Author: The Timedok

The digital Era

The digital Era

One of my neighbors was talking via a group regarding cable and internet and what have you. Since I took the time to write this to them I thought that I would also share this with you my “virtual” neighbors.

Shopping Saves Money

I had Time Warner for years. The bill had eventually reached $300 a month, the picture was hardly HD and often pixelated and too often went out. The service technicians had been over too many times to fix it and I was over paying that kind of money for interference and snowy pictures. The Internet was slow 6mgb I think and, the two phone lines of course went down when the cable went down.

Truth be told, we don’t recognize the up time, we only really recognize and pay attention to the down time! So when it went off or they had issues, it was an issue. As things are “bundled” it is a real problem!

Howdy Neighbor!

Because the e-mail is also through Time Warner, now all of the communication other than the cellular is dead, if it dies for whatever reason.

While I would argue that this is a good time to pick up a book, or go sit on the porch with a glass of tea and say howdy to the neighbors, as we hardly ever meet our neighbors anymore. We are too happy with our gadgets, and our air conditioning, another story.

Un-Bundle

The old adage about not putting all of your eggs in one basket is salient advice, and germane when it comes to communication.

Some of the easiest things to do is get another e-mail account that is not tied to your provider. Gmail, or some other freebie is a good start. Yes there are security issues with this so don’t broadcast your banking information through un-encrypted e-mail. I would argue not to put anything on there that you would not put on social media, but that too is another topic.

Next, as someone pointed out, who needs a land line. POTS lines or ‘plain old telephone lines” are a thing of the past, much like pay phones. If you really want a phone line that looks like a regular line, there are options.

First and the cheapest I have found is “Magic Jack.” Yep, looks cheesy but for $100 for 5 years, pick your number and exchange, which is an easy choice. Phone lines through your cable provider have all sorts of taxes and fees including *“universal fees” , which are fees tacked onto your phone line to pay for someone else’s phone.

I personally like to choose who I donate to and I don’t like to have it extracted from me, so that too was an easy choice. No fees or other hidden theft of money with Magic Jack.

There are devices that you can get that utilize the Cell phone service and hook up to your home wiring that actually use a cell phone number as a home phone thus not doing business with the cable company in that regard. More expensive and fees and other hidden charges will be there. It still might be less expensive than the cable company.

There are other options for entertainment as more and more services are streaming online as someone else pointed out. I still like the TV services offered by Verizon but, if that price gets too high, I will switch again.

Broadband is changing constantly and some say that you should get the fastest around including the company that sells it via some upgrade by some carriers on some channel.

Since most companies are using something called QoS (Quality of Service) they can actually throttle certain types of packets so, streaming video may be fast but other types of files may crawl. This is what the whole net neutrality argument is all about.

Should NETFLIX for instance be able to pay the FCC or some other government entity to have priority traffic over some other streaming service? Those that have a business like this lobby for it as it would make them more successful and those that think the internet should be unencumbered from government regulations lobby for neutrality. Your online game packets should have the same priority as VOIP. (Voice over IP) I would argue that some companies are already doing it to some degree with or without regulations but proving it would be difficult. Verizon has in its “fine print” an option to slow the traffic to your MAC address of your router, if you violate any of the rules on the internet such as downloading copyrighted stuff so trust me when I say this, they can do it easily.

My point to this is that I would not pay extra for faster or more bandwidth in that your “cable speed checker” may say that you are blazing but, in fact the traffic that you are interested in may be throttled back for something else. There are other issues that could also slow down the traffic to your particular site that you are interested in so, before you buy a racecar, make certain you can use it.

Should your Internet be sold to you like water, or electricity?

There are, and have been arguments by greedy politicians and others who believe that you should pay for what you use or cause to move or transverse the internet. Not only should you pay for your connection to, and the speed thereof, but you should also pay for the amount of data downloaded or uploaded much like cellular providers already do. Even if the price was negligible, once they got the camel’s nose inside the tent, you would quickly find the whole camel inside the tent. I would fight this at every turn of the road.

Network cable is not wire

Start with the basic and see if it is acceptable. Ramp up slowly and this is a biggie, make sure that the slowness that you are experiencing is not on your own home network. Often I see companies that have paid big bucks for superfast internet access and have placed their network cables on top of fluorescent lights, or other em emitting sources. Another huge mistake that I see often is the use of zip ties to keep them all neatly bundled. Like building a home, make certain that your networks foundation (physical layer) is solid and installed per specifications.

Too many companies hire some handyman to install network cable thinking it is like any other kind of wire. IT IS NOT. There is a reason that there are so many different standards of cable and it has to do with shielding and something called TPI or (twist per inch.) Along with all of that, there is a spacer inside the cable that actually holds the different pairs at certain distances from one another as to not adversely affect the impedance of the cable. Hire a cable specialist to do this for you; as not only does it need to be routed correctly, but it must be terminated correctly.

Threaten to Fire them

When the cable company gets too pricey call and tell them that you are going to “cancel” and change providers. They will most probably send you to a “retention specialist” who is authorized to cut your bill, or offer you some free something or other for some amount of time.

Be prepared to cut the cable.

If you are just un-happy with the service and the retention specialist tries to low ball you, simply tell them no; and come get the stuff, or write the letter as some require etc. I see many people bringing cable boxes and Satellite boxes and what have you to the UPS store or to the FED EX store as those folks have a contract with the provider to wrap the stuff up, and ship it for them. Read and understand your contract before you engage the company and certainly before you terminate services. The fine print in some of these contracts is ambiguous at best. If I need a lawyer to look it over that is a red flag for me. If I cannot within a few moments read the contract, and understand it completely; I am uninterested in the product. That is sage advice that 40 years of dealing with vendors has taught me.

Important Information

A note about Magic Jack and or other VOIP services. 911 may not be a function that you have with it so remember if there is an emergency, use your cell phone. 911 is an emergency number (obviously) and when there is an emergency people often forget things like (that phone does not have 911!) when seconds count, you don’t have time to call 911 on a line that will not do you any good!

With Magic Jack they sell it with a network cable that plugs right into your router. The problem is the cable is “flat.” A flat cable picks up EM “electromagnetic” interference too easily and effects the performance and quality of the device. Toss it and use a regular cat 5 or cat 6 jumper cable.

Alarm systems can be dicey with VOIP and certainly with some cable providers. There are companies that offer cellular connected alarms and while I would not want that exclusively, I would want that as an option. Crooks can be smart so one must be a step ahead of and smarter than them. A good alarm company should have specialist that can make certain that if there is an issue that the police or fire or other emergency services will indeed get the call. One other small pearl of wisdom I would pass on regarding this is simply to test your alarm once a month at least. When you pay the bill, go test the alarm. Make it a habit. You don’t want to find out that it does not work, when or if you need it.

-Best

GOP Debate, my take

First Look

We saw them, for the most part out of their element and some in their place. The candidates that were in their element did not interest me as much the people who were not.

The first group to succumb to the debate process clearly showed why they were at the “kids table” or not ready for prime time, with the exception of Carly Fiorina. If the DNC still feels compelled to run Hillary as their pick, Carly would be a formidable candidate for the GOP.

From the adults table which admittedly Carly should have been at, there were a few front runners and some that fell flat.

From stage left to right…

Chris Christie made an ok showing and I expect his numbers will get a bump from the debate. His answers were fairly clear and his rhetoric was loud as expected. His response to Rand Paul regarding the “hug” was on point and clearly hit a cord with people who took offence with MR Paul’s attack.

Marco Rubio did not hurt himself and I think his numbers too will get a bump. I think that he appeals to the Millennials and the libertarians and could be a draw from the Democratic voters as he is not a “stogy old white guy.”

Image #: 21630241 Dr. Benjamin Carson, director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, speaks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, March 16, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS HEALTH) REUTERS /JONATHAN ERNST /LANDOV — Image #: 21630241 Dr. Benjamin Carson, director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, speaks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, March 16, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES – Tags: POLITICS HEALTH) REUTERS /JONATHAN ERNST /LANDOV

Ben Carson while soft spoken was one of the adults that was in the room last night. Clearly an educated man, a thinker and strategist also showed a sense of humor that I think will bode well with voters of all walks of life. Dr. Carson is not a politician and I think needs to watch carefully what balls that he decides to swing at as he has already swung at too many which were in the dirt. His performance during the debate was good and he was clearly not a target of the moderators. If he progresses he will be, and the next moderators will not be near as friendly.

Scott Walker made some good points but clearly not a front runner in the campaign. I do not expect his numbers to move much. His record is impressive and he is a scrapper. Some of what he said will resonate with the working class “the middle class” I think he will have to amp it up a little if he wants to stay the course.

THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE -- Episode 912 -- Pictured: Donald Trump -- Photo by: Ali Goldstein/NBC — THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE — Episode 912 — Pictured: Donald Trump — Photo by: Ali Goldstein/NBC

Donald Trump. Donald is an unknown in the political arena and is carrying his numbers because of his celebrity status. People are genuinely sick of politicians in general, so his message resonates with the masses. His tone with Megyn Kelly was stupid, and showed his arrogance which as a politician, you cannot do. Megyn Kelly and indeed Fox news is on the side of the republicans and to alienate them is a mistake. Further; his remarks about women in general did not go over well, and the DNC will use that to their advantage should he become the candidate. Mr. Trump; if he is serious should hire one of the best PR firms in the country to do damage control. He should also hire someone that knows something about politicians and how to make Donald more of a statesmen, while maintaining his moxie, which resonates with the folks. I think he could do well and indeed become the next president. Last night should serve as a wake-up call for Mr. Trump. He is out of his sandbox and needs to adapt. The DNC has enough material on him now that it will be tough to overcome even to the likes of Hillary. The War on women will resonate with enough women voters to throw the election to Hillary, if Donald is not careful.

Jeb Bush. When people look at Jeb they see George W. There simply is no way around it. Jeb can either work with his last name as an advantage and stop trying to disassociate himself from it, or he should stop wasting his money and time. Jeb is a Bush and he needs to deal with it. Whoever is advising him currently needs to re-think their strategy. Common Core is a mistake and he needs to get away from it. The federal government should step back from this issue entirely and leave it to the states. Focus on keeping Americans Safe, the economy and jobs. “Immigration” which was the “elephant” in the room; needs to be dealt with in a manner that does not screw over the people who have come here legally or Americans. There is no amnesty. We are a country of laws, and without that we are nothing.

UNITED STATES - AUGUST 29: Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., addresses the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum on the night Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., republican vice-presidential nominee, delivered a speech to the crowd. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) — UNITED STATES – AUGUST 29: Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., addresses the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum on the night Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., republican vice-presidential nominee, delivered a speech to the crowd. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Huckabee’s numbers should improve after the debate. His answers were clear and concise and should resonate with many. “The purpose of the military is to kill and to break things!” While that is a great sound bite one could take away from his comment that all we need is a bunch of two year old’s.I am not certain if the military will receive that comment well or not, they are clearly more than that.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks during the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, on Aug. 10.

Ted Cruz was probably the winner of the debate but, I cannot help but think that he is too slick and is looking forward to being the “most powerful man in the world” and that bothers me. What motivates anyone to want to take this job should be center of the conversation. Narcissism is certainly not out of the realm of possibility and we already have a president who claims that title.

Rand Paul’s numbers I suspect will not move one way or the other by much after his showing at this debate. I suspect if they do move they will put him at the kids table and elevate Carly and or Perry. He came off as angry and bitter and somewhat whiney.

Ohio Governor John Kasich speaks during the CERAWEEK global energy conference in Houston March 7, 2012. REUTERS/Donna W. Carson

John Kasich was hardly memorable in his performance last night. He came off as likeable but like Bush, I have to look at notes to remember what he said. My opinion of him is that he is too established as a politician and will be four more years of status quo.

Trump resonates because Americans are really sick of what we have in DC. Back door deals for 20% of our Uranium to Russia is one such example that if it were put to a vote would be a resounding hell no; except for the percentage of delusionary voters out there who think Obama is the Messiah, and Hillary the next Noah.

Politicians have at their disposal, not only technology, but incredible databases “provided by Facebook and Google and others” to allow the targeting of advertisements to certain groups, for maximum effectiveness in order to manipulate the voters. They are also amassing millions of dollars to spend on their campaigns.

Viewership of this debate was high because of Mr. Trump. That inclusiveness of more viewers will make those methods of manipulation more difficult, as lots of democrats got a look at the candidates without the lens of MSNBC putting their very biased slant on it. Thinking people may actually begin to question the talking heads of the progressive agenda by seeing things without slant. These same folks also saw that FOX news did not play favorites as they are accused of by MSNBC and other outlets. Indeed they asked the tough questions which Donald Trump and others should have expected and been prepped for. Donald in his obvious hubris, was not prepared. I doubt that he will make that mistake again. To Donald’s credit, his answers were honest and truthful and for that I suspect many Americans will respect that he is who he is, and what you see is what you get. If he were elected, I have no doubt that our foreign affairs would be different and that Putin would not be as aggressive as he currently is.

Trump needs to reign in whoever is doing his twitter, and other social media.

“Bimbo” =

an attractive but empty-headed young woman, especially one perceived as a willing sex object.

While she was not easy on him during this debate, she is certainly not a Bimbo. If Trump stays the course he will face a lot tougher moderators from the liberal media and he should have been prepared for this. Anything that you have ever done is fair game in a presidential debate. Hiring someone to prep him for such things would be a very wise investment! If he already has such a person, the meeting with them today should include the words “your fired!”

-Best

CFL, LED Revisited

Big corporations really suck when they go the extra mile forcing one to buy expensive stuff.

Under the guise of “saving the planet” we have lost it!

First off let me just rant a little about the planet. The Earth has been around 4.5 billion years. Man has been around for about 6 million of those years but, we only have we been a “threat” to the planet the last 150 years or so.

When I say threat, not really. One lucky strike from a meteor and we are done! Toast, the next life form to take hold will hopefully be more evolved than some of our peers who think money is the answer to everything no matter who they screw!

Industrialization is claimed to be the largest threat to the planet along with the ever increasing population. I agree that millions of people all creating waste emissions from gasses to solids, probably are not doing the earth any good but, do you really for just one minute think that one Volcano, or large fire does not do as much if not more damage to the eco-system than man?

There is a super volcano that is due to erupt any moment in Yellow stone park. When that bad boy goes off it will be a life changer!

Then tell me about coal power plants or Gas guzzling SUv’s.

Despite High Emissions, New Coal Power Plants Planned in Germany...AACHEN, GERMANY - MAY 15: Behind the open-pit coal mine Gartzweiler exhaust rises from cooling towers at the lignit coal-fired power stations Frimmersdorf, Neurath and Niederaussem May 15, 2007 near Aachen, Germany. The four German major energy providers Vattenfall, RWE, E.on and EnBW plan to invest more than 30 billion euros in construction and infrastructure of cole conducted power plants in Germany. (Photo by Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images) — Despite High Emissions, New Coal Power Plants Planned in Germany…AACHEN, GERMANY – MAY 15: Behind the open-pit coal mine Gartzweiler exhaust rises from cooling towers at the lignit coal-fired power stations Frimmersdorf, Neurath and Niederaussem May 15, 2007 near Aachen, Germany. The four German major energy providers Vattenfall, RWE, E.on and EnBW plan to invest more than 30 billion euros in construction and infrastructure of cole conducted power plants in Germany. (Photo by Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images)

Yes, we are burning fossil fuels “dinosaurs” to heat and cool our homes and to drive our gas burning vehicles to and from the job and what have you.

If you really want to solve global warming first you really need to get truthful with the numbers, and facts, as what has been published thus far is to push a “carbon credit agenda” to make the rich richer and in the end is simply another tax!

Now, back to bulbs.

Edison through trial and error “brute force” came up with an incandescent light bulb.

The typical light in your home burns 60 watts of electricity.

It took me a few minutes to do the math for you, so here it is in a spreadsheet.

You can do any further multiplication you like, as in how many of these bulbs do you have and how long do you really leave them on.

The 100 and the 60 are representing incandescent “old school” bulbs.

The 12 is representing a CFL bulb and the 3 watt is representing the LED variety.

Basing the cost per kilowatt hour at 8.5 cents, this is what it would look like to run one bulb for a year never turning it off.

So, if you want to save the earth…or money, lets look at how and where you would put what kind of bulb.

defective GE bulb — Here is the bulb that failed prematurely. Notice the black around the inside of the plastic. This thing got hot before it stopped working and the important part of this is that the fuse did not blow!

I also think that we were pushed into using them by congress via some backroom deal with GE or some other maker of these things through the good folks at AVE K, you know lobbyist. Like republicans or not, this was a GW Bush thing and I think it smells.

CFL or any fluorescent bulb must stay on for a minimum of 15 minutes or you shorten the life of the bulb. That means, don’t put them in places that you turn the light on for a few moments and then off again. CFL or fluorescent tubes should go into places that you energize them, and then leave them on for hours, like a kitchen, family room or porch light.

This bulb died because the capacitor died. If you look at it you will see that it has bubbled up on the top. Checking the capacitor it is non functional.

GE must have purchased a plethora of bad capacitors from China!

If you look at the actual glass you will notice that there is no black around the base, this bulb died way too young…

LED bulbs don’t just quit “usually” unlike an incandescent of fluorescent. They grow dim over time as they age and one day you will notice that it is not very bright, and replace it. I like them in bathrooms and closets, desk lights and lights in areas where I don’t want a lot of heat generated.

LED bulb replacing CFL bulb which replaced an incandescent bulb.

The average cost of a CFL or LED bulb however is much higher than its incandescent counterpart.

While they have come down in price, they are still no where as inexpensive as an incandescent.

A box of 4 or even 6 on sale, was around $1. The CFL is around $2 each but that is now. When they first came out they were about $4 each. As other manufacturers entered into the arena the price came down.

The same is true of LED bulbs. These bulbs can get downright pricey!

As far as function goes we have the incandescent with fewest complications. A filament across the two electrodes sealed into a vacuum. Apply the right voltage and suitable current that the filament will light and there will be light, and heat!

Fluorescent is much more complex in that there is two filaments and high voltage applied which ionizes the gas inside. This gas reacts to the phosphorescent coating inside the bulb making light, And oh yes, they have mercury in them.

The CFL takes in 110 or 220 depending upon your location and converts it into the voltages and currents needed to start the process as well as maintain the process while voltage is applied. If you look inside the base of a CFL bulb you will see a host of associated circuitry to accomplish this task.

LED Bulbs are less complex in that they use minimal components to convert the voltages into the needed voltages to run the LED’s.

There is not much heat and the circuitry is not complex. LED bulbs should really be less expensive than CFL and I look for that to be the case as time marches on. Currently you are still paying for the novelty much like the early adopters of flat screen TV’s.

Pay attention to these bulbs when you buy them as they must be set up for “dimmable” circuits if you intend to use them in a legacy lighting system that had incandescent lighting in it.

It is up to you, do the math!

-Best

Dash Cam

Not terribly long ago I was headed to lunch. Pulling into the parking lot I was met by a lady screaming out of the parking lot in “hot pursuit!” She was flying out of the middle of the entrance to the parking lot!

The driver was a Dallas Cop who had setup her “speed trap” in the parking lot of a busy restaurant in Addison Texas. Evidently someone went a couple miles over the limit and she was going to stop them and protect us all from someone going 40 in a 35!

Tracy Jones, K. Beth Burnside, Mia Shagena, Sarah Ramsey, Melissa Person

Had I not stabbed on the brakes, we would have had a head on.

You see, when you leave a parking lot headed for a main road there is this “stop sign” either painted on the road or standing there or assumed. Even if they don’t have one, you should stop and look both ways before screaming out of the parking lot! The drivers license manual even tells you to stop, use your turn signal and then proceed when clear. No where does it say if “you are a cop it is OK to go blasting out of a parking lot without looking, stopping, using a turn signal etc! Stop hiding in parking lots! Had she not been blasting out of the parking lot she would have most likely been to the right of the entrance and we could have avoided one another. She was in HOT PURSUIT!

The wreck was narrowly avoided but, had we collided who would have been at fault? Let me re-phrase that, who would have been blamed?! Do I trust the police??? I would rather not have to. We have seen too many times where if there is a possible way to cover your ass, these guys are good at it!

She would have hit me left front. I was traveling between 5 and 10 mph, no telling what she was doing, as she was flying!

Without dash cam footage, we would have to depend upon forensics and “he said she said” and she is a cop. Had there been a wreck we would have had to call the “cops.” Do you think for a minute that they would have sided with me? Even with the overwhelming preponderance of forensic evidence that would have been there, I can hardly think that it would have ended well for me. Maybe I am jaded but I have been around a long time, you don’t screw with cops! They are innocent until proven guilty, and you are guilty until proven innocent; which with cops, your evidence may never see the light of day. Just saying….

Would she have said, “Oh, I screwed up” and accepted the blame, or would she have somehow blamed me.

She has more to lose than I do. Her job could be in jeopardy where, I would have simply had a wreck on my record.

Dash Cameras take the mist out of mystery.

Dash cameras in theory are supposed to record in 3 minute increments, a loop of events.

When the car is running the camera is running and not only does it get video but, it also serves as a “cockpit recorder.” That is right, your voice or radio are recorded for posterity. If there is no event within that three minute window, that section of “tape” goes into the queue to be recorded over.

If there is an event, there is a “g” sensor in the camera that acts as a mechanism to flag that section of tape(1) as nonvolatile or protected thus, ignored in the subsequent record process. You can also activate that process by pushing a button telling the machine to save the last 3 minutes of tape.

Problems

The button to control that function needs to be easily pushed as we don’t want to cause an accident by saving the tape sequence that is important. “Someone does something incredibly stupid and you want to upload it to YouTube!”
Two cameras that I have tested thus far put out copious amounts of RF that “swamp” the GPS as well as the Satellite radio.
The camera plugs into the cigarette lighter socket or 12v power source and starts shortly after voltage is applied. Problem, those outlets are “hot: when the key is off so there needs to be another form of activation. Not all cars are like this but mine is.

If I were designing the perfect dash camera, I would tie it to GPS and have it actually encode the coordinates into the data stream. Along with the coordinates, I would encode speed. I would make the camera function dependent upon movement either of the vehicle and I would look for movement within the cabin. If someone gets into the car, the camera starts recording.

I would include a rear facing camera as not all accidents happen from the front of the car.

I would tie the camera into the Automobiles security system so if the shock sensor or other sensor is activated, it starts recording.

If it were a commercial vehicle I would tie it onto the on board computer to let me know if the lights were on, were the brakes hit, was the turn signal activated, What was the RPM of the engine, was it going up or down, what was the speed of the vehicle?

I would also offer a version of the camera that incorporated cellular technology that actually sent a data stream up to the cloud for later retrieval. I would do this on all commercial vehicles so at any point in time the person responsible for them could go to a web site and see were their vehicle is, what it is doing and possible retrieve other information like the status of the vehicle.

The creator of such a camera could offer “cloud storage” as part of a complete package, thus not simply selling a device, but a service with a constant revenue stream that goes into perpetuity.

The RFI issues need to be resolved as we have come to rely on GPS as an everyday thing, much like road signs.

Shielding the camera to contain the RFI needs to be looked at, in the factory.

What is generating RFI in the GHZ range? Is it the on-board processor? Can it be shielded?

This is not rocket science, it is simply best practice engineering.

-Best

(1) Tape is simply used here as vernacular that the public would easily understand. There is in fact no more tape, as everything is recorded digitally. The storage in most cameras are some form of memory card.

Cecil

There are several issues with this story that trouble me.

Bow and Arrow hunting is cruel, painful and unnecessary.
Criminals used illegal methods to lure this lion from its “sanctuary” for money.
Once killed by a rifle after it had been shot and tortured by being lanced with an arrow they discovered that it had a GPS collar on it which meant, they screwed up. At this point the Dentist knew he screwed up and is negligent. They tried to remove and destroy the collar further implicating this guy. This guy has a previous history of bad behavior.
The male cubs will now be destroyed by the next male lion which moves into the area and takes over the pride.
The meat “supposedly” was not utilized in any fashion thus the animal is nothing more than a trophy for this rich guy’s wall!
Tens of thousands of babies were killed last year and Cecil gets more attention with the liberal media and social media!

I love animals and I am saddened by this story but guess what, I love people one hell of a lot more than animals. If abortions don’t bother you and this does you really need to look in the mirror and assess your moral compass.

-Best

Who are You?

Who are You?

I updated my smart phone once again, and yet another $900 out of my wallet to keep up with the pimple faced urchins roaming the mall. You know the ones, the 4 foot nothing loud talking kind, with the powerful Swiss-knife of computer devices hanging out of their ass pocket, in shorts so tight that the phone can only go in part of the way.

When they are talking to their friends, there is the distinct smell of some god awful flavored gum; with what they think smells good perfume or body lotion, or what have you…anyway you get the picture.

My address book has managed to grow in parallel my with my disdain for managing said address book.

Today a friend “new friend” added her name to my list of contacts, as I promised I would send her some information on a particular subject that we had been discussing.

I allowed her to add it, as we were in an environment that was ill equipped for parsing data of a personal nature amongst other ears, which might find that information handy.

While we shook hands as she introduced herself, I discovered my penchant for remembering names is, well less than adequate for the task at hand.

Hours later I sat at my desk and found the information that I promised to transmit to her via these wonderful $900 dollar rolodex devices, when the issue of not managing my phone book for the last twenty five (25) years, came home to roost!

Who was she, what was her name?

Frantically I scanned my contacts trying to figure out who was not there earlier that day. There are well over a thousand contacts in that book, including some Democratic voters, you know the kind, they live six feet under the ground… “Yes Cemeterians!” I have many Cemeterians still in my phone book! Why, it is not like they are going to call me, or I them! If they do, the long distance charges will be incredible; talk about roaming charges!

The older you get, or putting it nicely, the longer that you trod the sod, your rolodex ends up with many who call the cemetery their home. Removing them from the rolls of your friend list, to me seems “final!” If I don’t remove them, than they are not forgotten.

While there may be some logic in that, the real dilemma came to light as the perfect juxtaposition of figuring out who was still alive and who was not; hit home.

Then there is this quandary of, who are all these other people?

I have to sit down and figure out how to create groups of personal, family, clients and vendors to start off with, and then categorize all of these folks and of course create a column for cemeterians..

Yes, I could simply delete them but that is just it, isn’t it, “delete.” How do you delete your parents, or close friends, or even relatives that you only spoke to once or twice a year?

Then there is this group of social media friends.

I have often thought that with all of this poking that goes on FaceBook, that someone should really be buying drinks, but that is another story.

FaceBook, and other forms of social media brings a whole new aspect to “friends” into the mix. Some of you reading this now, know of me, and how I think through these words. If you have followed me, chances are good that I have looked at your blog “if you have one,” and followed you so, we may actually know one another better than those who mention your name on FaceBook every now and then.

I solved the missing name by calling someone who was in the conversation and untangled the problem but, that sparked my desire to manage my contacts better. As an IT guy for 35 plus years who has sold and installed more CRM packages than I can count, one would think that I would have done something a little more OCD, prior to this!

Outlook is actually a pretty good CRM package if used correctly, and in that data base, I actually put all sorts of notes in there so if my memory needs a little assist; I have it there.

Speaking of smartphones, I just upgraded and now, today I learn that they are coming out with yet another new on in September! Are you kidding me!

These things start out at most probably $30 a unit to produce, and by the time you get to buy them they are $900 financed through your phone carrier at $40 a month for the life of the phone.

Now, if I had to make another guess, I would guess that the carrier actually buys them from Apple, or Samsung, or whoever, at a discounted price (or you are paying an inflated price) to make up for the “no finance charges.” There is no way in hell that these things are worth $900 plus tax! Oh, and if you trade your two year old phone in, you know, the one that was $900 18 months ago; it is now worth about $100 or less….

Since they no longer discount the phone, why the hell should I purchase a phone that is locked into that carrier!? If I am having to pay full freight, should I not be able to purchase a phone that can work on any other GSM network?

So, if you can live with older technology, buy last year’s model on eBay for a couple of hundred dollars and either go month to month, or find the cheapest carrier you can manage.

The problem I see with the older technology is, each and every update they do to the IOS, the phone slows down! What was perfectly acceptable when new is now slower than dirt, locks up or behaves erratically. Is this designed obsolescence?

Schick invented the disposable razor, which was one of the first, if not the first throw away razors and now we have, throw-away phones.

Unlike the phone or the razor, my friends as evidenced in this little diatribe, are not throw away, even the Cemeterians are near and dear to me.

-Best

The Trump Effect

You know that you are entering into a political season when Robin Hood, disguised as a politician forces business’s to pay wages that are reserved for those who actually “know how to work!”

Here is the thing, minimum wage jobs are for kids that are just entering into the work force, and don’t have any idea what a work ethic is. These kids are used to sleeping late during the summer months, staying up late with friends or the computer or what have you; and basically bitching about the inequality of life as they don’t have a car and or unlimited resources at their disposal, and complain incessantly with the ubiquitous infamous words of youth, ”it’s not fair!”

As highly skilled computer professionals, saw their jobs replaced by H1-B people, we wonder how this happens. The argument is, or was, that there are not enough professionals in this country, so we need to import them. Our scholastic acumen, or lack thereof was used as the catalyst for the conversation but, most American’s slept through that as well. That soccer is important… You know we don’t keep score right, we don’t want to damage their self-esteem.

If you watch Jesse Watters on Fox, he interviews these stoned college kids and makes me believe that we need to import talent.

That narrative was (which is false,) but those with big budgets to contribute through lobbyist to make their case to whatever law-maker that needed funding for re-election (all or any of them) do so with impunity and little regard for Americans! It is all about the bottom line, and nothing else.

(How do I produce and sell the most widgets in the least expensive way?)

Companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google and Boing to name a scant few, testified that they cannot get the talent that they need in America, so the limits to H1-B visas must be increased. With over 500,000 people at any given time from different countries taking high-tech American jobs, they continue to lobby for more. They pay them less, and they are not contractually obligated to them, as they might be with a US citizen.

The real problem is, that they cannot get the talent that they need with Americans for “really cheap prices!” As if the half million H1_b folks is not enough, they also recruit from people here in the US, on other types of Visas like student Visa’s. Some of these convert through the “green card” process thus they leave openings for more H1_b opportunities.

Donald Trump said something yesterday at the Mexican border that caught my attention.

“I have thousands of Mexicans working for me, and had tens of Thousands over the years, they love me!” He went on to say that he will bring the jobs back from Japan and China and “the Mexicans will get them!””

Now let that settle in for just a minute. … What about Americans DON!?

Immigration has, and will always be about cheap labor! These folks that supposedly have more skills than Americans is absolute BS! I have run into many skilled people who were replaced by someone from another country for half their salary and, they could not find a comparable job to replace it so they are either un-employed or under-employed.

The reason had nothing to do with their qualifications, it is because they had reached middle-age and by that time you are used to making reasonable good money. Companies don’t want to pay “reasonable good money,” so they hire from other countries.

Donald Trump is not a politician, he is a business man. Had he been a seasoned politician he would not have disclosed that fact simply to get the Hispanics to “warm up to him.” Anyone with a brain that might also happen to be un-employed or under-employed, will remember where his loyalties are when they vote.

Rick Perry called Trump a cancer to the Republican Party. Trump is a cancer to the entire political class but not really a cancer in my eyes. Trump is shining a light on, and exposing the flaws in all politicians in the “good ol boy club” that Americans are oblivious to.

You are too busy with the kids, the soccer, baseball, the news is depressing, and so you tune out! You are missing out, and if you take the time out of your busy schedule to vote, you will either be voting by pulling the all R or all D lever, or you will be influenced by what the last smear campaign that you saw, said about the other guy, you know the one that steps on baby chickens for fun, or throws grandma off the cliff! You are what Rush Limbaugh called the “low information voter!” Not an insult, you simply don’t care and you “reason” or come up with the excuse that you are too busy!

Did I get your attention?

Until Trump either drops out, or becomes politically savvy, you have an opportunity to peek behind the curtain and see the wizard at work! If allowed to continue un-fettered; Americans might get their first real look at how badly our government is truly infected with cancer, and how these folks are working for themselves and selling you out to the highest bidder. Trump is not the cancer, Trump is a diagnostic instrument much like a CAT scan, exposing the cancer.

If Trump is allowed to continue, our government may actually have to work for us, the American People again, and not to fatten their own wallets! Make no mistake, DC is the good ol boy club and those lobbyist payed by big business are working contrary to the American middle class folks who, are constantly a talking point; but never really helped as they prop up the entire country!

If you are the middle class of which I speak, take a bow! When you are doing so, make certain a politician is not behind you ready to…well you know…stick it in you!

The poor take from the middle class and somehow feel justified by taking from the “haves.” The rich are smart enough to avoid paying into the system, so they hide money off-shore and basically have people who are smarter than they are, manage their money, to pay the very least in taxes. The middle class are left to pay for everything and left just enough, “maybe” to survive and maybe afford a vacation to places to see where the rich and famous live. Folks, the rich and famous “not all but most” get there by exploiting you! Now pay attention and we might can change some of this, or go back to your sitcoms!

How much of what someone else worked for is your fair share?

Trump for instance made his money in real estate. Why in real estate? The thousands of pages of tax code (that code that screws the middle class) is geared towards more favorable tax status, if you invest in real estate.

The H1-B is about exploiting people from other countries, for cheap labor.
Immigration is about exploiting people from other countries, for cheap labor and votes!
Outsourcing is about exploiting people from other countries for, cheap labor; while giving the false appearance of being an American company loving Americans!

Some of these high-tech companies hire well-spoken Americans to interface between their company and their clients. Their job is to sell that company to the client and interface with, or be the liaison between them, and the folks that actually manage the projects back in India, or some other 3^rd world country. The client thinks that Americans are doing the job but in fact it is auctioned off to the lowest bidder.

Marco Rubio appears to have some idea of what is going on in this arena, and is for stopping all forms of immigration until we get a handle on it. If that is real and not just political rhetoric, he gets my attention.

The simple facts are that Americans are hurting, and it is big business doing it to us, through our own government, you know the ones created by us, which are supposed to be,… for us!!!

If any of these bozo politicians had ever gone to a job fair for “technical people” they would see thousands of applicants line up for two or three possible jobs of which those companies will have thousands of candidates to choose from. The applicant hired will most likely be some kid fresh from college. Not because this kid is the most qualified, simply because he is a kid, and they can start him out at $15 and hour vs the $50 to $125 and hour that the qualified person should command.

There is the rub, isn’t it… $15 and hour….

Our government is pushing for a minimum wage increase and in some states it is $15 an hour. You can tell that those politicians slept through economics, or they need a diversion!

If I double the salary of a burger flipper, what has to happen to the price of my goods?
How do I stay competitive with the other burger company who manage not to comply with that law, maybe it is family owned burger flipper company and he can treat his family different than normal employees?
Cut my expenses.
Cheaper meat, cheaper rent, turn the air up or off?
Less employees?
Do more of the work myself?
What corners can I cut without endangering the health of my customers?
Close the business and go to work for the competition?

Now let’s flip the coin, I have city workers making $15 an hour doing menial, but necessary task like garbage collector or ditch digger. How are they going to feel about their kid making the same amount of money that they are making and they have been there ten years!? Do you know that some firefighters make a whopping $22K a year!? In case your math is bad or you slept through school that is $10.57 an hour! Are you beginning to see the problem?

Government has no business injecting itself into this.
Governments’ primary business is to keep Americans Safe!
The Government should do all they can to make certain that Americans excel, period, end of sentence!
Immigration should be limited and severely scrutinized.

We could take our que from Mexico, try to immigrate there! You had best have lots of money and bring lots to the table or, good luck!

Australia, New Zealand … Better have a job lined up that only you can do! Why in the world do we have to let anybody and everybody in, and pay for them to boot!? Cheap labor and votes.

You thought slavery was dead…! You thought that you could not buy an election. Silly person!

I hope that Trump stays in this long enough to “infect” our political class. They need to be forced to deal with reality that Americans are damned tired of being screwed over by the political elites in their Ivory towers!

I watched a “trump” liaison on the news last night talking with Frank Luntz. I have to tell you the guy was so damned truculent, he pissed me off. And that was the exact point that Frank was trying to make and this guy…clueless, went right over his head. Go back and watch the interview. Trump needs to be likable or people won’t vote for him. Humility is a word that I expect Trump and his team are not familiar with. If you don’t have one, hire someone that will tell you the truth and not what you want to hear. I have fired more “yes-men” for simply being that. As a businessman, I need the truth, not smoke up my ass!

Trump is actually waking up the sleeping tiger, or the elephant in the room; and I for one appreciate that!

-Best

The Trump Enigma

I received an e-mail asking me why I keep referring to Trump as an enigma.

Enigma=a person of puzzling or contradictory character.

Trump who I have a great deal of respect for, is an Enigma. The definition fits!

Why? Why would someone with his wealth, waste his precious time on this earth to get into politics; much less run an entire country?

It has been said that the presidency of this nation is equal to the most powerful man on the planet. Is that it? Is it power? Is Trump a narcissist ?

Putin might argue this, as might other world leaders including the infamous Kim Jung Un; who I am certain thinks the he is the most powerful man in the world.

Why do you think that these rogue countries want Nukes?

I personally don’t get involved in pissing contest and maybe this argument bodes well for a female president, as there is obviously a lack of adults in the world leadership role!

If anyone, let me say this clearly, if anyone lobs a nuke anywhere; the stability of the world will be in jeopardy not only from a physical standpoint, but more importantly; and economic point of view. Macroeconomics dictates, that if you destabilize a world player; you will topple down the entire “house of cards.”

I am convinced that is why the uber rich, aka George Soros meddles in the politics of different countries, he has this god complex. Bloomberg also does, in his own way by doing silly ass things like, trying to make sugary drinks illegal.

Please boys, put them back in your pants, we have had enough of your juvenile behavior, and I for one am not impressed!

There is no winner with nukes, and truthfully there should be zero of them. Like Guns, it would have been much better if the Ottoman Empire had never invented them.

Star Trek was ahead of its time in that they took on world issues and used them as story lines.

There was an episode (Taste of Armageddon) where different worlds were fighting a war electronically. If a city was hit, their people willingly walked into a disintegration chamber where they neatly and methodically were terminated. Of course Capt. Kirk’s ship was hit and his people were expected to report for disintegration.

The Answer was to obviously bring reality back to these people who had made a “neat” business out of war.

A war without the mess.

Well war is messy, people die. Buildings are destroyed. Why?

Do you know that the human existence as far as time is concerned can be measured as during a war, post war or pre-war? We folks, are a pitiful lot. We behave like animals and Baltimore is only the most recent example. Chattanooga breaks my heart and there is no reason for it.

I am convinced that if an alien civilization was looking us over for “first contact” they would steer clear and leave some sort of beacon around this solar system warning others to stay the hell away from these animals. Bradbury was ahead of his time.

Whoever gets into office can only do so much. I place the blame for the racial unrest in this country square on the shoulders of our current president. Dividing the country on racial lines as well as economic and sex for god’s sake served his purpose to get his agenda passed. Congratulations…Hope you are really happy with what you have done!

I am so proud... — There are a lot of first with this president.. Waving with one finger for the world to see is most probably the a first for any “president.”

We cannot afford to have any more progressive people in power, and those are on both sides of the isle. They must be voted out and replaced with john q public. This was supposed to be a citizen government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not! It is made up of privileged (mostly lawyers) who have no regard, or little regard for the constitution.

What is in it for me? That is the first thing that they ask and what they seek. Pitiful!

Which brings me around to the Enigma… Why?

Why would someone who has it all, spend so much of their time and resources to become the leader of this messed up country?

People died for this country and they are spat upon. Hollywood elites make tons of money dissing these fine people. Our country is upside down and we need someone to right things.

Bernie and Hillary are not it! Career politicians are not it! You, you maybe it. Your children may be it. Someone who gives a damn and maybe “mad as hell” maybe it!

Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina speaks during the Women's Conference of Florida luncheon held in Tampa, Thursday, March 19, 2015. Fiorina is founder of the Unlocking Potential Project a conservative based political action committee. (AP Photo/The Tampa Bay Times, Octavio Jones) TAMPA OUT; CITRUS COUNTY OUT; PORT CHARLOTTE OUT; BROOKSVILLE HERNANDO TODAY OUT — Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina speaks during the Women’s Conference of Florida luncheon held in Tampa, Thursday, March 19, 2015. Fiorina is founder of the Unlocking Potential Project a conservative based political action committee. (AP Photo/The Tampa Bay Times, Octavio Jones) TAMPA OUT; CITRUS COUNTY OUT; PORT CHARLOTTE OUT; BROOKSVILLE HERNANDO TODAY OUT

If I could put together a list of people that I would like to see run this country; someone like Trump may very well be on top. I like Scott Walker, not a lawyer. I would like to see someone like Gordon Ramsey in the mix on the staff as it were. I don’t know about Chris Christie. I like his outspoken manner but, I don’t know where he is politically. I think Carly Fiorina as a VP would be a good pick. More thought on this as the days progress.

Hope this answers the question.

-Best

Poll Numbers the #Trump enigma

Poll Numbers

Poll numbers of the presidential hopefuls are all over the map. The media has been wrong since the inception of the Trump enigma. They have been wrong because and not unlike most politicians they have not figured into the equation how pissed off most Americans are at this administration and politicians as a whole.

The Democrats have been whacked in two successive campaigns and Obama looks at that and I quote “I hear you, you want me to keep going.” Instead of the truth of the matter; No, we want you to stop and turn around, you are taking us over the cliff!

Nobody could be this stupid, so I can only guess that with his pen and the phone, by-passing the House the Senate and the “people” is his way of doing those things which are so far out of his purview to do, that even the far left would dis-approve if they were not chained to the liberal agenda.

Politics interest me, as I have said in the past, this is all about manipulating the voters.

Democrats are pretty good at it and here is why I say this.

California is bankrupt, has some of the highest taxes in the country, hugely in debt with absolutely no rainy day fund, tons of crime and run solely by liberals. Chicago has some of the highest crime rates in the country with some of the toughest gun laws and is run by democrats. Detroit is just about a ghost town because of one failed progressive set of leaders, one after another and yes, liberals.

The voters are the people who suffer as the progressive leaders still live the life of luxury, and blame the conservatives, even though cities where conservatives run the city are thriving. The voters who voted liberal philosophies, in their cities and watched them go down the tube. If they have the ability move out where do they go; to red states where conservatives are and then do what, try to change it by voting their same old stupid way of progressive thinking! Don’t you ever learn!? Is liberalism a mental disorder?!

I would point out that Hitler was elected.

We as a people can no longer be afforded the luxury to sleep through this process. While most of the people are charmed with social media, and all of the gadgets that we have, the progressive agenda is alive and well. Bernie Sanders is a Socialist, and is gaining in popularity over Hillary. Young folks today have no idea what Socialism is and equate it with “free stuff!” Hillary Clinton the other day proposed making it legal for 16 year olds to vote. Is she that damned desperate that she needs the pimple faced easily persuaded children to vote!? YES, she needs those votes as well as the illegals as well as the convicts in prison, and even the dead!

Socialism only works until you are out of free stuff, and then someone like Stalin appears and the masses starve to death while the Stalin’s of the world sit back and watch from the tops of their ivory towers, sipping Champaign; and thinking with fewer people there will be less demand.

Trump is literally sucking the air out of the room. The people are paying attention to him. He is flamboyant and is saying what folks want to hear.

Does he believe what he says?

One of the things that interest me about him is, that there is no benefit for him to run for president. It takes a toll on your health, he already has ivory towers to perch upon. He can have the best of the best and most probably does, so why run for a job that pays $174K a year?

All of the other candidates have that “want the ivory tower experience” as part of their motivation. All of the other candidates would owe their allegiance to whoever their contributors were. Trump needs nobody’s money.

I think that the only thing that could screw Donald Trump up now would be if some other flamboyant billionaire decided to run on the other ticket. Those guys however typically get others to do their dirty work, so I don’t see that happening.

We still have a long way to go, and Trump could get bored of the media attention so it is still anyone’s game.

If I were the other candidates I think I would leave sparring with the Don off the table.

Mr. Trump did not get where he is today by putting up with crap from anyone so, I don’t think you stand a chance playing on his field.

My advice to the other candidates is to not engage him in any way. He thrives off of stuff like that and you won’t win. State your case, why you think you are they best for the job and stay in your weight class. Your only hope of winning is if Donald gets bored, and figures out that there is no financial gain for him.

To Mr. Trump, I hope you are serious and that you can find humility in your demeanor, as this is job for a serious contender. A person like Reagan or even Washington. A person who really does not want the job; but loves the country and the people enough to sacrifice 4 plus years of their life to put us back on track.

It really is about character, not charisma, or color, or ethnic makeup.

-Best

Political Correctness, All lives matter and Trump

Political Correctness

Americans are being duped by a complicit media and a very progressive bunch of politicians that PC is the new accepted way to speak.

In other blogs, I have spoken about how politicians “manage” the voters, PC speak is yet one more way of manipulating you.

Progressives hate the 1st amendment which says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Political correctness abridges your freedom of speech and the technicality in that is, that congress is not enacting it, you are by allowing yourself to be shamed for thinking anything other than the progressive agenda.

So, to those out there that are afraid to say that “all lives matter,” shame on you!

“ALL LIVES MATTER!”

If you think about it, white folks are not “white” in the truest sense of the word, they are pink or as I like to say, as an artist; a mixture of titanium white, yellow ochre and a little alizarin crimson.. You will notice that those are all colors, or as my European friends type it “colours!” Beneath that very thin veneer of pigmentation, we are all red…

This is my main problem with the NAACP. How has this group been allowed to exists? To me, that is a very racist group and needs to be abolished as does any group that promotes one breed or race of human over another.

If I were to go out and create the NAAWF, Al Sharpton and every other race baiter out there would be calling for my head on a stick! Mob mentality would surely rule. Indeed, it would be every bit as racest as the NAACP

“White is a color!”

The next president of this great nation needs to recognize that white is a color too, and find ways to mend the fences between the people of this nation. Diversity is one of the things that make America a great nation, and looking at the evidence, this president has gone out of his way to tear this country apart; picking at race, much like picking at a scab, is an easy way to do it. A lot of white folks voted for Obama so he has no ground on which to stand, regarding his assertions.

I would call for the disbanding of the NAACP! I would also call for the disbanding of any remnant of the KKK. The Confederate Flag is much more than a symbol of race and to target it as the cause for the hate from one young person who is mentally ill, is a huge miss-direction of the problem, and I would guess some politician somewhere thought, directing the anger of the people to something that is inanimate would be much easier than allowing the growing divide between the races to be the “focal point” as this young person wanted!

We have more that unit us, than divide us but yet, we focus on that which is most destructive rather than those things that bond us a people. It is past time for change; and we the people need to lead by example.

The Trump Enigma

I have followed Donald Trump for years.

Why? Simple, anyone that is that successful is worth studying.

How did he get there, what did he do to get there, how does he continue to do it?

Unlike most of the Billionaires’, Trump is more transparent thus, I believe that most of his business dealings are more transparent than say those of the Koch Brothers, or Mr. Soros.

Trump is a shaker and a mover and not afraid to make decisions.

His recent flip remarks about John McCain were just that, flip remarks and if you listen, he was entertaining an audience. The audience loved him. His remarks were not PC but I seriously doubt that he meant any dis-respect to the veterans. As the matter of fact, he is fighting for them by all accounts.

Much like any comedian is not PC, Trump had them laughing; and I think took on the role of entertainer, as much as dealing with Frank Luntz. Trump is no stranger to the lime light, so this is very likely the case.

So why is the media, and most of the GOP; and even the White House weighing in on this?

I am including this on this particular blog because this goes to the heart of the topic at hand… PC…

Can you imagine if you had to carefully weigh each and every thought that came out of your mouth? Each and every utterance is subjected to some sort of litmus test, of how it will poll! How will the masses respond to it? What will the media do with it? What will your opponents do with it? How will they spin it to make you look undesirable?

Take no prisoners!

One of the things that attracted me to Chris Christie is his outspoken demeanor. As the matter of fact, that happens to be one of the reasons I like Joe Biden. Obama talks from carefully written speeches prepared for him by someone from the bowels of the white house and it is only when he goes off script, can you get a sense of who he is.

I believe that whoever is pulling his strings, could make Barney Fife look presidential, as long as he can read and emote….

Donald Trump however; has no “string pullers.” Donald has “no handlers.” Donald is the “real deal” who is far from perfect but, he is who he is, and is not some puppet propped up in front a teleprompter to sell you on the idea that feces is actually edible, and you can trust it if the government puts a stamp of approval on it!

The rest of the hopefuls get their funding from people who would normally bet on the horses, which horse will come in first. They are always in campaign mode to get more money, as becoming president is a high stakes game!

Donald owes nobody anything! If Donald says that if you vote for him that he will take care of the veterans, he has nobody but the voters to answer to! No political favors to repay!

In my humble opinion, that is why the media, and the other politicians are running scared! Donald is a loose cannon in their eyes. He cannot be controlled by those who support him financially, because he does not need their money!

We know that he is smart, and a hell of a business man. How will he deal with Putin? Will he take his shirt off and ride some horse in the middle of the forest with a rifle in one hand and some dead animal in the other to show the Russians that he too has “balls!”

I think it is time we elect someone with balls, and not necessarily anatomical balls; just someone who can stand up to the world leaders and, flip them off if need be. I am not suggesting a truculent attitude towards the other leaders in other countries, but i am suggesting that it is time for another Reagan. We really need another “tear down this wall” moment.

-Best