Moving Quickly!

Ive got the domain, and it has the "Coming soon" page up. Check it out

www.mandateoftherepublic.com



December 7th is a rough estimate, id like to be up and going no later than that, but we will see how things go!


thanks again

-R

Bang, Bang, Bang

Well I have developed my new name, looking into domains, so we will see what happens there.


now while I dont want to fall into too much of a routine, I do want to do some fun things on a weekly basis, I was thinking a weekly short story midweek, and on fridays, doing a "lesson of the week". Make my postings a daily thing. I am not sure how long until I make the switch to my own domain, it wont be too incredibly long, but It also wont be in the next 30 seconds...

Once the new page is up, I will do my bit on the culture of waste

until later, stay wise

-R

Jumping Jelly Beans

Quick update here, but things are about to take off for my blog. Multiple posts per week, new domain, new name... all sorts of good things, but dont worry, I will still be providing the same wonderful insight.

so for the time being, I need a new name for this game. Now that I have graduated, I cant really call myself a college student any more... and "some poor schmucks political thoughts" just doesnt quite cut it... so if you get any brilliant ideas, pass them down to me.

Thats all for now, Happy Black Friday.

-R

Washington, we have a problem.... its you

“I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on Aug. 3 if we haven’t resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it." - Barack Obama July 2011 Link

That scares me. Not just because Obama is talking, but because I know very well that if those checks dont go out (even though they will) people will be starving, starving in AMERICA! It is not their fault, they are not victims of the economy or circumstance. They are victims of the Government. The Government has forced upon us dependence on the system, where if Obama is not signing our social security or unemployment checks, that we will be starving. You cannot blame that on the people who will be affected by the Governments default on debt, just on the Government for being so damn needy.

But it is about time someone took the checkbook away, I tried to load the debt clock and it damn near crashed my computer.We over 14 trillion in debt. And what do we have to show for it? A subpar retirement program thats own clock is ticking, a meh medical aid program, a crumbling infrastructure, high unemployment (especially among those who just graduated from college, which has its own Ironies) and worst of all, a Government (this includes you Republicans too) who still have their heads up their asses when it comes to spending. We NEED a new plan. We need to be making some serious bank (atleast 500 Billion a year).... our current deficit is nearly 1.4 trillion per year. so we pretty much need to turn around 2 trillion dollars, which accounts for almost the entire federal tax income. So, to put it simply, the "oh we can do this and this" bandaid fixes being proposed by everyone in DC is bullshit.

We need to rethink everything. From how we pay for everything, and how we collect things. Yes this means there will be new taxes. Washington has screwed us over with its obnoxious budgets and unfortunately we need to bail THEM out. First step, dont raise the debt ceiling, if the Average American cant do that, then the government shouldnt be able to. Second step, end deficit budgeting, if the Average American cant do that, then the government shouldnt be able to. Third step, raise taxes,when you have 14 trillion dollars in debt, your future political career doesnt mean anything. Fourth Step, pass a balanced budget amendment. Fifth step, Repeal Obamacare, aside from other major problems, it is going to cost way to damn much. Lets just hope we get things on the right track soon, or we are seriously screwed.

In the News

Obama is a jackass, makes new regulations targeting gunshop owners in the border states. Does nothing to the ATF to fix the Fast and Furious scandal/ screw up Link

The US just defeated France 3-1 to Advance to the Womens World Cup final, Huzzah, GO USA!

Netflix changes its price structure, it will now be 16 bucks for both unlimited streaming and DVDs by mail, 8 bucks for just one of those features Link

I am about to Graduate, so im thinking about new names for the blog, if you have any good ones, fire away... ill also have a new design to accompany it!

Thanks for reading,

R

Global Warming... Its a What If!

Long time no blog, blah blah, lets dispense with the pleasantries

I was playing a game yesterday and came upon a thought. What if, Global Warming, works out to our advantage? Avoid your initial reaction, take a second, and just think about it. We hear all this doom and gloom about Global Warming being the end of life as we know it. What if it actually improves the quality of life on this planet in the long run? Lets investigate

Who among my readership can explain, in scientific detail, describe the global warming process?... I know I cant. So if you are unable to understand and reproduce the argument, how can you honestly say you know anything about it? You cant, thats how. If there were a Global Warming class, I'm willing to bet 99.9% of us would fail. And FYI, class started in the 1970s.

Here are the believed results of Global Warming as I understand it. The temperature increase causes a famine, due to climate specific crops being unable to adjust to the new temperatures. Also with the temperature increase comes melting ice caps which increases global ocean levels, which would leave some coastal cities flooded. The temperatures are also expected to speed up desertification in subtropic areas, lead to the extinction of many species, and lead to more incidents of extreme weather.

What if it doesnt? What if the process were to actually halt, and begin the process of reverse desertification in the subtropical areas (via increased precipitation). What if the climate specific crops adapt and evolve to match the new environment, as well as other species. What if we are finally rid of having to deal with a New Orleans hurricane every 5 years. (**FYI, I have no sympathy for anyone who lives in a city below sea level in a hurricane zone.... sorry, but its just not a good idea). What if we gained an expanded ability to grow food crops, making it easier to feed our growing population.

Here is another, bit more radical what if.... What if, the elimination of mankind, is what is best for the planets ability to sustain life? Lets face it, "gas guzzling" cars, nuclear weapons, genocide, necrophilia, The Jersey Shore, Viagra Commercials(seriously, are you as tired of them as I am?), dumpster babies, rape, racism, Paris Hilton..... all legitimate reasons to hate human beings, and combined, a fairly legitimate argument why the world would be better off without us.

The lesson here is that just because a scientist says something, doesnt mean you should take it at face value, build your life around it, and spend the rest of your life in denial. Remember, science found a basis for racism, for the Jewish Genocide, hell, science is responsible for Viagra, without which, there would be no Viagra commercials.

Is global warming happening... yeah, sure, why not..... does that mean that the world is going to end, no......

In the news

Havent blogged since before it happened, but we finally got Bin Laden! Huzzah! After a short celebration we can go back to our lives and some caring about Pakistan and Afghanistan..... what? we still have to. Aw damn! It would be nice to go home and take a shower to get those countries off of us.

The world ended two days ago. But at the last minute Jesus called in saying he had to respond to another "thing." The world is baffled at what it could be, I personally think that that is confirmation of intelligent life on another planet. Jesus has allegedly rescheduled for October 21st. Link

A man drove 51 miles with his wife on the hood of his truck. Allegedly he needed somewhere to put the rotting dear carcass he picked up on the side of the road. Link

Now that Im done with school and done with birthday celebrations, I shall bring the mighty blog to you many more times!

Thanks for Reading!

Back in Action, The Economic Argument of Illegal Immigration

School has gotten rough, so ive been away from the blog.... never worry, Ill never leave you again!

Topics to tackle... There is a big one on my mind, but ill hit the small parts first.

The Royal Wedding.... Some went bonkers, others wanted to do the opposite of caring.... Personally, Huzzah for the Royal Family and future throne holders, The Royal Wedding is a big deal, although not as big of a deal as some US TV networks made it out to be for the US, but Huzzah they are married, and now its over and we can go on with our lives in America.... WITHOUT A KING! HUZZAH!!!!!

The Budget.... Yay DC got it passed.... Damn they are already arguing over next years.... Quite honestly, Give me a sharpie, and ill get us under the budget...... But since the previous generation as screwed over my generation we are gonna have to pay for it.... there will be some higher taxes, because spending cuts alone wont save the day any more... we are about 3 and a half years past that point (bazinga)...

thats really all I got... now to the big issue.... This is going to be a question. Not an argument for. No drastic change in Republican policy (although they should be nicer to this specific target group). No Insane in the Membrane craziness. Just a Question.

Is the Republican Policy on Illegal Immigrants working in the United States, Anti-Capitalist?

Avoid your initial reactions and think about it for a second.

Capitalism is about letting the markets decide. The price you get is what the market will bear. The jobs you get are a result of what the market will bear. If the market cannot support a company any longer, it will fail.

How about, the market will weed out those who want to get paid too much for a pedestrian job? Man to a Man (or Woman to a Woman) shouldnt the market decide who gets the job. If you need a job, and apply for "shit work" then you should be prepared to get paid accordingly. If you arent willing to except that, and demand more pay you will get it. for a time. Then the market opens up a new class of job hunters. It may be simply a group of less educated or less skilled, or it could be a group that comes from a poor country, looking for a chance to succeed in a new system, which has proven itself by becoming the best in the world.

There is talk about Illegal Immigrants (but lets be honest, Mexicans), coming into the United States and stealing jobs from Americans. Are you going to work for 7.25 (or whatever minimum wage is), in the hot sun, picking lettuce for 8-10 hours per day. Hell no. I wouldnt. I got tired of being able to stand around doing nothing (the job description is to essentially do nothing) getting paid well above minimum wage.

To put it quickly, A workers class was getting paid too much for a basic job, That created demand for a workers class that would work for less, then that demand was filled by those who arent that picky with what they get paid. The job is done, nobody complains (and nobody does complain when the job gets done), the workers get paid the price that the market determines.

Now, this doesnt solve the illegal immigration issue... There are still a ton of arguments surrounding it, including the fact that they have broken the law to come here. Which I fully agree with. But the economic argument seems a bit moot to me now....

More Hockey tomorrow! HUZZAH!

Rockies look sharp!

A question to think about, Redistricting is occuring accross the nation... well for the most part, Must be so nice in Wyoming this time of the decade.... Would things be better if the state elected its Federal House seats according to a European style vote? It would work with there being a state wide vote for party (lets say Republicans win 57% Dems 28% and Indeps 15%) The representatives are apportioned according to that percentage (The state gets 7, so Republicans would get 4, Dems 2, Indeps 1) Then we send them off to congress.... It would do away with redistricting, and would be interesting to see how the system would respond... Ponder Away!

Thanks for Reading!

-R

Japan, Libya, and the News!

Id like to start off with people being stupid if I may. Headline: Anti-Radiation Pills Flying off US Drug Store Shelves. The fear here is that the Nuclear plant issues in Japan will leak enough radiation to harm people in the Continental US thousands of miles away. Of course coming from the country where shows like Jersey Shore and American Idol are hits, its really not surprising that we would fall for such a stupid idea. Yes, radiation poisoning is a problem, in Japan, in areas surrounding the nuclear plants. BUT here in the United States, even if radioactive particles get jettisoned into the atmosphere at high levels, they will be spread throughout the atmosphere. By the time they reach the United States it would all be spread so thin, it would be like running around in the summer sun for an hour. Not lethal.... so people.... save your monies....

Now to Japan. We should all deticate time every day to pray for those effected by this great tragedy, and continue to pray for the resolution of standing problems like the Nuclear power plant cooling problems, Lack of water and food, and the threat of cold temperatures looming over those who have lost their homes. The worst is far from over. If you want to help, the most realistic way for most of us is to donate funds. The American Red Cross is working with Itunes (through the Itunes store) which offers donations varying from 5 dollars to 200 dollars. Every penny helps, and honestly, how many of us cannot afford to part with 5 dollars. Thats 4 less songs on our Ipods, one less meal at McDonalds, skipping 3 sodas during the week, etc. And actually.... you can donate the money you saved not buying anti-radiation pills! I made a 5 dollar donation (while I arguably could have made more), but lets all make sure we at least contribute a little bit to help people stricken by disaster. And think about it, how many awesome things has Japan given us? The Japanese people will persevere, they will recover, but if they do it alone, I will be a dark and troubled road.

Now to Lybia. As I write this, I have recently found out that the UN Security Council just introduced a draft of a no-fly zone resolution over the skies of Libya. Seems a little late, but hey if the UN were on time to the party Gaddafi could be dead or in prison by now. But im here to think, not to judge. Obama has an important decision to make, quite possibly the most important decision any president has had to make since the beginning of the Cold War. Does the United States decide to support democracy regardless of the economic consequences, or do we kiss the asses of OPEC and continue to support unjust regimes like Saudi Arabia? Its a tough call, I for one dont really like the sound of $6/gallon gasoline (which I have no doubt that mark will be eclipsed should the Saudis find themselves facing domestic instability), but something about me says that we need to unconditionally support the right of self-determination of peoples. Obama was far too slow to call out Gaddafi, and stood by silent as Egypt figured its own problems out. Which honestly might be the best strategy. But lets not call ourselves a champion of Democracy if we stand by and watch people who are seeking democracy get slaughtered.

We should support any and all peoples seeking government for themselves. The days of the Cold War, when some two bit dictator could actually serve our purposes is over. Now if we support tyrants, its based on solely economic reasons which is sketchy, and it just pisses off the populace of that country. I think that the US(and all of NATO) should intervene in Libya. It doesnt have to be a large scale invasion that requires the entire country be occupied. At most an amphibious assault of the capitol. With Gaddafi, and other major leaders taken out of the picture, the Rebels will be able to secure the rest of the country, and begin building a democratic society. We do nothing but eliminate the dictator and his inner circle. Let the people of Libya do the rest. It wont be another Iraq, because it wont be our goal to rebuild the countrys government, we just eliminate the dictator.

We benefit from helping. If we do not help, we risk a radical islamic government forming, which is the exact opposite of benefiting. It will create another enemy for our lifestyle, one who will unite under the banner "The Americans just stood by and watched as this dictator murdered our brothers". A Democracy is a friend, especially if we free it from the chain of oppression and let it grow freely.

To the News!

first, Epic Pirate Bedroom! : Props to Blah Bethany for this epic-ness.

Battle Los Angeles was Legendary..... you must see it

Beyond that, there has not been much in the news with Libya and Japan drawing most of the headlines.... and I suspect I may have lost you by now....

Thanks for Reading!!!!!!

A most noble cause

Pissing off teachers....

one of my other teachers would be very proud of me....

here is a post for my colorado history class, in which I really dont care, im just trying to poke the lion

Oh, Unions....

lemme preface this by saying Unions are an important part of our system..... well the idea of unions is the important part.... Unions today are these mutated monsters who have become far too interested in Jobs and Job security as opposed to productivity... as a result, jobs have left the country and companies are going bankrupt..... a good union, will care about its workers, but also want to ensure a productive work environment, because then, DUH! the economy doesnt tank and there are still jobs to be had....

Teachers unions (public employees) show the same problem as well.... With teachers pretty much immune from being fired for poor performance(and yes, there are tons, I graduated from a public High School in 2008, I know).... our educational system slips.... as the system slips less educated students go on to College and into the work force.... Colleges decline, the workforce further declines.... and bam... you have an economy in trouble....

here is a union story I heard from my boss, when he was working for United Airlines, in Chicago.... a plane landed and was pulling up to the gate... my boss went over to the guys who were responsible for that plane with him and said "Lets get it unloaded".... One of the men eating then spoke up, "we're on lunch for another 45 minutes, it can wait".... thats right, the delays at the airport, are often caused by Union members who dont want to be disturbed

the bold and noble purpose of the union has been bent and twisted into an excuse for laziness, so I applaud Wisconsin for saving the state money and taking charge against overpowerful unions....

How the West was Lost

In my Colorado History class, my teacher asked the question, "how could we have done things differently?" We were talking about the early history of Colorado and how there was often conflict between the Natives and European settlers (or Americans moving westward). In the spirit of my new senior philosophy (to really see how far I can push things before getting reprimanded), I answered the question with a question. To what ends? Now because I am a cowardly lion, I hid it a bit and answered with the requested 3 paragraphs, but what can I say, I was having a moment of brilliance, and did not want to taint it with my youthful rebellious desires.

So to answer the question of "What could we have done differently?", we must find what we want the situation to present. Our current world is the product of Southern Slavery, Western Genocide of American Indians, and a certain disliking of all foreigners. Nasty stuff, yes. But if you like the world today, and I mean in general, then those things were necessary. Remove one element, lets say southern slavery, and our world is far different. I wont transplant things into your imagination, ill let you picture the world where American history was not full of the sin of slavery (for sakes of argument, Racism and segregation still existed).... What would that world look like, what would it be like?

Also think about this. Instead of exterminating the Jews, imagine that the Nazis added them to the war effort. Another 6+ million lives in the factories and fields of war, soldiers would not have to tend the camps, and thus could fight. If that happened, what would 2011 look like.

How about if the United States had opted to not drop the bomb on Japan. What would things be like. Could we be all dead from apocalypse, because we never saw what these weapons could do before it was too late?

Those are some of the negative unintended consequences of "what if we had acted differently." Now that are as many negative unintended consequences, as positive ones available to reshape our world. As there are an infinite number of universes, then there are an infinite number of consequences for each action.

So when we ask, what we could have done differently, we must ask what kind of world we want. If we want to keep our current world, well then nothing, we could have done nothing. If we want a world where American Indians werent hunted like animals, then we need to change how we treated them.

Thats my bit of wisdom for the day.

Now, with my internship, Last week I got to sit in on the Committee for Senate Bill 18, which was an interesting experience, however 3 senators who are the pawns of a political agenda, were incapable of thinking for themselves and voted the measure down, which required proof of citizenship in order to vote. Im just glad Ill get to stand right behind of those under paid, un-taxed, illegal immigrant gardener while Im waiting to vote, then knowing that the system doesnt give two shits about the people it is supposed to protect. But thats my opinion, and im a wee bit angry right now so meh. No internship tomorrow, as the senate is closed and Denver is being cryogenicly frozen so that it may survive the next apocalypse.

Warrior Dash Training: Does playing kinect count as training? Im working my butt off? Maybe?.... well I was gonna actually go skate some suicides this morning, but it decided to be freezing cold and snowing so no go. I shall get on the horse eventually!!!!

School: yeah, im feeling done already.....

Good News thought, the federal government just gave me a big old tax refund, which im oddly putting into savings.... Take that Governmental Overlords!!!!!.... but dont worry, ill spend it eventually....

and even more good news, a Federal Judge ruled Obamacare unconstitutional!!!!! Yay!!!

Thanks for reading, and my the force be with you!!!!

PS! this Feburary, will the 150 years since the Colorado Territory was formed

Week One of Internship, Taxes, and a Book Review

To start out, id like to apologize about my last blog post, that was blogging for the sake of blogging and I'm not too big on that. so, I am very sorry for my pointless post.

Now, with week one of my Internship at the Capitol Building. It was a slow week, and my head is very full of information, I can tell its going to be a blast when things pick up. Ive met tons of people but beyond that there wasnt a whole lot for me to do. In the coming weeks however, I have no doubts that it is going to pick up. My left shoe is killing me, but beyond that no complaints. My Senator and his Aide are great and very smart people and I feel lucky to be given the chance to learn from and work with them.

So now lets chat taxes. Well I just did my taxes (or rather they did me) but luckily I'm getting a solid refund. Even being a college student with no investments and a very "meh" part time job, I see the vast complexity of the Tax system. Deduct this, add that, subtract -.274 percent, then add 3/10s of a hundred dollars. After all that, you just move on to the next category. When you are all done you have committed about 50 errors that will cost you tons of additional money in fees and other oppressive IRS punishments. Now onto the book review

The Fairtax book. This was a fantastic read, and a quick one to boot, a little less than 200 pages, it reads very quickly and easily. Its designed for the People, unlike the multi-kazillion page tax code that is law. It starts out with the history of the income tax, details the specific problems of the current system, brightly announces the details of the proposed new tax system, and addresses many of the concerns of the critics of the plan and even those who flat out lie about what it would do.

The new system sounds beautiful, and our current system is so twisted that an experiment would be an excellent test for our country, based on some of the assertions made in the book. Honestly the road we are on is already going to lead us through several Chinese prison camps, so why not take a left turn at Albuquerque and see what happens. The authors state at the beginning that it is not about Republican or Democrat or Liberal or Conservative, but its about whats best for this country. Some points their political beliefs do bleed through, but hey, the writers are human too. And I'm sure that my specific views aren't a secret here either. The book addresses many concerns, and there is a sequel that addresses concerns not yet. But given that it is the first fourth of the year, which is really tax time, its a solid read for this time of the year.

Now to other things

Still havent started Warrior Dash training, but I still really want to do it

Im also planning a series of blogs on how government ought to run, 9 parts, during the month of feburary.... nothing special about feburary, but since its coming up I figured why not.

Also im thinking about posting a few of my class papers this semester, just to see how im sticking it to the man.... or woman, depending on that class...

Happy Readings!

And Here We Go.... Again

This is the big one.... 15 Credits and My Internship.... after this ill have a grand total of 12 credits until graduation... Im not really sure how I feel about going back to the daily grind.... the past week and a half, despite having to go to work, ive still had quite a bit of free time, which has been most pleasurable... and ive accomplished so very much.... Classes officially start in a little less than two hours, which Ill be able to access my Colorado History Class which is all online, depends on if I wanna stay up that late. should be cake, right... My Internship starts tomorrow, I will be waking at 6am for it, but im really quite pumped, but in a month, ill probably dread having to be up so early. Who knows, maybe ill love it so much, that ill never leave. the rest of my classes are the usual, and there is no reason why I shouldnt knock them out of the park.... Im thinking about blogging sometime this weekend with my experience with Days 1 & 2 at the capitol and some political issue that I will draw out of a hat.

Good Luck, and God Speed

PS. My Warrior Dash training was supposed to start on the 26th of December, Havent done a thing for it yet.... its not fun unless you have to come from behind