a few thoughts on the economy

Once in a while, I run across some interesting, and what I consider good, articles that talk about the economy. Here are some scraps for you all.
Obamanomics
While I agree that Alan Greenspan helped the growth of the internet, he certainly did not destroy the economy. The topic is discussed here.
I think that checks and balances are generally good. With the introduction of a balance called Fannie Mae, the economy was held from the extreme variance of a purely open free-enterprise form of business. The downside is that the economy has paid for that security. Again, things must be balanced. If people are allowed to trade freely with no checks, everyone must pay attention to what is happening. A mistake here would collapse the whole market. The billion dollar question is how much should the markets pay for that luxury?
Things will be tough to sort out for our world leaders. But there is hope for sure!

rule of 20 and how to keep a woman

I'm finding myself more and more defining my thoughts on how to love a woman. The past few months have been... an experience. I'm learning so much. Anyway, on topic! I have re-read the post on the rule of 20 and I'd like to add a few thoughts...

In the new version of the story, the wife was awesome and handed her guy a drink and went back to continue prepping a meal for him. She did this because she cared about him and wanted to do something special for him. It was not required of her. It was not her job. She did it because she wanted to. Whenever a lady does this for you, show some appreciation. Things like a word of praise over her efforts or a hug and a thank you/I love you, etc. She will react so well to it. Most men probably have no idea how many miles they would cover doing this.
Now, this isn't to say that you should just pander all of your attention on her from the moment you get home. This is about helping people get along and maybe even love each other. Take your 20 minutes. Let your mind relax and break for a few. That's more than okay, it is appropriate. When you "wake," wander in and offer to help. I find a great reaction in this even if there is jack to do because she is basically finished. That part is irrelevant. The point that is relevant is to offer some help and possibly take care of a simple task. She is more than likely to take into account that we are tired and our lack (I can't cook to save my life) of cooking ability. She'll probably give you something you can do that requires little to no cognitive ability. So you don't have to worry about mixing things or measuring things or ANYTHING that requires thought.

You should never be afraid to care. EVER. If you keep yourself from caring or trying, you will be doomed to singledom. You know what the worst part is? A woman will ALSO be doomed to that same curse. Once you've offered to buy that pretty girl a drink; once you've asked her out; once you've met her parents, make her day. And don't do it once or twice every month. Do it every other day or a couple of times each week. If her heart is fed, everyone will eat well.

hmmmm part 2

"True politeness consists in making everyone as easy and comfortable as one can."

So, I had a short talk with Jon last night. I prayed a lot before, during, and afterward. I asked for wisdom several times. As we got into our talk, I realized I needed a lot more than just wisdom. I needed patience and courage too. You see, Jon has seen some tough times. I would guess that he's seen a lot more than most. I fought hard to keep myself from thinking that my ideas were better than his. It wasn't about what was better; it was about what was right.
Jon has a tough time hanging back and just listening to anything. If he feels attacked, he will launch an assault. I felt I was on a pretty fine line as I spoke. I wanted to focus on the problem. He had hurt me with a couple of things he said and then he proceeded to insult me and other people as well. I needed to bring this up to him in a way that he wouldn't feel as an attack.
I feel like I brought up to him the part where I was hurt in his calling me a chauvinist. I don't know how well I did with the other part. Maybe it will just take time. I feel like I got my first point across. I have worked very hard to understand people, specifically women, but men too. And when he called me that, it was basically telling me that I had gone in the opposite direction.
I feel better about it, but I feel like I've got a long way to go. until later...

hmmmm

I'm looking at a quote that I'm going to change a bit.
"A boy at home is safe, but that is not what boys are built for." Original credit to John Shedd.
I feel like I'm learning to become a warrior. My current battle exists in a relationship with a friend of mine that I've known for a couple of years now. In the past few weeks, he has started to express his thoughts on relationships, love, and women. He has spoken of "their place" in society. I feel like I'm being tossed a small challenge. I didn't realize it until last night though. I think that it wasn't a challenge until it hit me closer to home.
To be frank, I find myself in the company of degerates and low-lifes on what I feel is an all too regular basis. Anyway, this friend of mine, I'll call him Jon, has taken an interest in moving on from his relationship. I think his ex is not completely unjustified, but she broke his heart. That's not an easy thing. Well, Jon was feeling a little bit better about himself and found a girl to talk to the other night. He was all sorts of excited to tell me about it. And I was happy for him. Then he started asking what I knew about this particular girl. I've known her for a few years (4 I think) and have a decent idea of what she's about. I feel like she's a good girl who is a bit misguided. Anyway, she's seeing another guy I know a bit less. He has expressed to me that women "are things. The drink in my hand: a thing. The keys in my pocket: a thing. The couch and pillows on it: things. That girl: a thing." He told me this right after my crush at the time kind of dropped me and I was a bit down for it. So, he's seeing 4ish different girls right now.
When I told Jon about this, I mentioned that the guy was kind of a chauvinist. Now, I wasn't sure at the time, but this is a direct definition of the word male chauvinist: "noun. activity indicative of belief in the superiority of men over women."
He immediately shot back, "Oh you're a chauvinitst too! We wrote a paper about how women should just stay in the kitchen and leave you alone when you get home from work!" The "paper" he talked about was here. That was explained to me by a woman who's wisdom I will never begin to comprehend. I wrote the "paper" to help guys and girls get along better. I also wrote it with the idea of showing guys that once you take your time, you need to go after your girl and pursue her. Decompress, SURE! But once you are "normal" again, appreciate her for taking care of you; reciprocate things to her. That is not chauvinistic. It is merely asking for a little space. Then it is taking care of the girl.
My battle is to encourage him in his quest for a girlfriend and show him a little bit about being a leader (you have to be a servant!). And I don't know how to approach it yet. So, if you have any words of wisdom....

for the best education

"The best classroom is at the feet of an old person."

Privatization of government

I have a question: How many departments in our government would function more efficiently if they were handed over to a private firm? What if the issue of simple border patrol was handed over to a company? What if they were given half of our current budget to take care of illegal boats, airplanes, even customs? How efficient would that be? Well, if I were them, I would want to make the most money! That is what a company does! So, I'm going to get the job done while spending the least amount of money, so I can keep the rest and throw a nice Christmas party! What if the government gave them an extra 5% if they did a better job than last year? This would be something akin to a bonus! There could be several companies going after a given section of our border! Competition! Better companies might even offer a lower price to do the job! And for what? 50-55% of the current budget? I think I could be a Presidential Budget Adviser! I just saved 45%! This money could go to the national debt! WOOHOO!

The best thing we can do as a country (a bit long)

The United States loves to help other countries. We've spewed billions into foreign aid to countries that are stupid poor. Columbia, Tanzania, South Africa, etc. We have drained our economy so much with the war in Iraq, supporting illegal immigrants' kids for life, and waste still more by funneling into the black hole some people call the "Federal Government."
I'd like to share my thoughts.
As a libertarian, my philosophy is often skipped over for the more popular "right or left" syndrome. The truth of the matter is, everyone has parts of both left and right in their thoughts. So, on to point!
Foreign policy! There is a big world out there! Lots of people are working and building and living in very beautiful places. Some people live in huts, some in bars, still more live in poverty. The poverty line in the United States is pretty high compared to other countries. Last time I checked, it was somewhere around $12,000 a year as income. $12k won't go very far here. That's $1,000 per month! However, $12k will go miles in places like China, Argentina, and any third-world country. What you give up for that will be more costly than you might imagine though. To give you an example, $12k in China would be something like $150,000 here. That's a good income. So, we have things VERY well off here.
We keep on giving money to these countries... as a federal government! I have a question to any Chinese citizen: What have western companies done for your town? The answer might surprise you. They bring jobs. They bring incomes. They bring advancements to society. "Isn't that the government's job?" I hear that all too often. The answer? NO! It is not the government's job to give you everything you want. The government is to encourage economic growth, not give you a job. Companies can give you a job. That is their job - to make money. The government is to make that easier to do. I'm not sure how else I can say it.
So, leave the companies to give jobs. What SHOULD the government do? The government SHOULD be a good steward and stop wasting it's resources. It SHOULD spend money on things like debt. I can personally vouch that having debt is not a good thing. Debt is like disease. Many people CAN get rid of it, but it is very difficult. Some people never recover, because they don't try. It takes counsel (maybe from a doctor/financial adviser), elbow grease to figure things out, and plain old hard work to get things done.
The government SHOULD focus on providing the BEST education to our citizens. I'm not a fan of the Dept of Education. If teachers want a union, they will organize one. For now, re-write the purpose of the DOE to evaluate where EVERY school in north America and the world is making progress. Not just teaching the same stuff the same way it has for 20 years. Where are teachers finding newer and more effective ways of teaching? What works? What doesn't? Do private schools educate people better than public? If so, why not give everyone the voucher? Encourage competition among teachers! Encourage schools to go after the best teachers and to pay them well! I would bet that most teachers would love a new job offer out of the blue just because they did a good job the year before. If public schools are better, find the leaks! Where are they spewing money? Plug those leaks! Reward progress! Reward consistent efficiency!
I'm a big fan of working on our economy and I believe that education comes first in this endeavor. I believe that education has some of the bigger leaks in our society too, but I may save that for another blog.
What about the little guys? What about local businesses? Let's take them and encourage them to focus on hiring people who are not educated! People who have a high school diploma or less can work simple jobs! They can make those jobs better. Let's encourage small business owners to be teachers and mentors. Maybe even expand their business overseas to "help" foreigners. That can be our version of foreign aid. They can grow to be bigger companies. (I'm sure the owner will love the word "bigger!") This isn't taking jobs and income from our country. This is encouraging so much growth that the companies see foreign markets as investment opportunities. They WANT other countries to grow too! Just imagine what the communist Chinese government would say if a company told them that their GDP was about to balloon by $300 billion! China would fling it's doors open to western society so fast that we wouldn't be able to expand fast enough! What about Africa? There are thousands, maybe millions that just want a home again. They will work at Lowe's and Wal-Mart and appreciate the opportunity. Companies will jump at the chance.
Alright, so long rant! To knock it down, I believe that if we focus on education in schools and businesses, the economy shall grow. Then a strong economy will expand through borders into countries where marginal growth can begin.