Not knowing that my two entries this week would involve boats, there is this story about how even the uber rich (well, at least those who marry the ones who married the uber rich) seem to appreciate money...when it comes to their own at least.
Seems that Senator John and Teresa (Heinz) Kerry prefer not to "invest" their money into the local Massachusetts taxing authority.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
What I learned about economics from dinghys
Ponder, if you would, the two images below:
I've raced sailboats for over a quarter century. The sailor who taught me to sail and race raced on boats similar to the ones on the right. He raced in a class named SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Conference). These are multi-million dollar boats, crewed by a dozen or more. The next class up would be America's Cup racers. In other words, these are serious sailors. The boat he raced on was the SORC Class winner for years.
When Bob introduced me to sailing, we sailed a 22 foot Creekmore. It was an aluminum hull, fractional rig boat. Lots of fun! But, here's what I learned about sailing: a dinghy went along with the Creekmore. It was similar to the boat on the left-small, single sail, center board. When Bob said he needed to tune up his sailing skills, or he thought that he needed to get in back to sailing basics, he said he'd go out on the dinghy. He said to remember that all the forces, all the fluid flow dynamics (air and water as a sailboat sails through two fluids) are exactly the same for a small boat as for a large boat.The Bernoulli Principle applies for any and all sailboats. When the tiller gets pulled or pushed, the fluid dynamics across the rudder are the same. When the sail is either trimmed in or eased, air flow principles are exactly the same. Laminar flow and separation along the hull don't care if the hull is aluminum, fiberglass, wood or carbon fiber. Physical laws are always obeyed. And it occurs to me, the same can be said of economics.
If in your family (or you as an individual) spend more than you take in, you go into debt. The further you go into debt, the lower your credit score and it costs you more to borrow to fund that debt (that cost is called "interest" which is a reflection of the risk that the lender is taking in lending to you). It will eventually get to the point where no one will lend to you, at any interest rate as it becomes apparent that the lender will never get the full value of the loan returned. The same principles apply to national economics. The only difference is that the government has the force of law to use to get its way. It can also print money and force its boss (the citizen) to pay more to it via taxes, tariffs, fees. You can not force your boss to pay you more and you can not print money. None-the-less, the laws of economics, like the Bernoulli Principle and fluid dynamics, are inviolate and not a respecter of an individual, families or governments.
We have inexperienced, arrogant helmsmen with their hands on the tiller that controls the rudder. They refuse to learn to sail or to heed the advice of experienced sailors. They are resolute in saying nothing of the lighthouse they passed sometime ago.They ignore the warning buoys and the readily visible wrecks of previous governments on the rocks and shoals of socialism, Keynesian economics and government intrusions.
If only they would be the only ones that drown when the wreck occurs.
Time for one of two things to occur: either experienced sailors take over the helm. Or it's time to man the lifeboats.
I've raced sailboats for over a quarter century. The sailor who taught me to sail and race raced on boats similar to the ones on the right. He raced in a class named SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Conference). These are multi-million dollar boats, crewed by a dozen or more. The next class up would be America's Cup racers. In other words, these are serious sailors. The boat he raced on was the SORC Class winner for years.
When Bob introduced me to sailing, we sailed a 22 foot Creekmore. It was an aluminum hull, fractional rig boat. Lots of fun! But, here's what I learned about sailing: a dinghy went along with the Creekmore. It was similar to the boat on the left-small, single sail, center board. When Bob said he needed to tune up his sailing skills, or he thought that he needed to get in back to sailing basics, he said he'd go out on the dinghy. He said to remember that all the forces, all the fluid flow dynamics (air and water as a sailboat sails through two fluids) are exactly the same for a small boat as for a large boat.The Bernoulli Principle applies for any and all sailboats. When the tiller gets pulled or pushed, the fluid dynamics across the rudder are the same. When the sail is either trimmed in or eased, air flow principles are exactly the same. Laminar flow and separation along the hull don't care if the hull is aluminum, fiberglass, wood or carbon fiber. Physical laws are always obeyed. And it occurs to me, the same can be said of economics.
If in your family (or you as an individual) spend more than you take in, you go into debt. The further you go into debt, the lower your credit score and it costs you more to borrow to fund that debt (that cost is called "interest" which is a reflection of the risk that the lender is taking in lending to you). It will eventually get to the point where no one will lend to you, at any interest rate as it becomes apparent that the lender will never get the full value of the loan returned. The same principles apply to national economics. The only difference is that the government has the force of law to use to get its way. It can also print money and force its boss (the citizen) to pay more to it via taxes, tariffs, fees. You can not force your boss to pay you more and you can not print money. None-the-less, the laws of economics, like the Bernoulli Principle and fluid dynamics, are inviolate and not a respecter of an individual, families or governments.
We have inexperienced, arrogant helmsmen with their hands on the tiller that controls the rudder. They refuse to learn to sail or to heed the advice of experienced sailors. They are resolute in saying nothing of the lighthouse they passed sometime ago.They ignore the warning buoys and the readily visible wrecks of previous governments on the rocks and shoals of socialism, Keynesian economics and government intrusions.
If only they would be the only ones that drown when the wreck occurs.
Time for one of two things to occur: either experienced sailors take over the helm. Or it's time to man the lifeboats.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
SCOTUS redux two years later
After a long hiatus, I find it interesting that my first entry is basically a link to an entry I wrote almost exactly two years ago. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), in its typical year end flurry of decisions, came to a conclusion regarding the MacDonald 2nd Amendment case out of Chicago. Chicago, for years, has had some of the most stringent anti 2nd Amendment laws in America. And to go along with that distinction, Chicago was also the murder capitol of the United States for many years. But, again, my comments are not on the case itself but rather that the case decision was, again, 5-4.
The historic part of the decision is an amalgam: for the second time in over two centuries, the SCOTUS has ruled on the 2nd Amendment plus, for the first time as to whether it is an incorporated right. SCOTUS has a very long record of rulings on the 1st Amendment, the 4th Amendment and the 5th Amendment. The incredible legal twistings and rationales regarding the 1st Amendment over decades is truly breathtaking. I am so often reminded as of late what that great activist SCOTUS jurist ("great" being an adjective modifying "activist" not "jurist") Thurgood Marshall stated:" You do what you think is right and let the law catch up." (One word: YIKES! ) So, with all that activist sentiment regarding the incorporation principle for the Bill of Rights, the 2nd Amendment remained an orphan of decisions. Until now.
I've tried to remind my readers that so many people confuse what the Constitution is all about. They confuse the concept of a "federal" versus a "national" Constitution. The Constitution was all about establishing but more importantly restricting this newly created federal government. With the arrival of the 14th Amendment and its "due process" clause, the Constitution was on its way to becoming national, not just federal in some defiance of the 10th Amendment (aka Amendment X BTW). With this "due process" clause as background, there were four SCOTUS jurists that failed to find further incorporation to protect the citizens under the Constitution.
I am once again very distressed to learn that my unalienable rights hang on the decision of just one Supreme Court jurist. And as I predicted, the fight goes on as witnessed by Mayor Daley and his fight against Chicago citizens defending themselves.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." John Philpot Curran
The historic part of the decision is an amalgam: for the second time in over two centuries, the SCOTUS has ruled on the 2nd Amendment plus, for the first time as to whether it is an incorporated right. SCOTUS has a very long record of rulings on the 1st Amendment, the 4th Amendment and the 5th Amendment. The incredible legal twistings and rationales regarding the 1st Amendment over decades is truly breathtaking. I am so often reminded as of late what that great activist SCOTUS jurist ("great" being an adjective modifying "activist" not "jurist") Thurgood Marshall stated:" You do what you think is right and let the law catch up." (One word: YIKES! ) So, with all that activist sentiment regarding the incorporation principle for the Bill of Rights, the 2nd Amendment remained an orphan of decisions. Until now.
I've tried to remind my readers that so many people confuse what the Constitution is all about. They confuse the concept of a "federal" versus a "national" Constitution. The Constitution was all about establishing but more importantly restricting this newly created federal government. With the arrival of the 14th Amendment and its "due process" clause, the Constitution was on its way to becoming national, not just federal in some defiance of the 10th Amendment (aka Amendment X BTW). With this "due process" clause as background, there were four SCOTUS jurists that failed to find further incorporation to protect the citizens under the Constitution.
I am once again very distressed to learn that my unalienable rights hang on the decision of just one Supreme Court jurist. And as I predicted, the fight goes on as witnessed by Mayor Daley and his fight against Chicago citizens defending themselves.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." John Philpot Curran
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Blogger Making me move
Have to find a new Blog Update source but in the short term we will be at a new location:
This blog is now located at http://savagerepublican.blogspot.com/.
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This blog is now located at http://savagerepublican.blogspot.com/.
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Monday, April 26, 2010
Walk for Life
While everyone is at the GOP Convention I will also be helping raise money for the Alpha Walkf for Life
Walk for Life
Also, look for a new redesign of Site to come Soon!
Walk for Life
Also, look for a new redesign of Site to come Soon!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Whoppee! It's TAX DAY!!!!!!
Today is April 15th, as we are required to voluntarily pay under threats from the IRS.
As I wrote a few years ago, the 16th Amendment was offered as "only a tax on the incomes of the rich." (Sound familiar at all?). Today, we make kitten and puppy stew to have those original tax rates back.
Tax Freedom Day (when the average worker has worked long enough to pay all his taxes) is usually around the middle of April. This means that you work nearly a third of a year just to pay the taxes you owe. Notice I said pay the taxes you owe. The Cost of Government Day which usually is in the first or second week of July is now out another month to August. (COGD means the total cost of government including taxes, regulations and the full burden on the economy government at all levels place on the taxpayer).
From Reason magazine: "Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society," said legendary Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. As students of Buck v. Bell could tell you, Holmes had a habit of being monstrously wrong, but if he's right about taxes and civilization, it's certainly worth asking whether we're getting what we pay for." Oh. So America is a club and taxes are dues. Or does that mean we were not civilized until the 16th Amendment?
And so, from Reason magazine, I present a short video for your edification on Tax Day.
Smile and be happy serf (even though a serf was much freer as he only had to provide 20-25% to his overlord. Didn't we go to war with a small island nation a few years back over a 3% tax on sugar?)
As I wrote a few years ago, the 16th Amendment was offered as "only a tax on the incomes of the rich." (Sound familiar at all?). Today, we make kitten and puppy stew to have those original tax rates back.
Tax Freedom Day (when the average worker has worked long enough to pay all his taxes) is usually around the middle of April. This means that you work nearly a third of a year just to pay the taxes you owe. Notice I said pay the taxes you owe. The Cost of Government Day which usually is in the first or second week of July is now out another month to August. (COGD means the total cost of government including taxes, regulations and the full burden on the economy government at all levels place on the taxpayer).
From Reason magazine: "Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society," said legendary Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. As students of Buck v. Bell could tell you, Holmes had a habit of being monstrously wrong, but if he's right about taxes and civilization, it's certainly worth asking whether we're getting what we pay for." Oh. So America is a club and taxes are dues. Or does that mean we were not civilized until the 16th Amendment?
And so, from Reason magazine, I present a short video for your edification on Tax Day.
Smile and be happy serf (even though a serf was much freer as he only had to provide 20-25% to his overlord. Didn't we go to war with a small island nation a few years back over a 3% tax on sugar?)
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
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