Aug 20, 2009
Aug 19, 2009
Aug 18, 2009
What Goes Around Comes Around
Just saw a report how President Obama's opponents are showing up in the crowds outside presidential events armed even with assault rifles - "exercising their constitutional rights". Since the President took office the GOP and NRA have been encouraging their supporters to be disruptive and make life difficult for the President and the democrats, and pretty much everyone who is not on their band wagon. Even though it's not illegal, it is dangerous and stupid to say the least.
GOP and NRA are setting up dangerous precedents that might turn against them. The day will come, when a republican will be in office and if the dems follow the current precedent, they will be the ones waving their assault riffles in the President's face, "exercising their rights".
Since this President has been in office, he's been constantly accused in jeopardizing the constitutional rights of the people on the right. Let's be honest here, what other President has tolerated his opponents the way Obama does? Remember just couple of years ago, when the Secret Service would only allow Bush supporters to attend his events? People got detained simply for wearing t-shirts with imprinted critics.
This President has been faulted for every single thing he does, even for things that are standard procedures, like flying on Air Force 1, and altering the traffic in cities during events. I've even heard reports describing him going on vacation as "wasting taxpayer money". His little children have been constantly attacked by the same people who tolerated the hard partying, binge drinking Bush twins.
Well done GOP! Just remember that people are seeing and understanding a lot more than you give them credit for. Having someone making people nervous by toting an assault riffle at a Presidential event does not persuade more votes your way. It only says "there is no line we won't cross to get our way". Disregard for common decency is exactly why GOP lost the last elections. Amazingly, instead of cleaning up their act they have stepped up the insults. Wake up GOP. "More cowbell" is NOT what your tune needs to appeal to moderates.
GOP and NRA are setting up dangerous precedents that might turn against them. The day will come, when a republican will be in office and if the dems follow the current precedent, they will be the ones waving their assault riffles in the President's face, "exercising their rights".
Since this President has been in office, he's been constantly accused in jeopardizing the constitutional rights of the people on the right. Let's be honest here, what other President has tolerated his opponents the way Obama does? Remember just couple of years ago, when the Secret Service would only allow Bush supporters to attend his events? People got detained simply for wearing t-shirts with imprinted critics.
This President has been faulted for every single thing he does, even for things that are standard procedures, like flying on Air Force 1, and altering the traffic in cities during events. I've even heard reports describing him going on vacation as "wasting taxpayer money". His little children have been constantly attacked by the same people who tolerated the hard partying, binge drinking Bush twins.
Well done GOP! Just remember that people are seeing and understanding a lot more than you give them credit for. Having someone making people nervous by toting an assault riffle at a Presidential event does not persuade more votes your way. It only says "there is no line we won't cross to get our way". Disregard for common decency is exactly why GOP lost the last elections. Amazingly, instead of cleaning up their act they have stepped up the insults. Wake up GOP. "More cowbell" is NOT what your tune needs to appeal to moderates.
Aug 17, 2009
Now What?
Congratulations "angry citizens" of GOP! Looks like the President and the democrats have heard your "thoughtfull argument" and will give up the "public option" in the healthcare reform. So now that the threat of socialism has passed, we can mark this one for GOP and move on with our lives.
Now that GOP got their way they might realize that this has every chance to blow up in their face. In their desperate effort to opose this President in absolutely everything, they have put themselves on the spot and gone out of their way to lie and instigate violent behavior and it finaly worked. Now GOP will be one to blame for the problems and the high cost of health care - they have been howling and screeming that what we have is the best in the world and it should not be changed at all. Now they will have to face independent voters and explain away why the "best" health care has the worst accessibility and how this is a good thing. That's got to be a hard sell to say the least.
Do We Really Need The Humane Society?
In the light of the Humane Society's recent support of Michael Vick, one can't help but think: how exactly is the Humane Society being useful in the effort of humane treatment of animals?
They are actually a nationwide euthanizing operation. The shelter functions they provide are just PR to create positive image and recruit kind-hearted people to volunteer. Their goal is not caring for the animals, they just want them off the streets. If someone adopts them - fine, it'll save them the cost of getting rid of them, if not, well we know what happens. They use their PR image to recruit free labor and keep the euthanasia costs down. Helping Michael Vick is just another PR stunt for them. By doing that they are giving hope to all other despicable soulless murderous "businessmen", that they can keep on killing, and torturing animals - what's the worst that can happen - you go to jail for couple of years, and as long as you say "I'm sorry" the Humane Society makes you a hero and boom - you are back in business making money.
Vick is only sorry for what happened to his life and career, he is not sorry for the terror, pain and suffering he inflicted upon those poor dogs. Judging by what he says, it seems like he still does not comprehend "what the big deal is" about all this. He only knows that doing it sent him to jail and makes people upset - not him - other people.
Why don't the Humane Society recruit the thousands of devastated pet owners, who had their dogs stolen by dog bunchers (look it up) and sold as bait and training aide to the dog-fighting rings - the Michael Vicks of the world. They have the shocking stories and the pictures and the broken hearts that will never heal. Is that not hip and edgy enough for the Humane Society? Is that the reason why instead they are helping this murderer regain his celebrity and fat income again!
D I S G U S T I N G !!!
There are other organizations and pet rescue groups out there, who don't kill the pets and don't recruit despicable murderers for their PR campaigns. In this day and age, and all the options available, the Humane Society should only be considered "humane" in North Korea.
They are actually a nationwide euthanizing operation. The shelter functions they provide are just PR to create positive image and recruit kind-hearted people to volunteer. Their goal is not caring for the animals, they just want them off the streets. If someone adopts them - fine, it'll save them the cost of getting rid of them, if not, well we know what happens. They use their PR image to recruit free labor and keep the euthanasia costs down. Helping Michael Vick is just another PR stunt for them. By doing that they are giving hope to all other despicable soulless murderous "businessmen", that they can keep on killing, and torturing animals - what's the worst that can happen - you go to jail for couple of years, and as long as you say "I'm sorry" the Humane Society makes you a hero and boom - you are back in business making money.
Vick is only sorry for what happened to his life and career, he is not sorry for the terror, pain and suffering he inflicted upon those poor dogs. Judging by what he says, it seems like he still does not comprehend "what the big deal is" about all this. He only knows that doing it sent him to jail and makes people upset - not him - other people.
Why don't the Humane Society recruit the thousands of devastated pet owners, who had their dogs stolen by dog bunchers (look it up) and sold as bait and training aide to the dog-fighting rings - the Michael Vicks of the world. They have the shocking stories and the pictures and the broken hearts that will never heal. Is that not hip and edgy enough for the Humane Society? Is that the reason why instead they are helping this murderer regain his celebrity and fat income again!
D I S G U S T I N G !!!
There are other organizations and pet rescue groups out there, who don't kill the pets and don't recruit despicable murderers for their PR campaigns. In this day and age, and all the options available, the Humane Society should only be considered "humane" in North Korea.
Aug 14, 2009
Go To Hell Michael Vick, Eagles, NFL, and The Humane Society for playing along!
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals”.
Mahatma Gandhi
Vick should never be allowed to benefit from his publicity ever again. What he did was not an accident or a crime of passion - he CONSPIRED to do it, he funded, and protected it. And most of all HE ENJOYED IT - not only profiting from it but actually being physically involved in the killing and torture of dogs. My stomach churns every time I think of that! There is no way you can change this mentality in a grown man. Shame on NFL for disgracing the sport by letting him play again; Shame on the Humane Society for helping him get away with this - he sure played them for succers! They won't be seeing any donations from me anytime soon, thats damn sure!
Michael Vick, proud owner of a mutilated fighting dog.
Mahatma Gandhi
Vick should never be allowed to benefit from his publicity ever again. What he did was not an accident or a crime of passion - he CONSPIRED to do it, he funded, and protected it. And most of all HE ENJOYED IT - not only profiting from it but actually being physically involved in the killing and torture of dogs. My stomach churns every time I think of that! There is no way you can change this mentality in a grown man. Shame on NFL for disgracing the sport by letting him play again; Shame on the Humane Society for helping him get away with this - he sure played them for succers! They won't be seeing any donations from me anytime soon, thats damn sure!
Michael Vick, proud owner of a mutilated fighting dog.
Shock Jocks:0 - Common Sence:1
Thank God, finally at least one of the Faux's programs is reaping the fruits ot its shock-jocks' insane attempts to sabotage THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PROCESS! I'm talking of course about the loss of advertisers to the show of the poster child of the "Fear & Smear" attack force, Glenn Beck. My guess is now they will start accusing The President in controlling the corporations by voodoo.
Aug 13, 2009
Best In The World? Says Who?
Yesterday, as I was driving home I caught a piece of a report on the radio from one of the town hall meetings on health care. One of the sound bites was an "angry citizen" lady, pointing out that we have "the best health care on the world" and also that "people all over the world come here to get treatment".
This is the same as claiming that we have the best diet in the world, based on the fact that some people in America have private chefs and nutritionists. There is no question that if you have money you can get the absolute best of everything. That is true in America, as well as everywhere else in the industrialized world. So the honest version of that "angry citizen" lady's statement would be that we have "the best in the world medical services for able to pay people" and "people all over the world, who can afford it, come here to get special treatment". The wealthy never go through the system, common to everyone else, so the fact that let's say a well-to-do Canadian comes to US to see a highly recommended specialist is not really a compliment for the US health care system. If everyone was rich or at least upper-middle class, we would not need any "system" - health care, retirement, social services, etc. The system (health care or other) is for the lower-middle class and the poor, who are the majority of the population. That's the way it is in every country in the industrialized world - there is a basic accessible service for everyone, and whoever does not care for it does not have to use it.
As far as the "best in the world health care system" claim, it's plain untrue, but that's not really why the "angry citizens'" are angry about, is it...
This is the same as claiming that we have the best diet in the world, based on the fact that some people in America have private chefs and nutritionists. There is no question that if you have money you can get the absolute best of everything. That is true in America, as well as everywhere else in the industrialized world. So the honest version of that "angry citizen" lady's statement would be that we have "the best in the world medical services for able to pay people" and "people all over the world, who can afford it, come here to get special treatment". The wealthy never go through the system, common to everyone else, so the fact that let's say a well-to-do Canadian comes to US to see a highly recommended specialist is not really a compliment for the US health care system. If everyone was rich or at least upper-middle class, we would not need any "system" - health care, retirement, social services, etc. The system (health care or other) is for the lower-middle class and the poor, who are the majority of the population. That's the way it is in every country in the industrialized world - there is a basic accessible service for everyone, and whoever does not care for it does not have to use it.
As far as the "best in the world health care system" claim, it's plain untrue, but that's not really why the "angry citizens'" are angry about, is it...
Aug 7, 2009
Aug 4, 2009
The "Cash For Clunkers" Lemon
Let's just get down to business and pick apart this well-intentioned but ill-conceived attempt for stimulus:
One of the stipulations for eligibility is that you have to prove that the clunker you are trading in was CONTINUOUSLY insured going back a full year from the day of the trade.
What brain dead bureaucrat came up with that?!?!?!
This means that unless the clunker is your only car, which you've had for years, you don't qualify. Here is a short incomplete list of people who fit this profile:
pickup truck enthusiasts, roadsters' enthusiasts, boat owners, hobby mechanics, people on welfare, retired people, weekend drivers, people who oppose having a car payment, people with bad credit... All these either are not interested in trading their old car, or can not afford to buy a new car or both. A lot of poor people who would gladly trade their clunker, simply can't afford a new car payment, sales tax, new tags, and full coverage insurance, which is mandatory when financing is used to buy a new car.
People who don't qualify include:
1. Economically pressed people, who got the clunker 11 months ago from their aunt, who had it sitting in the garage uninsured for the past year.
2. Spouses, who had to go back to work because of the economic crash last fall, and had to start driving the clunker to work. Those clunkers were not on the road a year ago. Furthermore, remember how before the economic crash last Fall the clunkers values were driven down by the high gas prices? A lot of people simply sat on the clunkers, because they could not sell them for a fair price and could not afford to drive them, and now are driving them full time once again, since the gas prices are bearable.
3. Folks who got laid off and had to take their car off the road for a couple of months to save the expenses they could not afford. Now, if they have found another job and are driving the clunker once again, they are being punished for trying to make the ends meet.
4. People who missed insurance payment for couple of months, because they were in a hospital, work assignment, or whatever, and now have 30 or 60 day gap in their 15 year continuous insurance.
5. Deployed military personnel.
Way to go, ingenious bureaucrats!
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