Bar Stool Economics

Festival was better than I expected. The political atmosphere was not what I expected, and all pretentiousness seems to exist more in my mind than actuality (although there are some in the organization that did not show up to festival I reserve judgement for). Stephen Hayes is a man that promotes this truth: he is a man. He has accomplished much. He is extremely intelligent. He believes what he believes and he knows why. He is an amazing martial artist. These things aside, he is a man (a mortal even) - and he knows it. I pretty much figured that was going to be my impression of him, but it was nice to see it in person. The training was two full days of butt kicking. In addition to the large group training, we had our options for what they called "breakout sessions". There were three total. I chose to do two knife seminars and one randori (Japanese for free response) seminar. The fire is under my butt more now than ever to keep on with this art.

I made a montage of some of the incredible demonstrations performed on the first evening. When I format it to something this blog can play back, I will add it. Either as an edit to this post, or as its own separate.

So, my brother sent me an email with a very interesting explanation of how taxes in this country work. It explains in simple metaphoric English why the Bush tax cuts work (one of his few well thought policies), and why Obama's would not. This passage is so full of flavor, I absolutely had to share:

"Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:


The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.


The fifth would pay $1.


The sixth would pay $3.


The seventh would pay $7.


The eighth would pay $12.


The ninth would pay $18.


The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.


So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.


'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.


The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'


They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.


So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.


And so:


The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).


The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).


The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).


The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).


The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 ( 22% savings).


The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).


Each of the six was better off than before and the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.


'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!' 'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'


'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!' The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.


The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!


And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier."

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, University of Georgia


For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

Read Mike's Blog!

Edit - I notice Mike has posted recently. The post to which this post is referring is entitled, "Never-Ending Politics". Read any of his posts you want, but definitely read the aforementioned.

I have on more than a few occasions made reference to Mike's blog I have linked at right (again, "Bahr's House of Exuberance"). I "feel" (hugs and kisses right back at ya, Mike!) his point is worth reading. I would like to go on record as saying I agree 100% with him and the quotes he provided in the latter part of his post. The more I think about it, the more I believe I may just be an Objectivist. If this is the case, it is because Objectivism may just line up entirely with my inate political leanings.

Though I am a registered Republican (you need to be registered as something to vote in the primaries here in AZ), I don't really subscribe to much of what the GOP believes anymore. Much of the party has gone "neo-Con" which is just another way of saying "centrist who leans just slightly to the right". I am a hard-core fiscal and Constitutional conservative. I tend to vote Republican because they almost always have a less socialized view in these departments (though there are some Democraps that slip through the cracks). I believe that my money is my money. I do believe the government has a role (specifically in the military department) and that tax is necessary. I am even happy to pay them, so long as they are not being misused and I am not being gutted for everything I have.

Anyway, I just noticed that the entire first paragraph was somehow deleted from my last post. I am not sure how this happened, but I think that when I added the pictures, something went awry. Anyway, the whole post would have made more sense. Because that paragraph took me a while to write, I won't go back and try to rewrite it. But it had numbers and allocations. If you are interested, I suggest doing the research and then read my post again. It makes a lot more sense that way.

Enough national politics. Let's move on to the social political game I hope I am too low ranking to be affected by. Actually, let's not say anything about the politics until I see them for myself. Tomorrow, I head off to Dayton as I have mentioned several times. I have been honored by my two instructors as they have asked me to participate in their demos Saturday night. This is especially special because they have chosen me to be their uke in front of all the senior practitioners including one Stephen Hayes (website linked at right). I have to admit, I am a little nervous. Not only are they putting on a show, but so amIwith my receiving skills. Not to mention that this will all be done on what may as well be concrete, wich wouldn't be a problem except that I find myself thrust to the ground more than thrice. I look forward to it though. Anyway, I am feeling pretty good about myself right about now. I know part of the reason I am involved is because of my superior size to these gentlemen, but I also know I would not have been asked hadthey thought I couldn't handle it. So yay, me!

I will leave you with some music. How does Gwar grab you? The song is "Jack the World"

The key to a successful nation

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."

Cicero - 55 BC

Our government needs to stop the spending immediately. Both of our presidential candidates propose to spend more. Senator Obama actually said as much. McCain - a better politician when it comes to playing the game - never uttered those words exactly, but we all know he means to (though his proposals do have a lower price tag).

Still, McCain is the lesser of two evils (as the Republicans typically are).

Obama's ridiculous proposals are filled with "universal" this and that in that oh-so-familiar left wing rhetoric that has proven itself nothing short of a train wreck time and time again.

I, for one, don't want the money that belongs to me taken against my will by the government to pay for some lazy douchebag in Queens to have healthcare or a college education. It is not my problem. Why should it be? I conjecture most of the country will agree when the reality of where Obama's money will be coming from should he be elected dawns on them. The problem is that it would likely be too late. A lot of people refuse to learn.

I look at the polls, I see the lead Obama has, and I don't doubt the numbers. But if the country is lucky, the slow-witted "can't someone else do it?" minded individuals to whom Obama has endeared himself will not show up at the polling booths. That would be a great victory for America. The last sentence in Cicero's quote eludes to this - and it is the unequivocable truth.

When I go to the polls this November to pull the lever for McCain, it isn't a vote for him - it is a vote against Obama.

4 days and counting

In 4 days I board my plane to Dayton, Ohio for the fall festival. In my last post, I mentioned my apprehension due to questions that are as yet unanswered. After giving it some thought, I determined that it doesn't matter. I love To-Shin Do. I love my dojo and the people I learn from and train with. I love the teachings of Brett Varnum - the senior from whom my instructor is learning. The man in charge, Stephen K Hayes, has my full respect. This is all that matters. I honestly coulsn't give two hoots about how certain other people of (various ranks) behave. In fact, I may simply laugh at the pretentiousness that I have allowed to get the better of me for a while. That being said, I may not go again to festival until I am a nidan (2nd degree black belt) if the political atmosphere is less than tolerable. In any organization, one cannot avoid politics. To that end, there is a certain amount of BS I am willing to put up with. Anyway, I look forward to reporting on that.

So I was reading Mike's blog today (linked at right as Bahr's House of Exuberance), and he posted a picture that had me laughing for a solid 20 minutes. In fact, I am laughing even now. I thought I would share it with the folks who read my blog. Mike took this picture in the bathroom of a local restaraunt. I would really like to know which one so I never go there myself:



I also want to know if Eric has a second job anywhere else so I can avoid that, too.

Lastly, I would like to torture you all with this video I stumbled on the cable access channel here in town. I believe the program was called "Xcorps". They apparently show videos of indie musicians. This guy is an example of why I am afraid for American music fandom. I present to you Eek A Mouse's "Schizophrenic":

Like old times?

It has been too long since my last post. Even Mike noticed the other day that I have been away from the blog as late. The reason is, of course, that school has been sucking all my time from me. My accounting class is complicated, but I have good support from my instructor who is always available to assist. My business statistics class is even more complicated in no small part to the fact that that instructor is almost entirely nonexistent. When someone posts in the "questions for the instructor" forum, the questions are left unanswered - unless a student knows the answer in which case he or she will field it. That class is singularly irritating as a result, so I shall skate by with a B or C as a result never to look back. In two weeks, I can bid that class (and hopefully the intructor) a not so fond adieu.

I am especially busy with school because I have to get ahead in light of my trip to Dayton, Ohio next weekend for Festival. It is here where I will reach a milestone in my training. I will get to train under and meet one of my childhood icons (and founder of To-Shin Do), Mr Stephen K Hayes. I will get to renew my acquaintance with Tori Eldridge and Brett Varnum, and I will get to meet and train with many new people. I will also determine my place within the To-Shin Do community as a whole. I have been put off a little bit by some elements of the art, so this trip more about the answers to questions that have been bothering me for a couple months now. I won't elaborate on this, but I plan to return with a full report.

In other news, Kristin and I have decided what we are doing for our 10 year anniversary this upcoming January. We have settled on a ski trip. Kristin set a tight budget, so my initial plan to go to Colorado was instantly crushed. Then, as I was goofing off on the internet between claims at work I came across this little gem:

This is Sunrise Ski resort in the Arizona White Mountains. I can't believe I didn't know this place existed. The only place I knew of is that uber lame Snowbowl near Flagstaff. Not only does Sunrise boast more runs, but it has three quad lifts which, as a rule, are the high speed runs for those of us who just want to get to the top quickly. This place is not a far cry from what I was exposed to in Colorado (even the elevation is comparable at over 11,000 feet). The major difference is that the places I have been in Colorado (Copper Mountain, Keystone, Breckenridge) all have well over 100 trails each wheras Sunrise is just over 60. Still, the layout is very similar to those in Colorado (sans the bowls - but I am not a bowl-level skier, so I don't really care). Anyone who skis regularly will clearly see this. I believe the reason I have never heard of this place is because it is owned by the Fort Apache Indian Tribe. They don't spend a lot of money on marketing. Instead, they spend it on grooming amazing (from what I can tell) slopes and providing high speed quad lifts. Yeah. Suck on that, Snowbowl.

We will be staying at the Red Setter Inn on the grounds of the Greer Lodge Resort in Greer, AZ where we will stay in the Penthouse for the first two nights:

For the last night, we will stay in room number four (the penthouse has been previously booked for that night):

Yes, these are pictures of the rooms I will be staying in. Since each room has its own charm, they allow guests to choose from what is available. The wife and I could have taken cabins for less, but they weren't as nice. Well, some are even nicer, but we do have a budget.

All in all, this vacation will fall right within out budget and will prove to be just the kind of thing we need. It has been many years since i have gone skiing. Images of the ski resort and the lodging brings back some of my greatest memories. During my time in Summit County, Colorado I spent many hours skiing. I spent many hours sitting at a window table at my parent's restaraunt at the base of the B lift (not the "Super Bee") at copper mountain cradling a cheeseburger, or sipping on hot chocolate watching the skiiers bounce from side to side amongst the fields of Moguls (my parents restaraunt was named "Mogulfields" for a reason). Some of my fondest memories found me sitting by a crackling fire discussing the days events on the slopes with my family.

One thing I miss incredibly (and won't get this time around) is Christmas time in the mountains. You know those Christmas Villages they sell at Michaels? Anyone who has been to my house in the last three or so years knows I have one that I expand on every year. Anyway, those villages look exactly like some areas in Colorado. Main Street in Breckenridge is one such example. Quaint, overpriced shops lining the roads, horse-drawn sleighs clip-clop past you to the rhythmic chime of jingle bells, and the holiday light displays illuminating the scene are all parts of a sum that can only be truly appreciated by experience.

In January, I will be able to enjoy many of these things with my companion and best friend. We will enjoy the skiing, but we will also get a chance to sit by the fire in deep conversation - in our room or even with other guests in the common area who have also spent the day skiing. Hot chocolate will be had by some, brandy by others. We will likely take the opportunity to take a sleigh ride. We also plan to do some tubing on our first day there. This anniversary will be a healthy mix of romance, adventure, relaxation, and chid-like innocent fun. Sweet fancy Moses, I am stoked!

Ok, so let's put that sentimental stuff aside for a moment and move on to the music segment. Since I don't do this every week anymore, I try to make my anthem selections as \m/ as possible. This week is a band that emerged in the late seventies as one of the quitessential hair metal bands only to end up sounding closer to Styx or Asia in the 80's. Their songs were solid regardless. They are still together and usually only play festivals like "Rocklahoma". At any rate, I give you Triumph and "Fight the Good Fight" (tell me this guy doesn't sound like Geddy Lee). Sorry, the sound isn't too great.