Well I'm halfway lit on a combination of Molson and Bud Light Platinum. Piss beer, I know.
I'm starting to wonder if this blog will count as a March or February blog, because I started writing this near midnight on the 28th of February but by the time I post it the blog will be in March.
On to non ramblings - I have nothing to say. Not even one word.
In my alcohol ridden state, I wanted to post a little bit about some things that really irk me. I don't want to name "names", but I want to vent it. You know, the way you would see it.
I must say that I like the new facebook layout. It allows me to not see the feeds of people I don't want to see but still be their friends. (Why I do this I don't know)
This is the case that I want to write about. I have a friend on facebook who is kind of doing well for herself. I don't know her real well, but I knew her through her ex husband. She writes how to's for women who don't have half a brain. The problem that I have is that she ran into a gold mine. Her success is wholly pivoted off of the success of her boyfriend. Her business, her whole way of life wouldn't be legit if it wasn't for him. This is also defined as a modern day gold digger.
I don't have a problem with her be successful or using her nice bodily assets to become successful. The problem I have is that people do work hard for a living. People bust their asses to become something, and often times along the way they fail. Often they fail really hard and they have to pick up the pieces and try to make something of that. Not everyone, including 3/4 of her audience, has the ability to find someone as successful as her boyfriend. So while she is "living proof" that a single mom can do things, what she fails to realize is that not every woman out there living with two kids on her own will find this awesome man who has shit tons of money. What most women will find is a normal guy who works for a living and really doesn't have the money to go on exotic vacations.
I don't know, that's just me. I have worked hard for everything I have. I don't pin any of my successes on the likes of anyone else. If I fail, I fail on my own. If I succeed, then I succeed on my own. No bullshit about riding on the back of someone else.
Does it matter? No. But Bud Light Platinum and it's 6% alcohol volume have me thinking about things that make no sense at all.
FYI - it's 12:02 am and this is now a March blog. At what point was I in February? I don't know, but again BL-P.
That is all. Time for a documentary and more beer.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Net Neutrality
I was at work today when I took a break to check out Yahoo!
Unfortunately, my company has a block on Yahoo! and I was not able to visit the site. It was determined by someone higher than me that Yahoo does not benefit the company and has the ability to place workers off task.
What my company couldn't stop me from doing (they have not outlawed it yet) is going on my phone and checking the internet there. On the front page of Yahoo! was the vote on net neutrality. The powers that be voted to regulate our internet. Don't be alarmed.....YET!
What today's vote means is that internet companies such as Comcast and other internet primary service providers are now classified as data companies. This move will put internet providers of all types into one category. So as much as Verizon is an internet provider, Comcast is now a cell phone provider (in theory).
How this works: Say Verizon wants to have internet rights to places in remote Montana. Instead of just putting towers on main roads, they now have to attempt to serve area's which are much harder to reach. Like Verizon, Comcast must also offer it's services in places that would normally be harder to get to. The problem is that if Comcast and Verizon were to merge their internet products, they would still be classified as data and could not escape what the government is controlling.
Essentially, we just took a step away from the constitution and towards socialism.
While this isn't such a big deal right now, the immediate future spells competition for those interested in getting into new markets. For instance, Comcast cannot shutter the speeds it offers in Montana simply because it is more expensive to serve this market over a place like Seattle. Comcast must make reasonable efforts to offer all residents of Montana the same service package they would offer any metro area. The easy solution to this is to slow down internet speeds everywhere. Not so fast, Comcast cannot do that either. Data providers must now offer everyone the opportunity to the same internet speeds.
That's all well and good, for those using home internet. However our internet usage is fast approaching a high mobile market. So for Verizon, they cannot shutter your speeds just because the network is slow. So guess what? The unintended consequence: Comcast raises prices to keep all equipment at the same service range while Verizon raises prices to allow for data to be passed easily through their network.
The first question is: Who falls first? I believe home based internet will fall first. Comcast cannot easily reach houses like Verizon can with a phone. One cable line equals one house. One cell phone tower equals many users.
But the real issue is not that our prices will rise. The issue is that the government put it's hand in a place we thought was free from government. Look at any other bill in congress where something started out as small regulation. It always ends up with our government running the whole system, and eventually making it worse.
Although this isn't accurate, I wouldn't be surprised to see the internet inaccessible on federal holidays in the near future.
Unfortunately, my company has a block on Yahoo! and I was not able to visit the site. It was determined by someone higher than me that Yahoo does not benefit the company and has the ability to place workers off task.
What my company couldn't stop me from doing (they have not outlawed it yet) is going on my phone and checking the internet there. On the front page of Yahoo! was the vote on net neutrality. The powers that be voted to regulate our internet. Don't be alarmed.....YET!
What today's vote means is that internet companies such as Comcast and other internet primary service providers are now classified as data companies. This move will put internet providers of all types into one category. So as much as Verizon is an internet provider, Comcast is now a cell phone provider (in theory).
How this works: Say Verizon wants to have internet rights to places in remote Montana. Instead of just putting towers on main roads, they now have to attempt to serve area's which are much harder to reach. Like Verizon, Comcast must also offer it's services in places that would normally be harder to get to. The problem is that if Comcast and Verizon were to merge their internet products, they would still be classified as data and could not escape what the government is controlling.
Essentially, we just took a step away from the constitution and towards socialism.
While this isn't such a big deal right now, the immediate future spells competition for those interested in getting into new markets. For instance, Comcast cannot shutter the speeds it offers in Montana simply because it is more expensive to serve this market over a place like Seattle. Comcast must make reasonable efforts to offer all residents of Montana the same service package they would offer any metro area. The easy solution to this is to slow down internet speeds everywhere. Not so fast, Comcast cannot do that either. Data providers must now offer everyone the opportunity to the same internet speeds.
That's all well and good, for those using home internet. However our internet usage is fast approaching a high mobile market. So for Verizon, they cannot shutter your speeds just because the network is slow. So guess what? The unintended consequence: Comcast raises prices to keep all equipment at the same service range while Verizon raises prices to allow for data to be passed easily through their network.
The first question is: Who falls first? I believe home based internet will fall first. Comcast cannot easily reach houses like Verizon can with a phone. One cable line equals one house. One cell phone tower equals many users.
But the real issue is not that our prices will rise. The issue is that the government put it's hand in a place we thought was free from government. Look at any other bill in congress where something started out as small regulation. It always ends up with our government running the whole system, and eventually making it worse.
Although this isn't accurate, I wouldn't be surprised to see the internet inaccessible on federal holidays in the near future.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Teachings in religion: A FB post from 2009
Currently, the time is 1 A.M in the morning and I am beginning to feel
wheezy after taking my narcotic sleep medication. I take the pills
because they reduce my sleep interrupting nightmares that happen so
frequently.
While trying to catch some much needed rest in preparation for my mother to come out Colorado and my Wife's return from Wisconsin, I have stayed up late each night cleaning a little bit more than I normally would have. While taking one of my elaborate breaks, (as Jillian knows, I work for five minutes and rest for 10), I stumbled upon a book which I began reading almost four months ago. The book is titled "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. I know that by typing that man's name, I just arrived on my fellow friends' list, hate mail recipients list. Some of you are clearly already turned away by what I have to say, yet others may find what I am bullshitting through to be of some value. Either way, I wish for all of you super religious people who choose to stop and debate a topic half way through, to read my entire essay prior to actually commenting. Although I did just put that disclaimer in my work, I think about 75% of the christian population will forget it and make some naive comment about a certain section in my essay, rather than the whole thing.
Years ago, I became a victim of something that is almost never heard of. It's a type of abuse where elders support it, and children will do anything to be in it. This type of abuse is brought on by years of brainwashing in a degree that only a 26 year old who has wasted many years of his life listening to can speak of. This type of abuse is neither physical, verbal, or emotional. Nay, it is religious abuse and it has become increasingly popular amongst the evangelicals and fundamentalists' (Strap a bomb to my belly and take out as many people who do not agree with our teachings) type of people. Funny how things turned out, from my childhood to now. I was once so brainwashed that I "was on fire for the lord". Good thing I wised up and realized that I was wasting my money to give a man a house who did nothing more than reject the poor (which my mother thought he was acting on god's behalf when he(the pastor), said no to her requests to help her with a bill she was behind on. After all, it was the money she had given to an offering.
I am not really into divulging my entire abuse, because most of it is very ignorant propaganda that my church willing placed on each child. Just watch the documentary "Jesus Camp". Some of these children walk around with tape over their mouths to certify that they are not controlled by themselves, but rather a superficial being. Too bad that rule didn't apply to the NHL when a player high sticked another. The natural defense could be that god told me to do it and I am his messenger. Or when the drunk driver walks away clean from an accident that killed a mother and father along with their three children. Could you call that natural selection? You see, it has been things like this that actually lead me to believe that I wasted portions of my life pondering a god that isn't real. Well then, how about the Euphoria when you are so called "saved". I found that same feeling present when I closed on my home and became the first member of my family to own a home. I guess a salesman has one goal in mind to close the sale; to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside before they hand you a doggy bag full of dog shit.
It's okay though, as I have rebounded well to lead an un-blind folded life. I have been given chances to diversify myself and see what people are really made of. After making comments similar to what I have already written, I found myself on another page being bombarded with hilarious questions such as this one: if there is no god, then why would people rally around one another to help each other no matter what the circumstances? Well my dumb friends, I have to tell you that our country is currently trying to rally around the mortgage prices that gave many people the euphoria they felt when they were saved or when they closed on that huge McMansion.
Finally, I have seen the left behind series so many times that I just want to puke. The fear propaganda involved with it is absolutely ridiculous. To think that some man is going to come around, wipe out a Generation and then revive himself to be killed by Jesus, is just phony. Well to tell you the truth, I think it may have already happened. Mussolini believed that he must hold the upper hand among the people so that they will "craft his way". Upon his escape, he was killed. Maybe he was then resurrected as Adolf Hitler. After all, hitler told his prisoners that they would be treated to royalty and then sent them to a place where they would get a nice warm shower. Too bad that shower was a cyanide gas waiting to annihilate them. I guess if that were the case, then the United States of America would be Jesus. As we ended world war two and conquered the empire that held the world hostage. Maybe that's why we are so into spending money on places like new life church to watch them have a stage complete with an arena size scoreboard so that if you cannot see the preacher, you can watch him on the jumbo trons. Welcome to America, land of the free, home of Jesus.
Thoughts?
While trying to catch some much needed rest in preparation for my mother to come out Colorado and my Wife's return from Wisconsin, I have stayed up late each night cleaning a little bit more than I normally would have. While taking one of my elaborate breaks, (as Jillian knows, I work for five minutes and rest for 10), I stumbled upon a book which I began reading almost four months ago. The book is titled "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. I know that by typing that man's name, I just arrived on my fellow friends' list, hate mail recipients list. Some of you are clearly already turned away by what I have to say, yet others may find what I am bullshitting through to be of some value. Either way, I wish for all of you super religious people who choose to stop and debate a topic half way through, to read my entire essay prior to actually commenting. Although I did just put that disclaimer in my work, I think about 75% of the christian population will forget it and make some naive comment about a certain section in my essay, rather than the whole thing.
Years ago, I became a victim of something that is almost never heard of. It's a type of abuse where elders support it, and children will do anything to be in it. This type of abuse is brought on by years of brainwashing in a degree that only a 26 year old who has wasted many years of his life listening to can speak of. This type of abuse is neither physical, verbal, or emotional. Nay, it is religious abuse and it has become increasingly popular amongst the evangelicals and fundamentalists' (Strap a bomb to my belly and take out as many people who do not agree with our teachings) type of people. Funny how things turned out, from my childhood to now. I was once so brainwashed that I "was on fire for the lord". Good thing I wised up and realized that I was wasting my money to give a man a house who did nothing more than reject the poor (which my mother thought he was acting on god's behalf when he(the pastor), said no to her requests to help her with a bill she was behind on. After all, it was the money she had given to an offering.
I am not really into divulging my entire abuse, because most of it is very ignorant propaganda that my church willing placed on each child. Just watch the documentary "Jesus Camp". Some of these children walk around with tape over their mouths to certify that they are not controlled by themselves, but rather a superficial being. Too bad that rule didn't apply to the NHL when a player high sticked another. The natural defense could be that god told me to do it and I am his messenger. Or when the drunk driver walks away clean from an accident that killed a mother and father along with their three children. Could you call that natural selection? You see, it has been things like this that actually lead me to believe that I wasted portions of my life pondering a god that isn't real. Well then, how about the Euphoria when you are so called "saved". I found that same feeling present when I closed on my home and became the first member of my family to own a home. I guess a salesman has one goal in mind to close the sale; to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside before they hand you a doggy bag full of dog shit.
It's okay though, as I have rebounded well to lead an un-blind folded life. I have been given chances to diversify myself and see what people are really made of. After making comments similar to what I have already written, I found myself on another page being bombarded with hilarious questions such as this one: if there is no god, then why would people rally around one another to help each other no matter what the circumstances? Well my dumb friends, I have to tell you that our country is currently trying to rally around the mortgage prices that gave many people the euphoria they felt when they were saved or when they closed on that huge McMansion.
Finally, I have seen the left behind series so many times that I just want to puke. The fear propaganda involved with it is absolutely ridiculous. To think that some man is going to come around, wipe out a Generation and then revive himself to be killed by Jesus, is just phony. Well to tell you the truth, I think it may have already happened. Mussolini believed that he must hold the upper hand among the people so that they will "craft his way". Upon his escape, he was killed. Maybe he was then resurrected as Adolf Hitler. After all, hitler told his prisoners that they would be treated to royalty and then sent them to a place where they would get a nice warm shower. Too bad that shower was a cyanide gas waiting to annihilate them. I guess if that were the case, then the United States of America would be Jesus. As we ended world war two and conquered the empire that held the world hostage. Maybe that's why we are so into spending money on places like new life church to watch them have a stage complete with an arena size scoreboard so that if you cannot see the preacher, you can watch him on the jumbo trons. Welcome to America, land of the free, home of Jesus.
Thoughts?
How Film Became Political
Enjoy watching film? I do. I enjoy the theater. Not just the show on the screen, but everything around it. The soda, the seats, the candy and occasionally my kids. Most of the time I get into the show, so bringing the children isn't always the best idea.
Sometimes I enjoy deep films with meaning and emotion from everything. Other times I just go for the title of the film and let the plot, or lack thereof, develop.
What I don't like about film is when the actors open their mouths AFTER the film has been released. Too often these stars go on big marketing and PR campaigns to get people into the theater. You'll see them on talk shows, advertisements and public speaking circuits. They talk about their film, their favorite parts and how it relates to them.
Then the movie get's into the theater and all of that particular actor's traits you saw while on sale, are gone. They are the real person. They speak their minds and immediately go political. Immediately.
For instance, let's look at Michael Moore. His best films came out during the Bush administration. Normally I'd applaud such great work, but take a look at his filmography as a whole. Notice how he spent his most critical films during republican presidencies? It's 2015 and his last film was in 2009. A little hang over from the Bush era, but still an attack on conservatives. During the Bush years, his longest break was 2 years. Now he shuts up.
Then let's talk about the Oscars. A true case of hypocrisy if there ever was one. You have some of the wealthiest, let's just call them richest, people of cinema on stage collecting awards while wearing expensive clothing that has been borrowed to them. Three days later these titans of stage will be advocating for helping third world countries, promoting their charities and advancing liberal policies.
Honestly, it's kind of sickening to hear. This is why act/ors/resses get so much negative publicity. They portray someone else for the world to see, but then want to be taken seriously. They take money from the strong, the weak, the rich and the poor but don't care that they only serve one side.
Just remember the blabbering idiots when they walk on stage with shit they don't own, and then spend the next two weeks talking about helping people who don't have anything.
Sometimes I enjoy deep films with meaning and emotion from everything. Other times I just go for the title of the film and let the plot, or lack thereof, develop.
What I don't like about film is when the actors open their mouths AFTER the film has been released. Too often these stars go on big marketing and PR campaigns to get people into the theater. You'll see them on talk shows, advertisements and public speaking circuits. They talk about their film, their favorite parts and how it relates to them.
Then the movie get's into the theater and all of that particular actor's traits you saw while on sale, are gone. They are the real person. They speak their minds and immediately go political. Immediately.
For instance, let's look at Michael Moore. His best films came out during the Bush administration. Normally I'd applaud such great work, but take a look at his filmography as a whole. Notice how he spent his most critical films during republican presidencies? It's 2015 and his last film was in 2009. A little hang over from the Bush era, but still an attack on conservatives. During the Bush years, his longest break was 2 years. Now he shuts up.
Then let's talk about the Oscars. A true case of hypocrisy if there ever was one. You have some of the wealthiest, let's just call them richest, people of cinema on stage collecting awards while wearing expensive clothing that has been borrowed to them. Three days later these titans of stage will be advocating for helping third world countries, promoting their charities and advancing liberal policies.
Honestly, it's kind of sickening to hear. This is why act/ors/resses get so much negative publicity. They portray someone else for the world to see, but then want to be taken seriously. They take money from the strong, the weak, the rich and the poor but don't care that they only serve one side.
Just remember the blabbering idiots when they walk on stage with shit they don't own, and then spend the next two weeks talking about helping people who don't have anything.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
How tight to strap goalie pads
This is a sports related blog, but it doesn't deal with a sport but rather equipment in one. Therefor it doesn't go in my ticker.
I wanted to cover goalie pads for a little bit. I play goalie myself in beer league. My experience goes as high as college club hockey. Over the year's I've gotten older and more eager to find out what works best. I've often fallen into the one size fit's all category and kept my pads one way for a really long time.
For instance my pad length now. Currently I have goalie pads that use an ankle strap and two calf straps. I also have a calf buckle. Going from bottom to top I use 5, 5, 3 on Brian's goalie pads. That's kinda tight but still allows for rotation. The biggest reason I made my switch to this tension about 2 years ago was that my pads were turning all on their own. I'd have my leg pointed straight out and the pad would go to the left or right of my knee.
Previously I used a 2, 2, 1 set up. This was super loose. I even put my ankle strap through the middle skate cowling to have even more slack. I really liked this set up and kept it for about 3 years. For the 5 years that I've had my pads I've only used 2 settings.
Now I think I'm ready to go back to the 2,2,1 set up and here is why: The tighter I make these pads, the juicier the rebounds get. I can give a great bounce and set up the next shooter by using my tight settings. With the 2,2,1 setup I often have separation between my shin and the pad. This allows the puck to literally drop dead in front of me. FYI - you should always gauge how you want to play the puck on the team in front of you.
I say this because most beer leagues offer very bad defenses. It's the nature of the way adult leagues are played. Most people want to score, and it goes for both sides. Defense is often saved for the slowest people because they don't have the ability to score.
This is why I am switching back to a loose setting. I've found that in the past season of adult league, my team has become very weak on defense. Often allowing 3 on 1 and even a 4 on 0. When you get these kinds of problems coming your way, or the opponent is shooting low on you the worst thing possible is to give away a rebound. Step 1 is to not have a pad that automatically kicks pucks 50 feet away. You have no control that far away. If you have that kind of pad, you should have a defense fast enough to pick up your rebounds and clear for you. I do not have this. I also am pretty bad at mopping up sloppy shots. These turn into nasty situations in front of the net and my score board stats show it.
I don't have the puck to give up, but I wanted to share my sizing to help a little bit more.
I wanted to cover goalie pads for a little bit. I play goalie myself in beer league. My experience goes as high as college club hockey. Over the year's I've gotten older and more eager to find out what works best. I've often fallen into the one size fit's all category and kept my pads one way for a really long time.
For instance my pad length now. Currently I have goalie pads that use an ankle strap and two calf straps. I also have a calf buckle. Going from bottom to top I use 5, 5, 3 on Brian's goalie pads. That's kinda tight but still allows for rotation. The biggest reason I made my switch to this tension about 2 years ago was that my pads were turning all on their own. I'd have my leg pointed straight out and the pad would go to the left or right of my knee.
Previously I used a 2, 2, 1 set up. This was super loose. I even put my ankle strap through the middle skate cowling to have even more slack. I really liked this set up and kept it for about 3 years. For the 5 years that I've had my pads I've only used 2 settings.
Now I think I'm ready to go back to the 2,2,1 set up and here is why: The tighter I make these pads, the juicier the rebounds get. I can give a great bounce and set up the next shooter by using my tight settings. With the 2,2,1 setup I often have separation between my shin and the pad. This allows the puck to literally drop dead in front of me. FYI - you should always gauge how you want to play the puck on the team in front of you.
I say this because most beer leagues offer very bad defenses. It's the nature of the way adult leagues are played. Most people want to score, and it goes for both sides. Defense is often saved for the slowest people because they don't have the ability to score.
This is why I am switching back to a loose setting. I've found that in the past season of adult league, my team has become very weak on defense. Often allowing 3 on 1 and even a 4 on 0. When you get these kinds of problems coming your way, or the opponent is shooting low on you the worst thing possible is to give away a rebound. Step 1 is to not have a pad that automatically kicks pucks 50 feet away. You have no control that far away. If you have that kind of pad, you should have a defense fast enough to pick up your rebounds and clear for you. I do not have this. I also am pretty bad at mopping up sloppy shots. These turn into nasty situations in front of the net and my score board stats show it.
I don't have the puck to give up, but I wanted to share my sizing to help a little bit more.
Racism
I'm beginning to wonder how sick of the word "racism" the world is getting? Probably not much considering it's only meaningful purpose is for a black man to put a white man down. It's retribution for the slavery that I was never even a part of. Yet being a white man, I must be punished by people of my own skin color to be acceptable to the minority.
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettsburg address with a purpose: That white and black should be together. Than no man should look upon the other and ask why he can't have that man's item if he earned it. Yet today, so many years later his dream is tarnished. Thanks to the folks who race bait our country and use politics and the office of the president to spread hateful propaganda, we are no better than we were before.
Today, I cannot say anything offensive because I am in the majority. If one person see's another criticize the minority it's a shunned act. But should the likes of Al Sharpton grace the presence of a television show, he can spit whatever ignorant racist shit he wants. How the hell is that fair to anyone who wants to see progression.
The truth is we can't progress. We can't move. We cannot become one. Our race is too heated, too divided. When one race jumps over another in popularity, it sparks outrage. People voice their minds and are out of jobs. Yet if those same people are black, they can say whatever they want and their words are used as a topic of discussion.
This has gotten out of hand. Our country needs a revolution. Somebody needs to come out on top. Either that, or a black man/white woman and vice versa must meet and pro create rapidly to make everyone a little black and a little white.
We are too much pre-MLK and not enough today. Hate is our calling card and until anyone is willing to take that stand, we will never move anywhere.
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettsburg address with a purpose: That white and black should be together. Than no man should look upon the other and ask why he can't have that man's item if he earned it. Yet today, so many years later his dream is tarnished. Thanks to the folks who race bait our country and use politics and the office of the president to spread hateful propaganda, we are no better than we were before.
Today, I cannot say anything offensive because I am in the majority. If one person see's another criticize the minority it's a shunned act. But should the likes of Al Sharpton grace the presence of a television show, he can spit whatever ignorant racist shit he wants. How the hell is that fair to anyone who wants to see progression.
The truth is we can't progress. We can't move. We cannot become one. Our race is too heated, too divided. When one race jumps over another in popularity, it sparks outrage. People voice their minds and are out of jobs. Yet if those same people are black, they can say whatever they want and their words are used as a topic of discussion.
This has gotten out of hand. Our country needs a revolution. Somebody needs to come out on top. Either that, or a black man/white woman and vice versa must meet and pro create rapidly to make everyone a little black and a little white.
We are too much pre-MLK and not enough today. Hate is our calling card and until anyone is willing to take that stand, we will never move anywhere.
The price of ACA
It's like 3 in the morning and I cannot sleep. For days, maybe even weeks I've been steaming at the ACA or "Obamacare" tax reform that has started this year. This bill is so fucked up, from start to finish, that the only people who benefit from it are the government trolls giving great ratings and those who couldn't afford insurance before.
There really is no one way for me to take on ACA without having about 17 different topics on it. So I'll just rant away on how shitty the whole program is.
For instance, myself. I spent my time in the military, got hurt and had I done nothing I would have benefited from the "pre-existing" condition portion of the ACA. Unfortunately, getting hurt didn't stop me from trying to better myself post military. I went on to get my bachelors degree in accounting and found myself a decent job with benefits, and many more incentives that the ACA is not designed for.
Recently, I looked at what the ACA had to offer and I found startling results. Keep in mind that I don't have the time or necessary resources to conduct a peer reviewed study for which I can solidify this blog. What I do have is about 10 case samples of people who volunteered their information.
For instance, I asked about 5 couples what they made in a year. I know most of them are low income, so each family made $30k or less per year. Obviously they do not have jobs with ACA minimum insurances, so their options are to take what their employers give them and cover the rest with the exchanges. Or they can deny what their employer gives them, and risk losing money saving subsidies at the exchanges. Luckily all of these people have pro-created so they really didn't risk anything. They all marked that they had insurance through ACA, and they all paid very little in taxes.
Take my family for instance. My household income was just shy of $125k last year. Neither my spouse nor myself qualify for ACA because we both have employer sponsored insurance. We found ourselves in another tax bracket for ACA, but in a totally different bracket for income.
Why? Because of the 5 couples I talked about above, all of them are in the $0-$50 a month category for insurance under ACA. Almost all of them have food stamps, and nearly all of them pay the majority of their expenses as child care.
I don't have food stamps. I pay a shit load for child care, but I still budget my money to have enough to pay all of my bills.
However this year I noticed something really interesting happening. What was once a credit in the tax code is now cash waiting to be distributed. For these families who paid nearly nothing in taxes, were given incredible subsidies paid for by my IRS tax bracket, and enjoyed eating off of other people's good fortunes they get high amounts of money back.
I'm not talking about little sums. I'm talking between $6 and $15k. That never used to happen. That's because back in the day if you took food stamps, a portion was racked out of your tax return to offset what was given to you. Now it's free money, well for the person using foodstamps.
I on the other hand had the fortune of paying large amounts in taxes. Then when I filed my return, I found that I owed even more. Infact, I didn't get a return.
I have a wife, two kids, a home and a stable job. I help make serious strides in my workplace and contribute to society by helping others in need. Yet when a break would be nice, I pay for it.
So how is the ACA fair? Well truth be told, it's not. It allows the formerly non-insured to free load off of the backs of those making decent money. It also changed the term "middle class" by making those who earn less than $40k for a family per year actual middle class. Yet the IRS moved to charge these same families LESS than what they consider "upper middle class". The upper middle class is now lumped from $75k to $225k per year. They pay for all those making $40k and less.
Why did they do this? The majority of the people in this "upper middle class" segment are between 28 and 45, are educated and have the means to budget their money. They make smart financial decisions based on what they can actually afford (by using a budget), and at tax season time they are less likely to spend thousands due from a tax return on a vacation. Most would actually pay down bills which would keep them in the same bracket, but shield their money. So this is why the IRS targets this group. Because anyone in this group can budget for a vacation. They don't need a once a year boost to aim for a lifestyle of luxury for a whole week. They can budget from it. So if they charge each of us between $400 to $2,000 at tax time, they can cover the ACA budget without pissing off the people who wrote the bill.
Problem 1: Most people in my category have student loads to pay for. This is because they wanted to better themselves. Less than 25% of the lower middle class has an associates degree. The vast majority already have, or will soon see student loan forgiveness.
Problem 2: We don't live in a country that provides raw goods to the world anymore. We are a service oriented country. To provide a service, you often don't have anything tangible to offer. You best offer is advice, or answers to complex questions. The lower middle class though, they have gone from working in factories to taking jobs at retail stores. They don't unionize here because the wages are so low. In return they get thousands in tax breaks.
Problem 3: As we begin to give less to the world, we start to take. Taking costs a shitload more than giving. Only recently have the oil prices dropped so low that OPEC realizes it's largest consumer is within 20 years of being energy independent. The problem is, once foreign oil is not relied upon anymore, our oil prices will dip to pre 9/11 levels. All these oil jobs will go away. Entire fields will be shut down, and one of the last true gritty middle class jobs will go away. Then we will be back on foreign oil, this time with more people taking welfare assistance.
Conclusion: Why the hell should I work so hard to have a nice home and raise my family in a nice place when I have to pay for the vacations and dreams of those who wish to work for so less? Why should the upper class be exempt from the terror that is driving a steel rod through the middle class? The real answer is that we are all on the Titanic (not really). The upper class doesn't want to see the 2nd class passengers (people like me), and they sure as hell don't want to see 3rd class passengers. They don't want to share anything, including the problems of the middle class. To them we are all one, but unfortunately less than 50% of the middle class is paying for nearly 85% of the debt made by them. Not to mention, it's this second class of people like me who have to work for the upper class to shield them from paying for the 3rd class.
This ship won't sink though, not at least entirely. In this case the 2nd class passengers will drown, while the 3rd class passengers won't realize that the water rushing in is going to collapse the entire boat. All while the 1st class boards another ship, watching the 2nd and 3rd class passengers take what was left of a beautiful upper deck.
I don't think we are in this together. I think we are torn apart.
There really is no one way for me to take on ACA without having about 17 different topics on it. So I'll just rant away on how shitty the whole program is.
For instance, myself. I spent my time in the military, got hurt and had I done nothing I would have benefited from the "pre-existing" condition portion of the ACA. Unfortunately, getting hurt didn't stop me from trying to better myself post military. I went on to get my bachelors degree in accounting and found myself a decent job with benefits, and many more incentives that the ACA is not designed for.
Recently, I looked at what the ACA had to offer and I found startling results. Keep in mind that I don't have the time or necessary resources to conduct a peer reviewed study for which I can solidify this blog. What I do have is about 10 case samples of people who volunteered their information.
For instance, I asked about 5 couples what they made in a year. I know most of them are low income, so each family made $30k or less per year. Obviously they do not have jobs with ACA minimum insurances, so their options are to take what their employers give them and cover the rest with the exchanges. Or they can deny what their employer gives them, and risk losing money saving subsidies at the exchanges. Luckily all of these people have pro-created so they really didn't risk anything. They all marked that they had insurance through ACA, and they all paid very little in taxes.
Take my family for instance. My household income was just shy of $125k last year. Neither my spouse nor myself qualify for ACA because we both have employer sponsored insurance. We found ourselves in another tax bracket for ACA, but in a totally different bracket for income.
Why? Because of the 5 couples I talked about above, all of them are in the $0-$50 a month category for insurance under ACA. Almost all of them have food stamps, and nearly all of them pay the majority of their expenses as child care.
I don't have food stamps. I pay a shit load for child care, but I still budget my money to have enough to pay all of my bills.
However this year I noticed something really interesting happening. What was once a credit in the tax code is now cash waiting to be distributed. For these families who paid nearly nothing in taxes, were given incredible subsidies paid for by my IRS tax bracket, and enjoyed eating off of other people's good fortunes they get high amounts of money back.
I'm not talking about little sums. I'm talking between $6 and $15k. That never used to happen. That's because back in the day if you took food stamps, a portion was racked out of your tax return to offset what was given to you. Now it's free money, well for the person using foodstamps.
I on the other hand had the fortune of paying large amounts in taxes. Then when I filed my return, I found that I owed even more. Infact, I didn't get a return.
I have a wife, two kids, a home and a stable job. I help make serious strides in my workplace and contribute to society by helping others in need. Yet when a break would be nice, I pay for it.
So how is the ACA fair? Well truth be told, it's not. It allows the formerly non-insured to free load off of the backs of those making decent money. It also changed the term "middle class" by making those who earn less than $40k for a family per year actual middle class. Yet the IRS moved to charge these same families LESS than what they consider "upper middle class". The upper middle class is now lumped from $75k to $225k per year. They pay for all those making $40k and less.
Why did they do this? The majority of the people in this "upper middle class" segment are between 28 and 45, are educated and have the means to budget their money. They make smart financial decisions based on what they can actually afford (by using a budget), and at tax season time they are less likely to spend thousands due from a tax return on a vacation. Most would actually pay down bills which would keep them in the same bracket, but shield their money. So this is why the IRS targets this group. Because anyone in this group can budget for a vacation. They don't need a once a year boost to aim for a lifestyle of luxury for a whole week. They can budget from it. So if they charge each of us between $400 to $2,000 at tax time, they can cover the ACA budget without pissing off the people who wrote the bill.
Problem 1: Most people in my category have student loads to pay for. This is because they wanted to better themselves. Less than 25% of the lower middle class has an associates degree. The vast majority already have, or will soon see student loan forgiveness.
Problem 2: We don't live in a country that provides raw goods to the world anymore. We are a service oriented country. To provide a service, you often don't have anything tangible to offer. You best offer is advice, or answers to complex questions. The lower middle class though, they have gone from working in factories to taking jobs at retail stores. They don't unionize here because the wages are so low. In return they get thousands in tax breaks.
Problem 3: As we begin to give less to the world, we start to take. Taking costs a shitload more than giving. Only recently have the oil prices dropped so low that OPEC realizes it's largest consumer is within 20 years of being energy independent. The problem is, once foreign oil is not relied upon anymore, our oil prices will dip to pre 9/11 levels. All these oil jobs will go away. Entire fields will be shut down, and one of the last true gritty middle class jobs will go away. Then we will be back on foreign oil, this time with more people taking welfare assistance.
Conclusion: Why the hell should I work so hard to have a nice home and raise my family in a nice place when I have to pay for the vacations and dreams of those who wish to work for so less? Why should the upper class be exempt from the terror that is driving a steel rod through the middle class? The real answer is that we are all on the Titanic (not really). The upper class doesn't want to see the 2nd class passengers (people like me), and they sure as hell don't want to see 3rd class passengers. They don't want to share anything, including the problems of the middle class. To them we are all one, but unfortunately less than 50% of the middle class is paying for nearly 85% of the debt made by them. Not to mention, it's this second class of people like me who have to work for the upper class to shield them from paying for the 3rd class.
This ship won't sink though, not at least entirely. In this case the 2nd class passengers will drown, while the 3rd class passengers won't realize that the water rushing in is going to collapse the entire boat. All while the 1st class boards another ship, watching the 2nd and 3rd class passengers take what was left of a beautiful upper deck.
I don't think we are in this together. I think we are torn apart.
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