The Musing Letters

Obama Deficit Fix and Class Wars

2011-09-19T18:27:00.001-07:00

I`m not a fan of big government. More taxation, not a fan. Me paying less taxes while Warren Buffet and co. pay more, well I could live with it.Here`s the rub. Obama needs to find money. Rich of the rich have been paying less and less in taxes since the 80s. (early in fact). What's wrong with paying more? I actually get the argument that you don't want to tax the rich who are the job creators (they'll take the money they'd be paying in taxes, and instead do what they're good at doing--make more money.)To make more money you need to create more jobs. Win. Problem though, if you take a look at the financial collapse, how many of the hundreds of millions in BONUSES paid to bank execs were for job creation? None. All for increased short term profit. That's a problem. The rich fat cats WEREn't creating jobs. I know some will, but the whole system is based on short term greed. Will the government do a better job spreading out the wealth? I really doubt that. But the flipside hasn't worked lately. There seems to be no winning.Ps. I don't buy the 'class war' that will split America. Last I checked something like 5% make more than 1 million a year. 95% v 5% isn't 50% v 50%. Anyway, let's hope we don't get into another squabble where nothing gets done... oh wait, too late.

Americans slowly getting stoopider

2011-07-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304432304576369421525987128.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

FYI, although I'm not always a Michael Moore fan, he's right, there's something wrong with public education and it's a local problem, not an international one.

America neesd to drop money into their schools. Right now we're too interested in ourselves (or private lives), ironic given we'll reap the problems of a broken education system.

Or maybe we already are?

The Greatest American Achievements in 100 years?

2011-07-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

100 years from now what will we regard as the crowning moments in US history during the 21 st century?

Will it be like the past 100 years?

When you think about achievements and the most memorable moments that have national and wordlwide appeal, I can only think of the wars.

That's what we have to show, 100 years of war?

I'm sure from an international perspective Americans are a bunch of war mongering imbeciles.

To use at home, we remember the wars, the attacks on home soil, maybe the great run of Jersey Shore.... but what about contributions to making our country better and the world?

Did we contribute the expansion of the global economic system? That one seems to have bred greed and more problems.....

Any thoughts on what we'll look back and relish?

Palin Needs to Brush Up on History

2011-07-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

She should read this: http://blog.timesunion.com/marshall/knowing-american-history-by-sarah-palin-and-kevin-marshall/5308/

And people who would ever vote for her should be punched in the kidneys

In a hundred years - Christianity in America

2011-06-27T15:00:00.001-07:00

What will we say?

From about the turn of the 1960s there's been a steady out pouring (literally) of people from the pews. Urban centers saw it first, Bible belt strongholds are starting to see the cracks 50 years later.

But in a 100 years what will we say about Christianity in America?

Are we really a Christian nation? Sure, our fabric speaks volumes of the founding members, but for the past 40 years what do we have to show?

It seems mostly just a bunch of wars (that's another post).

A change of culture is to blame (I don't think you can blame culture though), and apparently the church is capable of contextualizing itself, yet here we are in a post-Christendom world losing influence and memebers.

When our kids look back and see the slow exit of consumer Christianity what will they say?

If you don't believe we're seeing mass exodus then you're kidding yourself. But it just find it curious that history books will talk about a very different, secular, almost Nordic like America in a 100 years from now.

Assuming we're still around..... *fingers crossed*

In a 100 years, what will bankruptcy numbers be?

2011-06-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

I would hope better. I mean think of it, the generation that got tanked by the worst depression since the 30's surely has some money sense to speak into future generations. It can't get worse can it?

Check out total bankruptcy claims by quarter in the entire state of California over the past few years:

Yea, in case you were wondering the numbers that go up and up aren't good. Record breaking numbers of fillings each year. Yieks.

Can it get worse? We'll have to reconvene in 5 years and see if the numbers are declining. The increase appears to be slowing, but at the rate of debt accumulation and the inability to save (driven by a consumer economy) are harming both our recovery and ultimately our nation.

Thanks to San Diego Bankruptcy Attorney for the use of the graph.

SNL Celebrity Apprenctice

2011-05-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

I don't usually watch SNL, but I figured I'd check it out since Timberlake and Gaga were on.

One of the funnier moments was the 'Weekend Update' segment with Seth Meyers. The satirical news desk show poked fun at Donald Trump and his Celebrity Apprentice show.

Trump thinks he can win the Republican nomination AND be President.

He has hubris, he thinks way too highly of himself. He's also a narcissist. All while he was drawing attention to himself over the Obama birth certificate fiasco, the real President was working his tail off finding Bin Laden. You know, national security stuff.

Anyways, it was funny when Meyers noted that how would a celebrity win the Presidency if he can't even win his TV time slot?

Then again, Arnie did get to be governor of California, so nothing's impossible....

Americans are a little safer

2011-05-02T15:03:00.001-07:00

Good riddance to a snake.

Obama delivered perhaps his greatest public speech ever, past, present, and future. The startling announcement that we got our man came on a lazy sunday evening.

Although I missed the ending of the Simpsons, the news was far more relevant.

The implications of losing one man don't really have a huge blow or impact directly.

But this day will go down in history. Almost ten years after the fateful day, we've got our man.

But if we dwell too long on the 'one man' we'll ignore a few things.

First, terrorism was dealt a blow, but one they can recover from. Al Queda was franchised out, they still operate with fear.

Second, to revel in the death of a terrorist is no different than any Arab nation/group burning effigies of Obama in the streets. The difference between Americans and say the Taliban in Pakistan, is we celebrate death with 'USA' chants and beers.

Out attitude needs to quickly wake up, use these moments to propel our country further, and pursue something better than running around remote areas of the world searching for people.

One is good, the symbolizing is powerful enough to fill us with satisfaction. But fundamentally if nothing changes in us as a result of 9/11 that's for the better, well then I fear the terrorists win no matter how many we bring to justice.

Top American Disasters

2011-03-28T15:34:00.001-07:00

With Japan fresh in our memories, what about the worst industrial disasters in American history?

Here's a link to a list compiled by Yahoo!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110320/pl_ac/8101432_worst_industrial_accidents_in_american_history

Radiation Table

2011-03-21T08:39:00.001-07:00

Check out thits link: http://xkcd.com/radiation/

It shows radiation charted out in terms of strength. Sleeping next to someone emits radiation (well I guess humans just do).

Living in a rock house emits radiation......

Cleaning up a nuclear reactor is exposure to last 1000 lifetimes....

Tsunami

2011-03-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

My heart goes out to Japan, I can't imagine how scary it would be seeing a wave coming into your village. Actually most never saw it coming, they just all of a sudden were swept away.

I find it also really alarming that Japan only lost (number still climbing) 10K. To me that's a very LOW number for an earthquake that was 8X more powerful than the one the month before in NZ.

One of the most alarming things is seeing the global effect. Apart from speeding up the earth's rotation check out this tsunami picture. really awesome (in a bad way.)

Startling Color Photos of San Fran 1906

2011-01-21T08:42:00.000-08:00

Fresh from the archives:

Startling pics of the calamity in San Fran after the 1906 earthquake were dug up and restored. Really breathtaking photos from a bygone era and disaster. Are we ready for another?

Fulla rticle here: http://blog.americanhistory.si.edu/osaycanyousee/2010/01/the-1906-san-francisco-quake-in-color.html

Kelp Noodles....

2010-01-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hmmmmm.

These are definitely one of the... odder things I've eaten (including tofu noodles). And I believe that I liked them!

I guess the secret to these noodles is to ignore their "noodleness". Their texture could really not be less noodle-like. A noodle has a certain mouth-feel, a slight slipperiness, an porosity that absorbs sauce while an ever-so-slight roughness of texture on the outside of the noodle clings to sauces and cheese.

This has none of those things.

Biting into one of Sea Tangle's kelp noodles feels, for lack of a better comparison, like biting into a raw bean sprout. A slightly dry, vaguely rubbery outside that bursts under the pressure of your teeth like good caviar, with a delicate pop. I suppose it is an experience more akin to eating a succulent plant than a noodle.

This is not a negative!! I had these noodles cold in dashi broth, and rather enjoyed them, but more like eating a salad that stayed crunchy in broth than as a noodle. And of course, that enjoyment is enhanced by both the convenience of the things (they come in a refrigerated pouch and don't require cooking) and the fact that the entire package has only 18 calories. Yep. 18. That's 6 calories a serving but what the hell, I ate all three.

Be bold! Pick em up at your nearest Whole Foods! And enjoy!

http://kelpnoodles.com

On Civil Disobedience...

2007-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.

~Voltaire

You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality.

~Malcolm X

If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.

~Henry David Thoreau

As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.

~Clarence Darrow

When a man who can barely complete a sentence commutes the sentence of another, you know it’s time to take action

So long, Spindle…

2007-06-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever seen Wayne’s World, you’ve probably seen the Spindle.

The Spindle is a sculpture by Los Angeles artist Dustin Shuler that resides in Berwyn, Illinois at the Cermak Plaza Shopping Center.

Berwyn Mayor Michael A. O’Connor announced today that The Spindle will be disassembled to make way for a new Walgreen’s.

Because that’s what the world needs: one less piece of art and another fucking Walgreen’s.

Here’s a link to the official Berwyn website. Feel free to drop Mayor Twat-Rag a line.

Just so you know…

2007-05-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Violation of Section 1503 of the General Obstruction Provision carries a maximum sentence of 10 years (120 months). Violation of Section 1621 of the US Code (Perjury) carries a maximum sentence of 5 years (60 months).

Does a 30 month sentence for being guilty of four felony counts of Obstruction of Justice and Perjury seem excessive to you?
I didn't think so.