Issue 329 Radical leftist Environmentalism May 6, 2014

Part 2 of the radical leftist segment is on the radical environmentalists.  Here we look into what these people want to happen to accommodate their cause.

Population Control:  Like yesterday, many of these radical leftists believe in the same overpopulation problem as their counterparts.  Some in this category are willing to go just as far to reduce the human population and its "detrimental" impact on the environment.

Animals before People:  Here people are not as important as the animals existing in this world.  So if a farmer who has been farming for generations on land he/she owns happens to share that land with an endangered species, the radicals will attempt to force the farmer off the land (some through legalities, and others through force).  This also includes anything that would disrupt their perceived notions of the "perfect" untouched environment.  So if a rail road that would be built, a factory or anything that would provide jobs, and bring the costs of goods down, the environmentalists would reject it if it goes through untouched lands.  They would prefer ejecting people from their homes than harming nature.  So much so that some of their supporters in government are pushing for laws that would allow people to sue on behalf of rocks, trees and of course the animals themselves. 

Fuels:  Well, environmentalists where opposed to oil so they went to natural gas as an alternative.  Then when they did not like that they switched to ethanol, and then strictly to solar and wind.  Basically, so long as it protects the environment from emissions then they are for it (unless it is nuclear which they fear due to radiation and disposal of waste material).  However, while they favor these emission free methods of power generation, they refuse to accept temporary alternatives like natural gas to help transition over to them over time.  They want immediate results which does not work.   

Global warming: They believe wholeheartedly in the global warming agenda and that people caused it.  So much so that some have openly advocated arresting people who disagree with them (some even more radical than them have called for murder).  They have blamed decreases in populations of animals like the polar bear, turtles having more sex and animal over population, people being depressed and more all on global warming.  At this point anything can be blamed on global warming and they may just believe it. 

Goals:  Their agenda is to create a perfect society that has no environmental impact at all. As such, some are trying to force vegan-ism (eating only plants and no meat) on the population by having legislatures tax the methane that cows fart (yes I am being serious).  They do this because it increases meat prices causing vegetables to be the more affordable option.  In addition they advocate urban farming (something I am not opposed to), but they want this so they can move the entire population into mega cities so that all rural farm land can be given back to nature.  As such they wish to do away with cars, and embrace more public transportation and other forms of mass transit.  Anything that would mean people living in the city and nature having all the rest of the planet is something they will always be in favor of. 

Conclusion:  Like the previous, this does not list all of what this portion of the radicals believe in.  Also, it does not categorize all who believe in global warming as a radical (some are quite nice and do not want to use force or any silliness at all).  But, there are those who are so radical that they overshadow the good people who just want a cleaner and better environment for the next generation.

Issue 328 Radical left: Population Control May 5, 2014

In this week I will go over some of the radicals in both political parties in the United States.  Today's is about the radicals who believe in population control due to their belief that the Earth cannot maintain its current population growth.  So let's discuss.

The why:  This group of leftists think that due to the population growth of humanity that the food and other resources will dry up and we will go extinct.  Problem with this is that an equilibrium will always establish itself regardless and the population will stabilize just like any other animal species.  But, they don't want to hear that and thus continue with crazy ideas to keep the population at acceptable life sustaining levels.  So I guess it is time to talk about their solutions to this "problem".

Their solution number 1:  They see the nationalized healthcare system (single payer system where the government handles all coverage for medical benefits) as a means to an end.  To use this system to meet their ends of population control they will implement what is known as the complete lives system.  In this system those useful to society such as workers between a certain ages will be given financial and preferential treatment in terms of healthcare.  However, this means that people deemed useless to the benefit of the overall country and its prosperity will receive less help if any at all.  So the terminally ill, invalids (unless they prove useful in other ways), newborns and children under a certain age, and people over a certain age will receive less care and attention than their healthier and more useful counterparts.  Young children as they age of course would get better and better care into adult hood, almost like earning the States confidence that they will be useful to society.  Those reaching their twilight years will have benefits decrees over time as they are deemed useless.  And guess what, this is taking place in places like Canada and other countries that use single payer (to varying degrees).  In Canada, there are terminally ill people who the government will not treat because they are deemed a lost cause as in the case of "baby Michel” who was dying and could have lived an extra 3 months if an operation was performed.  The Canadian system refused to cover it and so the parents thankfully whisked their child off to the United States where he did receive the operation and did live those extra few months before unfortunately dying.  Even here in the United States, where people use the States version of healthcare (Medicaid which is another form of single payer) a woman was denied cancer fighting drug coverage.  In this case, the pharmaceutical company that made that particular drug heard that the woman was denied coverage by the State of Oregon, and provided the medication to her free of charge which allowed her to live an extra six months (the cost of that drug was over $1,000 a pill).  So as you can see it will be like what Charles Bernard Shaw (the play-write and Fabian Socialist) envisioned where people go before a committee to justify their own existence and where if they could not they would be killed. A.K.A. DEATH PANELS!!!!

Abortion:  Their solution number two is abortion.  Here they envision population control in various methods.  For one, they encourage abortion as a means to an end (such as getting rid of undesirables). In fact this is partly how it was envisioned by Margret Sanger who sought to use abortion in a coerced genocide scheme against Black Americans as well as her solution to her ideas that pregnancy was nothing more than a disease.  In this case those undesirables are the poor and if they have children, they become a burden that requires more money from the State to support.  So abortion is a solution for them to relive a financial burden on the State and be rid of useless people.  Some however are really radical and want the ability to abort children even after they have already been born and even up to certain ages.  In Belgium, you can actually kill a child as young as two years old if they meet a certain level of mental or physical disability as it is seen as being humane to that child.  Disgusting is it not.

Their third and final solution?:  It seems that these radicals like the one child policy in China and wish to implement it here in the United States and elsewhere.  To enforce it, they will resort to forced sterilizations of women and men to support their goals.  Also, some want couples to have to go before a panel before they can get "permission" to have a child.  There are those who have gone even further to suggest that sterilizing agents be introduced into the water supply of communities to sterilize people in mass.  Sick is it not?

Conclusion:  These are the most common ideas that I have heard in my research and through news outlets.  I will not say people who believe the overpopulation rhetoric are bad as not all of them wish to implement such horrible and evil solutions, but instead endorse peaceful means that require nobody dying.  So if you must judge them, judge them based on their words and deeds, and reject those who would endorse the forced and coerced killing of millions on what I believe is a bogus idea that has been proven wrong time and again throughout history (it was proposed in the early 1900's well into the 21st century). 

Issue 327 Market Retrain May 2, 2014

I have in the past talked about technology replacing workers in the dull, the boring and the dangerous jobs in America.  As such, some have predicted that if this trend continues unchecked that it could result in 60% unemployment.  So how, and who should retrain the American populace to counteract this potential problem?

Employers:  The ones in the best position to retrain people are the employers themselves.  They will need high tech skills, mechanics and programmers to fix any problems that may arise from issues with the machines/programs they will be using.  However, colleges and trade schools can only get a worker so far as they usually lack experience in the field and often students must be retrained to gain the skills that students should have gotten at these colleges.  Usually this is not a problem for trade schools that teach welding, metal work and farming, but traditional college classes like law, and business cannot keep up with the way the world is advancing.  So the employer, or business itself has taken it upon themselves to train individuals for the skills they need.  By using a combination of computer learning and on the job training, an individual can become whatever the business needs them to be.  This is already being done by some businesses to address their need for skilled workers without the cost of needing their workers to go to college or pay for someone else to teach them the skills they need for the job they will be doing.  On top of this, if the technology changes in some way, the job can simply provide supplemental classes and on the job training to accommodate.  As such, no need to hire new workers to replace old ones, as the old ones who the business has invested so much money in can be kept and can continue to take advantage of their experience.

 Trade Schools:  While traditional colleges are facing a battle for survival against online education, trade schools are going strong, but are not emphasized by the Federal leadership.  Men and women will always be needed to repair cars, machines, farm, and operate equipment and the like.  Trade schools offer this knowledge that is recession proof and is almost always likely going to have a job.  Electricians, carpenters and Construction workers in general will never ever go away. Basically, these jobs will always be in demand. 

Government:  The Government will try and help as well.  However, they are even less adaptable than the colleges that we pay thousands to each year.  Sure they can hire private companies to teach people jobs, but that is no guarantee of getting that job, let alone them knowing which job is really needed in the overall American Community.  Typically the government will pay a group to train people in a job that fits their agenda (like the so called green jobs) but they usually waste their money as these trainees either have no access to a job that fits their training in the local area or lack the equipment to take advantage of it.  But they will try anyway (much to my chagrin).

Conclusion:  We are looking at a two tired economy here in America.  On the one side we will have highly educated computer programmers, designers, and architects while on the other we will have the back bone of America who build what the highly educated only dream of.  It is going to be an interesting future for the future of America.

Issue 326 Native American Representation May 1, 2014

Did you know that Native Americans are not truly represented in the United States by the U.S. Congress?  In fact they have what is known as observer status (for Reservations only) where they are allowed to voice their opinion, but not vote on any issues related to the Federal government and its dealings.  But what if there was a solution to this little issue.  I have an idea, so let's talk about it.

Simple Idea:  In the same way that districts are made for Congressional Representatives in the House, we can include the native populations of these Reservations (which act almost like independent States but on a limited scale) in Congressional Districts for purposes of representation.   This will allow for Congressional Representatives to speak on behalf of the Native American Community as per the fact that these Native Americans will be allowed to vote for their own Congressmen.  This thus eliminates the need for an observer for the members of the Native American tribes but at the same time empowering them with actual voting power.

Issues: The main issue that may result from this is some Reservations have very tiny populations.  As such, placing them in the same district as a Congressmen who represents a city, or large swath of non-native Americans can result in the voice of these peoples being drowned out.  Therefore, there can be only one solution to this problem, ensure that they either have their own independent representative or are paired up with an equally small or smaller of non-native Americans in their district.  This thus solves that problem.

Issue 2:  Another issue is that those Native Americans who hold observer status may not want to give up their power or the Federal Bureaucracy that governs over Native American land as they may see their authority being diminished. This may not be an actual issue though as those already electing native tribesmen to hold observer status or are appointed may be put into the role of Congressional representative in the first place.  In addition, the bodies in government that govern Native American land will not disappear but are more likely to be used as a power base to gain additional advantages for the Native American communities in Reservations.  So plenty of payoffs and power brokering to go around.  

Issue 3:  There is one very big negative to this however.  The Native tribes may feel a loss of independence if this is done.  Fact of the matter is that once power is handed to a Congressional Representative (where the Natives Tribesmen's Representative is outnumbered) to represent the Native Americans it may result in a loss of independence which they scarcely have in the first place.  At current, depending on the State or Territory that the Tribal Reservation is in, there are restrictions on if they can build Casinos or other facilities.  Therefore, in my opinion, I believe that the States and the Federal Government may be trying to absorb the smaller Reservations so as to gain access to the tax revenue that can be gained from tourism, gambling and other enterprises that exist on the Reservations.  So a legitimate Congressional Representative may aid in protecting against this, but if the Natives choose poorly, they may get a Representative that will go along with shrinking the Reservations and their independence.

Solving Issue 3:  In my opinion, the suggestion I make for this idea can be replicated at the State legislative level.  This will inhibit any power and land grabs by State and Federal Governments as there will be Representation in both bodies to ensure that voting mostly goes in favor of the Native American populace. Keep in mind that States must voluntarily give up power and territory to create and maintain these Reservations, so having Representatives in Federal and State law making bodies will serve well in keeping things in the best interest of the original American populace.

Conclusion:  So what do you think?  Native American will finally get legitimate representation in Congress if this idea is carried out.  Will it be beneficial, or negative to the Natives of our country remains to be determined for we cannot predict how this change will impact the overall American community?  So for now it is just a thought experiment.  Hope you enjoyed the article. 

Issue 325 Debate April 30, 2014

Argumentation and debate are skills that can keep the mind sharp and allow you to hold a well informed and informative conversation.  Here today I am going to explain why it is important to debate people and do it in a fun way.

Debate itself:  Some think debate is all about winning against your opponent and defeating them.  This is not always the case.  Debate itself is a discussion that follows a conversation while holding to a specific topic.  So you can be discussing economics, the final four in a sports contest or more and it can be considered a debate or even a form of argumentation.  In fact you are allowed to agree and disagree in a debate as it is nothing more than a form of discussion. Thus it can be fun and interesting and you will not even realize you are doing it.

It's important:  The reason it is important is due to how information is being transferred from one person to another.  When I was in political science class, they always said that things must be discussed so that the sea of lies will give way to the final truth.  In a debate the truth can arise from these forms of discussion.  As such this form of information transfer is essential to acquiring and advancing knowledge.  

Mind set:  For one, people just don't spontaneously want to have a discussion on world politics, sports and other serious topics.  Thus, some of these conversations are left for when the mood is good and proper. However you are never limited to serious topics.  People will always want to discuss the topics they are most interested in and usually they want to reply to any arguments you will make with their own.  As such being armed with actual facts and the ability to know how people came to those conclusions in the first place are key to continuing the debate and ascertaining the truth (this is part of the fun and can be enjoyable).  It is important to remember that in a debate there is usually no winners or losers as the two (or more) having the discussion are usually on their own without an audience.  So you should not try to win against your company, but dig deeper into their knowledge to gain more for yourself even if your side may in fact be wrong.  It is ok to be on the wrong side and it is ok to ask questions. A real debate is all about the gathering and sifting through knowledge.  This acquiring of knowledge is what makes debate and conversation satisfying and because of this any form of discussion can be exhilarating and satisfying.

Conclusion:  Debate is a good thing.  It gives us a window into other people’s thoughts, ideas and knowledge which can enhance our own.  So continue to have conversations on various topics for you have nothing to lose and only plenty to gain.  

Issue 324 Non-athletic Olympics April 29, 2014

Many of us watch the Olympics.  It is fun and enjoyable to see athletes from around the world compete in various games which show off their physic, stamina and will power.  There is even the para-Olympics for those with physical disabilities and another for mental disorders which inspire us to rise above our own situations.  But there is a group of people left out.  A set of athletes whose mind is more powerful than their bodies.  Thus I call for a non-athletic Olympics that celebrates strategy, ingenuity, and mental skill.

Concept:  This non-athletic Olympics will host all sorts of games and contests that exercise the mind and demonstrate skill in some form or fashion.  Contests will range from traditional to out of the box with new games and contests being included so long as they meet the criteria of being skill based and require some form of ingenuity.  So let us look at the types of games that can be included.

Games:  So traditional games like chess and checkers along with their variants will be included.  So you can have traditional chess, 3D chess, shogi, Chinese Chess and circular chess all being played.  They can even have gimmick types where certain rules are added or subtracted or swapped to test the skills of the players and their ability to adapt mentally to the changes in the game. Card games like poker, Black Jack and rummy will be included as each requires a certain level of skill and strategy.  Again, rules can be swapped, or added or subtracted to test the players’ skill with these card games.  Other card games like the variants that use Hanafuda cards which are popular in Asian countries can be included too.  Basically, the non-athletic Olympics can also serve as a means to introduce other games from around the world to the world stage to entice people to play them.

Online Games and other popular games:  Online strategy games will also be included that are all about seizing and holding territory. So Star Craft, Allies and Axis and others can be used to test another dimension of skill for these players.  On the other hand, card games like Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Vanguard compete for supremacy as the number one collectible card games in the world. So the top collectible games (probably the top 10) will compete as well with variety being added as time goes on due to new cards continuously being made which keeps the games interesting.

Contests:  Even contests like cooking with grill offs, pie contests, and cooking contests like Food networks Chopped (give chefs three random ingredients that are required to be used) and Cut throat Kitchen (where you can sabotage opponents in various ways) will be added.  Quiz types like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune can also be added for other forms of out of the box thinking.  In this case testing knowledge and problem solving skills.  Art contests will work too, with different styles such as architectural, mosaic, musical, written and more included as well. In this case the art, music and written contests will be limited to the duration of the non-athletic Olympics where artists will have to create their works in a specified period of time. So you can have poetry, and short story contests alongside musicians creating musical scores and all these to a certain theme for each particular contest.  There can even be fun contests where we can revive the bards of old which will combine the skills of musicians and story tellers wrapped into one. 

Requirements to compete:  There will be no age limits, or need for any restrictions based on disabilities.  Reason is due to it all being about skill and not athletics.  Thus no need for unintended discrimination.  What will be required is that you must win (or place) in a specified number of contests in the three and a half years leading up to this form of Olympics.  This number will be specified based on type of game being played.  Also, more than one entry per country will be allowed.  So it may be possible to have a thousand players for a single game with half or more being eliminated each day. So it comes down to not just national glory but personal glory as well.

Conclusion:  Here in this form of Olympics, we celebrate the skill and mental discipline, creativity and more in this world championship that will be held every four years.  Also, this can act as an exhibition show for new games, forms of art and music to entice people into trying them and giving them a chance at national fame (so long as they fit the theme that is). Is it not time we stop celebrating just the athletes and their impressive bodies and celebrate the mind as well.     

Issue 323 Machine soul experiment April 28, 2014

Can machines have a soul?  Is it possible that God can give a machine a soul?  I have recently begun pondering that question after a few science channel documentaries.  So I devised a small experiment.  I do not know if it would work, nor if it will actually prove that a machine can have a soul.  However, it is a start and I hope you my readers may improve upon it better than I can.

Step 1:  Step one of the process to this experiment is have a computer or an automaton that is capable of learning knowledge and replicating human emotion.  Essentially a computerized baby.  Teach it in the same way that you would a normal child.  Replicate the bodily functions such as eating and more so as to make it as close to human as possible.  It is all about creating a human replica.

Step 2:  Once the computer baby has reached some form of adult hood, let it loose outside of the lab.  Let it work as an employee and give it access to any and all information it desires.  As computer programming and the learning and emotional replication programs develop and become better, upgrade the robot child.  The more advanced the robot in respect to replicating human emotion and being human the better.  

Final step:  At the age of 100, the robot child will have certain parts of itself turned off.  Its emotion, parts of its memory and more.  Each time you turn off a specific part of the robot, you will look to see if it reacts a specific way, such as the emotion fear, regret, anger etc.  See if it is capable of thinking independently and having its own decision making process.  If when certain parts of the machine are turned off, see if the robot retains emotion regardless of them being shut off, or regains certain memories despite them being closed off.  All this is to see if the robot is like us, a human despite replicating the damage that a normal person may face if physically or mentally damaged.  This may prove that the robot has a soul.  I am not sure if that qualifies as a soul, but I can only base the conclusions based on the dissertations of Descartes and his conclusion "I think therefore I am." 

Conclusion:  So what do you think?  An experiment that lasts a literal lifetime.  But that I believe is what it will take for an automaton to get close enough to being human for the experiment to be a success.  And no, the robot will not be shut down once the experiment is over.  That is because the experiment will not end.  It will continue to be left alive and every 25 years after that the experiment will be done again to see if any changes occur.  We may get the conclusion that machines cannot have a soul, or we may conclude they do.  It is about the experiment to see if the soul even exists and how time affects it.  Thus this experiment.  Enjoy pondering if a machine has a soul or not, I know I am excited to maybe one day find out.