I often wonder how many registered or for that matter unregistered voters actually have any clue as to what the issues are. It would seem that the vast majority of those who cast a vote do so for popularity or even worse because of what someone else told them. The entire democracy is based upon an expansive game of "telephone." The Politicians get on the tube and say the same things over and over hoping that people will simply believe what is said.
When the media is added to this then the massive population gets the information that fits the story and not the facts as most have come to expect. The media has long gone south on reporting facts, they now have political capital and invested interests to promote. Therefore the voting public is even further from the truth then ever before.
There are no easy answers and the political groups will continue to pander to persuading the majority of simpletons. That is not an indictment of people's intellegence it is a simple fact of life. The reason that scams and frauds are perpetrated on a daily baisis is largely due to people's inability to perform any fact checking at all. The average US citizen will believe anything they hear multiple times and certainly will accept any smooth discourse from respected intellegent authorities.
The reality is that if you read 10 books on any given subject you can pass for an authority on the subject. If you possess an attractive personality you can further envelope large portions of the population into your pitch. The average citizen finds it easier to believe the rhetoric then to do the homework. Pass a rumor around the internet and you have a major news story in the making. If the President gets on the networks and airwaves he starts to promote a way of life. It is no coincendence that the Obama administration has been on the airwaves more than the last 4 Presidencies combined. He and his group is well aware that there is no such thing as over exposure. The methodology has included mass exposure and the overall American population is happy to accept whatever they hear without any fact checking at all. Remember that the reality that has been passed on for eons is that the masses are always willing to accept a big lie. The more repititive the story the more willing the public is to accept it. We have been being told a BIG LIE for the last 4 years and the public is willingly moving towards herd mentality and acceptance of the lie.
TIME TO WAKE UP!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Psychological Triggers and Investing Behaviors
Human insight is a valuable asset. It is available to all of us, yet very few of us have taken any time to acknowledge the rules of human interests. The most telling rule which basically conditions all others is the absolute fact that people are predominantly self-interested. The bare unadulterated truth is you, just as we all are exist in a world that is generated and perpetrated based upon your own self-interest.
As an investor your behavior is no different, you are driven by your own self-interest. Regardless of what any financial professional, sales professional or professional advisor places in front of you, the underlying motivation is your own self-interest. This very telling aspect of human behavior is one of the psychological triggers that a con-professional will use against you.
The entire identity of becoming a victim starts with this first rule of human nature. Sadly, as it is universal it makes no difference whether you believe it to be true or not. The telling process is subordinated in your sub-concious and is very easily triggered by any person who has knowledge and experience in using the triggers. Now these very triggers can be used for good or evil and in the essence of the scam, fraud or predatory sales tactic they are used for dishonorable purposes. Seperating a mark from their wealth is never an honorable achievement.
The truth in scams is simply that the victim creates their victimization. This is not a sometimes event it is an ALWAYS event. Therefore all victims can be protected from themselves. In order to be fully insulated and inoculated against scams, fraud and predatory sales tactics you need to know the rules and the psychological triggers. This education will make you fully victim proof.
As an investor your behavior is no different, you are driven by your own self-interest. Regardless of what any financial professional, sales professional or professional advisor places in front of you, the underlying motivation is your own self-interest. This very telling aspect of human behavior is one of the psychological triggers that a con-professional will use against you.
The entire identity of becoming a victim starts with this first rule of human nature. Sadly, as it is universal it makes no difference whether you believe it to be true or not. The telling process is subordinated in your sub-concious and is very easily triggered by any person who has knowledge and experience in using the triggers. Now these very triggers can be used for good or evil and in the essence of the scam, fraud or predatory sales tactic they are used for dishonorable purposes. Seperating a mark from their wealth is never an honorable achievement.
The truth in scams is simply that the victim creates their victimization. This is not a sometimes event it is an ALWAYS event. Therefore all victims can be protected from themselves. In order to be fully insulated and inoculated against scams, fraud and predatory sales tactics you need to know the rules and the psychological triggers. This education will make you fully victim proof.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Liberty or Death
"We are a nation that has a government, not a government that has a nation." Those words were spoken by President Reagan back in the 80's. It might has well been the 1880's as we have slowly eroded into a government that is controlling the people and not a government that was meant to serve at the will of its citizens. Just look around you, there are mayors who are dictating what you can eat and drink, because they know better then you on how to care for yourself.
When I can't buy the size BIG Gulp I want then we have gone off the deep end. I personally do not want the government to tell me what to eat, what to wear or how to earn a living. Now the government is going to dictate where and when I get medical care. For those who continue to believe that the motivation to take the least expensive way won't win out, unfortunately are delusional.
Lets look at the realities and how they play out. Take the corporate world first, those who received free passes (exemptions) from Obama will most likely continue to carry health insurance for their employees. The others will do a very simple cost benefit and determine that there is a HUGE savings in not providing benefits and paying a penalty. This is simple math, say it costs 5k per year to provide health benefits and $700 in penalties. As a CEO, CFO or business owner I am ALWAYS going to seek an improved bottom line, this is a business principle. A business exists to make a profit, even non-profit organizations seek ways to improve their expense levels. The bottom line is what shareholders and small business owners are focused on. Obamacare makes an easy decision to the bottom line, money can be saved by cutting benefits and allowing the government to take over the bill for employees health care, that is short and simple. ALl the debate over so-called competition for employees, potential tax laws on penalties, these are all bogus debates. The reality is a major corporation or a small business will make the same decision to improve the bottom line whenever and wherever possible. Any first year business major realizes this, unfortunately we created too many liberal arts majors who graduated college and decided that entreprenurialism and capitalism was a blight on our society. When the lights go out and there is nothing to eat I want to see how Socratic philosophy (PS recently in Greece a group a world wide academics actually spent several days to have a world trial for Socrates and give him a pardon. I'm sure he is happy about that) puts food on the table.
Since Obamacare passed 24 Health Insurers have gone out of business taking with them 10's of thousands of jobs and quite a bit of financial strength as well. This is only the beginning as when the smoke clears the objective is to have a single payer system and only a handful of insurance companies who will be in bed with the government. See how that works out. Forget about competition, health insurance will in essence become a government run monopoly. This won't benefit Physcians, Hospitals or our citizens. No competition equals fixed rates and government subsidies which will begin to set standards of care distribution as well. It will slowly become a triage system and depend on government managed health care. This will determine exactly how you live; don't smoke, don't drink, don't eat foods that might cause you to become obese as determined by the government. How you feed your family, what foods you should buy, what quantities you can consume all will be determined in a packaged government plan. You don't think this can happen do you? Well those who believe that wealth can be distributed and so called equality can be legislated will ultimately see to it that this is the form of government we end up with. I don't believe for a moment that these people want this to be the end game, unfortunately the law of unintended consequences will see this end occur. It is time to wake up and drop party affliations and get away from the left and the right, it is time to stand up for a simple concept that the founding fathers fought for and gifted to us, that simple concept was personal liberty. It doesn't need a political party, but if we were looking for a party affiliation we whould start the party of common sense. Don't sit back and allow the law of unintended consequences destroy our personal liberties, stand up be counted and make America stay on track. Forget the movement towards European soft socialism, and realize that there is never an easy solution and certainly no solutions which create wealth distribution and legislated equality, these systems always end in the same manner. The free enterprise system is the greatest vehicle ever produced for prosperity and each individual has the full and equal opportunity to grow within that system. There are no shortcuts and certainly no government can provide the prosperity that comes with the greatness of the human effort.
When I can't buy the size BIG Gulp I want then we have gone off the deep end. I personally do not want the government to tell me what to eat, what to wear or how to earn a living. Now the government is going to dictate where and when I get medical care. For those who continue to believe that the motivation to take the least expensive way won't win out, unfortunately are delusional.
Lets look at the realities and how they play out. Take the corporate world first, those who received free passes (exemptions) from Obama will most likely continue to carry health insurance for their employees. The others will do a very simple cost benefit and determine that there is a HUGE savings in not providing benefits and paying a penalty. This is simple math, say it costs 5k per year to provide health benefits and $700 in penalties. As a CEO, CFO or business owner I am ALWAYS going to seek an improved bottom line, this is a business principle. A business exists to make a profit, even non-profit organizations seek ways to improve their expense levels. The bottom line is what shareholders and small business owners are focused on. Obamacare makes an easy decision to the bottom line, money can be saved by cutting benefits and allowing the government to take over the bill for employees health care, that is short and simple. ALl the debate over so-called competition for employees, potential tax laws on penalties, these are all bogus debates. The reality is a major corporation or a small business will make the same decision to improve the bottom line whenever and wherever possible. Any first year business major realizes this, unfortunately we created too many liberal arts majors who graduated college and decided that entreprenurialism and capitalism was a blight on our society. When the lights go out and there is nothing to eat I want to see how Socratic philosophy (PS recently in Greece a group a world wide academics actually spent several days to have a world trial for Socrates and give him a pardon. I'm sure he is happy about that) puts food on the table.
Since Obamacare passed 24 Health Insurers have gone out of business taking with them 10's of thousands of jobs and quite a bit of financial strength as well. This is only the beginning as when the smoke clears the objective is to have a single payer system and only a handful of insurance companies who will be in bed with the government. See how that works out. Forget about competition, health insurance will in essence become a government run monopoly. This won't benefit Physcians, Hospitals or our citizens. No competition equals fixed rates and government subsidies which will begin to set standards of care distribution as well. It will slowly become a triage system and depend on government managed health care. This will determine exactly how you live; don't smoke, don't drink, don't eat foods that might cause you to become obese as determined by the government. How you feed your family, what foods you should buy, what quantities you can consume all will be determined in a packaged government plan. You don't think this can happen do you? Well those who believe that wealth can be distributed and so called equality can be legislated will ultimately see to it that this is the form of government we end up with. I don't believe for a moment that these people want this to be the end game, unfortunately the law of unintended consequences will see this end occur. It is time to wake up and drop party affliations and get away from the left and the right, it is time to stand up for a simple concept that the founding fathers fought for and gifted to us, that simple concept was personal liberty. It doesn't need a political party, but if we were looking for a party affiliation we whould start the party of common sense. Don't sit back and allow the law of unintended consequences destroy our personal liberties, stand up be counted and make America stay on track. Forget the movement towards European soft socialism, and realize that there is never an easy solution and certainly no solutions which create wealth distribution and legislated equality, these systems always end in the same manner. The free enterprise system is the greatest vehicle ever produced for prosperity and each individual has the full and equal opportunity to grow within that system. There are no shortcuts and certainly no government can provide the prosperity that comes with the greatness of the human effort.
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