Archive for the ‘opinion/news’ Category

It’s not an “investment” its “spending”

Posted: November 18, 2010 by datechguy in economy, opinion/news
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Investment

1. In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.

2. In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.

investing:

to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.

spending

to pay out, disburse, or expend; dispose of (money, wealth, resources, etc.): resisting the temptation to spend one’s money.

deficit spending

The amount by which a government, company, or individual’s spending exceeds its income over a particular period of time. also called deficit or called budget deficit.

I have had very little time to listen to Morning Joe lately as the Radio Show premiere is under 55 hours away and as the latest member of the 99 week club I have to be off selling ads or my mortgage will not get paid.

Today I had some time after dropping my son off at school and I had the displeasure of listening to John Kerry’s rant this morning.

In addition to boasting about the democrats win in Massachusetts (with a little help from their friends) John Kerry talked about how people have been decided by the republicans about taxes.

He repeatedly talked about government “investments” but then mentioned corporate “spending” on lobbyists to stop good things like carbon and energy taxes.

This is the height of liberal speak. So lets bluntly say aloud what needs to be said:

Government doesn’t produce anything. Every Dollar that Government has is collected in taxes or fees or fines from either the public or businesses. The only exception I can think of are leases of government (read the people’s) property.

Government doesn’t invest it SPENDS. It may spend on useful things , the Military, food inspections, the National Weather Service, but these are not investments it is spending.

Business however when it spends it does so for a return. That is a true investment. Even the use of lobbyists to effect a law is an actual investment with the expectation of a return.

I have one simple rule. If an official refers to spending as an investment, that tells me that they can’t justify it without wordplay.

Have some guts! If you think your spending is good and worthwhile and justifiable then call it what it is and defend it, but don’t’ insult my intelligence by calling it an “investment”.

This is just wrong

Posted: November 17, 2010 by datechguy in culture, opinion/news
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As you know I’m very Roman Catholic. I’ve argued that “Gay Marriage” is just an exercise in narcissism and have absolutely no problem with the Church’s doctrine on homosexuality and I stand by that.

However this is simply wrong:

Arab and African nations succeeded Tuesday in getting a U.N. General Assembly panel to delete from a resolution condemning unjustified executions a specific reference to killings due to sexual orientation.

That’s bad, but this is simply embarrassing:

That amendment narrowly passed 79-70. The resolution then was approved by the committee, which includes all 192 U.N. member states, with 165 in favor, 10 abstentions and no votes against.

That’s as Rush would put it, Zip Zero Nada, no England, No Holland, No Canada, and no US.

Cripes according to many on the left I’d be considered a religious fanatic for being a believing Catholic and I think this is a disgrace.

And to those in the LGBT community who voted for this administration I say again….SUCKERS!

Don’t worry you still have Ken Jennings.

More of the same please

Posted: November 17, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news, politics

This is exactly the type of thing the congress needs more of:

Rick Crawford, Arkansas’s 1st District: founded and operates AgWatch Network, which syndicates agriculture news programs to 49 radio stations.

Jeff Denham, California’s 19th District: operates Denham Plastics, a company with $4 million in annual revenue and 10 employees that manufactures agricultural shipping containers. The idea for the business sprang from Mr. Denham’s previous company, a salad-bagging enterprise. He also owns an almond ranch with two employees.

Scott Tipton, Colorado’s 3rd District: with his brother, opened and runs Mesa Verde Pottery, which makes and sells Native American ceramics, employing 22 people. Though the company maintains a well known store near an entrance to Mesa Verde National Park, the company earns most of its revenue, according to the Pueblo Chieftain, from sales to other retailers, such as gift shops and national park concessions.

The more people we see like this in congress the better things will get.

The Little Congress and the TSA

Posted: November 16, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news
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Back in the days when Lyndon Johnson was a congressional aide rather than a congressman or senator he participated in a group known as the Little Congress. This was an association of congressional aides formed to promote public speaking but in 1933 recognizing the potential for publicity and power that the organization had Johnson arranged without warning to bring in many additional voters of dubious eligibility and managed to win election as the speaker. He ruled over the little congress as speaker and then as boss until eventually a young man from Mississippi decided he was not going to go along with Boss Johnson.

In the 1935 elections for the little congress he managed to rally enough members to pass reforms (strenuously opposed by Johnson men) requiring people to sign ballots and to check them against the voter rolls. This of course eliminated the secret ballot, a sacrosanct right among voters but it turned out that once the ballots were properly checked against lists The Johnson candidate was defeated.

Lyndon being Lyndon instantly decided that the Little Congress was not worth his time he abandoned it and shortly thereafter the informal voting methods returned because the cause that prompted the draconian measures was gone. (this information is from The Years of Lyndon Johnson The Path to Power by Robert Caro)

Which brings us to the TSA.

A lot of people are objecting on the basis of decency and the 4th amendment. I disagree with the 4th argument since all passengers are subjected to the same methods thus not constituting an unreasonable search, but this debate is not the point.

The point is that the only reason why these methods are necessary is because The Flemish Menace a group of Islamic fanatics have declared war on the west and are attempting to kill us.

Our unwillingness to face and waste resources on people not remotely connected to terror would be as if the FBI decided to concentrate an equal percentage of resources examining the black community in Mississippi when investigating the murders of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner in 1964.

The day we face that threat and acknowledge and act accordingly is the day that intrusive searches and pat downs will be unnecessary because we will be examining the actual people who have a motive to strike at us.

Of course the administration being the administration we are not only not doing it, but apparently considering the exact opposite.

Hey we elected this government, we did this to ourselves.

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