Thursday, March 28, 2013

Gay Marriage

From a legal basis, strictly speaking, there is no argument that can be devised to dissuade the legalization of gay marriage. Equal protection under the law, is just that.

However gay marriage as law will not provide gays with equal rights, instead it will destroy the legal definition of marriage. Once you can define marriage as being between two people of either sex, the next logical answer is "why stop at just two?" And once that question is asked, marriage ceases to exist as a legal entity.

You see marriage is a religious institution, not a political one. The fact that the government is involved at all is a violation of the first amendment. If the government is so inclined it can devise a contract, call it whatever it pleases, and allow such a contract to allow two or more individuals to enjoy special tax status, and other legal benefits. Beyond this measure, such as ceremony, moral requirements, and social behavior, these things are defined by personal belief, and thus are the realm of religion.

What would you think of the government offering a baptism license?

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Burning the Constitution: Article 1 Section 9


Article I
Section 9

1: The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.


This no longer applies, obviously.

2: The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

Funny how a Constitutional law can magically be ignored by a military appropriations bill that gives the President unlimited power to arrest, detain and execute citizens in times of peace.

3: No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

"Attainder" is the loss of your rights because of a crime you have committed. This has been and is violated in every state and is being proposed to be increased in violations on the state and federal level. Simply put, just because you commit a crime doesn't mean you lose your rights, yet if as a teenager you stole an iPod, which is a felony, you can't own guns, and can't vote for the rest of your life. That's law NOW in most states. There are very few states that allow you to get your rights back after minor crimes, and it's very hard to do. Now they

Friday, March 1, 2013

The Stock Bubble is Going to Pop


http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/black_tuesday_2.jpg The growth in the stock market we have seen over the last 4 years, but especially the last year is a product of the Federal Reserve buying tens of billions of  dollars worth of assets from banks each month, which effectively puts tens of billions worth of no interest cash into the market. This "free" money is giving the market an artificial high, and the market largely doesn't understand the consequences of the Fed's actions.

If they understood what was going on, they would be pulling their money out as fast as they could and the market would plunge. We are being set up for hyper inflation. On top of that, the ride to the top will run out of steam eventually. Normally the market is driven by everyone, but the amount of people with spare income is dropping rapidly, and not just for individuals. Major corporations are suffering. I'm sure you have heard the woes of JC Penny and Wal-Mart. If those giants are hurting, the suffering is pandemic.

This would suggest that the driving force behind the markets rise would be those who are only a few steps away from the free money being pumped into the banks. Those same corporations are also the ones that compose the majority of the three largest indices, DOW, S&P 500, and Nasdaq. The rest of the market gets a boost, not from receiving a direct benefit of the free money, but literally an emotional high derived from seeing the major players doing well.

Simply put the stock market is pure emotion. When the players are happy prices rise, when they are scared, prices fall. Historically the three major indices all rise and fall together, and when they rise the rest of the market gets an emotional high from it, and for the most part, the general market rises. There are always exceptions, and it's not a given that a rise in general market will be reflected in a given stock, or that a drop in the general market will cause a stock that is doing well to falter.

But this is different. The economy isn't doing well, taxes are not favorable for either corporations or individuals, and inflation and unemployment are rising. All of this eats away at the purchasing power of the economy as a whole, which in turn should drive the market down. When Wall Street runs counter to the economy, something gotta give, and economy isn't budging.

This is why I say the bubble is going to pop. When is uncertain, but inevitable. If you want to ride this wave, do so at your own risk. I would advise to keep as much cash on hand as you possibly can. You will make out like a bandit picking up loads of blue chip stocks for pennies on dollar when market hits bottom.

I would also advise getting yourself a month to three months worth of food and gas. A fair number of people in the country are preparing this way, and the more that do, the less of an impact hyperinflation will have. It is almost certain to hit us shortly after, if it isn't the direct cause of the "Pop."