HR 45 - Federal Registration of Firearms

And here we go... apparently this has been introduced as a bill to get people who own magazine-fed firearms to obtain a federal license. I have not yet read the full text (linked above as http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h45ih.txt.pdf), but from the NRA-ILA statement(s), it appears to be another step in gun registration. Oh bother...

Global News

A tremendously interesting link that was sent to me by a friend, appreciate it Mike.

Title linked as http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

Saturday Morning Ponderings

Some days you just wake up with things on your mind. Apparently mine was occupied with more thoughts of economic strangeness this morning.

First, maybe now I understand the O-man's campaign promise (btw, I generally use the O-man when talking about him prior to ascension, and alternately President O or Big Daddy O now) about how his tax plan was only going to increase taxes on the "rich" or the wealthy few. He probably already knew... or had been informed... that with the economy tanking people's wages would necessarily have to shrink as would the inflated value of all things material. And therefore, the portion of Americans who would be negatively effected by the new tax plan would necessarily shrink as well.

Hmmm, at least he is not a total liar. Of course, in fairness, ALL politicians are of similar ilk... some just worse than others. And, it is necessary to say, the President is not this all powerful being. The laws are introduced and made in Congress. The laws are verified in the Courts... All the President can do is say yes or no... to the entire thing. So, mathematically, Legislative > Judicial > Executive. This is a theme that will no doubt recur during the course of this blog as will congressional term limits and congressional pay rates being voted on during national elections.

Second and much more random, inflation is coming and perhaps that is why the banks don't want to lend any money. Take this scenario, I purchase a bunch of items right now with my credit cards. As the value of the dollar decreases, I am still paying back in dollars. But, the inflated "value" of what I have purchased is now worth substantially more than what I am paying back. Maybe the banks are just waiting for a little stabilization so as to maximize their "value"... in addition to the other reasons for waiting. Meaning, in my humble opinion, that we need to quit printing money just because we have the paper and ink to do it with.

Youtube video on Britons and gun control

A Moment of Clarity... perhaps

Just thinking today that... follow this without judging, at least to start... most everyone believes that some combination of FDR's "New Deal" and going to war against the Axis powers is what remade the economy (possibly global, but certainly American) and lifted us out of the Depression. So now, lots of folks believe that war and/or infrastructure will lift us out of this predicament.

First, wars are not fought that way anymore. No need for lots of tanks and ships and uniforms and the list goes on. Second, infrastructure is an admirable undertaking... just ask the Romans. Third, it is my humble opinion that what lifted us out of the Depression was a combination of a few things.

One... millions of able-bodied people were removed from the labor pool and sent to wage war. Two... these people were replaced in the labor pool by what was left. Three... waging war and supplying our allies created huge demand for goods that... because of the location of the war... pretty much could only be made here. Four... patriotic Americans dug as deep as they could to buy war bonds and fund our government.

Now, I have presented all of that to say this... realizing that I am on the edge of advocating communism with this thought... perhaps what we need is government conscription of millions of people to wage peace and prosperity... Right... Let's try this on for size...

These millions of people (and by the way, I mean everyone, not just males, not just females, not just mentally sound, not just black, white, green or orange -- if you don't have a means of employment, tag, you're it) are conscripted and categorized by the skill set for which they show promise. Some folks are good at building things, some are good at designing things and some are good for the most basic and menial tasks. They are then trained, clothed, housed and sent out into the world (or across the US) to build a road, dig a well, discover useful plant life... etc. Kind of like a military version of civilian life. And, the conscription would be a three year mandatory at the end of which you could choose to re-up or move back into the civilian (read not government) sector.

Just another random thought.

Begin now...

And, we're off. This may be of little to no interest, or it may be the best addition to sliced bread since French toast... remains to be seen...