Issue 478 Diversity: Ideas December 8 2014

We spoke on diversity of color last week, and I your author came to the conclusion it really does not matter so long as it happens naturally in nature.  But there is a very important form of diversity that we all need to embrace, and that is the diversity of ideas.  Let us discuss.

Ideas are important:  Diversity of ideas is the diversity of thought.  It allows us to view things from multiple perspectives and thus enable us to achieve better results with respect to thought, action or deeds.  And thus, a lack of thought/idea diversity means a stagnant society.  Why you may ask?  Why embrace all these different thoughts and ideas when they can cause conflict, arguments, and anger?  Simple, if we do not have idea diversity, then that means we have groupthink.  People become malleable and simple minded.  They stop thinking for themselves, and thus rely on society as a whole to make decisions for them.  We lose the individual and independent actions as well.  In short, no thought diversity means society itself becomes a bunch of drones without creativity, reason, or innovation.  So diversity of thought is essential to things like innovation in medicine, television, and even government.  For instance, democracy was not created in a vacuum.  It was created in Athens where only men were allowed to vote.  But the founders of America dared to innovate and progress the concept further to improve democracy as a government to shape what we call today a republic.  Are you getting the picture?  No idea diversity means we become a nation of slaves.

Conclusion:  I write this because sometimes I feel we are becoming drones.  That we prefer for people to think and act for us rather than we ourselves.  And that frightens me.  So I write this to raise awareness of diversity of thought.  I hope that you will try to listen to all points of view and make your own judgments based on what you think is write, and not what others think is right for you.

Issue 477 Diversity: Color December 5 2014

Here we are going to question one aspect of diversity.  In this case, does diversity of skin color matter?  So let's go over both points to find out.

Those in favor:  From my perspective, people who believe in the diversity of color are looking to right past injustices. They feel that to move society forward past the historical racism and separations, we must insure businesses, schools and government institutions have a rich population of individuals with multiple skin tones.  As such, these individuals actively seek to have government hire people of different skin colors.  In addition, they themselves (if they own a business) may hire people of different skin tones simply because they do not want to feel or look racist.  In short, they perhaps feel guilt and thus look past people who may be more qualified in order to meet the equivalent of a self-imposed quota.  

Those who want to move on:  This other group does not reject diversity of color at all.  In fact, they do not care if a private institution hires people based on color.  Instead, they just wish (in my opinion) to move past this period of history.  They feel that by harping on this, we in turn embrace another form of racism in which we oppress ourselves in due deference to the people we tried our hardest to make our equals.  As such, they seek a natural means of diversity of color, where it happens naturally over the forced methods of those who believe it matters.

Conclusion:  I do not discuss the racists who want to have full separation, because I believe them to be fools.  And thus, I ignore their ideas of racism.  On the other hand, I will say I favor those who want a more natural color diversity over the forced type.  The reason being is because those in favor are doing one thing wrong in my opinion.  They are eliminating the concept of merit with respect to people getting a job or being allowed to attend a prestigious school.  But I do not fault them for this though.  My reasoning is because they see the idea that one person having to work harder than another person to achieve the same result is wrong.  While appealing, this thought process is actually counterproductive.  You cannot create equality through this method as it inherently oppresses the true equality of nature in which we are all allowed to advance and become greater under our own power.  In short, it eliminates merit and the concept of hard work which are the two key components of the idea of opportunity.  And such, opportunities to advance are lost and thus equality perishes.  So this is why I like letting it happen naturally, for it embraces the idea of equality in nature, and not the equality of naive notions of forced/fake equality.

Issue 476 Smart Tattoos! December 4, 2014

Now we have an even cooler tattoo that many people may wish to get in the future.  It is called a smart tattoo.  And it is literally a computer chip implanted into your skin.  So let us discuss how it works and what it can do for us.

How it works:  Scientists have developed a method for literally injecting microchips into the outer layer of skin in the same way you would if you inject ink to get a tattoo. These tattoos can either be permanently placed, or made to be temporary. In fact, they can be applied internally to organs, and even clothing depending on what they will be used for (this aspect is still in development).  The chips can actively monitor someone, or hold data for when the owner wishes to activate it.  The uses of this technology are very wide and may become common place in the future.  So let’s discuss what they will do.

Their uses:

1) They can monitor your vital signs in real time.  This means people who need to wear heart monitors or other monitoring equipment can now go about their day as normal without the bulk.  Diabetes patients can have their blood sugar tested without the need to prick their finger ever again.  Athletes can do real world testing during actual practice instead of being tied to monitors in a lab to measure their performance.  You can even place these tattoos on an organ inside the body so as to monitor it for say a transplant rejection, or just overall health like your heart.  Blood oxidation, and blood hydration are also able to be monitored.  Literally, we can monitor our own health in the same way a doctor can without any stress or effort to have to travel to the laboratory and hook up bulky machines.

2) Google with Motorola is attempting to patent a smart tattoo that will be applied to the vocal cords.  This will allow it to pick up your voice at all levels of frequency so as to provide you with the ability to control your cell phone verbally without opening your mouth.  (It apparently can even detect if you are lying.)

3) It can be used as your credit card and debit card to pay at the store.  Additionally, it can act as a smart ID and can even unlock your car.  You are literally becoming the bionic man/woman.  And even more interesting is that if you apply one to your brain, it can allow you to control electronic devices such as doors, your heating and lighting, and other electronic equipment like your computer.  So you can surf the web by thought alone.

Conclusion:  These are not all the possibilities, but you get the general idea.  The only concern though is that every human being on the planet can be identified.  This means that big brother can be watching our every move and we could do nothing about it.  However, these advantages (especially for temporary versions) can change society as a whole.  I look forward to seeing what else they do with this technology and how society changes with it.

Issue 475 Smart ID's December 3, 2014

Well we have talked a little about a smart identification cards (ID) multiple times in passing.  However, we have not gone into great detail as to how one would work.  So here and now I will outline it for you my readers what a real smart ID would do.

How it works:

1) It would have a microchip to store important information.  This information would only be accessible when the card is placed by or in an electronic reading system.  Thus, it prevents hackers from altering its data and assuming someone else's identity.

2) It would act as your food stamps card and your government provided health care card in times of emergency.  Basically, if for whatever reason you need some sort of government assistance, this one card would have the data chip inside of it electronically changed to give you access to a government account specifically designed to aid people in financial trouble/difficulty.  As such, any expirations for when the money is to run out can be programed and how the money is spent can be monitored by government agents to insure there is no fraud or illegal actions.  Thus, it prevents abuses of the system.

3) It will act as both your driver’s license, your passport, your gun license (if you apply for one) and even your birth certificate.  As the information is upgradeable because it can be updated electronically, then there will no longer be a need to issue different paperwork such as passports, gun licenses and the like.  Instead the same cards data can simply be updated to accommodate the new licenses and other information. All this information will of course be available electronically to be accessed when needed, such as traveling, or applying for a job.

4) Any other licenses that you apply for and receive will also be able to be placed on the electronic chip in the card.  So your business license, your license to be a doctor, or other important certifications that require government authorization will all be simply downloaded to the card.

5) If you are ever stopped by a police officer, the data base on the card will instantly highlight your criminal history and if there are any outstanding warrants against you.  As such, it will be easier to identify criminals (especially if they are using some form of government assistance).

6) If issued to illegal citizens, then it can be used as a method to track them as well.  Bank accounts will only be able to be opened by showing this card, and as such, if an illegal citizen/guest wants to open an account in the United States, they will have to use this card as the sole method of accessing the money inside it.  This also allows us to monitor for any illegal transactions and activity as well.

7) The photo idea will be fully updateable.  In this case, using smart inks, we can alter the photo on the card without you having to get a new photo taken every ten or so years.  This saves money for both you, the person who owns the card, and the government as they do not have to issue you a new one.

Conclusion:  This is how a smart ID's work.  It does act like big brother watching, but it saves lots of money and time.  No more lost documents, as all you need to keep safe is this one card. So is it worth it?  I am not sure myself.  Only time will tell.

Issue 474 Voter ID (President Clinton's Idea). December 2, 2014

Ok, so a majority of the people in the United States support having voter identification so as to prevent election fraud.  One of these individuals happens to be former President William (Bill) Jefferson Clinton. And you know what?  His idea (though others were involved in his idea) will only cost ten cents per person.  Here is his idea.

President Clinton's Idea:  Well it is to simply put your photo on your social security card.  Yes, that is correct.  It will literally take ten extra cents per person to add a simple photo to your Social Security card.  These cards are given out free by the government which solves any issue of impoverished people having to possibly pay for an ID card.  It also has the byproduct of reducing issues of fraud with respect to acquiring your Social Security benefits.  You are probably thinking that there has to be more too this.  Well, this is really just it.  A simple picture for ten cents per person in the United States to place a picture of yourself on your Social Security card.  From there, all you have to do is show the card every time you go vote.

Conclusion:  This is the simplest and cheapest method to solving the voter ID issue.  I myself have had to reject peoples photo ID's when I worked on Election Day for it is illegal for me to check them here in New York.  As a result, these people get "kind" of annoyed.  However, I would trade that kind of confrontation for saying I need your ID card to vote any day of the week.  My reason is that back when Super storm Sandy hit New York and the rest of the upper North West of the United States, we were running an election.  That election was on the reelection of President Barack Obama.  And you know what?  I could have sworn I saw the same people voting sometimes twice or even four times.  However, I could not prove it, so I was forced to let it go.  However with a voter ID as proposed by President Clinton, we can even check the Social Security numbers to insure that the individual voted once and only once.  So I support President Clinton's idea, and I believe you my readers should probably think about supporting his idea too.

Issue 473 Why illegals should have driver's licenses December 1, 2014

Yes, I believe Illegal residents should be able to get drivers licenses.  And here are my reasons why.

My Reasoning:

1) This insures that they actually know how to drive.  As such, we can avoid unfortunate traffic accidents due to them not knowing the rules of the road.

2) Establishes a traceable form of identity.  It allows States to find out if a person came to the United States legally or not, and possibly their place of residence.  As such, if they need to be found later on, it increases the likelihood of them being found when the government comes calling.

3) Using that same driver’s license, it can be used as a smart card to act as a credit card/ debit card (they will not be allowed a regular bank account without government issued ID), their welfare card and their medical card if they require State assistance. By combining these, it limits confusion and makes it less likely for them to sell their ID's for cash as all financial information, government aid and their identity are all tied to one card. This again allows them to be tracked to see what their travel habits are and infer on their living situation.

4) We can with this also make them pay fines to get the licenses so that they are not getting a free ride.  This also enables taxation if using the ID cards smart cards so that their driver’s license number is their bank account number and their social security number.  As such, if they somehow become citizens later, all the necessary identification will already be there. Hence, they can and will pay into Social Security legally and pay taxes legally, even if they are not yet legal citizens.

Conclusion:  These all result from allowing States to issue drivers licenses to illegal citizens.  We can use their desire to get aid as incentive to get the license in the first place via tying it all their aid together.  As such we can monitor them and their activities and perhaps use it to pave the way for legal citizenship.  However, this only works with a "big brother" type driver’s license as opposed to a traditional license.  So with these ideas in mind, do you think it's worth the effort to get them to get a drivers license? I think it is.

Issue 472 Should the National Guard take over the CDC November 28, 2014

With the recent events over Ebola, it calls into question if the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is still up to the task of fighting potential outbreaks of deadly diseases.  As such, perhaps it is time to dissolve the CDC and give their duties over to a more trusted group of individuals who have the discipline and the wherewithal to act on what is right, The National Guard.  Time to discuss.

CDC to National Guard:  While the CDC has served us well in the past, they seem to have botched up due to politics.  They no longer, it appears, care for safety of people in the country if it means them looking bad politically (such as the suspending of flights from African Countries).  However, the National Guard has no such problem.  They are there to protect us and even have training to deal with threats like Ebola (whether they have specialized divisions I do not know).  However, they are tasked with defending the people and thus can make these kinds of decisions without political approval.  They can even suspend traffic going in and out of a particular State in the nation if they feel it is no longer safe and have the resources to pull it off on their own.  Together with the CDC's old resources they can actually give people a plan to protect themselves from things like Ebola and customize each State's response in the United States.  This ability to customize per State an action plan to stop the spread of infection is useful and if the CDC was around they would be doing this particular task regardless.  Thus it eliminates another level of bureaucracy that may inhibit a quick and needed response.  

Conclusion:  The CDC was once one of the most trusted institutions in America's political system.  Now they pretty much are deemed a political hack.  They traded trust for million dollar offices and other waste over protecting the nation from an outbreak that potentially could have killed thousands.  With the National Guard however, we have a ready rapid reaction force ready to stop the spread of the infection by shutting down air traffic, land traffic and river/ocean traffic before the disease spreads further.  They will also have the equipment, and capability to aid doctors in fighting the infection by setting up emergency hospitals at strategic points on a moment’s notice.  Essentially, we get the military precision and discipline to get the job done.   This is an option to fix a potentially growing problem within the federal government, not a cure.