How to tax the Rich

An article by Scott Adams

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703293204576106164123424314.html

A regulator for everything

With the Coalgate scandal and people proposing a coal regulator

(http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/energy-quotient/entry/now-create-a-coal-regulator), I think we should create regulators and Appellate Tribunals in all sectors/industries.

With the creation of TRAI, TDSAT and AERA (Airport Economic Regulatory Authority), we have around 36 regulators and Appellate Tribunals in India.

http://india.gov.in/govt/studies/annex/8.1.1.pdf

Most consists of regulators for the small sector industries (Coastal Aquaculture, coir, health related) and some big ones (IRDA, PNGRB, SEBI,etc.)

Its time the Govt. of India creates the same structure of an Independent regulator and an appellate tribunal in all the sectors and industries.

This could have multiple benefits:

1. To look into the problems/complaints of customers/companies

2. The betterment of the sector through initiatives, policies and policing.

3. This focus on each sector may also reduce the number of cases going to the courts in the absence of such authorities.

The economic costs of obesity

http://www.businesspundit.com/the-economic-costs-of-obesity/

Dumb Charades

A simple game like Dumb Charades (sometimes if modified a bit) is a great exercise in thinking and communication.

It can be played beyond movies into other things like contradictory/funny/naughty phrases, and it is not just a source of good fun, but a lot more. To give the phrase, one has to think hard and creatively to find something that is not just hard, but funny too. Something what advertisers are always trying to do. The next is to put yourself in other person's shoes and judge whether the word/phrase can be decoded easily by the rival or not.

On the other side of the game, having a phrase/word, you need to think of multiple ways to get the phrase communicated by breaking it down and expressing it logically to the team mates. You also have to read into their minds and see if they can interpret your expressions (again, putting yourself in other person's shoes) and then guide them towards the word.

Dumb charades is a great way to improve lateral thinking.

Chicken Republic

It is ironic that the relation between many top Government people and the people they are ruling is almost equivalent to the owner of a chicken farm and the chicken.

The society's people are treated the same way as the chickens are. The mighty/owner can do what they please irrespective of whatever the chickens do. The chickens can keep clucking, eating, sleeping, shouting, but the owner does what he pleases. If the chickens irritate him too much, he can put them elsewhere, shut their mouths with tapes, jail them in small cages in unhygienic conditions without food or water and even kill them. What can the chicken do? Cluck again? Maybe poke/bite the owner. Well, next thing, the owner blunts the beaks of all the chicken with hot iron rods. Meaning, more pain for all the chickens, including some who didn't do anything in the first place.

From the perspective of the owner, the chicken's only reason to live is to serve the owner by laying eggs and giving its body to be relished on the owner's dining table. Much the same way, many politicians in many countries view their own public. They use and abuse the people only to make gains at their costs. The only human aspect of intelligence they use is worse. They lie to the public by saying that they are doing is good for the public. They further prop up their loyal corrupt breed in key positions and control all the news the people hear by owning the media. They further make profit by setting up companies for which they illegally give inherent advantages (mining licenses; spectrum at throw away prices; by blocking and losing other people's applications; by changing rules to favour their favourite company; make even more money on the side betting on the companies they are going to favour; buying out lands initially where they are going to have some development; by taking name of free market whenever it suits them, else favour socialism if that is the garb by which they are going to make more money; bribes for taking a decision and more bribe for the decision taken in someone's favour). The politicians are going to keep getting stronger as they work day in and day out on how to build competitive advantages over the public to keep them controlled. The same way the owner keeps so many under chicken under control.

P.S: By no means this post is trying to demean the public as having a chicken-ish attitude. Instead, it wants to show how normal humans tend to become powerful relative to the people who they rule, that the difference between them is more like the owner and his chicken.

What this means is that: The day the chicken are truly free and are no longer prisoned, killed and eaten is the day I can expect to find a way to break the reckless politicians' agenda and expect a more just, ideal world this planet to have.