This address by Apostle Jeffrey R Holland given at the October 2009 conference is so powerful!
It reminds me of King Benjamin's speech which I love so much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUqNW_PTTp0
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Obama
This one isn't a "rant". It does have a few "digs".
How about the 5.7 percent growth in national output for the last quarter? That is a roaring good number. Much of it could have been the result of the Obama economic stimulus package. Bet the right wing talking heads will dismiss it as a lie or...
How about Obama standing before the smug black robed Suprme Court in his State of the Union address and telling them how disappointed he is in thier ruling on corporate political contributions? Most sensible people disagree with them.
How about Obama meeting with the republican leaders for a speech and Q & A - in public? The "last guy" only spoke to carefully screened audiences.
I think Obama should scale down his health plan goals. The public isn't with him. The R's view it as if were a "Bolshevic Revolution". They are out to defeat him, the public good be damned. It is dangerously costly.
Good idea to keep the phone number of a reliable plumber, electrician, towing compnay, mechanic, garage door repairman and other help handy. We had a little plumbing problem this morning. We had business card for a good plumbr who showed up on time and did good work
Bunga or G'pere Le grump or whatever
How about the 5.7 percent growth in national output for the last quarter? That is a roaring good number. Much of it could have been the result of the Obama economic stimulus package. Bet the right wing talking heads will dismiss it as a lie or...
How about Obama standing before the smug black robed Suprme Court in his State of the Union address and telling them how disappointed he is in thier ruling on corporate political contributions? Most sensible people disagree with them.
How about Obama meeting with the republican leaders for a speech and Q & A - in public? The "last guy" only spoke to carefully screened audiences.
I think Obama should scale down his health plan goals. The public isn't with him. The R's view it as if were a "Bolshevic Revolution". They are out to defeat him, the public good be damned. It is dangerously costly.
Good idea to keep the phone number of a reliable plumber, electrician, towing compnay, mechanic, garage door repairman and other help handy. We had a little plumbing problem this morning. We had business card for a good plumbr who showed up on time and did good work
Bunga or G'pere Le grump or whatever
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
This is an Appropriate Blog Post
Monday, January 25, 2010
Socialism
A question for you "compassionate conservatives", you "ditto heads", you yelping anti-government angry tea party types:
When the financial system is in collapse (never mind why and who) where can we turn? Who is the lender of last resort? Can we appeal to God? Doubt it.
When the economy enters a mega-recession what do we do? Nothing? Doubtful. Who do we turn to? Could we get a loan from the World Bank or some other global organization?
Nope.
The government is the "lender of last resort", (based on Chinese money). The gov't is the last source we can turn to for a solution. Your conservative plan would be to do what?
You rage on that turning to the gov't is "socialism"; "God forbid, we're just a step away from being communists"! Lock the door and get the shotgun!
Obama has made it clear that he does not want to be in the car and financial business and that he wants out ASAP. Yes, I know, "he is a lying muslim". Wackos on the internet say so, so it must be true.
Government has a crucial role to play now in the U.S. All governements are a mix of capitalism and socialism. Governments are communal, social organizatins to deal with big problems. Remember gov't "socialism" saved America during the great depression.
What we have now is imperfect government trying to deal with large and dangerous problems. Call it socialism if you want, but its not.
Try thinking thru the problems rather than let "rush" (a fat millionaire ex-drugie, hate monger)and his playmates tell you what to think. Try to let a bit of reason overcome some of your anger and sneering.
How much longer do I have to keep trying to educate you angry right wingers?
John W., a rational capitalist American
When the financial system is in collapse (never mind why and who) where can we turn? Who is the lender of last resort? Can we appeal to God? Doubt it.
When the economy enters a mega-recession what do we do? Nothing? Doubtful. Who do we turn to? Could we get a loan from the World Bank or some other global organization?
Nope.
The government is the "lender of last resort", (based on Chinese money). The gov't is the last source we can turn to for a solution. Your conservative plan would be to do what?
You rage on that turning to the gov't is "socialism"; "God forbid, we're just a step away from being communists"! Lock the door and get the shotgun!
Obama has made it clear that he does not want to be in the car and financial business and that he wants out ASAP. Yes, I know, "he is a lying muslim". Wackos on the internet say so, so it must be true.
Government has a crucial role to play now in the U.S. All governements are a mix of capitalism and socialism. Governments are communal, social organizatins to deal with big problems. Remember gov't "socialism" saved America during the great depression.
What we have now is imperfect government trying to deal with large and dangerous problems. Call it socialism if you want, but its not.
Try thinking thru the problems rather than let "rush" (a fat millionaire ex-drugie, hate monger)and his playmates tell you what to think. Try to let a bit of reason overcome some of your anger and sneering.
How much longer do I have to keep trying to educate you angry right wingers?
John W., a rational capitalist American
Economic Recovery
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the most general and most used measure of how the economy is doing. All countries use such a measure. Its a pretty good measure, but it has shortcomings. It may be more useful to Wall Street than to Main street. It does not reflect employment changes, which most of us really care about. GDP recovery preceeds employment recovery by several months to maybe a year or more.
Indicators are that the U.S. economy is recovering. Employment is not yet recovering because companies are reluctasnt to hire new workers until they know the GDP recovery is sustained or real. Instead they increase the number of hours existing employees work and they hire temp workers.
So don't believe all that yammering in the media about the Federal economic stimulus package not working and that the economy not improving. The stimulus package kept unemployment from going even higher than it did and it appears to be helping the recovery. The republican answer would have been???
In spite of the hyena like wailing of the conservatives and Obama haters, we are on the right track, but it could be fragile. And in spite of Obama's promises to create jobs, there is little he can do in the short run. The seeds of a recovery have been wisely sown and they will continue to yield.
John, a rational citizen
Indicators are that the U.S. economy is recovering. Employment is not yet recovering because companies are reluctasnt to hire new workers until they know the GDP recovery is sustained or real. Instead they increase the number of hours existing employees work and they hire temp workers.
So don't believe all that yammering in the media about the Federal economic stimulus package not working and that the economy not improving. The stimulus package kept unemployment from going even higher than it did and it appears to be helping the recovery. The republican answer would have been???
In spite of the hyena like wailing of the conservatives and Obama haters, we are on the right track, but it could be fragile. And in spite of Obama's promises to create jobs, there is little he can do in the short run. The seeds of a recovery have been wisely sown and they will continue to yield.
John, a rational citizen
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Terrorism in the air
Here are three possible solutions:
1. Have to be naked to fly.
2. No Muslims allowed to fly.
3. On long international flghhts passengers are put into a sleep state via gas, pills or injections and revived just before landing. I've long thought this would be better than being awake on a plane for hours and hours.
And how come the TSA now says that passengers now have to stay in thier seats, hands showing for an hour before landing? What if the latest "wacko" had tried to blow up the plane on the 5th hour of flight? Would TSA require us to stay in our seats for the 5th hour?
G'pa the deep thinking grump
1. Have to be naked to fly.
2. No Muslims allowed to fly.
3. On long international flghhts passengers are put into a sleep state via gas, pills or injections and revived just before landing. I've long thought this would be better than being awake on a plane for hours and hours.
And how come the TSA now says that passengers now have to stay in thier seats, hands showing for an hour before landing? What if the latest "wacko" had tried to blow up the plane on the 5th hour of flight? Would TSA require us to stay in our seats for the 5th hour?
G'pa the deep thinking grump
Monday, December 28, 2009
"emotion masquerading (sp?) as an idea"
Julia Child, in her book, "My LIfe in France", says about some of her political ideas, that they were merely "emotion masquerading as ideas", not well thought out, not rational, and not articulate.
Good point, I think. Much of the objection to the health plan and to the US economic stimulus package expressed in the media and by friends is just that, emotion without thought.
G'pere Le Grump
Good point, I think. Much of the objection to the health plan and to the US economic stimulus package expressed in the media and by friends is just that, emotion without thought.
G'pere Le Grump
Friday, September 18, 2009
Orrin Hatch
A couple of weeks ago Senator Orrin Hatch said that the Obama health plan would lead to socialism.
Tell us how that will happen, Senator, step bgy step Betcha can't. "Socialism" and "communism"- God help us! You know that just by saying the "s" word people will take you seriously. This "S" word objection to the "O" health plan seems to set the unthinking masses off in a red-faced vein busting panic.
Think! We already have Medicare and Medicaid and the VA which are "socialistic". And they work pretty well. Surely we are doomed already??
Furthermore, our highways, libraries, military, Judicial systems are "socialistic". We all pay into them and share the fuits.
Here is a rational objection to the Obama health plan: He says it won't cost most of us anything becasue he will cut waste in the Medicare/Medicaid and use the $ to pay for covering 30-45 million new patients. Doubtful. There may well be that much waste in the system, but finding it, stopping it and collecting the money will be difficult and unlikely.
Tell us how that will happen, Senator, step bgy step Betcha can't. "Socialism" and "communism"- God help us! You know that just by saying the "s" word people will take you seriously. This "S" word objection to the "O" health plan seems to set the unthinking masses off in a red-faced vein busting panic.
Think! We already have Medicare and Medicaid and the VA which are "socialistic". And they work pretty well. Surely we are doomed already??
Furthermore, our highways, libraries, military, Judicial systems are "socialistic". We all pay into them and share the fuits.
Here is a rational objection to the Obama health plan: He says it won't cost most of us anything becasue he will cut waste in the Medicare/Medicaid and use the $ to pay for covering 30-45 million new patients. Doubtful. There may well be that much waste in the system, but finding it, stopping it and collecting the money will be difficult and unlikely.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Recent Thinking; Marijuana, National Health care & rational political thinking
Among other things I'm thinking about this summer, I've been mulling over the following:
Marijuana: Maybe it would be best if it was made legal. Surveys show that the large majority of people would not turn in thier friends for growing or using it. Why even have such a toothless law that almost eveyone ignores? Current philosophy behind our anti drug laws are "its just plain wrong and should not be tolerated at all". Sometimes when an idea doesn't work, we need to go to a "second best" solution.
Yes, we would pick up more users. But by making it legal to posess and to smoke, governments could collect badly needed taxes. Some of the taxes could go to treatment programs and the rest could be well spent on an unending list of local and state needs. But best of all it would reduce the crime surrounding marijuana now. Some studies claim that marijuana is not a "gateway drug" to heavier drugs?
Health care reform: The majority of people who object to health care reform; "socialized medicine" (there is an emotional laden term) are those who already have health care, have adequate income and some luxuries and are practicing Christians. Look at the political cartoon in the 26 July Oregonian Opinion section. The unemployed, the poor, and others who need it seem to have little voice here. Next time you hear an objection to universal health, care ask the person to imagine he has lost his job and to look on the web for private health care. It is beyond me how people who profess to be Christian can object to sharing some wealth. "Socialism" is the knee jerk response. They don't know what socialism is. They conveniently ignore that we "free market" Americans enjoy all kinds of socialistic programs; unemployment insurance, subsidies to corporations, to farmers, to airlines, highways, schools, libriaries, military just to name a few.
I strongly favaor "universal health care" (a fairly rational description) although I'm not sure the current Obama package is the answer. And I doubt that it will be passed by Congress this year. I suspect the CBO estimate that it will cost about $1.7 billion? over the next few years is "in the ball park". Neverthe less, Obama should keep fighting for health care reform.
Rational thinking about the Obama economic stimulus package and other issues: It appears to have become my purpose in life to promote clear thinking about Federal policy, especially the bailout package. Here is my position; You have a right, even a duty, to rationally disagree with Obama and his people.
You do not have a right to circualte lies, racist cartoons, sophmoric, over simplified posts and angry rants and ridicule which appeal to the lowest among us. Those of you who object to Obama policy in this manner undermine America and promote hate. (See above; I said that you have a right and duty to disagree based on facts and data.)
Few of you who object to the Obama econ stimulus package don't konw anything about economics. If I ask you what your soluiton is, you have no answer. I will explain.
There are two textbook ways to deal with a recession.
The first is for the government to spend money to jump start the economy. Who else is gonna spend money? People don't have so much money in a recession. That is what Bernanke/Obama/Summers are trying to do; to go into debt hoping the economy will recover allowing the debt to be paid off. If it works we will be OK. If it doesn't we are gonna be in trouble.
The second text book solution is to cut taxes and regulations to help business recover. This is called "supply side" economic stimulus. It is what the Republicans have been doing for years. It hasn't worked and it creates big national debt. Cutting taxes mania appropriatily began with Reagan. It was the right thing to do then. But it has created a generatrion of government haters and anti tax activists who have carried it far beyond a logical point.
There are other minor theories about how to deal with a recession. I hope someone, some day, soon comes up with an alternative solution.
Stange how everyone has an economic opinion but doesn't know much about economics. It would be like me telling you how to do your job, about which I know nothing.
Other than trying to help people think rationally (like this post), I am enjoying summer off school. I've worked on my car a little, worked on the house, rode my m'cycle ( it has a flat tire I gotta get fixed), been to France, read a lot, slept too much and ate too much.
In Peace and Rationality
Grand-pere Le grump
Marijuana: Maybe it would be best if it was made legal. Surveys show that the large majority of people would not turn in thier friends for growing or using it. Why even have such a toothless law that almost eveyone ignores? Current philosophy behind our anti drug laws are "its just plain wrong and should not be tolerated at all". Sometimes when an idea doesn't work, we need to go to a "second best" solution.
Yes, we would pick up more users. But by making it legal to posess and to smoke, governments could collect badly needed taxes. Some of the taxes could go to treatment programs and the rest could be well spent on an unending list of local and state needs. But best of all it would reduce the crime surrounding marijuana now. Some studies claim that marijuana is not a "gateway drug" to heavier drugs?
Health care reform: The majority of people who object to health care reform; "socialized medicine" (there is an emotional laden term) are those who already have health care, have adequate income and some luxuries and are practicing Christians. Look at the political cartoon in the 26 July Oregonian Opinion section. The unemployed, the poor, and others who need it seem to have little voice here. Next time you hear an objection to universal health, care ask the person to imagine he has lost his job and to look on the web for private health care. It is beyond me how people who profess to be Christian can object to sharing some wealth. "Socialism" is the knee jerk response. They don't know what socialism is. They conveniently ignore that we "free market" Americans enjoy all kinds of socialistic programs; unemployment insurance, subsidies to corporations, to farmers, to airlines, highways, schools, libriaries, military just to name a few.
I strongly favaor "universal health care" (a fairly rational description) although I'm not sure the current Obama package is the answer. And I doubt that it will be passed by Congress this year. I suspect the CBO estimate that it will cost about $1.7 billion? over the next few years is "in the ball park". Neverthe less, Obama should keep fighting for health care reform.
Rational thinking about the Obama economic stimulus package and other issues: It appears to have become my purpose in life to promote clear thinking about Federal policy, especially the bailout package. Here is my position; You have a right, even a duty, to rationally disagree with Obama and his people.
You do not have a right to circualte lies, racist cartoons, sophmoric, over simplified posts and angry rants and ridicule which appeal to the lowest among us. Those of you who object to Obama policy in this manner undermine America and promote hate. (See above; I said that you have a right and duty to disagree based on facts and data.)
Few of you who object to the Obama econ stimulus package don't konw anything about economics. If I ask you what your soluiton is, you have no answer. I will explain.
There are two textbook ways to deal with a recession.
The first is for the government to spend money to jump start the economy. Who else is gonna spend money? People don't have so much money in a recession. That is what Bernanke/Obama/Summers are trying to do; to go into debt hoping the economy will recover allowing the debt to be paid off. If it works we will be OK. If it doesn't we are gonna be in trouble.
The second text book solution is to cut taxes and regulations to help business recover. This is called "supply side" economic stimulus. It is what the Republicans have been doing for years. It hasn't worked and it creates big national debt. Cutting taxes mania appropriatily began with Reagan. It was the right thing to do then. But it has created a generatrion of government haters and anti tax activists who have carried it far beyond a logical point.
There are other minor theories about how to deal with a recession. I hope someone, some day, soon comes up with an alternative solution.
Stange how everyone has an economic opinion but doesn't know much about economics. It would be like me telling you how to do your job, about which I know nothing.
Other than trying to help people think rationally (like this post), I am enjoying summer off school. I've worked on my car a little, worked on the house, rode my m'cycle ( it has a flat tire I gotta get fixed), been to France, read a lot, slept too much and ate too much.
In Peace and Rationality
Grand-pere Le grump
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