I am an optimist about many things. I do believe the economy will set itself right again, probably without the help from the government, but maybe not. I think people in general are good. I am a strong believer in love, not always at first sight, but that too is nice.
2009 was the end of a cycle for me. In January 2005 all sorts of things started that led to this sort of negative cycle that just seemed to feed upon itself. In the years after some things have played out a couple of times, people close to me rip me off, make promises that were as empty as the air it took to speak them, love came and went and came again, good friends remained, some did not. I lost my mother and some of my brain. A couple of businesses I started ended. I spent a winter of disconnect, wondering how the children and I would survive.
Then things somehow blossomed. Love returned in full bloom, a business that I had to kill because a corrupt bungler was damaging, came back to life, a portfolio of my creative work began to make the rounds, when it seemed impossible to ever imagine owning a house, I bought one for cash.
Work, love, health all seem to be stable and flourishing.
I think I had about as bad of a 2008-09 as many other Americans. Job losses, basic survivability and stepping back and trying to figure out what is important and what is not.
Here, on the official end of 2009 I feel strong and set to move forward. I know there are a lot of people right now wondering what the next step should be, how to survive in turbulent times, what more could go wrong. Sometimes it is easy to get depressed, or stay that way. I am a firm believer in focusing on what works and what you can control. In this economy, jobs are scarce. It can be hard to hold it together, but not impossible.
I hardly ever have advice for people. I do think it is OK to cut the fat from our lives, whether that means fewer meals in restaurants to leaving behind stagnant friendships or dead relationships. It might mean moving. I know, it is supposed to be stressful, but it has hardly ever been that for me.
Oh, I do have advice. Moving can be fun, but sell a lot of your shit before you do it. Last year I was living in this sort of depressed rural area in New York and when we were getting ready to move, we could not hold a garage sale because no one near us had the money to buy much of anything and certainly not the art I would have needed to sell. In the end I am happy I did not sell it, because we have moved into a large house that is perfect for housing art.
But if you must move, sell as much as possible. Really, what do you need in your life? A bed, cooking stuff and some towels. We spend so much time collecting things that are supposed to mean something to us, we get beholden to the stuff and forget the actual memories. Sell it off and start new.
There it is, the mantra of the end of 2009, sell it and start new.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Look up
2010 will be the year of the big turnaround. That's what the experts are saying. Why? A number of reasons, but lets cut to the end, because one thing always trumps economists and experts and it's politics. This is an election year and the democrats have a majority in congress, the senate and some say the White House.
My guess is that the lame and timid "leaders" will pull something out of their hat to make the voters think that they are actual leaders at work. What will it be? More stimulus money? Another vote buying scheme like cashing in clunkers? A new war? The list is indeed endless, but if the dems want to get reelected, they had best do better that then lame healthcare reform and the even lamer new regulations on the financial industry.
In fact, in these leaderless and spineless dems wanted advice from me, and I have yet to get a call, I would tell them to dump Harry Reid and remind him he is about to lose his senate seat. Then I would silence the prancing of Barney Frank, because he is the symbol of everything wrong with congress, all bluster, no content. Sometimes the loudest message is the one no one hears, that is ACT. Do something, spend federal money to develop the largest wind power farm in the world, cover Arizona with solar panels, something that is future leaning that we can all see. FDR was smart, he spent money he did not have to build huge hydroelectric dams, not just because he liked saying hydroelectric, but because it did many things with the same money being spent. It hired people who desperately needed work (familiar?) is supplied necessary energy to people who needed it, it made sense in a chaotic time.
Simple things that offer hope and serve a purpose will always get positive attention. The healthcare debate became controlled by senators who seemed only focused on their own dinner table conversations. Hate abortion? Add it to the bill. Hate yourself, stall and hope the electorate in Connecticut will forget when the next election rolls around. Obama has done nothing better, he is neither the leader he appeared to be, or the wisest man to have slept in the White House. Still, he seems nice enough to get reelected in 2012 as long as the republicans continue to be purchased by the nuttier of the right wing.
There is an election in 2010 and both parties seem unwilling or unable to come up with constructive plans to make this once great nation great again. We spent 8 years spending money we did not have on wars we did not need. Obama seemed to want to change that, but instead he is George Bush with a different skin color and better language skills.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
So this is xmas
I love the holidays, I always have, always will. I do not believe the hype or advertising that goes along with it, but I do love to hear from distant relatives, old friends, have my children handy, great meats, home made treats and singing carols.
Actually we are not a singing family.
We also do not celebrate the consumer version of christmas. I never got it, although as a young child I did get presents and like many other families, it almost always was awkward and sad. It always seemed to me that the gift giving thing was the sure way to let someone know you really don't know them, or you really don't care. Either way, when it happens to you, it hurts.
I stopped that nonsense a long time ago. Presents are reserved for family and people I love. If you are reading this, and you expected something and it did not come, get the message.
On the other hand, I did not get many cards this year and the few I got were from people I like, admire or love, and sometimes all three. What is great is that after a few years of moving and changing jobs and having a life seemingly in flux, we are grounded and healthy and happy. What is even better is that for the first time in many years, we had peace and happiness during the holidays. Last winter, after a business partner ripped me off and left me hanging both professionally and financially, and the holidays were mired in uncertainty and lack of money, this year we have a home, a lesbian dog and some real love.
The holidays have a way of depressing some people, but not us. Even last year, with no gifts and barely a meal on the table and the heat in the house set at 60 because we could not afford the oil to waste, we had a blast. Snow brings out the child in everyone, so we played.
In fact, last year may have been the best of holiday seasons because the effort was more on being a family and sharing moments than it was on wrapping paper and getting meaningless gifts. In my life I have watched the complete commercialization of the holiday season and the lemmings that make up most of this country can not wait to get out and buy plastic crap made in China and give it to people who really could care less.
In that respect, thank the lord sweet jesus for a simple holiday.
Actually we are not a singing family.
We also do not celebrate the consumer version of christmas. I never got it, although as a young child I did get presents and like many other families, it almost always was awkward and sad. It always seemed to me that the gift giving thing was the sure way to let someone know you really don't know them, or you really don't care. Either way, when it happens to you, it hurts.
I stopped that nonsense a long time ago. Presents are reserved for family and people I love. If you are reading this, and you expected something and it did not come, get the message.
On the other hand, I did not get many cards this year and the few I got were from people I like, admire or love, and sometimes all three. What is great is that after a few years of moving and changing jobs and having a life seemingly in flux, we are grounded and healthy and happy. What is even better is that for the first time in many years, we had peace and happiness during the holidays. Last winter, after a business partner ripped me off and left me hanging both professionally and financially, and the holidays were mired in uncertainty and lack of money, this year we have a home, a lesbian dog and some real love.
The holidays have a way of depressing some people, but not us. Even last year, with no gifts and barely a meal on the table and the heat in the house set at 60 because we could not afford the oil to waste, we had a blast. Snow brings out the child in everyone, so we played.
In fact, last year may have been the best of holiday seasons because the effort was more on being a family and sharing moments than it was on wrapping paper and getting meaningless gifts. In my life I have watched the complete commercialization of the holiday season and the lemmings that make up most of this country can not wait to get out and buy plastic crap made in China and give it to people who really could care less.
In that respect, thank the lord sweet jesus for a simple holiday.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Blame the boomers
Everything that is wrong in the world can be blamed on the idiocy, immaturity and lack of a moral compass of the baby boomer generation. It's true and if you give it just a little thought, you will see it is an absolute.
This is a generation that has led a demographic tracking like no other. As babies, their parents discovered the disposable diaper, making having lots of babies easy and filling landfills for a trillion years. As they grew they became the dangerous sheep that would burn the earth, create billions in fake wealth and demand more and more government kickbacks all the while demanding lower taxes. These idiots never had to grow up and to this day they refuse to even give it a second thought.
This is a generation that has purchased the most gas guzzling vehicles imaginable. This is a generation that grew up reading the warning on cigarette packages and continued to smoke. This is a group of people who followed hippies, looking for love and leaders and once that flawed flock failed, they quickly ran to the likes of daddy figures like Ronald Reagan to give them answers, allow them to continue to violate all sorts of rules of nature and feel safe in their McMansions.
This is a generation that uses plastic surgery and other sorcery to try and remain young and vibrant. They have no shame in either attire or style. They are a sad and vicious group of under achievers who sadly believe their own press. They may be the offspring of the greatest generation, but they have proven time and again to be users and useless.
This is a generation that rules the government like no other. For many years their retarded voting habits have made a mockery of the democratic system. One year they vote in a gaggle of right wing nutballs, the next, an equal number of looney left wing crazies. You want to know why the government has not really accomplished anything of substance since 1965? Blame the boomers. You want to know why the current healthcare debate will fail miserably? It is the insane rantings and neediness of these aging losers. They all want medicare, they just detest the idea of paying for it, which has been their leit motif since day one. This is a generation that has been given everything and has produced nothing.
I had an idea many years ago and it is an even more important concept now. If we really want a just society, we must allow parents of children under the age of 18 to have a vote for every one of those children. At 18 you can vote for yourself and even form a lobbying group to get your ideas heard. Before that you are nothing. But those over 18, especially the greedy and misguided boomers have always had a voice and have forever taken advantage of it. It is way past time to tell them to shut up. Their dangerous neediness will bankrupt the country and probably ruin the environment for everyone who survives them famine inducing ways. The only way to get balance is to take away their screaming voices and allow younger generations who still hope to have a future to shit these idiots out.
A vote for any child under 18 would drastically change the focus of the government. A whole series of policy decisions would focus not just on the environment, but on healthcare for everyone, not just the aged. It is insane that there is a program that offers free or low cost care for the people who are so close to death, but deny it to the workers, the youngsters and the people who will be paying the debts of the deadbeat boomers forever.
You take away the boomer ability to get the ear of congress, you will change the way this country is focused. I am not suggesting that boomers not be allowed to vote, although judging from the haphazard and uneducated way to already vote it would not be a bad idea, I am just suggesting that new voices and the voices of the future should have more weight, or some weight.
The boomer generation has done just about everything to fuck up this country and for the most part they have succeeded. It is time to shut them down or at least shut them out.
This is a generation that has led a demographic tracking like no other. As babies, their parents discovered the disposable diaper, making having lots of babies easy and filling landfills for a trillion years. As they grew they became the dangerous sheep that would burn the earth, create billions in fake wealth and demand more and more government kickbacks all the while demanding lower taxes. These idiots never had to grow up and to this day they refuse to even give it a second thought.
This is a generation that has purchased the most gas guzzling vehicles imaginable. This is a generation that grew up reading the warning on cigarette packages and continued to smoke. This is a group of people who followed hippies, looking for love and leaders and once that flawed flock failed, they quickly ran to the likes of daddy figures like Ronald Reagan to give them answers, allow them to continue to violate all sorts of rules of nature and feel safe in their McMansions.
This is a generation that uses plastic surgery and other sorcery to try and remain young and vibrant. They have no shame in either attire or style. They are a sad and vicious group of under achievers who sadly believe their own press. They may be the offspring of the greatest generation, but they have proven time and again to be users and useless.
This is a generation that rules the government like no other. For many years their retarded voting habits have made a mockery of the democratic system. One year they vote in a gaggle of right wing nutballs, the next, an equal number of looney left wing crazies. You want to know why the government has not really accomplished anything of substance since 1965? Blame the boomers. You want to know why the current healthcare debate will fail miserably? It is the insane rantings and neediness of these aging losers. They all want medicare, they just detest the idea of paying for it, which has been their leit motif since day one. This is a generation that has been given everything and has produced nothing.
I had an idea many years ago and it is an even more important concept now. If we really want a just society, we must allow parents of children under the age of 18 to have a vote for every one of those children. At 18 you can vote for yourself and even form a lobbying group to get your ideas heard. Before that you are nothing. But those over 18, especially the greedy and misguided boomers have always had a voice and have forever taken advantage of it. It is way past time to tell them to shut up. Their dangerous neediness will bankrupt the country and probably ruin the environment for everyone who survives them famine inducing ways. The only way to get balance is to take away their screaming voices and allow younger generations who still hope to have a future to shit these idiots out.
A vote for any child under 18 would drastically change the focus of the government. A whole series of policy decisions would focus not just on the environment, but on healthcare for everyone, not just the aged. It is insane that there is a program that offers free or low cost care for the people who are so close to death, but deny it to the workers, the youngsters and the people who will be paying the debts of the deadbeat boomers forever.
You take away the boomer ability to get the ear of congress, you will change the way this country is focused. I am not suggesting that boomers not be allowed to vote, although judging from the haphazard and uneducated way to already vote it would not be a bad idea, I am just suggesting that new voices and the voices of the future should have more weight, or some weight.
The boomer generation has done just about everything to fuck up this country and for the most part they have succeeded. It is time to shut them down or at least shut them out.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
All politics is funny
These past few months have been fun and funny. The republicans have done everything possible to appear to be suicidal. No matter what the issue in congress has been, the republicans only response has been no. Strange, because at some point you run for reelection and to imagine the voters are just not paying any attention is blind, at the best.
Plus, you add in the whacky tea baggers, all republicans from the wardrobe, and you have a large percentage of these tea baggers who want insane conservative values implemented. The concept of a party already in the minority at war with itself is almost too hard to believe. Then again, it looks like the democrats are just as stupid.
The dems have a majority in both houses and own the White House. Their agenda should be flying through. Instead, with social retards like Joe Lieberman and conservative democrats from the backwoods south screwing everything up, they appear to be a party about to also implode. How interesting. Both parties seem unable to lead or even to define what it is they really want to accomplish.
Fantastic.
People often seem to elect a congress of one party and a president of another, causing a balance of sorts. Reagan got democrats, Clinton got blow jobs, and a republican congress, Bush.2 got mostly a republican congress that did basically anything he wanted and still his party of the unborn could not bring itself to pass anti-abortion legislation. Now, Obama has both houses and I can not think of a single major accomplishment from this group of leaderless egomaniacs has accomplished. Ho hum.
The democratic party is starting to fray as well. With Senator Lieberman all but ruining any chance of substantial healthcare reform, the liberals of the party are pissed and want blood, which the professional hacks in the senate seem unable to show passion for anything. It's would be a funny game, if it were not about the countries long term health, the ending of useless wars and some changes that would allow sick people to see doctors in one of the richest countries in the world.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Buying a new car
Sure, it's kind of offensive, but also super funny, which always wins out in my opinion.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Whip saw economics
I am about done re-editing the feature film I have been working on regarding the troubled economy. One of the people I interviewed for the film was a business writer at Time Magazine, Justin Fox. We spoke in his office and it was right in the midst of the banking troubles and stinking stock market. He is a bright guy, and funny too.
He has a column out today on the Time site, here, that I find, well, strange. He of all people seemed to be clued in that what America really needs right now is some major change, both in regulation and the leadership of the financial industry that got the country into this mess. Instead, many of the old guard remain in their beautiful offices in New York City, doing exactly the same idiotic investing strategies that almost led to the worst economic crisis since the depression.
What does Prancing Barney Frank and his slow witted brethren in Congress plan to do about this? Nothing. Frank, the godmother of the regulatory sissies, talks a good game, but when it comes to action, he is more a watch and see and wait and watch and do nothing but talk kind of fella.
The economy remains sketchy, at best, and all the "leaders" in congress and on Wall Street are too mystified or purchased to bring about any serious change. When morons like Sarah Palin screech about the country falling into the sewer, they should clarify what they mean by pointing to congressional do nothings like Frank and Pelosi and the entire bought off Republican party and cry a river over those meandering mouth pieces of monopolies.
He has a column out today on the Time site, here, that I find, well, strange. He of all people seemed to be clued in that what America really needs right now is some major change, both in regulation and the leadership of the financial industry that got the country into this mess. Instead, many of the old guard remain in their beautiful offices in New York City, doing exactly the same idiotic investing strategies that almost led to the worst economic crisis since the depression.
What does Prancing Barney Frank and his slow witted brethren in Congress plan to do about this? Nothing. Frank, the godmother of the regulatory sissies, talks a good game, but when it comes to action, he is more a watch and see and wait and watch and do nothing but talk kind of fella.
The economy remains sketchy, at best, and all the "leaders" in congress and on Wall Street are too mystified or purchased to bring about any serious change. When morons like Sarah Palin screech about the country falling into the sewer, they should clarify what they mean by pointing to congressional do nothings like Frank and Pelosi and the entire bought off Republican party and cry a river over those meandering mouth pieces of monopolies.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Great news, right?
It's kind of amazing when a country is desperate for good/happy news and will take anything to see it.
Trimmed the fewest jobs? Only lost 11 thousand jobs.
If I could drink I would be downing champagne right now.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The long-suffering U.S. jobs market improved significantly in November, as employers trimmed the fewest jobs of any month since the start of the recession, and the unemployment rate posted the biggest one-month decline in more than three years.
U.S. payrolls slipped 11,000 jobs in the month, far below any of the job losses posted over the last 23 months. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a loss of 125,000 jobs in November.
Disease of choice
I am all for equal rights, heck I even think the gays should enjoy the thrill ride that is marriage. I also think that a flourishing society should correct it's historical checkered past, in part by helping people less fortunate find a career, a sense of self, and on and on.
What I don't always like is when some group wants to claim special status because of a self inflicted issue. Lets take fatties as an example. We live in the most obese country in this history of the world. Let that sink in. How does one become obese? Eat too much, or more calories than you burn, something like that.
You choose to eat too much. Or, if you are one of the very few with a glandular problem, you seek help once you understand that eating too much will fuck up your glands and help you to become a big giant balloon figure.
What happens when people decide, for whatever reason, to eat way too much and never exercise? They become a lobbying force. They want larger wheel chairs, and special access and then they want to pay as much for, say a seat on a plane, but take up more than the average person is taking up. Thus the picture.
I think freedom means people get to make all sorts of bad choices, gay marriage, drunk in public, having sex with Sarah Palin by accident (I swear). Taking advantage of freedom also has consequences. You want to dine at the fast food buffet and never walk, that's fine. But if you look like a Macy's parade figure, the least you can do is pay for an extra seat on a tiny plane.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
If you don't stand for something
Oh god, and I do not mean that god, I mean once again the shopping season and buying crap for people you may not really like very much, is being ruined by the religious nutjobs who want everyone to be like them, lemmings and hypocrites.
Why take this website as an example.
Yikes I say. They review stories for the Christmassy attitude? Their love of Jeeezuuus? Huh? Do these religious crazies really not know that everyone loves christmas because we get toys and other shit? I mean, really?
Look what they say about Borders. First, Borders is a terrible store for a variety of reasons, low pay for workers, boring choices and lack of originality and just the box support of bad architecture, but for not respecting the holiday? Anyway, here is what the sheep say about Borders:
I tried to find a children's book about the birth of Christ and could not find any. They had a Christmas display table but it was all about santa!
We had a group from our church who gathered to go Christmas caroling and were invited in to a Pittsburgh PA Borders. When we arived, they told us that they were pleased that we were there to entertain thier customers, but that we could not sing any religious songs. I no longer shop Borders. I also believe that our responsability goes beyond not shopping. We should be writing individual letters to the corporate management to state that until policies change, they have lost our business.
I am slightly offended by Border's lack of incorporation of Christmas in their ad's. I am a member of the Border's Rewards Club but will not be shopping at Borders this Christmas and upcoming year unless a public outreach and apology is issued to all Christians and believers of Christmas.
I find it offensive that this store is so eager to have our money but neglects to honor the holiday. I won't shop here and as much as possible shop in Christian book stores. Borders has an agenda and it is nothing to do with Christian values.
We saw "Holiday" trees, "Holiday" this & "Holiday that, but the ONLY mention of "Christmas" was on 2 of their gift cards. Very disappointing!
More Bibles!
These people make me kind of sick and kind of envious. Maybe if they could remove their robes for a minute, they could imagine if instead of a magic man in the sky they were Jews, they would see all the happy holiday crap as an insult for a variety of other reasons.
Or Muslim. Imagine the whole xmas crap from the eyes of someone other than your own god.
In our capitalistic society, why not just admit the someone other than a child molesting priest is using religious holidays to make money?
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
NO on gay marriage
So, the democratically controlled senator in New York could not bring themselves to hold their noses long enough to pass a law allowing the gays to marry. Again, all I will say is if you will not allow the gays to marry, the least you can do is remove the perks that straight people get from getting married. Fair is fair.
I was married for 10 years to a woman. For a while is was OK, for a while it was hell, most of the time it just was. Would I want to get married again, well, I plan to get married in about 11 months, so that will answer that question. The problem with prejudice is that there is always the other shoe. Plus, the majority of Americans can not even read, much less eat properly. So stupid fat people are beginning to demand their weird rights.
You want a simple answer to this issue? Don't allow anyone to get married, unless it's some special religious ceremony. Anyone else can get some sort of government license, gay, straight in between, and get the perks, the tax breaks, the automatic inheritance, the insurance coverage. Call if flem or anything, but do not call it marriage, that word will be reserve for the religious ceremony which, much like today, will mean nothing. Don't believe me? Ask Tiger Woods.
Jesus Christ
So I was at a job today, setting up my super video camera and this woman begins to chat with me. Almost immediately she tells me that she hopes the traffic won't be so bad today, she had to drive across the city to attend a funeral. Quickly she told me about a woman who at 28 was a mother of two young children, married to a swell guy, diagnosed with brain cancer a month ago and now dead.
It turns out the woman telling me this unfortunate story was deeply religious, or is, deeply religious. She told me that god had more important things for her to do, so he called her home. First, I immediately thought how happy I am that I screen my calls, because if god wants to call me, he will have to leave a message. Then I thought about the children.
Now I know its fashionable to always bring up the children when seeking sympathy or money, but in this case I felt bad for the young children growing up without a mother. Now, my children basically grew up without a mother, but they had me, and I spent way too much time with them, parks, games, crayons, school - I was there. This mother, called to Jesus too early, has left behind two young children and a husband who probably has no clue on raising babies and dating. Lucky for him he belongs to a church, I learned that from the woman sharing too much information.
I am not sure when it's a good time for a parent to die, but I am guessing that kids under the age of 13 are too young to have to deal with the pain and loss. If there is a god who calls people to his palace I really have to wonder what sort of motivations he has. Children change peoples lives, at least the ones open to the change, and to remove a parent from a small child seems like the opposite of what god would be doing.
There are many things in life I just don't get, one is falling prey to the allure of an unknown super powerful all forgiving god thing, hanging out somewhere in the pretty sky, doing all sorts of nice things and sometimes taking people home with him to share tea and stories with. I life fantasy as much as most people, maybe more than most people, but the who god business just seems to stupid to me. When people talk about their god taking someone home, it makes me think of how god should act. You know the crazy idiot who killed four police officers in Seattle this past week? Why didn't god call that loser home a few weeks ago, before he started raping children and killing innocent police? No, god was too busy making sure the brain cancer would kill the mother of two babies.
It turns out the woman telling me this unfortunate story was deeply religious, or is, deeply religious. She told me that god had more important things for her to do, so he called her home. First, I immediately thought how happy I am that I screen my calls, because if god wants to call me, he will have to leave a message. Then I thought about the children.
Now I know its fashionable to always bring up the children when seeking sympathy or money, but in this case I felt bad for the young children growing up without a mother. Now, my children basically grew up without a mother, but they had me, and I spent way too much time with them, parks, games, crayons, school - I was there. This mother, called to Jesus too early, has left behind two young children and a husband who probably has no clue on raising babies and dating. Lucky for him he belongs to a church, I learned that from the woman sharing too much information.
I am not sure when it's a good time for a parent to die, but I am guessing that kids under the age of 13 are too young to have to deal with the pain and loss. If there is a god who calls people to his palace I really have to wonder what sort of motivations he has. Children change peoples lives, at least the ones open to the change, and to remove a parent from a small child seems like the opposite of what god would be doing.
There are many things in life I just don't get, one is falling prey to the allure of an unknown super powerful all forgiving god thing, hanging out somewhere in the pretty sky, doing all sorts of nice things and sometimes taking people home with him to share tea and stories with. I life fantasy as much as most people, maybe more than most people, but the who god business just seems to stupid to me. When people talk about their god taking someone home, it makes me think of how god should act. You know the crazy idiot who killed four police officers in Seattle this past week? Why didn't god call that loser home a few weeks ago, before he started raping children and killing innocent police? No, god was too busy making sure the brain cancer would kill the mother of two babies.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The truth about honesty
I got a call from a fairly old friend who has not really spoken to me in over 12 months. He said that he and his wife may lose their home. She was laid off about 4 months ago, he just recently saw a severe cutback in hours and everything is tight. According to him, he is less than a paycheck away from falling behind on both mortgage payments and credit card payments.
He vented. When I began to offer some advice, like the wife taking any job to bring in some much needed money, he got kind of sketchy and had to go.
12 months and not a word. Then drama on that first phone call after a gulf of silence. Drama that seemed mostly self inflicted. See, one of the things I would have said was that when the wife lost her job, they would have been smart to stop all sorts of spending right there and cut expenses and she should immediately look for any work and take whatever came, and they should belt tighten like never before. I may have also told him that now is the time for all good artist types to accept money at every opportunity and not be choosey.
But instead I said something about his wife needing to help, and he was gone. I am not sure why he called. Even now, when I use the term friend for him, I think I am being stupid. He is not a friend. When I recently had a medical emergency, he was not an option for someone who should be called to watch the kids. A few years ago when tragedy in another form came for an extended stay, he was never informed. I did not call when I got ripped off by my business partner, nor for any other financial drama, and I have had a few. So now I am kind of steamed. Was he just going through his phone book, looking for sympathy and possible a loan?
There are often times in our lives when it is right to look at what makes a friend and define those qualities and then hold that defined term up agains tour list of friends and associates. Sorry my phone calling friend, but not only are you not really a friend, you would be well advised to keep you skidding drama to yourself. Or grow the balls to be honest and call your "friends" gently explain your financial health and beg for money. Otherwise you just come across as a user.
He vented. When I began to offer some advice, like the wife taking any job to bring in some much needed money, he got kind of sketchy and had to go.
12 months and not a word. Then drama on that first phone call after a gulf of silence. Drama that seemed mostly self inflicted. See, one of the things I would have said was that when the wife lost her job, they would have been smart to stop all sorts of spending right there and cut expenses and she should immediately look for any work and take whatever came, and they should belt tighten like never before. I may have also told him that now is the time for all good artist types to accept money at every opportunity and not be choosey.
But instead I said something about his wife needing to help, and he was gone. I am not sure why he called. Even now, when I use the term friend for him, I think I am being stupid. He is not a friend. When I recently had a medical emergency, he was not an option for someone who should be called to watch the kids. A few years ago when tragedy in another form came for an extended stay, he was never informed. I did not call when I got ripped off by my business partner, nor for any other financial drama, and I have had a few. So now I am kind of steamed. Was he just going through his phone book, looking for sympathy and possible a loan?
There are often times in our lives when it is right to look at what makes a friend and define those qualities and then hold that defined term up agains tour list of friends and associates. Sorry my phone calling friend, but not only are you not really a friend, you would be well advised to keep you skidding drama to yourself. Or grow the balls to be honest and call your "friends" gently explain your financial health and beg for money. Otherwise you just come across as a user.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Revolting
If you are in a coma you may have missed the non-stop coverage of Sarah Palin and her "book" over the past few weeks. She has been everywhere, and generally speaking, as impressive as a wet paper bag. I have met a few Sarah Palin's in my life, beautiful, fun, energetic and stupid.
I have no issue with stupid people since they are obviously the ruling majority in America at this point. These are the same idiots who do not support a public healthcare system, although it would save everyone money, it would bring a health wave to the entire country and it would remove profit motives from long term health. These are probably the same people who vote for tax cuts and then cry about the shape of the roads, bridges and power grid. There is something about greed that removes peoples reasoning abilities.
What I like about the Palin followers is that they are hitching their wagons on a seriously defective candidate, on non-candidate if you believe her press. What I do not understand is the inability to strive for better, It is a given that Sarah is a hotty and she spouts platitudes with the best of them, but when questioned, she is an idiot.
She has become the leader of the Tea Bag nutjobs, which is fine, these people are just angry and stupid. They would have voted for any republican candidate no matter what his/her real agenda was. I am certain the majority of these blundering fools would have been angry with any democrat, but my guess is that a black president has just put them over the edge. I am sure in the past these hate filled illiterates sat at home and complained about their petty circumstances, but with a black president, they have banded together and want real change, like more white people in the white house, stuff like that.
They talk openly about a revolt and they get serious press as if this is an option. First, does anyone really want stupid people to again be in charge? The past few presidencies have been over taken with dumb white men, from the Alzheimers presidency to the cowboy with no brain power, we the people have seen it before. They build their dynasties on debt and broken promises and then when adults get elected, instead of a progressive agenda, they have to find ways to steer the country back to basic prosperity.
Obama is no different. He inherited the worst economy in decades, two winless wars and a country in need of a slap in the face. He is incapable of doing much of his real agenda and healthcare will be a disaster because of the spineless wimps in the senate. So, my question to the progressives, why are you not talking about a revolt? Why not get rid of these fat old white men (and women) who sit in the senate and kill anything that offers real change and real hope to the average American? Unlike the tea bagging bozos, progressives could lead a gunless revolt, done in the voting both, cutting lose the likes of Leiberman and the other middle of the roaders who sole goal seems to be to actually accomplish nothing.
It is not enough to vote them out, it may actually be time to vote in people who actually want to vote for a change that will bring the country equality. The country is run now by big monied pimps and the senate is filled with their whores. The tea baggers want to bring violent change to get rid of a black president, with no long term goal except to change the tax policies to allow the very super rich to pay less. If a candidate actually ran on the concept that there are government programs that bring civility to life, like Medicare, and a possibility to bring such a program to everyone, that would be an interesting candidate, Instead, we always have the middle manager losers who want nothing more than to keep the status quo at quo.
I have no issue with stupid people since they are obviously the ruling majority in America at this point. These are the same idiots who do not support a public healthcare system, although it would save everyone money, it would bring a health wave to the entire country and it would remove profit motives from long term health. These are probably the same people who vote for tax cuts and then cry about the shape of the roads, bridges and power grid. There is something about greed that removes peoples reasoning abilities.
What I like about the Palin followers is that they are hitching their wagons on a seriously defective candidate, on non-candidate if you believe her press. What I do not understand is the inability to strive for better, It is a given that Sarah is a hotty and she spouts platitudes with the best of them, but when questioned, she is an idiot.
She has become the leader of the Tea Bag nutjobs, which is fine, these people are just angry and stupid. They would have voted for any republican candidate no matter what his/her real agenda was. I am certain the majority of these blundering fools would have been angry with any democrat, but my guess is that a black president has just put them over the edge. I am sure in the past these hate filled illiterates sat at home and complained about their petty circumstances, but with a black president, they have banded together and want real change, like more white people in the white house, stuff like that.
They talk openly about a revolt and they get serious press as if this is an option. First, does anyone really want stupid people to again be in charge? The past few presidencies have been over taken with dumb white men, from the Alzheimers presidency to the cowboy with no brain power, we the people have seen it before. They build their dynasties on debt and broken promises and then when adults get elected, instead of a progressive agenda, they have to find ways to steer the country back to basic prosperity.
Obama is no different. He inherited the worst economy in decades, two winless wars and a country in need of a slap in the face. He is incapable of doing much of his real agenda and healthcare will be a disaster because of the spineless wimps in the senate. So, my question to the progressives, why are you not talking about a revolt? Why not get rid of these fat old white men (and women) who sit in the senate and kill anything that offers real change and real hope to the average American? Unlike the tea bagging bozos, progressives could lead a gunless revolt, done in the voting both, cutting lose the likes of Leiberman and the other middle of the roaders who sole goal seems to be to actually accomplish nothing.
It is not enough to vote them out, it may actually be time to vote in people who actually want to vote for a change that will bring the country equality. The country is run now by big monied pimps and the senate is filled with their whores. The tea baggers want to bring violent change to get rid of a black president, with no long term goal except to change the tax policies to allow the very super rich to pay less. If a candidate actually ran on the concept that there are government programs that bring civility to life, like Medicare, and a possibility to bring such a program to everyone, that would be an interesting candidate, Instead, we always have the middle manager losers who want nothing more than to keep the status quo at quo.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Giving thanks
There are many holidays I do not like, among them Halloween, Valentines Day and generally Christmas. I do like Thanksgiving mostly because I often spend it with people I love.
This year is no different, except for the first time in 18 years my son had to travel to spend the holiday because he is now a college freshman. My fiance, my sons girlfriend, my daughters boyfriend, everyone is here and the house smells like a great meal is cooking.
I like to reflect on a day like this, not to give thanks, but to think about the past year, where things stand, where we are going. This has been a hectic year, but all in all, a great year. I am close to finishing the final edit on the long form documentary on the economy, we have moved into a house that is very much a home, we cut the connections to another in a series of people who use and abuse and everyone is healthy.
It is often amazing what people choose to focus on. Just today I heard from another one of those people who lie and cheat and expect complete forgetfulness or forgiveness, I am not sure which. It really makes my head spin when people come into your life, lie and cheat and expect that with a few months of quiet, all will be forgiven. First off, this seems like a very particular American trait and that may be in part the idea that we as Americans are often reinventing ourselves, so we expect others to somehow forget who we were a few months ago. The short version of the phone call is that this person wanted to make sure I felt responsible for his bad mistakes.
My personal philosophy is that people who take advantage and lie for a living should never expect much from the people who see them for who they really are. What is ironic is how many times in life we all run into the users and how often they follow the same pattern. One thing I have learned is that we all need dealbreakers, something that we will just not tolerate. I do understand that everyone gets to define what a deal breaker is, but in my world the ultimate deal breaker is a liar. I just won't tolerate it, so when one stumbles across my path, I pay attention. In this past year I had to cut off two such scumbags, the one who called today was the easiest because I kind of knew going in he and his business was sketchy. The other, a slovenly and untidy little human had wormed his way into our lives and was, all in all, just as sleazy and scummy as the other.
Again, once you know the character of the person, and that character is something intolerable, it is quite easy to just shut the door, as long as no one starts stalking, threatening or screaming on the phone.
A good reason to be thankful is that neither is in our lives. I like simplicity in most everything and certainly in business relationships. Honesty in life is something to cherish, strive for and love friends for having.
This year is no different, except for the first time in 18 years my son had to travel to spend the holiday because he is now a college freshman. My fiance, my sons girlfriend, my daughters boyfriend, everyone is here and the house smells like a great meal is cooking.
I like to reflect on a day like this, not to give thanks, but to think about the past year, where things stand, where we are going. This has been a hectic year, but all in all, a great year. I am close to finishing the final edit on the long form documentary on the economy, we have moved into a house that is very much a home, we cut the connections to another in a series of people who use and abuse and everyone is healthy.
It is often amazing what people choose to focus on. Just today I heard from another one of those people who lie and cheat and expect complete forgetfulness or forgiveness, I am not sure which. It really makes my head spin when people come into your life, lie and cheat and expect that with a few months of quiet, all will be forgiven. First off, this seems like a very particular American trait and that may be in part the idea that we as Americans are often reinventing ourselves, so we expect others to somehow forget who we were a few months ago. The short version of the phone call is that this person wanted to make sure I felt responsible for his bad mistakes.
My personal philosophy is that people who take advantage and lie for a living should never expect much from the people who see them for who they really are. What is ironic is how many times in life we all run into the users and how often they follow the same pattern. One thing I have learned is that we all need dealbreakers, something that we will just not tolerate. I do understand that everyone gets to define what a deal breaker is, but in my world the ultimate deal breaker is a liar. I just won't tolerate it, so when one stumbles across my path, I pay attention. In this past year I had to cut off two such scumbags, the one who called today was the easiest because I kind of knew going in he and his business was sketchy. The other, a slovenly and untidy little human had wormed his way into our lives and was, all in all, just as sleazy and scummy as the other.
Again, once you know the character of the person, and that character is something intolerable, it is quite easy to just shut the door, as long as no one starts stalking, threatening or screaming on the phone.
A good reason to be thankful is that neither is in our lives. I like simplicity in most everything and certainly in business relationships. Honesty in life is something to cherish, strive for and love friends for having.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Highs and lows
A new report finds more people are falling behind on the mortgages and more and more and falling into foreclosure. How can this be since the recession is over? Because it's not.
Duh.
The problem with government people who read financial reports is that they often have their own motivations to weed through. If the people at the Fed continued to report on a daily basis how bad it actually is out in the country side, people would panic and go back to saving money, instead of spending wildly on things they just don't need.
What is remarkable is how easily the business reporting class accepts the reports from the Fed and the other reporting agencies in the government. Sure, Goldman Sachs is making money and paying obscene bonuses to the idiots who almost caused the worst depression in history, but how is the downtown core of merchants? How are small banks doing? How about new business? I can answer all those questions, small business is suffering, small banks are failing at record numbers and new business is not being developed.
The sad part of this is Sarah Palin. This airhead Barbie is storming the country, talking to anyone with a microphone and reminding the people who blindly support stupidity that they have a new leader and insulting those who think that adults should make adult type decisions, not morons with scripted, meaningless catch phrases. Lower taxes? Sure, why not, will a gajillion dollar deficit. Cut the welfare programs? Genius, especially since so many people need them right now. Anti-abortion? Of course, because everyone knows that women get abortions because they build self esteem.
What Palin accomplishes is the ability for the news media to report on her every movement and stop covering that depressing old economy. Sure, more and more houses are being foreclosed and sold in short sales, more people are unemployed, or my favorite, under employed. But hey, Sarah is speaking at a Wal-Mart in Michigan.
There are never going to be easy answers, although I did see a recent blog post where the author thought it might be time for IQ tests for everything from driving to voting, and that is a thought I sometimes say to my friends, who always agree and quickly say it sounds like something Hitler would think of. I hate when Hitler is always used to shut people up. Hitler ruined everything.
I wonder what Adolph would think of Sarah P. I am sure he would admire her cult of plastic personality. The rabid crowds, the mindless support, the lack of understanding anything of depth and her ability, as a multi-millionare "author" to connect with the under educated and poor. I wonder if Sarah would support an IQ test for voting.
Duh.
The problem with government people who read financial reports is that they often have their own motivations to weed through. If the people at the Fed continued to report on a daily basis how bad it actually is out in the country side, people would panic and go back to saving money, instead of spending wildly on things they just don't need.
What is remarkable is how easily the business reporting class accepts the reports from the Fed and the other reporting agencies in the government. Sure, Goldman Sachs is making money and paying obscene bonuses to the idiots who almost caused the worst depression in history, but how is the downtown core of merchants? How are small banks doing? How about new business? I can answer all those questions, small business is suffering, small banks are failing at record numbers and new business is not being developed.
The sad part of this is Sarah Palin. This airhead Barbie is storming the country, talking to anyone with a microphone and reminding the people who blindly support stupidity that they have a new leader and insulting those who think that adults should make adult type decisions, not morons with scripted, meaningless catch phrases. Lower taxes? Sure, why not, will a gajillion dollar deficit. Cut the welfare programs? Genius, especially since so many people need them right now. Anti-abortion? Of course, because everyone knows that women get abortions because they build self esteem.
What Palin accomplishes is the ability for the news media to report on her every movement and stop covering that depressing old economy. Sure, more and more houses are being foreclosed and sold in short sales, more people are unemployed, or my favorite, under employed. But hey, Sarah is speaking at a Wal-Mart in Michigan.
There are never going to be easy answers, although I did see a recent blog post where the author thought it might be time for IQ tests for everything from driving to voting, and that is a thought I sometimes say to my friends, who always agree and quickly say it sounds like something Hitler would think of. I hate when Hitler is always used to shut people up. Hitler ruined everything.
I wonder what Adolph would think of Sarah P. I am sure he would admire her cult of plastic personality. The rabid crowds, the mindless support, the lack of understanding anything of depth and her ability, as a multi-millionare "author" to connect with the under educated and poor. I wonder if Sarah would support an IQ test for voting.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Lawyers
I know it's always fashionable to hate lawyers, but yesterday I again witnessed the wonderful atmosphere of a room filled with well dressed lawyers doing what lawyers do.
You know what I like best? They are respectful and smart. They also are well dressed. You spend a day in a room filled with lawyers in nice suits, then you walk outside and the obese smokers cluttering the sidewalks sure does make you wonder. Why can't people smoking ever dress just a little better? Is there a link between smoking and choice of attire?
Anyway, while I dislike the concept of lawyering up, I also know how necessary it is. Imagine if there were no lawyers when you drink just a tad little too much before testing out the car to see what maximum speed it is capable of? Or getting unmarried and needing someone who has proven themselves to be untrustworthy? Lawyers come in handy, plus they generally dress a lot nicer than you and me.
Why judge on dress codes? Mostly because we are quickly becoming a society of white trash nut cases. Need proof, stop reading and walk into any Wal-Mart. I had never been in a Wal-Mart for many years, until I moved to New York a few years ago and the only local store was a Wal-Mart. My lord those people were the worst. Fat, ugly, unhealthy, loud and disgusting examples of what happens when you feed people bad TV and a diet of garbage. I thought it was just that singular Wal-Mart. I was wrong.
There is something to be said for civility, nice clothes, the ability to speak coherently, the general idea that people should speak and listen and be gentle to one another, even where disagree. Try that in a general setting almost anywhere in America. If the empire is failing I blame Wal-Mart and the generation of fat slobs it supports with cheap crap and pre-packaged food.
You know what I like best? They are respectful and smart. They also are well dressed. You spend a day in a room filled with lawyers in nice suits, then you walk outside and the obese smokers cluttering the sidewalks sure does make you wonder. Why can't people smoking ever dress just a little better? Is there a link between smoking and choice of attire?
Anyway, while I dislike the concept of lawyering up, I also know how necessary it is. Imagine if there were no lawyers when you drink just a tad little too much before testing out the car to see what maximum speed it is capable of? Or getting unmarried and needing someone who has proven themselves to be untrustworthy? Lawyers come in handy, plus they generally dress a lot nicer than you and me.
Why judge on dress codes? Mostly because we are quickly becoming a society of white trash nut cases. Need proof, stop reading and walk into any Wal-Mart. I had never been in a Wal-Mart for many years, until I moved to New York a few years ago and the only local store was a Wal-Mart. My lord those people were the worst. Fat, ugly, unhealthy, loud and disgusting examples of what happens when you feed people bad TV and a diet of garbage. I thought it was just that singular Wal-Mart. I was wrong.
There is something to be said for civility, nice clothes, the ability to speak coherently, the general idea that people should speak and listen and be gentle to one another, even where disagree. Try that in a general setting almost anywhere in America. If the empire is failing I blame Wal-Mart and the generation of fat slobs it supports with cheap crap and pre-packaged food.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
"Honey, we need to talk..."
Anyone who has ever had a long term relationship knows the feeling when things are no longer working and there comes a need to have "the talk". The talk takes all sorts of styles and incarnations. Sometimes it is just a realization that the relationship has run its course and the breakup is inevitable. Sometimes there is agreement and talk of making everything work again.
How do you ever get to the point where the talk becomes necessary? It's really quite easy, because life keeps chugging ahead no matter what you are doing. Sometimes jobs take more time than they used to, or kids or the sex just becomes boring. One thing is certain, there are always warning signs, but there is also a decent possibility that everyone hates to look at the obvious warning signs.
What got me thinking about shoddy relationships on the skids? This line from Time Magazine, "Regulators shut down two banks in Florida and one in California on Friday, boosting to 123 the number of U.S. bank failures this year as loan defaults rise in the worst financial climate in decades."
It got me to thinking. What is the average number of bank failures when the economy and the nation is not slowing dying? Well, in 1999 there were less than 10. There were 6 in 1995. There were no bank failures in 2005. That's OK, we are more than making up for it now. There were 25 last year and for 2009 we are on a run.
Bank failures and bad relationships have a lot in common. The writing has been on the wall for a long time and yet we just kept thinking that things would naturally work themselves out. This never happens in our personal relationships and these 123 bank failures for this year is clear proof that it will not easily work out on a financial scale either. As with failing relationships, talk will only make things worse.
In my experience, when it comes time to end a relationship and you instead go to therapy, it buys you time, but not much. The concept of allowing failing banks to hold on by using bailouts and other federal programs is the exact same thing. The dying relationship needs to be killed off as soon as it is on its last legs. The same is true for a failing bank.
For the most part a bank failure often comes back to the brains of the operation, same as a relationship. If you do not change the bank leadership, which never happens, then the bank is dead on arrival. Even banks who have survived threats of insolvency this past year, Citibank and Bank of America and AIG (not a bank I know) did not do the bright thing, which is a brain transplant. If brain transplants were possible, I would still be married. If regulators had the balls and the laws, they would move to kill off some of these banks and others would just lose the management who drove the bank into the ground.
What has been appalling during this past year of economic chaos is the unwillingness to remove the leadership of financial institutions that by corruption and incompetence drove their once profitable businesses into the netherworld. None lost their jobs. None were sent to jail. None were just let go. How can this happen?
I have a friend who has been "happily" married for 15 years. The day before his wedding he tried to talk me into picking up some "easy women" (prostitutes). That was the day before he got married. Whenever I saw him over the last 15 years he was alone, his wife at home. He was on the prowl, always in search of something new. In my mind the relationship was doomed from day one, but they remain married, in their own way. Bank leadership is as mystifying to me as his marriage is. It seems from almost any rationale point of view to be ruined, damaged and built on lies. His marriage continues and the leadership of most failed or failing banks have hung on, thinking everything would work out if you could just get one more shot.
All relationships are strange to me. I have no clue how some work and some do not and many are just built on a need to not be alone and thus flawed from day one. Banks? I have no clue why imbeciles and idiots continue to wear nice suits to work, only to lose millions more. Sometimes you have to man up and call it a day. Does no one have shame anymore?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Real change
Anyone paying attention can sense there are somethings things in the air here in America. Part of it is the economy refuses to get chugging, part of it we remain at war and no one seems able to justify any of them anymore. There is also that fat America attitude that all should be well because we are slow and getting stupid, but still, it's the way it always has been.
Except it's not. We were not always proud just for the fact we were Americans, we were proud of what we had accomplished in a relatively short time. We were proud because we led the world on so many fronts, from trains to technology, if it was going to used in an amazing way, Americans were probably going to show the world how it was done.
And then we started to psychoanalyze everything thing we did. We started to numb great numbers of thinking, productive people with drugs that slow down thinking and get rid of passionate choice. We became boring and fat.
Rest easy, because the giant militia we all worried about when that white idiot blew up the building in Oklahoma City is back and guess what? They hate negroes. Check this out:
"As for you, why… you’ll be shocked because you didn’t see it coming. And eventually you’ll be saddened when you see that we have truly lost the way of life with which you grew up. You’ll be saddened that your children and grandchildren live in a socialist, government-controlled gulag where their every movement from cradle to grave is tracked by the government. But most of all, you’ll be saddened by the death of friends and relatives who are brave enough to fight and die for something they believe in.
You know, McCain wasn’t much of a candidate. I’ll give you that. He was the lesser of two evils for most of us. I don’t blame you for not voting for him since, at the time, you didn’t know what we all know now. But at least John McCain was an American."
That is from an anti-Obama website called The Betrayal.
Again, it seems like this is the last gasp from the aging right wing, realizing their country is falling apart, they want to blame everyone from the gays to liberals to people dumb enough to elect Obama. Again, I am going to guess these are the same badly dressed white people who protest at abortion clinics and have, of late, been causing trouble at congressional town hall meetings. These people do passionately believe in freedom of speech they will yell just loud enough to drown out other options.
The older white undereducated masses are not a majority, even in the republican party. My sense is that these are the dimwits who are seeing change in the country and only envisioning someone foreclosing on their trailer. What happens when you are a squeaky wheel is you do get a lot of attention, but only once, maybe twice.
Threaten a revolution though, and that may get some people to look you over. What I don't understand is this. When President Bush was about to send innocent soldiers to do his dirty work in Iraq and millions of people protested in most major cities, the media seemed to write these protests off as stupid hippies, too high to understand the impending threat from Saddam. Did the stoned hippies threaten to start a revolution? No, they protested, and made cut masks and danced in the street in that weird whirly Grateful Dead style that still makes me kind of ill when I think about it. But they did not threaten to kill anyone.
When the right wingers threaten to kill and maim to return America back to a time, one that I have never witnessed, they not only have a voice and demand attention, but something in my soul says they may be serious. A lot has changed for the right wing nutcases, first, they are as far from real power as I have ever seen them. Second, no one with a functioning brain takes them seriously and third, they have a shit load of weapons.
What should be done about these hicks? Nothing really, because you can't get to worked up over words and second, this is America, we react quite well, but don't like planning ahead. If 9-11 showed us anything it is this, after a bunch of terrorists walk through the airport with razor blades, what we really need to do is frisk old ladies and throw out bottles of water.
If inbred angry white people want to revolt, we should wait till they are marching on the capitol with guns drawn and meth fueled insanity.
Better to fail
“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.”
James Cameron, film director
I know artists who have great success and some that have not made any money doing their art. I know people who took jobs to make money and have stayed there for decades, becoming boring robots, with retirement accounts and no passion. I know a few people who have started successful businesses and some who lost everything.
It is interesting to think about the choices we make and where they lead us.
James Cameron, film director
I know artists who have great success and some that have not made any money doing their art. I know people who took jobs to make money and have stayed there for decades, becoming boring robots, with retirement accounts and no passion. I know a few people who have started successful businesses and some who lost everything.
It is interesting to think about the choices we make and where they lead us.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Beer bellied losers rejoice
Well, my favorite interview avoiding economist has hit the nail on the head, again. Paul Krugman, he of the almost bankrupt New York Times, rails against the republican party being taken over by the far right, tea bagging crazies. He basically calls the party on its real leadership, the Palin, Beck, Limbaugh threesome of everyones nightmares.
It is the party of fear, paranoia and idiots. Like this is news, right? Krugman points out the obvious, that while the KKKristians of the country have always hated progress, blacks and most comedy, they rarely have a say in anything of substance. Think about it, every republican running for president in the last 40 years has included on their platform, a plan to outlaw abortions. There have been a slew of republicans elected president in that time and none have done a damn thing about it.
Now though, it looks like the real crazy right wingers ARE actually making their lilly white voices heard and after getting completely cornholed in the last election, the republican party will do just about anything to have friends.
I have often noted that it seems like the same older white pasty men who protest at abortion clinics are the same guys who carry the God Hates Fags placards outside of funerals for soldiers. I never paid them much attention because they reminded me of the other crazies, the ones I would see in New York City, walking around, talking to themselves, screaming at no one in particular and just flat out insane. Has anyone ever seen a hot woman at an anti-abortion rally? Or a black person? Think about it.
Krugman links the republican crazies to a dangerous possibility for the country, that these know nothing wingers will elect some of their own, who, while having no real power in congress, will find ways to gum up the system and cause a complete breakdown in our system of government. Maybe Dr. Krugman doesn't have a TV at his palatial estate in Princeton, but he may want to find someone to show him how the Google thing works and check out the "debate" over healthcare. Republicans bitched and moaned and did everything they could to bring any debate to an end. It was like watching children, loud, polyester, spray tanned children.
One of the things I like about the New York Times is the comment section, because quite honestly, you have to be able to read to like the Times and that usually means you are able to understand concepts and quite naturally, you then can write informed comments. After reading Krugmans column I clicked the link to comments and this was the first one up:
"NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! But, Professor Krugman, I have more faith in our young people and their voting intelligence than perhaps you do! The really crazy right-wing whackjobs I see (wielding Obama-as-Hitler signs and yelling about Government taking away their healthcare) are mostly middle-aged, beer-bellied, depressed looking losers! I have looked closely, and notice only a few young people--mostly with older people, presumably parents!
I think the "tea-party" types are, in the main, a bunch of not-so-bright, easily manipulated folks who are in a snit about all of the terrible things happening in our country about which we are all in a snit! They just have a more obnoxious way of expressing it--and follow psychopathic "leaders" and corporate lobbyists who enable them! And, let's face it, there is more than a little RACISM involved here!!!!
Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I think the Democrats will win big in the 2010 elections--and hopefully there will be more progressives among them! What I am worried about now, even more than the likelihood of a watered down healthcare bill, is the probablity that Obama will send many, many more troops to the wasteland of Afghanistan--and we will be pouring more money and lives down the BLACKHOLE OF WAR!!!! This scares and saddens me beyond belief!!!"
Admirable.
Post it
The New York Times, by some estimates, on it's last legs as a print dinosaur, has an interesting and incredibly sad story this morning. The bad news, The New York Post is ailing. The good news, the New York Post is ailing. The story is here.
When just a young college student, I spent a year or so out of college and living in New York City. One of the joys of that time was subsisting completely on carrot cake. Every morning would be spent eating a large slice of cake, looking for a job, jogging down to Wall Street and spending the subway ride home reading copies of New York Post stories that fellow riders would leave behind.
At the time I was completely unaware that the Post had a political agenda, but what I liked was the ability to tell a story in language that was both entertaining and flowery. What could be better than body parts found in dance clubs? Maybe shocked reporting that kittens can survive falls from 10 stories or more.
When I started to cover crime for a freelance news business I would sometimes end up at a bridge where a depressed person was perched, suicidal and talking with police. Almost inevitably a New York Post reporter would show up, get some cameras out of a chained car trunk and look through the telephoto lense, then his watch and then scream out, "jump, I got to get to the office."
Over the years the Post has been something I could rely on, not for news coverage, but for something to talk about. The post has never pretended to be above it all, reporting facts and just the facts. No, the Post becomes a part of the story, using terse language and photos to enhance the story they want to tell. It's almost like a drunk friend who comes up to you at a party and wants to tell you what a bitch the hostess is, in a loud voice for all the hear. The Post is that drunk friend.
I know newspapers in general don't seem to have a clue how to survive in the new media world. All of them are suffering and for good reason. The days of ink stained fingers are history and for a newspaper to survive it has to quit the newspaper concept and come up with something that will work online. It is that simple. The Post may yet survive because in many ways the type of sloppy work they do so well will always be needed, in the new media format it will flourish.
What will be sad is riding a subway someday and not having a Post to pick up and read while I wait for my station. Then again, I can always find something to read on my Iphone.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Fear based idiocy
After 8 years of an administration that gave away billions in no-bid contracts to corrupt and dangerous defense associated groups, and using patriotism as a ploy to keep their power and denigrate opposition, all I can think of during the on-going health care debate is that this country is sinking fast and the Republicans are insane.
The country is staggering under it's own short sighted drunken decision making. For many decades this country has survived on fear mongering and stupidity. The hate and short sighted policies of the republicans is just filled with the type of argument that leads one to either blindly believe and follow, or stand aside and wonder what the hell these people are injecting.
I am sick from listening to the debate.
The country is staggering under it's own short sighted drunken decision making. For many decades this country has survived on fear mongering and stupidity. The hate and short sighted policies of the republicans is just filled with the type of argument that leads one to either blindly believe and follow, or stand aside and wonder what the hell these people are injecting.
I am sick from listening to the debate.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Bring back slavery
Want a solution to all the economic woes? Let the voters decide of slave ownership might help.
In the land where all men are created equal, that equality ends when the act of procreation is over. No one is really equal, which is one reason people do not support a state run health care law. We just don't like all our other citizens and god knows, most don't deserve health care.
There was a tiny election yesterday and experts are digging through the results to find some interesting tidbits of information, like this, the Republicans are back. They won a couple of governors races and so some of the talking heads in the news business are saying Obama is done. Of course, in an election with national attention, the 23rd congressional seat in Upstate New York, the republican (super conservative) lost. The talking heads are not saying that on a national level Obama appears to be strong. How strong? The New York congressional seat has been in republican hands pretty much since Lincoln was president. Now that a democrat wins it, it is just not that big of a deal.
Most importantly, people continue to worry about the economy and I am with them. Which is why the super smart voters should be given the chance to decide on slavery, just one more time. Over the past few years judges and elected officials in quite a few states have passed gay marriage laws. Whenever these laws are voted on by regular people, they almost always lose, I think 31 times now. The electorate have spoken, other than health care for everyone, we are united in our fear that fags and lezzies will marry and ruin everything.
So, it is with the logic of allowing Joe Sixpack to decide who should get married that I say, let's let these wise people decide other issues, starting with slavery. Why slavery? Why now? The economy could use some cheap workers and trust me on this, no one works cheaper than slave labor, don't believe me? Ask China.
Having been in a terrible boring marriage, all I can say is that the gays don't know how good they have it. That said, they, like every other human being, deserves the right to say I do in front of family and friends.
In the land where all men are created equal, that equality ends when the act of procreation is over. No one is really equal, which is one reason people do not support a state run health care law. We just don't like all our other citizens and god knows, most don't deserve health care.
There was a tiny election yesterday and experts are digging through the results to find some interesting tidbits of information, like this, the Republicans are back. They won a couple of governors races and so some of the talking heads in the news business are saying Obama is done. Of course, in an election with national attention, the 23rd congressional seat in Upstate New York, the republican (super conservative) lost. The talking heads are not saying that on a national level Obama appears to be strong. How strong? The New York congressional seat has been in republican hands pretty much since Lincoln was president. Now that a democrat wins it, it is just not that big of a deal.
Most importantly, people continue to worry about the economy and I am with them. Which is why the super smart voters should be given the chance to decide on slavery, just one more time. Over the past few years judges and elected officials in quite a few states have passed gay marriage laws. Whenever these laws are voted on by regular people, they almost always lose, I think 31 times now. The electorate have spoken, other than health care for everyone, we are united in our fear that fags and lezzies will marry and ruin everything.
So, it is with the logic of allowing Joe Sixpack to decide who should get married that I say, let's let these wise people decide other issues, starting with slavery. Why slavery? Why now? The economy could use some cheap workers and trust me on this, no one works cheaper than slave labor, don't believe me? Ask China.
Having been in a terrible boring marriage, all I can say is that the gays don't know how good they have it. That said, they, like every other human being, deserves the right to say I do in front of family and friends.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Men in motels
Last year, when I was deeply in search of employment, I was often teased with job possibilities that almost always involved working as a company rep of some sort, with only one constant. Let's call it the 1099 counter culture.
Here is what I found and what I see an awful lot of. Jobs from marketing, delivering all kinds of stuff to digital television installation and all of these jobs did not offer salaries, did not offer benefits, and many offered only cursory training. They hire people as independent contractors, working under the 1099 tax switch. In case you have never 1099er, basically you get paid by piece work, whether that is installing electronics or preparing taxes, you get the pay, but you have to pay your own taxes, have no health insurance or retirement possibilities and no real future.
It's not quite an invisible revolution, but what it does offer for employers is having people out in the field, without the expense of having a fulltime employee. Some of these jobs pay well, some not so much. In a time of deep recession, everyone one of these sorts of jobs that gets posted on Craigslist gets at least 100 applications in most cities. People are hungry to make money and these going nowhere jobs will fit the bill for many desperate people.
I knew the culture was churning out these new jobs because I applied for a few and interviewed for some. I was offered one in June, gave it some time and found every aspect of it to be lacking. It was a technical job, but they sent a moron to train me. We spent two weeks together, or 8 hours, depending on how you look at it. He was dumb and unprepared.
When I was a teenager I went skiing for the first time with some friends. All had skied before and on my first trip up the mountain, an athletic friend said all I needed to do was follow him. So I crashed and rolled and basically bruised my way down the hill. It was the best example of my life of stupid things friends were able to get me to do.
This neanderthal that flew out to train me was even worse. He did not know how to communicate, so he was going to show me "out in the field" how things got done. Expect we only went out in the field three times. I was left to meet with clients without any serious idea of what I was doing. You mix bad training with incompetent management and then top it off with sporadic pay periods and you feel abused from most angles. When I quit all I wanted to do was tell these people every step they took to make a worthless job even more pathetic.
Lately I have been finding myself in hotels around the eastern United States. Tonight I noticed something interesting. As I was walking down a hallway, I could hear voiced inside rooms, men speaking loudly. Some on cell phones, some seeming to host football parties. I did not hear any women's voices. On my way back from the ice machine, a few doors were opening, men on their way to dinner, getting into work trucks and panel vans. These were the men I was becoming. Working for some company, probably as a 1099 employee. No benefits and dragged away from their families, as winter lurks around the corner. Life was about to get funky and yet, as I tuned into conversations and watched the interactions, the men seemed to be kind happy. Smiling, joking and speaking loudly. Maybe it was that they were happy to be working and getting paid no matter what. That, and the idea that, sometimes it's kind of nice to be on the road, focused on a job and not worrying about dinner or if the wife thought she looked fat in her new Wal-Mart pants.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
About time
This is something I think those of us who travel a lot want to hear almost daily. This from Time Magazine:
Kids will be kids, but one cranky 2-year-old was acting too much his age for a Southwest Airlines flight crew who kicked him off a plane getting ready to leave for San Jose.
Pamela Root says she was confident her son Adam's screams of "Go! Plane! Go!" and "I want Daddy!" would subside once the plane took off Monday in Amarillo, Texas.
But she says the plane taxied back to the gate and the pair was escorted off.
The 38-year-old stay-at-home mom wants an apology and compensation for the portable crib and diapers she had to buy for the extra night away from home.
Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis says removing a crying child from a flight is unusual, but crews have leeway to resolve situations.
McInnis says the airline is looking into the incident.
Kids will be kids, but one cranky 2-year-old was acting too much his age for a Southwest Airlines flight crew who kicked him off a plane getting ready to leave for San Jose.
Pamela Root says she was confident her son Adam's screams of "Go! Plane! Go!" and "I want Daddy!" would subside once the plane took off Monday in Amarillo, Texas.
But she says the plane taxied back to the gate and the pair was escorted off.
The 38-year-old stay-at-home mom wants an apology and compensation for the portable crib and diapers she had to buy for the extra night away from home.
Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis says removing a crying child from a flight is unusual, but crews have leeway to resolve situations.
McInnis says the airline is looking into the incident.
Friday, October 30, 2009
50 Billion
The United States taxpayers spent about 50 billion dollars bailing out General Motors last year. Now the people own about 61 percent of the company, which seems like about the worst deal possible.
Banks that were bailed out last year have actually been paying back some of the money used to bail out their terrible investments and strange financial investment strategies.
Poor management in the giant businesses are the obvious targets for taxpayer anger. In fact, they are completely responsible for running banks and car makers into the ground. What is hard to understand is why we continue to bail out companies that are probably not really in a long range forecast. The world is changing and the problem with GM is that it is not trying to do anything for the future, it still remains focused on a time when gas was cheap and people drove everywhere.
The money wasted on GM and many of the banks too big to fail would have been better spent looking to the future and how to build the type of economy that will be profitable in that near future. Things we all know, the gas engine will become too expensive to run, so for starters, why not spend a billion or 2 on companies that are developing a future mode of transportation that is not based on a fuel source that is almost played out.
One thing I always find frustrating is when a city faces an expensive fix for a road or bridge, and here I am thinking of the "big dig" in Boston, the bridge in Minneapolis that fell into a river and the Viaduct in Seattle that is about to fall apart, and how these cities always choose to just build or rebuild the exact same car-centric travel option. Great cities that have been great for a long time and will probably be great for a long time have systems that transport thousands of people via train or metro. This serves a city in a variety of ways, not the least of which is keeping cars out of the core of the city. What are these city "leaders" thinking when they spend billions on rebuilding a failing road system?
One of the sad aspects of American thinking is always reacting in the face of tragedy or danger, and never thinking proactively before they face terrible choices. Example? 9-11 security. Only after planes started crashing into buildings did airports start getting serious about making sure passengers did not carry materials or weapons onto planes. Guess what? The next terror attack will be doubtfully involve planes. We reacted in an absurd manner to justify security that will no longer keep us any safer.
That same backward thinking is true in bailing out banks and car companies. First, the banks wounds were self inflicted. Idiocy and greed ruled the day and instead of letting these idiots suffer, the Bush administration decided that the too big to fail tag would justify hundreds of billions in short sighted bail outs. When it comes to GM there really is no justification for bailing out this ailing car company. The few jobs that were saved will be gone because the management and design teams in place will not be gone soon enough. The idiots are the same as the bankers, as long as they get bailed out they will not be forced to learn from the mistakes.
By the way, at the height of its profitability, General Motors was valued at 57 billion dollars. Which means, obviously, that when it was just about to go out of business, the American taxpayers paid top dollar and more for a company that can probably never turn itself around and become an industry leader. Think to yourself for a minute, when was the last time you considered a GM vehicle as a possible purchase? For me, I have never thought GM made a good car that I would be proud to own.
Banks that were bailed out last year have actually been paying back some of the money used to bail out their terrible investments and strange financial investment strategies.
Poor management in the giant businesses are the obvious targets for taxpayer anger. In fact, they are completely responsible for running banks and car makers into the ground. What is hard to understand is why we continue to bail out companies that are probably not really in a long range forecast. The world is changing and the problem with GM is that it is not trying to do anything for the future, it still remains focused on a time when gas was cheap and people drove everywhere.
The money wasted on GM and many of the banks too big to fail would have been better spent looking to the future and how to build the type of economy that will be profitable in that near future. Things we all know, the gas engine will become too expensive to run, so for starters, why not spend a billion or 2 on companies that are developing a future mode of transportation that is not based on a fuel source that is almost played out.
One thing I always find frustrating is when a city faces an expensive fix for a road or bridge, and here I am thinking of the "big dig" in Boston, the bridge in Minneapolis that fell into a river and the Viaduct in Seattle that is about to fall apart, and how these cities always choose to just build or rebuild the exact same car-centric travel option. Great cities that have been great for a long time and will probably be great for a long time have systems that transport thousands of people via train or metro. This serves a city in a variety of ways, not the least of which is keeping cars out of the core of the city. What are these city "leaders" thinking when they spend billions on rebuilding a failing road system?
One of the sad aspects of American thinking is always reacting in the face of tragedy or danger, and never thinking proactively before they face terrible choices. Example? 9-11 security. Only after planes started crashing into buildings did airports start getting serious about making sure passengers did not carry materials or weapons onto planes. Guess what? The next terror attack will be doubtfully involve planes. We reacted in an absurd manner to justify security that will no longer keep us any safer.
That same backward thinking is true in bailing out banks and car companies. First, the banks wounds were self inflicted. Idiocy and greed ruled the day and instead of letting these idiots suffer, the Bush administration decided that the too big to fail tag would justify hundreds of billions in short sighted bail outs. When it comes to GM there really is no justification for bailing out this ailing car company. The few jobs that were saved will be gone because the management and design teams in place will not be gone soon enough. The idiots are the same as the bankers, as long as they get bailed out they will not be forced to learn from the mistakes.
By the way, at the height of its profitability, General Motors was valued at 57 billion dollars. Which means, obviously, that when it was just about to go out of business, the American taxpayers paid top dollar and more for a company that can probably never turn itself around and become an industry leader. Think to yourself for a minute, when was the last time you considered a GM vehicle as a possible purchase? For me, I have never thought GM made a good car that I would be proud to own.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Recovery at long last
Labor department is spinning the latest unemployment figures with the strangest language possible. "The number of people claiming jobless benefits for the first time dropped less than expected last week, evidence that the labor market remains weak even as the economy is recovering."
Dropped less than expected? So, experts expected more people to file for unemployment, but fewer did, and that is a signt he economy is turning around? "I was a little less pregnant than you may have expected, otherwise, I remain pregnant."
This jobless recovery every economist seemed to be yammering about is interesting. The economy is showing signs of life after months of record breaking foreclosures and a hardly breathing GNP. Here is what I think the economists from the ivory towers of New York City may not be aware of, a jobless recovery is no recovery at all. Sure, the people investing after the market fell below 6000 may be raking in profits, but the people who lost their homes and their jobs and are finding a jobless recovery means just that are not celebrating the billions in profit reported by Bank of America.
Jobless means all sorts of things, but if you describe yourself as jobless the very last thing you want to hear is that the national economy is celebrating you. These are getting to be desperate times for many people. The experts looking at real unemployment nationwide hovering around 10 percent and reporting that the economy is getting stronger are not living in the real world. You can not report one week that more people are homeless and going without meals and have no healthcare and then try to spin that story about how as long as bonuses are being dolled out on Wall Street, people just barely surviving should be smiling.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Health care joe
Found this explaination about senator Joe Liebermans latest betrayal to the democratic leadership. I think it fits the shmuck.
Back when establishment Democrats (like Obama!) were trying to convince us loony internet liberals not to campaign against Joe Lieberman, you heard a lot about how Lieberman is only a conservative on foreign policy, and not domestic issues. (How his full-throated support for any bombing campaign against any Muslims anywhere in the world is supposed to be not as big a deal as the fact that he doesn't want to publicly execute gays or whatever has always been beyond us, but that is what we were told.) Now he's pissed that distinction away.
We all know that Vinegar Joe Lieberman is a sanctimonious, thin-skinned, self-satisfied monster. And a pious, amoral scumbag. And a narcissistic, deluded underminer who represents everything that is wrong with the United States Senate. And a war-mongering, concern-trolling religious zealot. And, generally, a bastard. And probably a racist. But why would this weasel-human hybrid who is actually literally slowly receding into his own asshole a little bit every day suddenly pipe up on health care reform with a position at odds with most Connecticut residents and a vast majority of the Democrats he claims to represent?
Because no one had been paying attention to him! (And also because he is owned by the various insurance companies of Connecticut. Like he is literally Aetna's personal offensive Jeff Dunham puppet. Well, they have to share him with AIPAC.)
This is the thing, Joe. The opt-out public option is a conservative compromise. It is a compromise from a non-opt-out public option, which is a compromise from a non-opt-out public option tied to Medicare rates, which is a compromise from a non-opt-out public option tied to Medicare rates and open to everyone, which is a compromise fromsingle-payer. You would like a further compromise, to "no health care reform, at all, unless the Democrats all kneel down and blow me, as I will demand they do whenever they might need my vote, from now until I finally decide to caucus with the Republicans, which will only happen if the Republicans take the majority and the Democrats stop blowing me periodically."
And, obviously, his literal, stated objections to the bill are not based in any way on reality.
So the question basically is, what is his end-game here? What the fuck is he doing?
Whether Joe Lieberman will run for reelection in 2012 is currently a mystery. He has $1.4 million in the bank, which is a lot, but not as much as he had in 2006.
He also is polling rather terribly in Connecticut, where Democrats and independents both prefer real Democrats. He could run as a real Republican, but, as we said, those independent voters he needs to win do not like him, at the moment.
So our "what is Joe Lieberman doing" possibilities are:
- He is just following the golden path of his own of self-delusion, thinking he will be remembered as a mavericky hero who bucked the status quo once he retires in 2012.
- He's going all-in as a Republican in the desperate hope that a 2012 GOP landslide will win him one more term.
- He is just trying to sink health care completely for his insurance company friends, who will give him a lucrative post-Senate job.
- He is just trying to force Harry Reid to pay him fealty once again, because it makes him feel nice.
- He is just a prick.
Weirdly, Lieberman said he'd vote to bring the bill to the floor, and then he'd support a GOP filibuster. A GOP filibuster is decidedly not a sure thing, though it certainly moves one step closer to a sure thing every time Joe Lieberman opens his mouth. Christ, what an asshole.
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