Strengths and Weaknesses

For those of you who know, I'm a gamer, but it is often hard to find a game in real life, so I do some Play-by-Post games online, at a great site called Roleplay Online. Now, one of the best things about the site is that there is an open forum in one section, where the community can chat about anything and everything (subject to certain guidelines, of course, since the site is open to all ages).

Over the past week, there's been an interesting discussion going on about some of the differences between the two major political parties, and I thought I'd share my thoughts on the issue. Yes, gamers can talk about serious issues. Try not to let it throw you. We'll be back to arguing about which edition of D&D is better in a sec.

I'd like to think of myself as a neutral observer, since I'm not a part of either party, but that would be a half-truth. While I see myself as a stubborn independent, I will freely admit that I tend to vote one way more than others. I'll explain that more later.

To paraphrase a poster in the forum I mentioned, Democrats and Republicans act the way they do because they act more like a Democracy and a Republic than the other. Let me explain.

In a true democracy, everyone has a say, and it can be something akin to mob rule. While this certainly hurts when it comes to actually getting things done, it does act as a very effective limiter on some of the more radical elements of the group, as they have to first sway the more moderate types.

In a republic, people choose leaders, and then those leaders run the show until their term of office is over, with everyone else toeing the line, unless something major happens. This makes things much easier in terms of getting things done, but there isn't much to stop the crazies from running things how they like it if they get the leadership.

Yes, I know this is a very broad-based analogy, but in broad strokes, it does fit. Look at how things have been going. Democrats act like a herd of cats, going this way and that, which makes them ineffective at governing, but does keep the far left from doing anything too crazy. Republicans walk lock-step with one another, repeating the same crappy sound bites, like some kind of Borg collective.

I've said before that I'm an independent mainly because both parties piss me off about different things. Frankly, I believe government does have a role to play in helping people. And don't give me that crap about private companies or charities filling that role. The reason we have things like Social Security is because private companies and charities WERE NOT filling that role, and the federal government was the only one with the resources to step in and fill it.

But I also believe that we should balance the budget (allowing for emergencies, of course), and that the balancing act shouldn't come from tax increases alone. Yes, I know that sounds like crazy-talk, considering my last paragraph, but it is true. I think that the government should find a way to get into the black, and start paying down the debt.

Unfortunately, the only way you're going to do that is to do a series of things that are political suicide.

First, you have to stop giving tax cuts at the drop of a hat. In fact, you need to take some of them away, and close a lot of loopholes. Yes, that means effectively raising taxes on most everyone, especially the rich. This will especially rankle Republicans, who seem to answer every question with "tax cuts", but that's the simple truth. We need to take in more than we pay out in order to reduce our debt, and eventually pay it off. For all the talk of fiscal responsibility that we heard in the 90s, most Republicans seem to have forgotten this simple fact.

Second, we have to reduce spending. In some cases, this means cuts. In others, it means restructuring programs so that we can eliminate red tape, and make things actually work like they are supposed to. This will piss off Democrats, who answer every question with "I've got an app for that". But it is an undeniable fact that there are many programs which do not work, and have not worked for years.

So what would I do to balance the budget? Well first off I would close all tax loopholes and remove all tax credits for ten years. Yes, it will SUCK to pay more taxes, but there is not going to be any painless way out of this. The only thing we can do is spread the pain as evenly as possible.

Second, I would decriminalize many illegal drugs. Anyone who thinks our drug policy is working is either certifiably insane, or they've been living under a rock for the last thirty years. People are already using drugs. They have been for years, and they are going to keep using drugs. Best way to deal with it is to make it legal so we can tax it and regulate it. Not only would we save a ton of money that we currently spend prosecuting and jailing users, but it would also cut the legs out from under organized crime outfits who have been getting rich for years off the drug trade.

Third, I would go line by line through every department of every federal agency, and eliminate as much of the bureaucracy as possible. Streamline agencies, and remove red tape, so that people can actually do their jobs without filling out eight different forms in triplicate, which then need to be filed with however many different departments... Lot of waste there.

Fourth, I would cut the pay of Congress and the President to no more than $100K a year, including leadership positions. Not only would it save a great deal of money, but it would also help to discourage people from becoming career politicians. Afterall, $100K is a lot of money, more than some people make in five years, much less one.

Of course, this drastic course of action would never happen, because it would require politicians to actually do what is best for the country as a whole, rather than what is best for them, or even what their constituents want. Because this would be political suicide, requiring actual courage and fortitude, it is easy to see why this won't happen while the career politicians are in power.

Job Search Update

Sometimes, the only thing that is worse than not having a job is having one that not only doesn't pay well enough, but also has hours so unpredictably spaced that you can't get a second job because you have no fraking clue what your schedule will be one week to the next.

Such is the position I now find myself in.

So after literally carpet-bombing the surrounding area with applications, I finally managed to get a part time job at a gas station. Yeah, that ain't cutting it at ALL.

So here I am, looking for more work, different work, anything really.

The problem is that, while I enjoy the gas station (it isn't exactly difficult work) the hours are too unpredictable. If it was a set schedule, I could at least find a second part time job to supplement those hours. So now I'm basically looking for something full time, and hoping the bill collectors don't come after me until I find something that works.

Personally, I would like to get a job in one of the local game shops, or a bookstore. Something where I actually know a thing or two about the product being sold. A video game store would be pretty much ideal.

Scam Alert

As some of you might know, when I get emails that are obviously scams, I like to share them, so that some other poor schmuck doesn't fall prey to these things.

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from Mackey Kathi
reply-to Mackey Kathi
to info@notice.com
date Sat, Oct 16, 2010 at 10:40 AM
subject Hello
mailed-by uwm.edu
hide details 10:40 AM (2 hours ago)


Partner,
I write to you as a matter of utmost urgency in respect of abusiness transaction which I trust will be of interest to you.It pertains certain accounts which in the wake of the september11 attacks were "MARKED" by the Counter-terrorism unit of the FBI,these accounts are belonging to key arab businessmen and influentialplayers in the mid-east,these accounts have been a subject of investigation and has since been cleared by the FBI and I have been entrusted with the duty of returning these account to the rightful owners but unfortunately a lot of these people are no where to be found.My proposal is for you to be the sole beneficiary of these funds which is running into $126,000,000 USD. This partnership is to be on 50%-50% basis.Get back to me immediately on this Email (rog206@usa.com) if you are interested.
Sincerely,
Mackey Kathi.

OK, first off, anyone who falls for this piece of crap deserves to be taken. Seriously, does anyone really expect someone to just be sending out $126 MILLION dollars without any kind of auditing looking over their shoulders?

Second, note that the email the thing came from is different from the email replies go to. This is usually the first sign that something is up.

Third, notice that the address the email was sent to is not my email. This means it was sent to a listserv, which sent it to who knows how many people in the address book.

The sad thing is that these kinds of schemes actually work on some people.

Don't be one of them.

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Medal of Honor

Today the President of the United States honored a hero.

On January 25, 2008, Staff Sergeant Robert James Miller (3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, US Army) and his squad of 24 US and Afghan soldiers were clearing out an insurgent base in Kunar Province, when they were ambushed by over one hundred and fifty Taliban fighters. Miller ordered his men to fall back, while he charged the enemy, drawing their fire, and was killed. For his sacrifice, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, becoming the 3,471st member of the armed forces to earn the award since its creation in 1861.

Honor him, for few are so worthy of walking in the fields of Elysium.

Freedom of Speech

A lot is said about the freedom of speech. Personally, I'm a big fan of it. Unlike others, I recognize that there is a dark side to freedom of speech. Freedom of speech must be applied to all, or it has meaning for none. Unfortunately, that means that it also protects idiots like the Phelps klan out in Kansas. Oh, you know them, they're the church that goes around protesting at funerals of soldiers, because they believe their deaths are a punishment from god because the US tolerates homosexuality, or some crap like that. I'm sorry, I know I should be more objective, but I have this allergic reaction to raving lunatics that makes me want to pretend they're zombies and go Left 4 Dead on them.

Which actually brings me to my point.



I think pretty much everyone agrees that these people are well deserving of a beat down. Freedom of Speech does not mean freedom from consequence. The father who sued the Phelps klan and won is one way of dishing out some consequence to them, but I think most of us would like a more... aggressive type of consequence to happen to them.

Unfortunately, these tools are just going to keep spouting their hate speech until someone takes a bat upside their head. So the next time these idiots are out and about, why don't we all get together, and beat the everloving crap out of these assholes? Anyone asks, we all just say Marilyn Manson made us do it. It worked at Columbine, right?

What, you don't like me encouraging people to commit acts of violence against douchebags filled with hate? But this is freedom of speech, isn't it?

Ok, so maybe that was out of line. But don't tell me you all weren't thinking the exact same thing. So how about something a little more legal? Fred Phelps, the leader of the Phelps klan, who lives in Topeka, Kansas, does not have an unlisted phone number. His home phone number is listed as (785)267-3615. His son, Fred Phelps Jr., who is also a member of the 'church', lives at 3600 SW Holly Ln., Topeka, KS 66604-2553, and his phone number is (785)272-4135. Link to the search I did below.
http://www.whitepages.com/search/Replay?lower=1&search_id=73051330149262216472

Go exercise some freedom of speech.

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The Job Search

It is the most difficult, time consuming, and humiliating thing that people are allowed to do to one another in public without breaking public decency laws.

I'm talking, of course, about job hunting.

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Think about it. The frantic scurrying from one business to the next, bearing resumes and filling out the same information over and over again, having to explain everything time and time again, using up all that time and energy. And for what? For the hope that, if the person doing the hiring happens to like how you spun your work experience, you can get an interview.

Which brings us to the humiliating part.

If you're like me, when you get called for the interview, you're excited, because you actually have a chance at a job. Then you remember that the interview process is not unlike choosing a class president in high school. There's some speaking involved, but it boils down to looks and popularity, especially with anything where you'll be dealing with the public.

And, if you're like me, you'll start remembering how you never did get picked for any of those things. And then you start getting nervous, and trying to figure out what to do to make the best impression so you can get the job. Should I go with shirt and tie? Is that too formal? Would a polo shirt and jeans be too informal? What about colors, would green or blue be better? Black? Maybe white? Then you remember that the interview is still four days off.

Day of the interview comes up, and you get dressed, and head to the location. Do you show up half an hour early, or does that seem desperate? What about fifteen minutes? Should you come in right on time? Or what about five minutes early?

Then the interview itself. How much do I say so that I highlight my experience, without bragging or sounding like I'm exaggerating? How do I gloss over my shortcomings without sending up red flags? Should I be honest, or more tactful? Should I ask questions, or would that make me look uncooperative? But does not asking questions make me look uninterested? Should I lean back in the chair, and look relaxed, or does that make me look unconcerned? Should I lean forward, or does that make me look too eager? Sit up straight, or does that make me look nervous?

And then, when the interview is over, they thank you, and send you off, so you can wait a week or more for the results.

Why, oh why must it be this difficult?

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