The William A. Keele Library of Rants & Ramblings

Historical Income Tax Rates in the U.S. or We Just Like to Believe Rich Politicians

2011-09-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

In response to 21 September 2011 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the subsequent googling of past income tax rates…finally

I like it when Jon Stewart points out when rich people are just wanting ways to get richer, but when it comes to people talking about how we can't POSSIBLY grow economically as a nation any taxes are raised by those that can afford it, he should mention the historical federal income tax rates the U.S. has had.

It doesn't take much time to research creditable, factual info. Just to give you an idea of what you may find, from 1932 to 1986 the top bracket was never below 50% and topped out at 94%. During the boom after the Great Depression and World War II, it was around 90%. When adjusted for the ever-lovely inflation, for most of our income tax history, if a "married filling jointly" household made between ~$100,000 and $250,000, they paid 50% or more.

That being said, our infrastructure over the past few decades has increased – as it should to some degree for any growing nation – while our taxes have gone down. If you use almost any other rich country on the planet as an example, we should be paying more in taxes for the physical size of our country and the amount of App Store-like variations on public services. I imagine it is mathematically plausible to lower taxes SLOWLY over time if things are being managed REALLY well for the long-term, but we obviously have seen this isn’t good for the long-term stability of the economy. To me, it’s as if you prefer investing for your long-term future by frequenting Las Vegas instead of an “old- fashion” savings account or investing in shiny metals and rocks that still seem to grow in allure since caveman days.

Now my personal opinion probably means I should just move to another country that has collectively figured it out better instead of saying we need to manage our money better, pay more in taxes, spend more on education, research, public transportation and healthcare (universal). To me, it's not class warfare to raise taxes a little on very wealthy people; it's class warfare when you don't and MOST people are doing pretty poorly by comparison. I don’t need a lot to live a comfortable, nice life. I also don’t want my nation’s government to take from the rich and just give it to the poor – even though this sharing idea is how things worked before civilization if you wanted to survive often. You’re doing pretty good and the family in the hut or tree next door isn’t doing so well, you share the extras you have. And when you’re down on your luck and they’re doing swell, the favor is returned. We probably wouldn’t have made it beyond tribes if we had the mentality many have today. So much for coming together to help your neighbors (towns and states) and fellow tribe members (U.S. citizens) in which sharing what you had with everyone for the greater good was what you had to do to survive in hard times.

Taxes and government hoopla aside, I think we've become a much greedier, selfish nation than we were just a few decades ago. There was a time when it was OK to "get by" or that making two or three times more than the national average was a wealthy/rich lifestyle. What happened to us that 10, 20 or 100 times the national average isn't enough? Even if you don’t want to take into consideration how well those that live around the poverty line have it in places like the U.S. compared to billions of others around the world, there’s a point when we need to calm it down with inventing more insanely expensive things to spend the money we think we need.

I understand getting angry about government spending and poor management with good agencies, but we don't seem to care enough to elect decent "representatives" to congress or establish a better way of doing so, so it's kind of hard to complain about that in turn. Elect the rich and they will try to protect the rich, i.e. themselves.

U.S. Income Tax Rates from 1913 to 2011, Actual and Adjusted for Inflation

When is free speech anything but?

2011-08-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

When is free speech anything but?

30 August 2011

Tullahoma, Tennessee

In response to: Do we really need the National Weather Service http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/08/27/do-really-need-national-weather-service/

WOW. I'm so...I...pffff. I don't know where to begin.

I'm so blown away by what some people can say that have a strong outlet for their nonsense. If there's anything that needs to be shut down, it's Fox "News". I truly believe there's a point where you lose you right to free speech. We...AHHHHH. There's a point when your "speech" becomes malicious. Sometimes it's because of your ignorance; sometimes it's completely intentional. Just because the Constitution didn't spell out to a T what its intent was, doesn't mean we can't exploit it to a point when it becomes more harmful that having it. If I can say all people with dark skin should be rounded up and buried alive and saying it with true conviction, that's not right. I have something wrong with my brain. I need to be medically evaluated to see if I'm a safe member of SOCIETY in which almost everyone on this planet lives in now. If I can't be helped and can function as a member of this society/civilization, I lose certain right afforded to being apart of said society/civilization. Why bother having LAWS. Why bother saying murder is "wrong" or something that's forbidden? We are really missing the point of a lot of things we've established over our existence as a species.

Now I’m not advocating making laws or whatever to take a person’s ability to express their opinion or outlaw saying certain things. I’m talking about losing your right to do so through certain mediums. I person can stand in a public place or online with a personal, independent blog and say what they wish – to some degree – but to be allowed to say some things through certain mediums is different. In this case, this is a NEWS medium. These people are doing so with the support from a large corporation under the rouse of journalism. News is not an opinion column. It’s starting fact. When a news outlet starts giving opinion, whether in segments away from the main headlines, it grows increasingly dangerous. More so when you have a viewership this doesn’t do a lot of thinking about the topics for themselves. Believe it or not, there was a time when what was being reported over the airwaves had to present equal time for multisided topics. Lobbying took care of that. Oh, look, big money calling the shots with our news. Hmmm. In capitalism, money is in control. The people with the money generally want to have it where they keep making more regardless of what this means for others.

We are in some serious trouble if stuff like this can be said and a lot of blind followers take this as something of substance. It's really becoming painfully obvious a growing number of people have no clue what civilization is and what and how a MODERN functioning state/nation/government works and its function in a society.

Oh my. I might be having a stroke right now. I’m actually having to do controlled breathing right now.

I'm sorry folks, true capitalism is not a model for the 21st century. When people were able to live off the land on ALL their own for the most part -- I mean a lot of children didn't survive to adulthood and 40 was old age, and there was a lot of people dying from a lack of the basic elements of human survival -- something like that could work, i.e. paying (more like bartering or trading) for only what you needed. Our current way of life, it cannot work. I really think some of these people didn't go to school, or are the greediest people on the planet, or just are not capable of completely thinking through anything.

PEOPLE OF THE WORLD: PLEASE THINK MORE! SPEND HOURS, NOT SECONDS THINKING ABOUT IMPORTANT THINGS.

Wow.

Melting Sea Ice & My Lack of Posting

2011-08-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

So I have completely ignored the whole idea of having an active blog (I still hate the word blog). It's not as if I have an actually following or readership, but I guess you have to be active to do so. I meant to post all my rants I get on on here, but that didn't last long. I was also going to pull out all my archived rants and post them here too for the world to see just how crazy a person can be with their thought process. Plus, I need practicing writing and putting my thought on "paper" (and to practice proofreading and editing). Most rants end up on Facebook or as a comment on some website and that's were they stop. NOT TODAY! It's time I get back at it and end any future in politics before it starts! And what better way to kick it back off than with GLOBAL CLIMATE WARMING CHANGE!!!

Melting Arctic Ice
13 August 2011
Tullahoma, Tennessee

In response to:
Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis
Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog on Rapid Arctic Sea Ice Loss
1962 Exxon Ad

If you're one that doesn't believe in climate change/global warming/whatever-the-popular-terminology-of-the-time-is or don't have an opinion or don't know what to think, you need to look at the data. I know, data is boring to many, but if you want to have an opinion worth a shit, you must know it.

You wanna know why the weather in the U.S., or more specifically in your neck of the woods, has been pretty screwy the last several months, this is why. Remember all that flooding? Things like this are contributing factors. Montana saw record snowfall and there was/is record heat in the South. A lot of abnormal weather patterns lately. Climate change/global warming means changes in the weather patterns you're use to. Some places will see more than others. Some will even be welcomed. The usage of the term, "unseasonal" increases.

It's more than just a couple of degrees [Celsius] of warming and melting ice. (And as a reminder, just because winter still occurs and even record lows are recorded in some places, it's about the OVERALL GLOBAL temperature. The Earth is always seeking equilibrium and if it's really cold somewhere, it's going to be really hot somewhere else. Remember matter is neither created nor destroyed and the planet is on a tilted axis, seasons, blah blah blah.) Right now we are in a period of climate destabilization. We certainly haven't been as stable as the weather on a planet like Jupiter, but we've had a pretty generalized pattern of weather for each region on Earth for quite a while now with any changes usually be very gradual (not even traceable over a human lifetime even). This just means there will be larger swings in weather for some places, and it will be harder to forecast its coming. The Earth is a HUGE system from the view of one small human on it. It takes time for it to respond to a given change in the equation. If you want to talk CO2 emissions, scientists believe there is around a 50-year feedback timeframe before we see its full effects on the global system. Man, science is so fun and interesting! I wish someone would have made this apparent when I was growing up:/ Some got close, but...oh look, a squirrel...I wonder if it...oh, Looney Tunes is on!

The of the main reasons the U.S. has more deniers than any other country is because money controls what we think and do more so than other countries. That, and we are a little lazier when it comes to news and paying attention to important topics. Pop culture wins more often than things of actual importance. But, one can ignore or deny all they want. The Earth is going to continue on doing what it has done for a few billion years--evolve. It doesn't need humans (although we have sure given it a helping hand on this go-around).

And what rant on climate gate would be complete without an Al Gore reference to give deniers something easier to talk about! Al Gored! *Note: I do not use Al Gore as a source for my climate related references. Although I do believe he means well and isn't making things up, I prefer to get my data from climate scientists; NOT oil industry geologists, TV meteorologists, political scientists, economic experts or Prof. Glenn Beck. Al Gore no more than a reporter or educator in this regard. Just like I will not settle with what I hear on the news or read in some random place on the internet, I go to the source.

Our Taxes

2010-04-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Our Taxes
9 April 2010
Malmstrom AFB, Montana

In response to Lori Harfenist’s Happy Tax Freedom Day video.
http://www.theresident.net/video/happy-tax-freedom-day/

REALLY. Not one person knows where their taxes go. Wow.

Have you driven on a paved road today?

Did you go to or take your child(ren) to a public school today?

Do you get your water from a non-well source?

Did you flush some bullshit down the toilet today that didn't go into a septic tank?

Did you see a fire truck today? A police car?

Know anyone who has served in the military?

Did you use GPS today (developed and maintained by the U.S. Air Force).

Did you manage not to get sick from eating from one of thousands of providers, whether restaurant or store bought? (food handling and preparation standards)

Go to a park recently?

Blah blah blah blah.

It really does seem the vast majority of people in the U.S. don’t know where their taxes go. Yes, you can’t really know where every penny goes, but it’s not hard to know where it is generally spent.

There are endless examples of where our taxes go. I don't mind paying taxes because I know where they go and what they provide to me. Now I do not like my, and others, money being wasted. I do not mean from a program I don't use or one I think is silly because I understand others may really need it or really benefit from it and that I try not to be a greedy bastard.

We need to think of taxes as our collective pool of resources to better our national community—particularly since we don’t MAKE SHIT IN THIS COUNTRY ANYMORE!!! They aren't a bad thing. I'm a simple person—for the most part—that grew up in the South in a very conservative, religious, working-class family. I've served close to a decade in the military—well if that doesn't make one feel old now. From living in many different places all over the world, I understand how and why some people feel differently about taxes, government and things they don't have firsthand experience with. I understand why it's hard for a person from a small town in a large state with a small population to get this big picture. Hell, I'm not that social of a person in many regards, but dang it, I believe we all need to look out for each other—and I'm not even a religious person anymore! It kills me when I see all these white, conservative (politically speaking that is), religious people going all teabag crazy. Sounds like someone needs to try not to selectively listen and read at church. If you're going to call yourself a Christian, you best FULLY live it. And from what I remember from the bible, Jesus was quite the socialist (and not the kind some like to group under the Nazi flag, but the more basic tribal type and that are used widely around the developed world). Yeah, think about it before you get all defensive or dismiss me Christians.

As for what to tax, on a federal level I feel to be fair we need to tax everything equally or nothing at all. I really think just an income tax should be all there is on a federal level. Fairest is a flat rate—in thought—but if you make $10,000 in a year, that $1,000 makes a big difference. If you make $1,000,000, that $100,000 is a lot of money, but the remaining $900,000 goes a LOOONG way. With great power—in our society that means money—comes great responsibility (actually, maybe I’m wrong, but I recall the bible saying something along the lines as “to whom much is given, much will be expected”). As for taxing things like goods and services, that can be set by the needs of states and municipalities. With a country of our size and diversity, we need to be flexible to local needs. Plus, this allows people to live in areas that are run in ways they feel meet their ideals. We need to streamline our government and make sure it runs efficiently and with integrity, on ALL levels. I think before people start bitching at the federal government, they best make sure their local and state governments are run well first—then go after D.C.

I know these thoughts are noble and may be pie in the sky—mmmm, pie—but that doesn’t mean we should give up on them or just ignore the topics that need our attention as citizens of this country. Education first and don’t be an armchair politician.

*A later thought*

 Oh, and another way to look at it is like dues for an organization, just  with a sliding like many military organizations and events do based on  rank (which means pay scale).  So you military people should understand  it more.  Funny how everyone I've ever seen in these circumstances  always thought it was a great idea and gladly paid what the could more  easily afford. 

It Takes Disaster...

2010-01-24T02:45:00.000-08:00

It Takes Disaster

23 January 2010

Missoula, Montana

On the final show of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

Dear Internet,

First off, I have to say the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien was an amazing event and an act of class. Whether you like the show, Conan or that type of comedy, you should watch it for many reasons. Tom Hanks, Steve Carrell, Neil Young, Will Ferrell and a few more were there to wish Conan off in style.

While watching the show I was reminded how it takes disaster and misfortune to rally people behind a good cause or something worthy of our time and support. They promoted relief support for the damage done in Haiti throughout the show. This got me thinking. We in this country know a level of comfort, ease and fortune few know on the whole as we do. There are things we complain about and throw away in the garbage that people have never known in other parts of the world. Even those with not as much comfort and fortune in this country, still have it better than billions of other on this planet.

For the masses, we don’t go out of our way to help others in need on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis; we don’t take a stand on important issues or support worthy causes. It usually takes a disaster or something very unpleasant to stir action, and even then, it usual is for the very short-term. Yes, any action just once or rarely is better than none, but is this really how we as a culture; as a society; as a species want to live? Is it really OK to accept this as a society and just take a more selfish route for most of the days of our lives? Do we really need some of the stuff we think we need in our life?

This is easily likened to the debate over capitalism and socialism. To me, from all my travels all over the world seeing many different ways of life and opinions on how we as humans live our lives, it appears to come down to greed and ignorance of an individual and of a given culture. It’s important for me to remind us what ignorance is because many people view this word negatively when someone calls them ignorant. I am ignorant of many things—we all are. Ignorance is just a lack of knowledge or information. Greed, well, we all know what that is—although I wonder sometimes. It’s fine to want things, but when we let it control us, we make poor decisions, not just for ourselves, but also for all of us as a whole—particularly those with more power and control over our lives. It’s all about striking a balance. Do I really need a huge SUV or pickup truck or even a fancy new car? Do I really need a 42 inch (107 cm) flat panel HD TV? Do I really need a dozen instruments? Do I really need almost a thousand CDs? (OK, those last two were really questions for myself)

It’s not always such an easy yes or no answer. For me, the answer to the first two is now an easy no. The second two takes a bit more thought and will to arrive at a no. Do I need them to survive—no. Do I need them to be ultimately happy—no. Do they add something special to my life—absolutely. Is it worth the resources taken away from our planet and its inhabitants? Is it worth it taking away from my ability to able to help other in greater need, i.e. (id est—Latin for that is [to say]) it is worth being less able to donate money or time to a good cause or someone in need? Like I said, those last two are a bit harder for me. Since I share what I have with friends often, it’s easier to say a more meaningful yes. These are things we really should be thinking about anytime we do or buy something.

These are not uncommon thoughts for “simpler” cultures past or present. From an Anthropological point of view, all small bands and tribes of known time could not afford to be greedy or selfish or it could adversely affect the group as a whole. The actions of one could affect or kill others than just their self, if at all. The worst kind is for one to prosper at the cost of others. As we have grown into much larger states and nations with more infrastructures, we lose the so-called “human element”. The act of sharing isn’t a daily occurrence.

I don’t like giving money I earned away to some giant organization and not knowing where it goes. This is like taxes paid to a government. Not long ago I finally applied these thoughts to paying taxes. Taxes really aren’t anything more than the pooling of resources for the good of the whole of a nation or group. In an ideal situation, people would give what they can for a common cause. This is much like the group Christmas gift idea I had for some of my closer friends a couple years ago. Too often people have to settle with giving a gift of less monetary value than they would like to. By the way, I don’t liked the idea of forced giving because you managed to live another year or because corporate minds invented holidays for us to buy things. I think gifting giving should be a year round occurrence because it’s something you thought of doing right then. As it stands now, the receiver is left with stuff generally not as useful or needed, but the thought counts right? So a group endeavor to pool funds to get something of greater need makes a whole heck of a lot more sense in my book—which is something this rant is turning into. Now instead of saying I’m going to need $20 for everyone, I say give what you can or feel like giving. In this setting, we generally all know each other or at least the person being helped out. With taxes, it really isn’t much different, just on a much larger scales with many more people being helped in many different ways. We get schools, roads, protection from a multitude of things and generally some sort of help when we need it. This only works when we voice our needs—which we do through our elected officials to our republic here in the U.S.—and when we put those with the best intensions and know-how into those positions of directing our collective resources.

Really, this is still on topic! There are two ways of helping others less fortunate—well, three when you really get down to it. One, you can pool your resource through one entity; two, pick and choose where your resources go individually—which are generally much more limited; or three, do absolutely nothing and keep all your resources to yourself (but with this choice—in most circumstances—you are taking away some from others that choose one of the first two options).

Our world is no longer as small and isolated as it once was. Globalization and technology has connected us in ways is hard to imagine considering where we were as a whole just a couple decades ago. With more people and less places unoccupied, the reach of so-called “disasters” becomes increasingly obvious.

Now one thing I haven’t touched on directly is the role our emotions play into our thoughts and decisions. So much can be attributed to them that we’ve done throughout time—good and bad. Art, invention, racism, discovery, murder, greed and the act of helping are all a result of some sort of emotion. They cause us to be overly imaginative in circumstances we might normally reason through something. UFOs, Bigfoot, religion and rumors are all generally a result of emotions and looking to prove something is as you thought you saw it and not trying to prove it otherwise. The basis of science is not about proving a discovery or idea as being correct, but by trying to prove it incorrect. It’s about trying to find flaws or incompleteness or anything else that might pop up down the road to unravel it. As thorough a picture as you can paint.

When you factor in the emotion of what we collectively call disaster, it will spur many to a point to think about these things. It gets people to help those in need of assistance. It will bring a person to risk more for others that they might not normally risk. It can bring people together that might not normally associate with one another. Uniting efforts for a common goal is at the root of most—if not all—disasters.

The outcry and support from fans and colleagues of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien showed us we can unite and take a stand for something on a much less than disastrous scale. In this situation could we as fans have done something in advance to change this outcome—certainly. Watching the show regularly for one could have helped. I’m guilty of this. After watching a clip they put together of some of the stuff they did on the show in the last seven months, I felt like I really missed some good stuff. This brought about those emotions again and made it seem much more sad the show is ending and important to get angry over. So what’s the good from this? It could show the network the error in its way and improve and/or it could lead to a better show down the road from Conan. One thing for sure is no more Granny Conanny in this setting for the next seven months…

Now to get a little more personal on the topic that set this off for me. Conan talked about not being cynical, but by definition, this is a great example of how people and organizations can be self-serving and greedy. Cynical is the exact word to describe what people should be, because these NBC executives are motivated by self-interest and I personally don't trust their integrity. I sometimes think we forget the real meaning of a word or come to only recognize only one side to it. Conan is a forgiving christian fellow and probably thinks this is “just business” and should just move on, but it's still bad business ethics either way and I—unlike most people—am willing to hold to principle and make some sacrifice for the good of the whole. You have to recognize a problem before you can resolve it. He is making a stand by walking, so there's no good reason fans can make a stand with him and do what he can’t. He united so many people throughout all this and to the final show. The ending of the show really displays this and how much this means to him and others. To look beyond this by anyone is foolish.

He makes excellent points in his emotional speech to viewers about his situation. Yes, if one does work really hard at something and is a kind person, they will do well. The reality is, most people only manage one of those things. I personally haven’t done this well. It takes those in combination for long periods of time to get Conan-like results. It is something we all should strive for.

I'm still going to standing by my complete boycott of NBC—at least until something major changes—because NBC Universal is powerful corporation and only listens to revenues from advertisers and ratings. If I only boycotted watching a Tonight Show without Conan or NBC late night in general, it's not enough. You have to completely remove all NBC from one's life to make any sort of issue you have with them known—of course, it really doesn’t work well unless you inform them you are going to do this in some sort of semi-respectable correspondence. I wish they would listen to reason and to those it would affect directly first, but not enough fans will take a proper stand, so—like too often—I find myself trying to make up for what others don't do. So many people are just talk or complain and don't do anything. There are a lot of things I suck at and drop the ball on, but I try to make a stand at something I believe in that could use a little more support and effort.

This idea that we deserve this or that is way too off from the reality of things. I don’t deserve “good things”. I get by OK with what I have. “Good things” are all perception and relative anyways. We—as any living being—don’t deserve anything. Here’s where religion and science butt heads. If you believe in what we’ve learned and think about the universe, then this makes more sense. It looks like we are all here by chance and are a result of MANY processes over LONG periods of time. This may seem like a cold or emotionless way to view things, but the positive thing about it is that it puts everything on a level playing field—also, life isn’t just rainbows and butterflies. It gives us more control over what happens to us—although, not much as it stands now. It charges us to make the best of what we have for the unknown time we have it. This is hard for many when you have a set culture pushing you to do, believe and achieve certain things that can’t be done in the moment or on a short-term scale. You see too many people work towards something all their life or a sizeable portion of it, just to discover it’s not what they thought they wanted or isn’t what they needed to be happy.

Don’t let a culture control what you need or what you want. You have to think for yourself first. You have to have an opinion—the more “educated” the better. Then once you’ve exhausted your knowledge and abilities, then look elsewhere for other ideas and opinions. You also must have the strength to be as objectionable and non-biased as you can when you sail out into the ocean of unrestricted—and restricted—thoughts.

Here’s something to think about. One in almost seven billion might not have great odds for bringing about a positive change in something or making a stand for what is the right thing to do, but it has to start with someone and it has to spread beyond the recesses of that one mind. Look at it this way; that one in seven billion doesn’t have great odds for moving a mountain in their lifetime, but, as the numbers grow, those chances increase with less time needed, and, with increasing technology, it takes fewer people to move that mountain.

This was composed while watching Conan’s final show with The Tonight Show for a second time and also while listening to Hilary Hahn’s newest CD, Bach: Violin and Voice

The Next Big Thing

2009-11-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

The Next Big Thing

20 November 2009

Missoula, Montana

This is a response to Lori Harfenist’s The Resident video, “The Next Big Thing”.

I was trying to think of something witty to say as to it being something unpopular or obscure, but for a moment I was interrupted about the reality of what it could be. Then it was plain and simple what it is. It's you Lori! It's the millions of people that upload a piece of themselves to the internet each day. Whether it's someone singing like "Miranda Sings" or Charlie biting his brother's finger or just some really good free runners, it's us.

With reality TV becoming the big slice of popular viewing, American Idol indulged our vocal and visual interests. A lot of the TV shows that are really popular right now don’t have too many stories lines outside the realm of what many people’s daily lives might encounter.

We are the next big thing. Everyday individuals. Yeah, some of these individuals are going on to be big, but most people don't latch on to them like we use to and starts looking toward the direction of the next hopefully that just might be a friend, neighbor, classmate or coworker of ours.

Look how many podcasts there are of individuals or a few people sharing something of interest or a passion of theirs for little to no pay at all to the world. I don't have to say anything about YouTube! The internet has connected the world. People are less interested in the nicely boxed products big industry puts out. People are searching out people just like them. Some of the most viral videos on YouTube are of "just some person" doing their thing. Take "Evolution of the Dance". It makes us feel closer to our fellow humans and gives us a better feeling about what we can do as an individual.

Also, look where the politics in the U.S. is trying to head. It's trying to head down to a "grassroots" level—now some of these roots aren’t getting along well at all, but that’s beside the point. This is kind of why I have a hard time getting why some think Socialism is bad and evil. It's about looking out for the good of its people, as a whole. It's not Nazis or Communists (even though Communists are a part of Communism, which is not Socialism--something else that makes me go cross-eyed).

Anyways, we are headed in a direction of the individual again. People are getting sick of corporations putting out crap, destroying competition (namely the little guys--US!), making insane amounts of money and not caring about who or what they hurt because of it.

We're starting to think about what we are doing to the environments around us and how we can better coexist.

We are finally looking for ourselves. Yeah, some of us will always be too lazy or greedy for that, but as long as a majority keeps looking around us and not over or beyond us, we'll all be better off...that isn't until it's not cool anymore or until an asteroid or climate destabilization wipes us out : )

Thanks for making me think about this Lori!

--Adam

The Failing of an Orchestra

2009-11-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Failing of an Orchestra
15 November 2009
Missoula, Montana

In response to the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra filing for bankruptcy and canceling its season.

It would be interesting to know how much of their former budget was spent on conductors and executive staff.

Here in Missoula, Montana, our "professional" orchestra is commonly referred to as a community orchestra by players. This is mostly because they pay $10 per service unless you're a principal player (which would be $15). This is laughable from my experience living in all other parts of the country. Well, Missoula's population isn't that much, about 70,000, with a major university here. The state of Montana doesn't even have a million people. The biggest budget orchestra in Billings pays around $40 per service. OK, it makes sense, right? Not when the music director makes about $60,000 a year. And I'm lead to believe the executive director makes about the same. That's for a 5 to 6 concert season. Utter nonsense.

Now I'll be the first to admit the MD is a great and knowledgeable conductor and I've really enjoyed playing for him, but this isn't a reasonable ratio of pay. The Lyric Opera of Montana here pays a little more; $30 per service for core players. I understand good leadership and direction is very important, but if you can't attract good players and give them good reason to feel they need to practice to earn their pay, you've got a situation on your hands.

Years ago when I first learned that MDs in major orchestra pulled in seven figures a year in most cases, I couldn't believe it. My first reaction was, and still remains, you do know without the players, there is no music. It's one thing if it was a profitable venture, but these are non-profits that survive on donations and government aid (which can't be counted on in this country). To pay a 2nd bassoon or a section string player $100,000 and a MD $1,000,000 (for just a hand full of concerts with guest conductors taking the rest of the season) is bit off the scale of reason. It's not as if they are running the organization like the president or executive director. Now if they were doing both jobs, there would be more justification.

I think these orchestras are doing it to themselves in many cases. Yeah, our culture generally doesn't care for orchestral music on the whole. You've got to adjust for your environment. Although, most people aren't aware how much they actually do listen to an orchestra due to all the films they watch or when they are watching a Seth MacFarlane animated series (Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show).

Orchestras can't spend money like their product is as popular as an iPhone or is a major sports team. Overvaluing the higher-ups will limit or destroy any organization at some point.

Thinking...

2009-11-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

Thinking

13 November 2009

Missoula, Montana

Take a good listen to this. For those of you that call yourself a Christian (good or not) or religious in any way, and appose socialized medicine, for instance, or anything that isn't for the social good, I have to question your religion, adherence to it and your moral self.

I have no problem giving 50% of what I make if it's for the greater good of our society. My only request is that my money is spent well. I’m sure that’s what most people want for what they have to pay in taxes. That's where voting often and paying attention to what those that we vote into representation are doing. Many of those more heavily socialized countries that pay more in taxes than use--which is everyone but South Korea--get a lot more for what they pay than us.

Those that are Christian know about tithing. That’s 10% of what you had since most people didn’t have much money back then—barter and trade. That’s socialism folks. Doing your part to take care of the greater good, whether it’s the church and it’s community or a nation.

Remember when the bible was written. Now think of the type of civilization that existed in Iraq then—in Rome—in Greece—in Egypt. You depended on others for survival. That was the entire point of creating a civilization! It’s a social obligation. SOCIAL. It’s not a bad word. We’d still be hunters and gathers if we didn’t socialize. Yes, some can do it on their own, but if you aren’t, well, you best think about how you get all the things that make you happy and give you such a good life.

Our problem is the Capitalist side of our socialized nation. When factoring in inflation, people of the U.S. generally made more in the 70s than today. That's because healthcare is such a large portion of our expenditure by employers, and ultimately eating up more of what we spend after we get paid. In the not too distant future (about NINE years!), we're looking at spending about 50% of our income on healthcare if something doesn't change (this was reported on NPR by "This American Life" - http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=391). We spend more than 50% more on healthcare than ANY country in the world and it sure isn't buying us any better health. We rank 45th in infant mortality in the world--behind Cuba--and 50th in the world at life expectancy--behind Bosnia (these stats are pretty much from This American Life--which is well trusted with their research). What happened to people in the health field wanting to take care of people as why they wanted to become doctors, surgeons, ect? Looks like some are taking care of their second and third homes and their social status more than their patients.

Take for instance something I read in the University of Montana’s student paper today. Montana State University just hired a new President. That person’s salary will be quite a bit higher than the previous President and more than UM’s President. The board of regents is talking about raising our current President’s salary from $205,000 a year to $285,000 a year to make up for it, even though there was a freeze last year on professor salaries. Justification is that even with the increase, it’s still below average for the position at most comparable universities. To me, a good leader of anything would say, until the enterprise/group as a whole is taken care of, I am last on the list. I’ve lived a pretty decent life on $15,000 a year. I can’t see any skill worth that much over something livable for one person. That doesn’t mean it’s not earned, but more of it is that needed.

Too many people want to be millionaires rather than being able to provide for their family and live a decent life. Comfortable has really lost a rational meaning. We're not just a throw away nation, but a nation of stuff. You don't need a two story, 3,000 square feet house for two people or four people. I've never seen some many people that have a decent-sized house with a one or two car garage and can't keep their car(s) in there for the JUNK! There are people that still live in mud huts on this planet! I'm not saying we should give money to improve their lives, because you know what I think--we'd just make their lives worse. The people I met in Africa seem a WHOLE lot more happy than your average American…

It’s not about redistributing wealth, even though that’s what some think is the way to go. It’s about giving people basic services over anything—like healthcare and education. Don’t give people money—give them something real. Welfare should be food, then shelter, then healthcare and finally education. Nothing more, noting less. Giving people money sometimes is along the lines of giving a street beggar money—which will spend it on alcohol or drugs or something long those lines most likely.

People are right not to trust politicians. We’ve sent lawyers and rich business people on the average to Washington to represent us.   We need to take a stand and not just go with the flow. We need to send people like us that know what it’s like to make minimum wage and work a job that doesn’t bring in six or more figures a year. Now that doesn’t mean we send unintelligent, uneducated McDonalds employees (not to imply all are—Jay Leno worked at McDonalds when he was young). We just need to send more people that are in touch with the entire country; the entire world.

The big hurtle is our differences. We all believe different things. Some believe in a god in the sky has is all planned out. Some believe in equal rights for all. Some believe in the right to do what they wish. Some live in a fantasy world. We have to find common ground! And I know for a fact there is some no matter where you go on this planet. I’ve been to four continents and have talked with people of all six with indigenous peoples. WE just have to think more. We can’t ignore certain topics because they are uncomfortable for us and because they are hard. We can’t allow a TV show or a sport or anything so trivial to dominate out time, our thoughts and our lives.

Whether you believe in evolution or not, we have changed in the last 10,000 years of recorded time. It all comes down to choices. I’m not say we all have to make the right ones all the time—I know I sure haven’t—we just need to be aware of what motivates us to make these choices. I have to make the choice every day walking across campus to my next class to not jump and rape one of the many beautiful woman I pass—I really like beautiful women! It’s not always the easiest of choices, but I choice to restrain myself for the good of everyone. Not all that long ago that kind of situation didn’t have only one acceptable outcome.

All this rambling I’ve done really comes down to one thing—thinking. Do it for yourself. Do it OFTEN. And do it critically! We can’t have a large portion of a population doing a vast amount of their thinking about the offense or defense of a sports team or about whether they should consider stainless steel appliances or not.

Just think about it...on your own...without resorting to what you've heard on TV...or what you were told growing up...without thinking about that new 56 inch flat panel TV you want or a new car that costs what a decent house cost 20 years ago...just think about it without greed for yourself…

The Beer Shitlist & Save Rock Art Brewery!

2009-10-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

So let's get this started off right!

OK, I've been meaning to do this since April--when I started the list. This list mostly came from the big two's own websites. That's right, TWO breweries own all this "beers" or labels. There are probably more now since the two are getting more and more competition from smaller craft brewers, so they are coming up with fake breweries to fool you--I've even been fooled a couple times since becoming the beer fanatic I am now--but I've been able to recognized short-coming in the taste. If you drink Budweiser, Coors, Miller, ect., you most likely will not notice since even this masked crap is a few steps up.

Also, I just read today (13Oct09) that a SMALL brewery in Vermont, Rock Art Brewery http://www.rockartbrewery.com/, is being sued by the makers of "Monster" energy drinks, Hansen Beverage Company (part of the Anheuser-Busch happy family) for trademark infringement. Seriously, the beer in question is named "Vermonster"--it's ONE letter away from being "Vermonter"!!! I know Monster people cater generally to people of minimal intelligence, but it's a completely different label, product and very state specific. I have a feeling this is more about beer competition. Why out-brew the competition with a quality product when you can destroy them in court. Either way, WE CAN'T LET THESE GREEDY, CAPITALISTIC ASSHOLES TAKE COMMON WORDS AWAY FROM US!!!!!!!! TAKE A STAND!!!!!! Or let millionaires and billionaires control your life so they can make more money off of you and destroy the little guys (US!) so that can make more...

*The Beer Shitlist*
Those with an * pretty much means it's crap and those under MillerCoors. This list mostly is just letting you know where the beer comes from...

Anheuser-Busch* InBev
• Alexander Keith's
• Antarctica
• Aqua Fratelli Vita
• Astika Fine Quality Lager
• BACARDI*
• Baisha
• BagBier
• Bare Knuckle Stout*
• Bass*
• Beach Bum Blonde Ale*
• Beck’s*
• Belle-Vue
• Bergenbier
• Boddingtons
• Bohemia
• Boomerang
• Borostyán
• Borsodi Sör
• Bozicno
• Budweiser*
• Cafri
• Caracu
• Cass
• Castlemaine XXXX
• Chelada*
• Chernigivske
• Diebels
• Diekirch
• Dimix
• Dommelsch
• Double Deer
• Franziskaner
• Kristallklar
• Gilde Ratskeller
• Guaraná Antarctica
• Guaraná Brahma
• Haake-Beck
• Harbin
• Hasserõder
• Hertog
• Jan
• Hoegaarden
• Hop Hound Amber Wheat*
• Hougaerdse Das
• Hurricane*
• Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale*
• Jelen Pivo
• Jinling
• Jinlongquan
• Julius
• Jupiler
• KK
• Klinskoye
• Kamenitza
• Kokanee
• La Bécasse
• Labatt
• Lakeport Pilsener
• Leffe
• Liber
• Löwenbräu
• Marathon
• Michelob*
• Monster* (not a beer, but is owned by AB)
• Mousel
• Murphy's
• Natural*
• Nik
• Niksicko
• Noroc
• OB
• O’Doul’s*
• Oranjeboom
• Ozujsko Pivo
• Paceña
• Permskoye Gubernskoye
• Piedboeuf
• Phoenix
• Quilmes Cristal
• Ray Hill's American Pilsner
• Redbridge
• Red Hook*
• Red Shilliang
• Rifey
• Rogan
• Rolling Rock*
• Safir
• Santai
• Sedrin
• Shock Top Belgian White*
• Sibirskaya Korona
• SkipJack Amber*
• Skol
• Spaten
• St. Pauli Girl
• Staropramen
• Stone Mill Pale Ale*
• Stella Artois
• Sukita Taller
• Tennent's
• Tiger
• Tilt*
• Tolstiak
• Tomislav
• Vieux Temps
• Widmer Bros*
• Wild Blue*
• Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale*
• Yali
• Yantar
• ZiegenBock
• Zizhulin
• Zhujiang

MillerCoors
• Coors
• Extra Gold Lager
• Hamm’s
• Icehouse
• Keystone
• Magnum Malt Liquor
• Miller
• Mickey’s
• Milwaukee’s Best
• Olde English
• Red Dog
• Southpaw
• Steele Reserve
• Águila
• Cristal
• Cusqueña
• Grolsch
• Lech
• Molson
• Peroni
• Pilsner Urquell
• Tyskie
• Blue Moon
• Frederick Miller
• Henry Weinhard's
• Leinenkugel's
• Brand Image
• Sheaf Stout
• Foster’s
• George Killian's Irish Red
• Sharp’s
• Sparks
• Winterfest