Thursday, March 31, 2011
FDR Unplugged
"I regard reduction in Federal spending as one of the most important issues of this campaign. In my opinion it is the most direct and effective contribution that Government can make to business. It is necessary to eliminate from Federal budget-making during this emergency all new items except such as relate to direct relief of unemployment......I hope that it will not be necessary to increase the present scale of taxes."......Franklin Delano Roosevelt 1932.......If, folks, after reading this, you still think that FDR was NOT a typical politician, then, man, oh man, I really don't know what to tell you. Me, personally, I'll take good old "Give 'em hell" Harry any day.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Note to President Obama 1
Need I remind you, Mr. President, one of the previous times that we decided to "arm" one of these "resistance groups", those sons 'a bitches turned out to be the Taliban. I ask you, Mr. President, how in the hell well did that work out for the country?
The Will "take no prisoners" Hart Doctrine
There's obviously a lot of hypocrisy coming from both sides on this Libya situation; former hawks acting like peaceniks and vice versa. Hows about this, though, folks, for one simple little guiding principle? Getting involved in the middle of a civil war (especially one in which both of the sides are just flat-out scrimy AND our national interests aren't as risk) is ALWAYS moronic. It doesn't matter one iota which rump party that the President resides in.......Or at least it shouldn't.....So, what do you think?
THIS FELT SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!
Hey, JR, piss off, you loathsome partisan lowlife. I'm one of the very few people in this cesspool of a blogosphere who goes after and exposes the hypocrisy/idiocy of both sides. You? You wouldn't frigging know a nuanced position if it knocked you in the frigging teeth, asshole. My agenda? WHAT'S my frigging agenda, Sherlock/partisan stooge? I just called Cheney an idiot and I've referred to Senator McCain many times as "Bush on steroids". That, and I've defended Mr. Obama many times against these stupid charges of socialism. Face it, dude. You've lived so long in this cartoon-like universe of good and evil that you literally cannot function.......I'm sorry, Sue. But this asshole has been mischaracterizing my record and impugning my motivation for quite a while now and I really needed this opportunity to finally tell him to, "fuck you, asshole!!"
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The "Bridge" to Saner Politics
President Obama has taken a lot of heat for his utilization (over utilization, his critics say) of administration czars (they seem to forget that Mr. Bush used a lot of them, too). And, yeah, perhaps he has gone to the well a few too many times. But I, folks, can definitely think of a few czars that I wouldn't mind..............................................................................................One of them would clearly be a regulation czar. I mean, think about it here. Wouldn't it be awesome to have just one person/agency in charge of separating the good and necessary types of regulation (food safety, oil-well safety, etc.) from those that are more of a nuisance (OSHA once determined that the sinks in my mother's beauty parlor were several inches too close together and she ended up dishing out big money to "fix" it)/do little more than hinder economic activity?..................................................................................................Another valuable czar would be an infrastructure czar. Similar to the regulation czar, this person/agency would try to separate out the necessary and stimulative infrastructure projects from the porkier ones/boondoggles (does the "bridge to nowhere" sound at all familiar?). This, folks, I think would especially be valuable these days - a time in which we have both an intense need for infrastructure AND a humongous national debt...............................................................................................Who would I try to get to fill such positions? Certainly not a partisan. Somebody with expertise? Not necessarily that, either. I would probably try to get somebody who both sides of the aisle respected but neither side revered; perhaps a Colin Powell or a Chuck Hagel. A Sam Nunn, maybe. Any suggestions?
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Answer?
I'm not sure what the answer is. But my suspicion, MY STRONG SUSPICION, is that it'll probably be found somewhere in that vast expanse between the far-left progressives and the far-right tea-partiers. I mean, that's where we usually find it, right?
A Not So "Successful" Argument
I've noticed that a lot of my progressive colleagues have been throwing around the term, "the rich", lately. And, yes, for the most part, they've been utilizing it as a pejorative. It kind of makes me wonder here - do they really and truly view these people as some sort of evil monolith? And, if they do, do they simply not see this as being just as stereotypically ludicrous as saying, "the poor", "the blacks", "the Jews", "the gays", "the baby-boomers", "the green-eyed ladies, windswept ladies", etc.? I mean, I don't know about you folks, but I've known (and heard about) a lot of rich folks (people in the top 1%, average yearly income - $380,000 a year) who a) work hard, b) create jobs, c) pay lots of taxes, and d) give a significant amount to charity. Sure, maybe they could/should be paying a little more in taxes (I'm actually in favor of the top tax rates going back to 39.6%). But this concept of universally treating people who've earned and/or inherited and/or lucked themselves to a decent standing in life is just as foolish as it is mean-spirited. Certainly, folks, can't we can try and achieve our objectives a little less angrily/enviously?............................................................................................And, just for the record, I've also known a lot of poor folks whose lot in life was NOT that of being a victim (of the power elite, corporate malfeasance, etc.). They're where they are in life because of their own irresponsibility, foolishness, idiotic decision-making, etc.. It's (i.e., being poor) not necessarily a nobility, always.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
A Little More Perspective on Bush Junior
I feel the need to remind my colleagues that Mr. Bush (2) was not the first President to ever start (or extend) a war under false pretenses; Polk and the Mexican-American War, McKinley and the Spanish-American and Philippines Wars, LBJ and Nixon and Vietnam. And (unfortunately) he certainly won't be the last..................................................................................................And neither has Mr. Bush been the only President to have pushed the bounds of the Constitution. Lincoln and Nixon (with highly differing motives, obviously) both did. And FDR (yes, he, the Progressive darling) practically used the Constitution as toilet paper (thankfully, the courts struck down various aspects of his boondoggle, and the Congress voted down his court-packing scheme)...................................................................................................Now, am I in any way defending Mr. Bush and his policies? Clearly, I am not (let's just say that one of my supreme motivations for blogging early on was my opposition to the war). I'm just trying to introduce my colleagues to the concept of historical perspective. Yes, Mr. Lincoln had the Civil War to deal with. But, so, too, Mr. Bush had 9/11. It is not conceivable that people 50 years from now will be seeing some of the latter's action (the idiotic Iraq invasion probably excepted) in a similar vein to the way that we see some of Lincoln's (the detention of people for political dissent, especially)?..................................................................................................And let me just address the issue of torture here. Yes, folks, it was wrong to water-board those lunkheads. But, I ask you, which was a bigger atrocity, the Bush administration's water-boarding of these these admitted terrorists or the Churchill directed carpet-bombing of Dresden, an act of retribution that literally murdered tens of thousands of women and children?..................................................................................................And, to me, folks, it wasn't so much the water-boarding itself that was gruesome. It was more the fact that Dick Cheney went all over the country years later bragging about it. That, and it doesn't frigging work, for Christ!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Miscellaneous 63
1) I've made this suggestion elsewhere, but I think that I'll make it here, too. What do you say that we, as a country, drop one less Tomahawk cruise missile over in Libya and, instead, donate that $1,000,000 to Habitat for Humanity, Wounded Warriors, or another good charity? I mean, certainly here, one less bomb won't make a huge difference - right?............2) I always thought that Tim Pawlenty seemed like a pretty reasonable (yeah, I'm talking in terms of present day Republicanism) dude. But, as was clearly the case with (I'm to the left of Ted Kennedy on gay-rights Mitt) Romney back in 2007, Mr. Pawlenty is doing the inevitable transformation thing; kissing up to the rank religious right, proposing idiotic measures such as resurrecting DADT, yucking it up at CPAC with the rest of those knuckle-draggers (Gingrich, Huckabee, etc.)..... I mean, is it too just much to ask that maybe ONE moderate get into the race over there?............3) Sean Hannity has obviously never heard of videotape. Or maybe the asshole just doesn't care. Either way, the fact is irrefutable that Hannity, back when Mr. Bush was U.S. President, said that he really liked that old Arthur Vandenberg line, "Politics ends at the water's edge." Hm/Gee, something must have happened to make him change his mind about that sentiment; a Democrat now being the Commander in Chief, maybe. Just a wild hunch!!............4) Not that Mr. Obama's performance during this Libya crisis has been perfect mind you (hell, folks, I've criticized him myself). I'm just underscoring the hypocrisy/double-standard here.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Some Thoughts on Libya
1) Steven Hayes tonight referred to President Obama as a "reluctant war President". And he fully meant it as an insult. Hm, what do you say that we refer to THIS as exhibit A in our upcoming (and, yes, latest) trial against the neocons?............2) And the thing is, despite Mr. Obama's more deliberative nature (which I absolutely appreciate), he generally ends up giving these stooge-like neocons what they want anyway. He did it with Afghanistan. He did it with the terror trials. And now he's doing it with Libya. Wow, huh? Talk about a guy who pisses off everybody............3) O'Reilly had Dennis Kucinich (not surprisingly an opponent of Mr. Obama's actions) on tonight and he asked him, "So, what do you say to the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombings? It was a question that seemed to catch the Congressman off guard (O'Reilly seems to have a knack for those types of questions) and he never really answered it....Let's see, how 'bout this for an answer? "I would tell them, Mr. O'Reilly, that I'm very sorry for their losses and totally understand their frustrations. But I'd also tell them that our getting militarily involved in yet another Muslim country could conceivably have grave consequences (loss of life, more alienation in the Arab world, etc.), and that a no-fly-zone, in and of itself, would probably be ineffectual. Surely, Mr. O'Reilly, after 23 years they'd probably understand."............4) And I really don't see the vital national interest here. I mean, yes, the carnage is certainly dreadful and all. But this is basically a civil war. And we don't even know exactly who the opposition is in this case. Hell, folks, maybe they'd be even worse than Gaddafi. I mean, it's certainly possible, no?............5) Let me ask you something. Wouldn't it be nice if JUST ONCE President Obama told this neocon crowd to "piss off!!"? I mean, I don't know you feel here but, in my mind, the last thing that this nation needs is to be fighting in yet another Muslim country. And, yes, I'm also very worried about the various what if/next scenarios (most of the current carnage is taking place on the ground), mission creep, etc.. I'm thinking that maybe the President should have listened more to Bob Gates on this one (this, I'm saying, as opposed to apparently being rolled by Hillary).
In This Corner, Weighing in at .00000001 of an Ounce......
Yes, folks (i.e., all of my fellow bloggers who evidently feel the need to make a point of this), President Obama is a lot smarter than Michele Bachmann. But, come on, so is frigging toe fungus, for Christ!....................................................................................................P.S. You know what all this reminds me of? It reminds me of how a lot of these big-time college basketball and football teams often pad their early season schedule with cream-puffs/mamby pambs - you know, just to pad their overall record a tad. It looks good (the record, I'm saying) but it really doesn't tell you very much. Me, I'd much rather put the President up against George Will or somebody like that, and see how he holds up against some tougher competition (this, I'm saying, as opposed to a God-damned frigging plantars wart).
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A Change of More Than Just Addresses Maybe
The only real knock on former UConn and current Maryland football coach, Randy Edsall, is that he can't recruit very well - at least not when it comes to those blue-chip players. I mean, yes, he's shown that he can develop players/win with the talent that he does have, but its' always been strictly via hard work and over-achievement...................................................................................................Yeah, well, guess what, folks. Now that Mr. Edsall is running things at Maryland, it seems that he CAN recruit and recruit pretty well. I've already mentioned (on a previous post) that he was able to land game-changing athlete, Justus Pickett (the #10 all-purpose back in the nation and a top 20 player out of North Carolina for 2011). And now he's landing some premium verbal commits for 2012, too - two of which actually come from the state of Maryland (at UConn, he had a very hard time keeping local talent in state); Owing Mills' McDonogh's Roman Braglio (DE) and Olney's Our Lady of Good Counsel's Mike Madaras (OT) - studs, both of them.......................................................................................................Look, I'll admit it here, I was pretty skeptical about this hire at first. I didn't think that it made much sense for either Edsall (I felt that it was basically a lateral move) OR Maryland (what they seemingly needed was excitement, filling the stands, and better local recruiting). But if Edsall can take advantage of the talent that's already there (quarterback Danny O'Brien will be a redshirt sophomore this fall and a likely Heisman candidate) and continue to recruit big like this, it just might start to look like a genius move.......................................................................................................As for this upcoming season, look for that November meeting between Florida State and Maryland to decide things in the ACC Atlantic this fall.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Response to Dave Dubya 2
I'd also, Dave, like to respond to this statement; "The Bush Administration exhibited FAR MORE (my emphasis) fascistic policies and actions than any previous one." Again, I'm not entirely sure that that's an accurate assessment. Lincoln suspended the Writ of Habeus Corpus and arrested/detained dissenters. FDR interned tens of thousands (tens of thousands, Dave!) of innocent U.S. civilians, temporarily suspended the right of contract, and routinely used the IRS as a weapon against political opponents (in many case, Democrats). Nixon....well, we all know what Mr. Nixon did. To say that the Bush administration was "far more fascistic" than any of these administrations is exceedingly debatable, at least IMHO.
Response to Dave Dubya 1
Dave, I've defended Mr. Obama on numerous occasions against these charges of Communism, extremism, etc. (just ask Linda and Silverfiddle). You want me to do it again? Fine, I'll do it again. Mr. Obama is a good and patriotic American whose views are WELL within the mainstream of American politics, and I CONDEMN anybody who doubts his commitment to his country. As to which of the two sides (the left or the right) is more vitriolic/hyperbolic, I really don't give a damn. I'm just responding to what I'm currently experiencing here (progressive bloggers referring to Republicans as fascists................................................................................................In Connecticut, if a person doesn't have a driver's licence, the state will issue that person a photo ID. And you need to show that photo ID in order to vote. The ID is good for 5-7 years and costs $22.50 (a fee that is waived in a great many hardship cases). This doesn't sound unreasonable to me. And, besides, how do you know who a person is without a photo ID?....................................................................................................As for the "union busting" accusation, let's just say that I'm not entirely comfortable with the term. I mean , yes, there are some Republican Midwestern Governors who've chosen to restrict the collective bargaining powers of public sector employees. But that's exactly what Jimmy Carter did in 1978 with the Federal workforce. And, besides, all of these workers can still organize, collect dues (no, not out of the paychecks anymore), and bargain over wages. That, and all of these Governors have done nothing about private sector unions. Hitler got rid of ALL unions......................................................................................................And what about me, Dave? I'm against collective bargaining for public sector employees. Am I a fascist? And what about, too, FDR, George Meany, and Mayor Laguardia. Were they all frigging fascists, too? I mean, come on.
Friday, March 18, 2011
No Loser, He
I've heard it said that sports and crying are somehow incompatible (I mean, we all remember Tom Hanks in "A League of Their Own"). And while I can in fact sympathize with that "rule" to a degree, I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's a hard and fast rule. Take, for example, Princeton's young head coach, Sydney Johnson. His team just lost to a much more highly touted Kentucky team in the first round of the NCAA tournament - and it was a heart-breaker, 59-57. Johnson did his best to contain his emotions at the post-game press-conference but, ultimately, he broke down. But it wasn't so much that he and his team lost. It was the fact that he was proud of his players and the way that they acquitted themselves. You see, folks, this isn't just a job for Mr. Johnson. Princeton is HIS school. Remember back when Princeton upset UCLA (the defending NCAA champions) in the first round of the 1996 tournament. Sydney Johnson was the leading scorer on that team. He (as he said after Princeton beat Harvard this year to win the Ivy League title) loves Princeton basketball....He loves it and it shows.
He Actually "Trumps" a Thing or Two
Not that Donald Trump ever had a realistic chance to be President, mind you. But, geez, come on here, a comedy Central roast!! I mean, I know that Obama has gone on the John Stewart Show (also on Comedy Central), and has done such shows as Letterman, etc.. But, I don't know, for Mr. Trump to be on the same stage (I'm assuming) with clowns the likes of Flava Flav and Lisa Lampanelli - that, I'm saying, might be taking it a tad too far....................................................................................................And you know something, in a strange way, it's kind of too bad. This, in that, while Mr. Trump clearly is buffoonish/arrogant as hell, he does have a few things going for him that the other Republicans don't. First of all, Mr. Trump made HIS money by actually building things (well, maybe not him personally but his company, I'm saying) - this, as opposed to simply moving paper around. And, secondly, he was staunchly against the Iraq War to the point where I'm totally convinced - the fellow ain't a neocon..................................................................................................Now, am I saying that I'd at any point vote for Mr. Trump? Hm, probably not. I mean, just the fact that he's an egomaniac would/should give me pause. But to have the fellow in the mix for a while, in the debate (his recent tough talk on China, for instance) - that in fact could be a good thing, folks.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Fascist Card - It's Getting Frayed
They're at it again, folks, the completely lacking in perspective "progressives" and their Nazi comparisons - "The Fascists are Coming", that apparently being their latest battle cry. I mean, yes, I understand, they're angry that the Republicans in Wisconsin (the Governor and the legislature there) voted to limit the collective bargaining powers of municipal workers. But it was just a frigging vote by a bunch of people who the other people of the state voted for. If the citizens of Wisconsin ultimately decide that these elected Republicans have overstepped, then they're free to vote them out at some point (via a recall and/or the next scheduled elections). I mean, it's not like the Republicans have staged some military coups or something, cancelled all future elections, whatever! And even though they they did take away a "right" (a right, mind you, that liberals such as FDR, George Meany, Jimmy Carter, and Mayor Laguardia didn't think that municipal workers should have, either) of sorts, a different result of a future election could in fact restore it. It's basically called Democracy, people............................................................................................................And, besides, shouldn't progressives get their own house in order first? FDR, the greatest progressive in history, tried to pack the Supreme Court, routinely used the IRS as a weapon against his political opponents (Republicans AND Democrats), used political patronage to the point where it was almost bribery, and interned tens of thousands of Japanese-Americans. And, AND, he was also against collective bargaining for government workers. Not, mind you, that any of this makes FDR a fascist, either. But just for some perspective, I'm saying.........................................................................................................I'll tell you what, folks. If Walker and the rest of those clowns up in Wisconsin a) try and cancel the 2012 elections (which would be stupid because the Feds would march on in and stop them), b) suspend the writ of Habeus Corpus (which would be stupid because the Feds would march on in and stop them), or c) try to seceded from the Union (which would be stupid because the Feds would march on in and stop them), then, yeah, maybe at that time we can dust off the fascist label. But until then, progressives just have to face the fact that they lost the battle here and need to try harder the next time.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Tilters Have It
The main argument used by progressives to counter the widely held belief that the mainstream media has a liberal bias is the fact that these very same outlets are also corporately owned. Why, they ask, would these corporations ever favor a liberal agenda (rich people, after all - they tend to vote Republican, right?)? Of course, what these same progressives fail to highlight is that it isn't in fact the corporatists themselves who are doing the news. It's the journalists who are doing the news. And they, OVERWHELMINGLY are liberal...................................................................................................For instance, in 1985, the LA Times did a survey which showed that liberals outnumber conservatives 55-17%. Eleven years later, in 1996, the American Society of Newspaper Editors showed an even more stark disparity (61-9%). And, most recently, the Pew Research Center did a survey which showed a 34-7% advantage in favor of liberals (Pew gave the respondents a "moderate" option this time and 58% chose that)....................................................................................................Now, don't get me wrong here. I am NOT saying that the mainstream media is anywhere near as biased and corrupt as guys like Goldberg, Hannity, O'Reilly, and Bozell are saying (my suspicion is that most folks in the media at least try to be fair). Nor, folks, am I saying that it's as biased as Fox is (to the right). I'm just saying that it more than likely tilts to the left/isn't conservative...................................................................................................P.S. And it isn't just the journalists who provide us data here. The viewers themselves have also spoken out. I site, in particular, a 2003 Gallup poll which said that 45% of Americans think that the mainstream media is too liberal - this, as opposed to only 14% who think that it's too conservative. That, folks, represents a mega/man-sized discrepancy, too.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
"How Can There Be Inaccuracy in Comedy?"
What would be my answer to the question, "So, what's your all-time favorite quote from Michael Moore?"
What, Elliot Abrams Wasn't Available?
If what I heard was true, and Congressman King actually bought out former Reagan gadfly (and, yes, erstwhile over-the-top lunatic), Frank Gaffney, as one of his "experts", then the Congressman is even more of a charlatan than I thought. I mean, have you ever seen this Gaffney guy? He frigging makes Senator McCain sound like Ghandi, for Christ! And not only is he a madman who basically wants to bomb EVERYBODY, he's also completely and totally full of shit. The latest example of this is this preposterous claim of his (pulled out of thin air, evidently) that 85% of America's mosques are being radicalized. Hm, I guess that it DOESN'T take one to know one.
Friday, March 11, 2011
You're Right, There Is, It's Called Losing to Pitt
What would be my response to somebody uttering, "Gee/my God, there has to be something in this world that would be worse than the UConn men's basketball team losing to Syracuse."
A Little Less From Moore, Please 2
Another example of Mr. Moore's hypocrisy is his rather close relationship with Keith Olbermann. On more than a few occasions, Moore appeared on Olbermann's MSNBC advocacy show, (the now defunct) "Countdown", decrying WITH IMPUNITY the fact that bailed-out corporations were doling out massive bonuses to their employees. What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, what's wrong with it is that one of those companies that received bail-out money was General Electric (GE), the mother company of MSNBC....And who, pray tell, did General Electric give a big fat pay raise to but Keith Olbermann. Never once, folks, did Mr. Moore ever bring up this little inconvenient truth....Yet another example, apparently, of do as I say, not as I (or the bulk of my good, good, buddies) do.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Third War Whores
They're out and about again, people - John McCain and the rest of 'em - this time advocating for military intervention in Libya. And, as usual, they're talking as if it were just another walk in the God-damned park, "No-fly zone, yeah, we can frigging do that. NO PROBLEM!" I mean, you'd think, wouldn't you, that listening to Secretary Gates would at least give 'em a little pause (yes, I'm referring to the Secretary's rather sobering testimony). And, besides, what if it doesn't work? A lot of the reports that I've been hearing are that most of current carnage is being done on the ground. Ground forces - is that what they're going to be asking for next? Yikes, huh?..................................................................................................And even plan B/if we "just" decide to arm the resistance, I ask you, how well has that particular tactic worked for us in the past? I mean, we tried it in Afghanistan, arming the anti-Soviet rebels there - you know, the fellows who eventually became, hm, what do we call them again? - oh yeah, the Taliban!! And don't even get me going on our involvement with Saddam Hussein...............................................................................................Look, folks, I'm not saying that we shouldn't do anything. I'm not even saying that we shouldn't do a military option (though, yes, some sort of humanitarian option would probably be preferable). I'm just saying that it's all getting a little stale; all of the usual suspects, the same old same old, etc..
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Miscellaneous 62
1) O'Reilly came out with an absolutely ludicrous analogy the other day. In his defense of Congressman King's upcoming probe (some may prefer to call it a witch-hunt and/or circus) into the American Muslim community (ostensibly to gauge the level/amount of radicalism), O'Reilly brought up Robert Kennedy's beat-down of the mafia and asked his guest (yet another docile liberal), "So, was that unfair to the Italian-American community?"...Duh, huh? It's like, NO BILL, it wasn't unfair. What would have been unfair was if Mr. Kennedy had targeted the entire Italian-American community, checking THEM for Mafia connections.............2) Did you see any of that Newt Gingrich interview on CBN? Pretty unbelievable, huh? I mean, I simply couldn't believe it. The frigging guy actually had the audacity to say that one of the reasons for his extramarital affairs was the fact that this great love of his for his country distracted him and CAUSED HIM to make these bad decisions. I mean, talk about some major chutzpah, huh?....Him and Huckabee....racing to the bottom-lands, apparently.............3) Sarah Palin evidently thinks that crass comedienne, Kathy Griffin, is a bully (a 50 year-old bully, no less - Palin obviously with a dig of her own there). She's especially mad at Ms. Griffin for the jokes that she tells about her, Palin's, 16 year-old daughter, Willow. Of course, what Palin doesn't confide here is the fact that this 16 year-old daughter tweeted the word, faggot (a frequently used bullying word itself), or that Kathy Griffin herself is a staunch advocate for the gay, lesbian, and transgender community. I mean, please, don't get me wrong here. If it were totally up to me, I'd frigging keep the kids out of it, too. But when you have a daughter who shows such insensitivity....and who you've been basically parading around for two and a half years now, you do have to expect a little bit of blow-back on occasion.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
A Little Less From Moore, Please
Alright, here's an example of Mr. Moore's rather shoddy/slanted advocacy. At the beginning of his movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11", he makes this humongous deal about the Bin Laden family being escorted out of the country by the Bush administration. And he does it totally laced with innuendo (that the Bushes and the Bin Ladens were joined at the hip or something), too. Well, guess what - the 9/11 Commission found that there was nothing to complain about here; either in the timing or the arrangement of the flights. IN FACT, folks, Michael Moore darling, Richard Clarke - he's the one who actually arranged for these "suspicious" flights. OOOOOOPS!!!.......................................................................................................And then there was that whole ridiculous set-up about prewar Iraq; all those little kids high flying their kites and shit. I mean, frigging Moore made it sound like a frigging paradise, for Christ! It's like, what, he's never once heard about the torture chambers, the fact that Mr. Hussein perpetrated genocide on the Kurds?.......................................................................................................And, please, keep in mind here, folks, I was (and continue to be) OPPOSED to the Iraq War (and, yes, I continue to be proud of the fact that opposed it PRIOR to people like Biden, Kerry, and Clinton). My problem with Mr. Moore is all about integrity; the fact that he 1) lies and 2) is a bald-faced hypocrite (the fact that he supports unions but won't hire union stage hands, the fact that he supports affirmative action but rarely hires minorities, the fact that he rails against capitalism but has owned stocks such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Sunoco, and even Halliburton, the fact that he stresses the importance of the rich paying their fair share and then hires expensive accountants to exploit every loophole to reduce his own burden, etc.). In my opinion, folks, while he does at times serve a decent function (as a muckraker, I'm saying), to hold this guy up as an absolute hero is totally ridiculous.
He's Making Howard Beale Sound Like Bertrand Russell
What would be my answer to the question, "So, what's your take on these latest rants from Charlie Sheen?"
Monday, March 7, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Apples and, I Don't Know, Kumquats?
The bipartisan/revenue-neutral Tax Reform Act of 1986 is extremely instructive. It specifically gives us a blueprint on how to compare the tax-rates of today with the rates of previous generations (i.e., those prior to 1986). The mechanism for this is the ratio that one arrives at via the comparison the top rate prior to the legislation (50%) with the top rate subsequent (28% - a rate that was arrived at via an elimination of many tax-shelter, loopholes, etc.) to it.................................................................................................So (and, yes, using this 50:28 ratio), the current top rate of 35% would equate to a pre-1986 rate of 62.5%. The pre-Bush era top rate of 39.6% would actually be 70.7%. And, yes, the 60, 74, and 90% proposals put forth by various liberals would translate to 107.1, 132.1, and 160.7% rates respectively. Youza, huh?................................................................................................So, what, pray tell, would the 91% rate of the Eisenhower administration translate to? That, folks, would translate to a current rate of approximately 51% (the Kennedy rate of 70% would translate to 39.2%). Interesting, huh? I mean, at the very least it narrows (or it should) the debate somewhat. Instead of people debating between a myriad of rates between zero and a hundred, they should probably be focusing on a continuum of 28-51 (at least for now!). This, folks, in that apparently is where the debate been for the past hundred years or so.
Boy, Have I Got a "Bargain" For You
Here, folks, is a perfect example of how collective bargaining can cost the taxpayers (in this instance, the taxpayers of Connecticut) hundreds of thousands of bucks, possibly millions. It was back in 1991. The state of Connecticut (DMR, specifically) was getting out of direct services in special education (ages 3-21). The students - they, in turn, were "given back" to their nexuses for programming. The obvious result of this was that a lot of special education state school teachers lost their positions (a few of them, myself included, followed the students to their next nexus). BUT, being that they had a lot of seniority, the state had to find them new positions. This usually entailed these folks moving to adult programming. The problem? The problem, folks, is that adult programming gets but a fraction of the funding that school aged clients receive, and the state had to eat the cost........................................................................................................In my opinion, these people should have been reclassified as state school instructors and paid accordingly. And EVEN THIS would have been generous - state school instructors making significantly more than job-coaches and day programmers in the private/nonprofit sectors. And if you think that I'm exaggerating the savings here, try to absorb this. A lot of these people, folks, are still in the system. Their salary now has to be in the mid 80s. If they had been reclassified as state school instructors, they'd probably be making in the low 50s (20-30 if they had switched to the private sector). Multiply these discrepancies by 3-4 dozen folks over 20 years and, yeah, I'm pretty sure that you're talking some real money here.....................................................................................................P.S. Please, I ask you, do not take this piece as an endorsement of the Wisconsin Governor. This, folks, in that, while, yes, I basically do agree with his position that collective bargaining for government workers is problematic, a conflict of interest, etc., I DO NOT appreciate his tactics; the fact that he literally sprung this proposal out of nowhere, his hard and fast unwillingness to even talk/negotiate, etc.. Persuasion and an effective argument - that, in my mind, would have worked significantly better for him.
Friday, March 4, 2011
You Scratch My Back, I'll............
No, folks, it isn't technically prostitution; Hugh Hefner shacking up with those bimbs in his mansion, buying 'em all sorts of shit and them pleasuring him (eww, huh?). But, come on here, people! What in the hell else COULD you call it? I mean, it is in fact a transaction, no - them gaining materially and him sexually? And the fact that they're also pimping themselves on television. THAT!! I'm telling you here, it's almost enough to make you want to leave home, boy..............................................................................................Not even an ounce of shame, for Christ!
Duh
What was my initial response to learning that the meat which Taco Bell uses isn't 100% beef?..................................................................................................P.S. Have you seen the damage control commercials yet? The Taco Bell people are now referring to that 12% non-meat filler as "signature recipe". Mmm, yummy yummy, huh?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Miscellaneous 61
1) It appears, folks, that the surest way to get ahead in some Republican circles these days is to simply say something loathsome about the President. I mean, first it was Newt Gingrich, mindlessly echoing that Dinesh D'souza crap about the President's father, his father's influence over him (never mind the fact that Obama's father died when he was TWO), yada yada. Then it was Pawlenty (by most accounts, a decent and reasonable person prior to this) at CPAC, not exactly embracing the birther bullshit, but not exactly condemning it, either (he instead joked about the President being from Mars). And, now, you've got the seemingly affable Huckabee dipping HIS toe into the craziness, feeding some idiotic right-wing talk-show nimrod additional donkey-shit; saying that the President grew up in Kenya, that he was surrounded by madrassas, etc.. I mean, wouldn't it be awesome if just one of these frigging stooges stood up and defended the President/put his or her own integrity over the damned nomination? I, for one, would totally love to see that (yeah, yeah, I know, I'm not a Republican primary voter).............2) I'd also like to inform Mr. Huckabee, an actual "apology" generally includes the words either "sorry" or "apologize". And, no, they're not as usual delivered in such a defensive manner, either ("poor me, poor me, the liberal media won't ever cut me a break, yada yada"). Just for some future reference, I'm saying.............3) Charlie Sheen said that he was "caught off guard" when social services took his children away. Hm, I guess, that, in his world, rampant drug and shacking up with prostitutes isn't a significantly large enough tea leaf to read.............4) I gotta admit it, though, when Mr. Sheen told that interviewer, "Yeah, I'm on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen!", an extra-large belly-laugh flat-out DID occur. I mean, yeah, I'm totally sorry about it but.......
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
What Are the Odds?
When people talk about regressive taxation, one of the forms of it that frequently gets forgotten/ignored are the state-run Lotteries. I mean, I know that it's not technically taxation and all (this, in that the people who play the lottery do in fact get a service OF SORTS) but, still, it is in fact money that the state collects from its citizens. And, yes, folks, it is indeed regressive (this, according to virtually every study out there - seemingly)..................................................................................................Now, granted, the money (at least in Connecticut) does go to funding some good things like public education, etc. but, still, I'm not entirely sure about it. I mean, the mere fact that people are being impoverished by something that's basically akin to legalized gambling - that fact alone kind of give me the creeps.....................................................................................................P.S. I actually do have some first-hand experience with this. I used to work part-time in this package store, back when I was younger. And, yes, me-buckos, it's a fact. Most of the people who bought these lottery tickets, the scratch-off/instant ones especially, were clearly from the working class. And a lot of them were frigging borderline addicted, too. I especially remember this girl who lived right up the street. She'd walk in with 30-40 bucks and, yep, you got it, more often than not, leave with ZERO. I even remember trying to get her to slow down (a fact that my boss probably wouldn't have appreciated)/take a frigging brake or two. But she couldn't. SHE COULDN'T STOP SCRATCHING. It was sad, I'm telling you; her situation, and the fact the government was making a killing from it.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Yes, A Rigid Philosophy, Immutable Opinions, Etc.
What would be my answer to the question, "So, is there anything that the "progressives" and right-wing actually have in common, in your opinion?"
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