tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50986824224390248122024-02-20T16:24:40.231-08:00New Liberal DemocratF.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.comBlogger256125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-14559215933548080552018-02-06T15:51:00.002-08:002018-02-06T15:51:28.608-08:00The Rondel vs. Freund ShowIf anybody is out there reading this, I've published the first two episodes of my show on YouTube. The show is me and my friend talking about current topics and our interests. We have amazing insights and try to have a good time. Please take a look and I suspect the production value and conversation will improve over time.<br />
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We welcome your comments and feedback.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqFhnIWAnHs&t=1s" target="_blank">Podcast #1</a><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G6ZFlwDKoU&t=1s" target="_blank">Podcast #2</a><br />
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<br />F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-58018663238808025252016-11-09T23:09:00.001-08:002018-02-06T15:46:04.502-08:00Trump winsI'm not a huge (not intended) fan of Trump, but I'm super against those who don't support him. That includes "conservatives". The democrats are so far gone that anyone who is not a democrat is easily super qualified to lead this country. Seriously. I don't care if the guy says shit you don't like, grow up. He could shit on the stage and hurl it at the audience and he would still be more qualified than any democrat running for office.<br />
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Listening to Ben Shapiro just pisses me off. Character matters? No, it doesn't. Who the fuck cares, get your head out of your ass and smell the fucking future. You aren't it, dumbass. Conservatism isn't it.<br />
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There are an innumerable number of posts and reactions that show just how far gone the left is. Here's a small sampling:<br />
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/this-is-a-terrifying-moment-for-america-hold-your-loved-ones-close/ar-AAk4VsA<br />
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http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/her-son-died-robbing-a-pizza-hut-now-she-wants-the-employee-who-shot-him-to-be-charged-with-a-crime/ar-AAk10b5<br />
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To the second one, yes your son should have died you fucking waste of a human being. Your son should have been aborted and unfortunately it took 28 years for it to happen. Don't think for a second that your son wouldn't have killed someone for some idiotic reason. The person killed your son because your son THREATENED his life. Oh, and give me a fucking break with the hard luck story. Don't buy Air Jordans which cost probably a weeks salary, and for g-dsakes where is planned parenthood when you need them to prevent this idiot from having children. I could go on and on around this horrible person and his horrible family, but I won't because apparently his horribleness makes other people racist. Yup, his stupidity is because of racism.<br />
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You know why I'm a Trump supporter? Because the bitch and her family are not. Because they are "with her" and that's fucking scary. Anyone who reads shit like this and isn't banding together and getting on the Trump train is a fucking traitor. And quite frankly just plain stupid.<br />
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Trump won, yay. Holy shit this country is fucked.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-49319991509225730962016-10-03T00:58:00.001-07:002016-10-03T00:58:20.633-07:00Why Trump is Better than HillaryThe simple reason why anyone would support Trump over Hillary is that it's clear that Trump loves his country and his people while Hillary does not. That's it. We can argue all we want about policies, but at the end of the day you have two people. One person has your best interests in his heart, the other one has her best interests. That alone explains the appeal of Trump to Hillary.<br />
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More generally, the parties are reflecting this distinction. One party loves America, while another party doesn't. They say they do with this and that caveat. But it's increasing clear that they don't.<br />
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I for one am starting to really loathe (more than I already do) all these people in this country who don't appreciate it. It's extremely disheartening and anger inducing to listen to a bunch of ingrates bash the country that has given them a lifestyle that they could only have dreamed of. <br />
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We are a country that is clearly moving in the wrong direction. We are becoming a racially polarized country and it's getting worse. It's a very sad state and we have no one but ourselves to blame.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-47193680711188016562015-12-23T02:54:00.001-08:002015-12-23T02:54:30.180-08:00Simplifying the tax code is not so simpleI just read an interesting article in the WSJ regarding simplifying the tax code. The policy proposals are sensible enough and the author makes a push to separate efficient tax policy from government redistribution but I think his efforts are wasted.<br />
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The first thing to realize is that the tax code is complex on purpose and the main motivation behind it is to hide the amount of taxes that each person actually pays. If you knew how much you actually paid in taxes, you would have a different perspective on things. The goal of tax policy is to tax you as much as possible without you knowing you're being taxed as much as possible.<br />
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Why does your employer collect taxes on your behalf. Well, it's kind of like the idea of paying yourself first for retirement. To recapitulate, the idea is that if you pay yourself first, you won't see the money and won't miss it as much. It makes savings easier. Well, your taxes are withheld for the same reason. Does anybody question the legality of the government going to your employer and demanding that they pay them the taxes you owe? Anyway, it's just one of the ways to minimize the pain of paying taxes. <br />
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Other ways that you don't know you're being taxed are that your employer pays social security taxes for you. Actually, they don't, they just pay you less than you would otherwise be paid. Another method of hiding taxes is to cause inflation. Another is to tax a company who then raises prices to pay for the tax. There are countless ways you are being taxed which aren't explicit.<br />
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The bigger picture is that simplifying the tax code is a political loser for the right. Why? Well, there are basically two types of taxes, implicit and explicit. Explicit is what you pay today when you file you're return. Implicit are all the hidden taxes that you're not aware of. If you simplify the tax code and reduce the implicit taxes, then explicit taxes must go up. So, in an effort to improve tax efficiency and therefore the economy, the right will be accused of wanting to raise taxes on the average American. <br />
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The right way approach the argument on the right is not to simplify but to expose. Our policy should focus on making the implicit explicit which will drive people to demand changes in taxes. The reality is that even in our highly progressive tax system, the poor still pay a large percentage of their income in taxes, they just don't know it. If we are able to help them figure this out, they will no longer be immune to the siren song of higher taxes by the left.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-51357512073067579902015-11-11T13:51:00.001-08:002015-11-11T13:51:14.084-08:00Efficient my assI suck at investing. I'm really bad at it. Nonetheless, one thing I'm seeing which makes no sense whatsoever is the price of oil. I'm reading a bunch of articles talking about how oil is going to remain at a $50 price point for the foreseeable future, down from it's $115 high in 2014. WTF! Think about that for a second. ONE year ago the price was $115 and now it's less than half of that and nobody saw it coming. Really? How on earth could people predict that it will stay at $50 when just one year ago the smart money was pricing it at more than double. It's not like oil is a new commodity nor a hidden one. How could people have been so wrong then and be so assured that they are so right now. It doesn't make any sense. F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-29504333707903287182015-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:002015-10-30T23:57:01.356-07:00What do you mean you won't vote for Donald TrumpHere's my problem with the "establishment" types. They despise "The Donald" so much that they wouldn't vote for him no matter what. Really? What's the alternative, Hillary; a fucking avowed socialist. Say what you will about Trump, at least he's not them. With them you know they are trying to ruin the country, you actually know their intentions are bad and that they are pushing us to moral decay and insolvency (which is a direct result of moral decay). On the other hand you have Trump who said some upsetting things about Mexican rapists (don't want to offend those guys). He may be a blowhard and an egomaniac, but one thing is for sure, he's not Hillary or a democrat. The one truth in these times of ours is that there are no centrist democrats (Joe Lieberman being a possible exception and they kicked the Jew out). Every last one of them is dedicated to hardcore leftist ideas.<br />
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All Republicans should have one rule for their vote, anybody but a democrat. If they can't get that right, then they're already to the left.<br />
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For the interested, <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/jeffjacoby/2015/10/28/so-what-if-ben-carson-is-a-creationist-n2072322" target="_blank">here's</a> Jeff Jacoby stating his intention not to vote Trump:<br />
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THE TV NEWS was on, and there was a story about the leading candidates in the Republican presidential field.</div>
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"So if Donald Trump gets the nomination," my liberal friend needled me, "are you going to vote for him?"</div>
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"He's <em>not</em> going to be the nominee," I said, "but I wouldn't vote for him in any case."</div>
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F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-74589383919428552832015-10-05T14:52:00.000-07:002015-11-17T17:26:39.478-08:00Why are you answering?The big problem with dealing with the liberal media is that they constantly push a liberal point of view. Conservatives who talk to these people are in a bit of a no-win situation. The sad fact is that these people control what the public sees and conservatives have to go through them to get to the American people. Maybe that will change, but for now conservatives feel that the liberal media is necessary.<br />
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Nonetheless, if you must go and talk to liberals don't let them intimate bad things about you. If a media person lies or distorts a statement and then proceeds to ask for your reaction to that lie or distortion, do not begin by saying that's not what you said. These people are scum for phrasing the question that way in the first place. Say it!!!! Say to that person who just lied to you and the American people, "why are you lying about what I said". Make them answer the question about their low moral character and their outrageous deceit. Do not give a liar and a charlatan any credibility. </div>
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Whenever conservatives dance around blatant lies it shows their weakness and their lack of understanding of the other side. The other side <b>doesn't care about the truth and will say and do anything to advance their agenda. </b>Do not engage with them as if they were a honorable partner. They aren't. Attack them for what they are; liars, cowards, cheats, power hungry elitist, narcissistic douche-bags. Hate them the way that they hate you. That's the only path to victory against an implacable enemy. </div>
F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-75505561183369152902015-10-01T15:40:00.000-07:002015-10-01T15:40:21.277-07:00Men and MarriageThe reason for reading if you're a columnist or blogger is to get new ideas on things. Now I don't really think there are many new ideas out there, they've all been said before, but I guess by reading I might learn something new.<br />
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I'm reading Men and Marriage by George Gilder and I have to say there's a lot of interesting information in there. The book started off a little in the I'm making this shit up direction, but it's since moved into the there's some reason and research to back this shit up lane.<br />
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His basic premise is that men and women are different. Got that, next. He then tries to make the case that women are sexually superior to men. The point he's making is that being a woman (and I think that's what he's really talking about when he refers to sex) is a passive action. The very definition of woman doesn't require her to do anything. In addition, her role as woman is defined by nature and the superiority in her sex that he's referring to is derived from the richness of her experience as a woman (i.e. child bearing and rearing). Men from a sexual standpoint only have one function, the act of sex. Beyond that their sexual identity is non-existent and what it means to be a man is undefined. <br />
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The essential question he's answering is the essence of the sexes, what it means to be a man or woman. His point is that for women the definition is well defined and clear but not so for men. What it means to be a man in modern society is defined by society and largely by women. Without that definition, men and their need to define themselves as men takes other, possibly more destructive forms.<br />
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It's an interesting theory and one that I'm enjoying reading about. F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-91086454081201649202015-09-28T22:30:00.001-07:002015-09-28T22:30:09.749-07:00With all it's imperfectionsThat phrase is the unmistakable signature of someone who is inching towards anti-semitism. What other group of people is held to such high standards? None, that's for sure. What are these supposed imperfections that infect the Jewish state; how could the Jews of the middle east cure their affliction? They can't because they aren't sick. <br />
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Moreover, the Jewish state is hailed as "the only democracy in the middle east that's tolerant of gays and women". What a low bar to meet. The truth is that the too tolerant Jews are more tolerant than the rest of the world. From the perspective of the Left, they surpass every other country on the face of the earth. The entire qualification that they are the only mideast democracy, or that they're good "with all their imperfections", wink, wink is nothing more than the slander that they are evil but not that evil.<br />
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Anyone who uses this phrase has already in their heart and mind conceded the premise that the Jews of the middle east don't belong there and are less than they should be. F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-78517519593935166862015-09-24T22:41:00.001-07:002015-12-28T14:34:15.825-08:00How many stupid fucking Jews are there?The reason this country is going into the toilet is that conservatives are no longer actually conservative. Take this Ann Coulter incident. Clifford D. May is an idiot and he wrote a letter to Ms. Coulter proving it. Let's get a few things straight, it should be clear from the context of her statement what she meant. The "fucking" in the statement was an exclamation. Regardless, who the fuck cares whether Ann Coulter likes Jews or not. If you are a smart Jew, you care whether the policies she espouses are beneficial or detrimental to you.<br />
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Moving beyond my rambling to Mr. May's, his letter is an exercise in incoherence. The innuendo is that her language means she's an anti-semite, and he then proceeds to say it's really really bad to be an anti-semite, and that the good republican candidates were just reaffirming this nations constant support for Israel. No, they weren't. They were in fact pandering (my suspicion is not to jews, but to christians).
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One particularly stupid point in his article is the suggestion that Ann wouldn't say, those fucking blacks or those fucking hispanics. He's right, she wouldn't because that would raise a ridiculous shit storm because of the crazy PC bullshit that's going on in this country. You know what she would say, how many fucking white males are there or how many fucking christians. She'd say it because those groups of people don't go apeshit for any reason whatsoever. I dare Mr. May to say a bad word about "those people"....fuck, I forgot that's verboten language with regards to those fucking people.
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I suspect that Ann thought that Jews in this country and conservatives (or so they claim) are not "those" people who go completely apeshit over non-offenses like these. The so-called conservatives are ruining this country and whatever is left of the Republican party. It's really astonishing to watch CONSERVATIVES go bananas over stuff like this.
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Here's a link to the idiot: <a href="http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0915/may092415.php3" target="_blank">http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0915/may092415.php3</a>F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-76269476647538922602015-09-23T11:56:00.002-07:002015-09-24T14:17:51.216-07:00Qualified...compared to what?I think what the political pundits don't get is that pretty much no one in public office is qualified to be in public office. Seriously, our politicians don't do anything, at least not positive. Trump and Carson are not qualified, please! Compared to who...Obama? What exactly did Obama DO before becoming president? Is being a politician a qualification? Well, yeah, if your job is to be a politician.<br />
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The truth is that we'd be better off with decent folks in charge who have a high enough intellect (not too high) to do the job. There's no special presidential qualification. For god's sake, the democrats are destroying this country and these are the qualified ones! Heaven forbid we get a few "unqualified" people in charge.<br />
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What makes everybody angry is that the charge of Carson and Trump being unqualified is because they are not elite douche bags like themselves. It was the same with Harriet Miers. To all you elite SOBs out there, take your John Roberts and your Obamacare and put it where the sun don't shine. F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-45119973839601983282015-09-23T11:14:00.000-07:002015-09-24T14:19:04.454-07:00Why are you asking?Ben Carson recently got into trouble when he answered a question regarding whether a Muslim should be president. Here is the text:<br />
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On Sunday's Meet the Press, Chuck Todd asked Ben Carson, "Should a President’s faith matter?"<br />
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Carson's answer was comfortingly banal. "Well, I guess it depends on what that faith is," he replied. "If it’s inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter. But if it fits within the realm of America and consistent with the Constitution, no problem."<br />
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But Todd had a follow-up. "So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the Constitution?"<br />
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And then Carson went off the rails. "No, I don’t, I do not," he said. "I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that."</blockquote>
OFF THE RAILS!!! Really?. Nevertheless, what is the point of this question? To put Ben Carson in a situation where they can label him a racist. Literally, the entire point of the question is to call him a racist. Does it matter whether Carson believes that Islam is consistent with the constitution? Nope. Does it matter whether Carson believes that Christianity is consistent with the constitution? Nope. His first response was perfect. His second response should have been something like:<br />
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That's not a question for me to answer. It's a question for an candidate who is a believer in Islam to answer and I fully expect that you will ask that candidate whether his/her faith would override his faithfulness to the constitution. My faith has made me into the person I am today, a person who will govern with adherence to our constitution unlike the current president and the democratic party.</blockquote>
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<br />F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-57262902858812990722015-07-04T00:24:00.001-07:002015-09-24T14:20:50.536-07:00Et tu?Not satisfied with redefining "rights", the supreme court has changed the definition of "marriage" to include couples of the same sex. That transmutation puts an end to the evolutionary nature of the constitution while at the same time rescinding its meaning entirely. The constitution is dead, and we have killed it. <br />
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I don't know if all conservatives, or sane people as I like to call them, fully realize this. I've been reading lots of articles arguing the finer details of the rulings and most of them are concerned with chief justice Roberts' ruling on Obamacare and Kennedy's ruling on same sex marriage. Parsing their words and logic and explaining how they don't make sense. Of course they don't make sense, nothing they are doing makes sense if you're sane. </div>
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But you know what makes less sense, that nobody is talking about the four liberals who voted for this shit. Tacitly accepted is that they'll do batshit crazy things, that they don't give a fuck about the law, and that's just ok because they're crazy fucking liberals. When your hopes are pinned on John Roberts standing his ground or Kennedy reading the law because the crazies are a given, you've already fucking lost. Wake up and smell that you're in the asylum and you're becoming a minority. </div>
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I don't know what to do about it, but what's clear is that our opponents don't give two shits about process and only about outcomes. They're willing to go to hell and back to get what they want. In my rather short life so far, I have yet to see people with so little regard for process, for procedure, for the law. We all have a vague understanding about right and wrong, about the law and what's acceptable and what's not. Liberals disregard for the law, the mainstreaming of indecency, and their lust for power are very bad omens for this country.</div>
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Save your money, get your guns, and take care of yourselves. It's going to be a bumpy ride.</div>
F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-73690788049900980072015-06-27T23:59:00.001-07:002015-09-24T14:22:01.203-07:00Misogyny in 2018Got to love that the first "black" president is lecturing America about race relations. Truth be told, if the guy were going to consistently tell me how racist I still was, I never would have voted for him. Wait a second...I didn't vote for him. Nonetheless, it's truly astounding that 6 years with this guy and after re-electing him, we're still constantly hearing about how racist we are. Here's Obama<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination in almost every institution of our lives, you know, that casts a long shadow, and that’s still part of our DNA that’s passed on. We’re not cured of it,” Obama said in the interview, posted in full on Monday. “And it’s not just a matter of it not being polite to say ‘n——-’ in public. That’s not the measure of whether racism still exists or not. It’s not just a matter of overt discrimination. … Societies don’t overnight completely erase everything that happened 2-300 years prior.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Read more: <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/obama-n-word-marc-maron-interview-119272.html#ixzz3eKyMKRkh" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/obama-n-word-marc-maron-interview-119272.html#ixzz3eKyMKRkh</a></span></span></blockquote>
I can't wait for our next president, Hillary Clinton, to lecture us about how we are a misogynistic country that pays women 77 cents on the dollar (#big fat lie).F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-14985245098644202722015-04-23T17:21:00.000-07:002015-04-23T17:21:09.589-07:00What to do, what to doI haven't wrote on here in forever. I'll admit that I've lost some of my fondness for politics. I now believe that it's pointless; there are too many Hutus and not enough Tutsis. That being said, I miss writing on this blog. Writing, expressing one's ideas and sharing them is exhilarating. It's my pointless personal accomplishment. It makes me feel good, and I miss it.<br />
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Right now, I'm at work, not working. Thinking...procrastinating, wondering what should I do. I don't know.<br />
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Here I write to no one but myself. One day, I'll have more to say, something more salient regarding the state of the world. That's not today.<br />
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I'm 38 years old and I've yet to live. I recently had a son and it hasn't changed everything. I'm still me, and he's a bag full of mush. He's cool and all, but I'm still me. In the early days, my son made me think of my own mortality in a very positive, or neutral light. Having always been scared of death, he helped me see that we aren't even fully alive when we are alive. He is not who he will become and I was once like that. It's humbling, freeing, and a bit scary.<br />
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I'm going to switch jobs at work. I'll be with the same company, just going to another team. This job constantly depresses me and I don't fully understand why. It's a huge company where no one cares about you, and I don't fit in that well...I guess that's it. Anyway, one day I hope to start my own thing. I don't even care about the money (well, a little) but I'll never make real money working at a job I dislike for someone else. <br />
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If I ever hope to be really wealthy, the only path is as an entrepreneur. Unfortunately, I don't know if I have what it takes. I think most entrepreneurs start young, they have this internal drive that's present their whole life. I don't think that spark is in me. My wife sort of has it, when she's excited. She's good at seeing problems or potential solutions. I live such a simple life, that my imagination isn't as active as others. I'm jealous.<br />
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I'm going to finish our second app, that's my second futile accomplishment after this blog. Nice to be back, and time to get to back to work.<br />
<br />F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-80411950389515918422014-04-21T13:08:00.000-07:002014-04-21T22:36:48.331-07:00Round then up!Oh why, oh why are Jews still living in Europe? Nowhere has any group so clearly stated to another that they don't like them, they don't want them, and in the absence of civilization, they would kill them. It's astonishing to me as a Jew that my fellow Jews are so unbelievably stupid. Get the heck out of dodge people!<br />
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The episode in Ukraine would be satirical if it weren't real. Russia annexed the Crimea, is making further provocations towards its territorial sovereignty, and what story comes out of there, let's round up the Jews! Huh, how was that even on the map? With all the other stuff going on, the one thought on peoples minds was that the Jews are the problem? That's crazy and it doesn't matter if it was a fringe element responsible, it reflects a societal sickness. They haven't killed them all, and the ones that remain are the real enemies. Wow, completely crazy.<br />
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What's more crazy is that Jews still live there. I might be a bad person for saying this, but if you are a Jew living in Europe at this moment in history, you deserve whatever happens to you. One doesn't have to be super brave, just be smart enough to run away when the mob comes. Don't just sit there and wait for the trains.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-15717146909467410732014-04-11T16:00:00.001-07:002014-04-11T16:00:49.166-07:00Not so secretTo my conservative friends out there who are in favor of campaign disclosure laws, Mozilla should be a warning. The entire purpose of these laws is to intimidate opponents. Make no mistake about it, the only reason that liberals want to name campaign donors is so they can harass and take revenge upon their political enemies. <br />
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Ask yourself why elections are held by secret ballot. Because if they were held in public, each individual would be subject to enormous pressure by whoever happens to be the biggest bully. Think about it from the perspective of the bully. If you don't know who voted against you, you don't know who to take retribution on. <br />
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In essence, campaign finance disclosure laws take away the secret ballot. If you know who I donated money to, you pretty much know who I'm going to vote for. It paints a big target for every bully out there and it's wrong. <br />
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Don't be foolish and think any of this is about "transparency", it's about coercion, plain and simple.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-30249613156930640282013-11-11T00:07:00.003-08:002013-11-11T01:14:14.293-08:00Winning ideasOne day I'd like to either run for office, or be a consultant for a politician. The other day I was listening to Steve Lonegan debate Corey Booker and he was asked about his pro-life position. Mr. Booker attacked Mr. Lonegan by saying how he wanted to take away the rights of women and conduct a "war" on them. Mr. Lonegan responded by asking Mr. Booker what situations would he be opposed to abortion. This is your typical back and forth on the issue, and it is a losing strategy for pro-life Republicans. Here's the answer Mr. Lonegan should give:<br />
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Sir, I believe that all life is sacred. I believe that life begins at conception and further, I believe that I should do everything in my power to protect and honor life. In a nutshell, I am pro-life. I hope you are too.<br />
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Personally, I'm okay with abortion. Being against abortion because you cherish life is not a position to run away from. It's a noble position if you don't impose it on other people. If you try to persuade with that position, then people will respect you. The only time somebody can get in trouble for being pro-life is when it's imposed on others. We are the party of liberty, we can also be the party that places life in the highest regard possible. These are not antagonistic positions unless you make them. F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-64239110640157537132013-09-30T23:39:00.002-07:002013-09-30T23:39:44.124-07:00The Better HalfThe other day my wife and I were watching a Canadian TV news show. Their target was unlicensed day care facilities. Were these shops up to the task of taking care of your tot? Do they know CPR in case little johnny chokes on a gummy bear? I never heard the answer, but given the ominous tone of the program, I was sure that my future tots were not safe in these kiddie dungeons. But, when all hope was lost and I was sure that I would be forced to take care of my own damn kid, my wife, in a moment of clarity, asked if all parents know CPR. My jaw dropped. Brilliant! Since most parents don't know CPR, then it's just as unsafe to keep them at home. Huzzah! No overwhelming feeling of guilt pawning them off to unlicensed and CPR-less baby boarding houses. Problem solved, unless...they (the man) decide that everyone must learn CPR to take care of children. Thankfully, I don't have kids (ominous tone here) yet.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-43313728653038640252012-11-08T14:23:00.001-08:002012-12-26T01:03:50.081-08:00RememberFor those like me who are disillusioned, some truth to keep your spirits up. Individuals, not the government, are responsible for their own success. You have infinitely more ability to shape your life, and your success than the government does. That was true before the election and it's true today. This country has been so successful because it created an environment which aligned incentives with wealth creation. Hard work, innovation, thrift, and drive were/are rewarded by the marketplace, and the marketplace was king. Now that government will stifle the marketplace, those hurt most will be those whose behavior does not naturally conform to these principles. Sadly, these are already the least fortunate among us. But, you the individual, you must always realize that your success is dependent on those principles, no matter the society you live in. Reality is conservative, and conservative values lead to prosperity.<br />
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In vain we have been trying to teach the other half of the country to cherish these values. They didn't heed the lesson, and now they will bear the consequences. You don't have to. Remember that, live it, and teach it to anyone who will listen.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-5435767356421574532012-11-07T23:19:00.000-08:002012-11-07T23:19:46.524-08:00Demographics isn't the problem, Identity politics isWelcome to the United States of Detroit. We have officially become a country where people are elected not based on any tangible results, but simply because of who they are and who they are not. This election the Democratic coalition voted in larger percentages for Obama than last time. Blacks, Asians, and Latinos all voted for Obama at the same, or higher, rate than they did last time. Folks, this is startling and scary.<br />
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I don't care what your political persuasion is, common sense dictates that with an economy this bad, you should think twice before voting for the guy in office. Now, history tells another story. History tells us that people are stupid, after all, they elected Roosevelt four times while he presided over the worst economic performance in this country's history. Obama is the new Roosevelt. He can't lead us to prosperity, or even to recovery, but we'll elect him again and again and again. <br />
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I actually thought Obama would lose simply based on the fact that he would get a lower percentage of each category this time around. I thought that some people would look at the economic picture and say, "hey, let's give someone else a shot." It didn't happen and that means that unless the world is literally coming to an end, and maybe even then (see Detroit), Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians will vote for the Democrat. <br />
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It's sad to say, but people get the government they deserve. This country, and it's poor will become poorer. We can't save the country anymore, the country has made it's choice. Save yourselves, and watch the stagnation happen.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-2253140392636375152012-09-17T23:10:00.003-07:002012-09-17T23:11:44.476-07:00The Simple TruthI can never understand why conservatives don't simplify their message. People cannot and do not care to understand how the economy works. What people want to know is that someone is looking out for them and that their "plan" will help them. It doesn't even matter if it's true, only that people believe it.<br />
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Inflation is such an interesting topic to me, both technically and politically. What is inflation? In a nutshell, it's caused by the government printing too many dollars thereby reducing the value of existing dollars. When inflation happens, a dollar can no longer buy what it used to, meaning that if you buy an apple today for $1, tomorrow that same apple might cost you $2.<br />
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All of this is well and good, but not very easy to explain, and not very easy to sell. But, if we take a step back and think about it, our message is very marketable. Who loses when inflation happens? 99% of Americans. Almost no one considers protecting themselves from inflation, no one hedges against inflation, they don't know how to and they can't afford to. Who hires high priced accountants and attorneys to protect themselves from inflation? The rich.<br />
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The rich aren't to blame, it's the politicians who promote inflation. They know that inflation robs the 99%, they just don't care.F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-20501983486467135322012-04-11T20:15:00.001-07:002012-09-19T01:08:46.520-07:00Those who don'tHere's a great example of media bias: <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/buffett-rules-billionaire-backers-meet-155521680.html" target="_blank">The Buffett Rule's Billionaire Backers: Meet The Super-Rich Who Want To Pay More Taxes</a> You don't have to actually read the article, just look at the title. They want to pay more...I'm going to gag. Those poor old Billionaires want to do the right thing, but the big bad Republicans won't force them to pay higher taxes. They won't enact tax laws that their highly paid accountants can't skirt. It's a terrible shame what we are doing to these .1%. The fact that this article was even written is an example of media bias. No self respecting journalist would write this stuff. And a self respecting journalist would at least change the title to something more truthful, something like, "The Buffet Rule's Billionaire Backers: Meet The Super-Rich Who Want To Pay More Taxes, Can Pay More in Taxes, But Don't"<br />
<br />F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-5681913755922030382012-04-05T23:18:00.001-07:002012-04-05T23:18:29.717-07:00They want to kill youReading Charles Murray's book, "Real Education" and it's basic premise is that people differ in abilities, notably academic ability, and as a result, we should tailor our educational system accordingly. The more important point (and this is all me) is the average person is not remarkably bright, which leads to the conclusion. You can't use rational arguments in politics.<br />
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People will never understand economics. And unfortunately, there is no way to "prove" that one system works better than another. But what about the collapse of the Soviet Empire? What about the world freedom index? What about... It means nothing. Europeans still take 6 weeks vacation every year and Canadians still say "eh?" Even if capitalism is objectively superior, a vast majority of the world subjectively judges socialism better. People prefer the illusion of equality to the reality of prosperity. <br />
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Nevertheless, I believe that my ideas are better for everyone and I want to promote those ideas the best way possible. <br />
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If we want to win, we have to connect our ideas with the illusions people desire. It doesn't matter if what we are saying is true, only that it isn't demonstrably false. And we need to demagogue our opponents at every turn. Why, because the illusion is not about 1% versus 2% GDP growth, but about a just and prosperous society. We should never argue that we'll make you slightly richer than the other guy. We have to argue that we'll make you richer, and they'll make you poorer. That their policies will destroy your ideal society. We should never let them in on the secret that an ideal society, their illusion, can never exist. <br />
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Our opponents are merciless when it comes to how they describe us. We are de facto racists, homophobes, and tools for the 1%. None of our ideas have any merit, and they are actually meant to destroy the poor and middle classes. It's useless to defend irrational arguments, so let's stop trying. The truth is that we are for all that is good and right in the world. We are the last bastion of hope for civilization. Let's announce it, and make it known. We are good, they are evil. F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098682422439024812.post-77418400580008787462012-03-15T01:24:00.002-07:002012-03-15T01:24:51.094-07:00DisgracefulRecently, I read the story of a Michigan woman who won the lottery and was still collecting food stamps. And while I understand the outrage over her egregious behavior, I was dumbstruck by the unreported story within the story. <br />
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Supposedly the woman won $1,000,000. Sounds good, but the reality is that she didn't receive $1,000,000 nor anything close to that. First, she opted for a lump sum payment which reduced the award to $700,000. Then the tax man came, and chopped that figure down to about $400,000. <br />
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Holy crap! $400,000 is a lot less than $1,000,000, and just to get the advertised prize she would have to win the lottery one and a half more times. Where's the outrage that people playing the lottery are being shafted? Seriously. That's false advertising and someone should be held accountable.<br />
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Someone who wins money playing the lottery is usually not well off. It's not as if every year they take home $700,000. Why tax them as if they did? It's one thing to ask Buffet to pay more, he makes $700,000 every hour. In addition, government runs the lottery!. Isn't it ironic that they sponsor the lottery, award you the money, and then demand that you pay them their "fair" share? Not even the mob can do shit like that. <br />
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The gap between $400,000 and $1,000,000 is ridiculous and as far as I'm concerned, she should keep the food stamps on principal. One good screw deserves another.<br />
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F.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14666156958901749352noreply@blogger.com0