- My day included watching machine guns go off, talking to a few hundred people and trying to convince them to buy raffle tickets for the FNRA, and briefly meeting one of my favorite authors.
- This was a good day.
- If your jeans are so tight that I can read your pulse from 10 yards away, maybe you need to ease up a little.
- If the only thing that an older woman from Tennessee will say about you, to your face, is “Bless your heart”, you might want to start doing a little introspection to figure out how you messed up your life so bad.
- One of the guys I was working with today at Knob Creek took a moment to walk around and get some stuff. He found:
- CCI Large Rifle primers for $30 per 1000
- Winchester Large Pistol primers for $32 per 1000
- 550 cartridge packs of Federal .22 LR for $62
- Wolf Gold brass cased .223 for $300/1000
- PMC .223 for $390/1000
- I would have gone to the Ares Arms booth to shake their hands and buy something to help support them, but the mob of people with the same idea was too big.
- It is a good feeling when someone tallies up the raffle tickets you’ve been selling and figures out that you’ve broken even on two raffles and are almost there with one more and your group still has two days left to sell them.
- It’s especially good when you realize that those two days will have thousands of people drifting past your booth, and a good percentage of them will want to win some guns.
- It occurred to me that the FNRA could make a boatload of money if instead of raffling off guns, they instead raffled off a few thousand .22 Long Rifle rounds.
All posts for the month April, 2014
Thoughts on the Day
Posted by daddybear71 on April 11, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/11/thoughts-on-the-day-227/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on April 11, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/11/todays-earworm-505/
We need more taxes
No, it’s not April Fool’s Day. Here me out.
I have come to the realization that one of the things wrong with our country is that we have too few taxes. Having one or two huge taxes like Social Security withholding and income tax means that, to the average taxpayer, it all goes to this amorphous blob called “The Government”. What I want is for the government to chop these monolithic taxes into smaller bites so that the people know where their money is going. I want a separate tax for every government activity. I also want taxpayers to know, on a paycheck to paycheck basis, how much they’re kicking into the pot.
For example, your paystub should look something like this:
| Net Base Pay | $ 5,000.00 | |
| Federal Taxes | ||
| DOD Foreign Aid Tax | 2.500000% | $125.000000 |
| Military R&D Tax | 0.500000% | $25.000000 |
| NATO Tax | 0.010000% | $0.500000 |
| War on Terror Tax | 0.100000% | $5.000000 |
| Military Buildings and Staff Tax | 1.000000% | $50.000000 |
| Federal Medicare Tax | 10.000000% | $500.000000 |
| Federal Road Taxes | 0.010000% | $0.500000 |
| Federal Education Tax | 0.050000% | $2.500000 |
| Law Enforcement Tax | 5.000000% | $250.000000 |
| Social Security Tax | 5.000000% | $250.000000 |
| Food Benefits Tax | 0.100000% | $5.000000 |
| Unemployment Insurance Tax | 0.100000% | $5.000000 |
| State Department Embassy and Staff Tax | 0.010000% | $0.500000 |
| State Department Foreign Aid Tax | 0.000100% | $0.005000 |
| Forestry Service Tax | 0.000010% | $0.000500 |
| Congressional Buildings and Staff Tax | 0.010000% | $0.500000 |
| Executive Buildings and Staff Tax | 0.010000% | $0.500000 |
| Judiciary Buildings and Staff Tax | 0.010000% | $0.500000 |
| NASA Tax | 0.000001% | $0.000050 |
| FCC Tax | 0.000001% | $0.000050 |
| FTC Tax | 0.000001% | $0.000050 |
| IRS Tax | 0.000100% | $0.005000 |
| EPA Tax | 0.000100% | $0.005000 |
| BLM Tax | 0.000001% | $0.000050 |
| Total Federal Taxes | 24.41031% | $1,220.52 |
| Net Pay | $3779.48 |
Of course, this is just an example. An complete list of each and every tax that would be pulled from your paycheck would be a lot longer. I would also want sections for the state and federal taxes, with the same detail.
Why would I want this? I want this because when the average voter and taxpayer looks at her paystub and sees all the things our government is doing and how much that is costing them personally, I believe that when someone says “Why are we sending troops to Outer Jerkholistan?” or “Why are we paying for another Department of Education study to see if piping in the sound of sperm whales mating helps children learn to read?”, they’ll understand. Saying “We’re going to take a couple hundred dollars out of your check for stuff. Don’t bother asking what that stuff is.” gives politicians and bureaucrats a lot of cover to waste a lot of money. If I’m seeing line items in my paycheck going up, I’ll want to know why.
Want a real shocker? I believe we need higher taxes in our country.
Put away the pitchforks and hear me out on this one too.
Currently, when the government wants to do something, from building roads and schools to sending troops overseas, there is no fiscal restraint on that decision. Someone at the Treasury Department adds a couple of zeroes to the federal debt, sells a few more bonds, and the money to do things magically appears. I want to hamstring that ability.
I want the federal budget to be run without deficits. I think a lot of us do. We’ve gotten nowhere in the past half century or so when it comes to actually cutting spending. We nibble around at the edges and use cuts as a way to either reward political allies or punish our foes, but nothing really gets done in the end.
I want that to stop. I want the government to be honest with the American people about how much it costs to do our business.
When the President wants to send troops overseas on his latest pet foreign policy project, or spend billions of dollars on new fighters, bombers, submarines, tanks, rifles, or whatever, I want someone to stand up on the floor of the Congress and say “This is going to cost $500 billion a year. This bill contains the tax to pay for that. Voting is now open.”. The same goes when a Congresscritter wants a new bridge to nowhere built in their district or wants to expand welfare spending to include anyone making less than 10 times the poverty level.
When we stop masking government spending in meaningless deficit numbers and start forcing them to come to us directly and say “We want to do this, so you need to start paying up.”, people will take a good hard look at what they want, what they need, and what they’re willing to pay for.
My guess is that once we start forcing the American taxpayer to pay cash on the barrelhead for not only those things they like, but also those things they don’t like, then the number and size of those things will come under a lot more scrutiny, as will the politicians who keep piling things on the bill. In the end, I think that forcing us to pay attention will force the government to become smaller, leaner, and less expensive.
Posted by daddybear71 on April 11, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/11/we-need-more-taxes/
Movie Quotes – Day 101
So you were miserable in New York City, and now you’re going to be miserable out here in the sticks. At least someone’s life hasn’t been upheaved. — Beetlejuice
I sometimes like to describe myself as an “internal immigrant”. That means that I come from a time and place that is very different from where I am now. Let’s face it, the Northern Plains and the Bay Area share not much more than a generally similar language and government structure with the Bluegrass. I bring with me my own values, and yes, I even rail about the way things run around here. Let’s face it, once you’ve gone to school after a blizzard that dumped 36 inches of snow on your doorstep over the weekend, you don’t have a lot of patience with people who cancel school after a heavy frost.
That being said, Kentucky is Kentucky. Just because there are aspects of living here that I detest doesn’t mean that I expect them to be changed for my convenience. When you move to a new area and culture, it’s your job to integrate as much as possible. Yes, you will bring your own contributions with you, but you shouldn’t expect Dallas to suddenly become Los Angeles, or vice versa.
Posted by daddybear71 on April 11, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/11/movie-quotes-day-101-2/
Today’s Earworm
Posted by daddybear71 on April 10, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/10/todays-earworm-504/
Movie Quotes – Day 100
Lilo:Did you ever… kill anyone?
Mr. Cobra Bubbles: We’re getting off-subject here.
One of the things that hit me in the face when I went from a military contractor to a truly civilian company was how few people had served in the military. The next thing that hit me was how many of them asked that exact question.
Standard response – Not directly. (Truth)
Non-standard response – Sorry, can’t answer that. (Also truth, and the look on their face is priceless.)
Contrary to what you will hear in the bars, not every Army vet was an Airborne Ranger, not every Navy vet was a SEAL. There are quite a few Marines who weren’t Recon, and the Air Force only has so many fighter pilots. While our collective goal was to prepare for the task of bringing about the untimely and violent death of our fellow man, most of us did things to support the guys who pull the triggers, fly the jets, and fire the cannons.
Hollywood does us no favors, either. Every guy in the military is a born-again killer, and every veteran is a simmering pot of psychological problems, at least in the movies and on TV. The truth is more like “A lot people in the military have a vague idea how to use their weapon. Some are really good at kicking doors and shooting people when necessary. Most people take off their uniform, hang it up, and get on with their lives. A few need a lot of support to deal with the things that happened to them while they still wore it.”
Where do I fall? Well, I never killed anyone. I heard shots fired in anger exactly three times in nine years. I didn’t fire them, and they weren’t directed at me. I have bad dreams every so often, but so does everyone else. Most of the times that I might have gotten hurt or killed were because of my own stupidity or that of someone else. Nothing that special about me in those respects.
In other words, I’m just some guy. No need to ask silly questions.
Posted by daddybear71 on April 10, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/10/movie-quotes-day-101/
All is well! Really!
It’s been a couple of weeks since the mob violence in downtown Louisville. Since then, there have been a couple of comparatively minor incidents, and of course, this weekend is Thunder Over Louisville.
Here are a few highlights from the news:
First and foremost, Mayor Fischer would rather that those of us who carry a gun for self defense not do so at Thunder. He promises that new surveillance cameras and the horde of police that will be in the area will take care of any problems that might arise. Of course, the police haven’t been able to keep downtown Louisville from turning into a parking lot with the attendant road rage after Thunder in the past, so you make your own decision. I guess it’s better that the herd animals not be able to resist the jackals who are smart enough to wait until the post-fireworks pandemonium to start breaking shi… I mean, expressing their frustration with the current socioeconomic situation in Louisville. No word yet on whether Mayor Fischer will be leaving his police escort behind and taking his family to mix with the crowds and walk a mile back to his car in the dark.
Next, we have a representative of the Louisville Friends of Police reporting that rumors of police masking crime in Waterfront Park by assigning crimes to other addresses are untrue. Honestly, I’m going to wait until I see hard data on this. How many crimes have been reported and documented in Waterfront Park in the past 10 years, and how many have been assigned to businesses within a block of the park?
Finally, we have a leaked memo from the FBI that claims that a local gang, composed mainly of middle schoolers, is to blame for all this ruckus. Apparently 14 year olds have enough charisma to get a few hundred people to rampage through downtown, break stuff, steal other stuff, and lay a beating on people who happen to be in their way. Also, there appears to be a special ‘gun train’ that travels across Louisville with firearms that are easily stolen. If you’ve ever written a real intelligence report, that thing is just embarrassing.
So there we are. A mayor who would rather that law-abiding citizens rely on the presence and power of the police to protect them while they’re a member of a big juicy target group, a police representative who wants us to know that the police have never, ever faked a report to make the city look better, and the FBI getting involved with local gang activity.
Enjoy your Thunder, Louisville. For me and mine, we’ll be staying home. By the way, if you’re a gun owner and would rather go somewhere that you’re more welcome, the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot is this weekend too. There’ll be plenty of thunder there too, and if you come out on Friday night, I’ll even sell a raffle ticket for some guns to you.
Posted by daddybear71 on April 9, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/09/all-is-well-really/
Today’s Earworm
Marian Anderson was denied use Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., because of her ancestry and the color of her skin. Instead, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt helped to make sure she had an even better venue on April 9, 1939.
It’s a catchy tune. I wish more talented people sang it nowadays.
Posted by daddybear71 on April 9, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/09/todays-earworm-503/
Movie Quotes – Day 99
Of course it’s unfair. We’re women. Our choices are never easy. — Titanic
We ask a lot of our women.
A lady who doesn’t want to or can’t have children is continually asked about when it’s going to happen. A mother who chooses to stay at home with young children will sometimes take heat from those who don’t agree with that choice. Most mothers work outside the home now, but I’d probably be safe in saying that a huge share of the home work and child raising is still done by these women.
Irish Woman is one of the most hard working people I know. She works full time, and does most of the cooking, at least half of the housework, and more than half the yard work. She’s on task for doctor’s appointments, teacher conferences, birthday parties, and all of the other assorted stuff that comes with having Boo. I do what I can, and Girlie Bear is a godsend, but the Atlas that is holding our family up is Irish Woman. God help us if she ever fails or even shrugs.
I also know a few young girls and women who are looking for someone to take care of them. They want someone to make the money, pay the bills, and make sure they have everything they could ever need or want. It’s a nice gig if they can get it, but I always wonder how they will handle it when that situation changes and the person or thing they were leaning on so completely is suddenly not there.
For me, I am trying to raise Girlie Bear, along with her brothers, to never depend on someone else for the necessities of life. I want them to lean on someone when they need it and share their life with someone because they want to, not because they need to. I want all of them fully capable of standing alone and taking care of their business.
So, if you’re one of those women that is the rock of your family, or if you’re a woman who takes care of herself, by herself, thank you. We couldn’t live our lives without you, and I’m not sure we would want to try.
Posted by daddybear71 on April 9, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/09/movie-quotes-day-99/
Thoughts on the Day
- What is good in life? To come to work, to sit at your desk, and to hear the lamentation of the Kentucky fans.
- You can bluster at me all you want, but if it’s your people that are the reason we’re standing around for two hours, I’m not going to feel bad for you.
- There are parts of every job that you are shocked they have to pay people to get done. Today, I did not do those parts of my job.
- Paul McCartney is going to be playing a concert in Louisville soon. I am a lifelong fan of his. I would dearly like to go to this concert. However, two tickets, parking, and dinner for Irish Woman and me would cost almost as much as two car payments.
- Damn all those years of learning from bad decisions and my sense of personal responsibility!
- Irish Woman didn’t fall for it when I tried to cover not telling her about tonight’s Friends of the NRA meeting by inviting her to dinner at the same restaurant as the meeting.
Posted by daddybear71 on April 8, 2014
https://daddybearsden.com/2014/04/08/thoughts-on-the-day-226/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 