Friday, January 30, 2009

Poised & Poisonous

Venom lives on after the body in which it resided is gone or so it seems.

The country has finally been able to get rid of an insidious form of cancer known as Bush but can it rid itself of Bush’s Brain? Karl Rove, I cannot bring myself to use the polite Mr. in front of the disgusting creature’s name is still working behind the scenes in our political arena.

The KR virus invaded the Republican body a while ago and took hold of more than just W’s brain. It set the body Republic on a comprehensive and cohesive course of action aimed at destroying any non-infected organism in its way. It’s four year mission, to seek out and destroy new ideas; to boldly go where all other Republican Conservatives have attempted to go in recent years. In other words KR wishes to destroy the Democrats and specifically President Obama.

The stimulus package offered up by the President and his advisors may not be the best plan but it is a plan and it is a beginning. Its aim is to jump start the economy. There are many different ways to do this and many different views on how to implement each of those ways. But rather than offer to work with the Democrats and try to help the citizens of America the KR virus says “obstruct and destroy.” And as when the virus was firmly implanted in Bush the entire Republican Party rose with one voice to vote down any possibility of help for the stimulus package. This remarkable achievement should be viewed with awe but also dissected for what it really is - the virus is fighting for its life. It is amazing how every single Republican in government no matter where they are in the country says the same thing at the same time and uses the same talking points. One would think they were all being controlled by one mind, Hmmmm. I can't even get my family to agree on what to eat for dinner.

The fact that for the past 8 years KR and its tendrils had control of the country while it bled the economy dry does not matter to the obstructionists. The only thing a parasite like KR wants and needs is to keep itself alive. But like all parasites it cannot survive outside the body. If the body dies so does the parasite. KR needs America to live on but it does not need the little people and that is why it does not wish to see the government waste money on the poor and middle class.

Health care; are you kidding?

Extended unemployment insurance; are you kidding?

Tax cuts for the rich; now that’s a plan!

And the KR machine is moving full speed ahead with reports on Fox News (loosely used term in their case) and editorials in the Wall St. Journal, a recently acquired Fox Conservative rag. The journal used to be fairly objective once even though it leaned more toward business than the individual but is slowly losing stature.

And I am not even going to mention the most disgusting piece of crap since dysentery (although I will show its face) because he gets far too much coverage as it is. If this moron were to drop dead I would hold the contents of my bladder for a week just to empty it on his grave. This is the true face of the Republican Party now and poster child for planned parenthood and controlled abortion. When asked about President Obama this nothing but a dangerous radio talk show host said, "I hope he Fails." For those of you unfamiliar with this total waste of life its name is Rush Lamebrain and it is equally as dangerous as KR and in case he is too stupid to understand it if the President fails we all fail!

When KR was able to steal the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections with clever fraud and aplomb the Democrats graciously stepped aside. Mr. Gore’s now famous line of self introduction shows this point when he says, “Hi, I’m Al Gore. I used to be
the next President of the United States.” He could have fought the horrendously ugly Florida Secretary of State, and I do not mean just her looks and the phony Right Wing leaning Supreme Court decision and ended up in the Oval Office but he chose the less divisive path. Our nation's loss but the global climate's gain?

Some left siding groups found signs of those frauds and noted that they included voter registration irregularities. The KR virus is turning this argument around by asking why there are no complaints now. And the Journal used a photo of 8 African Americans voting in Georgia to prove their point. (I would love to have been a fly in the newsroom when they were joking about possible captions for the photo.) The simple answer is that the irregularities were stopped and you do not complain about a cancer once it is gone!

The bottom line is simple. The country is in the process of curing itself after suffering the throes of the virus. The recovery will take time but our leaders must be vigilant lest we have a relapse. We cannot allow KR back into the body. We are on life support as it is. The best cure is to identify it and see it for what it really is a self serving worm that must be eradicated. The body is gone, now get rid of the abnormal brain.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Piece of Mine!

Follow up to the story below - 15 minutes just saved me a lot more than the "Down under rodent" could have.

I actually switched away from Geico.

Well technically I no longer had a Geico policy since it was sold to Travelers a few years ago. And just like those mortgages that became toxic and started all the economic problems in this country my new policy hit the road to the heights. The payments kept increasing and increasing until they were almost out of sight. And every year the new higher rate policy was accompanied by a letter of thanks from the crooks at the underwriting concern.

Isn't it a shame that you can spend hours doing research and due diligence to pick out a company you wish to deal with only to have that company deal you away to a third party on a whim? And then that third company starts raping you as they rake you over the coals?

This should serve as a wake up call to everyone. Do not get complacent. Check your policies on a regular basis and do not be afraid of change. Change is good. (Got that red states?)

After I put out the word that I was being buried under the monetary mountain of monotonous increases Merrimac came to the rescue. Actually I sought them out based on a suggestion from a frugal friend.

And fifteen minutes later I had a $2,000 savings and a satisfied smile. (The total savings actually includes money off my "Umbrella" policy.)

Next stop - a fifteen minute talk with AT&T - Using their 800 number of course.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Peace of Mind?

Back in 1984 I accepted a rate increase from Geico that allowed me the pleasure of paying them $400 for my Homeowners Insurance. Since that time they have had to pay out only one claim and that was for a lightning strike to the side of my house. This freak incident did not cost the company much and they handled it with professionalism and speed.
As a result I have stayed with Geico for all my insurance needs.

But several years later Geico sold my policy to the wonderful people at Travelers Insurance. You may know them from their rather stupid commercial featuring a British sounding idiot and a huge red umbrella.

During the years since Geico gave away my policy I have endured yearly absurd increases while Travelers has endured no claims from my property. In fact the only time Travelers spends any money with regards to my policy is when they send me the yearly notice of appreciation for paying the new higher rape amount on time.

However this year's letter held a slightly different message. My policy is being canceled due to losses incurred by the assholes elsewhere. They seem to have had a great many claims up and down the Eastern Seaboard due to hurricanes. Obviously those claims were mostly down but they cannot take any chances, after all they are not in business to lose money and pay out any claims.

So as a result of having lost some money on those Southern claims they may not be able to afford AIG type parties and
hookers for the executive on weekends.

They just woke up to a scary reality - when you sell insurance you may, MAY have to pay back some of that money once in awhile.
I know, I know. It was quite a shock to me as well.

Anyway they have given me the right to allow them to offer me a new policy at a much higher rate that will have similar coverage to the older less expensive policy. Similar is a cute word, no? I am certain the new policy will cover anything up to but not including the actual house itself.

The increase will be around 8% and bring my premiums up to $3,000. If I choose to accept this fraud they will send me a new bill and a soft mat with instructions on how to kneel properly. IF however I opt out they will wipe off my incredibly expensive account from their system.

Naturally I had to accept the new terms but only for as long as it takes to find a new company to cover my home. And I shall do so, even if they are merely one penny lower. In fact I may switch even if they are the same price!

If anyone is reading this would you please send me your thoughts on a good replacement for the bastards at Travelers. You may also choose to have your favorite agent contact me by way of this blog.

Obviously we must all have homeowners insurance because we need the peace of mind that comes from knowing we have a large company behind us that will be able to step up to the plate when and if the terrible time comes and say, "Sorry, that's not covered,"

Shut Up and Get to Work

I have extra free time on my hands as a result of the economy and other reasons I will not mention here. As a result of this I have been able to follow the wonderful financial news more closely than before. One thing is clear, the game is afoot.
For at least 8 years the Republicans held sway over everything that went on in this country and we watched our nation's world-wide popularity plummet. In the past that would not have mattered but the world is in fact flat and in the current economy it matters greatly. When Mr. Bush, the great decider whose popularity numbers should have been in the negative range wanted to get something done his cronies took out the old rubber stamp and gave the approval. And in the end I believe we can all see where those policies have brought us.
(In the interest of fair and balanced reporting Mr. Bush's approval rating while it was the lowest of any President ever and deservedly so was still in the positive range. Would someone please find the people outside of Haliburton and some of his family members who approved of him and ask them what the hell they were thinking?)
Now the Bushies will of course point the fingers elsewhere because that is what children or idiots who have no intelligent response always do. "Oh, yeah? Well you started it!"
And in keeping with the partisan stupidity that we cannot afford out come the morons on the right with their supposedly loyal opposition stance. I hear a concerted effort every day to undermone the Democrats and state that the stimulus package is all wrong and if they would just listen to us (the Republicans) we could get the country back on track.
But we were on that track for 8 years and the economy got de-railed!
Under the Bushies we sent more jobs out of the country than ever before; there was more corporate greed and less oversight than ever before yet the government was getting larger at every turn. And they were into our lives and pockets and bedrooms. In fact one of the few areas they did not spend on was scientific studies that could cure diseases killing millions of people in this country and the world because the absolute jackass would not allow funding of stem cell research based on religious views!
I am not saying that Mr. Obama and the democrats have the silver bullet or magic wand to cure all that ails the country but they will certainly not be able to focus on the problem if they have to parry such childish nay-saying from the other side of the aisle.
And the electorate should not put up with it.
Too many of us are without jobs while too many senators and representatives should be without them. These fat cats have to remember that they produce no product and are in place solely to help the citizens of the country in any way possible. Their job is to make our lives better. And right now they are doing a real shitty job!
If they can perform they can stay but if all they can do is point fingers elsewhere and complain about the other guy then it is time for them to leave.
And by the way, they leave with huge pensions; health care for themselves and their families for life and a bright future retirement filled with paid public appearances and freebies at every turn assuming they actually retire and do not enter the lobby arena.
The Republicans took a dump on the streets of this country and now that the Democrats are in charge they hold their noses and point at the mess demanding it be cleaned up.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

THE A-B-Cs of Bailouts - A Primer

Years ago Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks. He calmly answered, “Because that’s where the money is.” Well ever since then the banks have been returning the favor.

First the bankers attempted to ruin our economy through greed and stupidity. Our government felt that a strong economy must have banks around to loan money to businesses. Thus was born T-A-R-P - the Troubled Assets Relief Program.

But I believe the alphabet has far more to offer than just that 'A' in TARP.

Here are the A-B-Cs of my proposal:

T-B-R-P – Toxic Budget Relief Program.

New York’s Governor Paterson is adding another fee onto the already absurd rates we pay LIPA & National Grid (formerly Keyspan, formerly Multi-Span; formerly Brooklyn Union Gas) because there is a 15.4 Billion dollar State budget deficit. Don't reward failure with TARP; distribute some of the cash to the States in need under a TBRP?

T-C-R-P – Troubled Consumer Relief Program.

Energy prices are still trending higher; banks are reluctant to loan money; consumers are strapped with ‘passed along’ increases. Print a few hundred million dollars to distribute to the consumers on Main Street as a temporary allowance under TCRP.

T-D-R-P – Tax Dumb Relief Program.

A record number of Americans have lost their jobs. They are collecting tiny amounts of unemployment insurance money, BUT they are forced to pay tax on that money. This dumb idea allows less spending and thereby stalls the economy further. Suspend this tax under TDRP?

I could go on and I am certain you could as well but I have one more that I believe fits the current situation.

T-W-E-R-P – Tremendously Weary Economically Raped People

Through no fault of our own we on the ground have suffered the loss of our nest eggs and retirement funds, not to mention our jobs and in many cases our future.

The debates in DC continue as they have for many years. One side says help big business in the belief of a trickle down theory while the other side says a quick aid to the middle class would work better.

Our country reveres and hates the wealthy but allows them to make the decisions that determine our lives. We are weary of waiting and need action now.

Giving money to banks without strings did not work before and never will. We appear to have finally figured that out when the Big 3 Detroit idiots jetted in for cash. But allowing business to continue its merry way in the future without learning from the mistakes and pain we are currently going through is absurd.

From the early 1940s until the 1980s the average CEO compensation was approximately 30 times that of his worker. In 2004 that multiple had jumped to around 120 with some CEOs actually pulling over 800 times as much as their employees! Since then the number has fallen but it's still well over 100 times the average worker. In other words if the company is in manufacturing and the average worker is making $65,000 per year the CEO is taking between $6.5 and $52 Million!!!

And that is just the money from this company. This CEO most likely sits on the board of directors of many other companies pulling in bonuses and options from their bottom lines as well. These disgustingly wealthy people also control huge lobbying concerns that work behind the scenes in Washington to see that nothing stops their gravy train. Hopefully the current administration will go through with the promise to CHANGE this practice.

There is no way we should allow a CEO to make such obscene amounts of cash but in a free society we have no choice. However when the same CEO begs the Senate for aid because his greed and stupidity caused a meltdown we can and should hold his feet to the fire. Our tax payer money will fix the company but they personally get nothing in return. But the price for remaining free from prosecution is they must divest themselves of all stock and stock options at a zero price. The result will put an immediate amount back into the company they so dearly wish to help.

See? It’s a win-win Mr. CEO and you may live off the cash you salted away all those years.

You may call it the T-A-B-C-R-P (Take All the Bastards Cash Relief Program.)

To once again reference Mr. Sutton we should start our healing process by squeezing these greedy CEOs because, "That’s where the money is!"

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

1-20-2009

It is January 20th 2009.

The date is not that significant except that it marks the 80th day since I was thrown away by the company I had worked for since 1993.

Oh yeah, and that other thing is happening today!

I will not write anything about the DC event because I do not believe I have to. The media anointed this man God of all things America a long time ago and today is just a formality. The crowning event has been anticipated by so many people that if you were to sit back and look at it rationally it would make you laugh.

This morning I turned on the news to see if there was anything important I needed to know and was hit with all the channels offering, "Breaking News." "The Obama family was about to leave their temporary residence for a trip to St. John's church for services!"
I assume that I tuned in too late to see the earlier breaking news, "Obama family finishes their showers and toilet duties and gets dressed."

Don't get me wrong I do not wish him ill. And I hope that I can say that I am finally proud of the country after he leaves office having fixed all of our problems. And I am not skeptical of his abilities just fed up with the spoon feeding by the media of all things Obama.

He will be a very good President because he knows how to preach to the public while hiring the right people to get the jobs we need done, done.

Between him and Mr. Biden (For whom I have great respect - now get rid of those inane tolls on US 95 Joe) I know they will be a good team. But frankly Ronald McDonald and the HamBurglar would be a better duo than W and his bastard unfeeling asshole of a hitman Cheney. (Was that too harsh?)

I will be continuing my search for future employment and financial well being today. I will just not be able to do it while watching anything financial on the tube. And as of the writing of this it seems that I am not alone as the Dow; Nasdaq; and S&P are all down between 2 and 3 %. (They all ended down between 4 & 6% - Great!)

Four score years ago it was 1929, a year that will live in infamy (Sorry Franklin) with the stock market crash of the century. I can only hope that we are going to bookend that time with a period of prosperity starting soon.

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what they did TO you and why. Then ask them to stop and go forward.
Can we do it?
"Yes We Can."
And let us all say, Amen.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Many Sides of the Same Thought

Sometimes it is impossible to fathom that others do not see things the way we do.
For example when there is a terrible accident and someone is killed most people will be saddened but there are some who will take delight for reasons of their own. It is often said that there are two sides to every story and while that is usually true I fell there are many more than two.

There is also the side formed by propaganda especially when the state controls the news media.

For example read the lead article in today's Iran Daily and find out how the current Gaza strife is actually the fault of the U.S. Also note that the Iran news mongrels feel that Israel is not going to attack on Tuesday because that would take away from the inauguration in DC. You see the world revolves around Gaza and the Iranis want to make sure that everything is taken in the context of the war THEY STARTED AND CONTINUE DAY IN AND DAY OUT. Of course they do not admit to that but...

However another side to this sad tale of ongoing persecution and by this I mean the persecution of Israelis read this most interesting and thoughtful yet provocative piece by
assistant editor Jonathan Mark in "The Jewish Week."

I must thank the "Newseum Organization" for their incredible website that allows you to view and read the front pages of just about every newspaper in the world. After viewing the paper of your choice just link to that publication's web-site for more of the same.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Other Side of the Story

As reported in the Canadian Goose Gazette:
Several of our finest scouts from the border brigade were killed today when a large metallic object flew straight into their path. It is believed that the silver beast was flying south probably to escape the cold. Unfortunately this cowardly and unnecessary act has had far reaching consequences for our community.
But the disaster could have been much worse.
The victims, the La Guardia Geese Group (The "L Triple G") were guarding the grounds around the local nursery when they were struck. Quick thinking on their part allowed them to push the offending object far enough off course so as to avert damage to any of the goslings below even while they were giving their own lives with the effort.
Witnesses credit these few for averting a major disaster as the silvery winged object turned away and landed in a river. We hope and pray that none of our fish brethren were injured as a result.
Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families of the loved ones. Services will be held for our brave fellows at all the major parks on Long Island.
Show your support by dropping gifts all along the grounds of your choice.

(PS - This reporter wishes to thank the writers of SNL for taking this story and airing it on their network. I will return the favor and goose them if I ever get the chance.)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Bravo to the Pilot

Earlier today a US Airways flight from NY to Charlotte crashed into the Hudson River. The pilot did an amazing job of bringing the crippled plane in for a hard but safe landing on the river. Anything but level and the results could have been disastrous with a broken and flooded cabin. But all 151 people on board were ferried off the floating fuselage and onto dry safe ground while the Hudson current continued to move the plane down stream.

Emergency workers from both sides of the Hudson descended upon the scene to turn the possible tragedy into a typical triumph of New York proportions.

The crash was caused by a flock of birds flying into the engines as reported by t
he pilot when he radioed a multiple hit and both forward engines gone. Some passengers noted that they smelled smoke in the cabin. This was caused by a passenger in first class who had ordered a special meal - Cooked Goose.

But now that all are safe it is important to note 3 other things that also happened:

1 - An announcement of praise for the pilot by US Air was followed by a statement that passengers will be receiving only 3 miles into their frequent flyer accounts.

2 - George Bush sent an immediate memo to Homeland Security to have all zoos and aviaries placed under red alert because he heard that:


3 - Someone claimed that a flock of cute birds wearing Burkas were flying over the Hudson at the time of the crash.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Bush has Dogged us Enough

I snapped this photo quickly as I passed the food truck while driving on Newbridge Road so it did not come in perfectly. But it is not half bad considering I was not looking at the van and was in fact driving.

But the message is great and for those of you less fortunate than me, and by that I mean you have a job to go to the sign states clearly,

"Come Celebrate Jan 20th
George Bush's Last Day
1st Hot Dog On Us
No Purchase Necessary..."

There is more but who cares? This just about says it all! THANKS CHARLIE!!!

(If interested the van is on Newbridge Road just north of Hempstead Turnpike and alongside the parking lot into Wal-Mart. Bring some Rolaids and join the celebration.)

Monday, January 12, 2009

A Modern E-Aye-E-Aye-Oh

Bernie Madoff's free on bail
How much does he owe?
Justice moves as slow as a snail
Straight to Hell he should go

And his family too
Yes his family too
All his friends - make amends
And watch how many gifts he sends

Bernie Madoff's free on bail
But straight to Hell should go!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Big Blue Bust

This year's football is through
It is finally done
The playoffs continue
But the wrong team has won

No more Sundays to waste
But I need some strong mints
To clear this bad taste
And say adieu to the Jints

I Wanna Be a Weatherman

I do not mean to take anything away from a 'sanitary engineer' but I grew up knowing them as garbage men. There is nothing wrong with the term as far as I am concerned unless you say it childishly and with malice aforethought. Of course then you would sound like a fool and lose any argument this side of puberty.

But when someone appears on television with the title of meteorologist we are supposed to believe that this person is an intelligent professional. A meteorologist is to be respected and listened to. We rely on our favorite meteorologist to forecast the weather accurately.

So how come they never do?

In fact they get it wrong so many more times than they come close to getting it right that one wonders why they still have jobs.

For the last few days we on Long Island have been bombarded by meteorological forecasts of an impending snowstorm that was to dump at least 4 to 6 inches of the white stuff on our heads. Some of these quasi-professionals even called for as much as a foot of snow.

These bogus reports sent me and many others out to buy new fuel for our snow blowers. I am sure many people actually stocked up on milk and other essentials although that was probably a bit much.

Fortunately I remembered how often these morons are wrong before I put the new gasoline into my snow blower. (Once the gas is in the clock starts on its life and even if you do not need to use it you must run the blower to use up the fuel.)

I realize that predicting the weather is hard but should it be impossible? And it is not like this is the first time a forecast has been so wrong. There is a "story you can find on the web about a Detroit weatherman (I believe) being asked by a female anchor a day after he predicted a snow storm that did not materialize,

"So Bob, where's that eight inches you promised me last night?" Not only did he have to leave the set, but half the crew did too, because they were laughing so hard.

Well I have to leave now and put salt down on my driveway because the 7" of snow turned out to be 1" of ice.

And millions of other people are out of work in America?!?

Officiating Sucks

Naturally I am a biased fan of the New York Giants and as such probably look at games with an edge toward seeing things their way but after watching the first half of the playoff game against the Eagles one has to wonder if the officials are Eagle fans.
On the opening kick off Bradshaw ran the ball back beautifully. He was stopped from a touchdown because he could not get past the kicker who actually grabbed his face mask to stop him. The officials must have been watching something else - Instead of a 15 yard penalty there was no call.
Ward dives forward on 3rd down and 3 missing the first down by an inch or so. The officials ruled he was out of bounds 2 yards back. Ray Charles could see that he never went out of bounds but unfortunately he is not officiating.
Eagles jump offside the next time the Giants get the ball - No call.
Eagle 9 yard pass ruled a 10 yard completion and a first down.
Giants called for unnecessary roughness on a nice punt return when a Giant literally touched an Eagle softer than a tissue as he went out of bounds. Result - Terrible field position and a touchdown after an interception that has the Eagles in the lead.
By the way if they were looking for unnecessary roughness they would place Eagle Dawkins in jail let alone give him a penalty but so far nothing on him!
Next Giant punt return and another roughness call. This one for kissing I guess because it was even a softer hit than the first one.
Dawkins "helmet to helmet" hit on Boss with 2½ minutes left in half - no call.
Taking away a 5 yard run by Jacobs after Eagles complain about the 2 minute warning is blatantly ridiculous.
10 seconds left in half Giants called for holding - The receiver ran into the Giant who merely pushed him out of the way.
Do the refs think this is touch football?
Luckily throughout the game the crack team in the booth has announced all these errors - NOT. I always wonder why Fox has to have a Dallas Cowboy announcing team broadcast Giant games. To say they are not biased would be to say that George Bush is a member of MENSA.
What happened in the second half almost did not matter as the refs sealed the fate of the Giants early and often.
As I said it will sound like sour grapes but the facts are the facts and they speak for themselves. Turn a game around and there is no turning back.
I wonder who the refs are rooting for in the Super Bowl - I could use the info and an honest bookie.
The funny thing is we all have more important things to worry about in life but as a fan it hurts when the odds are unfairly placed against your team. Naturally no one on the Giants will say anything about the officials as that is not allowed.
But this is true in all sports. I remember Wille Mays being called out at home plate and Bud Harrelson arguing about the obvious bad call getting thrown out of the game. He had a microphone on him so we were treated to his response, "You can't throw me out of the game for your ineptitudes!" Sorry Bud but he can and he will and they always will. Sports is a business and it is officiated by humans who, like it or not have their own likes and dislikes. It is the luck of the draw that the Giants got a couple of guys who do not like them.
91 days left to CitiField - Let's Go Mets!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

A Plea to Politicians

The analogy’s simple
Should require no brain
As an obvious pimple
Or a cold driving rain


When our income has dried up
And jobs disappear
Politicians must give up
On raises this year


The budgets are lacking
The funds to fulfill
The pork they are backing
Or their personal till


The banks are not lending
We owe mortgage or rents
But we must keep on spending
On our country’s defense


Once our nation was great
And it will be once more
It is not too late
For to close that barn door


Please cut back your spending
We’ve been pushed to the max
Heed the message I’m sending
We can’t pay you more tax

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Long Island is part of the State

According to NY Assembly members from both sides of the aisle Governor Paterson snubbed Long Island in his first State of the State address. The Governor only mentioned the Island twice and both items were of the negative variety.


I believe his omissions to be made out of ignorance rather than contempt. Therefore I would like to request that the Governor visit Long Island on a fact finding mission.


And I extend a personal invitation to Mr. Paterson to visit my home for a chat. I promise to serve his favorite diet soda.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Will the Tax Cut Work?

A poll on SmartMoney. com asks if the Obama plan for $300 billion in tax cuts is a good idea. One third said yes; one quarter said no and the rest were spread between 'only if I get it' and 'it should be bigger.'


But one incredibly intelligent person not only answered the poll but commented on the question itself. I was so impressed with this person's words that I had to copy them here.


"The question is too simplistic. Yes it will benefit many but not others. Businesses will benefit and so will entrepreneurs who will not have to pay taxes on profits from their quick start-ups. But will it benefit those of us on unemployment? Not for a long time and many not ever.

Overall it will be a good thing but the same could be said about many plans. The key is to follow through and follow up and not just give money away as we did to the banking industry.

I realize that many people hate having more government in their lives but right now we have no choice.

When you take out a mortgage you accept bank control for a time with the proviso that once the loan is paid off the house is yours! Tax cuts and new regulations must be done the same way with definite goals and expected time frames in place."

Okay, can figure out which curmedgeon wrote it?

Change of Heart

I spoke too soon yesterday and without all the facts. I am so sorry that I impugned the honor of our great Rep. Gary Ackerman. He has set me straight by explaining why he needs more of our money.


It did my heart good to see the smiling face of Rep. Gary Ackerman as he accepted the pay raise he says he so richly deserves. It lifted my spirits because I had just come home from the unemployment office where so many of my fellow Long Islanders were not smiling.

It is nice to know that our tax dollars paid for his vacation, I mean ‘fact finding’ trip to Israel where he must believe he will find a solution to our problems here in New York.


Thank goodness the ‘red-eye’ flight home allowed him enough time to attend to the boring matters of congress such as the Madoff alleged Ponzi scheme hearings. I trust he slept well and was able to contribute commentary to the congressional committee.


Mr. Ackerman further hinted that his salary was still not sufficient due to the enormous amount of unpaid overtime he and his fellow governmental leaders put in.


I believe we should thank him for his past service and suggest that he start taking it easy from now on. It is time for you to relax Mr. Ackerman. Please enjoy your retirement and your wonderful pension. It's on us.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Raise This!

Congress just took a raise!
And just who authorized it?

Congress!

When an owner realizes that his company is not doing well he is compelled to make changes. Usually his first instinct is to cut costs and even forego his own bonus let alone those of his employees.


We are in a recession that has cost this country billions of dollars and millions of jobs. Those of us trying to get by on less cannot understand why our government officials are not tightening their own belts. To allow, no relish a raise as so many senators and representatives are doing is repugnant. Our own Rep. Peter King stated that “steady pay increases are vital to attracting quality candidates to Congress.” Judging by our current situation the incumbents have not performed all that well so why give them raises?

I applaud Messers Suozzi, Levy, & Weitzman, Ms. Rice, and Ms. O’Connell et. al. for not joining the greed parade. These public servants showed compassion and turned down the raise.


My tax dollars pay their salaries in effect making me their employer. And workers who have done such a poor job deserve to be fired not praised. I therefore rescind their pay raises and ask all taxpayers to join me in protest.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Udder Dilemma

One of the features of the economic slowdown is a decrease in consumer spending. Many people have either lost their jobs or are afraid of losing them so they spend or rather don't spend accordingly.

Now we cannot stop spending for the basics of life such as food but new clothes can wait just a bit longer and do we really need to go out to dinner so often? (This does not apply to certain sectors of the economy such as a team in dire need of a first baseman, you know who you are.)


And every cycle of this fear induced decrease in spending causes a slight worsening of the over-all economy which in turn causes us to even spend less.
This vicious cycle has hit the nations farmers and more precisely the dairy farmers. With the worlds population increasing especially overseas we were exporting more milk than ever before when the recession hit and the spigot was nearly turned off.
When we cut back on travel gasoline sales drop and so does the price so produ
ction of oil is slowed. And when we stopped buying cars production out of Detroit etc. slowed to a crawl.
BUT how do you tell a cow to stop with the milk already? It is an udder-ly perplexing problem.

Many programs were started during the Roosevelt years to help the farmer in times of trouble and one of them was to purchase his excess and sell it a loss. This semi-sweet deal allowed the Farmer to sit on his Fanny.

And when it came to milk the government stored it in powder form which increased it's shelf life dramatically and it can also be used as feed. But how muc
h can Washington do and which industry deserves to get the next handout?

Some farmers are now thinking of selling off their milk cows but no one will buy them until things turn around. Of course at that point why sell? And that is the same dilemma hitting many industries. The best solution is to get the banks to start
lending some of the money we gifted them and get companies who borrow to start hiring back the people they laid off in the first place.

And I will do my part. I hereby promise to drink more milk if they do!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Created Equal but not Treated Equally

A newsday article concerning the early release from prison of Freddie Warren, January 1, 2009 brings a glaring issue to the front once again namely punishments in America do not fit their crime and are not handed out fairly.

Mr. Warren received a sentence of 20 years to life as a persistent felon after being convicted of selling a controlled substance. His crime was most likely fueled by his own addiction to that controlled substance and he spent the better part of 18 years in a stark 10' x 10' cell as a result.

Bernie Madoff also committed a crime by distributing lies to feed his own addiction, greed. He is currently serving time as a prisoner in his own luxurious $7 million Park Avenue apartment which is most likely a bit larger than 10' x 10'.

Mr. Madoff will undoubtedly receive leniency if he cooperates and aids the return of some of the cash he stole. But he will not return the life of French financier Thierry de la Villehuchet who committed suicide over the losses he suffered. And he will not return the conifidence he stole from average investors who lost their relative fortunes in the market and are afraid to return.

These inequities of punishment in our society are what should be addressed. It seems to be a constant that if you have money you have a leg up on forgiveness, right OJ? Of course Simpson is in prison now but don't forget that he did run out of cash first.

I used the following phrase in an earlier piece but it fits so wonderfully here that I had to repeat it; Mr Madoff subscribes to the adage, "If you owe the bank $100 they own you but if you owe them $1 billion you own them." And his favorite movie just might be Jimmy Cagney's 1959 film, "Never Steal Anything Small."

Mr. Madoff is a criminal and he must be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
This glove does fit and therefore we must not acquit.

Happy New Year

My New Years' wish is a simple one. But I am certain that many people I know will not be happy with it. And they know who they are.

Aside from an economic recovery and the usual obligatory 'World Peace' I wish that everyone gets what they deserve!

Of course I have no supreme power to see to it that this wish comes true but on this annual day that boasts "The Twilight Zone" marathon would it not be great to see it happen

Let's see who would not be happy:
The entire exiting team that was the Bush administration.
Quite a few members of the company for which I worked loyally these past 15 years.
Bernie Madoff.
Countless CEOs.
Spammers and the bastards who create and distribute computer viruses.
Terrorists the world over, at least in our eyes. (It's my post so I decide.)
And many, many more.

Please feel free to add to the list but do not be too specific lest your mother-in-law actually read this blog.

Occasionally we read about the slow wheel of justice finally turning in the right direction, even if it is for the wrong crime, right OJ?

So to those I consider my friends I give you Tiny Tim's wish and repeat my wish and add a hearty heart-felt wish for your health; wealth and happiness in the New Year.