Wanna Tax Increase?

Time to Pay Attention

IS THIS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT?

Police in Chicago have been retiring at twice the usual rate recently, a trend that some officials believe is likely to continue and could leave the city streets short of officers.

At least 110 police officers are retiring in August and September, and retirements in 2020 are projected to be higher than the past couple of years, said Michael Lappe, vice president of the board of trustees for the Policemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago.

“That’s unheard of,” Lappe told the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’re seeing double the average number of retirees each month. The average is about 24 a month.”

Lappe partially blamed the exodus on a change in health insurance benefits, while police union president John Catanzara pointed fingers at Mayor Lori Lightfoot's treatment of the officers.

“I have no doubt that it’s going to continue, and I can clearly see a smaller spike within the upper ranks [of] lieutenants and above,” Catanzara said. “Who wants to stay in this environment? If you have the ability to leave, there is no incentive to stay anymore.

“The mayor doesn’t back us,” he continued. “If you have the financial ability to do so, I don’t blame a single soul for leaving.”

Chicago 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale said he noticed the recent trend during a meeting last week.

COMMENT:  This retirement exodus, while appearing to be only in Chicago, is a TREND that will sweep all across the country as police department faced with reduced budgets and reduced resources to do their job...  but, more importantly, as the hate from BLM towards police grows, law enforcement officers will simply leave and find new opportunities for employment, leaving behind the NOT SO GREAT people.

Lincoln is a Racist?

Make No Mistake About It...

Business and Industry's SOLE FUNCTION is to MAKE A PROFIT...  and, these companies have not been created SIMPLY TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT TO YOU...

Business keeps track of money in the following way:

Revenue
(expenses)
Gross Profit Margin
(taxes)
(debt)
Profit

Let's break down expenses:

• raw materials
• utilities
• labor (direct)
• supervision (indirect)
• plant and equipment

Once we have all the COSTS OF GOODS SOLD, business and industry can calculate a cost per unit of production and determine a price...  that price is then adjusted based upon demand and what the competition is pricing their product at.  In some cases, prices are intentional dropped so that the company is experiencing a loss, to drive their competition OUT OF BUSINESS.

Unfortunately, LABOR is nothing more than a cost of doing business and just as business and industry try to negotiate lower and lower costs for their raw materials, so too will business and industry decide to pay as low as they can for their hourly workers.  If business and industry are willing to pay a higher price for their supervisory and management labor, it is only because it is perceived that these people will help them reach their quarterly goals, unlike hourly labor who typically want to work as little as they can and still get paid, especially if the job is not enjoyed.

The families of hourly workers are NO DIFFERENT than business management because they attempt to get their food and other necessary items as cheap as they can, playing one store off against the other store (price matching) and/or by using coupons.  They try to buy their clothes as cheap as they can typically buying whatever they need when it is on sale.

BUSINESS AND THESE FAMILIES ARE NO DIFFERENT when it comes to saving money on items they need or bills that they need to pay.

If an hourly worker's family needs renovation done to their home, they are going to get THE LABOR THAT IS THE CHEAPEST...  not the most expensive.

BUSINESS SIMPLY DOES THE SAME THING.

Both business and the hourly worker's family want to make as much PROFIT AS THEY CAN...

THINK ABOUT THIS...

Let's suppose that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win the 2020 Presidential Election...  and, after a few months in office, Joe Biden pronounced unable to continue as President for a variety of reasons...  mostly because of his mental state of mind.

WHAT HAPPENS?

Kamala Harris becomes PRESIDENT.

And, while I do not really have a problem with a female being President and/or a black female being President, I do have a problem with her politics...

• Raising Taxes on individuals and families
• Raising Taxes on businesses
• Raising Taxes on the wealthy
• Defunding police departments
• Stop fracking for OIL
• Green New Deal
• Restricting the Second Amendment
• Reducing the size of our military
• Tearing down Trump's border wall
• Medicare for all
• Open Borders
• Free healthcare to illegal immigrants
• Reparations for all blacks
• Censorship of conservative voices

NOW, THINK ABOUT IT GLOBALLY

• How will she stand up to China?
• How will she stand up to Russia?
• How will she stand up to North Korea?
• How will she stand up to Terrorists?
• How will she stand up to the Middle East?
• How will she stand up to Israel?
• How will she stand up to NATO?
• How will she stand up to Trade Deals?

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT FOR AMERICA?

What About Kamala?

Do You Pay Attention at Work?

God and Guns

This may seem like an oxymoron of sorts in that they are diametrically opposed concepts but these two words are perfect examples of the FIRST and SECOND Amendments to the US Constitution.....

• Freedom of Speech
• The Right to Bear Arms

HOWEVER,
these two concepts were somewhat united (this does not pertain the the Bill of Rights or the US Constitution) during the Crusades...

The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The term refers especially to the Eastern Mediterranean campaigns in the period between 1096 and 1271 that had the objective of recovering the Holy Land from Islamic rule. The term has also been applied to other church-sanctioned campaigns fought to combat paganism and heresy, to resolve conflict among rival Roman Catholic groups, or to gain political and territorial advantage. The difference between these campaigns and other Christian religious conflicts was that they were considered a penitential exercise that brought forgiveness of sins declared by the church. Historians contest the definition of the term "crusade". Some restrict it to only armed pilgrimages to Jerusalem; others include all Catholic military campaigns with a promise of spiritual benefit; all Catholic holy wars; or those with a characteristic of religious fervour.  SOURCE:  Wikipedia

WHEREAS, in the US of A, the First and Second Amendments are connected in that they are part of the Bill of Rights for the American People, regardless of your color, ethnicity, or one's religious or political beliefs.

• We have a RIGHT to speak out
• We have a RIGHT to believe as we want to
• We have a RIGHT to bear arms

NO OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD HAS BOTH THESE RIGHTS

God and Country is what Americans believe, maybe not in that order but they believe in both...  and, when I say GOD, I am referring to A BELIEF OF FAITH, regardless of what that faith might be because even those who say they do not believe, actually believe in the fact that they don't believe and that, anyway you slice it is faith.

Faith is that which is hoped for...  so, those who do not believe in God actually have a belief in which they believe and they HOPE that their belief is correct....

Sunday's Muse

Sunday's Muse is on politics and the 2020 Election between Trump/Pence and Biden/Harris and if you are not aware the former is Republican, therefore the latter has to be Democrat...  LOL...

I am neither Republican or Democrat or Independent or Socialist...  I am a Conservative Liberal who votes for the best candidate for America and the best candidate for myself and my family and the best candidate for the future of America...

But, is the TRINITY APPROACH even possible this time?

Maybe...  maybe not...

In my opinion the best candidate that satisfies all THREE is the Republican, not the Democrat.

WHY?

Well, I say this for several reasons:
1.  Trump had a damn healthy economic before the COVID-19 Pandemic
2.  Trump had removed government restrictions on business and industry
3.  Trump had lowered taxes
4.  Trump had negotiated great trade deals
THEREFORE, one can extrapolate that he will no doubt do it again...

5.  Biden will raise taxes and re-institute government restrictions (NOT GOOD FOR THE FUTURE)
6.  Biden will defund police departments (NOT GOOD FOR THE FUTURE)
CONSEQUENTLY, these two issues bother me the most for obvious reasons

7.  Republicans will grow the stock market
THIS IS TOTALLY FOR ME AND MY RETIREMENT

This decision has NOTHING AT ALL TO DO with whether or not I like Trump!!!
Or, if I like his TWEETS and/or his outrageous behavior!!!
Or, if I like the WEALTH GAP that the Republicans caused!!!

We do need to provide more and more for our citizens because we are the greatest country in the world, but we need to do this without borrowing money from CHINA. 

• We need to grow our economy
• We need to pay off our debt
• We need to maintain a strong military
• We need to support our allies
• We need to encourage technology
• We need to encourage entrepreneurs
• We need to UNITE AMERICANS TOGETHER AGAIN
• We need to help our citizens grow and acquire wealth

Odds and Ends

Confessions of an Economic Hitman

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is a semi-autobiographical book written by John Perkins, first published in 2004.

The book provides Perkins' account of his career with engineering consulting firm Chas. T. Main in Boston. According to Perkins, his job at the firm was to convince leaders of underdeveloped countries to accept substantial development loans for large construction and engineering projects. Ensuring that these projects were contracted to U.S. companies, such loans provided political influence for the US and access to natural resources for American companies, thus primarily helping rich families and local elites, rather than the poor.

Suggesting a system of corporatocracy and greed (rather than a unilateral conspiracy), Perkins claims the involvement of the National Security Agency (NSA), with whom he had interviewed for a job prior to joining Main. According to the author, this interview effectively constituted an independent screening which led to his subsequent hiring as an 'economic hit man' by Einar Greve, vice president of the firm (and alleged NSA liaison).

According to Perkins, he began writing Confessions of an Economic Hit Man in the 1980s, but "threats or bribes always convinced [him] to stop."  SOURCE:  Wikipedia