Mile Post 370

Mile Post 370
Mile Post 370

Saturday, January 16, 2016

How to Prove that Conservative Republicans are Not Serious

Fritz Pettyjohn is a great blogger, and the author of The Reagan Project.  He currently supports Ted Cruz for the Republican primary nomination for POTUS.  While Ted is an ideological fit (and a top 3 choice), he isn't my first choice for nominee.  

My top choice was Carly Fiorina (due to her business experience and her stand on the issues-shrinking the Federal Government by retirement attrition, zero-based budgeting and flat tax-where "everybody's ox gets gored"), followed closely by former candidate Governor Scott Walker (due to his breaking the government workers union and balancing the budget by cutting such frivolities as high speed rail and the 2 Special Talgo trains that went with it.

Cruz, however, is special to me.  He's a bombastic brick thrower, much like Newt Gingrich.  His "antics" of calling (Republican) Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell "a liar" on the senate floor is epic and akin to some of the antebellum antics that occurred between Representatives and Senators from states of disparate cultures.  And his recreation of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in a losing effort to stop the implementation of Obamacare is heady stuff from this young Texan.

In the January 15th issue of The Reagan Project, http://reaganproject.com/2016/01/15/who-hires-morons-like-mike-murphy/, following the 5th Republican debate in North Charleston, SC, Pettyjohn discussed how Cruz played it cool with Donald Trump and how he should approach the Iowa Corn/Ethanol full employment for farmers lobby.

Then Pettyjohn suggested that Cruz pick Marco Rubio for Veep (assuming that Cruz gets the nomination).  

I think that would be a HUGE mistake.  While having Rubio as a VEEP for Cruz looks to be expedient, I believe that it's only a short term winner that kills the Conservative Movement.   With Rubio having joined up with the "Gang of 8" Senators that were  hell-bent to confer legal status to illegal aliens, Rubio can NEVER  pass himself off as a conservative.  

Remember that it was Establishment/Country Club Republi-crat Bush 1 whose team coined and who used the derisionary term "Trickle Down Economics" unsuccessfully against Reagan in 1980.  As a career politician, George Herbert Walker Bush was to be "the chosen one" by the Republican establishment.  And, much like Reagan with Bush 1, if Rubio is Cruz's VEEP, he will be the sold as the third term of Cruz, moderate the message and compromise (The Bush 1 sell out on "Read my lips - No new taxes!"), pissing off the despised groups of the Republican Coalition (Social Conservatives, Fiscal Conservatives and Defense/2nd Amendment Conservatives to the advantage of the Establishment/Country Club Republicans that want to establish "the new world order").  Once that happens, we wander in the wilderness for another 28 or more years, waiting for conditions to arise when the Country Club Repubs decide it's better for them to compromise  their values rather than to the country to go down in flames (e.g. the end of the Carter Administration).  

In order to be trusted, the Conservative message must be conservative, continuous and consistent. Choosing a Country Club/Establishment Republi-crat, like Marco Rubio, as the VEEP nominee doesn't send that message.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Debt, Economics and Math

A Physics Professor I had about 30 years ago once told me, "Economics is simple.  If your income is less than your out go, your up keep will be your down fall."

When we live beyond our means, we're usually trying to impress somebody (who doesn't give a damn) with money and things (that we don't have and can't afford) gaining neither the satisfaction or respect of the person we are trying to impress.   

Yes, it hurts like hell to admit that you can't (or even better,  haven't) live(d) within your means and now you're in debt.  But, generally, debt is only a symptom of a larger and more basic problem, overspending.  

As someone who has received budget counseling and has passed the knowledge that he was given on to others who have asked about it, here is the Real Deal:  Overspending/Debt is like Alcoholism or even type II Diabetes when looked at as a disease.  It is only when you accept the FACT that you're sick that you can actually decide to do something about it (I seem to remember a friend who once told me an Asian Proverb:  "When the student is ready (to learn), the teacher appears.").  

However, overspending/debt, like alcoholism or even type II diabetes, is also generally a "self-inflicted disease."  It's an addictive behavior, similar to Alcoholism.   Generally, when you understand 1) That you can control it and 2) That you don't have to live like that, you start to gain control of your life.  I'm not saying that life will be simple or that it will be easy to dig out of debt.  

Although we had never bought anything fancy or even new, we had revolving debt.  We had some revolving debt and had just purchased my wife a new(er used) car.  Then she got pregnant with Our son (surprise!).  After having Him, she had a miscarriage and we decided for her to stay home (it was the right decision).  She had our daughter about 1 year after the miscarriage.  I knew this change in our lives from DINCs (Dual Incomes, No Children) to being parents, on a single blue collar wage, would require readjusting our budget, but put it off.  We were going in debt at the rate of $1600/month.

When we finally did something about it, to dig our way out of debt, I immediately stopped contributing to my 401K plan (I was at 15%), and let a life insurance policy that I could no longer afford go.  We liquidated what little we had of my wife's 401K (maybe $2000-4000 total).  Then we lived with a VERY RESTRICTED Austerity Budget.  For a while, I even worked 2 jobs (my part time job was in the tire shop at the local warehouse club).

As I eventually got promoted from Blue Collar to White Collar and slowly my pay began to rise.  At last, my college degree was used to qualify me for something other than manual, semi-skilled labor.

It took about 10 years for us to "dig out," paying down the debt that we had after the kids were born and My wife stayed at home to raise/teach them.

Some people (and I am one) will struggle with debt for the rest of their lives.  But I understand the propensity for me to overspend and have learned to check it.  I have and always will have a problem with overspending, even if I don't go back into debt.

We recently bought another car - it was the right time and correct decision, as it would have cost us more to fix the 1992 Chevy Lumina than to buy the 2001 Buick Century.  With the inflation (that, according to the government, we haven't been having), we went backwards about $10K in the past 6-1/2 years.  So, we are now back to austerity again, working toward financial freedom.

So math wins!  As it will be with Detroit, like Cleveland before it and Washington, D.C. after it and probably even with the nation.  

Math ALWAYS wins.  So, it's better to face the facts sooner, rather than later.  Or to put it as a friend of mine would say "If you're in a hole, stop digging."

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

While Bad News Surrounds, the Good News Abounds

If you look around, you will see that there is Plenty of bad news in the world.  As someone who wants to see a bigger picture, I follow many news sources.   In Matthew 12:32 Jesus says:


"From the fig tree, learn its lesson:  as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near."

I look for signs.

Blogs are a great source of news from a personal point of view, that is unfiltered from Mainstream Media Moguls, who have their own narratives that they want to tell.

In order to get the big picture, You have to get past "the blinders" that keep us looking forward.  These blog authors' own stories can tell you much about the world, if you're willing to listen and compile the data that has been presented as a whole.  You have to read or follow quite a few blogs from people of diverse backgrounds, in various geographic locations in order to see the big picture that is all around us.  

The blogs (and vlogs) that I follow need to range from the radical right to the loony left to the kook socialists,and even would be anarchists extending over many geographic areas in order to have an even sampling of everything that's going on in today's world.  I follow the "preppers," the disenfranchised, those resolved to "enjoy the decline," the "singularists," those who've given up on the state of marriage, the romantics, political pundits, the economists, the business leaders, et. al..  By doing this, I hope to get the big picture.

One of the sources I follow is a blog named the The Economic Collapse Blog, http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/stock-markets-all-over-the-world-crash-as-we-begin-2016, that points to the signs that the world economy is imploding all around us.  Some pessimists might ask "Is the world coming to an end?"  It just might be.  In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us a detailed description of what will happen in the end times. Much of the signs seem awfully familiar.  But we don't have to worry about it.

I read this the other day and it is prescient:  http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/2016-a-year-for-living-with-no-fear  It kind of puts it all in the perspective of Solomon, who was reported as the wisest man who ever live.  As he closes the book of Ecclesiastes.  In Chapter 12:11-14 he stay this:

"The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.  
My son, beware of anything beyond these.  Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
The end of the matter; all has been heard.  Fear GOD and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For GOD will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."


Those of us who follow, understand the end:  GOD Wins!  There is nothing else that we need to worry about. Focus on GOD and follow HIM.  It will be all right in HIS time.