Blood boiling

What happened in Newtown was terrible.  It did not need to happen.  The reaction is probably far worse.  Why?  While it was a predictable reaction, and based on emotion (or some conspiracy theorists would believe this is all part of the plan), we will not solve the problem of gun violence in this country.  We are ignoring the big elephant in the room.  Bring it down to race, however horrible that sounds, but the majority of murders that come at the end of a smoking gun occur in gun free zones where poverty runs rampant and the drug war rules the streets.

The innocent dwellers of those neighborhoods stand no chance.  They are not allowed to protect themselves.  Many can’t rely on the police, because the police have an us vs. them mentality.  Why bother, when the cops won’t even protect you, and by law, aren’t required to?  Also, the cliche is true: when seconds count, the police will be there in minutes.

Anti-gun legislation is racist.  And you should be ashamed for supporting it.  

Going back to Newtown.  A gun free zone in a state with strict gun laws.  We know the killer tried to purchase a gun, but failed.  How do you prevent a gun free zone?  The only real answer is to enforce it with guns.  The system failed miserably.  Don’t argue that, you can’t. The very legislation that you anti-gun nuts pushed for did not stop this, and the recent measures in NY and from the White House will not stop future mass murders.

Everything you think you know about guns is based on fantasy.  Rather than wasting time on more unconstitutional measures that limit our right to practice the 2nd, you should take a look at violent crime statistics.  Include demographics for good measure, but that will make you feel uncomfortable, because you don’t want to be labeled a racist.  Face it, black people in gun free zones are killing each other with illegally obtained weapons.  And it is largely due to your elected officials whom you supported for decades.  The war on drugs is not helping to raise them up, but keeping them down, living in fear.  Fearing for their grandsons, nephews, sons, and brothers.  

We all know that the next attempt at making these neighborhoods safe will do nothing to stop it.  Arm the innocents and end the war on drugs.  Until then, we’re allowing a third world war to continue in our advanced society.  It is easy for you, the anti-gun nut, to criticize every redneck with a gun, using ultra-liberal, atheistic, and psychopathic white boys pumped full of meds to push your agenda.  You don’t have all the facts.  You think that moving into a gentrified neighborhood from your midwestern suburb hicktown somehow makes you different and qualified on all things inner city because you got off the wrong stop that one time.

AGN, you’re a fool.  And stupid.  And finally, you’re racist.

/rant

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Family and a sour economy

I have had issues with adjusting to living within my means, and here are some steps I’ve taken to help:

No Credit Cards

During the first couple years of our marriage, we had credit cards. We had no kids, and at first, were poor missionaries who should have never been approved for those balances, but banks will find a sucker anywhere. Well, the missionary thing fell through (volunteer organization, no salary, first year of marriage—bad idea) and we entered the real world before our first anniversary. We got into the habit of using those credits to float checks, and to pay off other bills, but that balance kept rising. We kept paying only the minimums.

The interest rates on these cards are atrocious, and we paid heavily for it. A few years into our marriage, we had the epiphany of cutting those things up. Man, those balances quickly disappeared as we pressed on with the attitude of doing away with them. When one card was finished up and canceled, we directed the extra funds towards another high interest credit card. Within a couple years, we were completely debt free, with no credit cards in our name. Cancel them as soon as possible, but cut them up today!

Bicycle Transportation

A few years ago, I took up commuting to work on my bicycle. This was when gas was at about $4.00 a gallon. I wanted to ride for the fun, but the side benefit was less pain when visiting the pump. Basically, I rode my way through the peak gas prices, and picked up a healthy habit along the way. See my blog, Metal Commuter for more details.

The point is, I had the option of saving hundreds of dollars in gas by using my bicycle, which I bought years before, as my main source of transportation. If the commute is possible, why wouldn’t you? We still had the car for the family, but the savings were obvious, especially in 2008.

Vegetable Gardening

This is more my wife’s department, but the savings for fruits and veggies is clear, especially when we use heirloom seeds, so there’s never an additional hit in seeds each year. Besides, this is another great health benefit that cannot be discounted. If you don’t have enough money to purchase in season fruits and vegetables, why not grow some plants? Again, my wife has the green thumb, but I’m available for all digging and. heavy lifting. Once everything is planted, the rest is up to her.

Besides, the garden looks a lot nicer than a boring piece of grass.

Kill Unnecessary Monthly Expenses

We need the internet for work reasons, and have a VOIP phone, but have no reason for cable TV. We haven’t watched cable TV in years. Also, since my company provides a cell phone, I canceled mine. I don’t need to carry around two phones. Plus, you can find most of what you want to watch online for free, so why even spend the money for a thousand useless channels? Besides, get outside and do something interesting.

Home and Auto Maintenance

I’ve started to learn more about the car than I ever wanted to. I just changed a thermostat and brakes on my car. The savings in labor alone for those two jobs is probably about $500.00.

Become a handy man at home. Why pay a plumber a premium price to fix a faucet when you can find instructions online with videos to show how to make the repair?

I’m not a handy man, but I can’t afford those service guys each time something breaks, so I am learning to follow instructions closely, and ask friends to help out for a job that is too large or overwhelming for myself.

Live with Less

This is one area where we have had no choice. After two kids, and surprise bills (see my above about the car repairs), we can’t afford much right now. As a result, I’ve learned to deal with eating PBnJ for lunch each day. Since I don’t have a credit card, I don’t have the temptation to go out to lunch. The attitude to live with what you got is becoming a big part of my life. I don’t have an extra ten bucks each day for lunch, so I’m brown bagging it. Actually, I think that’s another reason why I’m losing weight, along with the bicycling, gardening, and no cable TV.

We enjoy going outdoors, so while we might not go on an expensive overnight trip to the shore, we do enjoy a trip to the lake nearby, and there are a ton of parks for the kids right around the block. Spending quality time with the family is far superior to spending $40.00 at the movies. Plus, we’re teaching our kids the right way of living, instead of the debt way.

Conclusion

Stop playing the game of trying to keep up with the Joneses. The Jones family are probably overwhelmed with a ton of debt, and their new cars won’t be paid for until Johnny is in college. Besides, because they are spending so much time driving their kids around from one expensive hobby to the other, they’ll never even know Johnny on a personal level.

Quality over quantity. This stuff is so simple, you just need to start applying it.

Goldman Sachs

Here it is, no surprise, but billions of that bailout they received went to offshore banks and other institutions.

sent $4.3 billion in federal tax money to 32 entities, including many overseas banks, hedge funds and pensions, according to information made public Friday night.

It should be no surprise to the American taxpayer that we are the slaves of the corporate banking system through the hands of those in the Federal Reserve and the wimps in Washington DC.

For months now, there was a bill that would audit the Federal Reserve, because, believe me, while Goldman Sachs sent US dollars to foreign assets, the Federal Reserve is likely doing the same with these various bailouts and rescues. However, that bill was basically squashed by the very people who initially supported it. Mostly rogue Democrats, and a few shallow Republicans, afraid of losing their deep pocket sources if they go after the Federal Reserve.

The current economic situation is all founded on a powerful, unrepentant, private bank called the Federal Reserve. With each manufactured depression, boom, and recession, they’ve gained more power, and granted more money to their fellow cohorts in DC and Wall Street.

The recent regulation bill will only serve the interests of those very leeches who have been protecting the interests of unions (GM) and Wall Street for decades. It will not help the little guy who will have no alternative but to face ever increasing taxes and a diminished quality of life as goods become more and more expensive.

God help us all, for we are in for quite a ride.

Still kicking

I’m still around and still kicking. Blogging takes some dedication, of which I have little time for, but I will check in from time to time whenever something comes up that I feel is interesting.

The Death of the Establishment Republican Party

Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll this year. He won it based on sound domestic and foreign policies. He won it, because unlike the rest of the Republican Party, he retained the traditional conservative policies of fiscal conservatism and strict, originalist constitutionalism.

For years, the Republican Party has been run by a bunch of leftover war-hawk liberals, or as we now call them, neoconservatives. These neocons have a foreign policy that pushes for “pre-emptive” war. They support bank bailouts and an unbalanced budget. As a result of the establishment Republicans, and their Democratic cohorts, we are in constant war throughout the world, we have the highest per capita prison population of all developed nations, and we have a deficit that is growing at alarming and unsustainable rates.

The conservatives of history never voted for an unbalanced budget. They always were the ones to vote against wars wherever needed. As Mr. Paul said at CPAC, when Eisenhower was confronted by France over the Suez Canal, and France and England asked for America’s support, his response was no, “we’ll have none of that!”

After the tyrannical laws enacted during the progressive era of Wilson, Americans grew tired of wars, domestic spying, and the strong arm of big government. Wilson gave us the income tax, the Federal Reserve, and he was possibly the worst president in the history of the USA. Coolidge came in at the right time.

Going back to Eisenhower. In his departing speech, he warned of the Military Industrial Complex. His prophetic statement about an economy that is centered around the war industry will cause that nation to become engaged in wars for as long as the war industry has power.

I think Ike understood the implications of war more than most.

Now, look at Ronald Reagan. Here was a president who grew the military, but did not jump into every conflict possible. He didn’t try to police the world like Clinton and Bush. He wasn’t perfect, but he had some good policies that were good for the economy and good for the nation.

Contrast him with George Bush. Suddenly we are in multiple wars, the government has expanded to an alarming rate, and our freedoms are compromised all in the name of security. We have an economy designed to serve a chosen elite few from Wall Street and Washington DC, and now a delusional president comes in thinking he can fix that economy by expanding the same policies his predecessor enacted.

As a result, the Tea Party movement has grown. The first Tea Party was started by a bunch of Ron Paul revolutionaries leading up the the Republican presidential campaign. Tea Partiers are not hate mongers. They simply want a small, limited government. They realize that big government always means a reduction of our personal liberties.

The Tea Party movement, and in particular, the libertarian wing of the Tea Party movement is weary of big government faux-conservatives like Bush, Giuliani, Arnold, and McCain. Ron Paul is the only politician in DC that represents the interests of the young conservatives who are willing to sacrifice the big government to get our freedoms back.

Right now, the talking heads like Rush, and Hannity are trying to belittle Ron Paul as nothing more than a lunatic extremist. They say his war policy is “dangerous for America”. Mark Levin had a particularly anti-Liberty rant against Ron Paul when he tried to paint him as some sort of liberal lunatic fringe after the CPAC straw poll results. This is ironic, because of everyone at CPAC, Ron Paul was the only one who truly understood economics, conservative war policies, and civil liberties.

These talking heads had better start coming around to the liberty end of the Republican Party, or they are going to get left behind like the rest of the neocons and big government liberals.

Americans everywhere are starting to wake up and realize that the ever expanding government has sold us a boat of lies with it’s promises of security and prosperity.

Fairweather Fan

Suddenly I’m a fairweather fan of the Patriots because I don’t follow the NFL after the season is over.

Yeah, that’s it.

Black Friday

I recall a few years ago engaging in the sport of shopping on Black Friday. Trying to find a parking spot at the local mall was a huge challenge, and you had to utlilize your blinker a mile away so that those coming from the other direction didn’t steal that spot.

Once I finally found my spot, my wife and I set off to shop. The crowds bustling in and out of the entry way reminded me of an old fashioned football game. When we finally entered the mall, the heat from the crowds was almost too oppressive. However, we had already committed to our adventure of shopping on Black Friday.

First I waited in line at the Starbucks kiosk to buy over-priced crappy tasting coffee. My discover card took the hit, and I took the caffeine. Then a storm of bumping into strangers, waiting in line, more credit card scans continued for the remainder of the day.

I believe there were almost three fights, ten rude glares, fourteen grumbles, and two bathroom breaks (all while waiting in line).

Finally, we exited the mall. Where did we park? Who knows. In this massive parking lot, with the rain pouring down, hands full of bags of junk that we plan on giving to friends and family, we wandared the endless rows of vehicles until we found our compact car.

The trunk barely fit our bags of junk.

The highway out of the mall was packed with a huge traffic jam. The radio played annoying Christmas music, somehow I wasn’t in the mood anymore.

We got home late that night.

The credit card bill made us feel sick.

We cut our credit cards soon after.

Black Friday is now a day in which I pity the masses who are caught up in the hype of consumerism. Why? So you can garner that flat screen TV for half the price? That same TV you really didn’t need or want, but the price pulled you in?

Enjoy your credit card bill, because the interest alone you’ll pay on it will more than make up the savings.

SEIU Has That Certain Stink…

When a Boy Scout sets out on trying to do good in his neighborhood, you would think he would get nothing but praise from those who are interested.

Nope, those thugs from that service union are at it again! Instead of enjoying the newly constructed trail, they complained to the town because their brothers in shovels didn’t get a chance to trail blaze this for a fee. They were upset that the town allowed this young boy a chance to improve a run down neighborhood.

Nick Balzano, president of the Service Employees International Union’s Allentown chapter, said last week that the union might file a grievance against the city for allowing 17-year-old Kevin Anderson to clear the hiking trail, instead of paying some of the 39 recently laid-off SEIU members to do the work

This union has had terrible PR tactics lately. A few months ago, a number of SEIU members were caught bullying a conservative Tea Party protester. Racist remarks were thrown at his way simply because he was a black man. I think it is safe to say that this union is representative of most unions: Bullying, greedy, and anti-Free Market.

I’ve had enough of them.

A great article on government’s natural inclination to control everything.

Here, Lew Rockwell presents a great argument against government control, and why we should be made aware of this problem.

The world has an impression of the United States as a freewheeling, hard-drinking country where few things are regulated. The world should wake up to the reality that the United States is governed by a totalitarian bureaucracy that claims to manage every aspect of our lives, which means of course managing the economy with massive regulatory intervention, of which the following is but a tiny example.

Is it Possible?