Year of the Rat

Today is the beginning Chinese New Year and it is the year of the Rat.  I am a Rat, so I looked up what it means to be a rat.  Here is what the Wikipedia said.

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Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.

Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way. Rats need to learn to relax sometimes, as they can be quite obsessed with detail, intolerant and strict, demanding order, obedience, and perfection.

Rats consider others before themselves, at least sometimes, and avoid forcing their ideas onto others. Rats are fair in their dealings and expect the same from others in return, and can be deeply affronted if they feel they have been deceived or that their trust has been abused. Sometimes they set their targets too high, whether in relation to their friends or in their career. But as the years pass, they will become more idealistic and tolerant. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats can find true happiness.

According to tradition, Rats often carry heavy karma and at some point in life may face an identity crisis or some kind of feeling of guilt. Rats are said to often have to work very long and hard for everything they may earn or have in life. However, a Rat born during the day is said to have things a bit easier than those who are born at night. Traditionally, Rats born during the night may face extreme hardships and suffering throughout life. Rats in general should guard themselves against hedonism, as it may lead to self-destruction. Gambling, alcohol and drugs tend to be great temptations to Rat natives.

Traditionally, Rats should avoid Horses, but they can usually find their best friends and love interests in Monkeys, Dragons, and Oxen.

Professions include espionage, psychiatry, psychology, writing, politics, law, engineering, accounting, detective work, acting, and pathology.

 

Removal of R rated movies from Union City McDonalds

I read an article today that Redbox was going to remove R rated titles from a McDonald’s location in Union City CA.  I am writing to support Redbox and in hopes that I will continue to be able to rent all the latest titles in my local Redbox machine. 

 

I feel that credit card verification is a suitable method to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content in a vending machine, and that the pressure groups are making a bad analogy when they compare Redbox to cigarette vending machines or a soda machine with beer in it.

 

I also object to traditional video stores commenting on the inappropriateness of R rated content in the Redbox machine.  I believe that traditional video stores are being hit hard by Redbox and of course they will jump on this as a way to fight the competition.  This is a biased viewpoint.

 

My final point is that there is an unbelievable amount of pornography on the internet and the adult industry uses credit card age verification to prevent underage access, for better or worse.  Requiring the use of a credit card is a sufficient way to ensure that no underage kids are renting R rated movies. 

 

 In short, I love the Redbox located at the FoodMaxx store in my town.  Sometimes I rent R rated movies and I hope there is not a groundswell of ignorant public opinion that this is a serious a problem.  Keep up the great work.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ed Younger

Brentwood, CA  

Priorities

I saw that lesser known members of the Kennedy clan came out today in support of Hillary.   The LA Times contains an opinion piece    by Kathleen, Robert, and Kerry Kennedy   that is remarkable not because these writers are Hillary supporters, but rather, for their statement of what Democrats believe;   

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Democrats believe that America should not be torturing people, eavesdropping on our citizens or imprisoning them without habeas corpus or other constitutional rights. We should not be an imperial power. We need healthcare for all and a clean, safe environment.

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I like the way this looks in an itemized list;

 

1)      No torture, [including water boarding,] of captured terrorists. 

2)      No monitoring of terrorist phone calls, international or domestic.

3)      “Citizens” are currently being imprisoned without habeas corpus and  constitutional rights.  [ I am not aware of instances of this.  Perhaps “citizens” includes those captured on the battlefield in a theater of war and this is a Gitmo reference?]

4)      America is an evil imperial power.

5)      We need socialist healthcare for all.  [Note the absence of the word ‘citizen’ here, which I do not believe to be uncalculated.]

6)      We need a clean environment [to stop anthropogenic global warming.]

7)      We need to be safe. 

 

 

So when you look at it that way, I would say that my worldview is 99% totally the opposite of what these Democrats believe.  Of course I am taking liberty that these three Kennedy’s speak for the Democratic party, but it is a window into the mind of what the Democrats are thinking and feeling right now. 

 

The only thing I do agree with in that list is that America needs to be safe.  Safe from radical Islamic terrorists and safe from a Democratic president.

 

 

 

The Economy is Fine (Really)

Here is an interesting article that I found in the Wall Street Journal.   I think it is appropriate to review because the media at this point is fueling the fire of pessimism that the US economy is in recession.  I think this sentiment has spread to water-cooler and coffee talk assumptions that things are worse than they are.  This article is heavy with economic statistics and figures, but here are some of the worthy quotes:

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It is hard to imagine any time in history when such rampant pessimism about the economy has existed with so little evidence of serious trouble.

 

These declines [ed: a one-month drop in retail sales of 0.4%] are part of the normal volatility of the data, caused by wild swings in oil prices, seasonal adjustments, or weather. Over-reacting is a mistake.

 

A year ago, most economic data looked much worse than they do today.

Housing is now a small share of GDP (4.5%). And it has fallen so much already that it is highly unlikely to drive the economy into recession all by itself. Exports are 12% of the economy, and are growing at a 13.6% rate. The boom in exports is overwhelming the loss from housing.

Lost in the pessimism is the fact that 20 out of 24 S&P 500 technology companies that have reported earnings so far have beaten Wall Street estimates.

 

Models based on recent monetary and tax policy suggest real GDP will grow at a 3% to 3.5% rate in 2008, while the probability of recession this year is 10%.

 

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently estimated as a $100 billion loss on subprime loans would represent only 0.1% of the $100 trillion in combined assets of all U.S. households and U.S. non-farm, non-financial corporations. Even if losses ballooned to $300 billion, it would represent less than 0.3% of total U.S. assets.

 

[M]onetary conditions are not conducive to a collapse of credit markets and financial institutions.

 

The good news is that the U.S. financial system is not as fragile as many pundits suggest. Nor is the economy showing anything other than normal signs of stress

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This is at least a good counterpoint to the buzz that is eroding the layman’s confidence in the economy.

Thompson is out

I am sad as the day the Bears lost the Superbowl.

I think the liberal media is influencing the republican primary by favoring candidates that it finds palatable or beatable. To think that Mike Huckabee and John McCain are leading candidates at this juncture is evidence to me that there is promotion in their coverage.

I was a strong Thompson guy. As of this point I like Romney.

Pick Your poison: Salmon or Global Warming

I think we are going backwards in this country.   Republicans and Democrats alike consume electricity.   I suggest that we need to supply our nation with domestically produced and sustainable power.    This is true if you believe humans are causing global warming by burning fossil fuels.  This is true if you think our dependence on foreign energy supplies is a threat to our national security.  In either case, I would think that long existing hydroelectric dams should be part of the solution.  But alas, it seems they are the problem.

 

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The proposal calls for the scrapping of four aging hydroelectric dams that have stood on the river for nearly a century — providing electricity for 70,000 customers but also blocking salmon from reaching their spawning grounds.

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The article explains the crisis….

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The Klamath, straddling the Oregon-California line, was once the third most productive salmon river system on the West Coast, but it has declined because of misguided hatchery practices, overfishing, development and the loss of habitat to dams, mining, and logging.

 

Fish returns have become so small that in 2006 commercial salmon fishing had to be nearly shut down off most of Oregon and California, causing a federal disaster declaration.

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I like Salmon just as much as the next guy, but here we have a “crisis” that really comes down to a scarcity of resources problem.  Farmers, Indians, Fisherman, and the Utility company all are battling it out to determine who can put the water resources to the best use.    Add to that the environmental  groups, that fight against human utilization of our resources, and you get big government involvement in a situation that will cost tax payers billions, and yet in the end, yield very little practical benefit.

 

A sane environmental policy understands that human existence depends on responsible utilization of our natural resources.   I think we need to make sure that the Farmers and the fisherman can both provide for the table of the nation.    At the same time, we need to be honest and understand that we do demand energy production and if it can be done with clean power sources, that is a benefit to all. 

 

I am not sure what the proper solution should be, but I am very clear that in many cases environmental groups advocate obstructionist policies that are hypocritical when you consider that all of us are consuming and utilizing the resources.

 

Full article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22672595/

My opinion on the GOP race

Huckabee:

Pros: Christian.
Cons: Christian class warfare populist with big spending tendencies and soft on immigration.  “Bush III”.

 

Giuliani:   

Pros: cleaned up New York, handled 911 well,  

Cons: soft on guns, former Democrat,  dumped his second wife on TV.  Although social conservatism is not my top priority, I think Rudy lacks the charcter I am looking for in a President.

 

McCain:

Pros: Moderate popular with Independent voters may be appealing in General election

Cons: Long Senate career of undermining conservative principles.  Supported 2007 amnesty bill vociferously. 

 

Romney:

Pros: Proven business leader.  Smart and articulate guy. 
Cons:  RINO tendencies when Governor of Mass. 

 

Fred Thompson:

Pros:  Smart, articulate speaker with a powerful presence.   Will bring conservative principals to economic policy while protecting our nation.    Offers specific plans to back his rhetoric.   Socially conservative and strong gun rights advocate.