One person's ramblings, can be another person's insight.
Archive for January, 2009
Motivational Quote 1/24
Jan 25th
Fake-emergency pilot under securities probe
Jan 12th
Fake-emergency pilot under securities probe, wow, I have to say wow to this.
The pilot of a plane, identified as Marcus Schrenker, was under investigation for fraud, and is being sued for 1.4 million dollars according to the Information Week. Well instead of facing the music, he gives a fake distress call and parachutes out of the plane. Leaving it on auto pilot.
I bet he thought it was a great plan to not face the piper. He gives a fake report to the control tower that his window had imploded and that he was injured, then he parachutes out of the plane. When there was no response from the pilot, the military was called and they found the plane flying along with the door open, and a dark cockpit.
Then some 200 miles from where he parachuted out the plane crashed.
Marcus better have a stash of money somewhere, because when he gets caught the security probe and the lawsuit will be the least of his problems. How many laws did he break by jumping out of a plane, knowing it will come down somewhere? What if the plane crashed into a building, or a school yard?
Whatever charges he was facing, will be nothing to what he has now. I am sure when he gets caught he will not see freedom for a long time.
Motivational Quote for 1/12/2009
Jan 12th
It is not enough to do good; one must do it the right way.
John Viscount Morley, of Blackburn
Motivational Quote for 1/11/2009
Jan 11th
If you don’t learn to laugh at trouble, you won’t have anything to laugh at when you’re old.
Edgar Watson Howe
US journalist (1853 – 1937
The Tax Cut Wars Begin….
Jan 11th
The Tax Cut Wars Begin….
Well it has started, the tax cuts proposed by Obama are going through the grinder as we speak. Likely they will not happen. I remember when Tax Cuts are supposed to be a good thing, where most economists insisted that it would stimulate growth.
I have wrote recently about the price tag of Obama’s stimulus package as being too high, and though I stand behind that, at least part of that price tag included tax cuts. Tax cuts that were designed to go right back into the pockets of middle class Americans and businesses.
Now, “Senate Democrats Seek to Raise Energy, Infrastructure Investment, Keep Taxes Cats Low in Stimulus“. So my question is if there is less in cost due to removing or lowering the tax cuts, why is the price tag going up?
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed Sunday that the package that comes out of the lower chamber would include no earmarks and predicted the stimulus plan might exceed $775 billion. Some lawmakers have put the price tag at nearly $1 trillion.”
Historically it has been proven that if we give more money back to the tax payers, especially as it was proposed in Obama’s plan, that it will stimulate the economy. More people will have more money in their pockets to buy the essential things they need, pay their bills, and so forth. Businesses benefit also when they pay less in taxes, because then the overhead of the operation becomes lower allowing them to hold on to employees longer, and just like Middle Class American, pay their bills.
Somewhere about three to four years ago, tax cuts supposedly became the opposite in many Democrats eyes. So let me ask, if we increase taxes will that stimulate the economy? I am not economist, but somehow that makes no sense to me.
At least one democrat sees it the way Obama does, Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin disagreed with the Democrats lining up to criticize the tax breaks.
Well with a price tag of $1 Trillion there is a good chance we will see tax increases. Why do I suddenly feel like I am working for Enron, and soon the pork belly projects will be added to this plan and fiscal responsibility will be thrown out the window.
Sex Offender Wins Raffle for Abuse Victim Charity
Jan 11th
Alright, is this karma in action, an accident, or simply just weird.
“Sex Offender Wins Raffle for Abuse Victim Charity“, just as the title says. A convicted sex offender, on children no less, won $500,000 from a raffle sponsered by Standing Together Against Rape, or STAR.
I am all for second chances, as long as he does not have to use this money for lawyers anytime soon.
Motivational Quote for 1/10/2009
Jan 10th
Key Democrats blast Obama stimulus plan or did they?
Jan 10th
Ever watched that movie, that about half way through it your realize this is not the movie you thought it would be. It could have been a misleading title, or advertisement. Like you would not title a movie “Chainsaw Massacres” if there was no chainsaw in it, would you?
Well this article to me was just the same, “Key Democrats blast Obama stimulus plan“. It is true, I supported McCain, but it was not the fact that Obama was being blasted, it was the “Key Democrats” that just drew me in like a traffic accident on the freeway. I was curious as to the opposition, since Obama has kind of become the poster child of the democratic party.
Well just like the missing chainsaw, there was no mention of who the “Key Democrats” were, and trust me I have been blasted by the best and there is no blasting going on here. It sounds more like a discussion, people throwing out suggestions or concerns. This was not blasting. Especially when you read, “Democrats made it clear that they plan to put their stamp on the massive economic stimulus bill.” Now this is not blasting by any stretch of the imagination.
I know a title is meant to grab you, and I get that. But I feel cheated. The title should have read, “Democrats discuss Obama’s Stimulus Plan”, or even “Democrats voice concern over Obama’s Stimulus Plan”.
Actually the honest title should have been “Unnamed Democrats Discuss Stimulus Plan”, but that would not sell many papers.
Motivational Quote for 1/8/2009
Jan 9th
English essayist (1771 – 1845)
Obama urges Congress to pass stimulus plan
Jan 3rd
Granted, I am no economics expert, but I do think I know a few things on the basics. At least on a business level, and a personal level. “Obama urges Congress to pass stimulus plan” which is a great idea. The economy is in trouble, there is no denying that.
Remember though, we just spent $700 billion dollars on the Wall Street bailout so between these two plans the proposal is to spend $1.5 Trillion dollars. That my friend is a lot of money. The concept is great, but where are we getting this sort of cash? The current national debt reported in the Wall Street Journal is exceeding $10 Trillion dollars, so I just do not understand where this $1.5 Trillion is coming from.
In the article it speaks of tax cuts, building projects, roads, and so forth. But once again where will the money come from? Is this like that desperate second mortgage you take out on your house for some quick cash now, and later you pay for it?
When you run a business or in your personal life, and bad times come, and things are uncertain that is not the time to take a loan, or increase your debt. It is time to save money, cut the expenses you do not need, be careful what you spend. You do not take a loan out on the hopes, that in the near future you will be making enough to pay it back. Isn’t this what we are doing, since we obviously do not have the cash lying around.
Now, maybe the government plans to fund this by reducing their spending, that would be a perfect way to handle this. Redistribute the money to make it more efficient to help where it is needed, but somehow I doubt that is part of the plan.
Granted, I might be totally off base here, but I think we do need to take a second look at this. I understand we need to do something, but is this the most fiscally responsible alternative we have?