Somthing of Supreme Importance!!

I read something today and it seemed significant. Luckily I can’t remember what it was, so my life goes largely unchanged.

Sub Prime, National Debt, and the loss of an American Hero

The economy is in a state that my generation can only describe as Suck. How did it get that way? I’m glad you asked. Stupidity is the answer. The term of the day is “Sub-Prime-Lending”….. it’s a big smart sounding term for “lending money to those we know won’t pay us back.” Now in the money lusting world we live in, why on earth would anyone give a loan out to someone who could not pay them back? Because they wanted to make money off of the misfortune of others. Give a guy a loan to buy a hundred thousand dollar house… three years into his mortgage he defaults and you get his house… then you sell it for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Banks were lending money based on the assumption that the housing market would continue to increase. Dumb dumb dumb. Now thousands of people are defaulting on their mortgages because of the increasing rates and the falling value of their home ( they owe more than the house is worth) so then banks are getting the shaft (the shaft they very well deserve) because now not only are the houses worth less than they were when the loan was given, now there are all these re-poed houses on the market. Ha ha ha…. Oh and to make things better… the banks don’t really know who exactly owns the houses. That’s right… it’s lost somewhere in their paper work. This is how it goes… Joe Schmoe goes in to get a loan to buy a house, the bank (stupidly) loans him money. The bank then sells Joe’s loan to an investment company (stay with me here) who sells the loan bit by bit to investors. So now when Joe pays on the interest it goes to the two hundred different people who, for all intents and purposes, own Joe’s house. But it’s a double blind system… Those who own the house don’t know that they own it, and Joe doesn’t know that it’s owned by someone other than the bank. In fact… if Joe went to the the investment company he could unwittingly buy up a portion of his own house and pay himself a fraction of the interest system…… If you’re not confused yet I’m sure you see the problem here. The problem is stupidity. This is a stupid stupid stupid way to lend money, because when the housing market inevitably drops it hurts everyone. In a large enough scale it infact pushes our economy over the edge it built itself up on.
Speaking of being in debt… I’ve always heard that our National Debt is astronomical. But then I start to wonder… who the hell is lending us money? Shouldn’t the US of A fall into that “sub-prime” category? Imagine if you will if Joe Schmoe went into the bank and sat down with the manager.
JOE: Hello sir, nice to meet you. I’d like to borrow… oh… $750 million dollars.

MANAGER: Ok… and may I ask what this loan is for?

JOE: Oh nothing much… just to fund my military operations for a day.

MANAGER: Oh… I see. And what will your Military be doing with this money.

JOE: That’s my business, not yours.

MANAGER: Well… how do I know for sure that you won’t be attacking my bank?

JOE: You can be sure that we will be attacking your bank if you do not give me the loan….

Ok… so I think that I may have found the reason why people give us loans. But then again… if people are still willing to give us loans… wouldn’t they really have some sway in terms of what we do? Of course not… .we’re a free country… right?

So yeah… how bout those elections, huh? Edwards is dropping out? What the hell… it’s a sad day. Really though, he didn’t stand a chance. If I had been his campaign manager I’d have told him he only had one chance; turn gay. While Obama and Clinton have slashed and stabbed back and forth for the last month and a half, Edwards has remained mostly quiet, never saying anything negative about his opponents… why? If he had said one bad thing he’d have been painted as either racist or misogynist. If he were a Homosexual though, he’d be untouchable. Oh well… in the long run I think Edwards likely won the race he wanted to win…. I believe that he will be our next Vice President. ANYWAY… I still hate Hillary…who looks eerily like the dark lord of the Sith…. Sometimes I think she really is senator Palpatine. GOOD DAY

Big news Cruise.

Well now it’s hit the fan…. Tom Cruise’s Scientology video has hit the you tube and now everyone is asking…. “Is Cruise crazy?” I thought for sure that this question had been answered when he screwed things up with Nicole Kidman. But seriously, this is the wrong question. The more important question is, “Is Cruise a religious fanatic?” In light of the video I just watched, which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48_twUMgDkg&feature=related, I think the answer is clear. This makes Cruise more than crazy, it makes him a member of an elite few. The fanatics of the world. Those people who believe so strongly that they are right and everyone else is wrong that they are willing to go to extremes to show it. I’m talking about the suicide bombers (and those who send them), I’m talking about those people picketing funerals, I’m talking about those downing halley’s commet cocktails and white cloaks with flaming crosses. These are the extremists of the world and while their actions are sensational they all come off as whackos. One thing is clear about these people, they believe in whatever their belief is so strongly that they are able to overcome any moral obstacles they may have against causing pain (be it to themselves or others). But now you may say, “Wait Dustin, Tom hasn’t hurt anyone.” Well… just wait. The level of fanaticism displayed on that video will not likely die with his delusions of grandeur. Tom clearly believes that being a Scientologist gives him what most people would call a “super power.” He alludes to the ability to control reality with his mind…. Well when he actually puts that to the test I’m sure he will be terribly disappointed… and what happens next? Well I’m sure that where his mind fails he will take strides to change the world with force. Luckily, Tom is a celebrity and the world responds readily to the will of celebs quickly enough that that time may not come for awhile. Beyond that, when most celebrities lose it they tend to implode, leaving the casualty count to a minimum.

NYT, V8, and the Economy

It’s the first day of spring semester classes here at ESU. Only 6 minutes into my five credit hour Spanish course I was back out in the hall wondering what the heck to do with my 54 minutes before my next class began. I indirectly walked to the coffee shop, spent 1.09 on a mere 16oz of Fake-uccino and picked up a free (free only if you are enrolled and have paid your $2000 tuition/subscription fee ) copy of the New York Times. As a proud resident of rural USA I typically steer clear of the NYT for obvious opinionated and regionally relevant reasons (three points for alliteration), but because I still had the greater part of an hour to burn and my mind set on learning something, I decided to see what New Yorkers found to be newsworthy today. Two articles caught my attention right away.
The first was about the decline in production of the V-8 engine. It finaly accured to someone other than myself that all those high falutin’ SUV owners didn’t actually NEED 350 horses to carry their two kids to soccer practice. So Ford, Chevy, and Crystler are going to use more “turbo charged V6 engines.” In a response to the fuel economy savings I expect those with more money than brains to start fires in their yards and driveways (may lead to an increase in the housing market). The good news is that niche vehicles (those vehicles that actually use the power supplied by a good ole’ V8) will remain as high powered as ever, honestly though I imagine that soon all new trucks will be diesel powered, as diesels are more fuel efficient and have a readily available alternative fuel source. As I write this I realize that those who know me well know that my ’91 Silverado chugs gallons of gas with its V8… well…. I use it… it pulls a trailer… and I promise to buy a diesel… when they sell for a reasonable price… and I’m rich.
The second article caught my attention was in the business section. While I can’t remember the exact wording in the title, I’m pretty sure it went something like “Economic recession as depressing as ’92.” While the article did not seem to shed any new light on the state of the American economy, it was… well… depressing. Tax cuts help mostly the super wealthy and corporations, average wage rising much slower than inflation, bad loans hurt banks… And so on. It reminded me of a brief conversation I had with my former employer just after I was rejected for a well deserved raise. As he sat in the break-room reading a newspaper and I got stuff from my locker, “Damn, the price of everything is going up…” says he to no one in particular.
“Hah! Yeah, everything but the price of labor!” I exclaim with gusto. (Gusto may be an unnecessary adverb when paired with exclaim… but I like it.)
“Hrumph” he grumbles as he exits quickly.
It’s true, and I don’t think it’s that big of a secret. The poor are getting poorer because the cost of living is increasing and the minimum wage job they work is stagnant. I am aware of the recent increase in minimum wage, but it is honestly not enough. I’d like to see the congressmen/women live on $7.15 an hour.
So now the economy is a huge election issue, as it should have been without question. I even heard Obama say something about an increase in minimum wage… $9.50 he proposes… I’d like to see that get through congress. As I watch the election details unwind one thing keeps coming to mind. While the economy as a whole in on the decline, the advertising industry must be rolling in the cash right now. Senator McCain spent nearly half a million in advertising in Michigan alone…. But that pales in comparison to Michigan’s republican primary winner, Mitt Romney. He spent over a million dollars…. That’s a one with six zero’s behind it. When are we going to put a cap on how much money a person can spend on advertising? This is ridiculous. Millions of dollars spent every week to sling mud at opponents. If you want that damn much air time all you have to do is cry or say something racist (I hear belittling MLK works quite well). Although most of the problems I point out would be difficult to solve, and I’m mostly unwilling to give any sort of solution, I think this one is easy. Each candidate should set up a fund for advertising. This fund MUST not be over, say, two million dollars. Any further money donated, raised, or otherwise acquired for advertising will be put into an umbrella fund and will be used to advertise for ALL the top/serious candidates. Imagine a world where there were ads that simply prompted viewers to vote for someone…. Anyone… just vote.
That’s what is so great about this country. People get to decide who their leader is… I mean… that’s the idea… right? But seriously… for the most part… after the elite have selected a few people for us to chose from… we get to pick the character traits that we find to be most fitting of a leader… well… sorta. At least we only have to be under that leadership for a max of eight years. I mean… that’s a good start. A nation shouldn’t be under one persons rule for too long… When you’re going the wrong way just about any turn is good… I mean…. If you’re going south and you need to go north…. Well… east is a start.

Now that I’m on the topic… another thing that was mentioned in the depressing economic article was that Hillary has the same economic adviser that her husband had. This is, by far, the best thing I have heard about that… for lack of a nicer term… senator. So… although I would prefer a nation under the lead of… well almost anyone else, I’ve decided not to flee the nation if Clinton wins…. Ech…. I just threw up a little…. Because maybe she could help the econ…. I can’t finish that sentence… the Dark Side has apparently clouded my judgment… I should never have picked up that paper.

Hitler's List

I found this..... for lack of a better term... chaotic rant in my "Just Strange" folder.... It is old... I began writing it in response to an e-mail my aunt sent me.... probably around a year ago. Any way... the response got out of hand and off topic and I never ended up sending it. Despite the lack of timelyness, not to mention coherency, I decided to go ahead and post it. Enjoy.

..............................................................................................................................................................................

I meant to comment on this as soon as I read it but honestly at first I was unsure of how to do so. The argument presented by Christine Robinson on her blog site is one that I have never seen before. It is sad to me to think that I have reached adult hood in a time in which it is acceptable to think of motherhood as slavery. Let’s think on that for a moment. Why was slavery so bad? Slavery is so bad because it forced an entire race of people into submission for many generations. How is that like incubating a fetus? Even if it is mandatory, can nine months of indentured servitude be compared to the horror of Slavery? It is true that banning abortion would force people into doing something that they may not want to do, I understand that a person growing inside another person is no small thing. But to compare that to slavery is ludicrous. It is a mockery of the torment that slavery was and is.


I have come to be a man in a time when society has strayed so far from morality that many of my peers seem to believe that sex stops at the orgasm. They don’t seem to think about the fact that the pleasure they seek is a by product of the action that creates other human beings. Of course sex is not the extent of our lust driven nation, in some ways it is not even the most damaging. Lust extends into many other aspects of life. Lust for money drives people to do irrational, unkind, cruel things that they would not usually do. Our society is run by corporations that make more money in a day than most people will see in their entire lives. Why? Who can even spend that kind of money? It doesn’t matter. It’s the lust for money that feeds corporation owners. Rich men are just like poor men, because you can never have enough money. There are infinitely large holes in everyone’s pockets. People who win the lottery are advised to invest their money so that it can make them more money. Money making money. The American dream has changed from “work hard, and make yourself somebody” into “Get lucky and let the world make you”

What is with society? Have we lost all touch with ourselves? With what it means to be human beings? When is the last time you did something that you honestly enjoyed? Do you even remember what you truly love? When was the last time you read something for you, instead of to impress someone else?

We live in an age with diagnoses for everything. Most people toss out terms like “Bi-Polar,” “PDSD,” “Depression,” “Attention Deficit Disorder,” “Psychopathic,” “Schizophrenic,” or “Claustrophobic” with limited knowledge as to how the word is even pronounced, let alone what it means. I have heard ADD used so much that I can see it in everyone, in fact I have heard many people say that “Every one is at least a little ADD” Well… If everyone is ADD then why did we give it a name? Why didn’t we just call it normal? The fact is that by tossing around these psychology terms we limit their meaning. These terms are used to a point that they are meaningless. If someone were to come up to me and say something like “It turns out that Adolf Hitler was Bi-polar.”
I’d respond with something like “Well, so the hell what? My last two roommates were Bi-polar. One of them was also Schizophrenic and had delusions of grandeur. The guy I live with now is ADD and suffered from PDSD awhile back. I could have told you that Hitler was Bi-Polar… In fact I bet he was also Psychopathic, Homicidal, Asthmatic, Suicidal, Delusional, Unusual, Schizophrenic, Diabetic, Alergetic, Homo-Phobic, Alcoholic, Prophylactic, Acrobatic, and half Jewish!.

Into The Fray...

There is a folder on my computer that is labeled “Just Strange.” It is not one of those “Do Not Touch” Microsoft crap folders full of .dll .txt .dat .bin .idk .dot useless crap. It is also not filled with term papers, research, finals, or assignments. This folder doesn’t contain the three beginnings to novels I’ve yet to write, or short stories that I’d get published if I only had the nerve. The folder “Just Strange” is a private place where I confine the chaotic ramblings that keep me just on this side of sanity. Until now whenever I felt a reason to rant I placed it safe and sound within the digital walls of my own computer, keeping the incomprehensible and sometimes cruel antics to myself. Today I realized that it might be fun to allow, though not provoke, others to read my rants. So I am starting this blog to vent some rants, and perhaps to spur me to write more regularly. So…. To those few who will find the time and energy to check in on this sure to be train wreck…. Thank you…. And I’m terribly sorry.