Category: Educational

58 Years ago today… and one of the greatest speeches I’ve ever heard.

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“…the full power of centralized government. THIS was the very thing the Founding Fathers sought to minimize. They knew that governments don’t control things.

A government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they know when a government sets out to do that it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose…”

“When the government tells you, ‘You’re depressed’. Lie down and be depressed…

…So they’re going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning… well now if government planning and welfare had the answer and they had almost 30 years of it shouldn’t we expect government to read the score to us every once in a while?

Shouldn’t they be telling us about the decline each year and the number of people needing help, the reduction of need for public housing? But the REVERSE is true, each year the need grows greater, the program grows greater. We were told 4 years ago that 17 million people went to bed hungry each night, well that’s probably true – they were all on a diet. But NOW we’re told that 9.3 million families in this country are poverty stricken and on the basis of earning less than $3,000 a year. Welfare spending is 10 times greater than it was than the dark depths of the depression. We’re spending $45 billion dollars on Welfare. Now do a little arithmetic, you’ll find that if we divided the $45 billion up equally among those 9 million poor families, we’d be able to give each family $4,600 a year AND this added to their present income should eliminate poverty. DIRECT AID to the poor, however, is running at about $600 per family… Would seem that someplace there must be some OVERHEAD.”

Tax Law is created by Congress, not by the IRS

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Just sitting here and reading some social media posts makes me laugh when I read about, “Oh you should go after the IRS…  It is the IRS’ fault… IRS this… IRS that…”

Stop just a few minutes here and think about it.   Who creates tax laws?  Who then votes certain bills to make such a tax become a law?   IT is Congress itself.  Not the IRS. The IRS has to “enforce” the tax laws passed by such Congress in order to collect the taxes THAT CONGRESS created and voted for and therefore passed to become a law – that then affects the local US Citizens.

It is very similar in comparison to judges and even supreme court justices… local, state and federal officials create(s) and pass(es) laws… Then it is up to the people in law enforcement (local police, Sheriffs, lawyers, judges, supreme court judges, etc.) to interpret and apply such law to each individual case.

Oh, but of course – the regular citizen, regular folks don’t even seem to bother to understand the above. And just attack the people who are trying to enforce the laws (again I say) created by and passed by “elected officials”.

Here is where I want to visually show everyone what our current Federal Income Tax System looks like when we pay our file and pay our taxes every April 15th (each year). Courtesy of Nerdwallet.

2021-2022 Tax Brackets and Federal Income Tax Rates:

I want to refer back to my previous blog simply explaining the “Laffer Curve”. This blog was posted back on January 11, 2021.

Tax Rates – The Laffer Curve

Our current Federal Tax system is a progressive tax system just by looking at the tax rates above from Nerd Wallet. They basically took it directly from the IRS website and obviously is confirmed by Congress. It looks complicated, right? Because Congress made it complicated.

Again, Congress has made these tax laws.

I mean if you want another source here’s the tax rate table / tax schedule from T. Rowe Price…

IRS Tax Rate Schedules – T.Rowe Price

The Federal Income tax was made via the 16th amendment back in 1913 – “Passed by Congress on July 2, 1909, and ratified February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment established Congress’s right to impose a Federal income tax.“

We all pay taxes one way or another… Whether it be through sales taxes, property taxes, estate taxes, federal income taxes, local taxes, state income taxes… That would be another whole discussion topic on it’s own – a Pandora’s box if you will.

Here’s my questions to you:

1 – Since we all pay taxes (one way shape or form) would you still want a ‘progressive federal income tax’ or a ‘flat tax’?

2 – Again, is it the IRS’ fault that our tax system is the way it is or is it Congress who made the actual laws for these taxes?

Visually here’s what a flat tax would look like versus the other Federal Income Tax table I showed to you, up above.

Two different videos on Socialism – Navajo and Venezuela

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I’ll start off with these two quotes:

“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.”  (e.g.  CONTROL) – Gerald Ford

“The problem with Socialism, is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” – Margaret Thatcher

Defying a media ban, this reporter goes undercover in the one-time socialist idyll of Venezuela. Now why is that…?

In reference to the video above, for Venezuela:

Hugo Chavez giving a speech in early 2000’s
So Hugo Chavez is basically saying to the general populous… That there is no actual God and that Socialism IS GOD – this is straight out of the Communist Manifesto

Here it is from the actual book written by Karl Marx, himself, “Communist Manifesto” . IT states in the exact book, “…Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality…it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experiences…”

Continuing on with the 2nd video about Venezuela —

Local citizens in the basically the barrios interviewed – talking about the current President Nicolas Maduro (Chavez’ successor).

13:55 minute mark – on who to vote – “One’s no better than the other. At this point, we don’t even know who we’re going to vote for.  Now, this country is practically destroyed… They’ve done nothing to make us vote for them. For my part, I would not vote.”

And that is saddening to hear from a citizen in Venezuela, that they lost all faith in their governmental official or people who want to run – that they do not bother to vote.   However, let’s think critically about it… If you don’t vote – the people with the same ideology will continue to run or stay in power and your government will continue on as is and your country will remain the same.

15:00 minute mark – the irony of it all… Venezuelan gov’t says she tried to plot to kill the Venezuelan President… However, caught on camera that the gov’t supporters or officials tried to kill her…

23:48 minute mark – opposition parties staging demonstrations – Some individuals are arrested, put in prison or under house arrest because they are speaking out against the Venezuelan gov’t.  Keep that in mind – that this is not new – it happens in every Socialistic or Communistic gov’t.

Now my question to everyone out there in the United States… are we going down the similar rabbit hole into Socialism –> Communism? Or are we already there and that it’s only going to get much worse? Please think about that.

I do not want our country to deteriorate.

And please try not to be one of the people who’ve I heard say, “Everyone else did it the wrong way.”

Okay, sure let’s try that approach shall we – go ask the people who left Vietnam, who was able to flee North Korea, who left Cuba, who left Venezuela, who left… I can go on and on. And ask them WHY did they leave if “Socialism” and “Communism” is “so good.”

Why the attack on religion?

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Entering my soap box here… Things have been stewing… I understand, now, why my dad has mentioned that, “It’s always going to be a religious battle.” No matter what religion anyone is in. How has it come to this?  Some of you are not going to like what I say, but that’s all right with me because I can say my own damn opinion, can’t I?   Or are you going to be part of the “woke” people who want to silence me?

Keep this in mind… that is why we as human beings can have our own damn opinion because it is what makes us human.  Don’t forget that.

If you let your emotions get the better of you after reading my vent, that’s on you, not me.

Maybe people need to re-watch some old comedy shows (TV sitcoms) and laugh because all comedy shows touch all aspects of life and poke a lot of fun at political correctness among everything else.

Take for example from Big Bang Theory:

Sheldon – What are they doing here?

Leonard – We came to apologize again and bring you home. So why don’t you pack up your stuff, and we’ll head back?

Sheldon – No, this is my home now. Thanks to you, my career is over, and I will spend the rest of my life here in Texas trying to teach evolution to creationists.

Mrs. Cooper – You watch your mouth, Shelly.  Everyone’s entitled to their opinion

Sheldon – But evolution is not opinion, it’s a fact.

Sheldon’s Mom (Mrs. Cooper) –And that is your opinion.

Sheldon – I forgive you, let’s go home.

Where am I going with this rant?  Well I’m hearing chatter that people are planning to gather and protest at Catholic churches on Mother’s Day about abortion.

Why does that church look familiar to me, the inside reminds me of St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, by Japan town.

My oh my, what has this world come to?  I’m going to say it… you’re all crazy.  

I don’t care where you stand on abortion because quite frankly, I really don’t care.  Your body, your choice, right?   That’s what everyone keeps harping at.   I’m not perfect and I’m not the epitome of a good person, but I still believe in religion.  And whatever I do in my life and my choices – will be between me and GOD.  Not any one else.

I believe in bodily autonomy, don’t know what that is?  Look it up or better yet, I’ll save you the time because we’re all f**king lazy to do research or think for ourselves now – is how I see it.  The definition of bodily autonomy – is about the right to make decisions over one’s own life and future. It is about being empowered to make informed choices. These are universal values.

Whatever the fluff you want to do to your OWN body is on you. It doesn’t hurt me at all. I can say that I don’t agree with whatever the fluff you want to do to your body but IT IS YOUR body, not mine. 

You want to have an abortion, fine. You want to get drunk as f**k, fine. You want to do drugs, fine. You want to have piercings, fine. We can talk about it, I may not agree with it, but you do you. And I’ll still be doing what I do. But am I FORCING YOU to not do anything?  No.    THAT is the difference.

I’m going to digress here in how various people say “guns are the bad” and “guns should be banned.” That is the ever so long argument that will never die. It all boils down to the owner, the user.

As I mentioned back in my previous blog: Are guns the problem?

Let me say this… Wreck less driving is bad, alcohol is bad, tobacco is bad, knives are bad, baseball bats are bad… However, they can also kill people whether be instantly or over time.  Why not ban them?  Ban the cars, ban the alcohol, ban the tobacco, ban the knives, etc. Do you see where this is going?  It’s the user of such “inanimate item” that makes it bad.  Excessive alcohol consumption or excessive use of tobacco or the wreck less driving, etc. will make it become bad. But of course, no one has the common sense or decency to think of it that way. Again, I digressed…

So why are these people protesting at Catholic churches? Because of their beliefs or what? 

Realize this again and maybe we need to pick up the damn book again – Church and state are TOTALLY separate.  It’s in the Bill of Rights and in the Constitution.  What the government is doing is totally separate and on its own agenda than for freaking religious reasons.  Has anyone ever thought about that?

The principle is paraphrased from Thomas Jefferson’s “separation between Church & State.” It has been used to express the understandings of the intent and function of this amendment, which allows freedom of religion. It is generally traced to a January 1, 1802, letter by Thomas Jefferson, addressed to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, and published in a Massachusetts newspaper.

Jefferson wrote:

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.”

Oh no… but of course IT IS ALWAYS going to be a RELIGIOUS reason.  (-____-)

Here’s an interesting thought I’ve come across – why are these people only protesting the Catholic church / religion?  You do realize there are other religions that have certain views as well?  For example, Hinduism, Islam and some of Buddhist views…

Hinduism and Abortion

Islam and Abortion

Buddhism and Abortion

So why THE ONLY focus on Catholics?   Think about it.

I believe it comes straight from and directly from the Communist playbook – The Communist Manifesto – Here’s a few pages that I have because I do have the book:

If you want to join the bandwagon of protesting the Catholic churches/religion – you might as well go after all the other religions, as well, that have other views on abortion.  Make it equal, don’t just let it be Catholic religion – you should include other churches, mosques, temples, etc.  Because you all want equality right?  Have at it!

No one wants to think about various choices, personal responsibility, accountability.

“I notice that everyone who supports abortion has already been born.” – Ronald Reagan

What are fossil fuels used for?

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I don’t blog often but I do want to share insight on a lot of things I’ve experienced and observations I’ve seen.

One of many answers to the question in the title of this blog… Plastic is one of the various products made and produced from fossil fuels.

First I want to address the problem that everyone is harping on about plastic… It is up to the USER – again I emphasize the “USER” of the product to do their due diligence and their part in RECYCLING the plastic. “Oh, but it ends up in the landfill!” Well, again I say it is the USER. If the user of such plastic bottle, bag, etc. does not recycle it to where it is supposed to be recycled or put in for recycling then of course it ends up in the landfill or littered around the streets.

Has anyone with the decent mind or have an ounce of critical thinking… thought about that?

Plastic is very versatile and cheap to produce because of technological advances from when it was first produced. Here’s some perspective in your everyday lives that may have slipped your mind because you don’t think about it all the time… Plastic is everywhere that we use… from tubes of toothpaste, toothbrush parts, reusable water bottles, baby bottles, some pacifiers (synthetic plastic polymer), various medical equipment (syringe parts, tubes, IV bags, etc.), computer cases and other computer components, cell phones and their respective cell phone components, in our cars and vehicles (from seats, seat belts, steering wheels, the car body, some of the parts of the car frame, under the hood and parts of the engine, etc.) and the list goes on and on.

Now, where am I trying to get at you will think… Fossil fuels have been around for a LONG time and has been utilized for a LONG time. In my previous blog – The Energy Industry arguments – I emphasized that I am NOT against ANY resource being utilized to provide some type of energy. I’m all for having an availability of options and choices for me and EVERYONE else to freely choose what we all want to use. It is because of the technology we have now is a WHOLE LOT different as it was before and in the past – in utilizing and producing the various products from fossil fuels more effectively and efficiently.

Granted it did not happen over night – it TOOK TIME.

NOT ONLY plastic is derived and created from fossil fuels – other various products are made from the crude oil itself. Crude oil is what they call “black gold.” The crude oil is the raw oil material that is the one extracted from underground – aka the fossil fuel.

And from that particular crude oil is then processed to make all the other products that we use in our everyday lives. And again, as I mentioned earlier, plastic is one of them.

So my thought is that… getting rid of the use of fossil fuels completely is a dumbest idea and naive idea to have that is spoon fed to you by various elitists and so called leaders out there. Going strictly 100% “renewable energy” is also the dumbest idea and naive idea which everyone is spoon fed to believe in, too. That’s what is called “propaganda”.

I’m just saying – It’s not THE SOLUTION.

Again, from my prior blog I mentioned… The Institute for Energy Research (IER) is a not-for-profit organization that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets. IER believes that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges and, as such, are critical to the well-being of individuals and society.

The president of this non-profit organization has stated a searchable fact that was conducted over time and makes me think twice (A LOT) of why people are trying to push only 1 or 2 types of a resource to use for energy. Here’s an excerpt from organization’s president, Thomas J. Pyle:

“…Access to affordable, abundant energy is, fundamentally, a means of freedom. But for those seeking to create a crisis that provides an opportunity to direct the way we live, work and act, affordable, reliable, abundant, domestic energy is a threat. In a very real sense, the more energy we have, the less power they will have. Energy abundance ends the justification for central energy decision-making…”

This is from page 26 in the attached PDF below.

north-american-energy-inventory-december-2011Download

So please share this blog and knowledge to everyone out there to shed some light and hopefully people will open their eyes more and see that eliminating fossil fuels completely is NOT THE solution. We all take for granted what we use in our every day lives, we should appreciate what we have and that we should be smarter as the USER or CONSUMER in our products whether to recycle them properly or reuse them effectively.

I end it here from the excerpt from Institute for Energy Research (IER) policy brief – “The 100 Percent Renewable Energy Myth” – February 8, 2019