Here's some good news about technology and some typically bad news about government and its enablers (in this case, Ford).
Good news: The geniuses in the tech world have figured out a way to convert voice to text for cars, and Ford is looking into it for its future cars because many of its buyers are asking for it. Kudos!
Bad news: Ford is simultaneously endorsing a U.S. government proposal to ban texting while driving.
Huh? Anything sound fishy in a company seeking the banishment of an activity that will drive consumers to its product? And, by the way, what the hell is a maker of automobiles doing giving opinions on what private people do in the cars they drive that has nothing to do with the car itself?!
Many of you may remember my complimenting Ford for being the only U.S. automaker that didn't take bailout loot. And now the bastards go and fuck it all away! So I reckon I'll have to look across the Atlantic or Pacific for a new car -- or put a light on my bicycle.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Americans are watching 151 hours of TV EVERY MONTH!
OK, I NEVER watch TV. Well, practically never. I catch a little golf about once a month or so. I can certainly see how people might watch about an hour or so of quality TV every day on average, but FIVE hours of TV every day?!! That gives "addiction" a bad name.
When I read about the 151 hours (reported by Nielsen Ratings), I wondered what I do with that 151 hours each month. Here's a brief rundown.
1) 50 hours of engaging with my daughter in the 15 days I have her each month.
2) 32 hours of intense exercise.
3) 4 hours of TV watching.
4) 20 hours of quality NetFlix movies and book reading
5) 45 hours of reading newspapers and writing letters
Wow, that's exactly 151 hours. It is simply incomprehensible to me that Americans have become such couch potatoes with virtually no value pursuits outside of becoming TV vegetables.
I reckon that's why I see so many glum faces riding atop potato bodies at the mall. Yikes! And I guess it's why a large percentage of these brain-dead Americans voted for an impostor and poser for president, and they now seek "free" health care for their battered bodies and psyches.
Meanwhile, I work my ass off and am required at the point of a gun to surrender my cash to the lazy motherfuckers. I ain't happy 'bout that. Nope, not one bit.
When I read about the 151 hours (reported by Nielsen Ratings), I wondered what I do with that 151 hours each month. Here's a brief rundown.
1) 50 hours of engaging with my daughter in the 15 days I have her each month.
2) 32 hours of intense exercise.
3) 4 hours of TV watching.
4) 20 hours of quality NetFlix movies and book reading
5) 45 hours of reading newspapers and writing letters
Wow, that's exactly 151 hours. It is simply incomprehensible to me that Americans have become such couch potatoes with virtually no value pursuits outside of becoming TV vegetables.
I reckon that's why I see so many glum faces riding atop potato bodies at the mall. Yikes! And I guess it's why a large percentage of these brain-dead Americans voted for an impostor and poser for president, and they now seek "free" health care for their battered bodies and psyches.
Meanwhile, I work my ass off and am required at the point of a gun to surrender my cash to the lazy motherfuckers. I ain't happy 'bout that. Nope, not one bit.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Here's a health care list that'll give you an ulcer
Here's what's planned in "health care reform." Read it all -- I dare you not to get mad as hell.
___________
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)• Page 42: The “Health Choices Commissioner” will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Health card.• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.•
Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No “judicial review” is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.• Page 203: “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” Yes, it really says that.• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected.”• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors’ time, their professional judgment, etc.• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries. (Essentially nationalization. SCB)• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!•
Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on “community” input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.•
Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient’s health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
___________
• Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!• Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!• Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)• Page 42: The “Health Choices Commissioner” will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.• Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.• Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Health card.• Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.•
Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (read: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)• Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.• Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
• Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
• Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.• Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.• Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No “judicial review” is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.• Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.• Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.• Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.• Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll• Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
• Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
• Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).• Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.• Page 203: “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” Yes, it really says that.• Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected.”• Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)• Page 253: Government sets value of doctors’ time, their professional judgment, etc.• Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries. (Essentially nationalization. SCB)• Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.• Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!•
Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.• Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.• Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!• Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.• Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on “community” input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.• Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.• Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.• Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.• Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).• Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?• Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.•
Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.• Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.• Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient’s health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.• Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.• Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.• Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
With friends like Newt, who needs enemies?
The GOP is simply Liberal Light -- and equally less filling. I wrote the following letter to the Wall Street Journal a few minutes ago on a column by Newt Gingrich on (1) how there needs to be more freedom in health care, but (2) how the state has a duty to take care of everyone. Egads!
_______________________
The brilliant, eloquent and driven Newt Gingrich exemplifies what is fatally wrong with the GOP: the failure to link capitalism with morality.
Mr. Gingrich’s most recent Journal column on a “growth vision for health reform” was typically incisive for three-quarters of its length on economics but then states in its penultimate graph that “no American should suffer … because of a lack of health care.” Indeed? What about those who lead destructive lifestyles and refuse to work?
He also states in the same graph that there should be a “safety net” that should be propped up by “state high-risk pools to ensure coverage for everyone.” He then has the unprincipled temerity to state that that is “the American way of reform.”
No, the American way of reform is to revert back to total individual rights, like our Founders did, and insist that government get the hell out of the way of individuals making health decisions, doctors making medical decisions, insurance companies making business decisions – and all of us deciding for ourselves whom we will deal with and how much we’ll pay – just like at Best Buy.
Mr. Gingrich and his coterie of mealy-mouth Republicans suffer from a severe case of modern altruism, and it is a disease that is killing this country’s liberty. Until they stop buying into the bankrupt liberal discussion of “altruistic utility” and begin promoting reform that touts the individual’s right for self-determination in all things health and otherwise (and stop believing they must follow inane “compassionate conservatism”), the GOP will continue to flounder, fiddle and fuss – and never be invited to a true Tea Party.
_______________________
The brilliant, eloquent and driven Newt Gingrich exemplifies what is fatally wrong with the GOP: the failure to link capitalism with morality.
Mr. Gingrich’s most recent Journal column on a “growth vision for health reform” was typically incisive for three-quarters of its length on economics but then states in its penultimate graph that “no American should suffer … because of a lack of health care.” Indeed? What about those who lead destructive lifestyles and refuse to work?
He also states in the same graph that there should be a “safety net” that should be propped up by “state high-risk pools to ensure coverage for everyone.” He then has the unprincipled temerity to state that that is “the American way of reform.”
No, the American way of reform is to revert back to total individual rights, like our Founders did, and insist that government get the hell out of the way of individuals making health decisions, doctors making medical decisions, insurance companies making business decisions – and all of us deciding for ourselves whom we will deal with and how much we’ll pay – just like at Best Buy.
Mr. Gingrich and his coterie of mealy-mouth Republicans suffer from a severe case of modern altruism, and it is a disease that is killing this country’s liberty. Until they stop buying into the bankrupt liberal discussion of “altruistic utility” and begin promoting reform that touts the individual’s right for self-determination in all things health and otherwise (and stop believing they must follow inane “compassionate conservatism”), the GOP will continue to flounder, fiddle and fuss – and never be invited to a true Tea Party.
My video for my fitness company MLM is on YouTube's first page
One of my coaches with Beachbody (Larry) and I have put together a four-minute video for the company and placed it with a company that gets the video situated on the first pages with certain search phrases. Our video went out to several prominent web sites around midnight last night, and within our first 12 hours, we are on the front page of YouTube when people use the search "best mlm opportunity." We've already had 26 hits and expect hundreds of phone calls each month. Here's the video (or you can go to YouTube and do a search and see for yourself):
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Frank Lloyd Wright designed studio for Ayn Rand
Until a few moments ago, I didn't know that Frank Lloyd Wright had designed a cottage studio for Ayn Rand at her request in 1946. Here it is. It's lovely -- and five stories high!
Ayn was living in NYC at the time and planned to have the studio built, but she later decided to stay in NY, nixing the plans. Too bad. What a great place it would've been to visit and possibly have as a tourist destination to see how Ayn lived and how she would've loved such a paean to her spirit. The design is now for sale at the Edward Cella Museum in Los Angeles. Wish I had the bucks. Here's what Ayn wrote to Wright about the design:
"The house you designed for me is
magnificent. I gasped when I saw it.
It is the particular kind of sculpture in
space which I love and which nobody
but you has ever been able to achieve.
“Most personally: Thank you for
the fountain. That was as if you had
autographed both my house and my book.
This house is one of the greatest rewards
an author can receive."
Ayn was living in NYC at the time and planned to have the studio built, but she later decided to stay in NY, nixing the plans. Too bad. What a great place it would've been to visit and possibly have as a tourist destination to see how Ayn lived and how she would've loved such a paean to her spirit. The design is now for sale at the Edward Cella Museum in Los Angeles. Wish I had the bucks. Here's what Ayn wrote to Wright about the design:
"The house you designed for me is
magnificent. I gasped when I saw it.
It is the particular kind of sculpture in
space which I love and which nobody
but you has ever been able to achieve.
“Most personally: Thank you for
the fountain. That was as if you had
autographed both my house and my book.
This house is one of the greatest rewards
an author can receive."
Why we are moving toward socialized medicine
Here's an excellent article by Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute on the reasons why we are headed toward socialized health care and how we can move in the opposite direction toward freedom and capitalism.
Amazing woman talks about liberty at 9-12 rally
I've seen Dana Loesch a couple of times before on PajamasTV, but this speech she gave at a Missouri rally on 9-12 was goose-bumpy. What FIRE in this woman! What a passionate love of liberty. What a roaring broadside against the minions in our nation's capital!
THIS is how people should feel about this country and our freedom -- and the Democratic defilers!
THIS is how people should feel about this country and our freedom -- and the Democratic defilers!
Blame it on Hoover and, especially, FDR
Ever wonder what exactly caused The Great Depression? There's an excellent synopsis of it HERE, in case you're interested. You can download the PDF of the synopsis at the bottom of the page. It's fascinating and enlightening. I thought I knew a lot about it, but the info on Hoover stunned me. What a rat that Republican was -- albeit not nearly the giant, bloodsucking, two-faced, crippled, fireside-chat rat that went by the name Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But a rat, nevertheless.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
"We the Living"
The great adaptation of Ayn Rand's first novel, We the Living, is now available on DVD from the Ayn Rand Institute HERE.
This movie was produced illegally in Italy in 1942, but Ayn herself praised it highly and had a hand in the editing of it when it came to America. I first saw the movie in the early '90s and was astounded at how true to the book it was, as well as the main character, Kira, played with extraordinary talent by Alida Valli. It is a moving film, which I highly recommend.
This movie was produced illegally in Italy in 1942, but Ayn herself praised it highly and had a hand in the editing of it when it came to America. I first saw the movie in the early '90s and was astounded at how true to the book it was, as well as the main character, Kira, played with extraordinary talent by Alida Valli. It is a moving film, which I highly recommend.
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