I suppose it’s not surprising that you get offered a lot of help when you ask for help in an interesting project. There have been over 20 people offering me help. I recorded 9 songs from Robin Storm yesterday and they were all really good performances but, I didn’t enjoy it. There were no surprises for me except my reaction. Storm didn’t ask me to play with him and might have rebuffed my offer. I knew it would be like that because Storm has been in Bob’s Basement before. I didn’t start this project because I wanted to become a producer. I became a producer because I wanted to perform and have some control over the final product. I’m still constrained by time and deadlines, FCC rules and my limitations in the technical aspects of video editing but, I don’t have sponsors telling me I can’t promote my political point of view. In fact, that’s the whole purpose of Public Access T.V.. One of the people who has expressed an interest the show is a radio host, Judy Stadt. She has this saying on her website; “Freedom is doing what you want, Happiness is doing what you want and enjoying it.” I hope she tells me how to do that.
Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
What is a moderate republican?
Thursday, June 25th, 2009When Arlen Specter changed from being a republican to a democrat I started thinking about what a moderate republican was and what was the real difference between republicans and democrats. In many ways it’s just a matter of style and trivial perspective. I suspect that for a lot of republicans they are anti-communist and the republicans offer a bias that is as anti-communist as you can get; even though democrats are not communists. For that segment of the republican coalition they choose an ideology that forces religion on people over the communist ideology that bans religion; the democrats believe in freedom of religion and to that end try to keep it out of government. I suppose a moderate republican would dismiss that part of the coalition as extremists. The anti-communists consider any government meddling in economic affairs a form of socialism. I’m guessing that a moderate republican would heed the lessons learned when 19th century robber barons glommed so much of the GNP that there wasn’t enough left to sustain the economy and so they tolerate a certain amount of government intervention; especially if it serves their own personal business interests. Sadly, many democrats share that with the moderate republicans but, I suppose that’s what democracy is all about: the majority of the people deciding what’s in their own best interests and steering the government in that direction. My own personal bias is towards a government that stays out of my personal life, my religion and keeps the robber barons at bay. We still have robber barons but, they are global and the popular belief has it that they are Middle Eastern Sheiks. I have my doubts. I think they are Texas oil men who control the refineries. In either case, I would like us to return to that economic philosophy that touted an ever expanding middle class and distribution of wealth over an ever larger segment of the population; a philosophy that seems to have been shared by every 20th century president with the exceptions of Hoover, Reagan and Bush II. But, I could be wrong. Maybe, wealth distribution is what separates moderate republicans from democrats. I’m still trying to figure out what a moderate republican is.
Where did the money Go?
Sunday, March 15th, 2009The truth is; it never existed. The ‘poison assets’ were agreements between banks and borrowers that was based on the premise that the house was going to be worth more in the future and that somebody was going to have enough money to pay the loan back. Ultimately, some wage earner was going to have to indenture his or her services for 30 years. The free market system decided that the average indentured servant wasn’t worth the cost of the house or the loan. The bankers, the lawyers, the title searchers, the builders and the sellers all took their cut and spent it on whatever they spend it on and the money was never there. It lay off in the murky future of someone who got killed by supply side economics.
Spend vs Save
Friday, March 13th, 2009It’s better if everyone else spends and you save. Then you have all the money and if they need the money they have to come to you to borrow it. Then you get to charge interest on the money they borrowed to pay you for all the stuff you sell them.
What is Money?
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009Money is a tangible object that some government fashions in order to extract goods and services out of people. It’s only value is in what people are willing to do for it. The idea of nationalizing the banks is a purely ludicrous idea. The whole banking system is pretty much an arm of the government. Where the money goes is a prerogative the government has been exercising since before the bible was written. Whether it goes to Haliburton or a police department in Ohio, it’s still arbitrary.
Some argue that printing too much money will cause inflation. I never saw that happen. I’m not saying it can’t but, the only time I saw inflation happen in my lifetime was when the oil companies started raising their prices and everyone else tried to catch up. The last time they did it everyone started economising and the whole thing fell apart. I’m starting to think the only reason for the way our banking system is structured the way it is is to delude idealogues into thinking we have a free market system.
Pedal Board /Part 6
Friday, March 6th, 2009
Pedal Board as of 3/6/09
This is how the pedal board looked today. I moved the hinge so when the back of the lid sits flat on the floor the board also sits flat on the floor. The mic still moves when I stomp on the wah but, that could be because it’s sitting on carpet. The newest addition to the board is a looper and a couple of external foot switches. This thing is a lot of fun and between the drum loops and the octave pedal, which allows me to overlay a bass part, I may not need any other players. I bought the external foot switches from the keyboard counter at The Guitar Center. The looper’s owner’s manual suggested a particular foot switch to use which cost about $30 each. I would have bought it at the guitar counter but, there was some fool grilling the salesman about tuners and I would have waited a long time for my turn. Instead I went to the keyboard counter since the primary purpose for this switch was as a sustain pedal. They didn’t have the recomended switch but, they had a sustain pedal with the same bells and whistles for $15. I should thank that fool for saving me $30 on two switches.
From the guitar end the path of the signal runs Cry Baby Wah, Ibanez Flanger FL301, Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808, Ibanez Delay Echo DE7, Fender Tuner AG6, Roctek 6 Band EQ GER 01, Arion Octave MOC 1, Roctec Phaser PHR 01, Boss Loop Station RC2, MXR Noise Gate.
What is a Democrat?
Sunday, February 1st, 2009At this moment my most burning passion is to create an anthem for the democratic party. I’m hoping my readers will share their thoughts and why they did or did not vote for Obama in the primary and general election.