I’m Not The Only One

Okay, I’m a libertarian, a Free Stater and Latino.  So why am I writing about this, you ask?

Three reasons:

1.  I was actually stupid enough to download this piece of malware, and I got rid of it all by myself without having to reformat my hard drive.  I’d like to share what exactly I did to make that happen so that others do not have to go to extremes like hiring someone to fix it or having to wipe your hard drive clean.

2.  Since this malware seems to be affecting many people, since “Windows 2012 Security Virus” seems to be a very popular search subject when typing the first two words into Google.  So I figure writing about it will at least bring more people to this blog.

3.  Because I couldn’t use my Firefox browser, it was the main reason I couldn’t get into WordPress and make any new entries here for a few weeks.

If you don’t know what this piece of malware is,  just Google it, because I’m not in the mood to explain any background shit.  If you do know what this is, read on. (more…)

The subject of Florida came up in a recent conversation, during which I complained that Florida requires recipients of food stamp benefits to take a drug test.  The woman with whom I was eating lunch said, “Good, they should do that here {in New Hampshire).  My tax dollars shouldn’t have to pay for someone’s drug habit.”

I couldn’t roll my eyes fast or hard enough at this ridiculous remark.

I replied, “Why should they test me for drug in order to get welfare benefits?  Nobody drug tested me when the state was stealing the money from my paycheck.”  Of course, you don’t have to be employed own property to pay local, state or federal taxes, as I’ve explained in a previous post.  But when most people think of taxpayers, they only include property owners and the employed within that definition.  But the system is set up so that everyone, including the unemployed, people on welfare, those whose incomes are from criminal activity and even illegal aliens are still paying taxes when they pay a bill or buy something. (more…)

In the last week I’ve seen many people with the following status on their Facebook page.

 “NYPD FDNY AND EMS OFFICERS WERE NOT INVITED TO THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY OF 9/11… MAYOR BLOOMBERG CLAIMS THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THEM… 10 YEARS AGO, THEY WEREN’T INVITED BUT THEY SHOWED UP!!! REPOST IF YOU AGREE THEY SHOULD BE THERE….”

Technically I am re-posting this, but not on Facebook, which was the intenti0n of this post, so I definitely don’t agree with it.

In fact, I don’t think any employee or representative from any government agency should attend the 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero.  Those within the e 9/11 Truth Movement suggest that the federal government either knew about the attacks in advance and deliberately did nothing or orchestrated the attacks to trick Americans into supporting the Patriot Act and the invasion and conquest of Afghanistan, Iraq and now Libya.

This is not unlike the conspiracy theory in which President Franklin D. Roosevelt allegedly ignored intelligence reports suggesting the Japanese were planning to attack Pearl Harbor, and that the Roosevelt administration deliberately failed to prevent the attack in order to convince Americans to abandon their isolationist sentiments, support the declaration of war on the Axis powers and bring the United States into World War II. (more…)

Recent telephone conversation I had with a friend back in New York in which I told him how little rent I pay in Manchester.

Woefully ignorant friend: Wow, you’re so lucky, you don’t have to pay for electricity!

Me: No, I do pay for electricity, it’s included in the rent.

Friend: But it’s free!

Me: No, it’s included in the rent I pay.  If the electricity wasn’t included my rent would be lower, but I’d have to pay for the electricity separately.

Friend: Nah, man. It’s free, just like public school and Social Security.

Me (pausing, then grinning): You’re absolutely right.

With March Madness upon us, a touchy issue comes up, the proverbial elephant in the room everyone can see but nobody wants to discuss: player compensation.

Let’s focus on college basketball, which with football, is one of the most popular collegiate spectator sports today.  Games between Division I teams are almost always televised with big-name sponsors paying a fortune for ad space, then there’s the ticket sales and the merchandising of everything from apparel to video games.  Everybody wins; coaches and support staff of winning teams enjoy high salaries, the universities rake in the revenue from ticket sales (when games are played on campus) and merchandising and the TV and cable networks rake in the advertising revenue.  Well, everybody wins except the players. (more…)

I’ve spent the last few hours combing the Internet trying to learn more about this Coffee Party.  At first glance, the name appears to be a parody of the Tea Party, so I assumed it was a clever parody of a grassroots movement a la Stephen Colbert as opposed to an actual grassroots movement.  However, multiple sources including the New York Times and Washington Post suggest that it is very much real so I guess it is.

The following is is the mission statement from the Coffee Party website:

“The Coffee Party Movement gives voice to Americans who want to see cooperation in government. We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans. As voters and grassroots volunteers, we will support leaders who work toward positive solutions, and hold accountable those who obstruct them.”

Here’s the mission statement from the Tea Party website:

“Tea Party Patriots, Inc. (”TPP”) is a non-partisan, non-profit social welfare organization dedicated to furthering the common good and general welfare of the people of the United States. TPP furthers this goal by educating the public and promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets.”

Is it just me or do the Tea Party and Coffee Party appear to be thinly veiled disguises for the Republican and Democratic parties?  The fact that Fox News so fervently promoted the Tea Party and that two of the biggest liberal media outlets in the country are strongly promoting the Coffee Party raises some red flags for me.  In addition, these two mission statements eerily resemble the broken promises of the two major political parties. The Republicans are always preaching about free markets, fiscal responsibility and limited government, but when in power, do the complete opposite.  The Democrats assure the public that they want to bring transparency and accountability to government and that in the end all the heavy taxation and regulation will have been for the greater good of the American people.  This of course is also bullshit because when Democrats are in power they also do the complete opposite of what they say they stand for.  In the end, both parties end up being statist control freaks who give away billions in tax dollars to the various special interest groups who bribe the leadership of both parties. (more…)

As millions of students return to college to prepare to fill jobs that probably won’t exist by the time they graduate, I am reminded of a dubious concept from my own college years: academic integrity.

You can’t take one college course, read one syllabus or even read university literature without coming across that word. It is a concept used to enforce rules on students that prohibit among other things, plagiarism, cheating, using Cliff Notes, Wikipedia or any other act perceived as academic dishonesty.

Unfortunately I’d learned over the years in college that academic integrity only applies to students.  Faculty, text book companies and even entire universities do not have to adhere to any standards of academic integrity. (more…)

For those of you who have never really liked all those visually obstructive ads on this blog, today is your day.

As you can now see, the MSNBC Politics and Amazon.com ads are gone.  My fellow bloggers should pay close attention to what I’m about to say.

I originally put up the MSNBC Politics /huge display ad widget on my blog in May of 2008.  Placing the widget near the top was mandatory in order to participate in their advertising program.  I thought that was a little much, but I tolerated it.

I recently logged in to the website of Syndigo, the third party company that manages these display ad widgets for MSNBC, the Today Show and a host of local CBS affiliates, to see how much money I had accumulated in the 16 months since I’d joined their network and was appalled to see I had only accumulated $3.89.  I was even further dismayed to learn that they had actually lowered their rates of payment per click and per thousand impressions (impressions is when the ad is seen on the browser of someone visiting my blog). Syndigo can keep their lousy $3.89.  The worst aspect of Syndigo is that they don’t pay out until I accumulated $50 on my account, which at the current rate of accumulation would not have happened for me for another 17 years, at which time Syndigo will undoubtedly be defunct.

Amazon was even worse, with no revenue whatsoever.  As much as I like to show my visitors what books I like to read, it was a non-monetizing eyesore that, like MSNBC, had to go.

In contrast, Google Adsense, which is near the bottom and the least visually obstructive, pays out something like $100 a year, which while is a small amount, is far more substantial than anything I’ve gotten from the other two affiliate programs.

To be fair, Syndigo’s rates of payment are based on how many unique visitors come to your site per month.  The lowest bracket, which my blog was in, was for websites that received fewer than 10,000 unique visits per month. So I guess joining Syndigo is not a worthwhile investment unless you have more than 10,000 unique visits per month.  And if you have fewer than that number, be prepared to provide MSNBC or CBS with free advertising.

I never expected to get rich with Syndigo; I only expected to see comparable to or better results than Google Adsense given that the advertising was significantly larger and harder to ignore since it was near the top of the web page.  If I were a liberal, I’d call my Congressmember to tell them to ban such slick advertising schemes and protect us vulnerable bloggers and webmasters.  But I’m a free-market libertarian, so I’m just going to take the assholes off my site.

I didn’t realize how controversial the whole Notre Dame’s issue (granting President Barack Obama an honorary degree and inviting him to give their 2009 commencement speech) was until I logged on to YouTube the other day and saw the featured video was of Notre Dame students and members of the Roman Catholic community sounding off on the issue.  I was made even more aware when I learned of notredamescandal.com.

Honestly, I think people made a much bigger deal out of it than it really was.  I think the real scandal was that President Obama was offered an “honorary” degree in the first place.  Besides the fact that it is a slap in the face to all the students who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition and spent years earning their degrees, an honorary degree, which is usually a Masters or Doctorate, is nothing more than a cheap fundraising gimmick. (more…)

Happy 4/20!

I couldn’t let my favorite holiday pass by without posting something up on this blog.   Norm Stamper of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition offered a great argument of why marijuana is far less harmless than alcohol.  Stamper, a retired police chief from Seattle offered the following:

“Alcohol contributes to acts of violence; marijuana reduces aggression. In approximately three million cases of reported violent crimes last year, the offender had been drinking. This is particularly true in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, and date rape. Marijuana use, in and of itself, is absent from both crime reports and the scientific literature. There is simply no link to be made.”

and…

“Alcohol-related traffic accidents claim approximately 14,000 lives each year, down significantly from 20 or 30 years ago (attributed to improved education and enforcement). Figures for THC-related traffic fatalities are elusive, especially since alcohol is almost always present in the blood as well, and since the numbers of “marijuana-only” traffic fatalities are so small. But evidence from studies, including laboratory simulations, feeds the stereotype that those under the influence of canniboids tend to (1) be more aware of their impaired psychomotor skills, and (2) drive well below the speed limit. Those under the influence of alcohol are much more likely to be clueless or defiant about their condition, and to speed up and drive recklessly.”

Check out the rest of the article here, and if you get the munchies, celebrate 4/20 with some kottonmouth kookies.

I’m using another PC as I’m still waiting for my ISP to transfer my Internet connection to my new apartment.  In the meantime, I feel I must vent at all the Bernie Madoff coverage in the news, especially in the local stations here in New York City.

The rage and incarceration of Bernie Madoff is just another example of how our justice system picks and chooses what is and isn’t legal with little to no regard for consistency.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending what he did.  I’m just saying, he basically fooled thousands of idiots by convincing them that they could see a large return through a comparatively smaller investment.   If Madoff is going to jail, then how about locking up all the other organizations that suggest a person can see a gigantic return on a modest investment like the lottery commission of every state (a dollar and a dream my ass) and every casino in the U.S.  How come the people running these organizations aren’t going to prison?

Can anyone explain the difference between Madoff’s promise to his client pool of morons, all of whom are crying fraud and the promise offered by lottery tickets and casinos?  As usual the mainstream media demonstrates their ignorance of finance and economics by casting him to be worse than Hitler, or worse, George W. Bush.

Anyone with any amount of economic or financial literacy can tell that almost all investments that are high yield are also high risk and often require a high investment.  In fact, a high rate of return is usually offered to compensate for the equally high risk associated with the investment to attract a healthy mix of adventurous risk-takers who understand the risks involved and the idiots who don’t understand the risk but see the rate of return and drool.

If people want to put their money into something safe, they can put it into a savings account that pays out 2-3% interest.  If they want a higher return they can put their money into a bank’s certificate of deposit for a nice 5-7% interest rate.  Those are two safe investments.  You want a higher rate or return on your investment?  You’re going to be placing your money at risk.  Unfortunately, buyers of lottery tickets, compulsive gamblers and Bernie Madoff clients do not seem to understand this fundamental fact of investment.

Dah, comrade, vee are finally here.  Karl Marx vould be proud.

Why do I use a Russian accent?  Because in my opinion, the United States government has recently made the first necessary steps to becoming a socialist republic.

For years, corporations, their industry-wide political action committees with armies of lobbyists have been throwing millions of dollars in bribes to both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.  And now that these corporations and industries find themselves tumbling down as a result of decades of their own irresponsible fiscal mismanagement, it’s only natural that they should turn for help to the same political parties who they’ve been bribing all these years. (more…)

Since no one has really responded to my scam rundown, I figured I’d get the ball rolling by discussing Affirmative Action, one of the most destructive scams ever enforced by the government and the most racist policy ever supported by liberals.

The first problem with Affirmative Action is that it is based on the assumption that all white people are wealthy and that all minorities are poor. This theory is highly flawed; even when Affirmative Action was first drafted in federal law in the 1960s, this was not true. There were many successful African-Americans who were, although segregated from whites, highly educated and among the middle-class, well before the Civil Rights Movement. (more…)

A major reason I initially launched I’m Not The Only One was to write down all the thoughts and arguments I’ve had in the past regarding politics, economics, and other issues.

So I’m going to offer what I believe to be the top ten scams facing Americans today, in no particular order.

1) Affirmative Action

2) Bilingual education

3) College

4) The Anti-Globalization Movement

5) Welfare

6) Health insurance

7) Privatization of core government functions

Public schools

9) Unions

10) The minimum wage

Here’s where you, the reader come in. I’m a little disappointed with the lack of comments on INTOO. According to Google Analytics, for the last 30 days I’ve roughly gotten an average of about 50 people coming to this site every day, so someone is obviously reading this. I’d like my readers to tell me which scam they’d like me to discuss first, why I see it as a scam and who specifically benefits from the scam.

The ball’s in your court now. Drop me a comment on this post and whichever topics gets the most requests will be selected first for discussion by me. Also, I believe in instant run-off voting, so feel free to declare a second choice you’d like me to discuss first if your first choice does not get the most requests.

And I’m not going to discuss any of these scams until I see at least 10 requests. What I’m looking for here is reader participatio, so please don’t disappoint. Thanks.