Gun Regulations – Good or Bad?

Will getting tough on gun laws prevent tragedies such as Sandy School massacre? I say Yes and No. Do we need AK47 assault rifles? Maybe Yes and No. The main problem is not with the guns themselves. It is a society problem. Our society produced the type of person that would go out and buy the gun and turn it on children and other human beings. We have very realistic video games where you blow the bad guys head off. You walk down the street in the games and kill everyone in site. In the 50s we had violent westerns. But those westerns had good guys and bad guys. The bad guys were killers, the good guys would round up the bad guys without killing them if possible. Growing up in the 50s did not produce a large crop of sickos that went out and killed in mass. same day

Read more

Fiscal Cliff and Social Security

For some reason, Republicans want to cut or change Social Security benefits. For years they have been borrowing from the fund and spending the money on pet projects. Now, they claim the system is going broke. Suggestion – instead of cutting benefits, stop borrowing from the fund, reduce SS fraud, and figure out how to increase funding of this important program. Once again, the poor and middle class will suffer if SS benefits are reduced. It is rumored that President Obama may cave in and eliminate or drastically reduce the Cost of Living increases built into Social Security. Think about who this will affect – not the wealthy who do not depend on Social Security, not members of Congress who do not rely on Social Security – but the poor and middle class that depend on Social Security. A grandmother, living alone, who worked all her life and raised a

Read more

Romney’s Taxes or Lack Of…

Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, accused Mitt Romney of paying no taxes for 10 years. This move is very similar to Obama’s election in 2008 where Republicans accused Obama of not being born in the USA. Obama’s birth certificate was fodder for all kinds of conspiracy theories and accusations that exist even today… even though his birth certificate was finally released. Conspiracy theories claim it was doctored. Back to Romney… he can put an end to speculation that he paid no taxes by producing the last 10 years of tax returns. But even if he does so, will conspiracy theories continue claiming they were doctored? Except in this case, the IRS can confirm or deny his released returns accuracy. The tax return Romney did release shows that much of his income was sheltered in foreign countries such as the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. Could this be the fall of Romney

Read more

Congress kicks the can again….

Our leaders are ready to postpone budget cuts and taxes another 6 months. Instead of dealing with real issues, Congress – both houses and both parties – continue to kick the can. They are incapable of passing meaningful legislation or a meaningful budget. For over 8 months they knew a budget reduction bill needed to be passed. They were unable to pass anything last year or the beginning of this year, so they kicked the can a little further down the road. They said give us 1 more year. Now they want another 6 months. Instead of doing their jobs and tackling issues that are important such as a balanced budget and meaningful government cuts and reductions, they do nothing. Instead they waste their time on unproductive  items like holding the Attorney General in contempt of Congress and wasting time and money on something that will produce no benefit to

Read more

The House trying to pull a fast one on Insider Trading Bill

One of the few good bills that got passed in April – with bipartisan support has a major flaw. For some reason, Eric Cantor and his Republican flock decided to “unintentionally” move the requirements that the bill also apply to spouse and children, to another section. This “unintentional” move legally excludes spouses and children of Congressional members from having to report insider trades they make. fast payout loans The purpose of this bill was to prevent members of Congress and their family and staff from purchasing stock based on inside information – such as upcoming legislation that may affect stock prices of certain companies. Up until now, members of Congress could sit on a committee and make decisions that will affect a company or industry, and rush out and buy or sell that stock before the actual bill gets passed or denied – knowing in advance how it would be

Read more

JP Morgan $2 Billion Loss – $23 Million Pay Day

Goes to show you, some things never change. When the “too big to fail” institutions decide to gamble with stockholder and consumer money in hopes of hitting it big, they can end up losing it all. JP Morgan’s insurance bets just lost that company $2 billion. JP Morgan’s CEO just received a $23 million paycheck voted by shareholders. And the 99%’ers are left scratching their heads saying, “what’s wrong with this picture?”. I’m not against huge pay for those at the top… but my definition of “huge” is obviously different from that of the 1%’ers. Based on a 60hr work week, 52 weeks/yr… that is just over $7,000/hr… or $120 per minute. I know those that support these massive pay scales say it is not an hourly rate as much as a performance pay — if they are making the company money, they should be compensated. Just like an actor

Read more

Tax Reform vs. The Buffett Rule

Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to pay taxes? If we got to keep 100% of what we make? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Our country has grown to be the most powerful and advanced country in the world. With that comes responsibilities we all must pay for. We need a military to protect us against bad guys. We need highways that allow us to travel this great country. We need bridges to go along with the highways so we can cross waterways. We need a justice system to protect our citizens from evil doers. As we prospered and grew, we also realized that as a civilized country we need to take care of those of us that can not care for themselves. This includes the elderly and mentally incapable. To assist in caring for older citizens, we set up a plan where everyone helped pay into a

Read more

Should the Government Mandate Health Coverage?

As the Supreme Court contemplates whether it is Constitutional for the Federal Government to mandate (force) all US citizens to have health insurance or face fines, we have to ask ourselves if this is a road we want to go down. Do I want the government telling me what to do? If the government forces me to get health insurance, what’s next? Dental insurance? Long-term care insurance? Individual unemployment insurance? As a proponent for less government in our lives, you would think I would be against this part of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Yet, I understand the need for individuals taking responsibility for their own life, which includes their own healthcare. A healthy, young adult may not see a need to pay for health coverage… money better spent on the newest cell phone, or car. But what happens when that same healthy, young adult is diagnosed with life threatening cancer?

Read more

Affordable Healthcare or No Healthcare?

So what’s the plan? Republicans have been hell bent on destroying any type of healthcare plan or reform from day one. Is that because it is “ObamaCare” or just Healthcare reform in general? I watch Fox News and their poll quotes 74% want to repeal the “Affordable Healthcare Act” (ObamaCare). I watch CNN and their polls show 54% want to keep it. I haven’t heard MSNBC’s poll numbers but assume it would show 70+% in favor of keeping it. Poll numbers can not be trusted by themselves. How the questions are asked and to what group will define the results. So what’s not to like? and what are the alternatives? The bill assures coverage for everyone through private insurers. You can no longer be dropped if you become ill and get laid off from work. Your adult children can remain on your policy until age 26 – which gives them time to

Read more