R i g h t a r d i a

Sizing up Donald Drumpf editorial

2017-10-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

Drumpf appears to be an adolescent in a man’s body. He holds childish views of people and the world:

1. I’ll be nice to use if you are nice to me (naive reciprocity).

2. vengeance is mine if you cross me.

3. I’m invincible and can weasel out of lie my way out of any situation.

4. Naive world view: Nuclear weapons are a deterrent, not an active means of military force or foreign policy.

5. Adolescent speech pattern that is often grammatically incorrect or uses words not in the English language.

Drumpf behaves like a petty small business tyrant in the White House. He rules by intimidation, and many of his staff have been fired or resigned. Because of this he has not been able to attract first rate talent to his administration.

Drumpf's management skills are marginal. Suspect he had left management of his business empire to his family and immediate staff in the Trump business organization.

Drumpf constantly lies—about 5 lies per day—according to the Washington Post and is considered politically unreliable in the US House and Senate. He doesn’t know when to quit when caught in lies.

The La David Johnson situation is a good example. The wife of La David Johnson, the father of the young fallen man and a US congressman all agreed that Drumpf handled condolences in very ham fisted way. A simple apology would have done the trick. A week alter Drumpf is still saying he is right and the Gold Star family is wrong. Very stupid, Mr. President!

Is Drumpf intelligent? Relative to Presidents I can recall starting with Dwight B. Eisenhower would put Drumpf at the very bottom of this esteemed crowd. We really have no information on Drumpf’s IQ. By the way, IQ is a concept that is widely debated in academics. We don’t even have transcripts of Drumpf’s high school or college grades. No ACT or SAT scores either. We do know that Drumpf got into Wharton under grandfather rules, not based upon his academic merit.

The late Professor William T. Kelley, who taught marketing at Wharton for 31 years said:

Donald Drumpf was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had.

The professor “often said that Drumpf came to Wharton thinking he already knew everything.” (Source; http://verifiedpolitics.com/trumps-wharton-professor-trump-dumbest-goddam-student-ever/)
Is Drumpf a narcissist, a sociopath or a megalo-maniac or perhaps all three? We do know that Drumpf always think he is right, which doesn’t work well in the world of politics and compromise.
Drumpf sees the US House and Senate as working for him while according to the US Constitution, the Congress and Presidency are co-equal branches of government. D

rumpf has had similar problems with the judicial branch because he has signed executive orders that are at odds with public law. His executive orders on immigration are an example. The Democrats have also hauled him into court for his attempt to cut coprolite subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Drumpf would like to be a dictator and nearly 22 per cent of Americans think that would be fine (source: http://www.con-alerts.com/poll-shock-nearly-a-quarter-of-americans-want-a-dictator/

Of interest, conservatives are certain those authoritarian Americans “are leftist, young folks.” Really? Haven’t noticed any “leftist, young folks” marching with torches in Charlottesville. Although I have seen alt-righties with Nazi flags giving the fascist salute.
Sizing up Drumpf, he is a poor match for President He thought process is adolescent.
Drumpf came into office with the preemption he was a dictator, and has had a revolving door of WH staffers.
We have a President who constantly lies and has not credibility in Democratic and many GOP circles.
Drumpf lacks the native intelligence, especially political, of other modern US Presidents. This situation is made worse by his inability to to use his WH staff effectively.
Drumpf has an authoritarian and narcissistic personality in which he is always right. This works poorly in Washington, where compromise rules the day!

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Where to start on a VA clain: Do you have a presumptive condtion?

2017-05-02T21:48:00.000-04:00

Most people start veteran claims by filing online or through a service organization like the DAV, VFW or AMVETs.

Thai means providing medical evidence form doctors, preferably the board certified variety.

However, many Veteran Service Officers (VSO) aren't familiar with VA directives, although they are well-versed with the Veteran Affairs Disability system.

This is the case because many states do not require VSOs to have legal training. VSOs are often not familiar with VA legal directives found in 38 CFR 3.3nn.

In the past, Rightardia has advised vets to file medical evidence using Disability Benefits Questionnaires. See
http://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/dbq_ListByDBQFormName.asp

You should also read 38 CFR 3.309: Disease subject to presumptive service connection.

These are the original presumptive conditions in the 1947 law. Theese are diseases and NOT injuries.

Anemia, primary.

Arteriosclerosis.

Arthritis.

Atrophy, progressive muscular.

Brain hemorrhage.

Brain thrombosis.

Bronchiectasis.

Calculi of the kidney, bladder, or gallbladder.

Cardiovascular-renal disease, including hypertension.

Cirrhosis of the liver.

Coccidioidomycosis.

Diabetes mellitus.

Encephalitis lethargica residuals.

Endocarditis. (This term covers all forms of valvular heart disease.)

Endocrinopathies.

Epilepsies.

Hansen's disease.

Hodgkin's disease.

Leukemia.

Lupus erythematosus, systemic.

Myasthenia gravis.

Myelitis.

Myocarditis.

Nephritis.

Other organic diseases of the nervous system.

Osteitis deformans (Paget's disease).

Osteomalacia.

Palsy, bulbar.

Paralysis agitans.

Psychoses.

Purpura idiopathic, hemorrhagic.

Raynaud's disease.

Sarcoidosis.

Scleroderma.

Sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral.

Sclerosis, multiple.

Syringomyelia.

Thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's disease).

Tuberculosis, active.

Tumors, malignant, or of the brain or spinal cord or peripheral nerves.

Ulcers, peptic (gastric or duodenal)
There are separate presumptive condition lists for tropical diseases, prisoners of war, and Agent Orange exposure: etc. The law has been revised after wars and there is even a section on the water poisoning at Camp LeJeune.

If you have a presumptive condition, your claim will get expedited treatment by the VA regional office. You do not want to find out, after the fact, your claim was a presumptive condition after several years.

So, before you file a claim, check 38 CFR. 3.309 to see if you have a presumptive disease. Injuries do not pertain to this directive.

sources;

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/3.309
http://www.benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/factsheets/serviceconnected/presumption.pdf

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How Ivanka recovered her retail enterprise

2017-03-23T07:49:00.002-04:00

As you know, some major retail chains discontinued Ivanka's line of clothing, garments and shoes. But Ivanka recovered by moving her merchandise online.

However, her big item which is selling like hotcakes is her famous No 45 butt plugs. If you are a Russophile, you can also purchase Vladimir Putin butt plugs, too.

These realistic butt plugs are "Hecho in Mexico. Mexico , of course, is one of Donald Trumps' favorite trading partners.

These sets are sire to become valuable collector's items

Each set costs $30 US. If you wish to celebrate the forthcoming Cinco de Mayo with your ICE friend agents, you can also dress up the butt plugs with tiny sombreros for a additional $5.99 US.

For every set you order, Ivanka will donate $1 US to the No. 45 Mexican Wall project.

Why Not more?

Well Ivanka, is a Trump, isn't she?

Don't delay before Number 45 puts an excise tax on these plugs!

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West Word for the Alt-Right

2016-11-29T19:33:00.000-05:00

Saw West World with Yul Brynner many years ago. it was one one of the first SCIFI movies with robots. Haven't seen the TV version yet, but one of my FaceBook pals, Ruben Betancourt, says it is terrific.

This is a concept for an alt-right version of West World.

Donald Trump is the sheriff is a perfect American town. His deputies are all West World robots who patrol the town to make sure all the towns people fly American flags. The deputies also have mock gunfights with the townspeople for entrancement.

No one got hurt until some Russian and Wikileaks hackers mistakenly break into the West World mainframes, turning the deputy robots into killers. The deputies start shooting up the villagers who had flag violations. Anyone driving while black in the village was also gunned down. Women wearing a Hijab or men Wearing turbans were also attacked.

The Donald called up Jeff Sessions and asked him to send some of his white knights to West Word for help. The militia men drove into town if full Klan regalia in jeeps and humvees.

Gunfights between the robots and the Klan went on for several days until the robo-deputies were driven form the town.

The leader of the robos is named Jules Berner. He is wanted deactivated or alive.

Sheriff Donald Trump was elated and opened the town saloon to the victors who we allowed to play grabass with the robo-dance hall girls. Many of the robo-ladies were refurbed Stepford wives.

According to Sheriff trump. all of the robo-ladies are 10's

Ensuing episodes will show the White Knight and militia men hunting down the escaped robo-deputies, Silicon Valley has built a Underground Railloop to help the robots who are still on the lam.

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Canon Imageclass MF4770 printer maintenance mode

2016-11-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

My Canon MF4770 multifunction printer could send an receive faxes, but could not print faxes that were received. So I thought, time for a new printer.

It's an amazing laser printer that can copy, print and fax, They are usually about $100 when on sale.

Canon technical may not be much help unless you fax them a receipt showing you own the canon printer. Some of the Canon multifunction printers are CARP raster scanning printers. It is hard to find Linux drivers for these printers. The MF 4770 works great in Linux Mint 17 and 18. The updated version, the MF216n doe not have a Linux driver. If you can't find a Canon printer driver on Canon USA, try Canon UK.

If you bought your printer through Staples or Office Depot in the past couple of years, you my be able to go to their respective web sites, create an online account and download proof of your past purchases.

There are a lot of solutions on the Internet for getting into Canon Maintenance mode. Suspect there are different sequences for different Canon printers. Once you get into maintenance mode, the options may be different based up the firmware version.

This particular sequence works on a MF4770 with a boot ROM of 1.07.

Press Menu, then 2, 8 and Menu again.

Most problems can be cleared by by going into COPIER, FUNCTION, CLEAR, ALL. This printer should then reboot.

Use the back key to back out of the maintenance menus.

Then turn the printer off and back on again.

Tried the maintenance fix on my old MF4770. after clearing the copier functions it was able to receive faxes again.

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What is the fuss about in the Republican National Convention?

2016-07-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

Donald Trump wants his Evangelical police (EP) to monitor the convention. The EP's are armed with metal rulers and will slap the wrists of anyone involved in hanky panky on the floor of the convention.

Trump has already had a major sex scandal when it was revealed that former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and press secretary Hope Hicks were secret lovers. Trump staffer Sam Nunberg got fired over the story and also because he revealed Trump had a secret and illegal campaign finance account.. Trump is suing Nunberg for $10 million for violating a non-disclosure agreement.

The EPs are also passing out Hanzoff anti-mastubatory gum. This is a real product you can buy at Amazon.com. Ina addition, the Trump has ordered that saltpeter be added to any sandwiches or finger food served at the the event. The Donald wants to keep the convention pure in accordance with conservative Evangelical standards,

Fappy the anti-masturbation porpoise will also be at the event. He was recently bonded out of of jail for public indecency when he was caught polishing his own porpoise. Fappy is very popular with conservative and Evangelical children.

Property Christians will also be prominently featured in the event. Will Joel Osteen, the Chistian Prosperity king be there? Hard to say, but but hidden in the schedule is Rev. Mark Burns, an enigmatic and sometimes gaffe-prone African American pastor from South Carolina. Burns who has been a big Trump supporter. He may even plug the capitalistic Trump Institution.

Whether you vote Republican not, this convention should be an eye opener.

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How to extend the life of an electric water heater.

2016-07-03T19:32:00.001-04:00

You can double the life of an electric water heater by replacing the sacrificial anode. If you had your electric water heater replaced, change out the anode after 6 months and every year thereafter. Changing out the anode can double the life of the water heater,

The anode is a threaded bar usually made of magnesium. Water, iron, magnesium and calcium in the water will attack the anode before it attacks the tank and its heating elements. If elements start to fail, consider replacing the anode at the same time.

You will need to purchase two items to remove the anode. One is a 1/2 inch impact wrench and the other is a 1-1/16 socket. Th electric wrench from Harbor Freight is a simpler alternative than a pneumatic wrench that requires a compressor. This wrench can also easily remove lug nuts to change out a tire.

You will also need the 1-1/16 socket to remove the anode.

And a replacement anode. You can see the difference between the new and old anodes. Besides scale, the old anode will have pock marks all over it where the magnesium has been eaten away, Make sure both anodes are the same length. Cut the new anode to the correct size with a hack saw if you have to.

At the this point, you can start the installation.

Turn off power to the water heater.
Torn off the water supply to the power heater.
Drain out about two gallons from the tank by opening the valve at the bottom of the heater, Connect a hose to the valve if necessary to drain a few gallons form the tank. If you open the pressure release valve at the top of the tank, no water should be released,
The tank will have 2 inch cut out in it with a plastic insert on top of the anode, Remove the plastic insert and cut around the insulation with a paring knife. Remove the insulation to expose the cap on the anode.
Place the socket over the anode to make sure your have a snug fit. Attach the impact wrench and hold it tightly before giving a 4 second reverse burst. A second burst may be needed. At this point you should be able to unscrew and remove the old anode.
Make sure the new anode is the same length as the old and put two turns of Teflon tape or plumbers putty around the screw threads. Hand tighten the anode into the tank and give a forward burst with the impact wrench,
Turn the water back on. At this, open the valve and let the tank drain for 5 minutes and then close the valve.
Replace the insulation in the hole for the anode and snap the plastic cap back on.
Turn the power back on to the hot water heater.

You are finished.

A profound message from Betty Bowers

2016-05-30T13:56:00.002-04:00

Pituitray disease is progressive and often fatal if not detected

2016-05-19T09:33:00.003-04:00

It is not uncommon for a woman to damage or destroy their pituitary during pregnancy. One of the reasons is that the pituitary increases its size by one-third during pregnancy. The pituitary sits behind the nose in a a bony carapace called the sella. 

If an empty sella condition is identified during an MRI of your brain, your are missing your pituitary, which can be a serous and often fatal disease. 

Sometimes the pituitary stalk will take over for the pituitary and you may be only deficient in just one pituitary hormone. Pituitary disease iS progressive. It may take may years for the endocrine system to fail. 

When you are in the process of losing the entire endocrine system, the term panhypopituitarism is used

First to go is the growth hormone (GH), next the gonadotropins (LH and FSH) which control sexual/reproductive functions, followed by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) which controls thyroid hormone release, and finally the Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which controls adrenal function.

If you have low LH and FSH you may also lose your sense of smell and taste. 

Most endocrinologists (endo) will look for hypothyroidism first because there is really no replacement therapy for LH and FSH. Often the blood tests for thyroid simulating hormone (TSH) are inconclusive even after months of testing. An endo may give you a small dose levothyroxine to see if your feel better. People who are hypothyroid may be sensitive to cold and have a low pulse (bradycardia). Most people with thyroid conditions do not feel well at all.

Adrenal insufficiency is dangerous because you need cortisol in your system to survive. If cortisol get too low you may vomit, feel like your are spinning in a room and have and adrenal episode or crises. The latter results in death about 20 per cent of the time,

Adrenal insufficiency is not easy to test for. An endo has to inject an ACTH stimulator and monitor the response of the adrenal glands.

A damaged or missing pituitary may also result in diabetes insipidus a disease that is not related to diabetes mellitus I or II. In this case you wil constantly drink water and urinate every hour because you are missing the anitdiuretic hormone (ADH) that is actually produced in the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus has a connection to the pituitary, providing a junction between the nervous system and the endocrine system,

If you are diagnosed with hypopituitarism or panhypopituitarism, it is important to have your GH tested, An endo can test your insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level. If it is too low you need to be put on a somatropin or a growth hormone regimen.

This is important because people with pituitary disease have shortened life spans. Daily Somatropin injections have many benefits, but extending your life is the most important.

sources: 

https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/growth-hormone/tab/test/

http://www.pathguy.com/lectures/pituitar.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone

http://www.medkorat.in.th/admin/ckfinder/userfiles/files/panhypopituitarism.pdf

Jeb can't fix shit!

2016-04-21T05:49:00.001-04:00

Mitt Romney said he would not run for president if Jeb bush did. He later told Jeb he thought his candidacy was a long shot.

Jeb was not a distinguished Florida governor. Like his brother, George, he entered politics at the gubernatorial level. Jeb claimed his greatest accomplishment was education, Florida public education has been in shambles since the Jeb Bush was governor.

Jeb's big problem with his bother, George. George was a Big "F' failure as president. George an his neo-conservative pals may have brought down the World Trade Center in a false flag operation hoping to benefit Israel. Bush's invasion of Iraq was a monumental error and his ownership society nearly tanked both the US and international economies.

No, even the Republicans remembered George W. Bush, the comedy about him, and had no interest in putting another Bush in the White House. Jeb lacked the charisma of his brother and never did well in the GOP primaries, finishing poorly even in Florida.

Jeb even had problems in Florida raising campaign finances because many pundits believed Marco Rubio was a better candidate. Yet, Jeb amassed the biggest war chest of all the Republicans, estimated between $115 and $150 million.

His brother used the same approach to win the GOP nomination in 2000 by outspending his opponents in the primaries and the caucuses.

Jeb went thought the campaign cash, winning 0 delegates. At the end of his candidacy he took out a loan to keep the campaign going.

Big mistake. The pundits were right. Rubio was a better candidate.

Jeb now has a $260,000 debt with $31,000 left of campaign funds.

Should you fell sorry for him?

Not at all.

The Scarlet letter

source: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/04/jeb-bush-campaign-debt

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Cruzader Ted and the Virgin Heidi

2016-03-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

Cruzader Ted met Heidi Nelson during the 2000 GW Bush presidential campaign. This was before she she worked as a banskster for Goldman Sachs. On the third date, Ted touched Heidi's shoulder and there was a flash of light. Heidi instantly knew that she was pregnant.

In April 2008, Heidi Cruz gave birth to her first child, Caroline Camille Cruz. Her second daughter, Catherine Christiane Cruz was born three years alter after another flash of light form Ted Cruz' hand.

Ted said that Heidi's body is a temple. Her immaculate conception of two children was a miracle and Ted quickly realized he would no longer be a husband with benefits.

So did had to go to a nunnery to seek passion. Unfortunately for him, Anonymous found out about these rendezvous.

Ted is Magic man would said he could easily make Donald Trump “huge” again by touching him is a certain place, but why would he want to do that?

Ted said that after he is elected president,he will establish an American National Church that would end the myth of the separation of church and state once and for all. The Virgin Heidi would oversee the two Oracles, Caroline and Christiane, who would produce prophesies and intelligence estimates for the United States.

Jeb and Marco's suspended campaigns no surprise.

2016-03-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

Jeb had been out of politics for many years and his two terms as the Florida governor were lackluster. Mitt Romney warned him about running for president. Americans haven't forgotten his brother, George W., and the damage he did to the US and world economies

Donald Trump said “Frankly, he’s (Jeb) a stiff. He’s not a guy who can be president. He doesn’t have what it takes to be president.”

Trump has a point. Jeb has no fire in his belly. Jeb never stood out in the numerous GOP debates. We don't need a Casper Milktoast as our next president.

It never amazes me how Republicans enter the political arena at the senatorial and gubernatorial level with no prior political experience. The was true of the two Bush brothers and Mitt Romney. Trump is running for president with no political experience and so were Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina.

Marco's problems are numerous starting with financial irregularities when he was a Florida legislator, Marco was also linked to two women during the campaign which certainly hurt him with Evangelicals. He also indicated he disliked being a Senator.

“I don’t know that ‘hate’ is the right word. I’m frustrated.” Marco told the Washington Post.

Marco was famous for his robotic recital of well rehearsed sound bites. For example. he said "the children of the Reagan Revolution are ready to assume the mantle of leadership" in a speech after the South Carolina primary.

The millennials are the children of the “Reagan Revolution” and most are progressives and Bernie Sanders supporters according to a Frank Luntz focus group.

Marco missed many Senate votes. He accomplished little as a US Senator. This is also true for Ted Cruz, who engaged in one pointless political stunt after another that alienated his Senate colleagues.

Two men who are US senators with two years of national experience are running for president. Don't think either Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz have paid their political dues.

Our next president should not peddle into the White House on training wheels.

Marco got few Florida newspaper endorsements because he developed a reputation as being a lazy politician.

Agree with the Tampa Bay Times: Marco was not ready to be president. He wasn't ready to be a US Senator either.

How to deal with Donald Trump

2016-03-02T08:06:00.001-05:00

Trump has said plenty of really stupid things, many of which his GOP opponents have glossed over.

He may be easier to beat in a debate than a lot of people think. His irreverence may work in front of many Republicans, but Democrats may find Trump rude and boorish.

When the general election occurs assuming Trump is still standing, the Democrats should assure groups of blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans and Asians are prominently sitting together in the audience. This will freak Trump out who will be unable to remove them.

Protesters should also picket his arrival. Hope the Occupy Democrats show up in Cleveland and at the general election debates.

Fast forwarding to the general election, let's assume Hillary or Bernie is is debating Trump.

Let's assume Trump throws a grenade out Bill Clinton's past infidelities. The Democrats should respond about the nude and semi-nude photos of Melania Trump are on the Internet.

When veterans issues comes up, it should be noted that Trump mocked a disabled person at a rally, “Now, the poor guy — you've got to see this guy,,” mocking New York Times investigative reporter Serge Kovaleski. Likewise, how can his escapades with women as a young man be compared to service in Vietnam. Trump has also disparaged John McCain's military service and his internment as a POW while Trump get 5 deferments to stay out of the war.

When racism comes up, it should be noted it took him several days before he repudiated David Dukes endorsement. Can he prove that Mexicans are bringing drugs, bringing crime and rapists to the US?

When immigrants and “the wall” are mentioned, he needs to explain why H2-B Romanian workers are given preference over US workers in his county club in Palm Beach.

How can Muslim immigrants be prevented form entering the US. What is the legal basis for such an action?

When Trump mentions his business acumen, he should be asked to explain his four bankruptcies and why he was unable to get a gaming license in Nevada,

Also. why does Trump think is appropriate to punch a protester in the face or encourage people at his rallies to attack protesters? The US isn't WW2 fascist Germany

Why did he say, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, okay?

Why did he suggest Hillary Clinton got schlonged in a close primary race with Obama?

Constant Sexual innuendos

Trump has attacked Carly Fiorina's appearance and implied Megyn Kelly was menstruating as a debate moderator. He has attacked celebrity females such as Bette Midler and Rosie O'Donnell as well.

Why the constant sexual innuendos?

Trump: You know, it really doesn't matter what [the media] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass." He also says Hillary Clinton can't satisfy her husband or America."

Letter to Jonathan Haidt in his TED presentation of liberals and conservatives.

2016-02-29T06:34:00.001-05:00

Thought you might appreciate a non-academic view of your presentation on TED. Many years ago I wrote a thesis based on the work of Lawrence Kohlberg. I found his ideas very useful in understanding the differences between conventional and post-conventional thinkers which equate to liberal and conservative according to Charles Hampden-Turner.

Thought your TED presentation was a big improvements of your earlier work which tired to explain liberalism and conservatism in terms of a long list of attributes.. You now relate the differences between liberal and conservatives in in terms of harm, fairness, ingroup, authority and purity.

Was happy to see someone after Lawrence Kohlberg working on the issues of morlaity and ethics. Kohlberg's work was built upon the foundations of Piaget and Erik Erikson. Not clear what the intellectual basis your ideas on liberal and conservative is. The terms 'liberal and “conservative” are more often used in political science rather than social science or psychology.

Found Kohlberg's work to be valuable because it was based on developmental psychology and each his stages of moral development. Kohlberg's would probably see lower Tea Party and citizen militia members as lower small group (stage 3) conservatives. Would guess that libertarianism would fit better into a pre-conventional stage where there is an emphasis on individualism rather than cooperation within a group.

It is possible thee is some genetic components of liberalism. About 20% of humans possess the Explorer Gene. Those with it are more curious, restless, and take more risks. In addition , a study of the UK show people on the extreme right who have larger amygdalas than liberals. Democrats show greater activity in their left insula, an area associated with self and social awareness. People who identified themselves as liberals generally had a larger anterior cingulate cortex.

Kohlberg made some profound observation about stage 5 post-conventional thought. First few people who did not get a college education develop stage 5 thinking. College students are exposed to post-conventional thinking in college, but most of the graduates do not develop the post-conventional thought process until they are in their mid-thirties.

More important, Kohlberg noticed that post-conventional thinkers understand conventional thought, but the reverse is not true. Conservatives have a difficult and few grasp post-conventional ideas. This may be why our political process in this nation is in disarray.

In my view the big difference between liberals (post-conventionals) and conservatives (conventionals) is their view of the law. Conservatives want a static unchanging world with religion and law in concrete. Conservatives are the defenders of the status quo. Post-conventionals see the law as a social contract that is negotiated and frequently changed.

My own view is that liberals have a more pragmatic outlook while conservatives are far more ideological, a term you refer to as purity. Purity can be a dangerous in politics and religion. We can look back to the fascist movements in Italy and Germany prior to WW2 to see where purity can take you.

Glad to see a psychologist working on the important issues of ethics an morality In my view liberalism and conservatism are not opposite sides on different sides the same coin. Don't think that a dialectal conversation between liberals and conservatives will produce much positive outcome because as Kohlberg observed, few conservatives can grasp post-conventional thinking.

Nov. 8 is Obama's Gun Confiscation day.

2016-02-13T12:56:00.003-05:00

Stay in your home, turn the lights off and do not open the door.

Turn all TVs and radios off. Your guns will be safe again on Nov. 9.

Buying a HUD home

2016-02-08T21:43:00.002-05:00

Have a relative is one who wants to buy a home that usually costs at at least $150-$200K for about $120K. This is not an easy task and a HUD home is probably the only option.

Many people who bought homes during the era of the Bush Ownership Society suddenly found they were financing a home for a lot less hat the home was worth. Essentially the loan was "underwater."

Typically, the home owner would try to get from under the loan with a short sale. The bank would sell the home for less than the original mortgage and the homeowner would only get a 4-year credit ding. This is better than walking away from a home and getting into foreclosure with a 7-year credit ding.

Once a home goes through foreclosure, the bank can auction it off "as is." Often the bank will clean it up by removing furniture. cleaning floors and carpet, and removing other refuse in the house. The bank will first try to by sell it as a "contingency," which is the same as "as is."

If the house is in bad shape and the price is right, flippers will bid on it, fix it up for a couple of months and try to rent it or resell it. if the house is in reasonably good condition, flippers won't see any profit potential. If it doesn't sell as a contingency, the bank might list it in a HUD auction.

The HUD auction is a good deal for consumers because corporations like Blackstone,who are buying homes as rental property, are not eligible to bid. Bidding is open to:

Owner Occupants, Nonprofits, and Government Agencies only

Buyers should look for these disclaimers.

FHA Financing:	IE (Insured Escrow) *
203K Eligible:	Yes *
*Subject to an FHA appraisal
Buyer selects Closing Agent/Firm.

FHA financing usually protects the buyer and means a lower down payment. If the house needs some repair, you can use the 203k option to make them before closing.

Before the house is listed in a HUD auction, a HUD inspectors examines the house and completes a pre-inspection. if repairs are more than $5K, the house will not meet FHA loan ccriteria. A biggie is the roof. The roof must have 2 years left on it to to pass FHA criteria.

Look for the Property Condition Report in the HUD listing. It is in the Property Detail tab which provides a pre-inspection report.

Property Condition Report

2-Appraisal Complete
01/27/2016
Atlanta
Contract Area:
Address:
City, St Zip:

Functionality/Test Notes
___________________________________________________________
Cooling/Air-Conditioner: Damaged
--Heating/Furnace:
OK
--HVAC System Duct: OK
HVAC tested and
functional?:
No
The free standing air conditioning unit
was powered with active electric and the
unit did not activate when prompted. The
unit visually showed no apparent
deficiencies and is in need of an hvac
inspection as to cause.
The heating / air handling unit was
powered with active electric and the unit
functioned when activated at the time of
this inspection.
The heating / air handling unit was
powered with active electric and the unit
functioned when activated at the time of
this inspection.
_
Electrical Wiring:
--Other:
--Other:
OK
OK
OK
Electric supply
tested and
functional?:
Yes
The electrical system was powered with
active electric and no apparent
deficiencies were revealed with all
lighting and outlets tested at this
inspection.
_
Stove/Range/Oven:
--Kitchen Cabinets:
--Other:
Missing
OK
OK
Built-in appliances
tested and
functional?:
No
The dishwasher and disposal were the
only appliances and they were powered
with active electric. The disposal
functioned when activated and the
dishwasher did not. It was also not
installed properly. The stove was missing
from the home.
_
Plumbing:
--Sink:
--Other: OK
OK
OK Water supply
tested and
functional?:
Water Heater: OK Water heater
functional?:
Yes
Active pressure was applied with a
compressor to the plumbing system and
it held pressure at 30 psi at the time of
this inspection.
_
Yes
The water was not active and our
assessment of the water heater revealed
no apparent deficiencies at the time of
this inspection.
_
Sewer/Septic System:
--Toilet:
--Other:
OK
Damaged
OK
Sanitary &
plumbing system
functional?:
Yes
The water was not active to the building
and outside water was used to activate
both install toilets. Both traps functioned
when activated at this inspection, One
toilet was not installed on the 2nd floor.
___________________________________________________________
Roof:
--Other:
OK

It is also a good idea to go online to the county property appraiser's office and look at the history of the house.You can usually get a line drawing of the house, see comparable prices and also view any building permits for improvements to the house.

You are now ready to rock and roll and make a bid online. Talk to an agent on recommendations for the bid. There are no counter offers in HUD. The highest bid wins.

The importance of VA secondary condtions.

2016-01-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

When a Veteran files the initial claims with the Veteran Administration, he usually files for a primary medical condition. Besides filing the online VONAPP (www.ebenefits.va.gov)or the VA Form 21-52.

The evidentiary requirement are rigid and Rightardia has recommended using the Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQ) to make sure all the "T" are crossed and the "I's are dotted.

It is important that the doctors check the box indicating the Service Medical Records (SMR) have been reviewed. A nexus statement connecting the military service to the medical condition must also be written in the remarks.

In the example below, a serviceman loses his pituitary by being exposed to radiation or chemicals in an industrial environment. Hypopituitraims is the primary condition, but the vet could also lose adrenal, thyroid and sexual function. Hypopituitarism cal also cause anosmia (loss of sense of smell ) and diabetes insipidus. All of the latter are secondary conditions.

Many Army solders were exposed to agent orange in Vietnam which led to many cancers and heart conditions. For example a veteran could revive an award for non-Hodgins lymphoma. With chemo-therapy, the vet might survive. But there are a lot of residuals or secondary conditions associated with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

If the vet develops any of these conditions, they should file for a secondary condition. Filing for a secondary condtion has some big advantages.

38 CFR § 3.310 says:

"When service connection is thus established for a secondary condition, the secondary condition shall be considered a part of the original condition."

This means the effective date of the secondary condition is given the date of the primary condition. In addition, the doctors does not need to review the SMRs or write a nexus statement. The doctor must indicate the secondary condition is a consequence of, and linked to the primary condition.

The vet may use a DBQ to document a secondary condition. Some DBQs are written to identify secondary conditions, other are not. A doctor's letter my suffice for a secondary condition. The letter should show:

A diagnosis for a compensable condition
A link between the secondary condition and an already service connected condition

You may think the primary condition would have a higher disability rating that secondary, but it is usually the other was y around. In fact the 38 CFR makes it clear that secondary condition may have a higher disabiliy rating than the primary.

sources:

http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-526-ARE.pdf
http://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/dbq_ListByDBQFormName.asp
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/n/non_hodgkins_lymphoma/complic.htm#complication_list
http://vets.yuku.com/topic/12131

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Old time religion and politics have been a disaster for the GOP

2016-01-05T04:39:00.000-05:00

The struggle between organized region and non-affiliated has been around since the nations was founded. Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson James Madison, and Thomas Paine were all deists.

Deism the belief in a deity based on natural religion only, or belief in religious truths discovered by people through a process of reasoning, independent of any revelation through scripture or prophets.

Deism can be contrasted with theism, Most theists ascribe to organized religion. “Organized religion is typically characterized by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership structure, and a codification of rules and practices.”

The term theism was first used by Ralph Cudworth (1617–88). In Cudworth's definition, 'Theists, are those who affirm, that a perfectly conscious understanding being, or mind, existing of itself from eternity, was the cause of all other things".

Most modern western religious such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam are monotheistic. Almost all have official doctrine, bureaucratic leadership, and a codification of rules and practices often described as rituals.

Most of the early religions were integrated with and extensions of the state. This may explain why many religions have developed an authoritarian streak,

Barry Goldwater said this in 1981:

There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?

Goldwater further warned about Christan fundamentalists and Evangelicals taking over the GOP:

If they succeed in establishing religion as a basic Republican Party tenet," he told US. News & World Report in 1994, "they could do us in." In an interview with The Post that same year, Goldwater observed, "When you say 'radical right' today, I think of these moneymaking ventures by fellows like Pat Robertson and others who are trying to take the Republican Party and make a religious organization out of it. If that ever happens, kiss politics goodbye.

So here we are in 2016. In 2012, we had Republican Mitt Romney running for president. Romney believed he was the chosen one in the White Horse prophesy. The prophecy predicts that the United States Constitution will one day "hang like a thread" and will be saved "by the efforts of the (man on a) White Horse. " Mormons have anticipated. the United States to eventually become a theocracy dominated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When Romney was running we also had Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum trying to build their presidential aspirations on church altars. too. Newt Gingrich was another religious Catholic zealot

The worst by far is Ted Cruz who hold Dominionist beliefs. Ted would like to be the emperor of the first American theocracy.

The authoritarianism in the GOP can be explained to a certian extent by the a party riddled with religion.

The Republican reaction of the GOP to Obama may also have a religious basis in that many fundamentalists think Africans a have the mark of Cain on them. However, most anthropologists know that the human species developed in Africa. The first humans were dark skinned.

So how does the Democratic party work with Republicans who are religious zealots and ideologues with “my way of the highway” attitudes?

Would guess Obama is doing the best he can under the circumstances. You have to work under and around such people and work to marginalize them in the next election. On occasion, give them enough rope to hang themselves which is what happened to the the GOP when it closed down the Federal government.

You simply cannot negotiate with a “disloyal opposition” in good faith.

It's time for Democrats to put the hammer down and to storm the election booths in 2016. If we make an extended efforts, we can take the Presidency, the Senate and perhaps even the House!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deists

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_religion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Horse_Prophecy

http://www.wnd.com/2014/08/the-top-12-newt-gingrich-quotes/

Jeb Bush's fingerprints are all over the outing of Rubio's mistress

2015-12-05T16:26:00.002-05:00

Rubio and Bush have been feuding

Bush campaign officials are trying to compare with Rubio as a “GOP Obama.” The Bush campaigners have been suggesting Rubio lacks political experience, but Marco actually has broader experience than Jeb Bush who has only held one political office, Florida governor. Bush has also been out state and national politics for nearly a decade.

Rubio, who is rising in the polls, is the biggest obstacle to Jeb Bush who is trying to take to the GOP nomination. Rubio has also poached some big GOP donors from Jeb Bush like Paul Singer,

Jeb Bush thinks he can win the Latin vote, but Rubio,who is Cuban descent and speaks Spanish at home, could do so, as well.

Rubio is not-so-subtly suggesting the Bush name is a negative.

Wow, what a revelation.

Bush is trying to portray himself as an experienced manager who has operated the nation’s third most populous state. Rubio, on the other hand, is presenting himself as an alternative to a dynastic political family.

Rubio has rising in the polls according to Fox News and The Quinnipiac University National Poll and is now is second place with Carson's numbers declining. Jeb Bush is in fourth place.

Enter the Rubio mistress

There have been rumors few years that a Rubio has had at least one mistress and possibly two. Rumors have also circulated that Marco Rubio has at least one illegitimate child. While Rubio was in the Florida statehouse there was a scandal about his finances and the inappropriate use of a Republican credit card. There was an investigation or sorts, but some of Rubio's expenses were kept secret. It is possible these may have been child support payments.

Jeb Bush is well-aware of the old scandal and would know what closets the skeletons are hiding in. The Florida Republican party probably gave him access to Marco Rubio's Florida statehouse expense reports, too.

Jeb Bush has the most to gain by eliminating Marco Rubio from the primary race. Assuming he Establishment Republicans can take Trump out of the race, it will leave only Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush standing.

Rightrdia sees Cruz as unelectable because of his numerous christo-fascist rants. A bigger problem for the establishment Republicans is Trump. Jeb Bush won't be able to buy the GOP nomination by outspending Donald Trump.

George W. Bush took the GOP nomination in 2000 because he had the biggest primary war chest,

sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-a-gathering-of-bushes-the-focus-turns-to-rubio-as-a-key-opponent/2015/10/26/38786714-7be9-11e5-beba-927fd8634498_story.html

http://www.occidentaldissent.com/2015/10/31/paul-singer-backs-rubio/

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/07/09/jeb-bush-and-marco-rubio-heading-for-florida-showdown-gop-primary-subplot/JhtrkpDuWJ62XDEXWXsAKL/story.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/11/22/fox-news-poll-trump-gains-carson-slips-cruz-and-rubio-climb-in-gop-race.html

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Secrets that Joe the Plumber won't tell you.

2015-12-01T12:53:00.000-05:00

Was watching the news and it said plumbers gets lots of calls during the holiday season. The garbage disposal and toilet are usually the reasons.

Basic Plumbing

A garbage disposal has reset button on it, usually at the bottom of the unit. Press the button to see if the unit will restart. If that doesn't work you will need an Allen wrench to turn the grinding unit. Once the grinders budge, the unit will probably work again.

Potato peels and coffee grounds should not be put into a garage disposal. Often the potato peels will collect in the outlet pipe under the garbage disposal unit. You will have to disconnect and clear the pipe to get the peels out.


Note he reset button and the Allen wrench used to turn grinders that are stuck

I prefer to use an Allen wrench set like the one below. You never lose the wrenches

Toilets are another holiday problem that can be a real mess if you have only one bathroom. If the plunger doesn't work, try some pots or pails of hot water.

Still clogged? Try a toilet auger. Got a three foot one at Ace hardware for $12. Have seen the longer ones for $39 or more. Most women should be able to handle the three foot version without much trouble,

Simply retract the snake up into the unit and put the cane into the toilet as noted in the picture. The auger should be at about a 30 degree angle with the toilet.

Now push the snake into the toilet. if you run into resistance., turn the handle in clockwise manner. This will grind up any debris. Repeat as required.

Advanced plumbing

Will post another article on fixing an electric water heater. If you or your partner are handy, you should be able to get the hot water heater working without calling a plumber.

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Donald Trump's Four T's will make America Great Again

2015-11-28T15:05:00.000-05:00

In a letter to the NY Post, Donald Trump Explained how his Four T's would make America great again. The T's are:

Trivialize women, minorities and the handicapped.
Trust no one.
Trample your opponents
Turn in you neighbors to the police.

Donald Trump 2016

Supply side economics and the one per cent.

2015-11-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

The Gross National income of the US in 2014 is $17,601,119,000,000.

The gross national income (GNI) is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP) plus factor incomes earned by foreign residents, minus income earned in the domestic economy by nonresidents. (Wikipedia).

One does not have to a brain surgeon like Ben Carson to understand why supply side economics will never work in the United States. The top quintile or 20 per cent of Americans now earn half the income. The the top one per cent rake in 23 per cent of the GNI.

Admittedly the affluent live in better home and drive better cars, travel more and take international vacations, but most of their income is surplus. Indeed, the affluent can take some of this surplus income and convert it to capital by buying stock, bonds and mutual funds. However, the top 10 per cent of Americans own more than 80 per cent of this market already. The top one per cent own more than 38 per cent of he stock and bond market.

As the Motley Fool points out:

Wealthy people don't own stocks because they're wealthy; they're wealthy because they own stocks.

The size of the U.S. bond market is just under $37 trillion, finance professor Torben Anderson at the Kellogg School of Management says in “Volatile Assets” in July 2012. In comparison, the market capitalization of the U.S. stock market is about $21 trillion.

The top decile (10 per cent) of income has a direct participation rate of 47.5% and an indirect participation rate in the form of retirement accounts of 89.6% in the stock and bond market. In the top decile, mean value of all holdings fell from $982,000 to $969,300 in 2007

U.S. corporate bond sales swelled to an annual record as a late-year rush by borrowers to lock in low interest rates pushed offerings for 2014 past $1.5 trillion.

Data compiled by Bloomberg. Internet commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. which sold $8 billion in bonds in one month, helping push this year’s bond volume past the previous high of $1.494 trillion set in 2013.

In 2014 a lot of mutual funds were converted to bonds and bond sale outpaced stock sales. The point here is that many stock, bond and mutual fund sales are conversions rather than new purchases.

The top 1 per cent of Americans earned $76,526,604,347,826 in 2014. Even if the one per cent purchased $ 5 trillion in stocks, bonds and mutual funds, which represents most of the US securities market in 2014, such a capital investment would represent a trivial amount of the income the 1 per cent received that year.

This is why tax breaks for the 1 per cent or even the top 10 per cent are pointless. Such tax breaks will do little for the economy. These tax break would at best provide packet change to the one per cent. The per cent of annual income the affluent invest in the stock market is not large enough to be stimulative.

The Democratic party uses a more direct approach to stimulate the economy. Programs like unemployment compensation food stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and school lunches for women, Infants and children (WIC) provide direct aid to the middle class and the working poor.

Any funds these program provide are usually quickly spent. The funds do not sit in US or foreign bank accounts as is the case for many upper income Americans.

The middle calls is the basis of the US economic engine, not the one per cent. As the AFL-CiO noted:

The middle class is the great engine of the American economy, but that engine is sputtering.

As one business man explained it, tax breaks at the end of the years are great, but it's customers that make or break a company. The middle class provides the customers to small and larger businesses that drives the US economy.

Supply side economics is blind to the middle class economic engine with its top down approach. Unfortunately America is hearing that same old supply side song from most the Republican candidates for president.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_national_income

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/11/17/who-owns-the-stock-market.aspx

http://finance.zacks.com/bond-market-size-vs-stock-market-size-5863.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_market

http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Economy/10-Ways-to-Rebuild-the-Middle-Class

Does the GOP engage in class warfare?

2015-10-19T06:58:00.000-04:00

The GOP engages in class warfare. misogyny and racism.

Both the tax plans of Jeb Bush and Donald Trump make this clear. Both tax plans give huge tax breaks to the affluent by cutting the income tax rates for top earning Americans to below 30 per cent. Trump's tax rate is 15 per cent, but he says he will eliminate all deductions. Trump goes further by eliminating the estate tax which only effects the top 0.1 per cent of Americans.

Republicans like to call the estate tax the death tax and suggest it is double taxation. A progressive estate tax was instituted by Theodore Roosevelt to level the playing field. Unfortunately, the estate tax today is barely functional. The US now has a stratified social system. There is very little social mobility between classes. If you are born working class, you will likely die working class.

Trump suggests families making $50k or less pay no income tax while Bush suggests $40k or less. In both cases, more than half of the taxpayers in the US would be exempt from federal income tax. This proposal would greatly favor the Red states which have lower median incomes than the Blue.

When the dust clears from either of these plans a greater tax burden would end up on the backs of the middle class. Working class Americans would pay little or no tax and the top earning Americans would get huge tax cuts.

Both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush tried similar supply side tax plans and both presidents greatly increased the annual deficits which added trillions to the national debt. Not only did the Republicans lower taxes irresponsibly, they also overspent on the armed services. Bush never vetoed a single bill while in office his first term and increased defense spending by 47 per cent.

The tax cuts plus the runaway spending had bad outcomes. The Bush “ownership society” was predicated on deregulation. This led to a worldwide economic meltdown.

Many observers have suggested the GOP favors defense spending over infrastructure because most defense facilities are in the Red states while the US infrastructure is in the Blue

President Obama was elected overwhelmingly by women voters, black Americans, and Hispanic Americans. It is not a coincidence that all three have attacked by Republicans ever since the elections.

In the case of women, an important institution, Planned Parenthood is being attacked. Certainly Republicans are “Pro-Life,” but it goes far beyond that. Republicans are trying to deny birth control pills and other forms of contraception to women. The real GOP goal appears to be to stop women from having “sex for mere pleasure. “

The attacks on gay or LGBT people is similar but also has an Old testament religious basis. Many evangelical and fundamentalist churches subscribe to the belief the Christian religion is underpinned by repressing gays. Many have predicted Christianity will collapse now that gay marriage is legal.

Much of the GOP racism was stimulated by the election of Barack Obama. America's first black president. Republicans were even more agitated when record number of blacks showed up at the polls and 95 per cent voted for the president. Since the election , many other Red states have instituted laws to “reduce voter fraud”vby requiring multiple forms of identification to vote. Many older and poorer people don't have birth certificates, so they will be unable to vote.

The worst example is in Alabama in which voters must register to vote at the Division of Motor Vehicle (DMV) offices. The state then closed all but 5 DMV offices and the open ones mainly service white drivers and voters.

Lat but not least, is the GOP attack on Latino/Hispanic immigrants. The GOP did poorly in the 2012 election with Romney picking up only 27 per cent of the Hispanic and Latino vote. Marco Rubio thinks the GOP candidate must pick up at lease 40 per cent of this vote to win. Another pollster indicated 42-47 per cent is needed.

Because Obama took 71 per cent of the Latino and Hispanic vote in 2012, Republicans have become anti-immigrant. The GOP will say that immigrants take jobs but most compete for jobs with high school dropouts. They take jobs in construction such as roofing, food service, agriculture, lawn service and gardening. Posit the real GOP concern is that immigrants from south of the border overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

The GOP prefers the Hi-B program that lets in educated workers such as information technology (IT ) people. Recently Walt Disney World told 250 workers, most of which were technical, that they were being laid off and replaced by foreign workers from India. The US workers even had to train their replacements.

Fortunately, Disney got plenty of bad press and dropped plans to replace the workers.

The GOP engages in class warfare in many ways. It uses tax policy to play the middle calls against the affluent and the working class. Its tax policy and appropriations also favors the Red states over the Blue.

The GOP attacks women, black, Latinos/Hispanics and other minorities based on voting patterns. If any group votes for Democrats, the GOP then tries to marginalize that group in the US congress and in statehouses controlled by he GOP.

Thee is one exception, veterans. Although veterans overwhelmingly vote Republican, Republicans the US House and senate have voted down several vet bills since 2008. Apparently the GOP thinks it can take vets for granted.

sources: http://www.independent.org/newsroom/news_detail.asp?newsid=31

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-ross/black-voters-obama-2012_b_2086538.html

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/10/01/alabama_closes_dmvs_in_majority_of_black_belt_counties_passed_voter_id_law.html

http://www.pewhispanic.org/files/2012/11/2012_Latino_vote_exit_poll_analysis_final_11-07-12.pdf

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2015/04/02/rubio-pollster-gop-needs-40-percent-of-the-hispanic-vote-to-win-in-2016-n1979044

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/a-progressive-estate-tax_b_5784892.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/social-mobility-is-a-myth-in-the-us-2013-3?op=1

GOP tax con game starts again

2015-09-09T21:27:00.000-04:00

The proposed tax tables are approximate correlations with the existing federal income tax tables. Trump and Bush are proposing tax brackets that don't exist in the tax code.

Jeb Bush is probably the worst of the bunch with his three tax brackets courtesy of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity that includes Larry Kudlow, Stephan Moore, Steve Forbes and Republican economist Arthur Laffer, an economic fossil from the Reagan era.

Rand Paul also has a similar flat tax plan His 14.5%, plan is similar to Ben Carson's which is based upon tithing. However, Paul doesn't mention tithing

The flat income tax is a bad idea because the majority of American taxes, such as sales tax and municipal property tax, are already flat.

Let's look at a worse case scenario: Huckabee's fair tax. Florida has a sales tax of six or cent and Pinellas county has a one per cent sales tax. So if you purchase the average car which costs $32,000, your sales would boost you cost by another 30 per cent or $9600. You car would now cost $41600 under Huckabee's fair tax.

Now consider what the fair tax would be on a home sale.

Think that is fair?

President George W. Bush reported that that a national sales tax of at least 34 percent would be required to replace federal income tax. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated the sales tax would need to be at least 45 percent to be revenue neutral.

Donald Trump on a national flat sales tax”

I would try to avoid paying it whenever possible.

Trump makes a great point. You can avoid sales tax with bartering, something that is common in the underground economy.

Theodore Roosevelt, a progressive Republican, created the graduated income tax and Republicans have been whining about ever since,

Theodore Roosevelt said this:

At many stages in the advance of humanity, this conflict between the men who possess more than they have earned and the men who have earned more than they possess is the central condition of progress. In our day it appears as the struggle of freemen to gain and hold the right of self-government as against the special interests, who twist the methods of free government into machinery for defeating the popular will. At every stage, and under all circumstances, the essence of the struggle is to equalize opportunity, destroy privilege, and give to the life and citizenship of every individual the highest possible value both to himself and to the commonwealth……

“No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned.

Every dollar received should represent a dollar's worth of service rendered. . .”

Some other features of the GOP candidates' tax plans:

Trump wants to eliminate the inheritance tax with a would impose a one-time, 14.25% tax on individuals and trusts with a net worth over $10 million. Trump's proposal indicates that that would a one time tax. What people who establish new trusts. In the future, would they be subject to this tax? Trump uses of the term “one time'” suggests that people who establish trusts in the future would get free rides.

The Estate Tax only affect 0.1 to 0.2per cent of the US population and it was reformed when Bill Clinton was president. Not clear why any changes are needed to the Estate Tax.

Jeb Bush's tax plan is even more reactionary that Trump's with three tax brackets. It is similar to his brother's plan that contributed to the record deficit spending Bush does end carried interest for hedge fund mangers that allows their income to be treated as capital gains.

Ted Cruz is the only one who has said much about corporate taxes:

Right now, U.S. corporations face the highest tax rate in the developed world, and they face double taxation if they invest their profits in America.

Ted is correct but there are so many corporate tax exemption, the effective tax rate is one of the lowest in the industrial world. None of the candidates said anything about ending corporate tax exemptions and having a minimum tax on corporations.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/09/09/jeb-bush-finally-unveils-tax-overhaul-plan-calling-for-fair-environment/

http://ontheissues.org/Celeb/Donald_Trump_Tax_Reform.htm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17209388

http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/05/ted-cruzs-solution-to-the-irs-abolish-it/

http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.htm

http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy-policy/2015/08/12/dr-ben-carsons-10-flat-tax-plan/

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/stevenwaldman/2008/10/teddy-roosevelt-socialist-advo.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate_tax_in_the_United_States

http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2015/may/18/david-perdue/fair-tax-claim-ignores-contradictory-economic-mode/

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A non-believers view of religion

2015-09-03T06:36:00.000-04:00

Most of these are Meriam Webster definitions. A couple of definitions are also provided by Wikipedia.

Atheist--one who believes that there is no deity

Agnostic--a person who does not have a definite belief about whether God exists or not

Gnosticism ("having knowledge"), is a modern term categorizing a collection of ancient religions whose adherents shunned the Demiurge– which they viewed as created by – and embraced the spiritual world. (Wikipedia)

Fundamentalism--a movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as to Christian life and teaching

Evangelical--of or relating to a Christian sect or group that stresses the authority of the Bible, the importance of believing that Jesus Christ saved you personally from sin or hell, and the preaching of these beliefs to other people.

Deism--a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion, emphasizing morality, and in the 18th century denying the interference of the Creator with the laws of the universe .

Theism--belief in the existence of a god or gods; specifically a belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race and the world who transcends yet is immanent in the world.

Spirituality--most any kind of meaningful activity. It is often separated from organized religious institutions, as in the phrase "spiritual but not religious". Traditionally, spirituality refers to a process of re-formation of the personality live a life according to divine will, but there is no single, agreed-upon definition of spirituality.

Many people think atheists and agnostics are different. Actually, most atheists are agnostic. Richard Dawkins has even said it would be fine with him if god did exist. Most atheists like Richard Dawkins do not have any special knowledge about the existence of non-existence of god. Therefore, most atheists are, in fact, agnostic They just do not know.

An agnostic, therefore, is someone who lacks special knowledge about something like God or religion. It is the opposite of gnostic.

On the other hand, a gnostic atheist would be positive that god doesn't exist. Few atheists take this position. Most view god as irrelevant or that people who are adamant about gods' existence need to prove it.

Fundamentalists and Evangelicals are gnostic. There is no doubt in their minds about the existence of god. Many also think the US is a Christian nation and accordingly Americans should be following god's law, whatever that might be. For example, Kim Davis, the Rowan county Kentucky clerk, thinks she is denying marriage licenses to gay couples under the authority of God.

When the nation was founded, many of the founders were deist. They believed in god , but not organized region. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and John Adams were deists.

Franklin may have even been an atheist: One of his famous quotes:

Light houses are more useful than churches.

Theists, on the other hand, participate in organized religion. It would be safe to say that most evangelicals and fundamentalists are gnostic theists. They believe god needs to be worshipped in the context of an institution or ritual.

There is an example of theism in Judaism. Orthodox Jews say the Temple of Solomon needs be rebuilt on the Temple Mount because it is the only place that God can reside on earth. This is considered the holiest place in Judaism,

Of course the Al Aqsa Mosque would have to be destroyed to rebuild the temple.

There are also people into spirituality who do not show any interest in organized religion, but believe something is out there. People who are into spirituality appear to be the modern version of deists.

In summary, most atheists are agnostic. And most fundamentalists and evangelicals are gnostic theists. People into spirituality are, for all intents and purposes, deists.