Guru Contemplation - The Blog

Ok, so I listened to Prez. Bush tonight on the tube - what a miracle of modern technology. I am more than a little troubled by his two main points.

1. We don't have an energy strategy. Hmmm...Why is that? Shouldn't we be thinking about that? What the heck is being done to remediate that issue? ANWAR is the solution he is pointing at - I am not a geologist but I would imagine that ANWAR is a trickle compared to what we use in oil today. Ok, so if there isn't a solution and we are going to tap into a small spigot of oil, what about our other strategies? Is anyone looking into helping to conserve our fossil fuels? From what Bush said tonight - that is the farthest from his mind (oil and coal processes were at the top). We should be surprised about a leader who is tightly bound (not to mention his second in command) to the oil industry.

2. We need to fix Social Security - i.e. put private retirement accounts on-line w SS. Hold the boat...First, I understand that the government borrows overages from this fund to back bonds (what isn't sent to claimants). This kind of makes sense. Second, I understand that when folks buy bonds they are backing the government. In essence when you buy a bond you are backing SS. What I heard GW say was that folks could have a private account that would be backed by the bond process. SO if corporate stocks take a shit, then the government will replace the funds in the private account to ensure the person is still paid. Realizing they will not have the full benefit of the SS retirement, they will still in essence have a secure retirement because it is backed by the bonds. But wait...how will the government get the money to back the bonds? Secondly, we already have a privatized account system - two fair ones at that IRA and 401K. Not everyone gets into these and there are some limits, but for crying out loud - pick a direction. 401K have done so poorly (I lost 1/2 my value in the last 5 years) and IRA are so low to enter - why create the additional management burden of a new system - and who will pay for that burden? Probably loaned from the SS monies.

Look - fix the problem. If it means raising the tax - raise it. I think workers pay in some 20% and employers some 70%, with the remainder in other securities. Stop dropping so much money in military support and needless payments to other governments. Take a small portion of other expenditures and apply it appropriately. WTF happened to the surpluses from 6 years ago? Did we just piss them away? Why can't the government save the monies and squirrel them away for rainy day activities. Better yet, take a page from Joseph about what to do when bad times are looming ahead. Make people work for a year or two more, cut back the benefits slightly, take monies from other areas and prepare for the worst.

Bastards. I'll probably die on the job at 82 - trying to get enough money to buy cat food for my wife and I to eat at night.

Some nice links on the above topics...
http://www.dollarsandsense.org/1104orr.html
http://go.truemajority.org/c3oreo/

Feds' weather information could go dark

Ummm...ok to be profitable the private sector needs to create an item that is unique and different, then provide additional value to the product over time to keep customer interest and need piqued. So, if the private sector runs out of ways to create a unique and different item, they should stiffle the attempts of other public organizations from publishing this kind of information.

Our tax dollars go into NOAA to provide emergency alert systems, and I am assuming to allow our other government agencies (like the armed forces) the ability to predict weather. Since the private sector also wants to provide basically the same information they want to block the government from providing information we already pay to collect from coming to us via our computers and likely the NOAA alert systems. So if I want my NOAA radio (that I had to pay for) to alert me, I may also have to pay Accuweather to give me a subscribed notice of this information - sounds like crap to me.

Ok Accuweather and others, please take a moment to look at the model of service you are providing. Is it different? Is it better? More value and service than NOAA? Nope - then screw you and figure out how to pay your bills on your own - don't get our elected and publicly sponsored congressmen to fight your battles. Create a meaningful product or service.

Our government shouldn't compete with the private sector in areas that the sector can provide value and do not impact the health and well being of our citizens (umm...armed forces, special alters, basic services). But it can create an atmosphere of competition where the market falls down. NOAA does not give fancy broadcasts on the cable. It does not create lots of fancy charts of data and how you might easy the burden of sinus headaches in Kansas during the month of August - that is where Accuweather and Weather Channel come in.

This just pisses me off.


Feds' weather information could go dark

My Way News

Umm...excuse me. The mall is a piece of property owned and managed by a private organization that typically leases parts of its property to other stores. The mall is not a public place owned by local governments for the purposes of baby-sitting.

It is also my basic understanding that you can be selective to whom you sell as long as it is not based on race or religion. The only basic age descrimination checks we have in place is under a certain age cannot work without restrictions and over a certain age cannot be passed up for promotion - otherwise I think it is fair game.

Shame on the parents who are unwilling to abide by the private company demands. If they are so pissed off they should drive the 5 minutes to the next mall down the road, or dump their kids off at the local skate park.


My Way News