The Fast Track to the American Dream

Long ago in the dark days of the 19th century Americans toiled through great adversity to carve out their piece of the American dream. Those unfortunate enough to be born in this era were destined to suffer the harsh realities of the time; hardships unimaginable today:

• Terror: The US Government was so small and weak that it couldn't even deploy troops to Lithuania in the midst of rampant autocratic oppression. Dictators around the world roamed free to terrify and subjugate the local population.
  
• Brutality in the Marketplace: Insolvent companies, even big ones, suffered the barbaric nature of competition and were fed to the dogs. Sometimes even rich people lost a lot of money. Employees sometimes even needed to find new jobs. Government wasn't there to keep even the worst businesses afloat.
  
• Job Required: Men, comprising half the population, labored. There was simply no alternative. Hard working farmers were so desperate they sometimes ate their own produce and livestock.
• Reefer Madness: No law forbade the inhalation, ownership, or sale of the intoxicating plant, Marihuana. Barbarians.
  

We can be thankful that those days are long gone. The US now protects the world, unsuccessful companies large enough do not fail, no job required, and reefer is against the law. Whew...

Oh how far we have come, but these is much to be done: ID cards to prove we are not terrorists, every phone call monitored for our safety, the liberation of Norway.

With almost no effort at all the American Dream can be yours too! The plan is simple...you can do one of two things:

• The High Road: Become completely invested in any business too big to fail. You have absolutely nothing to lose. Leech off sorry tax payers surreptitiously (that means without them knowing about it). Profit and enjoy the glee that comes along with stealing legally. Yes, you are so, so smart. And yes, you have achieved the American Dream.
• The Higher Road: Leech off friends, neighbors, and strangers. Obviously you would rather leech from strangers, so use government and go on unemployment or welfare. If you are a woman, have a lot of illegitimate children - they don't eat nearly as much as the government thinks they do. Make sure the fathers are successful drug dealers so you can get more child support by threatening to rat on them. Worst case...remember that the government will not let you starve or freeze to death, even when your friends and family disown you. DO NOT FALTER - Once you show capability, the rouse is blown. You must be dedicated to complete worthlessness. Become dependent on some narcotic or alcohol to make this easy. Bereft of any productive activity you have attained the easy road to the American Dream. The government has already claimed responsibility for you, all you need to do is ride that wave.
• The Path to Destruction: Honest work. Work is your worst enemy. NEVER FORGET that all the smart people are already living on easy street. If they took the high road they got there by withdrawing money from your paycheck to deposit in their bank account. If they took the higher road they are withdrawing money from your paycheck to feed their kids and likely an expensive appetite for drugs.
  

Adapting to reality is difficult for some, but especially the skilled, educated, and talented. These folks must remember that the modern world does not need or want them unless they have a talent for accounting fraud, larceny, or public manipulation. After all, what is corruption in a system that has evolved to favor it?

If you absolutely must work, be smart about it...scholars, professors, scientists, engineers, the rules have changed. America's best and brightest are now called to combine forces and skin the hide of every conceivable victim on behalf of the man. If you're really good, you can get Ma and Paw to fork over half their paycheck to you rather than their kids' education through hidden fees veiled in the form of higher prices through corporate taxation. Then, give their kids a sub-par public education. Brilliant! Their kids won't understand either!

Ooooh, the sky's the limit! No one is watching...they're all working too damn hard to notice.

If you actually work you are a masochist doing what the government has already promised it can do for you. Don't you know we live in a "free" country, one which has traded equality, liberty, and justice for free stuff - as much as you can get away with? Live it up!

This is the land of opportunity, and there has never been more opportunity to legally beg, steal, and otherwise swindle from those silly little exhausted gerbils running on their little wheels for us. They may look like they are running fast, but they can go faster, and they will. Just watch the value of the dollar drop and they will be running their little feet bloody for our little drug habit...such losers.

Come on people, wake up, buy some stock in Fanny Mae or take a nice big hit. When that last gerbil finally dies from exhaustion there might be some consequences to pay, but until then, it appears to be open season.

Active Activism

Knock Knock
Who's there?
The Earth Savers.
Why are you here?
Because we want you to help us.
Do what?
Save the Earth.
Oh, thank you for doing this, where do I sign?
Right here.
Right where?
Where I am pointing.
You turned off the porch light. I can't see anything.
Oh, sorry. Forgot you haven't signed yet [flip].
Oh, there it is. [sign]
[flip]
What are you doing?
Saving the Earth.
Yes, well, I've signed. On to your next earth-friendly residence now. Keep up the good work. [flip]
I'm afraid not. [flip]
Alright, that's getting annoying. Hands off the light switch.
[flip]
Rrrr. HANDS OFF! What's that sound?
Those are bulldozers.
What are they doing here?
Saving the Earth. Don't worry, they run on biodiesel.
No, I mean, well, how are they saving the Earth?
Well, you just graciously agreed to let us bulldoze your house and plant a zen garden here.
I did no such thing, please leave.
We can't.
Why not?
Because we have pledged to save the Earth, and so have you. We have an obligation.
But this is my home. You are trespassing.
I'm sorry, you just signed your house over to the state. I'm afraid you are trespassing.
Excuse me?
You just deeded to your house to the Department of the Interior. We don't need any keys or anything.
[rumble rumble]
Please step aside.
[crash crash]
[tear tear]
We hope you'll come back to enjoy the peaceful, environmentally friendly public zen garden in the near future. Thank you for your cooperation.

If I can't afford to buy something, should I buy it anyway?

Can we, the people, really afford to buy the failing businesses of Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac?

Oh, I see, they are asking us to forgive their irresponsible behavior and chip in to save the portfolios of their shareholders and other interested parties. I can perhaps do that if given the proper evidence that they understand what caused the problem and are resolving it accordingly. Oh, they are not asking for my consent, or offering evidence. They are using the power of the state to assume I am willing to forgive.

Well then. How do I know the forces that led to their failure are understood? How can I verify that our newly acquired businesses will function properly? Will they be exposed to free-market competition? What is my economic incentive for chipping in?

Something seems off here. Is this the natural, inevitable result of our constitutional republic? Well, let's look at the evidence we do have...

Does a free society favor security holders, banks, and borrowers over others? That doesn't seem to jive with "all men are created equal." What do others have to say about this?

The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law. -Aristotle

In a free society the state does not administer the affairs of men. It administers justice among men who conduct their own affairs. -Walter Lippman

Administering justice among individuals who conduct their own affairs. Okay, that seems fair. So we established a government to enforce justice. The innocent are to be be protected from the scourge of the guilty who seek to distribute accountability to others.

Is a violation of this principle ever acceptable?

It is in justice that the ordering of society is centered. -Aristotle

Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere. -Martin Luther King Jr.

Mighty strong words there, Martin. Okay, well let's run with that. Hm. An institution funded with our tax dollars (the US Government) purchased two of the worlds largest businesses that are both going bankrupt. I don't understand how that is just.

When I fail nobody gives me money. Why do I need to give money to giant mortgage companies? Oh, it's for the public good. I see. Well, I certainly want to do what's in the public good...

But isn't justice compatible with the public good too? Necessary?

Those CEOs made tens of millions of dollars last year alone. I certainly hope they also care about the public good. By the way, aren't they the ones (with the shareholders) taking the risk in this venture? I didn't know I had anything to lose in this particular venture. I don't remember having the extra cash to risk on this sort of thing...

Oh, wait. On my behalf, the government promised the shareholders that I would pitch in to bail them out if they failed. I see. No wonder they have so many shareholders, all of us have been made accountable for other people's loans and real estate investments. Wait. I never had anything to gain from all this, yet I am accountable somehow? What has been going on here?

Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government. -Thomas Jefferson

We, my friends, cannot currently be trusted. Most in our country do not understand what is happening. The nationalization of Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac is an insidious breach of economic justice shifting the burden to the innocent through taxes and the diluting and devaluing of our currency.

The line of credit is a promise on behalf of the government to engage in a huge unconstitutional and immoral income transfer from working Americans to holders of GSE [Government Sponsored Enterprise] debt. -Ron Paul

There is no amount of admonition too severe for this type of business/government relationship. Ever since the promises were made...that government would bail out Freddie and Fanny if necessary...the end result was inevitable. These institutions were given an unfair advantage over any competitors attracting more shareholders. Bankers knew it, investors knew it, (some) borrowers knew it, and government officials knew it. This is a textbook monopoly, and like all monopolies, it could not have existed without government favor.

The plan was (and is) a scheme to exploit the masses for the benefit of the few who understand what this racket is all about. Well, it appears to have worked. But we will all suffer on account of it, even the wealthy...

They will come to learn in the end, at their own expense, that it is better to endure competition for rich customers than to be invested with monopoly over impoverished customers. -Frederic Bastiat

Restore freedom and competition to the mortgage industry. Rather than propping up bad business we must expose them to fair competition or we will all pay dearly. A promise that is based on fallacy and not grounded in reality will always be broken eventually. Such was the promise made to Fanny and Freddie. Delaying the inevitable will only corrode the economy to the point that otherwise responsible mortgagees will be forced to foreclose.

Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens. -Plato

Daybreak at Sue's

A fluttering drove of oak leaves scurried across the road and twirled into the air like a squadron of WWI biplanes training for a dog fight. The wind was unusually brisk, even for dawn, and Sue sucked on her cigarette like a starving infant as she waited for her ride. She began to shiver as her heart rate returned to normal, which she considered a cue to begin plotting her escape.

The cuffs dug into her wrists and ankles and both arms were wrapped with biceps and forearms of two large gentlemen. They towered over her on either side. It it kind of reminded her of prom, although this performance was much more authentic. She stayed on task. Minutes earlier she had caught the eye of the guard on her left before she was identified. It hadn't the intended result, but probably saved a bruise or two and left her precious smoke between her lips. The latter she appreciated. Not much for conversation. All three knew the score.

They knew where she was going and probably considered it something of a last meal. She was accustomed to the underestimation; although she never counted on it. The armored car whispered in the distance, breaking the silence. The familiar shiver crept up her spine as it often did pending a challenge. A felon lives for this, but not the slightest crack of a smile appeared. She was less concerned with the next couple moments than those following. Boredom did not suit her.

Dr. Lind's Challenge

The following is a hypothetical discussion between James Lind and the British Navy sometime after 1742:

British Navy: Thousands of our sailors are dying of disease. What should we do?

Dr. Lind: I know.

British Navy: You do?

Dr. Lind: Yes.

British Navy: Withholding crucial, life-saving information?! That's treason! Why haven't you said anything?

Dr. Lind: I have. No one listened.

British Navy: Why didn't anyone listen?

Dr. Lind: Because the cure sounds silly.

British Navy: That doesn't sound like a very good reason. What is the cure?

Dr. Lind: Lemons and limes.

British Navy: That's silly. Go away.

Dr. Lind: See.

British Navy: Go home. We don't believe you.

Dr. Lind: You should.

British Navy: Why?

Dr. Lind: Because I'm right.

British Navy: And what gives you such confidence.

Dr. Lind: Study of history, scientific experiments and empirical evidence.

British Navy: No one would believe me if I told them this. Unacceptable.

Dr. Lind: That's not my problem. I won't get scurvy.

British Navy: Okay, say you're right. You know no one will ever believe you. How dare you risk your own reputation by proposing something so absurd?

Dr. Lind: Because my reputation is not mired in politics, ego, greed, or any influence other than honest discovery through empirical evidence and natural law.

British Navy: Are you suggesting we, the British Navy, are rejecting natural law and evidence?

Dr. Lind: That is what I am suggesting.

British Navy: And therefore you accuse us of killing soldiers by not hauling fruit on our ships?

Dr. Lind: I didn't say that.

British Navy: How dare you accuse the entire British Navy of mass murder?

Dr. Lind: I am not one to accuse, and I would not. Although, it is true that you are rejecting a simple cure to a disease that is killing thousands.

British Navy: No one will take us seriously if we haul lemons and limes on our ships. It would make us look superstitious and weak. Like we are all afraid of scurvy or something. Well, let me be the first to say that we can hack it without your silly limes. Besides, we need that space for all the cannon balls.

Dr. Lind: I cannot force you to believe me, of course, or act. But I am also not persuaded by arrogance, ignorance, pride, vanity, or other factors. If you choose to reject my discovery and do nothing I can only observe and learn more about this particular evil in human nature.

British Navy: You accuse the British Navy of evil? Of being the enemy?

Dr. Lind: No, the enemy is pride, ignorance, arrogance, ego, and prejudice.

British Navy: Kind of like those froggy French bastards. I see what you mean.

Dr. Lind: Not really. Human nature is more complicated. I am only a scientist.

British Navy: You are sympathetic to the French?

Dr. Lind: I didn't say that.

British Navy: Go home before I call the guards.

Dr. Lind: Yes sir.

The British Navy began carrying limes on ships 62 years later.

2/3rds. Close enough to "Unanimous" for the Republicans.

Alright, if I can't stand politics, why the hell do I write about all the time?

Well, you can't know much about darkness without having experienced at least a mild degree of light, even if it burns the retinas. And oh, it burns...

Someone I admire had a more elegant way of putting it: "He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that." -J. S. Mill

Just like a Communist/Socialist must violate her principles by, well, providing for herself, seekers of truth must sometimes cross over to muck around in the most persistent form of error and fallacy (i.e. bullshit) available. There is little debate about what that is: politics.

Being the most productive geyser of bullshit, any seeker of truth must study this particular scourge carefully, regardless of the inevitable damage to one's soul. Yes, politics is bullshit, and a type more persistent than the less explosive hydrothermal bullshit emitters of sales and religion. Here's the breakdown:

• Salesmen/commercials. These folks sell a good or service at least remotely similar to what they advertise.
• Religious Institutions. These folks promote morality at least remotely similar to what a reasonably spiritual, ethical deist might consider God's will.
• Politicians. These folks promise the exact opposite of what they will, in fact, deliver.
  

Yes, almost any political candidate that offers anything (other than less government) is actually offering the opposite. Old news, but worth repeating.

Don't believe me?
You should.
Why?
Because it is true.

What better example than the proceedings at the Republican National Convention itself. Just a little fun fact that demonstrates the complete meaninglessness of today's politics.

Last night, after the delegates voted, the speaker made the motion to declare the nomination of John McCain "unanimous."

When judging a voice vote on the motion, there was a clear, audible "NO" from the convention floor.

Requiring a 2/3 majority, the speaker should have proceeded with a show of hands and a count. This did not happen. He made the judgment call that 2/3rds had been reached and banged the gavel.

But, there were delegates representing real constituents on that floor that insisted the nomination was not declared "unanimous."

Forgive me if I am misunderstanding the English language, but wouldn't "unanimous" require 100% of the delegates approval anyway?

If this is how they run their conventions, it's no wonder they run government how they do...as if principles must be sacraficed for expedience.

The Democratic convention was no better. Pelosi gave delegates about 1/4 second to respond before declaring the nomination unanimous.

Why do we allow this?

As if you don't know this already, both candidates are more of the same. Each (with the help of our state) requires 50% of your hard work to give you roads, defend you from terrorists, and make sure your kids aren't "left behind." If you aren't on welfare or a governing elite you are a battery in their empire building machine.

Hey, I don't like it either, but I also don't like hangovers, and stopping those isn't possible. Or is it?

From the Rally for the Republic Tuesday night:

Those who have the ability to speak out against wickedness and do not do so are morally culpable. -Lew Rockwell

The Inconvenience of Admiral Stanley

Admiral Stanley had some twine.
He wrapped it round his wrist.
No telling if he was in time.
He hurled it through the mist.

The loop must have found the stern,
He pulled as if to tow.
It would be too late to learn
Upon the rocks below.

Mates aboard, they hollered back
"Leave us Admiral Stan.
Ya done enough ya worthless hack,
Now let us to our plan."

Reaching for the solid pier,
He tried to tie her tight.
Argh the end was oh so near,
He pulled with all his might.

But the ship was far too great.
He could not slow it down.
He thought about the awful fate,
How could he let them drown?

Tied securely to the dock,
A rope was strong but short.
Tied around strong as a lock
His foot the last resort.

Not a moment could he rest
The length it shortened still,
Other end around his chest
He tied it with great skill.

Soon it pulled him off the side
And robbed him of his breath.
Body stretched he winced and cried,
But kept them from their death.

For a minute, maybe two
But then he left the dock
Leaving more than just his shoe
Not mentioning the sock.

And while he began to fall
The twine, the crew did sheer.
Ker plunk he went, and heard by all,
They bellowed with a cheer.

On the bank young Stanley crawled
Belt tightly round his stub.
Warnings to his mates he called,
Alas, not but a snub.

Then downstream a scarlet hue
The crew reduced to bait.
Seen or listened, if they knew,
Of either awful fate.