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Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Value of a College Degree?

If you have a son or daughter who is nearing High School completion, should they go to a University? Or would a trade school or technical school be a better choice?

Here are some interesting statistics:

  • In the United States today, there are 5,057 janitors with Ph.D.’s, other doctorates, or professional degrees.
  • In the United States today, 317,000 waiters and waitresses have college degrees.
  • In the United States today, over 18,000 parking lot attendants have college degrees.
  • Total student loan debt in the United States is climbing at a rate of approximately $2,853.88 per second.

I would say that unless your son or daughter has SPECIFIC STATED GOALS to major in something like engineering, chemistry, math, physics, or accounting, you would be far far far better off letting him or her learn a trade, and then pursue whatever liberal arts interests s/he has with money they make on their own. That is, if your goal for sending him/her to college is to be able to provide a decent standard of living, let them learn a trade and pursue the education on their own. That way you accomplish your goal of equipping them for life and avoid the fiscal black hole. I have a Masters Degree, but the things I learned on my own over the years have proved far more valuable than most of the education I received in school. With the bone crushing level of debt most kids hit the streets carrying, and the ubiquity of college degrees no one wants, this is even more so.

There is a world of learning out there and available to persons who are intellectually curious and motivated, and you don't need a college degree to explore that world. You also don't need a hundred thousand dollars..., just an agile mind, an internet connection, and a willingness to smile when your friends look at you like you are from Mars and say "where do you GET this stuff?"

On the other hand, if your kid is not the kind who is bored by school so that s/he pulls out encyclopedias to scan for interesting articles (my history in the third grade and following), they are very likely to be more successful in becoming a plumber, electrician, a/c tech, machinist, welder, nurse (you have trade and four year degrees both), medical tech of some sort, mechanic, electronics tech, or any number of trades which "make things go." What is more, they will have an experience of mixing with people who view the world FAR FAR FAR differently from a middle class kid cloistered in the suburbs, insulated from real life by layers and layers of the protective cocoons we have built. I thank God that the first job I took out of college was as a plumber running a backhoe (a skill I picked up in HS, due to a father who insisted I work summers and holidays). I moved to a research position in a lab in 4 months. Interestingly enough, I made more running the backhoe than I did in the lab.

The facile and energetic and motivated ones will wind up owning their own electrical and a/c etc., companies and be far more successful economically than someone who majored in Political Science, or English, or Psychology, or Sociology, or Economics and is shuffling around in some corporation xeroxing papers and answering phones.

What is more, University degrees in those disciplines tend more and more to be ideologically strait jacketed, taught my non-thinking leftist ideologues whose idea of instruction is only slightly better than some Kommissar shouting slogans from Mao's little red book. I assisted my daughter recently in writing a paper on a review of the role of the USA in the post colonial cold war years, regarding the new countries coming out from being colonies of European states. I was appalled at the sloppy "scholarship" for supporting a case I actually AGREED with (US foreign policy was counterproductive to freedom in those fledgling countries). The idiot who wrote the article clearly did not know what "capitalism" was in the first place, and confused colonial slavery and oppression with capitalism, utterly confusing the truth that "capitalism is essential for freedom" with the false conclusion that "capitalism then must EQUAL freedom" (see this video where Milton Friedman destroys this assumption). The the sole resource listed for historical support for this position came from marxists.org. My daughter, bless her heart, when asking for help, prefaced it with "Dad, I just want to write the paper, not to argue with them!" (HA! she knows me too well!)

For an average total outlay of over 25,000 dollars a year, don't you think that AT LEAST your child should learn to analyze positions, think and argue clearly, and know how to spot logical fallacies? If, on the other hand, you want a drone who is able only to be mesmerized by Glen Beck or Jon Stewart and allow that person to do their thinking FOR them, then a liberal arts University degree sounds like as good a deal as any.

Friday, October 29, 2010

GAME OVER!!!! (200 trillion reasons we are bankrupt NOW!)



At some point in time, you arrive at the same conclusion that Hudson in the movie "Aliens" came to. The game is simply over. The clock may be running, but it is all simply winding down the minutes.

I played football in HS and had to sometimes trudge back out onto the field with 2 minutes left to go, behind by 30 points. We still played, but the game was over and we knew it. We just went thru the motions.

If you look at these numbers, it is inescapable that this is the monetary situation we have in the USA. Read on, please.

I keep on my desktop an abbreviated version of the "US debt clock" (found here http://www.usdebtclock.org/). People look and say "what is that?" and are aghast at the red number spinning around so rapidly Their eyes glaze over and they simply do not respond (or they roll their eyes.... amazing)when I tell them that our debt is such that it amounts to 13.5 TRILLION dollars, or 31,000 dollars for every family in America, every year, for 70 years.

However, bad as this is, it is deceptive. The reason it is deceptive is that it does not count all the debt. It only records WHAT WE HAVE SPENT SO FAR. However, a true business spreadsheet that records debits and credits IN THE FUTURE as well. It counts debts as ACCOUNTS PAYABLE and the total indebtedness as those future payments minus what we call ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE (what is or will be owed us). If you count up the total indebtedness this way, then our indebtedness is over 200 trillion dollars, or over 15 times our present GDP and over 5 times our projected GDP. This is the conclusion of the International Monetary Fund, in its annual review of US monetary policy. These numbers are not new, and have been circulating for some time. They have recently shocked some financial writers like Laurence Koltikoff of Boomberg's , though, who evidently did not know these numbers existed. They are hyperventilating and fulminating as though this was new news. Well, welcome to the party, guys. We have been saying this stuff for years over here in the crazy corner.

In short, it is over. We are bankrupt. The system is broken and there simply is no fixing it in its current state. This situation is fairly much the same in all the Western countries with the possible exception of Germany. Ludwig von Mises was right. Ben Franklin was right. SOCIALISM EVENTUALLY BANKRUPTS THE COUNTRIES WHICH PRACTICE IT.

So, let me ask you a question. If you were an employee of ENRON, what would you do on the days the stock crashed from 90+ dollars down to sub one dollar. Do you think you would be buying a new car, shopping a vacation on the internet, or chatting with your friends about what gossipy news was out there about some celeb? Crap no! You would be hawking your resume like mad, scaling back your purchases, and battening down the hatches because you knew a fiscal storm was coming. In short you PREPARED for what you knew was coming.

I really do not understand the reactions of the American public. They not only do not know what is going on, but actively mock or contemptuously dismiss anyone who tells them that Uncle Massah can't take care of them.

Most of these people would not DREAM of failing to insure their homes, or their newer cars, or their lives, or their health or their retirement (with an IRA). They panic at the thought of those things being naked and exposed, yet are blissfully naive that the whole package HAS TO go over the waterfalls in a few years and refuse to make any plans or provisions for the coming earthquake. This is amazing to me.

At the very least, one would think they could inform themselves, if only to reassure themselves that people like me are truly crazy barking moonbats, howling about fictitious monsters that do not really exist.

Please, if you love your family and your children, at least consider the following:

1)Educate yourself. Stop dreaming that watching Fox news, ABC, NBC, NPR etc gives you a freaking clue as to what is happening. Some great introductory sites are Lew Rockwell (a libertarian site, guaranteed to offend kool aid drinkers of the left and right), agora.com (great financial stuff) and survivalblog.com
2)Put back some basic foodstuffs. Have enough to eat for 3-6 months (at least) if there is no grocery store to run to, or if the shelves are bare,or if a pound of sugar costs 500 dollars. Think about a good water filter. This stuff is CHEAP.
3)Learn some basic self sufficiency skills. Plant a garden. Join a local food co-op. Learn to work on your own car, do basic electrical/plumbing/carpentry repairs, and not be so dependent on the infrastructure of society.
4)PUT ASIDE SOME SILVER COINS. Pre 1964 US quarters, dimes and half dollars are 90% silver. Cash out your IRA if you can, and put at least some of your money in tangible commodity "in your hand" precious metals.
5 Ignore the idiots who tell you that you are "harming the economy" by not spending. Cut back. Spend less. Go camping rather than to Disneyworld, just to see what it is like to "do without." Pay off your debt, and save.
6) Learn to defend yourself in the event of societal breakdown. (yeah, I am a gun guy)
7) Get off the grid as much as possible. Put a wood stove insert in your fireplace. Get some solar panels if that is your interest. Get a generator. Bankrupt a state municipality (lol!)
8) Lastly, turn the damn TV off. Most of the "don't have time" for this results from the average American spending 5 hours in front of a machine that thinks for you.

Most of this stuff can be done with a surprisingly small outlay. For many of us, it will simply involve shifting around spending patterns.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Rubio for Senate TV Ad, "A Generational Choice"

Very nice ad. Reaganesque rhetoric. I especially liked the line "an ever growing government that wants us to be more like the rest of the world, rather than the other way around."

I am always a bit cynical of politicians who jump up and down about our military and then send them out to die for questionable causes, but the ad doesn't exactly do that.
It just has some pix of soldiers admiring their sacrifices. Lets not get over picky. Other than that, the ad was absolutely fabulous.

No wonder he is crushing his opponents. You see guys and you think "he has 'it' " whatever "it" is.

He is someone to watch.

Karl Rove questions Sarah Palin's suitability for president - Telegraph

This was funny.

Karl Rove, whose computer-like mind (in a pre-Woodstock, IBM 026 key-punch card sort of way) directed George W. Bush’s eight disastrous years in the White House, now wonders whether another candidate has the necessary “gravitas” for the office. I am actually not a fan of Palin for president, but I found this so offputting that I appreciated Christopher Manion's comments over on Lew Rockwell.

From the record, let’s review Mr. Rove’s historic qualifiers for “gravitas”:

  • defy the Constitution and act on the basis of your gut
  • as a “good Christian,” embrace Lenin’s view of “permanent revolution,” as long as it’s democratic and imposed by American armed force and permanent occupation
  • betray the key promises you made in your campaign
  • thrive on constantly instilling fear in the populace
  • destroy liberty, privacy rights, the economy, the dollar, the GOP (“them that brung ya,” in the words of another famous Texan), the conservative and pro-life movements (without whom you’d have lost miserably), while you foment international contempt for the United States and its people
  • always insist that your unconstitutional wars are “America’s”
  • hide proof (now revealed) that as Commander-in-Chief you approved orders that US troops should not interfere when the puppet government installed by US occupiers tortured prisoners handed over to them by US forces
  • hand the country over on a silver platter to a pretentious, vapid, inexperienced, and egoistic nobody — a man much like yourself, come to think of it
  • never apologize, and schedule a book tour trumpeting your “successes”



Karl Rove questions Sarah Palin's suitability for president - Telegraph

Carter blames "irresponsible media" for Obama's ratings

I despise Jimmy Carter. On the other hand, I love reading stuff about him just to see what kind of lunacy he will come up with next.


TREASON!!!

Indeed.

The fed has handed the nation's entire monetary policy over to private banks. There is simply no other way to describe this. The fed, in bed with these banks have a track record of engorging themselves and pursuing ruinous monetary policy. The fed has said in essence "how much should we inflate?" The banks have a vested interest to simply say "MORE." They are the first in line to get the boodle as it is dished out, and see the "money" before its diluted status shows up downstream. This is monstrous, horrid, crooked, and again in a word TREASONOUS.

From the article: This "means that the Fed has absolutely no confidence in its actions, and, more importantly, no confidence in how its actions will be perceived by the market which is why it is not only telegraphing its decision to the bankers, but is having its decision be dictated by them, an act so unconstitutional it would be seen as treason in any non-Banana republic! This is the last straw confirming that the only ones left trading the market are the Fed and the PDs, passing hot potatoes to each other, and the HFTs, churning the shit out of everything else to pretend someone is still trading."

Eye popping fiscal THIEVERY! If this were any country where you could say such things without the FBI showing up on your door the next day, people would be advocating dragging these people out into the streets to be shot.



A Paralyzed Fed Defers Decision On Monetary Policy To Primary Dealers In An Act That Can Only Be Classified As Treason | zero hedge

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

15 Cities With Huge Populations Living On Food Stamps

If you live in one of these cities or close to it, you REALLY need a place you can leave and go to.

When you go into neighborhoods where everyone is on government assistance and has been for generations, do you feel safe?

OK, when the rule of law is broken NOW, what do you think will happen when the same people are hungry and there is no government check?

Call it whatever you want to, if it makes you feel morally superior. It is what it is.

15 Cities With Huge Populations Living On Food Stamps

7 banks closed in Fla., Ga., Ill., Kan., Ariz. - Yahoo! Finance

So another bank, or set of banks failed. So what? There have been over 180 of them this year.This batch is different BECAUSE THE FDIC COULD NOT FIND A BUYER AT ANY PRICE for First Arizona Savings Bank. This bank was busted, but it did have performing assets. No one bought them. This is a fault line opening ...up, ...one of the "early warning signs" of fiscal doom warned about for years. The FDIC is also having problems finding buyers for busted banks in Illinois. This is truly a mark of impending problems for two reasons.

1. it reflects a deep pessimism and fear among the people who understand best how to make money by lending it to productive small businesses, the true steam engine that drives the economy. People are walking away from an income stream which is profitable BECAUSE THEY SEE DANGERS AHEAD. When people will not take risks, the engine seizes up.

2. the FDIC has cash reserves that are ALREADY NEGATIVE. The insurance fund that says your money is "fully insured by an agency of the Federal Goverment" is already in the red by over 15 billion. Its cash reserves were always ridiculously low, but it is completely tapped out. It is like State Farm Insurance, or Progressive, or Nationwide trying to tell you your property is fully insured with no cash assets. The insurance regulators would shut such a company down. Only governments are allowed to legally operate a Ponzi. Even a government run Ponzi, though, runs out of cash when the withdrawals get too heavy. The FDIC cannot afford to do on a large scale what it is doing for First Arizona, which is just write checks to the depositors. This means it is already VERY motivated to cut lucrative deals for the assets of these banks, and no one wants them.

This is very very bad, and a way better indicator of future economic activity than any government talking head you see on NBC nightly news.

The only good thing about this is that FAS is a small bank with only 280 million or so. If you see this happening on a larger scale, that means not a fault line, or a crack, but a full blown 17 on the Richter scale is in progress, and I hope you have withdrawn all the money you have in the bank, cause you ain't getting it out then.

As always, it is going to be the old and the poor who are hit hardest by this.


7 banks closed in Fla., Ga., Ill., Kan., Ariz. - Yahoo! Finance

Voter reports problem with ballot machine | machine, screen, voter - Local - Sun Journal

Someone remind me again why PAPER BALLOTS don't work????

Voter reports problem with ballot machine | machine, screen, voter - Local - Sun Journal

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The US Dollar Is Doomed

This is a very good article about the inherent tendencies of democracies to inflate, and how fiat paper currencies make hyperinflation almost a foregone conclusion over time.

The US Dollar Is Doomed

5 U.S. States with Pension Time Bombs - NASDAQ.com

All state pension funds are going to be strapped, and the states are going to be desperate for revenue. Watch for taxes, fees, and aggressive revenue collection measures

5 U.S. States with Pension Time Bombs - NASDAQ.com

Fannie, Freddie may need $215 billion more in aid - Yahoo! Finance

Wow! Whoulda thunk it?

Fannie, Freddie may need $215 billion more in aid - Yahoo! Finance

Katrina a lesson?

Look at the experience of Hurricane Katrina. It was a week before the government got around to doing anything. People died. One family dragged their grandmother around for days and they could not help her. She died in the street. People went without food for a week and [because they lacked water filters] they were forced to drink the muddy polluted water.

Eventually the troops came pouring in to save the day (and to clean up the mess). They were shot at by gang members who had been robbing, raping, and terrorizing the locals. Some of the police had given up and fled with their families. It wasn’t a complete breakdown of civilization, but it was close.

Most people's response is that "It can't happen here." Let me point out that the most severe earthquake in American history happened in the mid-west. It was on the New Madrid fault. Luckily it hit in the 19th century were there were few settlers there. The Mississippi ran backwards and changed it's course of flow. It also created a large lake in the area.

The American population is growing and makes it more likely that a small event could kill lots of people and make many homeless. Simple and small steps to prepare can make a difference in whether or not you survive. It doesn’t hurt to have a pantry of extra food on hand for special occasions.

from SurvivalBlog.com

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

CGF: Announcing Carry Initiative, Ventura County Suit - Calguns.net

The leaders of CGF, a wonderful pro 2nd amendment group in California has this going on.

As an aside, many of the leaders of this group are owners of 'Gpal,' a pro second amendment group as an alternative to "Paypal" which is owned by ebay, and is HORRIBLY anti gun. Paypal will not knowingly allow any transfer payments for ANY firearm or ammunition. Gpal not only does so, but contributes to groups like CGF. If you are pro-second amendment, you should think about opening an account with them and using them.

CGF: Announcing Carry Initiative, Ventura County Suit - Calguns.net

Poll Watchers Claim Harassment And Intimidation At Houston, Texas Voting Places | Liberty Pundits Blog

There is a history of poll problems in Harris County TX. A volunteer citizen's group has banded together to observe, document, and ensure that no irregularities occur.

This is an interesting response.

Poll Watchers Claim Harassment And Intimidation At Houston, Texas Voting Places | Liberty Pundits Blog

‘Don’t tread on me’: At least one Tea Partier denied the right to vote in Texas | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

I have a Gadsden Flag T-shirt. Think I will wear it to the polls and see what happens.

‘Don’t tread on me’: At least one Tea Partier denied the right to vote in Texas | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

White men casting early votes in droves :: WRAL.com

Simple fact is that this is great news for BJ Lawson.

In fact, he draws across racial lines better than almost any Republican candidate I have ever seen, but this "white male Republican" outrage finding expression in early voting means a VERY energized base.

BJ is the real deal. Let's hope for the best for him.



White men casting early votes in droves :: WRAL.com

Monday, October 18, 2010

Instapundit » Blog Archive » TRAPPED MINERS, LIBERTARIANISM, AND a response to Sandy Levinson. Well, if you’re looking for cou…

Great article. A motivated people, accomplished more in the Chilean mine rescue and the immediate days after 9/11, and indeed after MOST disasters than all the "professionals" later (first four days were sheer community effort with almost NO federal involvement) .Why? I believe they are unrestrained by government with its unending pile of regulations, rules, ego-jockeying, fear of reprimand for witting/untwittingly violating some arcane protocol, laziness, inefficiency and just sheer incompetence. They work "from the heart."

You will have the proponents of big government bawling out about the dangers of anarchy and utter pandemonium chaos without their "help," the truth is that this is like howling about the dangers of too much water consumption to people dying of thirst in the desert.

Maybe we should overcorrect a bit and see if we really DO collapse into a mess. Could not be much worse than what we have now.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » TRAPPED MINERS, LIBERTARIANISM, AND a response to Sandy Levinson. Well, if you’re looking for cou…

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An entire populist movement built not on specific positions (e.g., anti-war) but on philosophical principles is a remarkable phenomenon; even more remarkable is the degree to which those principles have resonated with the public at large. . . . The left understood all too well what the Tea Party was about, tried its best to strangle it in its political crib, and now has seen its worst fears come true.”

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Bill Clinton blasts Rand Paul's 'radical ideas' - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com

Given the "track record" of the current crowd in DC/local states, I sorta like the idea of someone without a "track record"

Anyone have a phone book handy?


Bill Clinton blasts Rand Paul's 'radical ideas' - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com

Vote 2010: Is Foreign Money Behind U.S. Chamber of Commerce Ads? - ABC News

Vote 2010: Is Foreign Money Behind U.S. Chamber of Commerce Ads? - ABC News

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Off-duty police detective killed over parking space dispute - CNN.com

Maybe life really was this savage in America when I was growing up, and I just missed it.

However, I can't help but believe society is more coarse, rude, confrontational and angry......, and therefore more dangerous.

The dangerous part is that a large part of our society is very liable simply to attack and/or kill you. Savagery is a bedfellow of just plain raw ignorance and stupidity, and we have whole elements of society which are appallingly stupid, ignorant, untrained, unrestrained and have no idea how to resolve anything without belligerence, shouting, and physical attacks. They grew up this way, and that is all they know.

Flipped off drivers become folks chasing you down and beating you to death, arguments over parking spaces become having your brains smashed out by a brick, having the wrong political bumper stickers becomes a pivot point for a physical attack, getting your car keyed or tires slashed.

"It is the glory of man to overlook an insult, but a fool shows his anger at once."

Mock if you like. I don't want to stir up trouble, but I go armed almost everywhere I go, although you would never know it. It is the knowledge that I am that actually helps me back away from situations that could escalate quickly. Better to just give in and let them have it than fill out a 28 page report on why deadly force was necessary over a parking space.


Off-duty police detective killed over parking space dispute - CNN.com

iowahawk: BELTWAY ADVENTURE

Iowahawk is THE master of satire.

Simply none better anywhere.


iowahawk: BELTWAY ADVENTURE

Friday, October 15, 2010

What your carry gun says about you........

Among the "gun crowd" there is a definite jockeying of egos, and a silly male equivalent to women showing off their shoes. The KIND of gun you carry with you says something about you, both in actuality and what you PERCEIVE it says. Here is a list (shamelessly stolen from a local gun forum):


1911

What you think it says: “I am suave, sophisticated pistolero that will only carry the finest in defensive handguns.”

What it actually says: “I really enjoy buying spare parts and endlessly testing magazines to make sure they work with my archaic firearm.”

Glock

What you think it says: “I am a serious shooter, dedicated to my sport and self defense and so I carry the most popular firearm in law enforcement.”

What it actually says: “I didn’t want to do any actual research before buying a gun, so I just bought this hunk of plastic.”

Glock 40 (the G23 in particular)

What you think it says: If "I get into it with someone and we are fighting over control of my gun I want an option to take us both out with a small explosion so I bought a G23."

What it actually says: Yep, can't improve on that!

Smith & Wesson M&P

What you think it says: “I am a smart shooter! While I value the durability and lightweight of the polymer pistols, you should be able to customize your firearm for your hand size, which is why I carry an M&P.”

What it actually says: “The store was out of Glocks and the guy said this was like a Glock only better.”

Sig

What you think it says: “I am an elite shooter. This is the weapon of choice of Navy SEALs, and that means it’s awesome, so I’M AWESOME.”

What it actually says: “Long trigger pulls are okay with me! First shot accuracy isn’t important anyway, it’s all about volume of fire!”

HK

What you think it says: “Carrying this pistol means I’m serious about pistol-craft! I am a civilian WARRIOR.”

What it actually says: “I suck, and my gun hates me.”

Revolvers

What you think it says: “This is a more elegant weapon from a more civilized age; I am a connoisseur of firearms akin to the Jedi Knights and their lightsabers.”

What it actually says: “I have trouble counting past six, and having a lot of ammo in a gunfight isn’t that important to me.”

A Taurus

What you think it says: “While budget conscious, I am able to spot a deal on a quality firearm and take advantage of it.”

What it actually says: “Herp-derp.”

Beretta
What you think it says: I choose to arm myself with the weapon of choice of the United States military, used by steely eyed killers across the globe to slay our enemies in CQB situations.

What it actually says: I really liked Lethal Weapon. Like, a lot. It is possible that I have a Martin Riggs mullet-wig.

CZ
What you think it says: This gun is the most commonly used firearm in NATO countries, adopted by many nations for use in their elite forces. It combines the best of the new world and the best of the old world, it’s so awesome that Jeff Cooper used it as the basis for the Bren 10!

What it actually says: I am a gun snob. I wanted a high capacity 9mm, but something exotic and european. I drink lattes and drive a foreign car.

Springfield XD
What you think it says: A grip angle reminiscent of the 1911 with safeties that are familiar to the shooters of JMB’s classic pistol, but with a high-capacity magazine and lightweight polymer frame! Truly we live in a fantastic modern age.

What it actually says: Marketing works on me. I didn’t buy this gun when it was being imported as the HS2000 and was 200 bucks cheaper, but slap “Springfield” on the slide and show me some pictures of Rob Leatham looking cool with one and I’LL BUY IT YES.

STI
What you think it says: I carry the finest example of the 1911 platform in existence. Built to exacting specifications by master pistolsmiths and used by the top competition shooters in the world, this is truly the modern example of a samurai sword. Plus, they used them in Monster Hunter International and that book was rad as hell!

What it actually says: I have LOTS of money. Instead of buying a sensible pistol for $500 and spending the other $2k on ammo, mags, and training I chose to blow half a month’s salary on one gun that is so expensive I’m afraid to shoot it. However, Monster Hunter International was still awesome as hell.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Is anyone really surprised at this?

The DC-based Sunlight Foundation used the example of a supposed $1.3 trillion worth of missing or wrong data in a federal spending database to make the argument that the 20-month-old Obama administration's "drive for data transparency has stalled," in the words of Sunlight executive director Ellen Miller, delivered this morning at Gov 2.0.

http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/sunlights-miller-takes-dim-view-obamas-transparency

Three Horrifying Facts About the US Debt “Situation” | zero hedge

It is over. We are down 55-6 with two minutes left in the 4th quarter.

Staying on the field, but the game is done.


Three Horrifying Facts About the US Debt “Situation” | zero hedge

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Gonzalo Lira: The Coming Middle-Class Anarchy

This is a frightening article, with frightening implications.

Draw up the drawbridge, check the food larder, check the ammo supplies.

He is right. Once Johnny J Crew becomes an anarchist, the whole mess is going to unravel.

One comment noted that the first thought that came to her head head was "It's like middle class Americans are awakening from a sort of Date Rape, they have been taken in, doped and raped' when they wake up, and find out what's happened they are not going to be happy!"

For those who respond that the subjects here are simply signers of a contract and that not every one wins, I respond that the loss itself is a result of the money pimps on Wall Street rigging the game. The mortgage system has been relatively stable until they started fiddling and tweaking it -- with the help of Barney Frank, George Bush, and Herb Moses. Fact is, that the system itself is systemically broken, and the little guys had little if anything to do with that, except to get snookered. The deeper I peer into this putrid mess, the more I see that our "leaders" have horribly jacked up this mess...... AND that they are the only ones who will profit if all the little folks continue to keep the rules and play the game they have laid out.

The current group of American ATLAS's is getting dangerously close to shrugging.

Again, to quote directly:



What’s really important is that law-abiding middle-class citizens are deciding that playing by the rules is nothing but a sucker’s game.

Just like the poker player who’s been fleeced by all the other players, and gets one mean attitude once he finally wakes up to the con? I’m betting that more and more of the solid American middle-class will begin saying what Brian and Ilsa said: Fuckit.

Fuck the rules. Fuck playing the game the banksters want you to play. Fuck being the good citizen. Fuck filling out every form, fuck paying every tax. Fuck the government, fuck the banks who own them. Fuck the free-loaders, living rent-free while we pay. Fuck the legal process, a game which only works if you’ve got the money to pay for the parasite lawyers. Fuck being a chump. Fuck being a stooge. Fuck trying to do the right thing – what good does that get you? What good is coming your way?

Fuckit.

When the backbone of a country starts thinking that laws and rules are not worth following, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to anarchy.

TV has given us the illusion that anarchy is people rioting in the streets, smashing car windows and looting every store in sight. But there’s also the polite, quiet, far deadlier anarchy of the core citizenry – the upright citizenry – throwing in the towel and deciding it’s just not worth it anymore.

If a big enough proportion of the populace – not even a majority, just a largish chunk – decides that it’s just not worth following the rules anymore, then that society’s days are numbered: Not even a police-state with an armed Marine at every corner with Shoot-to-Kill orders can stop such middle-class anarchy.

Brian and Ilsa are such anarchists – grey-haired, well-dressed, golf-loving, well-to-do, exceedingly polite anarchists: But anarchists nevertheless. They are not important, or powerful, or influential: They are average – that’s why they’re so deadly: Their numbers are millions. And they are slowly, painfully coming to the conclusion that it’s just not worth it anymore.

Once enough of these J. Crew Anarchists decide they no longer give a fuck, it’s over for America – because they are America.


There is a savage and not completely righteous desire in me to see the whole income sucking, parasitical leech society which is the bankers, lawyers and politicians and their perpetual dependency enablers.... well, to be frank, I wonder if they taste like chicken.

Gonzalo Lira: The Coming Middle-Class Anarchy

Saturday, October 09, 2010

A Scientist Finds Independence, by Tom Bethell

HA!

this guy is running for political office!

I love men like this.

It used to be the defining characteristic of what made America great. Free men, independent, unique, out of the mold, self directed, passionate, and wildly creative.

Now we have slick, blow dried effeminate wonks who know more about pollsters and media and are terrified of being labeled "extremists." To hell with them.

The article is fascinating.

A Scientist Finds Independence, by Tom Bethell