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Thinking Magazine Issue 19
Thinking Magazine (TM) Issue #19 03-16-93
Copyright 1993 by Marc Perkel - All Rights Reserved
Editor Marc Perkel
Computer Tyme
411 North Sherman, Suite 300
Springfield MO. 65802
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MARC @ CTYME mhs
Thinking Magazine is a Trademark of Marc Perkel
Thinking Magazine is a BBS distributed publication. Any BBS may carry
this magazine under the following conditions:
1) That it be published in complete form.
2) No fee is charged to access it over your regular access charges.
Articles of Thinking Magazine may be reprinted as long as I am mentioned
as the author and that you don't butcher the meaning or quote me out of
context.
Why Thinking Magazine?
Thinking magazine is a collection of my ideas and views of reality as I
see it. I am totally frustrated with the general stupidity of society
and as a way of relieving my frustrations I have decided to publish my
views. My views are not always correct, but I do guarantee them to be
well thought out and interesting. My purpose is to provide you, the
reader, with information that will stimulate you intellectually whether
or not you agree with me.
This publication is dedicated to those readers who are thinkers. That is
why I have decided to distribute this electronically. The minimum IQ
test here is that you have a computer and a modem and you are a sharp
enough user to download a file and read it.
YES - I STILL SUPPORT CLINTON ...
I'm sure by now you've heard the speech the President gave and are
evaluating it. I was highly impressed. Whether or not you agree with
Clinton you have to give him credit for one thing -- he's one hell of a
salesman. I sure wouldn't have wanted to sell his plan and I think he
did a superb job of presenting it.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't consider Clinton's plan for
the economy to be the best plan possible, or even the best plan
achievable, but I do consider it to be generally on the right track. It
is certainly the boldest economic plan that has been presented in my
lifetime and you have to give him credit for having the balls to put it
forward.
Since everyone has a different interpretation of what Clinton said and
since few of you are economists, let me share with you some of the math
behind how the economy works. But before I get into that, here
are some of the letters I've been writing which deal with some of
my views.
This first letter is one that I sent to about one-third of Congress.
Here's what I said:
==> Trickle Up Economics <==
In the next few days you will begin to seriously start debating the
changes that are necessary to ensure the future of this country. Our
future depends on your coming up with a plan that meets one very
crucial test -- a plan that actually WORKS!
Having said that, let's talk math. Paying off the deficit depends
increasing revenues and cutting waste. But increasing revenues is not
necessarily the same as increasing taxes. For example: If a person
makes $30,000 and pays $10,000 in taxes then he is paying a 33% tax.
But if he increases his income to $60,000 and pays $15,000 in taxes
then he is only paying 25% tax and the government is getting 50% more
revenue.
Not only that, but that person spends more money which make
companies more profitable. Those increases in company profits
create more jobs and reduce unemployment. These higher profits
and higher employment generate more tax revenue and the money
trickles up to the government level. This is the basis for the
concept of Trickle Up economics!
What is the difference between someone who makes $60,000 dollars a
year and someone who makes $30,000 a year? Or what has changed
in a person who used to make $30,000 a year who now makes
$60,000? Well, I would say that the main difference is that
the person who makes $60,000 a year knows how to make $60,000
a year. He is now smarter about making money than he used to
be.
So our challenge, from a mathematical point of view, is: "How do we
turn a $30,000 a year worker into a $60,000-a-year worker?" How does
the average American double their income? America has to become
smarter. We cannot continue to be outwitted by the rest of the
world. The first step in my opinion is leadership. And since you
Congressmen and Senators are our leaders it is reasonable to expect
you to set the example -- to show us how it's done.
If anything can be read from last year's election it is that
America wants change. We need to actually FIX the problem. The
people who elected Bill Clinton president certainly want
change and there's no doubt that those who voted for Perot
want change. In fact, I would say that a serious number of
those who voted for Bush want change.
We cannot go back. We can only go forward. We are blessed with
a president who is serious about getting the job done. And I
see this as an opportunity for both Democrats and Republicans
to share in the glory of a true economic recovery package. And
faced with this opportunity you have to ask yourself, "In the
1994 election year, do I want to share in the glory, or do I
want to share in the blame?" I would guess that if you pick
the latter that the issue of term limitations will no longer
be a problem -- if you catch my drift.
Bill Clinton's program is not carved in stone. If you have an idea,
and that idea makes sense, Clinton will work with you. And it doesn't
matter which side of the aisle you're on. The time has come where we
must all make smarter decisions that we have ever made before.
I have a different definition of "Shared Sacrifice" than Bill
Clinton does. To me, the concept of shared sacrifice is a call
to be smarter than we are today but to realize that we no
longer have the luxury of making bad choices. There was a day
when we could afford to be stupid and wasteful, but those days
are gone!
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congress: I am a poor West Virginia
hillbilly who 17 years ago was living as a hippy in a school bus in
the Missouri Ozark mountains. I now own a profitable computer
software company and in 1992 I made over $100,000 in spite of an
economic recession. I wrote the software that allows me to fax this
letter to over 200 of you. I decided to rejoin society and make a
success of myself because I felt that I would be more effective
working within the system that outside the system.
I am willing to come to Washington to testify as to how I did it and
to give you a perspective on how a person such as myself rises up
from where I was to where I am today. I am a person who is very much
at home with mathematics and logic, and I have the ability to
understand complex economic concepts and explain them in
simple terms that most anyone can relate to. I have several
detailed, step-by-step solutions that are achievable in the
current political climate, that can save America over 100
billion dollars above the various economic plans that are
being discussed today. And you know what they say, "A 100
billion here and a 100 billion there and before long you're
talking real money!"
If you like what you're reading so far, there's a lot more where that
came from. If you like the concept of "Trickle Up Economics", you're
going to want to talk to me.
I'm just a phone call away. Call me!
This second letter is similar to the one I sent Congress. It is stripped
down for size and takes a more visual approach to the problem.
==> Clinton proposes Trickle Up Economics <==
In president Clinton's address to Congress and the Nation he outlined
an economic strategy which can be best described as "Trickle Up
Economics" Trickle Up Economics is an economic plan that can be
described by the following example:
If a person makes $30,000 and pays $10,000 in taxes then he is paying
a 33% tax. But if he increases his income to $60,000 and pays $15,000
in taxes then he is only paying 25% tax and the government is getting
50% more revenue.
Not only that, but that person spends more money which make
companies more profitable, those increases in company profits
create more jobs and reduce unemployment. These higher profits
and higher employment generate more tax revenue and the money
trickles up to the government level. This is the basis for the
concept of Trickle Up economics!
For those who want a more visual example, four hungry people
are in a restaurant sharing a 12-inch pizza. A waitress has a
pizza cutter and is charged with dividing the pizza fairly.
What is the correct solution for this waitress? The correct
solution is to recommend that they buy a bigger pizza.
The success of this economic plan is not based on how much we
raise taxes or how much we cut spending, (although these are
very important), but on how wisely we spend the 31 billion
dollar stimulus money. If we use that money to buy education
and training and build infrastructure and for investment tax
credits, then the whole economy should start to do very well.
I think it's important for everyone to realize that it isn't how we
cut the pizza, but how we grow the pizza. For those of you who are
intending to write your Congressman about what you don't want to see
cut or hiked, you should also include a suggestion about where you
want your tax dollars to be invested in order to do the most good.
This third letter went out to 250 newspapers. In this letter I propose
a practical solution to start on economic recovery and get more economic
ideas on the table.
==> Cut the Budget Contest <==
Dear Editors:
Normally I write letters to the editor for publication, but this is a
letter to you. I would like to suggest something that will be a way
to increase your newspaper circulation and increase you readership.
The economy is a very hot topic and it is an opportunity for
newspapers to make money. Here's how it's done:
The idea is to have a "Cut the Budget" ideas contest where readers
write in with their ideas on how to solve the economic crisis. Money
and valuable prizes are contributed by local sponsors and winners are
handsomely rewarded. Winning ideas are forwarded to the White House
for Presidential approval.
Every day the 10 best ideas of that day are published with sequential
numbers so that the ideas can be referred to by number. Readers
collect these ideas by keeping the paper every day for a month. Then
the readers vote for the best ideas, each reader voting for the 10
they like the best.
This contest will create a very high amount of attention to your
publication and should bring in a lot of advertising revenue
stimulating your economy, if you know what I mean. Your publication
might even get national attention if your paper is the first one to
get the contest going. (Better hurry, this fax is going out to 250
newspapers!) Is this a great idea or what?
This fourth letter deals with the concept of investment. Not all
spending is bad. Some spending, when it leads to making money or saving
money, is spending we need to do.
==> Digital Data Networks <==
There's been a lot of debate about the economy. Of all the ideas that
have been presented, one idea that stands out is the idea that will
make the most difference. I am concerned that this idea isn't getting
the attention it deserves. This idea is a National Digital Data
Network.
During the last century the mark of an advanced successful society
was it's cars and roads, telephone lines, and distribution of
electricity. As we approach the end of the 20th century it is
apparent that computers are now the defining factor of an advanced
civilization.
Fiber optic cables will be to the 21st century what telephone lines
were to the 20th century. With high speed computer network access
lines into every home and business, Americans will have access to
more information than is stored in the Library of Congress. Can you
imagine, with this kind of information access, how many services this
country could provide to the rest of the world? We could set
ourselves up in a dominate position in the on-line computer services
field.
I ask that for one moment you think about what I am about to
say. We absolutely MUST do this. There is no doubt in my mind
that these networks will be developed over the next 20 years.
The only question is, will we be first or last? There's really
only one answer. We must be first.
Getting back to Clinton plan. I think that if you are going to have
taxes that he spread the taxes as fairly as possible. He has some good
cuts on the table and his spending plan, for the most part makes sense.
He is also presenting a plan that can realistically be passed, and if it
is passed, has a pretty good chance of being as successful as he
predicts.
But there is plenty of room for improvement in this plan. I think the
spending cuts can be greater and the plan to increase revenues can be
seriously improved. And you the reader can be part of the plan. Every
one of you has the potential to be as effective as I am, (or hope to be
would be more accurate). I am after all, just a poor brain damaged
hippy. Some of you went to skool!
A lot of people are calling for more cuts. I want to see more cuts. But
what happens is that when you increase the number of cuts you increase
the number of people resisting the plan. The more people resisting the
plan the more likely it is to fail. Thus, I think that it is accurate to
say that the amount of cuts which can realistically be achieved depends
on the amount of public support for cuts. The more letters and faxes you
send to the news media and Congress, the bolder they will be on the
cutting side.
The Republicans are bad-mouthing the plan but they have this identity
crisis they're dealing with. All they have come up with so far is to
resist. So if you're in a letter writing mood then write to Republicans
and tell them to support the President on his cuts and add more cuts.
I'm a little tired of these jerks who have nothing to offer in the way
of a solution.
But one key issue that needs to be dealt with is that good ideas are not
enough. It's time to get out the great ideas and put them on the table.
Progress will be slow if we limit ourselves to conventional ways, we
need to think about the unconventional ways. It's time to bring out the
genius weirdos.
MILITARY BASE CLOSING LIST ...
I saw something interesting on C-Span. Senator Hollings was talking
about base closings and was upset about closings in his area. In the
press interview he was asked about how the base closing list was
created. They wanted to know if it was political.
Senator Hollings said that the cuts came from the military and not the
president. That this list was basically the same list the military came
up with in 1992 when Bush was president. I was impressed that this list
represented what the military thought were the right cuts and not what
political forces thought was right.
RUSSIAN POLITICS ...
Well, it looks like things are falling apart in the former Soviet Union.
If one tries to project the events of today into the future the
projection is very unpredictable. No one has any idea what is likely to
happen over there. In my opinion, this uncertainty itself is a grave
problem.
But, there is something we can do about it which is outlined in the
following letter to the President.
Dear Mr. President,
I am concerned about the political stability in Russia. I think that
it will soon be necessary for the United States to send the Russians
a message as to our concern about our future relations.
A lot of things can happen over there. There is a serious possibility
that Yeltzin will soon lose power. So what is the right thing to do?
I think the Russian people want reform (change). Just as
change is turning our country around, change can turn their
country around. But there is not real leader over there who
has the power to bring about change. The Russians are
essentially without a political system.
If you decided to do so, you could request of the Russian government
that you go on Russian television and give a live message directly to
the Russian people. You could express in no uncertain terms that we
in the United States value our peaceful relationship with our Russian
neighbors and give them a message about the importance of them
working out a political system so that they don't end up like
Yugoslavia.
If you do this then whatever happens over there is more likely going
to be better than it will turn out if you don't do this. I'm not
saying that you should do this now, but it is the kind of idea you
should be ready for if it becomes necessary. You could make
arrangements so that you could be on Russian TV within 24 hours of
when you decide to do so.
This is a very critical period for the Russian people. They have quit
being communists and they want to do the right thing. But they have
absolutely no idea of what the right thing is. You could provide that
guidance. And you don't need the permission of Congress, any money,
or a G7 meeting to give them that guidance. All you have to do is do
it.
BANKING REGULATION REFORM - YES! ...
Got to hand it to Bill on this one. Clinton is changing the way bank
regulators monitor how banks make loans. After the S&L crisis the bank
regulators required a ton of paperwork on every loan and would only
allow banks to loan money based on the collateral of the borrower. This
process made it difficult and expensive for banks to loan money to
business and drove a lot of businesses under.
The new regulations require much less paperwork and allow for more
weight to be given to the borrowers credit history and less to
collateral. Thus if someone has borrowed money in the past and has paid
it back in a timely manner, they will be able to borrow more money more
easily than they could under the old rules.
Thus, small businesses will be able to expand and hire new employees and
more people will be able to borrow money to start new businesses. This
should help fix the unemployment problem and create new jobs to hire
people losing their jobs to government cutbacks. And it stimulates the
economy without raising taxes.
COMPUSERVE STARTS WHITE HOUSE FORUM ...
Compuserve this week has started a White House forum. This forum does in
fact have ties to the White House and there is an official White House
contact, Jock Gill, who works for the Clinton administration. If you're a
Compuserve member you can send you letters EMail to 75300,3115. To get
into the forum, type GO WHITEHOUSE at any ! prompt. The White House is
monitoring the forum and all the brilliant suggestions are (in theory)
being brought to the people who make things happen.
The forum libraries have information like economic plans and
Presidential speeches. There are also schedules as to where the
President will be on any particular day.
Since the forum is new the amount of White House response has been
minimal. They seem to be in "Read Only" mode and I'm hoping that will
change. I'm impressed that the Clinton Administration is sharp enough to
want to tap into electronic communications. Perhaps now the voice of the
nerd will be heard in Washington.
TAX ON FAT? INTERESTING ...
I came across an interesting idea on Compuserve. Someone in the
Whitehouse forum suggested that we should perhaps have a meat tax.
Taking the idea a little farther, the idea of taxing food based on fat
content is an interesting concept.
The idea is that at the food manufacturing level you impose a tax on the
number of grams of fat in the food product. Thus, it would create a tax
incentive for food producers to lower their fat content to reduce their
tax burden.
For example, there is a lot of difference in potato chips fat content
from one brand to another. Most consumers don't bother to look at the
fat when purchasing chips. Low fat chips are more expensive that those
with high fat. But if we had a fat tax then it would be cheaper for
companies to produce low fat chips to avoid the fat tax.
Yes, it would make potato chips a little more expensive. But you would
make it up by what you would save not having a heart attack. Sounds like
a bargain to me.
This is an idea that the President should look at. As someone who eats
at McDonalds, he's eating a lot of fat. This tax would cause McDonalds
to want to reduce the fat content of a Big Mac to compete with the
Burger King Whopper, which has a lower fat content.
MARC @ LINCOLN DAY ...
Speaking of unconventional, here's one for ya. Every year in the Spring
the Republicans in this area have "Lincoln Day" which is the annual
Republican party gathering. Anyone who's anybody, (especially if they
are running for office), is there. So, your's truly, being a prominent
Springfield Republican made my annual appearance.
I put on my best suit and wore my Clinton inauguration button. The
button was quite the conversation starter. The Republicans in Missouri
took a strong beating in last years election. I probably talked to one
third of them over a two day period. I was particularly interested in the
Congressmen and Senators that were there. The Congressmen were Mel
Hancock, Bill Emerson, and Jim Tallent. The Senators were Christopher
Bond, Jack Danforth, and Arlen (magic bullet) Spector.
I had a number of conversations that were similar. Here's how it went.
Someone would notice my Clinton Button and say, "What are you doing here
with that?" "Well", I said, "I'm a Clinton Republican. I'm one of the
many Republicans who voted for Clinton, but probably one of the few who
are here today. I am here because I'm concerned about the future of our
party. I see this last election as an opportunity for the Republican
Party."
"Opportunity?", they say, "How's that?" "Well, Bill Clinton has proposed
some serious spending cuts and tax breaks for small business. A lot of
his suggestions are very much in line with Republican objectives. We
Republicans should support the President in these spending cuts and share
the glory of being part of the solution, rather than share the blame for
being part of the problem."
"But the Democrats don't want those cuts. All that will get passed is
the taxes!" "Well, that's why it is important for us to make sure that
doesn't happen. Clinton will always pull a share of his party's vote,
but on the spending cut side it may well be us Republicans that put the
cuts into law. We can make the difference to make these cuts pass and we
will get the credit for getting them through. Not only that, but we can
come up with additional cuts and if we get Clinton in on the additional
cuts, we can argue better against the tax increases."
"In 1994", I continued, "All the House and one third of the Senate is up
for re-election. When we go before the voters, how are we going to be
perceived? Are we going to be part of the recovery? Or are we going to
be part of the gridlock? America is in trouble. We don't have four years
to wait. Clinton's plan must pass and it must be successful. And we
Republicans must be part of that success."
It was a very effective argument. I feel like I made serious progress
with Bill Emmerson and Arlen Spector in particular. Both men gave
speeches that focused on a "new direction" for the party and with a
minimal amount of Clinton bashing.
I was impressed with Spector. He did a local news conference where he
said that the Republican party need to abort the anti-abortion plank in
the Republican platform. Spector is pro-choice and said the
government should stay out of peoples private business.
This represents that there are a few people in the Republican party that
are ready to deal with reality and I am hopeful that the Republicans
will do the right thing. But we can't just trust them, we need to stay
on them and make sure they do what's best for all of us.
PRO-LIFE TERRORISTS ...
As you know, an abortion doctor was murdered by a member of Operation
Rescue. In response to this I faxed this letter to the press:
I am shocked by the recent killing of an abortion doctor by
anti-abortion terrorists. But I am more shocked by the response of
Christian leaders who are saying, "Yes, this is terrible, but it is
acceptable because ..." This is absolutely the wrong message for the
Christian community to be sending.
I am concerned that this message will encourage other Christian
sponsored violence and that others might retaliate against Christians
and a lot of people end up getting hurt. It is therefore necessary
that both pro-choice and pro-life legislators let these people know
that murder and terrorism have no place whatsoever in America and that
"Yes - But" is not the right answer.
I don't believe this is an isolated incident. Operation Rescue has
sponsored bombings and torchings of abortion clinics for years. These
people have attacked the doctors and their families. The circulate
posters of the doctors with "Wanted for Murder" as a heading. The have
and continue to work hard to create the environment where such killings
occur.
In my opinion I see what can only be classified as Christian sponsored
terrorism. Christian leaders have been giving implicit endorsement of
this kind of behavior. Being a non-christian, I have no more tolerance
for this than I do for Islamic terrorists. Society will not tolerate
religious terrorism.
I GOT A BUTTON MAKER ...
You've been to different places where you see people selling buttons?
Did you ever wonder where they came from? Well, I needed to make about
1000 buttons for a computer conference and I found out that making
buttons is easier than you think.
I bought this button making machine from a place called "Mr. Button" in
Indianapolis, Indiana and it only costs $150 for the machine. The button
shells themselves were only 11 cents each when bought 2000 at a time.
All I needed to add was the artwork and the labor.
I'm getting the artwork cut into circles, but I also bought a circle
cutter with it. You can cut circles out of photographs or magazines
(like this one) and make buttons out of them. There are catalogs of
pre-printed button circles, or if you have some imagination you can make
your own.
For those of you who are unemployed, or aren't happy with your job, you
can get into the button business cheap. You make them for 20 cents or
less and sell them for two bucks. Just make up a bunch and show up where
people are. If you sell 10 an hour your making $18 an hour which may be
more than your making now! So wander into the boss's office and start
singing, "Take this job and shove It!" and start your own business!
I'm starting out making some "Nerd Liberation Movement" buttons.
"Coming out of the back room", they say with a picture of a nerd in the
middle. I took a few with me to lunch with the local computer club and
sold three of them for a dollar each. Not bad for no effort.
BATHING YOUR CAT ...
Having been around cats for many years I've made an interesting
observation. If they smell like a beast, they think like a beast. If you
give them a bath then their personality changes. They become a pet.
If you have never bathed a cat before, this is not a task for the meek.
These little cute creatures quickly turn into a hissing ball of claws
and teeth when they are put in water. If you can't handle it then you
might want to take your beast to a vet or animal groomer. But for those
of you who want to try it yourself, here are some pointers.
If your beast has fleas then this is a good time to get some flea soap.
If you're going to go to the trouble to bathe him you might as well nuke
the fleas at the same time.
Fill the tub up with water. The deeper the water, the better. Cats are
fast and the deep water slows them down. A cats body temperature is
about 8 degrees higher that humans. The water should feel slightly warm
to the touch. Don't use hot water like you like because cats don't sweat
like humans to and hot water is uncomfortable for them.
The only safe place to grab the cat is by the loose skin on the back of
the neck. Hold on and lower the cat into the water. At this point the
cat will make the most awful howling sounds you can imagine. Don't give
into fear. It isn't as bad as it sounds. After some initial thrashing
and howling the cat will wear down somewhat. After this you can apply
the soap.
Always pay attention to the cat. If he gets a chance to escape he will
take it. Don't let him get a claw into you or he will try to climb you
like he climbs a tree. Let the cat thrash in the water because the
thrashing cleans the cat.
After you and the cat have had enough, lift him out of the water and run
your hands down the cats body to squeeze the water out of his fur. Wrap
him in a thick towel with his head sticking out and dry him as well as
you can. Then let him go in the house so he can shake and lick. It may
take several hours for him to dry.
If it is winter or the weather is cold, try to keep the cat
inside until he's dry. A wet cat can catch pneumonia if it gets
cold while it wet. If you can get near your cat you might be able
to brush his fur which helps him dry.
Cats are very forgiving. After he's dry he will be ready to be loved
again. Every time he gets a bath it's easier to do. I bathe mine about
twice a year or so. He has long hair so he needs it more often.
