Our founding document
July 2, 2009
Over this fourth of July weekend it is important to remember how a simple declaration started a revolution and allowed us to create our great republic. If you haven’t read the Declaration of Independence in a while, take a minute and read the words one more time.
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Iranian Freedom Rally Details
June 19, 2009
Our friend Vahid Bahzadi is organizing a Democracy Rally in support of the Iranian people. The event will be next Tuesday between 1-3PM at Dallas City Hall. If you want to volunteer to help just ping Vahid at Vahid.Behzadi@CyberCoders.com or Shawn Amoei at rxa2929@gmail.com.
We are planning to attend. If you can join us, wear a green t-shirt in solidarity with the Iranian people. If you can’t attend think about wearing a green shirt anyway. Millions of Iranians have risked their lives over the past week attending rallies in support of democracy - while our lives aren’t at risk it is our obligation as a free people to support people who are not free. As Thomas Paine said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
Venture Capital to be Regulated?
June 17, 2009
Earlier today, Obama’s team rolled out an 85-page document that lays out his plan to regulate the private equity and venture capital businesses. The plan creates three new agencies to oversee hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital firms. Of course this drives me nuts. The reasons for our current situation are largely related to HEAVILY regulated businesses including insurance companies, banks, investment banks and mortgage companies. The systemic problems we are facing are NOT a result of venture capital firms. VCs have no leverage, don’t trade public securities or hold deposits for ordinary Americans. The Venture Capital business is one of the reasons our economy is so successful.
Why don’t we focus on what is broken instead? Why not reform the way investment banks can use leverage. Why not limit the percentage of the market a single insurance company can have? Our government’s existing regulators failed to recognize systemic risks that seem patently obvious today. Why hire a bunch more to regulate an industry with very little potential systemic impact? Is this Obama’s jobs program? Newly minted Ivy League grads who can’t find work on Wall Street will now be able to head to Washington to oversee the demise of American’s innovation engine - Venture Capital.
I don’t care if you are a Republican or Democrat - hopefully you are an entrepreneur (or love one) - if so call your Senator and Congressman and ask him NOT to pass Obama’s plan.
Memorial Day
May 22, 2009
Most Americans will be taking Monday off to celebrate Memorial Day. The official function of Memorial Day is to honor the men and women of the United States who have died while serving our nation’s military service. It is an American holiday, with obscure origins even though it is less than 150 years old, and claimed by many as their own patriotic invention. Officially proclaimed in 1868, Memorial Day became widespread by 1902, and was named a federal holiday in 1971. This Memorial Day you might consider decorating a grave and taking a moment of silence to reflect on the sacrifices made by our fellow Americans.
Entrepreneurs from the start . . .
April 15, 2009
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Join us.
How NOT to build an advisory board. . .
February 23, 2009
Thinking about building an advisory board for your startup? I think there are a couple of important lessons on ‘what NOT to do‘ to be learned from Obama’s Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry.
Rule No. 1: Ensure that your advisory board has experience in the area where you need advice. Obama named 18 members to his Auto Task Force - the sole purpose of the group is to save the domestic auto industry. The problems with the team?
- Not a single member of the advisory board has ever been in the auto business. Even the transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, has no automobile, transportation or business experience (he was a school teacher before entering politics). The closest any member of advisory board has come to the auto industry is Ron Bloom, the Senior advisor on the Auto Industry for Treasury, who started out as an investment banker at Lazard Freres and ended up as a labor negotiator focused on corporate bankruptcies in an array of industries from steel to airlines. When you are looking for members of your advisory board, my advice is to pick a few with some real world experience in your space.
- Out of 18 members of the advisory board, only two drive American cars. Ron Bloom drives an aging Taurus, but I suspect that is because his largest client the UAW. (Geithner - Acura TSX, Summers - Mazda Protege, Orszag - Honda Odyssey, Jackson - Toyota Prius, Goolsbee - Toyota Highlander, DeBoer - Lexus RX350, Zichal - Volvo, Heinzerling - Subaru Legacy Outback, Utech - Mini Cooper S, and Bernstein - Honda Odyseey.) You might be surprised to learn that a few members like Carol Browner, Diana Farrell and Steven Chu don’t even own cars (Browner is the climate czar so we will give her a pass). So I am not sure whether or not owning an American car is an important factor, but to be sure you need to question the judgment of Rick Wade, senior advisor at Commerce, who drives a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier - I thought rental car companies were the only owners of Cavaliers - a Cavalier? Can we trust someone who actually picked a Cavalier?
Rule No. 2: Ensure that your advisory board has experience in the area where you need advice. Really, I am not kidding. It is a VERY good idea to ask people with experience before tapping people who work for you. You want outside opinions and advice. Obama would have been better off picking 18 people from the Reagan International Airport lobby than he did. Don’t make the same mistake.
Ironically we are launching the Vietnam Startup Blog!
December 24, 2008
Word from Vietnam is that the government is tightening the rules on blogs. Our latest startup blog is from Vietnam (we should be launching in the next couple of days) and I am now a little reluctant to reveal our latest member of the SpringStage crew.
Maybe we need a slowdown?
November 28, 2008
One day after American’s sat down to give thanks, Wal-Mart customers in Long Island trampled employees and pregnant women as the rushed into the store killing one. Hundreds of shoppers knocked the employee down and stepped on him as they fought to get into the store. Even after emergency workers got to the scene and began trying to save the man’s life, shoppers eagerly streamed past the dying man to get into the store. The man was pronounced dead at 6:03AM and the woman was hospitalized for observation.
One employee was quoted, “They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed him in front of me. They took me down too…I literally had to fight people off my back.” And another, “They’re savages,” said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. “It’s sad. It’s terrible” Is any deal so good that it is worth killing someone? And after you DO kill someone could you at least stop shopping to render aid? Here are pictures of the tragedy. It makes me sick…
The election is finally over, thank God.
November 5, 2008
Ethan, my seven year old son, and I talked about the election incecently over the past several months. He had scores of questions and some very interesting insights. Yesterday I took him to our polling place and he watched as I voted for John McCain. Ethan, hoping for my approval, voiced his support of John McCain frequently and loudly, sometimes remarking to our friends, “Yo momma can’t afford Obama…” Last night, as we watched the results come in I decided it was time to ’soften the blow’ suggesting that, despite all of our prognostications of gloom and doom if Obama was elected, everything would be fine if in fact he won.
This morning as Ethan and prepared for school I made a point to talk about how important this election was to our country. I tried to explain that Obama’s election was further proof that the American system works. In America, anything is possible. The truth of the matter is that I really believed what I told Ethan. I DO think America is the greatest country in the history of man. What an amazing experiment - an experiment that works. At the end of the day I am proud of our country, I believe in our system and our citizens. God bless America! Now it is time to get back to work. . .
Are you Joe the Plumber?
October 20, 2008
I would argue that most entrepreneurs are just like Joe the Plumber. Perhaps you aren’t as folliclely challenged as Joe, but your dreams are very similar. You dream of having your own business and that it would be successful. You believe in the American Dream, the idea that in America we strive for equality of opportunity and those who have the drive, energy and stamina can succeed.
Americans are not bound by the caste systems of the old world, instead America is where ANYONE can succeed. Joe Wurzelbacher is a simple plumber. He has a dream, perhaps a foolhearty dream, to own his own plumbing company one day. Your dream might be to build the next Google or 37Signals. Joe has seen the American dream work for scores of people from Bill Gates to Warren Buffett to P. Diddy and he hopes someday to have it work for him. His biggest fear is that by the time it is his turn to achieve his dream, the fruits of that dream will be taken from him and given to someone else instead.
As individuals and entrepreneurs the idea that someone would take our hard work and give it to someone else who hasn’t worked as hard or hasn’t yet achieved his own ‘American Dream’ is an anathema to us. As a country it should deeply trouble us if government sought to remove the ‘profit motive’ from our daily lives. If additional productivity and hard work isn’t honored and rewarded it simply won’t occur. Why bother taking risks if those risks have no upside.
To buy his boss’s company, Joe the Plumber would need to raise capital in the form of a loan or equity - this ‘at risk’ capital would then be used to buy the business whereby Joe would either succeed and repay the loan or the equity. If Joe believes the incentive (i.e. the opportunity to make more money) was gone or diminished do you think Joe would be willing to borrow the money necessary to buy the business in the first place? If we continue to demonize capital formation (i.e. getting rich), power and money will tend to consolidate in the hands of a smaller and smaller minority. Joe the Plumber will NEVER get the change to become rich - instead rich people like George Soros and his heirs will grow richer and richer.
On a side note, Joe the Plumber has been demonized and pillaried in the press. Why? He simply admitted that he would like the opportunity to become rich. It turns out he has issues with licenses and taxes. Show me an entrepreneur who doesn’t and I will show you ten who have even bigger issues.
You can’t increase tax revenues by taxing the rich more
October 14, 2008
I first wrote about Hauser’s Law in a post titled, “How to raise taxes on the rich“. Ironically, it is a proven fact that you cannot increase revenues by increasing taxes. No I am not talking about the Laffer Curve (the theory that by lowering taxes you increase revenues), instead I am talking about Kurt Hauser and what is now called Hauser’s Law. Unlike a theory that considers what might happen given a set of future events or circumstances, a law looks backward and relies exclusively on verifiable evidence. David Ranson from the Wall Street Journal wrote about Hauser and coined the term ‘Hauser’s Law’ in an article titled, “You Can’t Soak the Rich.”
Hauser’s Law suggests, “No matter what the tax rates have been, in postwar America tax revenues have remained at about 19.5% of GDP.” See chart below:
This is an amazing discovery that should help policy makers understand what their goal should be. The act of raising taxes has ZERO effect on revenues, while GDP has everything to do with revenues. If you want to raise money you simply need to figure out how to raise GDP. If you can accept the historical fact that no matter what the tax rate is, our government can ONLY collect 19.5% of GDP, you can focus on the real game - raising GDP. So just to be clear, regardless of whether the top tax rate has been 91% or 35% (the current rate) we only collect 19.5% of GDP. Get it?
While Hauser’s Law is relatively new information (most policy makers have never heard of it), almost all economists agree that that higher tax rates reduce GDP and given Hauser’s Law, this will result in lower tax revenues. The ONLY way to raise more money from the rich is to grow GDP. Hauser explains, “Raising taxes encourages taxpayers to shift, hide and under report income. . . . Higher taxes reduce the incentives to work, produce, invest and save, thereby dampening overall economic activity and job creation.”
My advice to Obama, as John F. Kennedy explained in 1963, “As they say on my own Cape Cod, a rising tide lifts all boats.” Figure out how to increase GDP instead of figuring out how to raise taxes and all of our boats will be lifted.
Twitter Hates Palin
October 2, 2008
I decided to ‘twitter‘ the Vice Presidential debate this evening and I was very surprised how prevalent the anti-Palin sentiment was - specifically the HATE leveled at her. If Twitter is any measure, our political system is broken - we have lost the ability to respectfully disagree. Ironically, much of the ‘hate’ rhetoric was from women. Twitter was basically a constant stream of ‘I hate Palin’. Really. I am not kidding. Check out a few comments from the twitter-stream this evening:
aa86: Watched the debate and hate Palin even more. I don’t want to hear the word “maverick” for quite some timemarigola: Sarah Palin, you are not like me…you’re one of those fucking idiot Lifetime Channel watching hoes I hate…Najy: dude, everyone and my little brother hate palin. um, me included. dear america: this is what you want? I’m scared.huettman: MAN does my wife HATE Sarah Palin…might be because she keeps winking at me.patzy: Hate Palin. If she keeps it up, they are going to revoke our voting rightsErinaB: I hate palin!!!chucklenugget: Sarah Palin, I hate her hate her hate her hate her hate her….She sounds like a kindergarten school teacherastronomerpants: Sarah Palin I hate you with the fire of a thousand suns.queenjulie: Hate Sarah Palin, but feel sorry for her now–she’s doing a 90-minute debate in stilletos? My feet ache for her.ayearatthewheel: WTF!?!?! you twitter fools, Palin, asking if she can call him Joe is proper and polite… FOOLS - ALL OF YOU! btw I hate Palin types.bloodyscreamo69: i hate palintelevisionarie: oh i just hate sarah palin’s voice and everything else about her so much. so very, very much.bnh: @Phyrdancer ZEITGEIST is some crazy you know what! oh and did I mention I hate palin!RockCandyRags: I hate Palin’s sarcasm,so unattractive & stupid 4 someone trying to convince ppl to vote for her,but hope she lets it spew during VP debate!adamjamess: i hate palinjepowell: What a bitch! http://tinyurl.com/3qfbao (expand) I hate Sarah Palin…
xoxorho: @revmitcz Great blog! I LOVE the Carl Sagan quote. God I hate Palin. Can’t wait for the Thursday night fights!nitetooth: I hate palin :(donnaschubert: @ricksanchezcnn as a professional woman I hate that palin seems to overly rely on her beauty and charisma rather than her on brainsholecomic: @cadrys Oh. No, I don’t really hate either Obama or McCain. But I think that Palin as president would make us a joke. She’s a clown-veep.praxisblog: (The fact that there are countless good reasons to hate Palin is more or less a coincidence, I suspect.)csoto: hate to be harsh but calling sarah palin a tool is an absolute insult to tools…. and elizabeth hasselbeck is a nimrodThe_Norah: I hate stupid women. Stupid men suck, but thats a contained problem. When a woman is stupid, it hurts all women. Ex: Palin, camwhores, etc.PriyaRaju: The reason I hate Palin so much is, she got picked only because she’s an idiotic woman. I sort of feel betrayed by that jackass.themia: i hate women who only want to vote for Palin because she has a vagina. Fuck YOU.ryanrpalkovic: Debates are pointless. They’re both going to ramble off their standard responses. You’re still going to hate palin and love biedengregwool: christ i hate being sick. also, sarah palin.tweelings_en: HATE> I just realized that Palin has made me hate Alaska. I’m sorry Alaska. http://tinyurl.com/3gdtgc (expanddantekgeek: I just realized that Palin has made me hate Alaska. I’m sorry Alaska.EveGrey: ooh, I really hate the name Palin now. It sounds so harsh to my wee ears.NotStyro: I think Biden performed well, while Palin was sloppy and went off-topic to often (and I hate her voice-argh!)LuliB: hate hate hate hate hate palin (there, i’m staying out of politics now)pratikp7368: i hate palinLive_Love_Rock: I hate sarah palin. she makes me ashamed to have my name.alisaharris: Woman next to me to palin: ‘you’ll kill the f–ng polar bears you bitch! We hate you!’lesliebot: crud i hate sarah palinbrittanyc: i really hate palin’s snide little smile. rubs me the wrong way.jp_abello: I really really hate palin. More than any other politician everjamtomorrow: my God I hate Palin’s foksy bullshit.kufflink: I hate Palin’s glasses tonight. Where are those Tina Fey glasses I love so.planethunt: I…I hate Sarah Palin.jenlaughs: hate. palin. so. much.mdh85: I hate Palin so much. So so much.am6290: Sarah Palin is a fucking retard! I can’t believe im watching the vice presidential debate. I hate politics!Dazshia: I hate Palin’s smiling sarcasm. Hate it Hate it!phatduckk: i hate PalinDantcer: RT @verucablue: I hate Palin’s “gosh darn you betcha can I call ya Joe” bull. And if she says reform one more time, I’ll slap her.Leesie: Is it just me, or is Sarah Palin almost posing while she talks. God I hate that woman! Also: Something amazing just happened <3djtanuki: I fucking hate Sarah Palinjamestinsley: Wow I really hate Sarah Palin.. Go at her Joe!smugasarug: god i hate sarah palin’s voicechelseamoylan: stop staring at me palin, i hate chu.jp_abello: I hate palintremorx: @skeet2461 Palin makes the whole country hate hockey momsgsnail: Loving the Palin hate on Twitter. Shame I can’t watch the debate to watch the fail.sofistakit: Sarah Palin, I hate you so much..and yet, I want to hold you.conahan: Man, I hate Palin’s hamburger helper accent.searingblue: Sarah palin: a big folksy ball of bullshit that makes me hate America. Yeah, that’s right, Sarah palin=the downfall of Americablackjew: VP Debate you would really have to hate America to support Sarah PalinBettaSmetta: okay, i can finally say something nice about palin … her suit is beautiful …. but i still hate herOvershee: that was a very short 1:30, but quite good. It only cemented my hate of Palin, I have to say. She’s a cunt. Anyways, biden did a good jobBecco: Wow. I really like Joe Biden a lot. Still hate Palin. Maybe even more than before.sepiamutiny: Mutineer CoffeeFace: “I now hate alaska, bulldogs, and the sound of Sarah Palin’s voice.”s0_fam0us: this just in: I still hate sarah palin.capnjoy: I hate palin more b/c she’s a stupid unqualified woman who is setting feminism back. is that wrong?hatersonlyhate: The filter of the mainstream media?! I hate you, Palin.jewcyjuice: I officially hate the word ‘maverick’ and want to bitch-slap the stupid out of Palin. Dear god.sareeloo2001: I offically hate the word Maverick. McCain is NOT a Maverick. Neither is Palin. She is so full of shit I can smell it from here!!!!!milestonkin: Sarah Palin makes me hate peopleelzombo: “Dog gone it” i hate you Palin.quartertonality: #current Sarah Palin makes me hate America.Afficionados_HH: GOD I HATE PALIN you bimbo Satan Anti-Christ hideous idiot, man and Dinos together I’ve seen evidence you f-wit.dekkerdreyer: Palin reminds me of my elementary school teachers and I hate her for it.grindz145: I fucking hate politics (and palin) what ever happened to punk rock and vigilante justice?NewMonarch: I really hate Palin’s fake perky voice. Very belittling.lyrica42: Sarcasm will get you nowhere Palin, except in my heart with a bit more hate.jzay: jews hate sarah palin, sez the jewess sitting next to mejeffd44: Dear palin, I fucking hate youjesuiseval: I hate Sarah Palin. I hate her shit eating grin and her condescending tone. You NEED to play a drinking game to watch this debate.ben_h: Sarah Palin: I don’t hate many people, but I hate you.dominicdb: Biden is a beast. i’m pro-him. and frankly, though i hate the hell out of her, Palin is killing it on some Palin shit. which sucks.BroomBox: I HATE PALINkristynmarie: I hate Sarah Palin. The woman is a twit!sethgoldstein: my god i hate palin’s accentthatgamergirl: hahahaah, watching as I pack! “Team of Mavericks” Gotta love to hate Palin.hapagirl: Officially hate Palin. It’s Nook-LEE-are, not Nook-YOU-lear. Dammit.RidleyGriff: Very interesting - according to CNN focus group, women HATE Palin and love Biden. #currentDazshia: Sorry but Palin reminds me of some cheesy-bimbo-political cartoonish personna! Plenty of comic material there!!Veronica19: Pakistani President had a fatwa issued on his head for flirting with Palin. Now we know, she winked and he tapped her toosusankirbysmith: Palin is an idiotdswinder: Sarah Palin is just flat out unintelligent.lisahubbert: Palin is still trying to become the Prom Queen. Grow up.cameragrrl: Learned from the debate tonight: I hate Palin more than Dubya.makesmewant: sarah palin makes me want to vomit. her ridiculous grasp of the constitution is just horrific.: sarah palin makes me want to v..Sparky6768: Ugh. I hate Palin SO much.
How much the bailout will cost you!
September 26, 2008
If you have been following the discussions around the proposed $700,000,000,000 bailout (rescue plan, whatever) of Wall Street you may have seen a $2300 cost for every citizen of the US. Of course, only 138 million US citizens pay taxes and the share of taxes is not equal as described in the chart below:
So if you fall into the bottom 50% of taxpayers you will only have to pay 3.5% of the bailout cost - $24 billion spread across 69,000,000 taxpayers - $347.83 each. That isn’t cheap, but it is a far cry from $2300 each. But if you fall into the 25% you will have to pay 83.9% of the bailout cost - $587 billion spread across 34,500,000 taxpayers - $17,014.49 each! Lovely! Of course if you fall into the top 1% of taxpayers you will have to pay 34.4% of the bailout cost or $240 billion spread across 1,380,000 taxpayers - $173,913.04 each. OMG!
So this program isn’t a bailout for the rich, it is a bailout paid for by the rich…
Startups and Obama: radioactive this year!
September 9, 2008
How are you dealing with the presidential race in your startup this year? Are you talking about it? Are you ignoring it? Are you outright hiding from it?
Yesterday I was watching the TechCrunch50 on Ustream and was surprised to see one of the presenters from Dotspot feature his support of Obama so prominently. Last night at our Startup Happy Hour several entrepreneurs commented about how they are having to keep their dislike of Obama or support of McCain secret from their clients and employees. This weekend at my son’s soccer practice one of the Dads was especially outspoken regarding his frustration with Obama and you could see everyone move away from him before he could go on.
I haven’t been secretive about my own political feelings on my blog or on my twitter account, but it has cost me readers, followers and maybe a few friends. I have always enjoyed political debate and in the past the people I debated seemed to enjoy the discourse as well. This year everything seems different. Gauging by the reaction of many Obama supporters, you would think I was supporting genocide or cancer. There isn’t enough oxygen in the room anymore for differing opinions.
In the past it was easy to keep religion and politics out of business. But what if you have a blog? a flickrstream? a facebook or myspace account? The line between your business-persona and your political-persona become blurred. This new social world has the risk of becoming very chilling for ideas, instead of creating more opportunity for debate, many of us are seriously considered muzzling our voices. My advice to early stage founders: keep your mouth shut if you don’t support Obama. Keep your frustration of Obama off your facebook page, don’t blog about your support of McCain or Palin. Don’t argue with anyone. Just keep quiet.
Of course my advice to late stage founders who have had exits: a) send money to McCain and b) explain as clearly as possible why you don’t support Obama. Listen to his supporters, respect their right to a differing opinion, but make your own position well known. Earlier this month I tried just that with my post titled, “My Decision“. With more than 39 comments, the post gets huge traffic. Hopefully my point comes across in a respectful and honest way.
***Warning Political Content***: My Decision
September 4, 2008
It is no secret that I am a conservative, a proud member of the GOP since I worked on Newt Gingrich’s campaign in 1988 as a teenager. From my perspective it has been a long time since a conservative occupied the White House (you may have heard of Reagan). I eagerly voted for George Bush’s first term, but held my nose and reluctantly voted for him a second time. After his first term two things were clear a) he couldn’t put two sentences together without embarrassing himself and b) he wasn’t a conservative on fiscal and government issues (the only thing he seems to be conservative about are his religious beliefs).
Looking back on why Bush was a failed president (at least in my eyes) I find it remarkable that I was surprised. George Bush abused substances from alcohol to illegal drugs throughout his early life. Ultimately he admitted his problem, sought help and turned his life around. It is admirable that he was able to straighten his life out, but perhaps not the sort of life experience we need from our President. We were all distracted by Dan Rather’s document scandal related to Bush’s military service, but the truth of the matter Bush had an opportunity to serve and he decided not to show up. Lots of people took the same path, avoiding combat in Vietnam through ferlows and vacations to Canada. Many of these people grew up and realized their mistakes, but again, perhaps this is not the sort of life experience we need from our President. Honor, integrity, duty - these are traits that are UNCOMMON in most people. We should remember that great Presidents are themselves very UNCOMMON people. We don’t remember the party of great presidents like Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan - we remember their UNCOMMON service to our country.
We can’t keep electing exceptionally flawed people to office, regardless of their party and expect a better result. If we elect someone like George Bush we will deserve at least 4 years of disappointment, again.
This brings me to my decision. From my perspective, both McCain and Obama are equally flawed in their political ideas and plans. I could detail my disagreements issue by issue. I could argue that McCain is hardly a Republican. The truth is I wouldn’t vote for either man based on their politics. This fact has frustrated me since it became clear McCain would win the Republican nomination. But, at the end of the day, we live in a two party system and one of these two men will become our next President.
Obama’s message throughout the campaign has been, CHANGE. I believe Obama will stir things up in Washington, but as with McCain I am fairly sure I won’t like his idea of change. McCain’s message of ‘Country First’ didn’t really hit home until I listened to Fred Thompson talk about McCain’s life story. Of course I am 100% certain McCain will stir things up in Washington and again I am sure I won’t like his idea of change either. But, if history is any predictor of future actions I certain that McCain will put ‘Country First’.
The Top of the Ticket:
McCain, time and time again has put his ideas about what is best for American (many of which I don’t agree with) over his own party. Fighting publicly with the Bush administration time and time again. Walking across the aisle to pass legislation that was unpopular with his own party. McCain is against earmarks and is one of the only members of Congress who has NEVER asked for one. As a Republican McCain pisses me off, but as an American I can’t help but be proud of him. This crazy guy took shrapnel and was burned on the flight deck of the Forstall (he was in the plane that was hit on deck)
and could have gone home with his crew, but instead he volunteered on another ship and began flying again only be shot down over Vietnam. Taken prisoner he could have left early ahead of other prisoners, but refused deciding to wait his turn and not accept the ‘favor’ from his captors. McCain is an UNCOMMON man. Measured against him I fall very short as you would expect from someone who might serve as your President.
Obama, on the other hand, seems like more of the same sort of exceptionally flawed people we have been putting in office. His experience, or lack of experience, reminds me of the resume George Bush had prior to taking office. Respectable, but not exceptional. His abuse of substances mirrors that of George Bush in every way except that Obama has the guts to admit his use of illegal drugs like cocaine. Like George Bush Obama was able to overcome his addiction to drugs (he still drinks, I assume moderately) and hasn’t used them since his 20’s. I admire his candor. In 2007 the New York Times ran a poll asking Americans if they would vote for a president who has ever used cocaine - 74% said they wouldn’t. Scripps Howard and Ohio University did another poll direct related to Obama and determined,
Adults in the survey were equally troubled over prospects of a president who tried cocaine in his youth, something Sen. Barack Obama has admitted. Only 34 percent said they think most Americans would accept this while 58 percent said it would not be acceptable.
Maybe the judgment needed to decide whether or not to use illegal drugs at 16, 18, 21 or 25 is just the sort of judgment that makes the difference between a good leader and a bad leader. Are you a bad person if you took illegal drugs in the past? I don’t think so. Are you the sort of person who we should elect to run the mot powerful country on the planet? I don’t think so. Obama’s mistakes are all to common in our country, perhaps we should expect more from our President. Will Obama put country first? I don’t know, I just don’t know. I am sure, as I am with McCain, that I won’t like his politics.
Bottom of the Ticket:
For me Biden is a mixed bag. He has given a lifetime of service to our country. I even agree with almost every political decision he has made as chairman of the Forgien Relations Committee (ironically this committee decided to buy Alaska back in 1867). Politically I suspect I agree more frequently with Biden than McCain; ironic given his party affiliation. On the other hand Biden was well on his way to being President himself in 1988, the same year I helped get Newt Gingrich elected to Congress. He was forced to drop out of the race when his party learned he had plagiarized campaign speeches from a certain British politican. Around that same time it came to light that he had plagiarized large ‘chunks’ of material for law review articles while he attended Syracuse Law. On Sunday I watched Biden on 60 Minutes apologize explaining that this had happened 20 years ago and he had learned his lesson. His candor was VERY refreshing. I think he paid the price for his transgressions, but I still wonder if this is the sort of person we want as President. At some point he had to decide to take the easy or the right route. He took the easy route - maybe we need a leader who is so UNCOMMON that he wouldn’t even consider taking the easy way out.
Now for Palin. I was so pissed when McCain picked her. Literally ruined my whole weekend. That was before I knew anything about her or learned her story. I still don’t know enough, but what I do know is that she has seriously pissed off the Republicans in Alaska, while achieving an approval rating of over 86%. If she was interested in party or politics should ‘play the game’, instead she seems to be taking a ‘State First’ path similar to the path that McCain has set before himself. Again, there is little about Palin’s politics I agree with, but I believe that she is an honorable person willing to put country first. Palin learned her baby had Down Syndrome and instead of terminating the pregnancy as many doctors recommend, she decided to take the hard path, the right path. She didn’t take the easy way out. If she is elected I think she will be the first person from the middle class to be elected in my lifetime. Perhaps this is a good thing. Perhaps the rich guys have been in power too long. I am reminded of Al Pacino’s speech in Scent of a Women:
Obama and Biden made choices in their lives and paid for those choices, but perhaps when we go to the poll in November we should vote for the UNCOMMON man. I will be voting against my own political views and for the man who will put country first.
