I would not be surprised if Obama and Reid suddenly relented and agreed to a one year delay in the individual mandate. It's not that the country is on the cusp of wave of bipartisan pragmatism but rather it might be advantageous after a sober assessment of the numbers enrolling in Obamacare. A one word description would catastrophic for two word try train wreck. The early number coming from the state sponsored exchange, Cover California were a positive until it was revealed that the 7,000,000 original number represented page views; not visitors. In other word, something like 700,000 visitors each viewed 10 pages. Eventually the official number of visitors was reported to be 645,000. Six hundred and forty-five thousand from a population of 38 million is a great deal less than an enthusiastic welcome, representing only about .016% of said population. That's not exactly black Friday!
In a video entitled Nobody Is Enrolled in Obamacare in California which you may view here and was uploaded the 3rd of October, a California television station reports that after two days no one in California had actually purchased a policy but 7100 people had submitted applications. Wow! that's 7100/38 million and you can to do the math. A news story coming from an insurance industry source reported there was not a single sale in the entire state of Louisiana. Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut was boasting on C-Span and Twitter that his state sponsored exchange had signed up 167 people the first day. One must suppose the poor chap is too dumb to know failure when he sees it. At that rate Connecticut would only insure 28,980 after 180 days from a population of about 3.5 million. Depending on income some of these will just be put on Medicaid. In contrast IBM removed 110,000 retirees from its healthcare plan.
The glitch is not in the server software; it's in the law. I would imagine the Obama administration is thankful for the online glitches as they mask the disaster that is Obamacare. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that after the enrollment period ends in March that there will be fewer people insured with the only two up ticks coming in the forms of premium rates and Medicaid recipients. That could be terminal for many political careers and cause partisan of both persuasions to change their opinions of Justice John Roberts.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Scott Alderson Facebook Posts
From 10/2/2013
MSN poll. have you enrolled at healthcare.gov yet?
7,683 - yes and it went well
6,555 - yes and it was dreadful
18,999 - no but I plan to
114,574 - no and I won't until I absolutely have to
I think that pretty much spells it out.
Update: 10/5/2013
wow, talk about your total bullshit media spin. When this poll was up 2 days (Have you enrolled at healthcare.gov yet?) ago the last choice was no, and I don't plan to until I'm forced! 117,000 votes over 78% of respondents, BUT NOW that choice has been deleted along with the votes.
http://specials.msn.com/more-polls.aspx
MSN poll. have you enrolled at healthcare.gov yet?
7,683 - yes and it went well
6,555 - yes and it was dreadful
18,999 - no but I plan to
114,574 - no and I won't until I absolutely have to
I think that pretty much spells it out.
Update: 10/5/2013
wow, talk about your total bullshit media spin. When this poll was up 2 days (Have you enrolled at healthcare.gov yet?) ago the last choice was no, and I don't plan to until I'm forced! 117,000 votes over 78% of respondents, BUT NOW that choice has been deleted along with the votes.
http://specials.msn.com/more-polls.aspx
Friday, October 4, 2013
5 NYC Cops Involved in Attack on SUV
At least five New York City Police officers were present during the brutal beating of New York businessman
Alexian Lien. That number includes two detectives. It is also reported that several corrections officers were among the throng of bikers. With police officers like this who needs terrorists? As of yet Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the nation's foremost authorities on the causes of violence and the deleterious effects of sugar, salt and trans fats, has yet to address the issue of lawless bike gangs populated by people in his employ.
Notice the passenger side and rear windows in Lien's SUV are shattered. What possible reason was there to attack Lien's wife and child? Ambulance chaser Gloria Allred, who has been hired by Edwin Mieses who was run over by Lien's Range Rover claims that her client was an innocent bystander who just happened to be standing in the middle of the expressway when he was run over notwithstanding the fact that just minutes earlier he had been part of the gang that caused Lien to stop. Good luck with that.
Notice the passenger side and rear windows in Lien's SUV are shattered. What possible reason was there to attack Lien's wife and child? Ambulance chaser Gloria Allred, who has been hired by Edwin Mieses who was run over by Lien's Range Rover claims that her client was an innocent bystander who just happened to be standing in the middle of the expressway when he was run over notwithstanding the fact that just minutes earlier he had been part of the gang that caused Lien to stop. Good luck with that.
Gloria Allred to the Rescue
Hot shot Democratic Party flack and bottom feeding California tort lawyer, Gloria Allred, is representing the family of
Edwin Mieses the New York City motorcyclist who suffered two broken legs and a crushed spine as he and scores of other lawless bikers were terrorizing
Alexian Lien and his wife and two year old child. Psst, Gloria, he literally doesn't have a leg to stand on. Allred is expected to claim that Mieses was an innocent victim of road rage on the part of Lien whose real crimes seems to have been being financially well off and driving an SUV.
Even the venerable, California based fraternal group, the Hells Angels has expressed outrage at the violence perpetrated by Mieses and friends. Speaking at the East Village headquarters one Angel branded the attack as appalling and unacceptable.
“That kind of behavior is unacceptable — and with a kid in the car, nonetheless! I have a 3-year-old niece,” said one biker who was hanging out at the Hells Angels’ East Village headquarters Thursday.
He slammed the thugs for taking the law into their own hands by chasing down and beating Internet executive Alexian Lien, 33, on Sunday after a fender bender on the highway.
“You get the name and license plate and let the cops deal with it. But violence? I don’t condone that,” the biker said.
“If that had been my kid and I was the one driving . . .” he said before stopping himself.
“It’s always a few people who give us all a bad name.”
Allred's case abounds with difficulties. The facts of the case are not in dispute. They have been viewed by more than a million YouTube viewers. Lien's fears were not unfounded as evidenced by the fact he was beaten and had his face slashed. Yes, the police were notified- 9 times in the space of about 4 minutes as Lien's terrified wife called 911 begging for help. Mieses holds no drivers license and will not be eligible to apply until 2017 because he has racked up 16 traffic violations in the past 14 years. The New York City jury pool is so hostile to motorcyclists that even legitimate personal injury cases by bikers seldom go to trial. Finally, Mr Mieses has managed to give even the Hells Angels a bad name.
One has to wonder who is paying Allred. The injured mope who is facing a lifetime in a wheelchair couldn't afford Allred's plane fare let alone her retainer. And why Allred? New York City has a shortage of lawyers? One suspects there is something of a perverse political agenda here that is better served by media melodrama than judicial reasoning.
Although this is the first documented time the biker group known as Hollywood Stuntz has been involved in violence it is not if diminutive Mayor Michael Bloomberg's police force was unaware of its antics. Police received over 150 calls complaining of the bikers' activity the day of the attack upon Lien. There is speculation that they were attempting to blockade the expressway so as to be able to perform stunts uninterrupted by traffic. The video below taken after the incident shows the group's disdain for fellow motorists as well as the law.
Let me remind readers that all of this goes on in the same city where firearms and large soda drinks are verboten. As blogger Glenn Reynolds notes such behavior could get one shot in Knox Country, Tennessee. The same mayor who has ample time and money to promote anti gun legislation throughout the country allows his own citizens to be preyed on by vicious thugs. Perhaps a delegation from Colorado will want to trek to the Big Apple to promote effective law enforcement and traffic safety. One notices when watching NYC television anchors that the Hollywood Stuntz cretins enjoy some media support especially when the anchors refer to felonious assault as road rage. The felons in questions seem to have built a politically correct The Wild One aura in a wonderland where any right of self defense has long gone out of vogue. One can be sure that these type of shenanigans would not have gone on under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Live Leaks downloaded hours of videos posted by gang members before they could be deleted from YouTube including this one showing the gang attacking a motorist in 2011.
Evidently stopping bikers from commandeering the public streets is just too much for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. What's a commissioner to do? The bikers are loath to stop for law enforcement and pursuits only lead to accidents so really the police's hands are tied. Of course stopping and frisking innocent pedestrians has its merits because there is always the off chance one of them may have a gun but on the open road, well boys will be boys. In this sad case the cowardice and cruelty of the bikers is surpassed only by the incompetence and obsequiousness of an out of control government that regards cyber bullying as crime and real crime as hijinks.
Update: From The New York Post:
An off-duty, undercover NYPD cop was among the pack of bikers who chased a family up the West Side Highway — and he stood by as the dad was hauled from his car and beaten, sources told The Post.
The unidentified officer waited three days to come forward Wednesday night. He has been placed on modified duty, and turned in his gun an badge on Friday, the sources said.
He rides with the New Rochelle-based Front Line Soldiers, a club that also counts several other cops among its members, a source said.
Internal Affairs is investigating whether those cops, too, were among the bikers — and whether they also witnessed the assault that left Internet exec Alexian Lien bleeding on the pavement as his wife and toddler cowered in their black Range Rover. See also 5 NYC Cops Involved in Attack on SUV
Even the venerable, California based fraternal group, the Hells Angels has expressed outrage at the violence perpetrated by Mieses and friends. Speaking at the East Village headquarters one Angel branded the attack as appalling and unacceptable.
“That kind of behavior is unacceptable — and with a kid in the car, nonetheless! I have a 3-year-old niece,” said one biker who was hanging out at the Hells Angels’ East Village headquarters Thursday.
He slammed the thugs for taking the law into their own hands by chasing down and beating Internet executive Alexian Lien, 33, on Sunday after a fender bender on the highway.
“You get the name and license plate and let the cops deal with it. But violence? I don’t condone that,” the biker said.
“If that had been my kid and I was the one driving . . .” he said before stopping himself.
“It’s always a few people who give us all a bad name.”
Allred's case abounds with difficulties. The facts of the case are not in dispute. They have been viewed by more than a million YouTube viewers. Lien's fears were not unfounded as evidenced by the fact he was beaten and had his face slashed. Yes, the police were notified- 9 times in the space of about 4 minutes as Lien's terrified wife called 911 begging for help. Mieses holds no drivers license and will not be eligible to apply until 2017 because he has racked up 16 traffic violations in the past 14 years. The New York City jury pool is so hostile to motorcyclists that even legitimate personal injury cases by bikers seldom go to trial. Finally, Mr Mieses has managed to give even the Hells Angels a bad name.
One has to wonder who is paying Allred. The injured mope who is facing a lifetime in a wheelchair couldn't afford Allred's plane fare let alone her retainer. And why Allred? New York City has a shortage of lawyers? One suspects there is something of a perverse political agenda here that is better served by media melodrama than judicial reasoning.
Although this is the first documented time the biker group known as Hollywood Stuntz has been involved in violence it is not if diminutive Mayor Michael Bloomberg's police force was unaware of its antics. Police received over 150 calls complaining of the bikers' activity the day of the attack upon Lien. There is speculation that they were attempting to blockade the expressway so as to be able to perform stunts uninterrupted by traffic. The video below taken after the incident shows the group's disdain for fellow motorists as well as the law.
Let me remind readers that all of this goes on in the same city where firearms and large soda drinks are verboten. As blogger Glenn Reynolds notes such behavior could get one shot in Knox Country, Tennessee. The same mayor who has ample time and money to promote anti gun legislation throughout the country allows his own citizens to be preyed on by vicious thugs. Perhaps a delegation from Colorado will want to trek to the Big Apple to promote effective law enforcement and traffic safety. One notices when watching NYC television anchors that the Hollywood Stuntz cretins enjoy some media support especially when the anchors refer to felonious assault as road rage. The felons in questions seem to have built a politically correct The Wild One aura in a wonderland where any right of self defense has long gone out of vogue. One can be sure that these type of shenanigans would not have gone on under Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Live Leaks downloaded hours of videos posted by gang members before they could be deleted from YouTube including this one showing the gang attacking a motorist in 2011.
Evidently stopping bikers from commandeering the public streets is just too much for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. What's a commissioner to do? The bikers are loath to stop for law enforcement and pursuits only lead to accidents so really the police's hands are tied. Of course stopping and frisking innocent pedestrians has its merits because there is always the off chance one of them may have a gun but on the open road, well boys will be boys. In this sad case the cowardice and cruelty of the bikers is surpassed only by the incompetence and obsequiousness of an out of control government that regards cyber bullying as crime and real crime as hijinks.
Update: From The New York Post:
An off-duty, undercover NYPD cop was among the pack of bikers who chased a family up the West Side Highway — and he stood by as the dad was hauled from his car and beaten, sources told The Post.
The unidentified officer waited three days to come forward Wednesday night. He has been placed on modified duty, and turned in his gun an badge on Friday, the sources said.
He rides with the New Rochelle-based Front Line Soldiers, a club that also counts several other cops among its members, a source said.
Internal Affairs is investigating whether those cops, too, were among the bikers — and whether they also witnessed the assault that left Internet exec Alexian Lien bleeding on the pavement as his wife and toddler cowered in their black Range Rover. See also 5 NYC Cops Involved in Attack on SUV
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Sorry, Kate
I'm so sorry, Kate. Everyone knows how hard and how deviously you've worked to make Obamacare the bane of all Americans and it just doesn't seem fair that none of you good friends back in Kansas bothered to sign up for it.
Where would police PR be without "officer safety"
The breaking story of shots fired near the Capitol sent legislators, staff, and media, ducking for cover. It appears now that it was not an attack on the Capitol rather just a related police matter. Suppose the good legislators, staff, and media some of whom reported breathlessly and excitedly on the presumed ongoing attack were to find out that the shooting was merely friendly fire from the friendly swat team conducting a drug raid across the street. You can bet there would be hell to pay and somebody's career disappear faster congressional ethics in a lobbyist's office.
A like incident recently happened in that beacon of enlightenment and fiscal integrity, Detroit, but the traumatized witnesses were school children. Right. Police conduct a raid across the street from a school and got of a couple of obligatory rounds at some pit bulls, sending the children screaming and running for cover.
The Detroit Free Press lamely reports;
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said today that officers will give greater scrutiny to location and timing when they prepare to execute search warrants.
Gee don't put yourself out, Chief.
The chief went on to explain that the cops could not have given the school a heads up on the raid because it would jeopardize "officer safety". The department says it has changed its policy regarding raids but it can't tell the public what changes it made.
Jones said at a news conference Wednesday that the department “implemented policy changes to prevent this from happening in the future.” Craig and Jones declined to detail the changes, citing a need to protect officers’ safety.
This guy has a future with the Obama administration as soon as he learns to substitute "office safety" with "ongoing investigation".
A like incident recently happened in that beacon of enlightenment and fiscal integrity, Detroit, but the traumatized witnesses were school children. Right. Police conduct a raid across the street from a school and got of a couple of obligatory rounds at some pit bulls, sending the children screaming and running for cover.
The Detroit Free Press lamely reports;
Detroit Police Chief James Craig said today that officers will give greater scrutiny to location and timing when they prepare to execute search warrants.
Gee don't put yourself out, Chief.
The chief went on to explain that the cops could not have given the school a heads up on the raid because it would jeopardize "officer safety". The department says it has changed its policy regarding raids but it can't tell the public what changes it made.
Jones said at a news conference Wednesday that the department “implemented policy changes to prevent this from happening in the future.” Craig and Jones declined to detail the changes, citing a need to protect officers’ safety.
This guy has a future with the Obama administration as soon as he learns to substitute "office safety" with "ongoing investigation".
They Don't Make Armageddon Like They Used To
As stated before, it is not the Barack Obamas who demoralize me. There will always be Jim Jones types who want to hijack the human spirit. All it takes is honest people to stand up to the con artists and the con artist withers in the daylight.
It is the Boehners and Cantors and Rubios and Browns and Ayottes who suck the pranhna and the qi and the zeal from my soul. Yeah, they are that bad. Then along comes Ted Cruz who does absolutely nothing sensational and things change overnight.
Yes, I like Ted Cruz but truth is he did nothing all that remarkable. What Senator Cruz did was stand up and speak the truth. In the golden age of cowardice, this sort of behavior is a novelty. As unremarkable as that might be, the ripple effect is not to be underestimated. All of a sudden we have Republicans not named Peter King working in unison.
Meanwhile, Fox News, Charles Krauthammer, A. B. Stoddard et al, talk about exit strategies, and futility and a defeated Congress. I would remind these sophists that Obama's Rasmussen approval ratings dropped five points since the shutdown started.
The sophists tell us that the debt limit is the better fight. Throw in the towel. Circle the wagons. Blather blather blather. Why does it have to be either/or? The anticlimactic shutdown is the perfect lead-in to the debt ceiling debate. Obama and Reid have brilliantly illustrated that a large segment of government spending is not essential. They have unwittingly pulled the curtain on waste, fraud and abuse. The longer the citizens view the details--and feel little or no effect--the easier it will be to make the case for cost-cutting in mid-October.
Symbolically, we have had a week of heavenly weather. We are told that dogs can detect cancer cells ahead of any other technology and America will soon be the world's leader in petroleum. They just don't make Armageddon like they used to.
It is the Boehners and Cantors and Rubios and Browns and Ayottes who suck the pranhna and the qi and the zeal from my soul. Yeah, they are that bad. Then along comes Ted Cruz who does absolutely nothing sensational and things change overnight.
Yes, I like Ted Cruz but truth is he did nothing all that remarkable. What Senator Cruz did was stand up and speak the truth. In the golden age of cowardice, this sort of behavior is a novelty. As unremarkable as that might be, the ripple effect is not to be underestimated. All of a sudden we have Republicans not named Peter King working in unison.
Meanwhile, Fox News, Charles Krauthammer, A. B. Stoddard et al, talk about exit strategies, and futility and a defeated Congress. I would remind these sophists that Obama's Rasmussen approval ratings dropped five points since the shutdown started.
The sophists tell us that the debt limit is the better fight. Throw in the towel. Circle the wagons. Blather blather blather. Why does it have to be either/or? The anticlimactic shutdown is the perfect lead-in to the debt ceiling debate. Obama and Reid have brilliantly illustrated that a large segment of government spending is not essential. They have unwittingly pulled the curtain on waste, fraud and abuse. The longer the citizens view the details--and feel little or no effect--the easier it will be to make the case for cost-cutting in mid-October.
Symbolically, we have had a week of heavenly weather. We are told that dogs can detect cancer cells ahead of any other technology and America will soon be the world's leader in petroleum. They just don't make Armageddon like they used to.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Jay Leno sees a blessing in the shutdown
Relative to the proceeding post Jay Leno's audience does not seemed overly concerned about the shutdown.
The Day After The Sky Fell
Remember the bloody days following the sequestration when America resorted to cannibalism and we all filtered water from our septic tanks to keep body and soul together? No one wants to talk about those days. One vast painful memory. Better to just forget about it.
Just as the prophets had warned us, the government shutdown would bring hardships innumerable. We awaken to the collective din of kitchen knives being sharpened. Today, it is the house pet on the dinner table. Tomorrow, it will be the slow-moving, well-fed neighbor. How many more, Mr. Speaker? How many more?
Just as the prophets had warned us, the government shutdown would bring hardships innumerable. We awaken to the collective din of kitchen knives being sharpened. Today, it is the house pet on the dinner table. Tomorrow, it will be the slow-moving, well-fed neighbor. How many more, Mr. Speaker? How many more?
Barney Fife is alive and well and living in California
Never heard of Yreka, California, population 7765? Well, according to local authorities they have don't have a lot of shootings but there have been many at the national level so as not to be out gunned by the local desperadoes the city fathers procured this nifty armored vehicle. Clever!
It's too bad the writers at the old Andy Griffith never though of a story line like this. Put Barney in charge of law enforcement in Mayberry while Andy Taylor is on vacation and when he comes back Barney and Floyd the barber have bought a high tech tank that gets 9 miles per gallon and no one knows how to work on. Yreka Police Chief Brian Bowles sound like the perfect Barney. “This will be a very important resource. I want my officers to have the best equipment possible to effectively do their jobs and keep the residents of Yreka safe.”
The 43,500-pound armored MRAP cost the federal government $658,000 to build in 2008, said Bowles. According to the vehicle’s documentation, it seats six as well as a gunner. It is equipped to plow through fire, and its airtight features allow for safe transport during chemical warfare. ( We do have a lot of chemical warfare in California) There are no weapons mounted on the MRAP.
“To my knowledge, there are no other vehicles like this in Siskiyou County,” commented Bowles. You don't say?
It's too bad the writers at the old Andy Griffith never though of a story line like this. Put Barney in charge of law enforcement in Mayberry while Andy Taylor is on vacation and when he comes back Barney and Floyd the barber have bought a high tech tank that gets 9 miles per gallon and no one knows how to work on. Yreka Police Chief Brian Bowles sound like the perfect Barney. “This will be a very important resource. I want my officers to have the best equipment possible to effectively do their jobs and keep the residents of Yreka safe.”
The 43,500-pound armored MRAP cost the federal government $658,000 to build in 2008, said Bowles. According to the vehicle’s documentation, it seats six as well as a gunner. It is equipped to plow through fire, and its airtight features allow for safe transport during chemical warfare. ( We do have a lot of chemical warfare in California) There are no weapons mounted on the MRAP.
“To my knowledge, there are no other vehicles like this in Siskiyou County,” commented Bowles. You don't say?
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Is The Zombie A Metaphor For Obama Followers?
I love science fiction though I don't have time to read it anymore. Like a lot of sf fans, I dislike wizards and vampires and such. For many of us, life is interesting enough without these creatures. We can speculate and ask "what if?" without adding cheesy idioms that appeal to the silly-minded.
People who know me well know that I always have objected outright any game that had a wizard in it (Yes, this is back in the day when I could consider playing games.) Games like Panzer Division or Gettysburg or Axis and Allies would not be improved by characters who cast spells.
Vampires always confused me. Why did a King or Rice or Meyer keep coming back to this foolishness? Why is the subject endlessly fascinating to so many people? I don't get it.
With "True Blood," "Vampire Diaries," and vampires by the truckload I sometimes asked (to anyone who wanted to field the question) why the vampire fascination, and as a follow-up, have we finally reached saturation? I even joked that vampires were passe and that we needed to get on the zombie band wagon. I became an accidental prophet, so it seems.
One lame answer I used to get about vampires is that it's metaphor. To which I would ask, metaphor for what? No answer. Have fun with your blood suckers. Don't let me ruin your fascination.
Whereas I cannot grok vampire metaphor, zombie metaphor is crystal clear. Every cultist, including the followers of Obama, is a zombie. They are all around us and they are frightening.
Back in the old days, TV networks did not want to touch racism. So clever writers like Rod Serling used aliens to tell the stories of irrational hate. Today, bloggers like me denounce Obots and the masters of mind control who play them like puppets. We don't need metaphor to explain a tragedy. Then again, I am not pitching "The Zombie Next Door" to an entertainment mogul.
Are viewers of "World War Z" intrigued because wittingly or unwittingly the movie voices their genuine fear of and concern for the mentally untethered, blindly obedient, mindless, inarticulate Obot? Can't everyone see parallels between "The Walking Dead" and the "Hope and Change" crowd? Yes We Can!
One of the problems with metaphor is that it is sometimes missed on some people, even when it is flamingly obvious. The racist could be charmed by the story of the gentle Earthling abused by the Martians and go right back to his hateful mindset when the TV was turned off. So too, the Zombiephile with the 2012 bumper sticker on his Prius might miss real life parallels. Humans have a way of compartmentalizing their thoughts and feelings and sentiments.
Like it or not, the Zombies are here. A Hollywood ending would be wonderful but real life isn't that way. All we can do is pray for "The Walking Dead."
People who know me well know that I always have objected outright any game that had a wizard in it (Yes, this is back in the day when I could consider playing games.) Games like Panzer Division or Gettysburg or Axis and Allies would not be improved by characters who cast spells.
Vampires always confused me. Why did a King or Rice or Meyer keep coming back to this foolishness? Why is the subject endlessly fascinating to so many people? I don't get it.
With "True Blood," "Vampire Diaries," and vampires by the truckload I sometimes asked (to anyone who wanted to field the question) why the vampire fascination, and as a follow-up, have we finally reached saturation? I even joked that vampires were passe and that we needed to get on the zombie band wagon. I became an accidental prophet, so it seems.
One lame answer I used to get about vampires is that it's metaphor. To which I would ask, metaphor for what? No answer. Have fun with your blood suckers. Don't let me ruin your fascination.
Whereas I cannot grok vampire metaphor, zombie metaphor is crystal clear. Every cultist, including the followers of Obama, is a zombie. They are all around us and they are frightening.
Back in the old days, TV networks did not want to touch racism. So clever writers like Rod Serling used aliens to tell the stories of irrational hate. Today, bloggers like me denounce Obots and the masters of mind control who play them like puppets. We don't need metaphor to explain a tragedy. Then again, I am not pitching "The Zombie Next Door" to an entertainment mogul.
Are viewers of "World War Z" intrigued because wittingly or unwittingly the movie voices their genuine fear of and concern for the mentally untethered, blindly obedient, mindless, inarticulate Obot? Can't everyone see parallels between "The Walking Dead" and the "Hope and Change" crowd? Yes We Can!
One of the problems with metaphor is that it is sometimes missed on some people, even when it is flamingly obvious. The racist could be charmed by the story of the gentle Earthling abused by the Martians and go right back to his hateful mindset when the TV was turned off. So too, the Zombiephile with the 2012 bumper sticker on his Prius might miss real life parallels. Humans have a way of compartmentalizing their thoughts and feelings and sentiments.
Like it or not, the Zombies are here. A Hollywood ending would be wonderful but real life isn't that way. All we can do is pray for "The Walking Dead."
Monday, September 30, 2013
What Happened To All The Phony Scandals?
I know Boehner and Cantor have mounted an Obamacare fight but did they take a dive on Benghazi and the IRS Scandal?
The IRS Scandal is now 144 years old and Congress seems to have lost interest http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2013/09/the-irs-26.html#more
Benghazi has had its one year anniversary and Congress has nothing to say on the matter? The excuse had been a six week recess but recess is over. What's the excuse now? I remember the tough talk from Jason Chaffetz and others last summer? Where are they now?
I am beginning to wonder if the budget battle is all a diversionary tactic.
The IRS Scandal is now 144 years old and Congress seems to have lost interest http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2013/09/the-irs-26.html#more
Benghazi has had its one year anniversary and Congress has nothing to say on the matter? The excuse had been a six week recess but recess is over. What's the excuse now? I remember the tough talk from Jason Chaffetz and others last summer? Where are they now?
I am beginning to wonder if the budget battle is all a diversionary tactic.
RIP "Breaking Bad"
The best drama in the history of television, a fifty or so hour movie, has come to an end. My opinionated opinion is that TV can do many things but drama is not one of them. It can do sports and it used to do news OK and it can do comedy...yes TV seems to be a comedic medium. But drama? Better rent a movie.
TV drama flowered with "The Sopranos." Unfortunately, this sometimes great show was uneven and concluded with a stupid finale that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That is the way of the better TV shows. Even the very best jump the shark tank after a few seasons. Not "Breaking Bad."
"Breaking Bad" is psychologically honest and full of surprises. With most shows, you know how they will end but you try not to think about it so as to be entertained at the unfolding events. I knew "Breaking Bad" would conclude at 10:15 and at 10:12 I was still guessing the outcome.
This is television's high water mark. I don't know if I will ever see another show like it. I salute Vince Gilligan and the entire cast and crew of "Breaking Bad." Thank you.
TV drama flowered with "The Sopranos." Unfortunately, this sometimes great show was uneven and concluded with a stupid finale that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That is the way of the better TV shows. Even the very best jump the shark tank after a few seasons. Not "Breaking Bad."
"Breaking Bad" is psychologically honest and full of surprises. With most shows, you know how they will end but you try not to think about it so as to be entertained at the unfolding events. I knew "Breaking Bad" would conclude at 10:15 and at 10:12 I was still guessing the outcome.
This is television's high water mark. I don't know if I will ever see another show like it. I salute Vince Gilligan and the entire cast and crew of "Breaking Bad." Thank you.
Police Raid Home, Shots Fired, Suspect Moved Out 6 Years Ago
I suppose one should be thankful that the cops managed to pull off a midnight raid without killing the family dog. They really need to update their intelligence now and then. The subject of the search had moved out six years ago. Once again poorly trained police officers invaded a private home and fired a shot with children present yet as usual there will be no price to pay for the egregious stupidity and ineptitude.
Spencer Bachus to retire
Republican Spencer Bachus, the former Financial Services Committee chair will retire. A "60 Minutes" report suggested they may have used private information obtained on the job to make profitable stock market moves.
I actually read the book and while it doesn't look good for members of Congress to be trading in stocks and futures his short position did not change as the meltdown unfolded. He invested right and stayed right all the way through. Still the practice of stock trading among law makers is unseemly. Good-bye. Good luck, see ya around. Have fun with the grand kids and we'll forget about you.
I actually read the book and while it doesn't look good for members of Congress to be trading in stocks and futures his short position did not change as the meltdown unfolded. He invested right and stayed right all the way through. Still the practice of stock trading among law makers is unseemly. Good-bye. Good luck, see ya around. Have fun with the grand kids and we'll forget about you.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Let's help Obama control spending
Obama owes what little presidential power he has left to
Vladimir Putin. Had Putin not intervened in Syria Obama would have faced a showdown with Congress over the use of cruise missiles to punish Syria. Obama will negotiate with Russia and Iran because he fears the Tea Party more than he fears any foreign power. His arrogance and truculence is a bluff. When push comes to shove he will blink. The main stream media has been busily rewriting history. Newt Gingrich and the House Republicans won huge concessions from Clinton and they were not mowed down in the following election. They dropped a few House seats while picking up two Senate seats. If I were leading House Republicans, I would, after the Senate rejects the latest house offer break down the continuing resolution by departments. Here is Defense, here is State, here is DOJ, all clean resolutions; take 'em or leave 'em. I might neglect to fund Energy and Labor and maybe even HUD for a few months just to make sure that the country understood well that the founding fathers had given the Congress control over spending for a reason.
Politicians like to give mundane bills lofty sounding bills such as "Making Work Pay". My bill to raise the debt limit would be entitled "Keeping Obama Honest". The annual budget deficit is about $600 billion or about $50 billion per month. As Obama has no inclination to follow the constitution or law when it is counter to his goals I would keep him on a short leash. Why not raise the debt limit in $100 billion dollar increments? Here's a 100 billion, Mr. President. That should last you until after Thanksgiving. In the meantime we will be sending you legislation reversing your modifications to Obamacare and it had better damn well get through the Senate and be signed by you before we talk about raising the debt limit again. Furthermore before you presume to ask us to let you borrow anymore money please submit a list of names for our approval that you would consider to act as special prosecutor to investigate the IRS and Benghazi scandals and forget executive privilege and get us those damn documents we subpoenaed relative to Fast and Furious so we can see if we will be needing another special prosecutor.
The public is well aware of the federal deficit like it never has been. According to a recent Bloomberg poll only 28% want to raise the debt limit without spending cuts. Bringing the issue up for a vote every two month will keep it in the front of the voters' minds until the mid term elections. If congress has the will it can rein in spending and Obama.
Politicians like to give mundane bills lofty sounding bills such as "Making Work Pay". My bill to raise the debt limit would be entitled "Keeping Obama Honest". The annual budget deficit is about $600 billion or about $50 billion per month. As Obama has no inclination to follow the constitution or law when it is counter to his goals I would keep him on a short leash. Why not raise the debt limit in $100 billion dollar increments? Here's a 100 billion, Mr. President. That should last you until after Thanksgiving. In the meantime we will be sending you legislation reversing your modifications to Obamacare and it had better damn well get through the Senate and be signed by you before we talk about raising the debt limit again. Furthermore before you presume to ask us to let you borrow anymore money please submit a list of names for our approval that you would consider to act as special prosecutor to investigate the IRS and Benghazi scandals and forget executive privilege and get us those damn documents we subpoenaed relative to Fast and Furious so we can see if we will be needing another special prosecutor.
The public is well aware of the federal deficit like it never has been. According to a recent Bloomberg poll only 28% want to raise the debt limit without spending cuts. Bringing the issue up for a vote every two month will keep it in the front of the voters' minds until the mid term elections. If congress has the will it can rein in spending and Obama.
Great Moments in Communications
There should be a Great Moments in Communications similar to the old Parke Davis ads Great Moments in Medicine.
We could memorialize the unknown dweeb from Prospect Heights International High School in Brooklyn ( This is actually an acronym for the phrase "dick with eyebrows, ) who called the father of a student who had drowned on a school field trip to complain about his late son's abysmal attendance record. The school is currently defending itself in a $5 million wrongful death lawsuit. One doubts if the call will induce the father to settle more cheaply but it does speak to the competence of the facility. More.
We could memorialize the unknown dweeb from Prospect Heights International High School in Brooklyn ( This is actually an acronym for the phrase "dick with eyebrows, ) who called the father of a student who had drowned on a school field trip to complain about his late son's abysmal attendance record. The school is currently defending itself in a $5 million wrongful death lawsuit. One doubts if the call will induce the father to settle more cheaply but it does speak to the competence of the facility. More.
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