While many of us were tuned into the Pennsylvania Primary to witness the latest fiasco, most all of the media attention was on the battle between the two socialist candidates, Clinton and Obama. While I do not care for either candidate, or their politics, or the way they have run their campaigns, I must respect that at least this is a contest. As I have said before, anyone not willing to stay in the race, at least through Super Tuesday but really until the very end, was never really a viable candidate to begin with. Much as I can’t stand her let alone trust her to hold my pocket change, I have to give credit to Clinton for staying in the race. But that is as far as it goes.
I give her credit, not because she had a good showing and not because I think she has a leg to stand on. Listening to her supposed plans of reform is enough to keep me up at night with the heebee jeebees. I am opposed to Socialism and increasing government intervention but almost all the candidates are taking us down that path. Nor do I think that her motives are anything other than an ego trip and a play for the power and control that she yearns for. You just know that she is loving all the attention and isn’t about to give it up anytime soon. I do however respect that fact that she hasn’t given in yet and that her desire is strong enough to keep her and her followers disillusioned enough to continue.
So will the 10% win in Pennsylvania be enough to change the race. There is still quite a way to go to the finals and there are still a lot of stories to be played out. Do you think Rush Limbaugh’s antics had anything to do with Tuesday’s events?
No, the real story that should have been told and should have come out of this whole Tuesday mess, the one for which none of the media even made mention of is that the Republicans also had a primary election and though the turnout was far less than that of the Democratic party the results were far more telling of the other story.
McCain won in Pennsylvania,… but he only obtained 73% of the vote. He has clinched the Republican nomination for all intents and purposes and yet he only got 73% of the vote. Who got the remaining 27%? It was split between Ron Paul with 16% and Huckabee with 11%. Huckabee has officially dropped out of the race and he still picked up 11% of the votes. Huckabee isn’t even running and he picked up 1 out of every 10 votes.
Ron Paul has a campaign that seems like a lost cause yet he continues to hang in there, and unlike Clinton he is fighting the good fight. He has practically no media coverage and seemingly no support yet he is stilling hanging in there. And why does he hang in there? Because he has a message that none of the other candidates have. He also has the backing of supporters that are strongly behind him and his message. Though he has no chance of being the party’s nomination and practically no chance of being the runner up, he should, thanks to his strong show of support, be able to gain enough influence to help shape and define the party platform at the convention.
I say he should but others have tried only to be quickly swept aside and forgotten as a footnote on the pages of our political histories. Ross Perot’s efforts come immediately to mind, as do other independents that were unable to garner influence in their parties of choice such as Nader and Jesse Ventura. Even after the win of the governorship in Minnesota as an independent, Ventura’s influence for change was not as great as one would have hoped, nor is its permanence assured. I’ve heard him speak of the difficulties he faced in working with the old ways and the old parties.
I have a feeling that the Ron Paul story will eventually surface again, if only as a side story to the Republican convention, but it is an important story none the less. I have often seen races much closer than this, battles on community issues that went down 51 to 49 and when the dust settled, the winner has no recollection of the voice and concern of those 49. In fact, all the winners will tell of how they received a ‘clear mandate from the people’ that their side is the only side that matters. Will this time be any different? Time will tell.
Real reform generally starts from without and must work its way to within. If you are an insider, chances are you got there, not by rocking the boat or trying to create change, but by being one of a like mind with those on the inside. In the political arena, there are very few individuals that have enough true power to be able to speak their own minds. Most are stuck speaking the party line in order to appear to be a person of influence. It is those that can define what the party line is that are the true leaders and yield the real power. All of the others are just taking polls and leading popularity contest.
So back to the real story from the Pennsylvania primary, will this showing of a lack of party solidarity and singular support for the Republican nominee cause concern for the real power brokers in the party? Is McCain an individual or is he just a party member? Will he continue to ignore the criticisms that have been leveled on him from members of his party or will he pander to them in order to garner their support? Is the Republican party facing divisiveness in the same manner the Democratic party is? Is this the time when a strong third party candidate, one who truly stood for the values this country was founded on could take hold of America’s hearts and break us from the tyranny of a two party system?
I say a third party candidate because we have already excluded any chance of their being a valued candidate from the existing two parties. I also think that a third party candidate is the only option because as I have said in the past, our election process for the last few decades have not been about voting for something as it has been about voting against someone. With about half of each party disenfranchised over their parties candidate, this seems like the ideal time to offer them something better. And this time around it wouldn’t take much at all to come up with a better alternative. I’m not holding my breath, but we can still dream can’t we.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
23 April 2008
22 April 2008
Cubicle findings
You find interesting things hanging up in your co-workers cubicles. I recently came across the following two sayings and just had to get a copy. Of course I tried to verify that they were actual and true and like many things there is some doubt about the authenticity or the true author but for the most part they seem genuine. In any instance, they tend to strike a chord with many in our present days and maybe there really is a lesson to be learned.
The first saying is attributable to Theodore Roosevelt and though this might be a composite of quotes made by the former president it still resonates today.
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag…We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” Theodore Roosevelt 1907
The second quote comes from Alexander Tyler
Subject: The Fall of a Republic
When the 13 colonies were still a part of England, Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian republic over 2000 years previous to that time.
A democracy cannot exist as permanent form of government. It can until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates that are promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.
Alexander Tyler
Wikipedia entry
The following unverified quotation has been attributed to Tyler, most notably as part of a longer piece which began circulating on the Internet shortly after the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.
This passage actually consists of two quotes (the first paragraph being one, and the second paragraph and list, known as the Tyler cycle, being the other). Both can be traced back to the 1950's, and they began to appear together in the 1970's. No original author can reliably be determined for either quote.
If the quotes are actual or not they still make one pause and wonder. How far have we travelled from the roots and wisdom of our founding fathers? Is this a warning that needs to be heard? Or are we just a more enlightened modern society? Have we learned the lessons of history or are we doomed to repeat them?
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
PS. The above references were verified at www.snopes.com and www.wikipedia.com which are wonderful places for the checking of the myths of the web, and especially all the inbox clutter that gets passed around.
The first saying is attributable to Theodore Roosevelt and though this might be a composite of quotes made by the former president it still resonates today.
“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag…We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” Theodore Roosevelt 1907
The second quote comes from Alexander Tyler
Subject: The Fall of a Republic
When the 13 colonies were still a part of England, Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian republic over 2000 years previous to that time.
A democracy cannot exist as permanent form of government. It can until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates that are promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.
Alexander Tyler
Wikipedia entry
The following unverified quotation has been attributed to Tyler, most notably as part of a longer piece which began circulating on the Internet shortly after the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.
This passage actually consists of two quotes (the first paragraph being one, and the second paragraph and list, known as the Tyler cycle, being the other). Both can be traced back to the 1950's, and they began to appear together in the 1970's. No original author can reliably be determined for either quote.
If the quotes are actual or not they still make one pause and wonder. How far have we travelled from the roots and wisdom of our founding fathers? Is this a warning that needs to be heard? Or are we just a more enlightened modern society? Have we learned the lessons of history or are we doomed to repeat them?
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
PS. The above references were verified at www.snopes.com and www.wikipedia.com which are wonderful places for the checking of the myths of the web, and especially all the inbox clutter that gets passed around.
18 April 2008
Headline Review 18 Apr 20008
So what is going on in the world today?
A look at the news headlines on the Google news page shows a variety of topics to choose from. Under the top stories we see “It’s still “the economy, stupid” in Pennsylvania”. Well duh. The economy has always mattered. It will always matter. People are concerned about their welfare and of those they know. The funny thing is that the politicians seldom make things better and most often make things worse. This coming election is a fight for the biggest socialist and their promises to take over and run your life because you haven’t been doing a very good job of it. Just look what you say about how things are when they take a poll. It is obvious you need help, and they are just the ones to provide it. So is it just the economy? It is never just one thing but a combination of things. The attention span of the media and the intelligence of the average audience has sunk to the point where they can only handle one flashing light at a time.
“An Earthquake Rattles the Midwest” Indiana got hit with a 5.2 earthquake. I hope that no one was injured and that the damages were minimal. Natural disasters have a way of waking us to our surroundings and to extending a helping hand to our fellow neighbors. It is amazing how many earthquakes of various sizes occur every day. One story that caught my eye recently talked of a large number of earthquakes group about 100 miles off the Oregon coast. Scientist were puzzled and a vessel was sent to observe the area. Our world is an amazing place and continues to change on a daily basis. It is so vast and complex. I am amused sometimes at the arrogance of man when in comparison.
“Jimmy Carter meets Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal” I oft times wonder why we put so much praise on some people. I was joking with someone the other day that I wondered if Jimmy Carter is broke and needs money so he went to the Middle East to stir up some controversy and discontent with the hopes that he could again broker some peace and earn a million dollar Nobel Peace Prize. There was a rumor about Israel refusing to offer security for his visit because of his planned meeting with Hamas. They say they weren’t asked. Don’t know which is true. My thought on his travels is 1.) I hope it is not on U.S. taxpayers backs (though I know as a former president he has personnel security and his pension) and 2.) Since he is no longer an official representative of the government he is traveling as a private citizen and as such it is totally up to the receiving people/government/nations to decide whether or not to give him the time of day and 3.) It was his peace deal an US taxpayer funding (that continues to this day) that helped create the situation we and they are in today and continues to shape the problems we will face tomorrow. I don’t believe he is really making things any better. I do hope that his intentions are at least good.
“John McCain releases his tax returns – but not hers” so what. How many of you have actually seen it? I have seen the press release for it and I have seen the stories that report the portions they want to on it but have not actually seen it. The same goes for the other candidates in this run. I have seen past one from various presidents and McCain’s 2006 is on file at his web site. And as for not seeing her return, it really doesn't matter. Your really pretty much just see what they want you too see.
There is another web site that has the presidential tax forms on file, just Google to find the link. The two biggest points that I always see when looking at them is 1.) they make way more money than I do, and 2.) they are much better at giving away taxpayers money than they are at giving away their own. One thing I like to do is see what percentage of their money they gave to charity. For most people, the law of tithing is one tenth of your increase. McCain’s 2006 return does have a healthy deduction for charity and a large portion of it is carryover from previous years but in looking at the schedule it is hard to tell what it is going to since it is listed as miscellaneous.
At this level it is not uncommon to set p your own charities to promote your own causes. I am not saying that is what he is doing I am just saying that at this level of income the rules are different and those that are in that category will take advantage of them. This search for real equality in taxation is why I am working on the Nef Tax Plan. Look for it soon.
It is interesting to note that he was hit with the alternative minimum tax in 2006. Kind of makes you think there would be some incentive to correct that problem in legal land.
”Putin tells press he ‘likes all Russian women’” and he means to prove it. There have been rumors that the Russian president was going to divorce is wife and marry 24 year old gymnast Alina Kabayeva. He is now denying it. True or not why do we get caught up in all this nonsense? Personnel life and public life overlap to the point that they become one and the same for the famous of the world, but why do we get caught up in it all? The importance lies in the fact that this is an indication of character and that gives it relevance to the public figure. People are people and should be given the benefit of the doubt as often as possible but there are some things that are telling about the integrity of the individual. Public figures, and by that I mean government officials, should be of the best character and most upstanding of individuals. They work under the trust of the people. If that trust is jeopardized on personal matters, what is there to prevent the trust of the community from also being abused. Though this example is coming from abroad, and some may say that they have different standards, (I remember a time when they use to make excuses for many European leaders to have a mistress because that was there standard) we have also had a fair share of political shenanigans here. I say we should hold our public servants to at least as high a standard as we ourselves hold. I hope you are holding the bar rather high.
“Dockers refuse to unload China arms shipment for Zimbabwe”. This is one of those headlines that you hope is not misleading like so many are. A quick read seems to indicate that it is what it indicates. China is shipping arms to Zimbabwe through the South African port at Durban. The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union are refusing to unload the cargo. On top of that the country is refusing to grant the transit permit needed. How often do we just go about doing our job without concern for the moral implications? For most of us, there are no moral implications to be had and one should be glad if that is the case. Some are not aware of the actual affects of their work and are just doing their jobs the best they know how such as the dock worker that is just loading and unloading containers without the knowledge of what is in those containers. But if you were confronted with a situation that made you stop and think, would you be willing to make a stand? Do you make a stand for the small things you see in your daily life?
“Stolen laptop had data on 16000 Buffalo State students”. Everyone is concerned about stolen identity. It is a valid concern. Instead of trying to make all the noise about avoiding the theft and protecting your identity, why not focus on the victims’ rights and start seriously going after the perpetrators. Fraud is a crime that doesn’t happen by accident. It is deliberate. It is unacceptable. To make the victim pay twice for their loss is also unacceptable. Those that commit these crimes should be relentlessly pursued and punished vigorously. I feel the same way for all thieves and vandals. Their actions are deliberate and they should pay the consequences for their actions.
Well, that is enough for now. Focusing on too much news in a single sitting is not good for a person.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
A look at the news headlines on the Google news page shows a variety of topics to choose from. Under the top stories we see “It’s still “the economy, stupid” in Pennsylvania”. Well duh. The economy has always mattered. It will always matter. People are concerned about their welfare and of those they know. The funny thing is that the politicians seldom make things better and most often make things worse. This coming election is a fight for the biggest socialist and their promises to take over and run your life because you haven’t been doing a very good job of it. Just look what you say about how things are when they take a poll. It is obvious you need help, and they are just the ones to provide it. So is it just the economy? It is never just one thing but a combination of things. The attention span of the media and the intelligence of the average audience has sunk to the point where they can only handle one flashing light at a time.
“An Earthquake Rattles the Midwest” Indiana got hit with a 5.2 earthquake. I hope that no one was injured and that the damages were minimal. Natural disasters have a way of waking us to our surroundings and to extending a helping hand to our fellow neighbors. It is amazing how many earthquakes of various sizes occur every day. One story that caught my eye recently talked of a large number of earthquakes group about 100 miles off the Oregon coast. Scientist were puzzled and a vessel was sent to observe the area. Our world is an amazing place and continues to change on a daily basis. It is so vast and complex. I am amused sometimes at the arrogance of man when in comparison.
“Jimmy Carter meets Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal” I oft times wonder why we put so much praise on some people. I was joking with someone the other day that I wondered if Jimmy Carter is broke and needs money so he went to the Middle East to stir up some controversy and discontent with the hopes that he could again broker some peace and earn a million dollar Nobel Peace Prize. There was a rumor about Israel refusing to offer security for his visit because of his planned meeting with Hamas. They say they weren’t asked. Don’t know which is true. My thought on his travels is 1.) I hope it is not on U.S. taxpayers backs (though I know as a former president he has personnel security and his pension) and 2.) Since he is no longer an official representative of the government he is traveling as a private citizen and as such it is totally up to the receiving people/government/nations to decide whether or not to give him the time of day and 3.) It was his peace deal an US taxpayer funding (that continues to this day) that helped create the situation we and they are in today and continues to shape the problems we will face tomorrow. I don’t believe he is really making things any better. I do hope that his intentions are at least good.
“John McCain releases his tax returns – but not hers” so what. How many of you have actually seen it? I have seen the press release for it and I have seen the stories that report the portions they want to on it but have not actually seen it. The same goes for the other candidates in this run. I have seen past one from various presidents and McCain’s 2006 is on file at his web site. And as for not seeing her return, it really doesn't matter. Your really pretty much just see what they want you too see.
There is another web site that has the presidential tax forms on file, just Google to find the link. The two biggest points that I always see when looking at them is 1.) they make way more money than I do, and 2.) they are much better at giving away taxpayers money than they are at giving away their own. One thing I like to do is see what percentage of their money they gave to charity. For most people, the law of tithing is one tenth of your increase. McCain’s 2006 return does have a healthy deduction for charity and a large portion of it is carryover from previous years but in looking at the schedule it is hard to tell what it is going to since it is listed as miscellaneous.
At this level it is not uncommon to set p your own charities to promote your own causes. I am not saying that is what he is doing I am just saying that at this level of income the rules are different and those that are in that category will take advantage of them. This search for real equality in taxation is why I am working on the Nef Tax Plan. Look for it soon.
It is interesting to note that he was hit with the alternative minimum tax in 2006. Kind of makes you think there would be some incentive to correct that problem in legal land.
”Putin tells press he ‘likes all Russian women’” and he means to prove it. There have been rumors that the Russian president was going to divorce is wife and marry 24 year old gymnast Alina Kabayeva. He is now denying it. True or not why do we get caught up in all this nonsense? Personnel life and public life overlap to the point that they become one and the same for the famous of the world, but why do we get caught up in it all? The importance lies in the fact that this is an indication of character and that gives it relevance to the public figure. People are people and should be given the benefit of the doubt as often as possible but there are some things that are telling about the integrity of the individual. Public figures, and by that I mean government officials, should be of the best character and most upstanding of individuals. They work under the trust of the people. If that trust is jeopardized on personal matters, what is there to prevent the trust of the community from also being abused. Though this example is coming from abroad, and some may say that they have different standards, (I remember a time when they use to make excuses for many European leaders to have a mistress because that was there standard) we have also had a fair share of political shenanigans here. I say we should hold our public servants to at least as high a standard as we ourselves hold. I hope you are holding the bar rather high.
“Dockers refuse to unload China arms shipment for Zimbabwe”. This is one of those headlines that you hope is not misleading like so many are. A quick read seems to indicate that it is what it indicates. China is shipping arms to Zimbabwe through the South African port at Durban. The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union are refusing to unload the cargo. On top of that the country is refusing to grant the transit permit needed. How often do we just go about doing our job without concern for the moral implications? For most of us, there are no moral implications to be had and one should be glad if that is the case. Some are not aware of the actual affects of their work and are just doing their jobs the best they know how such as the dock worker that is just loading and unloading containers without the knowledge of what is in those containers. But if you were confronted with a situation that made you stop and think, would you be willing to make a stand? Do you make a stand for the small things you see in your daily life?
“Stolen laptop had data on 16000 Buffalo State students”. Everyone is concerned about stolen identity. It is a valid concern. Instead of trying to make all the noise about avoiding the theft and protecting your identity, why not focus on the victims’ rights and start seriously going after the perpetrators. Fraud is a crime that doesn’t happen by accident. It is deliberate. It is unacceptable. To make the victim pay twice for their loss is also unacceptable. Those that commit these crimes should be relentlessly pursued and punished vigorously. I feel the same way for all thieves and vandals. Their actions are deliberate and they should pay the consequences for their actions.
Well, that is enough for now. Focusing on too much news in a single sitting is not good for a person.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
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