The looming white letters announcing tinsel town were originally part of a real estate advertisement for a community called, of course, Hollywoodland.

I got caught up in a discussion going on over at the BMWLT forum.  I love the natural ass kicking/give-and-take of those folks over there.  Makes for better entertainment that TV can produce.   And I was really going to reply and be a part of all that nonsense.  But I thought my reply might make a better blog entry than a forum post.

If you need a refresher as to what was (or is) being said, click here.  Then come back and read my response.

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Look…   Here’s what has to happen…

We really need a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general.  This means that we as a people must accept this oppression-free society where decisions on what to produce and what policies to pursue are made democratically, allowing every member of society to participate in the decision-making process in both the political and economic spheres of life.

It must be understood that today’s current governmental structure will function as an economic system, and that it will consist of common ownership of the means of production, and eventually the negation of the concept of private ownership (which is not to be confused with personal possessions).  This type of  socioeconomic structure will consist of local or communal democratic planning.

So let’s put up a big F’ing wall.  On one side, we can place all those people who don’t like the way things are being run by today’s government.  On the other side we can place all those who have hope in this new “enriched” society.  Of course some will get caught on either side and they really don’t want to be there, but what the hell…

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uh….  wait a minute…  oh crap…  hasn’t all this already happened once before?
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Point:  History has lessons that can only be learned by those willing to accept the teachings.  What one learns from history has to be taught to others in our communities.  Once communities understand this history, they will realize that communism does not work.  This free market society that we have chosen to live in isn’t perfect either. It is rife with problems.  However, these problems can only be fixed by those dedicated enough to pursue justice in the wake of malfeasance.  A government putting forth a perceived “fix-all” by handing out monies (making sure that a few greased palms are taken care of so that “real” financial help can be achieved) and taking control, however slight, of private concerns is just a step in a historically proven wrong direction.

Our children will not be partakers of the hope and dreams of previous generations. They will not be allowed to dream of owning a large company, achieving greater financial prosperity than their parents and raising the next generation of achievers.  The lessons one can learn from the life and death of portions of corporate America will never be taught.  Why?  Because our government is going to make sure that the lesson one gets from business misconduct or lack of product foresight is that “big brother” will always be there to bail you out.

The teachings of collectivist totalitarians will become gospel.  And history will once again repeat itself.

Until next week…

Maybe it’s better translated as a place that does not exist – one that is ideally perfect, but often, ultimately, too impossible or idealistic to achieve.

OK… your not allowed to read this post unless the following criteria is met:

1. You have to love music

2. You’re in the mood for music

3. You have a good set of speakers to listen to music

4. You have set the volume to LOUD!

5. You have got to like young, raw talent.
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Awhile back I posted some links of things I was reviewing on the internet. It got a pretty good response, with some asking me to show more of my meanderings. So, I thought that it would be a good time to share some of my findings that I found.

Remember, you may need to use your navigation buttons to get back to this page.

This set is all about the kids. Kids with talent. Kids that produce music. And they do…

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The talent of the Tuttle kids. Amazing.

El Cumbanchero

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This kid, Sungha Jung, is 10 years old… You have got to be kidding???

Amazing Guitar Player

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This little girl cant be any older then 12 years and still manages to rock out to “Carry on my wayward son” on an organ.

Carry On Wayward Son

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Marc Andre Gauthier violinist. Live 100 000 spectators. Canada Day – Parliament hill violin solo. Amazing prodigy violinist. Violin piece La Vida Breve. Amazing young talent. 14 year old violin soloist.

Violin virtuoso

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I have no idea how old, but for an improv boogie, this is awesome.

Piano Boogie

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And one last bit of Sungha jung. This kid… DAMN!

Rylynn

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I am always amazed and awe struck when I hear these kids perform the kind of work that an adult would be hard pressed to produce. So much talent…

Maybe in a perfect world…

Until next week…

Perhaps more intriguing than the quantity of machines is what they are said to vend. They have, throughout their modern history, distributed everything from cigarettes to life insurance policies, live lobsters to clean underwear, and more unmentionable items than you can imagine.

OK… so who dunnit? What idiot put us in this financial crisis?

Oh sure… it’s too easy to blame our ex-president. Nothing like a scapegoat when you are looking to point a finger at someone. If your in Kellefurneea, it’s a Governator that we can blame all our tin plated troubles on.

But let’s really look at who is responsible. By pointing the finger at a person place or thing, there are three other fingers pointing right back at you.

So who’s to blame? Yep… it’s us, as a people, we are responsible for all this crapola.

You can blame the oil companies for sending the price of gasoline over five bucks. But who kept buying gas and did not change their driving habits or make sure their vehicles were getting the best mileage that it possible could?

We did…

You can blame the mortgage industry for creating ARM’s and balloon payment mortgage packages that caused the unlimited foreclosures that occur today. Who signed up for those mortgages?

We did…

You can blame the private investment bankers who took your money, paid other investors their share in a Ponzi scheme, and then skipped town. Who invested in these bone head, to good to be true, systems?

We did…

You can blame the automobile makers for not making a vehicle that gets great mileage or runs on electrical/hydrogen/solar power and lasts for thirty years without a repair. But who kept buying the Hummers, the SUV’s and high powered four-by-four’s that had single digit mileage ratings and triple digit repair bills?

We did…

You can blame your elected officials who have exorbitant salaries, per-Diem’s that add thirty percent to their gross income and accept monies offered by PAC’s and special interest groups. But who voted for these political leaders?

We did…

You can blame the dramatic increase of salaries/bonuses for everyone from ditch diggers to Wall Street Managers. But who cherished his/her salary increase which would directly relate to the cost of your employers goods or services?

We did…

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When I got asked by someone recently who caused all this recession stuff, I answered that we did, as a people. And as a people, there were those who did things with respect for others and those who did things for themselves. We all do things for ourselves and rightly so. But to do things that hurt a company, the employees or the customers who use/buy/invest in the product or service being offered, and doing so to only benefit one’s self, is the most basic problem and it’s getting worse as you read this.

I was also asked how can we correct all of this. I answered that as a person, you can’t. It’s just not possible. But as a people, we can effect change. How? By being aware, helping others, teaching those who ask for help the best ways to do things for themselves and their families. Get angry when you see/hear of a disservice. Let others know about injustice. Speak up and speak out, vocally, verbally or in writing. Practice due diligence before you step out or step up for a product or service. Above all, question those things that are not right or seem to good to be true.  Inquire when something seems amiss.  Think about the impact of any choice that you make and what it will do for you, your family and those you have as friends and neighbors.

Personally, I think this whole mess started when all of the vending machines started accepting dollar bills and no longer accept pocket change…

Until next week…