Issue 601 Alternate pay for Congress May 29, 2015

Right now, Congressman and Senators get about $175,000 a year in compensation for their service to the country.  But, what if we could pay them in a different way?  What if we could make it easy for them to earn money without them getting money from the taxpayers?  Let us discuss.

Alternate compensation:  In this case, rather than pay Congressmen and Senators we could let them do insider trading.  They can make significant amounts of money from the stock market as is, but this would allow them access to information so that they can guarantee an income via stocks.  Obviously, insider trading would need to be made legal for this to work, but with this we will never have to pay our representatives in government ever again.  

Alternatively, we can force them to have real jobs, such as lawyer, or day laborer, and compensate them for the time lost while serving.  Basically, they would get money equal to what they would have made in their profession in exchange for their services to the country.  Then they would go back to work once the Congressional session is over and they would not receive any more money from the government unless called up again.  Basically, it works the same way as when you are compensated to serve jury duty.  You get money from the government, equal to the pay you would have received while working your regular day job.

How about free perks?  Allowing their income to be supplemented by getting free hotel stays, free food, or other free stuff could also enhance both the aforementioned options.  In this case, the free stuff would have to be restricted as a Saudi Prince promising massive amounts of money to a Senator who is voting on a trade bill between the United States and Saudi Arabia would not be allowed as that is actual bribery.  However, giving them preferential treatment, and other gifts that are less likely to affect a vote, like gift baskets would be fine.  In essence, as long as what is being given is not actual money, but "gifts", it could work out, with "gifts" being monitored to ensure no bribery was committed.

Conclusion: The only thing that would probably sit well with the public is the second pay option of only paying them when they are actually doing work.  However, free gifts that do not affect voting would and could be viable.  And insider trading is only illegal because people think it is unfair that a person(s) gets information about stocks first which could potentially make that person more money than everyone else.  In other words, it is about fairness.  I am a libertarian though.  Fairness in nature is the same as equality, it generally does not exist for people for each have to put in a certain amount of effort to succeed.  That effort unfortunately is almost never equal due to talents, or personal relationships.  Instead, people specialize in their own skills and trade them, because we are not equal, and life is never fair.  We compensate each other and complement each other’s skill sets.  Hence why I do not mind free gifts for people in government so long as it is not actual bribery (though the line is fairly thin).  So what do you think?  Should we keep things as they are, or shake things up a bit.  

Issue 600 Replace the V.A. May 28, 2015

Veteran Affairs (V.A.) may be too big to simply fix.  It may in fact have to be replaced due to its largess.  But what would it look like.  Here is one an idea.

The replacement:  For one, the V.A. could be staffed by returning soldiers rather than traditional pencil pushers.  For instance, doctors who serve in the field will be doctors treating their fellow veterans.  This also helps psychologically as now a veteran who knows the rigors of service can have a doctor empathies and know what they went through.  Likewise, soldiers who know procurement and act as secretaries as well as other non-combat jobs that can translate to health and wellness can directly translate to helping fellow veterans.  Obviously, more specialized doctors may be needed, and thus hired.  However, veterans who continue their medical education can supplant these private doctors to ensure that a soldier is being taken care of by fellow soldier in all aspects of care.  Military family members may also serve in this newer version of the V.A., but must meet specific requirements and be recommended by another member of the armed forces outside of a family member, which vouches for their character and abilities.

Obviously, benefits would be completely reworked and perhaps based on George Washington's original idea for combat benefits for soldiers.  In this case, soldiers wounded in battle would get preferential treatment, and then it is scaled from there.  No more, sleep apnea patients getting more benefits over soldiers who had their limbs blown off.

As for organization, it will be organized in a similar manner to a military unit and its deployment.  The military unit approach would apply combat principles and deployments to doctors and other members of the V.A. to go where they are needed most and then shift them based on need once a job is done.  Essentially, it will be a completely organic organization that has no permanent roots anywhere save in select locations due to costs involved (i.e. rehab centers and their equipment).  But specialists in psychology, doctors of course and those injuries and treatments that do not require expensive equipment or is transportable without losing effectiveness in treatment can go anywhere at any time to help our veterans.  Heck, the V.A. can use the old Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H) model for when extra support for veterans is needed.  Basically, we want to bring the care to the soldier if possible, and not the other way around.

Conclusion:  This is obviously a working concept, but you get the idea.  Soldiers being the staff mean we have people who know and feel what our soldiers went through.  Re-aligning benefits to fit the types of injuries ensures adequate care.  A mobile organization prevents the need for permanent facilities that would otherwise create possible waste, while bringing care to the patients.  Essentially, it becomes concierge medicine, with small exceptions.  I want our Veterans to be taken care of in the right way.  In a way that ensures comfort and accelerates healing.  To be honest, I would like it to be  donation based like the USO if possible as well, but that may be much harder due to costs (at one point I thought maybe the USO should take over the V.A.'s role).  No matter what though, our soldiers sacrifice a lot, and we need to make sure we give back to them the right way.

Issue 599 The V.A. sucks?! May 27, 2015

Veterans Affairs (V.A.) has been under the microscope lately.  From breaking the law on spending, to ignoring veterans in need, the V.A. has become something of an eyesore.  But apparently there is more issues which I will list here thanks to a sit down between combat veterans which was featured on The Blaze TV network.  Let us begin.

Some issue in the V.A.:  For one, a veteran who murdered another veteran named Chris Kyle (the guy American Sniper is based on) is still receiving full V.A. benefits.  Yes, that is right.  A murderer in jail is receiving V.A. benefits.  It should not matter if the now convicted murderer is a veteran or not.  The fact is that murderers should be denied any and all benefits while they are in jail despite their prior service.  

Aside from the aforementioned outrage (in my opinion), there are other substantive issues.  Marcus Luttrell (the Navy Seal who wrote the book "Lone Survivor" which became a movie) amongst others had to wait four or more hours to make an appointment, to make another appointment to see a doctor.  Now, does that make any sense?  Keep in mind that Luttrell is well connected due to his fame from his book and was able to get special treatment at a certain point, but he in the sit down on the Blaze was visibly flustered in my view that his fellow vets were being treated in such a manner.  The other veterans in the sit down were also annoyed at such treatment of their brothers and sisters in arms and cited other issues with respect to benefits.  These issues included the fact that soldiers who never saw actual combat getting more benefits than those who actually fought in battle.  Another issue was the fact that soldiers with sleep apnea were receiving more benefits than amputees.  I am sure this is positively pathetic, but to add insult to injury they x-ray soldiers with missing limbs to prove that they are amputees despite having gone to the V.A. on multiple occasions to get replacement legs (this according to the sole veteran with an amputated leg within this group of vets).   But, this inefficiency is apparently purposeful as each State under the Federal government and private groups that partner with them get more funding from this bureaucratic mess, thus making money off the veterans suffering.  This is just wrong.

Conclusion: Things need to change dramatically in the V.A.  It is no longer about helping veterans in my opinion, but instead to make a buck off vets coming home from war and their suffering.  I believe a change is necessary, and that change may need to be drastic.

Issue 598 Abortion Spa's!? May 26, 2015

Everything I discuss here is a rumor, but I think it is important enough to write about.  In this case abortion clinics adding spa's to their lineup of services to remove the stigma/negative feelings of an abortion.  Let's discuss.

The rumor:  As stated, there are those in the abortion industry looking to combine a spa and an abortion clinic into one.  They wish to remove any negative connotations that stem from getting an abortion and thus make it out to be a pampering procedure done during or after the woman gets the full spa treatment.  So get your nails done with a message and then sit spread eagle on the table and have the unborn child killed (aborted).  Yea, when I say it this way, it makes it sound like a really bad idea.

Possible reasoning:  It is in my opinion that if these rumors turn out to be true or at the very least looked into by the abortion industry that it was done solely for capitalist/monetary reasons.  While I myself am a capitalist, and in favor of making money, I have qualms (disregarding my dislike of abortion) about turning a legitimate medical procedure into a basic commodity service that potentially could endanger the mother receiving the procedure.  While the idea of a woman being pampered sounds nice and is designed to make the woman feel more comfortable before and after the medical procedure is done, I see no other benefit than making the abortion procedure look more appealing so these abortionist doctors to make a few extra dollars  Hence my opposition.

Conclusion:  I am sorry, as I feel my opinion is fairly biased on this one.  However, this reeks of the ugly side of capitalism where morals are put on the back burner in favor of a quick self-interested buck.  As such, I hope such an idea/rumor is false, and that this concept is not brought back for such a controversial and last resort medical practice.

Happy Memorial Day. May 25, 2015

I would like to say thanks to all whom have served in the armed forces.  On Memorial Day we remember the soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country.  They are ordered to march into what can only be described as a living hell hole while we sit safe at home going about our daily routines unawares of the dangers that they defend against.  So I say here, God bless the troops.

Additionally, I would like to say a special thank you to the police officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.  Your sacrifice, I feel, is also recognized on this day as you too defend and protect us, but this time from the evil that hides within the country itself.  God bless the Police

God bless all who serve on this Memorial Day.  Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Issue 597 Crime in a surveillance State May 22, 2015

Imagine if surveillance tech goes off the rails and the police can monitor every move you make and every word you say.  A true panopticon.  What would happen to crime with respect to stopping it?

No place to hide:  Well, it makes every law enforceable.  Reason being is that we cannot hide from these cameras and microphones.  So if you are in an accident, there is no need for your statement and the other involved party as they simply have to watch the video of the accident occurring to know who is at fault.  Shoplifting, forget it.  They will see how much you stuff into your pockets.  Death threats?  The microphone heard you and thus police show up at the door.  Smoking some weed, well they could even possibly smell that with drug sniffers to tell the difference between a cigarette and other illegal substances. Hence no one could commit a crime without being caught which means zero crime from regular people.  But it can get out of control.

Examples of it gone wrong:  Two examples I can think of is hate speech, and political criticism.  Hate speech as I am sure you will agree is distasteful to say the least.  But despite it being a part of your freedom of speech, the government will be able to hear it, and then fine you for it.  And this means any form of speech deemed hateful, including saying someone is poor or off the cuff comments like that person looks impoverished.  Yes they may deem these innocent terms as racist, but if you look at the history of words like illegal alien, migrant, and similar, those depending on the times are deemed hateful as well.  And this can extend to criticism of government if we are not careful.  Thus, free speech, including criticizing the president can become a crime.

Conclusion:  While the benefits are great, the level of abuse is greater.  This gives too much power to one group in society over all other groups.  So if you know your history, this means the death of democracy and freedom as a whole.  So keep an eye out for abuses, for if we do not, we may suffer under the yoke of oppression.

Issue 596 Smart Homes May 21, 2015

Here we are going for a lighter topic than yesterdays.  In this case we are going to talk about some cool stuff going into smart homes.  Let's discuss.

What we have and coming soon:

1. Complete control:  With smart home technology, you probably noticed that everything is controllable from a smartphone or app on a computer.  We know it can control lights, temperature, and alarms, and even cameras in the home, but they even allow you to control your faucets, and even the locks on all your rooms.  So if your child wants to have a party while you are out, you can lock your bedroom door from miles away on the other side of the world.  

2. Smart electrical: Energy efficiency is becoming more and more important, to the point that your home may fully automate energy distribution.  So your home using your alarm system can sense if you are asleep, and shut off bedroom or televisions for you.  It will also know where to rout electricity.  So if you are not using hot water, the electrical system will turn off the part of the boiler or cut off the electricity going to that.  If you are watching television downstairs, and not say the radio (your home will be able to tell the difference) it will rout power away from the radio to save energy.  This is already in the works as the military is currently testing this system for their temporary and permanent bases/camps and it works well with Tesla motors foray into batteries for the home.  As such, solar energy, batteries and other power systems need not become more efficient to generate more power as we will use machines to use the energy collected in a more efficient manner instead.

3. Smart Fridge: Of particular note is smart fridges that can order your food for you.  It will sense what foods you use most, and automatically order them for you from the nearest grocer to be delivered to your home.

4. Smart walls and tables: Never paint a room again, because you'll never have to.  The walls will be able to change color and even have patterns just like what you can do to your computer's background.  This is due to flat screen technology being placed on walls like wallpaper.  This also means you can watch television, or listen to the radio in any room via this tech.  So who needs a laptop when you can simply use this technology on a wall or table to type like you do on your touch screen tablet.  (This is further away, as the technology is still being developed).

Conclusion:  Both the first and second are very near term developments and look set to be the standard for future home building.  These two technologies will continue to evolve as USB technology replaces traditional plugs and thus hooks up every electrical device to the internet and thus the home's electrical grid.  The smart fridge requires radio frequency identification chips (RFID) to replace barcodes, while as stated, smart walls and tables are still in development and honestly need to become accepted over a more flexible, portable tablet pc.  Other ideas include car recharge stations, 3d printers, and dedicated servers so that each home has its own private internet network.  I look forward to how things will continue to change.