Saturday, October 25, 2008

Eddie Burke Post

So I listen to Eddie Burke because he's funny, but mostly he's really smart. I saw a post on his blog today about giving $425,000 per adult to the people. Actually, the math was off and it was supposed to be $425. Anyway, here's a link to the original post. It has to be approved by a moderator, and I'm sure it will be, but anyway, below is my response:
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Alright, so the math may be off on his post. I just can't honestly believe that companies that make bad decisions get helped by the government like this. If you make $85 billion in horrible decisions then you shouldn't be in business anymore. De-regulation really shows us which companies in our Country have the self-control to make it and which ones don't.

We're talking about an industry with many major players who rely on the government to give them rules to protect themselves, and just as soon as those rules are slackened and begin to let free market reign - as it should - the same players blame the government for their own bad decisions. De-regulation is the way to demonstrate which are the smart businesses and which are the dumb ones. If you can't ride an investor's bike once the training wheels are off, then go do something else.

I am completely opposed to this bailout. We can see (especially after today, Friday the 24th) how the idea of this bailout effects faith in the market - people just don't trust a market that can't sustain itself. Folks will trust the market a lot more knowing that the Free Market system will protect us from situations like this on it's own - companies like AIG that make poor financial practices will have to close their doors and will NOT be around to lose investers' money again. It's PRETTY SIMPLE.

Granted, $425 per person, or even $1,000 per person won't get the economy out of this slump (like we saw in June). But at least something like this would put this money back where it belongs - in the hands of The People.

Thinking about this just gets me all fired up, and I think this should be on a ballot on November 4th under the title "How to spend $700 Billion." Choice A, proceed with proposed bailout. Choice 2, give $3,500 to every NON-ALIEN, tax-paying adult in our country (that's $700 billion divided by 200 million adults, if my math is right). Choice 3??? Choice 4??? There are a lot of different things we can do with that money, but in the end, it belongs back in our hands. This amount of money could pay $7,000 to working couples on the brink of foreclosure from losing their homes. It could help a single parent pay 3-6 months of amortgage or rent. If they really want to revive the economy and the housing market, that would be the closest to a sure thing I've hear about.

Obama's right, we need change. But he's completely wrong about how - we need to give money back to the people and not the other way around. If he actually gets voted in, I'll be investing in Gold and in chains for my chainsaw because I know I won't be able to pay for heating oil. And if he wins, God help us all.

~Joe Holod

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

What's writing all about?

I suppose I can't speak for everyone, but for me, I'm still trying to figure out what writing is all about. In fact, I'm sure that the reasons I write have change and will change over the years, so all I can write about is Me, right now. And in now way do I consider myself a writer, I'm just a guy who likes to write sometimes.

The first thing about writing that does it for me is that one perfect sentence, or perfect paragraph, that perfectly describes the message or scene that I'm trying to convey. It's that grouping of words that describes exactly what I'm feeling or thinking.

There a lot of other things I like about writing. I don't feel that many people realize this, but there really are no rules in writing. Perhaps a writer has his or her own rules that they choose to follow, but when it comes down to it there really is no right or wrong way to write. You can write about whatever topic you choose. And if you want to follow conventional sentence rules, you never start a sentence with 'and.' But if you want to choose your own style, then you can start a sentence with 'But' and there's nobody who can tell you that it's right or wrong. Writers can even create their own words, like Shakespeare did, and that can be alright as well. So many writers use so many styles and, generally, it's up to the readers, the target audience, to decide if they like it or not, or if they care to read it, and if they read it then I suppose you're doing alright, even if you don't care to use short sentences.

Writing is freedom.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I am Ironman

So I just saw Ironman tonight and I thought it was pretty sweet. Here's a guy who doesn't like the direction of the world, mainly the United States (as well as some of it's corporate buddies who get government slack) and takes matters into his own hands. I think we can all take something important from this film. I'm referring to the valuable lesson that says that if you don't like the direction you see the world going in, then you need to change it. Don't stand around and wait for someone else to try to so that you can just jump on the bandwagon, what I'm trying to say is BE THAT GUY (or GIRL). Be a leader. Step up and say what you feel. Don't lie about your beliefs to fit in, be yourself. Don't conform to conform. Don't take others' words as truth about things, be smart and find things out for yourself.
"Those consistently relying on others for information open themselves to the biased truths and half facts of the members of society whom insist upon forcing their will unto others through fear, lies, and manipulation, thus becoming pawns of the very game they criticize but are too weak to correct."

~Joe Holod on Blogger.com, October 1st, 2008
Alright, so that probably will make whichever book I write first. So I made it a quote. I love it's simplicity, and I think it really sums things up for most of those who live in the world today. Title that 'I Am Ironman.' I guess that's all for today. I would highly recommend Ironman, rent it today.