This past weekend, my brothers, friends and I wanted to go play some mini-golf at Como Zoo in the cities. It was a Sunday, and the place was packed. We pulled into a parking lot, I was driving, and every space was full. There were two cars in front of us, driving the horseshoe hoping a few cars would pull out so we'd have a place to park. One car pulled out, and the lead car pulled in. The car in front of us rounded the bend, and two families were getting into their cars, so that was spaces for them and us.
The first car pulled out, and the new lead car pulled into that space. The second car pulled out, and I went to park in that space, when a lady ran to the middle of the parking space and stood there. I inched forward and she held her hand up to me. I honked my horn, and she pretended to ignore me. I rolled down my window and I asked her what she thought she was doing. She said, "I'm saving this spot for my friends who are on their way."
It was too hot outside and I was too tired from the weekend to get out and cause a scene, but in retrospect I should have, because as I drove on, I saw another open spot. This open spot also already had a female inhabitant. This female inhabitant was twice as rude as the first one, telling me, "I'm not moving child." In an effort not to unleash my unholy rage at a children's zoo, I politely swore at her and drove on. We had to park about a mile away, and walk back. I settled for reporting them to security, even though they were probably long gone by the time security got to the parking lot.
This whole ordeal got me thinking about entitlement. Am I entitled to those parking spaces? Only if I can physically park my car in that spot before anyone else does. When somebody cuts you off and steals your space you're mad, but at least they have a car and are using the parking space for its intended purpose. So that lead me to ask, do those women have any right to those parking spaces?
If those two women were walking down the middle of a highway, they would be deemed a safety risk and the cops would be called. Now, I'm all for everyone having the right to stand where they want, but seriously, is this middle school? There's a line of cars waiting and you're going to stand in a parking lot and tell 20 people, who were able to bring their cars with them, that they can't park there? Obviously these women feel a strong sense of entitlement, strong enough that they believe they don't need a car to 'reserve' a parking space. On the grand scheme of things though, how high up are parking spaces?
My issue isn't so much the parking spaces. OK, at the most I got some more exercise and maybe my blood pressure was elevated for five minutes due to anger. My issue is their attitude, because you know they apply it to more than parking spaces. What kind of society do you have to grow up in to believe that you are entitled to anything and everything? The answer is ours.
It starts out, at the latest, in public schools. These are the institutions teaching our children. These institutions hand out trophies to the kids in last place, as well as the kids in first, because otherwise the kid in last place might feel bad. These institutions change their entire curriculum to ensure that no child is left behind, no matter how slow a learner. They actively and legally hold back the smart children. And on top of that, there's all the propaganda that is taught in their regular classes. Furthermore, there are parents out there who refuse to punish their children for bad behavior, saying they don't want to cause the child any discomfort. In reality, they are just being lazy by not teaching their children that actions have consequences. The consequence can be positive or negative, but every action has a consequence.
For example, had I kept driving towards the woman in the parking space, eventually she would have moved or I would have hit her. In either instance I could be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, or some similar charge. Every action has a consequence.
College is no better at doing away with a person's sense of entitlement. Scholarships are given to those who need, not those who earned. Scholarships are given to the teacher's pet, or the son of the mayor, not those who earned them. If you can play football, or another popular sport, you may be given a free ride, even if you can't write your own name.
After graduation you enter the workforce. This really doesn't do anything to curtail the sense of entitlement either. If you know the CEO or president you don't have to be the most qualified candidate. If the company is trying to fill it's affirmative action quota, you don't need to be the most qualified candidate. Pretty soon you don't feel that you need to earn a raise or promotion, rather, they should give it to you because it's yours. And as if that was not enough depravity, soon you are standing in parking spaces for no other reason than you deserve it, and those of us waiting with our cars don't.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sodomizing America
One of the main principles this country was founded upon is freedom of speech. Since then, the government has tried to find a way to silence all opposition. In order to silence us, the government does not need to take our voices or our ideas; all they need to do is remove our system of communication. If we have nowhere to communicate, we essentially have nothing to say.
President Obama is working on creating an 'internet kill switch' that he can use whenever he deems the internet to be a threat to national security. Quoted as saying, "I will tolerate debate on war policy but I won't tolerate division," one can see where Obama stands on free speech. As long as your speech matches Obama's speech, you are tolerated. If you differ from Obama, then you are no longer tolerable.
The beauty of America is that no matter what your belief, you are allowed to state your belief, and pursue your belief (as long as you aren't harming anyone else). What better example of freedom of speech is there than the internet? I can communicate my ideas with people all over the country, and all over the world. If Obama gets his kill switch, he will be able to stop the flow of communication, the flow of ideas. Sure, we can live without the internet, but the internet has surpassed the Postal Service as the number one delivery method of messages. An internet kill switch is the equivalent of shutting down the Post Office, or burning all the letters deposited in the mail box.
Obama isn't the only government official who wants to control the internet. The FCC has started the process to classify the internet as a public utility, which would grant the government a monopoly on internet services, internet packages, and internet control. The first sites to go will be sites like this one. Eventually, any site that doesn't agree with the party line will be shut down. The internet is the new printing press, and the government will do anything in its power to shut it down.
Another founding principle of America was the freedom from excessive taxes. After spending an unprecedented amount of money on failed businesses and failed countries, Obama needed a way to quickly raise some money What better way than taxes? Of course, he doesn't want to come right out and say he's raising taxes. Instead, Obama has tried to make us believe that he's raising taxes for our own good. Cash for clunkers was a program that used your tax money and my tax money to buy vehicles for people who subscribed to the party line. Have a gas guzzler that's responsible for global warming? Trade it in and the taxpayers will buy you a nice 'green' car.
Or, how about health care? Shouldn't everyone have health care? Isn't free health care the American dream? Who cares if it isn't, if you need it, the taxpayers will foot the bill. We won't even see one benefit from the health care bill before we go broke from trying to afford it. And as if the guilt trip from everyone's health isn't enough, we're also at war. You don't want to be seen as unpatriotic do you? Then you shouldn't question the government when they ask for more money. When they demand more money. When they forcefully take more money.
Owning the automotive industry, the banks, the health care industry, Wall Street and destroying the American spirit isn't enough for the government. It's just the beginning. Cap and trade, the internet, the oil industry, health and food, education are all sitting squarely in the government's sight. After that, they will more than likely go after mobile phones, newspapers, and books.
But it's not enough to stop there. The government wants complete and total control. Of the economic recovery of our country, President Obama said, "Recovery also requires countries not having an undue advantage." Obama wants us to surrender our American values. Our country was founded primarily on our belief that we have unalienable rights that nobody can take from us. We believe that our country is the best country in the world. We acknowledge we have problems, but we know that even with our problems, we are several times over a better country than any other on the planet.
Now Obama is trying to make us feel guilty for our success. He wants everybody to be equal in terms of wealth, happiness, and status. The equality America promises is the equality of being able to pursue what makes you happy. There is no guarantee about being happy, or being successful. There only the guarantee that you will be able to try. Instead of letting people rely on their abilities, Obama wants to force everybody to perform at the level of the least able. We have seen this before in the No Child Left Behind Act. Look what it's done for our school system. The government will not stop until we are all peons, serfs, servants and slaves.
They will be burning our freedom in piles. In that sense there will be no difference between books, computers, cell phones, the American flag, and the Constitution; all will be ash in the streets of Washington.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
President Obama is working on creating an 'internet kill switch' that he can use whenever he deems the internet to be a threat to national security. Quoted as saying, "I will tolerate debate on war policy but I won't tolerate division," one can see where Obama stands on free speech. As long as your speech matches Obama's speech, you are tolerated. If you differ from Obama, then you are no longer tolerable.
The beauty of America is that no matter what your belief, you are allowed to state your belief, and pursue your belief (as long as you aren't harming anyone else). What better example of freedom of speech is there than the internet? I can communicate my ideas with people all over the country, and all over the world. If Obama gets his kill switch, he will be able to stop the flow of communication, the flow of ideas. Sure, we can live without the internet, but the internet has surpassed the Postal Service as the number one delivery method of messages. An internet kill switch is the equivalent of shutting down the Post Office, or burning all the letters deposited in the mail box.
Obama isn't the only government official who wants to control the internet. The FCC has started the process to classify the internet as a public utility, which would grant the government a monopoly on internet services, internet packages, and internet control. The first sites to go will be sites like this one. Eventually, any site that doesn't agree with the party line will be shut down. The internet is the new printing press, and the government will do anything in its power to shut it down.
Another founding principle of America was the freedom from excessive taxes. After spending an unprecedented amount of money on failed businesses and failed countries, Obama needed a way to quickly raise some money What better way than taxes? Of course, he doesn't want to come right out and say he's raising taxes. Instead, Obama has tried to make us believe that he's raising taxes for our own good. Cash for clunkers was a program that used your tax money and my tax money to buy vehicles for people who subscribed to the party line. Have a gas guzzler that's responsible for global warming? Trade it in and the taxpayers will buy you a nice 'green' car.
Or, how about health care? Shouldn't everyone have health care? Isn't free health care the American dream? Who cares if it isn't, if you need it, the taxpayers will foot the bill. We won't even see one benefit from the health care bill before we go broke from trying to afford it. And as if the guilt trip from everyone's health isn't enough, we're also at war. You don't want to be seen as unpatriotic do you? Then you shouldn't question the government when they ask for more money. When they demand more money. When they forcefully take more money.
Owning the automotive industry, the banks, the health care industry, Wall Street and destroying the American spirit isn't enough for the government. It's just the beginning. Cap and trade, the internet, the oil industry, health and food, education are all sitting squarely in the government's sight. After that, they will more than likely go after mobile phones, newspapers, and books.
But it's not enough to stop there. The government wants complete and total control. Of the economic recovery of our country, President Obama said, "Recovery also requires countries not having an undue advantage." Obama wants us to surrender our American values. Our country was founded primarily on our belief that we have unalienable rights that nobody can take from us. We believe that our country is the best country in the world. We acknowledge we have problems, but we know that even with our problems, we are several times over a better country than any other on the planet.
Now Obama is trying to make us feel guilty for our success. He wants everybody to be equal in terms of wealth, happiness, and status. The equality America promises is the equality of being able to pursue what makes you happy. There is no guarantee about being happy, or being successful. There only the guarantee that you will be able to try. Instead of letting people rely on their abilities, Obama wants to force everybody to perform at the level of the least able. We have seen this before in the No Child Left Behind Act. Look what it's done for our school system. The government will not stop until we are all peons, serfs, servants and slaves.
They will be burning our freedom in piles. In that sense there will be no difference between books, computers, cell phones, the American flag, and the Constitution; all will be ash in the streets of Washington.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Monopoly On Force
There are books and books of laws regulating how and when citizens are allowed to use force. Usually it is only acceptable in defense of your life or to prevent immediate bodily harm. What constitutes bodily harm and life? Some would say that anything short of murdering you is not a threat to your life, others would say as long as they weren't going to murder you, or maim you, then it wasn't a threat to your life.
So what is your life? Everybody's life is different, but everybody's life has at least one factor in common. That factor is money. If a thug mugs you in the street and takes all your money in your wallet, is he taking your life? No, but he is taking part of your life and he is threatening your life. How? Well, you trade your time and skill for that money. You use that money to buy food, pay for electricity, heat, and to pay your rent or mortgage. Without that money, how are you going to eat, stay warm, sleep? But it's only $20 you say. It may have only been $20, but you worked for that $20, you used some of your life to earn that $20, and nobody has a right to that $20. Nobody has a right to $1 of yours.
However, somebody thinks that they have a right to your $1, and to more. That somebody is the government. The government can legally steal your money through a process called taxation. They tax us under penalty of wage garnishments, jail, and worse. Simply put, they are legally forcing us to pay taxes. I say legally forcing because somewhere along they way, they passed a law that said it's OK for them to tax us and to enforce it. Now, I don't think all taxes are wrong. OK, well, I think all taxes are wrong, but I do think we should have a flat tax. Income tax, sales tax, gas tax, tobacco tax, alcohol tax, and more are all infringing on individual rights.
The difference between legal and illegal is so simple it's frightening. The only thing that separates the two is the government's word. If the government decrees that it is legal to come take your firstborn son, then it's legal. Everytime I make this example, the first thing people say is, "Isn't that a bit ridiculous? I mean, that would never happen here." When it comes to the government, nothing is ridiculous.
After hurricane Katrina, the police (government) went around to law-abiding citizens, pointed automatic rifles at them, and demanded they surrender their firearms. They beat up an old lady who had an unloaded handgun. What recourse do citizens have when armed officers arrive, wearing bullet-proof vests, and demand you surrender your property? Unless you're prepared for that sort of combat, or prepared to die, there's not much recourse. It doesn't matter if you're pro-gun or anti-gun, the fact is that these people paid money for these guns, making them the property of the individual citizens. The police of New Orleans confiscated the property of law-abiding citizens. It's no different than if the government decided to confiscate everybody's cigarettes, everybody's SUVs, everybody's anything.
Remember, with eminent domain, the government can legally confiscate your land for the 'public good.' Since the government makes the laws and controls the police and army, they have a monopoly on force. The government can literally get away with anything it wants. All it has to do is make it legal first. Just look at the state-wide smoking bans in effect, and those to come. They're even trying to regulate what you do in your own home, in terms of smoking, and even eating. The government has banned trans-fat in New York City. What's next? Who's next? I'm not saying you should panic, I'm saying you should be aware. It's hard to believe a government of the people, by the people and for the people would seek to infringe upon us in this manner, but they can, will, and have. It is important to vote, and not just vote, but being aware of the issues, and the candidates. Use your mind, it's the one thing they can never take.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
So what is your life? Everybody's life is different, but everybody's life has at least one factor in common. That factor is money. If a thug mugs you in the street and takes all your money in your wallet, is he taking your life? No, but he is taking part of your life and he is threatening your life. How? Well, you trade your time and skill for that money. You use that money to buy food, pay for electricity, heat, and to pay your rent or mortgage. Without that money, how are you going to eat, stay warm, sleep? But it's only $20 you say. It may have only been $20, but you worked for that $20, you used some of your life to earn that $20, and nobody has a right to that $20. Nobody has a right to $1 of yours.
However, somebody thinks that they have a right to your $1, and to more. That somebody is the government. The government can legally steal your money through a process called taxation. They tax us under penalty of wage garnishments, jail, and worse. Simply put, they are legally forcing us to pay taxes. I say legally forcing because somewhere along they way, they passed a law that said it's OK for them to tax us and to enforce it. Now, I don't think all taxes are wrong. OK, well, I think all taxes are wrong, but I do think we should have a flat tax. Income tax, sales tax, gas tax, tobacco tax, alcohol tax, and more are all infringing on individual rights.
The difference between legal and illegal is so simple it's frightening. The only thing that separates the two is the government's word. If the government decrees that it is legal to come take your firstborn son, then it's legal. Everytime I make this example, the first thing people say is, "Isn't that a bit ridiculous? I mean, that would never happen here." When it comes to the government, nothing is ridiculous.
After hurricane Katrina, the police (government) went around to law-abiding citizens, pointed automatic rifles at them, and demanded they surrender their firearms. They beat up an old lady who had an unloaded handgun. What recourse do citizens have when armed officers arrive, wearing bullet-proof vests, and demand you surrender your property? Unless you're prepared for that sort of combat, or prepared to die, there's not much recourse. It doesn't matter if you're pro-gun or anti-gun, the fact is that these people paid money for these guns, making them the property of the individual citizens. The police of New Orleans confiscated the property of law-abiding citizens. It's no different than if the government decided to confiscate everybody's cigarettes, everybody's SUVs, everybody's anything.
Remember, with eminent domain, the government can legally confiscate your land for the 'public good.' Since the government makes the laws and controls the police and army, they have a monopoly on force. The government can literally get away with anything it wants. All it has to do is make it legal first. Just look at the state-wide smoking bans in effect, and those to come. They're even trying to regulate what you do in your own home, in terms of smoking, and even eating. The government has banned trans-fat in New York City. What's next? Who's next? I'm not saying you should panic, I'm saying you should be aware. It's hard to believe a government of the people, by the people and for the people would seek to infringe upon us in this manner, but they can, will, and have. It is important to vote, and not just vote, but being aware of the issues, and the candidates. Use your mind, it's the one thing they can never take.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The Cost Of Spending Money
There are those who say that debt is a choice. You choose to get a credit card. You choose to take out a loan. While this is mostly true, the other aspect we need to consider is how our society and economy are set up in a manner which fosters debt. A college degree is worth more now than it was 50 years ago. From birth, children are harped on about picking a college, a degree, etc.
Regardless of what school you go to, or what degree you receive, you should be aware of the huge gap between those potential employees who have a degree, and those who don't. Some companies won't even look at your resume if you don't have a degree. Even if you don't require additional education, even if you know everything there is to know about your field, in order to be marketable, you will need to get a degree.
I never thought twice about going to college, at least, not until I started going to college. After taking class after class where I learned absolutely nothing, and taking out a loan equivalent to a mortgage on a house, I toyed around with the idea of not finishing college and putting myself directly into the workforce. If you look at the options, there really is no option at all. Unless you want to spend your life working at McDonald's or Walmart, you will need to get a degree. I'm not saying anything bad about McDonald's or Walmart, and if those are your aspirations, great! But if you aspire to more than that, you will have to get a degree.
Society mandates a degree. The government offers to loan you money, your parents' money. So you take out a loan, earn your degree, and then at the end of it all, you are left with an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and an enormous amount of debt. Well, that's no problem because now you can get a high paying job. Except now the economy is in the tank, and nobody's hiring, or if they are, you're earning so little, that you might as well be working frying burgers.
When confronted with a poor economy and bleak financial outlook, companies generally use one of two options. The first option, they fire all nonessential staff and try to retain as many experienced employees as possible. They will not hire anybody else until either the economy turns around, or until it is absolutely necessary. The second option consists of firing all top-level, experienced employees, and hiring the fresh-out-of-college people. They can pay these people peanuts while abusing them because they don't know their workplace rights. If one of them wises up, they simply fire him and hire another college graduate. The second option substitutes cheap labor for experienced labor. Which one do you think saves money in the long run?
So even if you're hired right out of college, your salary is so low you can't possibly make the minimum payments on your student loans. What do you do? You try to get a longer forbearance and restructure your loan repayments. Basically all this does is increase the amount of money you will be paying Uncle Sam, and extends the period you are in debt to the government. The sad part of this is that you basically have no choice. For fear of not landing a high paying job, you are pretty much forced to attend college, and unless your family is wealthy, you will have to take out a loan. When you graduate, you are left with a heap of debt, and no job (and limited job opportunities, because you are now too experienced for a job at McDonald's, but not experienced enough for a job in your field).
College isn't the only money-earning scam of our society and government. Perhaps the biggest scam is what we call 'credit.' Credit was illustrated in the college example with student loans, but to really understand this scam, we need to take a look at credit cards. Who do credit card companies target? They target college kids, and offer them a free pizza in exchange for signing up for a high interest card. It makes sense, they've already taken out a sizable loan, and don't have much spending money. What better way to market yourself as offering 'free' money?
The only drawback is there is no such thing as free money. Somebody somewhere owns that money, and they will charge you an exorbitant amount in exchange for you using their money. Credit card companies, it should come as no surprise, are structured in a way to encourage people having long-term debt, or sustained debt. If you pay off your balance immediately, the credit card company doesn't make any money. If it takes you years to pay off your balance, they make money hand over fist from your interest rate. Credit cards, and student loans, are designed to saddle you with debt for most of your life. Sure, they market themselves as being sensitive to the public good, and being sensitive to the needs of small businesses and individuals, but that's just a marketing ploy. If they cared about anything other than leeching off of people, their companies wouldn't exist.
We can't simply blame the credit card companies and be done with this. The problem isn't with the credit card companies; they're merely taking advantage of the situation, or at least, that's how they started out. Now they may be out to stick it to the consumer. Although, ever since our currency was taken off of the gold standard, we really haven't been consumers. Our purchasing power has decreased to an all-time low. There used to be a time when if we didn't want to buy a GM vehicle, we would buy another brand, and if GM didn't offer something we wanted to buy, they would go out of business. Not anymore. Now if they don't produce something we want to buy, the government will buy all of it, using our tax dollars.
Actually, if you do your research, the government doesn't technically use our tax dollars, they use the Federal Reserve, which is an even bigger scam than credit. The best way to get acquainted with the Federal Reserve is to check out, Dishonest Money: Financing The Road To Ruin, by Joseph Plummer (2009). Basically, how banks, and the Federal Reserve, operate is that they loan out money that they don't have. They can do this because the government pinky swore that they would cover their irresponsible lending habits with the Federal Reserve. Joseph Plummer estimates they have enough money in their reserves to cover 1% of all outstanding loans. 1%.
Let's say I get a credit card with a $1,000 limit. I have $100 in my savings account. Even I would have 10%. The reason this is such a great racket, is that the government, and banks, can loan out money they don't have, and collect interest payments on that money that doesn't exist anywhere. The reason we went off of the gold standard is because the government can make more money if they don't have to back up our currency with anything more than their word. The government operates with the same modus operandi as the credit card companies, only, as with all things government, it is on a larger scale and comes with an astronomical price tag. And with all things government, who is left holding the bill but the citizens.
It isn't until you start looking at it that you realize what a scam it is, and what it ultimately costs to spend money you don't have.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Regardless of what school you go to, or what degree you receive, you should be aware of the huge gap between those potential employees who have a degree, and those who don't. Some companies won't even look at your resume if you don't have a degree. Even if you don't require additional education, even if you know everything there is to know about your field, in order to be marketable, you will need to get a degree.
I never thought twice about going to college, at least, not until I started going to college. After taking class after class where I learned absolutely nothing, and taking out a loan equivalent to a mortgage on a house, I toyed around with the idea of not finishing college and putting myself directly into the workforce. If you look at the options, there really is no option at all. Unless you want to spend your life working at McDonald's or Walmart, you will need to get a degree. I'm not saying anything bad about McDonald's or Walmart, and if those are your aspirations, great! But if you aspire to more than that, you will have to get a degree.
Society mandates a degree. The government offers to loan you money, your parents' money. So you take out a loan, earn your degree, and then at the end of it all, you are left with an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and an enormous amount of debt. Well, that's no problem because now you can get a high paying job. Except now the economy is in the tank, and nobody's hiring, or if they are, you're earning so little, that you might as well be working frying burgers.
When confronted with a poor economy and bleak financial outlook, companies generally use one of two options. The first option, they fire all nonessential staff and try to retain as many experienced employees as possible. They will not hire anybody else until either the economy turns around, or until it is absolutely necessary. The second option consists of firing all top-level, experienced employees, and hiring the fresh-out-of-college people. They can pay these people peanuts while abusing them because they don't know their workplace rights. If one of them wises up, they simply fire him and hire another college graduate. The second option substitutes cheap labor for experienced labor. Which one do you think saves money in the long run?
So even if you're hired right out of college, your salary is so low you can't possibly make the minimum payments on your student loans. What do you do? You try to get a longer forbearance and restructure your loan repayments. Basically all this does is increase the amount of money you will be paying Uncle Sam, and extends the period you are in debt to the government. The sad part of this is that you basically have no choice. For fear of not landing a high paying job, you are pretty much forced to attend college, and unless your family is wealthy, you will have to take out a loan. When you graduate, you are left with a heap of debt, and no job (and limited job opportunities, because you are now too experienced for a job at McDonald's, but not experienced enough for a job in your field).
College isn't the only money-earning scam of our society and government. Perhaps the biggest scam is what we call 'credit.' Credit was illustrated in the college example with student loans, but to really understand this scam, we need to take a look at credit cards. Who do credit card companies target? They target college kids, and offer them a free pizza in exchange for signing up for a high interest card. It makes sense, they've already taken out a sizable loan, and don't have much spending money. What better way to market yourself as offering 'free' money?
The only drawback is there is no such thing as free money. Somebody somewhere owns that money, and they will charge you an exorbitant amount in exchange for you using their money. Credit card companies, it should come as no surprise, are structured in a way to encourage people having long-term debt, or sustained debt. If you pay off your balance immediately, the credit card company doesn't make any money. If it takes you years to pay off your balance, they make money hand over fist from your interest rate. Credit cards, and student loans, are designed to saddle you with debt for most of your life. Sure, they market themselves as being sensitive to the public good, and being sensitive to the needs of small businesses and individuals, but that's just a marketing ploy. If they cared about anything other than leeching off of people, their companies wouldn't exist.
We can't simply blame the credit card companies and be done with this. The problem isn't with the credit card companies; they're merely taking advantage of the situation, or at least, that's how they started out. Now they may be out to stick it to the consumer. Although, ever since our currency was taken off of the gold standard, we really haven't been consumers. Our purchasing power has decreased to an all-time low. There used to be a time when if we didn't want to buy a GM vehicle, we would buy another brand, and if GM didn't offer something we wanted to buy, they would go out of business. Not anymore. Now if they don't produce something we want to buy, the government will buy all of it, using our tax dollars.
Actually, if you do your research, the government doesn't technically use our tax dollars, they use the Federal Reserve, which is an even bigger scam than credit. The best way to get acquainted with the Federal Reserve is to check out, Dishonest Money: Financing The Road To Ruin, by Joseph Plummer (2009). Basically, how banks, and the Federal Reserve, operate is that they loan out money that they don't have. They can do this because the government pinky swore that they would cover their irresponsible lending habits with the Federal Reserve. Joseph Plummer estimates they have enough money in their reserves to cover 1% of all outstanding loans. 1%.
Let's say I get a credit card with a $1,000 limit. I have $100 in my savings account. Even I would have 10%. The reason this is such a great racket, is that the government, and banks, can loan out money they don't have, and collect interest payments on that money that doesn't exist anywhere. The reason we went off of the gold standard is because the government can make more money if they don't have to back up our currency with anything more than their word. The government operates with the same modus operandi as the credit card companies, only, as with all things government, it is on a larger scale and comes with an astronomical price tag. And with all things government, who is left holding the bill but the citizens.
It isn't until you start looking at it that you realize what a scam it is, and what it ultimately costs to spend money you don't have.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The Problem With Capitalism
Wherever I happen to be, I advocate capitalism. The liberals, and conservatives, forced a negative stigma on capitalism. When we are in a recession it is capitalism's fault, not over-regulation. When a company fails, it is capitalism's fault, not their poor business practices. It's no wonder that when I speak pro-capitalism, the response is invariably, "The problem with capitalism is..."
...it doesn't take into account minorities.
Capitalism takes into account everybody. Under capitalism, everybody would have an equal opportunity for success. Communism and socialism try to do away with class, race and status by employing a No Child Left Behind policy. Communism and socialism set the economic standard as the poorest citizen, and then aspire to drive everybody to that level of poverty. Communism and socialism use pity as their measuring stick. Capitalism uses ability as its measuring stick.
Nobody was created equal, at least, not in the sense the government would have you believe. My talents are different than your talents. I look different than you, I act different than you. You and I are not the same. I enjoy different activities than you. We don't make the same amount of money. What communism and socialism aim to do is to make everybody equal in the sense that we all make the same amount of money, all have the same number of cars, all have the same number of kids, all have the same job, and so on. The government believes that we are all entitled to happiness and success. That is not the American dream, and we don't have to look further than our own country to see the failings of this mentality.
When you have an economic system that 'takes minorities into account,' you end up with racism under the guise of affirmative action. Affirmative action breeds racism because it is racism. Affirmative action mandates that companies look no further than skin color when selecting their employees. Companies should only hire those most qualified for the job. They should not hire the blackest applicant, or the whitest applicant. They should hire the most-able applicant. Giving somebody handouts because of their skin color only encourages laziness and a sense of entitlement. You are entitled to what you can earn, nothing more. The concept of earning has been systematically dilluted with this concept of entitlement. Now we don't have to earn rewards, we are entitled to rewards. This mentality is being taught in our schools; you are rewarded for your faults and are told to hide your attributes.
I don't remember a time when a report came out that said America was on top in terms of world education. The No Child Left Behind act effectively hindered smart children by forcing them to advance at the same pace as the slowest children. When I was a kid, I read every book I could get my hands on. I don't remember the last time I saw anybody under the age of 40 reading a book. It amazes me how uneducated people as a whole are. It's not just that they are uneducated, it's that they don't even care to be educated. Part of this is the fault of our education system, part of it is the standards our society fosters, and part of it is the fault of those individuals who do not value knowledge.
In a truly capitalistic economy, there will be classes, there will be poor and there will be wealthy. The difference is that under capitalism, everybody has equal opportunity according to their ability, whereas under communism and socialism, everybody has a hindrance applied so that their ability matches those least-able. It's the pursuit of happiness we have a right to; we don't have a right to happiness.
...people who are greedy will continue to exploit the system and keep others down.
The first thing to remember is that currently, America is not a capitalist country. America has never been a truly capitalist country. Greed is not a bad thing, in the sense that you want to earn as much money as possible for your labor. In capitalism, corporations who employed evil practices (blackmail, bullying, shady accounting, etc.) would not be able to sustain themselves. We need to examine this on a more practical level.
Let's say you have a group 5 friends. Let's say that one of your friends is manipulative, bullying, and cheats, and you and your other four friends can't stand him because he takes advantage of you. We are going to examine two scenarios. The first scenario will be under our current government/economy here in America. To top off this evil friend's behavior, let's say that your mom absolutely adores him (either because she approves of his methods, or maybe because he is bribing her). Now, you and your friends can't stand him, and want to tell him to leave you guys alone. Before you are able to do that, your mom sits down and has a talk with you about how you should give him another chance, and that he's really a nice guy, if you could just see past his faults. She also says that if you don't get along with him, she will decrease your allowance, ground you, or take away some other 'privilege.' After the talk, you make the effort to get along with him because you love and trust your mom. Or, maybe she doesn't talk to you before. Maybe you and your friends tell this bully to go live his own life. Then he goes and talks to your mom and tells her that you have been treating him unfairly, so ultimately you are pressured into apologizing to him and giving him a second chance.
Under capitalism, you and your group of friends tell this cheater to leave you alone. Your mom doesn't say anything, regardless of how she feels, because she knows that you are an individual and can make your own choices and decisions. Or, she is still being bribed and tells you to give him another chance, but you aren't under any pressure from her because she doesn't hold any power over you (your allowance cannot be lowered because it is directly in proportion to your skill at executing your tasks, you can't be grounded because she has no right to your life, and she can't take away any privilege because that would be theft).
What happens to the bully? He ends up with no friends and nobody to bribe.
In order to be truly capitalist, there would have to be a drastic change in the mentality of our country, but I have a feeling that if we quit socialism cold-turkey and went to capitalism, that a majority of people would catch on pretty quick. In capitalism you don't get rewarded for failing, you get rewarded for achieving.
So what is the true problem with capitalism for its opponents?
The problem with capitalism is that the only person you can rely on is yourself. And that is a frightening thing for those who loath themselves, are fearful of their abilities, and embrace death. For those of us who are confident, able, and embracers of life, all we need are ourselves and the freedom to achieve.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
...it doesn't take into account minorities.
Capitalism takes into account everybody. Under capitalism, everybody would have an equal opportunity for success. Communism and socialism try to do away with class, race and status by employing a No Child Left Behind policy. Communism and socialism set the economic standard as the poorest citizen, and then aspire to drive everybody to that level of poverty. Communism and socialism use pity as their measuring stick. Capitalism uses ability as its measuring stick.
Nobody was created equal, at least, not in the sense the government would have you believe. My talents are different than your talents. I look different than you, I act different than you. You and I are not the same. I enjoy different activities than you. We don't make the same amount of money. What communism and socialism aim to do is to make everybody equal in the sense that we all make the same amount of money, all have the same number of cars, all have the same number of kids, all have the same job, and so on. The government believes that we are all entitled to happiness and success. That is not the American dream, and we don't have to look further than our own country to see the failings of this mentality.
When you have an economic system that 'takes minorities into account,' you end up with racism under the guise of affirmative action. Affirmative action breeds racism because it is racism. Affirmative action mandates that companies look no further than skin color when selecting their employees. Companies should only hire those most qualified for the job. They should not hire the blackest applicant, or the whitest applicant. They should hire the most-able applicant. Giving somebody handouts because of their skin color only encourages laziness and a sense of entitlement. You are entitled to what you can earn, nothing more. The concept of earning has been systematically dilluted with this concept of entitlement. Now we don't have to earn rewards, we are entitled to rewards. This mentality is being taught in our schools; you are rewarded for your faults and are told to hide your attributes.
I don't remember a time when a report came out that said America was on top in terms of world education. The No Child Left Behind act effectively hindered smart children by forcing them to advance at the same pace as the slowest children. When I was a kid, I read every book I could get my hands on. I don't remember the last time I saw anybody under the age of 40 reading a book. It amazes me how uneducated people as a whole are. It's not just that they are uneducated, it's that they don't even care to be educated. Part of this is the fault of our education system, part of it is the standards our society fosters, and part of it is the fault of those individuals who do not value knowledge.
In a truly capitalistic economy, there will be classes, there will be poor and there will be wealthy. The difference is that under capitalism, everybody has equal opportunity according to their ability, whereas under communism and socialism, everybody has a hindrance applied so that their ability matches those least-able. It's the pursuit of happiness we have a right to; we don't have a right to happiness.
...people who are greedy will continue to exploit the system and keep others down.
The first thing to remember is that currently, America is not a capitalist country. America has never been a truly capitalist country. Greed is not a bad thing, in the sense that you want to earn as much money as possible for your labor. In capitalism, corporations who employed evil practices (blackmail, bullying, shady accounting, etc.) would not be able to sustain themselves. We need to examine this on a more practical level.
Let's say you have a group 5 friends. Let's say that one of your friends is manipulative, bullying, and cheats, and you and your other four friends can't stand him because he takes advantage of you. We are going to examine two scenarios. The first scenario will be under our current government/economy here in America. To top off this evil friend's behavior, let's say that your mom absolutely adores him (either because she approves of his methods, or maybe because he is bribing her). Now, you and your friends can't stand him, and want to tell him to leave you guys alone. Before you are able to do that, your mom sits down and has a talk with you about how you should give him another chance, and that he's really a nice guy, if you could just see past his faults. She also says that if you don't get along with him, she will decrease your allowance, ground you, or take away some other 'privilege.' After the talk, you make the effort to get along with him because you love and trust your mom. Or, maybe she doesn't talk to you before. Maybe you and your friends tell this bully to go live his own life. Then he goes and talks to your mom and tells her that you have been treating him unfairly, so ultimately you are pressured into apologizing to him and giving him a second chance.
Under capitalism, you and your group of friends tell this cheater to leave you alone. Your mom doesn't say anything, regardless of how she feels, because she knows that you are an individual and can make your own choices and decisions. Or, she is still being bribed and tells you to give him another chance, but you aren't under any pressure from her because she doesn't hold any power over you (your allowance cannot be lowered because it is directly in proportion to your skill at executing your tasks, you can't be grounded because she has no right to your life, and she can't take away any privilege because that would be theft).
What happens to the bully? He ends up with no friends and nobody to bribe.
In order to be truly capitalist, there would have to be a drastic change in the mentality of our country, but I have a feeling that if we quit socialism cold-turkey and went to capitalism, that a majority of people would catch on pretty quick. In capitalism you don't get rewarded for failing, you get rewarded for achieving.
So what is the true problem with capitalism for its opponents?
The problem with capitalism is that the only person you can rely on is yourself. And that is a frightening thing for those who loath themselves, are fearful of their abilities, and embrace death. For those of us who are confident, able, and embracers of life, all we need are ourselves and the freedom to achieve.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Warning Labels
Warning labels are not a rare occurrence in today's society of lawsuits. If you order hot coffee you can expect to see a warning label informing you the beverage may be hot. There are warning labels on electrical cords, telling you not to cut the cord with a scissors while it's plugged in. When you buy a candy bar, there is a warning that it may contain nuts. And on top of that, there are a wide array of products known to the state of California to cause cancer, which range from shampoos to fertilizers. The latest item to make this list? The Constitution of the United States of America.
According to a FoxNews.com article, A&D Publishing and Wilder Publications have released a printed version of the Constitution and Bill of Rights that contains a warning stating, "This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work" (Wilder Publications, 2007).
What is completely mind-boggling is that I can buy a copy of Mein Kampf and there is no warning label to be found. At the school library, children can check out copies of The Stand and other books with questionable subject matter. But now the founding documents of our country come with warning labels? Is there anything offensive in the Constitution? Only if you hate life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Why, then, are these warnings put on these documents? The simple answer is that it is not politically correct to be American. And why isn't it politically correct to be American? The answer for that is jealousy and equality. The government, mostly liberals, have decided that our Constitution means that everybody in the world should be equal, in much the same sense that they believe every child in school should learn at the same pace. They are trying to institute a No Human Left Behind act. Other countries are jealous of our freedoms, and the politicians don't want to offend anybody, so they have to tone down how great our country is. What the politicians don't realise, is that America should be what other countries aspire to. Jealousy is good. If we can show the world how truly awesome capitalism and democracy are, then eventually everybody will have freedom. We undercut our status as a role model when we start talking about political correctness and when we start worrying about offending people.
Do I care that Mexico is a third world country? Not until Mexicans start illegally immigrating to the US and start feeding off of my tax dollars. Would I like Mexico to be a decent country with decent freedoms? Yes, of course. However, that is not my responsibility, nor is it your responsibility. Are countries like Mexico jealous of the United States? Of course they are. Does that jealousy sometimes lead to hatred and attacks against our country? Yes, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are prime examples. The difference between the two, however, is political correctness. World War Two was not fought with political correctness in mind. Our war on terror is a politically correct war. We are tying our military's hands by telling them they can't bomb a hospital full of terrorists for fear it would look bad on the news.
America exists because we had a problem with what England was doing, and we fought for our sovereignty. Our founding fathers were out-numbered, out-gunned, and out-matched, but we won. In my opinion, any citizen of Afghanistan is equally responsible for 9/11 as the terrorists who carried out the attack. Our strategy should have been, bomb the temples, bomb the hospitals, cripple their country and bring them to their knees. If we did that, they wouldn't want to attack us ever again. Look at Japan. How much trouble have we had with Japan since the end of WWII? Zero trouble. We took the fight out of them. It is more advantageous for them to be friendly with us, than it is for them to be our enemy.
I'm not advocating we bend every country to our will, or that we go around the world as a 'police nation.' I'm just saying that war cannot be politically correct. If we are attacked because of our morals and values, then it is our duty as free citizens to defend our rights, our country, and our lives. Fighting a war half-heartedly, politically correct, only fosters more hatred. War is about showing the enemy that they don't ever want to mess with you again. If you can do that, you can prevent more wars in the future.
Being American isn't about warning labels. Being American isn't about political correctness. Being American is about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Being American is defending our country against all enemies, domestic and foreign. Our country was not founded on political correctness. We fought a king and his army to gain our freedom. I will be damned if warning labels convince me to be politically correct. I am American. No apologies.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
According to a FoxNews.com article, A&D Publishing and Wilder Publications have released a printed version of the Constitution and Bill of Rights that contains a warning stating, "This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work" (Wilder Publications, 2007).
What is completely mind-boggling is that I can buy a copy of Mein Kampf and there is no warning label to be found. At the school library, children can check out copies of The Stand and other books with questionable subject matter. But now the founding documents of our country come with warning labels? Is there anything offensive in the Constitution? Only if you hate life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Why, then, are these warnings put on these documents? The simple answer is that it is not politically correct to be American. And why isn't it politically correct to be American? The answer for that is jealousy and equality. The government, mostly liberals, have decided that our Constitution means that everybody in the world should be equal, in much the same sense that they believe every child in school should learn at the same pace. They are trying to institute a No Human Left Behind act. Other countries are jealous of our freedoms, and the politicians don't want to offend anybody, so they have to tone down how great our country is. What the politicians don't realise, is that America should be what other countries aspire to. Jealousy is good. If we can show the world how truly awesome capitalism and democracy are, then eventually everybody will have freedom. We undercut our status as a role model when we start talking about political correctness and when we start worrying about offending people.
Do I care that Mexico is a third world country? Not until Mexicans start illegally immigrating to the US and start feeding off of my tax dollars. Would I like Mexico to be a decent country with decent freedoms? Yes, of course. However, that is not my responsibility, nor is it your responsibility. Are countries like Mexico jealous of the United States? Of course they are. Does that jealousy sometimes lead to hatred and attacks against our country? Yes, Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are prime examples. The difference between the two, however, is political correctness. World War Two was not fought with political correctness in mind. Our war on terror is a politically correct war. We are tying our military's hands by telling them they can't bomb a hospital full of terrorists for fear it would look bad on the news.
America exists because we had a problem with what England was doing, and we fought for our sovereignty. Our founding fathers were out-numbered, out-gunned, and out-matched, but we won. In my opinion, any citizen of Afghanistan is equally responsible for 9/11 as the terrorists who carried out the attack. Our strategy should have been, bomb the temples, bomb the hospitals, cripple their country and bring them to their knees. If we did that, they wouldn't want to attack us ever again. Look at Japan. How much trouble have we had with Japan since the end of WWII? Zero trouble. We took the fight out of them. It is more advantageous for them to be friendly with us, than it is for them to be our enemy.
I'm not advocating we bend every country to our will, or that we go around the world as a 'police nation.' I'm just saying that war cannot be politically correct. If we are attacked because of our morals and values, then it is our duty as free citizens to defend our rights, our country, and our lives. Fighting a war half-heartedly, politically correct, only fosters more hatred. War is about showing the enemy that they don't ever want to mess with you again. If you can do that, you can prevent more wars in the future.
Being American isn't about warning labels. Being American isn't about political correctness. Being American is about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Being American is defending our country against all enemies, domestic and foreign. Our country was not founded on political correctness. We fought a king and his army to gain our freedom. I will be damned if warning labels convince me to be politically correct. I am American. No apologies.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Awareness, Knowledge, Action
A lot of people agree with my views, and every single one of them has asked, "What can we do about it?" Knowing what a difficult task we have ahead of us, it is normal to feel overwhelmed. The most important thing is that while it is alright to feel overwhelmed, it is imperative that you do not feel discouraged. It will be a long, hard fight to win our country back, but we can do it. In order to make the changes necessary to restore our country, we need to follow three steps: Awareness, knowledge, and action.
Awareness
This step is simultaneously the easiest, and the most difficult step. The first thing that must happen is that people must be aware of what is going on. If you are reading this blog, you probably have, at the very least, an inkling that something is wrong with our country. Simply, if people do not feel an immediate and harsh effect from some law or government action, they will ignore it. The health care bill will affect every American, but the taxes and benefits don't kick in immediately, so by the time the crunch is felt, it will be too late. In order to raise awareness, we need to make sure that people understand that everything that happens will have some sort of effect, and that every voice that joins our cause is pivotal. People must understand that our country is being hijacked by our own politicians, and that it is our duty to prevent them from doing so.
Knowledge
Once people are aware, they will require knowledge. It is one thing to know something is wrong, but it is another thing to be able to explain what is wrong, why it is wrong, and how to fix it. The government assumes we are all uneducated. Actually that's not true. The government knows we are all educated, and they assume that their schools taught us to love the government no matter what. The government assumes we can't think for ourselves. In order to defeat the coruption, we must be able to think for ourselves. Our brains are our greatest attributes. We should never have to say something so moronic as, "We need to pass the bill to find out what's in it." Somebody wrote the bill, at least one person should know what's in it. I would prefer if every politician knew what was in it before they voted on it. Where the government and politicians fail, we need to step up and pick up the slack. We don't have to save them, but we do need to save ourselves. Nobody else will.
Action
Action will be taken. Maybe not today, tomorrow or even this year, but eventually, action will be taken. The biggest challenge we have is organization. The government owns the media. The government can talk to every American at once. The government does not own me. The government does not own you. They think they own us, but really, the citizens own the government. It has been too long since we have claimed our ownership, reminded them of our ownership. To this effect, we have a multitude of legal options before us. We have the plan, we just lack the numbers.
For now, focus on raising awareness and increasing knowledge. When the time is right, the action will happen. Until then, do not become discouraged, fellow patriots. We may be socialist now, but socialism cannot sustain itself, and eventually, we will be capitalist once more. Do not despair. $
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Awareness
This step is simultaneously the easiest, and the most difficult step. The first thing that must happen is that people must be aware of what is going on. If you are reading this blog, you probably have, at the very least, an inkling that something is wrong with our country. Simply, if people do not feel an immediate and harsh effect from some law or government action, they will ignore it. The health care bill will affect every American, but the taxes and benefits don't kick in immediately, so by the time the crunch is felt, it will be too late. In order to raise awareness, we need to make sure that people understand that everything that happens will have some sort of effect, and that every voice that joins our cause is pivotal. People must understand that our country is being hijacked by our own politicians, and that it is our duty to prevent them from doing so.
Knowledge
Once people are aware, they will require knowledge. It is one thing to know something is wrong, but it is another thing to be able to explain what is wrong, why it is wrong, and how to fix it. The government assumes we are all uneducated. Actually that's not true. The government knows we are all educated, and they assume that their schools taught us to love the government no matter what. The government assumes we can't think for ourselves. In order to defeat the coruption, we must be able to think for ourselves. Our brains are our greatest attributes. We should never have to say something so moronic as, "We need to pass the bill to find out what's in it." Somebody wrote the bill, at least one person should know what's in it. I would prefer if every politician knew what was in it before they voted on it. Where the government and politicians fail, we need to step up and pick up the slack. We don't have to save them, but we do need to save ourselves. Nobody else will.
Action
Action will be taken. Maybe not today, tomorrow or even this year, but eventually, action will be taken. The biggest challenge we have is organization. The government owns the media. The government can talk to every American at once. The government does not own me. The government does not own you. They think they own us, but really, the citizens own the government. It has been too long since we have claimed our ownership, reminded them of our ownership. To this effect, we have a multitude of legal options before us. We have the plan, we just lack the numbers.
For now, focus on raising awareness and increasing knowledge. When the time is right, the action will happen. Until then, do not become discouraged, fellow patriots. We may be socialist now, but socialism cannot sustain itself, and eventually, we will be capitalist once more. Do not despair. $
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Faith Through Fear: Part 1
The government has instituted a policy, an unofficial policy, of faith through fear. This concept was lifted from the church, but probably works better for the government, because they are experts at exploiting it. How it works for the church, is that you have a supreme, all-knowing entity that has set down rules for your life. The church then tells you that if you do not follow those rules, or if you do not love this higher power with your whole heart, you will be condemned to hell. The government uses the same technique, except they base it in the real world. If you don't trust the government to take care of you, you will be blown up by a terrorist. The government bases it in reality, but very loosely. The government’s goal is to wrap all of its citizens up in a blanket of “Public Safety.”
I use the term blanket, because the concept of public safety is as effective at saving your life as tossing a blanket over your head if a criminal breaks into your home, in hopes they won’t see you. Public safety is a concept for the naïve and uninformed. The only person you can rely on to keep you safe, to protect your life and property, is yourself.
The government wants you to believe that they will take care of you, because if you believe that, then they have control. Is it a coincidence that the H1N1 scare came as the government was struggling to pass a major health care reform, that would give the government unprecedented control over the health care industry? Is it a coincidence that the regulations the government imposed on Wall Street caused a financial collapse? If you think it was, look at what the government is doing now; trying to pass more regualtions and restrictions on Wall Street. I am not a conspiracy theorist, I am merely using some exaggerated examples to show the importance of asking one question, is this for our own ‘good,’ or is this a faith through fear tactic?
The government wants to employ the use of full body imaging devices at airports. These devices have been proven to be ineffective in addition to the government lying about how long the images are stored. These devices have the capability to save images, just like your computer. Do they honestly expect us to believe that some security guard they're paying minimum wage won't save some of the images? With such flawed technology, why would anyone want to institute this? Their response is always, “Public safety.” Does the government and/or airlines have the right to invade our privacy in this manner? Or is this another faith through fear tactic?
It is not my intention to denounce one political party over another; simply, I am denouncing politicians, all politicians, everywhere. All the government should do is maintain a standing army, maintain a police force, and maintain a court system. The government should not do a single thing more that those three core functions. However, through fear, we are tricked and forced, to grant the government sanction.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
I use the term blanket, because the concept of public safety is as effective at saving your life as tossing a blanket over your head if a criminal breaks into your home, in hopes they won’t see you. Public safety is a concept for the naïve and uninformed. The only person you can rely on to keep you safe, to protect your life and property, is yourself.
The government wants you to believe that they will take care of you, because if you believe that, then they have control. Is it a coincidence that the H1N1 scare came as the government was struggling to pass a major health care reform, that would give the government unprecedented control over the health care industry? Is it a coincidence that the regulations the government imposed on Wall Street caused a financial collapse? If you think it was, look at what the government is doing now; trying to pass more regualtions and restrictions on Wall Street. I am not a conspiracy theorist, I am merely using some exaggerated examples to show the importance of asking one question, is this for our own ‘good,’ or is this a faith through fear tactic?
The government wants to employ the use of full body imaging devices at airports. These devices have been proven to be ineffective in addition to the government lying about how long the images are stored. These devices have the capability to save images, just like your computer. Do they honestly expect us to believe that some security guard they're paying minimum wage won't save some of the images? With such flawed technology, why would anyone want to institute this? Their response is always, “Public safety.” Does the government and/or airlines have the right to invade our privacy in this manner? Or is this another faith through fear tactic?
It is not my intention to denounce one political party over another; simply, I am denouncing politicians, all politicians, everywhere. All the government should do is maintain a standing army, maintain a police force, and maintain a court system. The government should not do a single thing more that those three core functions. However, through fear, we are tricked and forced, to grant the government sanction.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Illegal Immigrants Think And Act Like Criminals
I recently read a Newsweek article that claimed the crime rate was way lower in areas with high concentrations of illegal immigrants. This simply is not true. By law, an illegal immigrant is a criminal. Illegal, by definition, means contrary to law. Which makes every illegal immigrant a criminal. Therefore, the more illegal immigrants you have in an area, the more crime you have in an area.
What do we do with criminals that happen to be American citizens? We fine them or lock them up. What do we do with illegal immigrants? Not a whole lot, but the Arizona law, which enforces the Federal law, will. Several people have said you have to read the Arizona law really close to see how evil it is. These are the same people who have yet to read the bill. I have read the bill, and there is nothing in there that is evil. Well, unless you consider deporting people who are leeching off of the hard working, legal citizens of this country. Those people who work here but send their money back to Mexico, to stimulate the Mexican economy, and not our economy. Those people who think the American dream means they are entitled to a free ride, at the expense of others. Those people who think they have rights, here in our country.
Illegal immigrants do not have rights in America. I will not pay for illegal immigrants to be here. Everybody in the world has the right to apply for citizenship, or a visa. Nobody has the right to have their request approved. Illegal immigrants are a drain on law-abiding citizens. I repeat, a drain on citizens. Illegal immigrants are NOT citizens. They are not even undocumented citizens. An undocumented citizen is an illegal immigrant, except the press lables them as 'undocumented citizens' to make you think that somehow, someway, they might have rights in our country. They don't. Illegal immigrants think and act like criminals because they are criminals.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
What do we do with criminals that happen to be American citizens? We fine them or lock them up. What do we do with illegal immigrants? Not a whole lot, but the Arizona law, which enforces the Federal law, will. Several people have said you have to read the Arizona law really close to see how evil it is. These are the same people who have yet to read the bill. I have read the bill, and there is nothing in there that is evil. Well, unless you consider deporting people who are leeching off of the hard working, legal citizens of this country. Those people who work here but send their money back to Mexico, to stimulate the Mexican economy, and not our economy. Those people who think the American dream means they are entitled to a free ride, at the expense of others. Those people who think they have rights, here in our country.
Illegal immigrants do not have rights in America. I will not pay for illegal immigrants to be here. Everybody in the world has the right to apply for citizenship, or a visa. Nobody has the right to have their request approved. Illegal immigrants are a drain on law-abiding citizens. I repeat, a drain on citizens. Illegal immigrants are NOT citizens. They are not even undocumented citizens. An undocumented citizen is an illegal immigrant, except the press lables them as 'undocumented citizens' to make you think that somehow, someway, they might have rights in our country. They don't. Illegal immigrants think and act like criminals because they are criminals.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Taxes Feed The Broken System
The government is spending massive amounts of money. Of course, the government doesn't have its own money; it has our money. What the government does have, however, is a monopoly on force, which can be used against American citizens. One of the government's favorite channels for this force is taxation.
Nobody I know enjoys paying taxes. I enjoy it even less when the government is moving in a direction I'm not happy with, or spending money on programs I don't believe in. I'm paying into Social Security, but soon that will be bankrupt.
I also payed for people to trade in their cars to buy new cars at a discounted price with the Cash for Clunkers program. People honestly believed that the government was giving them money to buy a new car. The government may have given them the money, but you and I financed it. In the movie business, we'd be credited as producers. In the government business, we get credited as suckers.
When preparing your taxes, you need to calculate how much you earned, invested, etc. Nowhere on the form are you made aware of what your tax money is going towards. With all the money the government spends, and all the taxes they collect, you'd think that somewhere (and somewhere easily accessible) you'd be able to find what exactly they're spending it on.
Falling short of a revolution or complete economic collapse, I have a proposition to fixing taxation, as well as the whole of government. The solution? Allocate. When we fill out our tax forms, there should be a list of government programs, well, basically a list of everything the government spends money on. Next to each item on the list, there should be boxes. We, as citizens, would place a check mark in each box that was next to a program we wanted our tax dollars to be spent on. When the IRS received all the forms, they would simply go through and figure out what percentage of check marks each program got. Then, any program that didn't receive enough check marks to balance their budget, would be terminated.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
Nobody I know enjoys paying taxes. I enjoy it even less when the government is moving in a direction I'm not happy with, or spending money on programs I don't believe in. I'm paying into Social Security, but soon that will be bankrupt.
I also payed for people to trade in their cars to buy new cars at a discounted price with the Cash for Clunkers program. People honestly believed that the government was giving them money to buy a new car. The government may have given them the money, but you and I financed it. In the movie business, we'd be credited as producers. In the government business, we get credited as suckers.
When preparing your taxes, you need to calculate how much you earned, invested, etc. Nowhere on the form are you made aware of what your tax money is going towards. With all the money the government spends, and all the taxes they collect, you'd think that somewhere (and somewhere easily accessible) you'd be able to find what exactly they're spending it on.
Falling short of a revolution or complete economic collapse, I have a proposition to fixing taxation, as well as the whole of government. The solution? Allocate. When we fill out our tax forms, there should be a list of government programs, well, basically a list of everything the government spends money on. Next to each item on the list, there should be boxes. We, as citizens, would place a check mark in each box that was next to a program we wanted our tax dollars to be spent on. When the IRS received all the forms, they would simply go through and figure out what percentage of check marks each program got. Then, any program that didn't receive enough check marks to balance their budget, would be terminated.
© Nate Phillipps 2010
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