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ROWLETT RAMBLINGS

Someone who thinks (becoming rare)

9/23/2019

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From my Facebook page.
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Jeremy Gutierrez
September 12 at 9:12 AM

This article was written by a 26 yr old college student by the name of Alyssa Ahlgren, who's in grad school for her MBA. What a GREAT perspective!!!...
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My Generation Is blind to the prosperity around us!
I'm sitting in a small coffee shop near Nokomis (Florida) trying to think of what to write about. I scroll through my news feed on my phone looking at the latest headlines of presidential candidates calling for policies to "fix" the so-called injustices of capitalism. I put my phone down and continue to look around.

I see people talking freely, working on their MacBook's, ordering food they get in an instant, seeing cars go by outside, and it dawned on me. We live in the most privileged time in the most prosperous nation and we've become completely blind to it.
Vehicles, food, technology, freedom to associate with whom we choose.  These things are so ingrained in our American way of life we don't give them a second thought.
We are so well off here in the United States that our poverty line begins 31 times above the global average. Thirty One Times!!!
Virtually no one in the United States is considered poor by global standards. Yet, in a time where we can order a product off Amazon with one click and have it at our doorstep the next day, we are unappreciative, unsatisfied, and ungrateful. ??
Our "unappreciative" mind set is evident as the popularity of socialist policies among my generation continues to grow. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said to Newsweek talking about the millennial generation, "An entire generation, which is now becoming one of the largest electorates in America, came of age and never saw American prosperity."
'Never saw American prosperity!'  Let that sink in.
When I first read that statement, I thought to myself, that was quite literally the most entitled and factually illiterate thing I've ever heard in my 26 years on this earth. Many young people agree with her, which is entirely misguided.
My generation is being indoctrinated by a mainstream narrative to actually believe we have never seen prosperity. I know this first hand, I went to college.  Let's just say I didn't have the popular opinion, but I digress.
Why then, with all of the overwhelming evidence around us, evidence that I can even see sitting at a coffee shop, do we not view this as prosperity? We have people who are dying to get into our country.
People around the world are destitute and truly impoverished. Yet, we have a young generation convinced they've never seen prosperity, and as a result, we elect some politicians who are dead set on taking steps towards abolishing capitalism.
Why? The answer is this: my generation has only seen prosperity. We have no contrast. We didn't live in the great depression, or live through two world wars, the Korean War, The Vietnam War or we didn't see the rise and fall of socialism and communism.
We don't know what it's like to live without the internet, without cars, without smartphones. We don't have a lack of prosperity problem. We have an entitlement problem, an ungratefulness problem, and it's spreading like a plague."

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Pending Civil War

9/21/2019

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Ya know, all the years I have been writing this blog (5 1/2 years),   perceptive readers should have recognized that I try to get readers to think; not to pick on anyone in particular.   I will offer opinions, but I always offer proof, or cite experiences to support those opinions.  It's up to you to develop your own opinions, presumably based on intelligent contemplation.  I try to keep politics out of it, tho sometimes I may slip.  For those few times, I apologize. 

However, based on events over the past couple of weeks and the unbelievable and destructive  name calling that followed, I felt it was time to deviate a little.

I have a couple of confessions to make.  I am a conservative.  I'm not far right, but right of center.  Also, personally I don't like President Trump.  He's too egotistical and self centered for me.   Even if he drank beer, I probably wouldn't invite him out for a cold one.  However, what I do like about Trump  is what he has done to our 401K plan, my real estate values based on consumer spending, shoring up the very needed military manpower and materiel, and the economy, in general.  

Now, there's a bunch of left wingers that will take exception with everything I just said, and to further emphasize their  position, will call President Trump a racist, a nationalist (whatever that is), encourages mass shootings, recessions, global warming, and any chance of the sun coming up in the West.  On the other hand, Trump is pretty good at low life name calling, too. 

In recent months, and more particularly the last few days, the venom being displayed on the news media is downright poisonous to civil discourse.   There is absolutely no intelligence involved.  It is all HATE.   I believe the precursor of civil war has already started.  Left hates right, and vice versa.  There is no way to get anything done.........and the utter absence of work by Congress is evidence of this. 

We have to get politics out of our current legislative log jam. 

We have to hold intelligent discussions.  This is virtually impossible when you call someone with a differing opinion an idiot, thief, or racist.  I'll give you an example.  I am an overweight, balding,  white, conservative, businessman living in the south.  I am the epitome of the popular image usually painted by the left of a racist.   However, I am NOT a racist.  I have good friends that are black.  We socialize and go on vacations together.  I have Hispanic friends that I would trust with my checkbook.  Most of my business friends are conservative business people, yet it's been probably 40 years since I have sit in  on any conversation where any reference to racism was even mentioned.  Now, stop and think.  How angry do you think I get when someone accuses me of being a racist by people that don't even know me; simply because I'm conservative?  Bebe O'Rourke just did that a couple of days ago, simply because I support Trump.   Personally, I'd like to slap the crap out of Bebe.   

There can be  academic discussions and solutions about all our problems.  However, the thinking has to be outside the realm of "look at me" politics.

So long as it remains right vs. left, liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican, nothing will get done.  There is far too much damage already created at this time.  We need a course correction.  However, if one STUDIES open minded the Welfare State vs. Free Market issues, and leave the damned politics out of the discussion, we may have a chance.  Don't shoot off your mouth......Study and understand economics and civics.......and it will be interesting........perhaps good and rewarding. 

A total welfare state supplies everything to any citizen.  Citizens may have a job as dictated by the government, like in China, or may not do anything.  However, in recent years, China has let a little free enterprise creep in.  Their economy began to move upward.  I won't even get into the Venezuela situation.  It is a welfare state disaster.  On the other hand, the  USA started out as a total free society.  The land was free, but one had to work to gain independence and prosperity.  Whatever was made from selling goods or by barter belonged to the person doing the work....period.  However, society in general began to recognize it's other needs.  There needed to be protective armies, roads, harbors, and soon revenues had to be collected from users.  Usually these fees came from tolls, license fees, etc.  Income taxes came later.

Both China and the USA had their original economic models diluted by societal needs.   That is much of what we have today.  Clearly, both our needs are between the two strict economic models  and somewhere in between.  
This is where we might become intelligent, once again.   We have important issues that need legislative work.  It is going to require intelligence, not name calling.  It is time that we start addressing the differences between the welfare state and free market.    No matter one's political party,  they should be able to discuss the two economic models without calling someone a name (or should).  Some of our "leaders" aren't too smart.  The welfare state is probably going to gain some points and the free market state is going to probably lose some points.   This is because societal needs are dictating that some changes need to be made that an individual can not change.  Something has happened that caused the need for any of these changes.  What happened?  It's probably a long story and requiring more thought than I am capable of.  That's what our smart elected officials are supposed to discuss and discover.  How can they when they're playing stupid politics?

I am a gun owner and a concealed permit carrier.  However, I know that something has to be done to keep guns out of  the hands of killers.   I wish that it weren't true, but it is.  However, if one thinks I am going to allow some nitwit congressman cancel out my second amendment rights without one hell of a fight, he's crazier than hell.  I think they have to be very careful with their "red flag" laws.  There is a potential for abuse.  But, that's not the whole story. Much money has to be spent on mental health research regarding mass shooters.  Where is that money coming from?  Well Elizabeth Warren wants to tax all companies making over $50 million per year at the rate of 70%........because they have so  much money, anyway.  Hell, they won't miss it.   Not so fast, Pocahontas.    If Ford, GM, Exxon,  and Facebook, to mention a few, fell under this new taxation rule, what do you think would happen?   After the companies made $50 million, why do anymore?  The government will take 70% of everything you make over the $50 million.  There would be no business expansions.  There would probably even be lay offs.  In addition, the circumstances would be present to move the jobs overseas.  Then we would have lost much more.  This is one issue in which free market wins and the welfare state looses.    Have to find money somewhere else.  

The above stories are just a small example of the circumstances that Congress and the Senate must deliberate about.  You can't do that when everyone is calling everyone else names.   It is childish and unbecoming an American, let alone elected officials. 

Now, as sad as it is, there are some pretty stupid people now holding elected federal offices or trying to get elected.  As a group, the dumbest ones seem to be the 2020 Democratic candidates.  The Republicans have their share, but there seems to be less name calling there, except for Trump.  All it takes is a dumber one to put a dumb one in office.  What are you?

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Opinions

9/19/2019

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It is absolutely true that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.   However, your opinion does not mean it is accurate.  Although you're entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts.  You can not remain honest and search for facts that only support your preordained opinion.  To be honest, you have to consider ALL the facts. 

If you don't care about being honest, there is another story to be told.  It's the voters who count.......not the damned politicians.

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