this is a placeholder for an Idea that just floated in….more later…
Category Archives: Misc
Let’s at least try to be nice…
Well…this idea popped into my head this morning and I thought I’d share it…I remember growing up that most of the people you met and interacted with on any given day were pretty nice and courteous and the act of being nice never set you apart. But these days, with the coarsening of our society, everyone is so on edge, so ready to assert their ‘rights” that people doing simple acts of niceness are held up as being somehow different or naive. But I don’t think that is the case, at least I don’t want to believe it. Why can’t we smile when the person in front of us in the checkout lane takes their time unloading their shopping cart and then a minute to talk to the cashier? Why does everyone’s behavior have to fit what we want it to be?
I admit, I have been one of those people that angered easily when people don’t drive fast enough or can’t make up their mind at the coffee shop….but I am proposing that we start to think of what type of person we want to be and what impact our behavior has on others. I no longer want to be a part of what people see as the inevitable lowering of acceptable standards of behavior….I’m going to promise to try to do better….and I hope some of you will join me…
Okay….that was a little harsh..
Yeah….I know and I agree..that little screed about Erik Prince was getting near the top if it was not over it…but this guy made millions by his connections that aren’t available to the regular folks and it irritates the heck out of me when these guys want tax cuts for the wealthy but they don’t have any problems using our tax money for their private schemes. Don’t get me wrong, I like some rich people…I’ve even wanted to be one and tried as hard as I could to achieve richness but it wasn’t to be. But, even with that said, I am still going to call them as I see them and continue to call out people that think their opinions are worth more than yours or mine just because they are wealthy. That’s not what this country was built on but it appears the direction it is going, and that troubles me as it should you….maybe more later…
Good riddance, Erik Prince..
Well…read this little nugget when I was out at the coffee shop this morning…that Erik Prince, the dark lord of Blackwater, is moving himself and his company to Abu Dhabi, his reasons being the pesky investigations into the gun-running, murder, and other acts of malfeasence that his company has been known for since its inception. Waa, Waa,waa…geez, aren’t you tired of these privileged repubs whining and crying when they are forced to follow the same rules as the rest of us? It’s endemic to these folks that they see themselves as different than the rest of us, and by extension, that the rules don’t apply. Ole GW and Cheney are the poster boys for this type of behavior but they are rivaled by Vitter and the rest of the repub elite. So, I say to Erik Prince (and I wish I could say it to the rest of the repubs) good riddance; watch what happens when you break the law there…you’re going to find yourself in the slammer without the protection of your repub buddies.
Just another example of the rich being “born on third base” and thinking they hit a triple…geez…
The fight is on for the soul of America…the real one…
Well…this one starts with just one simple question: What kind of a country do we want to be? I think we need to answer this question; to step back from the daily grind and our personal prejudices and, for a change, try to think of what is good for the country and not just our party or ourselves. This one just isn’t working…sometimes the writing process fails and I’m left here staring at this damn computer; erasing everything and starting over and that has happened three times already…maybe this isn’t one I can get my head around…
Going to try again… what I was getting at before was to ask some questions that would help define what kind of country we want and what kind of citizens we want to be…
Do we want to really live what the constitution says or do we want to use it as a political prop to be trotted out and used to bludgeon people over the head? Do you believe that all citizens have equal rights or don’t you? Do you believe that the constitution guarantees freedom of religion or don’t you? Do you want our leaders to continue to spew hatred and division or do you want them to try to be adults and tackle the problems that face this country? Do You believe that 45 million people should be able to afford basic healthcare or are they on their own? Okay…this isn’t really what I wanted to say….I am just blocked today…maybe I’ll just let it rest for a while and go on to other topics….
The fight is on for the soul of America…
this is a placeholder to remind me that I want to take this topic on later…if I’ve piqued your interest, come on back later after it gels in my head…so now you know why I’m so weird…there is gel in my head…ha, ha…
Here’s another thing..
Well…there is another issue that I wanted to touch on today, and that is the controversy that has arisen over Verizon and Google’s vision for the future of the internet and the gutting of the way it runs now. The proposal from these two communications giants, is to change the way that the internet works now; that all the data packets that come to or from any website or computer are treated the same to one where the people or companies that are willing to pay a premium will have their data packets given preference to those that don’t. Why do I even have to tell you that this is just a really bad idea; that again, the rich will get richer and take control of one of the last egalitarian bastions of our society?
And, guess who is supporting the companies grab for higher profits and more control? Good guess, the repubs, as always. These same ones that scream about government control of anything are more than willing to hand control over to companies that don’t answer to anyone but their profits because they know it will benefit them. I hope they understand that if they do this the political winds can change and they may be on the other end of the stick? What happens to groups like the tea party or even the RNC when they have to pay extra to get their voices heard? I hope there are reasonable people out there that can recognize that what has made the internet great is the fact that an upstart muckraker like me gets the same access to the net as a billion dollar corporation and there is nothing that anyone can do to silence me or you. Geez…
A simple solution….
Well…have been reading a lot about the problems that Toyota has been having with unintended acceleration in many of their vehicles. The latest conclusions that have come from the investigations is that a majority of the incidents were caused by mis-application of the pedals…meaning that the people in some of the accidents were pressing on the wrong pedals..i.e. pressing on the accelerator when they thought they were stepping on the brake; similar to the problem that Audi had in the 80’s that almost killed the company. After some thought…well, not a lot I’ll admit, I just remembered they way that I leaned to drive automatic transmission cars….I use my left foot on the brake and my right foot on the accelerator. Instead of the billions of dollars that are being spent to idiot proof cars so people can’t make mistakes, why not just train people to use both of their feet to operate their cars? If the brake and gas were discrete operations that were done with different feet, the opportunity for people to press the wrong pedal would be reduced significantly. Yeah, I know..not earth shattering or politically astute but some times the simple things that pop into my head really do have some merit…to me, anyway….
When did we accept going backwards?
Well…I thought I was going to wait until this aft for a new post but an article by Paul Krugman in the NYT opened the floodgates to something that I have been thinking of for quite a while…when did we accept going backwards in this country? All I hear these days is that we can’t afford to pay our teachers, we can’t afford to maintain our roads, we can’t afford police or fire protection, we can’t afford any of the safety nets that keep people from abject poverty, that taxes are too high…but it’s not true. These are all lies that have been accepted by the populace because the repubs have been repeating them so much they have become accepted wisdom…but it is just the way the repubs do business..not unlike the lies the Soviet Union kept telling its people until they believed them. Think of what could be done with the 700 billion dollars that would come from letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the top 2 pct. Even if just applied to the deficit, it would make almost a 10 pct reduction per year.
But, that is not my point…my point is that when I was growing up, rising wages, new roads and other infrastructure projects, and a rising standard of living was what we strived for, was what was expected by everyone including politicians and the everyday worker…but today we’re being told what is not possible, that we have to cut back our expectations, that government is the problem, not the solution. The gains in the standard of living for the middle class that have been fought for over many decades is being destroyed by the blackmail of business that want givebacks or jobs will be shipped overseas as government stands by and gives more and more to the rich. All the while business is sitting on the largest hoard of retained profit in the history of the world…and I will ask the question I always ask: “how much is enough?”
I think we all need to ask ourselves what kind of country do we want? One that goes backward with more and more wealth concentrated in the hands of the rich or an equitable one where hard work is rewarded by good pay and benefits and we go forward, not backwards as a nation? Geez….
same to you Vaughn Walker…
Well…bet you thought I wouldn’t follow through and get to this topic, one that I think is really important to the growth of this country and ensuring that all people are treated equally under the law; dismissing the tyranny of the majority. Judge Walker ruled that prop 8 out in Cali violated the constitution, especially the 14th amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law, and the due process rights of gays and lesbians. All I have to say to that is: it’s about time…and all of the gnashing of teeth and hand wringing by the right that included the idea that gay marriage would impact heterosexual marriage was dismissed as having no merit. It’s about time that someone called these idiots out on the lies that were used to get the prop passed and to also call the right on their continuing political calculation of using the constitution when it suits their purpose and abandons it when it doesn’t support their prejudice. When are people going to start to connect the dots with those folks; that the only thing they want is to remake America as a playground for the rich and connected…and those who vote for them deserve what they get. Geez….
Oh, forgot to say “thank you Judge Walker” for a ruling that will advance the cause of civil rights more than almost anything that has happened in my long lifetime. Can’t wait to see how the right-wingers on the supreme court twist themselves into knots trying to vacate this decision..which I know they will…disappointing..