I'm on a roll....
But I can't help it! Every time I turn around the right is furnishing me with more fodder. One last thing and then I promise to move on (maybe....)
So yesterday I get an email. It's titled "Here it is: EVERYTHING that is in HR3200, referenced by page". Well, first of all, it isn't everything. But it does list 53 seperate "explanations" of these absolutely horrific ramifications that will jump out and ruin our American way of life should this dastardly plan be passed. But here's the kicker. Along with these "explanations" are the actual page numbers that they can be found on! Wow! Bonus!
So, of course I started to take a look. I must confess, I'm only up to the 18th point. I will categorize my findings in 3 ways. Items that were explained accurately and fairly. Items that were explained sort of accurately but were portrayed as definitively negative when in fact, they might not be bad things at all. And finally, explanations that were TOTAL BULL SHIT!
I'll start with the easy one. Items that were explained accurately and fairly. Grand total.... ZERO. That's right, ZERO. Not one. Nada. ZERO. Of course this begs the question should I even bother with the remaining 35?
There were three items that were sort of accurate but portrayed in a negative way. For example, a business that offers its own benefit package will be forced to open their books to the federal government. Well, what I read is that the federal government will be allowed to review the books of said business to insure their part of the tab is being paid and will continue to be paid. What it will hope to avoid is you going to the doctor, running up a couple of thousand in medical bills, and finding out those benifits you thought you had were gone because your employer is going tits up and couldn't cover their portion of the insurance tab. Yeah I know. Not a bad thing at all is it.
Which of course leaves us with a whopping 15 items that were TOTAL BULL SHIT! That's 83.33 percent that's a total fabrication and 100% that is totally worthless if you want to make your own evaluation of whether the bill is sound or not.
A couple of quick examples (and the bill is readily available online so you can check these out for yourself). The email says that pursuant to page 58 the government will have direct real time access to your personal finances. Well, what page 58 really says is that the government will be able to make a real time determination of your financial responsibility. This happens now people... every time you apply for a loan!
Another example... on page 50 section section 152 it states that health care will be provided to all non US citizens, illegal or otherwise. Well, page 50 says NOTHING like this at all. I mean come on. NOTHING.
So it appears the right has struck again. They throw things around meant to scare the masses like ACORN, and UNIONS, and ILLEGAL ALIENS, and you will have NO CHOICE, and PRIVACY VIOLATIONS. As far as I can tell, none of this is at all true.
Are you as sick of this crap as I am? Well, when you receive these things, look into them. What I do is hit reply all and debunk them right on the spot. You know, I always ask for a response from the sender and I never get one. Either they are too embarassed that they didn't check for themselves, or they are a bigger part of the problem and they know damn right well they are passing bogus information.
On a seperate note, check the link to the right. It concerns a lefty moron (yes, they do exist... just not in abundance)who has filed a lawsuit to tear down a memorial in the Senoran Desert. I signed the petition. I won't go into detail but guys like this should be slapped silly....
Peace,
Common Sense
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Right Is More Wrong Than I Thought
I assume you are sitting down. If you have a seat belt handy, buckle it. I recently received a forward of one of those factual fabrication emails from the right that I've discussed in a previous post. This one is a monster. It includes two links. The first to a taped interview from Fred Thompson's radio show. You all remember Fred. He recently ran for President. I'm not sure where his head was during the process though. Was he so arrogant that he felt his tenure on "Law and Order" would make him the second coming of Ronald Reagan? Or was he clueless? Anyway, his campaign proved to be quite ineffectual and he was out of the race pretty quickly.
You can check out the taping here http://fredthompsonshow.com/premiumstream?dispid=320&headerDest=L3BnL2pzcC9tZWRpYS9mbGFzaHdlbGNvbWUuanNwP3BpZD03MzUxJnBsYXlsaXN0PXRydWUmY2hhcnR0eXBlPWNoYXJ0JmNoYXJ0SUQ9MzIwJnBsYXlsaXN0U2l6ZT01 (wow, that's a long link!) It's with a woman named Betsy McCaughey who is the head of some committee and a self proclaimed "patient advocate". She discusses the new health bill. What she says, among other things, is that what will happen if the bill passes is that the elderly and infirm will be REQUIRED to participate in counseling session EVERY FIVE YEARS in which the government will encourage them to .... END THEIR LIFE!!! I'm not making this up. Listen for yourself. She claims they will be encouraged to CUT BACK ON NUTRITION. I'm seriously not making this up. She claims that this is how we will save money. If we KILL OURSELVES we won't be a burden on health care. She even quotes the pages where you can find this dastardly left wing plot to exterminate our elderly. She then openly discusses with a gleefull Fred Thompson how callous this is of the left, to sneak in provisions that will kill off our parents and grandparents to save money.
Also included in the email is a link to the bill (see, the right is pandering to a segment of our society that they assume to be so ignorant that they either won't check or can't read). I of course am not ignorant and can read so I checked it out. You can too... it's here... http://defendyourhealthcare.us/images/BILLS-111hr3200IH.pdf She says it's on page 425 but it actually starts on 424. You tell me. What does it say?
My mother passed away a few years ago due to pancreatic cancer. My mother-in-law passed recently from lung cancer. I have been down this road before. There are a myriad of services available to you for counseling on what your options are. Treatment, hospice care, medications, ensuring comfort, etc. You read the bill. Seems to me what it says is that this "counseling" will be available, just like it is now to people who have insurance, if you have NOT had the counseling within the last 5 years. In other words, only one to a customer within a 5 year period. I see nothing that requires it. I see nothing that encourages you end your life. I see nothing that tells you to cut back on nutriants and hydration. NONE of that. Yet here is this right wing-nut telling us on the radio that if this health bill passes, we will in effect be murdering our patriarchs and matriarchs.
As time goes by, I find myself hating the right more and more. It's stuff like this that sickens me. Why isn't there an email out there that says FAILING to pass this health care bill will result in a widespread resurgance of the black plague and the release of all criminally insane serial killers and rapists currently in custody? Because the left is not composed of ignoramuses that would believe that crap. Apparently the right is. Now that's not to say these people are inherently bad. What's bad is that the right preys on their ignorance and fear in an attempt to win public sentiment and elections.
Another topic which I might cover down the road is the dumbing down of America. Think about it. How big a moron do you need to be to believe that the government is going to encourage your granny to kill herself. Can these people even tie their shoes? Now again, the people aren't bad. But using them as tools is bad. And allowing our educational system to deteriorate to the point that they exist is bad. And having parents that don't care that their children are being raised to be vulnerable to this shit is bad. And the right is bad.
You can check out the taping here http://fredthompsonshow.com/premiumstream?dispid=320&headerDest=L3BnL2pzcC9tZWRpYS9mbGFzaHdlbGNvbWUuanNwP3BpZD03MzUxJnBsYXlsaXN0PXRydWUmY2hhcnR0eXBlPWNoYXJ0JmNoYXJ0SUQ9MzIwJnBsYXlsaXN0U2l6ZT01 (wow, that's a long link!) It's with a woman named Betsy McCaughey who is the head of some committee and a self proclaimed "patient advocate". She discusses the new health bill. What she says, among other things, is that what will happen if the bill passes is that the elderly and infirm will be REQUIRED to participate in counseling session EVERY FIVE YEARS in which the government will encourage them to .... END THEIR LIFE!!! I'm not making this up. Listen for yourself. She claims they will be encouraged to CUT BACK ON NUTRITION. I'm seriously not making this up. She claims that this is how we will save money. If we KILL OURSELVES we won't be a burden on health care. She even quotes the pages where you can find this dastardly left wing plot to exterminate our elderly. She then openly discusses with a gleefull Fred Thompson how callous this is of the left, to sneak in provisions that will kill off our parents and grandparents to save money.
Also included in the email is a link to the bill (see, the right is pandering to a segment of our society that they assume to be so ignorant that they either won't check or can't read). I of course am not ignorant and can read so I checked it out. You can too... it's here... http://defendyourhealthcare.us/images/BILLS-111hr3200IH.pdf She says it's on page 425 but it actually starts on 424. You tell me. What does it say?
My mother passed away a few years ago due to pancreatic cancer. My mother-in-law passed recently from lung cancer. I have been down this road before. There are a myriad of services available to you for counseling on what your options are. Treatment, hospice care, medications, ensuring comfort, etc. You read the bill. Seems to me what it says is that this "counseling" will be available, just like it is now to people who have insurance, if you have NOT had the counseling within the last 5 years. In other words, only one to a customer within a 5 year period. I see nothing that requires it. I see nothing that encourages you end your life. I see nothing that tells you to cut back on nutriants and hydration. NONE of that. Yet here is this right wing-nut telling us on the radio that if this health bill passes, we will in effect be murdering our patriarchs and matriarchs.
As time goes by, I find myself hating the right more and more. It's stuff like this that sickens me. Why isn't there an email out there that says FAILING to pass this health care bill will result in a widespread resurgance of the black plague and the release of all criminally insane serial killers and rapists currently in custody? Because the left is not composed of ignoramuses that would believe that crap. Apparently the right is. Now that's not to say these people are inherently bad. What's bad is that the right preys on their ignorance and fear in an attempt to win public sentiment and elections.
Another topic which I might cover down the road is the dumbing down of America. Think about it. How big a moron do you need to be to believe that the government is going to encourage your granny to kill herself. Can these people even tie their shoes? Now again, the people aren't bad. But using them as tools is bad. And allowing our educational system to deteriorate to the point that they exist is bad. And having parents that don't care that their children are being raised to be vulnerable to this shit is bad. And the right is bad.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Mr. Gates Goes To Cambridge
The furor over Obama's statement that the Cambridge police acted "stupidly" is kind of absurd don't you think? How can you classify it any other way? A guy gets arrested for breaking into his own home? Would it have been too much trouble to let him maybe show them the picture of himself on the mantle? Or produce a drivers license and then show them his electric bill? Maybe ring a neighbors doorbell and ask "does this guy live next door"? I mean come on. We all have a right to be a bit upset at this and the arresting office did in fact act stupidly.
Now listen, I have nothing but respect for the men and women who put themselves in harms way in an attempt to keep us all safe and secure. And I certainly don't want them cutting corners or falling for a line of bull shit if they catch someone breaking into my house. But pulling someone from their own home when it would be easy to confirm he does in fact live there? Something was stupid!
Was it racial profiling? Maybe. Let's face it. We have come a long way in the race department but to those who say we have arrived at equality for minorities I say wake up from your dream and look around. One only needs to ask if we would need "hate laws" if discrimination did not exist. Biggotry is quite alive and well in this country. Biggots have just become more careful not to display their ignorance in the wrong places.
In my house, we have kind of an unwritten rule that name calling is not allowed. When my son was around 3 years old, he spent some time with my mother who was visiting from New York. She stayed at a hotel when she visited, both because we really don't have a guest room and because it was better for everyone if some space was afforded between her and myself and my wife. Anyway, my son came home and asked his mother if there was something wrong with him. Why? Because his grandmother had said "what's wrong with you?" in response to something he did. I had to have a little "chat" with her for that one. We are careful in my house to address the activity and not the person. This is exactly what Obama did. He did not say the officer was stupid. He did not say the Cambridge police department was stupid. He said the activity was stupid. It was. He's right. Let's move on.
Peace
Common Sense
Now listen, I have nothing but respect for the men and women who put themselves in harms way in an attempt to keep us all safe and secure. And I certainly don't want them cutting corners or falling for a line of bull shit if they catch someone breaking into my house. But pulling someone from their own home when it would be easy to confirm he does in fact live there? Something was stupid!
Was it racial profiling? Maybe. Let's face it. We have come a long way in the race department but to those who say we have arrived at equality for minorities I say wake up from your dream and look around. One only needs to ask if we would need "hate laws" if discrimination did not exist. Biggotry is quite alive and well in this country. Biggots have just become more careful not to display their ignorance in the wrong places.
In my house, we have kind of an unwritten rule that name calling is not allowed. When my son was around 3 years old, he spent some time with my mother who was visiting from New York. She stayed at a hotel when she visited, both because we really don't have a guest room and because it was better for everyone if some space was afforded between her and myself and my wife. Anyway, my son came home and asked his mother if there was something wrong with him. Why? Because his grandmother had said "what's wrong with you?" in response to something he did. I had to have a little "chat" with her for that one. We are careful in my house to address the activity and not the person. This is exactly what Obama did. He did not say the officer was stupid. He did not say the Cambridge police department was stupid. He said the activity was stupid. It was. He's right. Let's move on.
Peace
Common Sense
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Right Is Wrong
OK, so maybe they aren't wrong about everything. There CAN be too much government in our lives. But they are wrong about a lot. Especially the way they run their party. Frankly I think the Republican Party as we know it is dead meat. Here's why...
They take no accountability for their actions. They were the party in charge when our economy collapsed. Has anybody heard a "mia culpa"? (Did I spell that right?) Instead, all we hear about is how Obama is going to bankrupt us. They blamed Bill Clinton for 9/11 even though he had been out of office for 9 months. But they were all over Obama WEEKS after he took office. I would like to hear some high ranking Republican go public with a "Hey America (sheepish grin) we fucked up!"
They say the dumbest things. Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, even Michael Steele, who we are supposed to take seriously, blurt out these moronic opinions and observations. Limbaugh hoping Obama will fail. Coulter with her ignorant racist rants (she wants Jews to be perfected... and this is an educated woman). Michael Steele proclaiming that the defeat of health care reform will be Obama's "Waterloo". What's scarier is they have an audience. But it's dwindling.
Their radicals are way different than the left's. Lefties march for and demand things like equal rights for gays and lesbians, women, and minorities, termination of unnecessary warfare, health care for everyone, better programs for the poor and down trodden. Righties scream about prayer in schools, evolution vs. creationism, suppressing homosexuality. Is it just me or do they seem to have a rather narrow, discriminatory view of things?
They are hypocrites. After GW the MORON spent money like he printed it himself they are going to chastise the Obama adminstration because they think it's overspending? Really? They condemn homosexuality while members of their own party are being caught "with their pants down" (pun intended) in men's restrooms, sending sexually charged emails to underage aids, and being caught in both homo and heterosexual affairs. They campaign for "christian" ethics and values while conducting themselves as though the poor don't even exist (not to mention the sex stuff above).
They are infantile. I don't know about you but I often immediately think of elementary school when I listen to these guys debate an issue, criticize the left, or verbally try to support a position. They sound like a bunch of whining, angry, ungrateful kids! You want to just walk up and slap the living shit out of them. They also use these absurd points to try to discredit any argument from the left. I was engaged in debate about health care with one of these guys (other topics too but health care was predominant) and he came back wanting to know if drug addicts and alcoholics should be entitled to free drugs and alcohol. Huh? No, just health care.
They seem to think everyone is out to rip them off. Lefties see an obligation to care for the less fortunate. Righties protest "entitlements". Every public service they protest is an "entitlement". But you never hear them referring to police protection as an entitlement. You never hear them referring to road maintenance as an entitlement. You never hear them referring to publicly funded transportation as an entitlement. But feeding the poor? Oh, well THAT'S an entitlement.
This last presidential election was historic for more reasons than the election of our first African American as President. It was historic in that the masses rose up and yelled that they had had enough. If the Republican party wants a future they need to conduct themselves as adults and distance themselves from the radical right. I don't think America is going to put up with that bullshit anymore. Especially now that we, as a nation, see what's possible if we ALL get out and vote. Who on the right has it figured out? Colin Powell that's who. He's come out and stated they need to move more to the center to survive and he got blasted for it by members of his own party. Well, they better stop blasting and start listening. I suspect the left will be calling the shots for a long long time if they don't.
They take no accountability for their actions. They were the party in charge when our economy collapsed. Has anybody heard a "mia culpa"? (Did I spell that right?) Instead, all we hear about is how Obama is going to bankrupt us. They blamed Bill Clinton for 9/11 even though he had been out of office for 9 months. But they were all over Obama WEEKS after he took office. I would like to hear some high ranking Republican go public with a "Hey America (sheepish grin) we fucked up!"
They say the dumbest things. Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, even Michael Steele, who we are supposed to take seriously, blurt out these moronic opinions and observations. Limbaugh hoping Obama will fail. Coulter with her ignorant racist rants (she wants Jews to be perfected... and this is an educated woman). Michael Steele proclaiming that the defeat of health care reform will be Obama's "Waterloo". What's scarier is they have an audience. But it's dwindling.
Their radicals are way different than the left's. Lefties march for and demand things like equal rights for gays and lesbians, women, and minorities, termination of unnecessary warfare, health care for everyone, better programs for the poor and down trodden. Righties scream about prayer in schools, evolution vs. creationism, suppressing homosexuality. Is it just me or do they seem to have a rather narrow, discriminatory view of things?
They are hypocrites. After GW the MORON spent money like he printed it himself they are going to chastise the Obama adminstration because they think it's overspending? Really? They condemn homosexuality while members of their own party are being caught "with their pants down" (pun intended) in men's restrooms, sending sexually charged emails to underage aids, and being caught in both homo and heterosexual affairs. They campaign for "christian" ethics and values while conducting themselves as though the poor don't even exist (not to mention the sex stuff above).
They are infantile. I don't know about you but I often immediately think of elementary school when I listen to these guys debate an issue, criticize the left, or verbally try to support a position. They sound like a bunch of whining, angry, ungrateful kids! You want to just walk up and slap the living shit out of them. They also use these absurd points to try to discredit any argument from the left. I was engaged in debate about health care with one of these guys (other topics too but health care was predominant) and he came back wanting to know if drug addicts and alcoholics should be entitled to free drugs and alcohol. Huh? No, just health care.
They seem to think everyone is out to rip them off. Lefties see an obligation to care for the less fortunate. Righties protest "entitlements". Every public service they protest is an "entitlement". But you never hear them referring to police protection as an entitlement. You never hear them referring to road maintenance as an entitlement. You never hear them referring to publicly funded transportation as an entitlement. But feeding the poor? Oh, well THAT'S an entitlement.
This last presidential election was historic for more reasons than the election of our first African American as President. It was historic in that the masses rose up and yelled that they had had enough. If the Republican party wants a future they need to conduct themselves as adults and distance themselves from the radical right. I don't think America is going to put up with that bullshit anymore. Especially now that we, as a nation, see what's possible if we ALL get out and vote. Who on the right has it figured out? Colin Powell that's who. He's come out and stated they need to move more to the center to survive and he got blasted for it by members of his own party. Well, they better stop blasting and start listening. I suspect the left will be calling the shots for a long long time if they don't.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Free Speech and Hate.... Really?
My family had dinner at our place last night with a family we hadn't socialized with in awhile. Great people. Wish we could see more of each other. The after dinner conversation included a recap of a recent camping trip they had taken. The down side of the trip was a guy in a neighboring campsite who seemed irate at the fact that our friends have a mixed marriage (he is a minority, she is not). Or maybe he just didn't like minorities, mixed or not (likely he wasn't fond of either scenario). The guy went so far as to point his index finger, thumb up (gun style) at my friends brother. Kind of scary really. This made me ponder once again whether the value we place on free speech is worth the aggravation.
We consider ourselves to be a free society and cherish those freedoms as outlined in the Constitution. And I agree that for the most part, this is in fact something to be cherished. But we have passed ammendments to the Constitution in the past and I'm sure will again in the future. Isn't it time we took a look at this free speech thing?
We are in fact not a totally free society. We are a free society governed by laws. A totally free society would entail some brand of anarchy. Probably not a comfortable way to go. So why not consider some restrictions on "hate speech" and public expressions of beliefs and values that the vast majority of Americans would view as ignorant, vile, disgusting, and hateful? Should our right to free speech extend to allowing radical hate groups to express their views on the inferiority of people based on race? Isn't this taking free speech a little bit too far?
We do not allow by law, the willful physical harming of another human being. Why should we allow emotional harm? Insurance companies cover both physical and psychological diagnosis and cure. Shouldn't we as a society try to inhibit the infliction of both on our citizens?
I think it's time our lawmakers took a good hard look at what constitutes free speech and what constitutes criminal speech. Would there be a rational argument against limiting actions that target a specific religion, race, or gender? Is the KKK really a justifiable entity in a free society. And if we cherish freedom so dearly, why would we allow an organization to exist that could inhibit the freedoms of a specific segment of our society?
We often hear things like "The founding fathers didn't have (fill in the blank) in mind when they (fill in the blank)". Well, can we really be sure what the founding fathers had in mind? The founding fathers lived over 225 years ago. Some of them owned slaves. African and Native Americans were obviously not included in the rights and priviledges originally extended to our citizens. I'm not sure what the founding fathers may or may not have had in mind is relevant to our current society. I'm sure they didn't have space travel in mind. I'm sure they didn't have computers in mind. You get the drift.
At the very least, we as a people should put our foot down and let it be known that we won't tolerate hate for hate's sake. If we can't get the Constitutional Ammendment, maybe we can start the AKKK (Anti-KKK), wear black robes, and start lynching Klansmen.
Peace,
Common Sense
We consider ourselves to be a free society and cherish those freedoms as outlined in the Constitution. And I agree that for the most part, this is in fact something to be cherished. But we have passed ammendments to the Constitution in the past and I'm sure will again in the future. Isn't it time we took a look at this free speech thing?
We are in fact not a totally free society. We are a free society governed by laws. A totally free society would entail some brand of anarchy. Probably not a comfortable way to go. So why not consider some restrictions on "hate speech" and public expressions of beliefs and values that the vast majority of Americans would view as ignorant, vile, disgusting, and hateful? Should our right to free speech extend to allowing radical hate groups to express their views on the inferiority of people based on race? Isn't this taking free speech a little bit too far?
We do not allow by law, the willful physical harming of another human being. Why should we allow emotional harm? Insurance companies cover both physical and psychological diagnosis and cure. Shouldn't we as a society try to inhibit the infliction of both on our citizens?
I think it's time our lawmakers took a good hard look at what constitutes free speech and what constitutes criminal speech. Would there be a rational argument against limiting actions that target a specific religion, race, or gender? Is the KKK really a justifiable entity in a free society. And if we cherish freedom so dearly, why would we allow an organization to exist that could inhibit the freedoms of a specific segment of our society?
We often hear things like "The founding fathers didn't have (fill in the blank) in mind when they (fill in the blank)". Well, can we really be sure what the founding fathers had in mind? The founding fathers lived over 225 years ago. Some of them owned slaves. African and Native Americans were obviously not included in the rights and priviledges originally extended to our citizens. I'm not sure what the founding fathers may or may not have had in mind is relevant to our current society. I'm sure they didn't have space travel in mind. I'm sure they didn't have computers in mind. You get the drift.
At the very least, we as a people should put our foot down and let it be known that we won't tolerate hate for hate's sake. If we can't get the Constitutional Ammendment, maybe we can start the AKKK (Anti-KKK), wear black robes, and start lynching Klansmen.
Peace,
Common Sense
Monday, July 13, 2009
Finite Systems
I saw a little thing on global warming this morning and wondered why this concept is so hard to drive into some people's heads.
Do you all remember those "Sea Monkeys" we used to get as kids? They are still around you know. My daughter had them not too long ago. They are just brine shrimp packaged as pets. So I want to suggest a little experiment. If you took one little sea monkey and put it in a big glass of prepared (salt) water it would likely thrive in what to it would seem like an ocean. Now, what would happen if you gradually added some toxic substance one grain at a time?
You can see where I'm going with this. Initially, no effect right? But as that toxic substance built up, the Sea Monkey would eventually drop dead. Why? Because it's finite ecosystem would pollute and eventually kill the poor little thing.
Now, why is it that when you expand that ecosystem to the size of our oceans or atmosphere, some people suddenly become blind to the reality that it is the same exact thing? On at least three occasions I have had conversations with seemingly intelligent people who appear incapable of grasping the concept that our oceans and atmosphere are finite systems (one even tried to argue that the atmosphere was infinite... another guy insisted you can't pollute the ocean because it's too big...I'm not kidding). If you continue to pump toxins into that sea monkey's "ocean" you will kill it. If you continue to pump toxins into our atmosphere and ocean you will eventually kill us too. This isn't rocket science.
When I was a kid I had a 3 or 4 gallon aquarium that I put a couple of guppies in. Well, those guppies did quite well. They breed like rabbits you know. It wasn't all that long before there were a shit load of guppies in that tank. It was pretty cool. Then one day I woke up and every single guppy in that tank was dead. The guy at the fish store explained I had experienced what was known as a "blow out". The filtration system could no longer process the volume of waste produced and the aeration system could no long produce enough oxygen to support that many fish. The result was they all dropped dead at the same time. Scary stuff isn't it?
Now I'm not suggesting we immediately ammend our lifestyles and go back to horses and home made goods. But we do need to start thinking in terms of preservation. And I think it starts with the big guns. The factories, municipalities, countries, etc. that do the major dirty dumpings. Get them in check and work backwards. Hybrid cars are a good start. But we need to do more. And to those of you who say "we are doing all that" my response is "are we really".
So, think about it. ANY FINITE SYSTEM can be polluted. Our oceans are not infinite. Our atmosphere is not infinite. Look up the definition of infinite. I firmly believe it is far from too late if we get our acts together. But whenever you go to the polls to vote, make sure you are looking at your candidates record on the environment. The future of our race (and most of the life on our planet) depends on it.
Peace,
Common Sense
Do you all remember those "Sea Monkeys" we used to get as kids? They are still around you know. My daughter had them not too long ago. They are just brine shrimp packaged as pets. So I want to suggest a little experiment. If you took one little sea monkey and put it in a big glass of prepared (salt) water it would likely thrive in what to it would seem like an ocean. Now, what would happen if you gradually added some toxic substance one grain at a time?
You can see where I'm going with this. Initially, no effect right? But as that toxic substance built up, the Sea Monkey would eventually drop dead. Why? Because it's finite ecosystem would pollute and eventually kill the poor little thing.
Now, why is it that when you expand that ecosystem to the size of our oceans or atmosphere, some people suddenly become blind to the reality that it is the same exact thing? On at least three occasions I have had conversations with seemingly intelligent people who appear incapable of grasping the concept that our oceans and atmosphere are finite systems (one even tried to argue that the atmosphere was infinite... another guy insisted you can't pollute the ocean because it's too big...I'm not kidding). If you continue to pump toxins into that sea monkey's "ocean" you will kill it. If you continue to pump toxins into our atmosphere and ocean you will eventually kill us too. This isn't rocket science.
When I was a kid I had a 3 or 4 gallon aquarium that I put a couple of guppies in. Well, those guppies did quite well. They breed like rabbits you know. It wasn't all that long before there were a shit load of guppies in that tank. It was pretty cool. Then one day I woke up and every single guppy in that tank was dead. The guy at the fish store explained I had experienced what was known as a "blow out". The filtration system could no longer process the volume of waste produced and the aeration system could no long produce enough oxygen to support that many fish. The result was they all dropped dead at the same time. Scary stuff isn't it?
Now I'm not suggesting we immediately ammend our lifestyles and go back to horses and home made goods. But we do need to start thinking in terms of preservation. And I think it starts with the big guns. The factories, municipalities, countries, etc. that do the major dirty dumpings. Get them in check and work backwards. Hybrid cars are a good start. But we need to do more. And to those of you who say "we are doing all that" my response is "are we really".
So, think about it. ANY FINITE SYSTEM can be polluted. Our oceans are not infinite. Our atmosphere is not infinite. Look up the definition of infinite. I firmly believe it is far from too late if we get our acts together. But whenever you go to the polls to vote, make sure you are looking at your candidates record on the environment. The future of our race (and most of the life on our planet) depends on it.
Peace,
Common Sense
Friday, July 10, 2009
My Bad and Some Clarification
Well, it's been called to my attention that the pirate cruise is a hoax. Man am I bummed. I even did a Snopes check before I posted but apparently I beat Snopes to the punch (the latest update for them is July 6th... I posted earlier than that). Ah well, it was a fun fantasy. Maybe someone will formulate a startup business plan for one of my other ideas.
On a seperate note, I've received a ton of feedback (mostly verbal) on my views of driving in the "fast lane" (why do you think they call it that? ..... Hmmmmmmm, I wonder.....). Some abstract scenarios have been thrown at me so, to clarify....
If you are commuting, or driving a road that you are intimately familiar with, and you are BRIEFLY driving slower in the carpool lane because you KNOW the traffic is about to build up and it would be dangerous, or difficult to move from the slow lane to the carpool lane after that traffic buildup, well, I get it... Don't like it but I get it. I suppose you are not a total asshole if that is your reasoning (but you are bordering on it).
Some people were horrified that I would advocate breaking the speed limit. Well give me a fucking break. When I learned to drive I was "advised" to keep up with the flow of traffic. Think about it. If you are going along at 60 and everyone around you is doing 70, who's creating the dangerous situation? Sometimes we need to adapt to our surroundings. Are you that inflexible? Besides, if you are incapable of driving 70, you don't belong on the freeway. Take the backroads and annoy those people. I'm originally from New York. You are begging for an ass kicking if you pull that shit back there!
Now, about breaking the law. Anyone who tells me they have NEVER broken the law is full of shit. Ever litter? Talk on your cell phone while driving? Not wear your seatbelt.. even briefly? Drive your bicycle on the sidewalk? Ride your bicycle without a helmet? Jaywalk? Cut that yellow traffic light a little close? Do a "california stop" at a stop sign? You get my drift. By the way, if you live in the state of Washington, and you are doing the speed limit or less on a single lane road and holiding up 5 (6?) or more cars, YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW (look it up if you don't believe me). Everything is relative. I think that's why when you get caught speeding you get a TICKET and pay a FINE and don't get immediately hauled off to JAIL. So, if you want to preach about breaking the law, go preach to Charles Manson.
And then there was the guy who teed off on me in a comment following the post. He makes some interesting points. Read it for yourself. He is EXACTLY the type of person the post was directed at. I couldn't ask for better validation than that.
Peace,
Common Sense
On a seperate note, I've received a ton of feedback (mostly verbal) on my views of driving in the "fast lane" (why do you think they call it that? ..... Hmmmmmmm, I wonder.....). Some abstract scenarios have been thrown at me so, to clarify....
If you are commuting, or driving a road that you are intimately familiar with, and you are BRIEFLY driving slower in the carpool lane because you KNOW the traffic is about to build up and it would be dangerous, or difficult to move from the slow lane to the carpool lane after that traffic buildup, well, I get it... Don't like it but I get it. I suppose you are not a total asshole if that is your reasoning (but you are bordering on it).
Some people were horrified that I would advocate breaking the speed limit. Well give me a fucking break. When I learned to drive I was "advised" to keep up with the flow of traffic. Think about it. If you are going along at 60 and everyone around you is doing 70, who's creating the dangerous situation? Sometimes we need to adapt to our surroundings. Are you that inflexible? Besides, if you are incapable of driving 70, you don't belong on the freeway. Take the backroads and annoy those people. I'm originally from New York. You are begging for an ass kicking if you pull that shit back there!
Now, about breaking the law. Anyone who tells me they have NEVER broken the law is full of shit. Ever litter? Talk on your cell phone while driving? Not wear your seatbelt.. even briefly? Drive your bicycle on the sidewalk? Ride your bicycle without a helmet? Jaywalk? Cut that yellow traffic light a little close? Do a "california stop" at a stop sign? You get my drift. By the way, if you live in the state of Washington, and you are doing the speed limit or less on a single lane road and holiding up 5 (6?) or more cars, YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW (look it up if you don't believe me). Everything is relative. I think that's why when you get caught speeding you get a TICKET and pay a FINE and don't get immediately hauled off to JAIL. So, if you want to preach about breaking the law, go preach to Charles Manson.
And then there was the guy who teed off on me in a comment following the post. He makes some interesting points. Read it for yourself. He is EXACTLY the type of person the post was directed at. I couldn't ask for better validation than that.
Peace,
Common Sense
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Garbage In, Garbage Out
Just spent the 4th of July weekend with inlaws at their cabin outside of Bend, OR. Was about as relaxing as it gets. Limited cell service, no TV, right on a beautiful lake. Paradise. My wife and I rode our Harley's and my son drove his sister and the dogs. But on the way down I experienced a disturbing incident. It made me wonder what the hell some parents are doing when it comes to teaching their kids.
On our way out of Cle Elum, WA, my wife and I were following a "mini-van". All of a sudden some garbage flies out the passenger window. Looks like food. Pissed me off. Happened again. Pissed me off more. I mean we are around 40 years beyond the "crying Indian commercial", (remember that?) and there are still people out there chucking garbage from their cars? Well, the third time I lost it. I took the gum from my mouth, revved up to the passenger window, and pitched the gum in there as hard as I could without falling off the bike. It turned out to be a young ("college age"?) girl and the gum hit her in towards the back of her head. Bounced into the back seat. Probably a good thing it wasn't someone more psycho than me. There were a couple of other people in the van but I was bordering on rage and just focused on her. I yelled "Throw your fucking garbage somewhere else"! I think it scared the shit out of her. All she could do was repeat "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again. The fact that she looked terrified was another clue. I'm hoping she pissed her pants.
In retrospect, I should have yelled "Dispose of your waste properly". If she was stupid enough to toss it in the first place, she's probably stupid enough to think "somewhere else" means not in front of my bike. How anyone can in good conscious throw garbage from the car in 2009 is beyond me. I'm not talking about a cigarette butt or a piece of gum (although I'm not advocating that either). As nasty as that can be, it isn't really noticeable to the average person (of course there is the fire hazzard to be considered, don't throw butts). But a big hunk of food? A bag? Anything over the size of a coin really. That makes you wonder about the values we are teaching our children.
This happened to me once before. A McDonald's bag flew out a window right in front of my house. I took the license plate number. I was in an industry with the necessary connections to easily get the registered owner and address (although this information is available at the DMV for a small charge... at least it used to be). I'm guessing it was the guys daughter and her boyfriend. So I sent a letter to the guy (anonymously) letting him know what had happened. I also pointed out that in the unlikely event it happened again I was going to come over to his house and dump his garbage can out on his front lawn (yeah, I'm a real charmer, I know...). The guy was from an affluent neighborhood. I hope that doesn't tie in to an attitude that fosters littering. But I've often wondered how he handled it with his daughter. Did he blast her for doing it, or for getting caught?
So come on people. Not only do you need to behave properly when it comes to garbage disposal, you need to instill a sense of responsibility into your kids to do the same. I'm sure the good citizens of Cle Elum are very much like me in that they don't want your garbage littering their community. The deer and the antelope don't want to step on an half eaten Big Mac while they play. The fish don't want to dodge empty beer cans. You get the drift. Clean it up. The "golden rule" applies quite well here. Do unto others with your trash as you would have them do unto you.
Peace
Common Sense
On our way out of Cle Elum, WA, my wife and I were following a "mini-van". All of a sudden some garbage flies out the passenger window. Looks like food. Pissed me off. Happened again. Pissed me off more. I mean we are around 40 years beyond the "crying Indian commercial", (remember that?) and there are still people out there chucking garbage from their cars? Well, the third time I lost it. I took the gum from my mouth, revved up to the passenger window, and pitched the gum in there as hard as I could without falling off the bike. It turned out to be a young ("college age"?) girl and the gum hit her in towards the back of her head. Bounced into the back seat. Probably a good thing it wasn't someone more psycho than me. There were a couple of other people in the van but I was bordering on rage and just focused on her. I yelled "Throw your fucking garbage somewhere else"! I think it scared the shit out of her. All she could do was repeat "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" over and over again. The fact that she looked terrified was another clue. I'm hoping she pissed her pants.
In retrospect, I should have yelled "Dispose of your waste properly". If she was stupid enough to toss it in the first place, she's probably stupid enough to think "somewhere else" means not in front of my bike. How anyone can in good conscious throw garbage from the car in 2009 is beyond me. I'm not talking about a cigarette butt or a piece of gum (although I'm not advocating that either). As nasty as that can be, it isn't really noticeable to the average person (of course there is the fire hazzard to be considered, don't throw butts). But a big hunk of food? A bag? Anything over the size of a coin really. That makes you wonder about the values we are teaching our children.
This happened to me once before. A McDonald's bag flew out a window right in front of my house. I took the license plate number. I was in an industry with the necessary connections to easily get the registered owner and address (although this information is available at the DMV for a small charge... at least it used to be). I'm guessing it was the guys daughter and her boyfriend. So I sent a letter to the guy (anonymously) letting him know what had happened. I also pointed out that in the unlikely event it happened again I was going to come over to his house and dump his garbage can out on his front lawn (yeah, I'm a real charmer, I know...). The guy was from an affluent neighborhood. I hope that doesn't tie in to an attitude that fosters littering. But I've often wondered how he handled it with his daughter. Did he blast her for doing it, or for getting caught?
So come on people. Not only do you need to behave properly when it comes to garbage disposal, you need to instill a sense of responsibility into your kids to do the same. I'm sure the good citizens of Cle Elum are very much like me in that they don't want your garbage littering their community. The deer and the antelope don't want to step on an half eaten Big Mac while they play. The fish don't want to dodge empty beer cans. You get the drift. Clean it up. The "golden rule" applies quite well here. Do unto others with your trash as you would have them do unto you.
Peace
Common Sense
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Time Out
Just finished a back and forth dialogue via emails with an old friend from college. Let's just say that if one was to classify him as not being a fan of Obama, it would be a radical understatement. Now, of course I get a little annoyed when I hear this Obama bashing. No, I don't view Obama as the second coming. In fact, I am not at all pleased with the wanton spending or the bailouts that have occured during the formative months of his administration.
But here is my beef. The conservative element of our country is calling for the guy's head. He's being branded a socialist. He's being accused of taking over the auto industry. He is being castigated for trying to impliment health care for everyone. The campaign promises he made that are not panning out are being categorized as lies. Have we lost sight of the fact that he took over at a time when our country was falling apart around us? Hell, that bailout was set in motion under the previous administration (who's head I take great pleasure in referring to as "the MORON").
I used to be a golf junkie. During lessons, I would often tell my instructer that a particular move or motion didn't feel right. His standard reply was "good, 'cause the old way ain't workin'". What is going on in our country probably doesn't "feel" right to a lot of people, conservative and liberal alike. We are historically, a capitalist society and let's face it, Republicans and Democrats BOTH like to have money. Neither Republicans nor Democrats take a lot of pleasure in forking over that hard earned money to the government. Nobody likes tax increases. Neither side wants our country to become a socialist or communist society (and you conservatives who think the liberals do in fact want socialism, think again. We are for the most part, Democrats... not Socialist or Communists).
The way the Obama administration is taking on our current issues may not feel right to a lot of people. My response to that is "good, 'cause the old way ain't workin'". Blaming the current administration for over spending is rather hypocritical of the right when one considers the money the MORON spent. Money we didn't have. It's a little late to close that barn door.
The so called experts blame our current economic crisis (and it is a crisis) on a lot of technical economic factors. And I agree that they contributed to the current situation. But, it my typical over simplified "common sense" approach to things I submit the following for your consideration.
If you are an average upper middle class American family you enjoy a lifestyle unequaled in many other parts of the world. You are comfortable, with two cars in the garage, a sound roof over your head, plenty to eat and drink. You enjoy extra money for some of life's pleasures. You probably get to vacation. You have hobbies. You enjoy recreation. Life is pretty good. Let's make a parallel between you and the country prior to the election of the MORON.
Now, if you suddenly decided you wanted to live in a 15 million dollar estate and did everything you possibly could to get there what would that look like? Well, first of all you would need to have some SERIOUS borrowing power. Borrowing power that probably doesn't exist for the average guy. But let's assume you somehow got your hands on enough money to get into that 15 million dollar estate. Now you are looking at a pretty substantial mortgage payment. You are also looking at the taxes and maintenance costs associated with a property of that size. It's a lot of dough. You only make between 100 and 200 grand a year. What's going to happen? Your family's economy is going to go into a major meltdown. You will be looking at bankruptcy. It won't be pretty. You will not only lose that 15 million dollar estate, but you will wind up in much worse shape than you were in prior to the dumb decision to get into it in the first place.
Well, when a country decides to spend two billion dollars a month that it doesn't have, why is that any different? When a country decides to invade a foreign nation and absorb the costs associated with the military neccesities and the rebuilding of an infrastructure why is that any different? Of course our economy went into the toilet. We were spending billions of dollars we didn't have. Like I said, the other stuff contributed but come on. I really don't think this is rocket science.
So the current administration inherited what can only be described as a fucking mess. If what they are doing doesn't "feel" right, too bad. Whatever happens, it was all set in motion by the MORON. So to those of you who are so quick to criticize, I can only say shut the fuck up. It took 8 years to get to where we are today. Give the left 8 years to fix it. If it's worse in 2017, THEN you can start yelling. Until then, I'm glad it doesn't feel right. 'Cause the old way wasn't workin'!
I'm off to enjoy one of those vacations I spoke of. During the coming 4th of July celebration, let's take a few moments to think about this great country and what it is supposed to symbolize. Let's forget about Iraq and Afghanistan for a bit. Let's instead think about how we should take care of our own. It never ceases to amaze me that the right doesn't have a problem spending billions on Iraq, but seems to go ballistic at the mere thought of affording some decent housing to a victim of Katrina. Listen, we are all in this together. Maybe if we take care of OURSELVES for awhile, we will get along better and not be in this constant battle for control. Nobody is perfect. Neither the left nor the right has all the answers. But let me point something out (and don't take my word for it... look it up for yourselves). Are you aware that for the past 50 years or more, the economy AND the stock market have both done better under Democratic administrations than they have under Republican administrations (with one... I think.... exception). Why is that? I guess the liberals must be doing something right eh?
I don't have time to proof read this. I have to pack and get ready to get out of here. Hope there aren't any blatant errors that make ME look like the MORON! But I will leave you with this. Money doesn't trickle down. It trickles up. Ponder that until next time.... Enjoy your weekend. Stay safe. Don't drink and drive.
Peace
Common Sense
But here is my beef. The conservative element of our country is calling for the guy's head. He's being branded a socialist. He's being accused of taking over the auto industry. He is being castigated for trying to impliment health care for everyone. The campaign promises he made that are not panning out are being categorized as lies. Have we lost sight of the fact that he took over at a time when our country was falling apart around us? Hell, that bailout was set in motion under the previous administration (who's head I take great pleasure in referring to as "the MORON").
I used to be a golf junkie. During lessons, I would often tell my instructer that a particular move or motion didn't feel right. His standard reply was "good, 'cause the old way ain't workin'". What is going on in our country probably doesn't "feel" right to a lot of people, conservative and liberal alike. We are historically, a capitalist society and let's face it, Republicans and Democrats BOTH like to have money. Neither Republicans nor Democrats take a lot of pleasure in forking over that hard earned money to the government. Nobody likes tax increases. Neither side wants our country to become a socialist or communist society (and you conservatives who think the liberals do in fact want socialism, think again. We are for the most part, Democrats... not Socialist or Communists).
The way the Obama administration is taking on our current issues may not feel right to a lot of people. My response to that is "good, 'cause the old way ain't workin'". Blaming the current administration for over spending is rather hypocritical of the right when one considers the money the MORON spent. Money we didn't have. It's a little late to close that barn door.
The so called experts blame our current economic crisis (and it is a crisis) on a lot of technical economic factors. And I agree that they contributed to the current situation. But, it my typical over simplified "common sense" approach to things I submit the following for your consideration.
If you are an average upper middle class American family you enjoy a lifestyle unequaled in many other parts of the world. You are comfortable, with two cars in the garage, a sound roof over your head, plenty to eat and drink. You enjoy extra money for some of life's pleasures. You probably get to vacation. You have hobbies. You enjoy recreation. Life is pretty good. Let's make a parallel between you and the country prior to the election of the MORON.
Now, if you suddenly decided you wanted to live in a 15 million dollar estate and did everything you possibly could to get there what would that look like? Well, first of all you would need to have some SERIOUS borrowing power. Borrowing power that probably doesn't exist for the average guy. But let's assume you somehow got your hands on enough money to get into that 15 million dollar estate. Now you are looking at a pretty substantial mortgage payment. You are also looking at the taxes and maintenance costs associated with a property of that size. It's a lot of dough. You only make between 100 and 200 grand a year. What's going to happen? Your family's economy is going to go into a major meltdown. You will be looking at bankruptcy. It won't be pretty. You will not only lose that 15 million dollar estate, but you will wind up in much worse shape than you were in prior to the dumb decision to get into it in the first place.
Well, when a country decides to spend two billion dollars a month that it doesn't have, why is that any different? When a country decides to invade a foreign nation and absorb the costs associated with the military neccesities and the rebuilding of an infrastructure why is that any different? Of course our economy went into the toilet. We were spending billions of dollars we didn't have. Like I said, the other stuff contributed but come on. I really don't think this is rocket science.
So the current administration inherited what can only be described as a fucking mess. If what they are doing doesn't "feel" right, too bad. Whatever happens, it was all set in motion by the MORON. So to those of you who are so quick to criticize, I can only say shut the fuck up. It took 8 years to get to where we are today. Give the left 8 years to fix it. If it's worse in 2017, THEN you can start yelling. Until then, I'm glad it doesn't feel right. 'Cause the old way wasn't workin'!
I'm off to enjoy one of those vacations I spoke of. During the coming 4th of July celebration, let's take a few moments to think about this great country and what it is supposed to symbolize. Let's forget about Iraq and Afghanistan for a bit. Let's instead think about how we should take care of our own. It never ceases to amaze me that the right doesn't have a problem spending billions on Iraq, but seems to go ballistic at the mere thought of affording some decent housing to a victim of Katrina. Listen, we are all in this together. Maybe if we take care of OURSELVES for awhile, we will get along better and not be in this constant battle for control. Nobody is perfect. Neither the left nor the right has all the answers. But let me point something out (and don't take my word for it... look it up for yourselves). Are you aware that for the past 50 years or more, the economy AND the stock market have both done better under Democratic administrations than they have under Republican administrations (with one... I think.... exception). Why is that? I guess the liberals must be doing something right eh?
I don't have time to proof read this. I have to pack and get ready to get out of here. Hope there aren't any blatant errors that make ME look like the MORON! But I will leave you with this. Money doesn't trickle down. It trickles up. Ponder that until next time.... Enjoy your weekend. Stay safe. Don't drink and drive.
Peace
Common Sense
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