Phil Ivey is the man
Full Tilt Poker should be ashamed about what is happening in their feeble attempts to return money to U.S. poker players. Phil is doing the right thing. Other FTP team members should follow suit.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Truth About Tax Cuts
Editor’s Note: This is another guest post by Two Clubs. This post tackles the issue of tax cuts.
The Truth About Tax Cuts…
We are all very aware that the United States has a budget problem. The Republicans have taken to the roof tops and are shouting that spending cuts are required to solve the budget crisis. To these folks, who claim to be the party of business, they continue to focus on only one side of the balance sheet and completely ignoring the other. In this post I’ll try and do both and explain the real world impacts of tax cuts and how the country got into this mess.
The Republicans think that the government should be run more like a business. This mantra has been repeated for decades. Fair enough, we’ll look at the budget issue through the lens of a business and see how the problems can be fixed. The Republican solution to all of America’s budgetary problems is encapsulated in the proposed Paul Ryan budget. This budget is heavy on reducing social spending while extending Bush era tax cuts and hoping to make them permanent. From a business perspective, this concept is completely void of common sense. Here’s why.
To make things as simplistic as possible we’ll point out that in business everything you do is based off of revenues and access to capital. All decisions are based on your ability to generate revenue and sustain your access to working capital. From hiring employees to carrying larger inventories of products everything is linked directly to your ability to generate revenue. When your revenues drop your ability to gain access to working capital is restricted by your lenders and creditors. The same issue arises when your debt load becomes unmanageable. This is where the government finds itself. This is the root of all of its problems.
Currently the government is spending more that its revenues can sustain. This is increasing our debt and gives our creditors heartburn. The Republicans point to social spending as the root of all evil, and believe that by reducing spending in this area we can solve the budget problems. This is where they are wrong, as our business example will show.
To the government business, revenues are collected in the form of taxes. When taxes are cut revenues drop. This is where we find the big problem. The Bush administration passed a series of tax cuts that greatly restricted the government’s ability to generate revenue. The biggest part of this problem is that the tax cuts were passed on to those in the country who really didn’t need the tax relief in the first place. These tax cuts were akin to the government having a huge sale and slashing prices on everything, but only allowing those consumers with the right membership card to attend. That membership card was only available to those in the top 1% of earners in the country! Goods were flying out the door, but revenues were not meeting the levels to sustain the bottom line. These tax cuts reduced the business revenues by some $200 billion a year. That was only half the issue though.
Back after 9-11 the government (a Republican government!) went on a spending spree, engaging in two wars and creating a massive expansion of government, and money pit, called the Department of Homeland Security. Defense spending has better than doubled, to just under $664 billion, an increase of almost $350 billion. The DHS budget is tagged at $42.7 billion. This was an increase of almost $400 billion in spending just between these two departments. Add in the $200 billion in revenue shortfall and you have a massive $600 billion a year problem that started in 2001 and has remained unchecked to today.
So what are we to do? Do we keep the big red and white sale sign out there, reducing our revenues? Do we continue to spend in areas that might not be prudent? I think it is wise to again treat this like a business. We need to increase our revenues. This means eliminating the Bush era tax cuts, getting back $200 billion a year in revenues. This also means reducing spending in areas that caused the problem to begin with. We need to reduce our military spending back to 2000 levels, which would still see us spending as much as the next top 30 military spending nations combined. We need to look a lot closer at the way money is spent in Washington bureaucracy, and not in the way of entitlement programs for the common good. These programs were created to be self sufficient and were operating just that way, until the government started to abuse their powers and borrow against them. Leave these programs alone and focus on fixing the big revenue problems. That’s the elephant in the room the GOP appears to be blind toward. They like to call the Democrats "the tax and spend party", but they are doing nothing to face the reality that their own Republican brethern are the "tax break for the wealthy and spend our children into the poorhouse party." You can't call out the other guys as failing to fix the problem when it was you who created the problem to begin with, and are actively preventing mitigating strategies from being put in place. The big spending has to stop and the revenues must increase. Achieve these simple goals and our business is again capable of meeting its financial needs.
The Truth About Tax Cuts…
We are all very aware that the United States has a budget problem. The Republicans have taken to the roof tops and are shouting that spending cuts are required to solve the budget crisis. To these folks, who claim to be the party of business, they continue to focus on only one side of the balance sheet and completely ignoring the other. In this post I’ll try and do both and explain the real world impacts of tax cuts and how the country got into this mess.
The Republicans think that the government should be run more like a business. This mantra has been repeated for decades. Fair enough, we’ll look at the budget issue through the lens of a business and see how the problems can be fixed. The Republican solution to all of America’s budgetary problems is encapsulated in the proposed Paul Ryan budget. This budget is heavy on reducing social spending while extending Bush era tax cuts and hoping to make them permanent. From a business perspective, this concept is completely void of common sense. Here’s why.
To make things as simplistic as possible we’ll point out that in business everything you do is based off of revenues and access to capital. All decisions are based on your ability to generate revenue and sustain your access to working capital. From hiring employees to carrying larger inventories of products everything is linked directly to your ability to generate revenue. When your revenues drop your ability to gain access to working capital is restricted by your lenders and creditors. The same issue arises when your debt load becomes unmanageable. This is where the government finds itself. This is the root of all of its problems.
Currently the government is spending more that its revenues can sustain. This is increasing our debt and gives our creditors heartburn. The Republicans point to social spending as the root of all evil, and believe that by reducing spending in this area we can solve the budget problems. This is where they are wrong, as our business example will show.
To the government business, revenues are collected in the form of taxes. When taxes are cut revenues drop. This is where we find the big problem. The Bush administration passed a series of tax cuts that greatly restricted the government’s ability to generate revenue. The biggest part of this problem is that the tax cuts were passed on to those in the country who really didn’t need the tax relief in the first place. These tax cuts were akin to the government having a huge sale and slashing prices on everything, but only allowing those consumers with the right membership card to attend. That membership card was only available to those in the top 1% of earners in the country! Goods were flying out the door, but revenues were not meeting the levels to sustain the bottom line. These tax cuts reduced the business revenues by some $200 billion a year. That was only half the issue though.
Back after 9-11 the government (a Republican government!) went on a spending spree, engaging in two wars and creating a massive expansion of government, and money pit, called the Department of Homeland Security. Defense spending has better than doubled, to just under $664 billion, an increase of almost $350 billion. The DHS budget is tagged at $42.7 billion. This was an increase of almost $400 billion in spending just between these two departments. Add in the $200 billion in revenue shortfall and you have a massive $600 billion a year problem that started in 2001 and has remained unchecked to today.
So what are we to do? Do we keep the big red and white sale sign out there, reducing our revenues? Do we continue to spend in areas that might not be prudent? I think it is wise to again treat this like a business. We need to increase our revenues. This means eliminating the Bush era tax cuts, getting back $200 billion a year in revenues. This also means reducing spending in areas that caused the problem to begin with. We need to reduce our military spending back to 2000 levels, which would still see us spending as much as the next top 30 military spending nations combined. We need to look a lot closer at the way money is spent in Washington bureaucracy, and not in the way of entitlement programs for the common good. These programs were created to be self sufficient and were operating just that way, until the government started to abuse their powers and borrow against them. Leave these programs alone and focus on fixing the big revenue problems. That’s the elephant in the room the GOP appears to be blind toward. They like to call the Democrats "the tax and spend party", but they are doing nothing to face the reality that their own Republican brethern are the "tax break for the wealthy and spend our children into the poorhouse party." You can't call out the other guys as failing to fix the problem when it was you who created the problem to begin with, and are actively preventing mitigating strategies from being put in place. The big spending has to stop and the revenues must increase. Achieve these simple goals and our business is again capable of meeting its financial needs.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Girl With Dragon Tattoo Red Band Trailer
Oh man, Christmas can't come soon enough. If this movie is half as good as the original, we are in for a treat. This has the potnetial to be Fincher's best movie ever. I didn't realize Daniel Craig was in this as Mikael Blomkvist. Stellan Skarsgård casting as Martin Vanger is perfect. Trust me, people won't like him after this performance. Sicko but he gets his eventually...oops spoiler alert!! However, if done right, the stealer could be Rooney Mara (of Social Network fame) as Lisbeth Salander. I've seen all three movies of the trilogy and I hope they do all three in america. Guess it depends on how well the first one does.
Also, listen closely as Trent Reznor (fresh off his Oscar win for Social Network) and Karen O cover Led' Zepplin's classic "Immigrant Song"
For those who have Netflix, catch the trilogy, it is worth your time.
Jon Stewart owns Bill O'Reilly
These two should have their own show together. I'd actually watch that. I actually like O'Reilly but Stewart makes him look like a fool. Stewart is a genius.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Roger Ailes Profile
The head of Fox News is profiled by Rolling Stone. Learned some interesting things. I didn't know much about his background. Very interesting piece and shows how Fox News blurs the lines between journalism and politics.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-roger-ailes-built-the-fox-news-fear-factory-20110525?page=1
Friday, May 20, 2011
DJ Shadow - I Gotta Rokk
The Godfather of Trip hop is back with a new album due out in September. Check out his first single. Sounds like he still has it. Of course not for everyone but you can't deny this guy's talent and his influence is huge in this genre.
Kenna - 'Static'
Just found out about this song. Have always liked Kenna but haven't followed his stuff from the last few years. Guess it's time to catch up.
Below is alive version recently performed. Thanks to SKOA for posting this.
Theophilus London - "Last Name London"
July Theophilus London drops his debut album. Been a fan of his work since I heard his work with Maximum Balloon. Enjoy!
Warpaint - "Elephant" Live on Jools Holland
This is their best song in my opinion off their debut album which was released last year. I think I prefer the studio version better but some of the tempo changes in this performance were a nice touch.
Tinie Tempah with Eric Turner - Written in the Stars
This guy is huge across the pond, let's see if he blows up big here.
Karen Elson - The Truth is in the Dirt
Just saw this video. Another great song off the underrated debut album from Karen Elson which was released last year.
YouTube - Uprising - Muse make fun of an italian tv show in this "live" performance - hilarious!
YouTube - Uprising - Muse make fun of an italian tv show in this "live" performance - hilarious!
This is from last year I believe. Hilarious when I saw it then and hilarious today. For whatever reason, Muse was asked not to play live. So in protest, the lead Singer, Matt Bellamy played drums and the drummer was lead singer and guitarist. Not that the hostess or audience seemed to know.
This is from last year I believe. Hilarious when I saw it then and hilarious today. For whatever reason, Muse was asked not to play live. So in protest, the lead Singer, Matt Bellamy played drums and the drummer was lead singer and guitarist. Not that the hostess or audience seemed to know.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
System of a Down is back
http://www.antiquiet.com/news/2011/05/system-of-a-down-reunion/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+antiquiet+%28Antiquiet%29
They returned last night in Edmonton to perform live for the first time in 4 years. While maybe still rusty, I'm glad there back. The best part of the review is what follows.
System has yet to confirm if they will record new material, but if they do, here’s a suggestion for guitarist Daron Malakian: let Serj Tankian do the singing. Your vocals on 2005’s Mezmerize and Hypnotize were easily the weakest and most distracting part on both of those records. Serj’s voice is one of the best parts of SOAD; don’t get in his way, stay out of it.
I couldn't agree more, SOAD sucked when Malakian took over the vocals. He was awful and made me not listen to them. I would just put on Toxicity and remember the good old days. Hope they come to my neck of the woods.
They returned last night in Edmonton to perform live for the first time in 4 years. While maybe still rusty, I'm glad there back. The best part of the review is what follows.
System has yet to confirm if they will record new material, but if they do, here’s a suggestion for guitarist Daron Malakian: let Serj Tankian do the singing. Your vocals on 2005’s Mezmerize and Hypnotize were easily the weakest and most distracting part on both of those records. Serj’s voice is one of the best parts of SOAD; don’t get in his way, stay out of it.
I couldn't agree more, SOAD sucked when Malakian took over the vocals. He was awful and made me not listen to them. I would just put on Toxicity and remember the good old days. Hope they come to my neck of the woods.
Introducing the chromebook
I've been waiting for this for a long time. Still not out yet. Should be inetersting to see how it looks and how it does. Google will have to marry Android and Chrome eventually though. This fragmentation can't last. If they want to compete with Apple and Microsoft, they need to unify and since both are open source, shouldn't be that hard. I'll probably get this or the iPad 3 when it comes out.
Pink floyd - Comfortably Numb
One of my favorite Pink Floyd songs performed by remaining living band members today in London at O2 arena. David Gilmour joined Roger Waters (along with a surprise appearance by Pink Floyd’s drummer, Nick Mason) performing Comfortably Numb and Outside The Wall together.
James Blake - Limit to Your Love and the Wilhelm Scream
Man this guy is impressive. Might be my next CD I get.
Chicago Trip Report and Pics
Hi All,
Been very quiet on the blog lately due to being out of town in Chicago last weekend and then swamped with work and after work activities this week. Below are some of the pics taken from cell phone during my trip. I met up with the inner circle crew for this trip. The inner circle consists of Stew, Sticky, McLovin and Mole Eyes (actual names and images have been concealed due to national security concerns).
Stew (your hero) and Sticky sojourned out to Chicago together and met up with McLovin and Mole eyes who came in from California. We got into Midway on Friday morning and checked in at the lovely holiday inn express and then grabbed lunch at Coaches bar and grill. Sampled a local variety of beer called 312 with lunch. Wasn't bad but kinda pricey which we would discover was the norm for libations throughout the city. After that we hopped on the El into downtown to meet up with Mole Eyes. McLovin was working from her company's Chicago office and met up with us later in the evening. The three of us ventured to Millennium park and saw the sites and then walked around lake shore dr and Michigan avenue checking out the buildings and amazing architecture.
We went back to the W Hotel where McLovin and Mole Eyes was staying and had some drinks. Stewman introduced the inner circle to his new favorite drink, Ginger Ale and Crown Royal.
McLovin eventually showed up and we had a few more drinks and then cabbed it to the recommended steakhouse called Kinzie Chop House McLovin made a generous offer to treat us all for dinner and we definitely took advantage eating some very tasty steaks, side dishes, appetizers and desserts on top of more drinks and a bottle of expensive wine (at least expensive to this wine novice). Thanks McLovin and check out Kinzie if ever in town, it was tasty and excellent service!!
After that we went to Gilt Night club for some more drinks. We wealked into a packed darkly lit restaurant/bar and quickly hit the bar up. Sticky and I were so confused on the beers as they had about 12 beers on tap and we only recognized 1 which was the PBR, not a favroites. We ordered one of the beers and it tasted awful so they let us trade it in for another that was much better but nothing special in itself. After that we sat and chatted and then McLovin started living up to her name and started chatting up some guys and Mole Eyes surprisingly started chatting up some ladies. Sticky and I hung out with Mole Eyes and the ladies. One of the ladies was drunk and angry after just getting dumped by her considerably younger boyfriend. She was a buzz kill and after McLovin exchanged some digits we followed her to Paris bar where she was meeting up with the guys from the last bar. This place had a nice vibe and a awesome DJ spinning some great tunes from the likes of Lykke Li, Florence and the machine and Mark Ronson. Sticky and I got a table and just chilled as it had been a long day for us since we had been up since 3:00am and had more than a few drinks. The ladies were chatting the guys up and after a hour or so Sticky and I exited the house and snagged a cab back to the hotel. The ladies eventually made it to their hotel later that night.
Woke up the next morning with a slight headache and somewhat dehydrated but overall felt fine. Called the ladies and it turns out Mole Eyes(this how she got the name) eyes were shut closed after some sort of allergic reaction with her contact solution and they were red and in pain. She stayed in the room for the day since we had the cubs game at night and McLovin joined Sticky and me at Giordano's We ordered a medium Pepperoni, Sausage and Black Olive deep dish. I had been waiting for this moment and it did not disappoint.
After that the three of us ventured to the Field Museum. We walked around for almost 3 hours and checked out the 3-D dinosaur movie discussing Sue, the T-?Rex. Impressive fossil of this gigantic creature.
We then cabbed it back to the W to pick up Mole Eyes and went to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. I really liked the old feel of Wrigley and the smallness of the parks. A lot of history in this stadium. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we left after the 4th inning due to 30 degree weather (with windchill) and rain. The game was actually canceled after the 6th inning. Thanks to Sticky for treating us to the game, very nice of you. After that we ventured to wrigleyville and drank some more at a bar. We hung there for a few hours then migrated back to the W for more drinks and some late night appetizers. After that Sticky and I cabbed it back to the hotel and we flew home the next day. Overall fun trip, wish it could have been longer. Downtown Chicago is awesome.
Been very quiet on the blog lately due to being out of town in Chicago last weekend and then swamped with work and after work activities this week. Below are some of the pics taken from cell phone during my trip. I met up with the inner circle crew for this trip. The inner circle consists of Stew, Sticky, McLovin and Mole Eyes (actual names and images have been concealed due to national security concerns).
Stew (your hero) and Sticky sojourned out to Chicago together and met up with McLovin and Mole eyes who came in from California. We got into Midway on Friday morning and checked in at the lovely holiday inn express and then grabbed lunch at Coaches bar and grill. Sampled a local variety of beer called 312 with lunch. Wasn't bad but kinda pricey which we would discover was the norm for libations throughout the city. After that we hopped on the El into downtown to meet up with Mole Eyes. McLovin was working from her company's Chicago office and met up with us later in the evening. The three of us ventured to Millennium park and saw the sites and then walked around lake shore dr and Michigan avenue checking out the buildings and amazing architecture.
We went back to the W Hotel where McLovin and Mole Eyes was staying and had some drinks. Stewman introduced the inner circle to his new favorite drink, Ginger Ale and Crown Royal.
McLovin eventually showed up and we had a few more drinks and then cabbed it to the recommended steakhouse called Kinzie Chop House McLovin made a generous offer to treat us all for dinner and we definitely took advantage eating some very tasty steaks, side dishes, appetizers and desserts on top of more drinks and a bottle of expensive wine (at least expensive to this wine novice). Thanks McLovin and check out Kinzie if ever in town, it was tasty and excellent service!!
After that we went to Gilt Night club for some more drinks. We wealked into a packed darkly lit restaurant/bar and quickly hit the bar up. Sticky and I were so confused on the beers as they had about 12 beers on tap and we only recognized 1 which was the PBR, not a favroites. We ordered one of the beers and it tasted awful so they let us trade it in for another that was much better but nothing special in itself. After that we sat and chatted and then McLovin started living up to her name and started chatting up some guys and Mole Eyes surprisingly started chatting up some ladies. Sticky and I hung out with Mole Eyes and the ladies. One of the ladies was drunk and angry after just getting dumped by her considerably younger boyfriend. She was a buzz kill and after McLovin exchanged some digits we followed her to Paris bar where she was meeting up with the guys from the last bar. This place had a nice vibe and a awesome DJ spinning some great tunes from the likes of Lykke Li, Florence and the machine and Mark Ronson. Sticky and I got a table and just chilled as it had been a long day for us since we had been up since 3:00am and had more than a few drinks. The ladies were chatting the guys up and after a hour or so Sticky and I exited the house and snagged a cab back to the hotel. The ladies eventually made it to their hotel later that night.
Woke up the next morning with a slight headache and somewhat dehydrated but overall felt fine. Called the ladies and it turns out Mole Eyes(this how she got the name) eyes were shut closed after some sort of allergic reaction with her contact solution and they were red and in pain. She stayed in the room for the day since we had the cubs game at night and McLovin joined Sticky and me at Giordano's We ordered a medium Pepperoni, Sausage and Black Olive deep dish. I had been waiting for this moment and it did not disappoint.
After that the three of us ventured to the Field Museum. We walked around for almost 3 hours and checked out the 3-D dinosaur movie discussing Sue, the T-?Rex. Impressive fossil of this gigantic creature.
We then cabbed it back to the W to pick up Mole Eyes and went to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. I really liked the old feel of Wrigley and the smallness of the parks. A lot of history in this stadium. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we left after the 4th inning due to 30 degree weather (with windchill) and rain. The game was actually canceled after the 6th inning. Thanks to Sticky for treating us to the game, very nice of you. After that we ventured to wrigleyville and drank some more at a bar. We hung there for a few hours then migrated back to the W for more drinks and some late night appetizers. After that Sticky and I cabbed it back to the hotel and we flew home the next day. Overall fun trip, wish it could have been longer. Downtown Chicago is awesome.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tone Def Poetry Slam - Jon Stewart
From last nights episode of the daily show. Absolutely hilarious and right on once again showing the hypocrisy of Fox News.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-11-2011/tone-def-poetry-jam
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-11-2011/tone-def-poetry-jam
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Freakonomics on Poker
http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/05/10/levitts-poker-paper-its-a-game-of-skill/
If you want to purchase the paper. I'll just wait for the next Freakonomics book to come out.
http://www.nber.org/papers/w17023
If you want to purchase the paper. I'll just wait for the next Freakonomics book to come out.
http://www.nber.org/papers/w17023
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
More words we need to understand…
Editor’s Note: This is another guest post by Two Clubs. This is the second in a series on government and politics. Enjoy this reading and hopefully you may learn the definitions of some commonly misused terms.
This past weekend the South Carolina GOP held a convention to fire up the troops and scare the bejesus out of anyone who would listen. It was the same old series of talking points from the usual suspects of criminal stupidity. Senator Jim DeMint, Representative Tim Scott, and ex-Governor Rick Santorum were all bringing their best scare tactics to the table in hopes of finding traction with their base.
Senator Jim DeMint spoke about the creep of socialism and told attendees “this is our last chance to get it right. 2012 is when we have to lay it all on the line. We have to go to the mat.”
Representative Tim Scott continued down that same avenue. “There's no question that we are moving, step by step, closer to socialism. So that puts democracy at risk to some extent.”
Rick Santorum, the ex-Pennsylvania Governor and possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, attempted to raise the specter of Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Italy when discussing government intrusion into the lives of Americans. He was especially critical of education, saying, “I don’t know, maybe they called it early pre-K or something like that, that the government sponsored to get your children in there so they can indoctrinate them.”
This is the stuff that makes the head of the average non-American explode in frustration. The contradictions and dissonance in their policy position is astounding. These people who represent our supposed better interests pick these terms out of mid air and attempt to use the stupidity of the common man against them. Terms like socialism, fascism and indoctrination all have a negative connotation in American society, simply because Americans have been indoctrinated to view these words as euphemisms for negative consequences. If people would learn the true meaning of these terms they would see through these snake oil salesmen and see the obvious lies in what they say.
First, let’s examine the bugaboo of socialism and why it is evil. It is hard to believe that a political or social philosophy could be evil but that is the talking point from a certain party in American politics. This concept is mind numbingly stupid when you consider that almost every other country in the G20 is more socialistic in their governmental structure than the United States, and, last I checked, none of the citizens of these countries were crushed under the yoke of oppression. In fact, using the adjusted Human Development Index as a measure, the United States ranks 12th in quality of life for its citizens, and quickly dropping in that measure.
The textbook definition of socialism is a system where the means of production is commonly owned and controlled through cooperative interests. This definition is open to much interpretation and, in the extent of socialistic practices, varies greatly from example to example. I could go to great lengths to explain socialism in action, but that is a moot point. The important thing here is understand why the Republicans use this as a scare tactic and why they are bastardizing the term.
Socialism to the Republicans is the artificial control of the free market. That is really all they are concerned about. They want nothing more than to have a non-regulated marketplace where anything can be done to make a buck. Anything that is restrictive of that marketplace is socialism in action. I don’t think we need to go very far to find examples of why an unregulated marketplace is a bad thing. Whether it be lead in paint, salmonella in food, immoral lending practices by banks or unscrupulous trading practices by corporations I think we can agree that regulations are required to protect the common good of our society. These controls are not examples of socialism, they are illustrations of a functioning society acting in a responsible manner. Acting collectively, to protect everyone equally, is a core tenet of the constitution, so it shouldn’t be scary in any shape or form. What is scary for Republicans is the idea that acting collectively might just give everyone the same access to those aspects of our society that we deem as being necessary for a quality life. If we did act collectively, as our government was designed by the founding fathers, we could have the same freedoms that other G20 countries have, like universal healthcare, quality education, equal access to low cost food and drugs, and a removal of the corporate power structure.
I find it ironic that Republicans and conservatives continue to fall back on using socialism as a scare tactic when they themselves embrace some of the most socialistic constructs any free society can develop. Conservatives, as a stereotype, are a religious bunch. They fall back on their religion and all for it to be the central focus of their being. They come together and work collectively under the banner of their particular church, gaining the benefits of a community. This is socialism in action. Republicans and conservatives are huge supporters of the military and military spending, yet this is as socialistic as you can get. We use our collective resources to fill the ranks and pay for the weapons systems. That is socialism in action. The Republicans are also huge supporters of big business. Most corporations, who get so much from their political stooges, generate their working capital from selling common shares. A group of people come together to commonly own and cooperatively control the production of a product. This is socialism in action. When these huge corporations suffer from their own stupid mistakes it is the tax payer that is expected to bail them out and pay for their operational errors. It can be argued that this is socialism for corporations in action, (although it is more accurately aligned with fascism). Conservatives don’t hate socialism, per se, they just hate it when it helps out people who have different beliefs as them.
The second term of discussion is fascism. Republicans like to use the term fascism and socialism interchangeably, even though they are contrary political positions. This is another term badly misused or mischaracterized by conservatives and the mass media alike. Fascism is an ideology based on authoritarian nationalistic beliefs. People are taught from a young age (called indoctrination) that their country and their belief system is superior to that of any other. Fascism relies on the development and promotion of a national mythos where ancestry and culture make the country unique and powerful. This helps develop a singular collective identity, where others who have different ideas are ridiculed or purged from society all together. An example of this is American exceptionalism preached by hardcore conservatives.
Core functions of fascist regimes have been control over education, family policy, and an embracement of militarism, showing a willingness to freely use force without significant provocation. Fascist states believe that the individual does not exist but is nothing more than a cog in the corporate machine. During WWII, corporations were key partners in running the government and collected huge profits for doing so.
When Republicans toss out the term fascism it is hard to keep a straight face. This is the party that believes in American exceptionalism and is pushing for the establishment of state religion through adoption of Christian standards. They are strongly pro-life, wanting to outlaw abortion and the mother’s right to choose. They believe education should not be an open system, but instead should be closed with a very dogmatic curriculum. These Republicans and conservatives also believe that we need a strong military and should be free to use it as often as possible. Finally, and most importantly, the GOP firmly believes that by empowering the corporations, and drafting policy for their benefit, we make our country stronger. How this group of people can call anyone else fascist is beyond logic?
The final term to pick apart is indoctrination. Merriam Webster informs us that soft definition of indoctrination is the instruction of fundamentals or rudiments of any given subject. Basically, this is called teaching. If we assume this to be the definition then we are all indoctrinated into believing what we think we know. The harder definition tells us that indoctrination includes the imbuement of a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view or principle. This is the indoctrination that the Republicans like to roll out there as a scare tactic and an example of all that is wrong with our education systems. The only problem with their allusion is it is flat out wrong.
Indoctrination really boils down to the teaching of a single point of view. This is done in fundamentalist religions and totalitarian societies. The regulated curriculum in our school system is exactly what prevents indoctrination, forcing instructors to provide an open perspective to their students and abide by a secular point of view. This important to recognize because it is aligned with the constitution and the freedoms guaranteed in the first amendment. If indoctrination is taking place in this framework then the entire system the founding fathers framed is an abject failure. Seeing as how these “patriots” are so enamored with the founding fathers we can assume this is not the case. If these merchants of misdirection were honest they would be looking in their own backyard for examples of indoctrination.
The reality is the Republicans prey on those people who have a very closed perspective, one developed because of indoctrination. The GOP base is very decidedly Christian, most of which being fundamentalist. This component of the base was brought up to believe that their interpretation of God is the only true deity and all others are false idols. They believe they are the chosen few and are bent on promoting their own kind into positions of power. If you are not one of them, you are the enemy and inherently evil. Most of these people were home schooled and force fed religious belief as children. This prevented them from developing a broad perspective and questioning their teachings. If we look at the definitions again we’ll find that this is the textbook example of indoctrination.
At this time in our country’s history it is important to recognize the snake oil salesmen and call them on their inaccuracies. We can’t let them get away with the twisting of the facts and the scapegoating of ideologies or beliefs which they have twisted in shapes beyond recognition. We need to be aware and not fall for it. We need to be able to look at all potential solutions to the problems that plague our nation and adopt the solutions that best work regardless of the scary words some may try and wrap them in. There is a rhetorical battle going on in the country where negative euphemisms are quickly attached to solutions in hopes of marginalizing them or eliminating them from the discussion. Socialism, fascism and indoctrination are just a few of the terms used to scare people into thinking their country is at risk. Ironically, as people run from these solutions they run right into the trap of greater corporate control. In fact, these terms that are being used against the people only become accurate when the word corporate precedes them in a sentence. I think that the next time the Republicans toss out the terms socialism, fascism and indoctrination that they should be fed the terms projection, transference and introjection.
This past weekend the South Carolina GOP held a convention to fire up the troops and scare the bejesus out of anyone who would listen. It was the same old series of talking points from the usual suspects of criminal stupidity. Senator Jim DeMint, Representative Tim Scott, and ex-Governor Rick Santorum were all bringing their best scare tactics to the table in hopes of finding traction with their base.
Senator Jim DeMint spoke about the creep of socialism and told attendees “this is our last chance to get it right. 2012 is when we have to lay it all on the line. We have to go to the mat.”
Representative Tim Scott continued down that same avenue. “There's no question that we are moving, step by step, closer to socialism. So that puts democracy at risk to some extent.”
Rick Santorum, the ex-Pennsylvania Governor and possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, attempted to raise the specter of Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Italy when discussing government intrusion into the lives of Americans. He was especially critical of education, saying, “I don’t know, maybe they called it early pre-K or something like that, that the government sponsored to get your children in there so they can indoctrinate them.”
This is the stuff that makes the head of the average non-American explode in frustration. The contradictions and dissonance in their policy position is astounding. These people who represent our supposed better interests pick these terms out of mid air and attempt to use the stupidity of the common man against them. Terms like socialism, fascism and indoctrination all have a negative connotation in American society, simply because Americans have been indoctrinated to view these words as euphemisms for negative consequences. If people would learn the true meaning of these terms they would see through these snake oil salesmen and see the obvious lies in what they say.
First, let’s examine the bugaboo of socialism and why it is evil. It is hard to believe that a political or social philosophy could be evil but that is the talking point from a certain party in American politics. This concept is mind numbingly stupid when you consider that almost every other country in the G20 is more socialistic in their governmental structure than the United States, and, last I checked, none of the citizens of these countries were crushed under the yoke of oppression. In fact, using the adjusted Human Development Index as a measure, the United States ranks 12th in quality of life for its citizens, and quickly dropping in that measure.
The textbook definition of socialism is a system where the means of production is commonly owned and controlled through cooperative interests. This definition is open to much interpretation and, in the extent of socialistic practices, varies greatly from example to example. I could go to great lengths to explain socialism in action, but that is a moot point. The important thing here is understand why the Republicans use this as a scare tactic and why they are bastardizing the term.
Socialism to the Republicans is the artificial control of the free market. That is really all they are concerned about. They want nothing more than to have a non-regulated marketplace where anything can be done to make a buck. Anything that is restrictive of that marketplace is socialism in action. I don’t think we need to go very far to find examples of why an unregulated marketplace is a bad thing. Whether it be lead in paint, salmonella in food, immoral lending practices by banks or unscrupulous trading practices by corporations I think we can agree that regulations are required to protect the common good of our society. These controls are not examples of socialism, they are illustrations of a functioning society acting in a responsible manner. Acting collectively, to protect everyone equally, is a core tenet of the constitution, so it shouldn’t be scary in any shape or form. What is scary for Republicans is the idea that acting collectively might just give everyone the same access to those aspects of our society that we deem as being necessary for a quality life. If we did act collectively, as our government was designed by the founding fathers, we could have the same freedoms that other G20 countries have, like universal healthcare, quality education, equal access to low cost food and drugs, and a removal of the corporate power structure.
I find it ironic that Republicans and conservatives continue to fall back on using socialism as a scare tactic when they themselves embrace some of the most socialistic constructs any free society can develop. Conservatives, as a stereotype, are a religious bunch. They fall back on their religion and all for it to be the central focus of their being. They come together and work collectively under the banner of their particular church, gaining the benefits of a community. This is socialism in action. Republicans and conservatives are huge supporters of the military and military spending, yet this is as socialistic as you can get. We use our collective resources to fill the ranks and pay for the weapons systems. That is socialism in action. The Republicans are also huge supporters of big business. Most corporations, who get so much from their political stooges, generate their working capital from selling common shares. A group of people come together to commonly own and cooperatively control the production of a product. This is socialism in action. When these huge corporations suffer from their own stupid mistakes it is the tax payer that is expected to bail them out and pay for their operational errors. It can be argued that this is socialism for corporations in action, (although it is more accurately aligned with fascism). Conservatives don’t hate socialism, per se, they just hate it when it helps out people who have different beliefs as them.
The second term of discussion is fascism. Republicans like to use the term fascism and socialism interchangeably, even though they are contrary political positions. This is another term badly misused or mischaracterized by conservatives and the mass media alike. Fascism is an ideology based on authoritarian nationalistic beliefs. People are taught from a young age (called indoctrination) that their country and their belief system is superior to that of any other. Fascism relies on the development and promotion of a national mythos where ancestry and culture make the country unique and powerful. This helps develop a singular collective identity, where others who have different ideas are ridiculed or purged from society all together. An example of this is American exceptionalism preached by hardcore conservatives.
Core functions of fascist regimes have been control over education, family policy, and an embracement of militarism, showing a willingness to freely use force without significant provocation. Fascist states believe that the individual does not exist but is nothing more than a cog in the corporate machine. During WWII, corporations were key partners in running the government and collected huge profits for doing so.
When Republicans toss out the term fascism it is hard to keep a straight face. This is the party that believes in American exceptionalism and is pushing for the establishment of state religion through adoption of Christian standards. They are strongly pro-life, wanting to outlaw abortion and the mother’s right to choose. They believe education should not be an open system, but instead should be closed with a very dogmatic curriculum. These Republicans and conservatives also believe that we need a strong military and should be free to use it as often as possible. Finally, and most importantly, the GOP firmly believes that by empowering the corporations, and drafting policy for their benefit, we make our country stronger. How this group of people can call anyone else fascist is beyond logic?
The final term to pick apart is indoctrination. Merriam Webster informs us that soft definition of indoctrination is the instruction of fundamentals or rudiments of any given subject. Basically, this is called teaching. If we assume this to be the definition then we are all indoctrinated into believing what we think we know. The harder definition tells us that indoctrination includes the imbuement of a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view or principle. This is the indoctrination that the Republicans like to roll out there as a scare tactic and an example of all that is wrong with our education systems. The only problem with their allusion is it is flat out wrong.
Indoctrination really boils down to the teaching of a single point of view. This is done in fundamentalist religions and totalitarian societies. The regulated curriculum in our school system is exactly what prevents indoctrination, forcing instructors to provide an open perspective to their students and abide by a secular point of view. This important to recognize because it is aligned with the constitution and the freedoms guaranteed in the first amendment. If indoctrination is taking place in this framework then the entire system the founding fathers framed is an abject failure. Seeing as how these “patriots” are so enamored with the founding fathers we can assume this is not the case. If these merchants of misdirection were honest they would be looking in their own backyard for examples of indoctrination.
The reality is the Republicans prey on those people who have a very closed perspective, one developed because of indoctrination. The GOP base is very decidedly Christian, most of which being fundamentalist. This component of the base was brought up to believe that their interpretation of God is the only true deity and all others are false idols. They believe they are the chosen few and are bent on promoting their own kind into positions of power. If you are not one of them, you are the enemy and inherently evil. Most of these people were home schooled and force fed religious belief as children. This prevented them from developing a broad perspective and questioning their teachings. If we look at the definitions again we’ll find that this is the textbook example of indoctrination.
At this time in our country’s history it is important to recognize the snake oil salesmen and call them on their inaccuracies. We can’t let them get away with the twisting of the facts and the scapegoating of ideologies or beliefs which they have twisted in shapes beyond recognition. We need to be aware and not fall for it. We need to be able to look at all potential solutions to the problems that plague our nation and adopt the solutions that best work regardless of the scary words some may try and wrap them in. There is a rhetorical battle going on in the country where negative euphemisms are quickly attached to solutions in hopes of marginalizing them or eliminating them from the discussion. Socialism, fascism and indoctrination are just a few of the terms used to scare people into thinking their country is at risk. Ironically, as people run from these solutions they run right into the trap of greater corporate control. In fact, these terms that are being used against the people only become accurate when the word corporate precedes them in a sentence. I think that the next time the Republicans toss out the terms socialism, fascism and indoctrination that they should be fed the terms projection, transference and introjection.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Bin Laden Photographs
So a few days ago, the white House announced they would not release the photo's of Bin Laden's dead body. I for one believe without a doubt that Osama is dead. I don't need to see pictures to prove to me he is. However, I feel we should be able to see the photos. The price that we all have paid to capture this guy is so large that we deserve to see the body. This manhunt has been the costliest in man kind history. We all have funded in our taxes the effort to capture him. Numerous people world wide have suffered greatly at the hand of this man. We deserve to see the photos. Wrong decision by the President.
Edit*
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/osama-bin-ladens-death-confirmed-al-qaeda/story?id=13543148
Al Qaeda confirms his death.
Edit*
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/osama-bin-ladens-death-confirmed-al-qaeda/story?id=13543148
Al Qaeda confirms his death.
Julian Assange on Facebook
I actually think there is some truth to his statements on Facebook and other big tech sites.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20059247-17.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20059247-17.html
Monday, May 2, 2011
Geronimo-E KIA...
So were the code words uttered by a Navy SEAL to inform the national security team watching on feeds in the White House that Osama Bin Laden was dead. Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda and the target of the largest and most expensive man hunt in the history of man kind met his demise in a mansion compound in Attabad Pakistan. SEAL Team Six of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group aboard multiple Black Hawk Helicopters flew into the compound and engaged in gunfire with Bin Laden and some others. They put a bullet in his head and one in his chest, killed other members of his team and gathered intelligence and evidence before leaving with his body, all in forty minutes. As I sat watching TV last night and watching the President make his statement, I felt a sense of pride sweep over me that no matter where you may hide or how long it will take, the United States will catch you. I wish I could have been in DC to celebrate with the crowds who gathered in front of the White House rejoicing in celebration that this symbol of evil had finally met his demise.
Not everyone felt completely the same though. Below is Two Clubs opinion on the nights event and his feelings of trying to understand it all. I will have my opinions about the vents and Two Clubs statements afterwards.
Bin Laden dead. Was it worth it?
I first heard the news from my wife, who received an update on Facebook. Al Qaeda leader and financier, Osama bin Laden, had been reportedly killed during a raid of a compound outside Islamabad, Pakistan. Watching a re-run of The Taking of Pelham 123 was now a secondary interest. Learning more about the assassination of bin Laden became primary.
Information was slow to come out as the press corps appeared to be waiting for the official announcement from the President. Even though the details were sketchy there was a definite reaction from the American people. The one term that kept coming up in describing the events was “jubilation.” For some reason this troubled me. I decided to turn in for the night and wait for more details surrounding the events and the potential fallout from the action.
When my dogs dragged me out of bed to feed them the following morning it gave me opportunity to check the newswire and see what other details there were in regards to the stunning news of bin Laden’s death. I read as much unique information as I could find but details were still sketchy. What was made very clear in the media was the American reaction. From political leaders to first responders to the common man on the street the response was similar. The same word that still resonated through the media was “jubilation.” This still troubled me. I needed to figure out why.
I began to look at the many photos of the American reaction that were splashed all over the Internet. What I saw was a wild, almost uncontained, celebration of bin Laden’s death. These pictures looked all too familiar to me. We’ve seen these types of scenes in the Middle East when a key campaign is won or someone is martyred. These are the types of scenes that we have openly criticized as being irrational or the people being over-zealous in their support of a flawed cause. Had we become that which we most often criticized?
I can understand the desire to see the leader of AL Qaeda killed, but this reaction seemed over the top. There was a disconnect in logic. It had been almost 10 years since the September 11th attacks, and our reasoning for going into Afghanistan and Iraq had changed multiple times since then. Osama bin Laden had become an afterthought in the search for redemption. Why was there such an outpouring of emotion for this killing when the world had changed so greatly since 9/11? This is likely the dilemma my conscience was wrestling with. What has this changed and is this action worthy of a celebration?
As I sat in the dawn’s early light of the day after bin Laden’s killing, the thing that kept running through my head was what has changed? Was the economy going to get better? Were more jobs going to become available because of this death? Was the value sucked out of my house by the housing bubble going to magically return? Was my retirement any more secure, or were the political vultures going to continue to pick at that corpse? Were health care costs going to drop and become affordable? Was anything that directly impacted my current existence going to change as a result of this assassination? I couldn’t see how this made any difference to the issues that matter.
I will admit that I do find some satisfaction that another terrorist has been killed in a very grizzly fashion. I also think it is great that it was our intelligence community and one of our SEAL teams that got the job done (this is how you respond to instances of terror, not through large military engagement). Unfortunately I don’t think this is a time to take to the streets and celebrate. Not when the streets are filled with the problems caused by chasing the shadow of bin Laden and his ilk with the costly machinations of our military. When measured against the trillions of dollars spent in making war against two nations one has to wonder, was the over-reaction all worth it? Did we win anything by killing bin Laden or did bin Laden win the war by bankrupting our nation?
It is tough to be celebratory, even when achieving a long term goal like this. Not when there are so many other troubles facing this country. I’ll take to the streets in celebration when the villains from Wall Street get tracked down and dealt with in a similar fashion. Or when the economy gets fixed and well paying jobs are available again. Or when things become affordable based on my miserable ever shrinking salary. Or my future is re-secured with the money and tax dollars I invested in vehicles like my home and retirement saving plans. Until then I’ll remain reserved over the killing of another terrorist mastermind and hold my celebrations for when my country is made whole again.
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As usual Two Clubs eloquently expresses his opinions and frustrations like no other. I agree with a lot of what he has stated above but I must admit that I think the celebration was justified and that American's should find satisfaction in this killing.
It is true that we have many issues facing this country from the economy, unemployment, rising oil prices, political partisanship and fighting two endless wars that will not end anytime soon, even with Bin Laden's death. However, America as a country needed something to celebrate. This malaise that has infected this country for the past decade needed a temporary antidote even if it is not the cure. We needed something(albeit briefly I'm sure) to have us stop squabbling with each other. Most importantly we needed this to show the world that we will not ever give up in our quest for justice. Millions of people around the world from the US, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa have been affected by this man and his minions. Not that his death will end the terrorist acts anytime soon, but at least we can have some hope and a moment of glee in time a chaos and despair. At least let us revel in this moment before returning to reality. God knows we spent enough money along with too much blood, sweat and tears to achieve this.
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