I trust you’re enjoying your holiday, if you’re in the U.S. If not, take a moment to be thankful anyway. It’s good for us to reflect on life with gratitude, no matter how difficult or challenging times are.
I hadn’t planned on posting over our long weekend, but a couple of good articles came up that I thought were worth while. Rather than posting them Thursday, and possibly firing you up on a day that should be relaxing, I decided to wait until Friday, when you might have more time. Mostly, I’ll simply post links here with short commentary.
The first one is from the presidential debate that recently took place. Let’s be honest. Ron Paul is not the most eloquent speaker. He’s a bit emotional. But is it an eloquent speaker we need in the white-house? Also, notice that Ron Paul deals with the issues in a manner that shows he really understands the root, the foundation, of the challenge. Rather than glossing over symptoms, he deals with the disease, striking at the heart of it passionately and ruthlessly. Here are his comments from the debate for your consideration.
This second piece is very intriguing. I’ve wrestled with an article regarding our current police that is partly reflected in this one. It’s a challenge to strike the right balance. And there’s a great deal of responsibility in statements regarding the current methods the police use and what our reaction should be. I’ve been greatly discouraged to see how draconian they have become. In some parts of the country, their methods trample constitutional rights, elevating policy over laws of the land.
Enough of my rant though. This next piece is an open letter of appeal to the policemen of the United States. It’s well written and offers much food for thought. And, as is often the case with well written articles, it’s found on the Lew Rockwell site. To be clear, this is not a full endorsement of all that’s said. I think the writer strays a bit and loses some of his punch in doing so. But it’s a good read. I hope you enjoy An Open Letter to the Police.
Here’s one that’s tongue-n-cheek. I stole this from Casey Dispatch.
Eurozone Economics
Some years ago, a small rural town in Spain twinned with a similar town in Greece. The mayor of the Greek town visited the Spanish town. When he saw the palatial mansion belonging to the Spanish mayor, he wondered how he could afford such a house.
The Spaniard said, “You see that bridge over there? The EU gave us a grant to build a two-lane bridge, but by building a single-lane bridge with traffic lights at either end, this house could be built.”
The following year, the Spaniard visited the Greek town. He was simply amazed at the Greek mayor’s house… gold taps, marble floors, it was marvelous. When he asked how this could be afforded, the Greek said, “You see that bridge over there?”
The Spaniard replied, “No.”
And, perhaps you’ve already seen this one. It’s been circulated a bit, in various forms, so I’m not sure where it’s from. But it’s quite illuminating.
Understanding politics and the economy can be accomplished by starting with two cows.
COMMUNISM
You have two cows.
The state takes both and gives you some milk.
FASCISM
You have two cows.
The state takes both and sells you some milk.
NAZISM
You have two cows.
The state takes both and shoots you.
BUREAUCRATISM
You have two cows.
The state takes both, shoots one, milks the other and then throws the milk away.
TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.
ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows.
The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company.
The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more.
You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows.
No balance sheet provided with the release.
The public then buys your bull.
A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organize a riot and block the roads, because you want three cows.
A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
You then create a clever cow cartoon image called “Cowkimon” and market it worldwide.
A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You reengineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month and milk themselves.
AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don’t know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.
A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5,000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.
A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.
AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.
A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.
AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No one believes you, so they bomb the crap out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a democracy.
AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go to the pub for a few beers to celebrate.
A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive.
A GREEK CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You borrow against the cows from the Germans.
You kill the cows and make souvlaki.
You can’t pay the interest, so the Germans lend you more money.
You can’t pay the interest, so the French lend you more money.
You can’t pay the interest, so the Italians lend you more money.
You can’t pay the interest, so the Spaniards lend you more money.
You can’t pay the interest, so your people hold a general strike.
You can’t pay the interest, so the EU bails you out.
You drink more ouzo.
Okay, enough is enough. I’ve interrupted your holiday more than I meant to. Enjoy your weekend and loved ones. Thanks for reading, proving once again that you’re not average.
Kind regards,
Another Joe
