As everyone has seen lately, the United States system of politics is broken. It hasn't functioned the way it was intended to function since World War II. While I was in the shower today, I was thinking of ways that we could get the people back into the government, and mitigate the role of Lobbyist money and power in the House and Senate. (Doesn't everyone think about these types of things in the shower?)My lightbulb moment occurred with this idea. Why don't we give the power back to the people paying the taxes?
Not all of it, of course. (Because the last thing I want to see is Tax Funded "Honey Boo Boo for President") What if we set up a system that allowed the people to allocate up to 10% of their annual taxes to non-profits or issues they care about? Imagine a world where women could directly fund Planned Parenthood with their tax dollars. The Right could fund their Church Outreach (soup kitchens, aid to patrons that can't afford cost of living, etc) and the Left could fund the Arts, Education, Science. This could simplify tax code by eliminating loopholes and potentially allowing a flat tax to work because those that are rich would be allowed to allocate their tax dollars (that would typically hedge in charitable contributions and Cayman Island accounts) to social programs and the greater good of the community.
Best part would be, we could make this all entirely transparent. Imagine schools getting new classrooms, with emails going out to those that funded the project via their tax dollars, thanking them for taking care of the welfare of the students. Imagine being able to give your kids teachers a little bonus because they go above and beyond the call of a teacher and actually encourage your children to think instead of just memorize facts. What would it be like to be able to see who all would donate to social programs and indulge in the Arts or preservation of our National Parks? Sure there would be those that would be greedy and donate to programs they take advantage of, but donating only 10% allows us a checks and balances approach to limiting the self serving purposes of these donations. There would likely need to be restrictions, such as you can't donate to something you have direct control of funds distribution in. In addition, you'd need protections to make sure that companies didn't extort donations from their workers. The possibility for corruption is there, but it would be much more evident than our current method of tax deductions,
These donations could be analyzed by politicians to allow a true reading of what the people want taxes funding. I can't even comprehend how much easier their job would be if the people had made the decisions as to what their 10% would fund, and that they would simply have to fill in the rest of the budget to cover the necessities. This would guarantee funding to social programs that matter, and indicate the projects that really don't deserve funding in the first place.
Of course, this is only a rough drafting of what would need to be put in place. The main benefits would be to allocate the funds as the people would see fit, and allow the politicians to view what the people deem important and further fund those projects, while filling in the gaps to maintain the necessities. We can think of this as a streamlining of the tax and funding systems, and restoring the power to the people.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Time for a Music & Lyrics dump!
I've found myself jamming out to a lot of unique and groundbreaking music lately. Don't know where it really came from, or why I suddenly had the urge to create a new post after being gone for so long, but if there are any readers still around, please feel free to take a quick listen and let me know what you think.
First off is:
Bassnectar - Carried Away
I don't even think I need to say much about this track, but in case you missed it... Yes. Yes he did just pull off a Ragtime Dubstep remix.
Dash Berlin Feat. Jonathan Mendelsohn – Better Half Of Me
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Best Friendzoning Line Ever.
Good friends are like vibrators, they may not give you what you want, but they'll do their best to get you taken care of
Monday, January 16, 2012
#Occupy your job, appeal to your government.
It's just sad. It started out as 25 people protesting because they flushed 55k on degrees and couldn't afford to pay their student loans cuz they couldn't find jobs in underwater basket weaving... Now every freeloader that no longer gets mommy and daddy's money is protesting.
Yes. I'm talking about the #occupy movement. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for fiscal reform and bringing back the middle class, but these kids have no idea what they're actually protesting. It's sad. Almost as sad as Obama choosing to throw money into creating a new heathcare alternative, rather than reforming the one that is already in place.
I think it's on par with destroying a building because someone busted out a couple of windows, but what do I know, I'm just an honest citizen, not a corrupt politician or lobbyist.
Yes. I'm talking about the #occupy movement. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for fiscal reform and bringing back the middle class, but these kids have no idea what they're actually protesting. It's sad. Almost as sad as Obama choosing to throw money into creating a new heathcare alternative, rather than reforming the one that is already in place.
I think it's on par with destroying a building because someone busted out a couple of windows, but what do I know, I'm just an honest citizen, not a corrupt politician or lobbyist.
Friday, January 13, 2012
My girlfriend talking about Tebow
Greatest moment ever. I was looking at buying a jersey for me, and one for my girlfriend. (Girlfriend) initially said she wanted an Elway jersey, but changed her mind and wanted a Tebow one because "Well, I think I know just about as much about football as Tebow does."
She has no clue how right she might be...
She has no clue how right she might be...
Friday, December 16, 2011
Yay! The feds are using CarrierIQ!
This its the exact reason I run a custom rom and kernel on my Samsung Continuum. I'd rather have some helpful programmer looking at my data than the feds and the government.
Interesting part is, people have been removing CarrierIQ from roms and kernels for months if not years over at XDA forums.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
US UAV taken down by apparent hack attack
A United State UAV is undamaged and now in the hands of the Iranian government. The US military is citing a faulty self distruct, but the likelyhood of that being the truth instead of spin is as likely as Obama actually making the decision that he's credited for in this article.
DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism, Security
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Google's Prayer
Our Google
Our Google who art online
Searchable be thy name
Thy results come,thy pages load
Client side as they do Server side
Give us this log in, and our new messages
Find not results from our embarrassing past
As we search not for the embarrassing past of our friends
Link us not unto 4-chan
but deliver us from trolls
I'm Feeling Lucky.
Searchable be thy name
Thy results come,thy pages load
Client side as they do Server side
Give us this log in, and our new messages
Find not results from our embarrassing past
As we search not for the embarrassing past of our friends
Link us not unto 4-chan
but deliver us from trolls
I'm Feeling Lucky.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
3 years later...
After 3 years of fighting charges, I finally won the battle today.
About 3 years ago, my life changed. I know, it's cliché as fuck, but it happened. In order to have a truly life changing experience there generally has to be a huge mistake. Now, it doesn't always even have to be your mistake, but you just have to be impacted by it. You hear of these mistakes all the time. Drunk drivers killing other drivers or pedestrians. People falling asleep at the wheel. Idiots killing each other with guns over drugs, territory, or just because they don't like the other person. Candlelight vigils for people who were taken too early as a result of any of these or a million other mistakes. I'm not going to claim the mistake that changed my life wasn't my fault, nor am I going to claim that I acted alone or that I was the only one making mistakes that night. Everyone made mistakes, from the (ex-)girlfriend (well, almost ex, she was cheating on me.) I had at the time, to the new guy that felt it was his place to initiate a fight to defend his new claim. The police made mistakes, they failed to document all of the evidence and do proper search and seizure which would have secured me a solid defense and speedy exoneration of my "Crimes". But nothing can change that experience or make me forget how it reminded me who I really am.
It wasn't sitting on the tree stump in the front yard as the police pulled up with their lights flashing. It wasn't the cold steel cutting into my wrists as they were secured behind my back. Wasn't the struggle to pull my cell phone from my pocket, hands in cuffs, turn on speakerphone, and dial my mom to tell her what was going on. It wasn't watching my mom sitting in the back of the courtroom while I was escorted in shackled to seven men in similar circumstances. We had all shared our stories, and in situations such as these we all seemed to accept that we didn't have to be big and badass, but rather just allow ourselves to be seen as we were. Imperfect. Flawed. Vulnerable. Human. But the turning point did not happen in that courtroom.
It happened 4 hours before.
Most people have never experienced what it's like to have to endure booking at a county jail. It's not what any TV show or news report ever shows you. It's not 40 people stuck in a single holding cell, or at least it wasn't for me. The holding cells were full (most holding 3 people, while designed to hold 2.) and the overflow was given a mat and pathetic attempt at a blanket and lined up across the floors. I was told to sleep, not knowing what the person to the left or my right was in for. The booking cell block was vastly understaffed, and if there had been any fights or unexpected events there was no way that these officers could have handled the situation before it could escalate. To be honest, I think that was mostly why everything was so calm. Among the broken spirits an uneasy angst settled in over me. The cell block was packed with people that had made mistakes, and had to spend years paying for it. This was not justice. This was timeout. Except this timeout would ruin your chances of ever being viewed in the same light, even if you were found to be innocent.
I didn't sleep much. I was trapped in my own mind attempting to understand how so many could be thrown into this system over such petty things. What happened to live and let live? What happened to settling issues between grown adults instead of having a system do it for us?
The real turning point was sitting in a cell with two other people after "breakfast." The entire night I couldn't stop clinching my fists with rage due to the events from the night before. My hands hurt. But I didn't want to sooth them. I wanted to punish them for the trouble they had gotten me in. I wanted them to take the blame instead of me. I began punching the cinder-block walls. Cracked paint tore through my knuckles. I was delivering my blows until my knuckles couldn't take any more.
It was that moment when I realized that I had strayed from my path. I hadn't been proud of the way I was living for years. I didn't even recognize my own face.
There is no easy moral, no retribution, and no way to reclaim what I have lost. I will never be person that I was in my youth, or even the person I was prior to my encounter. This disappointment is the core of my changes, and this is what has helped me turn my life around in the past 3 years. I am nowhere near the man I want to be. But I'm closer.
Every day. I am closer.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Random thought of the day...
Homosexuality is found in over 450 species.
Homophobia is found in only one.
Which one seems unnatural now?
Homophobia is found in only one.
Which one seems unnatural now?
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The dust has not settled yet...
In my absolutely crazy life nothing ever seems to be fully stable. I was looking forward to working my weekend shift with Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off... But that never ended up really happening. Between the unlimited overtime at work, and the madness that is my life, it still seems that I never have any time to sit down and think anymore.
I guess that's all fine and dandy though. I've been searching for so long for a job and a life that will keep me busy, keep me away from stagnation. I believe I've finally found my life. I'm a little pissed though, because one of my favorite bloggers was in Denver today and we couldn't manage to cross paths during her short layover and the fact that I was stuck at work. Thus is life.
I miss all the bloggers, but I can't help but feel the move away from socializing online to socializing at work is necessary for me to fully embrace my new position in life. I still look at it as a work in progress, but each day I feel more fulfilled and complete.
I can't wait until the winter, and getting my new DSLR. And my new shift at work. Who knows what the future will hold after that...
I close today, with my new favorite quote. Found on twitter, of course...
I guess that's all fine and dandy though. I've been searching for so long for a job and a life that will keep me busy, keep me away from stagnation. I believe I've finally found my life. I'm a little pissed though, because one of my favorite bloggers was in Denver today and we couldn't manage to cross paths during her short layover and the fact that I was stuck at work. Thus is life.
I miss all the bloggers, but I can't help but feel the move away from socializing online to socializing at work is necessary for me to fully embrace my new position in life. I still look at it as a work in progress, but each day I feel more fulfilled and complete.
I can't wait until the winter, and getting my new DSLR. And my new shift at work. Who knows what the future will hold after that...
I close today, with my new favorite quote. Found on twitter, of course...
Dear mom and dad, if my friends really did jump off a cliff..... It was my idea. Sincerely, Your kid is a leader. Not a follower.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11 - Ten years later.
Rather than blabbing about my own feelings on 9/11, I feel that I would rather reiterate the statements that embrace what I feel.
The following is a collection of my favorite quotes and statements from Facebook and Twitter today:
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And NO ONE will keep that light from shining. -George W Bush
The following is a collection of my favorite quotes and statements from Facebook and Twitter today:
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And NO ONE will keep that light from shining. -George W Bush
VINNYGUADAGNINO Vinny Guadagnino
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╱┃╰╯┃┏━┓┗┓┃┗┓┃╱
╱╰━┓┃┗━┛╱┃┃╱┃┃╱
╱┏━╯┃╱╱╱╱┃┃╱┃┃╱
╱┗━━╯╱╱╱╱┗┛╱┗┛╱ #NEVERFORGET
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
New Work, New Life, Not much time for Blogging
In case you missed the memo, I've been hired by a company that does small business email marketing and event marketing. The hours are long, and relatively painless (sometimes even entertaining) but it leaves very little time to actually do any blogging. This makes me sad, as I had great times with the #bloggers that I used to socialize with. I do plan on attempting to write at least one relevant blog post a week, so keep checking back for new content and catching up with me. Also, feel free to follow me on twitter @krazyd0h
Next week's post is gonna be a tutorial on upgrading your Samsung Continuum to Android 2.2.1. See you then :)
-d0h
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
On the recent earthquake in DC
BREAKING NEWS:Resident Obama has confirmed that the DC earthquake occurred on a rare and obscure fault-line known as "Bush's Fault." He also announced that the Secret Service and Maxine Waters continue an investigation of the quake's suspicious ties to the Tea Party. Conservatives however have proven that it was caused by the founding fathers rolling over in their graves.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
G+ Games Roll Out... Let the FAIL begin...
So it's make or break time for the G+ Games. How did the network stack up? Disappointingly poorly. Rather than creating a default circle where you could add your gaming friends, G+ carelessly allows any gamer to post their shares to anyone who is dumb enough to follow them. The option to share to Extended Circles and Your Circle exists within games, which to those who are bothered by annoying game scores on Facebook (Failbook from this point forward) creates an EPIC FAIL from G+ in implementation. It's simple G+. Either add a circle and move all your friends that game into a Gaming circle, or create for you automatically a new circle for each game. And for god's sake, have G+ do the pairing doubleblind. Don't allow for the games to see any of your personal information or your contact's personal information until it has been confirmed that you both want to play the stupid game. We already know google is spying us, so we trust google. (Strange, but true.) We don't trust Zynga, or any other idiot gaming company that has been caught selling or leaking our personal information to advertisers or marketers. We don't mind ads, but we do care about our privacy.
Simple, secure, effective. Solves failbook's problems, doesn't clutter G+ for non-gamers. I see a Win-Win situation.
Simple, secure, effective. Solves failbook's problems, doesn't clutter G+ for non-gamers. I see a Win-Win situation.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Riots in London - Organized via BBM?
Over the past couple of days, the Riots in London have been headlining news. It seemed that the riots were the results of another innocent man being shot by the London police department, but it also seems that initial reaction was a conclusion that we had incorrectly jumped to. The initial riots began shortly after a group organized via Blackberry Messenger was instructed to report to the location of a peaceful protest, and start creating trouble. This is not an isolated incident, as people have been reporting via twitter that they are using BBM as a meetup and crowd control device to guide rioters away from police and organize new meeting spots.
I guess the question becomes, has our technology outgrown our humanity? Or is technology the next frontier of the social rebellion like we're seeing all over the Middle East?
http://eu.techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/how-blackberry-not-twitter-fuelled-the-fire-under-londons-riots/
I guess the question becomes, has our technology outgrown our humanity? Or is technology the next frontier of the social rebellion like we're seeing all over the Middle East?
http://eu.techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/how-blackberry-not-twitter-fuelled-the-fire-under-londons-riots/
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