http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/could-obama-ignore-congress-refuse-raise-debt-ceiling-142136726.html
Short and sweet, there is an apparent movement towards considering the Debt Ceiling of the US unconstitutional. The attitude is that if we fail to raise the Debt Ceiling by the deadline, the government can simply ignore it and keep selling and borrowing as much as it needs to keep going and not default on all of its loans.
In my opinion this is a recipe for complete and utter financial disaster. The Debt Ceiling was imposed to keep us from borrowing and borrowing until we owed more money than we brought in. It's a safety valve to keep us from going the way of Greece and other bankrupt EU countries.
Okay some might argue that we keep raising the durned thing anyways so why not just do away with it or ignore it? To me there is no surer way to screw us over than giving the Damnocrats and Reboobicans (Tea Baggers and Independents too) the ability to borrow and borrow money indiscriminately trusting that they won't get us in over our heads. That's like trusting the fox to not only guard the hen house but to make sure that no one takes more than they need.
Here's an idea, Politicks. Figure out ways to decrease spending and fix what is wrong with the country. If you do that, then the already astronomical Debt Ceiling will be more than high enough.
Rambles and Rants about pretty much everything ranging from Bad Service to Political Correctness. Being offensive and making people go "Hmmm" for the better part of two decades.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Obsolete or Evolution?
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/113047/disappearing-middle-class-jobs-forbes is just one of dozens of articles I have read lately on jobs that have been lost and are probably never going to come back. Forbes lists jobs like Clerical and certain Production line jobs. Some of these jobs have been lost because of the economy and others simply because they aren't needed anymore. The recent economic downturn has forced companies to change the way the way they do business or produce items and they are realizing that the new way is much more efficient than the old way.
I also read about people bemoaning the loss of jobs because companies refuse to do things the way they were done before. They insist that the companies have a duty to the people and are wrong to take those jobs away even it is more efficient and cost effective. I say, "Poppycock!" (I actually do say that which should frighten people)
When I was reading the Forbes article with my morning coffee I was reminded of the incredible movie, "Other People's Money" with the incredible Danny Devito. He has an incredible speech at the very end where a company that is facing extinction is voting to keep going. The speech is kind of long, but basically he is trying to explain that it is against common sense and good judgment to keep forcing a company doomed to failure to keep going.
His example is "You know, at one time there must have been dozens of companies making buggy whips. And I'll bet the last company around was the one that made the best goddamn buggy whip you ever saw.
Now, how would you have liked to have been a stockholder in that company?"
and that is kind of the way I see this situation. A hundred years ago, I am sure teamsters were yelling because the motorized trucks were stealing their work. When Hydraulic and Electric Drilling entered coal mines, I am sure the thousands of workers they replaced yelled at the top of their lungs. I could give dozens of more examples but you get my drift.
Technology and innovation have displaced workers since time began. People have had to evolve and adapt to the new situation or suffer. The way the world does business and produces is changing and we either have to change with it or be stuck.
As a side note, this blog has nothing to do with jobs being lost because companies are sending their work overseas to people willing to work for much less than we do. It is simply a statement on technology and innovation. The other is a subject for a future blog not todays.
I also read about people bemoaning the loss of jobs because companies refuse to do things the way they were done before. They insist that the companies have a duty to the people and are wrong to take those jobs away even it is more efficient and cost effective. I say, "Poppycock!" (I actually do say that which should frighten people)
When I was reading the Forbes article with my morning coffee I was reminded of the incredible movie, "Other People's Money" with the incredible Danny Devito. He has an incredible speech at the very end where a company that is facing extinction is voting to keep going. The speech is kind of long, but basically he is trying to explain that it is against common sense and good judgment to keep forcing a company doomed to failure to keep going.
His example is "You know, at one time there must have been dozens of companies making buggy whips. And I'll bet the last company around was the one that made the best goddamn buggy whip you ever saw.
Now, how would you have liked to have been a stockholder in that company?"
and that is kind of the way I see this situation. A hundred years ago, I am sure teamsters were yelling because the motorized trucks were stealing their work. When Hydraulic and Electric Drilling entered coal mines, I am sure the thousands of workers they replaced yelled at the top of their lungs. I could give dozens of more examples but you get my drift.
Technology and innovation have displaced workers since time began. People have had to evolve and adapt to the new situation or suffer. The way the world does business and produces is changing and we either have to change with it or be stuck.
As a side note, this blog has nothing to do with jobs being lost because companies are sending their work overseas to people willing to work for much less than we do. It is simply a statement on technology and innovation. The other is a subject for a future blog not todays.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wake up and smell the impending disaster!
Okay once again the nation of Greece is in the news as talks go on over more bailout money from the other nations of the EU and the IMF. Usually I cite some article or post here but there are really too many to cite this week/last week. The basis of all the fuss is Greece's less than adequate attempts to trim the fat from their budgets and the peoples' uproar over the government teat drying up.
If that sounds a little harsh, I apologize but it is accurate. For decades, a large number of the European nations have created this fantastical, Never Never Land existence with low taxes, early retirement ages and impossible pensions for their people. During these same decades, most of the nations completely ignored the fact that these fantasies were completely unsustainable over the long run. Much more money was going out than coming in, but that didn't matter because everyone was happy.
Recently, the magic well finally ran out. Greece and several other nations admitted to the world that they were more than broke, more than busted and if they didn't have immediate help, they would go bankrupt. The EU and the IMF agreed to loan them money to keep them afloat in return for cutting the fantasy money well off and beginning to work to fix their problems. Sounds great, right? Simple, right?
Enter, the public. The public who has for decades demanded more and more from the government without ever wondering where the money was coming from. They are in an uproar (Even been occasional riots) because their magic money machine doesn't work any more. Of course, they claim and there is some truth to the fact that government corruption accounts for a large amount of money lost every year instead of pensions and entitlement programs. Still, even if you trim all the corruption funds, there is still not enough money coming into the government to cover all the perks that they want. What it comes down to in these countries is that the people want all their perks, all their goodies and really don't give a damn if the government goes bellyup in the process.
Now, you might ask, what has this to do with the US? Simple, we are all heading down the same path as those countries. Our national debt is in the TRILLIONS of dollars and keeps going up. Instead of actually fixing the problem, we make noises about budget cuts and then try to increase our debt ceiling so we can borrow more money. People on all sides from Reboobicans to Damnocrats to TeaBaggers (Still trying to come up with a name that is more insulting than their actual tag but failing miserably. Any suggestions?) all want the budget fixed and balanced. They want all the systems to be solvent again and they want more for the American people.
That's what everyone wants. What they don't want are higher taxes, higher prices or longer wait periods to reap their just rewards. (As a side note here, I personally feel that the raising of the retirement/SS age is a harsh blow, but also unavoidable at this point) Everyone points out that if the government hadn't so badly bungled things over the past few decades, that none of this would be necessary. They claim, quite accurately, that many of the programs were more than solvent until greedy politicians started dipping into the honey jar. Unfortunately, these facts don't change reality.
The time when our budget/debt issues could be fixed simply are long since gone. Just like the Greeks, Americans suckled at the government teat convinced that the milk would never dry up. Americans ignore the warnings of people who saw these disasters coming because the politicians kept telling them everything was just fine. Now, no matter who's fault it is and no matter how we got to where we are, we are all going to have to suck it up and work towards fixing this disaster before we become the next Greece. We have to all step up before it is too late. Remember the old saying, "If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem."
If that sounds a little harsh, I apologize but it is accurate. For decades, a large number of the European nations have created this fantastical, Never Never Land existence with low taxes, early retirement ages and impossible pensions for their people. During these same decades, most of the nations completely ignored the fact that these fantasies were completely unsustainable over the long run. Much more money was going out than coming in, but that didn't matter because everyone was happy.
Recently, the magic well finally ran out. Greece and several other nations admitted to the world that they were more than broke, more than busted and if they didn't have immediate help, they would go bankrupt. The EU and the IMF agreed to loan them money to keep them afloat in return for cutting the fantasy money well off and beginning to work to fix their problems. Sounds great, right? Simple, right?
Enter, the public. The public who has for decades demanded more and more from the government without ever wondering where the money was coming from. They are in an uproar (Even been occasional riots) because their magic money machine doesn't work any more. Of course, they claim and there is some truth to the fact that government corruption accounts for a large amount of money lost every year instead of pensions and entitlement programs. Still, even if you trim all the corruption funds, there is still not enough money coming into the government to cover all the perks that they want. What it comes down to in these countries is that the people want all their perks, all their goodies and really don't give a damn if the government goes bellyup in the process.
Now, you might ask, what has this to do with the US? Simple, we are all heading down the same path as those countries. Our national debt is in the TRILLIONS of dollars and keeps going up. Instead of actually fixing the problem, we make noises about budget cuts and then try to increase our debt ceiling so we can borrow more money. People on all sides from Reboobicans to Damnocrats to TeaBaggers (Still trying to come up with a name that is more insulting than their actual tag but failing miserably. Any suggestions?) all want the budget fixed and balanced. They want all the systems to be solvent again and they want more for the American people.
That's what everyone wants. What they don't want are higher taxes, higher prices or longer wait periods to reap their just rewards. (As a side note here, I personally feel that the raising of the retirement/SS age is a harsh blow, but also unavoidable at this point) Everyone points out that if the government hadn't so badly bungled things over the past few decades, that none of this would be necessary. They claim, quite accurately, that many of the programs were more than solvent until greedy politicians started dipping into the honey jar. Unfortunately, these facts don't change reality.
The time when our budget/debt issues could be fixed simply are long since gone. Just like the Greeks, Americans suckled at the government teat convinced that the milk would never dry up. Americans ignore the warnings of people who saw these disasters coming because the politicians kept telling them everything was just fine. Now, no matter who's fault it is and no matter how we got to where we are, we are all going to have to suck it up and work towards fixing this disaster before we become the next Greece. We have to all step up before it is too late. Remember the old saying, "If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem."
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sorry nothing bad to say today
Spent the entire day fishing with an old friend so too mellow to gripe about anything. Try me Tuesday, Tuesday is always a good day for being an Ass.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Okay let me get my gun...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110609/us_yblog_thelookout/fake-foreclosure-notices-panic-some-detroit-residents
Okay so imagine this scenario. In these troubled financial times when Banks are foreclosing willy nilly on just about anyone, including (believe or not) on some people who don't even have a mortgage, you come home from work and see a notice stuck to your door that reads in bold print EVICTION NOTICE. How quickly do you start to freak out? Sure your loans are up to date. Sure you've never missed a payment, but that still is a terrifying thing to see.
Well, that's what happened to a bunch of people in Detroit recently when a group fighting the construction of a public bridge spanning the US and Canada posted a bunch of these fake fliers on their doors. The group, secretly funded by billionaire Koch Industries executive vice President David Koch, is set to resist the construction of the bridge. Republican donor Manuel (Matty) Moroun is also lobbying against the proposed bridge because it would siphon traffic and tolls from his privately owned Ambassador bridge that traverses the same span between Detroit and Ottawa. Moroun would like a second bridge--but one that he would own.
Now forget for the moment that this bridge would bring in billions of dollars a year in revenue. Forget the fact that the only reason Koch and one of his puppet organizations is lobbying against it is because it would take money out of his cronies hands. Forget any of the good reasons or bad reasons for building this bridge. (Wow that's a lot of forgetting!) Never mind that that the organization might have had the best intentions (Yeah right!)
The issue here is these people thought that the best way to get their point across was to scare the crap out of a bunch of people who hadn't done anything to deserve it. What's next, a note saying "We have your wife, kids and dogs?" I can promise you that if some schmuck ever tries that with me, I got an immediate response for him/her/it. Like a friend of my mine always says, "Watch for the flash."
Okay so imagine this scenario. In these troubled financial times when Banks are foreclosing willy nilly on just about anyone, including (believe or not) on some people who don't even have a mortgage, you come home from work and see a notice stuck to your door that reads in bold print EVICTION NOTICE. How quickly do you start to freak out? Sure your loans are up to date. Sure you've never missed a payment, but that still is a terrifying thing to see.
Well, that's what happened to a bunch of people in Detroit recently when a group fighting the construction of a public bridge spanning the US and Canada posted a bunch of these fake fliers on their doors. The group, secretly funded by billionaire Koch Industries executive vice President David Koch, is set to resist the construction of the bridge. Republican donor Manuel (Matty) Moroun is also lobbying against the proposed bridge because it would siphon traffic and tolls from his privately owned Ambassador bridge that traverses the same span between Detroit and Ottawa. Moroun would like a second bridge--but one that he would own.
Now forget for the moment that this bridge would bring in billions of dollars a year in revenue. Forget the fact that the only reason Koch and one of his puppet organizations is lobbying against it is because it would take money out of his cronies hands. Forget any of the good reasons or bad reasons for building this bridge. (Wow that's a lot of forgetting!) Never mind that that the organization might have had the best intentions (Yeah right!)
The issue here is these people thought that the best way to get their point across was to scare the crap out of a bunch of people who hadn't done anything to deserve it. What's next, a note saying "We have your wife, kids and dogs?" I can promise you that if some schmuck ever tries that with me, I got an immediate response for him/her/it. Like a friend of my mine always says, "Watch for the flash."
Monday, June 6, 2011
And she wants to be president?
http://beta.news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/sarah-palin-version-paul-revere-famous-ride-facebook-161453631.html
This ones gonna be short and sweet, but right up the SIOTBAA Society's alley. (T-shirts and coffee mugs available) Since time immemorial politicians and their gaffs have been the subject of editorials, commentaries etc. Anytime any elected or want to be elected official makes a boo boo, the press generally leaps onto it like a hungry dog going after Alpo. Generally, the target either ignores the attacks or comes back and tries to clarify what their comments actually meant.
Sarah Palin has become famous/infamous for her "unusual" comments and for her amazing ability to justify what she said. The famous "Don't Retreat/Reload" comes to mind. (Which I actually admired her for until she waffled under pressure that it was too antagonistic) Just a short time ago, she did it again with her "interpretation" of Paul Revere's famous ride which I can assure you had absolutely nothing to do with the actual events. She had Revere riding to warn the British and ringing bells when in fact he was warning us that the "British" were coming and there were no bells involved.
(As an aside here, Revere's part of the famous ride was actually the shortest of the route and no one ever remembers the other men who rode before him, but that's just sour grapes.)
Now anyone with more than a handful of brain cells to rub together would have come back later and admitted that they had made a slight error in all the excitement of their speech. Heck, I can easily see how a person might make a verbal mistake. It's a small blooper and could be easily forgiven. But that's not what dear Mrs. Palin is doing. Instead of saying, "Hey, sorry I actually meant to say..." She is proudly announcing that her version instead of history's version is correct. This oh so intelligent woman is basically trying to rewrite history instead of just admitting she made a mistake.
Even more amazing is that her followers are defending her version and even attempting their own "revised" version of Revere's ride. Is lunacy contagious? Do brain cells degrade when exposed to Palinite Radiation? I am all for supporting the people you like but don't support their idiocy.
Still a part of me hopes she does run for President and a part of me actually hopes she wins. With her in the office for 4 years, anyone after that will seem like a blessing.
This ones gonna be short and sweet, but right up the SIOTBAA Society's alley. (T-shirts and coffee mugs available) Since time immemorial politicians and their gaffs have been the subject of editorials, commentaries etc. Anytime any elected or want to be elected official makes a boo boo, the press generally leaps onto it like a hungry dog going after Alpo. Generally, the target either ignores the attacks or comes back and tries to clarify what their comments actually meant.
Sarah Palin has become famous/infamous for her "unusual" comments and for her amazing ability to justify what she said. The famous "Don't Retreat/Reload" comes to mind. (Which I actually admired her for until she waffled under pressure that it was too antagonistic) Just a short time ago, she did it again with her "interpretation" of Paul Revere's famous ride which I can assure you had absolutely nothing to do with the actual events. She had Revere riding to warn the British and ringing bells when in fact he was warning us that the "British" were coming and there were no bells involved.
(As an aside here, Revere's part of the famous ride was actually the shortest of the route and no one ever remembers the other men who rode before him, but that's just sour grapes.)
Now anyone with more than a handful of brain cells to rub together would have come back later and admitted that they had made a slight error in all the excitement of their speech. Heck, I can easily see how a person might make a verbal mistake. It's a small blooper and could be easily forgiven. But that's not what dear Mrs. Palin is doing. Instead of saying, "Hey, sorry I actually meant to say..." She is proudly announcing that her version instead of history's version is correct. This oh so intelligent woman is basically trying to rewrite history instead of just admitting she made a mistake.
Even more amazing is that her followers are defending her version and even attempting their own "revised" version of Revere's ride. Is lunacy contagious? Do brain cells degrade when exposed to Palinite Radiation? I am all for supporting the people you like but don't support their idiocy.
Still a part of me hopes she does run for President and a part of me actually hopes she wins. With her in the office for 4 years, anyone after that will seem like a blessing.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Definitely a WTF?!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110601/ts_yblog_thelookout/handcuffed-by-policy-fire-and-police-crews-watch-man-drown
Okay it's a long header, but connect and read the story. It will tell you how dozens of people, including emergency responders and firemen stood idly by while watching a man commit suicide by drowning. That's right, they just let him die without even attempting to help him? The reason? None of them were trained in water rescue efforts and were simply following policy to prevent any possible legal actions that might ensue. That's right, a man died (albeit at his own hands) and people just watched out of fear of getting in trouble.
My mind simply boggles at the idea of people, especially ones that are trained to do this sort of thing, not doing anything to help someone. Even if you somehow excuse the EMT/Firemen/Rescue Workers, what about all the other bystanders who weren't under policy restraints. It wasn't like the man was floundering in dangerous and deep waters. He was wading out from shore and even occasionally looking back. (As a side note here: Generally people who truly want to die don't do it in such a public location or look back at their audience while they are dying.) Someone or someones could have easily waded out after him and dragged him back to the shore. So why didn't they?
Have we really become so uncaring as a culture that we would be willing to let someone suffer or die simply because we are afraid we might get in some sort of trouble? Back in the early 80s, one university conducted a study where a small child was placed on a street corner in a major city. The girl, who was a talented young actress, was told to stand there crying and asking for help from people passing bye. During the day long experiment, not a single person stopped and tried to help this "child in distress." When questioned about it, some people simply said that they didn't want to get involved. I guess this new event, which was not staged, proves that such an attitude still exists.
I'm no hero. Even if I didn't need them, I'd probably still wear glasses to keep people from hitting me. I am not just a card carrying member of COWARDS ANONYMOUS, I am it's founder. Still, I am damned sure that if I saw a man, woman, child or other drowning not more than a few yards away from me, I would do everything in my power to help them. Letting someone die because you are unwilling to get involved should never happen.
Okay it's a long header, but connect and read the story. It will tell you how dozens of people, including emergency responders and firemen stood idly by while watching a man commit suicide by drowning. That's right, they just let him die without even attempting to help him? The reason? None of them were trained in water rescue efforts and were simply following policy to prevent any possible legal actions that might ensue. That's right, a man died (albeit at his own hands) and people just watched out of fear of getting in trouble.
My mind simply boggles at the idea of people, especially ones that are trained to do this sort of thing, not doing anything to help someone. Even if you somehow excuse the EMT/Firemen/Rescue Workers, what about all the other bystanders who weren't under policy restraints. It wasn't like the man was floundering in dangerous and deep waters. He was wading out from shore and even occasionally looking back. (As a side note here: Generally people who truly want to die don't do it in such a public location or look back at their audience while they are dying.) Someone or someones could have easily waded out after him and dragged him back to the shore. So why didn't they?
Have we really become so uncaring as a culture that we would be willing to let someone suffer or die simply because we are afraid we might get in some sort of trouble? Back in the early 80s, one university conducted a study where a small child was placed on a street corner in a major city. The girl, who was a talented young actress, was told to stand there crying and asking for help from people passing bye. During the day long experiment, not a single person stopped and tried to help this "child in distress." When questioned about it, some people simply said that they didn't want to get involved. I guess this new event, which was not staged, proves that such an attitude still exists.
I'm no hero. Even if I didn't need them, I'd probably still wear glasses to keep people from hitting me. I am not just a card carrying member of COWARDS ANONYMOUS, I am it's founder. Still, I am damned sure that if I saw a man, woman, child or other drowning not more than a few yards away from me, I would do everything in my power to help them. Letting someone die because you are unwilling to get involved should never happen.
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