Sunday, August 21, 2011

Understanding tax cuts

As an issue there are few that get as much interest in modern American society as tax cuts. And I think a problem in this society is that people think it's obvious why some people would want tax cuts, which is where you get a massive fail.

It's not obvious enough.

If it were obvious then the issues could be discussed intelligently, while instead people seem to be intransigent, I think is the word, with two sides who are crazed enough at times to endanger the entire planet's economy over the issue!

Seems it should be figured out.

The best answer I have is that some people get really rich, and then they eventually die. If they have descendants, often those descendants are not as capable as the person who got really rich!

It's the same problem that nobility have. The guy who became king is a bad-ass. His kids? Not so much.

Well the descendants want to do well as well, and of course it kind of bites for them to realize they're not as good as the one who became king, or master of finance, which means they engage in all kinds of bizarre behavior around the issue.

With nobility maybe they'd start a war and just get killed, but with finance, maybe they start a financial war and go bankrupt! (I think there are people who would rather start a physical war and get killed because of their shoddy skills than end up bankrupt.)

So there you have it: people who really need tax cuts are people afraid of losing their money.

Oh, how is it that Americans can miss something so simple?

Well the United States has bizarre beliefs about money, and many in this country believe that rich people are automatically awesome and intelligent.

They do not realize that you can both be rich and stupid.

Our global financial system is getting really competitive. It's easier to lose your money, ergo people afraid of losing their money are fighting hard for a leg-up, which means tax cuts!

Many of these people gained their money from someone else giving it to them while for the most part the ones who fought hard and earned it themselves, like say, Warren Buffett, are more agnostic towards tax cuts because they are not as afraid.

They know how to make money.

The others are those pitiful things called descendants, who have that eternal problem that Mother Nature or chance or Fate can give some dude or dudette all kinds of abilities to conquer and dammit, just leave their kids high and dry as ordinary as the day is long.

I don't blame them for wanting help!

Now then, when you see people howl about the need for tax cuts, just look at how they got their money, and you will be puzzled no more.


James Harris

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Country music is not racist

One of the odd things to me is a feeling at times that I need to defend liking country music, which seems to be colored by concerns about American racism. But the thing is, in my experience, country music has rarely if ever had anything to do with race, and when it does, it has stood out as being peculiar to certain artists, and not the genre itself.

For instance one of my best memories was from when I was a soldier in training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, and us soldiers just loved bars. And one night when we went to a country bar, I had a great night dancing. At one point, holding in my arms a beautiful blonde, one of many wonderful women I danced with that night, I asked her about the willingness of the women to so freely dance, and she said they just liked dancing. Such a simple answer. Her husband was taking a break. No big deal. To my embarrassment I got a little forward, and she just corrected me and I flew straight the rest of the night.

When you look for innovation in American music it's all over the place, but it's worth pointing out that you can usually find it in country music, where you will find any number of other genres considered with covers, can see a wellspring of appreciation for all forms of music. And listen to artists who tell you of inspirations from all over.

I grew up with country music as I grew up in Georgia, USA, so to me it's just natural. I heard country music along with everything else.

And for those who appreciate it, it has so much to offer, especially for those couples that, well, just like to dance.


James Harris