Ask A Silly Question

So, in class yesterday I learned about conflict resolution. None of the material covered on the subject was new, since it was covered in painful detail in some interminable class about managing people in B-school. However, some of you might have a need for the information, so I thought I‘d share. Sharing is good, right?

One of the issues in conflict resolution is effective communications. The key to effective communication is feedback. One way of getting feedback and ensuring your message gets through is to ask questions. So, in order to help you, gentle reader, I offer some questions you can use to make sure everyone understands each other.

• Are you retarded?
• Do you not understand English?
• How much crack did you smoke this morning?
• Why did you think that was a good idea?
• Who gives a crap what you think?
• What color is the sky on your planet?
• Why don’t you go back to wherever the hell it is you came from?
• What the f**k is wrong with you people?

I urge everyone to use these questions in your efforts to resolve conflict and improve communication. Let me know how that works for you.

Bad Advertising

After a car rental with Thrifty, I still get emails from them announcing the glorious specials. Most of them end in my spam filter, so I don't care enough to unsubscribe. But one made it through today with a classic subject line:

Thrifty has got your savings right here

I bet you do. Do you have my savings hangin', too? Is everybody at Thrifty clueless?

Overprepared

So J and I are finally getting around to taking the CHL class on Saturday. The instructor is a personal friend, so that made it easy to finally get off our ass and do it. Last night I was going through the range bags to make sure we had everything we might need. Our instructor recommended 50 rounds of ammo each. Let's see, loaded .45 magazines. 21 7-round, 5 8-round for a total of 194 rounds in magazines. I think that should do nicely. I'll throw a box in the bag just in case.

In other firearm related news, I'm still dithering over what to do with the Norinco I acquired. I'm thinking either a Mech Tech carbine conversion unit, just for giggles, or a .460 Rowland set up. The only problem with .460 Rowland is ammo availability. Of course, if I got off my ass and got the reloading equipment out of storage, that wouldn't be a problem either. Decisions, decisions.

Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Well, we're working on purging the last unpleasant detritus of the bootlegger's legacy from our body politic. We're not quite there, but as of this writing I believe there's only one Kennedy left in a federal office. Yes, America, we have yet another dead Kennedy. The last, least, and lumpiest of Joe's political spawn has finally departed the building.

Ted Kennedy has died. On this occasion, some might find it appropriate to say good things about the recently departed. If you feel that's warranted, I suggest you go elsewhere. Teddy was a loathsome individual who avidly pursued foolish and destructive policies and his own self-aggrandizement. I can't claim to feel sorry about his death, and I won't. Mary Jo Kopechne, as always, is unavailable for comment on this occasion.

In the meantime, this seems oddly appropriate.

Lunchtime!

Pages of gloriously insane food. I am gobsmacked at the utter craziness of the concept and the painstaking execution.

I'm guessing people wasted their time in equally absurd ways before the Internet, but just couldn't show the results off to everyone.

Incoherence Run Amuck

I haven’t blogged much about the Health Crae debate currently raging in the halls of government and elsewhere. Much of the debate is muddled and incoherent at best, and downright mendacious at worst. I have noticed a couple of things that I feel compelled to point out.

You have no right to medical care. Sorry, we don’t accept the notion of positive rights around here. Sooner or later positive rights run smack into the more traditional negative rights. At the point of collision, positive rights must lose, or else we are all servants of the state. If the positive rights inevitably lose, they’re not really rights.

The debate is not about health care, as such. The debate is more properly about who is supposed to pay for health care. Seeing as how health care is a rivalrous, excludable good I’m forced to conclude it is not, in any traditional sense, a public good. Pay for your healthcare yourself.

The socialists and progressives in America have spent decades promoting government interference into health care. When the resulting goat screw produces less than optimal results, what answer do they have? As always, the answer is more government! This strikes me as akin to looking at a house on fire and saying “I know! Let’s add gasoline!” What I find perpetually depressing is the vast number of people that buy off on this bullshit.

I have a quaint and archaic notion about legislators. I feel they should read the laws they vote on, consider the merits, and render a judgment via their vote. If they are unwilling to do so, I consider it prima facie evidence of malfeasance and they should be removed from office. There’s a collection of people who should be getting removed from office any day now under my rules.

Ultimately, the health care debate comes down to one core concept. Do you want the government to take care of you or do you think you can take care of yourself?

Question Of The Week

I remain, as always, confused by the visceral and completely unfounded reaction certain people have to guns. As I've been contemplating the somewhat absurd reaction to the gentleman openly carrying his pistol last week in New Hampshire, I have a question.

New Hampshire issues concealed carry permits to residents and non-residents alike. There is a decent chance someone else who showed up, outside of the innumerable law enforcement types, had a concealed handgun on their person. Is the mere fact of a citizen carrying a weapon such an issue? Or does the concern stem from the fact the weapon was visible? If the answer to the first question is yes, I just can't fathom the mindset, so I'll quit now. If the answer to the first question is no, and the answer to the second is yes, what the hell is wrong with you people?

Healthy Is As Unhealthy Does

So, how does getting the government involved in health care make it cheaper and more affordable? I'm struggling to figure this out. Given government meddling at the state and federal level has led us to our current quagmire, I'm unsure how more government meddling will fix it.

Honestly, the congresscritters and administration touts running around claiming it will don't have a clue, either. So why they're pretending they do is beyond me. I guess they think pretending knowledge they don't have and insulting their constituents is the winning playbook. I guess we'll find out next year.

Half!

Hey, did you know the license fee for a Texas CHL is halved if you're a veteran? Woo-hoo! Instead of 140 dollars, it's only $70. I will do y'all a favor and skip my rant about how I shouldn't have to pay a fee to exercise a Constitutionally guaranteed right. Technically, it's more a time, place and manner restriction since I am free to wander about Texas with a long gun anytime I so desire. The state just gets grumpy about handguns.

Anyhow, I sent my monies off to the DPS and hopefully my application packet will be here by the time class rolls around. If not, I can wait.

Justice Isn't Blind

Well, in a historic ground-breaking moment of something or other, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court. Me, I just wish they would have confirmed someone who understands the concept of a limited federal government. Alas, as always, I don't get what I want out of the political process. You'd think a minority of Americans shared my political views or something.

Actually, I think it's because I'm being oppressed. Or will be soon, if things keep going the way they are. Anyhow, enjoy the newer, more Hispanic SCOTUS - now with extra added empathy and wisdom. The n00b thinks it's a "wonderful day for America", but what does he know? Judging by the policies he keeps pushing, not a whole hell of a lot.

Decisions, Decisions

Prop up a zombie corporation surviving only through massive infusions of federal aid? Or just say screw it and go get a new motorcycle?