I'm beginning to be troubled by some of the trends that are appearing in our society; trends that, I believe, are a result of the plague of political correctness that is sweeping our country as of late.
By now most of you have heard of the fiasco involving Paula Deen.
Ms. Deen is being sued by the former manager of a restaraunt that was owned by Ms. Deen and her brother.
The plantiff alleges that Ms. Deen used the "N" word and that her brother used it frequently and also committed some form of sexual harassment.
And even though the main issue in this case is Deen's brother, Paula Deen has taken all of the flak.
I just finished reading Paula Deen's 142 page deposition and 98% of her deposition had nothing to do with her language. The main focus of this case is the brother.
But our good friends in the media have BLOWN this case way out of proportion. They have made the whole focus of this case Paula Deen's use of the "N" word 30 years ago........
Yes you read that correctly, she said it 30 years ago.
And as a consequence, she has lost every major endorsement she had.
Her products have been dropped by Walmart, Sears, and Target just to name a few.
I personally think that is ridiculous in every sense of the word.
But at the same time I almost expected that.
In our politically correct, offend no one culture, it would make sense for some people to freak out.
After all, anyone who said something offensive like that would be crucified. Right?
Right?
Wrong....
"i'd put my foot up your f****** a**, George Stark, but I'm sure you'd dig it too much,"
"I'm gonna find you George Stark, you toxic little queen, and I'm gonna f*** you... up."
These were comments made by actor and Capitol One spokesman Alec Baldwin to a gay reporter that claimed Baldwin's wife was tweeting during a funeral.
But despite Baldwin's violent and homophobic rant, nothing has happened to him.
And most likely nothing will.
You would think that with homosexuality being at the forefront of recent national coverage with DOMA and all that, that Baldwin's comments would have sparked outrage.
But Baldwin is an outspoken liberal, so the same rules don't apply.
Paula deen says the "N" word 30 years ago and loses her career, but Alec Baldwin can make violent threats and anti-gay slurs today and nothing happens.
The double-standard sickens me.
I know my moderate conservative views put me in the minority among alot of my friends, and I'm fine with that, after all I didn't sign on to be a conservative because I wanted to be popular. I believe what I believe because I feel it's right. And up until now I've always felt no worries when sharing my views, because I knew that common sense would prevail and that people would judge my comments by the same standards that everyone else was judged.
But it seems that's not so.
The lack of equal retaliation is appalling.
I was going to discuss the double-standard around the "N" word as well, but decided it deserves its own post considering the amount of conflict it may cause since so many people have different views on the subject.
Let me know what you think about Paula Deen and whether she's getting what she deserves or if this is all just PC crap.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The Few Things that Really Matter
There he sat
Haunted by a life that he never intended to live
Afraid that he would never understand
The few things that really matter
There he fought
Enveloped in a struggle not his own
Sorrounded by a darkness he couldn't overcome
Fighting for the few things that really matter
There he rose
Stronger than he was before
Shining through the darkness, because the darkness does not understand
The few things that really matter
There he goes
Determined to be something more
Holding on tightly
To the few things that really matter
Haunted by a life that he never intended to live
Afraid that he would never understand
The few things that really matter
There he fought
Enveloped in a struggle not his own
Sorrounded by a darkness he couldn't overcome
Fighting for the few things that really matter
There he rose
Stronger than he was before
Shining through the darkness, because the darkness does not understand
The few things that really matter
There he goes
Determined to be something more
Holding on tightly
To the few things that really matter
Monday, April 1, 2013
That's Messed Up! 4/1/13
I've decided to begin a series entitled "That's Messed Up!" detailing major incidents that I feel are just frankly messed up in an all-around way. Unlike some of the other things I've written, this will be completely OPINION based. If you disagree, please feel free to comment and tell me why!
Oh and I just re-read everything you are (hopefully) about to read and I could see how this part might be offensive. You'll know it when you read it, if you make it that far (again fingers crossed). But just know I wasn't trying to offend you, I hardly know you. I never intentionally offend on the first date, you have to wait until the third to really find out what offends them! How I got my wife to marry me I'll never know.
That's Messed Up!
4/1/13
In today's post I want to talk about some sure-fire drama starters (hopefully):
Religion and Politics (gasp!)
More specifically about what happens when religion and politics are discussed...from the pulpit!
Now, if you were raised south of the Mason-Dixon line (Washington, D.C. excluded) you were taught by your grandma that there are two things you don't talk about at the dinner table; and those two things are politics and religion. Why that is the case I do not know. To me, those seem to be perfect topics for dinner conversation; they are great for making unwanted dinner guests feel uncomfortable so that they will leave sooner. Just kidding, (I'm not kidding). No but seriously, who wouldn't want to talk about our national deficit as baby Carl spits up his peas on your political-party-colored silk tie? (A must for any good political conversation Red=Republican Blue=Democrat Anything else=No one cares!)
Well anyway, for whatever reason it has become the norm for politics and religion to be separated. We have the famed "separation of church and state" argument (which, by the way, isn't really what you think it is) and the instant criticism of any pastor, rabbi, jedi knight, or various other religious leader that speaks out about his political beliefs from the pulpit. Get this, it's actually illegal for pastors to talk about politics in front of their church! Ever heard of the 1954 Johnson Amendment? It says (I'm paraphrasing here, so don't sue me) that any non-profit, tax-exempt organization (that's a church by the way) will lose its tax exempt status if the pastor uses his position in the church to endorse or oppose any candidate or political idea or any party and jazz like that.
There is actually a movement in which pastors record themselves violating this amendment and then mail it to the IRS hoping that the IRS will act on it, which would eventually bring the matter to the supreme court in which it would be struck down as a 1st Amendment violation (you know the thing that guarantees free speech?). So I guess the only good thing is that this law isn't enforced, but isn't it crazy that we even have laws like this? No, it's not. Considering the society we live in today that lets everyone say what they want to as long as you don't offend some minority (sorry white males age 18-45, you can be offended without repercussions) it doesn't surprise me at all that we have laws like this. Now granted, this was passed in 1954 and was created by then Senator Lyndon B. Johnson who was probably trying to keep non-profits from meddling in politics, more likely to keep them from assisting his opponents. But the amendment was hi-jacked from its original purpose and is now known as another separation of church and state tool.
Now, I said all that to lead up to what is messed up.
On Easter Sunday an Episcopal reverend named Luis Leon (who looks like he could be a brother to Geraldo Rivera. But don't get them confused because Geraldo is Catholic. Wait, that makes them harder to tell apart!) gave a sermon in which he called out conservative religious leaders and spoke out pretty harshly against them. Here's the actual text:
Firstly, some of those "religious right" are his own Episcopal brethren. The Episcopal church is know for supporting gay marriage and being liberal and all that jazz, but there are still plenty of Episcopal reverends that are conservative and aren't saying that they are sick of their liberal brethren. So the first thing this guy messed up on was causing dissension in the Episcopal Church. And I think they should call him out on it, but they won't and that's cool.
Secondly, isn't what he said kinda I don't know illegal under the Johnson Amendment? I know that no one really does anything about it, but still. Breaking a standing law while our standing President (who was at the time sitting down) is in the room, doesn't seem very smart. But then again that's exactly why he said that. On a normal Sunday afternoon there wouldn't be any cameras in that church, but it was Easter and his church just happens to be one that presidents visit all the time on such occasions as Easter Sunday. Little reverend Geraldo look-a-like wanted some publicity, and he got it.
Lastly and probably most importantly, he took the focus off God on Easter Sunday. Now it's a good thing I'm not God, because if I was, I know exactly where my next lightening bolt would be. Now I know a lot of you aren't in to the whole "God thing" anymore because you're too enlightened for that and religion was soooo 90's, but for those of us who are believers it is kind of a big deal when you take the focus of one of our biggest holidays (pronounced holy-days) and make it political in front of a camera.
So in short, when we look at what the reverend did in context to what we discussed, it's pretty clear that that's messed up.
Oh, and I re-did his comment from his sermon:
Oh and I just re-read everything you are (hopefully) about to read and I could see how this part might be offensive. You'll know it when you read it, if you make it that far (again fingers crossed). But just know I wasn't trying to offend you, I hardly know you. I never intentionally offend on the first date, you have to wait until the third to really find out what offends them! How I got my wife to marry me I'll never know.
That's Messed Up!
4/1/13
In today's post I want to talk about some sure-fire drama starters (hopefully):
Religion and Politics (gasp!)
More specifically about what happens when religion and politics are discussed...from the pulpit!
Now, if you were raised south of the Mason-Dixon line (Washington, D.C. excluded) you were taught by your grandma that there are two things you don't talk about at the dinner table; and those two things are politics and religion. Why that is the case I do not know. To me, those seem to be perfect topics for dinner conversation; they are great for making unwanted dinner guests feel uncomfortable so that they will leave sooner. Just kidding, (I'm not kidding). No but seriously, who wouldn't want to talk about our national deficit as baby Carl spits up his peas on your political-party-colored silk tie? (A must for any good political conversation Red=Republican Blue=Democrat Anything else=No one cares!)
Well anyway, for whatever reason it has become the norm for politics and religion to be separated. We have the famed "separation of church and state" argument (which, by the way, isn't really what you think it is) and the instant criticism of any pastor, rabbi, jedi knight, or various other religious leader that speaks out about his political beliefs from the pulpit. Get this, it's actually illegal for pastors to talk about politics in front of their church! Ever heard of the 1954 Johnson Amendment? It says (I'm paraphrasing here, so don't sue me) that any non-profit, tax-exempt organization (that's a church by the way) will lose its tax exempt status if the pastor uses his position in the church to endorse or oppose any candidate or political idea or any party and jazz like that.
There is actually a movement in which pastors record themselves violating this amendment and then mail it to the IRS hoping that the IRS will act on it, which would eventually bring the matter to the supreme court in which it would be struck down as a 1st Amendment violation (you know the thing that guarantees free speech?). So I guess the only good thing is that this law isn't enforced, but isn't it crazy that we even have laws like this? No, it's not. Considering the society we live in today that lets everyone say what they want to as long as you don't offend some minority (sorry white males age 18-45, you can be offended without repercussions) it doesn't surprise me at all that we have laws like this. Now granted, this was passed in 1954 and was created by then Senator Lyndon B. Johnson who was probably trying to keep non-profits from meddling in politics, more likely to keep them from assisting his opponents. But the amendment was hi-jacked from its original purpose and is now known as another separation of church and state tool.
Now, I said all that to lead up to what is messed up.
On Easter Sunday an Episcopal reverend named Luis Leon (who looks like he could be a brother to Geraldo Rivera. But don't get them confused because Geraldo is Catholic. Wait, that makes them harder to tell apart!) gave a sermon in which he called out conservative religious leaders and spoke out pretty harshly against them. Here's the actual text:
"The captains of the religious right are always calling us back, back, back. For blacks to be back in the back of the bus, for women to be back in the kitchen, for gays to be in the closet and for immigrants to be on their side of the border."Uh....well good sir, and with all due respect (in which case there is little respect due) that's messed up. There is so much messed up about this that I don't even know where to begin. I'm definitely no captain of the religious right, maybe a 2nd lieutenant at best, but I still think he's outta line with those comments. I'm religious and and on the right and I don't want any of those things, and I don't know anyone that does. If I were allowed to be offended, I would be!
Firstly, some of those "religious right" are his own Episcopal brethren. The Episcopal church is know for supporting gay marriage and being liberal and all that jazz, but there are still plenty of Episcopal reverends that are conservative and aren't saying that they are sick of their liberal brethren. So the first thing this guy messed up on was causing dissension in the Episcopal Church. And I think they should call him out on it, but they won't and that's cool.
Secondly, isn't what he said kinda I don't know illegal under the Johnson Amendment? I know that no one really does anything about it, but still. Breaking a standing law while our standing President (who was at the time sitting down) is in the room, doesn't seem very smart. But then again that's exactly why he said that. On a normal Sunday afternoon there wouldn't be any cameras in that church, but it was Easter and his church just happens to be one that presidents visit all the time on such occasions as Easter Sunday. Little reverend Geraldo look-a-like wanted some publicity, and he got it.
Lastly and probably most importantly, he took the focus off God on Easter Sunday. Now it's a good thing I'm not God, because if I was, I know exactly where my next lightening bolt would be. Now I know a lot of you aren't in to the whole "God thing" anymore because you're too enlightened for that and religion was soooo 90's, but for those of us who are believers it is kind of a big deal when you take the focus of one of our biggest holidays (pronounced holy-days) and make it political in front of a camera.
So in short, when we look at what the reverend did in context to what we discussed, it's pretty clear that that's messed up.
Oh, and I re-did his comment from his sermon:
"The captains of the religious right are always calling us back, back, back. For blacks to be back in the back of the public transportation vehicle (why it gotta always be a bus man), for men to be back in the living room waiting on their wives to cook them dinner, for gays to be in the closet color coordinating our neck ties (they do have good taste) and for immigrants to be on their side of the border plotting to come back to the United States and work the jobs we won't work!"That was intended to be humorous by the way, so don't come at me with all this "you're a racist, sexist, anti-gay, racist person," because I'm not.
This is the reverend This is Gerlado
Tell me they don't look the same!
Well that'll do it for my first issue of "That's Messed Up!"
Do you agree with me?
Do you think I'm messed up?
Tell me!
I honestly want to know!
Comment and share how messed up you think I am!
Or how much you like what I said, that works too
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The (broken/not broken) American Political System (that does/does not need to be fixed)
Being disgusted with American politics seems to be a wide-spread practice now-a-days. Everywhere I go, I speak with people that are fed up with politicians and our political system. Everyone seems to hate Washington and the political gridlock that has come to define it. Most people automatically label politicians as untrustworthy and greedy, while rarely giving them a chance to prove otherwise.
Everyone in America (well, almost everyone) seems to think the same thing: our political system is broken.
I must respectfully disagree with everyone in America (well, almost everyone).
Our political system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. It is maintaining the continuity of the United States of America. So, in that regard, it works fine. You don't think so? Right now, wherever you are, does the United States of America exist? If you answered no, I apologize for being wrong and hope whatever dictatorship you live in grants you an extra bread ration for the day. If you answered yes, I'm right. But Tyler, you don't understand, this isn't the same America that I/my parents/my grandparents grew up in! Whenever I hear that I always must attempt to maintain my professionalism and not reply with a loud "DUH". How can you live in a world with so many people and lifestyles crammed onto one planet and expect it to stay the same? Would you rather live in a world without change, without progress? I wouldn't. If there were no change, then there would be no opportunity to make our country better. I may not agree with every "turn" America takes, but I believe it is better than where we were, for the one reason that it gets us closer to where we are going. I'll give you a second to re-read that last line so it can sink in. The world is going to change with or without you, but whether you like the change or not, you need to be involved. Sitting at home on your couch complaining about the path our country is on does absolutely nothing to help get things moving in the right direction. I honestly believe the destiny of our nation is uncertain and unknown, but even if our country is headed toward a future that completely contradicts my own beliefs, I still have a duty to try and make America a better place than it was when I got here. And whether you accept it or not, you have that duty too. Our political system is not broken at all, we are.
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -Abraham Lincoln
President Lincoln was absolutely right. If our country falls, it won't be because our political system failed our country, it will be because we failed our political system.
I remember reading about a time when being a politician was an honor and a sacrifice. The term "public servant" was an accurate description of the job. A politician is supposed to serve and represent the people that selected him/her to office, not go on a tax-payer funded vacation to Washington to exploit the country they vowed to serve and protect. Now here is where some people will try and argue with me again, "See! If it wasn't for our broken political system with all its lobbyists and corruption, America would be much better off!" First off, it is not the system's fault if people abuse it. If a teacher solicits a student for sex outside of the classroom, do we call every high school in America a failure? No, the system doesn't effect the user at all. I'm going to fill you in on something important: there are bad people in the world. And bad people tend to have a predictable pattern of action: they do bad things. So if we have corrupt politicians in Washington, guess whose fault it is if they screw things up? The voters. If we elect an official to REPRESENT us, and they do something stupid, it is completely on us for putting the individual in power. Whether or not you have the guts to accept that is on you, I don't care if you believe it or not, but your action (voting) or inaction (not voting for someone else) places the blame on your shoulders.
Our system is designed to be self-regulating. That means if there is corruption or inefficiency in the system, we elect honest and efficient people to replace those we find unsatisfactory. It's really that easy. You may say it's not, but it is. The problem occurs when we begin getting lazy and stop holding our elected officials accountable for what they do. We stop paying attention to how they vote, who they get their money from, and how they are managing our tax dollars. That is how problems start and evolve. And one of the problems of our society is that we are too reactive. Instead of being proactive and stopping something before it happens, we wait until we have a catastrophe on our hands and then we go way overboard to make sure it never happens again. We over correct. Take all the school shootings that have happened in our history, you would think by now we would have figured out a way to curb those (and no, a nationwide gun ban is not the answer but that is a different topic), but we haven't. We continue to react to events as they happen. Instead of thinking about national security and the long term effects of extremist groups, we sit back and let a horror like 9/11 occur. Instead of getting off our tails and doing some digging on the people we are placing in power, we wait until they have a sex scandal or get busted for bribery etc. President John F. Kennedy said it like this, "There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." We are too comfortable and too dag gum lazy to get involved with the greater good of our country. We are content to let the bad people in the world take advantage of our political system and run our country into the ground. Some people think that there is too much corruption and that there are too many bad people in the world to be able to make a difference. There are no more bad people in the world than there were in 1945. The number of bad people hasn't changed. What has changed are the number of good people who are willing to stand up for what they believe and get involved and make a difference. Now we have so many people that are apathetic and "really don't care". Those people make me mad. They are content to watch our country, which so many people are counting on to succeed, fail.
"The fiery trials through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the last generation." -President Lincoln.
How we act, or don't act, will have a lasting impact on our society. If we want the life of our nation to be secure, than our nation has to remain honest, truthful, and virtuous. And we have a political system that allows us to try and make that happen! That's what is so great about America, people can actually make a difference!We provide a platform for everyday Americans to try and change the world! How many other countries do that? That is the ultimate form of freedom- to decide one's fate; and the sun never set on so glorious a human achievement as freedom. And I understand some people feel like they can't make a difference, or that their vote doesn't count, but nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.
So in some form of summary:
1. America's political system is not broken; the people are
2. Society is going to change, with or without your approval
3. America's political system provides us with an opportunity to decide our country's destiny
4. We cannot trust this huge responsibility to bad people
5. Good people need to stand up and fight for what they believe, no matter how minor it may seem
In closing, I cannot determine what is "right" in your eyes or how you define good and bad, and I wouldn't try too. It is impossible to regulate morality across a country. Mass morals no longer exist. "Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man." -Mark Twain. So I encourage you to decide what you believe is right and fight for it, and remember what President Lincoln said,
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have."
Please feel free to post any disagreements or criticisms or comments of any kind. Feedback is always welcome. Thanks -Tyler
Everyone in America (well, almost everyone) seems to think the same thing: our political system is broken.
I must respectfully disagree with everyone in America (well, almost everyone).
Our political system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. It is maintaining the continuity of the United States of America. So, in that regard, it works fine. You don't think so? Right now, wherever you are, does the United States of America exist? If you answered no, I apologize for being wrong and hope whatever dictatorship you live in grants you an extra bread ration for the day. If you answered yes, I'm right. But Tyler, you don't understand, this isn't the same America that I/my parents/my grandparents grew up in! Whenever I hear that I always must attempt to maintain my professionalism and not reply with a loud "DUH". How can you live in a world with so many people and lifestyles crammed onto one planet and expect it to stay the same? Would you rather live in a world without change, without progress? I wouldn't. If there were no change, then there would be no opportunity to make our country better. I may not agree with every "turn" America takes, but I believe it is better than where we were, for the one reason that it gets us closer to where we are going. I'll give you a second to re-read that last line so it can sink in. The world is going to change with or without you, but whether you like the change or not, you need to be involved. Sitting at home on your couch complaining about the path our country is on does absolutely nothing to help get things moving in the right direction. I honestly believe the destiny of our nation is uncertain and unknown, but even if our country is headed toward a future that completely contradicts my own beliefs, I still have a duty to try and make America a better place than it was when I got here. And whether you accept it or not, you have that duty too. Our political system is not broken at all, we are.
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -Abraham Lincoln
President Lincoln was absolutely right. If our country falls, it won't be because our political system failed our country, it will be because we failed our political system.
I remember reading about a time when being a politician was an honor and a sacrifice. The term "public servant" was an accurate description of the job. A politician is supposed to serve and represent the people that selected him/her to office, not go on a tax-payer funded vacation to Washington to exploit the country they vowed to serve and protect. Now here is where some people will try and argue with me again, "See! If it wasn't for our broken political system with all its lobbyists and corruption, America would be much better off!" First off, it is not the system's fault if people abuse it. If a teacher solicits a student for sex outside of the classroom, do we call every high school in America a failure? No, the system doesn't effect the user at all. I'm going to fill you in on something important: there are bad people in the world. And bad people tend to have a predictable pattern of action: they do bad things. So if we have corrupt politicians in Washington, guess whose fault it is if they screw things up? The voters. If we elect an official to REPRESENT us, and they do something stupid, it is completely on us for putting the individual in power. Whether or not you have the guts to accept that is on you, I don't care if you believe it or not, but your action (voting) or inaction (not voting for someone else) places the blame on your shoulders.
Our system is designed to be self-regulating. That means if there is corruption or inefficiency in the system, we elect honest and efficient people to replace those we find unsatisfactory. It's really that easy. You may say it's not, but it is. The problem occurs when we begin getting lazy and stop holding our elected officials accountable for what they do. We stop paying attention to how they vote, who they get their money from, and how they are managing our tax dollars. That is how problems start and evolve. And one of the problems of our society is that we are too reactive. Instead of being proactive and stopping something before it happens, we wait until we have a catastrophe on our hands and then we go way overboard to make sure it never happens again. We over correct. Take all the school shootings that have happened in our history, you would think by now we would have figured out a way to curb those (and no, a nationwide gun ban is not the answer but that is a different topic), but we haven't. We continue to react to events as they happen. Instead of thinking about national security and the long term effects of extremist groups, we sit back and let a horror like 9/11 occur. Instead of getting off our tails and doing some digging on the people we are placing in power, we wait until they have a sex scandal or get busted for bribery etc. President John F. Kennedy said it like this, "There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." We are too comfortable and too dag gum lazy to get involved with the greater good of our country. We are content to let the bad people in the world take advantage of our political system and run our country into the ground. Some people think that there is too much corruption and that there are too many bad people in the world to be able to make a difference. There are no more bad people in the world than there were in 1945. The number of bad people hasn't changed. What has changed are the number of good people who are willing to stand up for what they believe and get involved and make a difference. Now we have so many people that are apathetic and "really don't care". Those people make me mad. They are content to watch our country, which so many people are counting on to succeed, fail.
"The fiery trials through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the last generation." -President Lincoln.
How we act, or don't act, will have a lasting impact on our society. If we want the life of our nation to be secure, than our nation has to remain honest, truthful, and virtuous. And we have a political system that allows us to try and make that happen! That's what is so great about America, people can actually make a difference!We provide a platform for everyday Americans to try and change the world! How many other countries do that? That is the ultimate form of freedom- to decide one's fate; and the sun never set on so glorious a human achievement as freedom. And I understand some people feel like they can't make a difference, or that their vote doesn't count, but nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.
So in some form of summary:
1. America's political system is not broken; the people are
2. Society is going to change, with or without your approval
3. America's political system provides us with an opportunity to decide our country's destiny
4. We cannot trust this huge responsibility to bad people
5. Good people need to stand up and fight for what they believe, no matter how minor it may seem
In closing, I cannot determine what is "right" in your eyes or how you define good and bad, and I wouldn't try too. It is impossible to regulate morality across a country. Mass morals no longer exist. "Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man." -Mark Twain. So I encourage you to decide what you believe is right and fight for it, and remember what President Lincoln said,
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have."
Please feel free to post any disagreements or criticisms or comments of any kind. Feedback is always welcome. Thanks -Tyler
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The Deficit and You
I've heard so many times in my (very young) life, when discussing politics, people saying things like, "That doesn't affect me," and "I don't keep up with that stuff," and my personal favorite, "I hate politics." It doesn't make me angry when people say things like that, because the majority of people that feel that way, feel that way because they don't understand politics and international relations and how it impacts their daily life. So, because they don't understand it, they don't follow it; and because they don't follow it, they become ignorant of it; and when you become ignorant of something, you become (for lack of a better word) a slave to it. We can't have the generation that will be leading our country in a few years be afraid to get involved in the events that will determine what path we take as a nation.
So, with that being said, I wanted to try and break down current events and show the correlation with the everyday American. My hope is that if enough people learn enough about what's going on in the world and how it actually impacts them, perhaps they will want to become more involved. I will do my best to show events for what they are without a partisan point of view, however when it comes to certain issues I can make no promises; a person's character is bound to bleed through on issues that strike close to the heart.
With this post I will try to highlight a high-profile topic that is in the news a lot, and bring it to a level that everyone (not just the politically passionate) can understand. I will always do my best to provide enough background information so that those of you who are completely oblivious to current events will be caught up to speed.
The first topic up for discussion is our national deficit.
Two years ago I had no clue what a "deficit" even was. Odds are, some of you are most likely in that same boat. Miriam-Webster defines deficit as "an excess of expenditure over revenue." So, basically spending more money than you take in. A lot of people use "debt" interchangeably with "deficit", however that's not 100% accurate. You can have debt without ever running a deficit, but in most cases you can't have a deficit without taking on debt, If you own a lemonade stand and it takes $150 dollars a month to operate, but one month you only make $100, you have a $50 deficit; most of the time you have to borrow money and go into debt to cover your deficit. If the next month your stand makes $200 then you have enough to pay off your $50 debt/deficit from the previous month; however if you again make only $100 dollars you will be running a $50 deficit two months in a row and will have accrued a $100 debt. As you can see, it can become increasingly difficult to pull oneself out of a rather large debt while continually running a deficit.
In essence, this is what our country has done. Our current amount of U.S. debt is over $16 trillion (with a "T"). If you need to see it to understand how big it actually is, it's $16,000,000,000,000. That is alot of 0's! You may think, well the United States is a large country and I'm sure we are making enough to slowly widdle that amount down.....wrong. This past economic year that ended September 30th, the U.S. ran over a $1 trillion (again with a "T") deficit. That means we spent $1,000,000,000,000 more than we earned in the past fiscal year. It's kinda hard to pay of a $16 trillion dollar debt when you can't even break even to avoid going into more debt, don't ya think? The past four years the United States has run a trillion dollar deficit, and we are well on our way to the 5th consecutive year.
Now, on to how this relates to you.
Living in a country that is in as much debt as we are, and that has a deficit as big as ours, certainly puts us in a scary situation. One of the first worries that alot of people have is what happens if the countries we owe money to suddenly decide to call in our debt and we can't pay them. Well let me try and assure you that this is highly unlikely. The political ramifications of a country randomly calling and asking for us to pay back money they know we don't have would be huge. The U.S. also has a large amount of foreign debt owed to it that we could "call on" anytime we wished, but the result would be counter-productive being as almost every country owes something to another country and the majority of the debt would, for the most part, cancel out. Secondly, there is really no way a country can force a country the size of the U.S. to do anything. Other than our military strength, which would overcome most European or any South American military with ease, the U.S. also holds a huge economic card up its sleeve. The U.S. is one of the world's largest consumers (the world's largest depending on what stats you are looking at), so if the U.S. were to suddenly stop purchasing things from countries that we owed debt too, the world economy would be in a dire position. The United States alone consumes close to 25% of all the worlds resources. So, apart from the financial and political ramifications to a country attempting to call in our debt to them, there is a huge military obstacle they would face as well. The U.S. would not allow a foreign power to come interfere with the U.S. in such a way that it would alter American culture and negatively impact the lives of its citizens. The military would be used to either have our debts released, or simply put off for a great while.
So, hopefully I have helped comfort you slightly when it comes to the possibility of that happening.
Now when it comes to other ways that this deficit could impact you or your children, I'm afraid I cannot offer the guarantees I did before.
One of the ways our deficit is going to have an effect on you in the near future is spending cuts and tax increases. I won't go into which I prefer over the other who I believe is at fault for our current situation, I will simply try to present the solution as I can.
There are 3 traditional ways for a country to get out of debt:
1. Borrow money to pay the debt
You may laugh or call me ignorant for saying that, but for hundreds of years countries have borrowed money from countries to pay other countries with the hopes of being able to raise the funds to pay off the other country with its own funds. Believe it or not this used to work fine when the economies of countries were much more micro-oriented and the impact of one nation on another economically wasn't as great. Now, with the size and scope of the markets, and the inter-linking of the world economies, this practice is all but extinct. Also, since borrowing money is one the reasons we got into the hole we are in now, borrowing will not be used as a method to get us out.
That leaves the other two methods:
A. Taxes
B. Spending cuts
Taxes are one of the only forms of true revenue a country has. There are many different types of taxes from taxes on income, consumption, and even inheritance. But rather than waste time defining all the types of taxes, we will just look at how you might be effected. If the government decides they want to tax itself out of debt, that will mean tax increases for every American. Whether it is a tax increase taken out of how much you get paid, or a tax based on how much you spend, every American will have to bear this burden, and some much more than others. Also, no matter what politicians say, no tax is certain. Just because a bill is passed does not mean it will stay that way. Taxes have a way of fluctuating over the years. This could mean you could end up losing thousands of dollars to the federal, state, and local governments.
Spending cuts are the other side of coin when it comes to attempting to control our deficit. Instead of asking citizens to pay more for the country's debt, the government begins to spend less as to make our revenue match our expenditures. This process quickly becomes very complex as politicians argue over what to cut and how much to cut. More often than not, politicians cannot agree on what is best for the country and we end up getting the worst of both worlds. Just like taxes, spending cuts do come with a sacrifice. Sometime we are required to give up benefits or entitlements, or cut the amount of money we use in national defense. Many people also fear cutting social security or welfare programs that some are dependent on to survive. Spending cuts may not cost you more in taxes, but you may pay for them by losing some form of benefit down the road.
So after looking at the two options it would appear as though you have the choice to spend more, or lose more. It's almost a lesser of the two evils choice. Most likely a solution to our deficit will have to some from both options, not just one entirely; because even if you can cut enough out your spending to meet your budget, you will still have a huge debt; and if you can tax your way into meeting your budget, you still have no way to pay off the daunting debt, or any other expense that may occur.
So, if you haven't yet seen how our deficit could affect you, I will try and lay it out as simple as I can.
Obviously I have no way of knowing what tax increases or spending cuts may take place, but just for fun (yes I realize my definition of fun is very different than most), let's bring up some hypothetical numbers and play around.
Say that my wife and I's current income tax rate is 15%. If we made only $24,000 a year that means we would instantly lose $3,600. That's money we would never see. The highest state sales tax in Alabama is 12%. Let's just say my wife and I spend $600 a month over the course of a year on groceries and things we have to buy. That's $7,200 taxed at 12% for another $864 paid to the state of Alabama. So far, that's $4,464 out of my original $24,000 that I will never touch. That's 18.6% of your money you can't spend. That's almost 1/5th! Now, propose the federal government decides to raise our income tax rate to 18% and the state of Alabama brings their highest rate to 15%. That brings the amount of my money going to the government to $5,400. That means you would pay 22.5% of your money to the government. And that is not counting social security tax, insurance, and other things that you may require.
So in short, more money in the governments pockets=less money in yours.
Now for an example of spending cuts.
Social security checks are estimated to keep 40% of retired seniors out of poverty. The average monthly social security check at the start of 2012 for a single person was $1,230. Also, there is expected to be a 1.7% cost of living increase beginning in 2013. However, what if the government decides that it has to cut back social security. There are currently 56 million people receiving social security benefits. So if 56 million people each receive $1,230, that is $68,880,000,000 a month, and over a year $826,560,000,000. That's almost a trillion dollars. Now say the federal government only wants to spend $650 billion on social security. So, you divide the $650 billion by 56 million people, and suddenly their monthly check drops from $1,230 a month to about $977 a month. Oh, and you could probably kiss that 1.7% increase good bye. So for all those seniors that relied upon social security to stay out of poverty, things begin to look pretty bleak.
So in short, more cuts=less benefits.
So obviously the best way for our country to get out of the hole we are in is to work together and come up with a way to reduce our deficit. Below is a short summary
So, with that being said, I wanted to try and break down current events and show the correlation with the everyday American. My hope is that if enough people learn enough about what's going on in the world and how it actually impacts them, perhaps they will want to become more involved. I will do my best to show events for what they are without a partisan point of view, however when it comes to certain issues I can make no promises; a person's character is bound to bleed through on issues that strike close to the heart.
With this post I will try to highlight a high-profile topic that is in the news a lot, and bring it to a level that everyone (not just the politically passionate) can understand. I will always do my best to provide enough background information so that those of you who are completely oblivious to current events will be caught up to speed.
The first topic up for discussion is our national deficit.
Two years ago I had no clue what a "deficit" even was. Odds are, some of you are most likely in that same boat. Miriam-Webster defines deficit as "an excess of expenditure over revenue." So, basically spending more money than you take in. A lot of people use "debt" interchangeably with "deficit", however that's not 100% accurate. You can have debt without ever running a deficit, but in most cases you can't have a deficit without taking on debt, If you own a lemonade stand and it takes $150 dollars a month to operate, but one month you only make $100, you have a $50 deficit; most of the time you have to borrow money and go into debt to cover your deficit. If the next month your stand makes $200 then you have enough to pay off your $50 debt/deficit from the previous month; however if you again make only $100 dollars you will be running a $50 deficit two months in a row and will have accrued a $100 debt. As you can see, it can become increasingly difficult to pull oneself out of a rather large debt while continually running a deficit.
In essence, this is what our country has done. Our current amount of U.S. debt is over $16 trillion (with a "T"). If you need to see it to understand how big it actually is, it's $16,000,000,000,000. That is alot of 0's! You may think, well the United States is a large country and I'm sure we are making enough to slowly widdle that amount down.....wrong. This past economic year that ended September 30th, the U.S. ran over a $1 trillion (again with a "T") deficit. That means we spent $1,000,000,000,000 more than we earned in the past fiscal year. It's kinda hard to pay of a $16 trillion dollar debt when you can't even break even to avoid going into more debt, don't ya think? The past four years the United States has run a trillion dollar deficit, and we are well on our way to the 5th consecutive year.
Now, on to how this relates to you.
Living in a country that is in as much debt as we are, and that has a deficit as big as ours, certainly puts us in a scary situation. One of the first worries that alot of people have is what happens if the countries we owe money to suddenly decide to call in our debt and we can't pay them. Well let me try and assure you that this is highly unlikely. The political ramifications of a country randomly calling and asking for us to pay back money they know we don't have would be huge. The U.S. also has a large amount of foreign debt owed to it that we could "call on" anytime we wished, but the result would be counter-productive being as almost every country owes something to another country and the majority of the debt would, for the most part, cancel out. Secondly, there is really no way a country can force a country the size of the U.S. to do anything. Other than our military strength, which would overcome most European or any South American military with ease, the U.S. also holds a huge economic card up its sleeve. The U.S. is one of the world's largest consumers (the world's largest depending on what stats you are looking at), so if the U.S. were to suddenly stop purchasing things from countries that we owed debt too, the world economy would be in a dire position. The United States alone consumes close to 25% of all the worlds resources. So, apart from the financial and political ramifications to a country attempting to call in our debt to them, there is a huge military obstacle they would face as well. The U.S. would not allow a foreign power to come interfere with the U.S. in such a way that it would alter American culture and negatively impact the lives of its citizens. The military would be used to either have our debts released, or simply put off for a great while.
So, hopefully I have helped comfort you slightly when it comes to the possibility of that happening.
Now when it comes to other ways that this deficit could impact you or your children, I'm afraid I cannot offer the guarantees I did before.
One of the ways our deficit is going to have an effect on you in the near future is spending cuts and tax increases. I won't go into which I prefer over the other who I believe is at fault for our current situation, I will simply try to present the solution as I can.
There are 3 traditional ways for a country to get out of debt:
1. Borrow money to pay the debt
You may laugh or call me ignorant for saying that, but for hundreds of years countries have borrowed money from countries to pay other countries with the hopes of being able to raise the funds to pay off the other country with its own funds. Believe it or not this used to work fine when the economies of countries were much more micro-oriented and the impact of one nation on another economically wasn't as great. Now, with the size and scope of the markets, and the inter-linking of the world economies, this practice is all but extinct. Also, since borrowing money is one the reasons we got into the hole we are in now, borrowing will not be used as a method to get us out.
That leaves the other two methods:
A. Taxes
B. Spending cuts
Taxes are one of the only forms of true revenue a country has. There are many different types of taxes from taxes on income, consumption, and even inheritance. But rather than waste time defining all the types of taxes, we will just look at how you might be effected. If the government decides they want to tax itself out of debt, that will mean tax increases for every American. Whether it is a tax increase taken out of how much you get paid, or a tax based on how much you spend, every American will have to bear this burden, and some much more than others. Also, no matter what politicians say, no tax is certain. Just because a bill is passed does not mean it will stay that way. Taxes have a way of fluctuating over the years. This could mean you could end up losing thousands of dollars to the federal, state, and local governments.
Spending cuts are the other side of coin when it comes to attempting to control our deficit. Instead of asking citizens to pay more for the country's debt, the government begins to spend less as to make our revenue match our expenditures. This process quickly becomes very complex as politicians argue over what to cut and how much to cut. More often than not, politicians cannot agree on what is best for the country and we end up getting the worst of both worlds. Just like taxes, spending cuts do come with a sacrifice. Sometime we are required to give up benefits or entitlements, or cut the amount of money we use in national defense. Many people also fear cutting social security or welfare programs that some are dependent on to survive. Spending cuts may not cost you more in taxes, but you may pay for them by losing some form of benefit down the road.
So after looking at the two options it would appear as though you have the choice to spend more, or lose more. It's almost a lesser of the two evils choice. Most likely a solution to our deficit will have to some from both options, not just one entirely; because even if you can cut enough out your spending to meet your budget, you will still have a huge debt; and if you can tax your way into meeting your budget, you still have no way to pay off the daunting debt, or any other expense that may occur.
So, if you haven't yet seen how our deficit could affect you, I will try and lay it out as simple as I can.
Obviously I have no way of knowing what tax increases or spending cuts may take place, but just for fun (yes I realize my definition of fun is very different than most), let's bring up some hypothetical numbers and play around.
Say that my wife and I's current income tax rate is 15%. If we made only $24,000 a year that means we would instantly lose $3,600. That's money we would never see. The highest state sales tax in Alabama is 12%. Let's just say my wife and I spend $600 a month over the course of a year on groceries and things we have to buy. That's $7,200 taxed at 12% for another $864 paid to the state of Alabama. So far, that's $4,464 out of my original $24,000 that I will never touch. That's 18.6% of your money you can't spend. That's almost 1/5th! Now, propose the federal government decides to raise our income tax rate to 18% and the state of Alabama brings their highest rate to 15%. That brings the amount of my money going to the government to $5,400. That means you would pay 22.5% of your money to the government. And that is not counting social security tax, insurance, and other things that you may require.
So in short, more money in the governments pockets=less money in yours.
Now for an example of spending cuts.
Social security checks are estimated to keep 40% of retired seniors out of poverty. The average monthly social security check at the start of 2012 for a single person was $1,230. Also, there is expected to be a 1.7% cost of living increase beginning in 2013. However, what if the government decides that it has to cut back social security. There are currently 56 million people receiving social security benefits. So if 56 million people each receive $1,230, that is $68,880,000,000 a month, and over a year $826,560,000,000. That's almost a trillion dollars. Now say the federal government only wants to spend $650 billion on social security. So, you divide the $650 billion by 56 million people, and suddenly their monthly check drops from $1,230 a month to about $977 a month. Oh, and you could probably kiss that 1.7% increase good bye. So for all those seniors that relied upon social security to stay out of poverty, things begin to look pretty bleak.
So in short, more cuts=less benefits.
So obviously the best way for our country to get out of the hole we are in is to work together and come up with a way to reduce our deficit. Below is a short summary
- Our country cannot continue running a deficit every year
- Taxes or spending cuts are ways to fix our deficit
- Taxes will cause you to lose money, whether from your paycheck or at the supermarket
- Spending cuts may endanger national security, or tamper with entitlements that some rely on
- We as Americans must become more informed and work together to solve this issue
- More money for the government=less money for you
- More spending cuts=less benefits
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
My Top 5 Movie Trailers of 2012
So after much consideration and many HOURS of watching movie trailers and comparing them to one another, I have finally narrowed them down to the top 5 of the year, in my humble opinion. Please keep in mind that I rated the trailers and not the movies. Also, I have not actually seen most the movies whose trailers I watched. And just because I rated the trailer does mean I actually have any desire ...
to watch the movie. I tried to be as unbiased as possible and did not place any movie above any other just because of genre or actors involved. I have also included the links to the videos that I used to judge. If you start watching the trailer, you have to watch the whole thing to see how it builds and the visual and musical elements combine to bring it together. So, dum dum dum, here we go.
#5
Safe House
http://youtu.be/-L2CO75ZrdE
This trailer did what any trailer should do when showcasing a movie that features big name veteran actors. The trailer allows Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington to shine and portray their characters very well. I haven't even seen the movie, but by watching the trailer I already know and have a connection with the characters. So for that, it gets number 5.
#4
The Great Gatsby
http://youtu.be/NhxqUxrC6KE
I thought this trailer did a great job recreating a literary masterpiece. The soundtrack, visual effects, and tension from the story builds and really makes this a great trailer. Just by looking at the trailer, it seems like the 1920's/1930's feel will be pretty legitimate. I hope the film follows through with the bar the trailer set, if so this should be a good movie. Gets number 4 on my list.
#3
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
http://youtu.be/aog8680PVmU
Now, first off, the title instantly turned me away. I mean like instantly. But after seeing the trailer a few times here and there on T.V., I actually began to think that the movie didn't look as horrible as the name suggests; I still didn't want to go see it mind you. The trailer actually did a pretty good job of seeming “real” to me. Also, like most trailers, the choice of song at the end really added a whole lot. The choice of lines and placement of said lines also really got the feel for this film in the right spot with me. I actually almost felt sorry for the kid at the beginning and almost felt happy for him at the end of it. Now my wife actually ended up dragging me kicking and screaming to see this movie, and I hate to admit this.....but this movie was actually great. The story was well-written, and there is no way anyone on the planet could see the twist towards the end coming. So for keeping it real and pulling me in, this trailer gets number 3.
#2
007 Skyfall
http://youtu.be/6kw1UVovByw
Regardless of if you like the James Bond series or not, this trailer is superb. The trailer literally paints a picture of the whole two and a half hour movie and condenses it into two and a half minutes. You can almost know exactly what is going to happen in the movie, every plot twist is basically played out in the trailer in some general form or another. Most people would lose interest after seeing such a revealing trailer, but somehow the trailer makes you want to see the movie anyway! It leaves just enough showing to make you want to go to the theater and see all the plot development that is so well covered in the trailer. So for showing me a the whole James Bond flick in two and a half minutes for free, and somehow still making me want to drive an hour and pay ten bucks to see it again, only two and a half hours longer, Bond gets number 2. Shaken, not stirred.
#1
The Words
http://youtu.be/gjmrDDD9o_k
This trailer was dare I say perfect. It has everything you need: interesting plot, authentic setting and characterization, excellent choice of song at the end, and just enough revealing of the plot to draw you in. The tension created using parts of the script kept building until the music hit its high point and the trailer did that cool thing where it showed the story from the past matching the present day story. It gave me chills! Seeing this trailer made me want to go out and immediately see what I thought was going to be one the best films of the year. I was dead wrong. Biggest letdown of my life. The story was nothing like the trailer and left me feeling so disappointed. But where the film loses, the trailer wins. This trailer shows the true nature of hollywood. They took a crap film and turned it into an amazing trailer so I would go pay money to see what otherwise I would have never wasted my time or money on! The trailer tricked me, and for that it gets number 1. I couldn't have made a better trailer, but a third grader could have made a better movie.
Do you like my choices? Do want to know where your favorite movies ended up being crossed off my list? Let me know what you think!
#5
Safe House
http://youtu.be/-L2CO75ZrdE
This trailer did what any trailer should do when showcasing a movie that features big name veteran actors. The trailer allows Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington to shine and portray their characters very well. I haven't even seen the movie, but by watching the trailer I already know and have a connection with the characters. So for that, it gets number 5.
#4
The Great Gatsby
http://youtu.be/NhxqUxrC6KE
I thought this trailer did a great job recreating a literary masterpiece. The soundtrack, visual effects, and tension from the story builds and really makes this a great trailer. Just by looking at the trailer, it seems like the 1920's/1930's feel will be pretty legitimate. I hope the film follows through with the bar the trailer set, if so this should be a good movie. Gets number 4 on my list.
#3
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
http://youtu.be/aog8680PVmU
Now, first off, the title instantly turned me away. I mean like instantly. But after seeing the trailer a few times here and there on T.V., I actually began to think that the movie didn't look as horrible as the name suggests; I still didn't want to go see it mind you. The trailer actually did a pretty good job of seeming “real” to me. Also, like most trailers, the choice of song at the end really added a whole lot. The choice of lines and placement of said lines also really got the feel for this film in the right spot with me. I actually almost felt sorry for the kid at the beginning and almost felt happy for him at the end of it. Now my wife actually ended up dragging me kicking and screaming to see this movie, and I hate to admit this.....but this movie was actually great. The story was well-written, and there is no way anyone on the planet could see the twist towards the end coming. So for keeping it real and pulling me in, this trailer gets number 3.
#2
007 Skyfall
http://youtu.be/6kw1UVovByw
Regardless of if you like the James Bond series or not, this trailer is superb. The trailer literally paints a picture of the whole two and a half hour movie and condenses it into two and a half minutes. You can almost know exactly what is going to happen in the movie, every plot twist is basically played out in the trailer in some general form or another. Most people would lose interest after seeing such a revealing trailer, but somehow the trailer makes you want to see the movie anyway! It leaves just enough showing to make you want to go to the theater and see all the plot development that is so well covered in the trailer. So for showing me a the whole James Bond flick in two and a half minutes for free, and somehow still making me want to drive an hour and pay ten bucks to see it again, only two and a half hours longer, Bond gets number 2. Shaken, not stirred.
#1
The Words
http://youtu.be/gjmrDDD9o_k
This trailer was dare I say perfect. It has everything you need: interesting plot, authentic setting and characterization, excellent choice of song at the end, and just enough revealing of the plot to draw you in. The tension created using parts of the script kept building until the music hit its high point and the trailer did that cool thing where it showed the story from the past matching the present day story. It gave me chills! Seeing this trailer made me want to go out and immediately see what I thought was going to be one the best films of the year. I was dead wrong. Biggest letdown of my life. The story was nothing like the trailer and left me feeling so disappointed. But where the film loses, the trailer wins. This trailer shows the true nature of hollywood. They took a crap film and turned it into an amazing trailer so I would go pay money to see what otherwise I would have never wasted my time or money on! The trailer tricked me, and for that it gets number 1. I couldn't have made a better trailer, but a third grader could have made a better movie.
Do you like my choices? Do want to know where your favorite movies ended up being crossed off my list? Let me know what you think!
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