Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The next election 2016

I'm betting that Chris Christie (Megalomaniac) runs for president in 2016.   Given the completely self serving nose thumbing he gave the republican party at their own convention, followed by Obama boosting just days before the election; I'm wondering if the Republicans are going to forgive and forget, or just pretend to forget, in the hopes of finding someone who can win an open race.  They've proven they can't beat an incumbent even when said incumbent practically throws the race.

Frankly, I think both parties have screwed us so badly that there won't be a middle class in 2016.  Perhaps there will be enough people on the dole that there just isn't enough dole to go around even with the printing presses running 24/7.   If that's the case, maybe they'll finally see the two parties for what they are and go a different direction..... Nah, never happen. But it's a nice dream.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Optimist, Realist or Pessimist?

When asked if the glass is half full or half empty my usual reply is: It's always full, some portion of it just happens to be air.  I've always been a bit too literal for the average Joe.   I blame it on 30 years of software design.

In general I consider myself a realist, I have my optimistic moments, and my pessimistic ones.   Since 9/11/2001, I've been increasingly pessimistic - or I thought I had until I read this and many like it.  It wasn't the terrorists that made me pessimistic, it was our reaction to them.  All of a sudden, a majority of the country decided to say "Screw Liberty - Give me safety", even many who aught to know safety is an illusion.   Looking at all the other problems in the world - I think a good many of them can be attributed to over population.  As horrible as it sounds (and it sounds pretty horrible); the best thing for mankind might be getting that really serious pandemic the CDC has been worried about for over a decade.  A good 20-30% drop in population might be just where Mother Nature is heading, then again, it might be more like 70-80%.  - Which is really, really horrible.  

It's possible that Iran and Israel will decide to annihilate each other, which will probably result in everything else in that region going nuclear.  If they go, I can see that triggering a Pakistan-India exchange - hopefully it will stop there but I can see N. Korea nuking who ever they can reach, out of fear that someone will do it to them first.  If N. Korea goes, it might pull in the Chinese - but probably not.   If that happens - then Oil prices should put the final nail in the coffin of the world economy.

If that doesn't happen it might be earth quakes, or volcanoes, or a massive solar flair resulting in a world wide EMP strike.   There's upside to a super volcano eruption; no more talk about global warming.  If we get a massive solar flair and the EMP takes out most of the technology in the world, we can probably stop worrying about global warming - the Greenies will get their wish - we'll all be freezing (and starving) in the dark. If none of that happens it probably won't matter because we're well on the way to doing it to ourselves anyway. 

You see, somewhere around 1913; Some folks decided that they were smarter than anyone else in history so maybe it would be a good thing if they made all the decision for the rest of us.   This is not a new idea - every screwball dictator fits this shoe.  They've always been wrong - this bunch is wrong too but like all the others they're too arrogant to see it.  Might have been earlier but that's the point things started to go off the rails, it didn't really pick up momentum until the new deal in the 30's then slowly ramped up to the 70's at which point the education system was FUBAR.  The big difference is the approach - it's long term.  Screw up education by putting a bunch of leftist in charge of teaching.  Regulate business until it's tough to make a profit. Use Unions to hamstring competition, use every crisis to chip away at personal liberty.  The difficult thing is to get rid of the middle class which is where the real power lies - that's where the work gets done; that's were productivity is.  But the middle class is hard to control - it's much easier if they're all poor.  So create a tax system that benefits the poor and the elite and screws the middle class.  Take their money and give it to the lazy because this helps destroy productivity and creates more poor. Then use inflation to tax them with out having to vote on a tax, and presto chango - the middle class become the impoverished class.  Now you get to control them by making them beg for scraps.

They started by lying to us and promising things we can't afford.  Each generation since has gotten more and more entitled, the lies have gotten bigger, the promises more ridiculous, and the control greater.  The power elite have gotten further and further from the average American to the point now, they're so disconnected that they view us with utter contempt.  They're giving the country to the U.N. by bankrupting us and turning us into a new third world country - Don't think so?  Been to Detroit lately?

If the U.S. Economy goes down, I can't see Europe and Japan holding on,  China maybe, possibly India, but I wouldn't bet on it.  Given the direction our government is heading I suspect we're in for a long period of being dragged though the shit before things completely fall apart. On the other had the majority has been trained by the government to expect to be given what ever they want and when the government can't do it any more, they're going to throw a tantrum just like any spoiled child. It won't take all that long because they will have destroyed the middle class, leaving no one to tax.  Given the nature of social media, and main stream media, I expect that tantrum to be nation wide in a matter of hours, and pretty much unstoppable.  I expect to see a lot of beatings, murder, arson, destruction of private and public property - it will make the few riots we've had in the past look like block parties gone wild.  There aren't enough national guard or military to control it.  
 
This is the point where I expect there to be a lot of opportunistic terrorism.  When the feds are so busy they don't know which way to look, any terrorist cells already in the country are going to take the opportunity to act.   If half of them have any brains at all - they'll go after transportation infrastructure.  Fortunately I'd guess that over half of them are morons, and I'm not sure there are all that many to begin with.  If they act, blowing few major bridges, crippling the major shipping routes and scaring the shippers in to laying low, you'll get some first hand experience at wide scale starvation - which will really ramp things up. 


It's kind of funny but the one bright spot in all of this is that the political infighting might just stave off the worst for a few more years.

And I'm not even feeling particularly pessimistic to day.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

A Little Ignorance

Ignorance is bliss.
What you don't know can't hurt you.
Out of sight, out of mind.
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. (George Orwell)

These seem to be the basic tenants of the progressives.  A desire to remain ignorant pervades our lives.  Ask someone if they know how a car engine works and (assuming you have a clue) you'll might be surprised at how many people have no clue.  And it's not just cars, it's everything that people depend on for their daily lives.

Ignorance more frequently begets confidence that does knowledge.  (Charles Darwin)
This seems to be the norm in politics - although Darwin was talking about science, and I guess it still applies there too.

The main stream media seem to be complicit with this trend.  For example when news of the Benghazi attack broke, the administration came out with the most inane story about it being a reprisal to a YouTube video that had maybe a few thousand hits.  The press didn't even question this they just ran with it.  They do that a lot.  It's getting to the point where what you read is either a press release that might or might not be reworded to sound like a news story.  The other major category of news reporting seems to be omitting, modifying or creating "facts" in order to tell the story that fits with the journalists political/social beliefs - for example the initial reports on the Travon Martin shooting in Florida.  Or, sadly, it's something based on no facts what so ever. 

If you look at the things the press doesn't tell us, it's rather more significant that what they do report on.   Do you ever hear the press talking about how the Senate justifies their own entitlement programs, for example life time health care granted after only 5 years, pension and Social Security, sounds like a union job rather than public service.  - Contrary to what many believe, congress retirees don't get 100% of their salary after just 5 or 6 years, it maxes at 80% after 20 years.  On the other had they do get a much better deal than most tax payers and at the tax payers expense.  How about the real Unemployment and Under Employment numbers rather than the crap turned out by the government.  Or the current vulnerabilities in the power grid.  Fast and Furious? Obama Phones for votes? The other side of the climate debate - what debate you say? 

Have you read an 
Nope, it's all designed to keep the public fat, dumb and scared.

I think at this point the majority of people, in this country at least, actively avoid knowing how things work.  I hear all sorts of excuses, usually amounting to - it's  to complex for anyone but a specialist.  While the design of complex systems might be suited to only the experts in the field, a basic understanding how it works, and what the effects of failure mean are not.

Ignorance , the root and stem of all evil. - Plato

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Election Night Blues

Occasionally I find myself wishing I had cable TV, or Sat TV, or even an Antenna - Tonight would NOT be one of those times.   I just finished off a Eureka Marathon, now I'm going to go back watch it again.   Way more interesting than finding out which Democrat or Republican is going to screw us in the coming years.

I feel bad for the folks that voted for Obama thinking they're going to get something besides screwed.   If he wins we're all screwed.  People vote (R) or (D) get what they deserve, the problem is I get what they deserve too.  It's one of the problems with democracy - and no I don't have a better idea.  OK I do but it involves some changes to the Constitution and if we tried that now it would be totally FUBAR - not worth the risk.  Not that anyone in the Gubment pays any attention to the Constitution anymore.

I feel worse for the folks that voted for Romney, thinking he's going to save us from Obama.   Once again - the only difference between a Republican and a Democrat is which lies they tell and who they tell them to in order to buy their votes.

I don't want an economic collapse - it will SUCK.   I do happen to think we're far enough over the edge that there's no coming back.   We'll  maybe, if we defaulted on our national debt (which would piss off a lot of Chinese) and switched to the gold standard and made it illegal to issue money that was not 100% backed by gold reserves and exchangeable on demand for gold.  And if we got rid of the Fed.  It should make it impossible for the Gubment to spend what they don't have.  Then maybe, if we survived the fallout (and it would be epic), we might get the economy back on track.   But with a bunch of people who have been marinated in "Spend it, we'll print more latter", running the country we are SNAFU.

So I really don't care who wins the election because in the long run, I don't see this ending well either way. (I hope its a long run say 20 years - hey I can dream right?).   OK.   That's not true - I'd prefer Romney over Obama as I think it will give me a bit more time to prep for what's coming.

*FUBAR  (Fracked Up Beyond All Recognition)
*SNAFU  (Situation Normal, All Fracked Up)

Monday, November 5, 2012

It's a family thing

My current working metaphor of political philosophy changes from time to time as I gain insights, or the previous metaphor fails to explain the behavior.  It goes something like this:

Conservatives (in the normal usage right to extreme right of center - typically republicans or tea-party)  are children looking for a Father Figure.   They're willing to give up other peoples liberty for the illusion of safety, although they get annoyed when their own liberties get trampled. They want someone to tell them, at least once a week, how to behave and what to believe.   They're positive that they're right and are willing to use the force of law to make you behave the way they want. They'll happily tell you what the bible says you should do, then go do something that you shouldn't.

Liberals (in the current usage - left of center progressives from democrats to socialists)  are children looking for a Mother.  They want some one to kiss it and make it better.   They get mad when they don't get the toys they know they deserve and are always asking for more.   They're terrified of how they'd behave if they had the chance, so they're positive you'd behave just as badly.  They also are willing to use the force of law to make you behave the way they want.   They're all about sharing - as long as it's you sharing with them.   What's yours is mine, what's mine is mine.

Greens (radical environmentalists) are like the crazy miser uncle who won't be happy until we're all freezing in the dark.   They want alternative energy as long as it's not any of the alternatives we have available.  Human beings are not part of nature and the world would be much better off if we'd all just go away.

Communists are the aunt that came to visit twenty years ago and has been living with you ever sense, except she's on LSD.   They can look at the elite that rule them and think - I'm just like them.   They've convinced themselves that a lower standard of living is better -  (mostly because it doesn't give you time to think about just how screwed you are).  They believe if everyone is treated like a half broken tool, then we've achieved social justice.  

Libertarians are the adults and are looking to get on with life.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Voting

I voted - it won't help my state will go blue and toss my vote out the window but that's how our somewhat broken system works.

I wonder what would happen if you could vote for one candidate and against one candidate, where the negative votes would be subtracted from the positive votes for each - I'm guessing a lot of non-Republicrats would have a shot- that might be fun, I doubt it could be much worse than what we've seen.  Too bad Gary Johnson has no chance of winning. 

Want to know who you should have voted for?   Try - ISideWith

Why you should vote libertarian - because it might get the party officially funded - that would be a good thing.

Stupidity on so many levels

First it's Mourdock's political suicide attempt suggesting that rape is all part of "God's Plan" 

Then my (I'm sorry to say) fellow Washingtonian; John Koster, slams both feet into his mouth, past his knees.  

It's just so stupid I can't let it go.   Neither of these individuals have ANY chance of having ANY effect on the issue, so why on earth would you shoot your big mouth off.   Oh sure there are a bunch of religious folks who might agree, but there's a lot of independents who don't.  

So, you shot off your big mouth to give a warm and fuzzy feeling to some people who were already going to vote for you and pissed off a lot of folks who were either undecided or leaning in your direction.  They are now looking for any possible alternative.  If either of these victims of verbal diarrhea where on my ballot I'd have voted for the other guy just on principle.

Normally I don't mention my preferences in this area because it's MOOT - as in DECIDED by the SCOTUS.  Past tense, done - get over it.   But I'll make an exception this time.

I'm not a fan of abortion as a means of birth control, but it's not my body - I can't get pregnant so I keep my frakking opinion to myself.   I do Absolutely believe it's a woman's RIGHT to make that decision for herself.   This is based on the apparently tired and trite view that we are not slaves to either government or society (regardless of how much they want us to be).    I'd prefer the woman choose a different option (like adoption) but again - It's not my body so it's none of my business.

What the hell is it with people that makes them think it's OK to push their beliefs on everyone else.