On consecutive days this week, the Senate voted to refuse to even debate President Obama’s jobs bill, then passed free-trade agreements with South Korea, Panama, and Columbia.
Hmm … Panama and Columbia. Ha!! When people say Congress isn’t interested in encouraging growth in American jobs, it just show how little they know about geography.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Shrinkage
Note to GOP: We're not going to shrink our way out of this!
But I guess you knew that already, eh?
I know there are higher priorities right now than fixing our country's economic ills – the most important being blaming them on Obama. And that all goes out the window if the economy gets fixed.
But I guess you knew that already, eh?
I know there are higher priorities right now than fixing our country's economic ills – the most important being blaming them on Obama. And that all goes out the window if the economy gets fixed.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Class Warfare
All the talk about ‘Class Warfare’ has gotten me thinking. I know all about class warfare, and the devastating effects it can have on people’s lives. On reflection, it seems clear that there’s nothing new going on. The Class War has been raging for quite some time now, and for all intents and purposes it is over. What seems just as clear is that the poor have won a decisive victory.
Just look around any of our major city streets – their patrols are everywhere! Holding signs on street corners, in food kitchens, crowding our emergency rooms, or under freeway overpasses – everywhere taxing passers-by for their hand-outs.
Free from the constraints of home ownership, or the scheduling restrictions of jobs, the poor quarter themselves overnight in the doorways of downtown stores, in alleys, or any other warm place– arrogantly relieving themselves wherever they choose.
Meanwhile the defeated rich desperately seek what shelter they can find in gated refugee communities, peeking furtively out from behind well-appointed window treatments. They live in fear of the weekly inspections by the special forces of the victorious poor known as ‘housekeepers’. Some must even submit to having their children indoctrinated by the elite Corps d’Au Pair.
When the rich dare to timidly emerge from these camps at all, They assemble as quickly as possible into protective groups known as ‘foursomes’ and rush headlong to the few places which offer them sanctuary – country clubs, exclusive restaurants, or even private islands. Even there, they are under the constant surveillance of the victors – never far from the prying eyes of caddies, waiters, and busboys.
It’s not clear how much more of this the rich can take, and it’s easy to see why these wretched souls fear another outbreak of class warfare. It can only make their current precarious situation even more hazardous.
Please, we must call a halt to this!
Haven’t the rich suffered enough?
Just look around any of our major city streets – their patrols are everywhere! Holding signs on street corners, in food kitchens, crowding our emergency rooms, or under freeway overpasses – everywhere taxing passers-by for their hand-outs.
Free from the constraints of home ownership, or the scheduling restrictions of jobs, the poor quarter themselves overnight in the doorways of downtown stores, in alleys, or any other warm place– arrogantly relieving themselves wherever they choose.
Meanwhile the defeated rich desperately seek what shelter they can find in gated refugee communities, peeking furtively out from behind well-appointed window treatments. They live in fear of the weekly inspections by the special forces of the victorious poor known as ‘housekeepers’. Some must even submit to having their children indoctrinated by the elite Corps d’Au Pair.
When the rich dare to timidly emerge from these camps at all, They assemble as quickly as possible into protective groups known as ‘foursomes’ and rush headlong to the few places which offer them sanctuary – country clubs, exclusive restaurants, or even private islands. Even there, they are under the constant surveillance of the victors – never far from the prying eyes of caddies, waiters, and busboys.
It’s not clear how much more of this the rich can take, and it’s easy to see why these wretched souls fear another outbreak of class warfare. It can only make their current precarious situation even more hazardous.
Please, we must call a halt to this!
Haven’t the rich suffered enough?
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Fair Taxation
In general, the greater one’s income, the greater the percentage of that income is derived from investments (dividends and capital gains)—which are taxed at less than half the rate as ordinary wages and salary—and the greater one’s ability to free up some of that income to help finance interest groups and lobbyists to maintain that differential.
It’s an obscenity that sitting-on-your-ass earnings are treated as more worthy than that earned by ‘sweat of the brow’.
And it’s an expression of idiocy when people parrot the spoon-fed line about ‘Class Warfare’ any time somebody suggests that this injustice be corrected.
It’s an obscenity that sitting-on-your-ass earnings are treated as more worthy than that earned by ‘sweat of the brow’.
And it’s an expression of idiocy when people parrot the spoon-fed line about ‘Class Warfare’ any time somebody suggests that this injustice be corrected.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Republican Electorate
I know some intelligent Republicans – in some cases very intelligent. Some of them are decent, caring human beings, who simply have reached different conclusions than I have, as to the best way to make life better for everybody in this country.
Some people like this even run for office. Unfortunately, they form a minority within their party – and to secure a nomination, candidates need to appeal to the broader Republican caucus.
In order to gain the nomination, a Republican candidate must reach out to, pander to, or at the very least not alienate a coalition of some of the most ignorant, narrow-minded, backward people who have ever sucked air on this continent.
For some, this comes naturally; I actually enjoy watching Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, and the Ricks (Perry and Santorum) hold court, and sing with the choir. Others try, but don’t pull it off; it’s just painful to watch Mitt Romney, for example, try to cloak his intelligence and regality in order to relate to the gomers. And while it’s refreshing to see those who simply refuse to compromise their principles to fit in, these folks—Hunstman and Paul, for example—aren’t serious contenders for the prize.
As tempting as it would be to simply turn our backs on this entire convocation of fools, I am not able to. Given the limitless supply of corporate money available to whoever prevails in this exercise, it’s … I don’t know how to characterize it, but we ignore it at our peril.
Some people like this even run for office. Unfortunately, they form a minority within their party – and to secure a nomination, candidates need to appeal to the broader Republican caucus.
In order to gain the nomination, a Republican candidate must reach out to, pander to, or at the very least not alienate a coalition of some of the most ignorant, narrow-minded, backward people who have ever sucked air on this continent.
For some, this comes naturally; I actually enjoy watching Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, and the Ricks (Perry and Santorum) hold court, and sing with the choir. Others try, but don’t pull it off; it’s just painful to watch Mitt Romney, for example, try to cloak his intelligence and regality in order to relate to the gomers. And while it’s refreshing to see those who simply refuse to compromise their principles to fit in, these folks—Hunstman and Paul, for example—aren’t serious contenders for the prize.
As tempting as it would be to simply turn our backs on this entire convocation of fools, I am not able to. Given the limitless supply of corporate money available to whoever prevails in this exercise, it’s … I don’t know how to characterize it, but we ignore it at our peril.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Chosen People
I’m trying to think of any religion anywhere on Earth where God declares that somebody else is his chosen people.
I'm not coming up with anything.
The one 'sort of' exception is of Rastafarianism, the Jamaican religion which reveres Hailie Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia.
The one 'sort of' exception is of Rastafarianism, the Jamaican religion which reveres Hailie Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Cheney's Book
Snarlin’ Dick Cheney has written a memoir of his White House years.
To refresh your memory, Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton, and was embedded with the Bush Jr Administration from 2001-2009.
During this time, Cheney served first as acting President for six years, before being demoted to acting Vice-President.
While it is unclear what value, if any, he contributed to the United States; his service to Halliburton was constant and exemplary throughout this assignment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
