There is this video. Neil Barofsky. Telling the world about the greatest fraud ever- greased by Hank Paulson and then followed up by Tim Geithner. Absolute crooks. Equal parts Bush and Obama. Not shocked.
Six minutes well spent. http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/tarp-even-worse-think-abysmal-failure-barofsky-says-161743679.html
Friday, July 27, 2012
Man With Gun Stops Lunatic From Stabbing More People
The moonbats hate stories like this. It just doesn't support their agenda.
Firearms, in responsible hands, save lives. Arm your loved ones. This is how it works-http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/bios/story/conceal-and-carry-stabbing-salt-lake-city-smiths/NDNrL1gxeE2rsRhrWCM9dQ.cspx at the link.
Firearms, in responsible hands, save lives. Arm your loved ones. This is how it works-http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/bios/story/conceal-and-carry-stabbing-salt-lake-city-smiths/NDNrL1gxeE2rsRhrWCM9dQ.cspx at the link.
Frankenstein Government Nominates Frankenstein Government For Vice President
It's time to throw my hat in the ring. Will the speculation ever end? Ok, Mitt...here is my resume.'
I spent 25 years in "government work" although my father claims there is no such thing. Unlike you, I am an uber conservative and I make no apologies for it. I live on my retirement and I don't have 25 or 50 million stashed overseas like you do. I'm pretty sure I can get by on that 231,000 salary.
I have never been a politician because I find it very difficult to lie. You will have to teach me how to do that. I'm sure they have a finishing school, perhaps even a secret academy in D.C.
I dislike bankers and lawyers in that order. I am not that fond of Mormons either. I know a lot of otherwise intelligent people that believe that Moroni/golden tablet/ Hill Cumorah foolishness- and so I have to respect that in America you can believe whatever foolishness you want to believe. Personally, I think you worship wealth and money first and foremost, so the L.D.S. thing makes a lot of sense and seems an appropriate distraction. You can argue that your religion comes first.
I will pretend to listen to you attentively at all times. I will nod my head a lot.
Look, mostly I am going to be sitting in the Senate, listening to the gibberish of 100 US Senators who think they are far smarter than they actually are. I am fairly good at yelling and gavel slamming- particularly when I am listening to bullshit ad nauseum. So I will look at the job like a giant C Span adult daycare attendant. With special needs clientele.
How fucking hard can that be? Joe Biden can do it and he's a couple dates short of a fruitcake. So I hope to hear from you soon.
Frankenstein Government
I spent 25 years in "government work" although my father claims there is no such thing. Unlike you, I am an uber conservative and I make no apologies for it. I live on my retirement and I don't have 25 or 50 million stashed overseas like you do. I'm pretty sure I can get by on that 231,000 salary.
I have never been a politician because I find it very difficult to lie. You will have to teach me how to do that. I'm sure they have a finishing school, perhaps even a secret academy in D.C.
I dislike bankers and lawyers in that order. I am not that fond of Mormons either. I know a lot of otherwise intelligent people that believe that Moroni/golden tablet/ Hill Cumorah foolishness- and so I have to respect that in America you can believe whatever foolishness you want to believe. Personally, I think you worship wealth and money first and foremost, so the L.D.S. thing makes a lot of sense and seems an appropriate distraction. You can argue that your religion comes first.
I will pretend to listen to you attentively at all times. I will nod my head a lot.
Look, mostly I am going to be sitting in the Senate, listening to the gibberish of 100 US Senators who think they are far smarter than they actually are. I am fairly good at yelling and gavel slamming- particularly when I am listening to bullshit ad nauseum. So I will look at the job like a giant C Span adult daycare attendant. With special needs clientele.
How fucking hard can that be? Joe Biden can do it and he's a couple dates short of a fruitcake. So I hope to hear from you soon.
Frankenstein Government
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Be Spiritual, But Carry A Big Gun Just In Case
Mentally ill people. You did not create them, but they are here to stay. You can deny their existence but that will not help you. Acceptance and risk management will help you.
Mostly I prefer to prevent death and destruction when I can. Plan A involves guns and protection. Plan B does not.
Plan B occurs when Plan A fails. http://realemotionalfreedom.blogspot.com/2012/07/recover.html
Mostly I prefer to prevent death and destruction when I can. Plan A involves guns and protection. Plan B does not.
Plan B occurs when Plan A fails. http://realemotionalfreedom.blogspot.com/2012/07/recover.html
Solving This "Sick Stock Market" Riddle
I turned on the television this morning and saw a 250 point stock market rally. As I did that, I had to listen to a Government Motors ad about the Chevy Volt. How odd. The GE/Jeffrey Immelt influenced CNBC network running ads for Obama's pet project, GM and that crappy 45k Volt. Immelt is Obama's business czar. It's all incest to me.
Before making coffee, I turned the television off.
I traded for 25 years. I miss not having some skin in the game. But like millions of investors, my money is sitting in the bank making nothing. Why?
Because I can't afford to lose it in a sick stock market almost completely manipulated by central bankers. The big banks are just sitting like vultures, they own everything in sight, waiting for people to get back in so they can get out. You can't go long because there is no upside- this market would completely collapse if left on it's own. You can't short this market because the central bankers constantly threaten more quantitative easing which means more money flowing into the market.
Here's a snip on this morning's rally. This comes from the European Central Bank. This is Mario Draghi- Ben Bernanke's bed partner- threatening to do whatever it takes to "save the euro."
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi says policymakers will do what’s needed to keep the union’s common currency. The remarks signal that they may step into bond markets where prohibitively high borrowing costs threaten Spain and Italy.
“To the extent that the size of these sovereign premia hamper the functioning of the monetary policy transmission channel, they come within our mandate,” Draghi said in a speech in London today, according to Bloomberg. “Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro…believe me, it will be enough.”
Ben Bernanke is bad enough. Now we have this dick wad running his mouth about a European style QE. Of course these comments caused everyone that is short the Euro and Euro stocks- to cover. Hence the big rally.
Unemployment claims dropped a little this morning but they are still pretty bad.
So the whole world is broke. Markets and economies are broken. Rather than take their medicine- these bastard bankers have control of our currencies and they just threaten to print more. The net effect of course is inflated markets. The vast majority of people don't understand any of this nor do they care. When they lose their retirement funds- which they will- then all hell is going to break loose.
The only way I could come into this market is on the short side. But you can't. Because Bernanke is sitting chilly at the printer controls. With President One Term just about outta here- I don't see Ben doing anything to help. (As a sidenote- I can't wait to see all of the fucking criminals that Obama pardons on his way out.)
So that's it. Until the world and the bankers take their medicine, free markets responding to market forces simply do not exist. You can't play in a rigged game- even if it's the only game in town.
Before making coffee, I turned the television off.
I traded for 25 years. I miss not having some skin in the game. But like millions of investors, my money is sitting in the bank making nothing. Why?
Because I can't afford to lose it in a sick stock market almost completely manipulated by central bankers. The big banks are just sitting like vultures, they own everything in sight, waiting for people to get back in so they can get out. You can't go long because there is no upside- this market would completely collapse if left on it's own. You can't short this market because the central bankers constantly threaten more quantitative easing which means more money flowing into the market.
Here's a snip on this morning's rally. This comes from the European Central Bank. This is Mario Draghi- Ben Bernanke's bed partner- threatening to do whatever it takes to "save the euro."
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi says policymakers will do what’s needed to keep the union’s common currency. The remarks signal that they may step into bond markets where prohibitively high borrowing costs threaten Spain and Italy.
“To the extent that the size of these sovereign premia hamper the functioning of the monetary policy transmission channel, they come within our mandate,” Draghi said in a speech in London today, according to Bloomberg. “Within our mandate, the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro…believe me, it will be enough.”
Ben Bernanke is bad enough. Now we have this dick wad running his mouth about a European style QE. Of course these comments caused everyone that is short the Euro and Euro stocks- to cover. Hence the big rally.
Unemployment claims dropped a little this morning but they are still pretty bad.
So the whole world is broke. Markets and economies are broken. Rather than take their medicine- these bastard bankers have control of our currencies and they just threaten to print more. The net effect of course is inflated markets. The vast majority of people don't understand any of this nor do they care. When they lose their retirement funds- which they will- then all hell is going to break loose.
The only way I could come into this market is on the short side. But you can't. Because Bernanke is sitting chilly at the printer controls. With President One Term just about outta here- I don't see Ben doing anything to help. (As a sidenote- I can't wait to see all of the fucking criminals that Obama pardons on his way out.)
So that's it. Until the world and the bankers take their medicine, free markets responding to market forces simply do not exist. You can't play in a rigged game- even if it's the only game in town.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
How To Stop A Massacre, Survive Without Wasting One Taxpayer Cent
A one minute instructional video on how to be a responsible gun owner.
Male Raped to Death?
That ain't a bad way to go.
After giving this a little thought, my bullshit detector started sounding off. Maybe I need a few more details. Here's the link. http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/nigerian-man-uroko-onoja-raped-death-5-wives?utm_source=OV+Newsletter+List+2&utm_campaign=064c30d4eb-OV_Newsletter_July_257_25_2012&utm_medium=email
After giving this a little thought, my bullshit detector started sounding off. Maybe I need a few more details. Here's the link. http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/nigerian-man-uroko-onoja-raped-death-5-wives?utm_source=OV+Newsletter+List+2&utm_campaign=064c30d4eb-OV_Newsletter_July_257_25_2012&utm_medium=email
Moonbat Valley Says "Yes!" To Gun Control
I cannot believe I actually served this population of statists. No wonder I couldn't stand them.
Anytime you are feeling really depressed- before you blame yourself- first check and see if it could be something simple. Perhaps you have just surrounded yourself with assholes.
I absolutely refuse to link my site to my old town newspaper. However, that paper is called the Idaho Mountain Express and they are online. The owner/editor is a flaming lib who exercises complete dominion over the paper. So here's the poll they are running this week:
Anytime you are feeling really depressed- before you blame yourself- first check and see if it could be something simple. Perhaps you have just surrounded yourself with assholes.
I absolutely refuse to link my site to my old town newspaper. However, that paper is called the Idaho Mountain Express and they are online. The owner/editor is a flaming lib who exercises complete dominion over the paper. So here's the poll they are running this week:
Should the United States adopt stricter gun-control laws?
Total Votes: 155
Now I know this is a small number of voters but I promise as this poll wears on- the numbers will remain fairly consistent. This is because the people who live in Moonbat Valley all drink the statist Kool Aid. Independent thought is frowned on and in fact- if you do not adopt their views- you are treated like some sort of outsider, hick, dumb ass.
Many years ago, a gal (jogger) showed up at the police station. She wanted to report that there were people shooting guns on a road east of town. My first mistake was asking her where she was from. She was dressed like a California trust funder and in fact, she said she was from Malibu. Of course. I explained that in Idaho we have this odd event called "hunting season." People in Idaho hunt and mostly they do that with guns. I told her that people sighting in rifles east of town on that road- was quite common. She did not want to hear that. Out came the "I could buy and sell your ass" looks that you get from people just before they say stupid shit like "I pay your salary." I soon realized I was talking to a spoiled princess. So I did the only thing that made sense.
I told her the road she was on was in the county rather than the city- and I told her where the Sheriff's Office was. Maybe, they can help you. Bitch.
Sometimes when you reflect back on your life and certain events- you find yourself asking- "What the hell was I thinking?" This often happens to me when I think about serving in Moonbat Valley. At least they paid me.
Meh.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
When The Juice Ain't Worth the Squeeze, The Rise Of Labor Unions
Trucking jobs that people refuse to take?
Once in awhile, I see a mainstream news article where the author takes a look at a subject that seemingly doesn't make sense. That happened today. With "gobs" of trucking jobs- and millions unemployed- how come the trucking industry has so many openings and high employee turnover?
http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/24/news/economy/trucking-jobs/index.htm?iid=Lead
Because trucking sucks. At 38k a year, the juice ain't worth the squeeze.
Long haul truckers are confined to a small space, eat and shower at truck stops, are on the road with no real breaks away from the truck, sitting for hours and hours on end. They are dirty. Eating healthy is not possible. Having any kind of committed home life is not possible. On top of all of that you have breakdowns, cops, loneliness and boredom, fines and weigh stations, nasty ass weather, deadlines, regulation and fees.
All that for 19 or 20 bucks an hour.
The harsh reality here is that employers in this industry and government have conspired to make a tough job- un desirable. You simply cannot pay somebody chump change, tie them to the long hours, crappy conditions, and then steal 30% of their income- in local, state, and federal taxes.
So what happens is that desperate and uneducated folks spend a bunch of money to become truckers- get a taste of the reality of trucking- and then get the hell out. But the trucking companies, hoping to exploit a giant labor pool, continue to offer ridiculously low wages given the working conditions and the tremendous amount of time you are actually tied to that truck. And trust me...the working conditions ARE EVERYTHING when it comes to trucking.
In the bakken oil field- they are paying water truck drivers 70 k a year. Sure. And working you 80 hours a week...which again works out to 18 bucks an hour, no housing, a flat landscape with cold, long, and boring winters. A voracious government trying to steal half your check (overtime gets taxed at the highest rates) and greedy oil companies trying to find ways to reduce employee related overhead.
Exploiting labor is the job of corporations always bent on improving margins. Stealing your work product is the job of government. Eventually people are forced to shrug and walk away. That is a sad state of affairs but that's the reality right now. I wouldn't be a long haul trucker for a dime less than 80k a year. And my actual time tied to that truck could not exceed 80 hours a week.
It's a shame that labor union have such a horrible history and reputation. When battling crony capitalism where business and government interests have teamed up to exploit laborers- there simply is no way to level that playing field. Individual workers don't stand a chance. If it continues the way that it has- and I see no stopping it- unions may re-emerge. Nothing illustrates that need better than the conditions in the trucking industry right now.
Once in awhile, I see a mainstream news article where the author takes a look at a subject that seemingly doesn't make sense. That happened today. With "gobs" of trucking jobs- and millions unemployed- how come the trucking industry has so many openings and high employee turnover?
http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/24/news/economy/trucking-jobs/index.htm?iid=Lead
Because trucking sucks. At 38k a year, the juice ain't worth the squeeze.
Long haul truckers are confined to a small space, eat and shower at truck stops, are on the road with no real breaks away from the truck, sitting for hours and hours on end. They are dirty. Eating healthy is not possible. Having any kind of committed home life is not possible. On top of all of that you have breakdowns, cops, loneliness and boredom, fines and weigh stations, nasty ass weather, deadlines, regulation and fees.
All that for 19 or 20 bucks an hour.
The harsh reality here is that employers in this industry and government have conspired to make a tough job- un desirable. You simply cannot pay somebody chump change, tie them to the long hours, crappy conditions, and then steal 30% of their income- in local, state, and federal taxes.
So what happens is that desperate and uneducated folks spend a bunch of money to become truckers- get a taste of the reality of trucking- and then get the hell out. But the trucking companies, hoping to exploit a giant labor pool, continue to offer ridiculously low wages given the working conditions and the tremendous amount of time you are actually tied to that truck. And trust me...the working conditions ARE EVERYTHING when it comes to trucking.
In the bakken oil field- they are paying water truck drivers 70 k a year. Sure. And working you 80 hours a week...which again works out to 18 bucks an hour, no housing, a flat landscape with cold, long, and boring winters. A voracious government trying to steal half your check (overtime gets taxed at the highest rates) and greedy oil companies trying to find ways to reduce employee related overhead.
Exploiting labor is the job of corporations always bent on improving margins. Stealing your work product is the job of government. Eventually people are forced to shrug and walk away. That is a sad state of affairs but that's the reality right now. I wouldn't be a long haul trucker for a dime less than 80k a year. And my actual time tied to that truck could not exceed 80 hours a week.
It's a shame that labor union have such a horrible history and reputation. When battling crony capitalism where business and government interests have teamed up to exploit laborers- there simply is no way to level that playing field. Individual workers don't stand a chance. If it continues the way that it has- and I see no stopping it- unions may re-emerge. Nothing illustrates that need better than the conditions in the trucking industry right now.
One Good Deal After Another (OGDAA)
I would never have known what OGDAA meant or who Jerry Schriver was without the help of Kenny Lane at Knuckledraggin My Life Away.
So when Kenny shut his site down for awhile, I was kind of bummed. It sounds as though he is just taking a leave of absence. I understand that. I go through periods where I don't feel like writing.
So here's to hoping Wirecutter gets shit sorted out 'cause I miss him and his blog. In the meantime, here's the story of Sgt. Jerry Shriver. A three tour vet who the Viet Kong hated and put a bounty on. The story of OGDAA on his smoking jacket. http://taskforceomegainc.org/s139.html
Maybe the funniest story I've ever heard. (from a pdf file)
Shriver's closest companion was a German shepherd he'd brought back from Taiwan
which he named Klaus. One night Klaus got sick on beer some recon men fed him and
crapped on the NCO club floor; they rubbed his nose in it and threw him out. Shriver went to the club the following night, drank a beer, removed his blue velvet smoking jacket and derby hat, put a .38
revolver on a table, then dropped his pants and defecated on the floor. "If you want to
rub my nose in this," he dared, "come on over." Everyone pretended not to hear him;
one man who'd fed Klaus beer urged the Recon Company commander to intervene.
The captain laughed in his face.
Good stuff.
So when Kenny shut his site down for awhile, I was kind of bummed. It sounds as though he is just taking a leave of absence. I understand that. I go through periods where I don't feel like writing.
So here's to hoping Wirecutter gets shit sorted out 'cause I miss him and his blog. In the meantime, here's the story of Sgt. Jerry Shriver. A three tour vet who the Viet Kong hated and put a bounty on. The story of OGDAA on his smoking jacket. http://taskforceomegainc.org/s139.html
Maybe the funniest story I've ever heard. (from a pdf file)
Shriver's closest companion was a German shepherd he'd brought back from Taiwan
which he named Klaus. One night Klaus got sick on beer some recon men fed him and
crapped on the NCO club floor; they rubbed his nose in it and threw him out. Shriver went to the club the following night, drank a beer, removed his blue velvet smoking jacket and derby hat, put a .38
revolver on a table, then dropped his pants and defecated on the floor. "If you want to
rub my nose in this," he dared, "come on over." Everyone pretended not to hear him;
one man who'd fed Klaus beer urged the Recon Company commander to intervene.
The captain laughed in his face.
Good stuff.
Saving Yourself
Lunatics happen.
So in the wake of the Aurora shootings- here comes the predictable and herd like response of pacifists, leftists, statists, and the permanently superficial. Let's have some more gun control laws, let's outlaw guns. Let's put guards and metal detectors everywhere. The usual knee jerk reactions are taking place around the country. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/20/3715706/theater-security-reassessed-after.html
Guess what? Drugs like meth and heroin are illegal too. I can get both of them within 30 minutes. That's a fact. Outlawing anything just makes those items more valuable, attractive. So instead...
I want to arm everyone. I want everyone to train, shoot, and carry guns. I want kids on campuses carrying guns, I want pilots carrying guns, I want off duty cops and trained civilians carrying guns. I will tell you this. I carry a gun everywhere I go. I don't care if it's legal for me to do so or not.
Better to be judged by 12 than buried by 6.
The problem with most statists and the left is that they think more laws and more government are the answer. They always think that. I think even the morons are starting to agree that the government can't find it's own ass with two hands in a well lit room. Are you going to trust them to save you? Taking responsibility for your own life is the answer.
Get smart. Be responsible. Train your family, arm yourselves. When people are killed in seconds- help takes minutes.
Example A. Homicidal lunatic meets trained and armed people at Detroit Police Station.
So in the wake of the Aurora shootings- here comes the predictable and herd like response of pacifists, leftists, statists, and the permanently superficial. Let's have some more gun control laws, let's outlaw guns. Let's put guards and metal detectors everywhere. The usual knee jerk reactions are taking place around the country. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/20/3715706/theater-security-reassessed-after.html
Guess what? Drugs like meth and heroin are illegal too. I can get both of them within 30 minutes. That's a fact. Outlawing anything just makes those items more valuable, attractive. So instead...
I want to arm everyone. I want everyone to train, shoot, and carry guns. I want kids on campuses carrying guns, I want pilots carrying guns, I want off duty cops and trained civilians carrying guns. I will tell you this. I carry a gun everywhere I go. I don't care if it's legal for me to do so or not.
Better to be judged by 12 than buried by 6.
The problem with most statists and the left is that they think more laws and more government are the answer. They always think that. I think even the morons are starting to agree that the government can't find it's own ass with two hands in a well lit room. Are you going to trust them to save you? Taking responsibility for your own life is the answer.
Get smart. Be responsible. Train your family, arm yourselves. When people are killed in seconds- help takes minutes.
Example A. Homicidal lunatic meets trained and armed people at Detroit Police Station.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
"Let Me Know When the Weird Shit Happens" The Sunday Collage
Back in the old days, I liked to use that particular phrase^^. I coined it. I save it for special occasions. Usually my use of that phrase has been restricted to a bizarre day or two and centered on my old policing career. A Ph.D candidate killing a bunch of people in a movie theater would have qualified for the use of that phrase. Originally, that phrase came about when I saw a guy passed out and drunk, with his head on the accelerator and driver's side door wide open, truck rolling ever so slightly, pants down around his ankles with his feet dragging on the pavement. The dude had passed out taking a leak by the side of the road. Instead of arresting this guy, the cop I was with dumped him off at the county line. I was a cadet.
That was the day I coined the phrase. Let me know when the weird shit happens. So when a guy walks into a movie theater...
You wonder, "At what point did that young man say to himself...you know, I think it would be a good idea to go down to the cinema tonight and kill a bunch of innocent, random people after booby trapping my apartment." "Yea, that's what I'm gonna do, that sounds like fun."
People make the strangest assumptions. On one blog, a writer wrote that this guy was "set up" and that it didn't make any sense that he surrendered peacefully to the police and then told them about his booby trapped apartment. Why go to the trouble of setting booby traps only to disclose them to the police?
To that I would say...never pretend to understand the mentally ill. Do not apply your brand of rationale or normalcy to them. Like a wrong sized shoe- it does not fit. Perhaps after realizing that you have killed and wounded a whole theater full of unarmed and innocent people- you actually have some level of remorse. You might even have been shocked into consciousness. Maybe you even tell the cops about your booby trapped apartment. Mentally ill people do nor subscribe to mainstream belief systems. They leave the rails. That's why we call them mentally ill.
And as it goes...
This week was bizarre. Everyone I talked to seemed to be comprehension impaired. It took me 7 days and calls to five different plumbers to fix a simple clog. At one point, I was beginning to think that plumbers had quit plumbing. In fact, I fired one guy before he even started. I didn't like his demeanor. He was one of those guys who acted as though I had this bizarre plumbing that only he could navigate and then he wanted to replace sections of pipe. When he was late for the estimate and then late for the repair, I called him up and said adios. The next guy fixed both of my issues for 69 bucks and it took him about 45 minutes. Seventy bucks was 1/4 of what the other guy wanted. I had the same experience trying to get some motorcycle tires I had ordered and delivered-put on my bike. When I called one shop, the owner told me that because I didn't buy the tires from him- his insurance company refused to insure him. Too much liability he said. I wonder if he actually thinks people believe that shit. The reality is- is that if I had an insurance agent telling me how to run my business and which decisions I could make- I'd probably be getting a new insurance agent.
Oddly enough, the BMW dealer here in Boise apparently does not use the same insurance agent. They gladly put the tires and some new brake pads on for about 150.00.
I found myself in a couple of brief arguments with people- not because I do that on purpose- but because a couple of the folks I had been talking to simply had agendas of their own- agendas which they could not set aside to actually comprehend what I was saying. That type of non listening event, the "I refuse to comprehend what you are saying moment" occurs mostly because rather than listening- your target audience is conjuring up their next talking point. If all they are focused on is a series of talking points rather than listening- you aren't going to get anywhere with that. And since I was often guilty of that insanity in my past life- I understand it now. It is a simple problem to diagnose. If you are talking and your target audience ignores everything that you are saying- fails to address any of your issues- you can rest assured they are not comprehending what you are saying. At that point, it's time to engage in a tactical retreat. One other thing. I have people in my life who want me to carefully listen to them. So I do. Very often I have found that the people who want to be heard the most- aren't very good at listening themselves. That's ok. When I realize that the verbal transaction is not mutually beneficial, I don't force the issue any longer.
Always pick happy over right. They are often- mutually exclusive.
On Thursday, every driver in Boise seemed to be talking and texting on their cellphones. I dodged drivers and near collisions all day. I was actually happy to go to work. I picked my car over my bike for the 20 mile trip. Work was like a sanctuary. I would not have been surprised to see a driver come crashing through a wall- cell phone in hand.
On Friday, I watched as the banker controlled illusion of healthy markets and healthy currencies continues. How long can this go on? I'm not sure. People are actually pretty predictable. Many years ago, I would find hugely overvalued stocks and buy put options on them. Most of the time- that strategy failed. Not because I was wrong but because people are slow to catch on. People don't just react to things just because you think they should or because your option expires on the third Friday of this month. People act when things become so obvious that they can no longer afford to ignore it.
When people can no longer afford to ignore things this time around- I think some really weird shit is going to happen.
That was the day I coined the phrase. Let me know when the weird shit happens. So when a guy walks into a movie theater...
You wonder, "At what point did that young man say to himself...you know, I think it would be a good idea to go down to the cinema tonight and kill a bunch of innocent, random people after booby trapping my apartment." "Yea, that's what I'm gonna do, that sounds like fun."
People make the strangest assumptions. On one blog, a writer wrote that this guy was "set up" and that it didn't make any sense that he surrendered peacefully to the police and then told them about his booby trapped apartment. Why go to the trouble of setting booby traps only to disclose them to the police?
To that I would say...never pretend to understand the mentally ill. Do not apply your brand of rationale or normalcy to them. Like a wrong sized shoe- it does not fit. Perhaps after realizing that you have killed and wounded a whole theater full of unarmed and innocent people- you actually have some level of remorse. You might even have been shocked into consciousness. Maybe you even tell the cops about your booby trapped apartment. Mentally ill people do nor subscribe to mainstream belief systems. They leave the rails. That's why we call them mentally ill.
And as it goes...
This week was bizarre. Everyone I talked to seemed to be comprehension impaired. It took me 7 days and calls to five different plumbers to fix a simple clog. At one point, I was beginning to think that plumbers had quit plumbing. In fact, I fired one guy before he even started. I didn't like his demeanor. He was one of those guys who acted as though I had this bizarre plumbing that only he could navigate and then he wanted to replace sections of pipe. When he was late for the estimate and then late for the repair, I called him up and said adios. The next guy fixed both of my issues for 69 bucks and it took him about 45 minutes. Seventy bucks was 1/4 of what the other guy wanted. I had the same experience trying to get some motorcycle tires I had ordered and delivered-put on my bike. When I called one shop, the owner told me that because I didn't buy the tires from him- his insurance company refused to insure him. Too much liability he said. I wonder if he actually thinks people believe that shit. The reality is- is that if I had an insurance agent telling me how to run my business and which decisions I could make- I'd probably be getting a new insurance agent.
Oddly enough, the BMW dealer here in Boise apparently does not use the same insurance agent. They gladly put the tires and some new brake pads on for about 150.00.
I found myself in a couple of brief arguments with people- not because I do that on purpose- but because a couple of the folks I had been talking to simply had agendas of their own- agendas which they could not set aside to actually comprehend what I was saying. That type of non listening event, the "I refuse to comprehend what you are saying moment" occurs mostly because rather than listening- your target audience is conjuring up their next talking point. If all they are focused on is a series of talking points rather than listening- you aren't going to get anywhere with that. And since I was often guilty of that insanity in my past life- I understand it now. It is a simple problem to diagnose. If you are talking and your target audience ignores everything that you are saying- fails to address any of your issues- you can rest assured they are not comprehending what you are saying. At that point, it's time to engage in a tactical retreat. One other thing. I have people in my life who want me to carefully listen to them. So I do. Very often I have found that the people who want to be heard the most- aren't very good at listening themselves. That's ok. When I realize that the verbal transaction is not mutually beneficial, I don't force the issue any longer.
Always pick happy over right. They are often- mutually exclusive.
On Thursday, every driver in Boise seemed to be talking and texting on their cellphones. I dodged drivers and near collisions all day. I was actually happy to go to work. I picked my car over my bike for the 20 mile trip. Work was like a sanctuary. I would not have been surprised to see a driver come crashing through a wall- cell phone in hand.
On Friday, I watched as the banker controlled illusion of healthy markets and healthy currencies continues. How long can this go on? I'm not sure. People are actually pretty predictable. Many years ago, I would find hugely overvalued stocks and buy put options on them. Most of the time- that strategy failed. Not because I was wrong but because people are slow to catch on. People don't just react to things just because you think they should or because your option expires on the third Friday of this month. People act when things become so obvious that they can no longer afford to ignore it.
When people can no longer afford to ignore things this time around- I think some really weird shit is going to happen.
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