Not-a-Lemming : Lemmings

Mr. Obama, Don't Build That Wall!

FutbolGuru — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:44:00 GMT

This week we are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of one of the 20th Century's most shining moments - the Fall of the Berlin Wall. A barrier that represented far more than an edifice of concrete and steel. The Berlin Wall represented a rift across Europe and a major ideological divide between East and West. And as long as that wall remained, so loomed the specter of war. And when it fell, though it signaled the beginning of much work, it also spelled a major victory for the democracies of the West.

The Berlin Wall separated not just familes in a city but an entire nation. And as I mentioned in the preceeding paragraph, it also represented, in a much broader sense, an ideological gulf. A gulf in how cultures had decided to treat the human condition. The Soviets on the east side of that wall were led by the Russians and the philosophy of Marx which claimed it could elevate the common man to his rightful place in society while punishing the greed of the wealthy. In this philosophy the State was represented by the Communist Party which viewed human rights as secondary to the needs and aspirations of the State. In the Soviet Union humans were granted rights at the whim of the State.

Opposing this philosophy, The West, spearheaded by the United States, was armed with a much different view of human rights that was backed up by a unique Constitution. In America's Constitution it is the State that derives its power from the People and there is no sanctioned Party. The west, for the first time in history, viewed human rights as the center of our world view, codified in the precepts of freedom and liberty, and indeed superceding the wishes of the State. The State, in fact, was granted power from the people. These two governments had evolved along much different paths and by 1989 had arrived at vastly different places.

The Soviets, in their attempt to place the entire service and manufacturing sectors under the authority of their government in the hopes of being 'fair', had reached an unsustainable level of corruption and inefficiency. While their government promised retirement and health care to every citizen, both were services in name only. The fastest way to die in the Soviet Union was to check yourself into a state hospital - the only legitimate hospitals in the country. And pensioners had become paupers, living out their 'golden' years in crumbling tenements, entirely reliant on increasingly slim government subsidies. The only people with access to useful services were Communist Party members who used technically illegal private hospitals and doctors. And with their hands in the government coffer Party officials skimmed enough funds to fuel private Swiss accounts that ensured their golden years would indeed be golden.

In contrast, across the sea In America, hard work was being rewarded with stability and security. Wise investment resulted, over time, in net return. Those with the energy and tenacity to pursue the American dream nearly always found it. Sure, there was no free lunch, but Americans knew that a free lunch wasn't worth eating. There was, and remains, a poor class with little desire to work. And as a reward for their laziness they received little. Those putting in the time and energy were not punished for their achievements but rose to the middle and upper classes. Perks for fortitude were comfortable retirement, quality health care, and security. It was understood by many and for the most part, backed up by laws, that if you didn't work, you were going to pay the price. The result was a vibrant growing nation whose philosophy spread to the far corners of the globe and elevated those nations it touched with booming economies and strong middle classes.

And those behind the wall could only look across and dream. Little did they know that their dreams would soon become reality, and with the fall of the Wall in 1989 their own economies exploded. Nations like Poland, Germany (East), Hungary, The Czech Republic, and others have experienced unprecedented growth and affluence in the last 20 years. Sure, their people don't have the promise of free retirement and health care, but at least they now have the opportunity to pursue these goals since the promise was never anything more than a cruel lie. The fall of that Wall, more than any other event in history, proves the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and their vision of limited government.

So why, 20 years later, is the United States, brick by brick, rebuilding that Wall? The ideologies of the East proved the greatest social failure of all time. Never had so many people been so oppressed and deprived for so long, relative to their neighbors, throughout all of recorded history! And the very country that paved the way for the destruction of that heinous barrier is now adopting the ideologies that smothered those trapped behind it. If anything proves that health care, retirement, manufacturing, banking, and economic planning have no business in government, the Berlin Wall is it. Yet the United States, after spending trillions of dollars to first halt the expansion of that Wall, and then ultimately see its destruction, is step by irrevocable step, taking over health care, retirement, manufacturing, banking, and economic planning! We are building that Wall. And the two major political parties, neither of which is endorsed in our Constitution, are making it happen. The Democrats (aided by their willing accomplices in the media) through direct action and the Republicans (aided by their willing accomplices in the upper class) through direct inaction. And once that Wall is in place, as the one in Berlin showed us, it is incredibly difficult to dismantle and often comes at great pain and only after generations of oppression.

Will we as Americans be the next generation of oppressors? Will we make the Soviet mistake even while those crushed by that terror, and those who corrected it are still alive? Many of whom are still in power? Will we doom ten generations of Americans to misery and corruption? Or is the mass suicide of the lemmings unavoidable? Lemmings, lacking a written word, a spoken language, and a culture, can be forgiven for their gullibility. Even if a lemming manages to survive being herded over a cliff by an overeager film maker, it can't warn its kin of the danger the next time around. But humans. Humans have no excuse. And should we decide to codify this path in law, not even our children - much less history - will remember us kindly. "You had a golden age and you threw it away." That's not me. Is it you?

Futbol Guru - www.not-a-lemming.com

"Any man who will trade liberty for security deserves neither." - Benjamin Franklin

It's Because I'm Black!

FutbolGuru — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:53:00 GMT

My wife is a school teacher. She teaches physics and chemisty to kids a lot bigger than she. The school she works in is a bit different than a normal school. It is called a "Technology High School" and is open to any student in the city - if they can get in. As you might expect, the demographic is very rich with over 50% of enrollment being minority status, which makes them the majority at the school, incidentally.

My wife is white and the most fair and even-handed person I've ever known. Kids who give other teachers a fit are never a problem for my 105 pound ball of spunk. Why? Because she treats everyone with respect. She treats everyone the same. I recall a few years ago when the valedictorian at her school, a wonderful, brilliant, young lady with lovely dark skin exalted my wife, in part, as a role model. She went on to state her qualities and thanked her for setting such an example and helping this young lady attain her dream. It brought my wife to tears.

My wife is no racist. But without fail, there will be those in her classes who accuse her of racism. And who are these? While my wife is no racist and treats all with respect, she retains control of her classes. You step out of line in her class and you are going down. White kids act up, hispanic kids act up, and black kids act up. Sometimes they argue with her as to their guilt and sometimes they hang their heads sheepishly and go to the office. But the black kids, and certainly not all of them, are the only ones who ever accuse her of being a racist. And they'll do it to her face. Even when they were obviously acting up, or get caught cheating, or are using their cell phones. All too often they will mutter, or exclaim, "It's just because I'm black!"

Why did Joe Wilson shout out, "You lie!" Well, maybe it was the same reason my wife sends kids to the office. Because they were talking in class! Because Obama was lying. And that he is lying is demonstrable. (See Ma Bell, Milk and the Medical Industry, and The Single-Payer / Public Option Lie.) I can't tell you how many times a kid caught cheating will deny it and then loudly cry racism. Now Mr. Obama hasn't said racism, but his attack-dogs have surely been yelling it at the top of their lungs. Maybe some of them even believe it. But do you want to know the real reason they are shouting racism? Because whitey trained them to do it. When they use the "R" word, whitey backs down. And why does whitey back down? Because the vast majority of whites are NOT racist, and the accusation stings them and impunes their honor. They don't want people thinking they are racists. And of course, they don't want to get sued either.

Picture this. You're a furry little creature, with hundreds of other little furry creatures going about your furry life, when all of a sudden you are snatched from your world and stuffed into a box. Sort of like the Nazi's did with Jews. Suddenly you're thrust into the sunlight in an unfamiliar place. To one side are big, creatures waving arms and shouting. You and your terrified compatriots turn only to run into more of the strange creatures. Every direction you turn, you meet with the terror. Except one. You run that direction with all your speed. You and your companions, furry little bodies surging forward, panting. An outlet! Then, all of a sudden, you're in free space, falling into the ocean. You never noticed the cameras rolling and certainly had no conception of the narrator calmly stating, "Why they do this is just one of life's mysteries..." (If you don't know what I'm talking about, please click --> here.)

Racism. Another lie. A word for people to get their way. A word to herd the lemmings. A word to eliminate the competition and sieze power. A word used to stay out of trouble. "You lie!" isn't racist any more than "Piss Christ" is free speech. Racism is Tutsi's murdering Hutu's. Racism is Darfur. Racism is Serbs, Croats, and mass graves. We don't have racism in this country any more, just a bunch of pussies, black and white. So don't buy it. Don't be a lemming. Or sooner or later you're going to find yourself falling through free space with the ocean rushing at you. And when it happens, just remember, someone off to the side is calmly saying, "Why they do this is just one of life's mysteries..." I hope you know how to swim.

Futbol Guru, http://mises.org/community/blogs/not-a-lemming

Protection At Any Cost

FutbolGuru — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:04:00 GMT

We forget things. We forget because we are people, and people are lemmings. For a moment, recall the basis for my analysis – the myth of the lemming. Lemmings DO NOT rush into the sea and commit mass suicide. Lemmings can, however, be frightened, especially by those who seek to benefit from their panicky mob behavior, whether they be unscrupulous film makers or former chairmen of major financial institutions. That is the lemming, those who fall prey to the machinations of others and join the crowd in running whatever direction without first checking where that direction leads. Lemmings, little, furry morons.

One of the things I seek to do on Not-A-Lemming is state the obvious. I do it because nobody else seems to want to. I do it because it is so often the obvious that is overlooked. Sort of like asking the furry, little hoard, "Why is everybody running this way when there's a cliff over there?" And that is the case today.

Seven hundred and fifty billion dollars. Also written $750,000,000,000. At my engineer’s salary I’d have to work for eight million years to make that much money. Actually 8.3 million years. (Or 8.3 million engineers could work for a year.) I’m going to keep harping on the $750,000,000,000 and writing it as $750,000,000,000, and not $750billion, or even 750 Gigabucks, because we should never forget that fourteen percent of our GNP was handed over to banks by a republican president backed by a democrat congress. Both parties are equally culpable in selling the middle class.

So why did they do it? No oversight. No accountability. That is enough money to give every person in New York City, all 8.7 million of them, my yearly salary, earned with 17 years of experience and a Masters Degree in stuff that’s just frankly, damn hard. Why? As always, history holds the answer.

I work hard for the living I bring home – which doesn’t go far on a family of five. Eighty hours a week, forty-nine weeks a year. I get three weeks of vacation but no sick leave. My 401K is a joke; it stank before the stock market tanked. I’ve got a few thousand dollars in the bank. And I do mean, a few. Realistically I’m looking at a second mortgage to get my kids through college and retirement isn’t really an option. I don’t really like my job. I tried for a Ph.D., didn’t have the cash to finish it, and wound up doing this. In a nutshell, my version of the American dream is kind of disappointing. If it weren’t for my utterly fantastic wife and exemplary kids it would completely suck. After my nine-hour day I write just about every evening working on novels I hope to someday publish, but it’s a long shot and I know it. I can’t even get anyone in New York to reply to my query letters. But my story isn’t unique. I’m a law-abiding, tax-paying, hard-working American. The backbone of our nation. I am Atlas. Something to be proud of. I’m not complaining. I’m connecting. With you. Because your American dream is pretty sweaty, too.

Now imagine a different life. Basically enough money to not worry about money. What you would do with it is your business. A lot of people buy cars, boats, fancy homes, etc. And it can be a trap. I’ve seen more than a few sucked in and ground up. Success can definitely be a trap. But it doesn’t have to be. Just imagine that life where you don’t wake up in the middle of the night worrying about how you’re going to put your kids through college. Or how you’re going to fix the roof you know is leaking in that downpour. A life where you’re not anxious about retiring someday, before you’re too old to use it. A life where you can live in the way of your choosing whether it be working a job you love, doing art, contributing to society. Or just sitting around wasting time at a beach on Manihi. (Look it up on Google Earth.) To each his own.

This isn’t reality for most of us. But it is for some. People who can, do. And history has shown that those who live this privileged life immediately begin to feel it is their right, and will do anything to protect it. Anything. Lie, kill, steal, even commit genocide if necessary. No affluent culture has escaped this doom; an entitlement class, just as dependent as the welfare poor, who will go to any length to not worry, to not work, to live their life of ease. Am I stating the obvious? That’s what I do. That’s all I do. Those of means will do anything to protect their privileged life. Never forget that.

$750,000,000,000. Why? How did our leadership come to the conclusion that it should be simply handed over without any strings attached? Maybe we should look at who these leaders are. Senators and representatives have a pretty sweet deal. Reps make $145,000 a year, senators make $165,200 a year. With expenses. And a staff. And an office. And influence for life. That adds up to far more than $145,000 a year. And they don’t really have to work. They don’t even have to show up. And many of them started out wealthy. And they get elected with money. Money elects people. Not votes, not speeches, not even good looks or great legs. Just ask Mr. Obama who raised more than ever before. As the global financial system teetered on the brink – or so the lemmings thought – they sensed that their gravy train was in jeopardy. The wealthy are heavily invested. They lose enough money and they might not be able to take a European vacation next year, much less contribute to the party of their choice. The answer, take 14% of the US Gross National Product and use it to shore up their financial base. Works every time.

And don’t forget, one reason the stock market has tanked is because investors, aka, those with money, are pulling it out. The middle class has shrugged and left it in. They have no choice. They know their only chance is for the market to go back up. And it will. But the wealthy, who can pull their money, have, and it’s driving the market down, down, down. And then they went to congress with their hands out. And congress made sure they didn’t go away empty handed. Congress was in essence, giving the money to themselves.

So I guess understanding why congress would just hand over 8.3 million years of my salary is pretty simple. They were protecting their privileged life. And they didn’t even have to kill anyone to do it. I guess we should thank them.

NEXT: I'm Not One Of Those

-Futbol Guru, http://mises.org/Community/blogs/not-a-lemming

Anatomy of a Lemming

FutbolGuru — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:45:00 GMT

Lemmus trimucronatus is a medium-sized rodent, a little bigger than a rat, that lives in cool climates. They are sort of like tundral-ground hogs. Back in the late fifties the Disney nature documentary "White Wilderness" showed a herd of lemmings rushing headlong over a cliff and falling to their deaths in the icy water. “Why do they do this?” we all asked. But as the film said, “It is not given to man to understand all of nature’s mysteries.” Regardless, the vision was so powerful it instantly became part of our culture and was applied to all manner of self-destructive group behavior. Except of course for the fact that the entire sequence was faked. (Which in retrospect should have been obvious.) The lemmings were actually imported into the area and then induced by the film maker into panicking and rushing over a cliff. See it for yourself à here. I guess Disney wasn't as eco-friendly then as it is now.

As our President said a few days ago, if we don’t act quickly and give him $750,000,000,000 ( 750 Gigabucks, .75 Teradollars, etc.) our financial system will collapse. You know, when he says that I can just see him standing before the nation telling us all that if we don’t act immediately, Saddam will have nuclear weapons in just a few months. And he’ll use ‘em, partner. Turns out he didn't, couldn't, and probably wouldn't. Which in retrospect should have been obvious. To some of us it was.

Lemmings. Just who are the lemmus trimucronatus here? And who’s the film maker?

In fact, lemmings do not naturally commit mass suicide. They do however have an easily exploitable flight response, or perhaps herd instinct is a better choice of words. Sort of like another species. Disney has exploited this many times as have others. So if you see a large mass of lemmings people all headed in the same direction my advice would be to stay away.

Futbol Guru, http://mises.org/Community/blogs/not-a-lemming