Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, who briefly floated the idea of secession, until someone pointed out to him that without Federal money Texas would resemble one of the poorer states of Mexico, is now flirting with the idea of running for president in 2012.
You may recall that our last experience with having a Texas governor as President of the United States wasn't a particularly happy one. Unless you were a billionaire or a war profiteer, that is. But try to forget that for just a moment, and let's give Mr. P a chance to tell us what he believes in.
He believes that the Federal stimulus was a "$4 trillion rat hole". He's got his numbers wrong, of course. (He is a Republican after all.) And there are a few million people in the auto industry and related fields that might disagree about the usefulness of the stimulus. Here's a fun fact: Rick Perry's own state used Federal money to balance its budget and avoid a financial disaster. But don't bother the "guvnah" with facts, y'all. As any faithful Fox News listener will tell you, using facts is just a cheap liberal trick.
Perry also believes in states' rights. Big surprise there. However, like all truly patriotic, God fearing Republicans, if a state's citizens should decide that they favor gay marriage, or reproductive rights for women, or medical marijuana, then Ricky would favor federal legislation to thwart that state's will. Because Mr. Jesus doesn't want those things and Mr. Jesus trumps everything.
Yes, you guessed it, Rick Perry is a conduit of God, another Christian warrior determined to lead us down the path of righteousness. As he perceives it.
Haven't you heard, America should be a theocracy! That's what the Founders intended. Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison--they all spent their time praying--not thinking.
You might think that having one card carrying Crazy Jesus Club member running would be enough for any political party, but not the Republicans. They may have given up on that "Big Tent" crap, but it's still a wide trough. So Michele Bachmann and all the rest, say hello to Rick Perry!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Monkey See, Monkey Do: A Tea Party Parable
When you let a bunch of jabbering, psychotic monkeys into your house, you really shouldn't be too surprised when they start to wreck it. Because, after all, they are jabbering, psychotic monkeys and that's what they do.
You threw out the old pets because they stopped entertaining you. You let the monkeys in because you thought they were cute and more or less harmless. You were sure you could control them.
Now there's monkey shit all over your house and the neighbors are starting to talk. And whatever you do to appease them, the monkeys seem to be getting angrier. So, naturally, you're looking around for someone to blame.
Of course, the idea that you might try to blame somebody else for what is plainly your mistake is laughable.
But sadly it is also very, very American, circa 2011.
You threw out the old pets because they stopped entertaining you. You let the monkeys in because you thought they were cute and more or less harmless. You were sure you could control them.
Now there's monkey shit all over your house and the neighbors are starting to talk. And whatever you do to appease them, the monkeys seem to be getting angrier. So, naturally, you're looking around for someone to blame.
Of course, the idea that you might try to blame somebody else for what is plainly your mistake is laughable.
But sadly it is also very, very American, circa 2011.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Un-American
"Taxes, after all, are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society." (Franklin Roosevelt)
As the debate over raising the debt ceiling drones on and on, I've spent the last few days trying to figure out who are more un-American, the wealthy people who search for whatever means they can to not pay taxes or the elected officials who break their backs to enable them. Hmm? Call it a tossup.
I'm also wondering, if the US should default, how all of those multi-millionaires and billionaires who have financed much of this Tea Party madness will feel if their stock and bond investments start to lose value?
I'm reminded of the fable of the frog and the scorpion. A scorpion asks a frog to carry him across a flooding river. The frog replies "how do I know you won't sting me." The scorpion replies "because if I sting you then we both drown." Satisfied, the frog starts across the river with the scorpion on his back. In the middle of the river, the frog feels the sudden, sharp pain of the scorpion's sting. Just before they both slip below the water, the frog asks the scorpion "why?" And the scorpion replies, "it's my nature."
You have to admit that committing yourself to destroying the US and indeed the entire world's economy is the ultimate nihilist act. And to pretend that this is somehow patriotic in the bargain must take some truly astounding ethical gymnastics. But they really don't care. Anything is permitted as long as it makes it harder for Obama.
Then again, maybe this is just some more of that Christian "end times" nonsense that those of us who aren't insane can't understand. "Hey, let's crash the world's economy and maybe Jesus will come back then!"
As the debate over raising the debt ceiling drones on and on, I've spent the last few days trying to figure out who are more un-American, the wealthy people who search for whatever means they can to not pay taxes or the elected officials who break their backs to enable them. Hmm? Call it a tossup.
I'm also wondering, if the US should default, how all of those multi-millionaires and billionaires who have financed much of this Tea Party madness will feel if their stock and bond investments start to lose value?
I'm reminded of the fable of the frog and the scorpion. A scorpion asks a frog to carry him across a flooding river. The frog replies "how do I know you won't sting me." The scorpion replies "because if I sting you then we both drown." Satisfied, the frog starts across the river with the scorpion on his back. In the middle of the river, the frog feels the sudden, sharp pain of the scorpion's sting. Just before they both slip below the water, the frog asks the scorpion "why?" And the scorpion replies, "it's my nature."
You have to admit that committing yourself to destroying the US and indeed the entire world's economy is the ultimate nihilist act. And to pretend that this is somehow patriotic in the bargain must take some truly astounding ethical gymnastics. But they really don't care. Anything is permitted as long as it makes it harder for Obama.
Then again, maybe this is just some more of that Christian "end times" nonsense that those of us who aren't insane can't understand. "Hey, let's crash the world's economy and maybe Jesus will come back then!"
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Fences
We can all sleep a little easier now that Arizona has passed a state law that allows for private donations to be used to, in the immortal words of John McCain, R-Never Never Land, "build the dang fence."
The sponsor of the legislation, Steve Smith, R(was there any doubt?)-Maricopa, hopes to raise $50 million (from like minded saps) across the nation. Good luck with that, Steve!
Some quick math: according to the bill's supporters there are more than 240 miles of Arizona's 370 mile border with Mexico that need to be fenced. It cost $3 million a mile to build the existing fence. So $50 million will cover less than 17 of the 240 plus miles. But by all means give until it hurts. Look on the bright side: according to Smith, your contribution might be tax deductible.
It should be no surprise that Arizona is the first state to enact this type of legislation. When it comes to jousting with windmills we take a back seat to no one.
The sponsor of the legislation, Steve Smith, R(was there any doubt?)-Maricopa, hopes to raise $50 million (from like minded saps) across the nation. Good luck with that, Steve!
Some quick math: according to the bill's supporters there are more than 240 miles of Arizona's 370 mile border with Mexico that need to be fenced. It cost $3 million a mile to build the existing fence. So $50 million will cover less than 17 of the 240 plus miles. But by all means give until it hurts. Look on the bright side: according to Smith, your contribution might be tax deductible.
It should be no surprise that Arizona is the first state to enact this type of legislation. When it comes to jousting with windmills we take a back seat to no one.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
An Interesting Phone Call
Tonight I received a phone call from Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) inviting me to take part in a telephone town hall meeting. Naturally, I said I would love to share my thoughts with the Congressman who's now running for Jon Kyl's Senate seat.
A staffer came on the line and asked me what question I wanted to ask Rep. Flake. I answered that I would like to know why he was adamantly opposed to closing tax loopholes and why he insisted on Social Security cuts being included in any plan to reduce the deficit, especially since Soc. Sec. has absolutely nothing to do with the deficit. I said I would also like for the Congressman to explain to me somehow why the idea of a balanced budget amendment is not the stupidest idea in American history. I was very polite speaking to the staffer, so I was a little nonplussed when he told me that I could hang on the line, but they probably wouldn't get to my questions.
My first thought was "why would you ask me if I would like to speak when you seem to know that there won't be enough time?" My second thought was that this absolutely sounded like every Republican in America since George W. Bush -- if you're not in lockstep with them and willing to swallow their talking points wholeheartedly, then they want no part of a discussion with you.
I sat on the phone for the next 45 minutes listening to right-wing uninformed nutjobs telling Rep. Flake what a great job he's doing, how he should continue to support "cut, cap & balance," and how they were certainly going to vote for him come November (I guess they all assume he will win the Republican primary for Senator, which in Arizona pretty much amounts to winning the election). Several of the callers urged him to vote not to raise the debt ceiling under any circumstances.
In the entire time I was on the phone, I heard one caller ask him what could be called, maybe, a tough question. A lady named Cindy from Glendale asked him why the government couldn't do anything to punish corporations who accept tax cuts and subsidies from the government if they decide to outsource labor overseas, especially when unemployment is so high and the economy is stagnant. She suggested that tax penalties and stiff fines be assessed to these companies, along with possible tax rate hikes if a certain percentage of jobs were not maintained in the U.S.
Here's where I almost lost it -- Flake told her that in a free society such as ours you can't punish a business for making a sound, rational decision that is in the stockholder's best interest. He said what we need to do is reduce taxes even further on these "job-creating" corporations as low as possible and hope that they will then decide not to outsource! I was stunned, to say the least. That seems to be the Republican plan for job creation -- cut taxes and hope for the best.
I won't even get started on the misinformation he then supplied to his constituents, such as comparing our debt to that of Greece, Ireland and Portugal, and his outright lies about our tax rates in comparison to the rest of the world, and his assertion that the healthcare bill passed last year is "socialist job-killing legislation" (that's an exact quote -- I'm really not making it up).
Needless to say, I wasn't all that surprised that I never got to speak to him. I'm sure his muddled little mind has no intention of ever speaking with someone who can counter his lies with factual information.
Somehow, I don't think I'll be voting for Jeff Flake (Flaky R-AZ) for Senate next year.
A staffer came on the line and asked me what question I wanted to ask Rep. Flake. I answered that I would like to know why he was adamantly opposed to closing tax loopholes and why he insisted on Social Security cuts being included in any plan to reduce the deficit, especially since Soc. Sec. has absolutely nothing to do with the deficit. I said I would also like for the Congressman to explain to me somehow why the idea of a balanced budget amendment is not the stupidest idea in American history. I was very polite speaking to the staffer, so I was a little nonplussed when he told me that I could hang on the line, but they probably wouldn't get to my questions.
My first thought was "why would you ask me if I would like to speak when you seem to know that there won't be enough time?" My second thought was that this absolutely sounded like every Republican in America since George W. Bush -- if you're not in lockstep with them and willing to swallow their talking points wholeheartedly, then they want no part of a discussion with you.
I sat on the phone for the next 45 minutes listening to right-wing uninformed nutjobs telling Rep. Flake what a great job he's doing, how he should continue to support "cut, cap & balance," and how they were certainly going to vote for him come November (I guess they all assume he will win the Republican primary for Senator, which in Arizona pretty much amounts to winning the election). Several of the callers urged him to vote not to raise the debt ceiling under any circumstances.
In the entire time I was on the phone, I heard one caller ask him what could be called, maybe, a tough question. A lady named Cindy from Glendale asked him why the government couldn't do anything to punish corporations who accept tax cuts and subsidies from the government if they decide to outsource labor overseas, especially when unemployment is so high and the economy is stagnant. She suggested that tax penalties and stiff fines be assessed to these companies, along with possible tax rate hikes if a certain percentage of jobs were not maintained in the U.S.
Here's where I almost lost it -- Flake told her that in a free society such as ours you can't punish a business for making a sound, rational decision that is in the stockholder's best interest. He said what we need to do is reduce taxes even further on these "job-creating" corporations as low as possible and hope that they will then decide not to outsource! I was stunned, to say the least. That seems to be the Republican plan for job creation -- cut taxes and hope for the best.
I won't even get started on the misinformation he then supplied to his constituents, such as comparing our debt to that of Greece, Ireland and Portugal, and his outright lies about our tax rates in comparison to the rest of the world, and his assertion that the healthcare bill passed last year is "socialist job-killing legislation" (that's an exact quote -- I'm really not making it up).
Needless to say, I wasn't all that surprised that I never got to speak to him. I'm sure his muddled little mind has no intention of ever speaking with someone who can counter his lies with factual information.
Somehow, I don't think I'll be voting for Jeff Flake (Flaky R-AZ) for Senate next year.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Democracy In Action, or: Andrew Kowalczyk is an Idiot
For those of you wondering, "who the hell is Andrew Kowalczyk?", he is the author of one of the stupidest letters to the editor I've ever read. And considering that most of the letters to the editor that I read are from The Arizona Republic, that's really quite an achievement. Tip o' the hat to you, Andy!
Why is Andrew Kowalczyk an idiot? Let me count the ways...To quote from young Andrew's scribblings, "While adults were away in 2009 and 2010, the Democrats in Congress and President Obama decided to have a wild toga party for all their friends and cronies." This is so absurdly wrong that I'm not really sure where to begin. But I'll try. For starters, what "adults" could Andy possibly be referring to? The Republican Party? Really?
What happened in 2008-2009 is that the bill came do for eight years of The Dark Lord Cheney and Simple W's malfeasance. They squandered the Clinton surplus, they cut taxes on the wealthiest whenever they could, they let oil companies set energy policy, they attempted (but failed) to privatize Social Security, they started two unfunded wars, they crippled the regulatory oversight of Wall Street, they used the Constitution like toilet paper, and on and on. Oh, and let's not forget that 9/11 happened on their watch, too. Oops. So those can't be the "adults" Special K is talking about. Only an idiot would believe that the financial crisis, to pick just one Republican catastrophe, was Obama's doing.
Andy K. continues, "They went wild on the Internet, ordering all sorts of stuff that they've been dreaming of for years and years. They used America's credit card." This is the K meister trying to be clever. You know, like Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh? Of course it is unsubstantiated by the facts--unless you use Fox News as your source for "facts". "All sorts of stuff"? I guess he means healthcare reform. For some reason, "Obamacare" really pisses a lot of idiots off. I'm not sure why. I guess they like being at the mercy of insurance companies, or they've bought all of the Right's tired old lies about the "evils" of socialized medicine, or they plan on never getting sick or getting old. Or maybe it's just because they're idiots.
More Kowalczyk wisdom: "It's now 2011, and the Democrats are saying that America has to pay for their wild binge and they want a bigger allowance." The "wild binge" he is referring to was the money spent preventing the world's economy from melting down. Incidentally, this "binge" began on W's watch. By the way, here's a fact for Andy to chew on, if he can stop frothing at the mouth long enough to chew on anything: The national debt increased more under both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush than it has under Obama. The national debt also includes several trillion dollars that we owe ourselves. Kowalczyk's "bigger allowance" means the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is an artificial construct that many economists consider ridiculous. However, up until now, it has always been automatically raised, regardless of who the president was. Apparently Andy would rather see the US default on its obligations than give Obama what every other President has gotten. That'll show 'em! Take that world economy!
Now we come to the heart of little Andy Kowalczyk's ravings: "Republicans are not going to raise their allowance and are simply asking for the Dems to send back some of the stuff so we might have a chance to pay for the stuff we can't send back." Since Andy doesn't specify what "stuff" we should send back, I will. Let's send back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Let's send back all of our outsourced manufacturing jobs. Those are the two root causes of most of our debt to China. Let's send back the bill for the Iraq War. It's over a trillion dollars and rising. Let's send back Federal subsidies for oil companies. Let's send back all of the corporate tax loopholes. While we're at it, let's raise the wage cap on Social Security and stop once and for all this nonsense about privatization. Now honestly, do any of those "send backs" sound like Republican ideas?
No. Republican "ideas" include cutting taxes for billionaires and corporations while gutting the safety net for the rest of us; doing away with the Departments of Education and Energy, Head Start, the EPA, the FCC, the FDA, the SEC, Medicare, Planned Parenthood, and any other agency, governmental or otherwise, that might stand in the way of their plans for turning the USA into a Christian Corporate Fascist state. Amen.
I decided to add Democracy In Action to the title of this post because Andrew Kowalczyk's vote counts the same as mine or yours. Even though he's demonstrably an idiot.
Of course, we're all born ignorant of certain things. But some of us choose to remain ignorant. Many of those who choose to remain ignorant end up in Arizona. In fact they make up a majority of the state's voters. The current state that Arizona, and indeed the nation, finds itself in is a direct result of the rise of Idiot Power. And The Arizona Republic is their paper of record.
Why is Andrew Kowalczyk an idiot? Let me count the ways...To quote from young Andrew's scribblings, "While adults were away in 2009 and 2010, the Democrats in Congress and President Obama decided to have a wild toga party for all their friends and cronies." This is so absurdly wrong that I'm not really sure where to begin. But I'll try. For starters, what "adults" could Andy possibly be referring to? The Republican Party? Really?
What happened in 2008-2009 is that the bill came do for eight years of The Dark Lord Cheney and Simple W's malfeasance. They squandered the Clinton surplus, they cut taxes on the wealthiest whenever they could, they let oil companies set energy policy, they attempted (but failed) to privatize Social Security, they started two unfunded wars, they crippled the regulatory oversight of Wall Street, they used the Constitution like toilet paper, and on and on. Oh, and let's not forget that 9/11 happened on their watch, too. Oops. So those can't be the "adults" Special K is talking about. Only an idiot would believe that the financial crisis, to pick just one Republican catastrophe, was Obama's doing.
Andy K. continues, "They went wild on the Internet, ordering all sorts of stuff that they've been dreaming of for years and years. They used America's credit card." This is the K meister trying to be clever. You know, like Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh? Of course it is unsubstantiated by the facts--unless you use Fox News as your source for "facts". "All sorts of stuff"? I guess he means healthcare reform. For some reason, "Obamacare" really pisses a lot of idiots off. I'm not sure why. I guess they like being at the mercy of insurance companies, or they've bought all of the Right's tired old lies about the "evils" of socialized medicine, or they plan on never getting sick or getting old. Or maybe it's just because they're idiots.
More Kowalczyk wisdom: "It's now 2011, and the Democrats are saying that America has to pay for their wild binge and they want a bigger allowance." The "wild binge" he is referring to was the money spent preventing the world's economy from melting down. Incidentally, this "binge" began on W's watch. By the way, here's a fact for Andy to chew on, if he can stop frothing at the mouth long enough to chew on anything: The national debt increased more under both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush than it has under Obama. The national debt also includes several trillion dollars that we owe ourselves. Kowalczyk's "bigger allowance" means the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is an artificial construct that many economists consider ridiculous. However, up until now, it has always been automatically raised, regardless of who the president was. Apparently Andy would rather see the US default on its obligations than give Obama what every other President has gotten. That'll show 'em! Take that world economy!
Now we come to the heart of little Andy Kowalczyk's ravings: "Republicans are not going to raise their allowance and are simply asking for the Dems to send back some of the stuff so we might have a chance to pay for the stuff we can't send back." Since Andy doesn't specify what "stuff" we should send back, I will. Let's send back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Let's send back all of our outsourced manufacturing jobs. Those are the two root causes of most of our debt to China. Let's send back the bill for the Iraq War. It's over a trillion dollars and rising. Let's send back Federal subsidies for oil companies. Let's send back all of the corporate tax loopholes. While we're at it, let's raise the wage cap on Social Security and stop once and for all this nonsense about privatization. Now honestly, do any of those "send backs" sound like Republican ideas?
No. Republican "ideas" include cutting taxes for billionaires and corporations while gutting the safety net for the rest of us; doing away with the Departments of Education and Energy, Head Start, the EPA, the FCC, the FDA, the SEC, Medicare, Planned Parenthood, and any other agency, governmental or otherwise, that might stand in the way of their plans for turning the USA into a Christian Corporate Fascist state. Amen.
I decided to add Democracy In Action to the title of this post because Andrew Kowalczyk's vote counts the same as mine or yours. Even though he's demonstrably an idiot.
Of course, we're all born ignorant of certain things. But some of us choose to remain ignorant. Many of those who choose to remain ignorant end up in Arizona. In fact they make up a majority of the state's voters. The current state that Arizona, and indeed the nation, finds itself in is a direct result of the rise of Idiot Power. And The Arizona Republic is their paper of record.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Congratulations to Japan
I've been avidly watching the FIFA Women's World Cup, cheering madly for the U.S. I believed that after the amazing win over Brazil last Sunday that destiny was on the side of the Americans, but as often happens in sport my hopes for a third American cup were dashed.
The nation of Japan probably needed this a lot more than the U.S. did and my hat is off to their team -- a team that showed the same pluck and grit that the U.S. did in its match with Brazil. Japan defeated the defending champion Germany in the quarterfinals in extra time, soundly thrashed Sweden in the semis after falling behind early, and came back not once but twice against a superior American team that dominated most of the game.
The U.S. had several chances early to put the game away but simply couldn't seem to put the ball in the net, missing narrowly on both sides while hitting the goalposts and the crossbar with shots. In the end, two defensive lapses in communication were all it took to give Japan the trophy.
I'm disappointed, sure, but I still want to congratulate the U.S. team on a great tournament and Japan on a great victory. All in all, the tournament was a great one, proving once again that women can certainly play this game at an extremely high level.
I leave you with the goal of the tournament, Abby Wambach's header in the added minutes of extra time off a brilliant pass from Megan Rapinhoe that sent the U.S. into PKs against Brazil -- without which they would not have been in the final.
The nation of Japan probably needed this a lot more than the U.S. did and my hat is off to their team -- a team that showed the same pluck and grit that the U.S. did in its match with Brazil. Japan defeated the defending champion Germany in the quarterfinals in extra time, soundly thrashed Sweden in the semis after falling behind early, and came back not once but twice against a superior American team that dominated most of the game.
The U.S. had several chances early to put the game away but simply couldn't seem to put the ball in the net, missing narrowly on both sides while hitting the goalposts and the crossbar with shots. In the end, two defensive lapses in communication were all it took to give Japan the trophy.
I'm disappointed, sure, but I still want to congratulate the U.S. team on a great tournament and Japan on a great victory. All in all, the tournament was a great one, proving once again that women can certainly play this game at an extremely high level.
I leave you with the goal of the tournament, Abby Wambach's header in the added minutes of extra time off a brilliant pass from Megan Rapinhoe that sent the U.S. into PKs against Brazil -- without which they would not have been in the final.
Stop The Presses!!!
Here is your Arizona Republic headline of the week:
"Influx of travelers gives tourism industry a boost"
Let that sink in for a minute...the beauty of the thing, the clarity. It's all right there in 8 simple words. You don't even need to read the story!!
Now think about all that went into that headline. Somebody had to go to journalism school. Probably not a very good journalism school, but still...There were student loans, drunken weekends, a graduation speech by a minor celebrity, and proud, joyful tears from Mom and Dad.
Then they got a job at the Republic. Well, times are tough and a job's a job. Let's face it, you can grow old waiting for the Times to call. Besides, somebody who went to a better journalism school would get that call first anyway.
So there they are, halfheartedly retyping their resume, when the word comes down: "we need a headline--pronto!" And all that specialized training springs into action. This is their moment to shine!
"Influx of travelers gives tourism industry a boost"
Headline of the week? Headline of the decade! Headline of the century!
"Influx of travelers gives tourism industry a boost"
Let that sink in for a minute...the beauty of the thing, the clarity. It's all right there in 8 simple words. You don't even need to read the story!!
Now think about all that went into that headline. Somebody had to go to journalism school. Probably not a very good journalism school, but still...There were student loans, drunken weekends, a graduation speech by a minor celebrity, and proud, joyful tears from Mom and Dad.
Then they got a job at the Republic. Well, times are tough and a job's a job. Let's face it, you can grow old waiting for the Times to call. Besides, somebody who went to a better journalism school would get that call first anyway.
So there they are, halfheartedly retyping their resume, when the word comes down: "we need a headline--pronto!" And all that specialized training springs into action. This is their moment to shine!
"Influx of travelers gives tourism industry a boost"
Headline of the week? Headline of the decade! Headline of the century!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Pot Meets Kettle
OK, so Michele Bachmann has a really swishy husband. Really swishy. In fact, Marcus Bachmann makes Richard Simmons look dead butch. Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more. But so what? I mean, it's not like the Bachmann's are promoting an anti-gay agenda. That would be hypocritical. Just like it would be wrong to endorse the abolition of the EPA without mentioning that you're in bed with the Koch brothers and all of their polluting, death dealing companies. True patriots don't behave in that duplicitous manner.
And Michele Bachmann is nothing, if not a patriot.
And Michele Bachmann is nothing, if not a patriot.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Please Help
What's up with all of these companies putting the little box on their bills with the "check here if you'd like to add a dollar for charity" plea? For instance, last time I looked, APS was a billion dollar enterprise. How about they kick back some of their profits instead? Maybe that would help the little guy more than my buck.
Same thing goes for Cox Cable. Apparently they can raise their rates whenever they feel like it, without any kind of Corporation Commission oversight. And now they'd like me to contribute to their favorite charity? I don't think so.
I suppose American corporations have gotten away with so much for so long that this sort of thing was inevitable. For 30 years they've driven down wages, and sent jobs overseas, all in the name of "competition", while complaining about the "evil unions", the "lazy workers", and that "big government" was stifling them with too many regulations. We've reached a point in our history where they honestly believe that they are the aggrieved party, the victim. This proves conclusively that once you get in the habit of lying about everything, it's almost impossible to recognize the truth about anything.
Their attitude now seems to be "hey, we're gonna screw you and there's nothing you can do about it, and oh, by the way, won't you please help out some of the other folks we're screwing, too?"
Same thing goes for Cox Cable. Apparently they can raise their rates whenever they feel like it, without any kind of Corporation Commission oversight. And now they'd like me to contribute to their favorite charity? I don't think so.
I suppose American corporations have gotten away with so much for so long that this sort of thing was inevitable. For 30 years they've driven down wages, and sent jobs overseas, all in the name of "competition", while complaining about the "evil unions", the "lazy workers", and that "big government" was stifling them with too many regulations. We've reached a point in our history where they honestly believe that they are the aggrieved party, the victim. This proves conclusively that once you get in the habit of lying about everything, it's almost impossible to recognize the truth about anything.
Their attitude now seems to be "hey, we're gonna screw you and there's nothing you can do about it, and oh, by the way, won't you please help out some of the other folks we're screwing, too?"
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Signor Baseball's MLB Midseason Update
So here we are, just past halfway in the 2011 season, and what have we learned?
Well, for one thing the ownership of the Dodgers is even more screwed up than the ownership of the Mets--and they don't have Bernie Madoff to blame, either. And hitting a baseball thrown 90 plus miles an hour is still the single hardest thing in sports. Only a slight diminution of their reflexes can turn a .320 hitter into a .270 hitter just like that. Pace Ichiro and Derek Jeter.
Surprises? Always. In the American League Cleveland and Seattle are playing much better than I thought they would and Minnesota, Chicago, and Oakland much worse.
In the AL East, the Yankees and Red Sox are about where you'd expect, with Tampa Bay hanging close. Any more injuries to the New York or Boston pitching staffs or starting lineups and the Rays might pass one or both of them. In Toronto I didn't think Jose Bautista would hit 54 homers again and it looks like he may get to 60. That's about all the Blue Jays' fans have to look forward to. And in Baltimore, Mark Reynolds has finally cut down on his strikeouts. And his power. At least the Oriole pitching staff isn't afraid to brush people back. Now if they could just get someone out...
The Tigers and Indians will continue neck and neck in the Central. Cleveland seems to be for real and should stick around until the very end. Neither of them looks strong enough to run away from the other. This means that the Twins and White Sox, who have both really underperformed, aren't out of it yet...The less said about the Royals the better.
And in the West, the Rangers and Angels should go down to the wire. Texas still has the edge in talent, but never underestimate Arte Moreno's deep pockets at the trading deadline. After a stronger than expected start Seattle has begun to fade, and in Oakland it's already 'wait until next year' time.
In the National League, the Mets, Nationals and, wonder of wonder, the Pirates are playing a lot better than expected, while the Marlins, Padres and Dodgers have been the biggest disappointments.
As I mentioned in my NL season preview, if the Phillies pitching stays relatively healthy they should take the East easily. The Braves still have a good shot at the wild card, but Atlanta better keep an eye on both New York and Washington lurking behind them. Florida seems finished at this point. Then again, Jack McKeon has worked miracles in the past with the Marlins.
In the Central, the Brewers look like they're for real and should be able to keep pace with the Cardinals, with the Reds also in contention. I think Pittsburgh will fade in August, but for my son's sake I hope they don't. He's never been to Pittsburgh--we don't even know anybody in Pittsburgh--but for some inexplicable reason, the Pirates are his team. So go Pirates! The Cubs are the Cubs, God bless them, and there doesn't seem to be anything anyone can do about that. I know there's another team in this division, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is.
In the West, the Giants pitching rivals the Phillies, but sooner or later they'll miss Buster Posey's bat. The Diamondbacks bullpen has been a lot better and that has made all the difference in the world. They may need to add a couple of veteran players to catch San Francisco, though, and who knows whether they can afford to? The Rockies looked like they would run away with the division for the first couple of months but have cooled down and are now a sub .500 club. Losing Adrian Gonzalez has left a huge hole in San Diego. However, as in the Central, I don't see anybody pulling away, so maybe the Padres have a chance to regroup. And in Los Angeles, there's apparently no end in sight to the soap opera that Dodger baseball has become. Cherchez la femme.
Still, it's a long, long season, and all kinds of strange and wondrous things can happen between now and early October.
Well, for one thing the ownership of the Dodgers is even more screwed up than the ownership of the Mets--and they don't have Bernie Madoff to blame, either. And hitting a baseball thrown 90 plus miles an hour is still the single hardest thing in sports. Only a slight diminution of their reflexes can turn a .320 hitter into a .270 hitter just like that. Pace Ichiro and Derek Jeter.
Surprises? Always. In the American League Cleveland and Seattle are playing much better than I thought they would and Minnesota, Chicago, and Oakland much worse.
In the AL East, the Yankees and Red Sox are about where you'd expect, with Tampa Bay hanging close. Any more injuries to the New York or Boston pitching staffs or starting lineups and the Rays might pass one or both of them. In Toronto I didn't think Jose Bautista would hit 54 homers again and it looks like he may get to 60. That's about all the Blue Jays' fans have to look forward to. And in Baltimore, Mark Reynolds has finally cut down on his strikeouts. And his power. At least the Oriole pitching staff isn't afraid to brush people back. Now if they could just get someone out...
The Tigers and Indians will continue neck and neck in the Central. Cleveland seems to be for real and should stick around until the very end. Neither of them looks strong enough to run away from the other. This means that the Twins and White Sox, who have both really underperformed, aren't out of it yet...The less said about the Royals the better.
And in the West, the Rangers and Angels should go down to the wire. Texas still has the edge in talent, but never underestimate Arte Moreno's deep pockets at the trading deadline. After a stronger than expected start Seattle has begun to fade, and in Oakland it's already 'wait until next year' time.
In the National League, the Mets, Nationals and, wonder of wonder, the Pirates are playing a lot better than expected, while the Marlins, Padres and Dodgers have been the biggest disappointments.
As I mentioned in my NL season preview, if the Phillies pitching stays relatively healthy they should take the East easily. The Braves still have a good shot at the wild card, but Atlanta better keep an eye on both New York and Washington lurking behind them. Florida seems finished at this point. Then again, Jack McKeon has worked miracles in the past with the Marlins.
In the Central, the Brewers look like they're for real and should be able to keep pace with the Cardinals, with the Reds also in contention. I think Pittsburgh will fade in August, but for my son's sake I hope they don't. He's never been to Pittsburgh--we don't even know anybody in Pittsburgh--but for some inexplicable reason, the Pirates are his team. So go Pirates! The Cubs are the Cubs, God bless them, and there doesn't seem to be anything anyone can do about that. I know there's another team in this division, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is.
In the West, the Giants pitching rivals the Phillies, but sooner or later they'll miss Buster Posey's bat. The Diamondbacks bullpen has been a lot better and that has made all the difference in the world. They may need to add a couple of veteran players to catch San Francisco, though, and who knows whether they can afford to? The Rockies looked like they would run away with the division for the first couple of months but have cooled down and are now a sub .500 club. Losing Adrian Gonzalez has left a huge hole in San Diego. However, as in the Central, I don't see anybody pulling away, so maybe the Padres have a chance to regroup. And in Los Angeles, there's apparently no end in sight to the soap opera that Dodger baseball has become. Cherchez la femme.
Still, it's a long, long season, and all kinds of strange and wondrous things can happen between now and early October.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I Fought The Law And The Law Won
Good news! Apparently the state of Arizona, which can't afford to help poor people desperately in need of life saving organ transplants, and has never adequately funded it education system, can afford to build another new for-profit prison. Even though there is already sufficient capacity at existing prisons. And even though all 5 of the companies likely to bid for the contract to build the new prison have checkered records. (In this case "checkered" means an unusually high number of escapes, insufficient medical staff, unexplained deaths, or all of the above.)
The budget for the Arizona Department of Corrections is just over one billion dollars. It was one of the few departments that didn't face any cuts during the last round of budget talks. In fact, its funding was increased. Thank God we have our priorities straight.
Coincidentally, the for profit prison industry was very supportive of SB1070--probably because they reportedly helped write it. And two of Jan Brewer's closest advisers used to be lobbyists for one of the largest private prison concerns. Of course this has no influence on any of her decisions.
Jan only wants what's best for the people of Arizona. And more empty prison beds managed by incompetents is what's best for us.
The budget for the Arizona Department of Corrections is just over one billion dollars. It was one of the few departments that didn't face any cuts during the last round of budget talks. In fact, its funding was increased. Thank God we have our priorities straight.
Coincidentally, the for profit prison industry was very supportive of SB1070--probably because they reportedly helped write it. And two of Jan Brewer's closest advisers used to be lobbyists for one of the largest private prison concerns. Of course this has no influence on any of her decisions.
Jan only wants what's best for the people of Arizona. And more empty prison beds managed by incompetents is what's best for us.
Friday, July 8, 2011
News Of The World
This is how bad the cell phone hacking scandal surrounding Rupert Murdoch's English newspaper, News of the World, must be: he shut the paper down. No, "oh we're sorry and we promise not to do it again" bullshit mea culpa.
He shut the paper down. The biggest selling paper in the UK, gone. Now, the paper itself is 99% crap, like all Murdoch enterprises. So we're not losing anything substantive. But this guy is one of the primo capitalist pigs of our time, wallowing around in any money pit that will have him. And yet he told his kid to pull the plug, just like that.
This must mean that the scandal is so ugly, and so deep, that old Rupe thinks he need extreme damage control right now. Because if it bleeds over into his TV deals, he'll take a real hit financially. Not just in the UK, but in the US, and maybe even China too. And the money and power are all that really matter to Murdoch. Certainly not the journalist's search for the truth. The nightly orgy of lies that is Fox News is all the proof you need of that.
I would like to hope that this is the beginning of the end for this shameless piece of Aussie scum, but I'm not holding my breath. He has billions of dollars, pound, euros--whatever, to buy his way out of most anything. And apparently lots of boot lickers willing to fall on their swords for him. However, it is nice to think that maybe the old pirate is losing a little sleep right now.
He shut the paper down. The biggest selling paper in the UK, gone. Now, the paper itself is 99% crap, like all Murdoch enterprises. So we're not losing anything substantive. But this guy is one of the primo capitalist pigs of our time, wallowing around in any money pit that will have him. And yet he told his kid to pull the plug, just like that.
This must mean that the scandal is so ugly, and so deep, that old Rupe thinks he need extreme damage control right now. Because if it bleeds over into his TV deals, he'll take a real hit financially. Not just in the UK, but in the US, and maybe even China too. And the money and power are all that really matter to Murdoch. Certainly not the journalist's search for the truth. The nightly orgy of lies that is Fox News is all the proof you need of that.
I would like to hope that this is the beginning of the end for this shameless piece of Aussie scum, but I'm not holding my breath. He has billions of dollars, pound, euros--whatever, to buy his way out of most anything. And apparently lots of boot lickers willing to fall on their swords for him. However, it is nice to think that maybe the old pirate is losing a little sleep right now.
Deja Vu all over again
In 1937, the U.S. was making progress in its recovery from the Great Depression. F.D.R. had just been re-elected and it looked as though things would be getting much better in the future, both short- and long-term. Roosevelt then made what many saw as the biggest mistake of his Presidency, a mistake that almost became fatal to the recovery -- he began to listen to advisers who urged him that appeasing his Republican opponents by balancing the budget was now necessary since the economy was making strides in recovery. Roosevelt and the Democrats proceeded to cut spending while ignoring the revenue side of the equation, just as is being insisted upon by the Republicans today. What happened? The economy didn't just stumble -- the recovery stopped dead in its tracks, did an about-face and began to decline again. Keynesian economists blamed the recession on the decline in government spending while Republicans and big business claimed the recession was the result of union power and attacks on big business. Sound familiar?
Forward 74 years. The U.S. economy is beginning a slow recovery from the worst recession seen since the beginning of the Great Depression. Unemployment is seeing no improvement, although profits are at record-setting levels for business. Income inequality and the gap between rich and poor is the greatest since the Depression. So what is being proposed as the solution to our nation's economic woes? You're right -- cut spending without looking at the revenue side. If you have listened to President Obama's speeches over the last week or so, you would think he had brought Eric Cantor's economic adviser (that may be an oxymoron) onto his team.
Paul Krugman explains all of the better than I possibly can in yesterday's New York Times. I urge you all to read this, think about it, and post your thoughts.
Forward 74 years. The U.S. economy is beginning a slow recovery from the worst recession seen since the beginning of the Great Depression. Unemployment is seeing no improvement, although profits are at record-setting levels for business. Income inequality and the gap between rich and poor is the greatest since the Depression. So what is being proposed as the solution to our nation's economic woes? You're right -- cut spending without looking at the revenue side. If you have listened to President Obama's speeches over the last week or so, you would think he had brought Eric Cantor's economic adviser (that may be an oxymoron) onto his team.
Paul Krugman explains all of the better than I possibly can in yesterday's New York Times. I urge you all to read this, think about it, and post your thoughts.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
American 235 years later
I've been thinking a lot the last few days about what America really is -- is this the nation where all men are created equal and every person can achieve his or her dreams if they really try, or is this a nation that the founders not only couldn't have envisioned, but in fact would be repulsed if they saw it now? I do know that we are not one America, but rather two or more -- divided by race, class, economics, etc. So I've decided to post a few videos that I feel have a great deal of relevance today. Some are several years old, some are more recent, but they all speak to me now about the state of this once-great nation -- which I fear is heading down the road towards an oligarchy at best and fascism at worst. So I leave you with these songs and I sincerely hope that any of you that read my meager inadequate words from time to time will please comment with your thoughts. Maybe someone out there can help pull me out of this slough of despond...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Wishful Thinking
The next time President Obama addresses the nation, I hope it goes something like this:
Good evening. Put down the remote control--I'm on all of the channels. I come before you tonight to announce a new policy. I call it "No More Mr. Nice Guy." For the past 2 plus years I've tried to deal with the Republicans in Congress. It is my nature to be conciliatory and to seek compromise. And for the past 2 plus years my efforts have been met with indifference at best and with outright lies and obstruction at worst.
My policies have been distorted into "death panels for Granny" and "Kenyan anti-colonial Socialism." My patriotism and even my right to hold office have been questioned ad nauseum. None of this foolishness has done the country any good. I now realize that the Republican's only goal is to destroy me at any cost. And if that means ruining our nation in the process, so be it.
My fellow Americans I am not going to let that happen.
From now until the 2012 election, and hopefully beyond, I will do everything in my power as your President to restore America's manufacturing base, expand our healthcare system so it truly covers all Americans while controlling costs, limit the rapacious nature of Wall Street while finally punishing those responsible for the 2008 meltdown, return to the tax rates of the Clinton years, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, expand our renewable energy programs, cut the defense budget by at least 25%, and continue our withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan while increasing our pursuit and destruction of al-Qaeda cells wherever they may be. These goals are all within our reach if we remain determined to achieve them.
If the leaders of the Republican Party care to debate these issues honestly, I welcome it. But there is no time for the childish nonsense they've engaged in since I was elected. The American people deserve an opposition party that has new ideas-- not slanderous accusations.
Thank you, God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
Good evening. Put down the remote control--I'm on all of the channels. I come before you tonight to announce a new policy. I call it "No More Mr. Nice Guy." For the past 2 plus years I've tried to deal with the Republicans in Congress. It is my nature to be conciliatory and to seek compromise. And for the past 2 plus years my efforts have been met with indifference at best and with outright lies and obstruction at worst.
My policies have been distorted into "death panels for Granny" and "Kenyan anti-colonial Socialism." My patriotism and even my right to hold office have been questioned ad nauseum. None of this foolishness has done the country any good. I now realize that the Republican's only goal is to destroy me at any cost. And if that means ruining our nation in the process, so be it.
My fellow Americans I am not going to let that happen.
From now until the 2012 election, and hopefully beyond, I will do everything in my power as your President to restore America's manufacturing base, expand our healthcare system so it truly covers all Americans while controlling costs, limit the rapacious nature of Wall Street while finally punishing those responsible for the 2008 meltdown, return to the tax rates of the Clinton years, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, expand our renewable energy programs, cut the defense budget by at least 25%, and continue our withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan while increasing our pursuit and destruction of al-Qaeda cells wherever they may be. These goals are all within our reach if we remain determined to achieve them.
If the leaders of the Republican Party care to debate these issues honestly, I welcome it. But there is no time for the childish nonsense they've engaged in since I was elected. The American people deserve an opposition party that has new ideas-- not slanderous accusations.
Thank you, God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Classics
More than 400 years ago Shakespeare summed up the current Republican Party in just a few lines from Richard III:
"I do the wrong, and first begin the brawl.
The secret mischief that I set abroach
I lay unto the grievous charge of others....
But then I sigh, and with a piece of Scripture
Tell them that God bids us do good for evil;
And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With odd old ends stol'n forth of holy writ,
And seem a saint when most I play the devil."
"I do the wrong, and first begin the brawl.
The secret mischief that I set abroach
I lay unto the grievous charge of others....
But then I sigh, and with a piece of Scripture
Tell them that God bids us do good for evil;
And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With odd old ends stol'n forth of holy writ,
And seem a saint when most I play the devil."
Friday, July 1, 2011
Cat Shit Fever
NEWSFLASH!!!
Ted Nugent has offered Michele Bachmann 2 songs for her Presidential campaign. Nugent, who never had any relevance as a creative artist, was briefly popular in the late 1970's, just like the Pet Rock, with which he shares some DNA. He is best known these days as a loud mouthed, gun waving idiot. This should appeal to Bachmann's base, which is comprised completely of idiots, some armed, some not.
The songs in question are the Nugent "classics" "I'm a gun luvin' jerk--how 'bout you?" and "Why don't we get drunk and shoot each other?"
Ted Nugent has offered Michele Bachmann 2 songs for her Presidential campaign. Nugent, who never had any relevance as a creative artist, was briefly popular in the late 1970's, just like the Pet Rock, with which he shares some DNA. He is best known these days as a loud mouthed, gun waving idiot. This should appeal to Bachmann's base, which is comprised completely of idiots, some armed, some not.
The songs in question are the Nugent "classics" "I'm a gun luvin' jerk--how 'bout you?" and "Why don't we get drunk and shoot each other?"
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