Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Who am I?



Who am I?  Well I wrote something years ago in my blog, but I had a moment that pushed me further to the right.  That moment was after the Aurora shooting.  When liberals went wild and started crying for the scrapping of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.  I cannot stand these cowards!  They would honestly want to lay their hands on a document that has worked for 220+ years just because of their irrational fears?  They are puppets with their strings being pulled.  Gun violence has dropped in the USA since the 1990s, despite the fact that gun ownership has steadily been on the rise.  FBI statistics prove that more murders are committed in the USA by baseball bats than guns, but I do not hear anyone crying to ban baseball bats.  This is not a rant about firearms and Constitutional rights though; it is about who I am.  As you can tell it was Aurora that motivated me to go even further to the right.

I am basically white or Caucasian (or just a damn cracker), but it is not that simple, because I am an American.  I am half Greek from my father.  My grandfather immigrated into the USA during the 1920s.  From my mother I am 12 other races: English, Welch, Scottish, Irish, French, German, Dutch, Ukrainian, Turk, Black, Mexican and Sioux Indian.  So I am your typical American mutt.  Exact percentages are questionable, because my mother’s family tree is blocked, because she was adopted and the only thing I have to go on is the list she gave me.  I grew up in Gary Indiana and just outside Detroit (an area we called Sin City).  I am a Junior High dropout; the last grade I finished was 8th.  My father was physically abusive to the extreme and my mother borderline insane, not very nice things to say about my parents but accurate.  I lived on the wrong side of the law as a juvenile and that is really all I will say about that.  The thing I knew best growing up was violence, it was in my home, at my school and on the streets.  At the age of 17 I packed up and moved to Orlando Florida, because of the before mentioned reason.  At 20 I was married into a premade family to a woman 10 years my senior.  She was a good person and I caused her a lot of heartache, I am sorry Darlene.  I got into a little more trouble with the law (nothing I will mention), but I was convicted of nothing.   I was divorced by 25 or so (actual date is confusing and if I told that story you would not believe me). 

I decided I was tired of being an uneducated idiot; it was stifling any career opportunities.  So I pursued a college degree.  This was a tough course to follow, not because I am not intelligent enough to achieve this dream.  Real life has a habit of interfering with long term goals.  I did not get my BA in history until 2010.  I did however graduate Magna Cum Laude.  As of right now I am almost done with my MBA and on the waiting list for a local law school. 

Politically my journey is very confusing.  As a delinquent I had no real political opinion on anything.  I was more concerned with money and drugs.  When I started to have real concern for politics, I am not very sure.  I combined my own firsthand knowledge of life with Marxist theory.  I believed a hybrid was possible between capitalism and communism that could feed off human nature for its own good.  I embraced many theories that for lack of a better word are lies.  I was however not a western liberal leftist.  I traveled the path of a Third World Revolutionary, I believed the only way to bring about change was through violent revolution and peaceful revolution was preached only by cowards.  I ended up blogging and gained a following all over the world (approximately 10,000 people at my peak).  I was a true revolutionary (I would say communist, but I did not embrace that theory completely) and believed that any who did not embrace the new system should simply be shot.  Well a typical Western style liberal became infatuated with me and it lead to a relationship.  Typical because even though she said she agreed with everything I said, still there was that John Lennon peace mentality in her beliefs.  When this ended I went into a phase of self examination and accidentally put all of my beliefs under this same microscope.  This is my point of enlightenment.  I discovered that the teachings of the left (on almost every level) are not compatible with human nature.  The only way for the philosophies of the left to succeed is if human nature is changed to suit them.  Now I hope I do not have to explain to anyone how unlikely that result truly is.  So I left the Esteban Najid (my pen name) personality behind and concentrated on finishing my degree. 

I still was not active politically, even though I did lean right.  I had given up on politics.  I saw both sides as too corrupt to care about and I just wanted to live my life.  I still voted and tried to be the best informed voter I could be.  The reason for this is I believe if you do not vote, you have no right to bitch.  Since I make a whole bunch of noise (I know, shocking right?) I felt it was my duty to vote and not be a hypocrite.  See this is my biggest pet peeve, I cannot stand hypocrites!  I have always believed that you should practice what you preach or shut up.  I am not talking about falling short from being perfect, no one is perfect.  You must make the best effort that is possible to follow through with the words you say.  Then the Aurora shooting happened and liberals went wild in their attacks on the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.  I am sorry, but the Second Amendment is my main issue.  Without it the people are nothing more than serfs.  You cannot fight back against anything or defend yourself in any way if you do not have the right to bear arms.  Once the liberals started their attacks on the Constitution I drifted farther and farther to the right, making more and more noise along the way.  I have seen how they show their true colors of yellow PC cowardice.  I have seen how the media embraces the news stories of the left while ignoring shocking stories that would gain them good ratings (Kermit Gosnell and Benghazi for instance).  They blow out of proportion every single shooting and if you look at the people doing and approving these stories they hate gun rights anyways.  The left has not learned what I did, that their policies are not compatible with human nature.  Do they think they can change human nature by the fruits of their policies? These fruits are creating an underclass with no hope of achieving anything, but they view prosperity 10 miles away and on the television.  This same underclass is crime ridden, because they want money for the finer things (with no other way to get it) or drugs to escape their dismal future.  This is still a risk versus reward mentality, which is one of the most basic principles of capitalism. 

So now I sit on the right side of the political fence.  I am not a very good conservative, but since I trust the US Constitution I would make a horrible liberal.  I also do not believe in the 1960s mentality of protest and revolution.  I would make the streets run red with blood before I would let a dirty hippy rewrite the Constitution.  I am still in a process of learning and growth, which I am fine with.  As Bruce Lee said, “the day I quit learning, is the day you can put the final nail in my coffin.”  He also said, “I am not a master, I am a student master, because I am always learning.”  I am not the most intelligent person, but I have gained wisdom by walking a very hard path.  I would not trade any of my past experiences for the world.  The path I have traveled has led me to the point I am at today.   I know I am not perfect, but I am comfortable with the person I have become.  I can only strive to improve who I am on a daily basis.

I probably shared too much information in some ways and not enough in others, but my life is so full of contradictions and confusion I could not know where to begin or end.  So this is my overview I provide to the curious, to those who wonder how I got to where I am today.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

What I wrote to my Reps!



Senator,

I am very concerned with the bill the Gang of Eight has put together.  I am in complete agreement with Senator Ted Cruz that this bill is not good for America!  I would ask that you stand against it the way it is written.

I also have concerns that are not mentioned.  First why are we trying to add millions to the workforce when tens of millions are under or unemployed?  Why are we rewarding people who violate the rule of law?  Why are we going to allow every illegal immigrant who was returned to their home country to return?  This is not something that a logically thinking American citizen would put together when it pertained to their home and personal property.  So why is the Senate doing something that logical dictates so clearly against?

If you break the law, you face the consequences for your actions. That is a basic premise of responsibility and a concept that has made America great.  We cannot be granting exceptions to the law just because of protests.  Would we legalize meth if one million meth addicts marched on Washington?

Why are businesses that violate the law not going to be prosecuted? Why does E-verify not get expanded and instead a new system is put in place similar to E-verify.  E-verify has been a great success and deserves to be expanded rather than scrapped.

The USA has plenty of uneducated and low skill workers, adding more will only add to the burden that our country carries.  It is the right of every country to control its borders and decide who may and may not enter.  The immigration system is on life support, but this bill will kill it.  The Gang of Eight make horrible surgeons!  I see this bill as nothing but catering to every single special interest group in the USA (from illegals to labor to business).  It is time for our elected officials to do the right thing, rather than the politically expedient thing.

Thank you,

Friday, June 7, 2013

Taxes and eliminating the IRS



Let’s talk about taxes baby...
Let’s talk about what we pay...
            Okay, Salt-n-Pepa I’m not, but you try to come up with an intro for taxes.  I guess I could just write about the situation and the problems with the solution proposed by many.  The problem is obvious today; the Internal Revenue Service has grown too big and powerful for its own good.  The IRS strikes fear into Americans like no other government agency.  The Federal Bureau of Investigations could knock on your door and your pulse would go higher if it was an IRS agent.  This power is being abused by the present administration (and past administrations) as a political tool in their arsenal to attack opponents.  If you are against the party in power, you have to fear the IRS.  The IRS has become so conceited in its own power that they ask what books you read and the content of your prayers!  This is a slap in the face to the US Constitution and the Founding Fathers!  In 2014 the IRS will be in charge of making sure that the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare) is being complied with by business and citizens of this country.  It is bad enough that the government is instituting regulations upon a section of the economy to such a degree of control that it makes the entire industry a part of the government by proxy.  The additional power that this gives the IRS puts them on par with the combined branches of the military, but who does the IRS protect us from?  Ask the average American and the only protection they want is from the IRS!

            Dissolve the IRS has become the battle cry!  The problem is of course that the Federal Government actually does some good and they need money to operate.  So how do we accomplish this feat?  I have heard talk about a fair tax, that a citizen would only need to fill out something the size of a postcard and send in.  This sounds a little too good to be true and I am willing to bet will become a system that is easy to abuse by those who will not pay their “fair tax” share.  I have even heard people say that all we need is tariffs to support the Federal Government.  The only problem with that is that many of those same people are the ones that jump up and down about fair trade.  Fair trade by definition is one that is free of tariffs.  This creates a conflict of ideology, you cannot have both.

            Which brings us to Herman Cain’s 999 plan; now I must admit that when I first heard it, I did not like it.  I just knew that if we had a Federal sales tax, when you combined it with state and in some cases city sales taxes, it would kill the economy.  I have thought about it for a year now and the plan has grown on me as I weighed the pros and cons.  First off, everyone would have more money in their pockets without Federal withholding.  The question becomes would the increased sales tax stop people from making purchases?  My conclusion is that it does not matter.  It does not matter because if people do not make purchases they still have to do something with the money.  If they choose to put it into savings or investment it, they will still be helping the economy.  I also believe there is a segment of the population who will always be consumers and spend all of their money, no matter what the sales tax rate is.

            There are a few things that are needed to make sure that the system is fair.  First off no cap for luxury goods, many states have limits on how much you have to pay in sales tax.  For instance, if you buy a car they will put a cap on how much you pay for a purchase (or maybe my information is just a decade old).  So if someone were to buy a $50k car, but the limit maxed out at $20k, they will pay the same taxes as someone that buys the cheaper car.  That is simple enough and I am sure few people would have a problem with it.  Now for the more controversial aspects; first there will be no tax exempt status for any organization.  Without a small army to do investigations I say just keep it simple and eliminate tax exempt status.  I do not care if you are a charity, a religion or a political organization.  If you make the purchase, you pay like everyone else.  When you start exempting different organizations it will become like a drug and every special interest group will try to gain that status for itself.  Yes it will hurt some organizations, but their donors should have more money to give.  Normal people will no longer be able to take tax breaks for donations, so why add complexity by giving such status to any organization.  Next any sale will be taxed.  This sale can be business to business or business to consumer, even business to government.  There will be no loopholes to allow businesses to get out of this.  If you buy and import goods from overseas, as soon as they cross the border the tax must be paid.  Yes that will work similar to a tariff, but if you bought the goods within the USA it would bring about the same result.  There is a way for companies to get around this.  They would have to build their products from start to finish keeping cost down, rather than spreading subcontracts around.  Companies contract over pennies per piece all the time, because not only can someone else make the product cheaper, but they can use their resources on more profitable endeavors.  This will step onto the toes of middlemen.  Some middlemen are honest businessmen, but there are others who use their power in similar ways as the IRS.  This will help to shorten the steps between manufacture and final sale, but this process is already taking place in business.  There is one more process that should be mentioned/taxed.  When money is sent outside of this country, it should be taxed.  You made it and you were not taxed (consumer or business), but before you send it overseas, we are going to tax you for sending our money elsewhere.

            Even with all of this we still cannot completely get rid of the IRS.  You have to have agents investigate these organizations to make sure that they are properly paying the taxes.  Even Texas has these agents that do such investigations.  I know this for a fact; my cousin is in Dallas, has his own business and was audited.  No exemption from taxes does mean less need for agents though, because they will be concentrating on a single specialized purpose and not spread out over many different responsibilities.  

            Still there is one tax that needs to be kept in place.  The reason for this is the problem that is created without it.  What is the purpose of the stock exchange?  Basically it is to provide capital to companies to they can expand or improve their product/service.  When you own stock, you own a part of that company.  It is in your best interest that the company has long term profitability.  The problem is that the stock market too often resembles a Las Vegas craps table.  Throw in the fact that board members and upper management will cannibalize a company (or mutual fund) for a short term gain.  This could be in the form of their bonus or stock options (which are basically the same thing).  So we keep the capital gains tax, but we have to remember that our goal is to eliminate income tax and capital gains is a form of income.  By the same token we want to encourage the stock market to fulfill its actual purpose, one of long term investment.  The solution is a dropping tax rate depending upon how long you have the stock.  For instance, if you sell it the first year you own it you pay 75% tax on your profit.  I know, that sounds insane!  Well it is and that is the point!  However each year you own the tax your liability drops 15% to 60%, then 45%, etc, until you owe no tax on your sale. For stock options the term is longer, because these people actually control the direction and future of the organization.  If you sell the stock in the first year 100% of your profit is taxed and that drops 10% per year until you owe no taxes on the sale.  Once again with no exceptions for any organization, no matter what they are.  It could be a pension, a trust fund, a charity or religious organization.  There is no need to give unfair trading advantage to any such organization, since they already control billions of dollars in the market.  This will encourage our investment markets to think years down the road, instead of worrying about the next quarter.

            From the length of this, you can tell I have been playing with the idea in my mind for a while now.  I do not claim this is the perfect solution or that my limited knowledge gives me the right to make any such claim.  All I am saying is that it is an idea which maybe someone with greater knowledge can take and run with.  Fixing my errors along the way and adapting it in a way that it can work.  That is if this seed is a good one and can grow into something beautiful.  I also realize this maybe the most controversial thing I have ever written.  If you believe I am wrong and foolish, then I ask you this.  Is your body of knowledge of the subject so great that you can come up with the start of a solution on your own?  Or are you merely accepting at face value what others promise you?  To accept something like that in such a way without questioning it or gaining greater knowledge, is that not just like drinking the kool aid we accuse liberals of doing?  We live in a marvelous society and it is even more complex.  There are many variables that must be taken into account and many problems that need to be fixed.  Play with the problems in your head, maybe you are the person that can come up with the perfect solution.  However you never waste any time or effort by exercising your mind!