OlDawg

I thought I'd humor those who choose to read with some of my thoughts on this fine morning. As anyone who reads my posts is aware, I'm not big on political parties. I consider myself a conservative libertarian. I believe in free markets and free people. I believe in individualism and personal liberty. My personal belief is the current political parties have long ago left their purpose of serving the people, and exist now only to collect power and stay in power. They exist to protect themselves, and the power they have--and can--accumulate. These are their primary drivers. The future of our--and our kids/grandkids--way of life seems to have been turned into nothing more than a sporting event by the two major parties. They've minimized it to the point where we can literally gamble online about the future direction of our country. As a cynical view, I'd think they were doing it on purpose to simplify, divide, and distract. With that said, I thought I'd post some quotes from one of my personal, favorite thinkers. If you've never heard of her, I'd recommend a quick look at some of her thoughts. If you have heard of her--but it's been awhile--it may be a good time to refresh your memories on some of her thoughts. No matter which Party you choose, I'd hope that some of these quotes strike a nerve, help remind us all of what's made America great, why she was founded, and what can be accomplished when our freedoms are actually unleashed. I'll step off my soapbox, and hope the below quotes are meaningful to everyone in some way. If you feel it's worthwhile, please post thoughts and/or quotes that are personally meaningful to you as they relate to our current political atmosphere. It would be interesting to me to see where people stand--aside from the specific headlines discussed in other threads. I'm curious if we all aren't closer in our beliefs than what we may think, or further apart. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ All quotes are courtesy of Ayn Rand America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way. Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual). Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society, that the only justification of his existence is his service to society, and that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good. Whoever claims the right to redistribute the wealth produced by others is claiming the right to treat human beings as chattel. It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master. Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.

Good job. LP has to regroup. They had some uncharacteristic errors that hurt.

LP outhit Lake Creek 10-4. LOB hurt them.

Ryker Reynolds (TE) committed to Pitt. He’ll be the second player from LP to go to Pitt after Curvin Richards. Curvin finished second behind Tony Dorsett in rushing yards at Pitt. Hopefully, Ryker will have similar success.

Lake Creek 4 La Porte 0 Game 1 Final

Looks like more tariffs (10% global tariffs) were struck down today. I assume an appeal is on the way.

Game 1: Hendrickson 3 La Porte 0 Final

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They're only there to surrender for the IRGC since they have more practice.

The numbers I've researched show that 40% of them are owned by hospital conglomerates, and are being used as low overhead practices to help the hospital system's profit margin. 35% are owned by major insurance companies like United Healthcare, etc. where care an be rationed and controlled. The rest are either private or private equity/corporation owned, and are just in it for the profit period. Last I read, they're saying certain markets are becoming saturated with them, and the profit margin is no longer feasible for opening new ones. That should tell us all we need to know about their real purpose, and care isn't it.

We are moving forward. Straight towards full-blown Socialism. Every time people want the Federal Government to do anything besides leave us alone, we get closer and closer.

Gotta' love the Frenchies. They'll move in as soon as it's safe.

That's a good one right there. I don't care who you are...lol

Again, no hospitals have been closed. This is conjecture and speculation at this time. How the States implement work requirements will have the biggest bearing on who remains on Medicaid. States control who is on Medicaid. My healthcare costs are directly affected because I'm forced to pay for Obamacare if I want medical insurance. Obama has EVERYTHING to do with it. I do agree that no Administration has fixed it yet. Obamacare was enacted in March 2010. I am a male. But, I'm forced to pay for birth control--as is my wife, who is well past child-bearing age--because the ACA plans must include it. My recommendation: Research. Become an educated voter. Or, become like me. Research, decide both sides are going to screw you over anyway, just don't vote, and figure out how best to deal with the crap. Do this while smiling, and maintaining a positive attitude of course. Personally, I'm positive we'll get screwed either way. That's my attitude.

Looking into the history of the cost increases in residential a/c units takes one back to 2016 and the Obama Administration. In 2016, Obama signed on to a Global Greenhouse Gas Treaty that required the phase-out of 410-A refrigerants. This change meant total redesign of all HVAC units to accept the new refrigerant which is considered mildly flammable. It required all new safety regulations, testing, and training as well. The regulation was hanging around while firms redesigned and retrained. Biden implemented the policy ahead of schedule to take effect in January 2025. It would be too late to void the new regulations now as every manufacturer has already changed their designs, training, and cities have updated their required safety codes, etc. We're stuck with it. No more units with the older refrigerants can be sold. Although, current units can be serviced as long as parts remain available. Obviously, prices will increase as part stock diminishes, and--eventually--repair parts will probably cease being manufactured. This is a perfect example of Federal Regulations costing the public major dollars that may never be recouped by the individual. The two Bills discussed in the above post are an attempt to keep the Feds from regulating any more of our home appliances by fiat.

I'd have to check the status of these Bills. Chances are--with all the other fighting--they're still sitting around somewhere. (EDIT: Congressional Record shows both Bills discussed have passed the House. It doesn't say where they're at in the Senate.) [Hidden Content]

Not sure where Zeldin sits on this issue. I know EPA has rolled back quite a bit. They did save many of our other appliances. Especially gas appliances. I'm not sure why they are forcing us to use a refrigerant that's a known flammable. Doesn't make much sense to me. But, not much in government regulations ever does...

You can thank Biden and the Greenies for the A/C price increase. [Hidden Content]

Name me one, single hospital in the article that Trump shut down. Name me one, single hospital that will definitely shut down in the future. From your article that you obviously didn’t read: How many hospitals close in the end depends heavily on how states implement work requirements: how broadly they define “medically frail,” how much automated data-matching they deploy and how accessible their reporting portals are. States that build administrative barriers will see more disenrollment, more uncompensated care and more hospitals pushed to the brink. My healthcare is the same, but a lot more expensive because of ACA and Obama. I’m still not using the birth control. You’re welcome for the rest.

Did you read your article, or just grab it for the headlines?

I don’t know who said it. But, if I’d had my druthers, I’d still be on the farm. My family went bankrupt twice farming which is why my dad moved us to the Texas Gulf coast area and he got a job at DuPont. After my Service all over the world, I came back, and also worked many years at the plants while getting my degrees. I didn’t finish my second degree until I was in my late 40’s, married, with a son. Personally, I think people learn a lot more, and become more self-reliant growing up in rural areas. I took my son to the country every chance I could. He learned how to do things he would never learn in a metro area. Yes. Medical is a challenge. As I said, it always has been. It’s not Trump Admin specific. That’s why my wife and I still live where we do. We’d love to live out a bit. But, medical care as we get older is more important. Especially so with her Parkinson’s Plus. I’ve done many things in my life. I’ve been blessed. One thing I know is—at 63–there’s still more things I don’t even know that I don’t know. But, I’ve experienced more than most, and I don’t fall for talking points and sound bites.

Why is living in a rural area a bad thing?

I was born and raised on a farm in Dalhart, TX. Look it up. My mother was born and raised in a one room 'house' with no running water or electricity in the Ozarks of Arkansas. I have travelled extensively to every state in the Union aside from Hawaii and Alaska. I'm well aware of rural areas. My comments are in no way selfish. Your comments are inaccurate, and are merely the old, tired, Dem talking points.

Kind of an off-the-wall question; but, is that a fly on his head? lol

I can think of two things off the top of my head that make your statements false. Deductions for seniors have been raised to the point that an estimated 90% of seniors will have no tax on their Social Security. The OBBBA includes a no tax on tips provision which will generally help lower wage service sector employees. Rural medical care has always been an issue. That’s why incentives have always been offered to medical professionals who are willing to work in rural settings. The lack of patients has made it difficult for them to pay for their liability insurance, receive competitive pay, and just have enough ‘business’ to make a living. There are complaints that people are having to drive 20 miles further for a doctor/hospital visit because of closures. News flash. That’s why it’s called ‘rural.’ People live there to be away from the congestion. Lack of abundant services within close distances is a trade-off that has to be made. If you want services within 5 minutes, move to a metro area. If you value a quieter lifestyle, you have to be willing to deal with inconveniences in other areas.