To the tune of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J9KRZ0PnAs
Ted Cruz despises Obamacare
At least all his people tell him so
And while he agrees with Affordable Healthcare
He's sure Obama's not way to go.
But a lifeline of campaign funds is a great form of attraction
It's great not having to think anymore
Ted Cruz is Ted Cruz crazy
Just be glad it's him not you
If you had Ted Cruz's troubles
You might be Ted Cruz crazy too
You'd flash your big white shiny smile
You'd buy expensive shoes
But you'd be the only man on Earth
Who always believes Ted Cruz
Oh yea, you'd always believe Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz is always getting bolder
He knows he'll never answer for his sins
And when Ted Cruz looks back over his shoulder
He sees the Tea Party screaming again
He knows someday he'll get to play
A young and hopeful prospect
While someone older plays his wise aid.
Ted Cruz is Ted Cruz crazy
Just be glad it's him not you
If you had Ted Cruz's troubles
You might be Ted Cruz crazy too
You'd flash your big white shiny smile
You'd buy expensive shoes
But you'd be the only man on Earth
Who always believes Ted Cruz
Oh yea, you'd always believe Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz hopes somewhere there's a place for him
'Cause he's not of this world anymore...
In DC in a spotlight of his creation
Ted Cruz stands yelling at the wall
And the outside world means nothing in delusion
He'll tell you anything at all
There are millions who know his name
Some people believe him
Why is it they never learn?
Ted Cruz is Ted Cruz crazy
Just be glad it's him not you
If you had Ted Cruz's troubles
You might be Ted Cruz crazy too
You'd flash your big white shiny smile
You'd buy expensive shoes
But you'd be the only man on Earth
Who always believes Ted Cruz
Oh yea, you'd always believe Ted Cruz
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Programming a Human
I think in strange paradigms. This morning I reflected that when Lucas was born I said things like "I wanted a kid so that I could program him!" This elicited comments like "The launch OS is a little buggy, needs to reboot a lot" and "what language do you program a baby with?" Obviously, the answer to that is "I'll be using a lot of java, and he'll get some byte code."
Anyway, after a moment, I realized that I HAVE been programming him, but the difference between him and a normal program is that I've been creating a machine that can program others.
Or, at least, exploit the programming of others.
Humans have a concept of social norms, things that offer nominal or no value to the creation or rendering of goods or services, but have a huge psychological impact on us. For example: "Please" and "Thank you."
"Please" offers very little in the way of advancing the topic of conversation forward, but is a psychological hack that people utilize to get what they want. Think about it; how often have you used the word "Please" after making a demand so that the other person feels like they have a choice?
"Thank you" is a bit different; when my dad and I went hunting, we'd handle very sharp knives, occasionally with gloved hands. When we'd hand a knife to one another, "Thank you" would be the expression we used to signify that "I have control of the knife now, you can let go." In addition, "Thank you" can be used to signify the end of a conversation, or the termination of a message.
But it's also a hack. One can say "Thank you," and turn away from another before they've had a chance to retort, or even reply. The listener might feel slighted, but less so than if "Thank you" hadn't been said.
Why am I talking about all of this? Back to Lucas; he's aware of these words, and uses them frequently, along with a few other normative expressions like "Sorry." These are some of his first concepts, the building blocks he'll develop the rest of his communication on.
I'm raising a little social engineer, and I'm a proud daddy.
Anyway, after a moment, I realized that I HAVE been programming him, but the difference between him and a normal program is that I've been creating a machine that can program others.
Or, at least, exploit the programming of others.
Humans have a concept of social norms, things that offer nominal or no value to the creation or rendering of goods or services, but have a huge psychological impact on us. For example: "Please" and "Thank you."
"Please" offers very little in the way of advancing the topic of conversation forward, but is a psychological hack that people utilize to get what they want. Think about it; how often have you used the word "Please" after making a demand so that the other person feels like they have a choice?
"Thank you" is a bit different; when my dad and I went hunting, we'd handle very sharp knives, occasionally with gloved hands. When we'd hand a knife to one another, "Thank you" would be the expression we used to signify that "I have control of the knife now, you can let go." In addition, "Thank you" can be used to signify the end of a conversation, or the termination of a message.
But it's also a hack. One can say "Thank you," and turn away from another before they've had a chance to retort, or even reply. The listener might feel slighted, but less so than if "Thank you" hadn't been said.
Why am I talking about all of this? Back to Lucas; he's aware of these words, and uses them frequently, along with a few other normative expressions like "Sorry." These are some of his first concepts, the building blocks he'll develop the rest of his communication on.
I'm raising a little social engineer, and I'm a proud daddy.
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
My First Political Post
Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate cannot be "Fired" or in any way removed from office. Americans have only two legal mechanisms to remove any politician: a process called "Recall Election" and a process most Americans are vaguely aware of, Impeachment.
Impeachment can only be brought upon: "The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States." There is conflicting definitions on whether or not Senators or Representatives even qualify as "Civil officers," and additionally, only The House of Representatives can submit claims warranting impeachment, and only the Senate can try/convict. Normal Americans have very little, if any, ability to initiate or even call for an Impeachment.
Recall Elections are very limited; it is only allowed at the state level in 18 states and at the local level by 29 states. This means that it is impossible to petition for a Recall Election of any Federal-level politician.
What does this mean, exactly? It means that the Senators (100) and the Representatives (435) cannot be removed from office, and realistically neither can the President (1), Vice President (1), and the Cabinet (15) are also basically untouchable.
So, these 552 folks that basically have nothing to fear about their position for at least 2 years, and as many as 6 for Senators.
That sounds a little scary, but we can trust these people, right? We VOTED for them! They're the best, brightest, and most equipped for handling things that, potentially, impact every other American!
Well, maybe. But they're human, and humans have flaws, not he least of which is Greed. Lets take that number and extrapolate a hypothetical.
I'm a corporation with a quarterly earnings of $6.9 billion, and I'd like to ensure that I have the ear of a few politicians. Nothing ILLEGAL, mind you; just that when I call and want to talk about the weather, or how their family is doing, or how that latest bill is looking to impact my industry, that they'll have some time for me! What would it cost me if I wanted to contribute $1 million to a few of those 552 people's campaign efforts?
8% of my QUARTERLY earnings. FOR EVERY.SINGLE.POLITICIAN.
You know, nothing major or shady about that; it's just a million bucks! I mean, that Barely buys a prime-time comercial these days!. I should know; I'm a multi-national corporation! However, maybe if a few candidates are REALLY nice to me, I can throw in a free commercial on my affiliate network, or tell my news company that you're a stand-up guy!
Now, I'm not saying that happens or anything, but I'm saying that... oh, what is a Special Limit? And is there a limit they can give to a National Party Committee member? There's a lot of Greed out there, and not a whole lot of people are immune.
552 people control every federal law and regulation. What was the size of your graduating class?
Impeachment can only be brought upon: "The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States." There is conflicting definitions on whether or not Senators or Representatives even qualify as "Civil officers," and additionally, only The House of Representatives can submit claims warranting impeachment, and only the Senate can try/convict. Normal Americans have very little, if any, ability to initiate or even call for an Impeachment.
Recall Elections are very limited; it is only allowed at the state level in 18 states and at the local level by 29 states. This means that it is impossible to petition for a Recall Election of any Federal-level politician.
What does this mean, exactly? It means that the Senators (100) and the Representatives (435) cannot be removed from office, and realistically neither can the President (1), Vice President (1), and the Cabinet (15) are also basically untouchable.
So, these 552 folks that basically have nothing to fear about their position for at least 2 years, and as many as 6 for Senators.
That sounds a little scary, but we can trust these people, right? We VOTED for them! They're the best, brightest, and most equipped for handling things that, potentially, impact every other American!
Well, maybe. But they're human, and humans have flaws, not he least of which is Greed. Lets take that number and extrapolate a hypothetical.
I'm a corporation with a quarterly earnings of $6.9 billion, and I'd like to ensure that I have the ear of a few politicians. Nothing ILLEGAL, mind you; just that when I call and want to talk about the weather, or how their family is doing, or how that latest bill is looking to impact my industry, that they'll have some time for me! What would it cost me if I wanted to contribute $1 million to a few of those 552 people's campaign efforts?
8% of my QUARTERLY earnings. FOR EVERY.SINGLE.POLITICIAN.
You know, nothing major or shady about that; it's just a million bucks! I mean, that Barely buys a prime-time comercial these days!. I should know; I'm a multi-national corporation! However, maybe if a few candidates are REALLY nice to me, I can throw in a free commercial on my affiliate network, or tell my news company that you're a stand-up guy!
Now, I'm not saying that happens or anything, but I'm saying that... oh, what is a Special Limit? And is there a limit they can give to a National Party Committee member? There's a lot of Greed out there, and not a whole lot of people are immune.
552 people control every federal law and regulation. What was the size of your graduating class?
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