All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind. – Abraham Lincoln

 RPG. Remember when that used to mean something? Role. Playing. Game. Role playing.  Immersive, complete, take over Role.  As much as a love a good MMOrpg , and the graphics that come with it, I can’t help but feel, there is something missing.  I enjoyed Neverwinter Nights beyond anything I could dream or fathom, and it was so close to perfect I still think about loading it up for another try.   Almost everything I wanted to imagine could be done with it.  I recreated my greatest characters, DMed games and made items and lands, quests, and even (dare I saw) dropped in few zingers.   But…I was missing something… That something about “The time when we [all our characters] were all splayed across the floor, every item used, every potion expended, and T Man stood up.., pointed at our DM and said ‘this is done. I’m rolling a 20.” Stepped back, and opened up the heaven of woop ass.”

We.  Our.  My.  It was real (within the context of the game world.).  I was invested, (and still am). I remember to this day, the incredible feeling and awfulness the first time (after years) my character died, and how it made my next character an obsessive defense master. 

But I also remember Diablo, and shouting and yelling as we had a “Leroy moment”[running into the room, activating all monsters] and realized someone had aggrooed all the guards in hell….that first character death was bitter, more so when I looked up from my computer walked out of the room to yell at my roommate who had gotten us all killed.  It wasin’t the playing, but the social interacting of the panic, the yelling at the screen and of course talking about it at lunch with the other Diablo players.  That shared experience about hell and wild panic.  A hidden geek social contract.

  Online playing vampire, and Mage and so many others, I still have stories about the man cliff hangers, the tension and the 20 character rooms waiting for the pin to drop.  RPG at it’s finest.   We knew each other by character colors, descriptions, methods of typing.  Who knew who ruled, in truth and online… it was a community.  What did they have in common?

1. The Social aspect.  Whether it’s net gaming, internet chat, or Xbox, being part of the group was always about… being part of the group.  Things happened in the group, the jokes, the Coke, the “I can’t believe you just jumped off a cliff” and GM reacting to the whim and craziness of the players. My chat room days was just as fun describing a battle as being in the battle afterwards, and my good friends relived mass moments of gaming lore, where someone did something we’d remember together.

2. I love seeing it, but I also like describing it.  Gamers talk with their hands, and their imagination.   There is not a GM, DM, storyteller, et al on the planet who has not had the perfect game fall apart, as the player does something ….unintentional.  Better yet, the adversarial (GM vs Players) nature of the game is preserved, and trust is rewarded.  The GM is not out to get you, because you CAN win…. But you can fail, and it will be more than creating another character or rebooting.

This game up because I saw a slide for a website. The slide had “RPG” on it, and described real mechanics, gorgeous graphics, storyline and epic quests, and strategy based battles, and right then I figured out what I didn’t like about modern RPG’s of the video game Varity. I figured out what was missing in today’s RPG’s.  They are Role playing  in title only.  You are not “Grandro, King of Servat.  Or Jim Danger, unlikely mage.” No, you’re playing a video game, where you get to make choices, sometimes, but it has an end, it has a story, and when you play again, it will be the same story, and no record of it will be kept.

Immersion is missing.   No, it’s not Mass effect.  Or Bio Shock. That’s just you, and some hanger on NPc’s you get to drag along, and when you die you curse and restart.  You’re forced to know about the world, because you need it to get the shotgun, and the “bio weapons of Boom” you really could care less about why.

Yeah, how many people know or care about the actually WORLD in Warcraft? Halo? It’s just a nice mechanics.  Very nice mechanics.  The backstory is Useful for if you raid or guild or which character you start as, but.. what about when you enter a town and the towns people boo? Or if you and the other players assemble to take the Castle and can’t overcome the defense.  Just long on and try again right?

Why does this matter? For years, I’ve had this game in my mind, and everyone who plays get’s invested in the game, their characters, and more importantly, the people they play with.  The game is mechanics heavy, but truly, it’s not (not if I can work it out) but it does require trust (as all rpgs) and time.

When White Wolf Studios closed their chat, I realized we’d lost something.  Many many people couldn’t find a group, lost the ability to really get into roleplaying as much as they could.  Furthermore, it was very much the way the game could  be played, exposed to sooo many people, and so many lives, it showed me a microcosm of life I didn’t know, as much as it sucked away my weekends.  I miss it.  I know it’s gone for the best (and my eventual growth) but just once, I wish to once again type out … “I enter.”

“There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law.” -Abraham Lincoln

The Masses, those who have come to the internet now, the late adopters have recently run into something us long time users know: their are trolls amung us.
I bring this up because i’m starting to see more and more of these posts.  In the NY times, poor Richard made a (Gasp!) comment about Stephen Fry, the British writer, actor and television personality.  (he called his tweets boring).  The writers and actors of Stargate Universe are actually getting depressed.

These are choice examples, but still, a wave that’s growing.  From twitter under the control of it’s user mob. To backlash against something (google wave: at the time) not yet even finalized.
I have something to say to you all, thou i admire you all:  “Welcome to the internet.  Now ignore the fools on it and go back to doing awesome work.”

Trolling has but two purposes: Provoke a emotional “negative response” and make express a (angry) and not always wrong point of view. But Trolling, and getting yelled at have been part of life forever, using the internet just requires more “emotional armor” than most people are used to. Admittedly, many people have to have a thick skin to do their jobs (think journalist and Politicians.) but ordinary people are not prepared for “vitriol” backlash they get after posting an otherwise innocent comment.  Thank fully i spent many times back in the BBS and Forum era.  You learn to read and ignore something a majority of internet users are JUST coming to grips with.

What hurts, is that someone you don’t know, who knows nothing about you, feels the need to call you a “dirty, lying bastard who should have his mother killed” it shocks, it raises your hackles, but I have both sympathy and yet none.  If i say Madonna sucks, and her twitter 2000 followers get angry about it (i don’t even know or care if Madonna has a twitter account btw)… these are the same people who would (in the past) flood my email if they could find it, who would send me hate mail if they knew my address, but in reality, would share a beer with me at a pub or ask me a sane questions in real life (”Why do you think that?”).  The other 2 million people who care about Madonna don’t give a damn what i think!  They would just laugh of my comments and keep going with their decidedly busy lives (listening to Madonna i might add).

I say again. “Ignore the fools and move on.” better yet, Disenvowell them!

My word of Advice: No matter what you do, their  is ALWAYS backlash.  Accept it. It’s a bell curve.  Humans must disagree with each other.  It’s something we all know: The squeaky wheel get’s the grease;  the loud person is always listed to; Most people who write their congress men are the ones who disagree.

Furthermore, these people think they are in the majority (See Sanford Study) , often times, unfortunately, they are not.

We know they(Trolls & Angry Vitriol) are not in the Majority..

Sticks and Stones, people, sticks and stones.

“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their Constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember it or overthrow it.” - Abraham Lincoln

Iran with its unrest here in the June 2009 is learning a lesson that oppressive regieme seem to never learn, what those drunk on power never seem to grasp. If you are going to pretend to give people the right to vote and chose their own way, you cannot also treat them like complete sheep and idiots.

People will accept their injustice, their oppression to a degree, but they will not accept a shell game. What do i mean?

No Choice.

Back in the Old Soviet union (and lots of dictatorships like Iraq) people were given the right to vote.  There was one candidate and he generally won with 99% of the vote (and most of the population), even when most people stayed home.  The election was a sham, everyone knew it, and that was the state of things, you went on with your life.

Choice

In  contrast, in Venezula they had a close election, In America 2000, and 2004 they had a close election.  People were upset and they voiced it… and their countries and govenment still stand. Why…  Many countries have had close elections, there is always talk of voter fraud and ballot fixing, but in actually democracies, the expectation matches that of what has been reported in the run up. Further more after one side loses, and there is obvious bitterness, it’s not that people don’t take to the streets and protest, its’ that the ruling powers acknowledge their protesting and basically ignores them, until they tire and go home.

General Conclusion

In a true democracy (right to vote, press freedom, right to assemble and speak), or let’s say a place where even if people don’t believe their guy lost,  They demonstrate, They bitch and then, They move on, why? because they trust the eventually digging.  Those who lost, and who think they should not have lost never stop seeking answers, questioning every machine, balot, they file every legal challenge and WE LET THEM!  because, that way we let them exaust themselves.  They are not following some fallacy either. If they found evidence they know it would be reported, the courts would listen, etc

The Problem with Pretending.

Those pretending to be a democracy always overreach.  Instead, not only do they stack the vote but they also stack the vote into the unbelievable range.  This is their crime or, real mistake.  Then after some initial disturbances the ruling class feel so shaky, so not in control, they then crack down on the people.  Often enough, this works –people like living after all.

The cause of the disturbance is the same- overreaching.  Whether or not the Voting in Iran was fixed two things have happened.  a) the expectation of a close election was a landslide (over reach) and then, telling the people that protesting the result would have grave consequences. (over reach).

The fix would have been simple. Let the people have the retally and then bring the counting in close with expectation, say 52/48 and still declare your guy the winner.   After all, those pretending usually have control of the media. It’s too late now anyway. The people are starting to figure out their are more of them, than the ruling class. This will only end in blood.

In the end, Pretending you are a democracy is bad, or just works until fear grips the ruling class. Just admit you’re not, and people accept it because they understand it, they understand those rules.  The rules are not going to change suddenly.   The Mob does not like change they can’t anticipate.

Web 2.0 is itself a meme of the internet age, but it has spawned many others- Government 2.0, and Industry 2.0- which, as defined above, is a transition from the before to something new.  But there is a greater definition which can be surmised and will be defined in this article.

The Innovation Life Cycle[1] 

The 2.0 moniker means innovative, different, Wow! And yet evolving, and filled with potential able to reach past its original function or intent.  Any 2.0 means the system (service or technology et al) has evolved or transitioned to a second phase, an “exciting” every present, “We can’t believe we lived without this” Stage.  It’s also a signal of “reinvention.” The 2.0 moniker fits right between early adapters and early majority.

The Innovation Life Cycle

• Stage 1.0: Creation for Specificity - A system is targeted at a specific group or to fill a perceived need. This comprises of Innovators and early adopters who tend to expand the service by adding and discovering other uses and are the major force of influencing others to use the product. 
• Stage 2:0 Extension – The System achieves a critical mass by extending beyond its core target audience, and targeted users.  It becomes “The next big thing.” And suddenly it is the conversation. This is where Early Majority comes into play.
• Stage 3.0 Ever Present – The system is so ever-present it becomes a verb. (Google, Tweet, Xerox, Phone, Email.) The system is no longer Novel, and is dis-attached from the technology that spawned it and many other systems or technologies are created to support it.   A new category of classification may even be created for it.  This is the state where Late Majority and Laggards adoptors are literally pulled into the massive forward wave.
• Stage 4.0 Reinvention and/or Abandonment – At this stage, innovators again take over, but the system is clearly on its way out.  Laggards only exist here, and branded as “not with it.”  It should be noted that Laggards can sometimes drive the innovation model in an effort to preserve the “idealistic” or cultural feel they had as in Stage 2.0.  (Roller Skates to Roller Blade, VCR to DVR, 8 Track to Tape, Return of Vinyl, and the remodeled PT cruiser car.)
• Stage 5.0 Obsolescence – Few things truly reach this level of obsolesce without force.  The Vacuum Tube for TVs is totally gone, even thou TVs still exist.  8 Tracks are gone, even thou the ability to record and copy Information still exist.  Often times, part of the technology that has been redesigned.

To understand 2.0 moniker as part of the Innovation Life cycle, let’s me first use an example.

Twitter is not a web 2.0 Site by itself. It’s static and rather boring.  If one had to go to twitter web site all the time, it would not be a great website, forever lost in a niche; with the publishing of a twitter API, the ability to interact with twitter and twitter users in many different ways has allowed twitter to grow.

Twitter is now used for more than talking about or describing breakfast. It is now used for Alerts, to deliver news and to garner almost real time views on a subject better than a focus group. I can twitter from my computer.  My cellphone can twitter. My Friends twitter. I can embed twitter on my web site. The news uses twitter. The police use twitter. People expect other people to tweet and wonder why they don’t. I expect that when I tweet someone I get an answer. Twitter is used in warnings and notifications, to aggregate news and for statistical study.

What is interesting about this example is that this is also the definition of email when it started.  This is the pager 10 years ago, this is instant messaging (Aim, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, and Jabber) 8 years ago, and this is Myspace 5 years ago.  Now those technologies seem either ever present (stage 3.0), tired, or defunct, or no longer “novel.” (  Clearly Stage 4.0 or 5.0)

Innovation Phase definition.

It is during the stage 4.0 that a system fractures, and moves to either a new medium (tape to DVD) or the current medium continues to be reinvented (Telephone to cellphone).  Because of this its is important to note be clear about the boundaries of the Innovation Life cycle we are using.

We can say we are in:

• Email 3.0 (everyone has email, it’ not novel) or instead Messaging 4.0 (after voice mail, email, Aim, and it’s clear twitter is a reinvention of messaging)
• Skiing 4.0 (Skying is clearly being reinvented with the introduction of the snowboard or Snowboarding 3.0 (people are starting to ask, don’t you now board, you should try) or Winter Activities 2.0 (winter activities are fun again, with the X games leading the branding)

“When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted.” Abraham Lincoln

There seems to be a problem with phones, and information in the courts. 

This article is astounding, more so I’m astounded by the silliness and stupidity of the courts.  Let’s go back to oh, 1980. I am on a Jury and I am told to go home at the end of the day… I do so. The court has to TRUST that I do not look up, speak with or discuss the case.  Now, let’s be serious, people probably did but it was to whom and impact: Your wife, your next door neighbor, they read up on the latest in the news paper…

When they came back to court the Court had to judge they didn’t violate the rules. However, if they were found to, they were dismissed or there would be a mistrial.  In short we accepted out of sight, and out of mind.

Fast forward to 2009.  It’s the same thing, people looking up info on their iPhone or twittering.  Only difference “instance and magnitude.” The solution is still the same… BAN cellphones in the court room. I mean seriously, how difficult is that. When do you so, you return right back to 1985, and you didn’t know if people broke the rules then, and you wouldn’t know now.

The twitter users are different. IF someone goes home and twitters such info, then, just as you did in 1985, you dismiss them or the trail. It’s no different. Infact, you can “ask” for such blogs and Twitters, and i’m sure defense attorney will monitor them, but better yet, attach a fine to blogging or twittering about a trial during a trail as a modified GAG order, which has existed for quite some time. 

The first time someone gets a $5000 for doing it, i bet no one else will do it.   No new laws needed, no new rules; just impose the ones you have and get back to the business of the courts.

The Point: Don’t make something a big deal with laws exist already to handle the problem…, laws and a little common sense.

Solution. Ended.

“There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law” – Abraham Lincoln

Congress is pissed about the AIG bonuses (March 17, 2009), so am I. You should be pissed too, but let us be clear:  The law of unintended consequences states clearly; (paraphrasing) if you use a simple solution to fix a complex problem, you will end up with outcome you clearly didn’t foresee.  

As we’ve learned over and over again, anything Congress agrees to immediately is a BAD idea. Legislation that is decided in about a week is written too broadly and loaded with Anti- Constitutional bias, because, really, the constitution is there to help us stop our head long rush to bias.

Examples of Quick bad laws with unforeseen consequences:

• USA Patriot Act (eventually led to the Iraq war justification and wire tapping and GITMO)
• The TARP act – Seriously, how much money did we give them (800 Billion) and still had to do it again?
• And now a potential Tax on AIG bonus specifically?  Seems ripe with equal protection bias. 

The problem is, the Tax ability of Congress (per the XVI Amendment) is DAMN broad.  On One hand, the argument to kick AIG executives in the teeth feels good, (98% to 100% tax on those people getting bonuses!) sounds awesome, but congress shouldn’t do it. The old definition still works too: A simple system cannot effectively control or predict a complex system. 

Note: Now, I understand taxes (I don’t like paying them); I am not stupid. I know that taxes are necessary to run things.  It would be a nasty and silly idea to actually allow a government (especially a capitalist government, that can print its own money) to actually go into full on business to generate funds. It has different rules, makes the laws, and will tend towards monopolistic ideals.   However, I do agree that spinning off LLC’s and 501(c)(3) -not for profit) are good in my book. It also adds some independence to the process. Governments who was in charge of making money don’t like losing money, so things will be glossed over, money will be “switched.” etc, In general, the business cycle isn’t a nice place for a bureaucracy.

Yet taxing something at 100 or 98%? For only a few people? Oh that’s just ripe for court challenge. Tacked on laws –because you’re pissed- are bad policy. If the tax was previously there as a condition of taking the money –BEFORE HAND-, well that’s one thing, that supersedes contract, as you’d be entering into a new contract with full knowledge of what you are doing.  In that way, it’s akin to filing Bankruptcy, the genuine contract thumper.

Legal Arguments against the AIG bonus Tax: Fall flat, except on purely “you shouldn’t do it” terms.

On the Equal Protection side of the fence, you can say, Congress can tax Cigarettes, Alcohol, Gas, Clothing, etc, because I can chose not to buy that thing.  And it applies to any one who buys those things, so they can’t (or shouldn’t) tax me for things imposed upon me, or given to me, (like a bonus). Because the tax is so narrow, and Imposed upon me, it should clearly violate equal protection.

Except there is the gift tax (an imposed tax).  The gift tax Congress treats like “income.” for the person getting it. 

*While we are on the subject: This “income” is general already taxed money.  A good tax would be on “Winnings and landfalls.” like Vega or lotto but the inheritance tax is silly. Inheritance is a transfer of wealth, so Congress is basically taxing “my” death.  They are basically saying “We know you possibly couldn’t have paid all the taxes you had, so we’re going to hit you again just to make sure.”

Perhaps the law would be construed as TOO narrow, but….

As for the second option, snapping the contracts?  Government can’t break the contracts for giving out bonuses with a law that would cause a ripple effect like none other. If a person can’t believe in their contract, then the ink might as well be invisible.

One real option is to force AIG to give the money back Now and then when they do fail, to send it thru tried and tested laws, on Bankruptcy filings.

Laws should work for the populous, not be used to bludgeon something that really pisses congress off.   And yes, the populous is pissed, but Mob rule is not to be acknowledged, it is a rather nasty thing.  Think about the consequence of passing something immediately.  Who’s ever going to accept money? Who’s ever going to want to be a CEO?  How about a anytime people get pissed the CEO has his money taken away? You know a consequences of that? He no longer looks out for Shareholder Value, he looks out for his own value, and making sure his kids don’t starve.  Why take risks if you will be blamed for it in the future, why innovate you could be wrong.  Punishment is a deterent, but please, never discount –personal- need or greed. People will let a company fail if it means them get to get their money for X dollars in the end.

The point:  I say congress should look at the laws they have already on the books. Don’t make more bad law.   The Tax and financial codes are thick with rules. Use them or realize they truly do suck and then make better rules.

We live in the midst of alarms; anxiety beclouds the future; we expect some new disaster with each newspaper we read - Abraham Lincoln

There are many news paper who are dying,

“Hearst is threatening to close the San Francisco Chronicle – and on Monday said it would make the Seattle Post-Intelligencer an online-only publication. Gannett, owner of USA Today, has followed The New York Times in slashing its dividend to preserve cash. Titles from the venerable Cincinnati Post to the six-year-old New York Sun have folded”

The web isn’t killing them, Aggregators on the web are killing them. But forcing aggregators to pay is just a losing game. there are too many people writing, too many links, track backs, A hacker would just reprint the NY times on a uncloseable Page in New Delhi in anger.

But i think it’s because the business model, based on Revenues from advertising, cannot really subsist in a digital age.   It’s not that people do not want to the content, infact, they want the content to get to their phones, their enhanced computer desktops, their ipods and Kindles; but they want it for free…., and that’s because they used to get it for free.  Before the Google “click” model, There was for example “Tom’s Hardware.” And on this page was a hobbyist who devoted his time to telling US the masses Hardware news. It was hard, but he was dedicated.  Well, maybe he makes money at it now, but hobbyists who are willing to just “work hard for zero return” are everywhere… they are blogging and micro blogging and letting you know what’s what without massive advertising dollars.

1 TV to the Rescue - this solution is for the big conglomerates to control a real Print side. all major News networks have a print component on their web site, but their TEXT sides are barely more than transcripts of their TV sides.  The point of their reporters is not to write a Pulitzer (written) but to win one for TV (Video).  So who wants to write a 3 page story anyway, when you can video it and it gets Youtubed! Still, TV would do good to collect some of these Talented Writers, and Make special pages for them. 

2. Bundle and Pay.  In the Age of 3G, 4g, WiMAX, Universal Wifi, Video is very important. Really Important. Phone will soon be getting video and soon, someone will approach AT&T or HULU or someone and bundle this, like cable companies did and sell it back.  That’s right, subscription. I pay Comcast, and Comcast pays the times (for views or what have you.)  Problems Is, i don’t want “15 second spot.” in my Text. I may allow it in my video, but not in my text. Yet People will pay for premium content. This is true. There is always a small group of people who WILL pay. Just like premium chocolate, or Car parts or HBO. However, HBO really hit it’s stride when it got Comcast to offer it with it’s service.  Now it has like 8 HBo channels, is offering great shows (yet still sticking to it’s “commercial free.” mantra. The same could be done for print.  Say certain sites were blocked unless you paid the extra “news paper fee.” then a .info would open up to you.  Thou, I hate this plan, as it would segment the internet, and limit free speech. Still, take a look at it, find a better way than What I’ve explained, i know it’s there.

3. Just be small. A news paper can simply live online. Being so small it hires the limited number of writers per it’s click thru, but innovation rules on the internet, and there is only so many ways to deliver print.  Soon enough I suspect your reporter will leave and start his own “click to revenue blog.”

“The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.” – Abraham Lincoln

I’ve been kicking it around in my head.  There are programs for students in school (internships and the like) where they can get experience in a field they are working towards and maybe (just maybe) get hired where they are interning.  Such things are common in the goverment, PR agency’s and even Law, MBA schools.

But let’s be serious. Many of us arn’t always that sharp and we leave college, fresh with degree in hand … and are screwed.  Turns out, after you leave college you are a “professional.” yet the catch 22, because you have no practicle exprience few want to hire you. 

What is needed, what this page advocates is the “newly graduated.” Paid internship program.  And that’s the rub actually.  PAID internship.  While in collage you were free labor, paid for by govt or private loans.  As a graduate you are really a salaried person. 

It’s wrong. 

Anyway the idea was to get a fund, a 501(c)3 not for profit who’s only purpose was to accept donations to pay the newly graduated so the companies wouldn’t have to.  Several methods could be worked out.

1. Pay actual intership rates, in, while the Not for profit paid the Intern a base salary.  

2. to be eligable for greater than normal rates (upcomming) the intern would be evaluated by the employeer and must achive a steady “satisfoctory rating overall job and personality performance.”

Gathering funding may (well) would be difficult, but there are Gov’t grant programs as well as private funding (and being a 501(c)3 would be tax deductable. 

But i hesitate, for there is the hardest and most difficulty  burden.  Not new applicants. Grad schools gradute enough people every damn semester.  The problem would be convincing companies to hire these young gradutaes or revamp there Intership programs.

What would be needed at a minimum. 

• Business Development Associates. – To seek out standard internships and to convince companies to hire these recent gradutes.  This would involve working also with universitiy graduate programs. 
• HR/ Staffing professionals – To screen and match these young graduates and career changers with companies.
• Communication specalist. – To help promote this radical idea. To get people to contribute to it and to even add more exposure to the program. 

I’m willing to give it a try. What about you?

I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in High Places will follow, and the Money Power of the Country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed.” – Abraham Lincoln

Let’s talk about the will of the voter, and their ability to understand.  Many people like to talk about the will of the Voter, yet our founding father didn’t trust the average voter.  They feared the Tyranny of the Majority.  This is one of the why we have an electoral college, so the majority of the large states couldn’t overpower the smaller states. This is also why the Senate has two votes, no matter the size of the state. 

But what about other things were the voter was clearly wrong, but it takes  strong leadership (and very bitter pills) to pass some of of the most controversial laws and rules we’ve had in this 20th century?

The Civil War and Civil Rights Laws come to mind easily.  But race is the easy thing to pick on, sometimes, it takes strength to ignore the Voters and do what’s right.  Some people think this “Rescue/Bailout” is a good idea.  Certainly the treasury think so.  95 Democrats and A 135 Republicans don’t think you should overcome the will of the voters. (btw, incase this is making you confused, the Voters don’t want the bailout)

Let’s get something clear. This page is against the rescue plan or bail out-or whatever you want to call it today. As we stated a while a go, a mass infusion of funds is needed,  stiff policies  and better regulatory rules updated for todays complicated credit markets, and this fascination we have for living beyond our means [debt.]

*and back on track*

IF we are going to continue being a nation who adds debt to our version of capitalism, then this credit crisis needs fixing. Going against the will of the voters is sometimes necessary and better in the long run with careful planning and without partisan bickering. But in this case, the voters are right. Let’s fix this from the root, not fix the corporations.

Let’s get to it.

 I’ll glad you pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger today. – Whimpy

Intervention in Markets, with artificial price controls (high or low) taxes and regulation is never pretty when things revert back to their natural state, but a purely capital society cannot be left to itself without some regulation.  Monopolies are bad for competition, Trickle down economics does not work, because the corporation isn’t a feeling entity, (some would argue that those who run them are not feeling entities either).

Unfortunately for the panicy, the market is working just fine.  At this time, 9-30-08, There is risk of a large financial melt down. Yesterday, The house rejected the “plan.” bail our or resuce as you decide. Credit markets are freezing up and locking people and companies into being unable to pay their bills.

As I pointed out, Money is a pyrmaid scheme that works only as long as /everyone/ does not want  their money back. Right now!  Credit inflates Demand, and then supply. It is a tool that we’ve added to our market, and we are living with that consequence.

In a normal world, a $40,000 car without credit is too much. Simply supply and demand states if A car cost $40,000 and 95% cannot buy said car for more than $5000, the price of the car is too much. But with credit, the promise to buy the car now, and pay over time, (at a fee), demand for the car is artificially  higher and supply is pushed higher to feed that demand.  

Face it, When credit market’s freeze because banks (or loan sharks) don’t believe you’ll be able to pay them back, then what we are left with is the only true accepted currency -cash- and a return to the natural Level of supply and demand!

The rush to cash creates other pressures.  Since credit is the only thing that exists, and those with something to sell know that only cash is good, they tend to raise prices, to get more cash (hoping) that prices will stabilize and they will be left with a wind fall. This is where greed comes in, and Inflation starts to rise; soon, suppliers are asking for buckets of money.

But, let’s take a look at the root of all this mess.  Home loans.  Republicans like to say “bailing out people who bought a house they can’t afford.” It’s actually rather insulting. People /could/ afford their houses.  THey did so until the variable loans all ballooned.  Those talking heads” like to say “well, it’s riskier, ” so that’s why rates went up? I don’t know what makes less sense,  “I as a home owner can’t afford to pay you -for ex- $10. a month, so to make it less riskier for you, you are going to charge me $12 a month instead? and oh, your solution to my deepening crisis? you’ll offer me a new loan to canel out my debts but at $15 a month?”

Refusal to write down these loans, or renegotiate back to a fixed (And reasonable ) rate is pure greed; Paper money lost. Face it, the bank doesn’t want the house, so why are they so annoyingly nasty about helping you out?  Wall street, wall street and the quarterly earning statements.  Instead of X in profits, it would be y % less and that’s bad!

Greed, unfortunately, is the ultimately regulator of the market, because when greed totally infuses the system, the system collapses. Adam smith pointed out that pursuit of one’s own “self interest” is a measure of necessity when dealing with free markets.  He’s right. It’s in one’s self interest to be greedy. It’s not to let the system fail.

Zero return makes you want to turn up your note.  But know what’s worse? Default. Bankruptcy. Failure of the financial system. Accepting Zero for 3 months is far better than having the cash flow you were expecting for 30 years gone.  Predatory lending practices made Variable interest loans far more attractive to “those who can’t afford.” while smart risk management would have kept those at 80/20 to stable fixed loans to stable customers.

We need regulation because people , companies, … everyone, is unable to regulate themselves.  Voluntary regulation does not work. Never did. Won’t now.  We shouldn’t allow companies to become so large they threaten several governments when they fail.  We shouldn’t allow immediate short selling of stock you don’t own to drive a companies price down. (btw, ) margin selling (again, credit problem where you bought something you didn’t own on a promise to pay later, contributed to the first SNL crisis.  It seems allowed to balloon keeps leading to a pretty standard problem)

Let’s face it.  Risk was played on both sides, the lenders and the receivers..

Risk lost.

The market is now righting itself; Unfortunately.

Karl Marx would be smiling now if he knew what we’d done to ourselves.