Posted: December 12th, 2008 | Author: Don | Filed under: Politics | Tags: auto bail out, bail out, financial bail out, TARP | No Comments »
The people, through the Senate, have said that we should not bail out the auto industry, but now the government is planning on taking what little money (in the big picture) is left in the TARP, which was set aside SOLELY for the financial industries, to bail out the industry.
Blame is being put on the Republican party for this lack of bail out, but it SHOULD not be happening anyway! Let the companies file for bankruptcy and get themselves fixed. Is it the place of the government to help all failing businesses in the USA? I think the “new” plan, that was not accepted, that was close to a Chapter 11 type of action SHOULD be done, but not with the Government, but through actually Chapter 11 filing!
In my thoughts it is NOT the place of the Government, through tax payer money, to bail out any industry, unless we are ready to do it for everyone, not just the big guys.
Yes, the big guys have more jobs for Citizens (and lately more non-citizens than citizens of the US) of the US, but a job is a job, help everyone, or let us get back to survival of the fittest!
I know, hard core, but…
Posted: December 12th, 2008 | Author: Don | Filed under: Misc | Tags: blog, blogging, net, networking, surfing blogs | No Comments »
Well, another Blog Surfing system (where you go and view other blogs and those owners view yours) has bit the dust! For the last few months I was surfing some pretty good (and not so good) blogs via BlogMad.net. It went down yesterday with no notice (that I saw anyway) on line. I found out today that it was sold and deleted. Something new may be coming up in its place, but who knows.
Any recommendations on finding good blogs, while at the same time getting others to see your bolg?
Posted: December 3rd, 2008 | Author: Don | Filed under: Politics, Wonder | Tags: auto bailout, auto indsutry, auto industry bailout, bail, bail out, bailout, failing company, Politics | No Comments »
While working out today at the gym, I read on CNBC that GM wants 18B dollars to end their collapse, and they need 4B of NOW to stop them from collapsing by the end of the month. Now, let us say we agree and give them the 18B (and 4 of that NOW), they still plan on closing plants and laying off over 32,000 (YES, that’s THIRTY TWO THOUSAND) people. How does laying off that many people and closing plants help the economy, which is the main reason we are supposed to bail them out!?
The United States was at one time a country in which the survival was to the fittest and those that could get the job done. If you were not able to build something that people wanted at a cost they could afford, you didn’t survive. The goal was to get revenue in by building products that were needed as cheaply as you could, but with the best quality as possible.
The US Automakers are having problems because they have out priced the market with the not so good quality products they are putting out. Japan (and other countries) have taken the past from the US and learned how to build new, innovative products cheaper than we do, and of better quality. Survival of the fittest kicks in again.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be buying US, and would, IF the products were better and cheaper!
Then we get to the CEOs of both GM and Ford saying they will cut their salary to $1.00 (Yep, one dollar). What I want to know is what is the REST of their package look like? Are they also forgoing any bonuses (which is normally where they make their money anyway)? Are they getting more stock (which if they fail I understand they get no money, but does their agreement state that they get paid back via some of the bailout money?) options/etc? Give us the WHOLE picture, not just the enticing parts!!
Bailing out failing companies is not what I vote for on any level. Maybe their failing will cause some people that have some great ideas to come out of the wood work and begin building new companies with new products (alternative power vehicles?) that are of good quality and cheaper than what we have available now…
DON’T VOTE OR ALLOW YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE TO VOTE IN FAVOR FOR BAILING THE AUTO INDUSTRY OUT!
Posted: December 2nd, 2008 | Author: Don | Filed under: Martial Arts, School | Tags: aikido, black belt, dan, federation, hasumi ryu kendo, judo, kendo, kyu, martial arts, Moo Do Kwan Tang Soo Do, ryu, tang soo do | No Comments »
As I open up my school more and more, I am looking to join either individually, or preferably as a school, various appropriate Martial Arts Associations/Foundations/Federations/etc. I have looked at many such groups, and with VERY few exceptions, it seems these groups feel that their ranking system (for money of course!) is the only legit ranking process to use.
From my looking at it, you either send your students to a annual or twice a year or four times a year event (often a LONG distance from where you may be) and have them pay the Association/etc a fee to test them. If you are not able to send them to the “group test”, some may allow you to pay 5 or more “Senior Black Belts of 5th Dan or higher, depending on the student getting tested, the cost of travel to your area, room and board, and the testing fees. They feel that your Soke (Head of Family (person in charge of your style/art)) is not able to decide who has the knowledge HE (some SHEs too!!) feels is part of the Ryu (School).
I’m 100% sure I do not agree with this stance! After 39 years of martial arts, 37 of which was studying Kendo under Hasumi-sensei, the Soke of the Hasumi Ryu Kendo, the title passed to him by his Father, and on up the line back 183 years, Hasumi-sensei felt I had learned Hasumi Ryu Kendo well enough for him to pass the Ryu on to me as Soke at his death. He gave me the right to assign rank up to 5th Dan (this school has only 6 Black Belt ranks,and 10 Kyu (student) ranks) in this Ryu. He did not give that right to any Association, Federation, or group out there. There are “Secrets” (and I use the term secrets loosely!) to stance and such that each Ryu has that another Ryu may not know or use, etc. How do these 5 or more Black Belts of other Ryus/Systems get off on telling me if a student of mine has the needed skills and knowledge to be a X degree Black Belt?
Over the past 14 years I have been taking the 39 years of Judo (5th Dan), 37 years of AiKiDo (6th Dan, testing for 7th Dan this month!), 25 years of Moo Do Kwon Tang Soo Do (3rd Dan), and 37 years of Kendo (Soke/6th Dan), and have created a “mixed martial art” that encompasses the “Best” of each art I’ve practiced, altering it where I felt it needed altered, and developed a new style, based on my philosophy of life and fighting. Tell me how 5 or more “senior black belts” that have not been trained in this art grade the students of this art?
Associations issuing ranks and belts just doesn’t feel right to me. I understand what they are trying to do, stop belt factories form happening. (A belt factory is a “School” that you come in do “some” training, pay a large fee or series of fees, and get your belts fast.) But I think they are going about it wrong.
These associations should set guidelines, using a set criteria, on how long a person should be at each level, based on training times, and several other factors, before being able to advance, so that each style’s “5th Dan” would be comparable with another styles “5th Dan”, etc.
Another thing that bothers me is when they say “If you don’t belong to our Association, you are not a legit, and you don’t know what you are doing.”. (I have heard this with Hasumi Ryu Kendo because we do not (and never have!) belong to any Association/Federation/etc…) Who died and made them my Soke?
