Tuesday, September 27, 2011

It's always been a matter of trust Mr. President!

I've lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned
But that won't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust.
Billy Joel

The Latin root of “credit,” credere, means, among other things, to trust, while the German Gläubiger is literally one who trusts. On every piece of our American currency, there is an inscription that reads, “In God We Trust”. That word, trust, is imbedded deeply into the fabric of what it is to be an American.

For most everyone in the business world, trust is a concept that works. Countless times, every day, someone makes a verbal promise to do something and usually they do it. Over time, a person becomes known by how reliable they are and then also, how trust worthy. Sometimes we stumble and lose a little bit of trust in the eyes of others, but that's what being human is. We all make mistakes and most of us bounce back. Why? Because, the majority of the American people have high moral standards and a good code of conduct to live by. It's a set of values that has been passed on for many generations.

Now, I give you the Federal government and its current leader, President Obama. I would propose that they have made a mockery out of the word 'trust'. Early on, candidate Obama made promises to the American public that he would keep if elected. 'Trust me', he said and yet soon after his election, he has failed:

1)      to put all bills on the White House web site for five days before signing them.

2)    to have the congressional health care negotiations broadcast live on C-SPAN.

3)    to end earmarks.

4)    to keep unemployment from rising above 8 percent.

5)    to close the detention center at Guantanamo in the first year.

6)    to make peace with direct, no precondition talks with America's most hate-filled enemies during his first year in office, ushering in a new era of global cooperation.

7)    to end the hiring of former lobbyists into high White House jobs.

8)    to end no-compete contracts with the government.

9)    to disclose the names of all attendees at closed White House meetings.

10)   to help foster a new era of bipartisan cooperation in all matters.

11)   to have chosen a home church to attend Sunday services with his family by Easter of last year.

Still, with all that, many average American citizens still have some element of trust for this man. What is it now? Maybe thirty percent or something like that? And, what of the Congress and the job it's doing? How's is the trust thing working out there? Last I heard it was at 12% and sinking. Trust, a thing so easily broken, has been trampled by a group of self serving ideologues and power obsessed bureaucrats. Greedy, power hungry members of Congress who have absolutely no interest in anyone but themselves and maintaining the White House social scene; while the rest of the country slides ever closer to the abyss. Am I being too opinionated here? Maybe so, maybe not!

A new day for America and the World!

Reconnecting to States Rights by the citizens, will require a reaffirmation of the inherent sovereignty of that state above all other laws or restrictions, minus those which fall under the express jurisdiction of the Federal government as is listed in the first nine Amendments to the Constitution. The Tenth Amendment then comes in to effect, as it states that 'powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the previous nine Amendments to the Constitution are reserved, respectively, to the states or the people'. This is an important Amendment, in that it acts as a capping statement to prohibit the Federal entity from wandering outside of its self imposed boundaries. It also tacitly mandates the right of each state to pursue its own unique destiny.

The second biggest obstacle that I feel lies in the way of renewed prosperity for America, is the massive body of restrictions, rules and laws that have been placed on the books over many decades. A work that is so ungainly and self-entangled, that few people today understand it in its entirety. They now have become not unlike a cancer the feeds and nourishes itself to the detriment of the people it is supposed to serve. The regulations become greater by the day while our position in world commerce grows smaller.

These two items, then, are what I feel need attention by the state legislatures in the very short term. Restoring the Tenth Amendment through Nullification and undoing the tangled web of laws and regulations will require great effort and will likely be a painful process. But, if done correctly, could herald in a new beginning for America and for the rest of the world.

Monday, September 26, 2011

The case for extreme Capitol Punishment!

Let me begin by stating that I abhor the idea of killing of another human being as an act of revenge, no matter how horrifying their actions in society were. And, it’s not that I’m a kind hearted person either. No, in point of fact I would much rather we keep these monsters alive for as long as possible living in a crowded, damp prison on an island somewhere where they get only the bare minimum to survive. Let them suffer as long as possible for their acts and while I’m sure that the Lord will enact His form of punishment after they do finally die, I want to make sure we humans get our licks in also.

Now, having said that, there is one type of individual that I would like to see the death sentence applied to with gusto! That would be anyone who was caught and then convicted of creating any form of virus or malware and who made a concerted attempt to corrupt the Internet in any way. I would also like to see a World Organization of special police who jobs it would be to track down these worms no matter what their country of residence.

My reason is simple. As a group, these sick and twisted individuals are responsible for more time lost, more aggravation and feelings of helplessness for millions more people than any one killer could ever hope to inflict on humanity. They are without morals and care concerning those they hurt. As a society I think we should act ‘kind-in-kind’ and show them little if any leniency.  'Grab em, try em and execute em', should the one and only guiding principle at play, regardless of gender or age. As a final courtesy to them, however, we could erect signs over their gas chambers that read, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, your chamber awaits'!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

I wonder what's at the bottom of the cliff? Maybe a new beginning!

That America and the rest of the civilized world are engaged in mutually assured economic destruction (MAED) is now obvious to most everyone, I think. My question, at this juncture in time, is what happens when we finally hit the bottom? More importantly, what's going to happen to me and those I love?

One thing that's for sure, when the collapse does happen, it should be spectacular! Think of the opportunities the media will have in taping and airing the financial destruction of hundreds of millions of hard working citizens. The chaos and sheer drama that goes with it all, will be a mind-numbing visual orgasm for the masses. Then, even the media will get caught up in the financial meltdown and they too will fade to black. Goodbye CNN. Have a nice day internet. Hey! Who turned off the electricity?

At the end, our currency will be worthless paper, now more useful as a material to use for wallpaper. Bank accounts, just numbers on a ledger sheet.”Say Fred, did I ever tell you I had a million dollars in savings?” Even gold will not escape destruction, as those who have it, quickly learn they can't eat it to survive. Formal governments with all their pomp and glory will vaporize like fog in the morning. Barter will become the new economic reality, and real assets the currency of a nation that is PC (post crash).

A cup of sugar for a loaf of bread, or two eggs for a few hours work the new norm for how a transaction is completed. No longer will we be concerned with what is going on elsewhere in the world as things that we took for granted like the internet, communications and TV have become luxuries available only to a few.

In short, America will have taken one giant step back in time and our collective focus will turn to events in the immediate vicinity of wherever it is that we live. We will have to relearn to depend on neighbors who live next door. People who many of us hardly knew before. We will come together into small groups and we will work side by side for mutual support and sustenance. We might even rediscover God and religion in a way that has not been seen for over a century.

Come to think of it, my dear reader, maybe that would not be such a bad thing after all!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

USPS! What a MESS!

While it is my understanding that the United States Postal Service is not an arm of the US Government, they sure do act like they are. What a rolling disaster. Tracking a package through them is mostly guesswork and speculation. If you really want them to lose your package, have it sent Priority!  This so-called company is diametrically unlike the much better run UPS system, where you generally have a pretty good feeling about where your package is in the system! No such luck with the USPS and their full time and overpaid union workers. Whenever possible, I avoid this agency like the plague.

Maybe, it's about time we put an end to the postal service. They have been in the red for many years now while the internet and others have antiquated them pretty much to the back of the societal bus.

Moral Turpitude and our Government

Here’s one for the men and women currently sitting in Congress;

Moral Turpitude: The concept of moral turpitude escapes precise definition, but has been described as an "act of baseness, vileness or depravity in the private and social duties which a man owes to his fellowmen or to society in general, contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between man and man." The specific acts that such a concept includes have varied over time, but I feel that the definition could be applied to ‘way’ Americans are feeling right now as regards the kind of treatment they have received from the Federal government, organized unions and Wall Street. Something sure is wrong!

Ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, please decide who you are working for and then let us know. The feeling in this country right at the moment seems to be full of tension; perhaps not unlike the atmosphere that existed before the last Civil War. If you cannot lead us, as a group of states that are united, then please step aside and let us go our separate ways. For, I’ll tell you, that no country can long endure the crushing levels of debt and insecurity that your poorly thought out policies have fomented over the past three years.

Someone, please just kill the messenger!

Seriously, the media is the messenger and I think everyone has gotten the message! Haven't we by now? If you're a TV and Internet junkie like myself, then you're also more than likely suffering from one or more nervous disorders by this point in time. The crap presented to the viewing public never seems to stop. Pick your poison, be it ABC, CBS, Fox or CNN. How about the media outlets on the Internet? The message they droll out day and night is the same. Our country is broke and people can't get along. Really? I hadn't noticed!

When 'We the People' are not being fed that form of crapola, the commercials take up the slack! A steady stream of ads to make us hungry, and then on the flip side, scary commercials for drugs to get us well from all the shit we've been eating. It never ends my friends and yeah, I'm blown away!