Last Splash

The gene pool could use a little Chlorine.

More tales of corruption from the NC government. My husband had diversity and ethics training yesterday for work, and some of the talking points he came home with really got me thinking. If a DMV officer cannot accept a "food treat" AFTER approving a driver from a CDL license, because it means he may show favoritism to that driver in the future, then how the hell are lobbyists able to take Senators out to dinner at $100 steakhouses? Just a thought.

Something that made me laugh is that apparently, the Department of Transportation (and I'm sure other prestigious departments in our fine state) has a fund set aside in their budget for keeping up their relationship with legislators. Basically, a portion of taxpayer money is set aside so that they can wine and dine the people's representatives if they feel it is needed. Now, answer me this conundrum: if the representatives are the ones setting the budget, then they are basically budgeting money for themselves to be taken out to fancy dinners on ferry boats to help along their own relationship with DOT. Wouldn't it make more sense (and help streamline taxes) if these senators just decided "hey, we don't need this money in the budget...why don't we just make sure that we're giving enough money to DOT to get the roads and ferry system in top shape, and then they won't have to worry about catering a dinner when we come to town". Right?!

posted by: Cannonball14 at 15:07 | link | comments (1) |
political bullshit

Sigh...I, too, am cheating on Mo'time. I have a MySpace page. I like it. I blog on it. I get to put my picture on it, and I have a 20 song playlist that plays whenever you visit my page. My background is not plain. It is a pretty picture of the Pacific coast.

But it's just not the same.

Even though lately I haven't had too much to say, and my blog has no real theme (classic Jack of All Trades, master of none) I still feel as though I can say anything I want here. I don't worry about other people's political affiliations compared to mine. In fact, I've had some really interesting conversations with people about politics, and it's probably even shaped my own beliefs a little.

In that vein, I will point out that one of my beliefs is that the Grammy Awards are now officially a crock o'shit. I mean, seriously, I know the Dixie Chicks album was critically acclaimed and all that, but even Natalie Maines pretty much knew that they won the awards based on the political statements their album made, not on the musicality of the songs. She said it in her freaking acceptance speech, for God's sake.

I personally love the Dixie Chicks. I like country music, and I was kind of amused by the whole boycott and the vehement backlash that the country audience layed on the Dixie Chicks. My own husband and I even disagree on the freedom of speech of musicians. Being pretty close to a Libertarian myself,  I personally feel that they have the right to say anything they want at their concerts, in the press, or wherever they happen to be. I do think that the arts industry is 96% liberal and they will push their agendas, but most Americans that vote with a conscience are really not going to swayed by what three musicians say. And if their fans don't like what they have to say, well then the answer is simple: stop listening to their music. I think the Chicks were smart for coming out to recreate themselves the way they did.

But, I don't think they had the record, song, or album of the year. I haven't heard the song on the radio all year, don't know a single person who bought the album, and really don't even feel that the actual record of "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice" was musically all that good.

I'm ready for GOOD music to win awards. What do you think?

posted by: Cannonball14 at 16:31 | link | comments (1) |
music theory, political bullshit

I don't normally have much of an opinion on birth politics, as I'll call it, but I did read an interesting article in Self magazine today about sperm donor children and what happens when the parents try to get an accurate health history because their children are experiencing rare diseases. I have many feelings on this issue. I think it's terrible that parents are lied to (either by the donor or the Cryobank) and the children suffer from it. I also think that in an industry such as this, it is important to let the donor remain anonymous, b/c at the very least he does not want 14 children coming after him for child support, etc.

I may be slightly hypocritical when I say this, but I also think it's selfish to want to have a child so badly you'd be willing to buy someone's sperm rather than adopt a newborn that will probably suffer the horrors of foster care or worse as it ages. I understand that some people out there really want to have children of their own (like my fiance) but if it's not the genes of the two of you, then you really are not having children of your own, are you?

As with every other issue, I also try to remain as Libertarian about it as possible, and say that although it's sad that it happens, no one can honestly expect the government to step in and regulate every little technological advancement that comes our way. Be accountable for your own actions, people. What really needs to happen is that donors need to be honest, cryobanks need to spend the gobs of money they're making on research into donor and family medical histories, and parents that use sperm banks need to understand that they are taking the risk of not really knowing their child's full medical geneology.

posted by: Cannonball14 at 14:15 | link | comments (1) |
political bullshit

Our society is pushing more and more towards socialism, so much so that it is becoming more difficult for me to maintain my capitalist head sometimes. Driving home late last night, a tour bus (one of those 45-passenger busses) flew past me on the highway going about 90 or so, and the first thought that popped into my head was "they should put a governor on those things so they don't go too fast...that's really dangerous". I then immediately chastised myself for thinking that, reminding myself that it is NOT the government's responsibility to run our lives or businesses, but that it is up to the bus driver, the group that contracted the tour bus, and the police to make sure he is staying at a safe speed. What bothers me is that I know, had I been in the car with some of my crazy, socialistic friends (I have some of those, some right wing nut jobs, and many in various degrees in between) they would have nodded enthusiatically and agreed with me that we should all write to our senators and tell them that big vehicles like busses and transfer trucks need governors installed. No wonder nothing ever gets done in Congress if these are the issues we're really paying attention to.

posted by: Cannonball14 at 14:59 | link | comments (1) |
political bullshit

What's on my mind?

So, Hugh Grant has the new movie coming out, American Dreamz. I LOVE Hugh Grant movies. Not Hugh Grant, just the movies he makes. I know he plays basically the same character in each one, whether he's a slacker or the Prime Minister, but the movies themselves (particularly About a Boy and Love, Actually) are fantastic! And I can stomach him much easier without Elizabeth Hurley, who still hasn't made any movies that people might actually want to go see for any reason other than her breasts. Anyway, back to my point. I may be late on the draw with this, but if you've seen the previews it's got something to do with American Idol and the President. Now, long ago sometime during the Bush vs Kerry election in the early days, I was really struggling. The lesser of two evils thing was really getting to me, and I couldn't understand how this bi-partisan system failed to produce any candidate with the stamina, attitude, reserve, and qualification to actually run this country. And then it dawned on me. American President. We were sitting around one night talking about how we wish there were more "normal Joes" running for office, and that we would never get anything done as long as we continued to support candidates that had spent their entire lives in politics, therefore being corrupted by association. So, hello: we elect our President through reality TV. Anyone who wants to be President has to "audition" and then go through rigorous debates to get down to the top 12, and each week they have to do some kind of task, like balance a city council's budget or spend a day doing charity work, and then we vote for our favorite each week until we have one President standing. The runner up can be the VP. It's Brilliant, I tell you. More people vote, we get a normal person that may actually listen to more than just his advisors, and after surviving American President, he'll have some balls (unlike aforementioned presidential candidate).

posted by: Cannonball14 at 14:43 | link | comments (3) |
political bullshit, film guide

Maybe I AM a Libertarian?

I've gotten quite good and enjoy "menu-planning" on my weekdays off. It's hard to go to the grocery store with J because, honestly, we love food, and the two of us together is a deadly combination. (We had to invoke the Mulligan rule...you know, stick to the list except you can each add one non-list item, and only one.) Anyway, I love having weekdays off, and I love doing my grocery shopping on a non-busy workday in the afternoon, so I sat down this morning to plan our menu until the next grocery trip I take. I got onto a website I heard about through some other Weight Watcher's people a couple of years ago, called "Dottie's Wight Loss Zone" (dwlz.com for anyone looking). It has some good recipes, and also point values for a lot of restaurants if you're into that and you can survive a kooky lady's crazy website...lots of links, but that's why it's free instead of Weight Watchers where you have to subscribe to read the recipes.

Anyway, I clicked on this link about restaurants disclosing their nutritional values, and THIS is what I found:

    To:  U.S. Congress

    The people who have signed this petition demand that restaurants should be required to provide nutritional information to customers.

    Stricter regulation by Congress is necessary to push this issue. Americans are getting fatter and fatter everyday. By forcing restaurants to     provide     their nutritional information, health-concious citizens can make better choices in their diets. This is not just a vanity issue; it is a health issue. Obesity is killing countless Americans. Because not all restaurants will volunteer their nutritional information for consumers, they must be forced to protect the health and well-being of their customers.

Please sign this petition in order to demand legislation to help curb the obesity problem.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

 

 

Now, I'm all for restaurants letting me know the nutritional value (well, with the exception of a few places like Maggiano's or The Cheesecake Factory where I'm really not going to pay attention to them) because it's hard to go out with friends and not know if something has "hidden calories" or is cooked in butter even if it doesn't clearly state that on the menu.

But I am VEHEMENTLY AGAINST the Government forcing anyone to do anything, unless it is preventing you from harming someone else. And someone may argue that restaurants are hurting Americans and contributing to the Obesity problem, but honestly, as an overweight person, I can tell you that no restaurant made me get fat. I don't go to a restaurant and hear the waiter saying "are you sure you want the salad? you don't want the deep fried philly cheesteak with high sodium au jus?" (Except this one little European guy who used to work at the Subway in the food court...I would order salads with no cheese and just vinaigrette dressings and he would sprinkle Parmesan when I wasn't looking...)

Just the line "they must be forced to protect the health and well-being of their customers" makes me want to vomit. Honestly, are we a society of people who no longer believe WE have power over what actions we take? Do we have to rely on others to even make our FOOD decisions for us? Anyone who has read my blog knows that I am definitely not a Socialist...I think it's one step from Communism, and people who actually would sign this petition and send it to their Congressmen confirm that theory. How about this for a bright idea? How about calling the customer service department of each restaurant you dine in and asking them to post their nutritional info on a website. If they started getting 10 calls a day, eventually they would have to satisfy their customers, but it's not their job to watch out for your weight, and it's certainly not up to our already overburdened-with-ridiculous-agendas-and-catering-to-the-lobbyists government to waste my tax money to set up a "task force" to force restaurant owners into nutritional compliance (what would Paula Dean do? shut down the infamous Lady and Sons?). Next you'll be asking Congress to make restaurants adhere to what they feel is a fair price for the food.

posted by: Cannonball14 at 16:59 | link | comments (1) |
meow, political bullshit

Consumerism

Among other points...I'm sick of people saying that consumerism is bad. Consumerism can be troubling if you are buying things you cannot afford, this is true, but no one is making you buy them. I've seen people talking lately about American consumerism and how greedy and selfish we are. I'm sure this is true in some cases, and a lot of Americans have yet to recognize and figure out a way to contribute to huge worldwide problems, but everyone seems to forget that consumerism is what drives our economy. It creates the jobs of all the employees that work in retail, food and service, the hotel industry, plus all of the corporate and wholesale jobs that the retail world creates. Most importantly, it puts money back into our economy and tax system, so that our income taxes don't go new-asshole-tearing high.

A very smart man I know wants Congress to come out with the all sales-tax based tax system. Imagine: you might pay 20% sales tax, but every cent of your paycheck comes to you. I'm sure lots of people will cry that the rich are putting more taxes in than the poor, but it works because your taxes are based on what you buy.

And an addendum to the Wal-Mart thing, I'm not anti Wal-Mart in any way. I actually think it's a great company providing jobs for a lot of hard-working people that my tax money would be paying to support if they didn't work at Wal-Mart. And people can complain about their low wages (no lower than an average retailer, especially big box retailers) but Wal-Mart is a PUBLIC company, and what is their best employee benefit? Stock options, hello. Everyone, from the CEO to the lowliest stockperson, gets stock options. That's like a built in bonus. If I have any complaint about Wal-Mart, it's that I wish they wouldn't choose a location so close to an existing location, clear a swatch of trees to build it, then leave the old one sitting empty for years.

posted by: Cannonball14 at 14:47 | link | comments (5) |
the retail beast, political bullshit

Random musings from today's blog selections...

"Last night I asked a xtian friend a simple question..."did Jesus accept himself as his own personal savior"...and if he didn't, is he in limbo? Speaking of which, where are all those limbo souls going? Another one is how many of these fundies would not accept Jesus in their neighborhood or schools if he returned once they saw that Star of David."

Okay, so the whole argument over Christmas this year is really starting to get to me. If you celebrate Christmas, celebrate it. If you celebrate Solstice, Kwanzaa, Hannuka, or anything else, celebrate it. If we keep arguing over it, eventually we will become so PC that no one will be able to celebrate anything except in the privacy of their closed-up homes. Imagine no Christmas lights, no candles in windows, and no discussion of any religious or secular celebration in December. This is where we're heading.

But this, this is funny. And a quite interesting question. If the only way to the "Promised Land" is through Jesus as your personal savior, what if he forgets to accept himself? I know, I know. The Trinity and all of that. He doesn't need to accept himself, because he is God, etc, but this is still funny!

And next,

"Capitalism is based on greed. Time to start teaching Marx, because everything he said about capitalism has come true."

Countered by...

"Robber barons have bought our government and are looting the Treasury.
This gives them and the corporations they control an insurmountable competitive advantage, which has caused a breakdown of capitalism.

But then it's not Marxism if the state becomes huge and omnipotent instead of "withering".
I can't think that Marx would have been too happy with what either Russia or China have become."

I can't say that I totally agree with either of these guys. My personal view of socialism is that it's one step from Communism, which is apparently where the first guy wants us to head. The breakdown of Capitalism does come in part from the government, but mostly because it's not a perfect system, just like a Democracy is also not a perfect Utopia. Capitalism allows any of us to start our own business or work for someone else's business and make (and keep) our own money. A quite beautiful idea, until you throw in that any company can grow to the size of, say, Wal-Mart, and start forcing out all the other mom and pop retailers. But who can stop Wal-Mart? Should they be stopped? They are providing jobs (although a lot of people will argue they are low paying, but they are JOBS that anyone, even uneducated single moms that can't find work anywhere else, can do). They are giving other people that chance to work and make their own money as the rest of us do, so that we stop living according to the socialist cree "work according to your ability, and get paid according to your need" (thank you Ayn Rand). Bottom line, a "democracy" (especially a bi-partisan one) will not last forever as long as the leaders don't listen to their constituents and spend their time with lobbyists. And Capitalism is not the perfect way to run your democracy (although I still hold the belief that a capitalist nation is far better than a socialist one).

posted by: Cannonball14 at 15:06 | link | comments (4) |
political bullshit