Hello everyone. This installment of my blog has absolutely nothing to do with politics, believe it or not. This time around, I want to share some of the things I’ve learned over the years that have helped me cope with the trials of life, and to be able to maintain a general happiness with my life regardless of the stresses I go through on a regular basis. I’m not a Zen Master, priest, psychiatrist, psychologist, cleric, or any other expert on spirituality or human conditions. I’m just a regular dude trying to share my thoughts on life and finding happiness in such a miserable world.
I want to break down my overall view of life into three groups: past, present, and future. I’m going to do it a little out of order because when I get into the present, I will go through how I feel they tie together.
Past: To me, the past can be a little deceiving. We all remember the good times, and the bad times, but we tend to forget about the little details. Although learning from the past is very important, when you really think about it, it is easy to forget about the small details which we tend to overlook. By doing this, we find ourselves yearning for the “good old days” and can get lost trying to relive those times. The problem with that is in the details. I remember playing in a band in my early 20’s called 454. Those were some great times. I was young and partied more often than not. Most of us have a similar time in our lives. We tend to recall the great times, but we forget about the small details, like, for example; the incredible hangover the next day, or a fight, or even the looming depression that was overtaking us for whatever reason, such as a death in the family, a bad break-up, or a falling out with a close friend or relative. If you get the opportunity, think back to your glory days, and see if you can recall one of those things. We like to hold onto the past, but we have a tendency to over glorify it. I’m not saying to forget the past, but only to realize that everybody remembers the past differently and in their own way. There are great lessons to be learned in the past, but remember it for what it is: a fragmented memory.
Future: The first thing I want to say about the future is that there really is no such thing. At least not in the way we think of it. Some people let life pass them by while chasing the future, but when you really think about it; the future is just an idea. It isn’t real. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have goals and dreams. It is very important to want to make your future better, but it is just as important not to get lost in it. It has happened so many times that someone achieves their goals and then they find out that it wasn’t anything like they expected. Where do you go then? I think this is how a lot of depression starts. People that have an outlook where they are telling themselves, “If I could just get this job”, or “If my band would just get signed to a record label”, or even “Once I get my BA, I’ll be alright,” they often find out that their lives did not improve greatly after they achieved their goal. When I think of this kind of mentality, I think of people like Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger, and probably a good percentage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. People find out that even though they have achieved their goal, they are faced with many of the same issues they had before because they didn’t find the real solutions; only this romantic look at what the future would bring if they only got this one thing. They found out that the one thing they wanted wasn’t everything.
Present: This is what many people forget to focus on. If you’re not happy now, then no material possession or social status will fix that. The cause of most of the stress and/or depression in my life was the pursuit or desire to have something that I can’t have. It is important to recognize these things, and they are different for everybody. As an example for something that hits a little close to home for me and probably many of my friends is the pursuit of a record deal. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I’ll never get signed. It was a very liberating experience to come to that realization. Since then, playing music has become more fun. I get to write, play and record music that I enjoy playing, and no record label tells me that I’m not doing it right. I don’t have to worry about how well it sells or how many people show up at one of our shows. I can enjoy the experience of being in a band without all of the riff raff of managers and A&R agents. If I had been in a band that got signed, I may find myself disenfranchised because I wouldn’t be able to write music the way I want to, and the music business isn’t built around making sure the talent gets taken care of financially. I would’ve had a whole new set of problems that I don’t have now, which if ill prepared, one may not know how to deal with it. I’m not saying that getting signed is all bad, but I do see it for what it is, or for what it isn’t: total bliss. When living for the present as opposed to the past or future, it gives me the ability to work on the present, which makes for a happier existence. If things are going well, than I can truly enjoy it, but if things are not going well, I’m better equipped to solve the problems because I’m not working for an ultimate goal which will magically solve my problems for me in the future. When you work on yourself in the present in order to make yourself happy now, you are bound to have a brighter future because instead of having this unfulfilling yearning for the future, you are making yourself happy at the moment. This results in an all-around positive energy which people (and your life events) will respond to.
One last thought to bring in is to understand that there are certain things in our lives that we cannot change. It is very important to identify these things and don’t dwell on our inability to change it, and definitely not to try to change the things that we haven’t the power to change. This is what we call a fool’s errand, and you almost always end up worse off in the end.
This was just a few ideas that I have on the philosophy of life. They’re not really original ideas. They are actually very common in Buddhist philosophy, but I feel that people of all faiths can appreciate it and apply it to their own lives without compromising their own faith or lack thereof. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a religious person, but a good idea is a good idea, especially when you strip it down to its basic essence outside the context of religion. I hope everyone enjoys this one and can apply it to their lives in a positive way.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Anti- Corporatocracy, not Anti- Capitalism
It has been a while since my last blog, but with all of the Occupy Wall Street protests going on, I figured I would voice some concerns about the situation, and; even though many of the protestor’s hearts are in the right place, they are a bit misguided.
One of the first things I would like to discuss is the “anti-wall street” sentiment. I understand that they disapprove of some of the practices of the brokers of the stock exchange. When it comes to misappropriation of funds received via a government bailout, I tend to agree, but to just straight up say that you’re “anti- wall street” makes the people look as though they are either ignorant, or they desire to live in a communist society. The stock exchange is a vital part of our economy. Without it, 401ks and other retirement or savings plans would grow at a slower rate, plus it has been an instrument for middle class people to be able to climb up the class ladder, so to speak, without having to actually start a business on their own. There have been many benefits to the stock exchange, but a lot of the issues people have with the stock market isn’t caused by the absence of government involvement, but because of it. I hear a lot of the people affiliated with the movement speaking out against capitalism, but let’s look at that a little further because I take issue with the idea that we are a truly capitalistic society. I believe that is a common myth similar to the myth that we are a democracy. The main fallacy of our economy would be the Federal Reserve, and if you’re not aware of my stance on the Fed, feel free to see my previous blog about the subject. That notion of the OWS movement I wholeheartedly agree with. There is no way we could ever be truly known as a capitalist society or a free market society when our currency is controlled by a private central bank. It is impossible because the bankers have no accountability for their actions, and they have no allegiance to the people of the United States, nor do they answer to the government. Secondly, the fallacy of a government bailout is preposterous when it comes to having a free market economy. Brokerage companies take bigger risks when the thought of the government bailing them out is on the horizon. They take risks that they otherwise wouldn’t if they stood to lose their entire firm through malinvestments and unnecessary risks. It is essentially bad business, and no businessman in their right mind would do this unless he knew that he could get a “do over.” As many bankrupt businessmen know, there is no such thing as a do over in business. What’s done is done, and when the government invests tax payer money into a company, they are gambling with our money, but we don’t reap the benefits we only feel the downside, which puts our economy in harm’s way even more so than if a large bank or firm were to go bankrupt due to their own financial indiscretions.
I feel that the OWS movement is angry with the corporatocracy of our country, but they don’t exactly know why. They just know that a large part of our country is broke and out of work. Let’s take a look at why that is. I think that another large part of most of our social and economic problems stem from (and are closely related to our biggest problem, the fed) the government’s involvement with what I like to call our corporatocracy (thank you John Perkins for that wonderfully put term). I will give a quick rundown of how this system works. Basically, a large corporation will send people down to a developing country to assist in setting up an infrastructure to set them on the path of being a developed country. They estimate the cost and resources necessary to establish a power grid, industry, construction and other ways to bring the country up to the standards of the 21st century. This sounds innocent enough, but when you look at the nuts and bolts of the whole thing, it is quite sinister, and at times, downright evil. First of all, the people who go down there to make these estimates are known as Economic Hit Men (EHM), and they purposefully and grossly overestimate the cost of accomplishing the above objectives of establishing industry, etc. Then they arrange a loan to that country through the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) or some other international lender. Since the original estimate was grossly overestimated, by design this country will never be able to pay this debt back. They eventually default, and at this point, their country i.e. the land and its leaders have essentially been bought. The land is subject to massive pollution, and the leaders (usually dictators) are pawns of the debtors, which is usually paid back in U.N. votes or military actions. This practice has cause economic hardships for the countries at hand as well as the United States, through unemployment and national security. There have been countries that have resisted. Among those countries would be Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. Those countries have had leaders either assassinated, or military actions taken against them, or both. The intricacies of this practice are vast, and it would be impossible for me to explain everything here, but to learn more about it, check out the book by John Perkins entitled Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. There, he goes into great detail, and honestly it means more coming straight from the horse’s mouth.
So, what is the solution you ask? Well, for starters, we need to sever the connection between the government and business. Establish an actual free market and offer no assistance, economic or militarily to these corporations through the United States government. We also need to sever the ties between our country’s currency and the Federal Reserve. This offers more accountability through the consumer instead of politicians who are being bought and paid for by lobbyists in DC. I believe that the consumer is the best regulator because we speak the corporation’s language. That language is money. If they are involved in practices we don’t approve of, we stop buying. Look at Netflix. They increased their rates to around 80% more depending on what services you receive, and their stock plummeted and they have already begun lowering their rates to try to regain the customer base that they lost. Also, you have to use your vote carefully. A common misconception is that a businessman will do better in the White House, but if that were true, both Bush presidents would’ve done better for our society. The truth is that they were part of the corporatocracy who used their position to further the corporatocracy agenda. I see very little hope in either President Obama or the current republican front runner Mitt Romney, who is also a businessman. I look at the current administration and come to the conclusion that we have had very little change that he promised in 2007, and that we have had either a Bush or a Clinton in the White House since 1981. It is my opinion that our biggest hope to end our current situation and to improve it in the long run would be to elect Ron Paul, and give him a congress that will help him and not stand in his way.
For more information about these subjects, I recommend the book mentioned above as well as regularly visiting LewRockwell.com which has a wealth of information pertaining to economics. If you would like to learn more about the presidential candidate Ron Paul, you can look at the archives of the articles he has written at the Lew Rockwell website as well as reading his books Revolution: A Manifesto, End the Fed, and his latest book which I look forward to reading myself, Liberty Defined.
One of the first things I would like to discuss is the “anti-wall street” sentiment. I understand that they disapprove of some of the practices of the brokers of the stock exchange. When it comes to misappropriation of funds received via a government bailout, I tend to agree, but to just straight up say that you’re “anti- wall street” makes the people look as though they are either ignorant, or they desire to live in a communist society. The stock exchange is a vital part of our economy. Without it, 401ks and other retirement or savings plans would grow at a slower rate, plus it has been an instrument for middle class people to be able to climb up the class ladder, so to speak, without having to actually start a business on their own. There have been many benefits to the stock exchange, but a lot of the issues people have with the stock market isn’t caused by the absence of government involvement, but because of it. I hear a lot of the people affiliated with the movement speaking out against capitalism, but let’s look at that a little further because I take issue with the idea that we are a truly capitalistic society. I believe that is a common myth similar to the myth that we are a democracy. The main fallacy of our economy would be the Federal Reserve, and if you’re not aware of my stance on the Fed, feel free to see my previous blog about the subject. That notion of the OWS movement I wholeheartedly agree with. There is no way we could ever be truly known as a capitalist society or a free market society when our currency is controlled by a private central bank. It is impossible because the bankers have no accountability for their actions, and they have no allegiance to the people of the United States, nor do they answer to the government. Secondly, the fallacy of a government bailout is preposterous when it comes to having a free market economy. Brokerage companies take bigger risks when the thought of the government bailing them out is on the horizon. They take risks that they otherwise wouldn’t if they stood to lose their entire firm through malinvestments and unnecessary risks. It is essentially bad business, and no businessman in their right mind would do this unless he knew that he could get a “do over.” As many bankrupt businessmen know, there is no such thing as a do over in business. What’s done is done, and when the government invests tax payer money into a company, they are gambling with our money, but we don’t reap the benefits we only feel the downside, which puts our economy in harm’s way even more so than if a large bank or firm were to go bankrupt due to their own financial indiscretions.
I feel that the OWS movement is angry with the corporatocracy of our country, but they don’t exactly know why. They just know that a large part of our country is broke and out of work. Let’s take a look at why that is. I think that another large part of most of our social and economic problems stem from (and are closely related to our biggest problem, the fed) the government’s involvement with what I like to call our corporatocracy (thank you John Perkins for that wonderfully put term). I will give a quick rundown of how this system works. Basically, a large corporation will send people down to a developing country to assist in setting up an infrastructure to set them on the path of being a developed country. They estimate the cost and resources necessary to establish a power grid, industry, construction and other ways to bring the country up to the standards of the 21st century. This sounds innocent enough, but when you look at the nuts and bolts of the whole thing, it is quite sinister, and at times, downright evil. First of all, the people who go down there to make these estimates are known as Economic Hit Men (EHM), and they purposefully and grossly overestimate the cost of accomplishing the above objectives of establishing industry, etc. Then they arrange a loan to that country through the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) or some other international lender. Since the original estimate was grossly overestimated, by design this country will never be able to pay this debt back. They eventually default, and at this point, their country i.e. the land and its leaders have essentially been bought. The land is subject to massive pollution, and the leaders (usually dictators) are pawns of the debtors, which is usually paid back in U.N. votes or military actions. This practice has cause economic hardships for the countries at hand as well as the United States, through unemployment and national security. There have been countries that have resisted. Among those countries would be Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. Those countries have had leaders either assassinated, or military actions taken against them, or both. The intricacies of this practice are vast, and it would be impossible for me to explain everything here, but to learn more about it, check out the book by John Perkins entitled Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. There, he goes into great detail, and honestly it means more coming straight from the horse’s mouth.
So, what is the solution you ask? Well, for starters, we need to sever the connection between the government and business. Establish an actual free market and offer no assistance, economic or militarily to these corporations through the United States government. We also need to sever the ties between our country’s currency and the Federal Reserve. This offers more accountability through the consumer instead of politicians who are being bought and paid for by lobbyists in DC. I believe that the consumer is the best regulator because we speak the corporation’s language. That language is money. If they are involved in practices we don’t approve of, we stop buying. Look at Netflix. They increased their rates to around 80% more depending on what services you receive, and their stock plummeted and they have already begun lowering their rates to try to regain the customer base that they lost. Also, you have to use your vote carefully. A common misconception is that a businessman will do better in the White House, but if that were true, both Bush presidents would’ve done better for our society. The truth is that they were part of the corporatocracy who used their position to further the corporatocracy agenda. I see very little hope in either President Obama or the current republican front runner Mitt Romney, who is also a businessman. I look at the current administration and come to the conclusion that we have had very little change that he promised in 2007, and that we have had either a Bush or a Clinton in the White House since 1981. It is my opinion that our biggest hope to end our current situation and to improve it in the long run would be to elect Ron Paul, and give him a congress that will help him and not stand in his way.
For more information about these subjects, I recommend the book mentioned above as well as regularly visiting LewRockwell.com which has a wealth of information pertaining to economics. If you would like to learn more about the presidential candidate Ron Paul, you can look at the archives of the articles he has written at the Lew Rockwell website as well as reading his books Revolution: A Manifesto, End the Fed, and his latest book which I look forward to reading myself, Liberty Defined.
Friday, February 4, 2011
The War on Drugs
Hello everyone, it's been a while, but I'm back with another blog. This time, I want to discuss our so called War on Drugs and how it is actually a "war" on the American people, especially of the lower and middle class. Not only that, but how ineffective the war on drugs has actually been on fighting against addiction and how it actually enables this vicious cycle rather than preventing it. I know that a lot of people support the decriminalization of marijuana, but on this one, my main focus is on drugs in general.
I would like to start by saying that prohibition has not, and will not work. It didn't work with alcohol in the 1920's, and it doesn't work for drugs now. When alcohol was illegal, the prices were high, and the quality was sometimes dangerous. Many people think that if marijuana were to be legalized, that prices would rise, but if you look at history (you'd be amazed at how you can refer back to another time to gain perspective) it shows that when you criminalize something that a significant amount of people will want, it only makes matters worse. Alcohol prohibition lasted for about 13 years, and during those thirteen years, organized crime flourished, turning gangsters like Al Capone into millionaires. Alcohol was being smuggled into the country through the Canadian and Mexican borders. Also bootlegging and moonshining were common practices. The price of alcohol skyrocketed, and when prohibition was repealed, the price came back down. The point I'm trying to make with all of this is, if you make something illegal, it doesn't just disappear. Making drugs illegal, enables the cartels and drug dealers to make money, and a lot of it. Freeway Ricky Ross made millions, sometimes in one day, off of dealing crack in Los Angeles. It is my opinion that addiction is a disease and should be treated that way. When you treat it like a crime, you're only pushing the addict deeper into the pit of addiction and empowering the criminals who know that they can exploit the disease and become very rich in the process.
Eventhough the war on drugs wasn't really coined until recent decades, it has been an issue in the interest of truth and fairness dating back to the early 20th century. Most people are aware of the gross misinformation in the 20's and 30's in regards to marijuana such as being the cause of insanity. I'm not going to sensationalize the use of marijuana. Eventhough it hasn't been officially linked to deaths, or actual insanity, I realize that too much of anything can be a bad thing. You can even die from drinking too much water. I also understand that different people have different reactions. Some people are allergic which can cause an adverse reaction. That is true for just about anything, and not limited to the effects of drugs. Just to hit quickly on marijuana's illegality, which I know many people already know, in order to drive mexican immigrants out of the country, they had to think of a way to make cannabis illegal. Prohibition in 1914 was declared unconstitutional, so just making the substance illegal on a federal basis was out of the question. They instead levied high taxes on substances like marijuana, so they could arrest anyone in possession. They weren't charged with possession; though, they were charged with tax evasion. This was called the Harrison Tax Act of 1914. Federal prohibition wasn't declared until 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, and it only took congress 2 hours to decide. The main drive for criminalizing marijuana wasn't for health or scientific reasons. The motivation behind it was simply racism. Bureau of Narcotics head at the time, Henry Anslinger, was quoted saying, "The primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races." They only spoke to two so called experts during the congressional hearings. William Woodward from the American Medical Association (AMA) testified that there was no evidence that marijuana was a dangerous drug. A congressman then told him that he should go home if he can't say anything good about the legislation. The second "expert" was a professor named James Munch. He said that he injected 300 dogs with the active ingredient of marijuana and that two had died. When they asked him if he chose dogs because of a similar psychology with humans, he replied that he didn't know anything about the psychology of dogs. He later had to withdraw his reckless testimony because, as it turns out, the active ingredient wasnt synthesized until years after the experiment. The debate only lasted a few minutes, and when asked what the AMA thought, the speaker of the house replied that they were 100% behind the bill, which was a lie. Once the law went into effect, Munch became the Bureau of Narcotics Official Expert. He testified in a murder trial in New Jersey, where he claimed to have tried marijuana, and after two puffs, he turned into a bat and flew around the room. This set a precedent where almost all cases where the defendant of a murder trial who claimed to smoke marijuana got insanity verdicts. He eventually stopped testifying for fear of losing his job due to the so called insanity claims. As you can see, this whole war on drugs began with a series of lies, but they didn't stop in the 1930's.
The war on drugs became extremely scary when the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 passed. This legislation set the guidlines for steeper penalties, not just for trafficing and selling, but also for possession and usage. Fortunately, some of the sections which gave the basis for warrantless searches and other unconstitutional practices was removed. Today, that makes no difference because of the Patriot Act. The propaganda behind the idea that drugs fund terrorists gives plenty of cause for the warantless searches and wiretapping that is allowed through the Patriot Act. I think that one of the saddest practices by states in this country is the mandatory minimum sentencing and three strike rules, which is more and more common. What is really bad, for example, in California, possession of cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, and if you have more than one bag of marijuana without a prescription, are all felonies. With the three strike rule, three of the above charges will get you life in prison. Laws like that put citizens, and law enforcement in danger. A drug addict (who may still get the opportunity to clean themselves up) having two felony possession charges may become violent and reckless when they are facing a life sentence, just because they have a crack rock on them. Not only that, but I think that it is ridiculous that a non violent drug offender can get more time in prison than a rapist, which happens more than you'd think. I imagine that you may be asking yourself why there are such steep penalties just for being a drug addict. Well, I have a theory on that, and I'm not the only one who feels this way...
A big trend going on across the country right now is privatized prisons. In other words, instead of having city, state or federal governments owning and operating prisons, we are now seeing more prisons owned and operated by corporations. Two good examples of this are companies like Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and The Geo Group formerly known as Wackenhut Securities. The guards, eventhough it looks like they are wearing some sort of law enforcement uniforms are actually wearing corporate uniforms. Even the "badge" is just a corporate logo. They do; however, get their funding from the government, and I bet you can probably guess the basis of how much money they get. The amount of funding they get is based on how many people are incarcerated. Filling up all of the cells gets the biggest payout. Now, when you fill up the cells with violent offenders like murderers and rapists, they get the funding, and that is about it. If they fill the cells with non violent inmates, they can be placed in work parties. When a corporation sends people to go work a labor job, they are required to pay a wage set by the Department of Labor. When a corporation is sending someone to do a labor job and they are not required to pay the individual, in essence, that is slavery. Nonviolent drug offenders are perfect candidates for work parties because they are usually in prison for a significant amount of time, but they are eligible for work parties. Some of these people are serving life sentences because of the three strike rule. Others are in prison for way too long because of mandatory minimum sentencing, which to me is just a ploy to maximize funding and labor potential. It would be naive to think that these work parties are doing labor that is not profitable to the company. I think everyone can agree that if a corporation is sending workers to go do a job, they aren't doing it for free. Private prisons are just another method for major corporations to stuff their pockets even more through slave labor, and politicians to line their pockets with money through lobbyists and special interest groups. It's a win win for executives and politicians alike, but a lose lose for the American people and the Constitution. Unfortunately, slavery is alive and well in America.
Ok, now that I have explained the misinformation and oppression involved in the war on drugs, how do we fix it, and what would decriminalization of all drugs mean to the country? First of all, decriminalization would mean that the cartels, drug dealers, gangs who concentrate on drug trafficing and selling, and overall underground economy surrounding drugs would be out of business. Of course, they will find other ways to make money illegally just like the mobsters during the prohibition years did, but it would throw a big wrench in their operations. The less harmful natural drugs like marijuana and mushrooms would be safer to use and get, while being lower in price and more readily available for those who CHOOSE to use those substances recreationally. In my opinion these should be the only ones available for mass distribution in the way beer and cigarettes are available. In all honesty, though, If I were to decide the fate, I would put the ball in the states court, rather than federal. I feel that if drugs were decriminalized federally, that will give the states the authority to decide for themselves what is best for their communities. The reason I feel this way is because the voters get more power through state elections and legislation than federal. Aside from all that, now we could concentrate on helping those addicts who want help instead of locking them up in places where they can still get drugs and basically just reinforce the cycle of addiction. The amount of money spent in the drug war would be better spent in providing help and funding to rehab facilities. It would also mean the end of synthetic drug popularity which is becoming more and more dangerous. This includes illegal products like crystal meth, as well as the synthetic, but more dangerous "legal" alternatives to marijuana like Spice and Salvia. I know that crystal meth is here to stay, but eventually it would become like moonshine. There will still be people making it, but it wouldn't be the same problem the way it is today.
The war on drugs has been nothing but a means of oppression for the government as well as keeping the lower class in a bad way. Not only has the drug war been counterproductive to its purpose, but it has been very successful in removing liberties from Americans. I believe that the federal government should be transparent in our everyday lives. A government who is concerned with saving the people from themselves can only be an oppressive government. We need to reinforce our right to choose what we want to do for ourselves when the practice isn't hurting others. People are free to drink and smoke cigarettes, but can be put in jail for simple possession for substances that do less damage to our bodies. It's time to wake up and realize that the war on drugs is only enabling the government to kick down doors and kill U.S. citizens in the name of recovering a few pounds of marijuana. In fact the arguement has been made that it was the C.I.A. who actually supplied Rick Ross with the cocaine that he used to make crack. Either way, the war on drugs has been detrimental to our rights and liberties since its inception, and it needs to be put to an end.
The books listed below are not solely about the war on drugs, but they both have really good chapters that address this issue. I believe that both books are a good read in their entirety.
The following documentary is extremely well done. There are scenes where he talks to guys like Jello Biafra from The Dead Kennedys, Tommy Chong, Joe Rogan, Ron Paul and more. I highly recommend watching it.
The beginning of the next documentary is in another language, but after the first few minutes, the rest is in English. Another good one to watch, but it has very sad stories of lives ruined by the drug war.
I would like to start by saying that prohibition has not, and will not work. It didn't work with alcohol in the 1920's, and it doesn't work for drugs now. When alcohol was illegal, the prices were high, and the quality was sometimes dangerous. Many people think that if marijuana were to be legalized, that prices would rise, but if you look at history (you'd be amazed at how you can refer back to another time to gain perspective) it shows that when you criminalize something that a significant amount of people will want, it only makes matters worse. Alcohol prohibition lasted for about 13 years, and during those thirteen years, organized crime flourished, turning gangsters like Al Capone into millionaires. Alcohol was being smuggled into the country through the Canadian and Mexican borders. Also bootlegging and moonshining were common practices. The price of alcohol skyrocketed, and when prohibition was repealed, the price came back down. The point I'm trying to make with all of this is, if you make something illegal, it doesn't just disappear. Making drugs illegal, enables the cartels and drug dealers to make money, and a lot of it. Freeway Ricky Ross made millions, sometimes in one day, off of dealing crack in Los Angeles. It is my opinion that addiction is a disease and should be treated that way. When you treat it like a crime, you're only pushing the addict deeper into the pit of addiction and empowering the criminals who know that they can exploit the disease and become very rich in the process.
Eventhough the war on drugs wasn't really coined until recent decades, it has been an issue in the interest of truth and fairness dating back to the early 20th century. Most people are aware of the gross misinformation in the 20's and 30's in regards to marijuana such as being the cause of insanity. I'm not going to sensationalize the use of marijuana. Eventhough it hasn't been officially linked to deaths, or actual insanity, I realize that too much of anything can be a bad thing. You can even die from drinking too much water. I also understand that different people have different reactions. Some people are allergic which can cause an adverse reaction. That is true for just about anything, and not limited to the effects of drugs. Just to hit quickly on marijuana's illegality, which I know many people already know, in order to drive mexican immigrants out of the country, they had to think of a way to make cannabis illegal. Prohibition in 1914 was declared unconstitutional, so just making the substance illegal on a federal basis was out of the question. They instead levied high taxes on substances like marijuana, so they could arrest anyone in possession. They weren't charged with possession; though, they were charged with tax evasion. This was called the Harrison Tax Act of 1914. Federal prohibition wasn't declared until 1937 with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, and it only took congress 2 hours to decide. The main drive for criminalizing marijuana wasn't for health or scientific reasons. The motivation behind it was simply racism. Bureau of Narcotics head at the time, Henry Anslinger, was quoted saying, "The primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races." They only spoke to two so called experts during the congressional hearings. William Woodward from the American Medical Association (AMA) testified that there was no evidence that marijuana was a dangerous drug. A congressman then told him that he should go home if he can't say anything good about the legislation. The second "expert" was a professor named James Munch. He said that he injected 300 dogs with the active ingredient of marijuana and that two had died. When they asked him if he chose dogs because of a similar psychology with humans, he replied that he didn't know anything about the psychology of dogs. He later had to withdraw his reckless testimony because, as it turns out, the active ingredient wasnt synthesized until years after the experiment. The debate only lasted a few minutes, and when asked what the AMA thought, the speaker of the house replied that they were 100% behind the bill, which was a lie. Once the law went into effect, Munch became the Bureau of Narcotics Official Expert. He testified in a murder trial in New Jersey, where he claimed to have tried marijuana, and after two puffs, he turned into a bat and flew around the room. This set a precedent where almost all cases where the defendant of a murder trial who claimed to smoke marijuana got insanity verdicts. He eventually stopped testifying for fear of losing his job due to the so called insanity claims. As you can see, this whole war on drugs began with a series of lies, but they didn't stop in the 1930's.
The war on drugs became extremely scary when the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 passed. This legislation set the guidlines for steeper penalties, not just for trafficing and selling, but also for possession and usage. Fortunately, some of the sections which gave the basis for warrantless searches and other unconstitutional practices was removed. Today, that makes no difference because of the Patriot Act. The propaganda behind the idea that drugs fund terrorists gives plenty of cause for the warantless searches and wiretapping that is allowed through the Patriot Act. I think that one of the saddest practices by states in this country is the mandatory minimum sentencing and three strike rules, which is more and more common. What is really bad, for example, in California, possession of cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, and if you have more than one bag of marijuana without a prescription, are all felonies. With the three strike rule, three of the above charges will get you life in prison. Laws like that put citizens, and law enforcement in danger. A drug addict (who may still get the opportunity to clean themselves up) having two felony possession charges may become violent and reckless when they are facing a life sentence, just because they have a crack rock on them. Not only that, but I think that it is ridiculous that a non violent drug offender can get more time in prison than a rapist, which happens more than you'd think. I imagine that you may be asking yourself why there are such steep penalties just for being a drug addict. Well, I have a theory on that, and I'm not the only one who feels this way...
A big trend going on across the country right now is privatized prisons. In other words, instead of having city, state or federal governments owning and operating prisons, we are now seeing more prisons owned and operated by corporations. Two good examples of this are companies like Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and The Geo Group formerly known as Wackenhut Securities. The guards, eventhough it looks like they are wearing some sort of law enforcement uniforms are actually wearing corporate uniforms. Even the "badge" is just a corporate logo. They do; however, get their funding from the government, and I bet you can probably guess the basis of how much money they get. The amount of funding they get is based on how many people are incarcerated. Filling up all of the cells gets the biggest payout. Now, when you fill up the cells with violent offenders like murderers and rapists, they get the funding, and that is about it. If they fill the cells with non violent inmates, they can be placed in work parties. When a corporation sends people to go work a labor job, they are required to pay a wage set by the Department of Labor. When a corporation is sending someone to do a labor job and they are not required to pay the individual, in essence, that is slavery. Nonviolent drug offenders are perfect candidates for work parties because they are usually in prison for a significant amount of time, but they are eligible for work parties. Some of these people are serving life sentences because of the three strike rule. Others are in prison for way too long because of mandatory minimum sentencing, which to me is just a ploy to maximize funding and labor potential. It would be naive to think that these work parties are doing labor that is not profitable to the company. I think everyone can agree that if a corporation is sending workers to go do a job, they aren't doing it for free. Private prisons are just another method for major corporations to stuff their pockets even more through slave labor, and politicians to line their pockets with money through lobbyists and special interest groups. It's a win win for executives and politicians alike, but a lose lose for the American people and the Constitution. Unfortunately, slavery is alive and well in America.
Ok, now that I have explained the misinformation and oppression involved in the war on drugs, how do we fix it, and what would decriminalization of all drugs mean to the country? First of all, decriminalization would mean that the cartels, drug dealers, gangs who concentrate on drug trafficing and selling, and overall underground economy surrounding drugs would be out of business. Of course, they will find other ways to make money illegally just like the mobsters during the prohibition years did, but it would throw a big wrench in their operations. The less harmful natural drugs like marijuana and mushrooms would be safer to use and get, while being lower in price and more readily available for those who CHOOSE to use those substances recreationally. In my opinion these should be the only ones available for mass distribution in the way beer and cigarettes are available. In all honesty, though, If I were to decide the fate, I would put the ball in the states court, rather than federal. I feel that if drugs were decriminalized federally, that will give the states the authority to decide for themselves what is best for their communities. The reason I feel this way is because the voters get more power through state elections and legislation than federal. Aside from all that, now we could concentrate on helping those addicts who want help instead of locking them up in places where they can still get drugs and basically just reinforce the cycle of addiction. The amount of money spent in the drug war would be better spent in providing help and funding to rehab facilities. It would also mean the end of synthetic drug popularity which is becoming more and more dangerous. This includes illegal products like crystal meth, as well as the synthetic, but more dangerous "legal" alternatives to marijuana like Spice and Salvia. I know that crystal meth is here to stay, but eventually it would become like moonshine. There will still be people making it, but it wouldn't be the same problem the way it is today.
The war on drugs has been nothing but a means of oppression for the government as well as keeping the lower class in a bad way. Not only has the drug war been counterproductive to its purpose, but it has been very successful in removing liberties from Americans. I believe that the federal government should be transparent in our everyday lives. A government who is concerned with saving the people from themselves can only be an oppressive government. We need to reinforce our right to choose what we want to do for ourselves when the practice isn't hurting others. People are free to drink and smoke cigarettes, but can be put in jail for simple possession for substances that do less damage to our bodies. It's time to wake up and realize that the war on drugs is only enabling the government to kick down doors and kill U.S. citizens in the name of recovering a few pounds of marijuana. In fact the arguement has been made that it was the C.I.A. who actually supplied Rick Ross with the cocaine that he used to make crack. Either way, the war on drugs has been detrimental to our rights and liberties since its inception, and it needs to be put to an end.
The books listed below are not solely about the war on drugs, but they both have really good chapters that address this issue. I believe that both books are a good read in their entirety.
The following documentary is extremely well done. There are scenes where he talks to guys like Jello Biafra from The Dead Kennedys, Tommy Chong, Joe Rogan, Ron Paul and more. I highly recommend watching it.
The beginning of the next documentary is in another language, but after the first few minutes, the rest is in English. Another good one to watch, but it has very sad stories of lives ruined by the drug war.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tucson, AZ tragedy
Never let a good tragedy go to waste. That is a phrase that has been used often since the tragic events in Tucson, AZ this past weekend. I have been doing my own research on the situation, and the amount of speculation, misinformation, fear mongering, and political agenda pushing is enough to make me sick. You have people uttering the above phrase as if it means nothing. The thought of a shooting that kills six people and injuring fourteen being a good tragedy should be enough to dismiss an elected official from their position. That is a reckless philosophy, and even looking back on recent history, it shows that the philosophy is more destructive to our liberty than constructive. The Patriot Act did more to damage our constitution than any other bill which has passed. Why did it pass so quickly? 9/11. Now, faced with another tragedy, the media and polititians out there are wasting no time. Just on a partisan standpoint, fingers are being pointed at the left, right, and the tea party. Sarah Palin has been called out by name because of campain posters which featured crosshairs. While I believe that the shooter's actions were politically charged, I also believe that he was unstable. Of course anyone who shoots into a crowd of people has something wrong with them. I visited the shooter's YouTube channel, and there were some incoherent babble about language and mind control. The thing I noticed, though; was that at the end of the video, he actually came to a point. The point served as the main fodder for the media to point fingers at the right wing and the tea party. He said that he wouldn't pay a debt using currency that isn't backed by gold. Well, unfortunately the shooter didn't do his research either. Rep Gabrielle Giffords is a co-sponsor of HR 1207 which is the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, and is the first step in the United States going back to a gold standard. He either wasn't aware of this, or he was just trying to make a big statement. I have been looking for a news site that reports this, but I have found none. I have been watching the coverage on CNN, MSNBC, and FoxNews, and no one has mentioned that small, but important piece of information, yet I was able to uncover it in about five minutes. Also, if you look at his YouTube channel, everything in his profile is past tense. I truely believe that he did not plan on surviving the ordeal. Thankfully, he did survive, and now he has to answer up for it.
It seems like when something like this happens, there is always a knee jerk reaction to want to start taking up people's rights. There are all kinds of gun control debate's, but there was one thing that disturbed me. Clarence Dupnik the Sheriff of Pima County, Arizona was quoted, "Back in 1961 when I was a young cop on the beat, we put the mentally ill people who were threats into a system that incarcerated them. Today, they're out on the street, and we're paying a price for it." To me, that sounds like there is talk about condoning the act of rounding people up for suspition of being "crazy." It is very important to me that we don't engage in preventive crime measures by justifying the incarceration of people for the potential to commit a crime. We cannot give the government the right to arrest people who have not commited a crime. If we allow that to happen, then where does it stop? What signifies crazy? Benjamin Franklin once said, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." I think that statement holds true today just as it did back then.
My main reason for posting this was basically to expose the media's irresponsible journalism, and to promote critical thinking when you see these news reports. Critical thinking, on a political standpoint, is the most important and effective way to keep yourself informed. Don't take everything on the news at face value because there are always other details and there is always another side. It seems like the news stations are more concerned with pointing fingers, than they are in blaming the shooter. Crazy people are always going to do crazy things. It doesn't matter how they justify it, whether they hide behind religion, politics, or whatever it is that people think fueled the fire. Fact of the matter is, violent people will always try to hurt people.
With that said, my heart goes out to the victims and the victim's families. I hope for a speedy full recovery to all of the injured. As a person who has lost a close friend to the actions of a cold blooded gunman, I know what they're going through, and I feel for them greatly.
It seems like when something like this happens, there is always a knee jerk reaction to want to start taking up people's rights. There are all kinds of gun control debate's, but there was one thing that disturbed me. Clarence Dupnik the Sheriff of Pima County, Arizona was quoted, "Back in 1961 when I was a young cop on the beat, we put the mentally ill people who were threats into a system that incarcerated them. Today, they're out on the street, and we're paying a price for it." To me, that sounds like there is talk about condoning the act of rounding people up for suspition of being "crazy." It is very important to me that we don't engage in preventive crime measures by justifying the incarceration of people for the potential to commit a crime. We cannot give the government the right to arrest people who have not commited a crime. If we allow that to happen, then where does it stop? What signifies crazy? Benjamin Franklin once said, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." I think that statement holds true today just as it did back then.
My main reason for posting this was basically to expose the media's irresponsible journalism, and to promote critical thinking when you see these news reports. Critical thinking, on a political standpoint, is the most important and effective way to keep yourself informed. Don't take everything on the news at face value because there are always other details and there is always another side. It seems like the news stations are more concerned with pointing fingers, than they are in blaming the shooter. Crazy people are always going to do crazy things. It doesn't matter how they justify it, whether they hide behind religion, politics, or whatever it is that people think fueled the fire. Fact of the matter is, violent people will always try to hurt people.
With that said, my heart goes out to the victims and the victim's families. I hope for a speedy full recovery to all of the injured. As a person who has lost a close friend to the actions of a cold blooded gunman, I know what they're going through, and I feel for them greatly.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The time has come to end the Fed
Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog, once again. The subject matter I'll be discussing today will be the Federal Reserve. I'm hoping to help people realize that the Federal Reserve Act was, and always will be, unconstitutional.
I guess if I'm going to cover the sham that is the Fed, then I should probablly start at the beginning. In 1913 a group of prominent bankers, who included J.P.Morgan and William Rockefeller, met on Jekyll Island in Georgia. They would be known as the Jekyll Island Club, and they would go to great lengths to make this meeting very secret. The purpose of the meeting would be to draft the Federal Reserve Act, which would give the power to control our monetary system to one central (and privately owned) bank. If Congress would have known the details behind this bill, they would have shot it down immediately. The American people at the time was doing very well for themselves, but the banks were in trouble. There was a great cry to keep their personal money, which was silver and gold at the time, away from the banks. The bill was marketed as the vehicle to accomplish this. The Federal Reserve was supposed to be the method to put money and financial power to the people through their eleced officials. Instead, those who wrote the bill, and stood to benefit from it, were the very bankers who the bill was supposed to keep the money from. That was the reason that the meeting, and the attendees was kept so secret. Congress passed the legislation on December 23, 1913, eventhough many congressman were not in attendance because of Christmas. President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill soon after. He would later regret this action. Why were so many eager to make this happen? Well, the answer is quite simple when you think about it. When the government needs money, they would rather get it from the Federal Reserve than to have to raise taxes. As we all know, raising taxes is very unpopular, and can cost politicians re-election. With World War I (or the Great War at the time) on the horizon, there was a major price tag coming up.
Paper money started off as receipts from goldsmiths who would hold people's gold. They were redeemable for the exact amount on the receipt, so people began to accept these receipts as currency. This is also the origin to the banking system we know today. Unfortunately, the "banks" realized that if they print these reciepts and give them out, with applied interest, they could increase their profit. The problem with that is inflation. Now, the receipts weren't worth the one for one value they once held. This type of banking is called fractional reserve banking. Does that sound familiar? It should.
The common misconception with inflation is that it means that prices in the market go up. That is not the case. Inflation is when the value of the dollar goes down. The result of inflation is the rise of prices, not the definition. Today, inflation is occuring because the Fed is printing money that we do not have the gold backing for. If there is any gold to begin with. The problems with the Fed is that not only do we not know how much gold is in there, if any, but we don't even know who owns the bank. Also, people think that our federal taxes (especially income tax) goes right back into the government. The government gets their money from the Federal Reserve, who prints money out of nothing, with no kind of substantial backing. Our taxes go to the Fed, to pay off interest. Have you noticed that prices for goods in recent years is going up, while your take home pay isn't? Even if your pay has gone up, has it gone up enough? More than likely, the cost of living has increased at a greater rate than your pay is going up. Remember, when the bank releases money into the economy, it lowers the value of the money that is already there. For example, if a bank is holding on to $1000 in reserve money, and they loan out $10,000 worth of money, the interest rate is going to increase because they have to make that money back. Money they never had in the first place. This is what is happening on a national level. This is the reason that the value of the dollar is decreasing. It is also the reason people lost their homes because of the increasing interest. What about the life savings many of us are trying to build up? The value of those dollars are going down faster than we can accumulate them. Essentially, the Fed is robbing us blind through purposeful inflation.
What can we do about it? Well, here is a start. Contact your Representatives and Senators. Tell them that you want them to pass the HR 1207 bill in the House, and S 604 in the Senate. These bills are for an audit to the Federal Reserve. After we find out the truth, and finally get some transparency in the Fed, then we can work on closing it's doors. The Federal Reserve as well as the Treasury Department, are working hard to keep the audit from happening. Once the corruption becomes public, I believe that the American people would support the abolition of the Federal Reserve on an overwelming scale. This would force the hand of Congress. Please don't take my word for it, though. Check out these videos and books, and empower yourself with knowledge.
***UPDATE***Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul have resubmitted a bill to the 112th Congress. It is now HR 459 for the House of Representatives and S 202 for the Senate. It's formal name is The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011.***UPDATE***
The video below is called America: Freedom to Fascism. It pertains more towards the federal income tax, but it does speak of the Federal Reserve. I decided in the end, to save it for this blog because of how the two tie in together.
I guess if I'm going to cover the sham that is the Fed, then I should probablly start at the beginning. In 1913 a group of prominent bankers, who included J.P.Morgan and William Rockefeller, met on Jekyll Island in Georgia. They would be known as the Jekyll Island Club, and they would go to great lengths to make this meeting very secret. The purpose of the meeting would be to draft the Federal Reserve Act, which would give the power to control our monetary system to one central (and privately owned) bank. If Congress would have known the details behind this bill, they would have shot it down immediately. The American people at the time was doing very well for themselves, but the banks were in trouble. There was a great cry to keep their personal money, which was silver and gold at the time, away from the banks. The bill was marketed as the vehicle to accomplish this. The Federal Reserve was supposed to be the method to put money and financial power to the people through their eleced officials. Instead, those who wrote the bill, and stood to benefit from it, were the very bankers who the bill was supposed to keep the money from. That was the reason that the meeting, and the attendees was kept so secret. Congress passed the legislation on December 23, 1913, eventhough many congressman were not in attendance because of Christmas. President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill soon after. He would later regret this action. Why were so many eager to make this happen? Well, the answer is quite simple when you think about it. When the government needs money, they would rather get it from the Federal Reserve than to have to raise taxes. As we all know, raising taxes is very unpopular, and can cost politicians re-election. With World War I (or the Great War at the time) on the horizon, there was a major price tag coming up.
Paper money started off as receipts from goldsmiths who would hold people's gold. They were redeemable for the exact amount on the receipt, so people began to accept these receipts as currency. This is also the origin to the banking system we know today. Unfortunately, the "banks" realized that if they print these reciepts and give them out, with applied interest, they could increase their profit. The problem with that is inflation. Now, the receipts weren't worth the one for one value they once held. This type of banking is called fractional reserve banking. Does that sound familiar? It should.
The common misconception with inflation is that it means that prices in the market go up. That is not the case. Inflation is when the value of the dollar goes down. The result of inflation is the rise of prices, not the definition. Today, inflation is occuring because the Fed is printing money that we do not have the gold backing for. If there is any gold to begin with. The problems with the Fed is that not only do we not know how much gold is in there, if any, but we don't even know who owns the bank. Also, people think that our federal taxes (especially income tax) goes right back into the government. The government gets their money from the Federal Reserve, who prints money out of nothing, with no kind of substantial backing. Our taxes go to the Fed, to pay off interest. Have you noticed that prices for goods in recent years is going up, while your take home pay isn't? Even if your pay has gone up, has it gone up enough? More than likely, the cost of living has increased at a greater rate than your pay is going up. Remember, when the bank releases money into the economy, it lowers the value of the money that is already there. For example, if a bank is holding on to $1000 in reserve money, and they loan out $10,000 worth of money, the interest rate is going to increase because they have to make that money back. Money they never had in the first place. This is what is happening on a national level. This is the reason that the value of the dollar is decreasing. It is also the reason people lost their homes because of the increasing interest. What about the life savings many of us are trying to build up? The value of those dollars are going down faster than we can accumulate them. Essentially, the Fed is robbing us blind through purposeful inflation.
What can we do about it? Well, here is a start. Contact your Representatives and Senators. Tell them that you want them to pass the HR 1207 bill in the House, and S 604 in the Senate. These bills are for an audit to the Federal Reserve. After we find out the truth, and finally get some transparency in the Fed, then we can work on closing it's doors. The Federal Reserve as well as the Treasury Department, are working hard to keep the audit from happening. Once the corruption becomes public, I believe that the American people would support the abolition of the Federal Reserve on an overwelming scale. This would force the hand of Congress. Please don't take my word for it, though. Check out these videos and books, and empower yourself with knowledge.
***UPDATE***Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul have resubmitted a bill to the 112th Congress. It is now HR 459 for the House of Representatives and S 202 for the Senate. It's formal name is The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011.***UPDATE***
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Fair Tax
Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog. I may come up with a catchy name for it eventually, but until then, I guess that my name will suffice. Today’s subject at hand will be the Fair Tax Act, which I believe could be what jumpstarts our economy and help bring us out of this recession.
First of all, I want to give you the basic information on the bill at work. It is called The Fair Tax Act of 2007, and in the House of Representatives it is H.R.25. In the Senate the bill number is S.296. If you decide to contact your congressmen (or women) about this, be sure to include the applicable bill. The basic nuts and bolts of the whole thing is to eliminate the federal tax code as we know it today, thus eliminating the need for the I.R.S. In doing this, we will no longer have to file tax returns every year. The bill also will repeal other payroll taxes like Medicare, Social Security, and federal unemployment taxes. On top of that, it will also get rid of corporate income tax, self employment tax, as well as estate and gift taxes. There will no longer be withholding, so from now on, you will receive your entire paycheck. To replace the revenue not being collected, there would be a federal sales tax of 23% at the retail level. This tax amount will be compounded before the actual purchase. If the price tag on an item is $20, then that is what you’ll pay at the cash register. That is the basic idea behind the Fair Tax. Now, I’m going to go into a little more detail, starting off with a short overview of our current tax code.
As most of us know already, when we receive our paycheck every payday, there is a list of deductions. Among those deductions you will find the federal tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and state taxes being taken from your check. The federal government removes money to cover your income taxes, which we figure out every year. If you overpaid, then you get a refund check. If you didn’t pay enough, then you will have to write a check to the I.R.S. I know a lot of people look forward to the refund check every year, but little do they know, that the government is actually pulling a fast one on them. The government collects interest just like the rest of us do. All of that withholding they keep while you earn your wage each year is actually compounding interest that you never see. On top of that, there is an estimated 25% embedded tax on everything we buy today. In other words, 25% of the retail price is going into federal taxes being paid by the retailer, manufacturer, etc. Anyone who pays attention to the news knows that the federal government is going to get their share as many times as they can. For this reason, the I.R.S. drives out many businesses, costing our economy jobs, and money. It is simply easier to base a company and operate it in a country with less punishing tax laws, than it is to remain at home. Also, the wealthy stashes millions of dollars individually (billions of dollars collectively) in offshore bank accounts to escape the taxes. All of this is putting a strain on our own economy here at home, while foreign countries are benefitting from it.
I’m sure at this point you are asking how the Fair Tax will surpass the current system. Like I stated earlier, withholding will be a thing of the past. You will now receive ALL of your paycheck. You will have the freedom to decide what to do with your money. With a consumption tax in place, you don’t get taxed on what you make; you get taxed on what you spend. If you decide to save a majority of it, then you will have a right to do so. Federal taxes will be collected by the purchase of goods and services. The 23% sales tax will be put in place before the price tag goes on the items, not added at the time of purchase. Many people think that it means that everything is going to cost 23% more than it does today, but that is not the case. Earlier, I mentioned an embedded tax of approximately 25% because of today’s tax code. Under the Fair Tax, those taxes will no longer be in place. This will drive down the prices of goods and services substantially. Taking into consideration the price drop, along with the fact that we will be receiving our entire paycheck as opposed to what is left over after taxes, I believe that we will still come out ahead. I know that some people will be worried that they will lose their annual refund check, but there is a solution to that as well. Each month there is what will be called a rebate check. Under the Fair Tax, people should not have to pay for basic necessities in life. Their solution is to pay an estimated percentage based on income and amount of household members. So, to quickly summarize the effect of the Fair Tax on the average individual, paychecks will increase due to lack of withholding, retail prices will likely drop, and on top of all that, there is a monthly check coming in from the federal government to cover the taxes paid for basic necessities. This frees up money for people to save, invest or spend as they see fit. All three of those scenarios contribute to the benefit of our economy.
Now, I will describe how the Fair Tax will benefit the economy in general. Major corporations who have moved their base of operations overseas to avoid our punishing tax code would be expected to come back because quite frankly, we would have a very promising tax code. We would have a tax code that is designed to benefit the American people, instead of being a burden. Also, companies can save money by paying their accountants to concentrate on making them money instead of finding loopholes and tax breaks. Secondly, much of that money (and we’re talking billions of dollars here) that are sitting in offshore accounts will make its way back into American bank accounts. That kind of change will lower interest rates substantially. Finally, having companies bringing back their base of operations back home to the United States will create jobs. More work equals more money. Small businesses will have an opportunity to flourish without the burden and harassment coming from the I.R.S.
Another benefit of the Fair Tax Act is that it turns everybody into a taxpayer. Illegal immigrants, tourists, visitors, and even tax evaders under our current tax laws will all be paying taxes. There is no longer the issue of the wealthy getting out of taxes through loopholes and placing the burden on the lower and middle classes. Everyone gets taxed. The more items, and the higher the expense of the goods and services you buy, the more taxes that gets paid. That includes the wealthy and the poor. We are a society of consumers, and as Americans, we love to consume. We can convert this into a positive program that is designed to benefit the economy as well as the American people.
I personally feel that this would be a good first step in tax reform and economic recovery. I think that the Fair Tax, along with the abolition of the Federal Reserve (which I will cover in a future post) could be the fastest and most beneficial way to end our recession. In the long run, it has the potential to end our need for Social Security through financial independence, and boost our economy by way of creating jobs and lowering interest rates as well as raising stock values.
***UPDATE***The Senate bill for the new congress has been changed to S 13***UPDATE***
If you have any questions, I will do my best to provide an answer and a reference to where I got the answer. If you are interested in learning more about The Fair Tax act of 2007 and/or would like to get involved please refer to the following:
First of all, I want to give you the basic information on the bill at work. It is called The Fair Tax Act of 2007, and in the House of Representatives it is H.R.25. In the Senate the bill number is S.296. If you decide to contact your congressmen (or women) about this, be sure to include the applicable bill. The basic nuts and bolts of the whole thing is to eliminate the federal tax code as we know it today, thus eliminating the need for the I.R.S. In doing this, we will no longer have to file tax returns every year. The bill also will repeal other payroll taxes like Medicare, Social Security, and federal unemployment taxes. On top of that, it will also get rid of corporate income tax, self employment tax, as well as estate and gift taxes. There will no longer be withholding, so from now on, you will receive your entire paycheck. To replace the revenue not being collected, there would be a federal sales tax of 23% at the retail level. This tax amount will be compounded before the actual purchase. If the price tag on an item is $20, then that is what you’ll pay at the cash register. That is the basic idea behind the Fair Tax. Now, I’m going to go into a little more detail, starting off with a short overview of our current tax code.
As most of us know already, when we receive our paycheck every payday, there is a list of deductions. Among those deductions you will find the federal tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and state taxes being taken from your check. The federal government removes money to cover your income taxes, which we figure out every year. If you overpaid, then you get a refund check. If you didn’t pay enough, then you will have to write a check to the I.R.S. I know a lot of people look forward to the refund check every year, but little do they know, that the government is actually pulling a fast one on them. The government collects interest just like the rest of us do. All of that withholding they keep while you earn your wage each year is actually compounding interest that you never see. On top of that, there is an estimated 25% embedded tax on everything we buy today. In other words, 25% of the retail price is going into federal taxes being paid by the retailer, manufacturer, etc. Anyone who pays attention to the news knows that the federal government is going to get their share as many times as they can. For this reason, the I.R.S. drives out many businesses, costing our economy jobs, and money. It is simply easier to base a company and operate it in a country with less punishing tax laws, than it is to remain at home. Also, the wealthy stashes millions of dollars individually (billions of dollars collectively) in offshore bank accounts to escape the taxes. All of this is putting a strain on our own economy here at home, while foreign countries are benefitting from it.
I’m sure at this point you are asking how the Fair Tax will surpass the current system. Like I stated earlier, withholding will be a thing of the past. You will now receive ALL of your paycheck. You will have the freedom to decide what to do with your money. With a consumption tax in place, you don’t get taxed on what you make; you get taxed on what you spend. If you decide to save a majority of it, then you will have a right to do so. Federal taxes will be collected by the purchase of goods and services. The 23% sales tax will be put in place before the price tag goes on the items, not added at the time of purchase. Many people think that it means that everything is going to cost 23% more than it does today, but that is not the case. Earlier, I mentioned an embedded tax of approximately 25% because of today’s tax code. Under the Fair Tax, those taxes will no longer be in place. This will drive down the prices of goods and services substantially. Taking into consideration the price drop, along with the fact that we will be receiving our entire paycheck as opposed to what is left over after taxes, I believe that we will still come out ahead. I know that some people will be worried that they will lose their annual refund check, but there is a solution to that as well. Each month there is what will be called a rebate check. Under the Fair Tax, people should not have to pay for basic necessities in life. Their solution is to pay an estimated percentage based on income and amount of household members. So, to quickly summarize the effect of the Fair Tax on the average individual, paychecks will increase due to lack of withholding, retail prices will likely drop, and on top of all that, there is a monthly check coming in from the federal government to cover the taxes paid for basic necessities. This frees up money for people to save, invest or spend as they see fit. All three of those scenarios contribute to the benefit of our economy.
Now, I will describe how the Fair Tax will benefit the economy in general. Major corporations who have moved their base of operations overseas to avoid our punishing tax code would be expected to come back because quite frankly, we would have a very promising tax code. We would have a tax code that is designed to benefit the American people, instead of being a burden. Also, companies can save money by paying their accountants to concentrate on making them money instead of finding loopholes and tax breaks. Secondly, much of that money (and we’re talking billions of dollars here) that are sitting in offshore accounts will make its way back into American bank accounts. That kind of change will lower interest rates substantially. Finally, having companies bringing back their base of operations back home to the United States will create jobs. More work equals more money. Small businesses will have an opportunity to flourish without the burden and harassment coming from the I.R.S.
Another benefit of the Fair Tax Act is that it turns everybody into a taxpayer. Illegal immigrants, tourists, visitors, and even tax evaders under our current tax laws will all be paying taxes. There is no longer the issue of the wealthy getting out of taxes through loopholes and placing the burden on the lower and middle classes. Everyone gets taxed. The more items, and the higher the expense of the goods and services you buy, the more taxes that gets paid. That includes the wealthy and the poor. We are a society of consumers, and as Americans, we love to consume. We can convert this into a positive program that is designed to benefit the economy as well as the American people.
I personally feel that this would be a good first step in tax reform and economic recovery. I think that the Fair Tax, along with the abolition of the Federal Reserve (which I will cover in a future post) could be the fastest and most beneficial way to end our recession. In the long run, it has the potential to end our need for Social Security through financial independence, and boost our economy by way of creating jobs and lowering interest rates as well as raising stock values.
***UPDATE***The Senate bill for the new congress has been changed to S 13***UPDATE***
If you have any questions, I will do my best to provide an answer and a reference to where I got the answer. If you are interested in learning more about The Fair Tax act of 2007 and/or would like to get involved please refer to the following:
Sunday, January 2, 2011
What to expect in the future
Hello everyone, and welcome to my first blog. I will keep them as short and easy to read as possible while still maintaining a degree of detail. The primary subject matter is going to be politics, but since it's my blog, I may occasionally talk about music, movies, etc. I will start by describing myself for those who don't know me. I am 33 years old (as of January 12, 2011), and I am happily married. I served in the United States Navy for nearly 5 years. I went in as an undesignated Airman Recruit and got out as an AM2. I now work for a government contractor doing the same thing I did when I was in the Navy. I am a guitarist who plays for the band Download in Va. Beach, VA. We have 2 cd's out and we are currently working on our 3rd.
Now, I will give a brief description of some of my key political views. Each point I hit on, I will go in more detail in future posts. I believe that we should abolish the IRS and the Federal Reserve. I think that a good replacement for the current tax code would be the Fair Tax program. It's not perfect, but it's a start. Basically, it will eliminate witholding, so if you make $20 an hour, 40 hours a week, your check will be $1600 every 2 weeks. Of course, that is ommiting any deductions for benefits and/or 401(k). As far as taxes (assuming that state taxes also be on board) there will be no deductions. The taxes will be paid through sales tax. The price for products will not go up due to the tax. Actually, they are expected to go down since the tax burden on businesses under todays tax code will be lifted, which will drive down costs. Also under this code, illegal immigrants and tourists will also be contributing to our taxes. If you're worried about losing that sweet rebate check, then don't because you will still get one. There are other pros and cons, but since I plan on making the Fair Tax Program my first detailed post, I will save it for that.
The Federal Reserve is by no means a federal entity being part of our government. It is a private establishment that is controlling and even powering our economic decline. They are printing money which we don't have the gold to back it up with. That, is driving the value of the U.S. dollar down, which is also driving the value of your life savings down. I will get more in detail with that in a later post. It is quite depressing.
I believe in a capitalist government, but like any type of government, there are limits. We are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Right now, it really baffles me how insurance companies can deny coverage because of "pre-existing conditions." Denying a cancer patient coverage because a tumor is discovered in a later stage which could have been before the patient was signed up to a policy, and esentially letting them die rather than providing coverage needed to treat the illness, is one of the biggest violations to all 3 of those guarantees. An unemployed person should be able to get the help they need, similar to law enforcement and the fire department. Belive it or not, even jails and prisons are being privatized, which is a terrible idea. Having inmates and convicts picking up trash on the side of the highway for a city or state run prison, is a public service. Having them working menial labor jobs for a corporation, is called slavery. Those are labor jobs that the unskilled laborer can work, but instead it is being done by prisoners, which brings me to my next point...
Decriminalizing drugs (not necessarily legalizing them) would do more good for the country than harm, in my opinion. With that, I don't mean that you should be able to go to the local 7-11 and be able to get a 6 pack and some heroin. Basically, what I mean is what you do in your home is your business. Instead of being arrested for possesion of narcotics,and being a burden on society, they could issue a ticket, where a judge can possibly see a problem and provide avenues to help the individual, rather than making them a second class citizen and indoctrinating them into the legalized slavery I mentioned earlier. Our jails and prisons are filled with people who are nonviolent drug offenders for 2 reasons. First, the more people filling the cells, the more government money coming in. Second, nonviolent drug offenders can easily get a work release, and provide corporations like The GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Securities), and Corrections Corporation of America free labor (ahem, slavery). In essence, when the police come across an addict, the main concern should be to help, not arrest.
I think i will leave you guys with that for fear of being a little too long winded. I plan on making these key issues my focal points in my future posts. The first one will be The Fair Tax program, where i will go a little more indepth. I will post many references and points of interest where you can research each of these issues on your own if you choose to. If you made it this far, I want to thank you, and please, feel free to subscribe. If you have any questions, or would like to request a particular subject, hit me up.
Now, I will give a brief description of some of my key political views. Each point I hit on, I will go in more detail in future posts. I believe that we should abolish the IRS and the Federal Reserve. I think that a good replacement for the current tax code would be the Fair Tax program. It's not perfect, but it's a start. Basically, it will eliminate witholding, so if you make $20 an hour, 40 hours a week, your check will be $1600 every 2 weeks. Of course, that is ommiting any deductions for benefits and/or 401(k). As far as taxes (assuming that state taxes also be on board) there will be no deductions. The taxes will be paid through sales tax. The price for products will not go up due to the tax. Actually, they are expected to go down since the tax burden on businesses under todays tax code will be lifted, which will drive down costs. Also under this code, illegal immigrants and tourists will also be contributing to our taxes. If you're worried about losing that sweet rebate check, then don't because you will still get one. There are other pros and cons, but since I plan on making the Fair Tax Program my first detailed post, I will save it for that.
The Federal Reserve is by no means a federal entity being part of our government. It is a private establishment that is controlling and even powering our economic decline. They are printing money which we don't have the gold to back it up with. That, is driving the value of the U.S. dollar down, which is also driving the value of your life savings down. I will get more in detail with that in a later post. It is quite depressing.
I believe in a capitalist government, but like any type of government, there are limits. We are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Right now, it really baffles me how insurance companies can deny coverage because of "pre-existing conditions." Denying a cancer patient coverage because a tumor is discovered in a later stage which could have been before the patient was signed up to a policy, and esentially letting them die rather than providing coverage needed to treat the illness, is one of the biggest violations to all 3 of those guarantees. An unemployed person should be able to get the help they need, similar to law enforcement and the fire department. Belive it or not, even jails and prisons are being privatized, which is a terrible idea. Having inmates and convicts picking up trash on the side of the highway for a city or state run prison, is a public service. Having them working menial labor jobs for a corporation, is called slavery. Those are labor jobs that the unskilled laborer can work, but instead it is being done by prisoners, which brings me to my next point...
Decriminalizing drugs (not necessarily legalizing them) would do more good for the country than harm, in my opinion. With that, I don't mean that you should be able to go to the local 7-11 and be able to get a 6 pack and some heroin. Basically, what I mean is what you do in your home is your business. Instead of being arrested for possesion of narcotics,and being a burden on society, they could issue a ticket, where a judge can possibly see a problem and provide avenues to help the individual, rather than making them a second class citizen and indoctrinating them into the legalized slavery I mentioned earlier. Our jails and prisons are filled with people who are nonviolent drug offenders for 2 reasons. First, the more people filling the cells, the more government money coming in. Second, nonviolent drug offenders can easily get a work release, and provide corporations like The GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Securities), and Corrections Corporation of America free labor (ahem, slavery). In essence, when the police come across an addict, the main concern should be to help, not arrest.
I think i will leave you guys with that for fear of being a little too long winded. I plan on making these key issues my focal points in my future posts. The first one will be The Fair Tax program, where i will go a little more indepth. I will post many references and points of interest where you can research each of these issues on your own if you choose to. If you made it this far, I want to thank you, and please, feel free to subscribe. If you have any questions, or would like to request a particular subject, hit me up.
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