The Beer: I am drinking an Arrogant Bastard Ale...because I really need it.
I don't even know where to go here.
My son doesn't particularly care for me. I get it. I fully understand why he doesn't and accept the responsibility.
My girlfriend's son, on the other hand, is a different story. She became pregnant at 25 and the father denied it. She didn't ask for anything and raised the son on her own. While they did not have much, he did not want and she gave him everything she could - especially her time. Ten years later, she married. Her husband turned out to be emotionally abusive to both her and him. There was another son who is now 11. A few years ago, she got out with little, but her brains and a job. The older son has been able to go to college where he has become an arrogant, entitled, morally superior prick. Had he been my son, I would have slapped him for being disrespectful and dismissive of his mother. I don't really care what he thinks of me. Until he treats his mother with respect, I will not have him in our home.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
The Long-Term State of the Economy
The Beer: Tomorrow, I move much of my beer brewing "stuff" to a place where I can brew. Yay me.
The Bicycle: Little has changed. How do I motivate to ride in the spring?
The VRWC: Since the 1970s, the United States has seen an increase in the volume of cheap goods made overseas and the and in the number of discounters selling those goods. Few of the large retailers like Sears, Montgomery Ward, and Woolworths remain. And while the very high end like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Macy's still exist, the low end, consisting of Target, WalMart and Dollar (insert "General" or "Tree" or "Store" etc. here). What does this say about the long-term state of the US economy?
Arguably, the economy in the United States has been in a decline since the post WWII heyday. Good paying industrial jobs have abandoned the US for overseas. The causes of this can be debated as we look at wage pressures, regulatory pressures, inflationary pressures and changes in the workforce. But the fact is, there are fewer jobs that support the kind of middle-class life I grew up in. McDonalds is now considered a valid career choice. Half of the population receives some sort of government assistance (exclusive of social security, military pensions and the like). Historical data for trending is difficult to find - BLS.gov has easily retrieved data only back to 2008.
So, how does all this get fixed? First is to limit the size and power of the federal government. Second is to eliminate the ability of the government to subsidize private activity. Third is to limit the time the able-bodied may spend on welfare. The reintroduction of so many into the workforce will be painful and must be managed by private business. This will increase the pool of money for American-made goods. Short-term pain for long-term gain.
The Bicycle: Little has changed. How do I motivate to ride in the spring?
The VRWC: Since the 1970s, the United States has seen an increase in the volume of cheap goods made overseas and the and in the number of discounters selling those goods. Few of the large retailers like Sears, Montgomery Ward, and Woolworths remain. And while the very high end like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Macy's still exist, the low end, consisting of Target, WalMart and Dollar (insert "General" or "Tree" or "Store" etc. here). What does this say about the long-term state of the US economy?
Arguably, the economy in the United States has been in a decline since the post WWII heyday. Good paying industrial jobs have abandoned the US for overseas. The causes of this can be debated as we look at wage pressures, regulatory pressures, inflationary pressures and changes in the workforce. But the fact is, there are fewer jobs that support the kind of middle-class life I grew up in. McDonalds is now considered a valid career choice. Half of the population receives some sort of government assistance (exclusive of social security, military pensions and the like). Historical data for trending is difficult to find - BLS.gov has easily retrieved data only back to 2008.
So, how does all this get fixed? First is to limit the size and power of the federal government. Second is to eliminate the ability of the government to subsidize private activity. Third is to limit the time the able-bodied may spend on welfare. The reintroduction of so many into the workforce will be painful and must be managed by private business. This will increase the pool of money for American-made goods. Short-term pain for long-term gain.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Merry Christmas
The Beer: I have a six-pack of Stella and four remaining from a six of Anchor Steam.
The Bicycle: I have ridden little. My weight is up, I am weight lifting, swimming at the gym and eating far too much. Don't care.
The VWRC: I've just been lectured by a 20-something on White Privilege. He is welcome to have whatever opinion of me that he wishes. I really don't care - he's a college kid. I DO care when he calls his mother "ignorant because she is not enlightened enough to understand "white privilege".
Here is the thing, though. One cannot say that we can't lump everyone together, then lump all White People together as having White Privilege. "You don't even know you have it".
Goddam college.
The Bicycle: I have ridden little. My weight is up, I am weight lifting, swimming at the gym and eating far too much. Don't care.
The VWRC: I've just been lectured by a 20-something on White Privilege. He is welcome to have whatever opinion of me that he wishes. I really don't care - he's a college kid. I DO care when he calls his mother "ignorant because she is not enlightened enough to understand "white privilege".
Here is the thing, though. One cannot say that we can't lump everyone together, then lump all White People together as having White Privilege. "You don't even know you have it".
Goddam college.
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