Parks Place

11/26/2024

I shut down Parks Place due to hosting changes. Now find content from Xenoyer the Destroyer in the new group and website https://www.xenoyer.com.

I am multicasting to my personal Facebook wall and on my YouTube channel Xenoyer the Destroyer. Thanks for following.

Now I mix gaming with politics. As background sound you'll find plenty of anti-Trumpism content. There are also other musical works that were made with Artificial Intelligence.

https://www.facebook.com/XenoyertheDestroyer/
https://www.youtube.com/
https://xenoyer.com/

I know you've heard of the brainless, fanatical Project 2025—like an all-you-can-eat buffet for those who think dismantling education will somehow save America. So I asked AI for an unbiased critique of it. Guess what? There were a few positives, but mostly it screws over disadvantaged people. Sho...

10/31/2024

Free download, Zombies Gone Wild Version 003-1: Health system improved. Mob and game elements added to level 3.

https://mrjamesparks.com/xenoyer-the-destroyer

10/30/2024

The Founders made a profound pledge at the end of the Declaration of Independence: ‘We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.’ If you truly respect the Founders, shouldn’t honor and principle matter as much, if not more, than short-term gains or personal economy? Supporting someone with a criminal record, who has disregarded core democratic values, feels like a compromise of that honor. How does that align with the values the Founders laid down?

💙

10/30/2024

Funny how banks refer to us as 'depositors,' right? They seem to focus on the part where we give them our money and skip over the part where it’s still ours to take back! Maybe we should remind them we're 'withdrawalitors,' too. 😁

10/27/2024

Get Version 004 of Zombies Gone Wild! It's a free download. The third level is playable, and a lot more additions will be made. I update the game weekly unless it is a big update.

https://mrjamesparks.com/xenoyer-the-destroyer

10/25/2024

Tuesday, October 14, 2014 (Updated October 25, 2024)
Shutdown of the U.S. Government—Remembered with Anger by Voters

This is not simply about the Affordable Care Act. This is about congressional misconduct and a breach of the public trust that should not be forgotten.

In October 2013, Americans were furious about the federal government shutdown, a manufactured crisis designed to force political outcomes. The GOP/Tea Party's leaders sought to defund the Affordable Care Act after repeated failed attempts to repeal it through legislative means. When that didn’t work, they used the threat of a government shutdown, ultimately disrupting the lives of millions of Americans.

One year later, the Affordable Care Act is still law, yet we don’t see the same tactics from the GOP. Why? The only difference is that elections are around the corner, and they remember the public outrage over their behavior. The shutdown fight was rooted not in governing but in partisanship, and if the same climate existed today, many of those same incumbents would lose their seats over it.

Misusing Governmental Powers to Shut Down Government
The anger of Americans was not about the policy but the tactics used. Republicans tried more than 50 times to repeal the ACA. When they couldn’t achieve their goal through the legislative process, they threatened to use the shutdown as leverage to defund the ACA. This was more than an abuse of the system—it was an attempt to undermine democratic processes.

The infamous Meadows Letter, addressed to then-Speaker John Boehner, made it clear: a group of Republican representatives was fully prepared to shut down the government to defund the ACA. By endorsing this, they effectively gambled with the lives of citizens and the stability of the nation to pursue a narrow political objective.

The Real Impact on Americans
A government shutdown has very real effects: thousands of jobs are at stake, and crucial benefits for veterans and seniors, including Social Security and medical services, hang in the balance. Infrastructure projects are halted, businesses lose contracts, and the economy suffers. In 2013, we faced the possible shutdown of nearly every essential function—risking massive harm to public services, livelihoods, and the broader economy.

The Choice is Ours: Voting to Avoid Future Shutdowns
Now that we’re nearing another election, it’s clear why we don’t hear much about shutting down the government. Those responsible know how the public felt last time, and they’re banking on voters forgetting. But we can’t afford to forget or tolerate representatives who prioritize their agenda over public well-being. If we don’t vote these individuals out, we risk seeing another showdown in Congress, with shutdowns and partisan brinksmanship as the new norm.

Last year, I checked the list and found that 80 members of Congress signed the Meadows Letter or supported the Graves Bill. These representatives are part of the group willing to use the government as a tool for personal agendas. Look up the names on this list and see if any of your candidates are on it. Then send a strong message with your vote that this behavior won’t be tolerated.

I haven’t forgotten the fear I felt when I worried if my Social Security check would arrive. That’s why I won’t vote for my incumbent representative, who co-sponsored the Meadows Letter. He does not represent the interests of the people, and I believe he’s unfit to serve.

Please remember this betrayal when you go to vote. You can make a difference by rejecting those who treat our government as a bargaining chip and by voting for someone who respects the responsibility of serving the public.

10/25/2024

**Saturday, October 25, 2014 (Updated October 25, 2024)**
**Politicized Minimum Wage System is a Broken System**

After talking to business owners and minimum wage earners, I’ve concluded that the minimum wage system is overdue for repair. Most of the time, when a system doesn’t work, the fault lies with the process rather than the people within it—a lesson I learned from my 40 years in industry.

What’s Wrong with the Minimum Wage Process?

Our minimum wage system has become politicized. Instead of being a tool to ensure a fair wage for the lowest-paid workers, it’s a pawn in political debates. One side advocates for higher wages to benefit workers, while the other raises concerns about business costs. This tug-of-war keeps the minimum wage stagnant and misaligned with real living costs, ultimately harming both workers and businesses.

When an increase is finally approved, it’s typically a large, abrupt adjustment to compensate for years of inflation eroding workers' purchasing power. While this is a necessary correction, it can strain businesses, who have to adjust quickly to higher labor costs, often with minimal warning.

The Problem for Workers

The politicization of wage adjustments means workers are left waiting, sometimes for years, while inflation eats away at their earnings. This devaluation of wages forces many workers to reduce spending, hurting the economy as a whole. Without regular increases, wage earners struggle to afford even the basics, let alone participate fully in the economy, which creates a cycle that affects business owners as well.

A Better Way Forward: Depoliticize and Tie Minimum Wage to Inflation

To make this system work for everyone, we need to smooth out and depoliticize the minimum wage. The best way to achieve this is by tying minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), or inflation, similar to the cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security. By doing this, we can maintain the real value of wages year to year, removing the need for large catch-up increases.

Here’s how this could look with a $20 per hour minimum wage as the starting point:

- If inflation in a given year is 2.5%, the minimum wage would increase by 2.5% the following year, or 50 cents, bringing it to $20.50.
- In a year with 0% inflation, there would be no increase, keeping the minimum wage stable.

This approach creates a powerful incentive for businesses to keep inflation low. Knowing that rising inflation would lead to higher labor costs, businesses might be more cautious about passing on price increases. By reducing inflationary pressure, they’d benefit from more stable wages, and workers would maintain their purchasing power without drastic wage adjustments.

Why a $20 Minimum Wage?

Today’s economy requires a minimum wage that reflects the current cost of living. Studies show that the federal minimum wage has not kept up with inflation over the decades, leading to a decline in real purchasing power for minimum wage earners. Setting the base at $20 per hour would help close this gap and provide a living wage for more Americans.

Benefits of a Stable, Indexed Minimum Wage System

1. **Business Stability**: Businesses can better plan for smaller, consistent increases rather than large, sudden adjustments. This stability allows for better financial planning and growth.

2. **Worker Security**: Workers would have a predictable wage increase that keeps pace with inflation, reducing the pressure to constantly catch up to rising costs.

3. **Economic Health**: With more secure wages, workers are likely to spend more, supporting businesses and reducing unemployment.

4. **Inflation Control Incentive**: By tying wage increases to inflation, businesses have a direct reason to help control inflation. This alignment could encourage companies, especially larger ones, to avoid pricing practices that would drive up inflation, thereby benefiting everyone in the economic system.

The $20.00 Minimum Wage as a Sustainable Starting Point

Current discussions of raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour are, unfortunately, outdated. A $20 minimum wage aligns more realistically with today’s cost of living and provides workers with a wage they can live on. Tying this wage to the CPI would also protect it from inflation’s erosion over time, maintaining its value and easing political tensions around each adjustment.

Conclusion

This updated approach provides a way to maintain fair wages without relying on political cycles, ultimately benefiting both workers and businesses. The minimum wage should be an economic standard, not a bargaining chip, and a CPI-based adjustment mechanism ensures it stays aligned with real-world needs. And by incentivizing businesses to help control inflation, it creates a shared responsibility to keep the economy stable and workers secure.

As always, I welcome all thoughts and ideas on this national issue, as well as any data corrections. Thank you for reading and for your support.

**James E Parks Jr.**
**Muncie, Indiana**

10/25/2024

HUMAN LABOR REPLACED BY MACHINES: HOW & WHAT IF

As people work, they become more skilled and efficient, like a burger flipper who, with practice, doubles their daily output. But as their productivity increases, their pay often doesn’t, nor does the price of the burgers decrease. Instead, these gains are captured by employers, while labor sees little benefit.

Now, imagine that this skilled burger flipper—or someone observing them—designs a machine to flip burgers at half the rate of a proficient human. The employer, drawn by lower costs, replaces the human with the machine, keeping any savings. The worker, now jobless, experiences the true cost of technological progress: while the employer’s profits rise, the worker’s income vanishes.

This is just one example in a long history of human labor displacement. First, humans replaced animal labor with machines; now machines are replacing human labor. Unlike past transitions, however, today's automation affects nearly every field, with robots, AI, and advanced machinery poised to take over even complex tasks. If left unaddressed, this trend could force displaced workers to struggle in an economy that no longer values their labor.

The Case for Universal Basic Income

The answer lies in ensuring that everyone benefits from technological progress. By establishing a Universal Basic Income (UBI) funded by those who gain the most from automation, we can support workers displaced by machines and sustain demand for goods and services. Without UBI, the gap between rising productivity and stagnant or lost wages will only widen, weakening the economic system. After all, without income, who will buy the products that machines make?

A Vision for a Prosperous, Automated Future

In the long term, automation could free humanity from monotonous tasks, allowing us to pursue lives of creativity, education, and fulfillment. But to realize this vision, we must rethink our approach to resources and labor. Off-Earth resources could provide the materials and energy needed for an abundant, sustainable future, while advanced automation could allow machines to explore, mine, refine, and produce independently. With the right commitment, we could build a society where machines work for humanity, not the other way around.

The Choice Is Ours

However, this vision depends on taking collective action today. If we ignore these challenges, society’s contradictions—rising productivity paired with widening inequality—could destabilize our civilization. But if we embrace the potential of automation and invest in equitable systems, we could lay the groundwork for a more just, prosperous world.

10/20/2024

Try out Zombies Gone Wild Version 003.1 I added RPG HUD screens. The monster settings have been adjusted. XP bar and leveling up has been added.

I went through it and was level 3 by the time I was at the end of map 1. By the time I was at the at the zone portal to map 3, I was level 5. There is nothing in map 3 as of now but you can still go to it.

I didn't even get the key to go back to map 1 and open that gate The gate is down a hallway and there is a chest and some dead guys on the other side. If I had done that before going to the portal to map 3, I probably would be a level 6 or 7. The next version will have level restrictions. You will have to reach level 3 before you can zone to map 2, and so on.

It's' a free download. I am using Gameguru Max.

https://mrjamesparks.com/xenoyer-the-destroyer

10/19/2024

Wow!

CitizenCon 2954: Day One [Full Broadcast]

Star Citizen
525K subscribers

Started streaming 3 hours ago
Experience Day 1 of CitizenCon 2954 as it is broadcast from Manchester Central UK, including the following panels and everything in between:

Brave New Worlds
A Social Universe
Dressed to Kill
Beyond Pyro
REDACTED

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Roberts Space Industries is a spacecraft manufacturer within the persistent-world game "Star Citizen" and its companion single-player spaceflight sim, "Squadron 42." RSI is also your portal for information, updates, and purchases of your very own spacecraft with which to trade, plunder, and protect the citizens of Star Citizen.

Experience Day 1 of CitizenCon 2954 as it is broadcast from Manchester Central UK, including the following panels and everything in between: Brave New Worlds...

10/19/2024

Today is a big day because I will vote for 100% Democratic Party candidates as soon as the polls open. Then I'm going to the gem and mineral show.

The Society's purpose is to exchange information, to further members' knowledge of mineralogy, geology, and the lapidary arts, to stimulate interest in the development of these studies, and to share this interest with the public.