We’ve talked about this before, but here we are. Do Not let anyone convince you that raising Corporate Tax only hurts those bad ol’ corporations you’ve been told to hate. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of problems with Corporations. Corporations are using their power and size to crush small business. They are using the same power and size to get involved in your politics. We’ve all known for a long time that they spend millions on lobbying. But now they are getting directly involved, publicly involved, stepping into issues that, honestly, corporations should leave to the voters.
Continue reading “Here We Go Again”A Republic If You Can Keep It
First of all, let’s get this out of the way — The United States of America is not a Democracy. A democracy operates upon popular vote, or mob rule. A democracy does not protect the rights of the minority; it follows the will of the majority.
“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”
Although there is some question as to whether or not this quote which is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin was really written by the founder, it is a unique description of the difference between our republic and a democracy.
The Edge
I intend this to be my last post which is COVID related. As an exception, I may have a throwback article about the impact to business, but it’s not planned. For this post, I’m going to talk about something more directly related to the virus and its impact on individuals. It’s something I’ve touched on briefly in past posts. It’s fear. More specifically, it’s the fear of death that surrounds this illness.
One of my favorite movies is TOP GUN. It’s fun, it has planes, and it has relationships. I really shouldn’t have to insert a spoiler alert here, because by now everyone on the planet should have seen this movie, but here it is: **SPOILER ALERT** – The scene where Goose dies, has a huge emotional impact. But there is another scene I want to hit on today. It’s early on in the movie and really sets up the situation for TOP GUN’s story line. Cougar, a Navy F-14 pilot, has just come face to face with a Russian MIG. The experience forces him to realize he is in a life or death situation. It shakes him. He is married, has a young son he hasn’t even seen yet, and death scares him.
Continue reading “The Edge”Away from the Pack
So, if you want to see how this started, you can check out the early posts. Short history is that it was the product of a layoff after a thirty year career. I was searching for my spot. Where was I going to fit in and how was I going to make a living?
That living has come from a non-corporate job. Though it pays about half of what I made, it gives me great satisfaction. And during this COVID-19 period, I am so f… uh freaking thankful that I am not in retail. I mean, you can’t imagine how grateful I feel when we have to enter that Big Box retail store and see those employees masked up all day. We don’t go in often. Just four times in three and a half years, but I’m still glad I’m not there. As devastating as the layoff was, I now see it was for the best.
As life changes, priorities change; goals change; and purpose changes. The purpose of this blog has certainly changed. Even in my old job, I was a bit of a lone wolf. Although I supported my company, I had issues with conformity just for the sake of conformity. I’m an independent thinker, and I don’t just like to go along. That still stands. This site is still about going it alone, rather than with the pack.
I’m still a dog on a hunt. I’m just not in the hunt, with every other dog out there. And this site will still be about independent thinking, traveling, exploring, and living.
Catching up
Okay, so I’ve been there, and I’ve done it. I can actually speak from experience now. THESE ARE MY OPINIONS and we all know the comparison between opinions and assholes. I AM NO EXPERT. I am not a doctor, but I am a reasoning individual, with at least an average education, and the ability to research and think on my own. I am going to share my opinions and I am going to call BULLSHIT on a number of things with which I find conflict. I’m going to have this post and one other on the subject of COVID-19 and then I’m moving on.
I am certainly fortunate in my Covidventure. I had it and my family had it. We were all fortunate, and though there are several things in my mind that I feel contributed to our experience, the fact is many others don’t fair as well. In fact, I’ve recently attended the funeral of a family friend who lost a battle with COVID-19. He was much younger than me. He was more active than me. It’s tragic, but my feelings and opinions haven’t changed.
Continue reading “Catching up”What’s My Line?
You know, I’m a fan of Lonesome Dove. I find a lot of meaning in Larry McMurtry’s characters. One character in particular reflects an individual who floats through life using situations, people, and opportunities to his advantage. Jake Spoon is what Augustus McCrae calls a leaky vessel, someone you just simply can’t count on to be there or to do things right. In a fateful scene in the movie, we can see the struggle Jake faces with personal responsibility. When Gus accuses him of crossing the line between being a citizen or an outlaw, his response is one with which perhaps many individuals today can relate.
“I didn’t see no line, Gus.”
In life we come against a lot of lines – lines which separate organization from chaos, good from bad, happy from sad, and life from death. As a society we have drawn lines. Some are helpful. They help us live peacefully together, such as lines of law and order. Others help us establish boundaries – city limits, county lines, state lines, and property lines. Often lines can help to keep us safe – caution lines, traffic lines, and fence lines. Other lines help entertain us – I’m thinking of goal lines, free-throw lines, and finish lines.
Other lines aren’t helpful at all, like the lines we draw between ourselves. Lines which classify us, and divide us – race, ethnicity, age, sex, politics, and religion. These aren’t lines we’ve drawn for positive use in our society, they are lines which have become walls to separate us from each other. These are the lines that many hope to erase within our society, our country, and the world.
Continue reading “What’s My Line?”They Think Yer Stupid – Maybe You Are
I saw a certain celebrity tweet about the need to raise corporate taxes the other day. It’s amazing how someone who thinks themselves so intelligent that they speak for everyone else is too stupid to understand the simple methods of business. I get it. It’s easy to think that these large corporations and businesses should pay more of the taxes in this country. People want some of their wealth, but there’s truly no real way to collect more in corporate taxes without hurting the very people you claim to help. It’s just a matter of math, or business, whichever you choose. It’s easy to see why an average American could consider raising corporate taxes as the right thing to do, and for a politician, well it’s easy to see that they just see more $$ signs and more money to spend. Realistically, this isn’t necessarily a political argument. There are people on both sides of the aisle who believe that corporate taxes or taxes to business in general should rise.
But simply put, these people who think this is a good idea are either extremely ignorant of the ways of business or they simply use it as a way to rile the masses against the very core of capitalism (much like leading sheep to the slaughter, if you will). Whether we’re talking about corporate business or a Mom and Pop, business is business. You have to stop looking at corporate tax as a way to get more money into the government’s coffers or to even the playing field between Middle Class America and the Rich, and start looking at it as it is — a business expense. Raising taxes on any business, corporate or main street, raises the cost of doing business. Costs of doing business impact profit. Profit is the only reason a business is IN business. If a business is not in business for profit, they aren’t a business; they are a non-profit organization.
Continue reading “They Think Yer Stupid – Maybe You Are”“History,” repeated?
History. It takes many shapes. It’s documented in various forms. Photographs, letters, journals, books, buildings, battle sites, monuments, statues, and plaques all come together to mark the passing of time, trials, troubles, progress, victories, and the existence of a human society. These things tell our tale, both the good and the bad of our journey. The American portrait has been painted with brush strokes which offer both amazing colors and dark shadows. Collectively, our tale mixes the sweetness of freedom and liberty with the bitterness of prejudice and tartness of ignorance. Throughout our history, we’ve taken and conquered, we’ve given and shared, we’ve protected and defended. We are what we are, but we are not what we were.
Our founding documents claimed a hope for “A More Perfect Union,” but they never claimed perfection.
Continue reading ““History,” repeated?”A Titan of a Statement
“Attitude reflects leadership.”
Remember that statement by Julius in Disney’s Remember The Titans? Only three words but it’s one of the most powerful reflections of effective leadership ever stated. Yeah, it’s just a line from a movie, but there’s a depth to it that today’s leaders need to hear. People respond, and perhaps mimic, the examples of their leaders.
Whether it is the leadership of a football team, the leadership of a company, or the leadership of a nation — attitude, posture, outlook, and direction are exemplified through leadership. If leadership does not present itself well, the attitude of those who follow will fail to achieve the right results.
Continue reading “A Titan of a Statement”Think Stats
With the focus on COVID-19, and the currently over 220,000 deaths, it’s easy to get lost in what is happening around us. Death is something that gets people worked up, especially when we feel it is unnecessary, could be prevented, or that someone died before their time. Birth and Death are two things that every human being on this planet have in common. No matter what our differences, where we live, how rich or how poor, our ethnicity, our social status, religion, sexual orientation, or gender — we are all born and we all will die. When we talk about death, it is almost natural for emotion to rule the conversation. But sometimes it is important to develop a perspective, to look at reality, and to recognize the facts.
According to the Population Reference Bureau (PBR), the United States, average annual death rates climbed by 400,000 between 2009 and 2018; from 2.4 million to 2.8 million. Factors could include aging population or growing underlying health issues such as heart disease, cancer, or other illness. The three top causes of death in 2018 were heart disease, cancer, and accidents.
Continue reading “Think Stats”