The Death of Capitalism

Capitalism in this country is dead. We are all socialists. The billion dollar bail outs have nationalized the banks. In a purely capitalist society there would have been no bail out and in no way would the government step in to avoid a recession, or even a depression. The banks and financial institutions would have just been allowed to fail and let the market sort things out. As I am sure all of you know the federal government has approved an 800 billion dollar bail out and they are looking for more bail out dough. Normally I would be excited about a move towards socialism but this bail out move has no benefits for the American people. This cowardly move somehow socializes our credit, but gives the tax payers supporting these subsidies nothing in return. Why do we get stuck with the bills of socialism but none of the social programs? In other countries utilizing a socialist government paying more money gets you more stuff. When I say stuff I mean insurance, education and public transportation. It is time to admit that capitalism has failed. When we as taxpayers are stepping in and propping up corporations, it's time to admit defeat and adopt a truly socialist agenda and give us the social programs that we are paying for.

Get over the American dream people. We have an aristocracy in this country that hordes all the wealth, steals from the middle class and is have widened the gap between rich and poor to the largest differential in the history of this country. Karl Marx said that workers in different countries have more in common than the class that rules above them. We have been brainwashed with nationalism that is somehow intertwined with capitalism and we are clinging to it as it destroys us. Let go of the greed and share the wealth. When discussing this with a myriad of people Americans don't like the idea of paying for other people. What they don't understand is that we are not the people paying, we are the ones receiving. We are the ones getting free health insurance and education. We are the beneficiaries of public transportation and medication. Why doesn't everyone see this? I guarantee that if you know me and are reading this post you are in the same shoes I am in and my parents are in and my grandparents are in. Middle class. Who is the last person you know who rose out of this middle class that you know? And I am talking about trust fund babies who donate buildings to large universities, not someone with a nice house and a Mercedes. Bill Gates and a few others made it, you will not. So please before its too late let go of your greedy dreams of wealth and embrace a new dream of a stronger more educated and even middle class.

$250,000 Insanity

So, I was reading my future brother-in-law's blog and it got me all fired up. The nonsense of "Joe the Plumber", "Joe Six-Pack" and I don't want to forget the original, "Joe Blow", is driving me insane.

People are confused and this is leading them to miss a very important word, INCOME. Owning a business is NOT equal to earning an income of $250,000. One is an individual's income and the other is a business's profits. They are different! People need to realize that you can own a business that earns a profit and still not have an income over $250,0000. In my profession, I have had access to payroll records for 10 years. Here is what I have actually witnessed. The multi-million dollar companies have 1 position that made over $250,000 this was the owner/President/CEO. The small businesses are fighting to earn a profit and the owner/President/CEO did not make more than $250,000. In fact, one owner's income was $125,000. He was living in downtown Chicago and putting two kids through private school and living just fine! These businesses are all larger than Joe's "hypothetical" plumbing business!

Great example, the restaurant company I worked for that was sold last year for $100 million dollars had 2 employees over $250,000 (both were owners) the 50 person management team made between $100,000 and $200,000. The remaining 2448 employees made under $100,000. For those of you that need percentages that breaks out to:
Employees over $250,000: .08% (No, not 8%, but less than 1%)
Employees over $100,000 but under $250,000: 2%
Employees under $100,000: 97.92%

My last point is one the first $250,000 they would be taxed the same. The tax only increases on the $250,001 dollar. So if you make $255,000, you would only be paying extra tax on $5,000, which is less than 2% of your total income! End rant.

Does this mean I need to change my blog to Letty Rants Rusty Loves? It just doesn't have the same ring to it!

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!

Here it is folks an actual picture of my ballot.



For the third election in a row a vote for Nader is cast. Over the past 12 years I have received quite a bit of criticism for my Nader votes, so I thought I would take this opportunity to explain myself to my reading audience.

First of all, I know that Nader will not win. Others need not point this out to me. I do not have any crazy ideas that Nader will be sworn in as President. That being said, I feel like I need to vote for the candidate that resembles my views on politics. That candidate is Nader. More people need to vote for candidates that actually stand for their views. Not the candidate that resembles most of your views, but the one that represents your actual views. This is nearly impossible in this country. Each election pits two idiots against each other and no other candidates are considered. Nader himself does not think he is going to win. He tells people in swing states to vote Democratic. His plan is that states whose outcomes are already decided (which are all the states I have ever voted in namely Utah and Oregon) left minded voters should choose Nader. The idea being that in one of these elections Nader can get 3% of the popular vote and thus earn the green party or whatever ticket he is running on a chance to be part of a presidential debate. This would begin to bring about the end of the two party system allowing more views to be represented in the presidential election, and perhaps more importantly, reduce corporate influence on the White House. So please, before you criticize me or vote for Obama in Utah or McCain in Oregon, think about the big picture and vote for the future, which is a voting for Nader.


My name is Rusty Griffin and I approve this message.

The best thing about Portland

The best thing about Portland is the farmer's market. This takes place every Saturday on the South Park Blocks at PSU. It runs every Saturday from April to December and it is the best thing about Portland. Although we have walked through it en route to other destinations, last weekend was the first time we walked completely through it (thank you Griff for that request). I had some fantastic organic oatmeal with walnuts and raisins for breakfast and the boys had Italian sausage sandwiches. This has become my new must see destination for any future visitors, as long as it is running. The picture above shows today's finds, which include the lovely fall bouquet, an eggplant, a zucchini, two onions, and red and white peaches.