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Saturday, January 11, 2014

Upcoming Events...Gen'ls Lee and Jackson Day

In Virginia, this Friday is Lee-Jackson Day. Some Virginians will have the day off, others will take the day off. Regardless, if you do nothing else, take a moment to recognize the achievements and stature of these two Virginia natives. They fought for the absolute bedrock principles of the original intent of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution. They fought for and believed in the sovereignty of the states from the federal government.....state sovereignty.

As for me, I will be headed for Lexington, Virginia, to join in the Lee-Jackson Symposium and weather permitting parade on Saturday.

In spite of revisionist history, neither of these men fought for or even owned slaves, and in fact for most on both sides, that was not the issue. The issue was who would hold the reigns of power...an all powerful federal government or a lesser federal government contained by sovereign states. Power ......... the actual roots of all conflict.

The passage of history has proved these men right. The total power they saw would one day destroy the very homes they defended. Today the state governments are toadies for the federal government. Feds bark and states jump fearing the loss of funds. Federal regulators operate within staes like an occupying army. Here in Virginia, we have not had a truly native government since 1865. (And in Virginia, with the socialist-statist McAulliff and company in power, the next four years will prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt!)

In 1861, there were enough strong and independent Virginians who understood the impact of powerful government and were able to chose a new path. After the war, the Commonwealth was invaded by carpetbaggers and turncoats. As a result, today, the rules are very different. There are few Virginians who understand the original intent from the Revolutionary War, the danger of the all powerful federal government and who are independent enough to be able to see or chose real freedom, real personal, local, or state sovereignty.

As the federal government continues to show its hand, that may change. Domestic spying, internal graft, heavy handed regulation.....harsh truths that destroy the fairytale veneer of "land of the free".

So Friday, remember the two of Virginia's greatest leaders...General Lee and Gen Jackson. 

Friday, January 10, 2014

Who's working, our recovery and what people fail to see....

(Please read the article at Zero Hedge here ( link to Zero Hedge ))
 
Today, I had a conversation with another engineer. We were discussing the potential to work on a new project. His comment was that he felt that things were finally picking up.....I smiled and said, that was doubtful.



While I expressed my doubt, he indicated that, not including the project I had mentioned, he had two other inquries about doing some engineering. My retort was to look at the funding, I bet it is government funding or speculation funding. First he said no, but then he paused.....then he remembered, one was a rescue squad bulding, one a hotel, and the third one a governement building renovation.........Nailed it......two of three are money from government sources and the other is a private company who I bet is speculating at best. I did not ask him where the hotel is, but if it is near DC, Richmond, or some large metro area....it is living off a government sponsored bubble....still a false economy.

Until I pointed it out, he did not think about it, in the daily shuffle of family, work, and church it was lost. He lives in an area propped up by government money, an area with a large state university that gets millions in grants and funds for research from both state and federal sources. Even the private funds they get often has its origination back in one of the alphabet agencies. He is part of the city population within a bubble.

But with people falling out of the labor participation rate, how can there be any money to invest. People with no income can not spend or save, by definition. Without spending from the results of true production there is no short term recovery and without saving to create investment capital there can be no long term recovery. Without demand, there is no reason to have supply. No production...no work. No work....no recovery. So what money there is, is mostly being taxed from the productive class, mixed with printed money and then spent by the government. The local, state and federal governments fund wars, government functionaries, regulations, wasted programs, entitlements, little or nothing that creates long term or lasting wealth.

Often Karl Denniger will ask his readers when are going to step out of our slumber, when are we going to demand an end to militarism, cronyism, to graft, to legalized fraud. Based on what I see and hear around me, very few people see the economic, political, or legal facts in front of them. Few stand on the walls seeing the signs of failure of an epic proportion, and they are too often considered radical or  paranoid. We fail to teach history and demonstrate that nations and empires do fail....in fact that is the norm from Greece (ancient) to the Soviet Union, they have all failed. Many think things are bad, but all will be better....one day soon. Many feel powerless to make any impact and have elected to try to "ride it out". Most of those seem to be ranchers, farmers, and my neighbors in the country! Will Virginians begin to look deeper and be motivated to action, either personal or public......only time will tell.

And that time will be sooner than later.....the curve above does not predict a healthy outcome.....


Saturday, January 4, 2014

Well, it seems I have been away from my blog for quite a while. And I have. At this point, the only people who may be seeing this site are me the goons with the NSA! So be it.

I have to say that I respect the time and work that bloggers put into the craft and the regular dedication they give to the task. While I have not been writing, I have been reading. Writers such as Brock Townsend, Karl Denninger, WRSA, MaxV, and others are regular reads for me. I appreciate their time and many of their insights.

I found in 2013, that first, the time to write simply overcame me. Then with duties and life around the farm, my "regular in-town" job along with the long held personal avocations, I  became so very busy that blogging had to step back...way back.

With that set back, what followed was time to search out why I would even care to write out my thoughts for anyone to read......I had a few readers, but not many. not even relatives! Was I going to change the world, or even my little corner of it?...not likely. Was that the point? What was the purpose and just how much of my soul do I need to bare and share.......especially in light of everything being made a permanent part of the public domain. Don't take me wrong, I have some pretty fixed opinions and I share them pretty well privately with my wife and some close associates......but generally I am a "you leave my opinions alone and I will leave your opinions alone, even if your wrong" type of guy.

But I suppose I got an answer as to "why" recently. I have a Facebook page, for no specific reason, just have one. I connect with family and friends from the past there on occasion, but again, I do not write a lot there either.  But what happens is that sometimes I get motivated to respond. And when I do, I end up responding on their site. However, I lose control of the comment and even had one deleted because the person did not like the comment.

Well, ok, it is their page so they can do that. However, I was right (or at least I think so!). So rather than engage, they just cut me off. (Bad thing here was that it was a younger under-educated relative who needed some education from an elder........!). But then, generally I do not like the limitations of FaceBook anyway.

So, maybe this blog site is my better option. it is now the top of 2014, so I am going to give it another go. Start small and see what happens. I will aim for a weekly update, most likely on Sundays since that is the least busy day normally. If is me and the goons, then so be it. In the end, I will get a chance to get it off my chest in a forum I can better control......