I thought I would take a moment to express my dissatisfaction with the Arkansas Lottery. I know that many of you see this and think, "what a sanctimonious jerk." While that is likely true, that is not the cause for my complaint. I am frustrated because the Arkansas Lottery means I have to wait everywhere I go. Most stores (every one I have been in actually) that are selling Lotto tickets are being bogged down by having to explain which ticket is which, how to play and finally with the people who are hanging around spending all of their lotto winnings on Lotto tickets. Meanwhile, I am in the back of the line wanting to purchase my goods, wondering why no one will wait on me, but then that might also be because I am such a sanctimonious jerk.
I attempted banning stores that are selling lotto tickets, but alas every store I have been in of late sells the infernal things. I guess I will get used to waiting all the time, or perhaps they new will wear off.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Interesting Development in Union Land
Workers for Boeing have thrown off the shackles of their labor union. This is interesting, as it challenges our accepted thought that once you get a union you will never be rid of it. I don't know the actual reason, but I wonder if this economy has workers thinking that what is best for their company is what is best for them. Lets hope Boeing keeps it honest and takes care of these folks and proves the world of Organized labor wrong.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Propelling a Grass Roots Candidate to Victory
I was pondering today, how can a grass roots conservative win in 2010. How can we propel him to victory. I ask this because that is exactly what we need to do this year, is send a common man to Washington to represent the common man.
This, however, is a bit of a challenge. How can he win? He has never run for office before, he is not connected to anybody. He doesn't have great fundraising ties. So how does he win? Well I am here with a plan for all of you out there who want to see the little guy win in 2010.
1.Shamelessly promote your candidate. Post his videos on your blog, email his info to friends, talk about him on Facebook etc. Something I have found is really easy to do is make him your Facebook friend and then copy all of his updates, ads, and what ever else to your status. If he is any good at all, people will see that.
2.When you receive an invitation to an event via any outlet, forward that invite to your friends list. I do this on Facebook. I receive an invite, and then I will go to the event page and send another invite. If everyone does this we can spread word very quickly about events.
3. Attend events. This gets you to where he is, and it also shows power. Attendance at rallies will build support among the skeptics. Big turnouts creates trust and cognitive dissonance. I don't really want to explain that last big word, but it is there.
4. Volunteer. Staff members cost a bunch of money and a lot of times you could help do the small things that make a campaign run.
5. Give
6. Give
7. Give I went overboard on that one to emphasize its importance. I really think that this should be #1 on the list, but I wanted you to actually read what I had to say here. Giving to a politician is kinda tough. Buying a shamrock at the gas station is simple and it helps Jerry's kids. The balloons at Wal-Mart make us feel warm and fuzzy, but giving to a candidate rubs us the wrong way. Well, we need to get over that. Taking your message to the people costs a ton of money. There are staff members to pay, media buys, travel expenses, office space and so on. If your grassroots candidate is going to make it, you will have to support him. Even the poorest of us can afford to give $10 a month to a candidate.
8. Ask people for money. If they say they want to see so and so elected, ask them to put their money where their mouth is. I am going to do it right now to show you how easy it is, will you go to www.whoisdavidmeeks.com and pledge monthly support to take our country back?
This, however, is a bit of a challenge. How can he win? He has never run for office before, he is not connected to anybody. He doesn't have great fundraising ties. So how does he win? Well I am here with a plan for all of you out there who want to see the little guy win in 2010.
1.Shamelessly promote your candidate. Post his videos on your blog, email his info to friends, talk about him on Facebook etc. Something I have found is really easy to do is make him your Facebook friend and then copy all of his updates, ads, and what ever else to your status. If he is any good at all, people will see that.
2.When you receive an invitation to an event via any outlet, forward that invite to your friends list. I do this on Facebook. I receive an invite, and then I will go to the event page and send another invite. If everyone does this we can spread word very quickly about events.
3. Attend events. This gets you to where he is, and it also shows power. Attendance at rallies will build support among the skeptics. Big turnouts creates trust and cognitive dissonance. I don't really want to explain that last big word, but it is there.
4. Volunteer. Staff members cost a bunch of money and a lot of times you could help do the small things that make a campaign run.
5. Give
6. Give
7. Give I went overboard on that one to emphasize its importance. I really think that this should be #1 on the list, but I wanted you to actually read what I had to say here. Giving to a politician is kinda tough. Buying a shamrock at the gas station is simple and it helps Jerry's kids. The balloons at Wal-Mart make us feel warm and fuzzy, but giving to a candidate rubs us the wrong way. Well, we need to get over that. Taking your message to the people costs a ton of money. There are staff members to pay, media buys, travel expenses, office space and so on. If your grassroots candidate is going to make it, you will have to support him. Even the poorest of us can afford to give $10 a month to a candidate.
8. Ask people for money. If they say they want to see so and so elected, ask them to put their money where their mouth is. I am going to do it right now to show you how easy it is, will you go to www.whoisdavidmeeks.com and pledge monthly support to take our country back?
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Watch Both Hands: Don't Believe The Magic Economy Numbers
A skillful magicians job is to make you believe that he has done something so incredible that your senses tell you that he has done something supernatural, even though your intellect knows better. He uses a wide array of distractions and tools that that keep you from seeing what he is actually doing. The greatest of these is his free hand, which waves around or seems to be doing the important work in the trick while the off hand is doing something that you ignore and makes the whole thing make you say "Wow!". That is how magic works, but unfortunately it is also how Washington politicians work as well.
This week the president declared that the worst of the recession is behind us, but is it? The chief indicators being retail sales, unemployment and housing starts then boy it sure does look good over the months of June and July, however those numbers are wildly misleading. (Note here, this writer didn't know that Mercantiles were not a commodity and still doesn't know what derivatives or commodities really are so I am no economist).
Retail sales were up last month from May. That is good right? Well watch the other hand. While sales did in fact increase, the driving force was the automobile industry. Remember that the Auto industry was subsidized up to $4500 per new car sale by the government, as well as operating in a depressed market. Car dealers were already taking large price cuts to move their inventory as well as preparing for the 2010 models. All of this results in a very strong buyers market for autos, but does not actually show a recovery. Another rather large issue is that new car sales continues to be well below where they were last year. One more small idea, what happens in the next few months when everybody that was going to be in the market for a new car already has one?
General merchandise would seem to tell the real story. How much are Americans spending on every day stuff? Well that number continues to fall from month to month. Granted it is not falling as fast, but it continues to fall.
The new home sales also look great, but lets not forget that other hand. While there is growth in the number of people buying homes, there was a huge government subsidy of $8,000 to first time home buyers. In many markets, $8000 makes up your down payment and then some. This number is artificial, t is not real.
Probably the most annoying figures are the unemployment numbers. Last month unemployment fell half a percent, and fewer people were laid off as well. Well that is great, well, half of that is great. When we here the unemployment rate went down we think that more people found jobs than lost jobs, but that is not the case. Jeannine Aversa of the AP writes:
I like to liken the stimulus to drinking a red bull. Sure, for an hour or two you are all tweeking and full of energy, but at the end of the day you crash, and are more tired than you were when you started.
UPDATE:
I feel so much better, a majority of economists now think that the recession is over. Never mind that a majority of them failed to predict it. Cited reasons for this include:
1) Improved homesales. This fallacy has been addressed above, but the article also notes that foreclosure sales are driving this. So really cheap houses+government subsidy = recovering housing market?
2) Factory activity is up. Note that while production is up, shipments are down. This is likely the build up for the busy 4th quarter.
3) Companies are cutting fewer workers. Production is up, and sales are down. Does this seem like a sustainable situation to you?
Again I point you to my ignorance concerning economics, but these matters do not point to a recovery, but rather show that government has subsidized our country to the point that we don't have a clear picture of what is happening. I am sticking with it is going to get better before it gets worse.
This week the president declared that the worst of the recession is behind us, but is it? The chief indicators being retail sales, unemployment and housing starts then boy it sure does look good over the months of June and July, however those numbers are wildly misleading. (Note here, this writer didn't know that Mercantiles were not a commodity and still doesn't know what derivatives or commodities really are so I am no economist).
Retail sales were up last month from May. That is good right? Well watch the other hand. While sales did in fact increase, the driving force was the automobile industry. Remember that the Auto industry was subsidized up to $4500 per new car sale by the government, as well as operating in a depressed market. Car dealers were already taking large price cuts to move their inventory as well as preparing for the 2010 models. All of this results in a very strong buyers market for autos, but does not actually show a recovery. Another rather large issue is that new car sales continues to be well below where they were last year. One more small idea, what happens in the next few months when everybody that was going to be in the market for a new car already has one?
General merchandise would seem to tell the real story. How much are Americans spending on every day stuff? Well that number continues to fall from month to month. Granted it is not falling as fast, but it continues to fall.
The new home sales also look great, but lets not forget that other hand. While there is growth in the number of people buying homes, there was a huge government subsidy of $8,000 to first time home buyers. In many markets, $8000 makes up your down payment and then some. This number is artificial, t is not real.
Probably the most annoying figures are the unemployment numbers. Last month unemployment fell half a percent, and fewer people were laid off as well. Well that is great, well, half of that is great. When we here the unemployment rate went down we think that more people found jobs than lost jobs, but that is not the case. Jeannine Aversa of the AP writes:
...the main reason the unemployment rate declined last month was not an inspiring one: Hundreds of thousands of people, some discouraged by their failed job searches, left the labor force. The labor force includes only those who are either employed or are looking for work.The numbers sure do look good right? These figures are from a manipulation of the data that is provided for the indicators. They are all actually improving on paper but it is magical fakery. I told friends months ago that the economy was going to improve over the short term because it could not possibly continue to be bad with all the money Obama plans to pump in with social programs. Short term it is going to get better, but lets not forget that while the government is pumping money into the economy, it is also finding ways to pump it back out with cap and trade, health care taxes, smoking taxes and perhaps even a middle class tax hike. The overall plan is going to bring us down further than we were when we started (sure do wish I blogged this when i first said it).If laid-off workers who have given up looking for new jobs or have settled for part-time work are included the unemployment rate would have been 16.3 percent in July. All told, 14.5 million were out of work in July.
Job-seekers are finding it harder to get work because there are so few openings. A record 4.97 million people had been unemployed six months or longer in July. And the average length of unemployment grew to 25.1 weeks, also a record.
I like to liken the stimulus to drinking a red bull. Sure, for an hour or two you are all tweeking and full of energy, but at the end of the day you crash, and are more tired than you were when you started.
UPDATE:
I feel so much better, a majority of economists now think that the recession is over. Never mind that a majority of them failed to predict it. Cited reasons for this include:
1) Improved homesales. This fallacy has been addressed above, but the article also notes that foreclosure sales are driving this. So really cheap houses+government subsidy = recovering housing market?
2) Factory activity is up. Note that while production is up, shipments are down. This is likely the build up for the busy 4th quarter.
3) Companies are cutting fewer workers. Production is up, and sales are down. Does this seem like a sustainable situation to you?
Again I point you to my ignorance concerning economics, but these matters do not point to a recovery, but rather show that government has subsidized our country to the point that we don't have a clear picture of what is happening. I am sticking with it is going to get better before it gets worse.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tom Cox Saga continues
Ok not really, I only got to hear like 30 seconds of the Dave Elswick show today so I missed the whole thing. I just thought I would try to get your dander up.
Monday, July 20, 2009
An Open Letter
Dear Arkansas Senatorial Delegation,
Thank you for serving our state. You are in my prayers and I hope for God's blessing upon you.
I hope to advise you of my situation. I am a college graduate, who up until last year worked at a job that had promise and a future for me, however the company I worked for was not positioned well for the economic downturn, and unfortunately was one of the first to file bankruptcy when things started falling apart. It has been one year as of July 12th that I lost my job. I am not complaining about this, as I spent six months on unemployment and am now employed driving a delivery truck.
I will not lie to you and say that the last year has been easy. We are making it, but just barely. We have had the misfortune of accumulating medical bills to go along with our financial errors of our youth, and we now find our selves going from paycheck to paycheck. We are paying our bills, but there is not much left after wards.
At this time, I am fearful for my future, because so far this government has failed to promote the general welfare. Skilled workers such as myself were left out of the stimulus bill, which favored construction labor and road work. I need an economy to grow to produce the kind of Job I need to care for my family and rie above my financial situation.
To further complicate this, the house recently passed the climate bill, which comes with the grim hope of increased utility bills. This legislation terrifies me, because another estimated $2,300 annual expense means for me a probable bankruptcy. Right now, I don't need a government program, I don' need a handout. We are making it by the skin of our teeth, but we are making it. I am determined to overcome, but I fear that the government that is supposed to be for me will limit my ability to do so.
The pending health care legislation causes me concern as well. Will it further limit growth? What will it accomplish? In the short term, I believe it will greatly confuse a system that is basically working, that perhaps could use some reform. What is being considered now is not reform, it is abandoning the principles that has made the US a leader in health care around the world. We are not fixing the car, but rather abandoning it for a Yugo.
Self determination is the essence of liberty. Please help me and others like me by allowing us to climb up and take control of our own lives.
Thank you,
Nick Cochran
Thank you for serving our state. You are in my prayers and I hope for God's blessing upon you.
I hope to advise you of my situation. I am a college graduate, who up until last year worked at a job that had promise and a future for me, however the company I worked for was not positioned well for the economic downturn, and unfortunately was one of the first to file bankruptcy when things started falling apart. It has been one year as of July 12th that I lost my job. I am not complaining about this, as I spent six months on unemployment and am now employed driving a delivery truck.
I will not lie to you and say that the last year has been easy. We are making it, but just barely. We have had the misfortune of accumulating medical bills to go along with our financial errors of our youth, and we now find our selves going from paycheck to paycheck. We are paying our bills, but there is not much left after wards.
At this time, I am fearful for my future, because so far this government has failed to promote the general welfare. Skilled workers such as myself were left out of the stimulus bill, which favored construction labor and road work. I need an economy to grow to produce the kind of Job I need to care for my family and rie above my financial situation.
To further complicate this, the house recently passed the climate bill, which comes with the grim hope of increased utility bills. This legislation terrifies me, because another estimated $2,300 annual expense means for me a probable bankruptcy. Right now, I don't need a government program, I don' need a handout. We are making it by the skin of our teeth, but we are making it. I am determined to overcome, but I fear that the government that is supposed to be for me will limit my ability to do so.
The pending health care legislation causes me concern as well. Will it further limit growth? What will it accomplish? In the short term, I believe it will greatly confuse a system that is basically working, that perhaps could use some reform. What is being considered now is not reform, it is abandoning the principles that has made the US a leader in health care around the world. We are not fixing the car, but rather abandoning it for a Yugo.
Self determination is the essence of liberty. Please help me and others like me by allowing us to climb up and take control of our own lives.
Thank you,
Nick Cochran
Sunday, July 12, 2009
David Meeks
Yesterday David Meeks made his official announcement that he would be in fact running for US house against Vic Snyder. I am a bit excited about it.
Let me first say this. I was very skeptical about David when he first started talking about this. I became his face book friend before he announced the decision to form an exploratory comittee, after erxamining his profile after he won a roast burger combo from Arby's on Dave Elswicks post. Seriously, it was that random. I am not kidding. I saw a guy that I identified with, that just seemed like a normal guy that I should be friends with.
I met him after he formed his exploratory committee and spoke with him briefly. I had personal issues with politics and faith. Long story short, I wanted to see how he managed to have a life of faith and service to God while seeking a life in public service. He gave me sound advice. Despite this I was antsy about David Meeks the Candidate. He did not have any experience, and I was worried he could not raise the money for a legitimate run. The concerns however were not paramount, I still questioned if he could get the message out.
The answer as of yesterday was a resounding yes. Watch his announcement yesterday. I have posted it above. This guy is the real deal. We can rally around him to defeat Vic Snyder, but we are a ong way off. Consider going to his site and donating to his campaign to help give him an edge, and to provide him with the ability to take his message to the public as a whole.
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