My plan for economic recovery

I strongly recommend several things to get us out of the economic recession we are in now. For our economy to be as productive as possible, as many people within it need to be working and spending their own money, thus increasing production.

1. Abolish the minimum wage. It was intended to prevent the exploitation of workers, but it actually hurts the working class by limiting the ability of businesses to hire and keep employees. It is far better to have over 99% of workers employed at $3.00 an hour than it is to have only 80% of those workers employed at $7.00 an hour. With the minimum age, there is a gap between the employed and the unemployed that wouldn’t exist otherwise. We never needed a minimum age because in a truly free market, companies can compete for workers. If workers feel they are being paid less than they are worth, they can search for and find another company that may pay them more per hour.
2. Establish a MAXIMUM wage. Many corporate CEOs and other executives so vastly overpay themselves that they actually are parasites on their own companies rather than leading them to prosperity. If their pay is limited, then the company can hire more workers, increasing production. More production results in a stronger economy.
3. Outlaw outsourcing.  It is the height of absurdity for a company based in the United States to have its manufacturing done in other countries to reduce labor costs and with it the final price of the goods produced. This causes workers in the United States to switch to service positions so they are no longer producers, but middlemen only. This threatens American independence. Thus, a company that outsources its manufacturing is betraying the American people! It is far better to pay higher prices for fewer goods of a higher quality than to pay lower prices for more goods that are of lower quality. It’s really that simple! When we make our own goods, we tend to care more about how they are made.
4. Remove the property rights from corporations and ban corporate mergers and corporate bailouts. The biggest mistake we as a society ever made was to grant corporations the same property rights as individuals. This is because corporations are unlimited in size, and when such  giant corporations fail, millions of people may lose their jobs, causing a drop in cash flow that threatens other businesses. So I would recommend that when any corporation fails, the government should NEVER bail it out, but instead should be required by law to BUY OUT the company, fire all its executives, and sell all its properties at auction to individual investors who wish to start and run their own small businesses. I feel that lassez-faire capitalism can really only work when there are NO giant corporations to screw up the works. This is because corporations are more like governments than like individuals, and the same problems of abuse and inefficiency that plague governments ultimately affect corporations as well.
5. Deregulate small businesses. It should be as easy as possible for anyone to start and operate a business. The more people we have owning their own businesses, the more people in general will value their freedom and insist on the government being accoutable to them rather than vice versa.
6. Stop the printing and coining of new money for at least a decade.  When the Federal Reserve prints more money, inflation results. Stop the printing of paper money and the making of coins, and we will have deflation as less and less money remains. Deflation will increase the buying power of the dollar, making up for the less remaining currency. 
7. Tax the wealthy heavily and do not tax the poor and middle classes at all, while reducing taxes overall.  This policy will prevent the hoarding of money that impedes cash flow. It does not matter at all how much money is in the economy. If there is less cash flow, the economy is weaker. If there is greater cash flow, the economy will be strengthened. The poorest economies are those with extremes of wealth and poverty, with almost no middle class. We need to increase the middle class and lessen the economic power of the wealthy. Then we will have a stable economy instead of the boom and bust periods we have had repeatedly since the late 1970s. The horror of “Reaganomics” should be thrown into the trash can of history and buried forever!
8. Reduce the size of government.  Also, put government officials under the same economic rules as those outside the government, so that no one can use government to enrich themselves. There should be NO soverign immunity for any government agencies and the people that operate them. Focus primarily on paying down the public debt and make it illegal for the government to ever borrow money. If the government cannot afford something, it should not be done.
9. Decriminalize all drugs.   We waste too much public money on law enforcement by imprisoning people who take illegal drugs instead of treating them like victims of a health problem. Why do we keep tobacco and alcohol legal and regulate them, but not treat all drugs the same way and boost the economy by allowing American citizens to produce and sell them without fear of arrest? Because we have hypocrites running the federal agencies!
10. Outlaw credit cards.   They cause too many people to run up large personal debt that limits their ability to spend money on goods and services later.

A really unbalanced society

This morning, Farrah Fawcett died after a long battle with cancer. She was 62.  Tongues wagged about it for a short time.

Only a few hours later, Michael Jackson died suddenly of a heart attack. He was only 50. Suddenly, the media jumps all over it and Farrah is not even mentioned anymore. It’s like Michael’s death so overshadowed Farrah’s that she might as well have never existed.

Yes, Michael sold more albums than most other artists, while Farrah was an actress of average standing. But that does not justify the media’s treatment of the situation. It seems sad to me that one should be seen as far more precious than the other. What if Farrah had been your mother, sister, wife, or daughter? Wouldn’t you feel cheated and insulted?

Besides, Farrah was never accused of child molestation. Give her some credit! She led a normal life, a striking contrast to Michael. Who would you rather have visting your home? For me, the answer would be obvious. Michael gave me the creeps for all sorts of reasons. Farrah never did.

I guess that reflects the depraved nature of our society.

The Planets Won’t Cooperate, with CREATIONISM!

If you want more damning proof that Creationists overlords are willing to tell the most absurd lies to their own children, read on.

Why I hate political parties

It seems that no matter which party is in absolute control of the American federal government, corruption and prejudice results.

Here are several ways the parties screw up the government, and with it, the American people:

1. RULE BY SHUTTING OUT THE OTHER PARTY – Never mind that the party out of power represents a considerable portion of the people who pay taxes just like the supporters of the party in power. And even that the party out of power has many legitimate concerns that most moderates and independent voters may share.
2. LET THE PRESIDENT OF THEIR OWN PARTY DO WHATEVER HE WANTS, BUT GIVE THE SHAFT TO HIM IF HE IS OF THE OPPOSING PARTY - Relates to the first point, but even more serious since the President in theory is representative of the American people as a whole. He is also Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Thus, partisan matters shouldn’t even be played so much here.
3. SPEND, SPEND, SPEND ON WHATEVER YOUR PARTY FAVORS – Never mind that we really need to curb spending completely to get our government out of debt!

We never needed political parties, because they are not even mentioned in the U. S. Constitution. If our Founding Fathers had thought more carefully, they might have prohibited them altogether. Maybe we still should!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-party_democracy

Is global warming still a problem? Maybe not.

In 2005, when Al Gore produced his film and the accompaning book of the same title, An Inconvienent Truth, neither he nor any of the scientists who were working on climate issues at the time could have predicted the following two events:

1. That the Sun’s activity would drop to low levels not known since the mid 20th Century.

http://www.woodfortrees.org/plot/pmod/from:1980/to:2010/plot/pmod/from:1980/to:2010/trend 

2. That we would be facing a massive economic recession that would affect most of the world.

The former has made global warming much less of a problem, at least for now.

http://www.woodfortrees.org/plot/rss/from:1980/to:2010/plot/rss/from:1980/to:2010/trend

http://www.woodfortrees.org/plot/rss/from:2005/to:2010/plot/rss/from:2005/to:2010/trend

While the latter has caused a slowdown in industrial output, the very thing that was the primary cause of global warming prior to 2005. Thus I have decided that it would be safe and prudent to put climate change on the backburner for a few years or so and concentrate on reviving our economy. Once we have made our economy strong again, and once we find solar activity rising once again, we can and MUST resume the focus on solving the global warming problem.

In the meantime, Al Gore, please find a new cause to champion. This one has run its course!

A blunt point about America’s Military

I just read this blog entry by my friend Henric Jensen:

http://dovaryeh.net/2008/05/25/the-memorial-day-lie/

EVERYONE should be vaccinated!

Many people are opposed to vaccinating children, fearing that they might be prone to autism as a result. But there is no clear scientific evidence that autism is a cause of vaccinations. People merely ASSUME that because their children’s autism starts soon after their vaccines are administered, but most children who are vaccinated do NOT get autism. If vaccinations caused autism, then nearly all children vaccinated would be autistic, and we would probably have discovered the agent in vaccinations that cause autism by now. Coincidences often happen, but unless the scientific method confirms the existence of an actual cause for something like autism, a coincidence is all it is. Assuming that a coincidence and the hypothesis resulting from it must be the same as a FACT without confirmation is actually magical thinking that is anti-scientific.

While the cause of autism may be questionable, the danger of viral diseases spreading because of children being left unvaccinated is not. Viruses can only reproduce when they have hosts that they can attack. And every time viruses reproduce, they have a chance of mutation. And when they mutate, they are likely to become more deadly, eventually making the vaccinations obsolete. That will never happen if all children are vaccinated, but it might happen eventually if only some are. Of course, once vaccinations become ineffective because of viral mutations, anti-vaccination nuts will claim they were proven right. Thus, their insane claims are irrefutable.

Even if vaccinations DID cause autism in a few cases, it is better for a child to be autistic than to be DEAD! If people like Jenny McCarthy think otherwise, then as far as I am concerned they can rot in hell!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_McCarthy#Activism_and_autism_controversy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiomersal_controversy

Nancy Pelosi, please RESIGN!

After all, if you think sending me stupid e-mails like this is in any way, shape, or form appropriate for a House Speaker to do, you don’t belong at that position at all.  We have two wars going on, our economy is a mess and you are doing THIS?!

Dear Dale,

You are among a special group of committed Democrats whose sacrifice and dedication made our victories last November possible. For all you’ve done to support the Democratic Party and to move America in a New Direction you have my deepest gratitude.

 

Now, I want to offer you and a guest a special invitation for a chance to join me at my table at our dinner with President Obama in Washington, DC on June 18th for the President’s Dinner.

 

Contribute $5, $10, or more and be automatically entered for a chance to win a free trip to Washington, D.C. to join President Obama and me on June 18th — and go home with a photograph with the President!Thank you again for everything you have done to support the Democratic Party and President Obama’s agenda for change. Whether you attend the President’s Dinner or not, your generous support will strengthen our Democratic majority in Congress as we move President Obama’s agenda forward. We cannot become complacent. We must keep working together for change. You have my commitment and I hope I have yours.

Sincerely,

Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the HouseP.S.  The deadline to enter to win to meet the President and have a photograph with him is in less than 48 hours! Act now.

 

TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT!

Seriously, we have a problem!

We have local governments, state governments, and a national government all taking our tax dollars and providing services to us that private agencies can do. Government is TOO BIG and doing TOO MUCH!

How did we get this way? We voted for it! Look at this:

Democrats have been pushing for economic regulation by government since the 1930s, when the New Deal came out, while Republicans have been pushing for government regulation of individuals since the 1980s, when the Religious Right arose to dominate the Republican Party. The result has been that when the Dems come to power, they undo some (but hardly all) of what the Reps did while using government to get most of what they want, and vice versa, but with each change of party, we actually get MORE government power, not less. Instead of climbing up towards the top of the Nolan Chart, we have been sinking towards the bottem. Why? Because power is addictive and extremely hard to give up. Plus, people have become increasingly lazy and unwilling to do things to help themselves.

In the end, I think only a revolution may stop the road to tyranny!

The stupidity of “Life After People”

The History Channel is showing a series titled “Life After People”. It is the sequel to a two hour special that was broadcast on the same channel last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_After_People

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_After_People:_The_Series

The assumption in all versions of this show is that humans disappear SUDDENLY, by some completely unknown and unexplained process, leaving all man-made structures to slowly decay and become overrun by wildlife and plants. Some Protestants claim a simular event will occur, called the Rapture, but it will only involve them, not humanity as a whole. Quite simply, this idea is completely unscientific and irrational.

Here’s another version of the same concept:

http://images.thetimes.co.uk/TGD/picture/0,,351113,00.jpg

Let’s face it: While it may be fun to speculate what might happen to man-made structures after we are gone, it is pointless to do so while avoiding the real issue of what might cause humans to go extinct. Why are we so afraid to actually discuss this? It is a process that will take at least 100 years, involve massive death and suffering, and may be preventable. The History Channel is being profoundly irresponsible and cowardly NOT to discuss this in detail.

Besides, its not even history, is it?