All week long there has been a story running in Newsday about a man who died 2 years ago. It seems his wife may or may not have given her permission for scientists to take and experiment on her late husband's brain. She is now suing for 4 million dollars because it seems the geniuses have misplaced the gray matter.
The story is terrible in the first person but quite amusing to the rest of us especially due to the continuing headlines:
MY HUSBAND'S BRAIN IS MISSING
(What woman hasn't said that once in a while?)
HUSBAND'S BRAIN IN LIMBO
(Now she's getting personal!)
My only real question is why would she want it back AFTER 2 YEARS? Perhaps they should search for hers at the same time?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Loopholes Make Me (Us) Sick
It seems that every day another scandal is reported in the papers about a politician or some other group of quasi-criminals who found a way to scam the system using a loophole in the law. Technically a loophole is a legal way around the letter but not the spirit of the law. And that makes matters worse because we do not have any recourse against these thieves other than closing the current loophole to future users and mentioning the bad guys’ names in the papers. No criminal action is brought against them and they do not have to repay the ill-gotten fortunes.
We should take a page out of our court system when it comes to bastards such as these people who do nothing but think of ways to steal our taxes and ruin our lives. When a suspected murderer is tried for a crime and acquitted he is free to go without worry of being arrested a second time for the same crime. This is known as double jeopardy and is only allowed if your name is Alex Trebec. HOWEVER if it comes to light that he ‘got off’ due to jury tampering or perjury (lying under oath) he may in fact be brought back to face the charges.
The union members of the LIRR who took advantage of such a loophole by claiming injuries in their last year before retirement in order to get disability benefits they do not deserve fall into the category of common criminals as far as I am concerned.
But the worst types are the little nothings who are appointed to sit on state boards a few of meetings a year for New York State and then claim pension benefits in the state retirement system for their time. According to Newsday Assemblywoman Ginny Fields of Oakdale, naturally a Democrat is attempting to seal off this particular type of loophole.
Read this Newsday article and see your money stolen!
As far as I am concerned when a criminal commits a crime they are knowingly thumbing their noses at society. Society owes it to law abiding citizens to not only bring these criminals to justice but to also see to it that they never gain by their crime. And that gain should be found by including a retroactive search for ill–gotten fortunes.
In other words the people who claimed disability when they clearly knew they were not entitled to any should not only lose their rights to it but they should return any and all of the money they received as a result of their false claim. They should also be made to pay a fine equal to at least the amount of money needed to bring them to justice and pay a penalty on top of that.
There is currently no deterrent to loophole surfing even though we all know that the intent of the law was to stop the abuse in the first place. We must begin to treat these criminals the same way we would treat murderers who tampered with their duly appointed juries of their peers; with the distain and disgust they so rightly deserve.
We should take a page out of our court system when it comes to bastards such as these people who do nothing but think of ways to steal our taxes and ruin our lives. When a suspected murderer is tried for a crime and acquitted he is free to go without worry of being arrested a second time for the same crime. This is known as double jeopardy and is only allowed if your name is Alex Trebec. HOWEVER if it comes to light that he ‘got off’ due to jury tampering or perjury (lying under oath) he may in fact be brought back to face the charges.
The union members of the LIRR who took advantage of such a loophole by claiming injuries in their last year before retirement in order to get disability benefits they do not deserve fall into the category of common criminals as far as I am concerned.
But the worst types are the little nothings who are appointed to sit on state boards a few of meetings a year for New York State and then claim pension benefits in the state retirement system for their time. According to Newsday Assemblywoman Ginny Fields of Oakdale, naturally a Democrat is attempting to seal off this particular type of loophole.
Read this Newsday article and see your money stolen!
As far as I am concerned when a criminal commits a crime they are knowingly thumbing their noses at society. Society owes it to law abiding citizens to not only bring these criminals to justice but to also see to it that they never gain by their crime. And that gain should be found by including a retroactive search for ill–gotten fortunes.
In other words the people who claimed disability when they clearly knew they were not entitled to any should not only lose their rights to it but they should return any and all of the money they received as a result of their false claim. They should also be made to pay a fine equal to at least the amount of money needed to bring them to justice and pay a penalty on top of that.
There is currently no deterrent to loophole surfing even though we all know that the intent of the law was to stop the abuse in the first place. We must begin to treat these criminals the same way we would treat murderers who tampered with their duly appointed juries of their peers; with the distain and disgust they so rightly deserve.
Another Google OOPS
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The WPA Could Work Today
Back in the 1930s the stock market had just crashed and our nation was plunged into a deep and far reaching depression. Things were tough all over and jobs were scarce. The nation looked to the government for help and lo and behold it came.
That help came in the form of the Works Progress Administration later known as the Work Projects Administration and then simply the WPA. This largest agency of the New Deal was the work of Franklin Roosevelt and his administration and while it was plagued with the usual amount of D.C. graft and favoritism it nevertheless got the nation moving again. It was around for only eight years and was terminated midway through 1943 but it was an overall success.
There were many small sections of the WPA that may seem trivial to some such as helping artists by paying them to beautify post offices and other public buildings or funding actors and their repertory companies performing in communities nationwide but the main function of the agency was to stimulate the economy.
The WPA worked back then and I believe it could work again now.
There are many projects that need doing across America and what better way to get them done than by putting Americans to work doing them? Our workforce is facing massive layoffs and too many good people are out of work. Unemployment is demeaning and can only go so far. Our infrastructure is crumbling as was evidenced by the bridge collapse in Minnesota. And aside from the obvious repairs to our highways and cities we could start new ambitious projects like clearing the way for alternative energy sites such as solar panel farms or wind turbine fields or electricity from the natural wave action of the oceans.
I would like to propose another project that could easily take decades to complete but could greatly affect millions of Americans in a positive way. We could build a network of pipes across the nation to channel and funnel water from place to place. With such a network in place if there was a serious flood in the nations mid section we could merely turn the switch and direct the water to a needy region, perhaps one experiencing a drought. This would definitely be a tremendous project and would take a tremendous amount of time, energy, and talent but who better than the innovative people of America to get the job done?
Our leaders are grappling with ways to turn around the current economic problems but whatever they decide will only be a quick fix. I believe we need a long range plan that should not be ‘party’ specific. Fix the credit crisis but also help those of us here on the ground and save our country at the same time. What could be better for America?
Please feel free to pass this along to your congressmen. And look up the WPA yourself to see how well it worked.
I’m Bruce Resch and I approved this message!!!
That help came in the form of the Works Progress Administration later known as the Work Projects Administration and then simply the WPA. This largest agency of the New Deal was the work of Franklin Roosevelt and his administration and while it was plagued with the usual amount of D.C. graft and favoritism it nevertheless got the nation moving again. It was around for only eight years and was terminated midway through 1943 but it was an overall success.
There were many small sections of the WPA that may seem trivial to some such as helping artists by paying them to beautify post offices and other public buildings or funding actors and their repertory companies performing in communities nationwide but the main function of the agency was to stimulate the economy.
The WPA worked back then and I believe it could work again now.
There are many projects that need doing across America and what better way to get them done than by putting Americans to work doing them? Our workforce is facing massive layoffs and too many good people are out of work. Unemployment is demeaning and can only go so far. Our infrastructure is crumbling as was evidenced by the bridge collapse in Minnesota. And aside from the obvious repairs to our highways and cities we could start new ambitious projects like clearing the way for alternative energy sites such as solar panel farms or wind turbine fields or electricity from the natural wave action of the oceans.
I would like to propose another project that could easily take decades to complete but could greatly affect millions of Americans in a positive way. We could build a network of pipes across the nation to channel and funnel water from place to place. With such a network in place if there was a serious flood in the nations mid section we could merely turn the switch and direct the water to a needy region, perhaps one experiencing a drought. This would definitely be a tremendous project and would take a tremendous amount of time, energy, and talent but who better than the innovative people of America to get the job done?
Our leaders are grappling with ways to turn around the current economic problems but whatever they decide will only be a quick fix. I believe we need a long range plan that should not be ‘party’ specific. Fix the credit crisis but also help those of us here on the ground and save our country at the same time. What could be better for America?
Please feel free to pass this along to your congressmen. And look up the WPA yourself to see how well it worked.
I’m Bruce Resch and I approved this message!!!
Ooops
For some reason the post I tried to place here did not work so as they sometimes say in legal documents, "This space left intentionally blank."
Sunday, October 12, 2008
LIPA, don't take it out on us
This is a reprint of my most recent published "Letter to the Editor" at Newsday. I am willing to bet you will all agree on this point. If you do not agree, Mr Kessler please let me hear your side. I'm dying to hear this one!
According to the article "Late on LIPA bills" [News, Oct. 8], more customers have been unable to fully pay their energy costs now than in recent history and the Long Island Power Authority is short $155 million. Taken within the context of the current economic disaster, this phenomenon, while not condoned, is understandable.
But LIPA's solution to make up the shortage in its budget by increasing rates on Long Island is almost too contemptible for words. We are already among the highest-taxed regions in the country and our energy costs have increased unabated for years. To ask customers who can hardly afford to pay their bills now to pay more because LIPA wants more money is absurd.
When will our elected officials start helping the citizens of Long Island instead of blindly backing LIPA and their ilk?
According to the article "Late on LIPA bills" [News, Oct. 8], more customers have been unable to fully pay their energy costs now than in recent history and the Long Island Power Authority is short $155 million. Taken within the context of the current economic disaster, this phenomenon, while not condoned, is understandable.
But LIPA's solution to make up the shortage in its budget by increasing rates on Long Island is almost too contemptible for words. We are already among the highest-taxed regions in the country and our energy costs have increased unabated for years. To ask customers who can hardly afford to pay their bills now to pay more because LIPA wants more money is absurd.
When will our elected officials start helping the citizens of Long Island instead of blindly backing LIPA and their ilk?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Real Terrorists
Step aside Bin Laden you have been replaced by a far more insidious criminal. Your brand of bombing and instilling fear into the hearts and minds of Americans is old hat. It just doesn't scare us anymore. The true terrorists have emerged from their hiding places and are finishing the job you started way back when. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the real Evil-Doers namely the CEOs of corporate America and their allies in the financial institutions of the world.
On every level and in so many ways these evil people have robbed us of our once great country and its prosperity. And just like those Arab children who were caught on camera dancing as the Twin Towers fell these greedy criminals dance, dine, and drink in $600 per night exclusive resorts; enjoying obscenely expensive spa treatments once reserved for the super rich while our once great towering economy is crumbling. These current Bin Ladens are laughing to themselves and at hard working citizens who are being thrown into the depths of poverty.
Congress has called these home-grown evil-doers into hearings so that they may slap them on their wrists and demand that they never do those things again, at least not until the new Congress takes over. And of course we can trust Congress to be on our side; after all didn't they just pass a bill allowing these same culprits billions of dollars to help them back on their feet? So who can blame them for celebrating even if it did cost the tax payers almost a half a million dollars for the weekend getaway? The sad part is these men are only the ones we caught! How many more of them used their "Golden Parachutes" to take hundreds of millions of dollars off shore?
So who should we be tracking down for a one way ticket to Guantanamo? It seems that the canyons of Wall Street and the caves of Afghanistan have more in common than first meets the eye.
On every level and in so many ways these evil people have robbed us of our once great country and its prosperity. And just like those Arab children who were caught on camera dancing as the Twin Towers fell these greedy criminals dance, dine, and drink in $600 per night exclusive resorts; enjoying obscenely expensive spa treatments once reserved for the super rich while our once great towering economy is crumbling. These current Bin Ladens are laughing to themselves and at hard working citizens who are being thrown into the depths of poverty.
Congress has called these home-grown evil-doers into hearings so that they may slap them on their wrists and demand that they never do those things again, at least not until the new Congress takes over. And of course we can trust Congress to be on our side; after all didn't they just pass a bill allowing these same culprits billions of dollars to help them back on their feet? So who can blame them for celebrating even if it did cost the tax payers almost a half a million dollars for the weekend getaway? The sad part is these men are only the ones we caught! How many more of them used their "Golden Parachutes" to take hundreds of millions of dollars off shore?
So who should we be tracking down for a one way ticket to Guantanamo? It seems that the canyons of Wall Street and the caves of Afghanistan have more in common than first meets the eye.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
"No Humor" Addendum
So after I got all the bitterness off my chest and directed it at the most convenient people I started to calm down and realized that I was wrong. But to just go say it was hard so I didn't.
Still out of work and upset about our economy and my soon to be useless life savings I wondered what was next.
Well thank goodness for that blight of the internet and scourge of our brains SPAM.
I just received an e-mail asking if I needed a lift. The new product promised great things but only a snippet of the item appeared in my inbox.
Weary of opening SPAM I made the preview window larger so that I could at least find out who or what company was promising to get me out of my doldrums and back into the land of the living.
"Need a lift? Try the new AirLift product brought to you by Maidenform."
Thanks for the laugh guys, but I'll stick to my T shirt and pass.
Still out of work and upset about our economy and my soon to be useless life savings I wondered what was next.
Well thank goodness for that blight of the internet and scourge of our brains SPAM.
I just received an e-mail asking if I needed a lift. The new product promised great things but only a snippet of the item appeared in my inbox.
Weary of opening SPAM I made the preview window larger so that I could at least find out who or what company was promising to get me out of my doldrums and back into the land of the living.
"Need a lift? Try the new AirLift product brought to you by Maidenform."
Thanks for the laugh guys, but I'll stick to my T shirt and pass.
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