Common Sense for Modern Times

Trust our Lawmakers?

2009-12-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Our politicians are morons - just look at the anti-cell phone while you're driving law.
Clearly they are not concerned about the distraction of talking because if you have a hands-free device, cell phones are perfectly legal in cars.
So, it's okay to dial a phone, and it's okay to talk on the phone, you just can't be holding it in one of your hands! Furthermore, texting is allowed!! What a crock!!
These lawmakers are incompetent to say the least.
Me talking on a cell phone is no different than talking to a person in the passenger seat - so what is next? Perhaps a plexiglass wall between the driver and passenger seats?
Yes, texting should not be allowed, as it is truly dangerous, but talking on a cell phone is no less safe than talking to a passenger.
All this current law insures is that men have both hands available to hold onto the wheel. Hello?!? Most men never have both hands on the wheel - I know I never do.
So if our lawmakers are this stupid, how can they possibly be trusted to efficiently reform healthcare? Surely they are way too stupid for such a task . . .
Private companies competing against each other in a classic Capitalist environment would be infinitely more effective than our hopeless government will ever be.
Nonetheless, Merry Christmas everybody!

Conspiracy Theory

2009-11-24T00:18:00.000-08:00

I am convinced that the auto manufacturers have partnered with the state governments for profit.
Problem: Competition and increased quality have resulted in a major dilemma: Automobile dealers do not make enough money to survive, either because people are buying other makes or because cars do not break down often enough.
Solution: The automotive industry partners with state governments to ensure billions of dollars of income to keep the dealerships running.
How? State inspections now require that ALL indicator lights, often called idiot lights, must not be illuminated in order to pass state inspections. Conveniently, only major dealers have the technology required to diagnose such potential problems. The dealers then provide several hundred dollar solutions to simple problems costing them pennies to fix in order for you to pass state inspections. Failure to comply results in citations.
With this method the dealers are able to generate huge profits for menial repairs thus insuring their survival.
It is all a crock of shit - and a scam devised by our government to assist dealers.
Do not be deceived - we are all victims of this complex and sophisticated ploy.
I plan to purchase a 1969 Chevy pickup upon which I can personally perform any necessary repairs, and because there is no on board computer, I can tell the dealers and our government to go f**k themselves.
If you choose to ignore this then you have been deceived and I pity you.

Farewell to another friend

2009-10-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Timothy Mishalanie and I became best of friends in the past year.

He lived with another good friend Dave Guertin and was in fact the one who found Dave dead at the lakehouse this past August.

Timmy was found dead at the same lakehouse this week and all ask the same question, what is the curse on this place?

God rest Timmy's soul and his mercy be abundant to a man who lit up the room when he walked in and always left you smiling.

Tim - thanks for the memories my friend.

Remembering a Friend

2009-08-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Dave Guertin was a trusted friend, business partner, music partner and toward the end a pain in my ass but I will always love him.

We met in a job interview – I was fresh out of college and he was a laborer turned designer. He looked at my hobbies and interests and saw playing music – the rest was history.

I was tasked by God with drawing Dave out of his shell. I showed him a few guitar tricks and he soon was writing, playing and singing in front of crowds.

It was Dave that brought me to know Jesus as I do – because of him I am saved and I will always be thankful.

He also taught me many things like business, friendship, generosity, sacrifice, loyalty and love.

I hope to see many of you Friday evening as we honor Dave Guertin – and no matter what has transpired, Dave was a uniquely gifted man with a priceless perspective on everything.

I will miss him dearly and I pray God rest his soul.

Gary's Music

2009-07-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

www.garysmusicstore.com

This guy is a dickhead – I highly recommend you avoid his store at all cost even if you have to drive to Oneida or New Hartford.

Anyone wanting details as to why I know this to be a fact, email me and I will show you.

If you know me well enough to know I don’t bullshit, then take my word for it – he sucks and so does his merchandise.

Rock on Big Apple Music!!

Second Revolution

2009-04-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

So many topics, so little time.

It has been said and I agree “You cannot spend your way out of recession any more than you can borrow your way out of debt’ – This is sound doctrine.

It’s like standing in a bucket and trying to lift yourself by the handle – it will not work!!

Obama’s plan to spend public money to bail out private failures is absurd! Gee, let’s see, I hope if I woefully fail at my job as General Manager that the Feds will come along and give me taxpayer dollars to continue, ultimately perpetuating my mismanagement. Surely I jest – as I want no hand-outs from the government. I will take my own responsibility for my decisions and actions.

Our great grandchildren will still be saddled with Obama’s debt. Democrats enjoy spending other people’s money to foster a compassionate feeling in their heart of hearts – give me a break.

True charity is offered of free will, not mandated with government taxes who then inefficiently disperses it to corrupt organizations, rewarding inactivity and increasing government dependency.

Lets get back to natural selection, survival of the fittest, adaptation, initiative, ambition, creativity, FAITH and respect for God and man.

Anybody with me?

New Year's Stock Tip

2009-01-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

Imagine having the foresight in the 70’s to predict the success of Microsoft and Apple. Buying shares back then would pay off like only Forrest Gump could have imagined.

So in the world today, what should we be looking for to buy into that will provide similar results?

Well I say we need to strongly consider the fact that as a species we are completely dependent on energy and in particular, fossil fuels, which are finite in their availability. Oil effects practically every aspect of life from the fuel we burn to heat our homes and power our vehicles, to the bottles that conveniently deliver our soda and water, to the packaging that delivers all of our consumer products and on & on we can discuss this ad infinitum.

So my New Years tip for all you investors is obvious – look for companies that are developing alternative energy sources. This could be hydrogen energy cell manufacturers, windmill designers, solar panel producers, nuclear energy pioneers or ethanol developers.

I for one do not invest much in this economy – I trust in cash for the most part. But if you do care to play the markets, consider my thoughts carefully because somewhere out there are companies that will dwarf the growth and performance of Microsoft and Apple combined.

P.S. If any reader does strike it rich based on my thoughts, at least remember a Christmas card (Million dollar check optional, but appreciated).

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T00:27:00.000-08:00

The history of Christmas as you may know dates back many centuries and has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. Originally a celebration of the Winter Solstice, eventually it evolved into a celebration of our Savior's birth.

I am not a fan of the commercial side of the holiday, but I am thankful that the majority of us do set aside a special time each year to acknowledge the day when the Mighty God robed Himself in flesh and dwelt among us - that one day He would die in our steads, nailing our sins to the cross. There is no greater miracle than this, and no greater reason to be merry and gay!

Merry Christmas to you all, and a happy, safe and prosperous new year as a bonus :-)

Here we go

2008-11-05T22:51:00.000-08:00

So here we have it, a liberal executive and a liberal congress. This means many things in the near future:

1. Defense spending will be cut, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs and the weakening of our miltary. Bad move.

2. We will pull out of Iraq. Funny how everyone supported this war after 9/11, but ,many lack the stomach to finish the job. Once we no longer take the war to them, they will surely bring it back to us. We have not been attacked since 2001, but surely we will be once we show weakness

3. Welfare recipients rejoice! There will be plenty of money available after defense cuts to provide billions in entitlements to the less ambitious - way to go slackers!

4. Healthcare - those of us who work and pay for our health insurance will simply have to step aside and wait in line for healthcare so we can make room for the less fortunate, aka the welfare generation. Our taxes will increase to ensure that all slackers get the care the government feels they deserve, and our quality of care will diminish greatly

5. Criminals have no fear - Barack feels your pain and will ensure every legal loophole is avauilable so that you can void serving a full sentence. Obviosuly you were abused as children and should not be severely punished for your hideous crimes

6. Illegal aliens, no worries! Our government will ensure you have full access to healthcare and social security benefits at the middle classes' expense - hell, they can afford it!

7. Terrorists have no fear, Barrack is willing to sit down with you and negotiate, even though you have no intention of holding up your end of the bargain. We will cut a deal to ensure you have much influence in our nations direction moving forward.

8. One can only assume the NAACP will be in it's hayday, ensuring that people are rewarded because they are black rather than on their merit - what a crock!

Best of luck America, for electing a racist, America hater with virtually no experience in anything relevenat to the job of running the free world.

God has a plan, and clearly it is not the prosperity of America.

Turn or burn!!

Welfare Reform

2008-05-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

Our welfare system, albeit with noble intentions, is designed to reward people for NOT working. If you sit home without a job you qualify for full benefits. If you get a job, even at minimum wage, your benefits are cut off completely, making it more profitable to quit the job and sit home.

This system needs to be overhauled – immediately!

Here are some potential guidelines for the new system:

1. If you do not work in any capacity, anywhere, your benefits will be cut to zero. Refuse to work – you are on your own!

2. If you work part time your benefit will be minimal, encouraging the recipient to get a full time job.

3. If you work full time, your benefit will be approved to supplement your income that brings you to a minimal total income of say, $25,000 per year. Two part time jobs will be considered full-time providing you are working at least 35 hours per week.

4. Once you achieve an income of $25,000 per year on your own, your benefits will be discontinued.

The more kids you have, the less your benefit will be. Our new system will discourage having children when you clearly cannot afford to take care of them.

Under these guidelines, people are rewarded for working and penalized for sitting at home popping out kids, sucking on the government tit.

Criminal Justice

2008-04-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Our criminal justice system needs an overhaul. We tolerate far too much crime and the best way to address the problem is twofold: First, eliminate the repeat offenders and secondly, discourage crime with severe and inhumane punishment.

Eliminating the repeat offenders is easy. All third time (plus) offenders need to be shot. Quick, inexpensive and painless, albeit a tad messy. But we can employ the surviving prisoners to clean up the mess (let's leverage all that free labor). All violent 2nd offenders need to be shot as well. Having demonstrated a propensity for violent and unrepentant crime earns them this fate.

All rapists should be castrated, and I mean take it all. That ends their rape career without question.

Drugs need to be decriminalized because our prisons are full of people that are not violent and until they become violent should probably be left alone. Perhaps regulating and taxing the drug traffic would serve us better than attempting to prosecute it.

Spouse and child abusers beware - something needs to be done to protect the innocent in this country. But we still must wait until the repeat offense to guard against the poor soul that got set-up and wrongly prosecuted.

As for punishment, I favor the chain-gangs of old. Punishing hard labor that breaks a man's back and may even make him (or her) think twice before committing their next crime. Eliminating television, HBO, Internet and the like would also lend itself to developing a punishment culture rather than a social club atmosphere.

If one of these criminals comes into my house some night, I will issue the death sentence on the spot, unless he gets me first but I will not go down without a fight. To hell with the dog, beware of owner!

Roles of Government

2008-04-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

We need to redefine and clarify exactly what our government should, and should not, be involved in.

First and foremost is national security: We should have the strongest military in the world and they should be protecting our liberties by securing our borders and annihilating our enemies. Liberating sweaty cowards in far away places is often a waste of blood and treasure.

Secondly, crime prevention: Our justice system needs to be overhauled because it is way too lenient on criminals. Prison should be a punishment so fierce that the scumbag criminals actually think twice before committing a crime – as opposed to the country club vacations they are currently awarded.

Thirdly, protect our economy: Allowing corporations to outsource manufacturing to increase profits and compete with foreigners has not only cost us jobs, but diminished our ability to manufacture overall. I believe we should disregard the global markets and focus on providing for ourselves again, so we are truly independent. Placing high tariffs on incoming good would do the trick, as well as monitoring labor unions that drive up our labor costs to extreme levels. With more manufacturers to choose from, workers would have options to work where the pay and treatment are best, and the companies that abuse their workforce would either suffer economically, or change to stay competetive.

One thing the government needs to get out of is charity, which is giving money to people who do not earn it. Let the churches and private citizens support the widows and single moms, and with manufacturing back in business, the rest of the lazy freeloaders can get jobs for a change.

I think certain things should be at the federal level such as driver’s licenses and pistol permits. This would simplify moving from one state to another in this country.

Gun Control

2008-04-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

The major problem with guns in this country is that not enough of the good guys have them. Naïve lawmakers believe restrictive gun laws will reduce crime when clearly the opposite is true. If every student and Virginia Tech was packing a piece – the freak would either have chickened out to begin with, or would have been stopped immediately. Washington DC has the strictest gun control laws in the nation, and also the highest crime rate because the criminals operate in a safer environment, void of armed resistance.

I do agree we must screen applicants for pistol permits because there are plenty of people that are too stupid to responsibly own a weapon. But the fact remains as the number of criminals increases our police become less able to effectively counteract the violence and most assuredly an armed populace would in all ways discourage criminal activity.

In conclusion, we must naturally assume the enemy (Criminals) will always be armed and consequently we must arm as many good citizens as possible to keep the scum in line. Not to mention we must maintain a healthy arsenal of weapons and ammunition in the event we must over-throw our government.

Introduction

2008-03-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

In this blog I will endeavor to communicate my opinions about many issues facing us today. Please chack back often and feel free to post comments to contribute to the lively exchange of ideas in this forum.