Gun Squirrels Outdo Gun Nuts

 

Those in favor of gun control, that is putting responsible limits on who can own weapons,  out raised campaign donations for the first time, far, far more than those nuts who think criminals, mentally insane, and everyone else should wear their guns openly and engage in gun battles at the OK corral….

By a whopping 43% !!!!  Raising$ 21.3 million to the gun lobby’s $16.3 million, 

Three fourths of the NRA’s PAC money was donated by self defense corporations like Smith Wesson, Glock, and Remington, in order to promote brand loyalty inside the cult group often known by its other name:  the National Rifle Association even though it has very little to do these days with rifle safety.  Today. this organization’s primary concern is putting military hardware and concealed handguns into the hands of every possible citizen, and to use television to encourage even minor disputes to be now be settled by open street or in home warfare…..

The Gun Squirrels on the other hand, raised most of their money from moms and pops who were against gun violence.  They donated for their children’s sake. Their average donation was under $53 dollars….  They got more.

Prior to the  Newtown shooting…. the gun lobby had out-raised gun control by as much as 100 to 1….   Politically this new found wealth has stopped the threat of the NRA and has rendered all their current bluster and threats, toothless…..   In special elections since 2012, by a ratio of 5 to 1, Gun Squirrels have beaten the pants off the gun nuts….

This is a good thing….  Even though our politicians are rather spineless, and cow before a rabid foaming bunch of erectile dysfunctionites, even to the point of cheering for a senile Mitch McConnell holding a rifle up over his head (they made sure it was unloaded before giving it to him) as he addresses the CPAC crazies, normal moms and pops have turned the corner and are realizing that if they want their their children to live safe lives… they need to buy back their dirty politicians…

So they raised more….

Please help: Here is Gabby Gifford’s organization:  Americans for Responsible Solutions….  Give a sigh of relief, relax, and give a tiny amount as have millions of other normal Americans intent on ridding ourselves of the gun lobby forever…  It should be a word of encouragement to us all, to remember that MADD, who remained steadfast against what once appeared to be almost unlimited funding of the liquor lobby…

But as more people died from drunk driving incidents, people simply got fed up with those on the right who obviously didn’t have hearts and were pushing for more killing, more heartbreak, and more family destruction….  Like that battle, today our battle has turned and if you join now, you can be part of making it acceptable to regulate both guns and live ammo the same way we regulate drinking and driving……..

They have rights, for sure, but not at OUR expense.

 

 

Full Employment And the kavipsian Economic Theory

Economic theory, which is basically bullshit, is often coached in mathmatical terms to disguise the fact that it is pure bull.  However there are some very simple concepts which make very good common sense, and if one looks at that, instead of how to use current data to justify one’s action politically, one comes up with obvious surprising results.

Labor Demand < Labor Supply

That is why so many people are out of work.  Now here are the players.

1. Workforce Market
2. Corporations
3. Commodity Market
4. Foreign Investments
5. Financial Markets
6. Households
7. Government

Government is our last option.

So our workforce if we compare the same counting today as was during the Great Depression, is running at 85% capacity.  Meaning 15% are unemployed.

Going down the list then,

Corporations are at their best ever. Corporate profit the highest percent of GDP ever.

Financial Markets also are at their best ever.  Dow Jones is at record highs.

Commodities are performing well, all indications are of a long term bull market.

Foreign Investment is at an all time high.  Never have we had this much outside money.

Real Household Income is declining.  We are headed downwards and are currently tied with 1994 as it rose out of the 91 recession, and prior to that, tied with 1984 as we were coming out of the 1982 Recession.

====

Bottom line with government out our equation, we have the investment side of our economy all doing spectacularly well, and the household side going down.

===

Proof enough that the free market system, or capitalist system does little for the good of any nation, just as little good it did prior to the legislation that became law after the crash of 1929 when Democrats swept the Federal Government.

===

Government is the great equalizer.  For a fix, government needs to step up and side with We the people (or households), and as a referee would in any sporting event, make the playing field fair.

It can to it in either of two ways. It can impose necessary restrictions upon businesses which increase their demand for labor at the expense of their corporate profits.  For example, pass legislation to imprison CEO’s for malfeasance. Only then in order to keep their heads out of hot water, they hire environmentalists, social engineers, accountants, and other highly trained personnel whose prime function is to make sure the company is not doing anything shady.

It can also split the corporations into multiple smaller ones, each now requiring a new president, several new vice presidents, new HR’s, new financial planners, etc and with one fell swoop, increase the demand for labor.  This too, comes at the expense of corporate profits, which are currently huge primarily due to economies of scale.

And it can indirectly create demand by raising taxes.  When taxes go up on profit- earned, less profit gets earned by design; less “reported” profit, less money handed over in taxes.. Meaning the bulk of that money is now spent being reinvested into the business just so it can’t be taxed.  Building projects, higher wages, more R&D gets spent into the economy,  This too, comes at the expense of corporate profits on the books.

But that is why higher tax rates are actually the best alternative.  Higher tax rates tend to create less taxes, so government still needs to stay small.  The revenue collected is lower for the simple reason that if there was absolutely no tax, all the money earned would belong to me.  But if more of what I earn goes to you, then I will figure out a legal way to keep more for myself, and report less.  So whereas as tax rates go up, total tax revenue comes down;  the net effect is that more money goes into our economy thereby creating more demand.

The demand for labor then gradually rises to equal the supply and if it continues on its upward path, yes, yes, so there are more jobs than workers, then competition begins pushing the individual wage rates higher.

Which adds to the increased demand.

Using tax rates works best for now instead of the government interfering with day to day operations of all businesses, it actually creates an environment where each business can operate independently to its own best interest, and as they do, the demand for labor rises even more…..

====

Anyone who argues for less government input into the economy is in the wrong century and can’t read economic figures that are plain as day.  So how does one interpret the cries for less regulations that are hurting corporate profits?  Easily. One realizes that sooner or later corporate profits have no choice but to fall, so our household income can increase. Loss of corporate profits is a “good thing”.

One should mention in the same breath, that labor’s percent of wages is deteriorating all across the world.  It is a world wide phenomenon.  The answer is simply that deference of all governments over the past decade and a quarter, has been given to those in charge of investment.

Policies favoring Investment must now take a back seat to those which put people back to work, which if done, raise the incomes of all of us… Even those of  the 1% , though not as much as they have been lately been accustomed.  But everyone still benefits.

Raising taxes is where we need to go.

===

Oh Brave New World That Has Such People In It….

Courtesy of Transparent Christina

During the 2008 Gubernatorial Debate, Jack Markell expresses the absolute exact opposite of the bill he proudly signed today: HB 165

This YouTube clip shall haunt his future Campaigns Forever.

Shades of Romney?

NRA Gets Its Wish: Guns In Schools

Although it was not as they envisioned.  The gun was brought inside a backpack of a middle school aged child.  Relax, no one died.  He was a good kid and never had any intention of using it.   Just thought it was super cool and wanted to show it off  along with the ammo to his friends… (He didn’t even know it was a real gun.)

The 13 year old as of Friday was being held in the New Castle County Juvenile Detention Center on $39,000 secured bail. And the courts will determine the severity of his penalty.

Of course parents are concerned.  In typical parental fashion they said…. “we need metal detectors at every school.  .

So, let us work through that premise.   Start with how can that be done?   Electronic metal detectors are expensive, and we have a lot of schools.   Currently the Department of Educations website is listing 213 schools... Now for economic reasons, we would at first need only one security site or pass-through site per building, through which everyone enters, and everyone leaves… Once the initial investment is paid for, then incremental units at other entrances and exits can be later added.

So the number is 213 security machines… Here at  Detectronix we have an assortment of walk through metal detectors.  Since most of our state’s students are familiar with jails from visiting family members, perhaps the one that is most secure for our schools would the same brand use for jails, sensitive enough to detect a loaded revolve inserted up the anus or vagina.  That costs  $4199.  However, recognizing a future need after the December 14th Newtown shootings, Detectronix has made a commitment to mass produce a cheaper version which will pick up a hand gun and pinpoint it to a general area of the body.  That reduced rate is $2499.  This cheaper version is more than adequate to isolate incoming weapons, in all but the most sophisticated ploys.   Considering the savings, it is the one I would recommend, the  Detectronix 6-Zone Walk Through Metal Detector  …

Total state cost for walk-through metal detectors? Pretty cheap, just a half a million or exactly $532,500… ($894387 would be the more expensive choice)  This does not include the fee charged for the entity that places the phone call, at 10% that would be another $53,250 dollars….

A electroinic security system needs to be manned to be effective. Otherwise it could beep on every student passing through with no accountability.  One must assume the station should be manned all day.  Even though nothing much happens at any schools entrance after the opening bell, still, if one were intent on bringing a gun to school for say, the purpose of revenge. he would obviously time his arrival at some point after he knew the metal detector was shut down.  So personnel must be stationed until close.

The average school day is 7 hours…  Multiplied by 5 days per week and it is a thirty five hour job,  add half an hour  every day to set up and tear down, and it becomes a full time position.  At salary it averages $39,000 per year. Add the FICA and supplementary benefits costs, the total package runs to: $40,677 per school….  If contracted out to a guard service, the average rate if including fees and contract costs, averages close to $50 per hour used. The contracts per year would range around $78,000 per school… but at the benefit that all liability falls upon the service and not the educational department of the state of Delaware.

So for manning these position, Delaware has two options, government versus private, and as it always works out in everything in life,  government is the cheaper.  $8,664,201  versus $16,614,000

So for a minimum of $8,664,201 a year in personnel costs plus the $532,500 in buying and installing the metal detectors, the first year estimate for that should be close to $9.200,000 dollars with $8,664,201 being spent every year thereafter.

If this is levied to property owners, the average property owner will be charged, of course assuming that Senior Citizens don’t get out of the fee for policies they support,  the fee is $0.0001 per square foot or one/hundredith of a penny per square foot. {$8,664,201/(2490 X 27,878,400)}  If one exempts state land, or makes other exemptions, that cost will rise per private property owner as is to be expected. …

Or if one wishes to allocate that cost per resident, then the assessment rounds up to {$8,664,201 / 917,000} = $9.44 per inhabitant.   That is the price of security. A family of 4 should be willing to ante up $37.79 dollars for keeping children safe…

But, the argument gets quickly raised, as it does with money, … shouldn’t those responsible for creating the problem be the ones to pay for its solution?  Those would be owner of guns. We can’t publish the amounts for confidentiality reasons.  But the gross sales of Miller’s Gunshop alone as reported this quarter  to the Delaware Dept of Revenue, argues that a fair assessment on all gun and ammunition sales at at sales tax rate of 10% would be more than adequate to cover implementing the security of all of Delaware’s schools.

The $8 million a year should not out of a child’s education.  It should come from those those actions are the direct creation of the problem in the first place.

So lets securitize our schools, and make the NRA and all gun owners pay for it… Fair is simply fair.  If we had a registry of all weapons in this country, we wouldn’t be having this problem.  As history will one day determine, the fault lies with no one but the NRA that this common sense legislation was never implemented ….. 

Breaking: Tea Bagger Killed By Squirrels In Wisconsin!!!!

Photo Courtesy of Soggy Log

They thought he was nuts.

Newest Sher Valenzuela Misstep…

Miss Step Valenzuela…  How that shoe fits….

So far documented:   She built her business….. (thanks to Federal Government Loans)  No Federal Government; no Miss Step Valenzuela.

Second misstep:  “Many state education employees make more than Governor Markell’s salary.”   Only six.  (This was debunked by Colossus of Rhodey, to put in a worthy plug.)

Now third misstep:

“Matt Denn is a degenerate low life bum, who cheats and steals and propagates false promises, because he supports mentoring programs and supports a program that gives free legal care to those in need, based out of a church basement…….”

One should have expected more from someone who was once called the up and coming future of the New Republican Party…

Really, you are going to bang on a guy who gives out free legal advice, in a church basement.  That, in most people’s view, is heroic.   You are saying being heroic is a detriment to the office of  Lieutenant Governor?

That blatantly lying your way into an office is the better approach?

Cough. cough…  You Republicans really are out of touch……

Romney’s Big Character Flaw

The Salt Lake Tribune article quoted in the post below, puts their finger directly on the problem.

We don’t know which Mitt Romney will show up!

When he’s with Tea Partiers, his policy bends to the Tea Party.
When he’s with corporate moneybags, his policy bends to their needs.
When he’s courting a liberal audience on the debates, his policy bends to liberalism.

There appears to be an urgent need to please. A psychological urge to say the right things, and avoid confrontation whenever possible.

Tonight, he sat with the President.

He said fourteen times: I agree with the president, then goes on to repeat verbatim what Obama just said. Because he was repeating Obama, even I found some of what he said was agreeable, presidential, and the correct assessment. It appears that in foreign relations, we will not have any “daylight” between what Romney would do, and what Obama would do…

There’s a problem.

Just last week, Romney said something else. On Iran, he said we needed to draw a line and go to war with Iran. Tonight, he said war was off the table.

Just last week, Romney said we needed to get tough on China. Then tonight, in a very revealing episode that I hope America caught, he said: We need China. I would do nothing to offend China. Then 2 minutes later, he says on day one he will lable China a currency manipulator, and get tough on everything else, (back to where he was two weeks ago.)

If you don’t listen to what he says, it sounds nice. A gentlemanly man, nice suit, looking earnest, likeable, sophisticated, makes a good presentation.

If you listen to him on the radio, you miss all that. You get what he says. And what he says, is all over the map.

He will say anything to get elected.

Now that’s the joke of politicians every where. But is it good for America? If we tell the Israeli’s we will bomb Palestine, and tell Palestine we will defend them against Israel, then one of them is going to start something just because they think we got their back…..

So, what’s he going to do about China.
He’s going to be tough and be concilitory.
So, what’s he going to do about Iran.
He’s going to do what Obama did, sanctions.
So, what would he have done in Egypt?
He would have done what Obama did.
So, what is he going to do in Afghanistan?
He will do what Obama did.
So, what is he going to do with Russia?
He will do what Obama did.
So, what is he going to do in Antarctica?
Uhhh, President Obama, would you like to go first here?

If you are a dumb American, you probably don’t know that Romney campaigned on the opposite of all these up until this one debate.

Russia is our number one enemy.
Obama is indecisive on Israel.
Obama is indecisive on Iran.
I will put more troops back into Iraq.
I will put pressure on China and show them who is boss.
I would have supported Muburack.
I would have stayed out of Libya.
I would not have gone after Osama Bin Laden.

Now, he says he never said “let Detroit go bankrupt?” When that has been the campaign for 18 months?
Now, he says he will increase the deficit by $8 trillion and balance the budget?
Now. he says the deficit is our number one priority and he will cut the money coming in to pay our bills by 5 trillion to balance the budget?
Now, he says he is for abortion, when last week he would overturn Roe versus Wade on day one.

And it all depends upon the audience he is with, at that moment. He doesn’t even know what he believes in it seems. He just wants you to like him; he’ll tell you what you want to hear….

And as the Salt Lake Tribune puts it, it is not coy. It is a shameless disregard for the truth.

Romney’s character flaw, is dangerous. Who is he going to be in office? The guy who was crashing in the polls until he reinvented himself in the first debate by being Liberal? And, if we are to truly believe this guy… where are those missing tax forms?