How i see the US Government Shutdown playing Out

The US government shutdown is on its 15th day (the modern record is still 21 days 1995-1996).  So how and when do I see this ending?

i believe that the shutdown will end on October 23rd. 

I fully believe that it is (and has always been) Obama's goal to "go over the cliff".  It is better for him and the democratic party to stonewall the House so they go over the cliff (for political reasons).  If they come to an agreement the week of October 20-26th they really don't stand to lose much (if anything) economically, but they will perpetually blame it on the Republicans (and with a biased media who would seemingly go out of their way to fellate Obama, i see the blame sticking intermediate/long term).  Going "over the cliff" (impacts way, way overblown) would also distract the media from the Obamacare rollout mess (and potentially keep at bay the outrage over sticker shock over the misnamed "Affordable Care Act"). 

Despite what you might have heard, this will not be the first default in US history and it certainly will not be the last. 

For other defaults in US history...
http://mises.org/daily/5463/A-Short-History-of-US-Credit-Defaults

US Government Shutdown: Obama and the Democrats are the Villians

The US government partial shutdown drags on for another day.  But did it really have to?  Why was there a shutdown at all?  Who is really to blame. 

Much of the news coverage is about how the Republicans are evilly shutting down the government because they hate Obamacare (rightfully so, the more I hear about it the worse it is).  The media (largely liberally biased) have latched on to the idea that the Republicans are holding the country hostage in some way. 

I don't see it that way.  I actually see it the complete opposite.  The Republicans in the House are doing their jobs.  They are doing what they got elected to do.  So, whose fault is the government shutdown (whose impact has been vastly overblown?).  They should not just roll over and do whatever the Democrats want them to do.

My Surface RT Report: October-ish 2013

Windows 8.1 (aka Windows Blue) RT hits on October 17th. 6 days away.  The Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 release on October 22nd.  Starting at $449 ($549 for 64GB) and $899 ($999/$1,299/$1,799). 

I have been using my Surface sporadically.  However since the last patch Tuesday (the 2nd Tuesday of the month if you didn't know), my Surface has been acting kind of unstable.  There must have been something in those 29 updates that messed things up a little.  It really, really slowed down and I had to delete numerous apps.  Maybe I should just refresh it again (but I would have to delete almost everything on it to free up enough space). 

Obamacare: Regressive Tax (hypothetical examples)

i was thinking about Obamacare again (there is just so much that doesn't seem right with their pitch).  I have decided that when a government forces a financial cash outflow on people (takes away the option of whether or not to do it) then it becomes a tax. 

So, Obamacare is a tax.  In taxation there are progressive taxes (I hate that term, where the higher the income level the higher the tax rates) and regressive taxes (the higher percentage of income from the lower income groups).

Obamacare, a steaming pile or a huge steaming pile

First off, i'm not a fan of Obamacare (affordable care act my keister).  This is a disaster of a program from vote to deeply flawed inception and inevitable fiscal cataclysm (no I am not overstating that).   

Here is a link to misleading data (a PDF file).
http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/MarketplacePremiums/ib_marketplace_premiums.cfm

If you think they will make tax credits permanent for policies (I wonder if they are non-refundable tax credits), you might be interested in this bridge I have to sell you.  That is just their way of claiming that it costs less, but I don't buy it.  The price is what it is offsetting tax credits do not change this.  i'm sure confusing conditions will apply (maybe like only if you are not eligible for other types of coverage, like through work). 

Seattle Mariners Managerial Search: Baseless Speculation

Recently, manager (and former mustache aficionado) Eric Wedge declined to rejoin the Seattle Mariners for the 2014 season.  This left the team with a managerial opening.  The point of this post is to wildly speculate on some people I might like to see as Seattle Mariners manager next year - that is not to say any of these names are remotely possible.  Actually, I want to see a super aggressive small ball manager (hit and run, stolen bases, etc - not this saber metric bore you to death crap).

I see the Mariners as being in a "Lefebvre Believer" scenario.  If you don't know (and you probably don't) Jim Lefebvre was the manager the first season the M's breached the .500 winning percent mark (in 1991, their 15th season of existence).  I expect the GM's job to be .500 in 2014 or have fun looking for a new job.  I expect the manager to get a two year contract (it is a nice audition with very little risk for a potential candidate).  Wild speculated names below

US Government Shutdown

If you are in the US and have listened to the news, you have probably heard about a government shutdown that started today.  My initial view is "so what".  Government shutdowns are not some new phenomenon.  They have happened before and they will happen again.

This is further exacerbated by a government that cares far more about finding ways to buy/control votes in elections than it does about responsibly spending hard earned taxpayer dollars (for the taxpayers not the government).  They can't come up with a budget, really?  Don't get me started on the insanity that is the debt ceiling (that comes later, more than likely the next shutdown). 

In my view, if the federal government shuts down and normal people can immediately feel the impact, the government is overstepping its bounds.