Class Warfare, The Second Coming...

Second of the four parts...

Redistribution of Wealth.

So, do I want to punish success? No. Do I want to stifle the "Job Creators"? You'd have to point those people out to me, because I missed 'em. More on those non-existent types further down...

I do not want to punish those who are successful. I do not want to damage the already fragile economic recovery. That being said, the richie rich types need to start paying their fair share. The tax code, and generally everything else, is rigged in their favor.  Sadly, I can't afford a politician to legislate on my behalf. Sounds a little like taxation without representation, eh???

After much research (All hail the Google), the general consensus is that 1% of the population in the world, controls 50% of the wealth. That leaves half to get spread around to the rest of us... 7,000,000 to 6,993,000,000... Let that sink in. Read it again... Better yet...

Try this on for size... Say you, and 6,999 others are in a football stadium... Say there is $10,000 of cash in the middle of the field... SEVEN of the group go down and claim half .... $5,000 between them, and the rest is divided between 6,992 of us... Seems like there is not enough to go around, eh? On that scale, I am pretty sure seven people are getting jacked.

And yes, I know some of the 6,992 are a-holes who like to start trouble where that isn't any, and we all agree that they should not get any because they will just waste it, but you get the drift!

"Job Creators"... The biggest crock of shit dished out since Reagan had everyone believing there was a "Welfare Queen in Chicago"... Bush Jr. gave the wealthy hellacious tax breaks... and we were hemorrhaging jobs in the six digits for a while... Where were the "Job Creators" then? They were collecting bonuses for shipping jobs overseas...

"Oh, okay.... the companies didn't flee because of the taxes, they fled because of the regulations!"

Sure... That was their choice. Rick Perry, governor and Head Boob of Texas, got radio spots in major cities around 'Murica, spouting "C'mon on down to Texas, we won't regulate you!" This was in the same month that a small Texas town was all but obliterated off the map.

The fertilizer plant was storing something like ten times the amount they were "regulated" for... Perry doubled down on the fact that he was proud of the way Texas duz bizniz!

Texas did have more job growth during the recession then other states... That is true... Little side note: It was 80-90% minimum wage jobs... Hooray, one of the unhealthiest states got more McDonalds!!!

When I say redistribution of the wealth, I am talking about people giving back. Being patriots. Helping out their fellow Americans, who ARE trying to get back on their feet. I am all for people pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. Some need the fucking boots!

There are people, born into situations beyond their control. It isolates them from a level of interaction and normalcy, that we take for granted. These poor, rich bastards...

They will never understand or have comprehension of "want" or "need"... They will never "get" being poor... They believe in their heart of hearts, people choose hardship. People who are not rich just didn't work hard enough... And of course it must be drugs... ALL POOR PEOPLE ARE ON DRUGS!!! But keep it down, Mummy's Valium is about to kick in and she shan't be disturbed!

But what about philanthropy? Well, I am not against it. I am realistic enough to see it as a tax dodge for the most part, though. You want to impress me, Daddy Warbucks? Donate to a charity, but leave it off your tax forms. Show me that and I will tip my cap to thee!

The prime benefit of a little redistribution is that public services/programs would get the help (funding) they desperately need.

"Oh, so you are for big government!"

No... I just know the Republican playbook... If a program that is pro-Citizen, yet hurts the Corpo-Overlords even remotely, is passed... Step 1) Starve it. There is no Step 2. After they slash funding to a program enough that there is no way it can run effectively, the Republicans love to scream "THIS PROGRAM COSTS ALL THIS MONEY AND IT DOES NOT WORK!".

I have talked to welfare case officers whose case loads were such that they have no time to look into claims or the people making said claims... They are told to rubber stamp the claims and keep it moving. The solution? Add more case workers... get the system running more efficiently... ***screeeeech***
"LOOK!!!! GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON PROGRAMS THAT DON'T WORK!!! WASTE!!!"

 My friend and I at work have gone round and round about this... He likes to do the hypothetical "If you ran a company...". And I make mention to him that if he, or I, ran a company, we would help out our employees. This is because we know what it is like to struggle. To work. To worry about bills. If our company did well, everyone in our company would do well.

I firmly believe that after WWII, the men who came back and made companies, founded corporations, had a kinship with the workforce. There was a good chance, they chewed the same dirt while dodging the same German bullets on the same European beaches. These titans of industry took care of their workforce.

Then the offspring took over. Their wages have yet to see a decrease. The rest of us... While not a decrease per se, far overshadowed by the 1%'ers upward trend... For example... from Mother Jones,

I have oft heard that behind every empire, there is a crime. Prescott Bush, grandaddy of the Retard Cowboy, got an assload of money for helping the National Socialist Party gain control of Germany. They went by another name... Nazis. That is just an example. I do so love slamming that shameful excuse for a human. THE BUSH FAMILY GOT THEIR MONEY FROM HELPING HITLER!!!!

There will come a reckoning. Someday, someone will be pushed too far. It could be a guy who has done right all his life. Paid his bills. Paid his taxes. Played by the rules. Tried to help his fellow man. Then maybe his wife and daughter are killed by a kid driving drunk... So, this kid gets probation and rehab... This kid will serve ZERO jail time because he was rich and "never told no"... This is because of the kid's wealth.

This is another reason why the redistribution of wealth will happen. And more and more, I am thinking it will come with a heavy dose of violence.

Like Burke in "Aliens"... As a matter of fact - The main bad guys in any Cameron film... It is not a Terminator, nor a Xenomorph, nor an iceberg, nor a deranged, scene stealing Stephen Lang in a exosuit - No, it is always a rich guy or corporation pulling the strings...

Founding Member of the Gloominati,

d

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Class Warfare, Part the First

There are a couple of points but they all kinda lead back to the title... I said "kinda"...

Taxes

'Tis the time of the year where people will have a thing or two to say about taxes. I was always a fan of the guy who bellows "I don't want my taxes going to some guy peeing on a crucifix and calling it art." Well, I sure as dern tootin' did not want my taxes going to "Faith Based Initiatives", started by the Retarded Cowboy.

Speaking of which... If you are a religious organization and you are advising on, or trying to sway policy... You are no longer a religious organization. The Mormon Church spent tens of MILLIONS trying to get Prop 8 in California killed... Paid zero taxes. PREACH THAT INEQUALITY! Another shining example... We can either prosecute pedophile priests under our countries laws, or the Catholic Church needs to shell out some major dead presidents EVERY Sunday. RAPING YOUR KIDS!

You will all be familiar with the YouTube junkie of the family who will, without fail, bring up the point that in 1932 or somewhere taxes were ruled unconstitutional and you don't really have to pay them. I usually say something like, "Well, when the Nazi Aliens get done dry humping JFK's cranial wound, I will tell Uncle Sam to stick it."

Taxes are your price of admission. It is the cost of living - in our country. If you pay taxes, and don't vote, well... I am sorry, but you deserve all that you get and you have ZERO room to bitch. While I understand that my vote may not count, it is my golden ticket to Bitch-N-Moan-Ville.

You want to support the troops? Pay your taxes and vote for the guy who does not want to get them killed. Pay your taxes and at least vote for the guy who wants to fund the VA.

I honestly stomach the whole tax thing by thinking I am sponsoring my Dad's retirement. He did 28 some odd years of government service. When certain political types talk about the "Entitlement Class", they are talking about my Dad. They see people like my Dad as a drain on the economy. My Dad told me once, "I worked all those years and was promised this. It is called an entitlement because I am fucking entitled to it. Those assholes better quit threatening to jack with it." Love my Dad.

Maybe you have seen the image on Facebook, where it breaks down where your taxes go... If you make $50K a year...

$3.98 for Natural Disaster Relief

$6.36 for Welfare

$22.88 for Unemployment Insurance

$36.82 for Food Stamps (SNAP)

$43.78 for Retirement and Disability payments

$235.81 for YOUR Medicare
$246.75 for Defense
$4000 for Corporate Subsidies.

Are you sure you are mad at the right people?

Now, when Republicans talk about "tax reform", you know they was to get the six bucks and change for Welfare under four dollars. Probably try and get Medicare under two hundred... I am not against tax reform. It will never happen because the corporations have bought your politician. Yes, yours too.

I want term limits on politicians. Make it a tad more cost prohibitive to buy a politician. Oooh, maybe corporations would have to hold a draft, like the NFL...

"The Gentleman from the Great State of Arkansas goes to.... PFIZER!"

"Well, Bob, Pfizer has got to be happy with this pick. You would think that Arkansas would go higher in the draft, but since he can be bought for two toothless pygmy goats and a bucket of lube, Pfizer got him for a steal."

"You are right, Neil. Wait... We just got word that Blue Cross Blue Shield has traded up... And they are going with... WOW, The Big Blue has added to their sweep of the Southeast... the New Representative from Florida is all theirs! We predicted he might have gotten sweet talked by the AARP... But no siree! Old people just can't compete with Big Blue's Bank!!!"

By the way... This is already happening, but they have the decency to do it behind closed doors and without the commentators.

Sweet dreams, kids,

d

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For A Good Clean Feeling, No Matter What

So... 25% of Americans believe that the sun orbits the Earth. Link, yo.

Sad, sad, sad, sad...

Well, this should not be surprising. More than a few Americans are of the mindset that the entire friggin' universe revolves around them...

According to a 2006 study, American kids rank 27th in Math, and 22nd in Science. I know this is almost 8 years old, but I really can't see much improvement... Hell, NCLB pretty much killed any chances of the score improving. And which party wants to cut education FURTHER??? Sound strategy!

Another study from 2008, talks about how kids feel about there future. American kids scored highest or second highest in "Feeling the future is bright", "Confident of having a good job in the future", "Opportunity to choose their own lives", and "Complete freedom and control over their own future".

These are some seriously deluded little people. They are in for some serious friggin' disappointment.

The average age when people in the U.S. are no completely independent from their parents is 27. THE AVERAGE??? Go plus or minus 9 years... 18 to 35... I got luggage when I turned 17 and was encouraged to put it to use. ASAP.

Parents - Coddling your precious and unique snowflake is doing them zero favors.

Example - We had an intern at my place of employment. Think Harry Potter. With AIDS. And addicted to crack. The only reason he was there was his sperm donor knew a big wig and bugged him enough that our department was told to give him something to do.

Shaking his hand... I have cooked firmer pasta... He was 22 and his weakness almost offended me. Not just physically, just intellectually, and his "naivete", for lack of a better word.

"What do you want to do after college?", I asked.

"I want to review new jazz music."

"That's hilarious. No, really... What are you studying?"

"I am studying music theory."

"Do you play an instrument?"

"Well, no."

"Rrrrrrright. Please go away."

This waste of flesh is going to never know a day of actual work in his life. He will never change a tire. He will never have to fear where his next meal is coming from. If he could do a load of laundry, I would be amazed. Mommy and Daddy pay for his car. Mommy and Daddy are paying for his college. He will be a leech until they die. Bitching that his allowance needs to increase for his 30th birthday, because he needs that new jazz record.

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Side note: The last time I spoke to him, two years ago, he declared himself a Republican. And I figured it made perfect sense. As many politicians of that ilk come from a background of having everything handed to them on a silver platter. They scoff at the idea of the poor. No comprehension of "struggle". It must be the poor person's fault.

Compassion means you have to put yourself in another's shoes... And they are incapable and unwilling. After he declared himself an ass clown, I did not speak another word to him. If he looked my direction, I exuded an aura of "I would like you to leave my planet. If I can help accomplish that goal, blink once".

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When I was 17, and putting the aforementioned luggage to use, I was given two of the most valuable pieces of information.

1. LIFE IS UNFAIR.

2. THE UNIVERSE DOES NOT CARE.

Parents, you would do well to let your kids know this. The earlier the better. Maybe throw in some other stuff like:

"Going commando is not a valid strategy to avoid doing laundry. Two words - Swamp Ass."

"Easier to find a job when you have a job."

And a personal fave, "I have known your Mother longer then I have known you, I like her more and we have sex."

I love ya, Dad,

d

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BEWARE The Self Fulfilling Fallacy!

Does there seem that there is a new onslaught of scams popping up lately?

A Facebook friend asked me to blog about this. At first I was reluctant. What would I say, "Scams, and the perpetrators of said scams, blow dead goat."? "Scams are bad, m'kay?".

A couple of days after the suggestions, I received a check for $25.50 from the Texas Physicians Health Group. Who the hell are these guys? I never heard of  'em. Toll free number to call... Oh, but I got it on a Friday night and will not be able to know a damn thing til Monday. (Turned out to be a over payment reimbursement - FROM SEPTEMBER 2011!!!)

There was a time (Yes... I am an old bastard), when I would get a check like that and it would be cashed before you could say "Something difficult and tongue twisting that would make you sound like a dork" five times real fast.

But this was before two cards, one my debit card and the other my main credit card, got hacked within thirty days of each other. Target, you cheese eating, surrender monkey, French bastards, THANKS! Granted, I will continue to shop there. I will pay a tad extra to NOT go to Wal-Mart. I am saddened that the windfall of 25 buckaroos is met with a healthy dose of skepticism.

I have also noticed that cell phones are getting inundated telemarketing type calls. I think it was 2006 or so  when the No Call List legislation went into place. It seems that they are creeping back into the mix of things. This is an unwelcome development. I got rid of my land line in 1999 for just that reason. Like some people get a P.O. Box to avoid junk mail. Some calls still got through, but the majority were thwarted.

The main reason I don't contribute to campaigns? Because I will get blasted by the greedy bastards wanting more. Obama's peeps, in one fashion or another, sent me about 34,460,073,421 emails since 2007. Granted, I still think my 50 bucks I tossed in was worth keeping Palin out of the White House. Dodged a bullet there, you betcha! *wink*

The other scam I recently heard about was a "758" area code, or something to that effect. The gist is that your phone rings once or twice. No message left. And if you answer, it hangs up. When you try to call the number back, it is an area code off shore, and a $20 international connection fee gets added to your bill and it is like $9 bucks a minute.

Lesson to be learned - If you get weird call from number, before calling right back, Google that shit!

Ah... Another scam, of sorts... Before posting or reposting disaster porn or foreboding stuff on Facebook, please take two minutes and Google or Snopes the allegations or claims made.

On another forum, a guy claimed that the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Sochi had a secret shout out to Hitler from Putin, because a snowflake did not turn into a ring...

This, according to the genius, was a definitive representation of the Audi logo... of four rings... And Hitler told Audi to build a fast car... So this was all intentional by Putin... Never mind that the Audi logo is four rings aligned horizontally, not staggered...

And if it were three rings, would it mean that Putin is after Disney money because it would look like Mickey Mouse? If it were two rings, would be for boobies? Putin does love being topless. If it were one ring, would it symbolize that Putin is actually Sauron from the Lord of the Rings and wants his Precious?

Stuff like this relies on the weak minded and gullible to "marvel at the insight".

In the end, alls I can say is that scams, and the perpetrators of said scams, blow dead goat.

Scams are bad, m'kay?

d

P.S. - I know the title may or may not relate, but it is a nice play on words... Deserves a title, dontcha think?

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HOOKERS AND PORN!!! WOO!!!

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Serious Inquiry...

There are mysteries. There are enigmas. Was Oswald the lone shooter? Chicken or egg? Why do fools fall in love?

I know all the answers to those listed... But another question vexes me... Who decides the level of complexity on Sudoku puzzles?

I am a creature of habit and ritual. I welcome the unfolding of events as they should be. I also enjoy and look forward to the incorporating of new structures and rhythms... The settling into a new routine... This is usually accompanied by a person entering into your life on a more then temporary basis. The disruptive aspect countered with nudity and touching. It all works out!

In the morning, before showering, when evacuating waste materials from the body, I enjoy muddling over a Sudoku puzzle book I keep in drawer next to the commode. It helps get the thinkin' a goin' as I do my biz. I skip the first section of "Easy". I can knock those out, only fearing actually writing down the wrong number in the wrong square because I am thinking three placements ahead. I find where the "Hard" puzzles start, say at puzzle #120. I go puzzle #110, in the "Medium" section, and start there. I gauge the complexity and proceed.

When I arrive at work, fire up the box, check emails for fires and emergencies, discover the FSOTD*, and post said FSOTD on the ol' Facebook. After those critical work functions are accomplished, I snag the current offering from the "Original Page A Day Sudoku Calendar". Monday and Tuesdays are "Easy", Wednesday and Thursday are "Medium", Friday and Saturday are "Hard". Sunday is the "Very Easy" one, combined on the same page as Saturdays. The Sunday puzzle is for people like Sarah Palin. A drunk Third grader could complete it before her.

I can tear through book's "Hard" puzzles, more than a modicum of thought being expended... The calendar's hard puzzle? It makes me feel like the aforementioned drunk Third grader. I mean they kick your mental teeth down your mental throat. You feel defeated most of the time. They win. There are those glorious days where you see the patterns, can do the eliminations and envision the solutions... and you feel like the smartest person on the planet. Then Saturday, the Third grader is looking for his bottle.

Book's "Hard" puzzles are not in the same realm as the calendar's "Hard" puzzle... If the calendar's "Hard" puzzle was in the book, it would be categorized as "Satanic Mind Molester".

So... Thus begs the question... What council, what coven, what quorum was established to say, "This Sudoku puzzle presented before us shall be deemed.... MEDIUM!"? (Then they chant something like "SO IT IS SAID, SO SHALL IT BE!" or "FOR THE GREATER GOOD!" ) (And yes, there are torches and they are all in hooded robes. Don't judge me!)

And for the record, a Third grader's preferred beverage... a Mint Julep (with fresh mint leaves). Bubblegum schnapps would seem to the be the obvious spirit of choice, but they find it too cliche.

Oswald was not alone, the egg came first, and fools fall in love because they are fools.

Fool at large,

d

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* FSOTD - First Song Of The Day. I have about 4800 some odd songs. I fire up the tunes on shuffle and the first song of the day is posted...

Book Review: "Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living" by Nick Offerman

I have not written a book report since the 7th Grade (I got a C-). Please take pity on my lack of knowledge of form and fashion of book reviews...

I enjoyed the man behind "Parks and Recreation"'s Ron Swanson's literary offering. I found the tome to be sincere, humble, and very, very funny. The man's passion of, well, life comes through in a non-preachy way. Even the section titled "Leviticus Can Blow Me" seemed not to be anti-religious, more of a plea for compassion. That could be because of the healthy dose of the un-celebrity like ethos and humor that is prevalent in even the most tenderhearted passages.

Offerman never spouts a "I deserve this" attitude. The "I nod when they call me 'Lucky Bastard'" stance is presented and believable. His upbringing in rural Illinois is mostly to blame. When he discovered the stage, he was determined to be a part of it any way he could. This led to constructing stage pieces and settings. This, in turn, led to his overriding passion of woodworking.

I can see his pastime creeping into the structure of the chapters. I see him starting with areas blocked out. Whittling down this part, shaving some off this chapter, chipping away at some of the memories. His writing is honed and lathed to exactly convey his thoughts as he wants to. And make you laugh. A lot. When he talks about his proposal to his bride of ten years, Megan Mullaly, of "Will and Grace" fame, he paints a Disney-meets-Hustler scene...

"Dropped to one knee, all of nature seemed to be copulating around us, beating the air into a syrup of carnal ecstasy. Pairs of sparrows furiously sixty-nining pinwheeled through the air like feathery fellating fireworks. The calla lilies were nodding approval at me as they began to gently butt-fuck one another."

Ah, Romance!

His devotion to his craft - acting and woodworking, his friends, and his family makes him seem unaffected by the virus that is celebrity. I doubt very much you will hear of a high speed chase or heroin bust involving one Nick Offerman. Point of fact, I have added him to the very short list of people I would actually cross the street to shake the hand of. Although, I would hope there would be a place to buy a glass of Lagavulin and discuss maple vs. oak.

Paddle your own canoe, indeed,

d