A friend forwarded this to me and I found it amusing and apt. Too large for a FaceBook post, so I thought it would go well here.

Wal-Mart vs. The Morons

1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day.

2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target +Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer, and most speak English.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years.

8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy.

This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

To all 535 voting members of the Legislature,

It is now official that the majority of you are corrupt morons:

a.. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.

b.. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.

c.. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.

d.. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.

e.. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.

f.. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.

g.. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars. Folks, keep this circulating. It is very well stated. Maybe it will end up in the e-mails of some of our "duly elected' (they never read anything) and their staff will clue them in on how Americans feel.


AND


I know what's wrong. We have lost our minds to "Political Correctness" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AMERICA: a country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed hungry, elderly going without 'needed' meds, and mentally ill without treatment -etc,etc.

Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the same support they give to other countries. Sad isn't it?


"If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan

"If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins." ~ Benjamin Franklin

The below is a post I did to the brushfire list.

Greetings list,

Wanted to see if anyone out there in brushfire land had any strong opinions on the Hermanater. I have been positively impressed by the interviews I've heard and by the Fox News/Google debate performance. Although I think it unlikely he will win, I am buying his book and making a small donation to his site. Is this vain foolishness on my part? Would you donate to a candidate at this early stage in either time or money?

Although I think Cain looks excellent I just don't think he'll get the nod. Unfortunate. At least there's StarBucks.

Found some interesting articles I thought I would share here. First is this which speaks of the killing of terrorists. The point is made that although the recent string of slayings by the U.S. is helpful in battling terrorism there is still a long way to go.

This one talks about the President calling America soft and offering to whip the country into shape. Apart from my dislike of the President's economic policies I am troubled by his request to sacrifice without having a solid goal in mind. Sacrificing to lose ten pounds, or save two hundred dollars a month, or pay off a particular loan makes sense because you have a measurable goal to check your progress against. Sacrificing to rid the world of hunger or help out those less fortunate then yourself as the government defines them is another matter. While one might be willing to do the former, how would we determine the progress? With the latter there is the additional question of why I should be made to be charitable to others. I have just seen to many living off the dole, and the disensentives for people to get back to work once on said dole.

Finally there is this little gem on the problem of evil. Most interesting.

Life and the Gauntlet

I just attended Tap Dogs this evening with a group from Pathways Church. Good times- the food beforehand was excellent (a mojito, wine, trout, and outstanding coffee and dessert), as was the show itself. Didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did, considering it was tap dancing; however, the energy displayed was most entertaining.

Apart from the great evening this evening I have had some great times in Denver both within and without the salt mines. I have attended a couple of Rockies games with excellent company, and the experience was always most enjoyable. Looking to hit up one more game to celebrate a friend's birthday next Tuesday- should be a blast.

The Gauntlet also goes well. Have stayed on target thus far this week, and am actually mildly ahead of my friend. Alas this will be more a matter of the tortoise winning in the end, rather then the hare. Nevertheless, it is good to be reading the good book again- makes for good reading on the train in the morning.

Also looking forward to the elections in November. I was thrilled when I found out that I could still register to vote with my address change. If you haven't registered to vote yet you can do so here. I encourage you to vote, and to vote for those who believe in fiscal responsibility. I'd kind of like the dollar to be worth more then Monopoly money ten years down the road. Of course a gold standard would help in that regard, but I shall refrain from getting on that soap box.

Still enjoying my iced coffee, and rather enjoying cold mint tea as well. Hoping to have a large glass of it in celebration in November.

A moment on the soap box

Although I find politics castly interesting and enjoy a good debate I have tried to keep my political views confined to posting articles on Twitter. I figure those who wish a greater idea of where I'm coming from on a given issue can easily read the articles I post. Those who disagree can obviously skip them, but regardless despite frequent tweets on the topic of politics I think they are not overwhelming (would my followers please correct this impression if it is mistaken?)

With the passage of health care however I feel I need to make two points. The first is that I believe it will result in economic disaster (see Cafe Hayek for good thoughts on this) and that it will not provide greater health care to Americans but rather increase prices. Additionally, the idea that the government can tell us to buy a private product of any type is unconstitutional. If they can tell us buy health insurance they can tell us to buy spinach, or computers, or government bonds- regardless of whether we want them or not. A dangerous road IMO.

Second I am extremely vexed with my progressive friends ravidly praising this and claiming that those who disagree are idiots or less charitable terms. The debate is over and all that needs to be said has been said (so says George R.R. Martin). I believe however that the debate has just begun, and to claim that those who are argueing for alternitives are simply cruel, greedy, and/or idiotic simply shows the weakness of the promoters of health care. If health care is so great why then all the parlamentary mumbo jumbo? If this was so greatly supported by millions of Americans then why it is only supported by 30% is the polls? Why should we take on blind faith that we will like the bill once we see what it contains?

George R.R. Martin is a great author- I am looking forward to his next Song of Ice and Fire novel, and he has a right to his opinion. I am however dismayed at his taking up the cry of no more debate and basically calling those who watch Fox News brain washed. The fact he mentioned ABC and CNN as unslanted sources was quite amusing. I wish my progressive friends would also drop a bit of their hubrous and agree that good patriotic Americans can disagree with them. Then again considering the illogical nature of most hard core progressives I have met I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that ad hominim attacks instead of logic is the name of the game. One cannot create facts, so it amazes me that many progressives actually believe that Congress, which has never done so in the past, would actually follow through on the cuts it preposes in this bill. Similarly the facts that individuals would be mandated to buy a product from the government doesn't seem to bother them. Must be nice to be able to spend other people's money with such ease. Just because one is willing to pay more for something doesn't mean he should force his neighbor to do so. I like recycling and renewable energy, and am happy to pay a bit more to use these services- but I believe it immoral to force everyone to do so, just because I think it worthwhile. I grow tired of my progressive friends and their arrogance, but when the facts of health care roll in I suppose we will be able to fix matters- hopefully

I am now stepping down from my soap box, and hope that great news in the areas of adaptive technology and life will outweigh the need for another post like this.

Government Motors and Tarp

The article above speaks about GM paying back its loans to the government way before it needs to- and yet, the objective observers say it seems insanely obtimistic to believe that the tax payers will get properly paid back. This just goes to show you that although government has its perks, when it tries to be a business it totally fails. Do we really want the people who can't manage to handle a simple bankruptcy to run everyone's health care?

The Laviathan grows- here's voting for more sushi!

Back to the GOP

For those unaware last November with my extreme vexation with then President Bush chucking his free market principles under the bus and the GOP in general becoming standard want-to-be Dems I decided to join the Libertarian Party.

As of yesterday I have rejoined the GOP, though as a Libertarian Republican. If you click on the link and look at the philosophers who have inspired Libertarian Republicans you will be reading the list of those authors who have a profound impact on my political thinking of late. I particularly recommend Hayek, Rand, and Mill.

I have also been posting political articles of interest via Twitter. If I find anything interesting I tend to tweet it, though since this blog and my Twitter feed are linked to my Facebook page I tend to like to keep my traffic to a fairly small volume. I hope you will find them interesting, and if this is nothing more then my personal echo chamber I will have an excellent archive of political articles I have enjoyed.

Ayn Rand

Really enjoyed a couple of articles- What Capitalists Need to Know

Extremely timely and important call to join the battle to defend capitalism.

Is Rand Relvelent a question I respond to with a loud YES! Although I disagree strongly with her views on religion I think her commentary on big government and capitalism is superb.

Vampires and Libertarians

The vampire is my favorite type of monster, which is why I found this review of the Twilight series extremely interesting and valid. The revising of historical works to suit our sex crazed culture is unfortunate in the extreme. Part of my love for Stoker's Dracula is the very fact that the monster is the monster, not some misunderstood outsider with an axe to grind. The whole point of tale and story in my mind is to put forward some truth while entertaining. Stoker does this excellently, as does the Sword of Truth series- particularly because such stories recognize absolute truth and good and evil. I think Liberals hate the concept of true evil existing in the world, and believe that if only we all communicated clearly the world would be perfect. They seemingly cannot grasp that the message they might hear when all the barriers to communication have been removed and everyone knows where everyone else stands is, "Death to America!"

I am also extremely please to read this on the increasing popularity of Ayn Rand and the possible merger of Libertarians and conservatives. As I look at the insanity of the Dems "dig ourselves out of this economic hole" philosophy I genuinely believe that a solid fiscally free market stance is needed, and all its defenders and champions need to be joint together in the battle. Lassez-Faire!

Global Warming etc.

This shows exactly what I make of global warming and shows that God does indeed have a great sense of humor.

Also this is a video of Rush Limbaugh's speech to the CPAC this past Saturday. If you have an open mind I would suggest listening to it, as I found the points in his speech very valid ones. If you on the other hand have a mind like a steel trap don't waste your time.

Keep it up

This tells how the GOP in California's senate have truly grown a pair and are knocking them out of the park. I can only pray the rest of the GOP nationally takes note of their principled stand against robbing the tax payers for the benefit of the nanny state and act similarly for fiscal responsibility and free markets. Rock on!

Some thoughts on Economics and Obama

Found this an interesting read, as is this on President Obama. I think they are points to be considered, regardless of whehter you agree with the man's politics or not.

Also this was rather disturbing, considering the government's ever expanding interest in every single detail of our lives. I wonder how long it will be before hamburgers are declared illegal due to their harmful impact on the environment. Talk about legislating morality, we are being forced into backing the morals of green through government force. Give me liberty, thank you. If we can't legislate morals, then why do Liberals cheer when it is tried on their end of the spectrim on the majority?

GOP holds strong

“Our state has been spending beyond its means for many years now,” said Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, an Orange County Republican. “We’re asking the taxpayers of California for too much of their own money to cover over a problem of our own making.” --Full Article

"[...] here's a great definition of bipartisanship: "Roosevelt and Reagan reveal the dirty rotten secret of bipartisanship. It happens only when one side is cowed, beaten or frightened. More competitive elections mean more ardent debates." And there's a perfect definition of bipartisanship. The Democrat version: "We're gonna beat you down, we're gonna make you bring your toothbrush in here and you're going to go along with us because we're going to frighten you, we're going to cow you and we're going to make you think it is hopeless," and that's bipartisanship. Bipartisanship only happens when one side caves in, [...] because it involves quitting, and of course, Winston Churchill, whose statue, whose bust was sent packing by Obama, one of his favorite quotes, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." ---Full Article

These thoughts are extremely valid IMO. Additionally I found this on the Liberal Wellfare state most itneresting. I find it unfortunately the people are determined to make wards and dependents of the state everywhere. Although I myself receive Social Security for being blind it is not a state I would wish upon anyone. I constantly feel useless and a mooch off of those who do work and pay taxes. I am insulted and vexed that Liberials seem to think this should be the state for everyone, those who work and better themselves being forced to give what they have earned to those who have not earned it, myself included. I hope a more reasonable way of thinking, one that upholds the value of the individual and his or her right to better themselves and keep what they have earned takes a new firm grip on the imagination and values of this country.

Finally I found this on free trade and protectionist concerns a spine chilling read. I spoke with my property manager todya and he and I agreed that if this absurdity of big government speading and caving to the victimhood mentality continues we will be in a poor state very shortly indeed. God keep us focus on you.

We are not all Socialists

Over at Newsweek, they may all be [1] socialists now . But some of us persist in believing that transferring ever more power to the state is such a disaster for both our economy and our freedoms that America deserves the effort — no matter how untrendy — to reverse the tide. Yes, we now have a congress in which the majority count it as a great achievement to ram through the biggest spending binge in history. Yes, we have a president who praises this $787 billion act of government gluttony and central planning as “[2] progress.” But that doesn’t mean we should burn the remaining copies of Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose, and line up to chuck The Wealth of Nations into the collectively-owned woodchipper.

Most disturbing in that Newsweek piece, which echoes President Obama’s dismissive rhetoric about free markets, is the patronizing tone in which we are told that there is no point in further debate:

If we fail to acknowledge the reality of the growing role of government in the economy, insisting instead on fighting 21st-century wars with 20th-century terms and tactics, then we are doomed to a fractious and unedifying debate. The sooner we understand where we truly stand, the sooner we can think more clearly about how to use government in today’s world.

What, exactly, are these dazzling new 21st-century terms and tactics for which we are supposed to forsake all memory and spurn all debate? The cult of “climate change?” The group chant of “We are one” -? Deep thinking as represented on Google News?

Actually, there is a desperate need to revive those 20th century debates about government versus free markets — and there is plenty of room for such debates to be edifying in the extreme, since many of those now waving aside free markets and genuinely private enterprise seem to have chucked right down the memory hole such basic and vital insights as those set forth by Friedrich Hayek in his 1944 Road to Serfdom, or his indispensable 1945 essay on [3] The Use of Knowledge in Society.

This is an excellent time to revive the lessons about the importance of free-market prices as signals of where resources can most productively be put to use (that’s how America got rich). This is a great time to re-examine the loss of freedom, and the immense damper imposed on creativity, productivity and individual dreams, when government controls people’s livelihoods. And there could be no better time to review what actually went wrong in America’s system in recent years – with profligate budgets, loose money and government poisoning the housing market with forced lending, implied taxpayer guarantees, and hellish knock-on toxic effects. Fannie Mae was not something cooked up by the free market. It was a product of the same state-engineering mindset that now brings us the godzilla “stimulus” bill. --Full Article

The rest is equally valid and vital. I found the patronizing tone a very good point to bring up. Debate is all well and good, but I absolutely hate the snarky tone and attatude when it comes to this sort of thing. Some may say Conservatives do the same, but I certianly seem to find those to be limited to a few nutzoid talk show hosts on the fringe- where as the neo socialists and Liberals in general tend towards this snarky serlf righteous manner in general. Make a point, and they attack you as unfit and backward. What about my arguement however? Apparently this doesn't much matter. Case in point was a discussion about government spending with a friend. I made my point, and as opposed to discussing the values of her point of view, or pointing out the weaknesses in my points, she attacked me personally. And people wonder why we can't communciate? With all the "tollerence" about it is indeed a wonder. bit about the

California: Big Government at work

For anyone that believes in the wisdom of the government running the economy (and in big government in general) I offer this article which talks about the fine job the California government has done on that front. At least the Republicans in the state are finally saying no more tax hikes and attempting to focus on the real solutions, speading cuts and tax cuts. I would submit that if Liberals have their way fiscally we can expect similar "solutions" that have already been tried by the Californians. Big government simply doesn't work, and if fiscal responsibility had been a term the Democrates understood I doubt very much California would be in this position. I will be interested in seeing if the GOP members hold out. I certainly hope so, for the sake of true financial recovery in that state.

GOP finally acting like the GOP

It's very nice to finally see the GOP starting to act like the GOP again. This story speaks about the justifiable scorn being heaped on the porkibus bill being passed by the Congress, despite the lack of bi-partisonship and the lack of much that will actually help the economy.

We can also all breath a sigh of relief, as the government is once again here to "help" of the American people, this time on housing. Seeing as the government is well known for it's artful handling of the economy, not only in this country but far more in places like China and Russia, and as we have millions of people being tossed out of their houses to dwell on the streets because of mean corperations who want to be paid for their loans (a shocking and horrid idea) this makes total sense.

On a more serious note I am praying that we can survive this foolishness. Capitalism works best because it allows individuals, who understand what's best for them, to make choices instead of the government. Government economies have been tried before, and we see the standard of living there. That's what I want baby! Give me government issued rice and rubber shoes to wear. Hooah!

I am going to fix some beautiful capitalist coffee I bought and read some Cafe Hayek. I think the Sword of Truth series, The Road to Serfdom, and Capitalism the Unknown Ideal should be manditory reading in schools and in life. Do alot more for the everyday useful knowledge of people at least, so perhaps we could discuss solutions as opposed to what's "fair".

Temperary Slavery is still Slavery

This article talks about temperary slavery still being slavery in regards to "public service" equating to serving the government. Some extremely valid points IMO, as I believe that volenttary service to a cause is one thing, but enforcing it as a patriotic duty is another. I think one can serve the country equally well through starting a business and making as high a profit as possible, thus truly building up our economy as opposed to the sudo communistic service to the government.

Life Optimism

I am an optimist on the matter of life. I believe that a person has inherent value due to his humanity, and thus even a life not lived to its full potential still has value. This also makes me pro-life. I do not believe if a woman is pregnant and she doesn't want the baby, this desire on her part gives her the right to end that life. Indeed, she may if she wishs give it up for adoption, but to say that life does not matter because she didn't wish it right now is absurd at best, as well as being immoral.

I was dismayed therefore when President Obama was elected, as his vocal support for the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) placed him solidly on the side of death. I too some heart when I read this article for being optimistic. I am also well aware of the fact that the laws can say whatever they want, but it is the people on the ground who will make the difference. I was pleased to find out about the 40 days for life campgain, and will be involved with it as much as possible during this bleak time for those who believe in life over death. This gives a brief review of Rowe V. Wayde 36 years down the road.

Finally, I found this article by Mark Steyn to give me a smile.

Comrade Bush etc.

This article is a wonderful discussion on the importance of free trade. With FTA's wasting away in Congress I believe it is more important then ever to both promote free trade and debunk the myths and stereotypes surrounding free trade.

Also Prop 8 looks like it will go down, not because of any rational reason, but because the AG of CA doesn't like it. Man oh man, if the right tried something like this the loud voiced left nutters would be all over it like white on rice. I really hate all this hipocracy on the "tolerent" left's part. Must come from not understanding the use of words or the fact that they have firm definitions.

This article speaks well to the mess we're in currently, and why the Dems will lead us out of economic hardship like Communism led to prosperity. And speaking of here is the article about Comrade Bush. This is why I get annoyed when great conservatives like Hugh Hewitt defend, and defend, and defend the poor anti-conservative choices of guys like Comrade Bush and attempt to call it conservativism. Let's call a spade a spade. The GOP is no longer a conservative party, and if they continue to act like light Dems they will justifyably be dwelling in the wilderness permenantly.

I follow with the iced coffee and a Braille book...

Ranting About Catholics Acting like Catholics

"The fact that there are people who want to silence the Church is disturbing. If people want to disagree with the Church it's one thing, but when you start this kind of name-calling it is intended to have a chilling effect," said Susan Fani, a spokeswoman for the Catholic League.--Full Article

A hot button issue for me is when people are angry for organizations acting in a manner that is in line with their morals and ethics. This is particularly frustrating to me in regards to gays and the Roman Catholic church. The church, despite the wishes of the Liberals in it, is not a democracy or social club you can change with force of voting numbers. I grow tired of the ranting about victimization on the one hand and demanding repression of disenting opinions on the other the gay rights movement is calling for. Prop 8, the RCC, and "tolerance" that is anything but does nothing but frustrate and devalue the cause of gay rights. I do not view it in this regard. I believe one should hate the sin, love the sinner. Note that love does not mean accept the sinful behavior or call it something other then it is.

Let the Church be the Church, and let it have its say. The joys of free speech.

I follow with the iced coffee and a Braille book...