Puerto Rico Bailout

So Puerto Rico is in trouble.  They spent so much money on welfare programs and government spending that they are going bankrupt.  Their response was to hire more government workers, 300 in fact (Fox News is the source of this information).  Right now in Washington D.C. they are deciding if they are going to try and bail out Puerto Rico.  My response is "hell no".

Some of you are wondering why we should not bail Puerto Rico out.  Simple answer is that we did not cause the mess.  Puerto Rico is a self-governing territory of the United States.  So while its citizens double as U.S. citizens, it is effectively a completely different government and has sovereignty over itself.  Would the United States bail out another country like China or Britain?  Well.....yea ok they would, however that is the problem.  My country the United States has bailed out multiple countries multiple times in the continent of Africa, and around the world by forgiving their debts to us or giving them money.  You could say the United States is too darn generous.  Now we owe over 18 trillion in debt and no country is forgiving our debt saying "no need to pay us back, we cool".  Not happening.  So what does this have to do with bailing out Puerto Rico?  It is the line in the sand.  No more bailouts, debt forgiveness or anything.  Clean up your own financial mess as you are the one who caused it.

Conclusion:  I sympathize with the Puerto Rican people as I have family who are from Puerto Rico.  They are going to have a rough time once the Puerto Rican government files for bankruptcy.  But it is time Puerto Rico, and even my home State of New York who also has its debt worries, cut the fat in government, cut unnecessary laws that hinder growth, and ultimately take care of itself.  

Happy Memorial Day

I'm back just in time for memorial day.  Oh and what a day it is.  While some see it as a day just to get off work, it is actually a day to remember those soldiers who gave their lives for our country.  So today remember all the brave men and women who gave their lives in the service of our country and for the ideals set about by the founding fathers of the United States.  Remember those who gave their lives for freedom.

God Bless the Troops.

2 Week Vacation!!!

It is that time of year folks.  It is time for a mini vacation.  I'll be away from a computer for 2 weeks as of May 16th and will begin posting again on the 30th.  I need the mental break as it is not easy to find decent topics to talk about with you all.  Not to mention I need a break from the everyday grind of my day job at the pharmacy.  Now that I think about it, you all should look to take a week off too.  Just not having to go to work and the burden of the weekly grind is very beneficial as it relieves stress.  So while I relieve my stress, look for ways to reduce yours too.  See ya on May 30th, and thanks as always for reading.

Defeating Gangs with Pot!

While people will say end the drug war by legalizing drugs, it is not that simple.  Gangs can still survive if certain circumstances are not met.  Here they are.

Organized Crime, particularly gangs, work exactly the same way as a regular business with the exception that they have guns and they don't pay taxes.  Gangs in general are violent and territorial.  So if we set up businesses that conform to the laws to counter them they will lose their meaning to exist right?  Wrong.  In order for that to work, legitimate businesses selling things like pot have to keep prices lower than what a gang is selling their pot for.  People want to get a good deal, so if gangs are cheaper to buy from, they will go to the gang.  It is that simple.  Issue is though, gangs pay no taxes making it harder to accomplish for they keep 100% of the money made.  So in order to undercut gangs, allowing people to grow their own weed in their backyard will aid in undercutting them as why go to a gang or a legal dispensary when you can grow your pot for free.  The two part legal selling of pot (for while you are waiting for your weed to grow) for very low prices and the free pot you can grow yourself completely undercuts the gang's business and thus they no longer can support themselves financially (pot is still 60% of the drug trade last I checked), thus breaking up the gang.

Another thing to capitalize on is that pot at legal dispensaries and pharmacies is safer to buy than a gang’s pot.  No risk of being ripped off or other chemicals and substances mixed in.  Pot dispensaries should be allowed to advertise (yes it is a free speech issue so they should be allowed) so that people will go away from the gangs out of fear for their own safety.

Conclusion:  Yes I am in favor of legalizing pot and other drugs as well (see past issues on the how and why).  As such, meeting the criteria for killing off drug gangs and even bankrupting them is something that should be embraced as these gangs commit or perpetuate much of the crime in the United States (in part as illegal drugs are a lucrative business and there is a lack of job opportunities in some places).  We can defeat gangs and turn our culture around, all we got to do is try.

Bullying

Bullying is still an issue that will never go away.  It is a form of harassment, assault and in some cases mugging.  So what can be done to continue the fight?

One of the best ways for school administrators, parents, and a community to do is single out the bully.  Embarrass them so that they know that their behavior does not endear them to anyone.  Make them look foolish, call them bully, and make them ashamed of themselves.  This works because psychologically these kids want to exert their power, but they have to be pushed into a corner to know that they only have power over themselves and that to take freedom away from others is the same behavior that instigates oppression, and degradation of individuals.  

Another possibility is a public shunning for a week.  They will go to class, but they will be ignored by all in the school.  Their names will not even be called out for attendance.  It is basically a week long boycott of them for their behavior.

 Now I know that some people may think these methods extreme, but if they get away with the crime, then they will continue.  These bullies should never be sent home to their televisions, video games or even friends who cut class.  In fact they should be kept later until school officially closes and all the teachers go home.  They need to resent their behavior and themselves for what they did.  Even having the cops come and arrest them in a scared straight routine could help.  

As for the people being bullied.  You got to fight.  You start with words, saying "leave me alone", "go away", "chill", then escalate it if the bully continues (obviously telling parents and school officials if it continues).  If all else fails, Observe their behavior, and those around them.  See if their friends are real or fake.  See if the bully is insecure about themselves and what can make the bully and their friends turn on one another.  If that does not work, fight.  They put their hands on you, then you clench that fist and hit them right in the nose as many times as it takes.  You hit them hard, you hit them fast and you do it so often that they cannot fight back.  Scare them into not touching you.

Conclusion:  We are not nipping this issue in the bud in my opinion.  I have seen/read of successes in schools that take the embarrassment approach to school bullies and it works (though it is not as extreme as I describe).  Some of the bullies have been turned into heroes by being charged by the school to protect the kids they once bullied from other bullies (suitably monitored of course).  However, these models based on what I have read are rare.  Many schools administrations, including my former elementary through high schools are a joke.  They cannot stop a single bully let alone the gangs that are sneaking into the schools to recruit kids.  The students themselves are left to bear the brunt of the bullies knowing that if they fight back, then they will get in trouble.  But I will tell those kids who are suffering in silence that that one hit to their face, groin, or anywhere is so satisfying that it is worth it.  Fight back!  End the threat of bullying.

Issue 739 Are we doing Enough?

The number of crises around the world seem to never end.  Natural disasters, war, famine, terrorism and more plague our world.  Are we as individuals doing enough to solve these crises?

We are doing what we can:  We should not compare ourselves to the soldier or the millionaires who fight or spend millions to solve the problems.  They are able to do things we cannot do.  However, we all play a part.  We can give the soldiers strength by sending them gift baskets, and praying for them.  Telling others helps, staying informed helps, donating what we can helps.  Everyone has a role to play.  So do not worry that you are unable to do what others can do, instead worry more about if you have not done anything at all.

Conclusion:  Humanity is a society where we are designed to cooperate to survive and overcome.  We are not all capable of doing the same things as other people can.  As such, we trade and give away our knowledge and labor to help each other and thus we thrive and evolve.  It is this that allows everyone to do their part in overcoming things like war and disasters.  So keep moving forward.  Keep doing what you can to help, and regret nothing.

Issue 740 Talking to Millennials

Some people disparage the millennial generation, but they are not bad.  In fact, they just communicate differently from everyone else.  So how does one generation hope to interact with another?

Talking To Millennials:  First off, millennials want to act on issues.  They see a problem and they want to solve it.  Problem is they do not know what they can do to actually help.  Additionally, they lack the knowledge on what is going on to be able to solve the issue.  This is due to the lack of attention spans they have (a problem that gets worse with each generation due to technology and its instant gratification effect).  Thus, the key issues for communication is informing them on a situation and how exactly they can be effective in helping.   As such, when an older generation talks to a person from a younger generation they have to make every word count.  The explanation has to be concise and easy to understand all at the same time.  All the while the person communicating the problem and potential solution must explain the why and the how.  It can be difficult to do especially if there is a lot of details to provide.  So talking as if you are writing bullet points could help.  Basically easily digestible pieces of information which will then arm them with information which in turn allows them to act.

Conclusion:  Millennials are good hearted and generally they are principled, but they just say and do things differently.  Their brains process information quicker and thus when someone says something that is too slow they lose interest.  In other words they feel their time is being wasted.  So try altering how you speak to make info come out faster and simpler.  The results may just surprise you.

Trump Clinches it.

 Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee for the Republicans in 2016s presidential election.  This is due to Ted Cruz officially leaving the campaign trail for good.   John Kasich is still in, but it is nearly impossible for him to win.

But why did Cruz drop out?  Was it because he lost Indiana's Republican primary to Trump?  I don't think that is it on its own.  For one, Cruz now looks like a political insider rather than an outsider like Trump.  While Cruz's voting record supports his outsider credentials, Trump's "attacks" and the non-aggression pact between Cruz and Kasich made Cruz look like another insider politician who would say anything to win.  On top of this, Cruz potentially was thinking ahead to the Republican National Convention.  If Cruz won with a smaller popular votes due to the delegates voting him in over Trump it would make Cruz look even more like an insider.  Also, Trump supporters could potentially riot, voters would feel disenfranchised and not vote, and even worse Trump could run third party and cause both him and Cruz to lose to Hillary.  All this was probably going through Cruz's head and thus with it now impossible for him to win the nomination without going to the convention Cruz chose to drop out.

Conclusion:  I am saddened and annoyed by this news.  I personally wanted Cruz as I was concerned about the Supreme Court nominations and I wanted someone who told the truth and only the truth (from what I know of Cruz he does tell the truth).  Basically I lean conservative despite my libertarian base.  Cruz left with class as he did not want to divide a nation.  So now we are left with Trump, though I personally would rather vote for Donald Duck.  (I not voting for Hillary or Sanders either).

Issue 738 Refugees versus Asylum seekers

The word refugees and the term asylum seekers do not mean the same thing.  However, people seem to use them interchangeably.  So in today's issue we will correct this and define what each term means.

Refugees and Asylum seekers:  A refugee is an individual or group of individuals seeking to escape a conflict or national disaster.  However, while aid is given, they are not expected to stay in the country they are escaping too.  They stay till the conflict ends, or the disaster area is cleaned up and then they go home and rebuild from the ashes what they once had.  An example would be the nuclear disaster caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, where their own people were refugees in their own country till the area was cleaned up enough for them to return to their homes.

Asylum seekers are different.  While it can be a single person or group, they seek to escape their country due to penalty of death or persecution.  In short, unless there is a revolution or change in government, the asylum seeker can never, ever go home.  As such, they wish to live, potentially for the remainder of their lives, in their now adopted country.  These individuals are not like typical immigrants who purposely want to leave, but are instead ultimately given the ultimatum of leave or die. 

Conclusion:  With the refugee crises caused by ISIS/ISIL we seem to be messing up who belongs in each category.   Christians, Jews, Gays and others who would be slaughtered by ISIS/ISIL are all asylum seekers.  They have been forced out by the threat of death.  The rest of the people leaving are Sunni Muslim and are just trying to get out of the line of fire are refugees (ISIS/ISIL are Sunni Muslims).  Get it?  Those who would be murdered are asylum seekers, and those who would normally not be killed are refugees.  Simple?  Ok, maybe not exactly, but you get the idea.

Facts on Child Migrants

America has children coming over the border without parents.  This is obviously a problem and it is important to know some facts on the issue.

For those children found crossing the border, they are sent over due to violence in their home countries, lack of education opportunities and other humanitarian, education and financial reasons.  Basically, as much as people may not want to hear it, these kids are abandoned by their parents.  But once they get to the United States they face trouble if caught by the Federal government.  These kids are very likely to be deported back home into circumstances that may risk their health, cause their families to descend further into poverty or be subject to criminal activity.  Now all these kids are allowed to have a hearing by law in the United States, but lawyers are not free unless it is a criminal case.  Therefore, a lawyer can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.  This is obviously money these children do not have, and despite non-profit organizations and people helping, this free help is stretched thin.

There were 91,104 deportation cases between 2004 and 2014 (Economist magazine is the source).  Of the 91,104 about 46% had no legal representation.  Therefor they represented themselves, but 90% of those who represented themselves were deported.  In comparison, only 39% of children with lawyers were deported.  As such, an illegal child migrant without a lawyer has zero hope of staying in the country.

What do we do about this?  It is obvious that they are sent over the border because the parents want to save them from poverty, diseases, and murderous gangs.  As such, I ask the question, should we not allow these kids to stay?  Cannot we provide them with families by having them be adopted into homes who want children, or at least place them into orphanages so that they may be adopted later if the children have no family legally living here? 

Conclusion:  Personally, if these kids are under the age of 13, then they should automatically be allowed to stay and they should be put up for adoption if they have no family living here legally living in the United States.  This will aid in reducing the burden on charities providing lawyers for these children and allow them to focus on the children ages 14 to 17.  These 14 to 17 year olds should go on a wait list where a lawyer can be provided pro bono over time via the charities and individual lawyers help (micro orphanages set up by charities can aid in this while these kids await a hearing with children going to turn 18 given first priority).  Thus, it protects the children from having to represent themselves.  If the children in question have siblings who are 18 to 21 years old, they will share a trial with the older sibling and the siblings will be entitled to go on the waitlist for a lawyer like a 14 to 17 year old.  This makes the system fairer to this kids who are basically abandoned by their parents due to circumstances.  We are a kind and understanding nation, so we should at least show more of that by changing the way we handle children who come over the border without parents.