<p>Performersmom…nice post…</p>
<p>“In California, the same voters who say yes to more gov support and services and regulation also say no to more taxes. Regularly.”</p>
<p>I think people don’t want to pay full pop…they want bargains…</p>
<p>I don’t see that as a contradiction…</p>
<p>Well, that’s because money grows on trees, and all the government has to do is go out to the yard & pick some more. ;)</p>
<p>But a bargain is never a complete bargain- somebody is losing out somewhere! This country is now feeling the effects of short-sighted, unreconciled voting, purchasing, employing and managing behavior.
In fact, every new successful technology or improvement in effectiveness or efficiency has hidden costs, side-effects, loss somewhere; the use of the new technology is promoted by the high reward relative to the risk for that individual process. In aggregate, the negative effects can add up.
Innovation is usually associated with efficiency and productivity. At this point, we now employ management, employment and manufacturing techniques that help an individual company, but may hurt the country.</p>
<p>Our most purely local “industry” is perhaps the government. Should it be regarded as an industry? Having efficiency as a goal is a great idea, but so is effectiveness, and so are checks and balances.
The voter has a huge responsibility now, yet may not be sophisticated enough to handle it. The lobbyists are much more powerful, however.
[Dare I say that the gov is also having a hard time solving problems on the scale they exist these days…]</p>
<p>Another industry whose employment is “quite” local is construction. And so is agriculture. And so is education.</p>
<p>The US is but a cog in the global machine with many gears operating in different places.</p>
<p>I agree…</p>
<p>The Human brain isn’t very good at handling contradiction.</p>
<p>[What</a> makes your brain happy and why you should do the opposite | SharpBrains](<a href=“http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2011/11/29/what-makes-your-brain-happy-and-why-you-should-do-the-opposite/]What”>http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2011/11/29/what-makes-your-brain-happy-and-why-you-should-do-the-opposite/)</p>
<p>For a lot of people…ideology trumps reality. These people are making decisions that make themselves feel good…their brains feel good…because their decisions support their ideology. So they are making decisions that are good for them in some respects.</p>
<p>But then there is reality…;)</p>
<p>There are about to be some local votes on tax increases which would benefit schools. Taxes here are very high already. Some families with children are already priced out of the market because of property taxes. All families with children want better schools. Some won’t feel they can afford higher taxes. Some without children, who might support taxes for something else, won’t vote for more schools taxes - because it doesn’t benefit them directly. Some without children always support school taxes because they think it benefits society and, indirectly, themselves.</p>
<p>So I think this tax issue can be complicated sometimes.</p>
<p>I understand people not wanting to pay more income tax.
I don’t understand people wanting those close to or at the poverty level to pay more income tax, when some of these same people want to be sure income taxes are kept low for those who have much more than them.</p>
<p>I thought it might have something to do with churches. But now (ha!) I am wondering if the problem of evil explains it all. I think the problem of evil is about giving us free will to make the right or wrong decision because without the choice there isn’t much point to being alive. imo. obviously I’m no philosopher or theologian!! (But this will be one of my questions so maybe I will find out if I am even close)</p>
<p>Maybe we just have to have some who vote against their best interests to keep the universe stable. I am feeling much calmer about all this. really.</p>
<p>or it could all be brain chemistry… LOL … once again, thanks for the link dstark</p>
<p>Alh…I like your post…</p>
<p>I wonder if people really have free will…</p>
<p>Jumping out of an airplane thousands of feet off the ground…or not…</p>
<p>For me…I don’t really have a choice…</p>
<p>I am not going to get a tongue ring either…</p>
<p>I know these are not moral decisions… :)</p>
<p>That’s awesome… :)</p>
<p>About cutting out fat in govt operations- didn’t Barney Frank say last night that the image we have is of a roast with a big external layer of fat- visible and oh so easily trimmed. If only we’d pick up our knives and get to it, by gummy. But, that in reality, that roast’s meat is marbeled. There are pockets of fat next to very good, streamlined operations, little bits of fat (some guy, one dept or procedure) hidden amongst efficient procedures. Yeah, that’s Barney.</p>
<p>We need to have Americorps expanded for not just college age people, but folks our age. This is my complaint about “infrastructure” cures. I don’t build bridges or make lunch or sell boots for those who do. I don’t run a warehouse that distributes Korean tvs to the guys who will get paid for rebuilding. We need WPA. Put whole other levels of skills to work, on public-good projects. </p>
<p>…found this about advocate; reflects the funny conflict most style manuals have with each other:
*In The Careful Writer, Theodore Bernstein says that the verb “to advocate” takes the preposition for…However, other writing manuals insist that “to advocate” means “to suggest” and you shouldn’t use “for” with “advocate” any more than you would use it with “suggest.” “Arguing, pressing, pushing,” etc., can all take “for,” but “advocate” cannot (or should not), according to Lovinger… </p>
<p>Authority: The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style by Paul W. Lovinger. Published by Penguin Reference (New York: 2000).</p>
<p>Authority: The Careful Writer by Theodore Bernstein. The Free Press: New York. 1998.*</p>
<p>Ok…thanks…I originally chose Bernstein’s Way…then edited my post to Levinger’s way… because my brain wasn’t predisposed to either way. :)</p>
<p>I like what Barney said.</p>
<p>I like what you wrote about “infrastructure” cures, lookingforward.</p>
<p>(good screen name).</p>
<p>"30’s were much longer becasue of government, and we are in a current hole for the same reason. "</p>
<p>??? Ask people who lived through the 30’s if they agree with this. You would be hard pressed to find them.</p>
<p>I’m cynical about claims that businesses would employ more people in the US if they weren’t so burdened by governmental regulations. My experience is just that - my experience. But my experience is that corporate people complain a lot more about regulations than the actual pain warrants. I’m in a highly regulated industry, and the actual costs of the regulations are not really that high, but to listen to my colleagues, you’d think they were driving us out of business. The difference between the actual out of pocket expense versus the outrage about them remind me of my kids when we told them they had to be home by 10pm on school nights. </p>
<p>BTW, alh, your post 106 made me sad that this site has no “Like” button.</p>
<p>My mother could make you all chicken soup (but she makes lousy chicken soup, which is why she uses her Subway coupons. Stimulates the economy, too.)</p>
<p>My wife makes a great matzoh ball soup…</p>
<p>I have no idea how much that stimulates the economy…but the matzoh balls…:)</p>
<p>Mini
</p>
<p>You really need to let me in on this little secret of yours. Your mother is only going to live so long and whatever money she has is only a loan anyway.</p>
<p>Matzoh ball soup = high carbs.</p>
<p>Chicken balls or turkey balls are better.</p>
<p>We don’t have the soup everyday…</p>
<p>Moderation…</p>
<p>I’m on a chocolate cream pie kick this week. That is bad. I have to quit eating those. :)</p>
<p>It’s good for Unleavened Bread.</p>
<p>Played 1.5 hours of tennis this afternoon. Going out to run a few miles in a few minutes. I’ve only had 2,000 calories today so I’ll need a snack later on.</p>
<p>Sounds good…</p>
<p>I ate three hotdogs for dinner. Count them. Three. My stomach hurts. But I don’t regret it. Ran forty straight minutes and walked another 40 minutes today. Also went to Costco.</p>
<p>Well, the thread has transformed itself into the Health and Fitness thread suddenly LOL!</p>
<p>Comfort food is very popular during tough economic times, I think…
Pass the chicken soup and the chocolate cream pie, please, if there is any left.</p>