WSJ: June revenues show surplus. Deficit shrinking. Sequestration working!
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Posted:Jul 11, 2013 10:57 pm
Last Updated:Jul 13, 2013 6:53 pm 6038 Views
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Hate to admit it, but Obama's sequestration plan which he deserves credit for its inception, later maintained instead by supporting Republicans, and tho painful to many and controversial, is starting to show modest positive results. This should take some heat off both Obama and the GOP.
The sequestration cuts, coupled with finally sufficient growth in employment figures and higher taxes on households making 450K+, the economy is gradually showing positive signs. Even running a surplus in June!
From the 7/11/13 Wall Street Journal:
By
JEFFREY SPARSHOTT
WASHINGTON—The U.S. government posted the biggest June budget surplus on record after receiving big dividend payments from mortgage giants Fannie Mae FNMA -4.58% and Freddie Mac, FMCC -4.17% leaving the federal government on track for its smallest full-year shortfall since 2008.
Revenues outpaced spending by $116.50 billion last month, compared with a $59.74 billion deficit a year earlier, the Treasury Department said Thursday in a monthly report.
Last month's black ink was the first June surplus in five years—reflecting a broadly improving fiscal outlook as well as almost $67 billion in payments from the two mortgage-finance companies.
Other receipts are rising due to higher taxes and an improving economy, while spending is falling in part because of mandatory cuts.
The better budget numbers ease pressure on the White House and Congress to strike a grand bargain that fixes long-term fiscal problems, including unsustainable growth in spending on Social Security and federal health-care programs.
They also mean more breathing space for the Treasury under the federal debt ceiling. But sometime between September and November the government will run out of borrowing room, potentially forcing a political showdown over raising the cap. Without an increase in the debt ceiling, the government will eventually run out of cash to pay all its bills. White House officials have warned this could trigger market turmoil and hurt the economy.
The budget deficit for the first three-quarters of the fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, totaled $509.83 billion, down about 44% from the same period a year earlier, the Treasury said.
Receipts during the October to June period have jumped about 14% to $2.087 trillion, thanks largely to higher payroll taxes, higher tax rates for households making more than $450,000, solid job growth and stronger incomes.
Spending for the nine-month period is down 5%. Defense outlays fell 7%. Unemployment payments declined 24%, reflecting an improving labor market as well as a reduction in extended jobless benefits.
Under current policies, the deficit is expected to fall to $642 billion for the full fiscal year and get as low as $378 billion in 2015, according to Congressional Budget Office projections. The deficit for the prior year was $1.089 trillion. The last time the deficit was under $1 trillion was 2008, when spending outpaced revenue by $458.55 billion.
(End of article)
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Not sure if this trend will last as those in higher income brackets make changes, and with the unpredictability of both the Fed and European economies, but it's nice to finally hear some good news! Hopefully we can eventually start paying down the national debt! (Note the last paragraph above tho. Paying down the National Dept won't really be a practical possibility until the deficit is completely gone. Gonna take a while for that to happen at this rate, but it's a start! If Congress and the Administration both keep adhering to these current practices, I'm betting that by 2015 we can actually begin to reduce the National Debt.)
GBU all,
Gavin
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Deleted comments
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Posted:Jul 11, 2013 8:41 am
Last Updated:Jul 13, 2013 6:52 pm 5956 Views
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Realized I have to start deleting comments from those people who only want to cause trouble. Some of them have often done that to me in the past anyway, when they can't cope with the truth.
There are a few that I've just grown bored dealing with. They actively look for reasons to attack. It was fun for a while, but it's grown tedious.
GBU all,
Gavin
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Christianity and Homosexuality
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Posted:Jul 9, 2013 4:02 am
Last Updated:Aug 5, 2013 11:15 pm 8748 Views
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I was inspired to write this in response to the violence over gays and anti-gay Christians in Seattle yesterday.
Just some personal thoughts I wanted to share. Not trying to push my religion on anyone, but I'd like to point something out to both Christians and Gays.
I've read the Bible cover to cover numerous times. And I've also read all the still existing ancient Hebrew and Christian writings that were never incorporated into the Canon.
I don't recall Jesus ever discussing homosexuality. That was other scribes of the times, some voicing God's opinion as prophets, and some just entering their own views.
Now, I'm not saying homosexuality is not a sin, but it's only one among many. True, in some passages it is described as an "abomination" but that same word could be applied to any sin.
According to Jesus, there is only one unpardonable sin: Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
If we are going to place a dividing line between Christianity and any other group, then we should be careful not to include ANY sins. EVERYONE is a sinner!
As Christians, our first priority should be to share God's love. We don't need to change people first!
Instead of telling people they have to change themselves, first tell them to change their hearts to being open to Christ. Then let HIM make any changes that HE wants, and in HIS own time!
This sounds like I'm solely down on my fellow Christians, but I'm not done. Gays need to understand that Jesus Christ is willing to accept anyone, and just because SOME Christians want to fixate on the behaviors of others, does NOT mean that all Christians are condemning you! So don't try to act like they ALL are!
So here's my point to both groups:
There is no reason why a homosexual cannot be a Christian too. I don't know how the majority feels, but many of us Christians would have NO problem if you gays wanted to worship in our church. That wouldn't mean we approve, but that wouldn't mean we condemn either! We'd extend Christian love, and let God do His work in you.
GBU all,
Gavin
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The Future of the Family in Society
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Posted:Jul 1, 2013 10:00 pm
Last Updated:Jul 7, 2013 5:30 am 5811 Views
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Got to pondering social trends coupled with modern technology, and I recalled the very first research/term paper I ever had to write. (To this day, one of the best, and most eye-opening, IQ raising classes I ever took was second semester English at my local community college, way back in 1974.)
My assignment was "The Future of the Family in America."
I may even still have this packed away in some boxes of old college poop I saved. But I'm not gonna dig it out to refer to it here. After a lot more education, and living an additional 39 years, I'm confident that it would be very silly today!
But with current social trends, coupled with the advances in science and technology, I'm fascinated to ponder the possibilities. I think all of us have our own notions as to what a "family" should consist of, but not all cultures have recognized genetic-social connections the same way we do in Western Culture. So I'm going to try to write this blog entry leaving out personal bias and value judgments as best I can.
With new views about what constitutes a family, a recognition arises that (like it or not) the traditional "nuclear" family is not so "traditional" anymore. For instance, today it's commonplace that a very large portion of live in single parent homes.
And now families are becoming recognized based on the union of same sex couples. Some early interest in wider acceptance of polygamy is showing up on tv, and one may assume a correlating interest in polyandry may arise. And questions regarding age-appropriateness for sexual consent have been slowly rising to public awareness. (E.g.: NAMBLA) for instance.)
But all those are generalized social trends. What really got me going was when I also considered the impact of science and technology. As to procreation, research into cloning has been around for decades. But today, researchers are currently even working on methods to combine the genetic makeup of two people of the same gender. Also, they are contemplating combining the genes of THREE or MORE individuals! Or even improving humankind by combining some DNA of other species!
And technological advances will have an effect too! Even way back in the early 80s there were researchers working to create hardware and software to facilitate the brain/computer connection. And in the computer age, the more we learn, the more we speed up in our technological understandings and capabilities!
(I recall once hearing that mapping the human genome would not be possible for another twenty years, and about five years later they suddenly announced that they had it completely mapped!)
Mankind may be on the verge of a great self-created evolutionary leap.
(That wasn't a joke.)
There are all kinds of implications, and all kinds of new philosophical dilemmas that keep arising all the time. And what affect will traditional religion have on this process? (And what affect will this process have on traditional religion?) Will all this be good, or bad for civilization?
My mind runs wild like a whole series of sci-fi novels akin to what Isaac Asimov might have written! LOL
Okay, so here's one "possible" future scenario that our grand- may cope within someday:
An entire civilization of homo-sapiens living similar to some insects like ants and bees do, in a hive-like societies. Rather than a family, people may exist within much larger groups or tribes with our relations to each other as closely defined as our current nuclear family concept. AND/OR a hive-like society wherein each person creates his own offspring, either as replacement clones for his own mind, or as extended generations.
Sound crazy enough? How bout this one: We manage the brain/computer link, and eventually progress to a point where we become completely non biological, or even existing simply as data with a consciousness that only exists as long as the computers or cyberspace have power.
I know this all sounds wild, so if anyone wants to poke fun at it please feel free! But the social trends, modern technology and science are there, and they are growing more and more prominent and advancing all the time!
Got any suggestions, speculations, questions or predictions?
GBU,
Gavin
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Civil discourse
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Posted:Jul 1, 2013 1:34 am
Last Updated:Jul 26, 2013 9:21 am 5891 Views
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I note once again that often in these blogs, when a social or political topic comes up, no matter how politely one disagrees or even offers up a different viewpoint, there are some (NOT ALL!) who can't remain civil and express their differences politely without insulting the other person.
At what age does senility usually set in? My played better than this.
GBU all,
Gavin
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15
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A Redneck Love Poem
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Posted:Jun 13, 2013 5:20 am
Last Updated:Jun 20, 2013 10:06 pm 6425 Views
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A Redneck Love Poem
This actually did earn a poetry prize in North Carolina in 1912!
Susie Lee done fell in lerv,
She planned to marry Joe.
She was so happy 'bout it all,
She tol' her Pappy so!
But Pappy tol' her, Susie gal,
You'll have t' find another.
I'd jest as soon yo' Ma don't know,
But Joe is yo' half-brother!
So Susie sadly gave up Joe,
Then planned to marry Will.
But when she tol' her Pappy this,
He said, "There's trouble still!"
You cain't marry Will, my gal,
And please don't tell yo' mother;
But Will an' Joe an' sev'ral mo'
I know is yo' half-brother!
But Mama knew and said, "My ,
Jes' do whut makes yo' happy;
You can marry Will or Joe,
Cos' you ain't kin to Pappy!
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GBU all,
Gavin
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Back from cyber-death
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Posted:Jun 6, 2013 10:30 pm
Last Updated:Jun 9, 2013 3:30 am 5939 Views
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Hi folks
Sorry I didn't respond to many of the comments on my last blog entry! I got a virus and my computer was out of commission for a few days! Thank you all for your comments!
GBU all,
Gavin
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Observation about grudges in blogs.
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Posted:Jun 1, 2013 6:44 pm
Last Updated:Jul 1, 2013 1:35 am 6308 Views
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Hi folks
Got to thinking about some of the disputes and arguments that happen in here from time to time, and it occurs to me that often when someone we've had a difference with in the past posts a blog or comment, we assume they are attacking us when in reality they are simply making a civil and polite statement. You can't hear vocal inflections or read body language, so sometimes I think we just make assumptions based on limited information.
I suppose we've all made that mistake. I know I have.
GBU all,
Gavin
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On Clicks
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Posted:May 10, 2013 8:16 pm
Last Updated:Jun 1, 2013 6:44 pm 6263 Views
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When I do my composing and recording, there are features in the programs that are designed to help establish a beat. They are referred to as "Click" tracks. They are uniform, automatic, and are to be discarded as soon in the process as possible.
You see, "click" tracks are mindless. They follow a rigid beat with no independent expression. A composer has to establish his own independent beats and rhythms, and then he can dispense with these awful tracks that show no creativity or intelligent input.
I note with regret that the "clicks" are back in SFF blogs again. These "clicks" endeavor to complain about those they don't like, over even the slightest infraction, and their unspoken message is "Let's all join me in disliking that person." These "click tracks" are attempting to insert themselves into the composition, and their interest is not in conveying a message to those they don't like, as much as it is an attempt to gain their own acceptance among the other "clickers" by denigrating the person they dislike and inciting others to attack them too.
I turn off the click tracks just as soon as possible. I'd suggest others do the same.
Just a thought.
GBU all,
Gavin
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