All our wanting comes from needs,
thus we continuously suffer.
The intellect teaches free will,
free from suffering.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Image of the Day: RE: The Government Contractor of the ACA Website Gets an Extension
 |
| Via Citizens Against Government Waste |
I promised my niece a long time ago I wouldn't identify her in my blog, and I have since taken 3 posts or edited out identifying comments on relatives; I didn't want my family and friends being targeted by the "progressive" netroots for my ideological viewpoint that almost no other relative shares.
I can still remember my sister, 14 months younger, pushing her doll carriage while we pretended to visit our (paternal) grandmother (our maternal grandmother died of cancer complications when I was almost 3). She didn't meet her husband, career enlisted Air Force, like our Dad, until a few years after earning her nursing degree and achieving her RN. Her first-born daughter was born premature; I raced home as soon as I could from Houston to San Antonio, only to discover an uncle didn't qualify as immediate family to visit my newborn niece in her preemie incubator. I was determined to see her and my sister managed to smuggle me in. After she was released from the hospital, my brother-in-law would carry around relevant medical equipment when they visited my folks whom at the time also lived in the San Antonio area. She grew up in robust health; you would never imagine she was once a fragile, tiny baby. Adorable, too: I remember when I visited while she was 2 years old during my summer break from UWM (I had bought her a big Donald Duck stuffie, one of her favorite Disney characters), my sister told me to listen as we drove past a burger restaurant. My niece solemnly pointed out, "McDonald's: burger; fries; Coke."
My sweetie gorgeous niece today has striking naturally blond hair; she, unlike her uncle, is passionate, in robust health, has a big heart, an upbeat personality, and is a talented teacher, not to mention an able musician and singer. (We've talked about writing songs together.) She's a faithful Catholic, related from her father's side of the family to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. She will be an able stepmother to a precious young boy.
Although I've never been blessed with a daughter of my own, the following two singles touched me so much I bought/licensed them (in the case of the second, the original hit song). Christian music artist Bob Carlisle wrote this song for his daughter's sweet 16, and it was an accidental #1 on the adult contemporary charts, a track that almost didn't make his CD at the time. (I really dig the flowers in the hair bit.) I still recall hearing the song for the first time on a Chicago soft rock radio station, and it blew me away; the song was so popular when I went to a music store to buy the track, they stored copies in a locked cabinet or tethered to the counter.
This comes from a cover version of "Butterfly Kisses" by a new bride's brother. Her father had recently passed, so this event occurred at the time of the traditional father-daughter dance. From the video liner notes:
Her dad, Mark, died earlier in the year from pancreatic cancer. Andrea's first dance is with Mark's father, followed by her brother Luke, then brother Nick and finally her new father-in-law Scott.
Here's an example of a love story I want all couples in love to take inspiration in:
Facebook Corner
(Illinois Policy Institute). A bill was introduced that would freeze the current pension benefits accrued by Illinois General Assembly members and move them into a self-managed, 401(k)-style system.
I propose a bill that would eliminate all legislators pay and no retirement bennys and maybe we could someone in office for the people by the people instead of for the politician buy the politician.
Politicians are in it for the power and the fame; how else can you explain how an incompetent incumbent would spend a billion dollars of other people's money to get reelected to a job paying around 400K a year? The main problem with this bill is that it's a drop in the bucket; public officials only account for a tiny fraction of Illinois' unfunded liability. We need the 401K/403B applied to all pension-eligible state positions.
401k style? What does that really mean. It either is a 401k or it is not. And how it should really work, is take all the contributions made by each member and calculate it over each members tenure following the average market and see how much they should really have in their account.
I believe in the public sector you have 403B, vs 401K. In fact, I contributed to 403B's during my 5 years as a state university professor. The bottom line is that it would limit the state employers' liability to some fixed amount, not unlike my post-academia employers in the private sectors. And you would be surprised how much people can earn in their 401k/403b accounts; for example, I have multiplied my initial investments. And let's be clear: the current Ponzi scheme pension system is unsustainable because the state has failed to adequately fund it on an ongoing basis in accordance with demographic trends, shifting their fair share of the burden to future taxpayers.
Coolidge is wrong about that. Nothing is easier than giving away tax cuts even if it means bankrupting the state. Ask Jim Thompson, Jim Edgar and George Ryan. Nobody likes paying taxes and everybody likes getting a tax cut.
Showing your economic ignorance as usual, you "progressive" troll. "Giving away" tax cuts? As if the State is entitled to steal more than its fair share from someone who earned his money (versus the spendthrift State, which earns nothing but contempt). The issue is excess spending, not "under-taxing". Unlike the idiocy of your position that it's popular to pass tax cuts, it's actually easier to spend other people's money, especially when you outnumber them...
But I suggest that you go back to your flunked history classes. Harding and Coolidge did not go on Keynesian spending sprees in the post-WWI depression; they cut both spending and taxes, balanced the budget, and paid down on the war debt. Yes, aggregate tax revenues offset fully the decrease in marginal tax rates. The same thing happened in the aftermath of the JFK/LBJ, Reagan, and Bush tax cuts; the problem with the latter in particular is the cuts were too small and spending increases outstripped the gains to revenue.
 |
| Via Illinois Policy Institute |
Look at bond ratings; it becomes harder to borrow when revenues are oversubscribed by essential services and escalating pension payments: will cities renege on servicing their loans? After all, cutting on other obligations is politically unpopular. Bondholders will require an interest rate increase to reflect their additional risk exposure.
 |
| Courtesy of the original artist via Catholic Libertarians |
That's nonsense. One could argue the KKK members were born into homes and/or a culture which disliked "different" people (racial, Catholic, immigrants, etc.) But in any event, if businesses decline to service some markets versus others, that's their decision. It opens up opportunities for entrepreneurs to service their needs. Government has no right to intervene. Take, for instance, my being left-handed. Roughly only 1 in 10 is a lefty. I can't force a vendor to stock lefty items--but there are Internet vendors to service them. Similarly, I'm sure that gay communities have identified gay-friendly bakeries, etc. (There, in fact, may be gay bakers.) Why would you impose on an unfriendly vendor and force him to make a cake? For all you know, even if he was forced to do so, he could take the proceeds and give them to the Westboro Baptists...
(Drudge Report). PUTIN CALLS BLUFF: REQUESTS MILITARY FORCE. Obama Skips National Security Team Meeting..
The last thing we can/should do is to meddle in Ukrainian internal affairs. Obama should not be writing checks he cannot cash. We need to morally support the pro-liberty Ukrainian people. This does not mean a proxy war of America/Russian interests. Russia's economy can ill-afford a guerrilla war of attrition in the Ukraine.
The troubles in Ukraine are political and economic. The coup and anti government groups there had lots of money to support the movement. ...in your mind where did all that money and support come from? Russia is not our enemy. Russians are good Christian people. But Russia is also very much against globalization and this was evident by Putins response against George Soros attempt at devaluing Russian currency a few years ago. Russia is also a powerhouse in the oil and gas sector. The USA/Arab energy sector wants very much to have control of Russian energy stakes. All these (so called) freedom movements we are seeing on the news, Venezuela, Ukraine. Brazil..., are nothing more than big Bankers and Globalists making chess moves for control of the planets diminishing oil and gas reserves. Crimea is the home of Russia's black sea fleet and the gateway to the Mediterranean. If Ukraine goes to the EU they also go to NATO, that would be a huge and direct threat to Russia's southern flank. Your president Obama is being directed and controlled by the Globalist George Soros. Hilliary Clinton is on George's team as well. Russia is not having any part of Georges plan for Europe and the USA and this is why Putin is Obamas/Soros number one target. All that faked bad press during the Olympics, the constant attacks by our Federal Reserve and Soros to devalue Russian currency, and this blatant attack on Russia's national security by the USA are all tied to Soros, the Federal Reserve, and Americas quest for Globalization. .....not conspiracy folks---reality.
Welcome to the crackpot conspiracy movement. Russia is meddling in the internal affairs of another country and has a corrupt government, seemingly bent on reestablishing another regional empire.
Musical Interlude: My iPod Shuffle Series
Harry Chapin, "Taxi".
