Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/03/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Jay, you make it sound easy. I guess it seems so half a globe away. On Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 11:35 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com>wrote: > George, > > That is because, at the core, these things are very simple if you want to > be > prudent. The complications are caused by people not wanting to take other > dissenting views into account for a variety of reasons - whether on the > left, centre and right. I really suspect that the solution to Wisconsin is > somewhere in the middle, and both sides Government and the Unions) take > extreme positions hoping to reach there as a face saving compromise - which > in the short term leads to a lot of dissonance > > I do not deny that Governments get hijacked by special interests - they do > all the time - and it does not matter what form of Government either. At > least in Democracies, we get a chance to throw the bums out - if the > majority of citizens voting deem it fit to do so. If we do not like the end > result, tough luck, that is how elections work! > > I am afraid, coming from India, I have total distaste for Government > bureaucracies and employees - they are by and large inefficient, lazy, > corrupt and open to all types of political patronage, and we could well do > without them as they do not provide the services they are supposed to > provide for us anyway. Of course there are exceptions that work very well - > the postal services and railways to name two that come to mind, but by and > large they are totally dispensable! > > Cheers > Jayanand > > > On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 9:50 AM, George Lottermoser <imagist3 at mac.com > >wrote: > > > > > On Mar 13, 2011, at 9:19 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj wrote: > > > > > take a loan (in the USA a municipal bond) to build a school (it is an > > > asset, not an expense), and charge the fees required to pay for > expenses > > and > > > pay back the bond, just like a business entity will do. If there are > > > negligible or subsidized fees, then you have to have higher taxes - you > > > cannot run these things on a deficit indefinitely - in cash flow terms, > > this > > > is called "diversion of funds' or a 'funding mismatch' - it will > > definitely > > > lead to bankruptcy at some point. > > > > > > Jayanand, > > > > Throughout this discussion we've thrown simple analogies, metaphors, > > business models, > > economic formulae and government funding schemes into a strange stew pot. > > > > Allow me to clarify: > > > > Here in Wisconsin we have moved way beyond balancing budgets, municipal > > bonds and cash flow terms. > > > > For the past three weeks thousands of citizens have stood in the capitol > > rotunda every day; > > culminating with between 150 - 300,000 demonstrating in the streets > > yesterday. > > > > 14 honorable democratic senators stood before that throng to receive its > > expression of gratitude for their strength and courage; > > while the governor required 6 unmarked police cars to get him to a fund > > raiser in a norther boarder town with a population of 2,700. > > In that town between 2,000 and 3,500 citizens greeted him with, "NO!" > > > > The governor installed body canners and bag searches in our capitol > > building for the first time in our state's history. > > The citizen majority petitions for the recall of 8 republican senators. > > In my district alone they have acquired 49% of the required signatures > > within one week's time; with 7 weeks to go. > > 149,000 have pledged to petition the governor's recall ASAP (January > 2012) > > with 10 months to go in that effort to arrive at 540,000. > > > > The citizen minority also petitions for the recall of some of the > > democratic senators. > > Though that energy is so low that I can't find who, where or when through > > google. > > > > The people are telling the governor in no uncertain terms, "This is our > > state. > > We were here before you got here. We will be here long after you're > gone." > > The governor, and his legislative supporters, respond with no regard for > > their petitioners. > > Today we learned that the republican senator from Fond du Lac county > > lives with his 25 year old mistress, who was a staffer and former > lobbyist, > > in Madison - outside his district - not legal. > > His former maid signed his recall petition and says his x-wife will too. > > > > We're talking about things way beyond budgets here; > > and in Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Maine, Florida and beyond. > > > > These republican governors have overreached; > > and the labor majority intends to return their governance to that > > of, for and by the "people." > > > > Mark these words, times and places as historically significant. > > Yesterday was the largest rally for labor in this country's history. > > > > Regards, > > George Lottermoser > > george at imagist.com > > http://www.imagist.com > > http://www.imagist.com/blog > > http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- Regards, Sonny http://sonc.com/look/ Natchitoches, Louisiana USA