Category: economics

Krakauer – Pat Tillman and American Wars

On By Rick McIn bad news, books, economics, governmentLeave a comment

Tillman500Pat Tillman, a free-thinking, hard-hitting safety for the Arizona Cardinals, walked away from a multimillion-dollar contract after 9/11 to enlist in the Army.

He joined an elite unit, the Rangers, and was killed on April 22, 2004, in a canyon in eastern Afghanistan.

The story did not end there: Tillman’s commanders and possibly officials in the Bush administration suppressed that he had been killed accidentally by his own comrades. They publicly lionized Tillman as a hero who died fighting the enemy and fed the phony account even to Tillman’s grieving family. The sordid truth, or most of it, came out later.

The best-selling author Jon Krakauer … told the full story in “Where Men Win Glory.” …

read more in the NY Times review by Dexter Filkins, author of “The Forever War.”

I read everything Krakauer writes. An odd guy, he’s one of our best living writers.

Why did Krakauer pick Tillman?

PAT TILLMAN

The story is symbolic of the disaster of the USA invading the Middle East.

What did cost?

What did the American people gain from invading Iraq and Afghanistan?

It’s unlikely the USA will ever again have enough money to engage in a war that ineffective.

I recommend the book. Especially for any young people considering joining any Military.

krakauerbook_custom-700b33c5da722664913b3d904872131ffb20f7bb-s6-c10

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

related:

Pat’s brother Kevin wrote an anti-war essay titled Revisiting ‘After Pat’s Birthday’

Pat’s Mom Mary Tillman – Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman

Pat’s wife Marie Tillman – The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss, and Life

climate change – SOLVED

On By Rick McIn economics, education, food, good news, government, things getting betterLeave a comment

I’m a “global warming” skeptic.

The climate is changing as it always has. Ice ages come and go.

I’m skeptical that the Earth is warming mainly due to fossil fuels. And I hope I’m right. Because there is almost NO chance that the world is going to reduce the use of fossil fuels anytime soon.

Here’s the best solution I’ve yet heard. Allan Savory’s explains how we can improve the world’s climate in a cost efficient way. AND feed millions of the poorest of the poor at the same time.

Click PLAY or watch it on TED.

“Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert,” begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. And it’s happening to about two-thirds of the world’s grasslands, accelerating climate change and causing traditional grazing societies to descend into social chaos. Savory has devoted his life to stopping it.

He now believes — and his work so far shows — that a surprising factor can protect grasslands and even reclaim degraded land that was once desert.

Allan Savory: Grassland ecosystem pioneer

Thanks for the link, Ron.

wealth inequality in the USA

On By Rick McIn economics, governmentLeave a comment

I’ve posted dozens of times regarding this phenomenon.

In 2010, 93 percent of the additional income created in the country that year, compared to 2009 — $288 billion — went to the top 1 percent of taxpayers …

It’s not smart. It’s not healthy.

The wealth gap has not resonated much in the American psyche. Republicans can still rant about “redistribution”, as if it’s a heinous crime.

Many poor people, those suffering most, continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh.

… But for some reason, this video’s gone viral.

The issue of wealth inequality across the United States is well known, but this video shows you the extent of that imbalance in dramatic and graphic fashion.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Fact is the rich are too rich in the USA. Many of the most affluent do not deserve their wealth.

“Behind (most) every great fortune there is a crime.”

– Honoré de Balzac

(via Mashable)

anti-Socialist Americans

On By Rick McIn economics, education, government, happinessLeave a comment

There are many like Susan in the USA.

Susan Clark of Santa Monica, California, who opposes health care reform, stands with a red hand painted over her mouth to represent what she said is socialism taking away her choices and rights, in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2012, on the final day of arguments regarding the health care law signed by President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Screenshot 2012-12-06 2:18 PM

Yet many nations she’d call “Socialist” are successful in 2012. And happy.

Norway
Denmark
Finland
Australia
New Zealand
Sweden
Canada
Switzerland
Netherlands

You’d be hard pressed to convince any of those nations that the American model is “better”.

Turns out that spending money on a social welfare safety net is a better investment longterm than military and prisons.

It’s time to rethink priorities, America.

That’s one of the best photos of the year 2012 as chosen by The Atlantic.

takeaways from the American election …

On By Rick McIn bad news, economics, GOP USA, government, things getting worse1 Comment

After this, I’ll try to shut up.

• President Thomas Jefferson coined the phrase — Separation of church and state

Republicans need embrace the concept.

• U.S. Republicans can learn from Canada’s Conservatives

Neither American party is fiscally conservative. I truly believe Romney would have run up an even bigger debt than will Obama.

• Donald Trump is an ass

• Michael Moore‘s heart is in the right place, but he’s as dangerous a left wing zealot as right wing extremists like Trump. I disagree with more than half of what he says.

• Romney’s a good guy. But was forced to associate with Evangelic extremists, bigots, billionaires, bankers and other unsavory characters. Pray for his sold soul.

Mitt’s quite the chameleon. Has any other politician flip-flopped so many times and almost gotten away with it?

I’ll be entertained by the many books with titles like: Why Romney Lost

His math-illiterate, vague platform was an insult to any thinking voter. The only possible reason to vote for him was … ABO (anybody but Obama)

• “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” was not the title of the editorial he wrote for the NY Times. Whomever penned that catchy headline — Obama owes him a drink

• the worst decision of the Supreme Court in a long, long time was Citizens United. Corporations are not people. Campaign spending should be limited, difficult as that is to do.

• men talking about rape is a very, very bad idea

In fact, a good rule of thumb for men — DON”T talk about women’s bodies on the campaign trail.

• I loved how Chris Christie blew off partisan politics when his own people were in crisis. He’ll never be the Republican candidate.

• the trend is towards approve Gay marriage. Get used to it.

• the trend is to a more diverse population. Politicians anti-immigrant, racist and those surrounded by white advisers will lose. Expect Asian and Hispanic Americans to get more vocal.

• John McCain’s daughter, Meghan, calls for the GOP to #evolve

More than a few dinosaurs need go extinct

• most Tea Party and Occupy proponents simply protest — they don’t have much to offer as politicians. I hope both movements fizzle over the next 4yrs. The Tea Party has done more damage than good.

• young people are most influenced politically by two TV programs on the Comedy Network: Daily Show & Colbert. Both are left wing. (Colbert is my favourite show, so I must be young at heart.)

Republicans need a candidate who can handle youth culture and social media —  McCain and Romney? … Not so good.

• voters watching Fox News and MSNBC know less about government than those who watched any other news source. Or none. Folks who watch NPR and the Daily Show know most.

The right wing pundits at FOX really seem to believe their talking points. That’s surprising. O’Reilly is not a fool.

• Read my lips: Republicans need stop signing Grover Norquist’s NO TAX Pledge. It hamstrings.

• the trend is towards legalized marijuana. Colorado & Washington have legalized recreational use. It’s inevitable that ganja will be as restricted as alcohol.

Personally, I think the USA is doomed. I can’t see any way out for their polarized government. The debt and deficit will continue to balloon.

The trillions in debt will grow. I can’t see any way they can repay with both parties refusing to raise revenue.

Where are new trillion dollar industries going to come from?

Potential for American growth is limited to small business.

America could do better than Barack Obama; sadly, Mitt Romney does not fit the bill

future

• there’s some chance Obama will end the expensive, ineffective war on drugs

• accelerate troop withdrawals. QUIT putting boots on the ground in other nations. Bring the troops home and have them work on infrastructure.

• some day, hopefully within my lifetime, women will take over politics. And I trust women more than I trust men. In 2012 Americans elected a record 19% women to the Senate.

19% !! — WOW … That’s something to celebrate 😦

Tammy Baldwin made history when she became Wisconsin’s first female senator and America’s first openly gay senator. (VIDEO) … Homophobe Paul Ryan’s neighbour.

Next President?

Best would be a bilingual (Spanish & English) woman. Fiscal conservative. Advocating a very minimum social safety net. Requiring individuals who live or work in the USA to pay taxes. Requiring corporations earning money in the USA to pay taxes. Advocating a major reduction in the military. Focused on improving the American infrastructure: roads, rapid transit, sewage, etc.

Increasing regulations of banks.

… In the meantime, this guy’s got problems.

I wish him well.

Sincere thanks to everyone who engaged in the issues of the American election. I learned a lot.

Thanks also to the gluttons for punishment who decided not to HIDE me on Facebook.

Note the very, very few in 2012 who are willing to voice political support online for either Democrats or Republicans. It’s very divisive.

There truly are two Americas. If you could wave a magic wand, something like this wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Folks would have to MOVE. Like they moved between Pakistans and India when that nation broke up.

what are Bitcoins?

On By Rick McIn economicsLeave a comment

Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer decentralized digital currency. It differs from traditional, government-backed currencies in that there is no central issuer, and there are no middlemen involved for various transactions. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

A small number of real-world and online establishments accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. It’s important to understand that like any other currency, the value of Bitcoin fluctuates all the time. At the time of this writing, Mt. Gox values a BTC at ~$10.75 USD — however that could fluctuate up or down, depending on the Bitcoin market as a whole. …

The Royal Canadian Mint’s MintChip project carries on many of the same ideas as Bitcoin, but in a way that is backed by the mint itself. The MintChip project is still in its infancy but if it works, it could shape the future of Canadian currency. …

Mashable

Economist magazine endorses Obama

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, government1 Comment

I concur exactly with the fiscally conservative news magazine out of the U.K.

America could do better than Barack Obama; sadly, Mitt Romney does not fit the bill

… A man who once personified hope and centrism set a new low by unleashing attacks on Mitt Romney even before the first Republican primary. Yet elections are about choosing somebody to run a country. And this choice turns on two questions: how good a president has Mr Obama been, especially on the main issues of the economy and foreign policy? And can America really trust the ever-changing Mitt Romney to do a better job? On that basis, the Democrat narrowly deserves to be re-elected.

… The other qualified achievement is health reform. Even to a newspaper with no love for big government, the fact that over 40m people had no health coverage in a country as rich as America was a scandal. “Obamacare” will correct that, but Mr Obama did very little to deal with the system’s other flaw—its huge and unaffordable costs.

Above all, Mr Obama has shown no readiness to tackle the main domestic issue confronting the next president: America cannot continue to tax like a small government but spend like a big one. …

… far from being the voice of fiscal prudence, Mr Romney wants to start with huge tax cuts (which will disproportionately favour the wealthy), while dramatically increasing defence spending. Together those measures would add $7 trillion to the ten-year deficit. He would balance the books through eliminating loopholes (a good idea, but he will not specify which ones) and through savage cuts to programmes that help America’s poor (a bad idea, which will increase inequality still further). …

… the extremism of his party is Mr Romney’s greatest handicap …

The devil we know

We very much hope that whichever of these men wins office will prove our pessimism wrong. …

Many of The Economist’s readers, especially those who run businesses in America, may well conclude that nothing could be worse than another four years of Mr Obama. We beg to differ. …

Our American endorsement
Which one?

It’s well worth reading every word of that article. They nailed it.

It may not matter which is President. The next 4yrs will be far worse than the last 4yrs.

Both parties are unwilling to raise revenue, very reluctant to reduce spending. The children of this generation are the ones left in the rubble.

U.S. elections are too expensive

On By Rick McIn economics, governmentLeave a comment

U.S. elections are too expensive — $928,638,361 on campaign money alone — and too lengthy. Everyone interested has had MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME to consider the issues. 😦

How could that be improved?

GigaOm suggests it’s time to take the election online. That could both reduce costs and increase the number of voters.

If Banks can prevent electronic fraud, it’s certainly possible to do so for electronic voting.

I’d give the “password” details for voting to everyone who submits an income tax form.