Thru the years I've notices many a peeps that would read a single book and they will really "get on it" in a way. For instance lately, it has been with the ruling elite and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I actually have this book but would not read it for many years, while many others respect it more than the bible.
The idea is that first of all I dislike imensly books that set up government and social systems or any of the self-help books. But most of the Rand's fans have read very few books, and when they read such a brick of a book they really got into it. For instance I remember back in the day reading a book called Shogun by James Clavell. It is probably the longest book I've ever read. Altough it was only around 800 pages, they were big and with the smallest font you've ever seen. It literally was taking me 10-15 minutes per page and I am a fast fast reader. It usually takes me a 1:30 for a normal page. Sogun took months to read. I was basically eating and breating Japanese. I've never been to Japan, but after that month and a half I felt like I've spent it there. It is just so wilde, and I've read quite a lot.
So many a times I had this desire to completly put a book first but reading so many it would be rather foolish. As some of those people will find for every Ayn Rand there is a C S Lewis, and the guy that invented Capitalism or Socrates with his Republic. So unless you read those guys as well, you canot get a government/social/economic system for a single book. Especially from a book that is quite simplistic and unrealistic written in a complicated and long-winded language as to conjure up wisdom. But size and setting don't matter in books, just look at a small book that also tought government and where it took us - "The Communist Manifesto." It impressed millions of peasants who only read it and didn't understand anything since the languages and the prose are quite poor as well.
So beware of people that don't read a lot but they have read one book that prescribes a lifestyle or a governmentstyle. Even people just reading a how-to dating book will feel ahead of their peers just for the fact they've read.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Fixin' the car problem
Instead of giving billions to car companies in vain, we should start providing subsidies for people buying a car. We will give out 80-90% subsidy for a vehicle meeting certain standards such as fuel efficiency, fuel type, and price.
We buy the vehicle and it stays with them but after they are done we take it back and return the 20% they paid in ensuring that vehicles will be returned in good working order. We can used returned vehicles for government use or give to poor families or young people.
By deciding the vehicles eligible by fuel efficiency and type we target a real goal. We want our cars to run on certain fuel we fully subsidize that type of fuel, people go for cars that fit that criteria and the car factories start churing the cars we want and we don't really bother with any oversight.
People that aquire cars like that will still pay registrations and all such fees encouraging whoever does not need a car to return it and get their 10-20$ down payment back.
And even subsidizing all the demand in the US it will cost us around 150 billion/year to do that. Funny amount if you think about it and in reality I think that even 50 billion will suffice especially in the first few years while the car companies can get up to speed with demand.
We buy the vehicle and it stays with them but after they are done we take it back and return the 20% they paid in ensuring that vehicles will be returned in good working order. We can used returned vehicles for government use or give to poor families or young people.
By deciding the vehicles eligible by fuel efficiency and type we target a real goal. We want our cars to run on certain fuel we fully subsidize that type of fuel, people go for cars that fit that criteria and the car factories start churing the cars we want and we don't really bother with any oversight.
People that aquire cars like that will still pay registrations and all such fees encouraging whoever does not need a car to return it and get their 10-20$ down payment back.
And even subsidizing all the demand in the US it will cost us around 150 billion/year to do that. Funny amount if you think about it and in reality I think that even 50 billion will suffice especially in the first few years while the car companies can get up to speed with demand.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Alcholic promises
I just laugh and laugh when remembering when I get drunk and starts telling people how much I appreciate them and will always do everything for them I am in a position to do so. Fact is that I never am, because I am always in more trouble than the ones I offered my god-like power of providing shelter, material support, and love. They never come.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
More cars on the street?
It seems that here(LA) there are more cars on the freeways during work hours. This is funny since there are so many people not working or losing their jobs. It seems, however, that there are many more couples in the cars now and a lot more "shitty" cars. I have shitty in quotes because I think them rather good, poor lost idiots might think them "shitty" which is what most of my friends, not in aa at least, are. Here is a tought.
A family, the one with the man & woman, or even the one with the boyfriend and his faithful and loving girlfriend, that is actually useful to society has a house, right? So they lose the house, and obviously they stopped paying the cars and the credit cards along with the house since most people try something like that first. Losing the cars in a few months of non-payments and they are out of the nice Escalade or whatnot. No there are three differen possibilities that can result:
A family, the one with the man & woman, or even the one with the boyfriend and his faithful and loving girlfriend, that is actually useful to society has a house, right? So they lose the house, and obviously they stopped paying the cars and the credit cards along with the house since most people try something like that first. Losing the cars in a few months of non-payments and they are out of the nice Escalade or whatnot. No there are three differen possibilities that can result:
- Buy a POS from CraigsList.com for a couple of grant, or maybe even 5. This can get you some rather well kept Nissan or Mazda or Toyta around the 2000s.
- Have an old POS from back before your bought the houses and the Hummer so you just put in a new battery, swallow a little(?) bit of pride and go.
- Have momma or dadda or a friend get you a POS.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The mind of the alcholic
The mind of the Alcholic/Addict is like a lotto machine. You know the ones like that
Each ball in the machine is an actionable tought, and the tube that recieves the balls is actually my will. Whatever goes in it, I put it into action. There are good balls and bad balls and without a program it is just like the lottery, you never know what you going to get next. The program, the sponsor, and the meetings let me get rid of some of the balls. But if I stop going to meetings and such, the balls come back. And I lose the ability to be able to even say which is a good ball(from the program or God) and which one is bad ball, from my Mind or my Habits.
Each ball in the machine is an actionable tought, and the tube that recieves the balls is actually my will. Whatever goes in it, I put it into action. There are good balls and bad balls and without a program it is just like the lottery, you never know what you going to get next. The program, the sponsor, and the meetings let me get rid of some of the balls. But if I stop going to meetings and such, the balls come back. And I lose the ability to be able to even say which is a good ball(from the program or God) and which one is bad ball, from my Mind or my Habits.
Humility
It is not being all meek and stepped all over - that is for sure. Humility is getting rid of any bias to self. This means that if you create something or do something you will enjoy it and admire it just as much as if someone else created it.
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