Hi Everyone,
OK so maybe it isn't actually the wild west, but it definitely will be the wild, wild south. There is a change coming that I believe will not have the outcome that the politicians are expecting. Changes like this will be detrimental to the health and welfare of its citizens. What am I talking about? I am talking about how the state of Georgia has decided that it is a good thing for all licensed gun owners to be able to carry their firearms almost anywhere. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, a Republican, signed the state's Safe Carry Protection Act. Where will they be able to carry their firearms as of July 1, 2014? How about bars, schools, churches and government buildings that don't have, no gun rules and non-secure areas in airports. The licensed gun owners would be able to carry their firearms without restrictions. The new law also allows school districts to decide whether they want their employees to carry a firearm.
Of course the NRA, (which touts a membership of 5 million, which is a very small minority of Americans), says that Georgia's new law, according to USA Today, is "the most comprehensive pro-gun reform legislation introduced in recent history." The gun rights group GeorgiaCarry.org believes that the law will, "restore our right to carry and be allowed to protect ourselves anywhere we go," executive director Jerry Henry stated. Also remember that the NRA has fought any attempts to just tighten restrictions on acquiring a gun license.
This new, lack of common sense law even removes a restriction that prevented those convicted of certain misdemeanors from getting a gun permit. In addition, this law will unbelievably deny police the ability to detain a person, "for the sole purpose of investigating whether such a person has a weapons carry license." Which means if you can't be stopped by police to check to see if one has a carry license, why get a carry license in the first place? Finally, this idiotic law establishes an absolute defense for the legal use of deadly force of a violent attack.
You've got to be kidding!!! What is happening with this country? If you listen to and believe what the NRA says, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Well this is the hypothetical scenario I could and probably would see happening after 7/1. Of all the places guns should never be mixed with is bars, where alcohol is served. So there are 2 guys drinking at a bar when an argument ensues. One pulls out his gun and shoots at the other, but misses him. Someone behind the intended target gets shot and the injured person returns fire, but because he was shot, misses his intended target and shoots another innocent bystander and so on and so forth. Then the headlines would read, 10 killed and many more hurt in drunken shooting melee at some bar. Come on, we all know someone that if they drink too much, they take on a different persona and could and would do something stupid. Now suppose that person carried a firearm. Would they be able to restrain themselves? Remember that since the police can't detain someone to check if they have a carry license, why even get a carry license?
Can anyone tell me why this law is a good idea? This law will fail like Florida's, Stand your ground law is failing now. I don't see people feeling safer with this law, but rather more unsafe and afraid with the potential of innocent people getting injured or killed in places where guns were never allowed previously. More guns in public places means more shootings. This law should really be called, the guns everywhere law.
Once again, politicians don't have or won't use any common sense in passing another asinine law. Now it seems that this law will only die after one to many real people die. Go figure! Remind me not to visit Georgia any time soon.
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
2 fer, part deux
Hi Everyone,
For only the second time, I am giving you all 2 quickies today. Every once in a while I find a quote that someone said and to me, makes so much sense that I have to share it.
#1) This is from William Graham Sumner, (1840-1910). "All history is only one long story to this effect: men have struggled for power over their fellow men in order that they might win the joys of the earth at the expense of others and might shift the burdens of life from their own shoulders upon those of others." This certainly seems true even today.
#2) In today's Sunday paper, there is an article in the Money section about the price of beef. The bottom line is that this country is facing the highest beef prices in 3 decades. This is true with both consumers and restaurant owners. Additionally, it doesn't matter which cut of beef you want, London Broil, T-Bone, Prime Rib, Rib Eye, Hamburger meat, etc., etc. all the prices have risen.
The news media has been talking about a beef shortage since last year when a terrible drought forced many cattle ranchers to sell off their herds prematurely, before they would be normally ready. There were no grasslands and the cost of hay was too expensive to feed their herds. So I figured that, that was the reason for the sharp increases in beef prices we are seeing now. But, oh boy was I wrong! Another part of this equation and is just as equally important, is the growing export demand from countries such as China and Japan. Now that part of the equation was never mentioned in other news outlets. Seems that there is quandary with our US owned cattle ranchers. Keep the price increases to a lesser amount by not selling so much overseas or continue selling overseas and keep the price increases to the max. With 25% price increases so far, how high will the price of beef go?
Unfortunately, as we have seen so many times before, when a food price increases, we never return to the price prior to the increases. A great example is the cost of Orange Juice. Some years ago, there were frosts in Florida, that heavily damaged the citrus crops. OJ prices immediately shot up and the price never returned to pre-frost prices. AND, in a recent study, Americans now drink 40% less OJ then they did 10 or 20 years ago and the price just keep rising. What happened to Economics 101, supply and demand?
So what does this all mean? We obviously can't control Mother Nature in regards to droughts and frosts etc. But the amount of beef sold overseas can and should be controlled, especially in the event of a severe drought like what is currently happening out west. Common sense is never on the front burner with these kind of issues, but greed is, which is unfortunate for all of us.
Til next week.
Peter
For only the second time, I am giving you all 2 quickies today. Every once in a while I find a quote that someone said and to me, makes so much sense that I have to share it.
#1) This is from William Graham Sumner, (1840-1910). "All history is only one long story to this effect: men have struggled for power over their fellow men in order that they might win the joys of the earth at the expense of others and might shift the burdens of life from their own shoulders upon those of others." This certainly seems true even today.
#2) In today's Sunday paper, there is an article in the Money section about the price of beef. The bottom line is that this country is facing the highest beef prices in 3 decades. This is true with both consumers and restaurant owners. Additionally, it doesn't matter which cut of beef you want, London Broil, T-Bone, Prime Rib, Rib Eye, Hamburger meat, etc., etc. all the prices have risen.
The news media has been talking about a beef shortage since last year when a terrible drought forced many cattle ranchers to sell off their herds prematurely, before they would be normally ready. There were no grasslands and the cost of hay was too expensive to feed their herds. So I figured that, that was the reason for the sharp increases in beef prices we are seeing now. But, oh boy was I wrong! Another part of this equation and is just as equally important, is the growing export demand from countries such as China and Japan. Now that part of the equation was never mentioned in other news outlets. Seems that there is quandary with our US owned cattle ranchers. Keep the price increases to a lesser amount by not selling so much overseas or continue selling overseas and keep the price increases to the max. With 25% price increases so far, how high will the price of beef go?
Unfortunately, as we have seen so many times before, when a food price increases, we never return to the price prior to the increases. A great example is the cost of Orange Juice. Some years ago, there were frosts in Florida, that heavily damaged the citrus crops. OJ prices immediately shot up and the price never returned to pre-frost prices. AND, in a recent study, Americans now drink 40% less OJ then they did 10 or 20 years ago and the price just keep rising. What happened to Economics 101, supply and demand?
So what does this all mean? We obviously can't control Mother Nature in regards to droughts and frosts etc. But the amount of beef sold overseas can and should be controlled, especially in the event of a severe drought like what is currently happening out west. Common sense is never on the front burner with these kind of issues, but greed is, which is unfortunate for all of us.
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Money to Burn?!
Hi Everyone,
If anyone has had a job where traveling and/or overnight stays were a part of the job, your reimbursement was based on one very important factor. You had to submit your receipts in order to get reimbursed. If you lost or didn't keep your receipts, you were out of luck and didn't get reimbursed. During all my years in the corporate world, I never heard of a company that reimbursed employees without any receipts. No receipts, no payment period!
So I just read about how our New York State lawmakers get reimbursed for their out of pocket expenses when they have to travel to Albany. Our state elected politicians collect a $172.00 a day, per diem. That money is suppose to cover their hotel and meals for each and every day they are in the Capitol. The per diem is for lawmakers who come from outside of the Capitol. The lawmakers can and do also claim mileage expenses and train tickets for additional reimbursements. Recently, I was quite shocked when I read a newspaper article that our NYS lawmakers are not required to submit any receipts or documentation, what so ever, in order to receive their per diem payments. What?!
What world do our lawmakers live in? Like so many other ways, our state lawmakers work by a whole other different set of rules which private sector companies would never, ever consider or even implement for that matter. Not having to submit receipts or even documentation leads to misuse and even fraud. Consequently, there is no way to verify what the lawmakers actual expenses are. If our lawmakers had just one ounce of common sense, they would change the rules so that they would have to submit their expenses for an actual dollar for dollar reimbursement. I am not sure how much money could and would be saved if receipts were required, but I bet there would be a substantial savings to the overtaxed NYS residents. For the politicians who make extra money by actually using less than the $172.00 per diem, unfortunately, I don't see them trying to change the rules that would take away their ill gotten gains anytime soon.
If you agree with me, and you live in NYS, you should contact your state representative and tell them to end this absurd and deceitful practice. We've had enough of this kind of wasteful spending. I just don't get why politicians think they are entitled to more money then they actually spend while in Albany.
Til next week.
Peter
If anyone has had a job where traveling and/or overnight stays were a part of the job, your reimbursement was based on one very important factor. You had to submit your receipts in order to get reimbursed. If you lost or didn't keep your receipts, you were out of luck and didn't get reimbursed. During all my years in the corporate world, I never heard of a company that reimbursed employees without any receipts. No receipts, no payment period!
So I just read about how our New York State lawmakers get reimbursed for their out of pocket expenses when they have to travel to Albany. Our state elected politicians collect a $172.00 a day, per diem. That money is suppose to cover their hotel and meals for each and every day they are in the Capitol. The per diem is for lawmakers who come from outside of the Capitol. The lawmakers can and do also claim mileage expenses and train tickets for additional reimbursements. Recently, I was quite shocked when I read a newspaper article that our NYS lawmakers are not required to submit any receipts or documentation, what so ever, in order to receive their per diem payments. What?!
What world do our lawmakers live in? Like so many other ways, our state lawmakers work by a whole other different set of rules which private sector companies would never, ever consider or even implement for that matter. Not having to submit receipts or even documentation leads to misuse and even fraud. Consequently, there is no way to verify what the lawmakers actual expenses are. If our lawmakers had just one ounce of common sense, they would change the rules so that they would have to submit their expenses for an actual dollar for dollar reimbursement. I am not sure how much money could and would be saved if receipts were required, but I bet there would be a substantial savings to the overtaxed NYS residents. For the politicians who make extra money by actually using less than the $172.00 per diem, unfortunately, I don't see them trying to change the rules that would take away their ill gotten gains anytime soon.
If you agree with me, and you live in NYS, you should contact your state representative and tell them to end this absurd and deceitful practice. We've had enough of this kind of wasteful spending. I just don't get why politicians think they are entitled to more money then they actually spend while in Albany.
Til next week.
Peter
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