Thursday 25 June 2009
Tuesday 23 June 2009
Political rant
Welfare fraud is perpetrated illegally by the poor and desperate. Tax avoidance is legally taken advantage of by the rich and affluent. "Loopholes" are mostly devised by the rich to help the rich. Let's get one other thing straight. I'm not naive enough to believe that things will change significantly in favour of the poor at the expense of the rich. Wealth in America, like guns in America will come from wherever it/they are most easy to be gotten.
The argument that jurisdictions where gun control has been enacted shows little or no gun-related crime decline is due simply because guns are brought in from other places. Unless you make it extremely difficult to get guns at all, be ready to bury your child, grandchild or yourself from taking a stray bullet.
It's the same story with wealth. I believe it was Maryland that enacted a "Millionaire" law in an attempt to tax the rich a little more. Surprisingly (to some), suddenly the number of filers with income over one million dropped by about one third. They're still wondering what happened to all those millionaires. You can be sure that they didn't suddenly experience a huge drop in their income. Some left the state, some hid money and others more adept at wealth building than I, came up with other methods to stay one step ahead of the tax man.
You can't force people to take care of their own families let alone strangers. For some unGodly, truly unGodly, reason, a lot of Americans are under the mistaken notion that it is possible to keep almost all of their earned cash with no ramifications at all. Why do you think that the streets are riddled with crime, junkies, hos, homeless? Why do you think that individuals and businesses need to barricade their premises like fortresses and spend big bucks on security officers and systems? Why do you think the insurance corporations are among the biggest companies in the world? This all costs everyone a ton of money. These are just some examples of where much of our money goes because we adamantly stick to the principle "I earned my money and no one should take any of it and give it to someone else". Guess what. You are giving it to someone else--just not the ones who need it!
You're giving it to the companies who make the products or provide the services I mentioned above. Then there's the cost of crime prevention, detection, analysis, pursuit, prosecution, incarceration, rehabilitation, etc. My dear, misguided soul--get it through your head and go forth and teach others that to a point, the less tax you pay, the more it costs you. There will always be those who for varied reasons can't or won't fend for themselves. To not help them through the distribution of wealth by means of taxation simply means that most of them will cost all of us even more money as they use more destructive ways to get what they need and want. The rest will waste away on the streets. Neither is a better alternative to higher taxes.
I have proved countless times that the countries with the most social programs have an overall better standard of living than the U.S. I will concede that the U.S. boasts more billionaires than any other country, but it also has more crime, pollution, drug addicts, prostitutes, inmates, homeless and just about any other negative aspect a society can have. It is a fact that paying more in taxes makes for a more productive, enjoyable, happy, safer life for all. The numbers don't lie. Unless you're Enron, Worldcom, Ebbers, Madoff, etc.
It is not incongruent for a staunch conservative who believes that one should be responsible for his own well-being to also believe in higher taxes for the purpose of more distribution of wealth. You're not necessarily doing it for others. You will gain as much from it as anyone. In fact, you will gain more. Money for most people is easy to come by. Safety, security, a clean environment and a life rich with culture and fulfilment are the rewards you will reap when you don't force people who for whatever reasons can't or won't otherwise live by mainstream rules. For each penny you give them willingly, it's one less penny they won't have to stab you for, or burglarize your home or business for, and make you pay for their stay in prison for, etc. You will pay one way or another. The only question is whether you want to do it in a way that ensures relative peace in society or turmoil.
The argument that jurisdictions where gun control has been enacted shows little or no gun-related crime decline is due simply because guns are brought in from other places. Unless you make it extremely difficult to get guns at all, be ready to bury your child, grandchild or yourself from taking a stray bullet.
It's the same story with wealth. I believe it was Maryland that enacted a "Millionaire" law in an attempt to tax the rich a little more. Surprisingly (to some), suddenly the number of filers with income over one million dropped by about one third. They're still wondering what happened to all those millionaires. You can be sure that they didn't suddenly experience a huge drop in their income. Some left the state, some hid money and others more adept at wealth building than I, came up with other methods to stay one step ahead of the tax man.
You can't force people to take care of their own families let alone strangers. For some unGodly, truly unGodly, reason, a lot of Americans are under the mistaken notion that it is possible to keep almost all of their earned cash with no ramifications at all. Why do you think that the streets are riddled with crime, junkies, hos, homeless? Why do you think that individuals and businesses need to barricade their premises like fortresses and spend big bucks on security officers and systems? Why do you think the insurance corporations are among the biggest companies in the world? This all costs everyone a ton of money. These are just some examples of where much of our money goes because we adamantly stick to the principle "I earned my money and no one should take any of it and give it to someone else". Guess what. You are giving it to someone else--just not the ones who need it!
You're giving it to the companies who make the products or provide the services I mentioned above. Then there's the cost of crime prevention, detection, analysis, pursuit, prosecution, incarceration, rehabilitation, etc. My dear, misguided soul--get it through your head and go forth and teach others that to a point, the less tax you pay, the more it costs you. There will always be those who for varied reasons can't or won't fend for themselves. To not help them through the distribution of wealth by means of taxation simply means that most of them will cost all of us even more money as they use more destructive ways to get what they need and want. The rest will waste away on the streets. Neither is a better alternative to higher taxes.
I have proved countless times that the countries with the most social programs have an overall better standard of living than the U.S. I will concede that the U.S. boasts more billionaires than any other country, but it also has more crime, pollution, drug addicts, prostitutes, inmates, homeless and just about any other negative aspect a society can have. It is a fact that paying more in taxes makes for a more productive, enjoyable, happy, safer life for all. The numbers don't lie. Unless you're Enron, Worldcom, Ebbers, Madoff, etc.
It is not incongruent for a staunch conservative who believes that one should be responsible for his own well-being to also believe in higher taxes for the purpose of more distribution of wealth. You're not necessarily doing it for others. You will gain as much from it as anyone. In fact, you will gain more. Money for most people is easy to come by. Safety, security, a clean environment and a life rich with culture and fulfilment are the rewards you will reap when you don't force people who for whatever reasons can't or won't otherwise live by mainstream rules. For each penny you give them willingly, it's one less penny they won't have to stab you for, or burglarize your home or business for, and make you pay for their stay in prison for, etc. You will pay one way or another. The only question is whether you want to do it in a way that ensures relative peace in society or turmoil.
Monday 15 June 2009
Q & A's from around the web
um, i think i am really hairy down there. can anyone relate or help?
Personally I've started waxing (I do brazilian but you could do bikini) and trimming what is left. i don't use a hair remover cream or gel because it's just smelly
Hmm...that's like eating a skunk sandwich in the middle of a garbage dump and complaining about the smell of garbage.
Personally I've started waxing (I do brazilian but you could do bikini) and trimming what is left. i don't use a hair remover cream or gel because it's just smelly
Hmm...that's like eating a skunk sandwich in the middle of a garbage dump and complaining about the smell of garbage.
Sunday 14 June 2009
Odd news
If a stranger sent you a post-dated cheque for $100,000 and a suicide note what would you do? It happened and the recipient calmly put the cheque in a safe until the date arrived and sure enough, the sender had committed suicide.
The oddest part of the story is how many times it repeated the opening sentence of the story--four times! The Story.
The oddest part of the story is how many times it repeated the opening sentence of the story--four times! The Story.
Thursday 11 June 2009
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Thinking of moving?
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) announced Monday that Vancouver is the best city in the world to live, followed by Vienna, Austria and Melbourne, Australia.
The EIU -- the business arm of the U.K.-based weekly economics magazine -- ranked the living conditions of 140 cities around the world based on five broad categories; stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Vancouver:
Toronto:
Calgary:
The EIU -- the business arm of the U.K.-based weekly economics magazine -- ranked the living conditions of 140 cities around the world based on five broad categories; stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
With a rating of 98 out of 100, with one being "intolerable" and 100 being "ideal", Vancouver topped the charts, "benefiting from strong Canadian infrastructure," according to the study's authors.
Two other Canadian cities, Toronto and Calgary, ranked in the top 10. Toronto ranked fourth, followed by Perth, Calgary, Helsinki, and Geneva. Zurich and Sydney tied for ninth.
Story.Vancouver:
Toronto:
Calgary:
Sunday 7 June 2009
This event has gone to the dogs
If you're a dog lover, don't miss North America's largest love-in for dogs, appropriately called Woofstock, taking place at Toronto's St' Lawrence Market next Saturday and Sunday (June 13-14). Meet like-minded people, enjoy some great food, enter your dog in some great contests, etc. For more information, click here.
Friday 5 June 2009
Only in America
America, the (armed and) beautiful.
A Kentucky pastor is inviting his parishioners to bring their firearms to church in order to celebrate the Fourth of July. A gun will be raffled off and patriotic music will be played. How better to honour America's deep belief in God and weaponry?
The Story.
A Kentucky pastor is inviting his parishioners to bring their firearms to church in order to celebrate the Fourth of July. A gun will be raffled off and patriotic music will be played. How better to honour America's deep belief in God and weaponry?
The Story.
Wednesday 3 June 2009
The war on sanity
Am I the only one who doesn't believe that North Korea is dangerous? Seriously, I don't know what all the hoopla is about. Does anyone actually believe that those in charge are anxious to have their country destroyed and for them to die an ugly death or be imprisoned for life? Does anyone not believe that would be the only possible result if they fired missiles at anyone? They aren't as loony as some would have you believe. Even if they were, I'm sure they're instinct for self preservation would trump any delusions they may have.
And the same thing goes for Iran.
When the U.S. spent trillions of dollars over decades on developing ridiculous numbers of nuclear weapons--enough to destroy the entire world many times over, I'm sure they didn't think of themselves as insane. But if today a country develops a single nuclear weapon, they're painted as individuals so unstable that they're apt to start a war with any of their neighbours at the drop of a hat. Give me a break. The United States has always been the most aggressive state since it's rise to power and even now should be feared more so than any other. If they can go to Iraq for no reason at all, what is beyond the realm of possibilities?
And the same thing goes for Iran.
When the U.S. spent trillions of dollars over decades on developing ridiculous numbers of nuclear weapons--enough to destroy the entire world many times over, I'm sure they didn't think of themselves as insane. But if today a country develops a single nuclear weapon, they're painted as individuals so unstable that they're apt to start a war with any of their neighbours at the drop of a hat. Give me a break. The United States has always been the most aggressive state since it's rise to power and even now should be feared more so than any other. If they can go to Iraq for no reason at all, what is beyond the realm of possibilities?
Monday 1 June 2009
Not a bad return for 10 days!
I've been remiss posting about my stock transactions. I raved to you about Suntech (STP) in this space. It is a solar power component manufacturer. I bought some shares exactly 10 days ago at $12.61 (U.S.) and sold them a few minutes ago for $17.69.
I apologize for leaving you out of the loop and promise to do better. However, if you've been following me (and the stocks I've recommended), you would have picked some up. Other stocks I've had my eye on are:
Highveld Steel and Vanadium (HSVLY), a company in the quickly expanding South African economy
Tata Motors (TTM), Indian auto producer of the world's cheapest car
Seagate (STX) disk storage producer
Akamai (AKAM) internet data performance company
VMWARE (VMW) specialize in server virtualization
SOHU.com (SOHU) Chinese internet portal and gaming concern
I apologize for leaving you out of the loop and promise to do better. However, if you've been following me (and the stocks I've recommended), you would have picked some up. Other stocks I've had my eye on are:
Highveld Steel and Vanadium (HSVLY), a company in the quickly expanding South African economy
Tata Motors (TTM), Indian auto producer of the world's cheapest car
Seagate (STX) disk storage producer
Akamai (AKAM) internet data performance company
VMWARE (VMW) specialize in server virtualization
SOHU.com (SOHU) Chinese internet portal and gaming concern
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