Move Your Money: Bank Locally!

Here is an easy way to both make a political statement and make your household more financially secure.  If you are banking at a large national bank such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, or Citibank, move your assets to a local bank in your area.  Your assets in these smaller banks are still insured by the FDIC and many smaller banks contract for other forms of deposit insurance such as DIF.  Certainly, you will want to do your homework and choose an institution with a good reputation in your area, and which is convenient for you to physically visit when that form of contact is necessary.  These smaller, local banks will offer on-line banking, direct deposit, debit cards, on-line bill paying and all of the other services that you've come to expect from the giant national banks.  What they won't come with is the giant fees, the need for huge government bailouts, or the ponzi schemes that have been par for the course for the past two years.

What is more, moving your money will help your community.  Big national banks are not lending to small businesses right now, at least not in any significant form.  Local banks, which are the lifeblood of local credit economies, continue to do so and the more local money that these institutions can bring under their financial umbrella, the more lending to local persons and businesses they can do.

Make your money safer and send a message to both Wall Street and DC?  Seems like a no-brainer to me!  This idea was first brought to my attention as a movement at The Huffington Post and there is even a how-to video out now.  So, for what are you waiting?

30 December 2009

Humor from the Zeroes

The Huffington Post has put up the -- supposedly -- 25 funniest skits from the 2000s.  Here were my favorites.

Sarah Palin (Tina Fey) on SNL

I'm F**king Matt Damon by Sarah Silverman (adult material)

More Cowbell on SNL

Dick in a Box on SNL (adult material)

And if you liked, Dick in a Box, you might also like:

Mother Lover on SNL (adult material)

Not on The Huffington Post list is one of my favorites:

A Day in the Life of Natalie Portman on SNL (adult material)

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention an entire web series, The Guild, that targets the culture of the massive multi-player on-line (MMO) gaming community.  If you are a gamer, it is a treasure.  My favorite sketch of The Guild is actually a music video and not part of the series itself.  Geeky fun.

Enjoy!

22 December 2009

Cat on Vacuum vs. Dog in Sweater

Nice looking cat.  Bad-ass, too!

21 December 2009

Progressives Against Obama... Danger!

It should come as no surprise to readers of this blog that I'm somewhat disenchanted with President Obama.  I have no doubt that he is intelligent and that he is thoughtful.  I certainly don't doubt that he is patriotic.  However, many believe that he suffers from being too pragmatic.  The famed White House reporter Helen Thomas said yesterday on NPR that she believes that he lacks courage.  Perhaps this is a reflection of being too pragmatic?  However much we progressives may grumble -- and however much this grumbling may be warranted -- we should remember something: the election of 2000 and the alternatives to Obama.  America is far from perfect.  Obama is far from perfect.  Be this as it may, it could be much more bleak.  On this front, I think a reader post by JG on TPM today is worth reposting here in full.

I've been getting really depressed lately about politics. I was at first depressed because the public option was dying, but now I'm much more depressed because of the anti-Obama frenzy I've been seeing coming from progressives.

I don't know if these progressives are not old enough or simply have chosen to forget the year 2000, but there was a sizable disenchantment on the left with the Democratic mainstream then as well. And it manifested itself as both lack of enthusiasm for Gore and a movement for Nader. The lesson is clear -- if you're not willing to settle for a moderate and fight for a Gore, then you will get eight years of a Bush. I hate to think who that Bush could be in the next cycle.

But, but, but, Obama is so disappointing! Sure. I get it. And we should let him know it. But withdrawing support from Obama? When he has to deal with birthers, and tea partiers, and beckites, and the assorted nuts du jour? It's bound to backfire. There is absolutely no upside to vitriol against Obama, and there is so much downside. Think of how much better off this country would be if we had a centrist, semi-corporate-friendly Democratic president from 2000 to 2008. Not ideal by a long shot, sure. But we lost so much in those years. Another Republican future scares me.

The myth of the equivalency of the parties, that it will be easier to make things better if we let them get worse -- these are the most dangerous ideas to us at this point. It's the biggest threat to my hope, at least.

As always, I encourage you to hit the source site in full: TPM.

17 December 2009

On Small Businesses & the Good Citizen

My parents forwarded a writing to me recently that had been forwarded to them from another relative. Such is the viral nature of the Internet, no? Per their instructions, I read it and, now of my own accord, I will place it here. Thereafter, I will write a few comments of my own.

"There are no rewards for personal excellence in a socialist society...only entitlements for personal mediocrity."

The Employee Meeting:

I would like to start by thanking you for attending this meeting, though it's not like you had much of a choice. After all, attendance was mandatory. I'm also glad many of you accepted my invitation to your family members to be here as well. I have a few remarks to make to all of you, and then we'll retire to the ballroom for a great lunch and some employee awards.

I felt that this meeting was important enough to close all 12 of our tire and automotive shops today so that you could be here. To reassure you, everybody is being paid for the day --- except me. Since our stores are closed we're making no money. That economic loss is mine to sustain. Carrington Automotive has 157 full time employees and around 30 additional part-timers All of you are here. I thank you for that.

When you walked into this auditorium you were handed a rather thick 78-page document Many of you have already taken a peek. You were probably surprised to see that it's my personal tax return for 2008. Those of you who are adept at reading these tax returns will see that last year my taxable income was $534,000.00. Now I'm sure this seems rather high to many of you. So ... let's talk about this tax return.

Carrington Automotive Enterprises is what we call a Sub-S - a Subchapter S corporation. The name comes from a particular part of our tax code. Sub-S status means that the income from all 12 of our stores is reported on my personal tax return. Businesses that report their income on the owner's personal tax return are referred to as "small businesses." So, you see now that this $534,000 is really the total taxable income - the total combined profit from all 12 of our stores. That works out to an average of a bit over $44,000 per store.

Why did I feel it important for you to see my actual 2008 tax return? Well, there's a lot of rhetoric being thrown around today about taxes, small businesses and rich people. To the people in charge in Washington right now I'm a wealthy American making over a half-million dollars a year. Most Americans would agree: I'm just another rich guy; after all ... I had over a half-million in income last year, right? In this room we know that the reality is that I'm a small business owner who runs 12 retail establishments and employs 187 people. Now here's something that shouldn't surprise you, but it will: Just under 100 percent ... Make that 99.7 percent of all employers in this country are small businesses, just like ours.

Every one of these businesses reports their income on a personal income tax return. You need to understand that small businesses like our s are responsible for about 80 percent of all private sector jobs in this country, and about 70 percent of all jobs that have been created over the past year. You also need to know that when you hear some politician talking about rich people who earn over $200,000 or $500,000 a year, they're talking about the people who create the jobs.

The people who are now running the show in Washington have been talking for months about raising taxes on wealthy Americans I already know that in two years my federal income taxes are going to go up by about 4.5 percent. That happens when Obama and the Democrats allow the Bush tax cuts to expire. When my taxes climb by 4.5 percent the Democrats will be on television saying that this really isn't a tax increase They'll explain that the Bush tax cuts have expired .. Nothing more. Here at Carrington we'll know that almost 5% has been taken right off of our bottom line. And that means it will be coming off your bottom line.

Numbers are boring, I know ... But let's talk a bit more about that $534,000. That's the money that was left last year from company revenues after I paid all of the salaries and expenses of running this business. Now I could have kept every penny of that for myself, but that would have left us with nothing to grow our business, to attract new customers and to hire new employees. You're aware that we've been talking about opening new stores in Virginia Beach and Newport News . To do that I will have to buy or lease property, construct a building and purchase inventory. I also have to hire additional people to work in those stores. These people wouldn't immediately be earning their pay. So, where do you think the money for all of this comes from? Right out of our profits .. Right out of that $534,000. I need to advertise to bring Customers in, especially in these tough times. Where do you think that money comes from? Oh sure, I can count it as an expense when I file my next income tax return . But for right now that comes from either current revenues or last year's profits. Revenues right now aren't all that hot ... so do the math. A good effective advertising campaign might cost us more than $300,000.

Is this all starting to come together for you now?

Right now the Democrats are pushing a nationalized health care plan that, depending on who's doing the talking, will add anywhere from another two percent to an additional 4.6 percent to my taxes. If I add a few more stores, which I would like to do, and if the economy improves, my taxable income ... our business income ... could go over one million dollars! If that happens the Democrats have yet another tax waiting, another five percent plus! I've really lost track of all of the new government programs the Democrats and President Obama are proposing that they claim they will be able to finance with new taxes on what they call "wealthy Americans.."

And while we're talking about health care, let me explain something else to you. I understand that possibly your biggest complaint with our company is that we don't provide you with health insurance. That is because as your employer I believe that it is my responsibility to provide you with a safe workplace and a fair wage and to do all that I can to preserve and grow this company that provides us all with income. I no more have a responsibility to provide you with health insurance than I do with life, auto or homeowner's insurance. As you know, I have periodically invited agents for health insurance companies here to provide you with information on private health insurance plans.

The Democrats are proposing to levy yet another tax against Carrington in the amount of 8 percent of my payroll as a penalty for not providing you with health insurance. You should know that if they do this I will be reducing every person's salary or hourly wage by that same 8 percent. This will not be done to put any more money in my pocket. It will be done to make sure that I don't suffer financially from the Democrat's efforts to place our healthcare under the control of the federal government. It is your health, not mine. It is your healthcare, not mine. These are your expenses, not mine. If you think I'm wrong about all this, I would sure love to hear your reasoning

Try to understand what I'm telling you here. Those people that Obama and the Democrats call "wealthy Americans" are, in very large part, America 's small business owners. I'm one of them. You have the evidence, and surely you don't think that the owner of a bunch of tire stores is anything special. That $534,000 figure on my income tax return puts me squarely in Democrat crosshairs when it comes to tax increases. Let's be clear about this ... crystal clear. Any federal tax increase on me is going to cost you money, not me. Any new taxes on Carrington Automotive will be new taxes that you, or the people I don't hire to staff the new stores I won't be building, will be paying. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You've heard about things rolling downhill, right? Fine .. then you need to know that taxes, like that other stuff, roll downhill. Now you and I may understand that you are not among those that the Democrats call "wealthy Americans," but when this "tax the rich" thing comes down you are going to be standing at the bottom of the mud slide, if you get my drift. That's life in the big city, my friends ... where elections have consequences.

You know our economy is very weak right now. I've pledged to get us through this without layoffs or cuts in your wages and benefits. It's too bad the politicians can't get us through this without attacking our profits. To insure our survival I have to take a substantial portion of that $534,000 and set it aside for unexpected expenses and a worsening economy. Trouble is, the government is eyeing that money too ... and they have the guns. If they want it, they can take it.

I don't want to make this too long. There's a great lunch waiting for us all. But you need to understand what's happening here. I've worked hard for 23 years to create this business. There were many years where I couldn't take a penny in income because every dollar was being dedicated to expanding the business. There were tough times when it took every dollar of revenues to replenish our inventory and cover your paychecks. During those times I earned nothing. If you want to see those tax returns, just let me know.

OK ... I know I'm repeating myself here. I don't hire stupid people, and you are probably getting it now. So let me just ramble for a few more minutes. Most Americans don't realize that when the Democrats talk about raising taxes on people making more than $250 thousand a year, they're talking about raising taxes on small businesses. The U.S. Treasury Department says that six out of every ten individuals in this country with incomes of more than $280,000 are actually small business owners. About one-half of the income in this country that would be subject to these increased taxes is from small businesses like ours. Depending on how many of these wonderful new taxes the Democrats manage to pass, this company could see its tax burden increase by as much as $60,000. Perhaps more.

I know a lot of you voted for President Obama. A lot of you voted for Democrats across the board. Whether you voted out of support for some specific policies, or because you liked his slogans, you need to learn one very valuable lesson from this election. Elections have consequences. You might have thought it would be cool to have a president who looks like you; or a president who is young, has a buff body, and speaks eloquently when there's a teleprompter in the neighborhood. Maybe you liked his promises to tax the rich Maybe you believed his promise not to raise taxes on people earning less than a certain amount. Maybe you actually bought into his promise to cut taxes on millions of Americans who actually don't pay income taxes in the first place. Whatever the reason .. your vote had consequences; and here they are.

Bottom line? I'm not taking this hit alone. As soon as the Democrats manage to get their tax increases on the books, I'm going to take steps to make sure that my family isn't affected. When you own the business, that is what you're allowed to do. I built this business over a period of 23 years, and I'm not going to see my family suffer because we have a president and a congress who think that wealth is distributed rather than earned. Any additional taxes, of whatever description, that President Obama and the Democrats inflict on this business will come straight out of any funds I have set aside for expansion or pay and benefit increases. Any plans I might have had to hire additional employees for new stores will be put aside. Any plans for raises for the people I now have working for me will be shelved. Year-end bonuses might well be eliminated. That may sound rough, but that's the reality.

You're going to continue to hear a lot of anti-wealth rhetoric out there from the media and from the left. You can chose to believe what you wish .. .but when it comes to Carrington Automotive you will know the truth. The books are open to any of you at any time. I have nothing to hide. I would hope that other small business owners out there would hold meetings like this one, but I know it won't happen that often. One of the lessons to be learned here is that taxes ... all taxes ... and all regulatory costs that are placed on businesses anywhere in this country, will eventually be passed right on down to individuals; individuals such as yourself. This hasn't been about admonishing anyone and it hasn't been about issuing threats. This is part! of the education you should have received in the government schools, but didn't. Class is now dismissed.

I won't get into a policy dispute with this person. That would simply be too lengthy and comprehensive an undertaking for the hours of my day. However, beyond being more than a bit of a tool in terms of his tone, I believe that this person's greatest sin is that of being too much of an American. You see, we Americans assume that our way is the only way and that anything done differently elsewhere is by that very definition inferior. He's only telling you how he sees it from his vantage point within the context of his tiny little view of the world.

What I'd like to speak about here is the fact that there are other economic paradigms in which this conversation could have taken place. Had that happened, the conversation -- well the one-way conversation -- would have been very different. This is due to a difference not only in values, but in perceptions.

Our business owner made it perfectly clear that he values two things: his nuclear family and what he sees as his money. I say this not purely as an indictment. I value both a great deal myself. Hell, I could shoot just about anyone over either and sleep contentedly thereafter. (Well, probably not shoot exactly; I'm a horrible shot.) Having said that, however, he values his employees not at all. Under his definition of capitalism, those who he employees are no different than the machines in his buildings or the tires that he sells. They are simply there to turn a profit. He will provide a "fair wage" only in the context of a minimum wage. After all, what is fair is what the market will bear, nothing more and nothing less. Moreover, he will provide "a safe workplace" for his employees again only because the government tells him that he must... or because the cost of not doing so is greater than the economic cost of doing so. Thus, omitting the government for a moment, our business owner would tut-tut and grind his workforce into hamburger if it netted him more money at the end of the day than would protecting their health. Even the meeting that he is holding with them is for his benefit, not theirs. And if you think that I am wrong, I suggest that you reread his writing again.

What isn't said here is that there are alternatives to the economic paradigm under which this man -- under which America -- is operating. These other economic rubrics seem to be working elsewhere... working differently perhaps, but I would argue just as well at the very least. If I am correct, or even if they are working at all, would it not be wise to study them? To see what might be incorporated in our own economic and/or political models to improve our lot as a nation?

Whether John Q. Tire knows this or not, there are no purely Socialist nations any more than America is purely capitalist one. In the "socialist" nation states at which he would very likely sneer, small businesses also provide most of the jobs and and thus also number the greatest list of employers. They do this in a system where health insurance is very likely not an issue for employers because it is handled by the government. Should, however, this not be the case, I cannot imagine that these same employers would not take it as a matter of course that they not only have an obligation, but a duty to their employees to provide this care. This is a perception not of employer/employee, but one of human rights and human responsibilities. These businesses turn a profit, provide employment, and do so within the context of a different social contract. Let's look at some few of the things that such social contracts seem to provide these nations in relation to the US:

• Workers in these often-called socialist nations work fewer hours and vacation more.
• Their citizens spend more time together as a family and parents spend more time directly parenting their children.
• These nations have a lower infant mortality rate, hospital mortality rate, and a greater life expectancy. Moreover, their life expectancy is not going down.
• Citizens consistently rate both their quality of life and their own personal happiness as being greater.
• These citizens have greater, more direct ties to their elected officials and they have more direct means to influence the actions of these officials. In other words, their societies are more democratic.

Unlike Mr. Tire, I don't think that I have all of the answers, nor will I play the demagogue. I think that this discussion is a valuable one to have. The point, however, is to have it within the context of a full range of facts... or rather the best, honest attempt at doing so that any of us can muster.

I would argue that this same tire business could, and very likely does, exist in any of the so-called socialist nations of the world. It will provide rewards as great to both its owner and its employees, although I will grant you that those rewards may differ from those seen or even recognized in the United States. My homework for Mr. Tire is for him to grapple with the concept that the rewards, both macro and micro, from this possible tire business may be even greater than that of his own.

It is a question of how societies set priorities, of how citizens value each other, and of what citizens value in their own lives on a day-to-day basis. Wrapped up in these questions is the macro-level issue of the ability -- and will -- of citizens to influence both their political leaders and their forms of government to fit their wishes.

Perhaps we have the America that we want. If you think so, I wouldn't worry too much. Movement in America is glacial. If not: learn, consider, act.

15 December 2009

Junk Science & Science Skepticism

Josh Marshall wrote an interesting op-ed piece at TPM on the topic of folks who choose to disbelieve the science of global warming simply because it goes against their political beliefs -- and I would add, their economic well-being. There was also a good reader reply to this same piece that is also worth a look.

11 December 2009

Economic Reform: USA Loses

On a day when any banking reform protecting consumers was defanged -- at the hands of Democrats acting the role of Republicans -- I offer this Rolling Stone article by Matt Taibbi titled Obama's Big Sellout. With the public option dead now, too, in the battle over health care reform, it was a banner day for... well, almost for no one.

10 December 2009

Facebook Snafus

I'm not on Facebook. I don't ever plan to be on Facebook. I can't imagine that anyone cares about what I had for breakfast and I have no interest in reconnecting with ghosts from my Christmases past. That said, it seems that it can provide me with comedic relief.

9 December 2009

Cats: "The Fly Guy"

One of my fellow cat-loving friends sent me the link to a short web movie called The Fly Guy on the site Simonscat.com. It captures cat behavior this this scenario perfectly. In fact, my wife and I had one of our cats pretty much follow this routine this past weekend in our bedroom, although thankfully with less destruction. :-)

The site features other short films as well.

Enjoy.

8 December 2009

Mike Capuano for Senate

The Democratic primary to choose a candidate to run for Ted Kennedy's former Senate seat will be held next Tuesday. I am backing Congressman Mike Capuano in the race. There are a couple of candidates that would probably be acceptable by today's standards -- and yes, that is a very low bar -- but I feel that it is Capuano who would best serve both Massachusetts and the country as a whole.

Capuano for Senate. Vote Tuesday and yes, voting does matter.

3 December 2009

104,100

One thing that I forgot to mention in my post regarding President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan is the fact that there are 104,100 civilian workers under contract to the Department of Defense in that country. Just as in Iraq, much of America's power is being projected by proxy, attempting to do via civilian contractors what we are unable to do via military means.

2 December 2009

Prohibition Bowling Alley

From Nick Carr at The Huffington Post:

I received a very unexpected email last week:

We recently purchased a building in Queens, and while clearing out the basement we discovered a two lane manual bowling alley in very good condition. We did some research and this basement was most probably a club during the Prohibition era. Would you or someone you know be interested [in the space]?

A hidden Prohibition-era bowling alley? Yes, definitely interested. I took a trip to see it today - Just incredible

I just love stuff like this! Very cool. The photos at the link are most interesting.

2 December 2009

Obama & Afghanistan

Last night, the president outlined a plan to send 30,000 additional military troops to Afghanistan. As you can imagine, reaction is varied. Many Democrats may actually be against the decision, while many Republicans may support it. However, in this day of Republican cat-callers never being able to say anything good about Obama, the Conservative press is not in line with some of the Republican political establishment and the establishment itself cannot 100% support the president on anything for fear of their base. As David Kurtz of TPM notes:

The Republican talking point this evening in reaction to the speech is that if Obama is really, truly, unconditionally committed (no fingers crossed behind his back) to the Afghanistan effort, he wouldn't set an "artificial" deadline for withdrawing troops.

This was, of course, a Republican mantra throughout Bush's second term in resisting Democratic efforts to end the Iraq War. But what they don't seem to remember is that even Bush himself came around by mid-2008 to setting a timeline for withdrawal.

Glenn Beck, as rancid a human being as ever existed in the US, presented his resounding raspberry to the president. Stephen Colbert pokes that balloon here very nicely. God bless Colbert.

A large body of responses can be found on The Huffington Post.

What do I think? I honestly don't know, which is quite different from where I was in the time leading up to the war in Iraq. That war I was against from the get-go. Here the situation is different, in large part because we have a backdrop of eight years of fighting already under our belt. Should we have been focused on Afghanistan entirely since the days after 9-11? Of course, but if wishes were horses, even pigs would fly. The problem with any line of attack in the region is very much like our issues in Iraq. Namely, to have any hope of winning a military victory, we must achieve a political and moral victory as well. Our goals and our methods must be fully embraced by the Afghan people. We must work with an Afghan government that is fully embraced by its people and seen as its guardian, not as a pawn or as the mafia. And because the problems in Afghanistan are intimately tied with Pakistan, these similar objectives must be achieved simultaneously with both the people and the government of that nation as well.

Finally, all this must be achieved against a backdrop of domestic political and moral ambiguity. I see no way for Americans to unite around this war effort. Even if another foreign attack were to hit us now domestically, we would not see the come-together spirit that President Bush squandered after 9-11. Rather, it would further serve to splinter America's political "leadership" and its people. Thus, the political objectives that must be achieved for victory are built upon a foundation of shifting sand, a foundation that exists in America, in Pakistan, and in Afghanistan.

Is Obama's choice of military option correct? Maybe. Can it work? Only if 1,000 stars line up just right. And the real problem is that any other choice needs those same 1,000 stars to line up to work, too.

I hope that the president is correct. Moreover, I hope that he is right. And God help us all.

2 December 2009

Addition: I'm going to add a link to an op-ed by Thomas Friedman since it is not linked via The Huffington Post above.

Addition: Thoughts of former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. His thoughts on Americans preaching about corruption are interesting.

The Great Deficit Scare

Economist Paul Krugman has outlined (1) why those screaming about the size of the American deficit are wrong regarding the issue, (2) what the deficit means for the American economy going forward, and (3) provides an historical context for the numbers being thrown around willy-nilly. It is a most interesting read, like everything Krugman writes. You can see it here on The Huffington Post.

1 December 2009

Comcast & NBC

Comcast, the largest cable provider in the US, is in final negotiations to purchase the NBC network and its related media properties, which include movie production and other TV networks. This is bad for several reasons, among the most important is the concept of Internet neutrality. You can read all about the deal and why it is important on The Huffington Post. Sadly, for those of you who follow media-related matters, you will know that this purchase is likely to get the green light from both the Obama Administration as well as those with oversight review. Still, I urge you to make your voice heard in opposition to the purchase of NBC by Comcast. You can do so here through FreePress.net. Click on the red "take action" banner on that page to go to a secure area. FreePress is an outstanding organization.

1 December 2009