On the other hand..............

In an odd way, I enjoyed the recent Wiki Leaks because they show me that BIG Government is not as stupid as it appears.

In the past, every time there is an international crisis, like the recent shelling by North Korea, I waited to see the reaction by BIG Government. Over the last fifty years Amerika, through BIG Government, has repeatedly been on the "wrong" side of international issues. Amerika supported numerous dictators going back to Batista in Cuba. In almost every case these were bad guys who exploited their citizens. In my view our support was always at odds with our founding principles. Doesn't Amerika stand for self determination and popular democracy? Why did we always side with the minor league "Hitler" clones? Vietnam, Iran, Panama, the list is long and completely stupid from my point of view.

Now, along comes Wiki Leaks and we discover that our leaders have better sense than we thought. Our elected leaders seem to see many of these foreign politicians as the dolts they really are. I am especially pleased to see that Hillary Clinton is asking the right questions and directing the State Department like General Patton.

Yes, I know the Wiki Leaks are terrible and they are embarrassing etc. But really, isn't it good to know our leaders are not as dumb as they appear?

BE PREPARED

I have been watching The Walking Dead on AMC since it began on Halloween. I am not usually captivated by Zombie shows but this one is so well written that I think it should be a MUST SEE for everyone.

There have been other post apocalyptic zombie shows. Dawn of the Dead from 1978 established a cult following and The Walking Dead uses Dawn of the Dead as a starting point for its plot. Zombieland took the same basic concept but made it into a dark comedy. In The Walking Dead there is the familiar global epidemic and people are dying, only to become reanimated as flesh eating Zombies. It is a farfetched idea. But, given the spread of viruses, this not a completely crazy idea. In most of these movies the zombies attack and the remaining humans try to escape. In The Walking Dead it's more complicated and far more interesting.

In The Walking Dead the writers have expanded the characters to create a morality play about the meaning of life and the choices we all make. The Zombies are a back drop for bad decision making and evil. At the core of The Walking Dead is the idea that to be human is to be selfless. Team work, sharing, planning, and cooperation are essential to survival. Deputy Rick Grimes explains this with the line, "We don't kill the living".

Regardless of the Zombie premise, The Walking Dead is a great morality lesson. It teaches the importance of being prepared, team work, and doing the right thing because, it is the right thing to do. It reminds me of the Boy Scouts is an odd way. There is nothing wrong with being prepared. Mom always said, "You need to buy a hand gun BEFORE you need a hand gun. You don't want to try to buy one the minute you need it." Mom would have liked The Walking Dead.

OUR SUITCASE

It was 47 years ago today. We went to see a movie and suddenly the lights came on. A Captain walked out in front. He said, "The president has been shot in Dallas Texas. All Military personnel are to report for duty. We are on full alert. Dependents are restricted to housing."

Not a word was said. Everyone knew their job. I walked home to meet my parents. Dad had brought out "Our suitcase". He told me he had to report for duty and Mom was in Charge. Then he handed me the suitcase. We all knew this was bad. In the suitcase was $500 in cash, $500 in Deutsche Marks, our passports, medical records, other documents and a loaded 32 automatic hand gun. Dad said he would call us with more information, but we were prepared to drive to France. The East German border and Russian Tanks were just 40 kilometers away. We had often discussed with our German friends that nothing could stop the Russians if they wanted to invade Western Europe. Kennedy's assassination was seen by many as the first step in World War III.

In the hours that followed we waited and listened to AFN and the BBC. By morning Dad came home. The base returned to standby. We joined the world grieving for John Kennedy. It wasn't War. The Russian Tanks did not cross the Border.

That was the day I grew up. I was never a kid again after 11/22/63. Life became bigger and more real. Tonight I checked "Our Suitcase". Passports, $20,000 in gold, $5,000 in cash, and a loaded Sig 40. Dad taught me to be prepared.

BIG BROTHER IS BIG GOVERMENT

In George Orwell's fictional, but all too true book, 1984, he exclaims that "Big Brother is Watching You". It all sounded so silly in 1948. Constant surveillance by "telescreens". Only a member of the lunatic fringe could come up with such nonsense.

Jump forward 60+ years to now. Does it seem so crazy that BIG BROTHER aka Big Government is watching you? My guess is they are watching everyone, or will be in the next five years. The current extensive body search and scanners at airports are justified for the sake of safety. This is a slippery slope and Al Qaida knows it. By creating the potential for a threat, Al Qaida has discovered the weakness in Democracy.

The reasoning goes something like this: If a threat exists to the population, it is Big Government's job to protect us. In protecting us, any and all measures are acceptable.

Sounds crazy but it all began with Motorcycle Helmet and Seat Belt Laws. Big Government could not get the stupid population, US, to understand we were in danger. So, they passed laws demanding that we wear Motorcycle Helmets and Seat Belts. A few free thinkers cried foul but the masses said..."If it makes us safer, I guess it's a good idea." This was just a short intellectual walk in Big Government Thinking to the TSA and current searches.

The next steps will be made in much the same manner. Here is my vision of the future. There will be some terrorist event. My guess is the smart thing for Al Qaida to do is bomb a shopping mall. This will result in new full body searches at Malls across America and it will also damage retail sales. Then the TSA will begin to focus on people not at the Mall but begin random searches of people walking down the street. This will be justified by the need to PREVENT bombings and after all..."if it makes us safer....it must be OK" Not long after this, we will hear of random searches of people's homes. Again all in the name of safety. Nobody wants a bomb maker in their neighborhood.

The flaw in this thinking is that in the history of terror events, the TSA, and FBI have not PREVENTED any events. They have not caught anyone. They searched the 9/11 high jackers and allowed them to board planes. The Time Square Bomber was "caught' by a tee shirt salesman who called the police. Even the Fort Hood shooter, who was in the Army, was not prevented from acting by Big Government.

These searches and invasions on our civil rights do not catch Terrorist. Al Qaida knows this. They only want us to become the POLICE STATE we are today. In this way, they have won the war on terror and we did the work for them.

VISIT THE CATO INSTITUTE WEB SITE

The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute was founded in San Francisco in 1977 by Edward H. Crane and initially funded by Charles G. Koch, Chairman of Koch Industries, Inc., the second largest privately held company (after Cargill) by revenue in the United States. Libertarian economist Murray Rothbard was a core member of Cato's founding group and coined the institutes's name. Rothbard served on its board until leaving in 1981.

The Institute is named after Cato's Letters, a series of British essays penned in the early 18th century by John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon expounding the political views of philosopher John Locke. The essays were named after Cato the Younger, the defender of republican institutions in Rome. Cato relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1981, settling first in a historic house on Capitol Hill. The Institute moved to its current location on Massachusetts Avenue in 1993.

If you are wondering how America or the World can work our way out of the current economic mess, take the time to read up on the ideas from the CATO Institute. This isn't FOX News or some other sensational, over the top crazy stuff. These are practical ideas on using government to solve problems. LINK: http://www.cato.org/

TAX ALL INCOME FOR SOCIAL SECURITY

I have been working for 45 years. This year I became concerned that BIG Government would change "our Deal" on Social Security and decided to apply for early retirement. I wanted my name on the list before they made any changes. My best guess is that my employers and I paid nearly $300,000 into Social Security over the last 45 years. Assuming even a jack ass could have invested this money; they had to have made an additional $25,000 in interest on the money. In my view the Government is holding $325,000 of my money, give or take twenty bucks or so.

Now we hear Social Security is going broke. BIG Government is considering an increase in the retirement age. It is currently at 66 years old. Seems OK to me but if they change the deal, it has to be with the new people coming into the system. Nobody 50 years old will be happy with any changes. The big question is why aren't ALL wages taxed for social security?

The current limit is $106,800. After you reach this annual earnings limit they stop taking Social Security out of your pay check. We always saw this as a yearend benefit or Bonus when we reached this limit and had the extra 6% in take home income. But, when you think about it, this doesn't seem fair. Shouldn't all income be taxed for Social Security?

Nobody seems to be discussing this subject. Not President Urkel or Ron Paul. If every dollar of earnings were taxed for Social Security, maybe the program would not be in such bad shape. BIG Government doesn't seem to know how to do the logical things that make sense to most Americans.

ARE WE BECOMING SHEEP?

I have heard from my wonderful wife and a few dear friends that I am "carrying on" about some of my gripes. Clearly, I like the iPad and hate the strip search by the TSA [Try Standing Around]. I am also concerned that our government has a leadership void. The Kalifornia Election is over and Jerry won, even if Prop 19 did not pass. I guess my underlying concern is that I am alone in these concerns.

Most of Amerika does not know their congressman or congressperson. Many of the people with whom I have worked think Washington and Washington are the same place....like near Seattle. Nobody seems too concerned about most of the issues I write. Are we becoming sheep? Should I focus on Dancing with the Stars and not BBC World News?

What does it take to make Amerika care about politics, economics, or personal freedom? One good point about 9/11 is it was a cold slap in the face. Do we need a crisis every ten years to keep the attention of the masses?

The TSA....another BIG Government work program

CONSIDER THIS: BIG Government cannot close the Mexican Border were gangs are killing people and immigrants cross freely into the USA. BUT, they spend millions to search travelers going to visit relatives over the Holidays.

Does this make any sense? Do grandmothers and children need to be screened at US Airports? Even the most recent so called "threats" have come from either foreign sources or were unrelated to air travel. If you buy your ticket in advance....with a credit card.....doesn't BIG Government already know everything about you before you come to the airport? Why waste millions of dollars searching the LEAST threatening people to society?

SPEAK OUT - Demand an end to unreasonable and costly airport screening.

The TSA has become another BIG Government make work program for poorly educated minorities formerly employed at HUD, the Post Office, and DMV.

FROM GUTENBERG TO JOBS

We often miss the changes that impact civilization because we are too busy living. This was true for my parents who were born before airplanes, television, computers and mobile phones. It is also true today, as we witness the global transformation from the printed page to digital media.

Johannes Gutenberg gets most of the credit for the printing press. In fact, the Chinese printer, Pi Sheng, invented movable type about three hundred years before Gutenberg. Regardless, Gutenberg changed the world. His press could produce 3,600 printed pages per day compared to 40 per day at the time. By 1500 Europe was producing over 20 million books a year. This expanded literacy led to growth of the middle / merchant class and the ultimate liberation of peasants from the Monarch system. One could draw a line through time to say: Gutenberg improved human literacy to make the American, French, and Russian Revolutions possible. No small feat. Today, printing is in decline. Newspapers and magazines are struggling to maintain readers. For over 25 years I have subscribed to USA Today. USA Today was always the "People Magazine of Newspapers". Nothing to gritty just simple news. Perfect for an Airplane trip or to read with coffee. This week I let my subscription go. Like many other people I have moved on to digital media.

I currently get the Wall Street Journal and USA Today on my iPad. I also have National Geographic, Road & Track, and Los Angeles Magazine delivered via Zinio to my iPad. I'm sure I am not alone. Others are making this switch to reading books and newspapers on their mobile phones and iPads. By the holidays we will see dozens of new tablet style computers on the market. All of these will offer digital content.

If you get to Mainz Germany, just West of Frankfurt, visit the Gutenberg Museum: Link: http://www.gutenberg-museum.de/index.php?id=29&L=1
Mainz is over 2,000 years old. The Gutenberg Museum is over 100 years old. It was opened to celebrate Gutenberg's 500th Birthday. Maybe one day, 500 years from now, we will be able to visit the Jobs Museum in Cupertino. Like Gutenberg, Steve Jobs is creating change with a far reaching impact on civilization.

Free Market Economics and Cost Cutting

It's over. Those ads are gone. TV and Radio have returned to the new normal. I have watched the news to see what people think about the election and economy. Some of what I see is embarrassing. Others things are crazy. Maybe I just see the whole thing wrong.

It seems to me that we are in the middle of the first World Economic War. The old Twentieth Century rules about countries are gone. Armies have been made irrelevant. Everything depends on growth vs. debt. China, Brazil, and India seem to be winning. Europe and America are struggling to hold on. Japan, Greece, Spain, and Ireland are in very big trouble. Survival depends on our ability to reduce government costs and create real economic growth without inflation. Where is Milton Friedman when we really need him? He passed away in 2006.

Some of the idiots on TV think the election was about DEMOCRATS. Others think it was all about REPUBLICANS. I think their crazy. The real issue is who among use is smart enough to lead our country out of this economic mess. Britain seems to have made the "right" choice by going with a coalition government. We will have something similar with the new Congress in January. One thing is sure. The old rules won't work. We need to cut government cost soon and focus on entrepreneurial job creation. It really doesn't matter which party the career politicians support. The work that needs to be done is economic not political. A quick view of the CATO Institute web site will show you the plan. Do we need NASA?

They say that in 1941 most Americans did not know where Japan was located. After 9/11 we learned more than we wanted to know about Iraq. Now I think the country is getting ready for a class in Economics 401, Keynesian versus Free Market Economics. The next two years will be important. Our Economic future depends on how well we understand these issues.

VOLVO

I recently attend two marketing events for Volvo Automobiles. The word Volvo is Latin and it means to roll. Volvo is an old Swedish Car company dating back to 1927 when Gustav Larson began building cars that could withstand the harsh Swedish climate. These rugged vehicles evolved into one of the safest cars made. Volvo was first to use auto crash test and seat belts in their cars.

Over the years Volvo did not keep pace with German or Japanese auto companies and in 1999 was sold to Ford motor company. Ford worked hard to update Volvo and reintroduce the Brand into the US Market. After ten years of loss, Ford sold Volvo to the Chinese manufacturer Geely.

The first event we attended was a test drive for the new 2011 Volvo S60. It was called the "Naughty Volvo Test Drive". They were trying to make the new Volvos seem "bad" or perhaps interesting. The fact is, Volvo only sold 60,000 autos in the US in 2009 versus 190,000 each for BMW and Mercedes. The Volvo Brand is fading faster than Barrack Obama.

The test drive was held at Santa Anita Race Track. It was very dull and the cars were even duller. Pam drove one and I just watched. If the intent was to build interest in the Volvo line...this event failed. Long lines, too few cars, and very little to see or do, made for boredom and sadly that is what Volvo has become. We attended a similar event in the past for Mercedes and it was fun and exciting. Volvo does not know how to attract high end car buyers or how to hold their attention.

The most recent event was last Sunday. It was a focus group session for Volvo's new models. Six of us were in one group and we did not know at the beginning that the cars we would be seeing were Volvos. We were shown several new designs and asked to select which we liked better. It was sort of like being asked, "Do you prefer cancer or heart disease". It was very disappointing.

Volvo's problem is a lack of consistent direction. Their cars have never performed as well as other European makers. Their engines lack power and the cars are dull. Redesign will not fix what is wrong with Volvo. BMW, Audi, VW, and Mercedes all have been working under strong leadership to develop world class cars. If Volvo will be successful, they will need twenty years to catch up. Their cars in the near future are Camry or Buick copy cats.