RedStateEclectic

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

In this video (h/t to The Big Picture blog), I have to "unlearn" some of my 80's style Management by Objectives (MBO) beliefs.  I've been a user and a believer in the idea that incentives can be used to get people to do more work.  This idea isn't completely lost as the video will show, but the video does suggest that certain types of jobs do not benefit from an increase in incentives.  Case in point perhaps are the multitude of side jobs and volunteer opportunities that many of us participate in.  Which includes the liberty movement I suppose too.

(BTW, It is a little freaky that the Fed paid for this research.  And perhaps even though the speaker sarcastically calls the Fed socialistic, perhaps it is.)

###

A Must Read Glenn Greenwald Column

There's no question that Glenn Greenwald holds some views that are wrong, irrational and even odious. But he's tapped into my soul with his column today:

Who are the real "crazies" in our political culture? - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

And although Greenwald goes to great lengths to remind his readers that he's not talking specifically about Ron Paul, this seems a perfect segue into a Ron Paul story.

I exchanged a few e-mails with a friendly Washington insider. It's a name you would recognize, someone who has served inside the White House. During our conversation I asked him why the mainstream Republicans hated Ron Paul so very much. I acknowledged that I understood they held very different views of foreign policy, but I simply couldn't understand why the hate was so vehement.

The answer, which literally brought tears to my eyes, was exactly four words long.

"He told the truth."

WWLD: What Would the Lender Do?

As most of you know in my posts I blend Austrianism with Monetarism which most people (including me) can't seem to understand how that could blend.

The MMT (Modern Money Theory) people think almost like Keynesians except they don't all think we need to tax or borrow to pay for government.  Just spend the money.  Well, okay the MMT believes taxes regulate inflation and say to forget that borrowing or debt actually mean anything.

What I've come across is the point of view from the MMT crowd that spending begets borrowing.  Meaning that a bank never looks at reserves (other people's savings, checking, etc.) in their bank before making loans.  Instead they just make loans.  These loans are then deposited into a bank which then feeds more loans.  Thus, spending creates more borrowing.  Without spending there'd be no borrowing.

This theory has correlations with the increase in money supply.  A growing economy needs more money.  Thus, as the government borrows, this money is deposited into banks via the Fed money laundering scheme, and we get more money.

But, does the government first borrow the money to spend?  Or does the government spend and then borrow?  Is there a difference?

According to the US Treasury, the government borrows first or at least seems to:

The Department of the Treasury operates and maintains systems that are critical to the nation's financial infrastructure, such as the production of coin and currency, the disbursement of payments to the American public, revenue collection, and the borrowing of funds necessary to run the federal government. 

When looking at MMT people that doesn't seem to apply.  From Warren Mosler's Soft Currency Economics:

Under a fiat monetary system, The government spends money and then borrows what it does not tax...

What's the diff you ask?

Here's my point.  Who loans us this money?  If you recall, Hamilton wanted to stop the idea of Ben Franklin who said the government owns the treasury and thus can spend what it needed to spend.  Hamilton felt it better to have the public interested in government via the idea that it would loan the government money.  Thus, people would have an active engagement with the government to protect their money.

If we dive deeper on the "who" question we need to ask this: If the people that we borrow from are later told that we no longer need their money and thus will take away their interest income stream, how do you think they will respond?

There are people (Warren Mosler included) who have said the answer to this Euro mess, the California budget mess, etc. is to just print money and give everyone (thus not to play favorites) a certain amount of money to make their debt payment.  Who is hurt by this?  The lender.  The people who loaned the money.  They don't want this to happen.  They are the ones pushing for "austerity" programs in Europe.  They are the ones who don't want us to know that WE have the capability to do ALL of the things we need (not want) without their debt money.  If we understand this then they lose control of us.

In summary, what you're witnessing today is the same as what has gone on in the progressive movement of the 1890's, the Great Depression, all wars, the Euro, California/Michigan today, and any debt based transaction throughout the beginning of time.  The debt owner (the lender) wants you to remember to pay your debts.  It never wants you to understand that there is no debt.  The government doesn't need the lender's money.  Government has all the money it needs and thus IS NOT controlled by the select few banksters in this world.

We are at a tipping point where the banksters have to be careful not to push too hard for austerity programs.  For if they push too hard, people will seek the truth, find it, and overthrow them.  The banksters have done this many times before and have managed to retain their power and their wealth.  Will they win again this time?

###

Not Paying Fair Share?

How much is “fair”?

The End of Democratic Socialism

The end of democratic socialism is at hand. The welfare states of the U.S. and Europe are financially out of control, spent and unsustainable. They have reached the point that Margaret Thatcher defined as the end of socialism: They have run out of other people's money. These areas of the world are about to change dramatically.

via www.americanthinker.com

I hope it doesn't take the U.S. as long to figure this out as it did the Europeans...

Britain Scrapping ID Card

Hopefully, the idea will flounder here in the states, too:

Britain's new government announced Thursday that its first major legislation will be a bill to scrap a controversial and costly plan to introduce national identification cards.

"ID cards will be gone in a 100 days," Home Secretary Theresa May said at a news conference.

May said the government would save more than $1 billion in the next decade by canceling the cards and the corresponding national registry. The cards contain biometric data, photographs and fingerprints.

A cost excuse is a good one, but what about the principle of the thing? Surprisingly, it wasn’t missed by the new politicians over there:

"But this isn't just about saving money," May said, "It's also about principle.... We did believe there was a liberties argument for not enforcing ID cards on the British people."

[…] May said the Identity Documents Bill, which the government aims to pass by August, "is the first step of many that this government is taking to reduce the control of the state over decent, law-abiding people and hand power back to them."
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats issued a statement supporting the bill: "Cancelling the scheme and abolishing the National Identity Register is a major step in dismantling the surveillance state. But ID cards are just the tip of the iceberg. Today marks the start of a series of radical reforms to restore hard-won British freedoms."

Of NO surprise, was the media’s reporting of some gent they dug up in favor of the card:

Some ID holders said they would mourn the cards' passing. John Kirby of Nottingham told the BBC his ID card had been useful in traveling and opening accounts.

"I'm not worried by the civil liberties arguments. I believe the state already has all the same details on me; they've got my photograph and the details on my driving license. So the only extra thing I've given over is my fingerprints, and that's fine by me."

Which brings us to a quote describing Mr. Kirby to a tee:

Some important part of every society consists of people who actively want tyranny: either to exercise it themselves or—much more mysteriously—to submit to it. - Revel

Red Tide

A Busy Weekend

I don’t know about everyone else (although it sounds like Angela has things happening), but my presence around here through the long weekend is likely to be quite scarce.  My family is having something of a family reunion—all of my siblings, and even some cousins that I haven’t seen much in the last 20 years except for crossing paths with them at family funerals.

This will be an interesting experience.  All but one of my 4 siblings will be there with their spouses and families, and then the cousins and their families (and of course the next generation up—our parents (my dad and my aunt).  We’re going to have some unique family bonding time out at a local camp—a place that I have many fond memories of from my childhood.  Most of us (in my family) are sort of introverted by nature, so we’re having to come up with activities that don’t require us to actually talk all that much to each other <grin>.  We’ll be grilling food, some will be swimming, I’m planning to bring some serious reading along, and then a group of us are thinking of maybe exercising our 2nd amendment rights somewhere “off-campus” (and away from the kids), where we can shoot at some targets with an assortment of weapons that various members of the family have.  Those with weapons have shared with others the type of ammunition required, so those of us who haven’t long been “gun nuts” have been procuring some of the ammunition for the effort.

Board games, casual softball, swimming, canoeing in the pond (maybe some fishing by some), firearms, barbecuing dinner, limited technology (other than cell phones, my small netbook with internet card, and the kids’Nintendos—just in case things get boring or I start going through information withdrawal, of course).  Should be a fun and relaxing weekend. 

I hope all of our readers, and my co-bloggers, have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day!

LLE

The Most Awesome Political Endorsement Ever

We have guests coming in for the weekend, so I don't have time to be on the computer. However, I can't stop myself! I peeked over at Facebook and  laughed when I saw this on the top of my page:

Then, I popped over and read the endorsement. Adam Kokesh will go to Washington and fight zombies!? Let's do this!

I am envious of the people of the 3rd District of New Mexico. Other Americans have to make their political choices from among the usual suspects: the crook who will loot them on behalf of his friends, or the automaton whose juvenile slogans insult their intelligence. Thanks to Adam Kokesh, they can proudly cast their vote for an American hero of unimpeachable integrity.

Adam Kokesh isn't the usual robot we've come to expect from our dysfunctional political process. He doesn't give empty and rehearsed platitudes when asked a serious question. He doesn't view the people as cash cows to milk on behalf of his well-placed friends. He is a real person who will treat you like an adult, who will fight for your freedom, and who will defy our corrupt establishment. We have enough zombies in Washington already. I am glad to join with so many other freedom-loving Americans in endorsing Adam Kokesh for Congress.

See? I told you you should buy his books . If you've never heard him speak, head over to YouTube and pick one. Believe me when I say his writing is every bit as animated. 

I’m Just Lovin’ This Guy

Governor Chris Christie remains focused on the real problem:

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie today shrugged off Saturday's record-breaking Statehouse protest, saying it had "absolutely no effect on me."

The Republican governor said he hoped the 30,000 to 35,000 protesters "had a good time, and I hope that it helped to spur Trenton's economy."

The crowd, mostly from public worker unions and other progressive groups, flooded the capital on Saturday to rally against Christie's proposed budget cuts and property tax proposals. Speakers, including New Jersey Education Association president Barbara Keshishian, said the protest was also a warning to Democrats -- who have traditionally received backing from organized labor -- not to serve as Christie's "accomplices."

Asked about the warning, Christie said "good try" and disappeared into his office without taking further questions.
The protesters said they objected to Christie's proposed $29.3 billion budget because it contains cuts affecting the poor and middle-class, while at the same time the governor has vetoed a tax increase on millionaires. They also vented their anger over recent pension and benefit reforms -- which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support -- and Christie's proposed 33-bill "toolkit" for local governments to control costs. Union leaders called the toolkit a "smokescreen" that would harm their collective bargaining rights and lead to mass layoffs of police, firefighters and teachers.

I see. So those on the government gravy train wish for it to continue by forcefully taking even greater sums of money from the private sector. More specifically, from those who invest and create jobs for the rest of us in that same private sector. Notice how they scare you: loss of firemen, police, and teachers. First, could it be that there other bureaucrats that could go instead? You betcha. Second, when I see five police cars parked at a routine traffic stop, maybe it’s time to put some of those men in blue back into a private setting. As for teachers, just cut their pay and change their job description to “babysitter”. 

"We are experiencing the most severe, pervasive and sustained attack on public employees, public employee unions and public sector collective bargaining" since workers got the right to organize, Chris Shelton, a vice president with the Communications Workers of America, said Saturday.

Workers have always had the right to organize. What they did not have, however, was the right to mass quit, walk around the grounds of their former employer with obnoxiously pithy picket signs, and violently prevent others from taking their former jobs! The Wagner Act gave them incredible extortive powers which have been used to raise costs and squash competition and innovation ever since.

"We are saying loud and clear to those folks in the Statehouse -- whether they are sitting in the governor's office or the Legislature -- we are fed up, and we are not going to take it anymore."

What are they going to do? Stop working? Will anybody notice? And if they do stop, will the private sector begin supplying our needs (if needed) cheaper and faster - blowing their charade right out of the water? 

I realize that these people don’t want to lose their livelihoods and I can sympathize with them. But does that give them the right to forcefully steal from others? The taxes in New Jersey are astronomical and, having lived there, I can attest that a more expensive, designer-label government isn't superior in any way to that of the low-tax generic brand found in South Carolina. Friends and family up there are having a hard time making ends meet because of their tax burdens and many are looking to move out.

I think Christie is showing some political courage by ignoring the governmentistas. What he does with the legislative darlings who pander to this particular crowd is another matter. Good luck to him.