Everyone needs an antagonist, someone to hate. Or do you disagree? Because if you disagree- I gotta tell ya, I think the facts are on my side.
Every once in awhile, on this blog, I mention a good friend of mine. His name is Billy Moonbat. If there were ever a central planner who believes in statism and hates the rich and elite- it is Billy. Billy is the liberal agenda personified. He is a bona fide environmentalist who conserves water. He walks his talk. I'm not like Billy.
I figure that water was put on the planet for us to use. I mean, matter can't be destroyed right? I think that shit is goofy and I don't really care about conservation. Water gets recycled, reclaimed, re filtered, flushed out to sea, and brought inland whether we flush every time or not. I don't care about recycling either. Or dog poop on the bike path. This devil may care attitude of mine drives Billy crazy. I undo- everything he does. I cancel his efforts out.
This is almost sac religious to Billy. It annoys the hell out of him. I am the antagonist in Billy's life.
Billy often swings by this site. I think it pisses him off a little that I use him as my antagonist and I tell him this. I mean what's he going to do? Sue me?
The great thing about Billy is that structure and routine strike to the very core of his being. That quite honestly, is who he is. Everything is ordered and measured in Billy's life. He hates old, rich, white men because he is surrounded by the filthy rich in Moonbat Valley. He hates greedy developers and snobbery. Snobs and developers are some of Billy's antagonists. I understand and sympathize and often, I agree.
So there's that.
Quite honestly, Billy is the absolute and polar opposite of me. I am a fly by the seat of my pants, unstructured, dyed in the wool libertarian who will do just about anything on a whim if it sounds fun. I worry about the details later. Billy could never live like I do. The thought of riding a motorcycle is absolute insanity to Billy. And of course- he believes in helmet laws.
So I think we fascinate each other.
We have one other thing in common. We are very passionate about our beliefs. In fact, Billy often goes to public meetings to air his beliefs and opinions. Often, he goes just to piss people off. I think he has been kicked out of a number of meetings. The Mayor in Moonbat Valley hates Billy. He usually goes to meetings to try and stop greedy developers from using natural resources like land and water to get filthy rich, leave some nasty development behind, and flee the area. I love hearing about Billy's exploits. He has starch and big balls. That's almost strictly why I like him.
Billy has taught me a few things.
The liberal democrats in this country believe just as passionately about their core beliefs as any conservative. They will war it out with you. You are not going to change who they are. They might eventually change their own beliefs but they sure as hell ain't going to do that on your schedule of events.
They are not always wrong. Sometimes, they do get things very right even when it's not convenient to us and we refuse to admit it. That's just pride.
Secondly, they don't care whether they are right so much- because they simply know- you are wrong. They have tried things your way and they are convinced your way doesn't work. God hasn't showed up, guns keep killing people, women can practice retroactive birth control if they choose to, greenhouses gases are warming up the planet and melting ice. Liberals are very quick to attack conservative core beliefs because they see those beliefs as whimsical. Ridiculous. Like those weapons of mass destruction of Saddam's or the Gulf of Tonkin. And they will attack you personally.
Most importantly. Liberals are completely egoic slaves to their belief systems. They absolutely, 100%, think they are right. They are unconscious to the point of near death when it comes to being open minded or tolerant. Those things do not exist in the Moonbat dictionary. They coined the term, "contempt prior to investigation." In their minds, the investigation was over by their fourth year in college. Oddly, being a liberal is taught on college campuses. It is an indoctrination. A degree tends to validate their opinions about themselves. That is why the libs are so high browed. They are convinced that the uneducated herd remains the conservative GOP crowd living in fly over country. Rural folks with guns. Toothless hill billy types with straw bales under our trailer houses, GED's if that, and a copy of the Bible on a cassette tape because heaven knows- conservatives can't read.
All of this of course, is nothing other than insanity.
There is an antagonist in every story. For every protagonist or good guy- there always seems to be some evil bastard or villain in our lives that we are trying to overcome. That is the entire basis for our two party belief system. Each of us thinks we are the good guys, much smarter, and that our team is right- this enables each of us to see the other side as the bad guys. It is the yin and yang of our existence. Good and evil. Night and day. It is the basis of every movie you will ever watch- for every argument you will ever have- for every opinion you utter or are afraid to utter.
That is the insanity. Somehow we are taught this exclusivity from birth. That we should look for the differences in others and note them- and ignore our similarities. This way, we can see ourselves as separate and right and keep warring it out with some fictional other side. Fighting to overcome the villains in our lives. Because if we began to practice inclusivity and unity- if we began to actually like and respect each other- what the hell would we do with our time? What sinister villain would we have to overcome and defeat? Our lives, would be diminished. No wars to fight, no silver stars- no purple hearts- no villains to kill, nothing to overcome. A planet full of tolerant people all working and helping each other? What a bunch of shit. No antagonists? Never going to happen.
I need to call Billy. I think I will today. It's always fun to find out who he is pissing off.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
FG Interpretation for Laymen and Dunderheads on the Dec. FOMC Meeting Minutes
Tonight after hours, with no other trigger than the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes from the Dec meeting, worldwide currencies and metals are getting crushed. Gold is off 26 dollars and silver is off 4%.
So I read the minutes myself. If you want the same kind of pain, have a ball- here's the link. http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20121212.htm
In a nutshell, markets are reacting to the statements of members with regard to withdrawing QEternity. This is the 85 billion dollar a month fiscal stimulus program that they are currently engaged in. It is addressed near the bottom of the minutes.
Members think the economy is doing far better than it actually is. Some of these members are discussing the possibility of stopping QE as the economy gets stronger. I want you to remember something. The FOMC has the same problem the rest of us do. They are relying on doctored numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics or BLS and they have no way of gauging numbers looking forward. In short, sans the doctorate degrees their blue blood families bought them...
Their opinion is not much better than ours.
In other words, they use the same crappy information we do. They may get that information a little sooner than the rest of us- but the stark reality is- is that it's the same garbage in- garbage out- numbers for all of us.
We have something they don't have. Truth. We see truth all around us. We are not beholden to some Reserve Chairman who is experimenting and thus trying to defend his collegiate thesis that giving trillions to banks will avert a depression. Many of us think Dr. Bernanke is wrong.
This is a guy with perfect SAT scores. He's a genius by any measure we have. So how could a guy like me, a run of the mill Joe with half a brain argue with a full brained guy like Ben?
Because I have truth and history on my side. And one of those truths is rather simple. There is nobody willing to buy American debt or treasuries. Not on the scale we are selling. Think about this for a moment.
The US has to refinance 4 trillion dollars in debt this year. Who in the fuck has 4 extra trillion laying around to buy treasuries from a bankrupt government paying 2 or 3% interest? Who has 4 trillion period?
The answer- only China. And their purchases are going the other way. In fact- there is nobody other than the Fed to monetize our debt because here is the other simple truth.
We have more debt than the rest of the world can swallow even if they wanted to. That gap will only get larger. Remember- most of that world has debt issues of their own. And the first thing you do with your excess capital if you have any- is you have to use it on your own solvency. Except in the EU. There the member countries waste their money bailing out other countries like Greece, Spain, and Italy.
There is not a chance in hell that the Fed will quit monetizing the debt. They have to. If they don't- the US would suffer its first failed treasury auction and then the financial world would collapse. So they can talk all the shit they want to in their meetings to try and drive other currencies and metals into the ground. Pretend everything is hunky dory when it's not. We have a horrible, horrible problem and nobody wants to talk about it. The truth is, we are bankrupt. Completely fucking insolvent with an absolute tsunami of Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, Obamacare, a one trillion dollar student debt tidal wave, a few other debts, all coming due at the same time.
And nobody has enough money to lend us. So we are doing it ourselves.
What do we put up for collateral when people buy our debt? Nothing. The Fed has guaranteed payment only by promising the labor of U.S. citizens and their ability to tax and confiscate the proceeds of our labor. That is the Feds promise to the world. A signature loan.
So the lemmings who think that there is some shred of integrity left in the Fed and their statements about our "improving" economy are unloading positions tonight. Not me. This is the endgame. I know it and a few others know it.
I dare them to stop QE. Go ahead. Please. Our robust economy is about to ignite. They've been spouting that garbage for 5 years.
Unfortunately, the world's bankers are going to do everything within their power to survive and pretend that the inevitable cannot happen. It can and it will. It doesn't take a doctorate degree to understand that this has been the history of every great republic and fiat currency system since the dawn of time. They all fail. With or without men with perfect SAT scores.
Here is the current 4 billion dollar a day deficit burn. We are already 30 billion above the limit. http://www.usdebtclock.org/
So I read the minutes myself. If you want the same kind of pain, have a ball- here's the link. http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20121212.htm
In a nutshell, markets are reacting to the statements of members with regard to withdrawing QEternity. This is the 85 billion dollar a month fiscal stimulus program that they are currently engaged in. It is addressed near the bottom of the minutes.
Members think the economy is doing far better than it actually is. Some of these members are discussing the possibility of stopping QE as the economy gets stronger. I want you to remember something. The FOMC has the same problem the rest of us do. They are relying on doctored numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics or BLS and they have no way of gauging numbers looking forward. In short, sans the doctorate degrees their blue blood families bought them...
Their opinion is not much better than ours.
In other words, they use the same crappy information we do. They may get that information a little sooner than the rest of us- but the stark reality is- is that it's the same garbage in- garbage out- numbers for all of us.
We have something they don't have. Truth. We see truth all around us. We are not beholden to some Reserve Chairman who is experimenting and thus trying to defend his collegiate thesis that giving trillions to banks will avert a depression. Many of us think Dr. Bernanke is wrong.
This is a guy with perfect SAT scores. He's a genius by any measure we have. So how could a guy like me, a run of the mill Joe with half a brain argue with a full brained guy like Ben?
Because I have truth and history on my side. And one of those truths is rather simple. There is nobody willing to buy American debt or treasuries. Not on the scale we are selling. Think about this for a moment.
The US has to refinance 4 trillion dollars in debt this year. Who in the fuck has 4 extra trillion laying around to buy treasuries from a bankrupt government paying 2 or 3% interest? Who has 4 trillion period?
The answer- only China. And their purchases are going the other way. In fact- there is nobody other than the Fed to monetize our debt because here is the other simple truth.
We have more debt than the rest of the world can swallow even if they wanted to. That gap will only get larger. Remember- most of that world has debt issues of their own. And the first thing you do with your excess capital if you have any- is you have to use it on your own solvency. Except in the EU. There the member countries waste their money bailing out other countries like Greece, Spain, and Italy.
There is not a chance in hell that the Fed will quit monetizing the debt. They have to. If they don't- the US would suffer its first failed treasury auction and then the financial world would collapse. So they can talk all the shit they want to in their meetings to try and drive other currencies and metals into the ground. Pretend everything is hunky dory when it's not. We have a horrible, horrible problem and nobody wants to talk about it. The truth is, we are bankrupt. Completely fucking insolvent with an absolute tsunami of Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, Obamacare, a one trillion dollar student debt tidal wave, a few other debts, all coming due at the same time.
And nobody has enough money to lend us. So we are doing it ourselves.
What do we put up for collateral when people buy our debt? Nothing. The Fed has guaranteed payment only by promising the labor of U.S. citizens and their ability to tax and confiscate the proceeds of our labor. That is the Feds promise to the world. A signature loan.
So the lemmings who think that there is some shred of integrity left in the Fed and their statements about our "improving" economy are unloading positions tonight. Not me. This is the endgame. I know it and a few others know it.
I dare them to stop QE. Go ahead. Please. Our robust economy is about to ignite. They've been spouting that garbage for 5 years.
Unfortunately, the world's bankers are going to do everything within their power to survive and pretend that the inevitable cannot happen. It can and it will. It doesn't take a doctorate degree to understand that this has been the history of every great republic and fiat currency system since the dawn of time. They all fail. With or without men with perfect SAT scores.
Here is the current 4 billion dollar a day deficit burn. We are already 30 billion above the limit. http://www.usdebtclock.org/
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The People of Walmart, This One Leaves Me Speechless
The neck beard. From Missouri, not a big shock.
Holy balls of fire! You are the rooster king!!! Oh my dear sweet drooling, poopin’, crying baby Jesus that is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. I’m more in awe and impressed than I am angry you go out in public like this. Wow! Is that a neck beard or overgrown chest hair…you know what, I don’t even care. Either way I will follow you into the depths of hell.
Missouri
The Best Shooting You Never Heard Of...
...because the liberal media controls the information and the dialogue.
Thanks to Republican Mother. One of my all time fav bloggers. http://therepublicanmother.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-san-antonio-theater-shooting.html
Thanks to Republican Mother. One of my all time fav bloggers. http://therepublicanmother.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-san-antonio-theater-shooting.html
FG Officially Goes Short, Equity Markets Should Sky Rocket
I couldn't take this insanity anymore. I've been out of the market for nearly 6 years. A market rallying on the back of more can kicking, more debt, and higher taxes?
I bought shares in an inverse (short Russell 2000) fund today. I also bought some put options. With no budget, no debt ceiling agreement, and no spending cuts, I just couldn't help myself. Tax hikes on top of Obamacare tax hikes? This is good news?
This ain't a fiscal cliff. This is an abyss. Our current debt to GDP is anywhere between 103 to 105% depending on who you ask. Our current burn rate (1Qfiscal2013) is annualized at 1.5 trillion with rising interest rates and 4 trillion worth of treasuries this year that have to be refinanced. Do you really think this market can go up from here especially since the government just swiped 60 billion in discretionary funds? The last piece of "good" news came today.
So I did the only thing a good contrarian can do when the market is up ridiculously. I sold it short.
They (the Fed) are furiously injecting cash and monetizing the debt just to keep this zombie market afloat. And even corporate America is out of tricks. I'd like to see how business can improve margins at the end of this manufactured bull market.. that would be a neat encore.
They need a Deux Ex Machina ending. That is all they got left.
From ZH:
I bought shares in an inverse (short Russell 2000) fund today. I also bought some put options. With no budget, no debt ceiling agreement, and no spending cuts, I just couldn't help myself. Tax hikes on top of Obamacare tax hikes? This is good news?
This ain't a fiscal cliff. This is an abyss. Our current debt to GDP is anywhere between 103 to 105% depending on who you ask. Our current burn rate (1Qfiscal2013) is annualized at 1.5 trillion with rising interest rates and 4 trillion worth of treasuries this year that have to be refinanced. Do you really think this market can go up from here especially since the government just swiped 60 billion in discretionary funds? The last piece of "good" news came today.
So I did the only thing a good contrarian can do when the market is up ridiculously. I sold it short.
They (the Fed) are furiously injecting cash and monetizing the debt just to keep this zombie market afloat. And even corporate America is out of tricks. I'd like to see how business can improve margins at the end of this manufactured bull market.. that would be a neat encore.
They need a Deux Ex Machina ending. That is all they got left.
From ZH:
And with that we can close the books on the first quarter of Fiscal 2013, in which US public debt grew by $366 billion, some $122 billion per month on average.
And Then Boehner Says...Go Fuck Yourself...
I'm not running a Disney style blog here- at least not yet.
First up....Harry Reid accuses House Speaker Boehner of running a dictatorship which was broadcast nationally. Showing the good sense of grown adults, John Boehner addressed the accusation in private. I gotta say, I might have done the same thing. From Jammie Wearing Fool. http://www.jammiewf.com/2013/boehner-to-dingy-harry-go-f-ck-yourself/
Last night I wrote a piece about the death of the Republican Party. This is occurring before your very eyes. The left controls the dialogue. The Republican Party is absolutely right that we have a spending problem except that it no longer matters who is right.
Just because you are the fastest horse in any given race, does not mean you are going to win. The mob is winning. The GOP has been marginalized, out muscled, and killed. Zombieland.
Here then is a clip of a Republican Representative that voted against the fiscal cliff deal last night. He is from Louisiana. It is proof positive that our politicians know exactly how bad this is and refuse to act. But the best part of this clip is the liberal news media interviewer. At the end, pay attention to how she labels him. That is how the media controls the dialogue in this country. She essentially marginalizes him as a fringe element kook. The party of zombies.
First up....Harry Reid accuses House Speaker Boehner of running a dictatorship which was broadcast nationally. Showing the good sense of grown adults, John Boehner addressed the accusation in private. I gotta say, I might have done the same thing. From Jammie Wearing Fool. http://www.jammiewf.com/2013/boehner-to-dingy-harry-go-f-ck-yourself/
Last night I wrote a piece about the death of the Republican Party. This is occurring before your very eyes. The left controls the dialogue. The Republican Party is absolutely right that we have a spending problem except that it no longer matters who is right.
Just because you are the fastest horse in any given race, does not mean you are going to win. The mob is winning. The GOP has been marginalized, out muscled, and killed. Zombieland.
Here then is a clip of a Republican Representative that voted against the fiscal cliff deal last night. He is from Louisiana. It is proof positive that our politicians know exactly how bad this is and refuse to act. But the best part of this clip is the liberal news media interviewer. At the end, pay attention to how she labels him. That is how the media controls the dialogue in this country. She essentially marginalizes him as a fringe element kook. The party of zombies.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
GOP Folds Like Cheap Suit, Party Faithful Turn Democrat
Tonight the Senate and the House passed the fiscal cliff bill that raises taxes and doesn't cut spending enough to even notice. So we get this new tax increase along with the Obamacare tax increase.
The GOP simply folded up. But then, I always knew they would. I've been writing about it here at FG- for four years. http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/01/politics/fiscal-cliff/index.html
Truth passes through 3 stages.
Get this. The tax hikes will only raise 60 billion a year. Two weeks worth of government spending. Interesting but hardly uncharacteristic, no mention was made regarding the debt ceiling hike.
You'd think markets would sell off in dramatic fashion as debt continues to soar and more taxes means less investment income. Not so. In fact futures are absolutely soaring like this is the greatest thing that ever happened. More taxes, more debt. It's like living in some bizarro echo chamber where terrible news is somehow seen as positive.
I have been waiting to short this market. Thank gawd, I've been around a day or two. I couldn't short the market until this last piece of kabuki theater was over with. http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/fiscal-cliff-stocks-rise-rocked-213221114.html At the peak tomorrow or Thurs., I am going to get short. So after the big vote tonight I visited a couple of futures' sites along with Ace of Spades HQ just to see what they were writing.
I've listened to Ace and his followers bash libertarians, offer up rich and elite ass clowns like Mc Cain and Romney as Presidential candidates, and then lose elections. Why? Because they simply can't figure out that there isn't one shred of difference between the GOP and the Dems. Both parties have been selling the citizens of this country out for 30 years.
Only the GOP is getting the worst of it. They are the party of old man whitey. They want to tell women and everyone else what to do and how to behave. The rich and elite want to pay poverty wages and no taxes. The majority is sick of that shit. And old man whitey is now the minority. In a mob rule democracy, the minority feels the pain. The GOP is the minority and permanently. Only Ace's side can't figure that out. I suppose because his entire site is devoted to the illusion of a "conservative" GOP.
Here's the best part. As much as I hate the cowards of the GOP, the Dems are even worse. But unfortunately, for now, they are in charge.
Next up, gun control. It's like a nightmare that won't go away.
I don't want to spend the rest of this year kicking a dead horse. If the GOP faithful want to sit around and pray for a comeback, who am I to stand in the way? Like buggy whips and rotary phones, the old version of the GOP ain't coming back anytime soon.
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
41 Dollars Worth of New Taxes, 1 Dollar of Spending Cuts
Here's the grand work of our "leaders."
Wow. You just can't make this shit up. It just gets worse and worse. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/12/31/Fiscal-cliff-deal-41-1-in-tax-increases-to-spending-cuts-ratio
No debt ceiling hike, no real spending cuts. Nothing but added debt, more government thievery and confiscation, and wasted time.
That they can do this, keep printing money and buying mortgages and treasuries beyond a trillion a year, and still keep the lid on the precious metals markets via JP Morgan- is a testament to the extent of the manipulation that the Fed and our government are engaged in.
Wow. You just can't make this shit up. It just gets worse and worse. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/12/31/Fiscal-cliff-deal-41-1-in-tax-increases-to-spending-cuts-ratio
No debt ceiling hike, no real spending cuts. Nothing but added debt, more government thievery and confiscation, and wasted time.
That they can do this, keep printing money and buying mortgages and treasuries beyond a trillion a year, and still keep the lid on the precious metals markets via JP Morgan- is a testament to the extent of the manipulation that the Fed and our government are engaged in.
I Don't Know How They Keep Doing It
January 1. Bah humbug.
I celebrated New Year's Eve just like I do every other night- by going to bed. My neighbors fired off mortars as though there was some cause for celebration that required loud explosions at midnight. Unfortunately, alcohol has never fueled an over abundance of great ideas- here or anywhere else.
Loud explosions tend to wake me up and as such, I found myself surfing the web. The news it seems never changes. The liberals want tax hikes, the conservatives want spending cuts, Obama runs his mouth- Congress does virtually nothing. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/31/details-emerge-in-fiscal-cliff-agreement/?hpt=hp_bn3
Congress, in this case the Senate, loves to run around pretending like they have actually accomplished something. It is as though you have a 9 year old son who expects great accolades for getting dressed every morning. We pay these people a tremendous amount of money to do something- I just don't know what the fuck that is anymore.
We are entering YEAR 6 of the economic meltdown.
The problem of course- is that we are mired in a tar pit of debt that we cannot escape. It can only get worse and so it does. With an apathetic, self centered, and cowardly electorate, this cannot possibly change. I shudder to think that we now have another 4 years of the leaderless group exercise to endure. At the conclusion of 2016, we will have had 10 YEARS- or one full decade of this.
It begs the question. How long can we keep writing about this? Are the big guns like Yves over at naked capitalism or the anonymous writers at ZeroHedge going to regurgitate the same old rhetoric- year after year after year? At what point do we all just say, "fuck it?"
Maybe we are mired in as well.
Personally, I don't know how the blog authors keep doing it but I will say this. My education is somewhat complete thanks to them. Many of the things I have learned and confirmed happened at places like "ZeroHedge", "naked capitalism", or the "Golden Truth."
How long can you keep writing about a landscape that never changes? How long can banks continue to manipulate equity and commodity markets with a never ending supply of fuel from the Fed?
I don't know. It's as though they have found some toxic fountain of youth.
The bastards are grinding me down.
I like to write and as 2013 begins, I may change my writing focus and delivery. I gotta switch gears soon. Imagine watching the movie, "Groundhog Day" over and over again, every day. You'll understand where I'm at.
"I got you, babe."
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Land of Unintended Consequences- The Sunday Collage
“Most of the harm in the world is done by good people, and not by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of their deliberate actions, long persevered in, which they hold to be motivated by high ideals toward virtuous ends.”
― Isabel Paterson, The God of the Machine
No quote captures the essence of progressives/liberals better than that one. That of course, is my blog's subtitle. After my liberal college indoctrination...
It took me a full 28 years to regain consciousness.
Life is all about choices and it is most certainly relative. This is not an opinion. In a society that wants what they want right now, it seems we are always after the quick fix. The problem with that mentality of course, is that sometimes our solution creates a far bigger problem for us down the road. That is where we find ourselves today. In the land of unintended consequences.
We have become undisciplined. As we seek out the quick fix for everything, say a boob job for our self esteem-or a pill because we can't sleep- we suffer the ill side effects because those things are often unforeseen or delayed. We diminish any thought of the potential side effects because we want relief now. We think that money, drugs, and boob jobs will make us happier but those things always fail. They don't work because they are just symptoms of our deeper, spiritual dilemma.
We have told ourselves this lie so many times- like the money lie- that we begin to believe it.
That's the problem. In a capitalistic society- a society that is always willing to give you what you want if you have enough money- people don't care why you are filling that Xanax prescription. They don't care why you think you need big boobs to feel better about yourself.
When responsible purveyors of things such as Xanax and boob jobs attempt to find out why a customer wants those things- often the customers' become indignant and self righteous. The customers claim and it is always implied, that the reason that they want something is none of the seller's business. The customers threaten to go somewhere else to get what they want. And they do. Until such day that the people selling Xanax and boob jobs don't really care why you want those things anymore. If you have enough money- they just give you those things because they are in business and caring about you or your intentions gets them nowhere. If they don't sell you those things, they know their competitors will.
And so you get those things. You sleep better for awhile. After a six months or so, you realize that you are addicted to Xanax. You have now entered the land of unintended consequences. Perhaps you must continually up the dosage. Withdrawal leaves you incredibly sick, depressed, homicidal or suicidal. It interferes with other medications and you lose energy and mental capacity. Your family and career suffer. Soon you discover that withdrawal takes months. You switch medications. Maybe you try a rehab center but the addiction is strong. It never leaves you. You may even spend a lifetime in addiction.
That is our number one societal problem. This insane belief that these short term solutions work and that we can control them. There will always be some unscrupulous salesmen offering up some panacea to a sea of willing customers. The customers want relief now. The salesman knows this is his opportunity and even though he knows the product only works briefly and it has lasting ill effects- he wants the immediate reward of the sale. So he sells this crap to you while rationalizing that if he didn't- someone else would.
So immediate relief meets immediate sale. Instant gratification.
That is where we find ourselves today. Forever and always it seems, trying to avoid pain while seeking the quickest remedy. Ignoring the long term ill effects of our inability to behave patiently or with discipline. That's too bad.
The long term ill effects are now arriving. The unintended consequences of letting American jobs flow east, of giving trillions of dollars away to bankers and stimulus, of financing eternal wars and the resultant economic hardship- are here. We have a bunch of cowards running our country. Nothing they will do will have any lasting or real effect. They will keep looking for the quick fix. All you can do in the land of unintended consequences is prepare yourself. There is no escape this time. It's time we paid the bills.
It took me 47 years to discover that the best intentions of people have caused all of our problems. As a country, we have been in the process of discovering that for five years. Our national malaise will continue unabated, until such time that men of courage step forward and undo what has been done. Until then, we are going to feel the pain of all of those unintended consequences as politicians squirm and lie- looking for the easier, softer way. The quick cure for everything that ails us. Taxes, health care, gun control. Un- fortunately, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. But that's just the optimist in me.
I think 2013 is going to prove that out.
― Isabel Paterson, The God of the Machine
No quote captures the essence of progressives/liberals better than that one. That of course, is my blog's subtitle. After my liberal college indoctrination...
It took me a full 28 years to regain consciousness.
Life is all about choices and it is most certainly relative. This is not an opinion. In a society that wants what they want right now, it seems we are always after the quick fix. The problem with that mentality of course, is that sometimes our solution creates a far bigger problem for us down the road. That is where we find ourselves today. In the land of unintended consequences.
We have become undisciplined. As we seek out the quick fix for everything, say a boob job for our self esteem-or a pill because we can't sleep- we suffer the ill side effects because those things are often unforeseen or delayed. We diminish any thought of the potential side effects because we want relief now. We think that money, drugs, and boob jobs will make us happier but those things always fail. They don't work because they are just symptoms of our deeper, spiritual dilemma.
We have told ourselves this lie so many times- like the money lie- that we begin to believe it.
That's the problem. In a capitalistic society- a society that is always willing to give you what you want if you have enough money- people don't care why you are filling that Xanax prescription. They don't care why you think you need big boobs to feel better about yourself.
When responsible purveyors of things such as Xanax and boob jobs attempt to find out why a customer wants those things- often the customers' become indignant and self righteous. The customers claim and it is always implied, that the reason that they want something is none of the seller's business. The customers threaten to go somewhere else to get what they want. And they do. Until such day that the people selling Xanax and boob jobs don't really care why you want those things anymore. If you have enough money- they just give you those things because they are in business and caring about you or your intentions gets them nowhere. If they don't sell you those things, they know their competitors will.
And so you get those things. You sleep better for awhile. After a six months or so, you realize that you are addicted to Xanax. You have now entered the land of unintended consequences. Perhaps you must continually up the dosage. Withdrawal leaves you incredibly sick, depressed, homicidal or suicidal. It interferes with other medications and you lose energy and mental capacity. Your family and career suffer. Soon you discover that withdrawal takes months. You switch medications. Maybe you try a rehab center but the addiction is strong. It never leaves you. You may even spend a lifetime in addiction.
That is our number one societal problem. This insane belief that these short term solutions work and that we can control them. There will always be some unscrupulous salesmen offering up some panacea to a sea of willing customers. The customers want relief now. The salesman knows this is his opportunity and even though he knows the product only works briefly and it has lasting ill effects- he wants the immediate reward of the sale. So he sells this crap to you while rationalizing that if he didn't- someone else would.
So immediate relief meets immediate sale. Instant gratification.
That is where we find ourselves today. Forever and always it seems, trying to avoid pain while seeking the quickest remedy. Ignoring the long term ill effects of our inability to behave patiently or with discipline. That's too bad.
The long term ill effects are now arriving. The unintended consequences of letting American jobs flow east, of giving trillions of dollars away to bankers and stimulus, of financing eternal wars and the resultant economic hardship- are here. We have a bunch of cowards running our country. Nothing they will do will have any lasting or real effect. They will keep looking for the quick fix. All you can do in the land of unintended consequences is prepare yourself. There is no escape this time. It's time we paid the bills.
It took me 47 years to discover that the best intentions of people have caused all of our problems. As a country, we have been in the process of discovering that for five years. Our national malaise will continue unabated, until such time that men of courage step forward and undo what has been done. Until then, we are going to feel the pain of all of those unintended consequences as politicians squirm and lie- looking for the easier, softer way. The quick cure for everything that ails us. Taxes, health care, gun control. Un- fortunately, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. But that's just the optimist in me.
I think 2013 is going to prove that out.
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I found that comment on ZH- months ago.
Think of the possibilities. We wouldn't just eliminate the middleman- we'd eliminate an entire blood sucking industry that wastes 1/3rd of every health care dollar on administrative costs.
We all pay our own way- what a novel idea!
The same thing occurred at colleges and universities in the last 1/4 of the 20th century. The education industry found a middleman, bankers, and greased their way to the highest tuition increases in the history of education. Think about that. That system, just like the health care system, is irretrievably broken.
Middlemen, whether they are insurance companies or bankers, fuel greed while lining their own pockets. They have no interest in slowing the system down or making it accountable or cost effective. In fact, the higher costs go- the more the middlemen make. They want costs to escalate. They are not bearing the costs directly and thus the higher costs go- the more money they scrape off the top.
Until the systems break. Of course the consumer goes first. Then the system does. The tapeworms always go last, at some point after the host dies.
Wouldn't you love to hit the reset button on those two industries? I can't even begin to imagine the possibilities.