Progressive Taxation

Senator Sanders has something to say.

This is not a tax on the rich. This is a tax on the very, very, very rich.

Christmas Myth

For several years I was forced to listen to Christmas music at work. Then a giant corporation bought up the facility. Last year when the holidays rolled around, no Christmas music.

Still, that was a whole hell of a lot of Christmas music I was forced to listen to. So while some have started decorating their personal work spaces for the holidays, I just had to plaster this one to my tool chest.

I guesss before 1963 atheists were a bunch of real pricks.

Deception

Noam Chomsky and Robert Trivers discuss deception.

Propaganda Overdrive

Couldn't even make it a week.

In an effort to diversify my news sources I had been getting a feed from an English language Iranian news source. While it was great to see all of the news stories from a radically different perspective, in less than a week I grew tired of the propaganda. It was the Iranian equivalent of FOX News.

News feed canceled.

LHC and mini-Big Bangs

Large Hadron Collider creates 'mini Big Bang' with lead ion.

And it didn't destroy the Earth... yet.

Self Referencing Propaganda

Hunter S. Thompson once cited rumors about Senator Muskie using the drug ibogaine and how that might account for his strange behavior. When questioned about it he reminded people that he had said it was a rumor which was absolutely true because he had started the rumor.

It's more fun when the rumors are outrageous and the reporters admit to circle jerking their own lies. Otherwise we just have a nasty propaganda machine just like the ones that my high school civics teachers told me made the Nazis and the Russians such evil bastards.

The Birth of Jesus H. Christ

It's only the week after Halloween and the Christmas flood gates have been released. The levy of sane, rational thought and financial responsibility gives way to what has become a two month long national disaster. People will over-eat, over-spend, and over-extend themselves to fulfill their impossible dream of a perfect holiday.

All to celebrate the retailer's equivalent of a golden calf, the birth of Jesus H. Christ. In a nation that always wants more Jesus, the "H" must stand for Heroin.

These are a few of my favorite things...

...and some of my least favorite.

Did I mention I'm back? The other campaign is over and the American Dream could use one hell of a fisting.

Worker Solidarity

Can the working class unite? (emphasis mine)

...it is almost common sense today, on both the right and the left, to equate the right-wing Tea Party movement with the working class. It is assumed that workers are more likely to be duped by the likes of Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. However, analyses of the ranks of the Tea Party have shown that its supporters tend to be wealthier, older, better educated and whiter than the U.S. population as a whole.

Tea Baggers are better educated? That gives me so much more hope for the working class.

Still Crazy

It's not what it looks like. You don't understand. Yes, they bent me over backwards, took my money, and left me to die or rot in jail. They then slapped me around until I apologized for making them do all that. But deep down they are good politicians who really do love me. This little affair with business is just a passing thing. They'll come back to me and love me and treat me right. You'll see. You just don't know them like I do.

Or is comparing voters to domestic violence victims a bit crude? Fine, I'll try it another way.

So I met this total creepoid at a bar. They kept buying me drinks and nobody else was talking to me. Next thing I know I'm waking up someplace that isn't my home, I'm tied up, and my ass is bleeding. The creepoid is there. They stuff a tissue up my ass (so it doesn't stain the carpet) and ask me if I'd like to do it again. I figure since I can't remember what happened the first time, there's no harm in doing it a second time.

Still seems a bit complex.

Stupid poor people for maintaining the status quo!

Damn. It sounds right but it just isn't as much fun as a good analogy.

Every election cycle I think US citizens are going crazy. I think back on the good old days and remember that the USA has never been sane.

The Other Campaign

He's not an anarchist but rather Minnesota DFL (Democrat Farmer Laborer). We don't have the same opinions on everything nor do we see the same solutions. That said, he is my dad and I wholeheartedly support his campaign.

Hiatus

This campaign is going on hiatus while I work on another.

PSA: Don't Drunk Dial Freedom Works

Inside the place where America's favorite toys come from

Do you like all of your really cool gadgets from Apple, Dell, HP, Sony, Amazon, and others?

The fate of a generation of workers: Foxconn undercover

This super factory that holds some 400,000 people isn't the "sweatshop" that most would imagine. It provides accommodation that reaches the scale of a medium-sized town, all smooth and orderly. Compared to others, the facilities here are well-equipped and superior, with employee treatment meeting standard specifications. Thousands of people flock here each day just to find a place of their own, to find a dream that they'll probably never realize.

It's a fascinating read. Haunting.

The wealth of being an American is built on foreign exploitation.

Illegal Everyone

Everyone does illegal things every day. Most people I know will exceed the speed limit. Maybe just a little, but it is still breaking the law. Or maybe you don't always come to a complete stop. Or you stop at the sign instead of at the crosswalk. Or you cross a street at a place other than the designated crossing zone. Ride your bicycle on a sidewalk. Forget to use turn signals. Don't signal your turns and stops while on a bicycle. Use an illegal substance. Misuse a prescribed substance. Use a pirated copy of an operating system or application. Illegally download media. Know someone who participates in any of the above activities yet you don't turn them in. The point is everyone I know breaks the law and usually does so knowingly and willingly on a near daily basis.

Many of these same people who knowingly and willingly break laws still make a big fuss about those who break laws they think should be obeyed. While I could point out many hypocrisies, right now I happen to be talking about illegal immigration.

So why the difference in treatment? A speeder may feel they are in complete control of the situation while their actions can cause insurance premiums to go up for others. Just because a lot of young white males have been documented as speeders, insurance premiums go up for all young white males. It hardly seems fair. Or maybe they get into an accident which kills a few people, slows down traffic, requires extra law enforcement, or any number of results that can affect the pocketbooks of Americans. People cross the streets illegally which can result in the need to install speed bumps, flashing crosswalk signs, stricter speed regulations, and increased law enforcement to monitor these activities. Some people use drugs responsibly while others abuse them at a cost to all Americans. People download media without paying for it causing the price of the product to go up for those who choose to use it legally and requiring courts and investigators when license holders choose to take legal action against offenders. Illegal activity comes with a price. People will yell about the injustice of their actions being illegal yet will quickly point out the illegal actions of others. It just doesn't make sense. It's as ridiculous as the Bible thumpers who are quick to point out that homosexuality is an abomination yet readily chow down on shellfish or pork. Silly.

It is especially silly for us to claim that people have moved into this country illegally when the nation was stolen in the first place. Other people lived here and a bunch of immigrants moved in, kicked them out, and formed a government that proclaimed themselves the rightful owners of said property. If I stole my neighbor's RV and lived in it, when someone else decided to start a home under it, what gives me the right to declare their activity as trespassing? Silly.

First we must admit that we judge people based on their appearance. We can't stop the behavior, only alter the actions taken. Like when I asked a recent immigrant from Vietnam where to get the best Phở in town. Vietnamese eat Phở. It's their heritage, right? Except the guy really didn't care for Phở and would much rather go to a steak house or barbecue joint. My mistake was just as racist as those people who believe all blacks like fried chicken and watermelon or Hispanics cram their entire extended family into a two bedroom apartment. Just because a person looks a certain way or apparently comes from a particular ethnic group does not mean they adhere to the activities we as individuals ascribe to 'those people'. Silly.

That is one of the biggest problems I see with Arizona's new legislation meant to deal with people who see the border differently than we do. It is now possible for a police officer to be sued by ordinary citizens if they think he should have asked to see someone's documentation. Natural born American citizens are not required to carry proof of citizenship. Until I turned 15 and received my first driving permit I never carried any sort of identification. A person who pays cash for goods, doesn't drive, never leaves the country, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, and doesn't gamble is a very dull individual but they have no need to carry any sort of identification. I know of a former Marine who refused to carry ID after men in suits driving a dark sedan took all of his identification before giving him back his wallet with all the money still in it. He was so worried that these were government agents stealing his identity that from that point forward his thumbprint was the only identification he kept with him. While a bit paranoid, there was nothing illegal about his actions. If he were to go to Arizona today and someone thought him to be an illegal immigrant and saw the police talking to him without asking for identification, those officers could be brought into court. If those officers did request identification from him and he refused to show it having none, they would detain him, a legal American citizen and Marine Corp veteran. They would eventually sort it all out and I am certain our fine and trustworthy police force who have no record of physical abuse or over zealous use of tazers would treat him justly while they had him unlawfully detained. Or a police force with an already long history of pulling people over for driving while black, walking while Latino, or dancing while queer will take the easy way out and consider this a great scapegoat to increase racial profiling even though the law says they can't while simultaneously making them punishable for not doing it. Silly.

I am not completely unreasonable. I allow for a certain generational gap in racism. Anyone old enough to have served in Vietnam gets a bit of a pass. They grew up in different times. Laws allowed for racial discrimination. Those old imprints can be hard to break. They told jokes about niggers and spics and kikes and dykes. They thought it was funny. When they were kids they could be horrible bigots and completely get away with it. Even my own past has had some horrible transgressions. The older bigots know that they harbor racist thoughts. They know how they feel about 'those people'. They are comfortable with their bigotry because it used to be okay. Silly.

Now it is not. People are still learning how not to be racist, but we should all know by now that judging people based on their appearance is not okay. Yet people who should know better continue to do so. They continue to make judgments about people they have never even met. They label them as some separate entity that somehow does not deserve the same treatment. 'Those people' are somehow 'different'. Maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if people admitted their bigotry. It seems to ease the strain with the older generation. Lift the facade of equality and let it be known that we still have a long road towards racial equality. But I'm talking about people who grew up after the Civil Rights Movement. Not really. The Civil Rights Movement has never ended because the bigotry never ended. Racism just dug itself deep and masqueraded as patriotism. Silly.

If you've read this far and you still feel absolutely certain that this country needs to do more to stop the menace of illegal immigration, here are a few tips. Stop eating fruit. You can probably find locally grown fruit picked by genuine United States citizens. If you get your strawberries at a great price from the big grocery store, or strawberry ice cream or watermelons or juice or any other number of fruits and fruit products, you will likely encounter products picked by illegal migrant workers. Unless you can be absolutely certain of the source and the labor used to harvest it, no more fruit for you. A lot of vegetables are out as well. As is most fast food. Many suppliers of beef and chicken regularly get busted for hiring illegals. Yet they are still in business because the illegals get sent home, the company pays their little fine, and then right back to business as usual. Seafood also uses a lot of illegals. Next time you stay at a hotel, ask the management to prove that all of their employees are US citizens or resident aliens. There are lots of other things you should also stop spending your money on but it all gets rather... Silly.

With all that said, it is my personal opinion that all of the illegal immigrants I have come into contact with have broken the law for the right reasons. They were all brave enough to knowingly take extreme risks to improve their lives. Can speeders say that? Electronic pirates? J-walkers? Drug dealers? Any of you people who break the law on a near daily basis? When compared to the bravery of illegal immigration, my daily self-righteous and self-justified crimes seem silly.

Wordcraft

BBC News - BP wrestles with oil spill hitch in Gulf of Mexico

"I wouldn't say it's failed yet. What I would say is what we attempted to do last night didn't work."

Doug Suttles, chief operating officer for BP

Bravo! Not only do you make the words dance, but you get them to tango in 5/4 time.

Woody Harrelson on Stuff

While I may not feel quite as romantic about 'the way things were', I still enjoyed this.

It's Okay to Flip-Flop

Sometimes people need an example to fully understand the possible ramifications of certain actions.

BBC News - California's Schwarzenegger turns against oil drilling

California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has withdrawn his support for a plan to expand oil exploration off the state's coast.

He said the spill in the Gulf of Mexico had changed his mind about the safety of oil platforms in the Pacific Ocean.

Way to go, Arnie. You saw what can happen and changed your opinion. Good for you.

Illegal Immigrant

I was all ready to continue an argument on Facebook over someone agreeing with this guy.

Install microchips in illegal immigrants, GOP candidate says

Instead of building a border fence to help stem illegal immigration, the U.S. government should implant microchips into immigrants before deportation, much like what is done with pets, Pat Bertroche, an Urbandale physician and one of seven Republicans running in the 3rd District Congressional primary, said Monday.

Almost got snared into an FB debate. YIKES!

So instead I come here where my voice can stand alone with the occasional Korean porn entrepreneur commenting in an attempt to fish up some traffic.

Let's start with this whole bag 'em and tag 'em approach. Sounds like a whole lot of money down the drain. Say the United States were to do such a thing. We spend a whole hell of a lot of money on chips, medical staff to implant them, and technology to track them. Then we ship them back across the border where black market doctors remove them. Or maybe they just get real good at digging them out with rusty knives. Or they ditch the device in some other way. Then they come back across and if they get caught they do it all over again. Not only does it waste money, it would inflate the perceived immigration problem. I'm surprised a so-called conservative would advocate for such a wasted expenditure and flamboyant expansion of government.

Next, let's consider this whole damn immigration thing. Let's face it, they mean Mexicans. I've known a few Canadians who have resided in the United States illegally and they never, ever have worried about getting caught. Even the Russians and Slavs and other 'white' immigrants don't have nearly the police hassle. Cops don't pull them over for 'driving while white'. Some have even shared stories with me about tricking dumb cops with total bull. "It's an international driver's license. It allows me to drive anywhere." A Mexican trying that would get hauled in. So when we talk about curbing illegal immigration, it's really a thinly veiled yet socially acceptable racial slur. Claiming otherwise is like claiming the KKK is a social club.

As for the language, this country purchased holdings from the French and naturalized the French speaking residents. It also got land from Spain and naturalized the Spanish speaking residents. Throughout the vast majority of American civilization, nobody in what we know of as the United States had ever even heard a single word of English. American English is our common language, not our national language. Someone coming here will do well to learn it but if they can get by without ever speaking a word of it, more power to them. The English speakers came to this continent and managed to supplant the languages already in use. Then again, they had gun powder on their side.

Which segues into what will be my last point (because I don't feel like rambling any more than this already has). The 'Mexicans' are quite often mestizo with some indigenous heritage as part of the mix. Quite frankly, some of their ancestors were roaming around this continent long before whitey came on the scene. How dare we call them illegals in the land we stole from them. If you don't like them wandering around wherever they please just as their ancestors did for MILLENIA, go back to wherever you came from you racist white illegal immigrant!

Financing a Volcano

For those who are dexterous enough to have kept all portions of their body above the trachea safely stowed in their own gluteal cavity, a volcanic eruption in Iceland ended up grounding most of Europe's air traffic for a week. Business people were stranded. Many vacationers had to extend their visits. Even the prime minister of Norway was stuck in New York, unable to return home, forcing him to do his job remotely via a new iPad. Now people are asking, Who should pay for the volcano disruption?

Europe is starting to reopen its skies almost a week after the eruption of an Icelandic volcano grounded most planes. Who should pay for the cost of this disruption?

At least 95,000 flights were cancelled in the past six days, and the air transport group IATA (The International Air Transport Association) says the delays have cost the industry $1.7bn (£1.1bn).

Forced to abandon scheduled flights, many passengers have funded their own return to the UK travelling by trains, buses, ferries and hire cars. Thousands of passengers remain stranded abroad and are still paying hotel and living expenses.

Is it reasonable to expect a budget airline to reimburse such high expenses for a low cost ticket? How can airlines recoup the cost of this disruption? Who do you think should pay the cost of returning passengers to the UK?

Who is going to pay for all this!?

As for stranded passengers, extended vacations, and all manner of stuck individuals, I have no easy answers. Perhaps those you found yourself stuck around will understand, consider it extenuating circumstances, and cut you a deal or even forgive the intrusion. These poor folks had nothing to do with that volcano erupting.

As for the airlines, they deserve no money for lost revenue. A person who lives in the same place their entire life knows what to expect and might never have to experience any sort of natural disaster. A company that provides flights for an entire continent and in some cases all over the world should expect to run into disasters. People are often expected to save up for 'incidentals'. Businesses, especially ones that involve air travel (what large business doesn't with shipping, global client meetings, running off to countries where it is legal to pay someone to engage in a particular form of sexual gratification not accepted in the so-called civilized world, etc.) should expect these things. Perhaps they could buy insurance to cover such costs or maybe just keep a 'rainy day' fund for when it does something odd like rain ash or fish, things that could ground airplanes.

To answer the questions from the article:
Is it reasonable to expect a budget airline to reimburse such high expenses for a low cost ticket? I think so, but wouldn't it be nice if we could just make it work without forcing companies to fork over dough? Wouldn't it be great if your boss paid you anyway, because it really wasn't your fault that you couldn't get back to work on schedule? Wouldn't it be fabulous if the hotel waived the fees due to the nature of the extended visit? Wouldn't it be nice if people just chose to be nice about it?

How can airlines recoup the cost of this disruption? I don't care how. Seriously, they should have planned for it to happen sooner or later. It should have been part of their operating model.

Who do you think should pay the cost of returning passengers to the UK? If I pay someone to take me somewhere, they better take me there or get someone else to do it. It has been a hard week, we should cut them a little slack on the time table. Those who sold a service need to honor it, no matter what the fine print says.

And if money is their biggest problem, then these folks don't have a whole lot to worry about.

Today is 4/20

Pot culture has latched onto the number 420. The reasons why are uncertain but as a result, April 20th, 4/20, has become a bit of a holiday for the marijuana crowd.

Here are some interesting perspectives on drugs to celebrate this day.

Obama Wants to Invade Mars!

BBC News - Obama sets Mars goal for America

"By 2025, we expect new spacecraft designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first ever crew missions beyond the Moon into deep space," he told his audience. "So, we'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history."

And then he added: "By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth, and a landing on Mars will follow."

Yes! But is it a sound financial choice?

"For pennies on the dollar, the space programme has fuelled jobs and entire industries. For pennies on the dollar, the space programme has improved our lives, advanced our society, strengthened our economy and inspired generations of Americans. And I have no doubt that Nasa can continue to fill this role."

Good enough. Let's get to it.

Worker Overtime: A Postition Statement

Let's outlaw overtime. Not the practice of paying overtime. Hell no! Let's outlaw having to work overtime. All overtime. Mandatory or voluntary, let's end overtime hours.

As long as we have people unemployed who would like to find work, why the hell do other people get paid a modest bonus to sell a little bit more of their life away? Not good. Force those companies to hire the staff they need! Force them to give those people the benefits they deserve. Then take a little time to actually live your life rather than selling it away for a mere pittance so people who made errors in their production scheduling can get a big fat bonus. Screw them! Let's recognize workers as the precious resource they are instead of tricking them into being bum licking whores. If companies want that order out on time they can damn well learn how to staff for it!

I still stand behind my old position that we should do away with the minimum wage and replace it with a maximum wage. No person, not even a CEO, should make more than ten times what the lowest paid person makes. Impose that restriction and the minimum wage will skyrocket.

Yet another reason Corporate America will never let me get elected.

God Hates What?

After some one-on-one time with God, Rev. Fred Phelps of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church had to quickly change his protest strategy.

The Lord spoke to me. This time it was in a much quieter place and it turns out that He hates figs. Can't say I care for them much myself. So all you faggots can go back to your bum humping while we go blame everything that's wrong with America on Nabisco.

Later that day the Rev. Phelps was seen at Topeka gay bar the Tool Shed Tap playing pool with Senator Pat Roberts while discussing the evils of fig products in the hands of the coons.

Change you can believe in!

Barack Obama eases offshore oil drilling ban

Oil firms could be given the chance to explore for reserves off the US coast for the first time in decades, under plans outlined by President Obama.

The White House says drilling will be allowed off Virginia and considered off much of the rest of the Atlantic coast.

The plans would overturn moratoriums on exploration put in place in the 1980s.

So I sit here and have to remind myself that this guy is still better than a McCain/Palin ticket would have been. I think about the average American, and think that this guy is fairly representing them. The odd bit is that at least half of the people he is fairly representing think he is a Godless Commie Antichrist who isn't a legal American. Okay, those are the real nut jobs*, but it is still amazing that he seems to be advancing things that were once part of the Republican agenda.

Those moratoriums on offshore drilling that were put in place in the 1980's came when a right wing agenda was pushing heavily for more nuclear power to curb dependence on foreign oil**.

The only offshore drilling I would lift the ban on may involve oil, but it also requires consenting adults.

* Which may include some of my household's family.

** And possibly to piss off all the hippies for having a really great time with the free love and pot while they had to sneak around snorting expensive coke and paying for hookers.

Marijuana might be more than medicine for California

Californians have managed to get the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis into the hands of the people.

Measure to legalize marijuana will be on California's November ballot

An initiative to legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold and taxed will appear on the November ballot, state election officials announced Wednesday, triggering what will probably be a much-watched campaign that once again puts California on the forefront of the nation's debate over whether to soften drug laws.

It looks quite promising. If ever there were a state where it made total sense to legalize marijuana, it would be California. Then again, it made total sense for that state to legalize same sex marriages and they didn't.

Good luck to California on this one. If nothing else, your state sure could use the tax money.

Union Power

We live in a union. We often call it a union. Yet the unions have trouble in our union.

In response to an impending British strike, the BBC asks...

Do unions have too much power?

Compared to many European Countrys, British Unions have far less power.
Which is probably why the UK Worker is sacked first, has lower redudancy terms and has one of the lowest pensions in Europe.
Sadly, most British Workers don't have the backbone that the French, Germans and Italians have to stick up for the Jobs. Can you imagine Renault,Fiat or Mercedes workers allowing their jobs to be shipped to China without a long hard fight?

This responder has nailed it dead on. Main land Europeans have really strong and very effective unions that have learned to fight every step of the way to keep what little they have. Compared to them, British unions are crap.

American unions are like festering boils compared to the plump bums of the Brits. Unions are not an end, but a means, a process. Americans have let their unions go to shit.

Do unions have too much power? What a stupid question. When have workers, organized or otherwise, ever had too much power?

Give 'em hell Unite!

Seeking Space

Today someone asked me if I could travel abroad, where would I go first?

"Australia." True enough.

Then I admitted that my travel dreams reach a bit further. "What I'd really like is to live in an orbital colony."

After a brief confirmation that orbital colony meant exactly what it sounded like and wasn't a name for some terrestrial bound location, I was asked why. "Wouldn't you miss trees and grass and things?"

A very valid question. On the one hand, I might. On the other hand, with the research I have done on space migration I see no reason why I would have to do without things like trees and grass while living in an orbital colony. Plant life would have to be part of a sustainable solution to the problem.

So why move into space?

First and foremost, because we can! We have all the necessary technology. We have the means. If we were to give up the war in Iraq or Afghanistan for one year, just one of those countries for just one year, we'd have enough to do it. Not that such a project could get completed in a year. It would take longer. But the funds from doing that would cover the costs. Rather than focusing on death and destruction it seems to me like a far greater achievement to build a permanent space habitat orbiting the planet. Such a project is one of hope not just for the space dreamers, not just for the citizens of our country, but for the whole of the planet. To have the ability to reach out beyond our little gravity hole and see people living where they have never lived before would speak volumes for the human potential.

While on the topic of gravity, perhaps that plays a role in my personal affection for the prospect of space migration. Here in the full gravity of Earth I weigh in around 220 pounds. Weight. Gravity creates weight. That equals about 100 kilograms. That is mass. Here on Earth, mass and weight amount to the same thing. In the absence of that gravity, 100 kilos is still 100 kilos, but 220 pounds becomes... 0 pounds! No weight to move around. Instead it becomes mass. Once you get mass moving, it becomes momentum. I feel like I should have momentum. Just a change in the perspective of the thing could change a lot of people's lives.

Another change in perspective would be spatially related. While we live in and have the capability to perceive three dimensional space, our existence relies almost entirely on two dimensional navigation. Look at a map, or a globe, or even Google Earth and you begin to understand how we live on a 2D plane wrapped around a 3D object. With the absence of gravity, we lose the up/down perspective. We shift into a truly 3D environment. With such a shift the brain will adapt to a fuller utilization of our visual perception skills. What glorious developments await for a brain liberated from having to move about on a surface?

On a more personal note, this leads to another dream of mine. Often in my slumbers I dream that I can fly. It is not the flight of a glider, or a bird, or the free fall of sky diving. In my dreams I float and move at my whim. I want that to be a reality.

On an even more personal note, I am obsessed with the concept of breasts in zero gravity. Not only do I want to see free floating boobs, but I want to see what breasts that had never known the tortures of gravity would be like. So even if we had an orbital colony in place within five years and some amorous adventurers got right down to business, I'd still have to wait another 25 years to see the results of mammary glands that had never been pulled down by the Earth. Unless the life extension enthusiasts are correct and everyone currently under the age of 40 can expect to live indefinitely, we need an orbital colony now!

And of course there is all of the great scientific research that can only be done in zero gravity or is best done far away from the obstructing atmosphere of a planet. Things you can't even do in Australia.

Let's get out there!

Pro-Abolishment

If there is any human invention mandated by governments that is potentially more ridiculous than war, it would be Daylight Savings Time. Let's abolish it!

Sweden's Socialist Nightmare

The right keeps telling me that Obama is a Socialist trying to change America into a Socialist nation like Sweden. What would that mean?

BBC News - Adjusting to Swedish life after the Andijan massacre

'This place,' says Bahram, shouting somewhat, 'is amazing! You can't imagine! The schools, the hospitals! The way they live! And nothing's done by hand! Even the baking! Even cleaning the street! They have these little carts... you just press a button. The police! They smile at you and say 'Hey!'...

It is another world - a looking glass through which the Uzbeks see themselves and their country.

So even as Sweden amazes and delights Bahram, it breaks his heart. 'If we had just a fragment of this development in Uzbekistan,' he says. 'If I could take just a tiny part of this when I go home...'

'Here in Sweden there are laws,' he says. 'And even the government obeys them! There was a minister who did not pay his TV licence - and he lost his job. Can you imagine? And the way they treat people! We saw a prison and do you know, in the canteen, the prisoners take a tray and chose the food they want. Different salads, meats, yogurt… everything. Fresh! In prison! Oh my lord above!'

Those poor people. How dreadful it must be.

Please, don't let America slip into a Socialist nightmare like modern day Sweden.

Class Warfare Continues

Dissident Voice : The Rise of the Economic Elite

The Economic Elite have escalated their attack on US workers over the past few years; however, this attack began to build intensity in the 1970s. In 1970, CEOs made $25 for every $1 the average worker made. Due to technological advancements, production and profit levels exploded from 1970-2000. With the lion’s share of increased profits going to the CEOs, this pay ratio dramatically rose to $90 for CEOs to $1 for the average worker.

As ridiculous as that seems, an in-depth study in 2004 on the explosion of CEO pay revealed that, including stock options and other benefits, CEO pay is more accurately $500 to $1.

Winner takes all, and the game is rigged.

Madam Governor

A former New York madam will run for Governor in 2010.

Last Saturday I gave the first political speech of my life. I spoke to the Manhattan Libertarian party and told them I planning a campaign for Governor of New York State. I have not decided whether to seek the Libertarian party nomination or form my own party based on my platform; legalization, regulation and taxation of prostitution, marijuana, and legalizing gay marriage.
When was the last time a candidate put forward this kind of honest, radical platform? When is the last time a politician offered the voters something different than higher taxes, more spending, greater debt and service cuts.

All for it.