probably the most compelling argument i've heard to get up off your ass. go do it people. its not only good for the environment, but is fundamentally what this country is about.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/do_we_still_tol.php
24 January 2009
31 December 2008
Why not to eat meat
The refusal to eat animals due to treatment is reason that does not hold sway in my mind. This does not stem from some "faith based" reason, if such a thing even exists. Animals were not put here on Earth to be subservient to humans. We are not the protectors nor the guardians of the worlds animal population. We have evolved to a point where we control the evolutionary paths of the creatures around us to serve our survival and now, in this day and age, to increase our comfort and contribute to time spent at leisure.
Any reasoning speaking of humans as 'cruel' to 'cute' animals is equally asinine. Yes, animals feel pain. Yes, they feel discomfort in poor conditions. In the end however, animals will die. Everything that is alive will die. In most cases these creatures would not be alive in the first place without careful tending by humans and because we are the keepers of life and death for these creatures I find it hard to rationalize some sort of "right" to exist in the open, free range that should dissuade us from treating them a certain way.
The one reason I have found to be persuasive is the environmental one. Methane is much worse of a greenhouse gas than carbon gas, and as we may all know methane is a natural by-product of digestion for most animals. That being said, one has a pretty good reason to at least cut back on meat consumption.
So there we go. Try to eat less meat. Save the world. Simple math.
Any reasoning speaking of humans as 'cruel' to 'cute' animals is equally asinine. Yes, animals feel pain. Yes, they feel discomfort in poor conditions. In the end however, animals will die. Everything that is alive will die. In most cases these creatures would not be alive in the first place without careful tending by humans and because we are the keepers of life and death for these creatures I find it hard to rationalize some sort of "right" to exist in the open, free range that should dissuade us from treating them a certain way.
The one reason I have found to be persuasive is the environmental one. Methane is much worse of a greenhouse gas than carbon gas, and as we may all know methane is a natural by-product of digestion for most animals. That being said, one has a pretty good reason to at least cut back on meat consumption.
So there we go. Try to eat less meat. Save the world. Simple math.
09 December 2008
We did it!
Personal responsibility is now dead. thanks soccer moms of the world. you've finally done it. bailouts, shift blame, and talk about how unfair the situation is. either way you've successfully rid the world of any personal stake in the matter. congrats. you will rot in hell.
17 November 2008
Too Big to Fail?
I cannot believe that the phrase was even uttered. What in the heck is going on in this country? What for did we fight those 'evil' socialists around the world for in the first place? I can't believe this rationalization is being used to steal from hardworking Americans. my reasons for saying this:
1. taxes are collected in order to provide services for the country.
2. in no place in the constitution does it specify that the 'american way of life' is gaurenteed.
3. when we tie ourselves to the market, as is the only way to preserve the RIGHT to property we knowingly accept the risk that the market may fail. however, in doing so we preserve the RIGHT to things that are our own.
when the government demands your taxes, they are stealing things from you that do not belong to them. when the government takes your taxes and uses it to float a company that can't compete in the market, the are using stolen goods for an immoral reason. ask yourself, to whom is this money being sent? whose good is it for? the public good? that doesn't make sense, because it is coming at the expense of some more than others... if it was for the public good, the public would have an equal share of it... but wait, why this company? what makes them different from any mom and pop shop? the number of people it effects? but it doesn't effect every single person in the US, so its not truly for the whole public good... just the good of some. but wait, why am i paying for lousy business practices? practices that made suv's for years and then wonders why they are ill equipped to deal with a changing market? doesn't this seem like the basic premise of capitalism? adapt or fail? so then, why is the good of some being justified to take money from all in different amounts to bail out an industry that has just plain failed at doing what they are supposed to do? the government is infringing on your right to ownership in order to help people who pay for their positions. they are not providing a public good, like roads, sewers, or national defense, that can potentially benefit all. they are choosing a select industry, one that has no right to exist in a capitalist world (they make a product they can't sell!!!!!!!!!!), and giving them your property so as to preserve temporarily the american STANDARD of life. not the american WAY of life. they wish to jeopardize our WAY in order to preserve our current STANDARD. our STANDARD of living is driving to work, buying ipods for our kids, throwing everything and anything into the trash. our WAY is to work, get what you work for, keep what you work for, and use this in exchange for something someone else works for and is willing to part with. want to help the auto industry????? MAKE THEM WOO INVESTORS!!!!1!!! like any other company in this goddamn country! to say these companies are too important to fail is just plain UN-AMERICAN.
1. taxes are collected in order to provide services for the country.
2. in no place in the constitution does it specify that the 'american way of life' is gaurenteed.
3. when we tie ourselves to the market, as is the only way to preserve the RIGHT to property we knowingly accept the risk that the market may fail. however, in doing so we preserve the RIGHT to things that are our own.
when the government demands your taxes, they are stealing things from you that do not belong to them. when the government takes your taxes and uses it to float a company that can't compete in the market, the are using stolen goods for an immoral reason. ask yourself, to whom is this money being sent? whose good is it for? the public good? that doesn't make sense, because it is coming at the expense of some more than others... if it was for the public good, the public would have an equal share of it... but wait, why this company? what makes them different from any mom and pop shop? the number of people it effects? but it doesn't effect every single person in the US, so its not truly for the whole public good... just the good of some. but wait, why am i paying for lousy business practices? practices that made suv's for years and then wonders why they are ill equipped to deal with a changing market? doesn't this seem like the basic premise of capitalism? adapt or fail? so then, why is the good of some being justified to take money from all in different amounts to bail out an industry that has just plain failed at doing what they are supposed to do? the government is infringing on your right to ownership in order to help people who pay for their positions. they are not providing a public good, like roads, sewers, or national defense, that can potentially benefit all. they are choosing a select industry, one that has no right to exist in a capitalist world (they make a product they can't sell!!!!!!!!!!), and giving them your property so as to preserve temporarily the american STANDARD of life. not the american WAY of life. they wish to jeopardize our WAY in order to preserve our current STANDARD. our STANDARD of living is driving to work, buying ipods for our kids, throwing everything and anything into the trash. our WAY is to work, get what you work for, keep what you work for, and use this in exchange for something someone else works for and is willing to part with. want to help the auto industry????? MAKE THEM WOO INVESTORS!!!!1!!! like any other company in this goddamn country! to say these companies are too important to fail is just plain UN-AMERICAN.
13 November 2008
Past, Present, and Future
The three branches in government act as three organs of the American body. They have a specific function used to guide the body in the best direction. They all have a sensory input to the body. The judiciary is sensitive to the past. They guide the country when it forgets its roots, the goals and ideals of the Enlightenment. The congress is the present. Responsible only to its constituents, it is concerned with their pressing needs. This is why only CONGRESS can declare war and why war can never be justifiably preemptive. The president has future preception, and it is his respobsibility to introduce change to the system and convince everyone its needed. More on this later perhaps, I just wanted to get it down when it was still in my head.
12 November 2008
Let them fail
Our government is once again using fear as a tactic, but this time it isn't rationalized as a reason to go to war. Maybe they don't realize they're doing it this time. We are frightened to death of change. Yes, I know we just elected a leader who promised to bring "change" to the country, but what I'm talking about is systematic change. We are afraid to lose our way of life. This needs a little historical introduction as a headnote to get everyone on the same train of thought.
In the 1700s the English and French began discussing the nature of nature. They asked themselves, what was it all like before these creations of man? How did mankind exist when it was analogous to animals? What made man tansform into the creature he is today? SELF INTEREST. Then, having discussed how society functioned in State of Nature, they discussed what improvements were most effective. These thinkers came up with three ideas that are essential to cooperation in the Human race, only three limits that ought to be placed on self interest that actually increase the productive powers of self interest: the rights to life, liberty, and property. In the 1700s the Scots thought up something great. They theorized that by making the economy (the method in which humans interact with material goods) equivalent to the state of nature they could use this most inherent of human characteristics to increase productivity and raise the standard of living for all. In this capitalist system, the strong and smart would prevail while the weak and timid fail.
We are nearly scared to death of Capitalism. If our banks fail, we die, apparantly. What we don't realize is this failure is the very thing that makes capitalism work! If life is one large learning experience, then mistakes are good for our future. If we do not fail, there can be no progress. The system that we have obviously is not perfect. By bailing out these large financial institutions we are preserving an imperfect system so as to not take that leap of innovation and adaptation. The only real way to influence business is to show that it is unprofitable to engage in a course of action. By bailing out the large financial institutions we are negating that effect. If we truly are capitalist we should stop acting in this manner.
If we are not capitalist, then we should stop teaching it in schools and stop proclaiming it to the world. Capitalism allowed a Nation to rise in this land. It allowed immigrants a place where their hard work was not co-opted by another's interest. It gave them the opportunity to act in a self interested way. In fact, the self interest is the only reason they are here in the first place!
There are no barriers in the country, yet we set a dangerous precedent in these recent acts. We now proclaim: We are capitalist untill stormy seas appear on the horizon. That is unacceptable in my eyes. Adapt and survive. Let the weak fall and the strong rise to take their place. These are the laws that govern nature and supposedly our economic theory. Its about time we started looking to it.
as a side note:
http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=21879&news_iv_ctrl=1021
In the 1700s the English and French began discussing the nature of nature. They asked themselves, what was it all like before these creations of man? How did mankind exist when it was analogous to animals? What made man tansform into the creature he is today? SELF INTEREST. Then, having discussed how society functioned in State of Nature, they discussed what improvements were most effective. These thinkers came up with three ideas that are essential to cooperation in the Human race, only three limits that ought to be placed on self interest that actually increase the productive powers of self interest: the rights to life, liberty, and property. In the 1700s the Scots thought up something great. They theorized that by making the economy (the method in which humans interact with material goods) equivalent to the state of nature they could use this most inherent of human characteristics to increase productivity and raise the standard of living for all. In this capitalist system, the strong and smart would prevail while the weak and timid fail.
We are nearly scared to death of Capitalism. If our banks fail, we die, apparantly. What we don't realize is this failure is the very thing that makes capitalism work! If life is one large learning experience, then mistakes are good for our future. If we do not fail, there can be no progress. The system that we have obviously is not perfect. By bailing out these large financial institutions we are preserving an imperfect system so as to not take that leap of innovation and adaptation. The only real way to influence business is to show that it is unprofitable to engage in a course of action. By bailing out the large financial institutions we are negating that effect. If we truly are capitalist we should stop acting in this manner.
If we are not capitalist, then we should stop teaching it in schools and stop proclaiming it to the world. Capitalism allowed a Nation to rise in this land. It allowed immigrants a place where their hard work was not co-opted by another's interest. It gave them the opportunity to act in a self interested way. In fact, the self interest is the only reason they are here in the first place!
There are no barriers in the country, yet we set a dangerous precedent in these recent acts. We now proclaim: We are capitalist untill stormy seas appear on the horizon. That is unacceptable in my eyes. Adapt and survive. Let the weak fall and the strong rise to take their place. These are the laws that govern nature and supposedly our economic theory. Its about time we started looking to it.
as a side note:
http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=21879&news_iv_ctrl=1021
09 November 2008
Can't Take It With You When You Go
Sometimes you to take a step back and rededicate yourself, remind yourself of the reasons that guide your actions. I need it sometimes, for sure. Focus has a way of fading over time. We are temporary creatures at heart it seems. The only thing we can do is have the awareness about ourselves to recognize that we need to refocus every now and then...
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