http://www.techinsider.io/syrian-refugees-should-be-weclome-in-the-us-according-to-phil-klay-2015-11?utm_content=buffer43954&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-ti
- PatInTheHat
Friday, November 20, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Take A Step Back; A Deep Breath; Think
Chivalry is dead, but kindness is infinite.
I made this claim quite a few posts ago, but the latter half of the sentence is what I'd like to focus on today, but with a bit of a twist: Kindness is infinite, but that doesn't mean "be stupid."
I've said on many occasions that some of the happier points in my life were when I was dumb. "Stupid and happy" is how I phrased it.
All of that said, let's not be kind and stupid. What am I talking about? Well, refugees, of course.
Look, I think it's super kind of us to lend a helping hand to Syrian refugees--I'm aware that it's also a part of our constitution to do so. I want to help them! That said, I think it's a legitimate national security threat--at this point in time--to simply let anyone into our country without, at the very least, being vetted first.
It's very important to be kind and loving, but we shouldn't be unintelligible at the exact same time.
To those that don't want to help refugees in this country because the refugees are likely Muslim, you're completely missing the point. There could be Daesh mercenaries disguised as Syrians. Shortly after the attack on Paris, a lot of people were blaming Syrian refugees. And for all the people saying that's completely untrue, they're not wrong. Of course the Syrian refugees didn't attack Paris, but what if certain Daesh disguised as refugees entered France? It would be very hard to prove that, since the perpetrators of the heinous attack have since been killed, but I would not say it's a far-fetched idea. These people operate stealthily. They have very recently made threats to attacking 5 different states within our nations boarders. Could these attacks happen whether we let refugees in or not? Absolutely. But why take the risk right now without at least vetting these refugees?
Let me reiterate in case it's not clear: I am fully aware that the refugees, actual ones, are not the problem. Right now, Daesh are flying so far under the radar that we have no idea who they are or where certain ones could be. If any of you have watched the show The Following with Kevin Bacon, the Daesh remind me of the same kind of clique. A leader brainwashes a ton of people, and those people carry out the deeds of the leader. Unfortunately, though, the Daesh have so many sporadically placed leaders that when the news tells me that the US and France helped kill a a Daesh leader I take it with a grain of salt, as opposed to how I felt we when we captured, say, Osama Bin Laden.
To conclude, I think it is important that we help Syrian refugees find refuge here, but I think it's equally important that we, as a nation, do our due diligence to ensure that we're not letting Daesh members waltz into our country with suicide packs strapped to their chests.
Let's be smart about this, people.
- PatInTheHat
Monday, November 16, 2015
Daesh Is Getting Crazy
For those who have died, we are sad. They, and their affected families, are in our thoughts during this time. Paris, Lebanon, etc.
What we need to make sure of is that our sadness does not turn into a blinding rage--though I know for many it already has. It's very easy to be so overcome with emotion that fighting fire with fire feels like it makes the most sense even if it does not. It's much harder, though more necessary, to fight fire with water. In this case, water is a sound mind; a loving heart. Killing 400 innocent people to kill one Daesh leader is counter-productive. That move was exactly what they wanted. The more we kill innocent people, the more we look like them. They use this information to brainwash even more people into believing that we are the real monsters. Sadly, if we continue to kill hundreds of innocent people, we sure would look like monsters, too, wouldn't we?
Sound minds can agree that Daesh need to wiped out. Eradicated. There is no place for them on this planet. There is no place for poisonous, empathy-less barbarians. Therefore, we need to make sure that our hearts do not turn engine-oil black. We need to make sure that the base of our foundation is still love and kindness--inherent human feelings.
What if we sent gifts to Muslims? What if, instead of making pretend that all Muslims are terrorists, we actually do good deeds towards them, so that there is no way Daesh will be able to brainwash them into thinking we need to die. We could create a GoFundMe for holiday gifts for Muslim countries. Does that sound impossible? Before answering that, ask yourself if constant war is any better. We're not dealing with a nation. We're not warring a country. We're warring terroristic vigilantes, if you will. They're scattered everywhere like suicidal spies ready to strap bombs to themselves at any moment. They do this because they hate on a level that is hard for any sane person to mentally conceive.
If we keep bombing them (and other innocent lives), then it's pretty safe to say we can expect more bombings/attacks from them around the globe.
So why not try something else? Why not come with a different strategy? Why not kill them with kindness?
Considering what's happened so far, isn't it worth a shot?
- PatInTheHat
Friday, November 13, 2015
Waging War
Just like most issues over the last couple years, we're still talking about the minimum wage. I feel compelled to write another post on this, because I sincerely believe it is one of our most pressing issues, and an issue, which if solved correctly, could, for all intents and purposes, turn this country around.
Bold claim? Let me explain why it's not so bold.
I've already mentioned in previous wage-themed posts how the educational system is abysmal, how CEOs are paid way too much, and how Corporate America needs to pay their con-flab taxes. I've even gone as far as mentioning economical statistics (cause, ya know, mathematics is kind of a big deal when it comes to making such a drastic decision as raising the minimum wage).
What I have not talked about is how the $15 minimum wage would logically work. So I will attempt to throw some logic at you in the event math and other actual problems in this country didn't yet work.
Something that not a lot of people seem to be talking about is accountability. For example: Why aren't CEOs being held accountable for lengthening the wage gap? This is a good starting-point question, but let's go a little further and start talking about the workers who would benefit from this increase.
For those of you out there who are on the fence or adamantly against the minimum wage increase, lend me your ears (eyes) for a moment. I have seen all of those adamantly against the wage increase say things like, "These workers should be held accountable! They need to work harder!" Sure, ok, fine. That's your opinion. I think you're wrong, since I've seen people with multiple jobs trying to scrape by and it sometimes still not being enough, but that's not the point. Let's dissect, if you will, the aforementioned quote.
"The workers should be held accountable." Let's stop there.
Here's where things get interesting.
Let's say that the federal minimum wage is increased to $15/hr. Without this increase, we currently have homeless people littering the streets. We have people living out of their cars. We have people struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table for their families. I won't speak for any of you, but my general reaction to someone who is this unfortunate is something along the lines of, "Wow, it's a shame that this country is letting this happen." I am consciously holding the country accountable for the millions of homeless people. (Especially homeless people that are Vets. That is, without a doubt, a systematic error. As Bernie Sanders has proclaimed time and time again, if we have the money to send these people to war, then we better have the money to take care of them when they get home. I digress...) I'm also holding the country accountable for allowing corporations to dictate how people should or should not live. For those of you unaware, we do not live in a democracy right now--something that Bernie Sanders is fighting so damn hard to win back--we currently live in an oligarchy. The reason for that is because the wealthy are so much wealthier than the poor that the poor hardly get a say in anything. If we continue to allow, as a country, corporations to have a low effective tax rate, CEOs to have higher and higher pay days, etc. then we are doomed.
If we decide that a $15/hr minimum wage is acceptable, then guess where all the accountability goes? It goes to the workers. That means it's exceedingly harder to feel bad for someone who is homeless. If you're someone who wants the workers to be accountable for their position--like actually accountable--then give them the tools to be held accountable. Yes, the skeptical part of me knows that there are people who gamble their lives away. Those people, dare I say, sorta deserve to be homeless if they get themselves in that position. Their lack of self control drove them into poverty.
Without realizing it, if the minimum wage is increased to $15/hr, we indirectly make every worker accountable. By providing them the necessary means to live, only they can screw it up.
Currently, the wage gap is so ridiculous that the wealthy are literally screwing up people's lives without really realizing it. I know some have realized this, and most just kinda shrugged their shoulders and said, "Tough shit. But hey, don't make me pay my employees more money, because that would make my life 'difficult.'" One Seattle CEO, however, did the exact opposite. Deducted his pay and, at minimum, pays all of his employees $70,000 per year. Which by the way, is a lot more than $15/hr. He actually cared about his employees happiness so much, that he researched that $70 to $75K wage is when people are the happiest in their lives. Talk about someone that makes sense. Hard work plus empathy equals success. Now, is this the perfect solution? No. It borders on communistic. If every company everywhere did the exact same thing, then it could cause more problems than solutions. That said, it's a great starting point. What the CEO did allows us to figure out how and why it works statistically/mathematically. His business is one of the first of its kind, so there's a lot to learn from it.*
To conclude, if you're against the raising of the minimum wage, but want workers to be held accountable for a life that is cornered between student debt and jobs without a living wage, then, I'm sorry, you just don't make any sense. If you want workers held accountable, give them a wage that holds them accountable.
A living one.
- PatInTheHat
* The company, if you're interested, is called Gravity Payments, and the CEO's name is Dan Price
Bold claim? Let me explain why it's not so bold.
I've already mentioned in previous wage-themed posts how the educational system is abysmal, how CEOs are paid way too much, and how Corporate America needs to pay their con-flab taxes. I've even gone as far as mentioning economical statistics (cause, ya know, mathematics is kind of a big deal when it comes to making such a drastic decision as raising the minimum wage).
What I have not talked about is how the $15 minimum wage would logically work. So I will attempt to throw some logic at you in the event math and other actual problems in this country didn't yet work.
Something that not a lot of people seem to be talking about is accountability. For example: Why aren't CEOs being held accountable for lengthening the wage gap? This is a good starting-point question, but let's go a little further and start talking about the workers who would benefit from this increase.
For those of you out there who are on the fence or adamantly against the minimum wage increase, lend me your ears (eyes) for a moment. I have seen all of those adamantly against the wage increase say things like, "These workers should be held accountable! They need to work harder!" Sure, ok, fine. That's your opinion. I think you're wrong, since I've seen people with multiple jobs trying to scrape by and it sometimes still not being enough, but that's not the point. Let's dissect, if you will, the aforementioned quote.
"The workers should be held accountable." Let's stop there.
Here's where things get interesting.
Let's say that the federal minimum wage is increased to $15/hr. Without this increase, we currently have homeless people littering the streets. We have people living out of their cars. We have people struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table for their families. I won't speak for any of you, but my general reaction to someone who is this unfortunate is something along the lines of, "Wow, it's a shame that this country is letting this happen." I am consciously holding the country accountable for the millions of homeless people. (Especially homeless people that are Vets. That is, without a doubt, a systematic error. As Bernie Sanders has proclaimed time and time again, if we have the money to send these people to war, then we better have the money to take care of them when they get home. I digress...) I'm also holding the country accountable for allowing corporations to dictate how people should or should not live. For those of you unaware, we do not live in a democracy right now--something that Bernie Sanders is fighting so damn hard to win back--we currently live in an oligarchy. The reason for that is because the wealthy are so much wealthier than the poor that the poor hardly get a say in anything. If we continue to allow, as a country, corporations to have a low effective tax rate, CEOs to have higher and higher pay days, etc. then we are doomed.
If we decide that a $15/hr minimum wage is acceptable, then guess where all the accountability goes? It goes to the workers. That means it's exceedingly harder to feel bad for someone who is homeless. If you're someone who wants the workers to be accountable for their position--like actually accountable--then give them the tools to be held accountable. Yes, the skeptical part of me knows that there are people who gamble their lives away. Those people, dare I say, sorta deserve to be homeless if they get themselves in that position. Their lack of self control drove them into poverty.
Without realizing it, if the minimum wage is increased to $15/hr, we indirectly make every worker accountable. By providing them the necessary means to live, only they can screw it up.
Currently, the wage gap is so ridiculous that the wealthy are literally screwing up people's lives without really realizing it. I know some have realized this, and most just kinda shrugged their shoulders and said, "Tough shit. But hey, don't make me pay my employees more money, because that would make my life 'difficult.'" One Seattle CEO, however, did the exact opposite. Deducted his pay and, at minimum, pays all of his employees $70,000 per year. Which by the way, is a lot more than $15/hr. He actually cared about his employees happiness so much, that he researched that $70 to $75K wage is when people are the happiest in their lives. Talk about someone that makes sense. Hard work plus empathy equals success. Now, is this the perfect solution? No. It borders on communistic. If every company everywhere did the exact same thing, then it could cause more problems than solutions. That said, it's a great starting point. What the CEO did allows us to figure out how and why it works statistically/mathematically. His business is one of the first of its kind, so there's a lot to learn from it.*
To conclude, if you're against the raising of the minimum wage, but want workers to be held accountable for a life that is cornered between student debt and jobs without a living wage, then, I'm sorry, you just don't make any sense. If you want workers held accountable, give them a wage that holds them accountable.
A living one.
- PatInTheHat
* The company, if you're interested, is called Gravity Payments, and the CEO's name is Dan Price
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Ho, ho, NO - Grumpy Pat Edition Pt. 2
Oh. Oh, good. It's the middle of November. It's a mere couple weeks until Thanksgiving, and take a guess what I'm hearing on the radio already?
That's right. You guessed it. Christmas. Music.
Any time this happens way earlier than it should--which, by the way, is every single damn year--the end of the song "Fix You" comes to mind. The "tears stream down your face" part. People in cars next to mine in the worst traffic outside of Honolulu peer through my window to see me hysterically crying. They're probably thinking, "Awh, poor guy. Must have been a bad break-up." Ha! Jokes on you, assholes! I'm crying because of Christmas music!
Now, you're probably thinking: But, Pat, can't you at least use your CD player? But. Pat, ever hear of MP3 jacks? Yeah, let me put a CD in a tape deck and see how that turns out. Yeah, let me plug straight into the cigarette lighter. I drive a '98 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle is so old it produces its own oil, so it certainly doesn't have any of those devices.
Something else tickled me pink this season, too.. This year a large part of America has a problem with is a cup made by a nationally known cafe--Starbucks. For those that don't have that problem, have a problem WITH THE PEOPLE who have a problem with the cup. It's like an endless cycle of Christmas cheer. The kind of Christmas cheer you see in Grumpy Old Men with Walter Mathau and Jack Lemon. It's a shame that neither of those men got so see the day when people cared about cups so strongly. But don't you worry your little heart! In their place arrives 6'2" sixty-nine year old Donald Trump. The grumpiest of all the men in the world. A mature presidential candidate would probably make a point to say that the criticism against.
Maturity. Is for. The birds.
Donald Trump, the perfect mix of a whiny Bichon Frise and chloroform, made sure to tell everyone to boycott Starbucks, because there wasn't enough pretty pictures on Starbucks cups. Christmas symbols: Snowflakes, trees, and the like, were ixnayed from Starbucks' holiday cups.
Those. Bastards.
If only snowflakes, trees, and other such things had anything to do with the Christian faith, these gripes might make any bit of sense. Unfortunately, most symbols of Christmas are either simply symbols of winter (the snowflakes) or pagan symbols (the tree).
Christmas is the time of year that reminds me that there is no other country in the world I would rather live in than this bass-ackwards one.
It also reminds me, at least for this year, to care less about gifts and more about my new years resolution:
Make sure Trump doesn't become president.
Yeah, that would be a great Christmas present for everyone next year, dontcha think?
- PatInTheHat
That's right. You guessed it. Christmas. Music.
Any time this happens way earlier than it should--which, by the way, is every single damn year--the end of the song "Fix You" comes to mind. The "tears stream down your face" part. People in cars next to mine in the worst traffic outside of Honolulu peer through my window to see me hysterically crying. They're probably thinking, "Awh, poor guy. Must have been a bad break-up." Ha! Jokes on you, assholes! I'm crying because of Christmas music!
Now, you're probably thinking: But, Pat, can't you at least use your CD player? But. Pat, ever hear of MP3 jacks? Yeah, let me put a CD in a tape deck and see how that turns out. Yeah, let me plug straight into the cigarette lighter. I drive a '98 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle is so old it produces its own oil, so it certainly doesn't have any of those devices.
Something else tickled me pink this season, too.. This year a large part of America has a problem with is a cup made by a nationally known cafe--Starbucks. For those that don't have that problem, have a problem WITH THE PEOPLE who have a problem with the cup. It's like an endless cycle of Christmas cheer. The kind of Christmas cheer you see in Grumpy Old Men with Walter Mathau and Jack Lemon. It's a shame that neither of those men got so see the day when people cared about cups so strongly. But don't you worry your little heart! In their place arrives 6'2" sixty-nine year old Donald Trump. The grumpiest of all the men in the world. A mature presidential candidate would probably make a point to say that the criticism against.
Maturity. Is for. The birds.
Donald Trump, the perfect mix of a whiny Bichon Frise and chloroform, made sure to tell everyone to boycott Starbucks, because there wasn't enough pretty pictures on Starbucks cups. Christmas symbols: Snowflakes, trees, and the like, were ixnayed from Starbucks' holiday cups.
Those. Bastards.
If only snowflakes, trees, and other such things had anything to do with the Christian faith, these gripes might make any bit of sense. Unfortunately, most symbols of Christmas are either simply symbols of winter (the snowflakes) or pagan symbols (the tree).
Christmas is the time of year that reminds me that there is no other country in the world I would rather live in than this bass-ackwards one.
It also reminds me, at least for this year, to care less about gifts and more about my new years resolution:
Make sure Trump doesn't become president.
Yeah, that would be a great Christmas present for everyone next year, dontcha think?
- PatInTheHat
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Legs of Stone
Do you exercise?
At the very least, do you participate in activities that promote cardiovascular health i.e. running, swimming, biking, etc?
It's OK if you don't, and I'm certainly not going to tell you to; however, I will highly recommend it! And don't worry, this post has nothing to do with trying to make you physically healthier.
For me, I started running when I was about 10/11 years old. It wasn't until after college that I really started running less. I got things back into gear when I trained for and competed in the Broad Street Run last May, and now I find myself training for the same race for this coming May.
Last night was my first real run in months, and, holy hell, did it feel amazing. No, not physically, but mentally.
If there was any reason I'd recommend running--or any other cardio activity for that matter--to anyone it would be because of the positive mental impact.
I always knew endorphins run rampant while running--making us feel happier in the moment--but more than that: If you have any pent up aggression, aggression that, off the top of your head you don't think you have, try going for a run.
Last night I started a two-mile run to get back into the swing of things, and out of nowhere I started feeling super pissed about something that happened earlier this year. I didn't even think I cared anymore until running brought it back out of me. It was probably one of the best, most useful two miles I've ever ran. Once the run was over, I cooled off, got some water, and felt amazing.
If you're generally a happy person (even if you're not, release those endorphins!) who doesn't exercise too much, but lately you've felt in a bit of a rut, try a cardio activity! Biking or running would probably work best since they'll help you release aggressive thoughts without having to fear drowning...lulz.
- PatInTheHat
At the very least, do you participate in activities that promote cardiovascular health i.e. running, swimming, biking, etc?
It's OK if you don't, and I'm certainly not going to tell you to; however, I will highly recommend it! And don't worry, this post has nothing to do with trying to make you physically healthier.
For me, I started running when I was about 10/11 years old. It wasn't until after college that I really started running less. I got things back into gear when I trained for and competed in the Broad Street Run last May, and now I find myself training for the same race for this coming May.
Last night was my first real run in months, and, holy hell, did it feel amazing. No, not physically, but mentally.
If there was any reason I'd recommend running--or any other cardio activity for that matter--to anyone it would be because of the positive mental impact.
I always knew endorphins run rampant while running--making us feel happier in the moment--but more than that: If you have any pent up aggression, aggression that, off the top of your head you don't think you have, try going for a run.
Last night I started a two-mile run to get back into the swing of things, and out of nowhere I started feeling super pissed about something that happened earlier this year. I didn't even think I cared anymore until running brought it back out of me. It was probably one of the best, most useful two miles I've ever ran. Once the run was over, I cooled off, got some water, and felt amazing.
If you're generally a happy person (even if you're not, release those endorphins!) who doesn't exercise too much, but lately you've felt in a bit of a rut, try a cardio activity! Biking or running would probably work best since they'll help you release aggressive thoughts without having to fear drowning...lulz.
- PatInTheHat
Monday, November 9, 2015
Red Solo Cup
No.
Please.
Please do not make me write about this--for the love of all that is good in this world.
Please do not make me write about the red Starbucks cups that are causing some sort of upheaval among certain, really stupid Christians.
I can't. I can't do this. Hell, I might not even be able to "even." I might start odding all over the place.
1, 3, 5, 7...shit, there it goes!
*Takes deep breath*
There are better things to talk about. Better, more important things to emote from. Better subjects to talk about other than people getting upset that they don't see snowflakes on a Starbucks cup and thinking that snowflakes are a symbol of Christmas.
THERE ARE BETTER THINGS TO TALK ABOUT!
Yup, I'm good. I'm fine. None of this is a problem. Stupid people will die out. Darwin hasn't failed us yet.
Alright.
OK.
Glad that's settled.
- PatInTheHat
Please.
Please do not make me write about this--for the love of all that is good in this world.
Please do not make me write about the red Starbucks cups that are causing some sort of upheaval among certain, really stupid Christians.
I can't. I can't do this. Hell, I might not even be able to "even." I might start odding all over the place.
1, 3, 5, 7...shit, there it goes!
*Takes deep breath*
There are better things to talk about. Better, more important things to emote from. Better subjects to talk about other than people getting upset that they don't see snowflakes on a Starbucks cup and thinking that snowflakes are a symbol of Christmas.
THERE ARE BETTER THINGS TO TALK ABOUT!
Yup, I'm good. I'm fine. None of this is a problem. Stupid people will die out. Darwin hasn't failed us yet.
Alright.
OK.
Glad that's settled.
- PatInTheHat
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