Tribute to Steve Jobs

So I meant to post this many eons ago – or at least a month or two ago. In tribute to Steve Jobs here are a few quotes both from him and others about the creative process (and in my opinion how that relates to capitalism and freedom):

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. - Steve Jobs

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. - Steve Jobs

A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. - Ayn Rand

Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change. - Stephen Covey

First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to go get on with it. - David Ogilvy

A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts. - Richard Branson

There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish. - Warren G. Bennis (sorry my love of theatre and my inability to sing and dance made me ad this to the list)

Creativity & innovation is what makes Capitalism work, or perhaps it is the reverse. To have the freedom to create, succeed, fail or succeed again. To learn from those successes or failures and to profit or take responsibility for the losses.

BTW – Here is a short video on people’s reactions to when he retired:

http://www.wusa9.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1127635235001&odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cfeatured

The first person who is interviewed appears to be rather intelligent don’t you think?

The New Republican Party's Motto: Slogans not Solutions!

The New Republican Party's Motto: Slogans not Solutions!

Once again in last nights "Tea Party" debate the R's prove they are just like the D's - all fluff and no stuff!

Click HERE to read all about it!

Who Has Won?

Who Has Won?

They said they were going to cause many deaths

        And they did in New York, Pennsylvania & the Pentagon

                Yet twice as many died since fighting the “War on Terror”

Who Has Won?

They said they would bankrupt our country

        Ten years of unfunded wars & we’re still not done

                And we are all suffocating under the weight of the debt

Who Has Won?

They said they would take away our way of life

        After ten years people are still being held - rights none

Patriot Act resulting in many of our freedoms taken away

Who Has Won?

They said they would cause hate and distrust

        And make us forget the lessons of the pilgrim

                Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association

Who Has Won?

They said our country would never be the same

        Ten years later look at what we have become

                Is this the USA or Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union?

Who Has Won?

What Have We Become?

How Can This Be Undone?

Let us turn this loss into a win

        By remembering the words of Jefferson

                And restoring our freedoms and independence

In memory of all who lives were changed or lost on 09.11.01 and since

(Published with permission of the author - R S Kraus - 09.11.11)

A Promise Not Kept (Again)

A Promise Not Kept (Again)

So once again the Republicans in Congress say one thing and do another. Not surprisingly they had fewer “no” votes then the Democrats on this latest debt ceiling bill. They voted “yes” in overwhelming numbers. This despite their “Promise to America” to:

“Post all legislative text for three days prior to voting” so members know exactly what they are voting on (who even knows what is really in this bill that no one has ever read – well no one except for Obama and Biden)

Not too mention their promise to “cut spending.” They already showed their true colors when they voted for the Ryan budget that would ad $5 Trillion in red ink in ten years – but as the Washington Post pointed out yesterday, this latest deal will “cut less than 6 percent from federal spending that is already slated to increase (by 63%) from $3.6 trillion to $5.7 trillion by 2021” and “allow $7 trillion to be added to the deficit over the next decade”

Or, how about their promise to fight to “ensure transparency?” Well, this deal and the ones before were done in closed door meetings between just a few representatives. How about opening up these meetings to the press next time so the American people can see you all sitting around a table talking about golf and eating donuts instead of doing your jobs?

Let us not forget they promised to “repeal and replace the job destroying health care law” and to “reduce spending” thru entitlement reform. Well where is any of that in this bill they overwhelmingly supported?  All I hear are the crickets chirping as they return home for a 5 week recess.

So in short, once again the Republican’s in Congress come up short, break just about every single promise they offered to the American people to get them elected in 2010 and how are folks going to respond in 2012?

They should respond by joining the Libertarian party (LP.org) and electing real Libertarians to office!

Responce to: The debt deal: Disaster averted, decline straight ahead

An open letter to Matt Miller of the Washington Post concerning his piece The debt deal:  Disaster averted, decline straight ahead: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-debt-deal-disaster-averted-decline-straight-ahead/2011/07/31/gIQAWPaCmI_story.html

Dear Mr. Miller,

Thank you for pointing out the obvious (not too mention the total hypocrisy of the two parties that rule) to the American people:

Yes – “the Paul Ryan budget plan (that Republicans overwhelmingly supported) would add $5 trillion in red ink over the next decade”

Yes – “Washington will do nothing more to boost jobs and growth”

Yes – this supposed “deal” would trim “less than 6 percent from federal spending that is already slated to increase (by 63%) from $3.6 trillion to $5.7 trillion by 2021”

Yes – the “deal” will “allow $7 trillion to be added to the deficit over the next decade”

Yes – the “deal” allows congress to “disapprove” future hikes but still allows those hikes to occur

Yes – the “deal” leaves entitlements alone which means our problems will continue to grow

Yes – you are so correct that this is simply “perfect blend of policy punt and political ploy” that “averted disaster only to double down on decline”

And finally, yes, as you say the “only sane agenda (is) — more tax cuts and spending stimulus in the near term, coupled with much more deficit reduction in the long term”

However, Mr. Miller, where you are 100% wrong is when you say “If you’re convinced people have more appetite for these truths than our “leaders” believe, now would be a good time to sign up for Americans Elect’s online nominating convention to put an independent ticket on the ballot that offers an alternative to these continuing charades.”

As you should know this is nothing more than another farce brought to you by the same people who created Unity08. They are NOT a political Party and therefore can NOT offer a true alternative to our two party system. They are a fraud. How can some group who claims to take a member of one bad party mixed with another from the opposite also bad party, create something good? If I scramble one rotted egg with another rotted egg, you still will get sick and die from Salmonella!

The ONLY real alternative is America’s third largest political party - the Libertarian Party (http://www.lp.org/) - which has been around for almost 40 years successfully electing people to office. This is the only party that truly stands for less government and more freedom!

Food for Thought

Interesting opinion pc:

“The House Republican budget adds $6 trillion to the debt in the next decade yet the GOP is balking at raising the debt limit”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-shining--national-debt-edition/2011/04/20/AFnfSICE_story.html

When Does $38B = $352M?

Q) When Does $38B = $352M?

A) When the R’s and D’s get together on a “budget compromise” - Typical Washington Math!

Front Page of the Post today:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/deal-includes-86b-in-cuts-that-likely-would-never-have-been-spent/2011/04/12/AFFbG4bD_story.html

A federal budget compromise that was hailed as historic for proposing to cut about $38 billion would reduce federal spending by only $352 million this fiscal year, less than 1 percent of the bill’s advertised amount, according to the Congressional Budget Office.