7104

Sorry for the absence, life has gotten in the way.  That aside, another news story I heard on the way in got me irie as the Rastas would say.  I heard that New York is thinking of instituting a new age limit on tobacco, raising it to 21 from 18.  The fact that somebody is of legal age to fight in a war, go to jail as an adult, etc., etc,. but banned from something else due to age is asinine.  I feel the same way about alcohol.  If you want to put age restrictions on these things, make the legal age of adulthood 21, but don’t get butthurt when you lose a significant military and workforce.  (sarcasm)Obviously these people are not old enough to make their own decisions so we shouldn’t hold them to the same standards of everyone else (/sarcasm).  The second part is the fact they are considering legislation at all.  Have we learned nothing over the years in regards to legislation tell us what we can and can’t do?  People are going to do what they want to do, criminalizing it is only putting a larger burden on tax payers to cover legal costs.  Prohibition only increases criminal activity. Now if you want to increase education on the subject to help people make better informed decisions, I’d green light that.  Educating people to the potential harms of whatever they choose to do is acceptable, as long as that education isn’t forced.  However, given the information, if somebody still chooses to use tobacco, or alcohol, it is their right to and they will suffer the consequences.  People were given free will for a reason and the government should not criminalize that free will, with a slight few exceptions (i.e murder and crimes against children).

7296

I was listening to the radio at lunch today and one of the segments was about going green and how people would do it if it was convenient.  While I think that is a huge reason as to why people don’t, I think the biggest factor is the investment cost it takes in going green.  Of course utility and oil companies do all they can to prevent the switch to being cost effective, which given the nature of their business is justifiable.  This is where the government on all levels needs to grow a pair and stop caving.  I know it’s hard to say no when your pockets are fleeced, but this just further strengthens the argument that government doesn’t have the best interest of the people in mind. I’ve looked several times into solar electricity for the house, and the investment is ridiculous.  You would think everyone in Arizona would run off of solar; we have sun for 300+ days a year.  That’s plenty to keep batteries charged for the days where there is no sun.  Even in places that don’t have the luxury of that much sun, solar seems like a great way to at least subsidize regular energy consumption, but utility and oil companies would lose big money and they can’t have that even if it is better for the planet, not to mention other industries where the savings on power would be spent.  In fact, I’m a little surprised that we haven’t seen other industries champion solar power more as they would probably see increased profits from the extra expendable cash people had would be spent elsewhere. As I was sitting here typing this, I became even more enthralled with the idea of going solar/electric as in the event of a grid collapse, it wouldn’t be all that difficult to power your own house/electric car from home.  Everyone has used a magnet in science class to power a light bulb (or if you didn’t your school sucked), so taking that knowledge and just going on a larger scale in an emergency you would be able to live pretty normally for a short period at least.  The sun probably isn’t going anywhere (and if it does you have bigger worries) so your house shouldn’t be affected if the grid went out, and if you run an electric car you should be able to generate enough electricity using a little gumption and effort to be able to travel at least short distances.  I think this is one issue I really need to look at again, if not just from an economic standpoint, but from a prepper standpoint as well.  The idea of being self-sufficient as possible with the direction society is headed is one I think we should all look a little more into.

7392

I feel like I’ve been taking life a little too seriously the past few weeks.  Not that there is anything wrong with that because the world (or the US anyway) seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, but I know I have not been focusing on myself.  I’ve found a few distractions, but that is all they are.  Nothing I have done lately has been beneficial to myself and I think I need to actively focus more on things that will elevate me personally.  One of the questions I keep asking myself is “what do I want to do in life?”  Unfortunately I have yet to find an answer.  I know that from a work perspective I do not want to do the job I currently have for the next 30 years, yet I still haven’t found anything that interests me that will financially sustain my family.  Part of me thinks this might have to do with how small my world is.  Despite the fact that the world is more connected, that it is easier than ever to meet people and maintain relationships, I still feel like I’m in a fishbowl.  I know one of my goals is to move away from Phoenix.  I’ve been here for 30 years now and I’m ready to move on.  As of right now I’m targeting a move in the latter half of 2017, after my oldest daughter graduates high school.  The front runner as of now is the Nashville area, as my sister-in-law and her family are moving there next year and I know my wife will not want to move anywhere without family.  I’m ok with that.  That’s only a 3 hour drive from where the bulk of my family is and I have a sneaking suspicion that if I go that way my mom will follow as she has never liked Arizona and would like nothing more than to get closer to where she is from.  So now that I have a targeted date, a targeted area, and justification I just need to set in place the details.  All that being said, and me being a Gemini, I’m not cementing anything at this point as I could wake up tomorrow and change my mind.  I don’t think I will and every day I’m looking more and more into it, but still not committing to it so fully that I have no other options.  For the time being I’m going to focus on the money making aspect of life and figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

7416

I was listening to the news on my drive in this morning and heard something that totally set me off.  I am a few hours removed from my initial reaction and trying to think this through logically, but I’m still upset by it as it shows we are moving closer to a police state but now on a local level.  Incidentally, this has to do directly with the Phoenix Police Department.  The story said they department is looking in to issuing quotas for the officers to hit as far as issuing citations to show they are holding a stricter letter of the law.  Now while I get from a practical standpoint this is possible, it’s the theory behind it I find disturbing.  Let’s just assume for a moment that the police implement this plan and for the time being successfully meet their quotas by actually writing citations to citizens breaking traffic laws.  Let’s next assume that this has a positive effect and citizens begin to adhere strictly to the letter of the law. What is going to happen when there are no more violations?  I’m very skeptical of police work to begin with because its judgment based and then turned over to a court to prove or disprove.  Honestly, not everyone is going to judge the same way, even if they have received the same training.  This leads to long, drawn out court cases and expenses incurred by citizens all based upon the officer’s judgment at the time.  Needless to say, if the officer was having a bad day, it can hurt the citizen financially.  Now, if the police are going to have to meet quotas that gray area of judgment is going to get even worse as they will have to nitpick even more to reach said quota.  I just can’t fathom that this is going to be beneficial to the citizens in the long run.  People are going to be more paranoid and probably unjustly accused so that the police can get their quotas and that potentially will cause economic hardships on people who are already economically oppressed.

A second quip from the news story was the police chief asking “what would you rather have, an officer responding to a call or an officer out on patrol potentially stopping a crime before it happened?”  My answer is an officer responding.  Again, this goes back to judgment.  My response to that would be: read up on the Trayvon Martin case.  Just because I look a certain way, doesn’t mean the police should have the right to suspect me.  Until a crime is committed, there is no way of an officer knowing what the intentions are and preventative interference would be detrimental in the long run.  Most people I know are already suspicious of the police department and to be under constant scrutiny would not bode well to strengthen those relations.  What is that old saying?  “When you give up freedom for security you get neither.”  The directions we are going in scare me. Economically, socially….it’s a scary time but like the Romans did, the government is blinding the sheeple with new, shiny things promoted to enhance life.  Luxuries are dangled to distract attention from freedoms lost.  Be careful driving around out there.

7464

I’m now more convinced than ever that the health care exchanges set up under PPACA (or Obamacare as most of you know it) are a sham.   As I mentioned earlier, traffic was so busy Saturday I couldn’t complete an application.  So, I tried again last night, with, what I though, was some success.  I was able to enter all of my personal information, family info, wage info, etc. and submitted my application.  Upon completion there was a notification that some systems were down (big ups to Congress for this) and verification would take 24 – 48 hours.  Well this morning I had an email stating I had a message on the web site and to log in and check it.  Upon logging in it said I needed to complete my application and took me back to the beginning steps of entering my personal information.  WTF??  I am sure I am like most of you where you have a certain window to apply for benefits through work next year (aka open enrollment).  I’m also pretty sure that coverage through the exchange is probably going to be more than what it would be through my employer, but I’d at least like to see the rates.  This is getting ridiculous.  I think this whole exchange is a farce set up to fluster the public to the point they accept whatever coverage they can get out of fear of having to pay penalties next year.  The fact that employer sponsored coverage is so high, most Americans are going to have to seek social programs just to meet basic needs, thus the Obama administration will succeed in converting America to a socialist state.  Ok, I know that most of what I’m saying is out of frustration, but it’s pretty hard to draw any other conclusions.  I would be interested in hearing some success stories involving PPACA, but my gut tells me there will be next to none.  If you do have any luck, please share with the rest of us.

7488

Friday afternoon the information for open enrollment at my office began to roll out.  Obviously, the first thing I look for is what the cost of health insurance is going to be. Well, let’s just say I wasn’t amused with what I found out.  Not only are we switching insurance providers, the per check cost is going up about $69. That equates to an annual increase of $1794.  The increase is more than I paid for insurance for myself and my oldest daughter when she was born.  So much for affordable health care. Now I would probably calm down after a bit, if it weren’t for the fact that there is a $2000 deductible that must be met before insurance even begins to cover anything.  That’s per person, not for the whole plan. I think the whole plan is $5000.  So basically, I’ll be shelling out $11500 next year before insurance, which is required thanks to our great leader, even begins to cover anything.  I’m sure most people are like me, at a loss of what to do.  If I was making minimum wage (which thank whoever I don’t) that would be almost three quarters of my annual earnings. Disgusted with the situation, I figured I’d check out what Obama’s affordable health care rates were on his exchange, and lo and behold the system is so bogged down I can’t even get that far.  I think I gave up after 4 hours of trying to enter information on Saturday.  At least my ex would let me get a piece before she stuck it to me, Obama is like “bite the pillow, I’m going in dry.”  Its things like this that make me care less about what Congress is doing.  I know that if they don’t reach a resolution they are going to send our economy into the crapper, but hell, come next year when people can’t afford necessities due to the cost of health care it’s going to get there anyway.  Some days I wish I were more like the rest of the sheeple and had my head in the sand, at least the feeling of despair wouldn’t be so overbearing.  It’s also times like these that make me wish for some sort of catastrophic event so we are forced to reboot.

7536

Thank (insert your deity here or if you're atheist, science) for music. I don't know what I would do without music in my life. I've always said there is a song for every moment and a moment for every song. Even if I don't enjoy a particular song or musician, I can typically appreciate them. Music doesn't have to be complex either for it to be good, and it doesn't necessarily have to be good to be touching. Music has definitely helped me through life. Whether I needed to rage with some metal, get my aggression out with some gangster rap, or calm down with something acoustical, there is always some type of music that is just right. I'm so glad my views on music have changed over the years. As a kid, I typically stuck with one radio station and listened to that type of music. As I have gotten older, my tastes have expanded and I think I'm better for it. In 1990 I probably had nothing but rap music around to listen to. Now I have everything from ABBA to ZZ Top. I have bluegrass, country, rock, classical, opera, punk, rap, metal....the list goes on and on. I'll definitely say I'm not a fan of all music. There is a lot of crap out there, and honestly right now there isn't very much being made that isn't recycled or manufactured. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop listening though, you never know when the next revolutionary artists will arise. One of the things that I'm most proud of as a parent is that my children have had a wide range of music exposed to them. It has paid off. I'm constantly surprised at what songs my kids really enjoy and which ones they ask me to play. My older one is very into the early grunge stuff (albeit she did just confess to liking boy bands and has an affliction for Nikki Minaj) and my youngest loves almost any song that comes on and has a banjo, be it Taylor Swift, The Pistol Annies, or that song from O' Brother Where Art Thou? Another cool thing is that music has helped keep me bonded with them, especially my older one. She is doing a project for school on Blink 182 (probably her favorite band) but we basically sat down and had a discussion of the entire history of punk music and where they fit in. It was great. We hadn't had a conversation for that long in I don't know when. We talked about everything from The New York Dolls to The Ramones, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Dead Kennedy's, The Dead Milkmen, Operation Ivy, Rancid, and the evolution to pop-punk and where Blink 182 fit into all of it. I was amazed at her thirst for the knowledge and want to understand the history. I hope all of you get to experience something like that in your life. Music really is one of the greatest things and I'm so lucky to be able to share with not only my kids, but my friends. I love that they can turn me on to new stuff and I love talking about the stuff I already know and can turn them on to new stuff as well. Here's hoping your day is filled with music and that the bands never stop playing.

7584

I have to be honest today.  My mind is mulling over so many things that I can’t narrow down any one to really write about.  Today’s post might be the ultimate rambling of ramblings. So here are a few things running through my mind in no particular order and with no extensive arguments behind, but I’m open to discuss any of them:

I think our government sucks.  I’m not even choosing sides.  I think none of them represent the people as they should. I think people (and Congress is doing a fine example of this) are so concerned with their own wants and agendas, consideration for others is as at an all-time low.

I think we’ve become so advanced technologically speaking that we require instant gratification.  I think the populous has such a sense of entitlement that work ethics are horrendous. I think we promote this and accept it as being ok.

I think we make false idols for the wrong reasons (see any celebrity).  I’m not saying all celebrities are bad people, but I think we have built their pedestals for the wrong reasons.

I think we lack accountability for our actions.  We assume others will clean up our messes.

I think we lack goals.  So many things are attainable that we just expect them to happen instead of planning to make them happen.

I think music today sucks.  The truly gifted are busy working on their craft and are not seen where the people that lack soul are posting to the internet and becoming celebrities.

I think too many people are concerned with owning all the toys instead of playing with the ones they have.

I think that it’s a shame you can’t compliment a woman on her beauty without having a hidden agenda.

I think people are like the forest.  We spend far too much time conserving what is there that we forget that every once in a while you have to clear out the crap in order for it all to flourish.

I think people are more concerned with etiquette than they are with accepting facts.  We can’t ignore certain things to spare the feelings of others.  Doing so suggests those things never happened and by doing that they are doomed to be repeated by ignorance instead of being avoided due to owning up and facing the truth.

I think that is enough random crap for today.

7656

One of the things I know about myself is I tend to say a lot of things people view as inflammatory.  Sometimes I do this intentionally whether I truly believe what I say or not just to rile people up.  To me, if somebody is agitated they are going to tend to show their true colors.  For the most part on the internet, it’s that they are an idiot douche bag and very closed minded.  The other reason I do this is it leads to debates.  People defending their position give me feedback whether they know it or not.  I get insight into a person when they can rationally defend their view point.  That’s not to say I agree with them, but I respect a person’s opinion, even if I have to chide at them to get it.  All of that being said, I have to say the responses I get from posts I make on Google+ are by far some of the most intelligent responses to comment s I make.  I don’t know if this has to do with how I filter and share stuff, or if as tend to believe, there is just a more refined user base on Google than other social networks.  I don’t mean that everyone is refined, even the crude and crass (which I associate myself with) come off as more intelligent.  I guess what I’m saying is there tends to be more open-minded thinkers associated with G+ than with FB or even topic specific forums I’m on.  So for that, I’m very appreciative.  Thank you all (mostly) for being open minded and providing me with feedback that allows me to ponder viewpoints I haven’t naturally considered.  Also, not that what I say is “fake”, but please don’t always assume I’m not just playing devil’s advocate to illicit responses for my own growth.  Thanks again to all of you and I hope to have nothing but the continued positive growth that I’ve come to know on G+.

7704

There was recently a story about an off-duty police officer in Coolidge, AZ that wore his full uniform, including firearm, to school to drop off his daughter. The principal asked the officer not to wear the uniform again as it scared the other school children. The officer complained on Facebook, the principal recanted, and all the idiots online have chimed in their $.02. Now look, I'm all in favor of letting this guy wear his uniform to drop off his kid. We all get ready and are in our "uniforms" when we drop our kids off at school, no big deal there. However....(and this is where I've been getting jumped for my opinion)I don't think he should be allowed to wear his sidearm on campus while dropping his daughter off. In fact, I think he should be charged with carry a weapon in a weapon free zone. Hear me out. This guy was OFF DUTY, meaning he is just an average citizen like the rest of us. If I were to wear a firearm in a weapon free zone, my ass would be in jail. Look, I've made no bones about my distaste for law enforcement officials. I think for the most part (and this situation backs up my argument) cops feel they are above the law when it comes to their own actions. 90% of their reaction to situations involves judgement calls and 90% are unable to make a good judgement. The uproar I've heard about how the principal has gone too far, only cements the notion that officers are somehow not subject to the same rules and regulations as people that have chosen careers in fields not related to law enforcement. Additionally, as an office of the law, this gentleman should be more rehearsed in the laws than the average citizen and know damn well he was breaking them. /Rant let the flaming begin.

7776

I was having a conversation with a client of mine, and he brought up a point that I can't believe I never thought of. Life is going on even in spite of the government shutdown, so, do we really need the departments that aren't "critical"? It makes sense if you think about it. Why are we dishing out tax money to all of these agencies if we get by when they aren't working? Keep in mind I use the term working loosely, because anybody who has ever been in a government office or had to deal with a government agency knows they tend to move slower than evolution when it comes to getting stuff done. I think this would be a great starting point for a new wave of politicians to make big brother smaller. Unfortunately, it ain't gonna happen. That really is a shame though, we could used a streamlined, more efficient government. All that being said, I do feel for the people not getting paid, even though Congress is still collecting their salaries. I've always held a theory that the less you actually do in life, the more you get paid, and Congress is proving me right. On a personal note, I'd like to acknowledge my absence recently. I've been working on my life, and like a car that is in need of repair, sometimes it's best to tear it down and build it back up rather than keep patching things. I'm trying to do that so my internet presence may be somewhat diminished for a spell. It's not all bad though, it's allowing for personal discovery and healthy mending of relationships. It's also inspired me to revisit a few projects I've considered and put a more concrete foundation to them rather than keeping them conceptual. I don't know how far any of that will go. I think one of my major issues is I tend not to see things through, but again that's another thing I'm trying to work on.