THE VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM |
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The blog for those just a lottery win away from wealth 
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Sunday, February 29, 2004
Visit "The Independent Writer" and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito Reaganomics & Social Insecurity President Bush's claim that his administration is one of "compassionate conservatism" seems to have been missed by Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan. A few days ago he suggested that the way to trim the Federal deficit is to further increase the retirement age, and lower Social Security benefits for future recipients. Almost simultaneously the President was attending a fundraiser in Kentucky where he swore to make the tax cuts for the rich permanent. He left about an hour later with a check for 1.2 million bucks in his pocket, compliments of the 1000 attendees. Perhaps "compassionate conservatism" is really just "compassion for corporations." The President doesn't seem to be very concerned about the 3 million or so unemployed in our country but he sure is concerned about the 3000 or so same-sex couples who got married in California. It's easier to deal with smaller numbers. Last week the President suggested that workers in America's fast food industry be reclassified as "manufacturing employees, rather than service industry workers." I suppose that the stacking of bun bottom, meat, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and bun top is considered akin to building houses or cars. This change would make the Labor Department statistics, which clearly show huge losses in the manufacturing sector of the workforce, appear to be taking an upward swing. Most people would not be aware of this bit of chicanery as the election approaches and the President points out the recent increase in manufacturing jobs. I foresee a bright future for the members of this administration as top-notch Hollywood fiction writers after their tenure in office ends. Friday, February 20, 2004
Visit "The Independent Writer" and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito Are we really The United States? Taiwan's pro-independence president, Chen Shui-bian announced that he is not ruling out the possibility of reunifying with Communist China. Although the two countries are diametrically opposed in their approach to politics apparently the leaders of both countries realize that there is more strength in a united China. Chan Lien's Nationalists, who ruled China for five decades before being ousted by Chen, endorses a policy of reunification with Communist China, so it seems that regardless of who wins the next election reunification may occur. Meanwhile most of Europe is attempting to unify in order to better counter the economic prominence of The United States. Evidence of this is the recently adopted Eurodollar, a currency system designed to better allow for the exchange of funds among countries subscribing to the system. Open borders have further promoted the notion of a united Europe, similar to travel in the United States. Meanwhile in America we promote the concept of differences among our population and encourage the establishment of conflicting laws. This is most pronounced in the South where the melding of government and religion is constantly attempted. While the rest of the world seeks to unify their legal systems Americans are consumed with non-issues as same sex marriage. Bible thumpers who claim that God abhors Gays scorn people who merely wish to profess their affection for and devotion to each other publicly. Is the word Gay even used in the bible? Of course the real motivation for this push to invalidate same sex marriages is the avoidance of benefits, paltry as they may be, by Corporate America. If you assure America's CEO's that benefits will not have to be granted to the same sex partners of their employees they will gladly endorse any relationship. This would no doubt include cross species marriages such as a man and his horse, which may go over quite well in places like Texas and Oklahoma. Other non-issues such as TV censorship over a harmless flash by Janet Jackson make front-page news while the complaining parent's kids continue viewing ultra violent movies, and playing video games that feature tasteless violence. I guess it's OK to feature a woman's mammaries as long as they're being sliced off in a movie or via a computer game joystick but the normal desire to view a nicely formed rack is considered immoral. While on the subject of sex how about the President's recent request for virtually unlimited funding for his ridiculous "abstinence only" plan for teenagers, which is supposed to help prevent the spread of AIDS? Is he for real? Does anyone actually believe this will work? Of course the sensible alternative of sex education is strictly taboo in the Bible belt, along with anything else that makes sense. The government should get the hell out of people's bedrooms and concentrate on matters vital to our nation's security and economy. While foreign countries provide universal health care some of our states are asking the Federal Government for permission to purchase American made pharmaceuticals at lower prices from foreign countries while some states say to hell with any kind of help for the aged and the sick. Is this really The United States I ask again? As Americans ponder Alex Rodriguez' trillion dollar contract to play games our government ships money to Russia by the boatload. They then use it to develop ICBM's that are better than ours. Their latest strategic weapons are then displayed and demonstrated in the Barents Sea under the watchful eye of a not to be trusted President Vladimir Putin who presided over the activities while wearing a Naval uniform. Wake up fellow Americans! Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Visit "The Independent Writer" and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito GOT GAS? Here in Las Vegas gasoline prices are rising at the rate of about 3 cents per gallon per week. Currently it's about $1.77 per gallon. I just saw a crybaby being interviewed on TV and he was complaining that he can no longer afford to drive his Ford Expedition to work and it just sits in his garage. Poor baby. I can't help but be judgmental on this one. The guy was barely over five feet in height, did not haul any cargo, rides alone, etc. So why does he need a behemoth like that? Well as Orrin Hatch, the great Republican luminary from my neighboring state of Utah said last year: "We're not a country ruled by need, we do and buy what we want." Ah, the wisdom of the rich. Next up to the plate was some Corporate clown who defended the price increases without offering any reason as to why they are occurring. He did however feel it necessary to state that Americans should consider themselves lucky because in most of Europe the price of gas is about $3.00 per gallon. This pisses me off, and it should loosen your bladder as well. Every time Americans complain about something there's always a well to do bigwig who compares life in America to life in Europe. This selective comparison is yet another way Corporate America and our current D.C. Monarchy attempts to convince people to look the other way while the Federal Treasury is raided by the likes of Halliburton. Why is it that the only time a comparison is drawn between the U.S. and Europe is when it's advantageous to the rich? I don't hear any calls from the country club set for changes to government spending that would benefit the common man and woman rather than the Corporations and their CEO's who are eliminating and farming out American jobs faster than a tornado dissipates cow flatulence. Europeans may pay $3.00 per gallon, but they drive sensible vehicles so their overall gasoline expenditures for an equivalent amount of driving are no higher than ours. The question as to why gasoline is going up in price remains unanswered. Our troops are dying in Iraq fighting terrorism, or so we, and they are told. The truth though is that an uninterrupted flow of oil is what's behind it all, oil that continues making the likes of Vice President Cheney richer by the hour. Meanwhile OPEC has just announced that effective April 1st, crude oil production will be decreased by 10%, which could trigger a 20% increase in prices at the pump. I find it interesting that the date chosen is April Fool's Day. Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Visit "The Independent Writer" and have a good laugh on Jim Ippolito GOOBERS AND GOD IN GEORGIA The former Confederate, and still retrogressive State of Georgia continues to distinguish itself as a haven for God fearing peanut brains. Like most of the states south of the Mason-Dixon line, where a politician's stance on only 3 issues, God, gays, and guns, are taken into account by the voting illuminati, science and God cannot coexist in Georgia. The word "evolution" will probably be removed from schoolbooks thanks to The Superintendent of Georgia's schools, Kathy Cox, a Republican, needless to say. Ms. Cox said she made the suggestion to avoid offending parents of children in the more religious, conservative parts of the state. God forbid the kids are thought of first by these people by insuring that they receive a well rounded, based on facts education. No, apparently it's better to satiate the parents and avoid conflict. I can just imagine the arguments from these pathetic excuses for parents: "We all don't be wantin' our chilluns to get smarter than we all are. They gots their bibles and they got everything they all needs to know in there." In Georgia evolution is considered a theory, which of course it is, but then creationism can't be scientifically proven either, a fact that seems to escape notice in the Peach State. This is just great. America's children are often referred to as "our future." Well, while the rest of the world's kids are being taught cold, hard, useful facts, kids in America are still being screwed over by a bunch of backward people who refuse to stop farting around with mystic matters. I don't think the future of America is very bright when our kids compete with the rest of the world's kids armed only with bibles and crosses. Now here's a hypothetical situation. Let's say that a family of bible thumping Georgians are faced with the prospect of Dad's place of employment being relocated by Corporate America. In our example Dad works for the Acme Bible Printing Company of Georgia, and its parent company, "The We'll Do Anything For Money Corporation," discovers that they can make a nickel more per bible if they move the factory to the Republic of Georgia. Ok, the first thing Dad does is thank God that the company isn't moving to that God-awful latte loving state of California because Liberals live there. So, what to do? Move the family from God and corn dog loving Georgia to the Republic of Georgia, a former Soviet State where goats and yogurt are common fare, or go on unemployment? Chances are Dad will consult with the pastor of his church who will no doubt tell him to stay in the USA and continue attending services. When Dad asks what the family will live on since there aren't any jobs he will be told that God will provide. That of course will be his only hope because Corporate America and the government won't give a hoot. The point of all this silliness is that we need standardized curriculum for all of America's schools and we need to see to it that religion remains a private matter and not something insidiously injected into children's minds by easily insulted idiots who are smitten by fantasy rather than common sense. How about striking a middle ground? Since the plan allows for the teaching of evolution, without using the word, and creationism will be taught as an "alternative" theory, why not do the sensible thing and combine the two notions? I propose that my theory of "Evocreationism" be adopted whereby it is accepted that God created life which then evolved into what we are today? That probably won't fly in Georgia though because the bible says that God "created man in his own image," and I can't imagine Georgians believing that the first humans were the half-monkey people unearthed by archaeologists. On A Somewhat Related Note: On 01/23/04 an Eckerd's pharmacist in Denton, Texas refused to fill a prescription for the "morning after" pill, legally prescribed by a doctor for a rape victim. The pharmacist claimed it was violation of morals. What consummate gall this religious fanatic possesses. Are people who claim to be "religious" the most judgemental people in the world or what? How dare someone interfere with a legally prescribed medical practice based solely on his or her own interpretation of right and wrong. Fortunately the woman had the prescription filled at another pharmacy but what if the incident occurred in a tiny, in the middle of nowhere town with only one drugstore, and she had no means to travel elsewhere to obtain the medication? Eckerd's announced that the pharmacist was in violation of company policy and had been subjected to disciplinary action but no details were given. This person should have his or her license revoked and be permanently barred from the profession. |
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