| | Home
The Human Zoo/October 12, 2011
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
Notes from around The Human Experience...
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN': Thomas Jefferson said, more or less, that a little revolution now and then is a good thing. He had personal experience in this matter, too, as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
He was right. Government exists to serve us and when the British crown wasn't serving the needs of the American colonies, we revolted and formed our own country. It wasn't perfect, but it served the purpose of forming a government that for a long time did a pretty good job of staying out of its citizen's way.
Fly In The Ointment: Now, though, the Occupy Wall Street movement is protesting for more government intervention. It's hard to find a list of their demands, but some research shows they'd like some sort of redistribution of this nation's wealth and to tax the rich, with at least one member would like to return to the tax rates of the 1950's and 1960's.
Oh Good Grief: No. No. No. No. The top tax rate throughout most of the 1950's was over 90 percent. Right now it's 33 percent. The tax rate on an income of $60,000 would go up from 10 percent to over 60 percent, depending on what year in the 1950's we went back to.
This is wrong. Tax increases of any kind, much less of that magnitude, are not what this country needs. They do nothing except stifle initiative and innovation. The populace has less money to spend, to businesses are making less money so not only do they not employ as many people, they have less money to spend on expansion and inventing the new technologies that advance society. It's how we went from the typewriter to the word processor, from 45 rpm records to iTunes.
Dry, Technical Matter: Also, it is not the purpose of government to redistribute this nation's wealth. The free market works both ways. Sure, it enables top executives, and the companies they work for, to make phenomenal amounts of money, but it also frees us to exploit the free market for our own, personal gain. Don't like working for someone else? You are free to start a business. Don't mind working for somebody else, but don't like the job you have? You are free to put your talents to work in some other occupation.
The rights - and the responsibility - are yours. Taxing the rich on the theory that government will then be better able to take care of us is so contrary to the principles this nation was founded under it isn't even funny. The responsibility for making something good happen for ourselves belongs to us, not the government.
Disclaimer: We may not particularly agree with them, but Americans taking to the streets to protest their government is both a right and an obligation. It's nice to see people care enough to camp out in cardboard boxes.
A Final Thought: Some people are making more money than anybody really needs? Bully for them. We've never been burdened with phenomenal amounts of money, but it is probably reasonable to presume it is like the time you are given each day: you must make it serve you, instead serving it because if you don't - in both cases - you are merely serving a sentence with your life.
LIVE, YOU ARE THERE COVERAGE: Official Writer's Shack faves the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby team, is in the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup after smacking hapless Argentina around 33-10 in a quarterfinal match this past weekend. They advance to the semifinals on Sunday where they will take on archrival Australia, who defeated defending champion South Africa 11-9 in what by any measure is one hell of an upset.
FunFact: South Africa becomes just the second defending champion not to advance to the semifinals of the following World Cup, following Australia in 1995.
FunFact II: Later this month our All Blacks will win their second World Cup. They also won the first one in 1987. They would've won in 2007, but the goddamned French cheated their way to a win over our All Blacks in the quarterfinals.
Parlant Des Dieu Damnes Français: The effing French are in the semifinals, too, somehow beating England 19-12. Saturday they will play, and lose to, Wales, who defeated those zany Irish 22-10.
I COULD HAVE SWORN I LEFT THEM AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE: King John of England loses the crown jewels on this date in 1216. John, retreating after getting his arse handed to him by Scotland's Alexander II, had sent his baggage wagon ahead and it vanished in a tidal estuary on England's east coast, though some insist the jewels had been hawked as collateral for a loan.
We're In Asia, Right? An expedition led by Christopher Columbus reaches land in what is now the Bahamas on this date in 1492.
White This Way: President Theodore Roosevelt officially changes the name of his residence from the Executive Mansion to the White House on this date in 1901.
Ready…Aim…Don't Fire: The Medal of Honor is awarded to conscientious objector for the first time on this date in 1945. Army medic Desmond Doss, who declined to kill for religious reasons, earned the award for heroism displayed as medic attached to the 77th infantry division in Okinawa in War II.
Great, Another Mouth To Feed: Earth's population is believed to have reached six billion for the first time on this date in 1999, although some say it actually happened in June. The planet is thought to have reached one billion in 1804 and is expected to put out its seven billionth person in November, 2012.
Going…Going…Gone: One of the great games in baseball history is played on this date in 1986, as the Boston Red Sox, a strike away from elimination, rally to defeat the California Angels 7-6 in eleven innings.
Dave Henderson hits a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth to give the Red Sox a one-run lead. The Angels, who had every right to be demoralized, tied it on Rob Wilfong's single in the bottom of the inning, but Henderson's scoring fly ball in the top of the eleventh gave the Red Sox the win.
Warm, Personal Remembrance: Myself, along with a couple of Navy buddies, had driven up from San Diego for the game, and we had lousy seats in the second level in left field. One guy, Andy, was attending his first ever big league ball game, and was only there because Frank, a die-hard Red Sox fan, backed out because he thought the Sox would lose and he wanted to see his girlfriend.
Thought For The Day: In the city, people paid to hear other people sing and watch other people feel. Passion has become a spectator sport supported by emotional cripples. Love and suffering were knacks possessed by the talented paid to display their gifts. - Lawrence Sanders, The Third Deadly Sin
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: In May, 1960, Che Guevara participated in a fishing contest with Fidel Castro and American writer Ernest Hemmingway.
Today's Stumper: Who else hit a two-run home run for the Boston Red Sox in the top of the ninth inning in the Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series? - Answer next time!
Comments? Recipes? Complaints? Email the Writer's Shack here!
Home |
| |
