Ding Dong DADT

I stole the post title from the Boing Boing entry where I found this announcement today. Do we really need to belabor the point that it's about time?

Been Here Before

The President was out in the Rose Garden today talking tough about what he will do if the Congress (read "Republicans") sends him a deficit reduction plan that doesn't include new revenue (read "taxes"). He says he will veto it. I wonder if this veto promise is like the one last December when he was not going to budge on renewing tax cuts for the rich? Obama is presenting a plan for reducing the deficit and providing jobs for people through spending on infrastructure projects, among other things. To get money for the latter, he posits the necessity for raising more money in the time-honored fashion of all governments since the Pharohs: raising taxes. But you can forget that. Obama's plans are DOA in the Tea-Party-crazed House.

What's the scenario here, folks? We've been here before. It's just another variation on a common theme we've been hearing for the last three years. That is, the Republican party will stiff Obama on whatever he proposes that they don't want, and that includes ANY new revenue-raising measures at all. They will not compromise. They have yet to compromise with the White House. How in the name of hell can anybody suppose they're going to change now? These people are not going to budge a centimeter until after the election over a year from now. And they don't give a flying f--k what damage is done to the country or to the poor, the working stiffs, and other middle class suckers out there. All that matters to the Congressional obstructionists is keeping their corporate masters happy.  Seizing power again November 2012 is all these guys care about. Nothing else.


USA Today has several stories about this depressing subject. See here and here.

Fun, fun, fun

Tomorrow morning I'm going to be undergoing my second-in-my-life colonoscopy. My clean out the pipes regimen started at 4 p.m., and it has not been fun since. About the only thing I can think of worse at this point is actually having to do colonoscopies for a living. What kind of person actually chooses to be closely examining butts and all that goes with them for a living?

The Lost Decade

A story in the New York Times a few days ago underscores what a terrible ordeal millions of people in this country have been enduring. Last year another 2.6 million Americans slipped below the poverty line. According to the census bureau, 46.2 million Americans are impoverished, the highest this number has been in 52 years. The percentage of Americans living in poverty (15.1) is the highest it's been since 1993. Household income levels are also down to levels that haven't been seen since 1996.

While these numbers might help Obama make the case for his jobs program, the Republicans will certainly use them to blame the administration for this miserable state of affairs.

Oh, then there's this:

The past decade was also marked by a growing gap between the very top and very bottom of the income ladder. Median household income for the bottom tenth of the income spectrum fell by 12 percent from a peak in 1999, while the top 90th percentile dropped by just 1.5 percent. Overall, median household income adjusted for inflation declined by 2.3 percent in 2010 from the previous year, to $49,445. That was 7 percent less than the peak of $53,252 in 1999. Part of the income decline over time is because of the smaller size of the American family.

I was talking to somebody last week at a posh wedding reception. This lady and her hubby both work for a living, but amazingly--to me, at least--she doesn't exhibit much concern about the fate of poor people. People who are desperate and sinking. What she does is quote the old Biblical bromide about the poor always being around. Yeah, right. This doesn't do a damn thing for them, but it sure makes the observer comfortable with doing nothing to help them. I hate this kind of hypocrisy; I really do.

Can't Help It

I'm constantly dickering around on the computer searching for new ways of doing things better. Susan would dispute this. She claims at times to be a computer widow. (Although, in truth, that's a bit of a wash when you consider all her myriad social engagements . . . but that's another post.) Anyway, I just took a big step yesterday of switching back to the Firefox browser from Google's Chrome browser. I don't do these things lightly; I have to have a good reason. Well, in this case, Chrome had really gotten so slow connecting to the Net that I couldn't stand it anymore.

So I took the huge step of changing everyday browser. Back to Firefox after some time--well over a year, I think. The current version of Firefox (7.0) is much quicker than what I left behind. The chief objection I had to it before has been somewhat alleviated. In Chrome, typing in the navigation pane automatically engages the Google search engine. It's quite handy. In Firefox 7.0, you can do this too by typing a "g" before whatever entry you make. (Firefox uses the Yahoo engine by default.) You can search Amazon and Wikipedia with an "A" and "W" prefix. This is a small bump in the road, and once you get used to it, no big deal. The burn-in period on a new piece of software is about a week. I think I'll be totally comfortable in less time.

How Much We Care

Dangerous Felon

Take a look at this guy and answer me two questions: do you think this man is in full possession of his mental faculties? and do you think this man has a home?

If you answered yes to either of the questions, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

Another question: does he look like a felon to you? Take your time. Well, guess what? He is. He's been charged with a fourth offense of retail theft, and hence under our absurd three strikes and you're a dangerous criminal practice, he is now a felon. The Boing Boing piece where I found his story is matter-of-fact. This man, Scott T. Shover, 53, was arrested "at taser point" inside of a Wal-Mart store in central Pennsylvania for eating raw meat out of the meat counter. Apparently he was tearing open the packages and doubtless terrorizing other customers. So the police, with their tasers at the ready, came a took him away. He went quietly.

What do you see here? What I see here is likely a homeless guy, probably a mentally ill guy, with no teeth. Who is hungry. Our society has made criminals of such people. Previously, back in those old, unsophisticated days of yore, we put such people in hospitals for the mentally ill, and we fed them. All of that was done on tax monies. If anybody had the temerity to suggest today that we as a society were bound to care for such people among us and that we resume this humanitarian service through the agencies of government . . . why such an apostate would be summarily ushered to the courtyard and tased to death by a gleeful band of law enforcement agents.

Too Cool

Sometimes you run across things just too cool not to share. A friend recently sent me this link and accompanying video. The link will tell you what you're seeing and the scientific explanation. Knock yourself out.