RETIREMENT CRISIS? Many Americans are nowhere close to having enough savings to retire. Meanwhile, Social Security’s trust fund will be empty in 2033. I think there is going to be a serious problem in 10-20 years when people without pensions and savings realize that Social Security alone will not fund their retirement.
SPEAKING OF SOCIAL SECURITY. Stock market is at all-time high. This is all the more reason to privatize social security. People would have a far greater nest egg for retirement and the Social Security Trust Fund could be resolved.
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WIN-WIN. Capitalists engage in win-win transactions. Trump engages in win-lose transactions. Altruists engage in lose-win transactions. Which paradigm is best?
TRUMP VS ANTI-TRUMP. The more that anti-Trump people protest and object to Trump’s nonsense then the more secure pro-Trump voters are. MAGA feeds on a different kind of fuel. Facts and evidence don’t matter. They just want to piss people off. They want to rock the apple cart. Nihilism.
WHY ARE VOTERS VOTING FOR TRUMP? Here’s a short list: racism, hatred of what is good, ignorance, tribalism, blind party loyalty, nihilism, tax cuts, lower regulations, failure in US education system, belief in liars, easy suckers for con men and religion. I can list more.
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THE LATEST CONSPIRACY THEORY. Note: I don’t believe this, but it is fun to consider. JD Vance is a Silicon Valley/Venture Capitalist plant. There is a standing agreement with Vance that after inauguration he will invoke the 25th amendment to declare Trump mentally unfit. Assuming both houses of Congress are Dem controlled, then Congress is likely to go support the effort. Then JD Vance becomes POTUS. Then he brings in Elon Musk as his chief advisor. Musk is ineligible to be POTUS since he was born in South Africa. But he could effectively have similar powers if he is put in a position to make the big decisions with JD Vance as his puppet. Musk, after all, pushed Vance as the VP nominee and is spending HUGE money trying to get Trump/Vance elected. Wild ideas… I don’t believe it… but it could be a good plot for a Hollywood movie. LOL
MUSK IS A MIXED BAG. SpaceX achieved a remarkable engineering feat by sticking their landing of a reusable rocket booster. It’s great to see this kind of innovation and confidence coming from business leaders like Elon Musk. I greatly admire many of his business achievements, while frequently getting angry with his political opinions. I’m not pro or anti Musk. I’m just feeling whiplashed. LOL
DO PROGRESSIVES LOVE OR HATE ELON MUSK? It’s comical to me to see so many progressives upset with Elon Musk while supporting green energy rebates that just enriches Musk’s wallet.
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TAXATION AND SPENDING. Some have asked, “Are there any alternatives to our current tax system?” Well, let’s break this down… First of all… should the govt be “fully funded” in the first place? Do we really need to generate $6.29T in revenue to cover the $6.29T in spending? or could we cut the spending way back? Let’s first reduce the burden and then find ways to fund what’s left. A key problem with taxation is that it forces people to pay for things they don’t want or are not interested in. So why not cut those things out of the govt budget and let people freely choose them in the marketplace? For example, if you want Social Security, then choose it and pay for it.
WHAT ABOUT A NATIONAL SALES TAX? The sales tax idea is better than the income tax idea, IMHO. This provides a greater incentive to build wealth rather than destroy it. Some object to taxing the poor, but that is already addressed. Even the so-called “Fair Tax” does not tax the poor at all because one is exempt on taxation up to the poverty line. I don’t support a national sales tax or the “Fair Tax”. Just saying it is incrementally better than in income tax.
WHAT ABOUT A FLAT TAX? If there has to be an income tax, then why shouldn’t everyone pay the same proportionately? Further…. nearly all “flat tax” proposals also have carve outs where there is no taxation on the poor (i.e. Steve Forbes).
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YOU’VE GOTTA FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY. Is healthcare a right? Is housing a right? Is free speech a right? Ayn Rand said, “Your rights do not impose on others except of the “negative kind”… to abstain from violating his rights”. The problems is that people want a right that benefits themselves while putting that cost on others. In other words, they want the right to violate other people’s inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So, if a right violates someone else’s right, then is it a right?
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POWAY MEASURE H. I’ll be happy when this argument is over. A few more weeks until the election, but I don’t think that will be the end of it. Now there are threats of lawsuits if the measure passes. This whole thing is largely avoidable if people weren’t trying to control others.
LOCAL POWAY POLITICS. Poway Democratic Club endorsing No on H. Good to see our local Dem club making a stand on the issues, even if I disagree with their stand. Why is there no Poway GOP Club?
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ILLEGAL ALIEN OR INALIENABLE? Inalienable rights are not just for American citizens. Here’s the passage from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. These rights aren’t just for Americans. They aren’t just for whites. They aren’t just for me. These rights are for everyone, even illegal aliens.
WHAT ARE YOU SCARED OF? How are your rights violated when a non-citizen (legal immigrant, illegal immigrant or tourist) comes to America?
BUT THEY GET FREE STUFF! To people complaining about Illegal Aliens getting free food and shelter… If you just let them work legally, then they can support themselves rather than living off your taxes.
I like this blog format. I am going to keep going with it.