So, Obama finally did a little something in regard to Russia's meddling in a presidential election. That's like slamming the barn door after the horses have escaped and are running free. Who let them out in the first place? Uh, that would be the dumbasses who left the door unlatched, and they're not good at chasing down escaped horses. In this case, it's horses' asses. Little time left in office, no real talent for chasing freed horses, not much will happen with this little slap on the wrist. We expelled some people, issued a few sanctions, big deal. And the results of this big time brain fart will take office in less than a month, and that is a big deal.
But the Russian affair is small potatoes compared to what has happened to this country's electorate. I've factored in frustration and anger, disappointment, and even the remote possibility that the dumbass voters that elected Trump has some justification for their errant votes. I come up with the same conclusion: They didn't get bamboozled; they're just ignorant as dirt. As a college professor for many years, I saw this coming quite some time ago. I watched a steady decline in academic standards, stood in front of students each passing year less prepared for college work. The dumbing down of America has apparently bloomed into an epidemic of ignorance. Ask any employer what they think of todays workforce, the applications they get for jobs. I live in small town America where the school system is supposed to be good. A local merchants recently told me that he'd had 55 applications for a sales job, and most of them flunked the drug test. Some had criminal records, and others were just too stupid to hire. He didn't fill the position.
I sometimes wonder if the gene pool for intelligence in this country has gone dry. We're currently raising a crop (generation) of young people who seem to think they were born with the right to be taken care of. Few people go searching for jobs anymore; they want a position, and with no credentials for a position. They're wizards with electronic gizmos like cell phones and I-pads, but they can't fill out a job application form. Do the statistical work yourself and just google illiteracy in America. One in five people can't read past a fifth grade level, and about 40 percent of our population can't read well enough to understand much of what they've read, unless it's the drivel that shows up in todays literary marketplace.
While watching the Olympics from London some time back, like over four years ago, I saw a blip where a Beefeater was being interview. You know, those funny dressed guys who serve as tour guides at the Tower of London. And the interviewer asked this Beefeater about the strangest question he'd been asked by a tourist. He said a lady from Texas once asked him if the Tower of London was where they'd kept Snow White prisoner before they cut her head off. He said no, that Snow White was a fictitious character. And as the woman walked away with her husband she was heard saying, "He's wrong. I know that's where they kept her." The sad part is that I could perhaps walk downtown where I live here in Texas and tell that story to someone on the street, and I might well get a blank stare, and the question, "Well, was it?" How much would you like to bet that the same person voted for Trump?
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
IT'S ANOTHER OF THOSE DON'T-DO-WHAT-I-DID STORIES
If you are another of those I'm going to stick it out at all costs people this post is not for you. Like the old hippies used to say, "I know where you're coming from, man." Some people grow roots instead of wings, and some like me never grew either. I'm not rooted, but my wings have been clipped. I'm grounded by old age, obligations, and situations, and that's a familiar story in this country. I'm an American, but I'm not all that proud of it. Love of country is one thing, but at some point in time you realize that life can be much bigger than that. I'm not ashamed of my ancestry, nationality, home state, community, and anything like that. I've had some grand opportunities here in America, but that was then, and now is now, and living here is just not working for me anymore. I'm not one of your average American highly propagandized devotee to our way of life. This ain't my first rodeo, and I've acquired a good education about what goes on in this country. I see the good along with the bad, but that's like watching a football game. You know the feeling, I'm sure, of when your team gains more yardage, has more first downs, looks like a winner all through the game . . . and then fumbles it away in the last quarter and loses. Let's blame it on the refs for making bad calls. Let's blame it on a single player who fumbled or dropped the winning touchdown pass. Let's blame it on just bad luck, but if we had played the game like we should have, the score wouldn't have been close enough for that one fumble or dropped pass to beat us. We live under a government that fumbles a lot and within a society stupid enough to think that's just the breaks of the game. A loss is still a loss, and we've turned into a bunch of losers willing to accept those losses.
Ok, so we now have a low class turdball of a President soon to be in office, and he's making some unbelievably bad decisions already. He's not there by chance either. We didn't have enough reasonable voters in place, and that's what put us in this position. We didn't have a strong enough opposition to his bullshit approach to campaigning to beat him. That's the only fair part about his election. He won by hook and crook, deception and lies, and he found enough people willing to believe him to win. Good for the turdball, he at least got that part right. A big time fumble by the other side cost them the win, and it should have. This makes you wonder just which side is really the dumbest, and that's something voters had to decide. A good democracy offers much better choices, and we're not that kind of democracy. I could present a good argument that we're not a democracy at all. But still, almost all Americans will hunker down and wait it out, somehow believing that the democratic processes (that don't exist) will turn things around in time. Dream on. It won't happen.
I'm one of those trapped people who'll have to sit here and watch a country continue to decline, and it's going to be an ugly affair. I'd rather not witness it at all, and since I'm old, perhaps I'll catch a break and get out of it much easier than younger people will. I keep working each day, writing books that take me away from reality for a while, and wondering what comes next. What if I live another ten years? Yuk! I'd rather be living elsewhere if that's going to happen, and I keep a tiny dream alive that I might be able to do that. I won't go far, just to Mexico where I can live on far less money than here. I've written half dozen books on Mexico, and my research has taught me a lot. First, forget almost everything you know from press reports up here because it's bullshit. I challenge you to do your own research, if you've still got wings. If not, don't torment yourself. I could show you the way to a good existence down there, but we all need to draw our own lines on a map, make our own decisions. If you've already bought into the American propaganda bullshit, you're fine with where you are. You wouldn't fit in anywhere else anyway, so stay put and wait it out. You'll wait forever, but that's what you bought, so wear it. If you've still got a clear mind and wings that work, then fly and see what you can find elsewhere. It's up to you.
Ok, so we now have a low class turdball of a President soon to be in office, and he's making some unbelievably bad decisions already. He's not there by chance either. We didn't have enough reasonable voters in place, and that's what put us in this position. We didn't have a strong enough opposition to his bullshit approach to campaigning to beat him. That's the only fair part about his election. He won by hook and crook, deception and lies, and he found enough people willing to believe him to win. Good for the turdball, he at least got that part right. A big time fumble by the other side cost them the win, and it should have. This makes you wonder just which side is really the dumbest, and that's something voters had to decide. A good democracy offers much better choices, and we're not that kind of democracy. I could present a good argument that we're not a democracy at all. But still, almost all Americans will hunker down and wait it out, somehow believing that the democratic processes (that don't exist) will turn things around in time. Dream on. It won't happen.
I'm one of those trapped people who'll have to sit here and watch a country continue to decline, and it's going to be an ugly affair. I'd rather not witness it at all, and since I'm old, perhaps I'll catch a break and get out of it much easier than younger people will. I keep working each day, writing books that take me away from reality for a while, and wondering what comes next. What if I live another ten years? Yuk! I'd rather be living elsewhere if that's going to happen, and I keep a tiny dream alive that I might be able to do that. I won't go far, just to Mexico where I can live on far less money than here. I've written half dozen books on Mexico, and my research has taught me a lot. First, forget almost everything you know from press reports up here because it's bullshit. I challenge you to do your own research, if you've still got wings. If not, don't torment yourself. I could show you the way to a good existence down there, but we all need to draw our own lines on a map, make our own decisions. If you've already bought into the American propaganda bullshit, you're fine with where you are. You wouldn't fit in anywhere else anyway, so stay put and wait it out. You'll wait forever, but that's what you bought, so wear it. If you've still got a clear mind and wings that work, then fly and see what you can find elsewhere. It's up to you.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
A LEGACY FOREVER TARNISHED
Being the first black president of the U.S. made his legacy as chief executive important, and he has worked hard at promoting his achievements. He has also offered some lame excuses for his lack of achievement, one of them being how he handled the Russian hacking situation. In that regard, he blew it, and that will forever tarnish his legacy as a competent president. He thought Clinton had it won, so he decided to roll the dice and let her deal with the problem once in office. But he crapped out, and that ends up costing us more than just a lost election. Yeah, I'm blaming the loss of the election to Donald Trump on Obama, will drop this hot potato right in his lap. He should've known better. Some people are willing to let that pass, but as Trump takes office and the frightening prospects we face become a reality, Obama's big brain fart will become more of an issue.
Obama knew the Democrats had a bad candidate, but he bit the bullet and worked hard to try to win it for her. He knew his own party was rife with nitwits and dipshits, and he still worked toward electing the worst candidate Democrats have fielded in many years. He did that because he knew Trump was that bad, about as bad as any candidate can get, and that leaves him with no excuse for what he did in allowing outside forces to turn the election. He sat back as an FBI director changed the direction of the campaign and did nothing to get him out of the way, or to discredit him. That's not a legacy anyone should be proud of. I don't believe that Obama ever knew how to use power when the time came to get tough. He was good at sending drones flying at an enemy everyone hated, but he didn't know how to handle our worst enemies of all - the home grown variety. And that leaves me thinking that the biggest pussy Trump grabbed was Obama . . . who pussied up when he should've been showing some balls. Bye, bye Obama, and bye, bye grand legacy.
Obama knew the Democrats had a bad candidate, but he bit the bullet and worked hard to try to win it for her. He knew his own party was rife with nitwits and dipshits, and he still worked toward electing the worst candidate Democrats have fielded in many years. He did that because he knew Trump was that bad, about as bad as any candidate can get, and that leaves him with no excuse for what he did in allowing outside forces to turn the election. He sat back as an FBI director changed the direction of the campaign and did nothing to get him out of the way, or to discredit him. That's not a legacy anyone should be proud of. I don't believe that Obama ever knew how to use power when the time came to get tough. He was good at sending drones flying at an enemy everyone hated, but he didn't know how to handle our worst enemies of all - the home grown variety. And that leaves me thinking that the biggest pussy Trump grabbed was Obama . . . who pussied up when he should've been showing some balls. Bye, bye Obama, and bye, bye grand legacy.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AT ITS WORST
THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE DOES NOT WORK! It has never been a democratic way of electing the President and Vice-President, but that's not a mistake. Our forefathers designed it that way because they didn't trust the democratic process. A history lesson in voting rights in this country should teach us at least that much. I blame most of this on the federal system where states are allowed to control voting, which is idiotic when it comes to national elections. But the way it's set up, this fart brained system of election, is the current law and should be respected until it is legally changed. Trump should win the electoral college because he won the most states, and that's the simple fact of the matter. And the vote in the electoral college won't be close due to the current rules. Forget all the bullshit about who won the overall popular vote because it doesn't count. Forget all the Trump sculduggery as to how he won those states because that doesn't count either. We let it happen, and now we have to live with it . . . and no one deserves it more than we do.
People who voted for Trump, the dumbfucks who bought the lies and skulduggery, are first in line when it comes to the Great Idiot Award . . . but just barely. Were I giving the award, the Democrats would get it. How can anyone screw up an election campaign any worse than they did? Clinton should never have been the candidate, and her campaign cost them a victory in the way they went about ousting Bernie Sanders. The Clinton campaign staff was rife with sleazy political operatives, nitwits, and lowlifes. Want to talk about how badly Trump has damaged the Republicans? He has, but there's no way he's done a number on them like the Clintons and their band of bullies have done to the Democrats. Want to talk of party purges? Start with the Democrats because they're truly become Dumocrats. The Trump campaign was smart enough to seize the opportunity the Democrats provided them, so kudos to them for that.
But here's the bad news. With Trump's win, this nation is now in the crapper. Low class has risen to the top like rancid cream, and your new government will be staffed by corporate pirates, right wing extremists, racists, xenophobes, and the dregs of our political society. And it won't work, and we'll all pay the price for that. Complaints against Trump won't go away. Investigations will cripple his presidency like none we've ever seen, the economy will suffer, unemployment will rise, and there'll be the onset of a season of real political hostility. And since there are no good guys in this fight, there's little chance of a win for anyone.
Perhaps you've owned one, a car that just will not work right, always leaves you stranded and afoot. And you keep pouring money into repairs, but the car just keeps breaking down. At some point in time you come to the realization that it's worn out and must be replaced. You go shopping for a new vehicle to get you where you need and want to go, but finding something you can afford is almost impossible. That's where we are with government and politics in the U.S. It is broken beyond repair, and it's time for a new one, and we don't even know how to go shopping for it. Too many obstacles are in the way, and so we keep pouring money into the old vehicle, hoping and praying it will get us around for a while longer. What this all means is simple: We're fucked. And we did it to ourselves.
People who voted for Trump, the dumbfucks who bought the lies and skulduggery, are first in line when it comes to the Great Idiot Award . . . but just barely. Were I giving the award, the Democrats would get it. How can anyone screw up an election campaign any worse than they did? Clinton should never have been the candidate, and her campaign cost them a victory in the way they went about ousting Bernie Sanders. The Clinton campaign staff was rife with sleazy political operatives, nitwits, and lowlifes. Want to talk about how badly Trump has damaged the Republicans? He has, but there's no way he's done a number on them like the Clintons and their band of bullies have done to the Democrats. Want to talk of party purges? Start with the Democrats because they're truly become Dumocrats. The Trump campaign was smart enough to seize the opportunity the Democrats provided them, so kudos to them for that.
But here's the bad news. With Trump's win, this nation is now in the crapper. Low class has risen to the top like rancid cream, and your new government will be staffed by corporate pirates, right wing extremists, racists, xenophobes, and the dregs of our political society. And it won't work, and we'll all pay the price for that. Complaints against Trump won't go away. Investigations will cripple his presidency like none we've ever seen, the economy will suffer, unemployment will rise, and there'll be the onset of a season of real political hostility. And since there are no good guys in this fight, there's little chance of a win for anyone.
Perhaps you've owned one, a car that just will not work right, always leaves you stranded and afoot. And you keep pouring money into repairs, but the car just keeps breaking down. At some point in time you come to the realization that it's worn out and must be replaced. You go shopping for a new vehicle to get you where you need and want to go, but finding something you can afford is almost impossible. That's where we are with government and politics in the U.S. It is broken beyond repair, and it's time for a new one, and we don't even know how to go shopping for it. Too many obstacles are in the way, and so we keep pouring money into the old vehicle, hoping and praying it will get us around for a while longer. What this all means is simple: We're fucked. And we did it to ourselves.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
IF ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS JUMPED OFF A CLIFF, WOULD YOU JUMP TOO?
"Well, I just did it 'cause all the other guys were doing it," you said. And your mother asked, "If one of your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?" Mom wisdom, you know, something we all got as kids and perhaps still remember. I think about that when I think of religion, especially Christianity. It's hard to remember a time when religion didn't dominate your life, and getting free of it can be difficult. All my friends told me it was the right thing to do, so I followed along. But I'm old now, and I no longer follow friends. I don't follow religion either. I've even distanced myself far enough from it now to where I can make fun of it, but I still feel foolish for having once believed in it.
Ok, so here's the sales pitch from the biggest of all religious groups, the Christians. So, there's a God, and he loves you as long as you love him back, but if you don't, he might smack your ass around to remind you who's boss. And if you don't believe in him, and prove that by joining some church where you profess everlasting loyalty and devotion to God, you'll be left out in the cold with all the other lost people. But don't worry about getting too cold 'cause if you don't straighten up and join the church, you'll die and go the Hell where it's really hot. And then there Jesus, God's son, and you have to accept him too, and that means join up and toe the line. All sorts of bad shit happens to you if you don't. There's more. You have to give money to the church to stay in good graces, and you have to think like other church members do.
I'm among the lost, so look out Hell, here I come. The way I've got it figured Heaven is really Hell because it's full of Christians (if you believe them), and that would most certainly be Hell for me. So, if I can't go to Heaven, then where will my lost soul end up? Maybe I'll get recycled again like an aluminum can, end up next time full of English peas instead of beer. But then again, I might just float off into space looking for other lost souls, and that's just fine with me. I don't give a shit about streets of gold, harps, angel wings, puffy clouds, or any of that mythical bullshit . . . and I sure don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of Christians. As for God, I think maybe the concept deserves more consideration than simple dismissal. Maybe we could think of God as a superior intelligence that once conceived all of this stuff about life on earth. Who knows, maybe the earth is God. I think maybe the entire earth was once a true Garden of Eden, and then . . . people showed up. So long Garden of Eden, hello people. You know, sort of like being a really happy dog until the fleas show up, and ever since then the earth has been trying to kick us off. Maybe that's why Christians want to go to heaven, that great dog in the sky where fleas can have a field day. I think they've about sucked the earth dry.
So, dear hearts, there is no Hell down there anywhere, and there's probably no Heaven either. It's just life for a while, and then the great mystery either ends or begins. I'd like to think it ends for me without great fanfare, only to find myself suddenly standing on a lonesome dirt road with nothing in sight but nice terrain. I did Ok in finding my way in this world, so I think I can find something to do in the next one. And if that's not the plan, I'll look forward to a very long nap.
Ok, so here's the sales pitch from the biggest of all religious groups, the Christians. So, there's a God, and he loves you as long as you love him back, but if you don't, he might smack your ass around to remind you who's boss. And if you don't believe in him, and prove that by joining some church where you profess everlasting loyalty and devotion to God, you'll be left out in the cold with all the other lost people. But don't worry about getting too cold 'cause if you don't straighten up and join the church, you'll die and go the Hell where it's really hot. And then there Jesus, God's son, and you have to accept him too, and that means join up and toe the line. All sorts of bad shit happens to you if you don't. There's more. You have to give money to the church to stay in good graces, and you have to think like other church members do.
I'm among the lost, so look out Hell, here I come. The way I've got it figured Heaven is really Hell because it's full of Christians (if you believe them), and that would most certainly be Hell for me. So, if I can't go to Heaven, then where will my lost soul end up? Maybe I'll get recycled again like an aluminum can, end up next time full of English peas instead of beer. But then again, I might just float off into space looking for other lost souls, and that's just fine with me. I don't give a shit about streets of gold, harps, angel wings, puffy clouds, or any of that mythical bullshit . . . and I sure don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of Christians. As for God, I think maybe the concept deserves more consideration than simple dismissal. Maybe we could think of God as a superior intelligence that once conceived all of this stuff about life on earth. Who knows, maybe the earth is God. I think maybe the entire earth was once a true Garden of Eden, and then . . . people showed up. So long Garden of Eden, hello people. You know, sort of like being a really happy dog until the fleas show up, and ever since then the earth has been trying to kick us off. Maybe that's why Christians want to go to heaven, that great dog in the sky where fleas can have a field day. I think they've about sucked the earth dry.
So, dear hearts, there is no Hell down there anywhere, and there's probably no Heaven either. It's just life for a while, and then the great mystery either ends or begins. I'd like to think it ends for me without great fanfare, only to find myself suddenly standing on a lonesome dirt road with nothing in sight but nice terrain. I did Ok in finding my way in this world, so I think I can find something to do in the next one. And if that's not the plan, I'll look forward to a very long nap.
Monday, December 12, 2016
GREETINGS FROM DUMBFUCKISTAN
CAUTION: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE USED HERE!
Greetings from Dumbfuckistan, the land of voters ignorant enough to elect Donald Trump and comrade Republicans to high offices. It is also the land of Democrats dumb enough to totally screw up a campaign bad enough (mostly by choosing a bad candidate) to lose to a bunch of jerks. And that means we're all screwed, and that in turn means that not only are we a nation of dumb fucks, we're also the land of gotfuckeds. I'm one of the gotfuckeds, and of the red ass variety. I'm not alone. You have heard of yellow dog democrats who'd vote for a yellow dog before voting for a Republican, and of blue dog democrats who tend to be middle of the road (that means they're dimwits), and now we have the red ass democrats. We're the real liberals, not the phony fuck dumocrats who thought Clinton was a good candidate.
These FFD type Democrats arrogantly thought they had it made. How stupid do you have to get to allow a director of the FBI to hijack a political campaign? How limp-dicked do you have to be to allow a foreign country to interfere in our biggest election? How stupid do you have to be to run a national election through state laws? (bad laws, at that). Either way it went, the election was a going to be a farce. I don't know what percent of America's population is made up of dumb fucks, but I'd say the number is around eighty percent - dumb fucks on the right, dumb fucks on the left, dumb fucks in the middle, and no place for rational people to go. This isn't about just an election; it's about a takeover by dumb fucks . . . right wingers, at that. The dumbing down of America is real, and it has now taken control. Way to go America, land of the free to fuck everybody, and the home of brave retards.
So, where do we go from here? How can any nation think its way out of a desperate situation when it has gone bat shit crazy? Well, maybe not crazy enough to really do something righteous, but crazy in a really stupid way. Reasonable people are so badly outnumbered there's no real base for intelligent thinking in this country. It's like we've gone to war with lots of guns but no ammunition. And we won't win this war, so those of us reasonable enough (and brave enough) should be looking for an out. This is going to be a real test of courage for the reasonable people, or those who think they are. You have options, and leaving this country isn't a bad one for many people. What happens here will send shock waves around the world (this is already happening), and some places won't be safe havens for Americans leaving here. But staying here is perhaps a bad option for you, and if you choose to do that, you might not be all that reasonable after all. I'm just telling you what I keep telling myself - leave Dumbfuckistan.
Greetings from Dumbfuckistan, the land of voters ignorant enough to elect Donald Trump and comrade Republicans to high offices. It is also the land of Democrats dumb enough to totally screw up a campaign bad enough (mostly by choosing a bad candidate) to lose to a bunch of jerks. And that means we're all screwed, and that in turn means that not only are we a nation of dumb fucks, we're also the land of gotfuckeds. I'm one of the gotfuckeds, and of the red ass variety. I'm not alone. You have heard of yellow dog democrats who'd vote for a yellow dog before voting for a Republican, and of blue dog democrats who tend to be middle of the road (that means they're dimwits), and now we have the red ass democrats. We're the real liberals, not the phony fuck dumocrats who thought Clinton was a good candidate.
These FFD type Democrats arrogantly thought they had it made. How stupid do you have to get to allow a director of the FBI to hijack a political campaign? How limp-dicked do you have to be to allow a foreign country to interfere in our biggest election? How stupid do you have to be to run a national election through state laws? (bad laws, at that). Either way it went, the election was a going to be a farce. I don't know what percent of America's population is made up of dumb fucks, but I'd say the number is around eighty percent - dumb fucks on the right, dumb fucks on the left, dumb fucks in the middle, and no place for rational people to go. This isn't about just an election; it's about a takeover by dumb fucks . . . right wingers, at that. The dumbing down of America is real, and it has now taken control. Way to go America, land of the free to fuck everybody, and the home of brave retards.
So, where do we go from here? How can any nation think its way out of a desperate situation when it has gone bat shit crazy? Well, maybe not crazy enough to really do something righteous, but crazy in a really stupid way. Reasonable people are so badly outnumbered there's no real base for intelligent thinking in this country. It's like we've gone to war with lots of guns but no ammunition. And we won't win this war, so those of us reasonable enough (and brave enough) should be looking for an out. This is going to be a real test of courage for the reasonable people, or those who think they are. You have options, and leaving this country isn't a bad one for many people. What happens here will send shock waves around the world (this is already happening), and some places won't be safe havens for Americans leaving here. But staying here is perhaps a bad option for you, and if you choose to do that, you might not be all that reasonable after all. I'm just telling you what I keep telling myself - leave Dumbfuckistan.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
IT IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK, UNTIL YOU'VE EXPERIENCED IT
I've traveled along the border between Mexico and the U.S. quite a bit in the past fifteen years, and know some of it quite well. I don't know much at all about the border between California, Western Arizona, and New Mexico, but I know some of the border in southeast Arizona and in Texas. Over half our border with Mexico is along the Texas border. If your knowledge of the border comes from news sources, like television, it's wrong. I would say skewed or perhaps tilted toward some agenda, but it's just flat wrong. It doesn't look much like you have it pictured, and it certainly doesn't function like you think it does. If you've got an idea of a tightly secured border due to beefed up Border Patrol people, you can scratch that. I've parked along a stretch of highway in southeast Arizona and watched illegal immigrants simply walk across the border and head north. Fences and walls, where they exist, are mostly for show. Ask anyone who lives along that border about illegal immigrants and drug traffickers, and they just shrug. It's like asking Californians about earthquakes.
Half of the border between Mexico and Texas is busy. Forget the image of tumbled down desert villages along the border and think in terms of metropolitan areas . . . like McAllen or Laredo or in New Mexico, El Paso. Visit an international bridge and watch the traffic flow, and then ask yourself home much real damage is being done to trade between this country and Mexico. You can fight the war against illegal drugs flowing across that border until doomsday and never win it, and for one simple reason - we want the drugs. Without a market here, there wouldn't be much of a drug trade. In fact, the drug trade is double-faceted. It's big money for the drug traders, and it's big money for those who fight it. If we didn't need all those drug enforcement officers, and they were laid off, what would that do to our economy? We need the drugs to keep commerce going, and not just for the sellers and users. Government isn't interested in doing the smart thing and legalizing the drugs; they want the fight. And they losing it, and they still want the fight.
McAllen, Texas is a damn nice town. It's good to look at, and it's ultra modern. Hidalgo County has over half million people now. If you drive from there to the coast, you see the build-up of population, and you see all the commerce, and you know the economy is in decent shape there. That's not the case all over Texas, and still, many Texans are scared to death of the border. I love the part of Texas from Del Rio heading west near the Rio Grande River, all the way to Presidio. Once you leave Presidio and head northwest toward El Paso, you hit some really nice country that's remote and still wild. And in El Paso, the river is almost nonexistent, just a trickle of water. Once you run out of river to mark the border, you just have lots of miles of wide open spaces that are impossible to police and protect.
So, let us go to the little town of Naco in southeast Arizona. That's a place perhaps you've pictured in your mind, a dusty desert town that looks like the back side of the moon. Not far away, you have the much larger towns of Bisbee or Sierra Vista. But at Naco, you have a village, and on both sides of the border. On the Mexican side you'll find dentist's offices and an otherwise grubby looking Mexican town. I'm told this is where many illegal aliens cross, and the town is full of Coyotes, the guys who get them across for a fee. And there's a Border Patrol presence there and a big fence that stops almost nothing. Ten miles out into the desert from Naco there's only the remains of an old fence separating Arizona from Mexico, easy to get past, and then you have a short walk to a major highway where someone can pick you up and transport you north. Think of this when you think of Trump's idiotic wall, and perhaps you'll see the idiocy in it. But think most about what happens to the economies of those border states when and if the undocumented worker force stops, or even slows a lot. Go drive the interstate between Nogales and Tucson and you'll see how important that work force is to Tucson and beyond.
Sometimes we play a fools game, and sometimes the fools are idiots when it comes to knowing the border. My guess is most members of Congress are just these foolish idiots, and we all know what Trump is.
Half of the border between Mexico and Texas is busy. Forget the image of tumbled down desert villages along the border and think in terms of metropolitan areas . . . like McAllen or Laredo or in New Mexico, El Paso. Visit an international bridge and watch the traffic flow, and then ask yourself home much real damage is being done to trade between this country and Mexico. You can fight the war against illegal drugs flowing across that border until doomsday and never win it, and for one simple reason - we want the drugs. Without a market here, there wouldn't be much of a drug trade. In fact, the drug trade is double-faceted. It's big money for the drug traders, and it's big money for those who fight it. If we didn't need all those drug enforcement officers, and they were laid off, what would that do to our economy? We need the drugs to keep commerce going, and not just for the sellers and users. Government isn't interested in doing the smart thing and legalizing the drugs; they want the fight. And they losing it, and they still want the fight.
McAllen, Texas is a damn nice town. It's good to look at, and it's ultra modern. Hidalgo County has over half million people now. If you drive from there to the coast, you see the build-up of population, and you see all the commerce, and you know the economy is in decent shape there. That's not the case all over Texas, and still, many Texans are scared to death of the border. I love the part of Texas from Del Rio heading west near the Rio Grande River, all the way to Presidio. Once you leave Presidio and head northwest toward El Paso, you hit some really nice country that's remote and still wild. And in El Paso, the river is almost nonexistent, just a trickle of water. Once you run out of river to mark the border, you just have lots of miles of wide open spaces that are impossible to police and protect.
So, let us go to the little town of Naco in southeast Arizona. That's a place perhaps you've pictured in your mind, a dusty desert town that looks like the back side of the moon. Not far away, you have the much larger towns of Bisbee or Sierra Vista. But at Naco, you have a village, and on both sides of the border. On the Mexican side you'll find dentist's offices and an otherwise grubby looking Mexican town. I'm told this is where many illegal aliens cross, and the town is full of Coyotes, the guys who get them across for a fee. And there's a Border Patrol presence there and a big fence that stops almost nothing. Ten miles out into the desert from Naco there's only the remains of an old fence separating Arizona from Mexico, easy to get past, and then you have a short walk to a major highway where someone can pick you up and transport you north. Think of this when you think of Trump's idiotic wall, and perhaps you'll see the idiocy in it. But think most about what happens to the economies of those border states when and if the undocumented worker force stops, or even slows a lot. Go drive the interstate between Nogales and Tucson and you'll see how important that work force is to Tucson and beyond.
Sometimes we play a fools game, and sometimes the fools are idiots when it comes to knowing the border. My guess is most members of Congress are just these foolish idiots, and we all know what Trump is.
THE SPOILED ROTTEN TEST
I propose here a test to see how spoiled rotten you are, and I offer this mostly for Americans. My exposure to the everyday variety of citizens here in Texas is that the majority of them are spoiled almost beyond belief . . . and I'm one of them. I'm married to a spoiled rotten woman, and I have spoiled rotten kids and grandkids. None of us are rich or even what could be called "well off." Most Americans aren't either, but they're still spoiled. We're so badly spoiled that we're starting to stink up the place. Here's a test to determine your personal extent of rottenness.
1) How old and how expensive is the vehicle you drive? Do you have more than one vehicle? If you drive a new car (big payments) and have a second older car, you're rotten to the core, even if you can justify a need for two cars.
2) Do you live in a big house, say like 3,000 sq. ft. of living area? Do you have nice furnishings? If so, you're spoiled rotten, even if you can afford it.
3) Do you own at least three televisions or have more than one cell phone in the family? Do you spend extra money on jewelry, recreation, and sporting equipment? Do you have a budget for recreation? If so, you're spoiled rotten.
4) What would it take to get you to live less well, say for instance half as well? An act of God? If so, you're spoiled rotten.
This isn't part of the test, but if you had to live on far less money could you do it?
Look, we're all under pressure to spend money, and it comes at us from all angles. Anyone offering a service or good wants to sell it to you, and they work hard at it. You get family pressures to spend money, and again, from all angles. Everybody seems to need or want something, and those pressures aren't about to go away. No, they're here to stay, and you can't go away from the pressures either . . . at least not easily.
I have a budget only in my head because I spend as much as I need. Doing that makes life more of an obligation than a pleasure. I wonder what it feels like to have a decent savings account? I wonder what it feels like to have a safe supply of money left over at the end of the month? It's not a mystery to me; I just wonder why I allow it to happen to me. I don't have to do that. I'm a willing victim to all the demands for my money, and that's stupid.
During my quiet hours, usually late into the night, I amuse myself looking for ways to save money, to get out from under the money mandate. Last night I was checking our the housing market in San Felipe, Baja California. It's a town of about 30,000 only about a two hour drive into Mexico, and lots of Americans have discovered it. I started looking at San Felipe quite some time ago but wasn't much interested because I'm not a desert person. There are deserts, like the lovely desert around Tucson, and then there are butt ugly, desolate, bleak deserts, like the one around San Felipe. But there's lots of development there, quite a few homes for sale and at very reasonable prices. Forget the fancy resort towns of Mexico because that's not what you'll find in San Felipe. It's recreational, for sure, and the Sea of Cortez is really nice, lots of beautiful beaches. But then, there's that desert.
I found several houses there selling for under fifty grand, and they were nice smaller homes. Not fancy, but nice enough . . . if you can live in about a thousand to twelve hundred feet. I see a few small houses I could simply buy outright, which is the way to go. Just plunk down the money, and it's yours. So, I spend fifty grand on a place like that knowing my property taxes will be almost nil, that my utilities will be a fraction of what they cost here . . . and I'd still be in a gated community where HOA fees are like fifty bucks a month. Property and car insurance is less, and if I decide to keep using my medicare, American doctors and hospitals are not far away. And, my outgoing money demands suddenly drop by 75 percent. But, I'm still in that desert, so the question is: Just how spoiled rotten am I? I have a quick answer, which is: Not that much.
I could do a lot of things to a property under conditions like that. I'd have several thousand bucks a month left over, or maybe more. Even if I jumped in big, bought one of the nicer homes in that area, I'd still be far better off financially. But alas, I have a wife who has demands. Have you ever tried moving a woman from a really nice house to a lesser one? Or, try this statement on for size: "I'm buying a house in a bleak desert in Mexico, and we're going to live off less than two grand a month."
And then, make sure your earplugs are in place.
1) How old and how expensive is the vehicle you drive? Do you have more than one vehicle? If you drive a new car (big payments) and have a second older car, you're rotten to the core, even if you can justify a need for two cars.
2) Do you live in a big house, say like 3,000 sq. ft. of living area? Do you have nice furnishings? If so, you're spoiled rotten, even if you can afford it.
3) Do you own at least three televisions or have more than one cell phone in the family? Do you spend extra money on jewelry, recreation, and sporting equipment? Do you have a budget for recreation? If so, you're spoiled rotten.
4) What would it take to get you to live less well, say for instance half as well? An act of God? If so, you're spoiled rotten.
This isn't part of the test, but if you had to live on far less money could you do it?
Look, we're all under pressure to spend money, and it comes at us from all angles. Anyone offering a service or good wants to sell it to you, and they work hard at it. You get family pressures to spend money, and again, from all angles. Everybody seems to need or want something, and those pressures aren't about to go away. No, they're here to stay, and you can't go away from the pressures either . . . at least not easily.
I have a budget only in my head because I spend as much as I need. Doing that makes life more of an obligation than a pleasure. I wonder what it feels like to have a decent savings account? I wonder what it feels like to have a safe supply of money left over at the end of the month? It's not a mystery to me; I just wonder why I allow it to happen to me. I don't have to do that. I'm a willing victim to all the demands for my money, and that's stupid.
During my quiet hours, usually late into the night, I amuse myself looking for ways to save money, to get out from under the money mandate. Last night I was checking our the housing market in San Felipe, Baja California. It's a town of about 30,000 only about a two hour drive into Mexico, and lots of Americans have discovered it. I started looking at San Felipe quite some time ago but wasn't much interested because I'm not a desert person. There are deserts, like the lovely desert around Tucson, and then there are butt ugly, desolate, bleak deserts, like the one around San Felipe. But there's lots of development there, quite a few homes for sale and at very reasonable prices. Forget the fancy resort towns of Mexico because that's not what you'll find in San Felipe. It's recreational, for sure, and the Sea of Cortez is really nice, lots of beautiful beaches. But then, there's that desert.
I found several houses there selling for under fifty grand, and they were nice smaller homes. Not fancy, but nice enough . . . if you can live in about a thousand to twelve hundred feet. I see a few small houses I could simply buy outright, which is the way to go. Just plunk down the money, and it's yours. So, I spend fifty grand on a place like that knowing my property taxes will be almost nil, that my utilities will be a fraction of what they cost here . . . and I'd still be in a gated community where HOA fees are like fifty bucks a month. Property and car insurance is less, and if I decide to keep using my medicare, American doctors and hospitals are not far away. And, my outgoing money demands suddenly drop by 75 percent. But, I'm still in that desert, so the question is: Just how spoiled rotten am I? I have a quick answer, which is: Not that much.
I could do a lot of things to a property under conditions like that. I'd have several thousand bucks a month left over, or maybe more. Even if I jumped in big, bought one of the nicer homes in that area, I'd still be far better off financially. But alas, I have a wife who has demands. Have you ever tried moving a woman from a really nice house to a lesser one? Or, try this statement on for size: "I'm buying a house in a bleak desert in Mexico, and we're going to live off less than two grand a month."
And then, make sure your earplugs are in place.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
HOW TO PISS OFF A BILL COLLECTOR
Phone rings, and you say hello. On the other end is a bill collector.
"Our records show that you owe us $180,000, an amount for services our hospital rendered that are now long overdue. How do we resolve this problem?"
"What are my options?"
"Your option is to pay us in full."
"Then the problem is yours because I don't have any money."
"Then you'll have to liquidate some assets to pay us."
"I don't have any assets either."
"Then we'll set up a payment schedule for you to pay so much a month."
"I don't have a job either."
"That's your problem and not ours. We still demand payment it full."
"No."
"What do you mean no? You can't just walk away from this."
"No means I'm not going to pay you. If you check my records you'll see that I'm almost eighty years old. I owe you money because of cancer treatments that didn't work. I've got just a short time to live."
"Then the debt will fall to your heirs."
"How does someone who inherits nothing pay bills for a dead man?"
"It's the law."
"Here's a law for you called the law of averages. I have no money or assets to leave anyone, and I don't have a wife or kids. What is the law of averages on your chances of getting paid?"
A long silence. "I don't believe you. We'll go to court to collect the money."
"You do that, but don't be surprised when I don't show."
"You'll go to jail if you don't appear."
"So, who's going to dig me up?"
Another long silence. "This isn't the end of this."
"It is for me."
"Our records show that you owe us $180,000, an amount for services our hospital rendered that are now long overdue. How do we resolve this problem?"
"What are my options?"
"Your option is to pay us in full."
"Then the problem is yours because I don't have any money."
"Then you'll have to liquidate some assets to pay us."
"I don't have any assets either."
"Then we'll set up a payment schedule for you to pay so much a month."
"I don't have a job either."
"That's your problem and not ours. We still demand payment it full."
"No."
"What do you mean no? You can't just walk away from this."
"No means I'm not going to pay you. If you check my records you'll see that I'm almost eighty years old. I owe you money because of cancer treatments that didn't work. I've got just a short time to live."
"Then the debt will fall to your heirs."
"How does someone who inherits nothing pay bills for a dead man?"
"It's the law."
"Here's a law for you called the law of averages. I have no money or assets to leave anyone, and I don't have a wife or kids. What is the law of averages on your chances of getting paid?"
A long silence. "I don't believe you. We'll go to court to collect the money."
"You do that, but don't be surprised when I don't show."
"You'll go to jail if you don't appear."
"So, who's going to dig me up?"
Another long silence. "This isn't the end of this."
"It is for me."
THE PROBLEM OF TECHNOLOGICAL LAG
When a society logs behind technology we call that technological lag, and that's exactly what the U.S. and other countries are dealing with these days. We've lived through a age of great technological advancement, and we're just not smart enough to know what to do with it. All these modern conveniences of advanced technology are in fact killing us. I can start off the the car, that mode of transportation that gets us around town or takes us on trips. It's more than we can handle, and it's not like we haven't had it around for a while. You'd think a century of dealing with cars would have taught us to use it properly, but we're still catching up. I blame that partly on technological advancement in the industry. It's not enough to have a vehicle that will take us where we need to go; it's all about the gadgetry these days. I own one of those advanced machines and have developed a love/hate relationship with it. For one thing, I don't want a vehicle that talks to me, especially when it gives me orders. I'm not a gadgetry person. Gadgets have robbed us of our ability to reason out how to get things done. We don't have to do that now because the gadget does it. They should rename the cell phone a "brain in the pocket."
Here's a good one, the social media gadgetry. So, I got stupid and had a Facebook account for about six months. I disabled it not long ago, and now I'm getting calls because some scam artist cloned me and is using my pic and profile to scam people . . . and, I can't do shit about it. I can't get back on that account, but still some hacker was able to steal my identity. Ever try getting Facebook to stop this? Forget it, they have no ears or eyes for your complaints, which makes them the real scam artist. It's my fault because I should've known better.
Few people have learned to use the new technology without it somehow corrupting them. So, Facebook has been ruined by scam artists, and Twitter is obviously for twits. Electronic gadgets stole away much of our privacy, and we gave it up willingly. Technology has turned you into a number, and the individual has been lost. We no longer have real store clerks, just button pushers who're told what to do by the gadgets the work with. School teachers and professors are being replaced by technology. We've even had a presidential election decided on the misuse of gadgetry - emails, texts, calls, and those infernal voting machines that can be hacked. Are you starting to feel stupid now? You should, but you probably don't because the gadget hasn't given you permission yet. So, go ahead and fiddle with your brain in the pocket thingie. Look up technological lag, or check out the facts about a dumbed down public. You can do it, so come on and look it up . . . and then we'll see if you can figure it out.
The next time someone asks you for your number, regardless of what number they want, just say, "Zero." You'll get a dumb look, and, "No, the real number." And you can say, "That is my real number because that's what you've reduced me to." I paid my car payment this month using the telephone, never talked to a real person, just punched in numbers when an electronically produced voice ask for it. Slick operation, got it done quickly, and easily . . . and I felt stupid for the rest of the day. And, I felt a little sad that a bunch of numbers own my car instead of me.
Here's a good one, the social media gadgetry. So, I got stupid and had a Facebook account for about six months. I disabled it not long ago, and now I'm getting calls because some scam artist cloned me and is using my pic and profile to scam people . . . and, I can't do shit about it. I can't get back on that account, but still some hacker was able to steal my identity. Ever try getting Facebook to stop this? Forget it, they have no ears or eyes for your complaints, which makes them the real scam artist. It's my fault because I should've known better.
Few people have learned to use the new technology without it somehow corrupting them. So, Facebook has been ruined by scam artists, and Twitter is obviously for twits. Electronic gadgets stole away much of our privacy, and we gave it up willingly. Technology has turned you into a number, and the individual has been lost. We no longer have real store clerks, just button pushers who're told what to do by the gadgets the work with. School teachers and professors are being replaced by technology. We've even had a presidential election decided on the misuse of gadgetry - emails, texts, calls, and those infernal voting machines that can be hacked. Are you starting to feel stupid now? You should, but you probably don't because the gadget hasn't given you permission yet. So, go ahead and fiddle with your brain in the pocket thingie. Look up technological lag, or check out the facts about a dumbed down public. You can do it, so come on and look it up . . . and then we'll see if you can figure it out.
The next time someone asks you for your number, regardless of what number they want, just say, "Zero." You'll get a dumb look, and, "No, the real number." And you can say, "That is my real number because that's what you've reduced me to." I paid my car payment this month using the telephone, never talked to a real person, just punched in numbers when an electronically produced voice ask for it. Slick operation, got it done quickly, and easily . . . and I felt stupid for the rest of the day. And, I felt a little sad that a bunch of numbers own my car instead of me.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
LOOK TWICE, AND THEN LOOK AGAIN
At first glance, it might look good, but your second look is more revealing. The reverse is also true. First looks might be negative images, and when you look again, it looks better. I got good advice as a youngster from an old uncle who said, "Never fall in love with anything that's for sale. If you want it too much, you'll overpay for it." I've tried to remember that, but I've still overpaid for a lot of things, among them houses and cars. And it wasn't necessarily the first look that got me. I've looked at an overpriced car a half dozen times and still ended up buying it. I did the same thing with a house, and not so much because I fell in love with the house. The price was too good to turn down, and later on you discover why. It was in a crappy town, and that means when you sell the home it's worth about what you paid for it. Maybe you look at a house and get blinded to the neighborhood. Or maybe you like the neighborhood and don't see problems with the house. The best looking car I ever owned turned out to be a lemon.
Some years ago a friend went through a divorce, and he said, "I sure didn't divorce the woman I married." And I said, "Who does?" The word here, however, is projection. We tend to project certain things onto things and people that strike our fancy, and we may or may not see the real thing or person. We know what we want, and we mistakenly project qualities onto something that looks good. Sometimes we do that no matter how many looks we take, and we end up disappointed. Hindsight is better than foresight, but we can make hindsight better if we do a better job with foresight. It's a simple as asking yourself the question, "Why do I want that, and can I afford it?"
I want a house in Mexico, and I want it badly. And yes, I'm guilty of projection when it comes to making such a move. I know how bad I want it; I just don't know if I can afford it. This is where the looks become very important . . . not just looks, but some old fashioned common sense brought about through intensive research. You can never ask enough questions, and you need to ask the right people. And then don't be too reluctant to take some good advice. I found a place in Mexico that looked good, almost too good. I studied as much about it as possible for a week, and started seeing things I didn't like. It was beautiful but too remote. It was full of American expats who were hard to live around. It was too humid. I found people online who'd been defrauded by opportunistic locals, and they were more than willing to talk about it. And, I scratched it from my list. Earlier, during the the first stages of investigation, I found a place that didn't look good. Nice enough town and on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, but the desert was bleak. Almost no rain, very little vegetation. And then I find information about the developers there, Americans who've created a nice environment for retirees. I took a second look, and then a third, and even more . . . and the more you look, the better it looks, even that butt ugly desert. It went on my list of places to visit, and that's the best look of all. See it in person, find out all you can, and do that without the intent of falling in love with it. Sometimes you find some good things, even in a desert.
And if you look hard enough and long enough, you'll find the right deal. Be wary of the great deal because it's usually not as good as it seems, and it's smart to take close looks at what seems overpriced. Larceny starts in the heart of the buyer as often as it does the seller. Somewhere in the middle there's a solution. I'd have to say that I have few regrets about the things I paid too much money for, but I have quite a few regrets about foolish money I spent on what looked like great deals. In the end I'd rather say, "Yeah, I probably paid too much, but I still got a good deal."
Some years ago a friend went through a divorce, and he said, "I sure didn't divorce the woman I married." And I said, "Who does?" The word here, however, is projection. We tend to project certain things onto things and people that strike our fancy, and we may or may not see the real thing or person. We know what we want, and we mistakenly project qualities onto something that looks good. Sometimes we do that no matter how many looks we take, and we end up disappointed. Hindsight is better than foresight, but we can make hindsight better if we do a better job with foresight. It's a simple as asking yourself the question, "Why do I want that, and can I afford it?"
I want a house in Mexico, and I want it badly. And yes, I'm guilty of projection when it comes to making such a move. I know how bad I want it; I just don't know if I can afford it. This is where the looks become very important . . . not just looks, but some old fashioned common sense brought about through intensive research. You can never ask enough questions, and you need to ask the right people. And then don't be too reluctant to take some good advice. I found a place in Mexico that looked good, almost too good. I studied as much about it as possible for a week, and started seeing things I didn't like. It was beautiful but too remote. It was full of American expats who were hard to live around. It was too humid. I found people online who'd been defrauded by opportunistic locals, and they were more than willing to talk about it. And, I scratched it from my list. Earlier, during the the first stages of investigation, I found a place that didn't look good. Nice enough town and on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, but the desert was bleak. Almost no rain, very little vegetation. And then I find information about the developers there, Americans who've created a nice environment for retirees. I took a second look, and then a third, and even more . . . and the more you look, the better it looks, even that butt ugly desert. It went on my list of places to visit, and that's the best look of all. See it in person, find out all you can, and do that without the intent of falling in love with it. Sometimes you find some good things, even in a desert.
And if you look hard enough and long enough, you'll find the right deal. Be wary of the great deal because it's usually not as good as it seems, and it's smart to take close looks at what seems overpriced. Larceny starts in the heart of the buyer as often as it does the seller. Somewhere in the middle there's a solution. I'd have to say that I have few regrets about the things I paid too much money for, but I have quite a few regrets about foolish money I spent on what looked like great deals. In the end I'd rather say, "Yeah, I probably paid too much, but I still got a good deal."
Sunday, December 4, 2016
THE NUMBER ONE LEARNING DISABILITY IS THE ASSUMPTION YOU ALREADY KNOW ENOUGH
Smart people, meaning the intellectuals of this world, are thought to be arrogant and snobbish by those of less intelligence. This is a myth because the shoe is on the other foot. I've never run across arrogance like you find with people of little education. They seem to believe they were born with access to a smarts bank and they could write checks on it. They believe they know enough about most things when in fact they know little about almost everything. And they think this manifest of ignorance is all they need to claim an even footing with everyone else in society. It seems to me that the real conservative base in this country comes from exactly this group of people, and they're no longer a minority. Conservatism is in itself a learning disability, regardless of your educational status, but it's a good hotel for ignorance as well. If you can't figure much of anything out on your own, especially the intricacies of government and society, you go the easy route. You take a very narrow view of it all, and then go with that. Couple with that the conservative's tendency to be religious, and the problem is compounded. If there's any group out there that loves ignorance, it's fundamentalist religious groups.
All you need to do to see how easily this works is analyze a few things. Selling Christianity to a smart person isn't easy, or at least it's a more difficult sale. Selling conservatism to an intelligent person is likewise difficult because they see through the ruse, the total bullshit of conservative ideology. To call something "conservative ideology" is an oxymoron because conservatism isn't based on ideas, just reactions to ideas. Just look up the definition of the word, and that alone tells you something. To conserve means to hold back, to save, and that also includes saving thoughts, the ideas that can generate good government and a better society. Attach to that the impropriety of religion, and you've got a dumbed down citizen. Are these vicious people we should worry about? Not usually, and perhaps just the reverse is true. Dumb dogs are lovable, and so are dumb people. One could present a decent argument that people gravitate to what they know best - dumbness. When I think of all the frustrating things around me, the arrogance of dumbness comes to the surface. I suppose that's because it's so hard to ignore.
All you need to do to see how easily this works is analyze a few things. Selling Christianity to a smart person isn't easy, or at least it's a more difficult sale. Selling conservatism to an intelligent person is likewise difficult because they see through the ruse, the total bullshit of conservative ideology. To call something "conservative ideology" is an oxymoron because conservatism isn't based on ideas, just reactions to ideas. Just look up the definition of the word, and that alone tells you something. To conserve means to hold back, to save, and that also includes saving thoughts, the ideas that can generate good government and a better society. Attach to that the impropriety of religion, and you've got a dumbed down citizen. Are these vicious people we should worry about? Not usually, and perhaps just the reverse is true. Dumb dogs are lovable, and so are dumb people. One could present a decent argument that people gravitate to what they know best - dumbness. When I think of all the frustrating things around me, the arrogance of dumbness comes to the surface. I suppose that's because it's so hard to ignore.
Friday, December 2, 2016
A REFRESHER ON WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER MEXICO AS A PLACE TO LIVE
I've said before, but it's always worth repeating. Consider Mexico as a home, regardless of what your age is or what you do for a living. It all starts with:
1) Abandon the notion that you just can't do it. Necessity is the mother of invention, and you might need to leave here for a better situation somewhere else. Mexico is the best option.
2) Purge your mind of almost everything you know about Mexico through American news sources. It's mostly all bogus. They have crime, yes, but many places there have far less crime than you live around here. Their government is corrupt, you say? Can you hear me laughing? Like the one you live under here isn't? Mexico is poor, you say? Have you looked around lately? It's here too, you know, and it affects upwards of half our population. Mexico is backward? Think of it this way: They didn't just elect a misogynist, xenophobic jerk to the highest office in the land, and we did. I could go on and on about this, but the bottom line is: Don't believe what you hear here, not from our press. Do your own research, go take a look for yourself.
3) Don't dive into the deep end of the pool without your floaties. Plan adequately, make contacts, form alliances, and again, do the research. You'll find out some interesting things. All of them won't be good, but you'll know what you're up against and can weigh the costs of moving there against the benefits. You'll find the benefits enticing. I did, and it only took a short while to do that. We all have different situations and circumstances to deal with. I'll reveal mine, show you the difference, and you can go from there.
I live in a nice house in central Texas and am on a fixed retirement income. We, the wife and I, have a steady bankable income of about $4,600 a month, but she still works to help make ends meet. On a monthly basis we spend about a thousand a month just on various insurances. A move to a nice town in Mexico cuts that in half, even a little more, and we're just as well insured. We spend over five thousand a year here on just property taxes, and for the same kind of house in Mexico, that goes down to more like two hundred. Utilities here can run as much as $1,000 a month, almost always around $800 (that's for a home and my wife's business), and in Mexico that would be no more than $100 a month. Three things, folks, just those three things would save this family around $20,000 a year. With other reduced cost of living there, that number edges up close to $30,000 a year. I fact checked it all; it's not a myth.
4) Be prepared to give up some things, and one of them is your spoiled American attitude. Be prepared to change and adjust to another culture. Mexico is mostly a pay as you go society, and if you go there and try to live like you do here (credit cards and big debt), you're very little better off. You won't have to sacrifice in lifestyle, just mostly in your style. Don't be the ugly American. One of the hardest adjustments you'll face is to shake your fearfulness, something you've been trained to be here. You can't be fearful of people who're not like you and get along well anywhere.
5) Relish the adventure. What do you really have to lose? Nobody leaves a place that's working well for them. They go looking for a better life, and that doesn't just land in you lap. I'm trying to make that move, and I'm 75 years old. If I can do it, anybody can . . . if they need to, and want to. My need to move there is greater than my wanting to be there. In in a position to say, "I'd love to stay, but they won't let me." Too many people want to take too much here. I want out from under that.
1) Abandon the notion that you just can't do it. Necessity is the mother of invention, and you might need to leave here for a better situation somewhere else. Mexico is the best option.
2) Purge your mind of almost everything you know about Mexico through American news sources. It's mostly all bogus. They have crime, yes, but many places there have far less crime than you live around here. Their government is corrupt, you say? Can you hear me laughing? Like the one you live under here isn't? Mexico is poor, you say? Have you looked around lately? It's here too, you know, and it affects upwards of half our population. Mexico is backward? Think of it this way: They didn't just elect a misogynist, xenophobic jerk to the highest office in the land, and we did. I could go on and on about this, but the bottom line is: Don't believe what you hear here, not from our press. Do your own research, go take a look for yourself.
3) Don't dive into the deep end of the pool without your floaties. Plan adequately, make contacts, form alliances, and again, do the research. You'll find out some interesting things. All of them won't be good, but you'll know what you're up against and can weigh the costs of moving there against the benefits. You'll find the benefits enticing. I did, and it only took a short while to do that. We all have different situations and circumstances to deal with. I'll reveal mine, show you the difference, and you can go from there.
I live in a nice house in central Texas and am on a fixed retirement income. We, the wife and I, have a steady bankable income of about $4,600 a month, but she still works to help make ends meet. On a monthly basis we spend about a thousand a month just on various insurances. A move to a nice town in Mexico cuts that in half, even a little more, and we're just as well insured. We spend over five thousand a year here on just property taxes, and for the same kind of house in Mexico, that goes down to more like two hundred. Utilities here can run as much as $1,000 a month, almost always around $800 (that's for a home and my wife's business), and in Mexico that would be no more than $100 a month. Three things, folks, just those three things would save this family around $20,000 a year. With other reduced cost of living there, that number edges up close to $30,000 a year. I fact checked it all; it's not a myth.
4) Be prepared to give up some things, and one of them is your spoiled American attitude. Be prepared to change and adjust to another culture. Mexico is mostly a pay as you go society, and if you go there and try to live like you do here (credit cards and big debt), you're very little better off. You won't have to sacrifice in lifestyle, just mostly in your style. Don't be the ugly American. One of the hardest adjustments you'll face is to shake your fearfulness, something you've been trained to be here. You can't be fearful of people who're not like you and get along well anywhere.
5) Relish the adventure. What do you really have to lose? Nobody leaves a place that's working well for them. They go looking for a better life, and that doesn't just land in you lap. I'm trying to make that move, and I'm 75 years old. If I can do it, anybody can . . . if they need to, and want to. My need to move there is greater than my wanting to be there. In in a position to say, "I'd love to stay, but they won't let me." Too many people want to take too much here. I want out from under that.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
SOCIAL NETWORKING IS A BAD IDEA
We now live in a world of computerized gadgetry, and it has opened doors to a fascinating array of adventures. It has also opened doors to fraud, and lots of it. I disabled my Facebook account, but it got cloned anyway. Trying to get Facebook to do anything about it is difficult, mostly because they're only easy to contact if you still have an account. Try calling other numbers, and you get recordings . . . or nothing. And it's not just social networking, it's the emails and texting and all that. Did you ever think you'd see a presidential election decided over the improper or careless use of these devices? Well, it happened, and that in itself is a fraud. What it is, in my opinion, is just theft and should be punished the same way. Hackers should go to jail just like some dude that knocks over a convenience store . . . but they don't. We let Russians get by with hacking sensitive information, and we even often make heroes out of jerks like Julian Assange and Wikileaks. This makes the fraud even worse, and it makes governing agencies look like jerks. Rights to privacy are involved here, and that should be reason enough to do more to stop the misuse of technology. We're not smart about some things. Emails became an issue in the campaign, but people thought Trump's tax evasion and refusal to release tax returns was acceptable. Our we turning into a bunch of idiots?
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