I was reading an interesting article about the North Carolina Education Lottery (note that this does not refer to the chances of receiving a quality education in the state but rather the possibility of winning money through a state sponsored lottery).

I recognize the bias of the article as being Liberal (a bias I know well). However, whenever us Liberals start to describe some Utopian ideal of the way other people should act, we start to sound more like Communists than common everyday lefties(see my last article/comments below).

Interestingly, people used to travel out of state to get lottery tickets before North Carolina had one. Also of interest is the fact that the state of North Carolina does not require people to play the lottery. The fact that any percentage goes to education is aces in my book (i'm all down with billion dollar bonds for education, but i wouldn't mind skipping an election cycle or two). And if the lotto can contribute, all the better.

But people who think they know what is best for others need to take a good look at their own lives. Are you saving for retirement? Investing in a house instead of throwing money away renting your swank condo? How much of your money goes to Starbucks? Do you give more to ITunes than to St Judes? According to my value system, you are the one that needs to change your ways. Its a good thing that you didn't ask me and its a good thing I don't have the power to make those changes in your life, isn't it?

I think my favorite scene from the Simpsons is when McBain (the action hero) fights against the Commie-Nazis. As you know, these two evils rarely (lastingly) played nice with each other. They are the extremes of both sides of the political spectrum. Fascism is to conservativism what communism is to liberalism.

The real world equivalent to a Commie-Nazi is a conservative who is for the Fair Tax. Now these dreamers actually believe that they have some prayer of changing the tax code in this country (which i find to be adorable). But let's explore their idea because it's really quite breathtakingly moronic and favors the rich dramatically.

Here's the jist: Everyone pays no income tax. Everyone! YAY! Well, how does the government pay for its wars and such? And how are these people like Commie-Nazis?

Ok. While everyone pays no income tax, everyone DOES pay tax on goods and services. Somewhere between 23% and 34%. But everyone pays the same rate. Sounds fair, right?

Well who buys stuff? People who don't have stuff. I bought a house, a couch, a tv, a stove, and a fridge. Now that I have these things, I'm all set. What about that poor jerk who buys a house after the fair tax goes into affect? He's going to pay through the nose. 'But Adam, he wont have to pay income tax so he'll have more money'. Yes, but when you raise the price of things, demand will decrease. Its basic economics. By raising the price, you are decreasing the likelihood that someone will buy something. Do you really think the person will buy the same things he/she WOULD have bought? If so, you're crazy enough to believe in this crap. When you raise the tax on goods, you put strong incentives on NOT BUYING those goods. Don't think so? Learn about tariffs.

So in short, the fair tax is actually ANTI-CAPITALISTIC! Amazing! Who are the Communists proposing this? Oh yeah, it's the Conservatives.

DISCLAIMER FOR MIKE KANE: Liberals are not Communists and Conservatives are not Nazis.

Ah, education. A topic that has bored the U.S. populace for decades. The only thing that i find interesting about education is who supports more money for schools. There are two groups: 1. people with kids; 2. liberals without kids.

How can you have moral kids and strong family values without a great education system? Doesn't matter to conservatives. 'Education systems are broken and already get too much tax money'. That is until they have kids. Then everyone is liberal about education. That sums up the major difference between conservative and liberal. Conservatives are "conservative" towards issues until it happens to them or their family. Then they're liberal! Think Lynn Cheney and lesbianism or Nancy Reagan and stem cells. List goes on. This reminds me of a blog post i did back years ago. Maybe I should re-post these into my archives? Hmm.

I consider myself to be fiscally conservative, but at the same time socially liberal (a Clinton'esque Democrat I guess). These view points seem to collide when we talk about labor unions.

If you have ever read the Grapes of Wrath and do not come away thinking you want to be Tom Joad, then you are a heartless bastard. The conditions of the 1930's dustbowl that Steinbeck portrays drives the point home again and again. Labor unions are needed and its absurd to think otherwise.

But what would Tom Joad say of today's labor unions? I often wonder how he would react to the current (perceived and actual) work ethic of his fellow workers. His was not a life based on 'Do Less For More' type of thinking. He was not afraid of honest days work. He just wanted a living wage.

I don't claim to know all the details about the writers strike. But I do know that the average working writer makes $200,000 per year. And let's face it, these people aren't going down into the coal mines or joining Tom Joad in the fields to pick fruit. And i have to tell you, I read their side (like the article above) and I still do not agree with them. And I'm sitting down here at the camp fire with Tom Joad. And I think he agrees.

In honor of Mike and Justin actually reading my blog AND sitting through my rants last weekend, here is my brand of Determinism. Enjoy.

Assumptions:
1. The universe is a closed system
2. Effects are caused by causes
3. All causes have causes

Adam's Bold Statement:
When something in the universe occurs, it was never going to happen a different way.

Debatable Implications:
1. It may be news to me, but is in some way predictable
2. Nothing is actually random
3. Everything in the history of everything is more responsible for the actions i take than i am (cool!)
4. Original sin - man is born not with tabula rosa but with original sin (doomed to commit the sins that were set in place since time began).
5. Does NOT mean that we can sit back and slack off. This doesn't change the intrapersonal, existential human experience (because we are ignorant of our fate).
6. Thinking you can do something other than what was going to happen is the error of creating a causeless cause. Can't create something from nothing (or to quote the Sound of Music, 'Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could'.