Who are you going to believe? Me or your lying math...

This just in: If you want to fool TSA and stowaway on an airplane, all you have to do is try.

A Nigerian man did just that. He somehow got on a plane from New York to Los Angeles last week - without a ticket on the flight. You shouldn't even be able to get to your gate, much less get on a flight.

But it gets better. When a flight attendant asked to see his ticket, he showed her one that was for a different flight on a different date and didn't have his name on it. Still, when then landed in Los Angeles, he was able to just go along his merry way. He was only arrested a few days later when he tried to do it again.

So, TSA will always get their man - if "always" means 50% of the time.

Here is my question for you. Which is a better idea (a) give a million dollars in tax cuts that will in turn create a single job that will generate $20,000 in taxes or (b) don't do that.

The GOP is saying the Economic stimulus was a bust. This was where we spent $50,000 to give a man a $50,000 job and he built something the public needed like a bridge.

The GOP says that tax cuts create jobs. This is where a rich guy gets a $1,000,000 tax break. He uses $50,000 of that to create a job where a man works for the rich guy and thus makes him richer. As for the other $950,000 from the tax break...that's just spending money.

The facts: A tax break creates jobs but for every $100 spent, the government only gets back somewhere between $0 and $30. The rest is spending money.

A few financial stats on Congress: While only 1% of Americans are millionaires, 66% of the senators and 41% of the House members are millionaires. The Tea Party sent in a bunch of new Senators to "Take back America." Their average net wealth is $4 million per person.

Additionally, Congress is allowed to use their knowledge of events to trade ahead of the stock market. The average stock portfolio of a senator out performed the stock market by 10% last year.

And finally, 43% of all retiring congressmen go to work as lobbyists with an average salary of $2,000,000. This alone gives lobbyists a lot of power. Congressmen listen to them because that is a potential employer for them in a few years.

Here is a cute picture...just because...

Onward...

Bees are capable of solving a math problem that only the most powerful computers can handle. It's called "The traveling salesman dilemma (<- really hard word to spell)."

Here is the problem: A bee, like a traveling salesman, has many stops to make. Should he take the shortest route or longer routes that may be more profitable. In the end, what is the best route for the salesman/bee to take. They tested bees using flowers with varying degrees of nectar. They also complicated it by changing distances and nectar replenishment rates. The bees learned what was going on and came up with very optimal routing solutions. Instead of a computer, the bees used their brain which is the size of a grass seed. As a math guy, I found this really interesting.

Onward...

I just read an article that said we will start fighting terrorists with surgical strikes instead of massive invasions into random countries. Someone must be reading my blog.

In the U.K., people are striking because of pension reform. They are doing that all over the world, including Wisconsin. Here is the deal: We are living longer and the economy sucks. There is no money to pay for pensions like there was two decades ago. We can complain all we want but that will do little to solve the problem. I think pension reform is the single biggest economic issue in the modern world today. In Hungary, they gave everyone an option: You can keep your private pension or you can keep your government pension. Once you made the choice, they raided the one you did not choose. For example, if you wanted to keep your Social Security, the government came in and took your IRA. Hopefully, we won't get to that.

I read this the other day: We wouldn't have to worry about gay marriages if people would quit having gay babies.

By the way, Iran is testing nuclear capable missiles. I'm just saying. I think they deserve a good "finger waging."

Elsewhere...

Why do I always think of the Tea Party when I see the Greeks striking? Is it because the Greeks seem to think that if the government slashes costs they will still be able to retire at 53? The Tea Party position is that if you only tip 15%, you will be able to send your kids to Stanford.

Is it just me or is there way too much coverage of the Casey Anthony case. I'm watching CNN the other day and they cut to "dramatic" testimony. "Look, the dad is crying on the stand. What do you make of this Mitch? - Yep, that sure is dramatic, back to you Carol." I changed the channel and all of the major news shows were showing the exact same thing.

Michele Bachmann is billing herself as an American Girl. However, she tried to use that song and a rally and Tom Petty sent her a Cease and Desist order. I really hope she gets the GOP nod. There is so much good material on her to write about.

Here is your quote for the day: “This is an impressive crowd: the Have's and Have-more's. Some people call you the elites. I call you my base.” George W. Bush.

Time to put on my cape and get back to work.

Up, up and away...

jim

Obama issues a congressional spanking...

This just in: Congress is the problem.

I just watched Obama's brief speech followed by an hour of Question and Answers. It can be summed up by the following quote he made close to the end: “We need to get out of the short-term and selfish approach that politics breeds.”

Let's look at a few questions and answers:

Question: If GOP will not approve anything that includes a tax increase, what will you do?

Answer: He danced on this a bit by not answering direct. Instead, he laid out why they must get the deal done. He restated the following points which he made in his opening speech.

He thinks there are things Congress should do right now such as (1) giving government loans to states that need infrastructural work to create immediate construction jobs (2) extend middle class tax cuts (3) rework laws that allow easier patent approval and (4) complete work in international trade agreements.
He pointed out that Congress has the bigger stick when it comes to fixing the economy.
He stated that he favors some tax-cut extensions such breaks for investment and breaks on capital gains for companies starting up.
He notes that these things have traditionally received bipartisan support. However, nothing is getting done simply because Congress wants to argue and blame each other.
He stated that he is against tax cut extensions for the ultra rich individuals and companies.
He stated that we cannot balance the budget by cuts alone. For example, he does not want seniors to carry the entire load by cutting Medicare while giving tax cuts for corporate jets.
"Every observer that is not an elected official (including GOP members that are no longer in office) says it can’t be done without a balanced approach." A balance approach means that there will need to be tax increases for the rich.
Question: What about Libya"

Answer: He appropriately used the term "Cause Celeb" when referring to congress on this issue. He said, "I told the American people exactly what we were going to do when this started and I have made sure we did exactly what we said we would do." He even pointed out that Kerry (D) and McCain (R) are co-sponsoring a bill to extend the action for up to another year (although it will be done much earlier than that).

My response: At one point he stated that much of what is being said about Libya, the debt ceiling or the budget is just politicians saying things that will get them on the national news shows. I think this one issue (anything to get face time on the news) is big.

Question: What do you think about the government stopping Boeing from making a move?

Answer: He basically said, "Companies should not be allowed to close up shop simply because labor and management can't get along."

My response: This is a pure Democrat position that is not so simple and one that I cannot support. Companies should always do whatever they think they need to do to stay competitive. As soon as they don't, they are out of business and no one wins. Just saying, "That's not fair." means nothing. The Greeks are doing just that right now and look at what that got them. The world is a competitive place. Companies that don't compete don't stick around for long. The government needs to loosen their reins on companies. I want to point out that my position is based on the idea that if companies can compete, more jobs will be created.

Question: "When you gave your speech on Afghanistan, you didn't use the word "victory." How do you think that makes our troops feel."

Answer: "I used the word "success" instead of "victory" because it's more appropriate." He went on to clarify what "success' meant.

My response: This was a FOX news question and I feel embarrassed for them. They are catering to those that see war in the same light that they see a football game. Do we want to do what is right? Or, should we carpet bomb Afghanistan down to bedrock so we can have a pep rally.

Question: Would you consider tax cuts to stimulate the economy?

Answer: We gave tax cuts and they served to "cushion" the impact of things like high oil prices and the crisis in Japan. He stressed the benefit of putting the extra $1,000 in the hands of each middle class family. He also stressed (earlier) how focused tax cuts for job creators are a good idea.

My response: The "between the lines" response was that blanket tax cuts for the rich are not what we need. While I agree with what he said, I don't think he said enough. Here was the prefect opportunity to say, "Tax cuts don't pay for themselves." The GOP, against every knowledgeable opinion, is stating that we need to give the rich more so they will create more jobs. I can't help but wonder how many extra jobs were created by Carrot Top when his taxes were lowered.

Question: There are those that say you are using scare tactics when it comes to the debt ceiling.

Answer: “If US cannot pay its bills, then the consequences will be significant and unpredictable. All headwinds against recovery will get worse and job creation will be further hampered." He clearly stated that August 2nd is not an arbitrary date. He made a great point on this. He said we have already spent the money. We have already bought the car. Cutting spending from the budget will not give the car back. On August 2nd, we will have to make decisions like "Should we pay the military or should we pay social security."

My response: He hit this out of the park (he must read my blog). Obama basically said the congress needs to act. He pointed out that the GOP is telling him he needs to show leadership. He then pointed out how he has met with every caucus. He has met with all of the leaders. He has pushed and pushed for congress to get the deal done. Congress, on the other hand, has spent most of their time out of their offices and talking up how he is not involved. Obama basically said, "I'm here. I have always been here. I am involved. Where are you?"

Now, I am going to predict the GOP response: They will say, "Look, the American people want us to create jobs." They will then sit back and act as if they have just made a great counter argument. They may go on to say, "Look, Obama's spend and spend policies have created the debt and now is not a good time to raise taxes." Their base will hear this and nod knowingly, without questioning the legitimacy of it.

In summary, he said that there are solutions. Everyone knows what they are but the GOP is holding things up, arguing simply because it gives them political air time.

I think this was a great press conference.

I give Obama an A-. He is still trying to not point too direct of a finger. I would have loved a much more stronger "wage of the finger" at the Republicans. He should have said, "It appears to me that the GOP is defying all logic in an attempt to hold back the economy. They are doing this to make me look bad so they will have a better chance in 2012."

Sorry for creating a purely political blog, but this is important stuff.

Consider yourself saved.

Up, up and away...

jim

The View from the Las Vegas Strip...

This just in: God has cast his vote for...Michelle Bachman.

Apparently, she prayed and came away with a "sense", whatever that means.

I have two problems with this. First of all, if God want's her in, why doesn't he simply smite all of the other more qualified candidates (which includes all of them). By whispering into her ear "you're my favorite" he has put her in a position to "claim" divine selection, thus nailing down the entire religious-right who will believe anything so long as it moves them up a notch or two on God's "good' list.

Secondly, God shouldn't be allowed to vote until after the polls close in California - 18 months from now.

I'm in Las Vegas today. This is an interesting place. The moment you step off the plane, they stick a vacuum (<-hard word to spell) in your wallet and set it to "steady suck." There are two type of businesses here: trinket sellers and buffet. The trinket sellers sell little plastic replicas of the worlds most plastic city. The buffets...well they are pretty darn nice.

There is also gambling here. Actually, it's everywhere.

I am staying in the Clarion Hotel-Casino which is near the McDonalds'-Casino and Target-Casino.

Thus far, this hotel is under performing. I got up this morning and took a shower. I got out only to notice there were no towels. Dripping wet, I walk to the phone and called down with my situation. They said, "You'll have to come down to get some."

I dried off with my bed sheet instead.

I watched the Bloomberg channel this morning. It's the same old story. The Democrats what to increase taxes on the rich and the GOP responds with "Americans want jobs." When the lack of a link between taxes and jobs is pointed out, the GOP quickly snaps back with "Pop Tart."

Elsewhere, the just found a tribe in Brazil that has never been in contact with modern man.

New York stepped up to the plate and voted in Gay Marriage. Good for them.

In the sequel to the book Eat, Sleep and Pray, the protagonist tells of her problem getting her fiance into the United States. The two most fouled up organizations in the country: TSA and the Department of Immigration are both part of the Department of Homeland Security. This is the department who idea of stopping terrorism is waiting for someone to phone in a suspicious lunch bag. Remember, they gave citizenship to the New York bomber who spent his vacations "snorkeling" in Pakistan.

If you want to cut spending, get rid of this department and hire a couple of good private eyes.

I have a conference to attend so gotta cut this short.

Up, up and away...

jim

No Zombies for you...

This just in: Zombie attacks are less imminent that we'd originally thought.

However, if zombies do attack - there's an app for that. Well, at least a website designed to help us prepare.

Here is the website's Mission Statement: The United States Army Zombie Combat Command guarantees the survival of the United States in the event of any Zombie emergency.

Thank God someone is paying attention to this potential threat. So many are preparing for a tsunami to wipe out Germany's nuclear facilities that some of the more likely threats are being overlooked.

Speaking of nuclear facilities - ours are leaking. These sites were originally designed for 40 years of service. It was anticipated that we would replace them with new, more efficient and safer sites after that time. Now, 40+ years later, they are still running and have had their licences extended for another 20 years.

The problem is that no one told the metal-fatigue elves about this change. So the plants are leaking. We need to either fix these or build new ones. Where is the money going to come from? I'll let you know in a minute.

They are trying to build a giant solar power plant in the Mojave desert. It will cover 5 and a half square miles and will help the state meet its goal of 35% renewable energy by 2020. Some are against it because there is a famous hill nearby or something.

I'm in favor of it. Here is what it comes down to: "Either get serious about energy or learn to walk."

Congress is passing a new law that says you will go to jail if you stream a copyrighted video. People against this say that all of our 14-year-old male children will end up in our overcrowded prisons. People in favor of it say that copyrighted material should be protected.

Here is what I say, "This is just another platform for ambulance chasing lawyers to threaten families so they will settle out of court and make lawyers rich. Find another solution."

The GOP has a new entrant. His name is Huntsman. I watched his "I'm running for president" speech and felt embarrassed for him. Just a bag of clichés. Before I vote for this guy, I'll vote for my son's Xbox controller.

Update: Lulzsec has taken down the two top government websites from Brazil. As long as I can still watch Family Guy on Hulu, I'm okay with this.

Has anyone else out there noticed that websites that sell stuff try to "help you out" by filling in some of your order information for you? Be very careful of this as it can cost you plenty. For example, Travelocity defaults to the idea that you want "trip insurance" and includes it in your final bill unless you notice the charge and ask them to remove it. Here is another one. Fedex-Kinkos allows you to send printing jobs in over the internet. Their default selection is for you to use Color Printing on Resume quality paper. This can cost you hundreds of dollars if you aren't paying attention and tell them what you really need.

Now, how to pay for things like nuclear power plants or public education...

A little math here:

In 2006, about 4 million people made over 200K per year. Some made way more than that so I am going to use a weighted average of $1 million per person (it will be higher for 2010)

If those people all paid tax at the 35% rate they would generate $1.4 trillion in revenue.
If they all paid 25% that the GOP wants, they will only generate $1.0 trillion in revenue.
If they paid the 17% that the top 400 earners paid in 2010, they will only generate $680 billion.
If they pay the 70% rate from the 70's, they will contribute $2.8 billion in revenue.
A simple 3-4% increase in the tax rate for the richest Americans, for just one year, will enable us to double the number of nuclear facilities in the country.
So, if the rich pay the pre 80's tax rate (70%), they will generate 1.8 trillion more PER YEAR than the GOP proposal (25%). This balances our budget tomorrow - with some left over.

There is your money for the new nuclear power plants.

Now, compare a tax increase for the rich to the overall GOP plan of slashing education, NASA, research, family planning and Medicare while cutting the tax rate for the rich.

I hope I have managed to sway a few people with these facts. The United States is a world power because of its economy. The size of the military means nothing as far as power goes.

Here is your quote for the day: "We cannot continue to have an excellence gap with the rest of the world and intend to remain the economic superpower and military superpower of the planet. That's just not going to happen, ... We're in a position where unless we take action, we'll end up being the France of the 21st century: a lot of talk, but not a lot of strength behind it in terms of economic capability." Mitt Romney. He signed a No-Tax pledge in 2008 but is wavering on doing that again this time around.

Mitt...I couldn't have said it better myself. If only you were as good as your word.

I have a world to say and I need to get it done before it gets too hot outside.

Up, up and away...

jim

And here is Jon Stewart on Fox news. Jon is so smart that it just doesn't seem fair.

Lawyers, Guns and Money...

This just in: Chipmunks and Woodchucks have formed a neighborhood watch program.

It seems that these two different species have learned to heed each other's "danger Will Robinson" signals. Spook a chipmunk and all of the woodchucks will run away as well. I'm just saying...

Elsewhere...

The giant Wal-Mart sex discrimination suit has been thrown out and I couldn't be happier. Forget, for the moment, what the subject of the suit is about. A law suit was filed and suddenly every person in Wal-Mart found themselves a victim. This is utterly ridiculous. A lawyer went around and recruited "victims" so that the suit would be bigger and his payout would be bigger. He was basically saying that 100% of the women working for Wal-Mart should be compensated because one manager at one store didn't follow the company's published anti-discrimination doctrine. And, it's just one person's opinion that he failed to follow the doctrine.

More on Lawyers...

There is a firm called Righthaven that is suing people for copyright infringement. It seems that a lot of people cut and paste stuff on the internet. What this firm does is they threaten you with the largest possible fine ($150,000) and then settle out of court for $1,500. From what I have read, it looks like they find stuff on the internet that is in two places. They then find the originator and ask permission to sue on their behalf. This is quite the lucrative business. They are making millions, one cut-and-paste at a time. It seems that the few times it actually goes to court, the judge throws the entire thing out. This looks to be about lawyers being lawyers. I see little difference between this and ambulance chasing.

Have you ever been threatened by a lawyer? I have. They are typically little weenie guys that say things like, "I know the judge and blah, blah, blah."

I also have a great friend that is a lawyer. He is not an ambulance chaser and only takes clients that come to him. He helps companies go through bankruptcy. So, there is a need for lawyers and I'm sure most are great. It's the sharks that you have to watch out for.

Why are there no laws that keep lawyers from being themselves? Because most of our law makers are lawyers.

This just in: A 19-year-old in the U.K. was caught hacking into a police database. What makes this interesting is that he is a member of Lulz security. This is the group that has been hacking world-wide over the last couple of weeks. This kid is the first one they caught.

Onward....

Here are a couple of funny protest signs:



They are putting new labels on cigarette packages. These things will scare anyone. It's about time.

Ron Paul - I like this guy. I would not vote for him, but I like him just the same. He is not afraid to state his mind. I even agree with some of his positions.

I read this morning that there was a pause in the U.S./Taliban peace talks. Apparently, the Taliban, in Pakistan, had to run outside, kidnap a 9-year-old girl, fit her with an explosive vest and then release her back into the community with instructions to blow herself up. Her response, "You can kiss my ass." She ran from the van and immediately told the police who removed the vest.

Here is a cute picture of a kitten...just for fun. Poor guy.

I am in favor of abandoning the Middle East altogether. They have shown that they can rise up and take care of themselves if they want to. We should have just one rule: keep the oil flowing or we will come and interfere with your lives. That's the only reason we are there anyway - oil. Why pretend otherwise. If it's about the humanity, then why are we not in Syria?

I hate to say this (actually that's not true) but I have been right all along. Tax breaks do not create jobs. I sent MSNBC a long letter telling them why this is true and then 2 weeks later, they take up my cause. You must watch the video below. The man they are interviewing tells you the sources of his data as well as how the GOP is manipulating it.

Tax breaks are like redoing your kitchen before you sell your house. You put $30,000 into the new kitchen but all it does is increase the price of the house by $5,000. Yes, a new kitchen did increase the price of the house, but it cost you way more than it brought in.

The GOP knows that the tax issue will not stand up to close scrutiny. This is why they have bundled it with the Medicare issue. They will eventually fold on the Medicare issue but the compromise will be to get their 10% tax cut. More of the rich getting richer.

Be sure to watch the video at the end of this blog.

Here is a quote for the day: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."
William Shakespeare

This post will probably get me sued but I'm not worried; I have a cape.

Up, up and away...

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Sorry about the video's 30 second lead-in commercial. Worth waiting for...

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The view from my office

This just in: Green Eggs and Ham was written when his publisher challenged Dr. Seuss to write a story using only 50 words.

Elsewhere...

The GOP Path to Prosperity is part Smoke and Mirrors and part...a good idea.

The GOP is acting as if their attack on Medicare is the only part of their budget plan that people disagree with. There are actually three parts: (1) rework Medicare, (2) reduce spending wherever possible and (3) lower the tax rate another 10%.

Here is where I stand: (1) Go ahead and rework Medicare, but don't do it with a voucher that will be of no value by the time I get there. Instead, raise the age limit to qualify. Raise it slowly. This is fair since we are now healthier and living longer than when this was first put in place. (2) Everyone wants to reduce spending. The Democrats want to keep government oversight which costs money. Like I have said before, watch the money-changers but let manufacturing do its job. (3) The top income tax rate needs to be back at 70%. I know that seems high but that is where it was in the 70's. Right now, the rich pay less than 20% on their income while you and I pay 35%. We are paying a higher rate on a smaller amount. Any budget that cuts taxes for the rich - again - needs to be tossed out along with those that propose it. By the way, GOP sweetheart Cain, is calling for the elimination of Capital Gains taxes. This is a tax most often applies to the rich in place of income tax. He is a big believer that someday, a job will be created through tax cuts.

Is it just me or is Galaxy Quest a pretty good movie?

Michelle Bachman has found her soapbox. She wants to eliminate ObamaCare. I want it fixed. However, every time she chants to repeal it, I hear the following, "If elected, I will make sure every 18 to 26-year-old in this country will suddenly find themselves cast off from their parents health insurance policy."

Onward...

Have you heard of Lulzsec? This is the hacker group that is hacking into everything from Xbox accounts to senate emails. They actually have hotlines set up where you can request a hack. There are phone numbers you can call. And yet, no one seems to know where these people are. I actually applaud them. They are basically saying the internet is not secure. They are pointing out a situation that we'd all rather ignore. However, when China wants to shut down our power grids, we'd better be ready to sleep in the dark - or start getting serious about security.

The AARP is okay with taking a look at Social Security. I am okay with looking at it. I am also okay with fixing it so it will be there when I need it. When Social Security was first set up, they anticipate us using it for a couple of years and then dying of old age. Today, we just live too long. I think they need to raise the eligibility age.

For you techies: The Chromebook sucks. This is a cheap laptop that relies on "the cloud" to be functional. Few apps and spotty, high-speed internet make this thing more of a doorstop than a computer. Additionally, you have to pay for data transfer which makes this "cheap" computer suddenly very expensive. Someday, maybe five years from now, we will all have high-speed internet with unlimited downloading ability. Until that time, give this a pass.

The Navy had its Rail-Gun project terminated. I can see why. It's very expensive and there is not certainty that it will work. However, a rail gun is really cool. Imagine shooting a pellet at a target a thousand miles away with such speed and precision that they can knock and ICBM out of the sky as it's lifting off.

All of the best Science Fiction books have rail guns in them.

Who is Tiger Woods?

Did you see that Clarence Clemons from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band last Saturday? This guy was great. By the way, the Boss is now 61! Makes me feel old. He was 25 when he wrote Born to Run. Check out Clarence in the video at the end of this blog.

Trouble brewing...

Microsoft bought Skype and now 8 of Skype executives have left the building. Microsoft better not screw this company up.

A quote for the day: "The expenses of government, having for their object the interest of all, should be borne by everyone, and the more a man enjoys the advantages of society, the more he ought to hold himself honored in contributing to those expenses." Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (a French economist from the 18th century)

There are Republican tax evaders and Democrat regulators afoot. I must run to help save the world from our elected leaders.

Up, up and away...

jim

The View from my back porch

This just in:  Time-traveling Sea Monkeys Make Bad Mates.

This is an actual headline from Wired.com.  Apparently, a sea monkey can stay in its egg if the environment is ... unsound.  They can stay there for decades.  But, if you wake one of these old timers up and then allow it to mate with one from the current era, the one from the current era will have his or her lifespan shortened by 12%.

What's amazing about this is (1) someone did the study and (2) someone else published the results. Amazing...but not important

Here is a funny picture I found online (funny but not important):

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I was busy standing on runways with my thumb out.  Sometimes this actually works.  Once, in Wyoming, I was late to the airport.  I waved at the plane as it was heading towards the runway.  The pilot actually came back and got me.  Yesterday I was 2 for 2 on successful standbys.  Home by 5pm instead of midnight.  But that's not important.

Elsewhere...

A guy was arrested for refusing to pull up his pants on an airplane.  Apparently, they were looking too cool to be pulled up.  The pilot asked him to get off the plane and when the guy refused...busted.  (cool but not important)

There is a new fear in congress.  In the rush to point fingers at each other for every small transgression, they suddenly realized that they have significantly lowered the bar for which they can be chastised.  At one time, you had to do something really, really bad.  Now if you break wind with gusto during a debate, they will take an immediate vote to see if you should be cast out of the chamber.  The fear is that they can't behave in a way that meets their own standards. (interesting but not important)

Here is a link to a site where a guy tabulated the latest sex scandal by political party.  In the end, can't we just say this is a "guy" thing and not a Democrat or Republican thing?  I'd much rather see them working on laws to curb gang violence than discussing Twitter issues.  (funny but not important)

Breaking news:  The reason Saudi women cannot drive is not because it's against the law. Apparently, the local religious leaders warn that women, not with their husbands, will hook up with other men.  Simply put, they can't be trusted.  Why don't they just tether them to the kitchen or Bedroom.  This seems to be very akin to keeping a pet, not a spouse.  (amazing but not all that important)

The United Nations took a vote and are now in favor of wagging their fingers at Gay Discrimination.  That ought to bring about a bunch of change - not.  (a weak, and unimportant effort)

This is semi-important:  70 countries were surveyed as to how their educations systems ranked.  The United States ranks 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math.  This marks a continued drop for us amongst other countries the world.

We rank poorly because we fund poorly.  We fund poorly because the rich do not pay their fair share of taxes.

This brings us to what is really important: The Economy

As I have said many times before, Congress is not qualified to make decisions about the economy.  Even if they were qualified, they have no motivation to make things better.  Every poll that I see tells me that the GOP "might" win if the economy stays down.  They will "definitely" lose if the economy improves.  They have no interest in seeing an improvement so they actively work against all efforts to do just that.

I have assembled a panel to discuss a couple of issues.  Here are our panel members:

Alan Greenspan: Former head of the Federal Reserve with a PhD in Economics

Ben Bernanke: Current head of the Federal Reserve with a PhD in Economics

Robert Reich: Former Harvard professor of Economics.  Former secretary of Labor.  Studied economics at Oxford as a Rhode Scholar.

John Boehner: Congressman with an undergraduate degree in Business (too 7 years to finish)

Me: Superhero

Topic #1:  Should we borrow money to give tax breaks to the rich? I say no.  Alan Greenspan agrees with me.  Boehner says it's a good idea.

Topic #2: Should we use the Debt Ceiling as a political tool?  I say no.  Ben Bernake agrees with me.  Boehner says it's a good idea.

Topic #3:  What happens when you lower the tax rate for the rich.  I say the rich get richer and the middle class disappears.  Robert Reich agrees with me. Boehner says lowering the tax rate creates jobs.  When I ask him when, he says, "Sometime later..."

So there you have it.  The Republican party's "plan for prosperity" is not supported by anyone with any knowledge of economics.  You must watch this following video.  Once you have seen it, pass it on to someone else.  If everyone in our country saw and understood what was being said here, there would be a revolution.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

You to can help save the world.  Pass this video along.

Up, up and away...

jim

The View From My Hotel Room Floor

This just in: Kansas City knows Barbecue

I  drove a couple of blocks from my hotel to Gate's BBQ on a recommendation from my hotel cleaning woman (don't worry, I'm not rich enough to be a threat to her).  I loaded upon BBQ and brought it back to my room.  Boom!  It was all gone and I am laying on the floor trying to breathe while my full stomach pushes back on my diaphragm (<- hard word to spell).  Interestingly, I am also contemplating making another run to Gate's as soon as I can get back on my feet.

I got up this morning and there is BBQ sauce everywhere.  I had to scramble to clean everything up before the press arrives.  As you know, I have decided to become famous so I am assuming the press is always about to arrive.

Onward...

Apparently Weiner had a relationtweep (<- you heard that here first) with a porn star.  He told her to lie about it.  I'm here to tell you right now that if I ever have contact with a porn star, I will post pictures and details about it on this blog.

Elsewhere...

The United States tried "chumming" Mexican drug cartels with loaded weapons.  Turns out to not be a good idea.  They (the drug guys) took the guns and killed people with them.  What's amazing is that we did not anticipate this happening.

Breaking news - The U.N. condemns Syrian's killing of innocent civilians.  When this type of thing comes out I can only shake my head.  "Condemns?"  You have got to be kidding me.  I wonder how long they debated that before someone said, "I make a motion that we wage our finger at Syria...all if favor?"

Gates is on his way out and it leaving quite a trail behind him.  First he said that NATO is basically useless.  When I heard that I was at first shocked.  But then I thought about it and you know what, he is absolutely correct.  I was in the military when there was a Red Menace.  Now there is no one.  Why do we need NATO?  So that our allies can tap into our resources to solve their local problems?

Gates also said yesterday, "Governments lie to each other."  He was speaking to congress.  They were apparently surprised by this statement.  Actually, I think they already knew this but were lying about it.

Hugh Hefner's fiance has backed out.  What I can't understand is how she got into that situation in the first place.  He is 85 and she is 25.  I wonder if there were "issues" in the bedroom.  Viagra can help but there is no cure for looking like you are 85 years old.

Click on this story link if you want to read something funny.  A teacher assigned a writing task to people in pairs.  Each would write a paragraph and then turn the story over to the other to write another paragraph.  This is really funny.

Barnes and Nobel is out with the Nook; another e-reader.  It costs about $140.  It can hold enough data for all of the text books you have ever had during your life.  I did a sample survey of textbooks on Amazon.com.  I looked at what it would cost to have the following books purchased: History, Algebra, Chemistry, English and Spanish.  I went with the most expensive book that showed up in the first 5 of each search.  The cost...$660.  Imagine if all textbooks were ebooks.  Imagine if the government had standardized books so that everyone had free access to, for example, 7th grade math.  We could save thousands of dollars per student (over the life of their education) just by going with e-textbooks.

Al Qaeda has a new leader.  There is some downside to this position.  The first thing is that all of your robes come with a big target painted on them.  On the upside, you probably get immediate access to virgins.

And finally, word is that George W. used the CIA to dig up dirty little secrets about a college professor that was critical of the Bush administration.  I read that story without the least bit of surprise.

Oh yeah, Kim asked a very good question about the debt ceiling in the comment section of a post from 2 days ago (The view from the middle of the road).  I replied and I strongly encourage you to look at her question and my response (under the post).  Kim replied that she now understood why we need to raise it.  Then she asked an even better question: "I heard that the debt ceiling has been raised several times in the last decade and that makes me wonder why even have a ceiling."  I am still pondering this one.

By the way, follow this link to see how Democrats and Republicans have voted on raising the debt ceiling over the last several years.  This is such a great chart. It turns out that if the other guy is in power, you vote against it.  Both parties do it.  They don't do it because they have had sudden changes in attitude.  No, they do it to make the other person look bad.

Your quote for the day: “I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you” Friedrich Nietzsche

Saving the world, one rack of BBQ ribs at a time.

Up, up and away...

jim

Thanks for visiting my page's sponsors.

The View From Kansas City

This just in: Syria wants their refugees to come back.  Seems they are running low on civilian targets.

China's migrant workers are beginning to riot more and more often.  These are second class citizens that have basically nothing left to lose.  This is what happens when you only have Kings and Serfs.

In a weird turn of events, we are copying China.  The United States seems determined to create Kings and Serfs.  This top-secret plan is also known as the GOP Path to Prosperity.

The United States has asked China if they caused a certain website to crash.  This site is an online petitioning site and it was in the process of trying to get people in China to sign up for the release of a Chinese prisoner.  All of the sudden, the site was crashed by something that definitely came out of China.

China's response: "No, you shut up."

Not bad.  It worked for Pakistan.  Speaking of which...Pakistan has jailed 5 people for helping the United States nail Osama.

I saw a video of my new hero, Pierce Morgan, interviewing Michelle Bachman.  Here is a snippet of their conversation:

PM:  Are you hypnotized?

MB: Why?

PM: Because you are giving the exact same answer to every question I ask.

I love this guy.  I also love the fact that she is considered one of the Republican front-runners.  Amazing.

For fun, here is a picture of a guy that decided one day, "I think I'll become famous."  he is the one on the left.

The Gulf of Mexico has a dead zone the size of New Jersey.  This is a place where nothing grows due to lack of oxygen.  It's caused by animal waste and fertilizer that wash into the Gulf.  Algae eats it and uses up the oxygen.  Why aren't we talking about this instead of the weekly congressional sex scandal.

For all the world to see and hear, Ben Bernanke warned congress about using the Federal Debt Ceiling as a bargaining chip in the budget wars.  He must read my blog.  The GOP laughed it off.  Who can blame them?  After all, what does the Chairman of the Federal Reserve know about economics?

A quote for the day: "All people are born alike - except Republicans and Democrats." Groucho Marx.

I have a busy day ahead so I have to cut this short.

Plus there is a world to save.

Up, up and away...

jim

Thanks for visiting my sponsors.

View from the middle of the road

First of all, this site's content has been moved to http://jamesdillingham.com.  I will continue to duplicate the posts on this site but eventually, I'll grow weary of that.  So if you want tomorrow's headlines today...go bookmark the new site.

This just in:  The Republican Party presidential candidates all agree that it’s not their fault.

Big surprise.  Their debate was essentially a unification project.  While they were slamming each other the day before, everything changed when the cameras came on.  Suddenly they were all in agreement.  More on this later.

Since the overthrow of the Egyptian government, more than 7,000 civilians have been given prison terms via military tribunal.  Maybe they all deserved it.  I have no idea. but it seems like a big number to me.  And, “military tribunal” sounds way different from “trial by jury.”

Onward...

The reason I moved my blog to this site is that I was able to set up a much better comment section.  You can comment on a post or on other people's comments.  I encourage this.  if no one comments, I will assume we are all in complete agreement.

Has it ever struck you as strange that 100% of a political party can agree with everyone else in their party while still completely disagreeing with everyone not in their party?  It is so unlikely to happen that when it does, it feels contrived or made-up.  Both parties are guilty of this.  When I hear a candidate preaching along party lines, I toss them out with the trash.  Sorry Cain – no soup for you!

I am considering becoming famous.  It doesn’t look too hard and the financial rewards appear to be staggering.  I’m just wondering where to file my papers.  After that, it’s sit back, pose for the paparazzi and let it all happen. Next stop…game show host.

I am in the middle of the road, politically, on several things.  I’d like to touch base on a couple now.

Medicare: This needs to be there when I get too old to take care of myself.  If it’s not, then the burden is shifted to my kids.  The voucher will not work simply because medical costs go up faster than the voucher’s value.  Go ahead and rework Medicare but don’t get rid of it.  Perhaps raising the eligibility age should be considered.  Any voucher program must come with medical cost containment practices.

Social Security: This is a huge drag on our economy simply because there are too many users and not enough payers.  This is only going to get worse.  More and more people will reach the eligibility age and fewer people will be left to pay into it.  I suggest rising the eligibility age to 70.  I’m willing to work until I am 70.  I don’t want to but I will if you will.

Broad stroke tax cuts hurt the economy. I know the arguments about how they create jobs.  However, not all of the tax breaks result in that action.  Take 25 coffee cups and set them on your living room floor.  Then take 10,000 pennies and throw them into the room at random.  Some of the pennies will land in the cups but most will fall to the floor.  This is how the tax cuts are used.  The few pennies that fall into cups represent the few people that use the tax cuts to create jobs.  We need to find ways to make the tax cuts more “surgically effective.”  We should only throw pennies that will actually land in the coffee cups.

Sometimes government needs to be big. I like a strong, yet efficient and highly modern military.  I like free education.  I like investment in Research and Development.  I like NASA, Medicare and Social Security.  I like projects that are more efficiently done when we work together than alone.

Some areas of government need to be smaller. The Department of Homeland Defense is basically a job creation agency in the form of millions of TSA donut eaters.  Fraud and waste are bipartisan issues that should be aggressively attacked.

Sometimes governments need to regulate. I think the government should be looking over every shoulder on Wall Street.

Sometimes governments need to get out-of-the-way. Over-regulation in manufacturing and business has tied the hands of those that would do the most to create a strong economy.  Once again, California is a prime example of how too much government can ruin an economy.  Governor Brown, who I like, claims it’s either raise taxes or cut programs.  I say, make the business environment competitive with the other 49 states.  This will bring companies to California, raising revenue while not raising taxes.

Obamacare and Romneycare are the same thing. I like that my kids can be on my insurance until they are 25 years old.  I like that the health care providers must spend a higher percentage of their income on actually providing coverage.  I don’t like that nothing gets the soaring cost of health care under control.  Tort reform and increased competition, but GOP positions, should be embraced.

I am pro-life but first, pro-choice.  I am in favor of gay rights.

I think we need a branch of government, like the Supreme Court, where members are assigned for life.  Their only job is to publish facts.  For example, is Obamacare costing us money or saving us money?  Depends on who you ask.  How many jobs were created by the $740 billion dollar tax cut given to those making over $250K a year?  I want to know.

And finally, I am against hypocrisy.  The GOP takes center stage on this issue simple because the Democrats appear to be mute.  I don’t know what they are up to.  However, the GOP blames Obama for the economy while doing everything possible to keep it from getting better.  The GOP is holding the debt ceiling hostage saying it’s the right thing to do for the economy in spite of the fact that all economists believe that failure to raise it will cause “Global Economic Mayhem.”  I think tax breaks for the rich make the rich richer – period.  The GOP wants to eliminate Planned Parenthood as a way to cater to their base.  To them it’s like saying, “See, we are against abortion.”  All the while, they know that Planned Parenthood has a huge impact on reducing abortion.

I know, and so do all of the politicians out there, that the president is limited in his ability to impact the economy.  He doesn’t have a “fix it” button on his desk.  Congress has much more power than he does and even they can only do so much.  The idea that Obama is failing because the economy is not yet back to full strength is simply propaganda.  The fact that the GOP candidates are using this as their platform, even though they know it to be false propoganda, says a lot about the quality of these people.

Here is a funny picture for you to look at while you drink your coffee and contemplate the profound truths contained herein.

Let’s just look at Michelle Bachman.  A few weeks back, I posted the results of an independent Fact Finding group that checked on several people, Democrats and Republicans alike.  Michelle Bachman was found to be the least truthful, by far.  They checked 19 of her statements.  Here are the results:

True: 0
Mostly True: 0
Half True: 3
Barely True: 2
False: 8
Pants on Fire: 6

I recall seeing her for the first time when she gave the Tea Party response to the president’s State of the Union speech.  At that time I thought, “People actually voted for her?  On purpose?”  I’ve seen nothing from her to change my opinion since that time.

Elsewhere…

Skype and Comcast are coming up with a deal where you can video chat through your television.  You’ll need a converter and camera, provided by them.  This will be cool on a large screen television.

Very heavy on the political stuff today.  For that, I apologize.  I’m on an airplane which means that my normal sources for interesting stuff are not available to me.  I’ll try to do better tomorrow.

Here is your quote for the day:“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.”  Earnest Benn

As for now, well, you know…

Up, up and away…

Jim

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Wisdom From a Lufthansa Lounge Lizard

This just in: Drug lords got tanks...

In other news, Dallas won the NBA championship.  This news is actually third, behind "tanks" and the fact that the NBA season actually came to an end.  You see, this is what happens when the season is played simply to eliminate the worst team so that everyone else can "advance" to the finals.

Back to tanks...

What I don't understand is why the anti-drug people - you know, cops and the military - why these people don't just sit in their offices until a traffic cop spots one of these things.  They are hard to miss.  Imagine one of these giant things being parked in front of a building.  Since only the drug lords have them, I'd say this is a pretty good case of probable cause.  They are little more than big signs saying "drug lord coming through, everyone step aside."  We should actually give them tanks so we know where they are.

The fact that these tanks are not being used as a "Find a drug lord here" sign tells me there may be a bit of money changing hands.

Onward...

The Book of Mormon kicked some butt at the Tony's.  This is a musical written by the guys that created South Park.  I've heard the sound track (thanks to Jim Hill) and it's really good.  So far the only negative thing I've heard about it is that the tickets are hard to come by.  I once called for tickets to Phantom of the Opera.  When I said, "I'll take two for this Saturday night," the operator came back with, "How about two for late next summer."

I did get some culture this time in Europe; my wife insists on it.  We went to see the Hungarian Ballet.  They did about 5 different bits, all unique stuff.  The last one was so captivating that I would have sat through it again and again given the chance.  We had front row seats at the Hungarian Opera House (click on this link to see this place)

Elsewhere...

Hawaii just fired a bunch of TSA agents for not doing their job.  I don't find this hard to believe.  This is a group of people who re-scanned a banana I had in my briefcase because it was a "sharp" object.  The people in charge their say they weren't doing their job because they were overworked and thus, we should put more agents there.  This sounds like the work of the infamous Hawaiian Donut Cartel.  I can't imagine them fitting even 1 more agent around a donut box than they already do.

I saw the Pirates of the Caribbean last week; in Hungarian.  I could follow the plot just finewithout understanding any of the words.  While the movie was worth watching, the guy that played Black Beard was by far, the best cast pirate of all time.

I was at a mall the other day.  They have these escalators that only move when people pass by a light sensor at the start.  It's an energy-saving thing.  Anyway, I watch as this woman (blonde) starts to go "up" the escalator clearly marked "down".  She thinks it's either broken or maybe just some metallic stairs.  Anyway, it does not move until she is halfway up it.  Someone entered from the top and started it moving down.  The blonde continues to try to climb up, in spite of this; only giving up when the other people coming down get in her way.  Funny.

You know what else is funny?  That the GOP is trying to make political hay by bashing the Democrats over this Weiner thing.  I wonder what God was thinking as his party of choice cast the first stone, in spite of their own abundance of transgressions.

Did you know Budapest is actually two cities, divided by the Danube river?  Buda is to the west, and Pest to the east.  I went hiking in the Buda Hills a couple of days ago.  This is a forested area that feels like an isolated jungle with beautiful plants.  Seen from the sky, it's a patch of green inside a large city.  We walked for five miles and never saw a car or a building.  It was great.

I came across this site that had all kinds of "invisible" cat pictures.  The cats were there, but the other stuff was missing.  Like "toothbrush" cat showed a cat that looked like he was brushing his teeth but the toothbrush was "invisible."  Here was my favorite.

In Bahrain, a poet was given a 1-year jail term for writing a poem critical of the government.  These are out allies, at least until it looks politically more correct to cheer for the other side.

Apple is being sued for its use of the term "icloud"  by a company called "icloud communications."  This company has been doing, since 2005, what Apple is pretending that they just invented.  So, Apple is taking something that already exists and adding their own little twist - a price tag.  This feels a lot like the AOL model of "Let's charge people for stuff they can do for free because they don't know they can do it for free."  I have one last word on this - dropbox.

A quote for the day: “Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today” Mahatma Gandhi

I'm in Frankfurt, on my way to the California Bounce.  I end up in Kansas City sometime Tuesday.

I can't help but notice that most of you are asleep as I write this.  There is no rest for this superhero....

Up, up and away...

jim

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Viagra Warfare - Never run out of ammo...

This just in: Gadafeee has opened up his Viagra reserve account in an effort to encourage his loyalists to rape the rebel women.

I'm not sure of the rationale behind this.  Can he actually believe the rebels are thinking, "Hey, he's having our women raped.  Maybe we should all just go back to work."

Elsewhere...

Did you know that the Daily Show on Comedy Central ranks #4 among the news programs?  I think this is great.  It's been a long time since other news programs made fun of Jon Stewart.  I saw a 2008 clip of Bill O'Reilly talking down to Stewart as if it were ridiculous that people would take him (Stewart) seriously.  Now-a-days, it's the other way around and I love it.

Just for the fun of it, here is a funny picture:

Some elephants went on a rampage in India.  I saw one push a cow around like it was a Chihuahua (<- hard word to spell).  Speaking of which, I wish I had a pet cow.

I saw a sign that said, "Beware of Grizzly bears.  Wear a bell and carry pepper spray."  The sign went on to say you could tell if a Grizzly was in the area by examining piles of dung.  A couple of things to look for that is characteristic of Grizzly dung: "You may see small bits of bells and it will smell like pepper."

Onward...

A headline I saw online today: "Weiner must pull out."

China and India are starting to fret about the United States failing to pay its debt.  Both of these countries put the probable fallout square on the shoulders of the GOP.  Here is what is starting to happen as of right now.

• Companies around the world are holding back on hiring as they wait to see what will happen
• Countries are becoming reluctant to buy U.S. bonds as they fear a default.
• The U.S. bond rating is beginning to drop making the interest on our loans grow.
• Once we default, our rating will drop steeply, raising the return we must pledge on our bonds.  My math shows that a 5% increase in interest/rate of return will cost the United States $137 million dollars a day (that's just on what we owe China).  This equates to $50 billion dollars a year.

The GOP is causing this.  This being a global travesty that will change our place in the world - all to appease the Tea Party.  If I were the president, I would look for a way to disband the GOP; not to get rid of the competition, but to rid our country of Economic Terrorism.

OPEC cannot agree on a new level of oil production.  Here is the deal.  If I can produce more oil (like Saudi Arabia), I want to.  Sure, this will make the price drop but I will make up the difference with more volume.  However, if I can't produce more oil because I am at capacity already (Venezuela), then I don't want more oil on the market because it will lower prices and I cannot create more volume to make up the difference.

Also, Venezuela is run by a guy that wants to do whatever he can to make things bad in the United States.  He is, of course, welcome to do this.  It's not illegal.  It's no more immoral that us allowing Syria to kill itself.  The real fault here is that we allow ourselves to become dependent and thus put Chavez on his throne.

Embrace nuclear power and this will all change.  I know Germany is changing to fossil fuel power generation.  They do this out of fear.  One can never tell when a tsunami is going to hit Munich, so they prepare for the worst. (Reminds me of the line: "We cannot allow, a mine-shaft gap.  Let me know if you know where that came from)  The FACT is that the death rate per Terra-Watt of power generated is 4,025 times higher with fossil fuel that with nuclear power.

The two main things that are hurting job creation in the United States are gas prices and uncertainty.  The GOP blames Obama for unemployment even though they are the ones causing the uncertainty.  As far as gas prices go, Obama doesn't have a voice in OPEC and when he tries to crack down on oil speculators in the United States, the GOP blocks him.

The group that hacked Sony, LULZ also hacked a security company.  The security company offered $10,000 to anyone that could hack their site and change a specific photo.  LULZ did it quickly but turned down the money.

A computer repair guy installed software on computers that he was working on.  The software allowed him to remotely control the computers' video cameras.  So, women would take their computers home and he would be able to see whatever was in range of the camera.  He got caught when he got a little...ambitious.  He caused their computers to post the following message "Your lens is becoming dirty.  A suggested remedy is to put it in an area with steam for a few minutes."  The idea was to try to get them to take their computer with them when they showered.

A quote for the day: “The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.”  Thomas Sowell

Alas....there is a world to save.  Also, I need to get dressed - I'm off to the Budapest Ballet.  I get a discount when I wear my cape.

Up, up and away...

jim

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