Two of them were! How come? How are you supposed to know that? Which one is right?

*** end quote ***

The FED is the OPEC of the Big Banks.

The little guy doesn’t stand a chance.

Prior to 1913, gold was money and the discipliner of the Gooferment. After 1913, the Big Banks enabled Big Gooferment and were rewarded with a license to steal.

The part that bothers me is that the poor, the elderly, and those on fixed income are being robbed and the banisters, union “leaders”, politicians, and bureaucrats are rolling in dough.

Argh!

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1 Comment | MONEY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Taxpayer Subsidies

Thursday, April 24, 2014

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/taxpayer-subsidies-for-unhealthy-foods/

Taxpayer Subsidies for Unhealthy Foods
What if billions in tax dollars were invested in healthier options rather than given to corporations to subsidize the very foods that are making us sick?

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I was especially shocked (“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca) that the Gooferment has give “hundreds of billions” to subsidize junk food.

Argh!

I’m not a fan of any taxing of anything. So, I’ll respectfully disagree with the idea of taxing the junk food. (Too much like Michael Bloomberg!)

But removing all subsidies is an idea I can support vigorously.

I never understood “parity payments”, “minimum price”, and other Corporate Welfare payoffs.

Argh!

Matter of fact, they could have stopped after “Taxpayer Subsidies”. I don’t want anything “subsidized”!

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SOFTWARE: Anyone else notice CHROME BROWSER performance stinks

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Recently, all I seem to get is “spinning tabs”. Opera and Fivefox don’t have a problem.

I’m confused.

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3 Comments | SOFTWARE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

CLOUD: What if your CLOUD provider screws up?

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Hello,

Earlier today you may have received an email informing you that your Google Apps account for the domain reinke.cc has been Closed due to inactivity and will be Terminated on 5-19-2014. This email was incorrectly sent to you because of an inconsistency in our records. The problem was strictly on our end, and none of the data in your account were lost or affected by the error.

We have confirmed that you have logged into your account. Your account has not been Closed and will remain active. No further action is required on your part. You may continue to use your Google Apps account normally.

We sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Sincerely,
The Google Apps Team

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INTERESTING: On “paycheck equality”

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

An interesting paper on “paycheck equality”. IMHO it distracts from the hidden reality that all us workers in Corporate America face in the workplace every day. Only answer is to own your own business. Great place America. Everyone should recognize that they are really in their own business. Even us “wage slaves”. We’re in “our own business”, but only have one Customer, our employer. Need to diversify to minimize that risk. :-) fjohn 

http://www.acton.org/pub/commentary/2014/04/16/war-women-hypocrisy-paternalism-under-guise-equali

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CLOUD: AMAZON merges KINDLE CLOUD with AMAZON CLOUD

Monday, April 21, 2014

… with unknown impact on me?

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Dear Kindle Customer,

As a past user of personal documents on Kindle devices or reading apps, we are pleased to let you know about some improvements we’ve made to how personal documents work.

Personal documents are now in Amazon Cloud Drive: Starting today, all personal documents that you have archived in your Kindle Library will be available to access, delete, organize, and share from your Amazon Cloud Drive. You can see these documents in a new “My Send-to-Kindle Docs” folder alongside all of your saved content such as photos and personal videos.

There is no action required on your part. Your personal documents features will continue to work just as they have in the past. And as always, you can use Manage Your Kindle to see a list of your documents, re-deliver them to Kindle devices and free reading apps, delete them, or turn off auto-saving of documents to the cloud. Documents will be delivered just as they have in the past and you will continue to have 5 GB of free cloud storage for your personal documents. Just “Send Once, Read Everywhere.”

Documents stored in their native format: Also starting today, new documents that you save to the cloud with Send to Kindle will be stored in their native format (e.g. MS Word, TXT) so you can access them anywhere from Amazon Cloud Drive.

Please note: Your usage of Amazon Cloud Drive is subject to the Amazon Cloud Drive Terms of Use.

Sincerely,
The Docs Team

To learn more about sending documents, news, blogs, and other web articles to your Kindle, please visit amazon.com/sendtokindle

To learn more about Amazon Cloud Drive features and apps, please visit amazon.com/clouddrive/learnmore

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INSPIRATIONAL: Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, Wrongfully Convicted Boxer, Dies

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, Wrongfully Convicted Boxer, Dies at 76

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, the boxer whose wrongful murder conviction became an international symbol of racial injustice, has died at 76.

Mr. Carter spent 19 years in prison for three murders at a tavern in Paterson, N.J., in 1966. His ordeal and the alleged racial motivations behind it were publicized in Bob Dylan’s 1975 song “Hurricane,” several books and a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington.

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I wonder how much of his life he lost. Over and above the 19 years. Has to take a toll on you. Life is tough enough with having extra burdens placed on you.

Requiescat In Pacem, Hurricane.

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Leave a Comment » | INSPIRATIONAL | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Unelected bureaucrats kidnap a child

Sunday, April 20, 2014

http://www.wnd.com/2014/04/snatched-girls-parents-launch-new-offensive/?cat_orig=health

WND EXCLUSIVE
‘SNATCHED’ GIRL’S PARENTS LAUNCH NEW OFFENSIVE
Supporters accuse Boston Children’s Hospital of ‘psychological experiment’
BOB UNRUH

*** begin quote ***

BCH then presented the family with a new treatment plan to discontinue all medical care and medications and which forbade any second opinions, Liberty Counsel explained. When the parents refused to sign the new treatment plan and requested that Justina be discharged so they could take her back to Tufts Medical Center, BCH called DCF, and DCF prevented the family from discharging Justina. Fourteen months later, DCF still retains custody of Justina.

*** and ***

Bujoreanu is researching Somatoform under a grant from the federal National Institutes of Health. Any ward of the state is subject to research being performed on them without their consent, even if the research is not primarily for the ward’s benefit.

Sources have reported Justina has spent most of her time in state custody locked in a psychiatric ward.

*** end quote ***

Talk about a conflict of interest.

NIH has a lot of explaining to do.

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INTERESTING: Wally Pipp and an urban legend

Saturday, April 19, 2014

http://www.snopes.com/sports/baseball/pipp.asp

Wally Pipp … 

… and the Lou Gehrig story.

Argh!

Urban Legends!

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Posted by reinkefj

JOBFINDING: IT Engineer Ewing, NJ

Friday, April 18, 2014

I’m contacting you today about an IT Engineer for a fulltime position in Ewing, NJ. Your experience supporting Microsoft Back-Office products and for Avaya/Nortel telephony systems. Please send your resume today for more information.

Title: IT Engineer
Type: Fulltime
Location: Ewing, NJ
Compensation: $125,000/year plus benefits!
Available Now/On-Site Only

The role of the IT Engineer is to develop and maintain the overall high-level design plan for our clients’ logical and technical IT architecture. You will provide technical guidance and consulting across the MIS organization, from strategy to planning to issue resolution. You will gain organizational commitment for technical plans, initiate and participate in projects to evaluate technologies and methods for implementing these plans, and participate in evaluating their execution.

You will engineer and provide technical management for Microsoft Back-Office products, including Windows Servers, Exchange, SQL, SharePoint, Lync, and System Center applications. Plus, you will provide technical management for Avaya/Nortel telephony systems, Aspect systems, the telecom landscape, and product options.

If you are currently distinguished by your mastery of hardware/software upgrades and on-site support of high availability desktops, I want to hear from you today. If you are up to this challenge or can refer someone today, please let me know. MMI offers a generous referral bonus for helping your friends.

Peter Lehrman
IT Talent Scout
Mitchell Martin Inc.
New York, NY 10018
Call 646.300.7057Call: 646.300.7057
Fax: 646-355-0229Call: 646-355-0229
plehrman@itmmi.com

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GUNS: Pretend that their assault weapon ban never existed

Friday, April 18, 2014

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/townhallmagazine/2014/04/12/the-assault-weapon-rebellion-n1822409

The “Assault Weapon” Rebellion
Townhall Magazine | Apr 12, 2014

*** begin quote ***

The government of Connecticut can’t threaten the citizenry with criminal charges. They’ve already willingly decided to become felons en masse. The government can’t threaten the citizenry with force. They’re both grossly outnumbered and outgunned. The government can’t offer an amnesty. It would only reinforce how little power the government has over a rebellious citizenry.

The only realistic option is for the government of Connecticut to pretend that their assault weapon ban never existed. To admit it exists, and that they can do nothing to enforce it, would reveal that the emperor and his court have no clothes.

A nearly identical problem is brewing next door in the much larger, more populous state of New York, thanks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s hastily-passed NY SAFE Act. That law demands that New Yorkers register their semi-automatic “assault rifles” with the government by April 15.

*** end quote ***

From my cold dead hands.

Why should the people fear the Gooferment?

They are a joke. 

A very dangerous joke. 

Look at speed limits. People are withdrawing consent in all sorts of little ways.

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand? . . .” — Alexander Solzhenitsyn

And don’t forget the movie quote:

“Yes. In the end, you will walk out. Because 100,000 Englishmen simply cannot control 350 million Indians, if those Indians refuse to cooperate.” — movie Gandhi (1983)

Substitute “politicians and bureaucrats” and “gun owners” and that’s what’s happening here.

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PRODUCTIVITY: GMAIL Compose Page

Thursday, April 17, 2014

http://icetothebrim.com/2014/textexpander-snippet-gmail-compose-page-without-inbox-plus-thoughts-email/

TextExpander Snippet for Gmail Compose Page (without inbox) — plus some thoughts on email
It’s finally happened: my inbox has become a problem. More on this below.

But first, here’s a lil’ textexpander snippet to take you to a compose message for your gmail account WITHOUT pulling up the inbox… helpful when, like me, you get sucked into the incessant sucking sound of your inbox.

https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1%key:enter%

Set that up for something like ;gmc (for GMail Compose) and use it when you write an email instead of opening up your inbox.

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I’ve stolen this idea.

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2 Comments | Productivity | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

JOBSEARCH: IT’s finding your niche

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/11/surviving-post-employment-economy-201311373243740811.html

Surviving the post-employment economy
The author argues that in the new economy, it’s people, not skills or majors, that have lost value.
Last updated: 03 Nov 2013 08:50
Sarah Kendzior is a St Louis-based writer who studies politics and media.

*** begin quote ***

Individuals internalise the economy’s failure, as a media chorus excoriates them over what they should have done differently. They jump to meet shifting goalposts; they express gratitude for their own mistreatment: their unpaid labour, their debt-backed devotion, their investment in a future that never arrives.

And when it does not arrive, and they wonder why, they are told they were stupid to expect it. They stop talking, because humiliation is not a bargaining chip. Humiliation is a price you pay in silence – and with silence.

People can always make choices. But the choices of today’s workers are increasingly limited. Survival is not only a matter of money, it is a matter of mentality – of not mistaking bad luck for bad character, of not mistaking lost opportunities for opportunities that were never really there.

*** end quote ***

I agree that the “job market” has shifted as it has many times in my career.

It’s a game.

The seeker has to find the place for them to find their bliss.

Unfortunately what was true for me in the 60’s (i.e., get a job a big company and work your way up) is no longer true.

Ditto: get a Gooferment job.

Ditto: get a PhD.

Ditto: go to Wall Street in some manner.

I THINK (and it’s just my opinion) the model for today’s jobseeker is be in your own business.

Can’t tell you what business that is, but you have to be your own boss.

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RANT: Newark Airport AirTrain service temporarily suspended

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Newark Airport AirTrain service temporarily suspended

We want to notify our members that Newark Liberty International Airport’s AirTrain service will be partially shut down for much needed repairs through May 1 and completely suspended from May 1 – July 31, 2014. During the closure, free shuttle buses supplied by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey will serve as an alternate mode of transportation to/from the Hertz rental location and between terminals. Please make an allowance for possible delays when planning your travel.

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Nice of them not inconvenience anyone.

Gooferment!

No private enterprise does that.

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CLOUD: “Ubuntu One” bites the dust

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Hi,

We are writing to you to notify you that we will be shutting down the
Ubuntu One file services, effective 1 June 2014. This email gives
information about the closure and what you should expect during the
shutdown process.

As of today, it will no longer be possible to purchase storage or music
from the Ubuntu One store. The Ubuntu One file services apps in the Ubuntu,
Google, and Apple stores will be updated appropriately.

As always, your content belongs to you. You can simply download your files
onto your PC or an external hard drive. While the service will stop as of
1 June, you will have an additional two months (until 31 July 2014) to
collect all of your content. After that date, all remaining content will
be deleted.

If you have an active annual subscription, the unused portion of your fees
will be refunded. The refund amount will be calculated from today’s
announcement.

We know you have come to rely on Ubuntu One, and we apologise for the
inconvenience this closure may cause. We’ve always been inspired by the
support, feedback and enthusiasm of our users and want to thank you for
the support you’ve shown for Ubuntu One. We hope that you’ll continue to
support us as together we bring a revolutionary experience to new devices.

The Ubuntu One team

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Can’t depend on any cloud service?

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Leave a Comment » | CLOUD | Permalink
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FUN: Saint Francis in Rome on Kickstarter

Monday, April 14, 2014

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/671087979/st-francis-in-rome-the-restoration/comments

ST. FRANCIS IN ROME – THE RESTORATION
by Raffaello Siniscalco · You’re a backer

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Leave a Comment » | FUN | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: Third Anniversary of Conviction & Still No Action

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Closing Remarks:
As another year grinds past, thank you for your forced patience to recover your wrongfully seized property. I wish there was some action to take, but waiting is our only option. Many thanks for your continued support. For it is only by banding together and adopting a free and independent currency that provides us with “just weights and measures” that we will be able to throw off the yoke of a manipulated monetary/tax system and generate a peaceful and prosperous society.

Thank you again for all your efforts to return America to value – one dollar at a time!

Bernard von NotHaus
Monetary Architect/Editor
Editor@LibertyDollar.org

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Don’t mess with the powers that be!

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RANT: Are things really heading “south” economically?

Saturday, April 12, 2014

http://readychimp.com/2014/04/06/preppers-prepare-more-16-major-retail-chains-closing-stores-across-america/

Preppers, prepare more: 16 major retail chains closing stores across America
by Ready Chimp
April 6, 2014

*** begin quote ***

Recent news stories show that American retail is in dire straits. Here are 16 big retail companies that have closed or will close stores soon:
Office supply company Staples has announced plans to close 225 stores by 2015, which is about 15% of its chain. Staples already closed 40 stores last year.

Office Depot, Staples’ main competitor which bought Office Max last year, isn’t in good shape either. Industry analysts expect Office Depot to announce its own round of store closings soon.

Radio Shack has announced plans to close 20% of its stores or as many as 1,100 stores this year. The company, which operates around 4,000 stores, reported that its sales fell by 19% last year.

Albertsons supermarket closed 26 stores in January and February this year. Analysts expect many more Albertsons to be closed down because Albertsons’ owner hedge fundCerberus Capital Management just bought Safeway Inc. Some Safeway stores could soon shut down as well.

*** end quote ***

Argh!

How can there be such a disparity of opinion?

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INSPIRATIONAL: A world made more beautiful

Friday, April 11, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaWA2GbcnJU

“He witnesses happiness. Reaches a deeper understanding. Feels the love. Receives what money can’t buy — a world made more beautiful,” the ad says.

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My pick for best internet video of the year! Maybe ever?

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POLITICAL: McCutcheon decision was actually pretty mundane

Thursday, April 10, 2014

http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a62f6d3a19ffbd4c6852a4c85&id=0eaf58a7dc&e=da6c31a530

We proudly filed a brief in the Supreme Court’s McCutcheon case. The Court ruled in favor of McCutcheon on Wednesday, a victory you helped secure.

In fact, it’s the latest in a string of victories in the area of campaign finance.

You’re going to hear a lot of misreporting and bad analysis about McCutcheon. I’ve already seen it. You’d think raping babies was just legalized, given all the hysterical shrieking.

Like Citizens United before it, the shrieking needs to be misleading to work. The exaggeration and outright lying has already begun. The ever-shrill Common Cause alleged that, The Supreme Court just…

gaveled in a new era of political corruption
made it easier to bribe politicians

The truth is, the McCutcheon decision was actually pretty mundane.

Before McCutcheon, an individual could donate only…

$2,600 to individual candidates
$32,400 to national party committees
$5,000 to political action committees

After McCutcheon, that same person could donate only…

$2,600 to individual candidates
$32,400 to national party committees
$5,000 to political action committees

Oh the humanity!

What ACTUALLY changed is the total amount that an individual could contribute in a political season. Before McCutcheon those caps were…

$48,600 to all candidates
$74,600 to all PACs and parties
For a total of $123,200

After McCutcheon, there is no cap.

The hysterical bawling about this decision is that now the rich will have more influence over elections… As if they didn’t have this influence already, under the silly, incumbent-protecting laws we’ve had since 1972!

But this Common Cause led bluster doesn’t make sense…

The individual contribution limits remain the same! Does anyone honestly believe that a mere $2,600 contribution is going to swing a federal election?

If not, then how much more “king-making” power has been granted to wealthy individual donors, now capable of giving to 20 or more candidates, when before this week, they could only give to 18 1/2?

Some will argue that there’s too much money in politics, and that these additional donations make that problem worse. To them, I recommend the article below.

As for the McCutcheon decision, this was a 5-4 victory. It was another step forward in a fight we’ve been waging for 14 years!

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion with the majority. For years, he’s been the leading voice in defense of the First Amendment. He argued that the Buckley v Valeo distinction, between expenditures and contributions, should be overturned. And that’s what we argued in the brief you funded.

But since our loss in McConnell decision (2003), we’ve had victories in Wisconsin Right to Life I and II, Citizens United, Van Hollen, and now McCutcheon that are unraveling these establishment protection schemes. And that’s why we consider this a victory.

We will, with your support, remain in the fight.

You can read the brief we filed here: http://www.downsizedc.org/blog-content/mccutcheon-ddcf-amicus-brief.pdf

You can read the decision here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/12-536_e1pf.pdf (corrected)

And you can support our continued efforts in the Courts here:
https://secure.downsizedcfoundation.org/contribute/

Jim Babka
President
Downsize DC Foundation

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TINFOILHAT: The Boston Bombing unravels

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-boston-bombing-web-of-lies/5332981

The Boston Bombing Web of Lies

Selected Articles

By Julie Lévesque
Global Research, April 02, 2014
Global Research
Region: USA
Theme: 9/11 & ‘War on Terrorism’, Intelligence, Media Disinformation

*** begin quote ***

The idea that Tamerlan was, in fact, a US intelligence asset seems closer to the truth, since according to a Russian newspaper, he attended a US-sponsored workshop in the Caucasus, the goal of which was to destabilize southern regions of Russia:

Today, Russian newspaper Izvestia alleges that the older Boston Tamarlan bombing brother attended a workshop – sponsored by an American organization – on destabilizing the Russian satellite states:

*** end quote ***

Could this all be smoke and mirrors? Or just the haze of confusion in confusing times.

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RANT: Congress Is Underpaid? NO!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/do-you-think-congress-is-underpaid-at-174000yr-benefits-congressman-moran-does_042014

Do You Think Congress Is Underpaid at $174,000/yr + Benefits? Rep. Moran Does
Melissa Melton
The Daily Sheeple
April 4th, 2014

*** begin quote ***

As Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse Blog recently pointed out, America is now a nation where the nine of the top ten job positions earn a grand total of less than $35,000 a year. That means if you earn at least that much, you are now squarely in the country’s lap of luxury compared to the other 59% of Americans surviving on less.

Before taxes, that amount comes out to less than $3,000 a month earned. You would think Congress would be doing a lot better than the average American then, considering they make that much per week at $174,000 a year, even though Congress will only be in session for 113 days total this year.

*** end quote ***

Argh! to the Nth power.

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http://www.thedailysheeple.com/do-you-think-congress-is-underpaid-at-174000yr-benefits-congressman-moran-does_042014

Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Drone killings are US military and president’s prerogative?

Monday, April 7, 2014

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/04/suit-challenging-drone-strikes-that-killed-americans-16-year-old-boy-is-tossed/#p3

Suit challenging drone strikes that killed Americans, 16-year-old boy is tossed [Updated]
Judge says drone killings are US military and president’s prerogative.
by David Kravets – Apr 4 2014, 7:00pm EDT

*** begin quote ***

“The court’s view that it cannot provide a remedy for extrajudicial killings when the government claims to be at war, even far from any battlefield, is profoundly at odds with the Constitution,” Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, said in an e-mail. “It is precisely when individual liberties are under such grave threat that we need the courts to act to defend them. In holding that violations of U.S. citizens’ right to life cannot be heard in a federal courtroom, the court abdicated its constitutional role.”

*** end quote ***

This is tough one.

Basically the Gooferment can do what it wants.

But then couldn’t it always?

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RANT: What? Maryland Transgender bathroom bill

Sunday, April 6, 2014

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/2/miller-unlocking-the-ladies-room/

MILLER: Maryland’s bathroom bill benefits few transgenders, puts all girls at risk from pedophiles
LGBT lobby winning across the country
By Emily Miller-The Washington Times Wednesday, April 2, 2014

*** begin quote ***

Maryland moms and dads will now have to be more vigilant when their children use public bathrooms. It will soon be legal for a man who simply says he identifies as a woman to use the ladies’ room.

This serious risk for sexual assaults of women and little girls is all in the name of political correctness. And this is just the latest in a string of successes by the transgender lobby.

On Friday, the Maryland House passed legislation that prohibits discrimination based on “gender identity” in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations — which, most disturbingly, includes restrooms.

*** end quote ***

This is nuts!

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1 Comment | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Monolithic Domes

Saturday, April 5, 2014

http://www.monolithic.org/

Monolithic is dedicated to improving people’s lives worldwide by introducing and constructing Monolithic Domes, for personal and public use, that are disaster-resistant, energy-efficient and cost-effective.

Monolithic Domes are the most energy efficient and safest buildings that can be built and that can be designed for many uses. Many schools now conduct their classes in Monolithic Domes. Some are designated as tornado shelters. Others have Monolithic Dome gymnasiums, auditoriums, multipurpose centers, libraries, cafeterias, etc. Because Monolithic’s technology meets FEMA criteria for a structure that can provide near-absolute disaster protection, some schools have received FEMA grants of 75% of their construction costs. These schools will save 60% to 75% of the energy costs as compared to conventional buildings. The energy savings will pay for the building in total in less than 20 years. And in most cases, they save money on first cost for the construction.

In addition to schools, Monolithic designs homes, churches, office complexes, bulk storages, etc. Located in Italy, Texas, Monolithic has been constructing these quality buildings for more than 35 years. The buildings are built to last for centuries.

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Sounds interesting?

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Leave a Comment » | INTERESTING | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: The McCutcheon case

Friday, April 4, 2014

The Supreme Court has decided the McCutcheon case. If you haven’t heard yet, it’s a disaster.

Few were surprised with the result. The Court has held that aggregate limits on contributions — the total amount you can give to all candidates, not the amount you can give to any one candidate — are unconstitutional. The inevitable result of this decision will be to reduce the number of relevant funders of campaigns. We’re on our way from Lesterland to Sheldon City — from a democracy where about 150,000 Americans are the relevant funders of campaigns (the same as are named “Lester”) to a world where about 40,000 Americans are the relevant funders of campaigns (the same as are named “Sheldon”).

I’ve written a short piece about the mistake in the Supreme Court’s decision. But as I’ve long insisted, the real problem in American democracy is not the Court. Or at least, not only the Court. The real corruption is the way we fund elections. This decision makes our fight against that corruption even more urgent.

Now is the time to add your name and support the Government by the People Act.

This Act is an opportunity to take our elections back from the handful of funders whose grip on our democracy tightens by the day. And only by adding your name to the call for reform will we be able to compete with the Lesters or Sheldons of this country.

They say the darkest hour is just before the dawn. If so, then the dawn is not that far away.

Act now to fight back and voice your support for the Government by the People Act.

-Lessig and the entire Rootstrikers/Demand Progress Team

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This is an understandable decision. I’m not so sure it’s good or bad. 

Secession!

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Leave a Comment » | Political | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

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