In another example of how I'm always right, protesters have been blocking traffic and causing a major disturbance downtown for two days. What are they protesting? What could possibly warrant laying in the street risking arrest and bodily harm? What monumental failure of the human condition must be taking place? Well, disabled people would rather get treatment at home than at a nursing home. No, I didn't just change the subject. That's really what's happening.

It's not entirely their fault. Government has gotten so huge that when people have a situation they don't like, they turn first to government. If the professional protesting group called ADAPT had spent as much time and energy making pleas for charitable donations that they spent making the lives of commuters miserable, they may have actually improved the condition of those they purport to represent.

Government has become the national charity. If you need something, government should provide it. Hell, if you just want something, you might have to work a little harder, but government will eventually get to you too. I think it is Thomas Sowell (forgive me if not) that said that bad charity will always grow to replace good charity. Good charity looks to alleviate the problem AND work to resolve the condition that caused the problem. This usually means some sort of responsibility on the part of the person receiving charity. Bad charity simply addresses the problem superficially and never actually gets to the root. Government is now an every growing BAD charity.

Got an embarrasing tattoo that you want to get rid of?: http://www.cagw.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr012=gcb7qp1dr2.app25a&page=NewsArticle&id=5862

That program got a lot of attention, but it's really the mentality behind it that's sad. People now think government exists to make their lives better/easier.

Oy vey.

V for Vendetta struck just about every political chord in my body. Hugo did an excellent job, but I couldn't help hearing Agent Smith in some of the slower dialog moments (he has that way of enunciating...sort of prolongs the endings of words sometimes). Portman was surprisingly good which is rare for a Star Wars veteran (and no, Harrison Ford is no exception). Lots of darkness. I can't remember many scenes at all that aren't cast in shadow. I'll definitely have to see it again on DVD.

One of the main themes is the use of fear manipulate entire populations. Anytime you hear a politician use the word "crisis", you can bet it's time for re-election. People are more than willing to give more and more power to their government when they're afraid of crisis. Entire lobbying groups (think AARP), exist to feed the vicious cycle. Social Security Crisis - more AARP members - more money to politician talking about crisis - no actual work to fix crisis - bigger crisis - more members for AARP...you see where this goes. Substitute your favorite crisis. There are plenty to choose from.

Few issues of economy get on my nerves as much as the notion of "minimum wage" (or, more politically correct, a "living wage"). In Tennessee, the legislature is working to pass an increase in the minimum wage. I know it's not popular to oppose such a measure, but I do. First, while government can make labor more expensive, it cannot make it more valuable. The cost of employing people to do certain jobs will rise, but it will not worth more. This is inflation. Secondly, why to proponents of this micromangement insist on working so incrementally? If a $1 increase is good, surely a $35 dollar increase is better. Wouldn't it be great to see even a part-time burger flipper making $40 per hour. Wouldn't that help? Obviously, it would not. The resulting burger would cost $12, and people would simply stop buying them. Nobody would have a job. It's crazy at $35 dollars and it's crazy at $1. Finally, it destroys the freedom to contract. It's one of the fundamental freedoms that exist. Two consenting adults should be able to enter into an agreement to do anything that doesn't take life, liberty, or property from others. If I want to compete for a job offering my services for less than someone else, I should be able to.

Oh well, I still think freedom works, so I'm obviously out of touch.

All I need is one idea...one killer app that nobody has done (or done well). I've been in this profession for almost 10 years, and all I've ever needed was one idea. I still don't have it. Maybe I should quit and go fly planes.

Keep your eyes peeled for a new service from Google called GDrive. Rumors are circulating that Google is going to offer basically unlimited storage for any files you would like to keep. For me, that means possibly storing digital videos of forever and freeing up my local hard drive space (digital videos take up a LOT of space). Also, it means not worrying about a hard drive failure. Few home users give much thought to storing critical data on a single hard drive. Companies spend millions on expensive arrays of disks and backup systems. With an online storage solution like what Google may offer, the home user gets the benefits of the company's storage security.

All of this is rumor, but if it comes true (and doesn't cost too much), it could definitely change things for the better.

So, you've got a new job, and you're placed on assignment that you think is, well, beneath you. It's not that the gig isn't good enough for you on some ego-tripping, own-back-patting, Beverly-Hills-living, bmw-driving, kneel-before-me kind of level. It's just that it's not very challenging on a technical proficiency level. Now, you want to make a great impression with the new boss, and part of your pay can be derived from bonuses tied to contract extensions. The question, how do you ever get out of it?

I flew my first instrument approach this weekend. It was the VOR 18 approach into Shelbyville, TN (SYI). It took me a while to make it back to the outbound course after crossing the VOR, but the procedure turn and step downs went well. Most importantly, when the foggles came off, there was the runway. Very cool. I need to get the 5 T's down so that I'm not as scattered when I need to time things.

I can't wait until El can look at me and say "Daddy, I want to go flying".

ok...one more:

Doubt:
In the battle between you and the world, bet on the world.

Got a chuckle, as I normally do, from despair.com. Here's a calendar entry for this year:

Wishes
When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true.
Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling toward the Earth which will destroy all life.
Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wished for. Unless it's death by meteorite.

Hilarious!

I, um, acquired some video training for an instrument rating. It never fails with educational video. No matter how great and comprehensive the content is, it always comes across with a very cheesy feeling.

On a related note, I'm not currently really reading anything. It's not because I don't want to, but I'm paralyzed by too many options. I should work on a certification or instrument rating book. I've got some fiction that has yet been touched. I definitely need to finish the Frame book and re-read it so I can actually make an attempt to comprehend. I'd like to read more about poker, but all those books say the same thing with slight variations. It would probably do my career some good, aside from the certification, to read more about medical coding or revenue cycle management. Given the amount of time per day (about 1/2 hour) I could realistically dedicate to reading, the choice takes on extra importance.