Being a minarchist, I view the government as a necessary evil.
But it seems like we do taxes all wrong. Property taxes are punitive for owning something. Income taxes are punitive for working. Sales taxes are punitive for spending. Capital gains taxes are punitive for successfully investing. Inheritance taxes are, in a way, punitive on saving. Why on earth would I want to own anything or get a job to buy it? Especially when I can get paid tax free to be dead broke.
The message is "I see that you are supporting the economy, bend over."
And no, I have no solution to this problem. But it would sure be nice to know that the Shitheels no longer devoured my total tax contribution every year. It makes me feel like I am not getting the things that I feel the government is legitimate in supplying. Like roads, fire departments, police, military, post offices and stuff like that. But handing Dumbass, Crackwhore, Escapee, Orca, Childbeater, Illegit, Ashamed, Hopeful plus the two Totally Clueless' and their spawn $5-7k a year EACH just for not having a job and porking out kids? This way of doing things means that there are two families using the legit stuff without contributing to their maintenance. My family's contribution is negated by the redistribution to theirs, and they do not contribute.
And to what end? That earned income credit helped Dumbass' kids so that they could escape and become productive members of society, right? Actually, no. All three of his sons are following his template. Fuck, marry, lose job, divorce, welfare, and dead-beat on child support. And to think, if we had just let Orca, Childbeater and Illegit STARVE and put Dumbass and Crackwhore in jail for not feeding their kids we would have broken the cycle. And this is not the only example of this that I can put names to. (cough) Thunder McThighs (cough)
How many generations on the "help" before we admit it failed?
27 September 2005
26 September 2005
Freedom Of Association
This meme comes and goes.
The freedom TO associate with someone INCLUDES the freedom to exclude someone too. It is most obvious when you associate with two groups that are mutually exclusive. Your association with one will exclude you from the other.
Freedom and voluntary are intertwined. If you force me to INCLUDE persons that I do not want to associate with, that eliminates my freedom to choose my own associations.
Case in point: Forcing the Boy Scouts to accept homosexuals when they don't wish to have homosexuals as members/leaders/etc. It sometimes takes a slightly different perspective to put this evil to light. If the BSA must accept gays, the NAACP must accept KKK members (Grand Wizard of the NAACP?), Jewish organizations must accept Neo-Nazis, Sara Brady must accept gun-owners AND vice versa. See how this works? And nice double standards too. Why are some organizations allowed to discriminate and others not?
That might have been too subtle. If you find yourself excluded, make your own organization that emulates everything that you like about the organization that excludes you. The Pink Pistols comes to mind.
And this doesn't even touch on the thread of why your stupid ass wants to be someplace you aren't welcome. Sounds like pain at the minimum. Just imagine for a second what happens to the charter black KKK member. Or what is happening to your gay son at Scout camp. Children are the cruelist form of human life.
And for the record, I think the BSA excluding gays is a stupid decision, but they have every right to make it. You disagree with them, don't enroll your children, form your own youth organization.
Try to remember, you have every right to hate. You do not have a right to use your hate to infringe on another's rights. To borrow from witchery, "Do as you will, harm none."
Yes, my philosophy allows a town to gang up and say "No blacks". Just don't forget the signs, I want to avoid doing business with your racist asses. The same mechanism that limits the length of your grass, what color you paint your house or how many derelict cars can be on the property works here; deed restrictions. Notice also, that if the restrictions are too onerous, the property loses value. This is a self correcting issue unless the people in favor of the restrictions are dedicated, or if the restriction is popular.
And nothing in my philosophy says that there cannot be a town that gangs up and says "No whites"! Just don't forget the signs, I want to avoid doing business with your racist asses.
Equal under the law, biased under contract is fine by me. As long as the contracts are administered in the same manner. But as long as the NAACP can exclude whites, the BSA should be able to exclude gays. And as long as neither opens a death camp or somehow prevents the formation of National Association for the Advancement of White People (and they have, haven't they?) or the Flaming Campfire Boys (feel free to use that one) there really isn't a rights problem.
True understanding of this issue comes with understanding of positive and negative rights.
Someone is bound to bring up public funding.
My opinion on this is either fund anyone who asks and let them run it however they want, or fund nobody.
I lean more towards fund nobody.
And since the gubmint seems to think that if they give me any money, they get 100% control of how I spend all of my money, I'd just assume go without the "help" anyway.
The freedom TO associate with someone INCLUDES the freedom to exclude someone too. It is most obvious when you associate with two groups that are mutually exclusive. Your association with one will exclude you from the other.
Freedom and voluntary are intertwined. If you force me to INCLUDE persons that I do not want to associate with, that eliminates my freedom to choose my own associations.
Case in point: Forcing the Boy Scouts to accept homosexuals when they don't wish to have homosexuals as members/leaders/etc. It sometimes takes a slightly different perspective to put this evil to light. If the BSA must accept gays, the NAACP must accept KKK members (Grand Wizard of the NAACP?), Jewish organizations must accept Neo-Nazis, Sara Brady must accept gun-owners AND vice versa. See how this works? And nice double standards too. Why are some organizations allowed to discriminate and others not?
That might have been too subtle. If you find yourself excluded, make your own organization that emulates everything that you like about the organization that excludes you. The Pink Pistols comes to mind.
And this doesn't even touch on the thread of why your stupid ass wants to be someplace you aren't welcome. Sounds like pain at the minimum. Just imagine for a second what happens to the charter black KKK member. Or what is happening to your gay son at Scout camp. Children are the cruelist form of human life.
And for the record, I think the BSA excluding gays is a stupid decision, but they have every right to make it. You disagree with them, don't enroll your children, form your own youth organization.
Try to remember, you have every right to hate. You do not have a right to use your hate to infringe on another's rights. To borrow from witchery, "Do as you will, harm none."
Yes, my philosophy allows a town to gang up and say "No blacks". Just don't forget the signs, I want to avoid doing business with your racist asses. The same mechanism that limits the length of your grass, what color you paint your house or how many derelict cars can be on the property works here; deed restrictions. Notice also, that if the restrictions are too onerous, the property loses value. This is a self correcting issue unless the people in favor of the restrictions are dedicated, or if the restriction is popular.
And nothing in my philosophy says that there cannot be a town that gangs up and says "No whites"! Just don't forget the signs, I want to avoid doing business with your racist asses.
Equal under the law, biased under contract is fine by me. As long as the contracts are administered in the same manner. But as long as the NAACP can exclude whites, the BSA should be able to exclude gays. And as long as neither opens a death camp or somehow prevents the formation of National Association for the Advancement of White People (and they have, haven't they?) or the Flaming Campfire Boys (feel free to use that one) there really isn't a rights problem.
True understanding of this issue comes with understanding of positive and negative rights.
PS:
My opinion on this is either fund anyone who asks and let them run it however they want, or fund nobody.
I lean more towards fund nobody.
And since the gubmint seems to think that if they give me any money, they get 100% control of how I spend all of my money, I'd just assume go without the "help" anyway.
BRAKES!
Being the hands-on, self sufficient, do-it-myselfer that I am. I performed a complete replace and repair front brake job on my car this weekend.
I used exceptional quality parts manufactured by Stainless Steel Brake Corp and Russell Industries. I even painted the calipers blue to better match the new paint on the car!
Everything went on smoothly and it looked GREAT.
Until we started bleeding the air out of the brake lines. Marv presses pedal, I open bleed screw, fluid and bubbles run into the catch basin, I close bleed screw, Marv releases pedal, Repeat. For an HOUR. And the pedal still feels spongy, like there is air in the system. Now we have used an entire 32 oz jug of brake fluid. Off to Wal Mart, buy two more jugs. Marv presses pedal, I open bleed screw, fluid and bubbles run into the catch basin, I close bleed screw, Marv releases pedal, Repeat. Pedal still feels bad. Fuck it, take a test drive. Pedal feels like always. A little spongy, but OK and the car stops fine.
That was yesterday.
Today the pedal is very firm and it takes about half the pressure for the same stop as it used. I am very satisfied. All we can think of is that some micro bubbles finally found their way up to the reservoir and stopped being a problem.
We hee!
PS: I had a whopping 0.0937" of pad material on the right, outside pad. And evidence of that pad being stuck. Another week and I would have needed new calipers.
I used exceptional quality parts manufactured by Stainless Steel Brake Corp and Russell Industries. I even painted the calipers blue to better match the new paint on the car!
Everything went on smoothly and it looked GREAT.
Until we started bleeding the air out of the brake lines. Marv presses pedal, I open bleed screw, fluid and bubbles run into the catch basin, I close bleed screw, Marv releases pedal, Repeat. For an HOUR. And the pedal still feels spongy, like there is air in the system. Now we have used an entire 32 oz jug of brake fluid. Off to Wal Mart, buy two more jugs. Marv presses pedal, I open bleed screw, fluid and bubbles run into the catch basin, I close bleed screw, Marv releases pedal, Repeat. Pedal still feels bad. Fuck it, take a test drive. Pedal feels like always. A little spongy, but OK and the car stops fine.
That was yesterday.
Today the pedal is very firm and it takes about half the pressure for the same stop as it used. I am very satisfied. All we can think of is that some micro bubbles finally found their way up to the reservoir and stopped being a problem.
We hee!
PS: I had a whopping 0.0937" of pad material on the right, outside pad. And evidence of that pad being stuck. Another week and I would have needed new calipers.
22 September 2005
Yelling Fire In A Crowded Theater
As the ACLU is so fond of reminding us gun owners when telling us our rights are not unlimited, "You cannot yell 'fire' in a crowded theatre."
I submit that the media has been doing exactly that when they speculate about $5 a gallon gasoline.
I submit that the media has been doing exactly that when they speculate about $5 a gallon gasoline.
21 September 2005
Kim Du Toit
Kim du Toit used to have a blog. He used to express his personal opinion about just about everything.
That blog is gone now.
Shortly after he started using the same logic as the people he opposed to support the opposition, he cannot obtain financial backing to run his own business. Oooops. Well, nobody will hire him because of the blog either. Oooops. Now the blog is gone and he has a day job.
But things ran fine until he decided that it was OK for the cops to blast anyone who ran from the police for any reason because a terrorist would run and shooting a terrorist would save lives. Exactly the "suspend rights for the children" rationale of the gun grabbers he opposed.
I was one of the people who tried to tell him that he'd crossed the logical Rubicon, but he wouldn't hear it. He was RIGHT you know. With every passing day he sounded more and more like the other side, and that had an affect I see.
Sorry Kim, but I tried to warn you...
That blog is gone now.
Shortly after he started using the same logic as the people he opposed to support the opposition, he cannot obtain financial backing to run his own business. Oooops. Well, nobody will hire him because of the blog either. Oooops. Now the blog is gone and he has a day job.
But things ran fine until he decided that it was OK for the cops to blast anyone who ran from the police for any reason because a terrorist would run and shooting a terrorist would save lives. Exactly the "suspend rights for the children" rationale of the gun grabbers he opposed.
I was one of the people who tried to tell him that he'd crossed the logical Rubicon, but he wouldn't hear it. He was RIGHT you know. With every passing day he sounded more and more like the other side, and that had an affect I see.
Sorry Kim, but I tried to warn you...
19 September 2005
Evil Capitalists
A lot has been said on the looting in New Orleans. I have something that hasn't been talked about.
What if the stores decide that they don't want to reopen? What if Wal Mart decided that the location was too risky because of the dual threat of looters and hurricanes? What if that same dual threat prevents any business from getting insurance?
I also want you to note that food stamps/ebt cards are for the welfare types to buy food from a for-profit grocery store, not a voucher to obtain food from the US Poverty Food Distribution Center.
If my neighbors gutted my house when I went on vacation, they sure as hell wouldn't be invited to the next barbeque.
How many years of profits were lost to looting? How many smaller business' will be plain shut down because their insurance just ins't enough to restart?
Even the mafia has this figured out, "Don't shit in your bed." I guess realizing that they rely on that business being there once the storm is over is beyond them.
I ask: If the stores stay closed because they don't want to be looted again, where are you going to buy food, dumbass?
What if the stores decide that they don't want to reopen? What if Wal Mart decided that the location was too risky because of the dual threat of looters and hurricanes? What if that same dual threat prevents any business from getting insurance?
I also want you to note that food stamps/ebt cards are for the welfare types to buy food from a for-profit grocery store, not a voucher to obtain food from the US Poverty Food Distribution Center.
If my neighbors gutted my house when I went on vacation, they sure as hell wouldn't be invited to the next barbeque.
How many years of profits were lost to looting? How many smaller business' will be plain shut down because their insurance just ins't enough to restart?
Even the mafia has this figured out, "Don't shit in your bed." I guess realizing that they rely on that business being there once the storm is over is beyond them.
I ask: If the stores stay closed because they don't want to be looted again, where are you going to buy food, dumbass?
18 September 2005
Dammit!
The absoulte worst part about my situation is that I cannot even cry on my wife's shoulder about it.
The Boy is fucked up. He's not gonna get better. I love him. His inability to learn and what that is going to mean to his "life" makes me incredibly sad.
I can't get sympathy about that from Harvey because that leads to a fight about me giving up. I don't want to fight, I want to have someone on my side about how sad I am that he will never be anything. Not a doctor, lawyer, executive, soldier, mechanic, politician, cook, janitor or ANYTHING. I will never have a moment where I will be able to say, "That's my boy!" chest swelled with pride. No, I get to be proud of acomplishments that most parents bore everyone around them with, when their kids are three. The Boy is almost 13. He still wears a pull-up to bed. He still can't talk intelligibly.
I feel like I have failed him, but what can I do?
I know that the local school system failed him, zero tolerance might work on someone who understands consequences, The Boy doesn't. If you threaten him, he forces the issue to see if you'll follow through. And then doesn't get it when the bad thing happens.
The Boy is fucked up. He's not gonna get better. I love him. His inability to learn and what that is going to mean to his "life" makes me incredibly sad.
I can't get sympathy about that from Harvey because that leads to a fight about me giving up. I don't want to fight, I want to have someone on my side about how sad I am that he will never be anything. Not a doctor, lawyer, executive, soldier, mechanic, politician, cook, janitor or ANYTHING. I will never have a moment where I will be able to say, "That's my boy!" chest swelled with pride. No, I get to be proud of acomplishments that most parents bore everyone around them with, when their kids are three. The Boy is almost 13. He still wears a pull-up to bed. He still can't talk intelligibly.
I feel like I have failed him, but what can I do?
I know that the local school system failed him, zero tolerance might work on someone who understands consequences, The Boy doesn't. If you threaten him, he forces the issue to see if you'll follow through. And then doesn't get it when the bad thing happens.
15 September 2005
Rust Never Sleeps
"Maybe the fact that so many people can still take Teddy Kennedy seriously after all these years and all the stupidity finally wore me down. If you can’t make people see through such a transparent blowhard how can you expect them to see anything?"
09 September 2005
A Revelation
Blogging is a fancy way to whine.
And all I do effectively is whine.
What I say here will not change anyone's mind. Nobody will be persuaded by my whining even if, perhaps especially if, I am right.
I will probably continue to whine here. Even if the readers choose to ignore what I say.
And all I do effectively is whine.
What I say here will not change anyone's mind. Nobody will be persuaded by my whining even if, perhaps especially if, I am right.
I will probably continue to whine here. Even if the readers choose to ignore what I say.
08 September 2005
Silly Quiz Time
| Humphrey Bogart You scored 45% Tough, 9% Roguish, 42% Friendly, and 4% Charming! |
| You're the original man of honor, rough and tough but willing to stick
your neck out when you need to, despite what you might say to the
contrary. You're a complex character full of spit and vinegar, but with
a soft heart and a tender streak that you try to hide. There's usually
a complicated dame in the picture, someone who sees the real you behind
all the tough talk and can dish it out as well as you can. You're not
easy to get next to, but when you find the right partner, you're caring
and loyal to a fault. A big fault. But you take it on the chin and move
on, nursing your pain inside and maintaining your armor...until the
next dame walks in. Or possibly the same dame, and of all the gin
joints in all the world, it had to be yours. Co-stars include Ingrid
Bergman and Lauren Bacall, hot chicks with problems.
Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test. |
 |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The Classic Leading Man Test written by gidgetgoes on Ok Cupid |
Oh Boo Hoo
Dead Link To CNN
Yaaaaay! Finally!
The entire purpose of having your photo on an a driver's license is for IDENTIFICATION. Hiding behind a mask thwarts that purpose.
If your religion is so restrictive that a photo cannot be taken of your face for a driver's license, then I say your religion is requiring YOU to not drive. Take it up with God and ask him to change his silly laws. There are places on the planet where she will not be required to show her face for a license, because women are not allowed to drive there. All she has to do here, is OBEY THE LAW.
I grow weary of the colonization efforts of Islam and Mexico. I do not hate immigrants. You want to move here and become an American, WELCOME CITIZEN! If you wish to remain a Mexican, welcome tourist (leave your money and go home) or don't come at all. And honestly, we'll probibly be moving the job you came here for to your home country anyway...
Yaaaaay! Finally!
The entire purpose of having your photo on an a driver's license is for IDENTIFICATION. Hiding behind a mask thwarts that purpose.
If your religion is so restrictive that a photo cannot be taken of your face for a driver's license, then I say your religion is requiring YOU to not drive. Take it up with God and ask him to change his silly laws. There are places on the planet where she will not be required to show her face for a license, because women are not allowed to drive there. All she has to do here, is OBEY THE LAW.
I grow weary of the colonization efforts of Islam and Mexico. I do not hate immigrants. You want to move here and become an American, WELCOME CITIZEN! If you wish to remain a Mexican, welcome tourist (leave your money and go home) or don't come at all. And honestly, we'll probibly be moving the job you came here for to your home country anyway...
05 September 2005
Too Good Not To Link To
http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000129.html <- Dead Link
Update May 15, 2021: Apparently not good enough for Bill Whittle to maintain his ownership of the webpage and archives.
OK I Lied But I Will Be Posting Meaner Now
I am through repeating myself here.
I will say this one last time.
President Bush could not have gotten help there any faster than he did.
The Mayor of New Orleans (a Democrat) and the Governor of Louisiana (a Democrat) could have. But they delayed asking for the assistance. Yes, they have to ask for aid. They could also have approved funding from local sources to improve the levy system. Who is more likely to need that levy to work? The people of New Orleans or my mother in New Mexico?
Even with that delay, aid began to move within three days. That is six days faster than Hurricane Andrew. And infinitely faster than the Galveston hurricane (where no federal aid was even available).
President Bush is not responsible for the weather. Try to remember that the Senate didn't ratify the Kyoto treaty when President Clinton was chomping at the bit to sign it. Former President Clinton has come out and said that HE could not have gotten aid there any faster!
Congress is more to blame for no federal money going to those levies than the president. Learn how our government works!
The money that New Orleans wanted to spend was available locally. They didn't spend it on levies, they spent it on a world trade center. I'm sure there are other examples of money that, in hindsight, should have been spent on levies.
The true people to blame for this disaster is the people of New Orleans. It's their fault for building below sea level in a hurricane corridor. It's their fault for not spending their own money on ensuring that the levies would survive any conceivable storm. Being the ones most affected by said storm it was their repsonsiblity first. It is not like New Orleans did not have the money to make sure those levies were up to snuff, they chose to spend it on other things. It is not the job of the federal governemnt to protect you from your own stupid decisions.
I will say this one last time.
President Bush could not have gotten help there any faster than he did.
The Mayor of New Orleans (a Democrat) and the Governor of Louisiana (a Democrat) could have. But they delayed asking for the assistance. Yes, they have to ask for aid. They could also have approved funding from local sources to improve the levy system. Who is more likely to need that levy to work? The people of New Orleans or my mother in New Mexico?
Even with that delay, aid began to move within three days. That is six days faster than Hurricane Andrew. And infinitely faster than the Galveston hurricane (where no federal aid was even available).
President Bush is not responsible for the weather. Try to remember that the Senate didn't ratify the Kyoto treaty when President Clinton was chomping at the bit to sign it. Former President Clinton has come out and said that HE could not have gotten aid there any faster!
Congress is more to blame for no federal money going to those levies than the president. Learn how our government works!
The money that New Orleans wanted to spend was available locally. They didn't spend it on levies, they spent it on a world trade center. I'm sure there are other examples of money that, in hindsight, should have been spent on levies.
The true people to blame for this disaster is the people of New Orleans. It's their fault for building below sea level in a hurricane corridor. It's their fault for not spending their own money on ensuring that the levies would survive any conceivable storm. Being the ones most affected by said storm it was their repsonsiblity first. It is not like New Orleans did not have the money to make sure those levies were up to snuff, they chose to spend it on other things. It is not the job of the federal governemnt to protect you from your own stupid decisions.