rojosramblings

2012-02-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

Budget Thoughts on a Sunday

After reading this article in the paper today, I started thinking. (no wisecracks) According to the US gov revenue website, revenue has increased since 2000 by $.3T. The percentage of GDP that is government revenue has dropped almost 5%. The GDP has risen almost $5T. That’s a lot of cash. If the percentage of revenue were the same from 2000 to 2010, an extra $700B would be in the federal government revenue figures. The “Bush tax cuts” definitely hurt the country. I mean, I would love to look at my budget and say I am projecting to have a surplus, so I will take the next ten years off and then see where I am. How stupid was that decision!!!! You should have at least looked at it annually to see if you could afford it.

That said, defense spending has doubled since 9/11. OW! Social safety net spending has doubled as a percentage of budget since 2000. Some of this is because revenues as a percentage of GDP has decreased. Much of it is because the housing bubble has caused a larger percentage of people to need the social safety net. Some of it is because people are not thinking clearly (how many million big screen TVs were bought for Super Bowl Sunday on credit, or as my daughter said yesterday someone in a homeless program was wondering how to purchase $200 Versace sunglasses, we routinely purchase $3 coffee) People want Stuff now. Medical costs are expanding exponentially (this means non-linear as a percentage of income, but more than that). As a country, we continue to allow jobs to go overseas. We continue to drain our monetary pool for foreign energy (and energy firms, oil companies pay little to no taxes) and we buy our stuff from across the seas. Our money just goes elsewhere, rather than staying here. Or it does not go out for product. Money is a symbol of something made. I dare you to tell me what was made in a hedge fund, or a leveraged purchase, or derivative trading, or betting against futures. The bank bailout cost millions of people their homes through default, but someone got to pocket that money. Soon, we will be paying for WATER just like we pay for gas now, as multinationals are getting into the water business now as a means of getting ready for the coming water shortage.

As a country this can’t continue. The debt just keeps getting higher. But what is the solution? Do I want to be the one to cut back? And give more back? These are not jingoistic questions with easy solutions. What gets cut? who gives back? Who gets taxed more? Who gives up what? Social security is an easy fix. Pay on the first $250000 you make instead of the first $105000. I have no easy solutions, but as country we need to understand the problem in detail. I found it telling in the article that states that get more money from the federal government than they pay into the kitty want government handouts cut and those states who pay more into the kitty are fine with higher tax rates and more government spending.

rojo

2012-02-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Some Saturday Morning Strut

rojo

2012-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

For grins

rojo

2012-01-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

In Today's Paper, part 3

They let the banks fail and started anew. We bailed folks out at a cost of way more than buying every bad and questionable mortgage out there and giving the homes to the residents. And then the bankers took bonuses for saving their failed investments.

Which makes more sense? Keep in mind the bank bail out costs do not take into account the indirect costs of social services and unemployment and emergency room costs for the displaced. Those we bore as taxpayers.

Hindsight is great, but I do know that if I were in the position of handing out bailouts, there would have been strings attached, such as no bonuses, no golden parachutes and criminal fraud charges for those who bundled good and bad mortgages and then bet against them making it. Also, I would have made sure by passing laws this could not have happened again.

The problem is that politicians cannot do that because they need bank money to stay in power. Maybe the first step is to limit the amount of money that can be spent to get elected. and overturn Citizen's United.

rojo

2012-01-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

From Today's Papers, Part 2

of note:
1) Asia now has a better infrastructure than the US. Not nimble enough.
2) the nation has stopped training (educating) people so that they can fill mid-level positions.
3) Government subsidies do create jobs.
4) Labor is super cheap and there are no such things as 8-hour days or weekends.
5) the difference in the cost of a complete computer made in the US was $22 dollars, as opposed to $4.85 cents.

So let me get this straight. I know that many Regressives did not want the US government to bail out the car industry because government can't help create jobs. Yet, it has been shown overseas that this is patently the case. Education sucks in this country partially because property values have fallen. This was caused by derivative trading failures and banks betting on failures and companies like Standard and Poor's giving great credit ratings to mortgages that cannot be paid. The second aspect to this is that governments have lowered financial support to education. and one other item I want to speak to--With union workers, in the US with complete benefits the difference for a complete computer is $18. that's right, $18. What were Macs selling for around that time? $1500. Compute the profit margin, folks.

How much profit does a company need to take to a Board? It is the fiduciary responsibility of officers of a company to make money for the investors. That is capitalism. The cancerous part of capitalism is "How Much?"

and how many lives are affected.

When I was taking business courses for my MBA, only one professor asked that.

rojo

2012-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

Headlines of the Day, Part 1

Granted, not many folks died as a direct result of bank crashes, but many people's homes were taken, there have been suicides and some have died as a result of losing jobs and not having health insurance.

rojo

2012-01-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

Good Description of What is Wrong With Romney

rojo

2012-01-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

In Honor of Etta James

rojo

2012-01-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Time Traveling Man

My God, Did you hear Romney today." America is a great country...blah, blah...if you don't like it go to North Korea..." Sweet, he now is channeling Nixon Republicans from 1967. What an airhead!

rojo

2012-01-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

Missin' Treme

rojo

2012-01-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday Bangra!

rojo

2012-01-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

Football Stuff

I seldom comment about football on the blog. Two things after the Bowl season (still not complete) and the first round of the playoffs.

The Chargers have taken a lot of heat for not playing well lately. There have been many calls for the coaches head. I do not like the Chargers or Norv Turner, but they are short on talent. Just three eyars ago they had Ladanian Thomas at running back, with Michael Turner (now of the Falcons) as Backup and Sproles of New Orleans as his backup. The defense had the two Shawns at Defensive end/LB rushing the quarterback, Olivsky at nose tackle. They are just depleted.

College football is fun. However, the money is ridiculous. Texas has a revenue of $70+ MILLION dollars for college football. Coaches make a whole bunch more money than tenured specialists. It is ridiculous. One of the better conferences, Mountain West, has lost Utah, Brigham Young, Boise State and TCU to defections. Mountain West was never guaranteed a spot in the BCS Bowl series, which means at least $6M more than they are making now. Keep in mind Boise State and TCU two years ago combined for one loss. They can’t afford not to take the guaranteed money. Too bad and even worse the Big East was guaranteed a BCS Bowl team while Mountain West was not. It is said to see money have that much control over college.

rojo

2011-12-15T07:35:00.001-08:00

What a Scam!

Now you know why there is so much kick back on what has been called Obamacare. Execs make too much money! But early in the article, Look at who the previous best paid execs were--managers of failed and almost illegal enterprises whose salaries we paid with bail outs. Just once I want a job where I can run a company into the ground and make multimillions of dollars.

rojo

2011-12-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

Fouling Our Waters

The first two are about frakking.

This first one raises an issue that frakking water was taken to routine wastewater plants, which are not designed to remove salt. If the refuse water went to an ion exchange plant, that would treat for salinity, so regulations are behind the curve of use. The second may be the same thing. Or it may be that waste from frakking just made it to drainages and then to the creek. Either way, everything is dead. Then the question becomes "How do you restore it?' I know natural gas is cleaner than coal, but maybe we need a long-term energy policy wherein we use mostly renewables.

The other story is that yet another substance is found to be a gender bender. There is tons of evidence we have affected the planet. I don't think anyone ever thought that the rise of sensitive new age guys could be related to production of plastics, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and herbicides where they all seem to effect the endocrine systems and actually change aquatic species to either all female or hemaphrodites.

rojo

2011-12-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

A Parent's Lament

I actually feel bad that I am leaving my children a world where people have to work more than they have for leisure. In 1967, there was as much or just a little more time for leisure than for work--more or less 40/40/40 sleep. Now, there is 55 hours of work as the norm, with many fewer benefits and health care. and there is still the attempt to lower more benefits. I mean, who needs sick days?

rojo

2011-11-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

The Newtster

"Let me take that for a brief moment to describe Occupy Wall Street. All of the Occupy movement starts with the premise that we all owe them everything. They take over a public park they didn't pay for, to go near by to use bathrooms they didn't pay for, to beg for food from places they they don't want to pay for, to obstruct those that are going to work to pay the taxes to sustain the bathrooms and to sustain the park so that they can self-righteously explain that they are the paragons of virtue to which we owe everything."

He added: "Now, that is a pretty good symptom of how much the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country and why you need to reassert something as simple as saying to them, 'Go get a job right after you take a bath.'"

Newt Gingrich, Republican front runner and serial husband

rojo

2011-11-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

What Constitution? What Bill of Rights?

Last night, former Bush official Karl Rove appeared at Johns Hopkins University to speak as a part of the annual Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium. Rove soon discovered that he wasn’t going to deliver his right-wing rhetoric unopposed, as a cry of “Mic Check!” rang out among the audience. “Karl Rove is the architect of Occupy Iraq, the architect of Occupy Afghanistan!” yelled the demonstrators. Occupy Baltimore had infiltrated the crowd and began chanting against Rove.

“Who gave you the right to occupy America?” asked Rove to the protesters, apparently unaware of the Bill of Rights. As they repeated their slogan, “We are the 99 percent!” Rove petulantly responded, “No you’re not!” He snidely added, “You wanna keep jumping up and yelling that you’re the 99 percent? How presumptuous and arrogant can you think are!”

Karl "who needs the Constitution and the Bill Rights" Rove. Glad to see he has not changed.

rojo

2011-11-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

Oh, goodness??!!

Well worth the read. Compassion or Randian greed? And greed and power do lead to what is called "power Over." Starting with bullying, underpaying wages (who needs a living wage--take what crumbs I give you), all the way up to I deserve your sex however and whenever I want it. Whatever happened to human decency and Christian values?

And who could name their son after the progenitor of that movement?

rojo

2011-11-18T19:30:00.000-08:00

Friday Night Toones

rojo

2011-11-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Water Issues

It is time for an environmental post again. One thing that folks need to be aware of is that water will be the new oil. Banks are definitely investing in owning utilities, as are oil companies. There will a new way of looking at water, which once was sacred, now as a commodity.

And there is yet more evidence the environment is being changed by humans beyond global warming. It is very weird thinking that our chemical usage is causing feminization of aquatic species.

And for all the ads on television that state "frakking" does no harm to the water quality of underground aquifers, Wyoming is having a different experience.

rojo

2011-11-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

New Toones

well, not really, but new to this humble blog.

and an oldie

rojo

2011-10-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

From a Facebook Page

Sean McKibben

"Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for 1/2 of minimum wage. That's right... Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (.........7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 mins off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries). What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute --there's something wrong here! There sure is... The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!! Make a teacher smile; re-post this to show appreciation for all educators."

He's right. Teachers do not get enough praise for their dedication. And now everyone wants to pack more into classrooms and get rid of teachers as if they were tissues. Thanks Governors Kasich and Walker and Scott. Just this past week I have heard that Florida could get many NEW high tech jobs but the level of education there is not high enough. Solution, tax breaks to companies and firing more teachers to balance the revenue cuts. When will we ever learn that trickle down and supply side economics never work. The math is simple, cut revenue, cut expenses. But they don't and can't teach math and civics anymore.

rojo

2011-10-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Clean Water Act

rojo

2011-10-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Things Are Not Always What They Seem

A group of art pictures with a fascinating topic.

rojo

2011-10-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Today's Humor

Who can save the persecuted bankers?

Rojo

2011-10-14T16:22:00.001-07:00

A Quiet Toone for a Friday

rojo

2011-10-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

Behind the GOP’s OWS backlash

Great article. Makes you wonder what was so wrong about the 60s and 70s. Integration? The EPA? The end of the war?

rojo

2011-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Rand Paul, Idiot!

After reading Rand "Aqua Buddha" Paul's remarks about the Occupy Wall Street and his fear they will take things from the rich, I wonder if perhaps Rand really is as shallow and as greedy and as fearful as he seems. This from a man who had to start a new organization to get certified as an eye doctor. The other tests must have been too tough.

Living in fear must suck. I mean who lives in fear of not being able to pay for a house or medical or food. What? the 99%ers? What would Rand care? He gots his and is only afraid a mob may take it from him.

What an asshat!

rojo

2011-10-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Three views of a bass guitar

rojo

2011-10-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hate in Wyoming

Thirteen years ago today.

rojo

2011-10-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

What Up Wit Dat?

is this a "let them eat cake" moment or a moment where our noses are
ground into the ground. You will notice a small banner for buying pizza
for protesters at the bottom. Please donate.

and it sure looks like there are more than the couple of hundred protesters there than the media seems to cover.

rojo

2011-09-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

What Are We Doing in America?

worth a quick look. Okay, a 9 minute look. I lived through the 60s and 70s and saw many such things. There was always "allowable" force by the police or National Guard. I look at the riots in Britain that happened recently and know they were not much different than the Detroit or Hough riots (look up causes and see jobs and finances and affordable housing) of my youth. I am convinced Arab Spring will make it to the US and this is the start of it. Will the upholders of the law be different than Syria? or Yemen?

rojo

2011-09-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Dance Toone!

rojo

2011-09-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Politics

I have not made many political posts lately. Obama has been a little center right for my tastes. and the last two Republican debates have really bothered me. I have seen cheers for executions and shouts of "Let Him Die!" about a theoretical man who is in a coma. My heart is very heavy because what claims to be a Christian society has become so bloodthirsty. I expect public hangings and beheadings as entertainment. Sarcastically, maybe we could pay off the debt by charging admission. Pride in having someone executed who may be not guilty. Yes, governor Perry, it takes balls to do that. Especially when you ask someone ELSE to do the deed. I would be more impressed if you went in, knife in teeth and did it yourself. Heartbreaking we Americans have become such a vile bunch. I am surprised that Vlad the Impaler T-shirts, replete with heads on posts, are not in fashion. There is a blood lust that is amazing. In those who say they are Christians, no less. Please read the New Testament.

And on other subjects, I see Swiss Bank lost $2B to a rogue trader. If he made money, would he still be rogue? and they had him arrested. So, the bank post a loss, and they have the guy arrested. Yet, in the States, the banks post a loss and Bush bails them out. They don't lose jobs, they get bonuses and Americans lose their 401ks, homes and jobs. and no arrests. It is maddening. And we have no aid for these people. Even more maddening is that banksters compensation can be taken at a later date through futures and the sale of stock is taxed at a lower rate, if at all. and we wonder why there is a debt. Did you notice there is no regulations yet passed to prevent this from happening again? I was a small business man and scratch my head. Easy when you play with the money of others.

Finally, teh Boner says job creators are waiting for a better climate as they have lost confidence. In what, America? They are creating jobs overseas easily enough. Maybe if we lowered the minimum wage to $2/day they would come back. You mean all the tax loopholes they have is not enough? Face it, the job creators are right here in our towns. Small to medium family run businesses. They can't get credit to expand. Large multi-nationals just care about the bottom line. They can move to another country, just as Halliburton did (and yet they still get defense contracts in opposition to the Buy American law that is on the books--Roosevelt passed it.)

rojo

2011-09-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Ancient!

rojo

2011-09-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

A Musical Catenation

sounds like Kert Weihl, so

and another face of David Johanson

and

rojo

2011-09-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Just Another Band from LA

rojo

2011-09-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

more global warming

Warming seas could smother seafood - environment - 08 September 2011 - New Scientist

rojo

2011-09-08T06:23:00.001-07:00

Reflections on a Regressive Debate

I was driving last night and listened to the Regressive debate on the radio. Oh, how I wish I was somewhere where I could have live-blogged. But, what was actually scary to me, really scary, was the applause Rick Perry got as he explained the Texas approach to capital punishment. It was a visceral response where the blood lust of the audience could be felt. This is humanity?

rojo

2011-09-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

Bolivia Set to Pass Historic 'Law of Mother Earth' Which Will Grant Nature Equal Rights to Humans

rojo

2011-09-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday Rock

rojo

2011-09-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

DJ Logic for a Sunday

and the studio version of this featured DJ Logic. Alas, no video.

rojo

2011-09-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Cool Guitar

rojo

2011-09-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday Toones

rojo

2011-09-02T12:02:00.001-07:00

Boycott Anyone?

Interesting that Holiday Inn cancels a Progressive Rally for JOBS because Eric Cantor wants a Tea Party style rally next door.

I know I have written them a letter and said "Kiss my 40 nights per year on business travel good bye!"

rojo

2011-08-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Has It Come To This?

We can't have FEMA because we can't afford it. We have no money for disaster relief unless we cut elsewhere. The greatest power in the world can't afford to help people so it can keep its military bases in Korea, in Germany.

and this is an honest question, not a hyperbolic one. Is the American economy that far in the toilet? If not, do we have a rainy day fund? or at least money in the budget for disaster relief? We should, it is not like we don't expect tornadoes, droughts, hurricanes, harsh winters or other such items. Doesn't anyone think of that when they put up a budget? Are we that bereft of money?

If not, we are being handed a bunch of hooey by some in power. And if we are in that bad of shape, I can see the need for shared sacrifice, like maybe a tax rate of Eisenhower proportion for those who make above $250K, or SS deductions on your whole salary.

I have my beliefs, but there is so little transparency and some much bullshit heaped out there I sometimes doubt what I see on TV and in print. Moody's says one thing; Standard and Poor's another. Eric Cantor asks for disaster relief only if we have cuts on one hand and then asks for military extensions on another, as if they were not money from the same budget. Do any of these people ever try to live on what you make? and if you don't make enough, either get a second job or cut back.

I am tired of politics when people are really concerned.

As an aside, Perry now states the problem with Bush that he was a "compassionate conservative" instead of just conservative. Yup, he was just too kind. That should tell you all you need to know. Mean people suck!

The budget should be math, easy to understand, not just the beliefs of political and military cults. Then you can make value judgments and call them that. When was the last time you heard a political pundit state we prefer this, we want this and not couch it in terms of belief?

Honesty would be a nice virtue.

rojo

rojosramblings

and how many lives are affected.

When I was taking business courses for my MBA, only one professor asked that.

Granted, not many folks died as a direct result of bank crashes, but many people's homes were taken, there have been suicides and some have died as a result of losing jobs and not having health insurance.

is this a "let them eat cake" moment or a moment where our noses areground into the ground. You will notice a small banner for buying pizzafor protesters at the bottom. Please donate.and it sure looks like there are more than the couple of hundred protesters there than the media seems to cover.

is this a "let them eat cake" moment or a moment where our noses are
ground into the ground. You will notice a small banner for buying pizza
for protesters at the bottom. Please donate.

and it sure looks like there are more than the couple of hundred protesters there than the media seems to cover.