18 things to teach your sons about women

I have a few things to say about this article.

1. Pick your battles. - This is just dumb. Everyone should learn this skill, and it has nothing to do with gender relations. It is a life skill.

2. Walk on the outside (closer to the street) of your female companion. - What kind of outdated crap is this? Women don't need escorts, so why should it matter how a couple walks down the street?

4. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of kids are things men can actually do as well as women. - Absolutely! Your wife / girlfriend / partner is not an unpaid maid or babysitter. She is an equal, which means the lazy men need to get off the couch and help out.

5. Keep backup supplies of quality chocolate in the house for her to raid. - For what, a drought or famine? She is just as capable of keeping and maintaining a stash as anyone else.

7. Women like compliments and gifts. - So do men. There is nothing different here.

9. Be on time, even if she usually isn't. - Can you say double standard? I knew you could! She is just as capable of keeping track of time as you. Granted, some women have more preparation time than others, so that can be factored into the planning. A man cannot be expected to be ontime if a woman isn't expected to do the same.

11. Find out what her favorite flower is. - And she should learn the things you love too. Afterall, she isn't the only one in the relationship.

13. Smiling and nodding aren't the same as listening. - Unless the man is enduring a PMS rant, in which case it is better to smile and nod than to voice your opinion.

16. At some point she'll be more important than your mother. - Only if she is jealous of your mother, or visa versa. Either way, you are in for trouble. RUN LIKE HELL!

18. Oh yeah, and no woman will ever be good enough for my baby! - Did you know, if you take the letters from "MOTHER IN LAW", you can rearrange them to spell "WOMAN HITLER"? Perhaps mothers need to stop this insanity. You either respect your child's choices or you don't. If you don't, there can be only two reasons for this: 1. You were a bad parent. 2. You are a control freak. Either way, your child is destined to learn things the hard way.

The only times men have to treat women differently is when it comes to specifically feminine things (PMS, periods, child birth, and some small emotional differences). I believe every other difference is based entirely on the fact that some women are raised thinking they are the "weaker sex", which I find to be outdated and sexist.

At least, that is how I see things...

Health Care Reform

As much as I like President Obama, I am not in favor of his public option healthcare reform. If it is funded by dollars which are taken from taxing wealthy Americans (mostly hard working people), then I am absolutely opposed to it.

If we are to have a public option, I believe it must have four important parts:

1. Funded by participant premiums.
2. Administered by an independent group, not by politicians.
3. This entity should be tax exempt.
4. It should be run as a non-profit organization.

Let me explain my reasoning for these:
Funded by participant premiums: This would make certain that people take an active role in their health, and their healthcare. You could have incentives for people to lead healthier lives. For example, an overweight person would pay a higher premium than a healthy weight person, as would a smoker. It would also ensure that this public option does not drive insurance companies out of business.

Administered by an independent group, not by politicians: The reasoning for this is obvious. I would add one more qualification to serve in this group: Insurance companies are not allowed.

This entity should be tax exempt: This plan will be taking on millions of Americans who are rejected by traditional insurance companies. To offset this increase, it should not have to pay any taxes.

It should be run as a non-profit organization: It should be run and managed very conservatively. Meaning, it should be stashing away cash during good times as a cushion for bad times. Those who are fiscally conservative (like me) know that the party doesn't last forever so you had better save money while you can. This would stabilize the system.

In closing, despite my opposition I won't be screaming lies at townhall meetings. That is just trashy, not to mention unproductive. I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I am suspicious of these people. I wonder if they are being paid to disrupt the Democratic process....

8 signs of hope for the economy

8 signs of hope for the economy

CNN today reported the following POTENTIALLY favorable signs of recovery in the economy:

• Housing starts (new construction) were flat from the previous month
• S&P 500 was up 9.4% in April (the DOW is up 15% since April 1)
• Consumer confidence is climbing, up 12 points in April
• Home prices seem to be finding the bottom (but a few more months of data are needed)
• Corporate Earnings seem to be stabilizing, as opposed to hemorrhaging cash
• Initial unemployment claims dropped slightly (but this could reverse quickly)
• Manufacturing shows some signs of life
• Credit Market is thawing, meaning more credit available to the economy

I am perfectly happy for 'housing starts' to be flat. If there are fewer homes built, the housing market will have fewer homes for sale. The homes for sale will come closer to the number of eligible buyers. When that happens, the housing market can recover.

The stock market is volatile, but I would hate to have missed the recent gains. Some bank stocks have doubled in value in recent months (i.e. ZION has gone up 112% since March). Buy low, sell high.

Consumer confidence is important. The fact that this number is increasing is probably the most stable indication of economic recovery.

Home prices seem to have found the bottom. A few more months of data will tell us if this is a temporary anomaly, or if this is the beginning of a stabilizing trend.

Corporate earnings are important for the portfolio, and for the economy as a whole. When companies post profits, their stock prices jump. After posting profits, many companies start hiring and buying again. This has a strong impact on the overall economy.

Initial unemployment claims dropped by 14,000. That is not a significant drop, but it is much better than increasing initial unemployment claims. We must be careful not to over-react to this number. As the economy recovers this number will fluctuate, which is absolutely natural. Only sharp increases should concern us.

Manufacturing numbers are important, but I believe manufacturing will be almost as slow to recover as the housing industry.

The credit market is getting better. Banks are starting to lend to each other more easily. I think the Troubled Asset Relief Program has had a great deal to do with this. It will be a few months before the banks feel confident enough to lend to consumers more. This is all good news.

I believe the economy will show significant improvement over the next few months. Perhaps by late October we will see consumer confidence improve enough to have a good holiday shopping season. If that happens, in March we will look back and realize that the recession ended in December 2009.

I am keeping my fingers crossed, and holding on to my job. :)

Democrat Socialist Party

Democrat Socialist Party

I am a Democrat only because the GOP has sold it's soul to the devil (neocons and loons like rush limbaugh).

If they were serious about the ideas they promote, I would probably be a liberal Republican (not to be confused with a fascist Republican).

I actually wrote a post listing and discussing the things I admire about Republicans. Needless to say, from my perspective they flunk every category. That is why I have moved to the left. Similar "say one thing, do another" issues have caused me to reject organized religion.

Let me end this rant with my idea to rename the Republican Party: Fascist American Theocratic Party. FAT for short. If you add Republican, you can even change it to FART. However, I think we should keep the "Republican" open for a group who speak and act on Republican principles (low taxes, small effective government, self sufficiency, respect for life).

Patented Genes

Patented Genes

Did you know that 20 percent of all distinctly human genes have been patented?

Yeah, it surprised me too.

I understand that patents allow for a company to profit from the research and development that go into the patented item. I have no problem with that.

However, the idea of patenting human DNA bothers me.

I think the fact that human DNA is inherent to all human life, it should be used for the benefit of ALL MAN KIND, not only those who can afford to pay a royalty fee.

I think this could also open the door to companies patenting human beings which have been genetically altered. For example, DNA could be manipulated in such a way that the child would have increased aggression, better reflexes, reduced empathy, and a mindset to follow orders without question. The DNA could be patented and sold on a "per unit" basis. The result would be a human being (a "unit") who's DNA is owned by the military.

Since DNA is the basis of life, we would basically revert to servitude and slavery. Afterall, what else do you call it when a person is "owned"?

I have a message for these companies that want to patent my DNA:

**While holding a plastic spiral DNA model, and giving a stern look like Charlton Heston at an NRA meeting***

FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!

Slumdog Millionaire Star's Home Demolished

Authorities tear down 'Slumdog Millionaire' child star's illegal shanty home

I feel horrible that this happened to this poor child. But if we look at the parents, we will see the cause of this poverty.

I have been unable to find a reliable source to tell me the number of siblings he has. So, I will look at the family of his co-star Rubina Ali.

Rubina Ali, is a neighbor, who co-starred in slumdog, has 6 siblings. That means her parents have 7 children. SEVEN CHILDREN!

I cannot understand how two adults could ever expect to support 7 children on the salary of a carpenter.

If they had stopped with one or two children, they would have been able to provide adequately for their children. Their children deserve to have 3 meals a day, a roof over their heads, and an effective education.

I am sad to say, these parents have failed their children. That is, unless their goal was to perpetuate poverty in their children.

The parents work, and I'll bet they work hard. But no amount of work will allow them to overcome the crippling poverty caused by their unwillingness to slip on a condom.

I certainly feel bad for the kids, but not for their parents. I absolutely refuse to feel bad for someone who is living the life they built for themselves.

If they want to do right by their kids, they should adopt them to families who have the common sense not to breed themselves into poverty.

Texas police will return cash in case that prompted lawsuit

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/05/06/texas.police.seizures/index.html

Am I the only one who thinks these officers and prosecutor should be thrown in prison? It's one thing to seize drug money. It is entirely another thing to unreasonably seize cash and property in blatant violation of the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution.

I personally think the lawsuit should proceed. If the local yokels in that hick town are so backward and apathetic as to allow this type of corruption, they deserve the public humiliation that would ensue from such a trial.