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Blog Posts for August 2011
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Drudge has this graphic on his site today.  I squarely blame these two guys:  Where we were on a trajectory to keep things in balance, those two guys didn't do what it took to protect that trajectory.  Jerks. |
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This might be the view from our new deck.  And this basement bedroom might become my new office.  We'll find out soon. |
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To help with sales and training for 247Toolset, I bought an iPad.  I like it more than I expected I would. In fact, it's pretty much become a constant companion. My only complaints: 1) A lack of podcast subscriptions in iTunes, but I downloaded Mediafly, and that's working.
2) Printing to my Epson Stylus is tough to do.
3) It doesn't charge via USB when connected to my laptop. I got a hard leather case for it that allows me to set it up as a stand-up display. Pretty cool. |
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The Buck Stops... Nah, Passing the Buck |
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Brought to You by the Nobel Peas Prize Laureate |
Capitalism: Living life robustly. Socialism: Living life busted. |
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To have an economy, you need a flow of money. The greater the flow, the greater the economy. Liberals will tell you that government stimulus is driven to increase the flow of money. The government chooses to spend money, they explain, and thereby increases the flow. Ta da! Jobs created, and so forth. Bullshit. Not all spending is equal. I'll give you a clear example. Let's say you have $300. And you can either buy a ridiculously discounted iPad or you can pay your vehicle tags due next month. Which would you rather do? If you're like the vast majority of people, they'd rather buy the iPad. After all, the plate tags aren't due until next month. Here's the kicker: if you buy the iPad, you'll do both - because once you buy the iPad (50% off!), you still need to purchase the tags. After you pay for the iPad, you might need to make up for the absence in your wallet. You might work extra shifts, sell something, get a second job, etc. All of these increase the economy. The tags - well, no matter what happens, you have to buy them and you don't relish the idea of driving to the county clerk's office to obtain them. Most people actually perceive it as an inconvenience. But that iPad sale ends tomorrow night, and 10-1 says that you burn rubber to get to the store on time. Desire for perceived value moves money around, and increases the economy. The government - well, let's just say that no one is camping out in front of the federal building for their great anticipation of doing business there. Agreed? Due to lack of desire and and lack of perceived value around what the government offers, money slows down when the government is involved. But when businesses are free to innovate and create things that people crave, money speeds up. All spending is not equal. Government slows down the economy when the government gets in the middle. If you want a better lifestyle for you and yours, support the candidate more apt to speed up the economy. Hint: it's not the guy promoting bigger government. |
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The Sooper Genius of Job Creation |
Obama's gonna give a big 'ol speech about jobs. In it, he's expected to announce "a payroll tax cut, an infrastructure bank, patent reform, the passage of three trade deals, tax credits to encourage the hiring of veterans." Evidently, that's the best that Harvard can produce. That won't spur anything. It ignores the reasons that businesses struggle right now. What's needed: - Massive deregulation (get government out of the way of business)
- Permanently rescinding ObamaCare (nobody knows yet how much it will cost or how it will impact business)
- Tax cuts, both corporate and personal (the US has the highest corporate tax rate in the world)
- Offshore drilling permits expedited (abundant and cheap energy)
- Championing small business in speeches (make friends with us again instead of using us as your whipping post)
Without that (and more), nothing will spark. Which means that he'll grow increasingly irritated and executively impulsive. Not good.He's not smart. He doesn't understand the private sector. He doesn't know what it is to live outside of the government or grants. So, we'll have more malaise in the marketplace and a government supremely out of touch with reality. Sooper genius. What's ironic is something I shared with a friend the other day. She works for a non-profit, which is struggling in this economy. She was thinking about getting a different job, but didn't want to work for a corporation. "I want to do good," she said. I explained to her that there would be no government grants without small and large business. Government money comes from taxes, which comes from private sector incomes. I explained that non-profits get all of their donations from corporations. "About 70% come from individuals," she interjected. "And where do those individuals get their income?" The light bulb went off above her head, and she nodded. "I see. Hmm... you know, I never thought of it that way." Business is the source of everything. It creates goods and services. It provides income to families. Without it, there would be no tax revenue, whether individually or corporately. And the smartest guy in America can't figure that out. That's a damn shame... for all of us. |
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Van Jones and others want to create a "liberal tea party." The Tea Party asserts that people have the right to be free, keep and maintain their private property, and live without the fear of an overwhelming government. The Contract for the American Dream, the name Van Jones and crew gave their mission statement, asserts that people get government-supplied jobs and get access to the property earned by others. In short, it's a mechanism to steal from others by way of the government. Now, while I know there are people out there who have no problem whatsoever with that approach, the vast majority of Americans don't like a culture centered on theft. Further, what Van Jones and his fellow thieves fail to address - and it's a doozy - is that they offer no incentive to anyone to start a company. And without small business, nothing else exists. There is no revenue for government, no jobs in the private sector, no money for non-profits. Nothing in the Contract for the American Dream addresses business success. Which is why the "liberal tea party" is a myth before it begins. |
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247Toolset is awfully close to having the ability to process payments. Each client will have the option of the following payment methods: - Online Credit Card processing (via Authorize.net)
- Mobile Credit Card processing (via Intuit's GoPayment)
- Paypal
- Dwolla
- eCheck
- And good ol' checks, manually received and entered
That's a big deal, especially when coupled with the fundraising module.I was asked if we'll skim a fee off the service we provide through our framework... Nope. Not a dime. Our clients will process payments at cost. All of our revenue will come through the $19.95 a month we charge for the framework. After hearing that, one political strategist said, "You'll beat everyone - no one will be able to compete with you." Yes, that's correct. My intention is to own the market fully. Which market? Every organization that needs to coordinate and manage its members... which is, well, every organization. Payment processing will be available for events, membership dues, donations, and perhaps items sold by the organization. Should be wrapped up in three weeks. |
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The Best Anti-Poverty Program Ever |
Via Instapundit, I read that Marco Rubio says: The free enterprise system has lifted more people out of poverty than all the government anti-poverty programs combined. Bingo. |
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