No Warranty Expressed or Implied

I'm suffering through a spate of phone calls from some con artists who say they're from Apple computer. Apparently my iCloud account has been compromised. I'm pretty sure it hasn't because I don't have an iCloud account because I don't own any Apple equipment (Hurrah for Linux!), Apple wouldn't contact me this way anyhow, and this is a documented, known scam . So I've already done all of the usual things. I registered my phone on the National Do Not Call Registry  years ago. I filled out a complaint with the FTC . I blocked the first number but they change it every time so the calls keep coming at 5-10 minute intervals. Fortunately I'm retired and have time on my hands. So now it's a game. Excellent . Caveat Note that I'm talking about scam calls here. There are a lot of exceptions in the Do Not Call law : political organizations, non-profit organizations, telephone surveyors, informational calls, debt collectors, and companies that have an e...

I always thought of the American Dream as the freedom to have a decent life. To work and be rewarded, to be free from persecution. I suppose that in my mind it was the small town America of Ray Bradbury and Norman Rockwell . Admittedly that's a bit vague. James Truslow Adams is often quoted in this context from  The Epic of America  (1931): The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. ... It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. This seems reasonable and not too far from what I believe (and better said). Yet in the 21st Century we seem to be following a different dream. Now we seem to ...

The Problem Corporate growth and executive compensation in the U.S. are currently out of control. Terminology Mega-Mart Not a specific business, a placeholder for a lot of large corporations (e.g. Walmart). comes to town Not specific to geography, includes large corporations on the Web (e.g. Amazon).  Everyone hates Mega-Mart In the latter half of the twentieth century the corporate landscape has become dominated by large corporations at the cost of smaller companies. Before Mega-Mart comes to town people run their own businesses and sell to each other. Prices are higher because the owners of the small businesses are not as efficient as Mega-Mart, but the small business owners have money to raise their families and they are part of their community. After Mega-Mart comes to town the inefficient small businesses can no longer compete . The small business owners end up working as employees instead of owners. They may do essentially the same job, but usually for less money and no equit...

Sharing Service Every citizen of voting age would be required to spend one day per week engaged in service to the community. Service tasks could be almost anything, though the basic concept would be to make people's lives better in some fashion. Some examples might be: Transportation for senior citizens Maintenance of public parks and other facilities Various types of support for the destitute and homeless Job training and re-training Tutoring children and adults Management of the program Exemptions The basic intent would be for everyone to participate. One of the goals of the program would be to assist those in need. This would include the sick, the homeless, and the financially disadvantaged. Requiring these people to participate would be unfair and somewhat defeat the purpose of the program. Obviously there are a lot of people who are already giving back to their community in various ways. These people should be able to register the time they're already spending. To this end...

In theory, anyone can run for congress and be elected. In practice, a successful campaign requires a number of things, but mostly lots and lots of money. This prevents most people from seeking public office. The good thing about the current situation is that most politicians start small and gradually move up the political food chain. This results in some amount of experience and qualification for office. Or a really big pile of money, though that isn't always sufficient in and of itself. The bad thing is that ordinary people hardly ever get into office. Ordinary people encompasses a lot: your doctor, your mechanic, your neighbor, your in-laws, and even you the reader. While we often refer to our country as a democracy, it is really a republic (we elect representatives who then decide things for us). If our representatives don't truly represent us then the system can not properly address the needs of the people. So how would you or your neighbor or the person running the checko...