Saturday, March 14, 2009

California to legalize and tax marijuana to fix budget crisis. It's about time.

California is at the vanguard of new taxation strategies. The state is the 8th largest economy in the world--meaning that California has a greater GDP than the vast majority of the world's countries.

Yes, you read that correctly.

I've frequently noted that as California goes, so goes the rest of the country in ten years.

California is suffering a serious budgetary crisis and needs new revenue streams. A state legislator is offering up a bill legalizing marijuana.

In my opinion, California is taking steps that should have occurred years ago. The proposal would allow adults to buy cannabis and pay a tax.

Since marijuana is one of the highest cash crops in the state, the treasury will have scads off cash.

I see marijuana legalization as the next lottery or casino for many states.

We'll see.

Intelligence reduces risk of death--Duh.

Sometimes scientists find results that most of us already know intuitively.

This study links High IQ with reduced risk of death.

In my opinion, stupidity is nothing more than "Darwin in Action." You know, the human version of natural selection or survival of the fittest.

We all shake our heads when some idiot decides to play chicken with a train.

In my mind, stupidity serves a very useful purpose. It weeds out the weak and unfit from our gene pool. The immediate result may suck, but over time, the accumulation of stupid actions by many individuals improves the quality of our species leaving only the best and brightest around to reproduce.

Darwin was right.

These results may be a no-brainer, but sometimes it helps to verify with reproducible results.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Rihanna is apparently willing to sacrifice her career to save Chris Brown's--huh?

I normally stay away from items featured prominently on TMZ.com or PerezHilton.com, but I must add my meager voice to the growing throng against this mess.

As a former victim of domestic abuse, I cannot help but think this crap Rihanna is purportedly doing, like recording a duet or staying at Sean Combs house, is just further evidence of Chris Brown's abuse.

It is no secret that abusers exercise considerable control over their victims. They cajole and apologize and use everything to prey upon the low self-esteem of their victim. The victim often falls for it and forgives. Sometimes when it's too late.

Rihanna is obviously being further victimized by Brown and his camp because it helps his case.

I think she needs to wake up.

Furthermore, I think her father and brothers should have an aggressive conversation with Mr. Brown behind locked doors. If you catch my meaning. This may be why Rihanna has apparently cut all ties from her family. It's common for abusers to isolate their victims from family and friends; it's the same thing a cult does when they gain new recruits.

I'm calling out Sean Combs on enabling this mess. He's an idiot and deserves an ass-whipping too for being such a moron. I thought he billed himself as being smart? This doesn't seem to bright to me.

Rihanna is going to kill her career and for what? To save Chris Brown's? How stupid is that? Why is his career worth more than hers?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

World economic downturn shows political fragility of some nations.

Failing U.S. economic health has unintended consequences on immigrant labor. Without the steady flow of cash from a booming U.S. economy, many Central American immigrants are forced to return home for the security of family.


Jobs often filled by immigrants, legal or otherwise, are the first to go when times get tough and the economy shrinks.

Wholesale job losses by immigrants reveal just how dependent their home countries' are on U.S. dollars.

Currently, Mexico is in danger of becoming a failed state. Right next door, we have a country that has depended upon direct infusions of cash by immigrant workers in the U.S. sending money home.

Without any thought for economic security and future prosperity, Mexico has maintained a status quo for years and the corruption resulting from its inability to change its policies is beginning to show.

Drug cartels are the primary power source operating in the country. The government has little ability to stand up to the demand for drugs in the U.S. so on the one hand it needs the cartels, but on the other the drug cartels threaten the legitimate power in the country.

I'm afraid the failed policies began by Nixon, promoted by Reagan, and endorsed by all succeeding presidents are coming home to roost in a major way.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Survey highlights the fall of religion in America due in large part to the Religious Right--Ironic isn't it?

The results of this recent survey underscore the same trend that has happened in Europe. It also highlights the founding father's warning in the Establishment Clause to the Constitution.

When politics and religion mix, religion loses.

The Germans have a state supported church and few Germans identify themselves as Christian or even attend service anymore.

In our country, the Religious Right have driven many people from religion altogether with their emphasis on prosaic matters above that of the spirit. Their striving for worldly power leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

Even the bible says not to cast your pearls before swine, but that's exactly what happens in the marriage of politics and religion.

Personally, I welcome the decline. I've predicted it for years. You can't push a religious political agenda in a country with a long history of separation between church and state and expect faith to come out ahead.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Science regains its rightful place--being unmolested by politicians.

Obama is undoing the anti-intellectual crap spewed all over science by the Bush administration.

All I can say is: "Thank God!"

Irony is intended.

My problem with the whole selling out to the Religious Right boils down to this:

Insecure faith is the cause of the anti-intellectualism and fear of knowledge that governed such policies.

There, I said it.

Those intolerant of conflict with their world view are the last people to consult when making science policy. Bush screwed the pooch big time with that policy and it's time for the Galileo's of the world to be set free from the yoke of faith.

Despite what the faithful might think, the world isn't constrained to one particular worldview.

The rest of us adults realize this and accept that forcing others into our own circumscribed reality might just be the worst "tyranny over the minds of men" that Thomas Jefferson was referring to when he said it two centuries ago.

Reason has returned and the idiots are being shown the door. Our forefathers saw the dangers of mixing religion and politics, but for the past eight years we've had to endure the result they warned against.

High time for secular society to return to American politics and government.