The Pain Of Loss Is Like No Other

If you haven't felt the pain of loss that I am feeling now, then I pity you for never having experienced what can only be described as true “unconditional love”. Earlier this morning I suffered the loss of one yet another dog that was not only very special to me, but exceedingly special even amongst dogs. Most dogs are obedient, and many are loyal, but few go beyond that that express a level of love that most humans cannot even approach.

For those who don't know, the Siberian Husky is an exceptionally special breed to begin with. They are far from any common dog, because not only are they exceedingly intelligent and very personable, but also because they are both pack oriented and independent. Siberians do not simply obey a master, they accept you as one of their family (pack) for life … if you meet their standards.

The Shepherd-Malamute mix (middle back row) was also exceptionally intelligent, friendly, and agile, but like the Shepherd-Keeshond (far right) she was one to just be eager to please by obeying commands. Even though the Shepherd-Keeshond was fond of back-talking when given a command, she would comply. And the Min-Pin (center front) was just happy to please and mildly defiant only as means to garner more attention. The Siberians are not like the others...

Unless they choose to comply after you have earned their respect, chances are they're going just defiantly ignore you, and I firmly believe much of it relies upon the initial human-dog bonding, or lack thereof. You don't pick a Siberian Husky puppy, the Siberian must pick you. If there is no initial Siberian-human bond, there will never be any bond.

No need to state that the face of this blog belongs to my most precious little girl Sheba (left rear). I still say it was divine intervention, having drained the oil from the car before realizing I'd used the last filter from inventory on one of my welding machines, we didn't go for a driven when we intended to because I had to run to town for an oil filter. Nonetheless, we ended up meeting Sheba that day, and there was no doubt that little princess ruling over her brothers instantly picked me at the moment I first held her in my arms. The poor girl had nothing but problems her whole life, from a skin infection when she was a puppy, to persistent digestion and bladder problems, to a couple rapidly growing tumors that had to be removed. Through it all, she never complained about anything but being separated from her family. Just like my baby who passed this morning, she never once a whimper of pain for herself, just concern for her family right up to the very end.

Nothing can describe the loss I am feeling right now, because it's been 54 weeks since I lost Sheba and that pain is still cutting my heart to shreds. More to follow...

Finding Humor Amidst the Hype and Hypocrisy

In this day and time it's difficult to find the humor in anything. We're being bombarded by the political lies, unjustified accusations of racism, and the relentless assaults on our Liberties and Freedoms from every angle. It's enough to make one's head hurt from shaking it at the pitiful condition our world is in, and realizing that the people entrusted to run things, are in deed making them worse!

That aside, I was reading through Product Design and Development magazine this morning when I came across a lengthy article extolling the virtues of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in consumer appliances. I could not help but to find humor in the choice to include a picture of a toaster oven in this article. What better way to demonstrate the sad reality of what we see throughout our world today, than to span opposite ends of the intelligence and design spectrum with just one picture of one consumer appliance!

Pick a toaster oven, any toaster oven, and let's take a closer look at why such an otherwise unnoteworthy appliance can become the humorous focal point of what's supposed to be a geeky tech article. Let's start with the fact that toaster ovens are one of the best choices to demonstrate the hypocrisy of everything from design engineering to those who push energy conservation, yet lack any understanding of science.

Without boring you to tears by turning this post into a geeky tech article … let's start with the fact that the doors on toaster ovens are uninsulated single-pane glass which allows much of the heat to radiate into the house. Consider also that every single toaster oven door I have seen, is designed in such a manner as to allow the maximum amount of heat loss from the cooking chamber when the door is opened. Go a step further and we find that nearly every toaster oven is controlled by a thermostat located between the cooking chamber and outside case; this only works because there is no insulation between the cooking chamber and exterior case, and that's why the outside of these ovens get hot enough to fry your hide. While all that heat leakage into the home isn't an issue when you're baking Christmas cookies in the North Dakota winter, here in Florida it means your air conditioner must work harder and waste a lot of electricity pumping that heat back out of the house.

The humor comes in choosing a picture of a toaster oven with the most hideously inefficient and wasteful design of any other appliance in an article about AI. I have been, and likely I will continue to be chastised for pointing out hypocrisy, especially when it comes to politics, the media, religion and engineering. Sometimes I just stop and try to contemplate whether people can actually think for themselves anymore! I was “unfriended” on Facebook by people who claim to be “Christians”, and are working in “Christian media”, merely because I pointed out their hypocrisy in claiming the proclamation of truth, while repeating fictional propaganda created by people promoting a sociopolitical agenda. It's the same as being banned from an engineering forum for calling out the nonsensical unscientific claims of one who was only intent on promoting the agenda his sponsor paid him to promote. When one maintains an objective mind, it is easy to see the commonalities amongst the hired media types no matter what genre of media they claim.

So, how about heading into the weekend with a laugh at those who chose one of the worst possible examples of failed human intelligence in consumer appliance design, to promote artificial intelligence in consumer products! LOL

Counterfeiting and Piracy Costing Us Jobs and Money!

The International Chamber of Commerce Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (ICC BASCAP) reports that the volume of counterfeit and pirated goods increased more than eighty percent over the five years between 2008 and 2013. Not so coincidentally, this is the same period of time in which President Obama funneled over $4,040,800,000 of your tax money to foreign companies under the guise of “Obama-Stimulus”. Yes, that's right, President Obama, along with your Congressmen and Senators, sent over four billion of your hard-earned dollars to create jobs in foreign countries. The US Department of Energy hired eighteen firms with your tax money courtesy of Obama-Stimulus, and of those eighteen contracts, eleven went to Chinese companies, two went to Indian companies, and one each to Denmark, Japan, Germany, and the USA. At this point it won't come as shock to learn that ninety-three percent of the jobs that were actually “created” by Obama-stimulus were in foreign countries.

Keep in mind that as you read this in 2016, there are currently over ninety-five million Americans unemployed, that includes the ones collecting unemployment compensation that the government counts, and all those who have exhausted their unemployment compensation claims and are still out of work. And thanks primarily to the insane costs mandated by Obama-care, we have approximately one-hundred-thirty million Americans who are identified as being “under-employed”; that means they are working less than forty hours per week. Obama-care has also given us sweeping changes in that employers now consider “full-time employment” as meaning sixty hours or more per week.

While the few Americans who are working, are being forced to work multiple part-time jobs for low pay, or full-time jobs with twenty-plus hours per week of mandatory overtime, as a country we're losing over five-hundred billion dollars annually, and nearly three million jobs!

All this brought to you by the same government that is now taking your tax money and giving more than seventy-thousand dollars per year of it to illegal immigrants and Islamic invaders! Wouldn't it be great if government worried about American and Americans as much as they do foreign countries and people who hate us? 

Solar Subsidies ... Wasting Taxpayer Money!

I posted the following on our local power utility's Facebook page in reply to people whining about wanting to get “government subsidies” to finance solar PV installations. Before you continue reading, just keep in mind that none of the things you enjoy in your daily life came about as a result of government subsidies, they came about because inventors and innovators creating things worked well and saved you time or money. If solar PV systems cannot produce an ROI (Return On Investment) either in dollars or energy, then why do people think that the government should confiscate money from taxpayers to fund things that waste energy, time, and resources? …

My Reply:

I was "green" before it became the "cool thing" and while we managed to survive the "imminent ice age" hoax, and now the "global warming" hoax ... the one thing they have in common with solar power plants, is that none of them have any facts to support the claims.

From Japan, to Norway, to Australia, to Iceland, to the USA, not one single utility-scale solar plant has prove profitable. The Ivanpah plant in California has not been able to operate without burning massive amounts of N-gas, and doing it exceeding inefficiently at that!

Government involvement has done nothing but stifle innovation by subsidizing technology, methods, and project we know will fail, while simultaneously prohibiting the implementation of technologies and methods that have been proven viable. Government has wasted massive sums of our tax money, and destroyed countless acres of land with solar and horizontal wind farms we knew would fail before they were even proposed. Meanwhile we have 1350 miles of shoreline and dozens of rivers and canals going to waste. Doesn't anyone else find it curious that government will subsidize small-scale solar projects they know will never produce an ROI, while at the time prohibiting low-impact hydro, and wave-pneumatic which are proven efficient and environmentally sound technologies? Private companies have been denied permits to construct those hydro projects, as well as vertical wind turbines, at zero cost to the taxpayers because they are proven to produce rapid ROI. Government is also the reason why over 18% of our total energy demand is being dumped into landfills rather than utilized! Not to mention that over 40% of landfill material can be recycled or repurposed if not for the hideously stupid government mandates!

Jimmy Carter created the Department of Energy, and in the thirty-nine years since October 1977 they have not only NOT solved the so called "oil crisis", but they've only managed to amass one vehicle for every employee, hire foreign workers instead of Americans, sell Energy Star stamps to the highest bidder, and make it so that "durable goods" which used to have an average thirty-year lifespan, now last less than five years while costing exceedingly more money! Just look at the massive waste of taxpayer money going on Bushnell*, and not a single thought was given to implementing thermal-solar into the massive heat-islands they're building that are going to increase the amount of energy required for cooling.

* Road and other taxpayer-funded construction projects currently happening in Bushnell, Florida.

Flaming Hypocrisy - NFL & Kaepernick 

In recent weeks there's been all sorts of hoopla surrounding the so-called “demonstrations” these hypocritical imbeciles like Kaepernick are taking part in. Now why is it that not a single member of the media, nor any official of any of the professional sports organizations, nor any one else in the spotlight, bothers to ask why these clowns like Kaepernick run around in clothing provided by Nike brand while collecting advertising money from the same, and not of one of them is in the least bit concerned about the slave, child and oppressed laborers Nike is exploiting in Africa, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, and elsewhere?

Where is all the outrage and protests about the “evil corporation” of Nike exploiting underprivileged people for profit? Oh, that's right … they conveniently ignore those facts when those facts are what's putting massive sums of money in their pockets! How convenient it is that this Kaepernick clown doesn't say a word about the royalties he's collecting on jerseys produced by Nike with his name on them. Isn't it also amazing how these spoiled brats are so concerned about “black oppression”, yet they don't say a word about all the black folks that Nike and other other sports-funding corporations are exploiting in Africa?

Does it not warrant asking the questions as to why these imbeciles lay claim to being “African-American”, while not having the least bit of concern about the real Africans being exploited for their personal gain? And, doesn't it also bear asking why not a single one of these Kaepernick clown types don't bother to say a word about all the “minority” children being exploited as sex-slaves for sports fans? Why yes, these “protesters” are so concerned about the plight of others, unless it comes to admitting that the Super Bowl is the single larges sex-slave exploitation and sex trafficking event in America! Nope, the players and the NFL remain completely silent on the matter, and even go so far as to prohibit journalists who would ask these questions from even entering into press events. Isn't the extreme hypocrisy simply amazing?

Green Car Reports: "2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric car: 238-mile EPA range rating, 119 MPGe combined"

_____________________________________________________

When it comes to the claims made about EV ranges and lifespans, it's fair to say that I am very skeptical based on real world data. These big boasting claims are short-lived when the real world data comes in. Experience shows that vehicles are rated like air compressors at the local DIY store where the Hp rating is the sum total of the unit running at maximum delivery and the maximum power stored in reservoir ... two things that cannot happen simultaneously, yet the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection does nothing about the false advertising.

One must also question why the EPA insist on using the hideous MPGe rating when it should be using the MPkW rating? EVs are primarily powered by coal-fired power plants, so how does one equate pounds of coal to horsepower of steam to generation of electricity by some mythical means to come up with MPG? Makes me SMH! 　

While we're on efficiency, note how they are so careful as to avoid discussion of the battery limitations and degradation. Nonlinear degradation increases in Li-ion batteries in temperatures above 86°F so consider the results of batteries inside vehicles exposed to internal temperatures that can easily exceed 135°F without even considering the radiant heat absorbed through the bottom from road or parking lot surfaces at 50-85 W/sqft. Consider also that cycle life of Li-ion batteries is greatly reduced by the number of full charges, and the length of time they are allowed to remain at full charge.

Going back to the range claims as they related to battery life, take note that EV manufacturers and radical proponents conveniently omit information concerning Li-ion battery life cycles and capacity degradation. Li-ion batteries loose approximately 15% of their total capacity after the first 250-500 charge cycles. The depth of discharge also negatively affects the total capacity of the battery whereby the further the battery is discharged, and the higher the level it is charged to, the greater its total capacity loss will be. Li-ion batteries are happiest when they are not discharged below 40%, nor charged to more than 70% of their total capacity. Now keep in mind that those number change according to the degradation associated with every discharge/charge cycle. Thus, after 250-500 cycles, the 70% charge level actually becomes 55% or less depending on how much the battery has degraded to that point.

So let's tie this all together and realize that your new 200 mile range EV is probably going to be limited to about 150 miles, and considerably less than that if you're running the heater or air conditioning. After the first year or so, your maximum range is going to be down to about 125 miles, and by year three you're going to be down to about 90 miles as long as you don't use lights, wipers, heater, air conditioner, power windows, phone chargers or anything else other than the actual drive motor. So before you go plunking down your purse of gold coins for a shiny new chariot with a great sales pitch, know what you're really getting into.

No, I'm not an opponent of EVs, I'm just a realist which makes me a proponent of hybrid vehicles as opposed to Evs. I do favor EVs in those applications where they are best suited, but as a matter of practical application, EVs are not going to prove efficient for the majority of Americans. However, properly designed hybrids can prove to be exceptionally efficient for a large portion of American drivers. Yes, I am an opponent of much of the hideous engineering stupidity that has dominated the vehicle industry for more than a century, and continues to do so for reasons as of yet remain unexplained. EVs that look and operate like what we would call a “normal” car, can never achieve peak efficiency. EVs should look and operate like a dedicated EV … imagine that, eh? Kind of like buying a charcoal grill and expecting it to perform like a gas grill. Thus, if they're going to build EVs, why do they insist on making them look like the same old crap they've been putting off the assembly lines for more than century? No, this doesn't make any more sense than the EPA mandating that reducing emissions by 0.0002% per gallon of fuel burned, is better than reducing fuel consumption by 33% … utter stupidity is what it is, and that's why we're devolving from world leading superpower, to just another third-world crap hole! 

FDR's Great Depression Proves Socialism Does Not Work!

Some things have really been poking me in the eye lately, and it's time we face the facts head-on! Stay tuned as this will be a series of posts since the material comes from comments I see posted around social media that range from misinformed, to execrably stupid. Unfortunately, the material is abundantly plentiful.

How about we start off with a little bit of Bernie Sanders's so-called “democratic socialism” … as if that in itself doesn't provide enough material to fill an entire book. With that in mind, let's begin with this quote: “President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used socialist systems to fix the social problems he saw in America.” Okay, now let's see how that worked out for America.

FDR's ballooned the national debt by 11.5 times taking it from $22.5 billion to $258.5 billion. Even when allowing a major chunk of that for the cost of World War Two, nearly $90 billion, or four times the national debt when he entered office, was caused by FDR's socialist program failures.

In 1933 FDR shut down all of the banks and forced Congress to pass the Emergency Banking Act, which gave the government police-state powers over all American banks and double-down on the socialist Federal Reserve Act of 1913. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) created by FDR, forced the already economically destitute taxpayers to bail out the banks. The result of this socialist plan drove inflation through printing more devalued paper money, and reducing the buying power of the few American who were still working.

FDR's Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1934 was essentially rooted on the same central-command ideals as the 1933 national-socialist Nazi Reich Entailed Farm Law, as well as similar programs in Russia and China. The failed idea was to increases taxes on people who were already taxed into poverty to support a bunch of new bureaucrats who would give a small portion of the tax monies to farmers who destroyed crops and animals while many of their fellow Americans were literally starving to death.

Contrary to what was claimed in the sales pitch, Roosevelt's socialist programs such as Civil Works Administration, National Industrial Recovery Act, and Works Progress Administration caused the prolonged stifling of the American economy, and subsequently the prolonged suffering of the American people. While the world felt the effects of the 1929 Stock Market crash, only the American people suffered the extended ravages of the Roosevelt-Socialist “Great” depression. Like all socialist programs, what sounds great in the sales pitch, will most assuredly leave you with buyer's remorse. Just as the 1934 AAA increased taxes on, and reduced the amount of food available to starving people, the so-called “works” programs removed the ability of the private sector to generate wealth.

To follow this, one must understand that government has no wealth, and government has means of generating wealth. Therefore, everyone employed, or otherwise funded, by government is a consumer of wealth. In order for government to support its employees (bureaucrats and politicians) and dependents, government must confiscate money from the people who actually generate wealth. All wealth originates solely through the efforts of wealth generators; the people who actually make or grow things, and the people who assist the people who make and grow things by providing necessary services. In fairness, we must exclude from the “bureaucrat” label, all those government employees who fall into the “wealth-neutral” category such as the military, fire and police because they provide the services that benefit all of society.

Thus, for the purposes of discussing the mythical utopia that's being called “democratic socialism”, let's see what we've learned over the years from Roosevelt and other US presidents. The more government sticks its nose fingers into wealth-generation, less wealth is generated. FDR's Great Depression should not only be a learning tool, but the visible results should scare the crap out of anyone who thinks government is the answer to anything!

The top five points:

1. Government can only survive if there is sufficient private sector wealth-generation.

2. Government work/job programs hinder private sector wealth-generation.

3. Government wage and price mandates cause inflation.

4. Increasing taxes on wealth-generators hurts the overall economy.

5. Reducing government's consumption of wealth, benefits the economy.

In closing, the next time you encounter someone who thinks college and other things should be provided for “free”, please take the opportunity to remind them that government doesn't have any money until they confiscate it from someone who is working. Ask them to demonstrate their conviction to the cause by giving the government 88% of their pay so it can be redistributed to others. Yes, that's right folks, when one calculates the total tax burden on working people in socialist countries, it averages 78%! Compare that to how many complain now about the United State average of just 38%. Putting numbers to it, the median average household income of a working Americans is $51,900; under the alleged democratic socialism being proposed by Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Party as a whole, you're income after taxes will decrease from $32,178 to $11,418 Oh, yes … kinda hurts when you put the numbers on it, eh?  

The Same Old Dog & Pony Show...

If this blog had been penned with a real quill, the ink would not have been dry on the “Hillary In The Hot Seat!” post when the media was running the headline: No Charges in IRS Targeting Scandal”.

Just as I spoke about the massive seventeen million dollar waste of taxpayer money producing nothing more than a dog and pony show when it came to the Waco Siege Slaughter investigation, and over sixty million dollars was wasted on the Cattlegate investigation where, as we expected, the criminal evidence was simply ignored, and the politicians went about business as usual.

And, mark my words, the Planned Parenthood investigation will be played the same as every other Congressional dog and pony show. As soon as the interest fades, all will be dismissed and things will return to business as usual. 

For-Profit vs. Charity and CEO compensation

In light of all the hoopla surrounding the CEOs of not-for-profit organizations, it is necessary to point out that there is a night to day difference between monies derived from "for-profit" enterprises and "not-for-profit charities". "Charities" are not the same as "clubs/organizations", nor should clubs/organizations that are not "charities" be granted special privilege at the expense of the taxpayers.

For-profit enterprises are limited only by what they can sell to people who are willing to buy their product/service. For-profit enterprises are compensated according to the marketability of their products or services as determined by their customer's willingness to purchase.

A club or organization is limited only by those who choose to purchase social status within said club/organization and all taxes should be applied the same as with any other for-profit enterprise because they're selling something. Purchasing membership in some so-called "professional organization" amounts to nothing more than buying social status.

A not-for-profit charity is a not only a different critter, it's a complete different species from a for-profit entity. Any group/organization that accepts donations for the purpose of redistributing that money, or turning it into services, for the needy, is a "charity" and as such, they need to play by different rules. Any group that doesn't redistribute at least 80% of it's intake to the needy, should not be considered a "not-for-profit". So point number one, there are way too many groups claiming not-for-profit status that shouldn't be. Political and social activist groups should not be considered the same as a "charity", and no matter how creative the marketing, they're still nothing more than private "members only" clubs.

Nonetheless, all not-for-profits need to be held accountable by their donors; therefore, their accounting needs to be an open public record. Any not-for-profit that isn't willing to be open, and honest. with their books, isn't worthy of donating to. They need to show exactly where the money goes without any 'creative accounting'. The CEO of any charity should never accept more than thirty percent above the national average wage; if they want to rake-in big bucks, they need to seek employment in a for-profit enterprise.

Not-for-profit organizations should also be held accountable to maintain reasonable expense accounts. They need not be using charter aircraft, first-class fares, and limousines to ferry the CEO, or anyone else. Coach gets there the same time as first-class; a taxi functions the same as a limo; shower and sleep are the same in Motel 6 as they are in the Waldorf. In fairness, a reasonable "expense account" for the CEO doing charity business, should not be considered "compensation" provided it is used only for legitimate business expenses just the same as on the for-profit side.

A step further ... if the CEO of a charity wishes to produce products to be sold for-profit, then there needs to be a clear and concise separation between "personal" and "charity" related works. If the CEO produces a book about his/her life, then it should be considered a for-profit work and subject to all the for-profit rules; however, the profit is the CEO's personal money. On the other hand, if the CEO produces work related to, or directly affected by, the charity they're in charge of, the funds derived from sales of those works should go directly to the charity and not the CEO, because without the charity, the CEO would not be able to produce said works. IE: Joe Schmo writes a book about his life, the profits are Joe's to keep and claim as his personal income. Joe Schmo writes a book about his time as CEO of Megacharity, the profits should go to Megacharity, because without Megacharity, no one would care about Joe Schmo.

Transparency, organizational accountability and personal accountability are not just important to a charity, they're essential! I refuse to support any for-profit, or charity that violates my core principles. I don't make any donations to any charity until I know where my money is going, and there isn't complete transparency, there's no money transferring from my pocket to theirs. When I give one in need food or money, I know exactly where one-hundred percent of my donation went.

I will digress a bit further to say that any group or organization that receives taxpayer money is neither a charity, nor not-for-profit; as soon as one penny of taxpayer money is accepted, they are by default a government agency and should be held accountable as such by the taxpayers. If we want separation of Church and State, then the State must be prohibited from giving money confiscated from the taxpayers to any group or organization outside of the government as defined in the US/State Constitutions. Why is no one pitching a fit about sports players who are turning millions of dollars personal profit annually solely because the government forced taxpayers to provide them with a place to operate their business? Let the NFL, NBA, philharmonic, gallery, etc. build their own places of business and jump through all the nonsensical oppressive government hoops that every other business has to! Why is there no outrage over the government confiscating money from taxpayers and using for the personal benefit of others?

Blessings!

Donald Trump's Tax Plan and Trench Economics

No doubt you've heard party-machine pundits, and talking heads on both the left, and right, condemning Donald Trump's tax plan. Some condemn it because they're opposed to Liberty, and other oppose it because they don't understand it. One can easily dismiss the foolishness of the leftists who oppose anything that even remotely resembles Liberty, let alone economic empowerment of the individual; thus, in this post we're only going to look at the arguments that at least have the appearance of reasonable concern.

Based on what I've heard in the media, the most prevalent argument against Trump's plan concerns the “zero percent bracket” for individuals making under $25,000 or $50,000 for married. People who oppose this fail to understand that these low-income people are not currently paying any income taxes, yet the majority are getting refunds of money they never paid. Therefore, under Trump's zero percent bracket, these people would no longer be getting refunds, they will just be allowed to keep what they make.

The biggest problem demonstrated by the opposition is that they simply do not understand how economics work down here in the trenches, because they have never built a business from the ground up. No one can build a successful business from nothing, without understanding what I call “trench economics”. Trench Economics are how things work down here in the trenches of day to day life for the majority of society. The trenches are where you find the primary producers, the butchers, the bakers, the candlestick makers, and everyone else who plays a part in making society function as a unit.

The second most prevalent opposition argument is that the zero percent bracket limits will be an incentive for people to not exceed the income limits. While this argument may sound nice, reality proves that it is complete nonsense. No matter what the incentives, or disincentives, every society is going to have a slacker class. All societies that have come before ours, and all societies that come after ours, are all going to have a slacker class. There is no amount of incentive you can give a slacker to cause them to have the desire to be productive; they will only do what is necessary, and no more. People in the slacker class will always have below average income, and most will not even consider the consequences if they exceed the limits, because they're typically more interested in watching TV or playing a video game.

Trench Economics 101:
The more money the slacker class has in it's pockets, the more money they will spend on goods and services. The slacker class does not consider economics, nor much of anything else for that matter. Most live paycheck to paycheck, and the vast majority typically have a whole lot of month left at the end of the money. The slacker class hasn't changed in thousands of years, and these people are never going to change until society as we know it comes to an end. If you give them all the money withheld from their paychecks at the end of the year, they're going to blow it as soon as possible. If the slacker class does any thinking at all, the only thing they're going to think about is what they're going to buy with their tax refund money. While they're not going to pay any income taxes either way, under Trump's zero percent plan, all of that money is going right back into the economy.

In certain circumstances, a small minority of people may benefit by not exceeding the income limit for a particular year, but people in this category will typically exceed the limits in subsequent years. Simple fact of the matter is that anyone having the intelligence to apply such careful consideration to tax law, will certainly have the intelligence and drive to better themselves by being more productive. Even if these people carefully plan to remain under the tax liability limit, history shows that they're going to either save or spend what money they have. If they save it, they'll usually invest it and therefore lessen the future burden on the taxpayers because there's less people trying to get a handout from the government.

Trench Economics 102:
The up and coming class may play the tax liability avoidance game for a time for a year, or even a few years, but in the end they're not going to deny themselves any longer than is necessary. They're going to want the fancy car, fancy house, and other things that feed their lust of social status more than they want to avoid a tax liability. Greed and lust are very powerful economically motivating factors; people will pay whatever it costs to feed these addictions.

Trench Economics 103:

Applying taxation as a penalty does nothing more than increase people's desire to avoid paying all taxes as much as possible. Things like the Alternative Minimum Tax, Marriage Penalty, Death Tax, Capital Gains, and so forth, are all looked upon as “punishments”. When a tax is viewed as a punishment, it gives people more incentive to avoid the taxes altogether. If you want to increase tax revenue, don't use taxes as fines.

Trench Economics 104:

Business pays no tax. That's right, when you hear about government sticking it to a corporation, understand that the tax liability is added to the price of the product or service. No matter if it's the local craftsman working alone in his own shop, or the mega corporation, their tax liability is viewed as any other businesses expense and added to the consumer cost. Politicians try to hide behind the smoke and mirrors, but despite the attempted deception, consumers are paying for all the taxes levied on businesses.

Trench Economics 105:
The more money people have, the more money they will spend. The more money they spend, the more products and services they purchase. More demand, creates more jobs. More jobs reduces the number of available workers, which makes businesses offer higher wages in order to get the best employees. The lower the combined tax liability, the more the economy grows. Tax revenues will necessary increase proportionally to economic growth. This is a vicious cycle we call “capitalism”, and it works every time it's tried.

At this point I must digress to comment on a key point that is not currently a part of Trump's plan, and that is the necessity of eliminating the rewards and punishments associated with one's marital status. If we must insist on punishing achievement by fining people for productivity, then all such taxation should be applied equally. Married or single, taxation should be applied exactly the same to every individual such that even married people will file individual returns. Give people a standard deduction for themselves, and each dependent they support. Simple enough plan whereby people are not punished for being single, and they are rewarded for supporting someone else rather than making the dependent, along with a host of bureaucrats, a giant burden on all the other taxpayers. Rewards should be giving to one who is single, but chooses to support a child in an orphanage, or foster home. Rewards are a great productivity incentive, while punishments stifle productivity.

The ideal tax system would be based purely on consumption. All people would be free to make as much as they desire with being punished, because the more money they make, the more money they want to spend. Thus, if one chooses to be frugal, they can put a whole lot of money into savings or investments, either way, they're going to be self-supporting rather then becoming a burden on the producers. Others will choose to buy things and pay the sales tax. Just the same as an income-base tax, the playing field of a consumption-base tax system must also be level via a fixed rate. Under the current sales tax system, the higher the cost of a product, the lower the percentage of tax; therefore, the lowest income brackets are paying the highest percentage of consumption taxes. Under a flat-rate consumption tax system, one buying a two-million dollar yacht, would pay the same percentage as one buying a two-thousand dollar bass boat.

What with all the fuss these days over 'equality' … isn't it about time we have equality in the tax system?

Blessings!

Please pardon my absence for family and health reasons.

Shaking My Head!

Headline from a recent industry news story:

"SPI Lauds Obama for Highlighting Economic Growth in State of the Union Address"

Seriously? Has no one noticed the deliberate war Washington has been waging on the American manufacturing base? The forced closures of coal-fired power plants by the EPA, and the EPA/DEP refusal to allow utilities to construct or upgrade grid infrastructure is setting us up for an electrical disaster. Excessive Obamacare costs are driving the labor force to part-time and reducing available healthcare, yet Washington does nothing to stop the flow of illegals or transmission of infectious diseases. The lower oil prices are temporary at best. More jobs being available does nothing to put contrast on the reality of the unemployment number propaganda where those who have exhausted their Unemployment Compensation, and those who are not eligible to claim UC are simply not counted by the government. Of the jobs coming available, the majority are part-time so as to skirt the Obamacare mandates. Considering the tax increases that went into effect January 01 including the new capital gains and medicare punishments; the looming increases in fuel and other transportation taxes; the looming increases in state & local taxes; increasing raw materials costs from metal to wood; increasing food prices as government's war on family farms goes into overdrive ... the only thing Washington is setting the stage for is a major socioeconomic disaster!

Denying the truth does not change what the truth is.

Ignoring the facts does not make them go away.

Satanic Coloring Books Handed Out In Public Schools

The Satanic Temple is handing out Satanic coloring books and other Satan-worship literature in government (public) schools. The most recent highly publicized display is taking place at government schools in Orange County Florida. Now, before you dismiss this as another "Only in Florida" moments, be it known that this is the same group that's erecting a statue of Baphomet on the grounds of Oklahoma's statehouse right smack dab in the so-called "heartland".

Translation from picture posted by The Satanic Temple:

"Audi preces meas Satana blessed be"

(Latin: Hear my pleas)

Now, before anyone goes off half-cocked screaming for “censorship” ... consider that the censorship works both ways so think before you speak and be careful what you ask for. If you ask to censor views that oppose your own, then you must accept that your views are also subject to the same censorship. The United States was not created to operate on censorship but rather the free exchange of information and ideas ... it's just too bad that the majority of our politicians and bureaucrats are in opposition to our founding principles and in violation of our Constitution.

Personally, I think this is both good news and a wonderful teaching opportunity. It's "good news" because the acknowledgment of the existence of Satan is by default the acknowledgment of God because one can not have "evil" without also having "good" and one can claim neither without admitting the existence of a non-physical conscience. The claim of "spirits" or "ghosts" also cannot be made without acknowledging the existence of a non-physical entity (soul) which not only never dies but exists irrespective of the physical being (body). Therefore, anyone who maintains any of these beliefs to any degree must by default reject the theory of evolution since: Energy can only change state, not evolve therefore spirits or souls cannot come from the environment; evil cannot exist without good; moral conscience relies upon the existence of a moral law.

All this brings us to the primary point of this entire exercise being a wonderful teaching opportunity! First, as stated above, we have the opportunity to teach people the truth about the founding principles of our country and why we must always protect everyone's freedom to choose their way as well as their liberty to act according to their choices. As a consequence of protecting freedom and liberty, one must also understand and accept that one's freedom and liberty must not come at the expense of someone else's. Therefore, we must always defend the rights afforded to the Temple of Satan just the same as we defend the rights afforded to every other idea be it theological, anti-theological or whatever. Only those who wish to oppress others and the intellectually lame fear facts and the free exchange of ideas. This is why those who are only interested in pushing their opinion or agenda are so quick to press the “ignore” or “unfriend” button rather than let themselves give any consideration to the facts that will reveal the truth. One cannot be true to themselves unless they are willing to accept the truth that is revealed through careful examination and discussion of the ideas and evidence.

One only need look at the examples to confirm what is being said here. Socialist governments go to great lengths to brainwash their subjects into thinking they cannot survive without big nanny government caring for them. Communist governments go to extremes with censorship to prohibit their subjects from obtaining facts and participating in the free exchange of ideas. Religious cults and theocracies like the Islamic caliphates go to extremes with censorship to prevent the free exchange of ideas. All this happens because the free exchange of ideas threatens the governing body's ability to maintain control of their subjects. Speaking as a Christian, I have no objection concerning the dissemination of this satanic material in schools because anyone who is “being” a Christian parent or mentor should see this discussion opportunity for the blessing it is because all things being equal, Christians should not only be discussing the facts with their own children but also with all the non-Christians they come in contact with. Likewise, all the non-Christians should also welcome the discussions because it's a fine opportunity to present your facts and ideas as well.

Blessings!

Mark

Minimum Wage Hurts Workers & Economy

Every economy revolves around several factors whereby the wealth generation baseline is established by the ratio of cost to profit.

There are many contributing factors to the cost:profit ratio but the primary ones include:

• The amount of labor required to produce a product/service
• The minimum required skill level of laborers
• The volume of labors possessing said skill level that are available to work
• The minimum pay required to retain laborers with said skill level
• The prevailing selling price of the product/service according to demand

The above factors are what allow a “free market” economy to prosper and produce continuous growth. When one introduces an artificial change in any contributing factor, it triggers cascading detrimental disruptions to the "free market" economic system.

In the case of a minimum wage, the amount of artificial change to unskilled labor costs is the primary driving factor determining the baseline level of inflation. When labor costs increase across the board, the cost of producing the product/service increases proportionally … this is called “inflation” because the change was reduction in the purchasing power of the money.

At the time this is written, the current Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25/hour and the socialists are proposing a 107% increase in the Federal Minimum Wage to $15.00/hour which will in turn produce a 107% labor cost increase across the board in all industries. One must also consider the repercussions this will have not only on the wealth generation baseline but also on the overall economic/labor structure whereby the increases in operations costs will effect major detrimental changes to overall welfare of both moderate and low-income workers. Numerous business economists have evaluated the effects of major increases in the Federal Minimum Wage and their predictions have been confirmed to be accurate by the results observed following Seattle's choice to increase their Minimum Wage.

In Seattle, the primary immediate effects were felt by food and hospitality workers. Instantly it became necessary for businesses to cut operational costs across the board in order offset the government-mandated artificial labor cost increase. Immediately workers lost most or all of their perks such as being allowed to consume food and drink while working as well as employer provided insurances, daycare and parking. Many companies reduced their payrolls in addition to cutting hours and overtime. The net effect of increasing the Minimum Wage resulted in everyone's cost of living increasing but lower income workers are bearing the most substantial cost of living increases.

The fastest way for an employer to cut labor costs is by reducing the number of employees and current estimates show that if the Federal Minimum Wage is increased to $15.00/hour the economy will immediately shed well over a million jobs low-income jobs and an additional three million jobs across all other income classes. We have nearly eight decades of statistical data clearly showing the detrimental effects of a minimum wage on economic stability and growth. The only way to increase the standard of living for everyone is to allow the free market to be free from government manipulation. Anyone who is serious about increasing the standard of living must first understand that all standard of living increases are a byproduct of increased in a country's economic strength and stability. A country increases it's economic strength and stability by allowing the free market to generate wealth and as the market grows, so grows the people's standards of living.

Unfortunately, what we have here are a bunch of politicians, most of which have never had a real job and know nothing about wealth-generating businesses, instituting mandates that have a consistent 100+ year history of repeated failure! If politicians were serious about implementing positive change, they would stop punishing achievement by stifling wealth-generation. 

2014 Sochi Olympics

Gone to the dogs?

Everyone from celebrities to talk show hosts are complain about the Russian government killing stray dogs in Sochi. The collective ignorance and apathy amongst these folks is rather difficult to comprehend without wondering if it's intentional or has humanity become removed from itself? Ignorance is believable for those folks who don't normally follow sociopolitical issues but the blatant apathy displayed by so-called “news” and “media” people is absolutely inexcusable.

Even for those who are not aware of the fact that the Russian government still operates with the familiarity of the communist iron fist, a few minutes of on-line research would reveal this truth as well the the reason why there are so many stray dogs in Sochi. Many of the dogs were abandoned because their owners were forcefully evicted from their homes by the Russian government because of Olympic Park construction. Others were forced from their homes as a result of the collateral damage caused by the Sochi Olympic Park construction. An unknown number of Russian families are suffering damages, loss and homelessness because of the Sochi Olympics yet not one of the “talking heads” from cable news to Christian radio are saying anything about the “people”, only the “dogs”.

The Russian government claims they have enacted a “zero-waste” program for the Sochi Olympic Park yet massive amounts of waste and debris have been dumped around Sochi or hauled 160 miles north to Belorechensk. Dumping of waste, much of it dangerous and hazardous, is not limited to Sochi but also the villages of Uch-Dere, Loo and Atarbekovo to the point that massive piles of waste are causing some houses to collapse and others to be buried under tons of waste. The Russian people have not been compensated for the damages or losses, as is typical for people suffering under any excessively controlling government, they're left to fend for themselves.

I don't want to make this about the athletes as they are as much pawns in the political games as the Russian people. Has humanity really become this far removed from itself? Have we as human beings allowed our brain function to be reduced to sound-bites and tweets that we no longer have the ability or desire to ask “WHY”? Has the value of human life been reduced to less than that of animals? Have we more concern for the general welfare of animals than their human owners? Are you offended by my impudence in questioning your assignment of values? Do you happen to recall something about a “doing unto others” and for the Christians, do you recall something about “loving thy neighbor”?

Grilling “Papa Duck”

Phil Robertson unintentionally exposed some very disturbing realities.

More than a month has passed and the hysteria surrounding Phil Robertson's comments in a magazine interview just isn't dying down. There is a multitude of disturbing aspects to this topic that should alarm everyone and they have absolutely nothing to do with what Phil Robertson said.

The lack of reading comprehension is without doubt the most disturbing aspect of this whole fiasco because it's painfully obvious that the majority of individuals and alleged “reporters” alike have placed their ignorance on display. It goes beyond the incorrect and fabricated quotes to the heart of the matter which should scare the crap out of everyone. Many have screamed “freedom of speech” proving they have no understanding of the Bill of Rights which does not not apply to “all” speech and especially not to non-government affairs. How can we expect to defend either the Bill of Rights itself or people living under it if we don't even understand what is written therein?

One has to wonder how Camille Paglia becomes a “University Professor of Humanities and Media Studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia” yet lacks the very basic understand that the United States is “representative republic” and not a “democracy” as she is quoted as saying in a Christian Post article¹. In the same article Paglia makes reference to how the “legacy of free speech” has been lost by democratic political party. Why are people not appalled by the fact that Paglia, an alleged “professor”, is among the millions of others who fail to understand even the most basic concepts of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights?

First and foremost, there is an absolute clear distinction between a “democracy” which is “group” sovereignty and a “republic” which protects “individual” sovereignty. There is no mistaking the fact that the United States Constitution clearly protects the rights of the “individual” and not the “group” or “collective”. Most important to this discussion is the fact that the rights of the individual, specifically the “minority individual”, are protected in a republic but not in a democracy. One would think that Ms. Paglia would have acquired this basic constitutional knowledge in a middle-school civics class or at the very least sometime before being assigned the title “professor”.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution contained in what we know as the “Bill of Rights” states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

While each of these opens a can of worms for discussion, the intent here is to remain focused upon the underlying claims of “free speech”. Under the First Amendment, Phil Robertson is certainly guaranteed his right to speak in public or private about anything he wishes – however – once Phil has agreed to a private business contract his speech may certainly be limited by the other party to the said contract. This is essentially no different than when one signs a contract with a “non-disclosure” or “industrial espionage” clause, either or both parties of the contract are then bound by the terms of said contract. Whether one chooses to side with Phil or A&E, the fact remains that this is not a constitutional matter, at most it can be a discrepancy of either civil or contract law.

The “Papa Duck” moniker arises from the comparison of Phil Robertson to “Papa Francis” (Pope Francis) in a poorly written “Time Ideas”² commentary that is little more than a blatant display of liberal academia induced ignorance. The author of this most nonsensical article actually has the gall to claim that “Papa Francis” is a trained philosopher who “singlehandedly [sic] saved the church” by issuing the statement: “Who am I to judge?” ... Seriously? How does one even consider making the claim that the Pope “saved the church” by misunderstanding or outright dismissing the very biblical truth upon which the church is to stand?

I suppose it's not really a stretch to consider that the Pope would so easily dismiss scripture since Variety.com³ ran an article stating that over 18,000 Christians signed a petition supporting A&E in suspending Robertson. From a different angle one could easily rephrase the statement to read: “Over 18,000 Christians thumbed their noses at God and would rather see people suffer for eternity in hell than risk temporarily hurting their feelings.”

While most modern Christians fall back upon the segment of scripture “truth in love” they conveniently dispose of the full context surrounding the segment. The fourth chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians provides the necessary context:

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:14-15 (NIV)⁴

It is undeniable that the corruption of liberal academia and political correctness have impacted the Church to the point where Christians en masse reject the Great Commission in favor of being both "in" and "of" the world by choosing a flawed sociopolitical ideology over the Word of God. Ephesians is quite clear that we are not to be deceived by schemes like that of political correctness and tolerance. The truth need not be hateful and presented in love even though it may be painful. It is the deceit of the world that causes corruption of scriptural truth for all the way back in Genesis the serpent schemed by inserting doubt with the question 'Hath God said?' Political correctness and tolerance are the modern schemes of deceit effectually repeating the question 'Hath God said?'

Truth must be first and foremost no matter if one finds it painful or disagreeable. Christians must speak the truth in order to show their love and concern for eternal matters greatly exceed those of temporal feelings.

References

1. http://www.christianpost.com/news/lesbian-activist-blasts-ae-for-suspending-duck-dynasty-patriarch-phil-robertson-111311/

2. http://ideas.time.com/2013/12/19/the-duck-dynasty-fiasco-says-more-about-our-bigotry-than-phils/#ixzz2nx2BjASC

3. http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson-gq-ae-1200981032/

4. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%204&version=NIV;NASB

Insights From ... Vladimir Putin?
The decay of morals, society and national suicide.

Arguably there are vast differences between Vladimir Putin's sociopolitical ideals and those rooted in liberty but Putin is the only player on the world stage speaking about certain sociopolitical truths that are necessary to maintain a sustainable society and nation. Likely you have not heard hide nor hair of this because European and Western media systematical omit anything that does not pass through the liberal-socialist filter disguised as “political-correctness”.

Since the early 2000s Russian leftists have labeled Putin as being “anti-globalization” but in reality Putin is for “limited-globalization” and his beliefs in this matter are sound national policy for any country to follow. For clarity purposes it is important to note that the definition, scope and purpose of “globalization” has changed considerably since the term was coined in the 1950s. The original definition of globalization meant allowing more open trade between countries for the purposes of growing the national economy through its domestic manufacturing base. As years passed, the term “globalization” was slowly corrupted but the major turning point came in the 1990s when the Clinton administration signed NAFTA into law. While the consequences of NAFTA can fill volumes, for now it suffices to state that NAFTA essentially chopped the self-sustainability of the American manufacturing base as well as consumer choice off at the knees. With that in mind, Putin's assessment of the corrupted model of modern globalization is very much correct on the four primary points:

1. Loss of national sovereignty by compromising political authority to the collective.
   
2. Destruction of an independent manufacturing base through excessive outsourcing.
   
3. Decomposition of a national identity through the adoption of multiculturalism and European socialism.
   
4. Destabilization of the national economy by allowing internal markets to become subject to the fluidity of global markets and events.
   

The Left in Russia and the United States alike constantly point to European socialist hubs as “progressive centers of enlightened humanity”. Russian Leftists have launched a full-out assault on Putin's insistence on maintaining a national identity and promoting the basic moral code as “parochial narrow-mindedness”. Likewise, the parallel can be seen in the United States as Leftists and Progressives have raised their assaults on basic moral values and freedom to blitzkrieg levels.

Responding to the question, “Why is it so important for you to criticise [sic] Western values?” posed by a CNN reporter in his annual news conference on December 19, 2013 Vladimir Putin said,

“The Moral Code of the Builder of Communism is just a pathetic copy of the Bible. This code has passed on, it does not exist any more. A new generation of Russian citizens, young people don’t even know what it is. But the only thing that can replace it is those traditional values (religion and moral values) that you mentioned. Society falls apart without these values. Clearly, we must come back to them, understand their importance and move forward on the basis of these values.”

Changing only the words appearing in italics, Putin's reply to the CNN reporter's question would read as follows:

“The Moral Code of the Founding Fathers is just a mirror copy of the Bible. This code has passed on, it does not exist any more. A new generation of American citizens, young people don’t even know what it is. But the only thing that can replace it is those traditional values (religion and moral values) that you mentioned. Society falls apart without these values. Clearly, we must come back to them, understand their importance and move forward on the basis of these values.”

The parallel is rather scary, is it not?

Quoting Nikolai Berdyaev in the same news conference, Putin went on to say,
“The point of conservatism is not that it obstructs movement forward and upward, but that it prevents the movement backward and downward. That, in my opinion, is a very good formula, and it is the formula that I propose.”

Does this make you wonder if Putin is really quoting Nikolai Berdyaev or Ronald Reagan?

What Putin said above corresponds to the statement he previously made when questioned about Russia's laws banning “propaganda of non-traditional relations".
Putin - “Russia sees itself as a defender of conservative values against what it considers an assault of genderless and fruitless so-called tolerance which equals good and evil".

History provides undeniable proof that one cannot point to any society that either prospered or was even able to sustain itself through moral corruption and the subsequent destruction of its youth. Communist China is now facing the realization that the sustainability of their nation is in jeopardy because their “one-child” has destroyed generations of their youth. The American Leftists and Progressives are indistinguishable from the European socialists and they are leading the United States down the same road to failure as we see happening to socialist countries in the EU. Thanks to the incompetence of our politicians in all parties and at all levels of government, we are already facing a severely crippled manufacturing base and an unsustainable debt load. If we continue to allow the destruction of our society and youth through the corruption of so-called “tolerance” then we shall reap the harvest of the evil we sow. God help us!

Welcome to "Mark's Quill"!

 Here you will find the systematic evaluation of current events, trends and sociopolitical issues through the judicious application of evidential observational philosophy. Our "information age" gadgets are saturated with myths, misconceptions, theoretical gibberish, hype and outright lies to the point where tens-of-thousands of people will "share" some bit of "information" yet few will take a few seconds to confirm or refute its validity. Fads are always self-defeating and following trends without applying serious consideration of the long-term effects will most often result in both personal and financial loss as is so commonly seen in the housing market. Applying the methodology of evidential observational philosophy affords one a clear third-person spectator view while still being very much involved in the game.

For the younger folks, a "quill" is an old time pen made from a primary wing or tail feather of a large bird, typically a goose and turkey. The end was trimmed, split and dipped in liquid ink for writing and as a side note, left-side feathers are for right-handed writers and vice versa.

For the "green" folks, please note that this is a paperless blog generated using 100% recycled electrons.

Comments and questions are always welcome but please note that all posted comments are moderated to prevent spamming.

Grab a coffee and join me on the cyber-porch!

Mark