Have Faith in America?

All politicians and many businessmen and women use religion to their advantage.  Of course there are other things they use as well but none are as vague and divisive and open to hypocrisy.

And when viewed under a microscope that hypocrisy jumps out at us.

Partisan politics has become meaner than usual and polls are used to give any impression needed by the group that commissions them.

And in a country that was founded on the separation of Church and State far too many Americans vote for leaders based on their faith!  They think that a person who does not go to Church is not capable of being a good leader.

So I ask which Church is the best one for leaders to attend.

In this country there appears to be one right answer and many wrong ones.

If we truly want leaders to lead they must be judged on their abilities in the real world and not what we or they think will happen in the next.  And let’s not forget that many people don’t believe there is a next world.

Here is a mythical debate between typical politician in Congress today and a reporter seeking the truth.

It has to be fake because no politician would allow this to be on the record.  I mean you would never catch one advocating the ‘taking out’ or murder of an opponent or admitting that witchcraft is okay and evolution is a myth, right?

RIGHT?

Politician: The unemployed are lazy.  They expect the government to take care of them while they do nothing.  Many of them drink too much and take drugs.  Why should they be entitled to any handouts from us?

Reporter: So you feel it is up to every individual to take care of himself and his family no matter the circumstance, correct?

Of course.  Isn’t that the way it should be?  I mean I have to take care of my family so why should I also have to worry about the other guy?

Do you feel every unemployed person is expecting handouts from the government?

Sure they are!  They want the entitlements we put in place 70 or 80 years ago.  Well times are different now.  America is the land of opportunity.  I can tell you hundreds of stories where a guy was on the brink and he pulled himself together and made something of himself!

So you feel everyone can do it.

Naturally.  As long as he puts his mind to it.

And we should get rid of unemployment insurance completely?

Now I didn’t say that but we certainly can’t be doling out money to every Tom Dick and Harry forever.  Let them get a job like the rest of us!

I see, it’s that easy.  And what about healthcare?  Do you think all Americans should have access to affordable health care?

Access?  Yes.  Given it for nothing? No. You want Socialism to take over the country?

So Socialism is the enemy?  You don’t believe in Social Security either then?

I think most entitlements are ridiculous.  The government has too much to do and shouldn’t be burdened with worrying about every individual’s retirement money.  The government created the vehicle for people to save for retirement and it should be up to each individual to see to it that his money is taken care of!

So you would like to privatize Social Security?

Well privatize is a hot button word and I wouldn’t use it.  Let’s say owner directed funds.  The government can’t know what’s best for each person in the country.  I mean who better than you to know what you want to do with your money?  Suppose the government said you had to buy a GM car with your retirement money?  Hell you would probably tell them to drop dead!

I see your point.  The government shouldn’t be so involved in our lives or our bedrooms.  So government is getting too big and you would like them to be cut back a bit.

Absolutely, but what are you trying to say with that bedroom crack?

Well you want government out of our lives so what if you’re gay?  Do you think you should be allowed in the military?  How about the schools?  Should you be allowed to marry and adopt children?

Now hold on there.  First of all I am not gay!  Who's telling you I am?  They're lying!  That guy was merely my valet.  And besides I can't answer you, that’s too many questions at once.

So pick one.  The bottom line is I am asking how you feel about homosexuality in America. I am not saying you are gay!

Good cause it’s a sin!  I don’t believe it has a place in our society.  The bible teaches us that it is wrong to spill one’s seed.

So it’s a religious thing.

It's in the Bible.  You do know what the Bible is, right?  You got a problem with religion?

Actually I do.  But it's not what you think.  I believe you use religion when it suits you and you run away from it when it doesn’t.

Careful son, I happen to be very religious.  I attend Church every week and I have faith that this nation under God will survive.  Are you against America?  You want us to fail?

Well to use a phrase made famous by one of your heroes, “There you go again.”  Let me pose a scenario.

You say you are religious and that religion is important to you and I guess it plays a big part in your day to day life and thought.

Go on.

You’re walking down the street and you see a man lying asleep in the gutter.  You can tell he’s breathing but he’s wearing tattered clothes that haven’t been washed for a while.  Do you:

A – Shake your head and walk on by feeling a little disgusted that you had to see him?

B – Reach down and rifle through his pockets for loose change?

C – Try to see if you can help him?  Perhaps even give him a few coins.

I am not a thief and I am not an uncaring bastard.  I don’t appreciate the inference.  I’d call the cops and let them try to help the guy.

Get him arrested for vagrancy?  That’s your solution?

If the cops decide that’s what’s best so be it.  What’s your point?

Well for one thing, WWJD?

You’re going to bring Jesus into this?

Actually you did.  You profess to be a devoutly religious person. So What Would Jesus Do?

Well you know he would help the guy.

Give him money and food?

Entitlements?

Isn’t that wrong?

It’s what he would do.

I mean he could give him some food but that would only kick the can down the road.  Give a man a fish and he eats for the day but teach a man to fish and he eats for life.

That's from the Bible.

Actually it's a Chinese proverb but my point is simply the man in the gutter could be there for many different reasons.  We cannot tell which just as we cannot judge a book by its cover.

What I am saying is cast your bread upon the waters my friend!

Ecclesiastes.  That one is in the Bible!

Help the man get on his feet if you can.  And if possible even train him and turn him into a productive member of society.

It might cost a few bucks but guess what?  The man now has a job and a reason to live.  He uses the money he earns to buy stuff, stuff that you and your friends produce.

In other words the money he earns for doing a job comes back in sales receipts.

Your other savior, Ronald Reagan had it all wrong – It’s a Trickle Up economy!

But the wealthy still have to provide the vehicle for the man to get that job.  Without them there is no company for the guy to work in!

And if there are no little people to do the work and spend their money to buy the stuff you guys want to sell then there won’t be any companies!   Ever hear of synergy?  How are you going to make any money?

Sooner or later one of those other rich guys is going to realize that in order to get further ahead he’ll have to do it at your expense.  And then it becomes a free for all.  Survival of the most devious.

That’s a pretty rosy picture you paint but how can we take care of all the slobs in the gutter?

You want to turn America into a welfare state?

You just don’t listen.  You cater to the wealthy who in turn donate money back to you.  I am talking about welfare but not State.  I am speaking of the welfare of every citizen of this country!  The middle class in America is what made this the greatest nation in the World.  And if things continue the way they are the middle class will disappear or at least dwindle to such a small percentage that nothing will ever get done or produced here again.  We will become a third world country and slowly fade into a Roman Empire style sunset.

You liberals are all alike.

And that’s how most discussion end in America these days.   Each side uses a label for the other and refuses to find a workable solution to our many problems.  Then they go out and campaign that they are the solution!
And without someone to point the finger at and blame for out problems they are lost.  First it was the terrorists, then the illegal aliens and as always it's the gays.



One final point - The same politician who feels the unemployed are lazy etc. will spend millions of dollars received from special interest groups to buy advertising time and space aimed at those same people he vilifies in the hopes to fool them into voting for him.
Sadly it works, and has for way too long.
I guess some people have been brain-washed to turn the other cheek no matter how many times it gets slapped!

Bullies R Us

We are all bullies to some degree.  But just like with anything else it is the degree to which we exert that bully tendency that makes a difference.

Look at the various sections of society and daily life.  Analyze the interactions of the people involved and you will realize that bullying exists.  We have enabled it and even nurture it by submitting to it's allure.

This past week a silly controversy between two television personalities allowed bigotry to rear its ugly head once again.

CNN fired an admittedly bigoted TV show host named Rick Sanchez.  His bully-like words aired from the bully pulpit of his own show, ‘Rick’s List.’

Mr. Sanchez railed against Jon Stewart of the Daily Show for his humorous attacks but then went on to blame the entire media world as being controlled by the Jews.

At first I dismissed his words as quickly as he was dismissed by his former employer but then I started to read some comments from people defending him!

In particular one lady attacked Jon Stewart for changing his name to, “hide his Jewishness.”

Excuse me?

I almost did not know where to begin.

To attack someone verbally because he or she decides to change their name is absurd and quite small or at least close minded. (Bernie Schwartz and many others would concur.)

Religions or causes supposedly based in them have caused enough trouble in this world.  To point out someone's religious background and use that as a reason to attack, or even defend them is, quite frankly stupid!

Haven't we lived though enough history to see what generalizations and stereotyping cause?

Does this lady or Mr. Sanchez wish to comment on the feeling that the Jews were responsible and deserving of their treatment in Nazi Germany?  The Nazis were surely bullies with terrible consequences!

Let's be real here - Mr. Sanchez chose to air his true feelings on his show and I say good for him.

Some might say he chose poorly.

Unfortunately for him CNN is one of them.

I am happy to know where he stands and I do not fault him for his views.  I also do not fault CNN for letting him go.  His bigoted views are not shared by his former employer and they have every right to decide who remains on their payroll.

I am willing to bet that FOX is looking into hiring him.

I also think it's amusing how minorities are always blamed for the failings of the majority.

The tactic is deep seated in a bully mentality that in and of itself is dangerous to society.

We just heard of a young college man who committed suicide because two bullies thoughtlessly invaded his privacy and chose to air his intimate relations with another human being in the confines of his private room.

These low-life types sent the video over the internet for the world to view and ridicule.  This promising young student was so distraught over the event that he felt it impossible to go on and he threw himself off the George Washington Bridge.

He was not the first to give up his life rather than face the ridicule of small minded evil people and unfortunately he will not be the last.

As a result of this tragedy we once again have a chance for a candid discussion on the cause of these acts.

I had a first hand view of bullies and how they act and recruit others.  I was very overweight as a youngster and endured constant verbal and even physical attacks as a result.

I never gave any thought as to why I was being treated so poorly but I did notice how many former friends of mine joined in the ‘fun.’

In fact I can say without fear of successful contradiction that I lost most of my friends during the school years that constituted my ‘tween’ through late teens.

I was fortunate enough to attend summer sleep away camp where I did lose some weight but also endured many attacks as well as painful beatings.

I realized the hierarchy of the bully network in my twenties but never aired my views until recently.  And I think I have finally come to understand the dynamic.

Again I feel we are all bullies in one way or another.  The difference is in how we control our behavior.

The bullies who act out their hate for others are for the most part insecure in their own mind.  They must bring others down in order to feel better about themselves.

And their followers are also insecure.  They need to be on a winning team and have the safety brought about in numbers.

The latter group lives in fear of becoming the target of the bully and therefore gets behind him and basically out of sight in a, ‘yeah, me too’ way.

I know this is how it worked in my case since I skipped a grade and was suddenly out of harms way with regards to ‘my bully.’

But he didn’t skip a beat and I later found out that he started picking on a different boy almost immediately.  And lo and behold his followers suddenly hated the new kid as well!

I think society owes it to the victims of bullies in some way but it also must reach out to correct the cause.

No I don’t mean making sure no one is overweight although there is nothing wrong with trying to remain fit and healthy but rather nipping the problem in the bud. (I personally weigh 70 pounds less than I did back then.)

Bullies are actually crying out for help and we should offer some!

They are terribly insecure and need counseling to find out why.  They can be shown the error of their ways and then receive assistance in making better use of their energy.

We have bullies in our political world and in Congress as well.  These people feel they must tell others how to live their day to day lives.  They belittle gays and homosexuals and in many cases do so to hide the fact that they are themselves gay or homosexual.

These hypocrites feel it is easy to gain support because many people interpret their bible as saying it is right to cast out that group as being different.

Our last administration kept their bully status intact by instilling fear every chance they got that the other guy was going to attack us.

But as with many bullies they emulated the gang that couldn’t shoot straight as they pointed to the wrong culprit.  They achieved their desired result by staying in office for eight war-filled years.  They left with monetary gains and unnecessary blood on their hands.

There are many adages that fit the bill here, such as:

Ignorance breeds contempt.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

To learn about me walk a mile in my shoes.

There is also a saying that sometimes it’s better to lower the water than raise the bridge.  But the opposite works as well and we should not have to bring others down in order to feel better about ourselves.

Voter Beware & Think

The following statement I hope will give pause

You will be affected no matter the cause

If Congress continues to bicker and stall

The consequence will be quite bad for us all

The picture’s not pretty, the one that they paint

And both sides are guilty; nobody’s a saint

The Democrats clearly have tried very hard

But they’re constantly mired in Republican lard

Each Congressman acts like a spoiled little jerk

And millions of Americans are still out of work

It’s clear that the GOP wants Dems to fail

And be thrown out of DC by plane; car; or rail

But history's fact and lest we forget

They were the cause of this worst crisis yet

Now vote for the Dems and not one Repub slob

So Congress can focus and finish the job

Taxing Times in America

History is filled with people being fooled by unscrupulous groups.

And we in America are certainly not immune to the tactic.  In fact sometimes we do it to ourselves as with the many who mined fools gold thinking it was the real thing.

But our nation is in the middle of new era of fools being fooled and this time it could cost us all!

Our lives are now affected by events that take place anywhere in the world.

Remember the day prices on the stock market resembled a scary roller coaster ride?  The day prices dropped a thousand points and then recovered just as fast?
That event came to be known as the “Flash Crash.”

Well we finally know that the Wall Street Flash Crash was caused not by someone actually on Wall St. but by a company in Overland Park, Kansas.

Waddell & Reed had a computer program set to instantaneously make trades when it saw a trend. The trend that day was down so it fulfilled its ‘self fulfilling prophesy’ by selling $4.1 Billion in an instant.

That sale caused other computers to get 'e-nervous' and sell as well and before you could say “Holy nano-second, Batman” the market had crashed.

But as with all greedy investors and computers the sudden low pricing of all these artificially lower priced stocks created a fantastic buying opportunity.  And the silicon masters of the financial universe bought back those beaten down securities just as swiftly as they had sold them.

The end result was mass panic and tremendous losses for individual investors who thought they protected themselves with “stop loss” orders. Those are automatic instructions to sell a stock if the price starts to drop so as to minimize one’s losses.  But the prices dropped so fast that these individuals were totally screwed on the prices and lost the stocks well below fair value.

And to make matters worse when the prices recovered these people no longer held the securities.  In effect they were kicked out of the game and handed a loss while the big guys once again laughed all the way to and from the bailed out bank.
Lost in the shuffle is the fact that the problem was not initiated on Wall St.
There used to be a close knit society of brokers and traders working on that fabled street but now firms hire lower paid workers outside New York and obviously the United States to do the same job and possibly cause the same or worse damage

The President and many honest Democrats have tried to put strict restrictions in place to stop the huge investors from gaming the system and stealing individual investors’s chances of making a buck.  But every time a proposal is put forth to regulate the billionaires or at lease make them pay their fair share of taxes it is struck down by vote or filibuster by the Party that is proud to just say NO!

The wealthy business owners have socked away the billions and billions of dollars they have stolen from the US Government and the citizens of America by not paying their fair share of taxes.  They have, when forced hired qualified workers at a fraction of their worth giving them part time jobs with no benefits so as to save even more money.

These non-patriotic individuals then use some of that ill-gotten cash to purchase propaganda time on television and cable networks or newspapers and internet ads.  They pay spokespeople to say things that sound so sincere as to make you want to cry for them!

Here’s an example (totally made up by me but who knows…)

Picture the screen showing Americans in depression era tones walking around filthy dusty streets. The camera moves in on a woman sitting on the curb holding a baby in her arms and crying.

The pleasant female voice over starts:

“Millions of Americans are out of work and millions more are in danger of losing their jobs. These people could even end up losing their homes and families - or worse.”

(Scene switches to show shuttered factories)

“And while the business community struggles to find ways to employ these hard working Americans the Democratic Party under the leadership of Obama, Pelosi and Reid are looking for ways to stifle their efforts.”

(Unflattering photos of the three leaders are shown one after the other in a fade in-fade out way)

“By raising taxes on honest business owners this Democratic troika is forcing these well-meaning individuals to ship more jobs overseas in order to keep pace with their European and Asian competition.”

(Scene now morphs from Democrats to the factories and finally back to the crying woman in the gutter)

“Unless our businesses are allowed to use their profits for the better good they will be forced to send more jobs overseas and more Americans will be out of work!”

(Scene now shows a 1930s bread line)

Tell the Democrats we can’t afford higher taxes!

Tell them by voting for the fiscally responsible Republicans!

Tell them we need America to be great again!!”

(Final morph shows American flag being raised on Iwo Jima and then fades to white)

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THIS SPIN!

In order for America to be great again we must all pull our own weight; not allow the few to throw theirs around!

This is still a free nation and we each have one vote to cast as we see fit!  Don’t waste that important vote by giving in to the wealthy party line.

The greatest periods of prosperity this nation has ever seen were during times of higher FAIR taxes on our highest earning citizens.

When we allow corporations such as EXXON/MOBIL, the most profitable corporation in the history of the universe to get away without paying one penny in taxes – NOT ONE CENT – while the rest of us are struggling to make our pennies meet something is very wrong in America.

And anyone who believes that the Exxons of the world will pull in their reins and stop doing business because they suddenly have to pay taxes on a small portion of the profits they hide is either deluded or a Republican on their payroll.

While nobody enjoys paying taxes I firmly believe that most of us would also not enjoy watching America be destroyed by the greed of the few.

Do not punish the Democrats and yourself by allowing the villains of the economic disaster to gain control of the Government.

Tell them: 

WE WON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN!

Humans Of America - WAKE UP!

Okay America, Seriously?
Are any of you with a brain or even just half a brain seriously thinking about voting for any of the unbelievably stupid Republican candidates running this year???
You have been inundated with videos of Christine O'Donnell talking about her days as a witch, her belief that evolution is not real and raped women must bring the cells to fetus level and then to full term, even if it means her life!
You have heard Sharron Angle speak the same thoughts about rape and abortion; her wishes to privatize the Veterans Administration, Social Security and Medicare.  And the dumb bimbo is suggesting that citizens look into "Second Amendment" methods to take out Harry Reid!!!!!
This statement should land the freaking idiot in jail, not the Senate!
And now we have Rand Paul claiming that President Obama got where he is by hypnotizing the Jews!  SERIOUSLY!  Here is his story.

Paladino exaggerating again.

And in New York we are given the choice of Mr. Cuomo who has exemplified fair and honest public service running against Mr. Paladino who loves porn e-mails and is so much of a filthy ranting disgusting low-life that he shouldn't even be allowed in the race.

Carly firing more hard workers

In Connecticut the voters are asked to take a former executive in the fake wrestling business seriously and in California voters may be asked to vote for Carly Fiorina who is famous for firing more people than just about every CEO before her with the possible exception of Chain Saw Al.
Top to bottom and left to right the candidates running under the Republican/Tea Party umbrella are zany at best and criminally insane at worst.  And if a majority of them get into Congress we are in for a two year stretch of insanity in DC.
With jack asses such as Jim DeMint threatening to shut down the government merely because he can how can any sane human being allow him to be part of a majority?????
SERIOUSLY!

We're Number Two! We're Number Two!

Nassau County Long Island won the Silver Medal!
Westchester took the Gold!
So what was the competition?
Could it have been a Jeopardy style game?
Was it a kind of real estate Olympics?
No, it was a list of the highest ranking neighborhoods in the country in terms of property taxes!
That's right, Nassau Country taxes it's residents an average of just under $9,000 per year for the pleasure of owning property there.
But for that money residents get, uh, wait a moment, hmmm.
Well we get lots of things.
Let's see, there are plenty of potholes to keep drivers on their toes!  That's actually a good thing because it makes it necessary to keep one's eyes on the road rather than texting or putting on make-up.
Critics will argue that we on the Island have very good schools and for the most part they would be correct.  But the argument has no place in this story wince School Tax is separate from and added to Town tax.
For years there have been politicians arguing that the 'downstate' area should secede from NY State and form the 51st star on the flag.  They even came up with a name, The Empire State.  After all the cool building is in Manhattan not Albany.
If the five boroughs of New York City were to team up with the two Island Counties we would actually have a very populated state.  Empire State would finally have two dedicated Senators and several new Representatives for lobbyists to grease.
And perhaps two stories that appeared in the news on the same day would have different endings.  Those stories were about the sky high and quite unfair property tax and the fact that while Long Island's poverty numbers remain constant they are still terribly high.
Jobs have left Long Island as the politicians continue to make stupid choices in their efforts to grab a personal spotlight.  One need only look at the woman in charge of Hempstead who must think her name includes her title to see the self-serving mind at work.
Supervisor Kate Murray has continued to block 'The Lighthouse Project.'  That development would keep a professional hockey team here (I use the term loosely.)
In fact any development of the ugly blighted area in and around the Nassau Coliseum has stalled while Murray claims she wants to be sure it will be good for the county.
But when it came to her well-off retired dad she never gave the county a second thought hiring him to a cushy high-paying do-little job that could have gone to any number of more qualified unemployed available tax paying Long Islanders!
Daddy Murray quit after the nepotism became known but the intent was evident and the pig's motive was out in the open.
Then there was Mangano voiding his predecessor's cap on severance for top cops by gifting them hundreds of thousand of our tax dollars to retire early!  Those of us who were laid off and forced into a sort of early retirement without as much as a penny truly appreciated that gesture!
The Long Island Railroad has been mis-managed for so long that we don't ever expect it to work!  If the weather forecast has rain in it the trains will be late! And the rain doesn't even have to be in New York!  Ever notice the trains are considered to be on time until they are over 6 minutes late?
I could go on all day with the idiocy of our so-called leaders in government but most if this is known.
The loss of tax revenue from the stalled Lighthouse Project; the gifts of bribe money to and probably from local governments; and the increased cost to ride the rails on Long Island taken together with the high property taxes and shameful poverty level are turning Long Island into a terrible place to live.
And as soon as housing prices stabilize and move higher watch the middle class jump ship and move to more friendly climes.  At that time there'll be plenty of open jobs for daddy Murray!
The county may not win another Silver medal but when it comes to poor value for the money they sure take the cake.

Mobs Can Be Fun

If you've never seen a flash mob you are missing something.

A group of generally well intentioned young people get together to overwhelm an area just for the fun of it.

But they do it with choreography!
And with the popularity of the smash television hit 'Glee' it is an even more popular activity.

Flash mobs have taken over super markets and other stores in America but here is a group, a rather large group of beautiful young and slightly less than young motivated performers doing the flash thingy to an ABBA theme in Israel.

It's a real treat.

Turn on the sound,
Click This,
Enjoy!