RUSTIC FRAGRANCE OF MONEY?

Remember when a Google or dictionary search of the word "musk" would return:

"A substance with a penetrating persistent odor obtained from a sac beneath the abdominal skin of the male musk deer and used as a perfume fixative?"

Type "MUSK" now and you clearly know what you will get.

With wealth closing in on $300B there appears to be no stopping this entrepreneur.

Unlike many other billionaires, he has a favorable rating among regular humans, as if that matters one bit.

And now that he controls Twitter, and has an editorial reach that gives that treasonous pond scum in mar a lago nightmarish orgasms, is it any wonder financial minds think he will become the World's first Trillionaire?

One wonders what he will do with his wealth.

Will he help mankind move toward a more friendly union?

 

Will he help end poverty and homelessness?

How about fund a cure for all cancer and diseases?

 

Will he strive toward peace on earth, good will toward men, and women, and all other possible orientations?

Is it really his job to do any of the above?

It would be nice but don't hold your breath!

He will more likely strive toward making his second trillion.

But he answers the questions with an enigmatic desire to make us, all of us, citizens of the universe.

He wants his Space-X to enable humans to travel to the planets and beyond.

I would say that's a pretty lofty aim, but then again, in the time it took to write this piece, Elon Musk made another billion, so who knows.

Jealousy may make many conclude he is odorous, but an impassionate analysis might find him to possess the sweet smell of persistent success.

Enough Aid to Profitable Businesses!

I fully understand why people don’t want to give money away. And I especially understand why people do not want their money going to those who do nothing to deserve a handout!

The main difference between the liberal stance and that of the conservative is the amount of help if any those in need should get from government and how we define the group we consider to be in need.

On the one hand the conservative believes that everyone should have to work for what they get and if they do work but still do not get enough then it is their fault.

The liberal feels that if the person works for a living and still cannot get enough on which to live then either the employer or the government must step in and fix the problem.  Without one or the other our homeless population will grow and our overall quality of life will diminish.

But if the government steps in and fixes the problem with public funds, also known as our tax dollars then the two groups become opposite sides of an ongoing argument.

I personally do not want anyone who does nothing to get my money, either directly through a handout or indirectly through my tax dollars.

But I also understand the reality of America today and realize the dilemma would not be relevant were it not for the greed of our large multinational corporations and their smaller cousins in private business.

Family owned concerns are notorious for nepotism. If you work for such a firm and are not related to the owner you must expect little or no compensation for your efforts. This will be doubly painful when you realize a relative of the owner gets promoted for merely showing up to work!  Sadly I know this personally and all too well in all the jobs I ever had especially my last position!

Large corporations act in a similar fashion except they replace relatives with politically connected donors.  If you can do something for the corporation you will receive many perks in exchange for expected regulatory relief!  Don’t deliver relief; don’t expect any more free vacations or ‘no-show’ jobs for your spouse!

The funny thing about the ongoing fight between the liberal and the conservative is that we actually agree on the main premise!  We just don’t articulate who the recipient of our tax dollar really is, the politician!

One look at how much Congress has done since President Obama was sworn into office January 2009 will show any sane individual how much of our tax dollars have gone to pay the salaries and benefits of those who have done nothing but block progress.

They say the opposite of PRO-gress is CON-gress and they happen to be right!

While the conservative media drones on about the takers of the country being the lower middle class and the poor they skillfully neglect to point out just how little has been done by the highly paid members of the Republican Party over the last decade!

And corporations do not get a pass in this fight!  Walmart is the largest offender costing the American tax payer millions of dollars every year by not paying their workers a fair salary.  Now if the Walton family was hurting I would say they must be allowed to work things out but this group of greedy scions is listed as the wealthiest family in the history of the Earth!

When Walmart pays a worker a low salary and demands he or she work longer hours or overtime after clocking out or other scams they are causing those people to find other ways to feed themselves let alone their families!  Often these poverty stricken workers look to Uncle Sam for assistance in the form of food stamps.  And food stamps are paid for out of the general fund which is funded by our tax dollars.  A simple straight line of logic then shows that Walmart does not pay workers enough to live because they know that the government will pick up the slack!

And to throw more excrement in into the face of the American taxpaying public this wealthiest family in the history of the Earth PAYS LESS TAX THAN YOU DO!

If we could remove tax loopholes and start collecting the fair tax dollars from this corporation and so many other incredibly profitable ones the U S deficit would all but disappear!

So back to the original comparison between conservatives and liberals, we agree on more than either side realizes!  We just don’t point at the right culprit!

If all workers were paid enough money to live a modest but debt free life the U S government would be able to suspend most aid programs thereby lowering the tax on the dwindling middle class. But more importantly they would be able to start collecting revenue from an entirely new group of tax payers proud to do their part for the future of America!

Humans as Fractals

First let me offer a few words about fractals and also this link should my explanation not be to your liking.
Fractals is a word that should be closely associated with the word fractions.
The science of fractals suggests that all things take on a similar look when a fraction of them is viewed closer and closer and closer still.
For example a coastline as viewed from outer space will show many inlets, outlets, craggy points and offer a generally ragged look.  If you were to view just a small portion of the same coastline, say a one tenth fraction you might be surprised to notice the same features as the original view.  A further diminution of the new coastline view will offer another similar view.  Keep moving closer by a factor of ten and you should be rewarded with similar rugged looks all the way down to the molecular level!
In fact if you placed a view of the molecular level alongside that of the original outer space view you might be surprised at their overall similarities.
Fractals also appear in nature in the veins and structure
of a leaf.

But how about human nature?  Can we find fractal similarities in groups of people?
I argue that the same is true about the ins and out-lets of the human animal, at least when viewing financial wealth from a safe and lofty outer space-like perch.
Let's look at the tremendously wealthy, the uber wealthy, the top one tenth of one percent of Americans.
Here you will see a group of people who jockey for position and power versus each other nearly all the time.
They do this almost without realizing it as one might prepare breakfast or pick up a newspaper to read.
And they do so for many reasons not the least of which is sport but also for increased power and more control over their personal environment.
Left alone they will continue to move in the same way constantly looking for more money and more ways to get more money.
What will they do with the increased wealth?
It doesn't matter, it's all part of the game.
These people hardly notice any of the fractals below them. But they should since  without there can be no wealth!
Let's move down the financial fractal chain by an order of ten and view the extremely wealthy or so-called one per-centers.
This group of people will not live long enough to spend half their massive fortunes yet they too jockey for position versus their peers in a never ending struggle to move ahead.
Their constant desire to 'win' also eggs them on for more money and more control of their sheltered environment.
They are somewhat aware of the group above them but pay them less heed than the group just below as those are to be shunned and feared as social climbing wannabes.
In their own circles or rather bubbles they act very much like the obscenely wealthy only a bit less so.
Still they have problems that keep them up at night such as, 'How can we afford to buy a second yacht and next to which home would we moor it?'
Take the next move down the food chain with another fractal drop of ten percent and view now the upper middle class, the nouveau riche, the 'well to do' working class.
This group has made it, as far as they are concerned but nevertheless still maneuver and think and plan on getting further ahead.  They include groups such as snowbirds, who have a home up north perhaps at a ski resort and a winter home in Florida or some other warm clime.
They are the ones usually thought of when using the phrase keeping up with the Joneses.  They would love to move up but they too are more aware of the groups below and sometimes feel it is their duty to keep the division and distinction alive lest others move into their neighborhood.
You all know the ones they mean!  Better sell now before it's too late.
And the next leap, or rather drop of ten percent brings us into the heart of America, the bulk of the working class, the steady sturdy middle class.
This former backbone of the country now finds itself being used as fodder by the groups above.
It is the largest populated group in all of fractal land.
If the upper fractals can take just ten dollars from each of the people in this group it would add up to massive amounts for them.  And surely no one would miss ten dollars a year, would they?
The inhabitants of this middle class fractal are also constantly jockeying for position with regards to their friendly fractal neighbors.
They realize how close they are to being dropped down a fractal and have recently all but given up on hopes of rising up and out.  With them it's all about keeping the tide from flooding their coastline and sending them into ruin.
And this brings us to the lowest fractal of all, the molecular level if you will of feared financial fractal-dom, the poor. They are also known as the needy, the indigent, the homeless.
This group with the least is feared the most by all fractals above it.
Yet they too only wish to make their environs livable and jockey, albeit at a much slower pace for morsels and pennies to help them eat and survive.
There will be scuffles in this group since human nature exists in all of us.
They must get ahead of others to survive another day.
And just like the creatures on the sand of an ocean beach who may never see the big picture their universe consists of the immediate.
Many fight over a few square feet of a sidewalk living space or a cardboard box in which to sleep.  Some covet a well trafficked street corner from which to beg for donations from higher fractal passers by.
They go mostly unnoticed by society.
Every fractal above this group uses them to some degree to stoke the fires of fear and promote the 'there but for the grace of God' feeling they hear or preach to others.
Each group has a NIMBY attitude toward the lesser fractals.
But we are all basically the same with the major difference merely being the size of our bank account or the lack thereof.
And just as the coastline viewed from outer space knows nothing of it's molecular sized fractal the top financial fractal group of Americans spends little or no time thinking of the homeless.
Yet once again remember that without the lower groups these people would not have their cushy lifestyle or even exist.
A wave crashing onto the coastline cares not for the sands it causes to disappear but perhaps it should.

FRACTALS ARE FOREVER

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Before you read anything into the posted photo on the right (and the right is definitely where the photo belongs) let me say that I truly have nothing against anyone rising to the top of their particular food chain and earning a great living.  We all strive to better ourselves and when we do we should not be looked upon with disdain or hatred.
Now of course most of us are human and as such we are always looking at the other side of the fence wondering how that guy keeps his lawn so much greener than ours.
But suppose we found out that our green-thumbed neighbor was actually stealing our seeds and fertilizer every night to pepper his field.
I make no determination as to how these gentlemen rose to the top of their unnecessary group (single payer would obsolete these vultures) but one still wonders.
But please do not think the pharma industry is the only one raping our coffers.
Bankers will not be in need of a telethon anytime soon, especially after we infamously bailed them out at the end of the Bush era. (error?)
Of the top earning bank CEOs the least compensated made $3.3 million last year and the average compensation was nearly $20 million.  (Looks like someone is going to demanding a raise!)
So let's juxtapose other Americans against the backdrop of the sweet elite of the pharmaceutical and banking industries and see how we're doing by taking a few items from the news.
(Click the title of each section below for the back-up and more articles on each subject.)

1. Student Debt:  Over 70% of college seniors graduated with nearly $30,000 in student loans which cannot be forgiven in bankruptcy.  Before you can really get going many have to finish their schooling.  And in order to do so you may have to pay an awful large sum of money to the institution of your choice for that education.  Unlike other more civilized countries in the world where they realize their young are their future and they subsidize their college years we treat our young as annuities for the ivy covered halls of higher learning institutions.
2. Living in Poverty:  One in Seven American is living in poverty!  That's over 46 million humans and it's the largest number of people in that undesirable sect in over 54 years!  While some are living high off the hog they seem to be doing so by hogging all the high profits from their businesses while allowing their employees the pleasure of scrounging around the sty for the remains.  And on top of that they are getting all the tax breaks the rest of us can only dream about.
3. Minimum Wage:  The CEOs of America are doing very well thank you but too many are surviving, if it can be called surviving, on a meager $7.25 per hour.  Okay many States are realizing the futility of trying to eat and keep a roof over one's head on that tiny amount and have raised their local wage minimums up but there are many, mostly of the Republican persuasion who are trying to persuade legislators NOT to raise the minimum wage as it will kill businesses and jobs.
4. Unemployment:  While it has gone down under the leadership of President Obama, yes that's right, under his watch the rate is still an unsatisfactory 6.3%.  Sadly this doesn't tell the whole story and while many a pundit will point to this number as proof of a growing economy a more telling number would include how many are so discouraged they no longer even look for a job.  And the best number to show how dismal it is even for those WITH jobs is
5. Household Income: During the twelve years from 2000 to 2012 the median household income fell 6.6%.  Take a moment to let that sink in.  In 2000 the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a high of roughly 11,700.  It hit a new high of 13,350 in 2012!  While that's only an increase of 1½% the Dow has since hit 16,800 at which time it sported a nearly 4½% increase.  The bottom line is while Wall Street and it's Dow Jones top earners are topping their earnings almost daily average Joes may be scrounging for their next meal.  And speaking of households - 
6. Foreclosures:  While the foreclosure rate has dropped overall many States are still way above acceptable levels.  And 1 in 96 homes are foreclosed on and 19% of all homes are deeply under water financially.
7. Homeless Veterans:  An argument for a National embarrassment could easily be started with the fact that many of those who risked their lives for our country come home to trade their military rank for the pleasure of joining the ranks of the homeless.  Of the 634,000 homeless people in 2012 over 62,600 were veterans.  And that brings us to - 
8. Unemployed Vets: This number is even higher than the National Average.  Those who fought our wars from 2001 forward are considered Gulf War-Era II Vets.  Their rate was around 9% in 2013!  Uncle Sam wants YOU! That is until we don't anymore!
9. Women's Health:  There are so many articles on how women's health issues are under attack that it was hard to choose just one article to point to in the above link.  You may 'Google' on your own and spend weeks reading all the fun stories of 'right wing' elements in America forcing Planned Parenthood clinics to shut because they may use the word abortion, a procedure which by the way happens to be currently allowed by law.  Coincidentally the following Republican majority States have placed rules and regulations on the people who run women's clinics that would make a sailor's hair turn white:  Louisiana; Texas; Oklahoma; Iowa; Oregon; Washington; Kansas; Wisconsin and the list is not even complete.  And finally - 
10. Voter Rights: While all the above abuse has been going on we in America still have one trick up our sleeve, the right to vote out the bad leaders and elect ones who will better serve our interests.  That is if we can get to the polls and actually cast our ballot!  Knowing how dangerous an educated electorate could be it is no surprise that certain factions within the government and the lobbies that own them wish to keep the status quo, quo by placing more and more road blocks in our way as we attempt to vote.  Leading the charge to disenfranchise those among us who have had enough and simply will not take it anymore are: Texas; Ohio; North and South Carolina; Florida; Arizona; Alaska; Louisiana; Mississippi; Georgia; Virginia and Michigan.  Scott Walker of Wisconsin wanted desperately to join the list but went too far and the courts overturned his unfair voter ID law.

I guess when you look at all the things our leaders are doing to us rather than for us we really DO need these unbelievably rich pharmaceutical giants, just to get pills to ease our pain.
If only the damn co-pays weren't so high!