The Eclectic Curmudgeon

Future Great Sports Writer

2012-01-31T09:07:00.000-05:00

So that you may say I knew him when read the following and take note!
For the rest of this week, and hopefully a bit longer you should really read posts by Rich Resch about the Football Giants and New England Patriots as they head to the Super Bowl.
Rich is a very good writer and an excellent analyst.
Don't take my word for it - go ahead and link over to the Giants Football Blog and see for yourself.
I don't always agree with his thoughts since I am a Giants fan and therefore don't like any other team. But I have never fully disagreed with them either. He has a way of pointing out the good and bad of a team that makes the reader sit up and take note. (That also pisses me off when he proves me wrong but don't tell him that.)
One of these days a smart national media corporation will spot this diamond in the rough, or is it raw and snap him up. But until then you will have to seek his posts out
As of this moment he has analyzed the two teams' Quarterbacks; Offensive Lines; and Running Backs. I assume that the defense will be up shortly and perhaps special teams.
I am sure by game time he will have finished his total team analysis and given his thoughtful opinion on the outcome.
Naturally I have no idea what that is since he is only my son and therefore hardly tells me anything but...
If you can you should also link on over to his internet radio show which is live on Tuesday evenings at 9pm and archived for your listening pleasure any other time.
Enjoy his writing and enjoy the game.
GO BIG BLUE!

Response to Continued STUPID Emails!

2012-01-29T20:08:00.002-05:00

The rant below is actually an email response by me to a message I received from a woman I used to think had a brain and could analyze rational thought.
I had hoped she would see when some things were out and out lies meant to stir up hatred but sadly she does not dig any deeper than the superficial headline of a story as long as it furthers her and her husband's agenda of getting rid of President Obama.
The unreal hatred of this President by those on the right is out of control.
The last time the right wing was so worked up was when Fox and O'Reilly in particular fanned the flames and caused a crazy person to shoot and kill Dr. Tiller.
After that we hoped things would calm down but an Alaskan loser pumped up her crazies with gun targets on maps and Gabby Giffords is lucky to be alive although many are not as a result of that act.
This rant below was in response to an email telling everyone how awful Michele Obama is and how she had the nerve to spend over $400 at the Waldorf for a room service tab in October 2008!
No notice of the circumstances or if there were 400 people at the meal, just out and out hate!
And no mention of how the $400 was one one thousandth of the amount on Mr. Gingrich's tab at Tiffany.
Not everyone in this world is forever and always a saint, thank goodness. We would never have any fun if they were. But not everyone is forever and always as evil as they are made out to be.
I am certain each and every Republican is good sometimes. I just wish they would show it a little more often and stop fanning the flames of hate.
I for one am tired of this crap and as a result I now have to block emails from a former friend!

My reply:

Let’s take the ni**er b*tch out and lynch her! Does that fit in with your psyche?
PLEASE STOP SENDING ME THESE ANTI DEMOCRATIC BULLSHIT EMAILS.
You and your husband have an agenda that revolves solely around Israel and anyone who seems to stand on the side of anything but 110% for that country is to be put to death.
Let’s agree that I too want Israel to survive but I am not so stupid as to believe that the Republicans are asking for power to keep the tiny beautiful country in existence.
The repugnant Republicans realize that they have been able to bamboozle a bunch of you fools into believing they are on your side when in fact they are on nobody’s side but their own!
They want only to keep control and continue to live higher than Michele Obama ever dreamed of living!
And they do so by asking for and keeping bribes they get from the very people who could not care if you live or die!
As for the woman’s food bill at the Waldorf 4 years ago do we really want to go down that road?
Are you willing to tell me that no one else in history has spent cash while in office?
Bush comes to mind and if you add in the lives he threw away on a war for personal gain it runs into the billions, no TRILLIONS!!
Let’s face it if the first lady was mother Theresa you and your group would be vilifying her for paying too much for rosaries!
Get off your high horse and open your eyes to the real sad story of this former great country – We are headed down a dangerous path not because of the policies of the current President or his wife's food bill or even the last President, as unbelievably inept as he was but because of the policies of hate and fear and personal greed of the Congress and the 1% that OWNS them and pollutes your thinking!
Enough with the stupid shit about the Obamas – Physician heal thyself and thy house first then talk to humans!!!

The Rich Envy Us!?!

2012-01-29T13:13:00.000-05:00

There are many points of view on the world and these days everyone has a blog that gives voice to them. One of the many is a blogging duo who go by the name of Lester & Charlie.

I need add nothing to the following poll which comes by way of their collective brain:

Last week, after a national poll showed that two-thirds of the country now sees a strong conflict between the haves and the have-nots, psycho-rich Mitt Romney stated: “You’re all just jealous.”

We wondered if Mitt and his crowd aren't really jealous of US - so we asked why YOU think the haves might be jealous of the have-nots.

And here's how you answered:

Write-in answers include:

Because they get to own a heart
They know where to buy the best second-hand clothes
Because they've never had the joy of receiving an unemployment check
They can't live with the reality of what they have done
They want to know what it's like to spend 50% of their income on clothes, just to keep their boss happy
They're jealous that we pay for all the roads and bridges and they only get to have their names put on them when they're dead
Because life cannot be appreciated without a struggle
They suspect that poor people get a discount on the Lester & Charlie newsletter

Republican Music 2012

2012-01-20T09:22:00.002-05:00

With one debate after another this season of the Republican Primary has turned into a mass of blurry BS sprinkled with hypocritical hogwash aimed at bamboozling enough un and under educated voters as possible.
Sadly it has worked so far as the candidates who have dropped out of the race are not much worse than the ones remaining.
None of us are without faults but most of us don't lie for a living. Well I just lost any trial lawyers who read my blog.
As human beings many if not all of us have trouble remembering all the facts.
But it is equally true that when long pieces of information or soliloquies are put to music or placed in pleasing rhyme schemes they may become, well, memorable.
I was never in a Shakespeare play nor did I commit any of his works to memory but I can recite the "tomorrow and tomorrow..." piece as well as anyone this side of Richard Burton and friends.
So for the aid and assistance of those of you who's eyes have blurred and ears are aching listening to the phony rhetoric spewing from both sides of the mouths of the Republican Presidential hopefuls I offer four simple poetic (I hope) explanations of their character.
In no special order I give you:

The Song of Romney

I know I was flawed as my bank account soared

But don't expect a straight answer!

I made money hand over fist
And you who have clawed
To pay your room and board
Are surely at me quite pissed

But vote for me now and I'll show you how
To make all your small dreams come true
And this I here vow
if my fortune you allow
Past the tax code unscathed to sneak through

Hey Abbot

Newt's Plaint

I know I was harsh on old Bill
When his Presidency I tried to kill
Sure I too had a fling
But I gave her a ring
And next time and again I will!

Let me think - NOT GOV'TS JOB!

Ron Paul Bearer's Wish

Like Humpty upon his great wall
Should any of our poor people fall
If bones they do break
To the hospital take
Their own money, not mine AT ALL!

And finally:

Please God No!

Notes from the Inner Santorum

A woman's body's her temple
To be worshipped and honored and such
And all must follow MY example
Before marriage you never may touch

As for fetus and zygote and sperm
Between Bible and life there's no chasm
Presidents must decide for their term
When and where you may have your orgasm!

I hope these little ditties make it easier for all voters when they pull that important lever come November. America's future rests in their hand heaven help us!

Hollywood Innards

2012-01-19T08:35:00.002-05:00

Earlier, or in the blogger-sphere, lower down from here I wrote about my favorite last lines Hollywood style.
There must be an addendum to the post and it should include favorite scenes not necessarily at the end or the beginning.
In the future I may post another list but for now I wish to put one such scene and one great flub out there.
In Spielberg's Indiana Jones (#3) - Last Crusade Harrison Ford returns to Germany to recover his dad's diary stolen by the Nazis. The diary has important information in it about the location of the Holy Grail. While trying to make his escape a crowd pushes him backwards and he inadvertently ends up face to face with Hitler. The Nazi leader stares at him with a total deadpan, then notices the diary. He takes the book; calls for a pen; autographs the first page and hands it back.
All this done to the amazement of Ford who sports a boyish grin that adds to the fun.

Ordinarily flubs are cut out before a film is released
Thankfully this one was not and it cracks me up every time I see the following scene.
In 'The Fifth Element' the character Father Cornelius, played by Ian Holm comes to the door of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) to steal his prize ticket to a hotel, well it's complicated.
But when the door is opened Mr. Holm stutters his worried greeting, "Uh, Mr Willis..."
Without hesitation or change in expression Willis say, "Dallas."
Holm shakes his head and continues, "Dallas..."
And the scene goes on as if nothing had happened.

Don’t Hire the Politically Handicapped

2012-01-08T12:04:00.003-05:00

Forget political parties; forget ideological affiliations; forget political patronage; forget everything you ever learned about right and wrong and ask yourself if you believe there is any job in the world that can only be done by one person and one person alone!

In other words if the person doing that job was suddenly gone would that mean the job would go forever without being done? Should we close up the entire shop when one of the key players leaves?

Of course this is absurd and only vastly egomaniacal people with personality disorders bordering upon insanity would think so.

And yet we hear this kind of talk every day on the political stage. And I call it a stage since we can all see that our leaders are indeed players acting upon it with generally no real idea what their next line is. They are given those lines by the true rulers of the country working behind the scenes in board rooms and proverbial smoke-filled rooms of Wall Street and the like.

But don’t think these anti middle class shenanigans are only played out on the national stage. Pull back the curtain a bit and you will find these acts are as abundant if not more so ‘off-Broadway’ as well as on albeit in a much smaller market affecting smaller numbers of citizens.

This week it came to light that New York’s Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone hired Fred Pollert to fill the role of Chief Fiscal Deputy.

This is good since we all know how badly government is doing these days and a little fiscal responsibility wouldn’t hurt.

But 62 year old Mr. Pollert is already receiving a tax payer funded pension of just under $133,000 per year to twiddle his thumbs. The hiring of this former budget guru will now cost the cash strapped county an additional $175,000 per year. Not to mention increase the man’s future pension higher into the stratosphere.

Of course the county must secure a waiver in order to get Mr. Pollert his extra spending money but since when did a small matter of keeping within the law ever stop a little back room deal from becoming a reality.

But as I said at the beginning of this piece let’s forget all this and focus on one statement made by the man about to dole out more cash from the cash strapped coffers of the county.

“This is a classic definition of why we have a waiver,” Bellone said. "We have a fiscal crisis . . . and there is no one who has Fred's wealth of knowledge or depth of experience to get the job done . . . We cannot afford time for a learning curve."

Seriously??

No one??? Not even Ayn Rand (I shudder to mention that name but for effect what the heck.)

Naturally the arguments will be made showing the mans credentials and the possibility that he can help the county in the long run but my question is simply, if he is the right man for the job then why should we not ask Mr. Bellone to step down and let the real man do the job?

Again let me iterate that Mr. Pollert has performed admirably in his previous positions including his work under Steve Levy, the Demopublican or is it Repubocrat, I forget which former county executive of Suffolk.

Fred Pollert also moved into another high paying position after his last stint in public life to work for LIPA, or as I affectionately call it, LIPA-suction since it tends to remove all the fat from the wallets of Long Islanders.

I understand that when one wins an election and has to start governing it is a good thing to have people you know working alongside you. It is also important to have the right man, or woman for that job. But is it possible that in the end there is only one person that can foot the bill, fill the vacancy and do the job?

We are already paying Mr. Pollert a more than adequate thank you for 27 years of service. Could there be another person with some financial knowledge and skills somewhere out there who may, for reasons not of his or her choosing be unemployed and in need of a job?

Remember what Ben Franklin said when he purportedly proposed choosing an elderly woman to receive his affections over a younger one; (sic) she is much more experienced and far more grateful!

And so too the person hired to do the necessary job of cleaning up the county will not have any party affiliation or be burdened by the need to pay back a favor other than the one to his new employer, Suffolk County!

Get UP! - Early on Weekends

2012-01-02T16:54:00.001-05:00

This will seem like an add for a TV show but it's actually a call to arms for all intelligent people who want a talk show that fully covers an issue fairly and without the guests screaming over each other to be heard.

It's called "UP with Chris Hayes" and it airs very early on the East Coast on MSNBC every Saturday & Sunday. (Check your local listings etc blah blah, yada yada yada.)

I watch the “Up with Chris L Hayes” show all the time and tweet with him (no replies as yet but…) and his supporters regularly because I feel a kinship with concerned individuals with brains.

Having written the last sentence I just lost all Fox viewers!

In my estimation Chris Hayes shares the title of best host/commentator on television by virtue of his understanding of the issues and his fairness toward the other side with Rachel Maddow. Those two are head and shoulders above anyone I have ever seen on Fox and for the most part better than many of their counterparts on MSNBC.

Mr. Hayes also has a keen awareness of what the viewer is seeing and hearing and often expands upon a guest’s statement so as to bring those less educated on a particular subject into the conversation.

For this reason and the fact that most stations have been afraid to seem too intelligent in the light of attacks from the owner/operators of conservative media Chris L Hayes’ “UP” will most likely never make it to prime time.

This is a terrible shame because the ‘dumbing-down’ of America has got to stop soon or we will all be looking at a Republican controlled government and that is definitely a slippery slope to doom for anyone not in the so-called top 2 or 3% in the country.

As I've always said, an educated electorate is the Republican Party's worst nightmare.

Let's give them restless nights!!!

A Constant Struggle

2011-12-29T23:52:00.003-05:00

Today’s news, all from the pages of Newsday.

911 Widow Wins Benefits.

Forget the actual story, what is important is that she had to win.

And against whom do you think she had to win?

She had to fight the insurance industry. Well actually not a new story but indicative of how they act and react when faced with the prospect of paying out on a policy they sold to the public who bought it and in good faith paid the premiums on. And what goes unnoticed is it's now TEN YEARS after 911!

Some Long Islanders wrote letters, printed today railing against people who want the wealthy to pay more taxes.

These are average people who I assume do not make millions yet still fight the fight for the wealthy who, frankly wouldn't stop or stoop to close their eyes and place coins on them if they found their corpse in the gutter.

I don’t want the wealthy to pay too much, just their fair share and stop with the bullshit loopholes.

Among all his other crazy ideas such as calling for the death penalty for being gay Ron Paul is promising to eliminate the IRS if he wins the Presidency.

And just how will government run without any cash sir?

Oh I forgot, you don’t think government should run!

Can this tiny minded Anti-Semitic racist pig moron troll be more insane?

A new tactic on Long Island has turned up as thieves acting in pairs trick the elderly into letting them in to their homes by posing as new neighbors or electric company employees, etc. One chats with the owner and walks a little way away from the front door allowing his partner to gain entrance and rummage through the house undetected.

This is repulsive. Why can’t they rob and steal from the poor and middle class the honest way, they way most employers are doing it these days?

Business owners threaten unemployment or hint at it while demanding more hours and harder work in return for lower wages, less benefits and higher costs on health care.

They then reap the benefits of this nearly slave labor in excess profit and cry all the way to the bank about how business is down before heading out on another vacation.

A man had to sue his insurance company after he was forced to pay for a ‘well doctor’ visit that he was told would be fully covered.

I guess the agent who told him that had his fingers crossed behind his back!

According to the law, until the Republicans can repeal it insurance companies must fully cover ‘preventive care’ doctor visits and not even charge a co-pay unless something terrible is found and a procedure must be performed.

This tactic is the latest one by all insurance companies in their ongoing effort to totally screw the public.

No bill will be approved and no claim will be paid until and unless all possible avenues of obfuscation have been explored and the sheriff is at the door with a warrant to arrest the lying son of a bitch CEO with a separate subpoena for all of his records!

More letters in the paper from smokers who are angry at smoking bans.

HEY, in case you missed the news from a couple of decades ago SMOKING KILLS!

It kills the smoker which is fine but it also kills the innocent people around the smoker who inhale the vile second hand smoke.

And when the smoker uses the argument that there are other pollutants in the air so why only go after cigarettes the only possible answer is, WE’RE GOING AFTER ALL OF THEM YOU IDIOT! Now would you please going into a hermetically sealed room and light up!

And finally come the letters from those who are so angry at President Obama for ramming health care down their throats.

I almost do not know where to begin so I won’t.

But I would like to suggest that those people not opt in for any health care and then go out and smoke a few cartons of unfiltered cigarettes.

Then calmly drop dead somewhere not too close to an emergency room.

We wouldn’t want you to accidentally have health care rammed down your asinine throat!

I cannot wait for tomorrow's edition.

I need a drink!

Favorite Last Words - Hollywood Style

2011-12-27T10:23:00.026-05:00

There’s an old one about a guy sent to jail where the inmates must work in the field all day and no talking is allowed.

Suddenly one guy jumps up and yells “49” and the field erupts in laughter.

Then another inmate pops up with, “72” and more laughs abound.

After five times the new guy leans over and asks his neighbor “what the hell’s going on.”

He’s told to wait.

That night the new guy us given a book of jokes and told to memorize them. “We can’t talk so we yell out the number of a joke and everyone remembers it and laughs.”

The next day exhausted from a lack of sleep our new guy waits his turn.

He hears “42” and laughter – “91” more laughter and then a lull.

He sees his chance so he jumps up and screams out “24!”

Not a sound.

He shakes his head and tries again. “24!!”

Nothing.

He looks at his neighbor who shrugs and says, “It’s your delivery!"

In that spirit I offer my favorite individual lines from some of the movies I’ve seen. It’s up to you to determine the movie and decide if you agree or not.

I hope my delivery suits your taste.

My Favorite last Movie Lines (not in any order):

Well, nobody’s perfect!

May God bless us everyone.

Eliza, where the devil are my slippers?

There’s no place like home!

As you wish.

Where we’re going we don’t need roads.

All right Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.

Twas beauty killed the beast.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Hey Stella!

(How do I make out the report captain?) Better make it ‘dead on arrival.’

That’s right, that’s right. Atta boy Clarence!

It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

They can’t lick us, we’ll go on forever, Pa cause we’re the people! (An original Occupy Group!)

Te adoro Anton

Mother will love it up here!!!

Captain, I just threw your stinking palm tree overboard. Now what’s all this crap about no movie?

This is your life Lillian Roth

Merry Christmas!

I now pronounce you men and wives.

Come back Shane.

Go proclaim liberty throughout all the lands and to the inhabitants thereof.

I loved you Julie. Know that I loved you.

He would be in Jem’s room all night and he’d be there when Jem waked in the morning. (One of the greatest movies ever!)

Love means never having to say you’re sorry. (One of the corniest movies ever!)

And in a very special way I lost Hermie forever.

Even the orchestra is beautiful.

Oh sweet mystery of life at last I found you.

I’ll be right here!

I LOVE THIS TOWN!

Happy Birthday Sam, make a wish. (Pause) It already came true.

I think I’ll have a drink.

Hey, uh dad? Do you wanna have a catch? I’d like that.

I’m having an old friend for dinner. (Dr. Lecter – Dr. Lecter – Dr. Lecter ?)

I thought you didn’t care. I don’t. Don’t tell anyone.

Vanity, definitely my favorite sin!

Say friend, you got any more of that good sarsaparilla?

Good night you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.

To boldly go where no man has gone before.

Sayonara.

And now some non-last but still great lines many used every day!

Frankly my dear I don’t give a damn. (Tomorrow is another day.) {First ever million dollar movie}

Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. (Play Ball.)

YOU’RE NEXT! (Police talk about seed pods falling off a truck in an accident.)

Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me aren’t you? (Early in the film)

We’re going to need a bigger boat! (Come on, everyone knows this line!)

I could’ve been a contender! (I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.)

My daughter, my sister, my daughter, my sister, my daughter, my sister. (MAKE UP YOUR MIND!)

Get away from her you BITCH! (Final confrontation)

Open the pod bay doors please Hal. (Nearly the last line spoken by a live character in a film with a lot left!)

Excuse me while I whip this out. (One of my many favorite Mel Brooks lines, most of them of the ‘potty’ variety.)

No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die! (Early on in the 3^rd 007 flick while Sean Connery – the real one & only James Bond is being tortured by Odd Job’s boss Goldfinger.)

Here’s Johnny! (So much scarier when Jack Nicholson said it to Shelley, Olive Oyl Duvall than when jolly old Ed McMahon said it to Johnny Carson.)

You want answers? - I want the truth! - YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH! (Whoa!)

Use the force, Luke!

We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!

If you build it he will come.

Beam me up Scotty!

Life's like a box of chocolate.

Live long & prosper.

You do know how to whistle don't you? You just put your lips together and blow!

I’m the king of the world! (Or at least the box office!)

Pay no attention to the man behind that curtain.

They call me Mr. Tibbs!

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.

Play it again Sam (Never actually said but ‘when the legend becomes fact print the legend’ – Which is of course another great line from a John Wayne Jimmy Stewart western.)

I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.

Go ahead, make my day.

You talking to me? You talking to me?? I don't see anybody else here!!

In years to come when you speak of this, and you shall, be kind.

Here’s looking at you kid.

I'm walking here, I'm walking here!

To my big brother George, the richest man in town.

Show me the money.

Why don’t you come up and see me sometime?

E.T. phone home.

I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

Attica Attica Attica!

Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!

I’ll have what she’s having.

Lah Di Dah.

I’ll be back.

Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.

Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.

I see dead people.

Rosebud (Belongs as the first line of the movie and the last word seen in the film.) The film was written by produced by directed by and starred a great man in film-dom with an incredible knack for a war of the words!

There’s no crying in baseball!

Wanna dance or would you like to suck face?

Of course it’s hard. If it was easy everybody’d do it.

Hasta la vista, baby.

Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses?

Yo Adrian!

Is it safe? (My teeth always tingle when I hear that line.)

Nobody puts baby in a corner.

Plastics!

And for anyone who actually read this entire long piece of my personal favorites I have but one thing left to say:

My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my brother (variant) thanks you, And I thank you!

Anyone who does not know the movies attached to the quotes or the circumstances under which they were uttered leave a comment or tweet (@reschzoo) and I’ll be glad to fill you in. (Don’t google, that’s no fun.)

Pessimistically Optimistic

2011-12-04T14:07:00.001-05:00

Getting out of bed every morning is a little more painful each day. My back aches or my neck creeks or something hurts that didn’t the night before or shouldn’t no matter what.

My wife suggests we get a new mattress but I would prefer a new back!

Naturally that’s not covered in our world ruled by insurance companies and their puppets in government.

Those guys are the real pains although not necessarily in the back.

But I started thinking about how my life is generally ruled by costs when it comes to many things and in that way I guess I am normal.

(Me, normal? Nahhh!)

I don’t just buy the first new item that hits store shelves even if I want it or even need it. Like most others I tend to shop around or wait for coupons or some way to lower the cost before plunking down my hard earned cash.

And if you know me you also know my motto when it comes to discounts is, “30% off is still 70% on!”

So when I find a good price on something I also make a final determination of need.

I have become a slightly open-door closet pessimist in that I feel everything that can go right or wrong will tend to lean toward the latter first!

That philosophy is not as bad as it might sound since if you feel things will always go wrong you may occasionally be pleasantly surprised, although far less these days than you might believe.

I guess I have felt that way for a long time because in college I always expected a ‘D’ grade or worse so that when I got ‘C’ and above I was ecstatic!

Of course being a pessimist has its downside especially when you tend to be correct!

I mean if you think something bad is going to happen to you and then it does should you be happy and feel vindicated?

Using that logic I must be happy to have trouble rising in the morning.

But painful personal pessimism aside I would like to address our nation’s outlook on life as we know it.

More and more of our day to day lives is being ruled by that supposed bane of the Republican Party, big government. But contrary to their lip service mantra that is as it should be in a recession.

During hard times the people occupying the lower levels of the wage earning spectrum have more trouble making ends meet. Government programs such as unemployment insurance and free or low cost health care become life lines against financial ruin and even death.

But the problem is these people don’t tend to have a cohesive voice and definitely don’t have a powerful lobby through which to get their plights heard.

And thus they are an easy target for those in power to point to as financial drains on our economy.

Does anyone believe a Koch brother would offer a penny to save a sick poor man?

Alan Grayson famously put it more succinctly if in a less politically correct way with his “die quickly” label of the Republican healthcare plan.

But when the opposition to a fair policy for all Americans continues to chip away at every facet of our democratic ideals we the people are faced with a struggle beyond precedent.

We even lost an incredibly intelligent well spoken champion of all humans in the fight for fair and balanced health care when the Republican Party blocked President Obama’s appointment of Dr. Berwick as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid.

Why you may ask would they do so?

Who is this awful terrorist wannabe that our leaders on the right feel must be booted out of existence?

Read about him – I cannot do this great man justice here.

Simple changes that go unnoticed have hidden agenda that turn out to be ways for the wealthy or big businesses to retain more profit at the expense of the individual.

For example the recent push to stop prostate screening for men until they have symptoms will negate the yearly PSA exams for millions. Proponents of stalling the test say it is a pain in the butt and could have false positives.

But a quick “light of day” exam of the motives of the proponents reveals a simple fact, the benefit to stopping those life saving blood tests goes directly into the pockets of the insurers.

Personally my first PSA exam was just as I hit 50 and lo and behold the discovery and subsequent treatment of what was found most likely saved my life.

Another huge savings of profit for the poor insurance industry is the lessening of mammogram frequencies.

What does the Republican Party have against women?

When the poor die due to a lack of quality health care they do so quietly. Their passing will not be announced as Breaking News on Fox. (This just in, a homeless and former Viet Nam veteran died outside the emergency room today saving tax payers thousands. Thanks Sarge! And now here’s Gretchen with other fun news.)

Naturally wealthy people pass away as well but if there is a ‘cure that money can buy’ rest assured they will not rest trying to find it before resting in peace!

One common thread in both of the above cases, insurance companies did not have to pay a penny.

Interesting?

Now all of these policy changes may be lumped under the heading of getting government out of your lives, making it less intrusive. Yet how does that square with the concurrent push for laws such as “personhood” which would allow the government to peer into a woman’s uterus at time of conception?

Zygotes of the fallopian tubes unite!

Clearly when it comes to the policy wishes of the Republican Party hypocrisy should be its middle name.

So why are so many average Americans still willing to vote for the phony party of family values? Why do so many voters tend to be masochists?

Remember, “What does a sadist do to a masochist – NOTHING!”

But in this case the sadistic tendencies of the ‘right’ are doing quite a bit to the electorate.

The middle class and poor have been used as wallets from which the wealthy and large corporations have dipped into as needed.

In order to get policies in place to help the majority of Americans it will take a touch less spending on foreign wars and defense as well as a bit more tax revenue overall.

Let’s see if we can help the lives and livelihood of the American voters as much as we appear to be trying to help the rest of the world. Don’t stop foreign aid but at least match it with the same fervor here.

And when it comes to taxes simple minded logic will say that a one dollar increase from three hundred million Americans should hurt less than a three hundred million increase from one guy! But anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that percentages of wealth will show the fallacy in that thinking.

The pessimist in me feels I may never be able to rise out of bed totally pain free again but a tiny optimistic voice is wondering if I could cure the pain for less than a co-pay large enough to fund the CEO’s next vacation home.

Oh well, it look as though I’m in the market for a new mattress!

Thanks - Revised Two Years Later!

2011-11-24T10:45:00.004-05:00

Exactly 2 years ago I wrote this piece about Thanksgiving.
The country and the world have made tremendous changes since then.
My life has changed in many ways as well but many of the thoughts and wishes have not.
The post below is mainly a reprint with fresh comments noting the changes since 2009 in deep blue.

Thanksgiving week is greeted with many different emotions throughout this country and it is the official/unofficial start of a traditional holiday season. Although this year many stores hurting for sales had their Christmas trees and decorations out before Halloween!

In the past we celebrated the day and or weekend by having a Thursday dinner with friends and family and then getting to sleep early so we could get up and bust some doors at a local retailer.

Those who eschewed the "Black Friday" crowds in favor of a more restful day off might play with their kids or sit around a fire and talk. (You do remember sitting and talking, right? NO, NOT TEXTING - TALKING!) No change there!

The stores start putting out their 'countdown' calendars letting us know in no uncertain terms how many shopping days we have left until Christmas. The pressure builds. I think they chose Christmas because it was always easy to subtract from December 25th instead of having to figure out when Hanukkah was. (I think it's early this year!) Nope - It's right on time as the 2 holidays coincide - A rarity that is sure to fire up and focus a friendly frenzy of feverish shopping. (Too many "F" words?)

Every year this is a particularly bad time for those among us who are suffering from depression. The sight of others being happy tends to exacerbate anxiety and the bad thoughts occasionally culminate in tragedy around the end of December.
We should all be on the lookout for anyone we feel might fall prey to feelings such as those because with the economy in the dumps there may be many more than in previous years. And with the economy continuing to be in the toilet for all but the well to do please keep an eye out for loved ones, friends and acquaintances who may be suffering silently. Don't let them become a statistical footnote to the recession.

I have suffered through my own year of living dangerously as I was a victim to economic pressures at my old job. Luckily I am not smart enough to get too depressed. But seriously, it is not good and it is important to lend a hand where possible. My hand was finally received by my new employer this March and I have been working ever since. I am not earning at the level of my past employment but far more than my unemployment. I hope others can join me soon.

Personally I could never consider doing myself harm. As my mother used to say, "I could never commit suicide, I'm way too much of a coward!" No change there!

So in the spirit of this post and going against my Eclectic Curmudgeon title allow me to list a few things of which I am thankful for. I hope you will add your own to the list.

I am thankful that:

... I still have my father around as he nears the 92nd anniversary of his birth.
He will be joining my family for Thanksgiving dinner. (I'm driving.) Sadly this has changed. My incredibly kindhearted dad fell victim to a fall just before his 93rd birthday and entered peaceful eternity on April 13. Aside from his family many disabled vets will miss him dearly.

... I am also picking up my (few years younger) mother-in-law (That's right, I said mother-in-law! Get over it.) She is still vibrant and living on her own as a snowbird. But for full disclosure I will not be driving her this year. :-)

... My wife is a good intelligent woman and she still has her job. She still works for NYC full time but is classified as a part timer so benefits can be withheld. Hey Bloomberg didn't get to be a billionaire by accident!

... My two children are healthy and beautiful. (I dream of their bright futures regularly.) This will never change.
AND they are both finished with the money pit of college - Whew.

... I still have much of my hair although more and more of it finds its way onto the brush every day. YUP!

... I have most of my health, 'nuff said. Well...

... I can still see very well. (And it only cost $700 for the glasses!) And several hundred for the exams etc. Luckily the costs are covered by my insur, wait, uh, oh well never mind.

... I have some good friends. (Are there truly any other kind?) I could always use more and this year I lost some really wonderful ones. So call me, we'll do lunch.

... I can still finish the Sunday Times crossword puzzle - usually without too much help. Surprisingly ditto - although I sometimes lack the patience to actually do it!

... I am able to find humor in the strangest of places which is good since more places are strange these days than ever before. YUP!

And most of all I am thankful that I can put all these things down on this blog, because maybe, just maybe someone who doesn't think they have anything to be thankful for will find something here that they missed. And if I can save someone from being miserable then I will be even more thankful.

Think of that and these two phrases during this holiday season:
'Save a life; save the world'
'It is better to give than receive.' (I'm a 40 regular with a 34 waist medium build & I love vodka.)

May you have the best of all worlds.

Have a Happy Bird Day! (And a Happy Holiday Season)
Have a Happy Bird Day! (And a Happy Holiday Season)

I'll Respect You in the Morning

2011-11-06T23:35:00.002-05:00

Those of you old enough to remember the Robert Klein routine hinted at in the title will understand that there are many things people say that are clearly not true.

And the people who say them know they are lying but they rely on the naivete of the people to whom they are speaking to get away with, well whatever.

So in the spirit of that restless legged stand-up old timer I hereby submit:

Things Americans seem to accept without question that are inherently unfair and clearly untrue:

1 - Paying insurance companies tremendously high premiums for coverage is needed to ensure that I am covered for all illnesses.
The coverage we pay so dearly for does not kick in until an equally unfair deductible is met and a Co-Pay is given at time of service.

We seem to allow without thinking that we should be giving money away with no true belief it will ever be used for our well being to large corporations who in turn wish to make that feeling a reality by hiring intelligent people to find loopholes in their own policies or write them in in the first place.

Just what exactly is a deductible or a co-pay or a co-insurance?

Simply put they are inherent future revenue streams that insurance companies bank on should a policy holder have the nerve to try to access the fruits of their policy.

Voting for a politician because he or she states they will stick up for your rights and because their beliefs most closely resemble yours on a majority of issues will ensure you have a friend in government.

And then re-electing them when they prove to have lied because you believe their promise that they will do so this time!

By nature we have been a forgiving society and somewhat naïve when it comes to questioning authority or those in power.
We are not comprised of a mentality rampant in so-called third world countries where the people not only think their leaders are corrupt but they know for a fact they are!
Sadly those people cannot have ‘Occupy’ movements, or at least have then and survive to talk about them.

Luckily we have freedoms written into our constitution that protect our rights to congregate and dissent and do so openly, at least for now.

But as we continue to elect politicians who are of the ‘in name only’ variety we move closer to a police state where elections are a mere formality and a small few control and rule the country.

We already have a tiny percentage of citizens controlling the conversation who have successfully moved all the playing fields to the right and beyond.

How else could a civilized nation be talking seriously about turning a once free woman’s uterus into a crime scene?
These same small minded individuals stir up unreal fears and campaign to outlaw Sharia Law in America while trying to push women toward the path of wearing Birkas.

With regulations being proposed and even placed on ballots for supposedly religious people to vote on that will vilify a pregnant woman who has a miscarriage and possibly send her to prison we are heading not only down a dangerous path but back to the dark ages.

We have the best health care system in the world and changing it would lead to socialism. This is true because we are told that by a great many of our leaders and some television personalities.

Seriously?

With so many of our citizens simply dying due to limited access to health care how can anyone say something as blatantly false as that, let alone believe it?

When people propagate lies they must either be doing so for personal gain or an increased level of power over their world. Or maybe they are just plain evil.

Evil does exist and in a truly intelligent futuristic world that kind of evil would be considered a mental disease to be treated with the best level of care the society could muster.

Unfortunately in our world that type of person is not considered diseased but rather the leader of a sect as in the Westboro Baptist so-called Church.

A person by virtue of his or her standing on the ladder of celebrity should be considered intelligent and all knowing as befits the level above others on that ladder.

We see and hear hate filled speeches coming from polarizing figures on the radio or the web or any broadcasting medium attempting to pinpoint the cause of all our problems and point their despicable fingers in that direction.
One named Rush or former good actor named Mel come to mind, although using the word mind in connection with these two seems far fetched.

And in a true ‘Physician heal thyself’ way those people are generally the worst offenders.

We have a majority rule political system in America that is the best and most envied system currently in use in the world.

Those are great patriotic words and were they accurate we would truly be the envy of the world. But sadly the words are a mere smoke screen obscuring reality.

This one is actually easy to disprove by looking at Congress and noting that once the Republican Party became the minority in Congress they stopped allowing anything to get done. They did so by utilizing the childish tactic of covering their ears and humming so they couldn’t even hear the majority.

And since they won the House of Representatives by using that tactic they felt emboldened to continue using it until they had removed any semblance of fairness from DC.

To wit: There are 100 elected officials in the Senate and as anyone familiar with first grade math will tell you that means 51 votes on any issue would constitute a majority; but not in America and not now. Counter intuitively in order to get something through that body of planned inaction you must receive 60 votes or more!

When Americans speak to foreigners who do not understand our language if we say the words louder they will finally get it!

Do I really have to explain this one away?

While waiting for a tardy elevator pressing the button with increased rapidity will cause the cabin to arrive sooner.

As with the one above, seriously?

The Earth is approximately 6,000 years old.

Right, and I just celebrated my 1 month birthday!

With rocks found all over the planet that have been shown to be at least a million years old can people really believe this ridiculous notion?
Do they dress themselves in the morning?

Can they really have graduated from one of our schools?
If so I need the names of those institutions to make sure they are removed from any accreditation system and certainly from getting any federal funding. They are obviously theologically rooted and must be called churches!

As long as big business is regulated we are safe from any fraud or from any harmful products hitting our shelves.

If regulations were all we needed then we wouldn’t need police or agencies such as the FDA.

Businesses have long played the role of cheese lover in the cat and mouse game of regulations. Agencies are constantly trying to build better mouse traps to no avail.

As one of the executives at Gerber once said when asked if they should pull an awful tasting baby food from the shelf, "Who's gonna complain?"

As long as we have fraud minded greedy wealthy CEOs and board members who want to be greedy wealthy CEOs we will never be able to have a big enough mouse trap.

And even when caught these immoral law breakers weasel their way out of any convictions by bribing those in power to look the other way at best or bail them out at worst!

Bernie Madoff is an exception but don’t think there aren't tons of others waiting and watching in the wings trying to learn where he went wrong so that they can perfect the scheme.

When companies or corporations are found to be breaking the law and convicted of doing so in a court of law the fines levied against them will be paid and the bad behavior will cease. After all that’s the law.

And Santa will bring joy to the world all year round!

Remember the movie about Erin Brockovich entitled surprisingly, “Erin Brockovich?” The movie chronicles her struggles to bring PG&E to justice for dumping carcinogens into the Earth thus polluting it and threatening the lives and livelihoods of thousands of innocent Americans.

The movie is from 2000 and therefore concerns the illegal acts of that corporation from earlier times.

It should surprise no one that after being found guilty of performing that anti-human dangerous dumping act they have yet to pay a fine or be totally brought to justice and the plume of carcinogenic liquid is spreading and ruining more lives and killing more people.

Rather than clean up the area and thus save lives these bastards have spent nearly a billion dollars to forestall any further legal action!
Rather than do the right thing that would have ultimately cost less and made them look good in the eyes of the public they chose to appeal!

In the corporate world it is all about winning no matter the cost, and if a few or a million lives are lost along they way, well fortunes of war. After all, they had a choice of where to live, nobody forced them to buy homes over our current and future dump sites!

We are too trusting of authority and either that or our definition of authority must change. Until that time we are all going to be treated as naïve fools only to be led to our slaughter after we cast our vote for the wrong candidates every November.

Stop accepting – start learning – Become involved. You’ll ultimately be glad that you did.

Is it Really the New Normal

2011-11-04T09:07:00.004-04:00

For various reasons we humans find it easier to cope with adversity if it has a name. I guess it's rooted in our 'misery loves company' psyche. But just giving something a name does not make it any less painful or dangerous.
People died in the millennium before ours due to causes unknown. We now know many of those deaths were due to cancer. So now we know. But they're still dead!
For years we have been hearing about the 'new normal' from economists and pundits. The use of the word 'normal' explaining how our faltering economy is basically here to stay certainly does not make it easier for the so-called 99%-ers. These are the people who are stuck in low paying high stress jobs, that is if they're lucky, and on unemployment or worse if not.
The new normal is actually a way to explain how the uber rich of our country have quietly and unceasingly usurped power by any means necessary. These people have become inordinately richer while the rest of the country has gone down the tubes.
The gap between the top 1% and the rest of us has widened to the point that they no longer consider us as even necessary.
Oh of course some of us are needed to buy whatever product they are selling or use whatever service they offer but the bottom line is with over 7 billion sheep in the herd the shepherds know there will be a whole lot of grazing going on somewhere.
And the flat earth's global market will provide plenty of opportunities for them.
The one thing we Americans always had going for us was our culture of education and the freedom to do what we wished to do within the friendly open confines of the law. We were the envy of the world and people wanted to come here and join in the celebration.
We all figured that if you got a college education and worked hard you could live the American dream. But we forgot that in order to dream you generally sleep and that's what most of us did, we slept.
And while we slept at the wheel a growing number of opportunistic financiers and their friendly politicians slipped into the driver's seat. They figured out a way to harness the dreams of the sleepwalking masses turning them into realities for their own use.
Little by little they changed laws and altered regulations. And every change altered the playing field a touch more so that any cash they made they kept. And their cabal grew more wealthy and more powerful.
And the more power they had the more others wanted in.
But the club was kept exclusive and the entry fee was what some religious types would call 'your soul.'
While this was going on the public, the soon to be forgotten middle class was fed the illusion that they could make it to the top by hard work and perseverance. (Click the above link to read a great article from the Atlantic magazine.)
Advertisements showing the good life; politicians stumping with phrases like 'lower taxes' and a better economy to come; radio and TV personalities making believe they are 'of the people' all polluting our minds aimed at sending us back to sleep.
Ssshhhh, don't wake the sleeping bear.
The funny thing is that whenever someone hears the words, 'Lower Taxes' they think THEIR taxes will be lowered!
It is so absurd as to be laughable.
It should be obvious that in order to run a country you must have some capital, some revenue, somewhere, an influx of cash as it were.
And normally that comes from a general fund comprised of donations, generally mandatory and known as taxes. That is how a civilized country continues to grow and prosper. And the more you have the more you can and should pay.
One of my fantasies has always been to owe and pay over a million dollars in taxes. Of course I would be known as a schmuck to every Republican in the country. That would please me even more!
According to many economists the only people who will make it in the near future will be the highly educated, the ones with more than a BS degree from college.
These people will still be sought after to work with the overlords of the global economy while the rest will have to scrounge around for the lower paying scraps left behind.
And along with this new normal comes another enigma, and this one is far more insidious than one would have imagined 100 years ago.
In order to keep their power the top 1% of the wealthiest in the world must have politicians in their pockets. After all without them making laws and regulations all they have accomplished would erode and they might lose a billion here or there. And pretty soon you're talking about real money.
So the they pay for ad campaigns and fund huge rallies to get the masses, those sheep of the country to vote against their own best interest.
There are more registered Democrats than Republicans since there are more people in need of what the Democratic party stands for.
The Grand Old Party clearly is all about big business and large multi national corporations. And when they say lower taxes they do not mean it for the average Joe on Main Street but the average billionaire on Wall Street!
And yet many Republicans get elected, far more than should and that means many people are voting for their own downfall!
I have often used a wonderful saying from the show 1776 in which Mr. Dickinson a Representative to the Continental Congress of that year says that most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor.
And that reality is why they continue to vote for men and women who truly don't give a rat's butt about them.
Another phrase we all must heed is, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it!
I will not go through all the historic reasons why Republicans have been bad for the middle class and the American economy as a whole, that is your job - educate yourself!
The enigma is that in order for the more educated of our leaders to stay in power they must keep a majority of Americans uneducated. Sadly that appears to be working!
But one point about our friends in the GOP needs noting. Their policies of getting rid of teachers and going after any group or union that has shown itself to be comprised of members who vote Democratic are clearly aimed at keeping future generations uneducated.
And that is the plan.
That is the new reality, the new normal.
Or at least it is until the majority of Americans wake up and smell the stench coming from the right side of the aisle and realize it ain't coffee!

Top 10 Things No Intelligent American Human Being Should Expect:

2011-10-29T00:20:00.003-04:00

10. The wealthy actually hiring more workers at decent wages after receiving yet another tax gift from Congress

9. Truth and fairness in any way, shape or form anywhere anytime from a Fox Network so-called news show

8. Narcissistic sub-humans such as Ann Coulter actually caring about anyone but themselves

7. The liberal media NOT kowtowing to conservatives’ charges that they are liberal

6. Anything but hypocrisy out of the mouths of Republican Congressmen & women, especially if campaigning

5. Sarah Palin’s voice to be soothing

4. The 'religious right' understanding facts based in actual science such as evolution, gravity or climate change

3. Corporations hiring Americans while there are still unemployed Asians overseas

2. Republicans to be in favor of anything that helps the middle class or appears to give Obama a ‘win’

And the number one thing no sane individual who has been alive and awake for at least the past few years should expect:

1. The wealthiest 1% of Americans giving up their ownership of Congress and control of the country

Random Baseball Thought

2011-10-20T17:52:00.000-04:00

I saw a letter about Roger Maris and the Hall of Fame and I just had to respond.

But with so many Yankee fans in New York (I HAVE NO IDEA WHY!!!) my letter was not published.

However this is my blog and as such I control what gets on and what does not so:

Should Roger Maris be in the Hall of Fame?

Mr. Maris is famous whether or not he is inducted into that hall.

He was a gentle man and a good ball player who never complained about how unfairly he was treated for having the nerve to break a revered baseball record.

Oddly enough that record has since been broken again and again. And it was broken mostly by players using drugs!

I am no fan of the Yankee organization for starting and continuing the trend that ruined baseball as a game. They subverted all that was wholesome and good about

America

’s pastime by turning it into a heartless business of profit at any cost.

But Mr. Maris had heart and he went about his job as a ball player with the same diligence and modesty as did Lou Gherig years before him and many honest ballplayers since.

Roger Maris deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, even if they place him there with an asterisk!

Insurance for Peace of Mind – Whose?

2011-10-15T13:09:00.003-04:00

Nassau County just announced they caught many individuals who defrauded Medicaid out of hundreds of thousands of dollars! The money will have to be covered by those of us who have not broken the law since the bills must be paid.

In discussing the case County Department of Social Services Commissioner John Imhof stated that “It’s unconscionable that individuals try to cheat the system and try to jeopardize benefits intended for the truly needy.”

He’s right, that’s purview of big business and large corporations!

In this case the people who committed the crimes were caught and will hopefully be prosecuted to recoup the agency’s losses. At that time the County may be paid back although I am not going to hold my breath.

But this brings up an interesting issue.

When an insurance company sells a policy to a customer they do so with the understanding that they may have to pay a claim at some time in the future.

Naturally they are in the business of making profits so they try to only insure customers against nearly impossible happenings.
Occasionally they screw up and lose.

Or do they?

Whether the payments are for legitimate claims or for fraudulent ones the companies will increase their premiums across the board to cover them, thus ensuring them an equal if not larger profit year after year.

In America we have the free enterprise system. Companies are allowed to do business any way they see fit as long as they don’t break the law. So it is up to the individual to decide with whom they wish to deal when it comes to insurance.

But much insurance is utility-like in nature while some are even mandated such as auto insurance.

When the government declares that you must have insurance they also must regulate the companies that offer that insurance lest greed take over and the captive customer be fleeced.

But the truth is no matter how large a profit these companies report if they are hit with a claim they will raise their rates in order to recoup those losses.
And if those companies are defrauded out of money by a falsified claim they will raise the rates on all of their customers so as to not lose one dime!

Do not get me wrong, I am against those who knowingly break the law to defraud any individual or company, even insurance companies.
But I do not condone spreading the pain among the innocent bystanders!

If an insurance company writes a policy with a customer they are essentially making a bet that they will not have to pay out any claims. It behooves them to turn down any claims or at the very least fight them and demand more and more proof of validity in the hopes the customer will give up and go away.

In the event the insurance company loses the fight and must pay they should be forced to do so out of their own pocket and not the pockets of the people who had absolutely nothing to do with the entire process in the first place.

We the people do not receive gifts or bonuses from big insurance companies who report obscene large yearly profits.
We do not reap the benefits of all those claims they deny.
So why do we receive a bill when those profits don’t meet their desired number?

Auto insurance companies are not the only ones who spend fortunes on ad campaigns aimed at brainwashing the public into believing that insurance fraud must be paid for by the innocent among us.

You pays your money
And you takes your chances

If I gamble in a casino and lose from whom may I claim that money back?

If an insurance company is defrauded they should go after the person or persons who committed the crime. It is not only their right it is their duty.

I would even offer to help them, for a price. But I am not nor should I be held accountable for their losses!

We Disagree - Agreed? Now Move On!

2011-10-09T18:58:00.002-04:00

If we cannot agree that we will all disagree on at least as many issues as we agree upon then may we agree that we are all fooling ourselves?

Agreed?

We will never have only one national opinion on any one issue.

For example, I commute to and from work on public transportation every day.

I sit (hopefully) on generally late, somewhat dirty and unfortunately unreliable Long Island Railroad trains upon which I catch a few extra and heartily needed minutes of restless sleep.

But I have worked with people who insist on sitting in traffic driving to and from work every day.

Aside from the fact that hopefully those people do not catch 40 winks while on the road they are creating and breathing in pollution while adding to our nation’s dependence upon and usage thereof foreign oil. (I am assuming they do not use electric vehicles as the ones of whom I speak do not.)

But I am smart enough to know that I can not change their ways when it comes to this particular behavior so I will not try.

I also realize that their choice, as dumb and expensive as it is does not affect my life, at least not in a day to day way and not in the near future.

I do not believe the issue between driving to work vs. commuting should be a campaign issue and luckily it is not.

But different personal choices have become campaign issues. These choices are more invasive than open heart surgery in that they affect our lives every day and will continue to do so for the rest of our lives!

I am speaking about religion and its pervasive effect on our entire political system.

Recently a deluded self-serving so-called pastor named Jeffress, not surprisingly from Texas claimed that Willard Mitt Romney is not a Christian since he is a Mormon and Mormonism is a cult.

Hey pastor, so is Christianity!

So is Judaism!

And by definition so is every religion that ever was, is, or will be practiced on this Earth!

When a “man of God” claims that another “man of God” is a member of a cult he is truly invoking the kettle/pot analogy and making himself out to be a small minded inconsequential moron. (That’s moron, without the second M.)

Clearly there is no way to dissuade someone from their belief as long as that person is at peace and comfortable with it, nor should we try as long as it does not affect others.
However when belief in that cult becomes part and parcel of their ideas on how to rule over others we must be wary of electing them to any position of power.

Think of Ayatollahs or Mullahs.
It's really not a complex issue but when someone gets a God complex they become dangerous. (Unless of course they do so while actually walking on water and then, uh well sorry about that and by the way when may I expect that pony we spoke of?)

Naturally the whole separating religion from government idea is not solely mine nor is it new. It was the general thought of General George Washington of First President of these United States fame!

In several statements made by that prominent figure and founding father of our founding days Mr. Washington decried the use of religion as a process that stagnated progress.

When people who are allowed to speak to a crowd or on television spout ideologies as though they were the key foundation for electing a President their statements should come with loud disclaimers or be stopped by a 5 second delay and relegated to Fox Non-News channels only.

For years we have been languishing with a stagnant economy continued by a do-nothing Republican led agenda whose only stated job is to remove President Obama from their sight!

Rather than addressing issues such as:

High unemployment;

Wealthy people who pay little or no tax;

Corporations that sit on obscene amounts of cash refusing to invest in the country that made them wealthy;

The same corporations trading American jobs to workers overseas;
The ruination of our once great infrastructure and;

The calculated murder of the middle class that used to be the envy of the entire world

The Republican majority in the House continues to call anything brought forth by the President as, “Dead on arrival!”

Instead of looking for ways out of our terrible mess, brought on by a Republican President and his cronies they are content to change the subject and allow debates over who has the better religion and who follows the teachings of that Jewish guy from the year one!
Truth is if we look at the actions rather than the words most Republicans choose to ignore the phrase WWJD.

So listen closely and you may hear the sound of our founding fathers spinning mightily in their graves!

Americans may not be able to agree on much these days but one thing is clear and without dispute; Republicans have not done one thing to create jobs since they took over the majority in the House of Representatives by claiming they had a jobs plan and that it would be Job Number One for them.

We must remove that man
before he helps the little
people and makes my master
pay another penny in taxes.

The only job plan they have pursued was the one laid forth by that large jowled Senator from Kentucky, Mitchell McConnell who only wants to get rid of Obama. And toward that end he would not mind seeing

America

go down the toilet.

And no matter what side of any argument you find yourself on that last statement is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but!

R I P

2011-10-05T23:04:00.001-04:00

I Sad
ENOUGH SAID!

Paying to use Your Money!

2011-10-02T00:35:00.002-04:00

Remember when there was such a thing as a bank giveaway?

Ah the good old days when businesses treated customers as important. Well, important to their bottom line at least. They tried to make the customer feel wanted and good about doing business with them.

One could even get a toaster for a qualifying deposit. (Certain fees and restrictions apply and requirements must be followed and met. Early withdrawal will be met with disapproval and demands that any items received as a result of the offer must be returned and/or paid for with fees and charges equal to at least seven times the value of the gift received through the offer and the customer assumes all responsibility for his or her actions in attempting to defraud the innocent bank out of whatever he or she received as a gift through the program. The customer will then be ostracized for a period of no less than one year and be forbidden from receiving or entering into any new offers from this or any other bank within the confines of these United States. Complaints about the penalties will be met with sinister looks threats against family and loved ones and possible jail time or death depending upon what state the culprit resided at time of his or her willful fraud against the poor bank. Have a nice day.)

A Solid Institution built with your money

And when the banks held your money for at least a month or so you received interest.

This interest was never anything to write home about mainly because it was at such a low rate that a stamp cost more but at least you got something in return. And speaking of return, no matter how much the banks begrudging gave you for holding your money they received far more by loaning your money out to other people.

Banks have always been a middle man of sorts making money by taking from the poor and middle class and loaning it out at ridiculously unfair rates to other poor and middle class people.

Banks also got together and decided on fees for everything under the sun including the absurd notion that an ATM would give you back your own money. Oh you got the money but you also got a fee for doing so.

After we the people complained the banks were forced to remove the fees as long as you used your own banks' ATM.

They then offered credit cards which are essentially a plastic doorway to a loan.

The angle here was that even though you were not charged for using the credit card, the retailer with whom you used it was and he naturally passed along that fee to you!

And if you did not pay your bill in full at the end of your cycle you were subject to usury rates of up to 30%!

Were these rates unfair?

Well loan sharks were jealous so you decide.

Of course if you could not pay your bill at the end of the cycle you should have to pay an additional charge but then you should not have had such a high credit limit in the first place.

Should we forget about personal responsibility?

Well banks do!

In fact they, well bank on it!

They make fortunes on the inability of the user to pay his bill. And in the same week a delinquent user gets a notice that he owes more than he ever thought he may also get an increase in his credit line!

Other fun fees include but are not limited to:

Fees if you take YOUR money out of a savings account too many times in a month. (Note you are not charged for depositing too many times.)

Using another bank’s ATM. (Total no-no.)

Insufficient funds to cover a check (this one is legitimate.)

But they take the fee out of the account that did not have sufficient funds to cover the check in the first place thus automatically forcing another charge.

Or they could also take the money from your savings account thus putting you over the 6 per month rule - More fees!

Want to know if they count on these fees to make billions? Just note that they hire people whose only job is to find new and exciting ones!

But I have left the best for last.

Debit cards may be used to pay for anything by instantly taking money out of your account at time of purchase. This way you will never bounce a check. Don't have the cash in the bank - no purchase allowed.

But how can a bank make money if you do the responsible thing?

No problemo!

Bank of America is now charging $5 per month just for the pleasure of using a debit card.

In other words they will now charge you to use your own money.

Who the hell are these crooks?

How can we allow such scams to continue?

Maybe we should threaten them to not bail them out the next time they screw up?

Well we could stop it by giving Congress larger bribes than they currently receive from bank lobbyists but that would be hard to coordinate.

We could vote out the corrupt members of Congress and try to vote in honest ‘untouchable’ law makers but they have not been born yet.

We could promote anarchy and burn the banks with their board members still inside but that could be messy and besides we may lose our safe deposit box contents.

Or we could stop using banks that offend us.

If all of us chose to use credit unions or smaller banks who do not play the games these con artists do we could make a dent in their profit margin.

Put them out of business by removing every penny.

Take a page out of Bedford Falls’ good old Bailey Building & Loan; only deal with people in your community.

Banks say they cannot help those of us drowning in a terrible economy because of uncertainty.

But truthfully, the only uncertainty banks have these days is how many people to invite to their next toga party in Crete.

We've Been Railroaded Again!

2011-10-02T00:14:00.003-04:00

The Long Island Rail Road had to suspend service again during the thunderstorm that hit us last week.

Why?

What was different about this suspension?

We can't get answers just yet because, well uh, the brain trust at the Railroad hasn't had enough time to come up with a good story.

The LIRR says it needs time to figure out what went wrong with their $56M new system THAT WE THE RIDERS PAID FOR.

Well here’s a clue – YOU DO NOT PUT THE ELECTRONIC BRAINS OF YOUR RAILROAD INSIDE A METAL HUT AND EXPECT LIGHTNING NOT TO HIT IT!

For years those of us on Long Island have been complaining about how inept the LIRR management is but we were wrong. We never realized the full extent of management’s stupidity.

After our rail system has been knocked out by repeated lightning strikes through the years wouldn’t it be a simple thing to place key elements of any expensive and new one underground?

LIRR - On the wrong track for years!

Riders of the inept rail can now expect to pay more for improvements that will be necessitated by this latest round of poor planning.

Sound familiar?

We in New York are used to idiocy when it comes to planning of that kind.

Remember the moronic move by America’s Mayor Rudolpho Giuliani placing the bombed out NYC command center back in the WTC after that first attack? This was done even though the towers were known to be a target of terrorists the world over?

Who suggested the Mayor do so, his three advisors, Larry Curly & Moe?

We do not need a commission to find out what went wrong with the LIRR; all we need is a list of the people in charge.

Poem - Despair in the Air

2011-09-30T18:06:00.001-04:00

It's really such a simple thing

It says that I can never win

When trying not to lose is all I do

No matter what I say or bring

To the table be it fat or thin

I just can’t get ahead; I am so blue

If only we could catch a break

And win just half, give or take

I know the sun would finally shine on me

And so I ask for goodness sake

To not just eat but have my cake

And from this deep depression be set free!

My son is such a great young man

And those who know him are a fan

Of his kindness and incredible keen wit

But no one calls him back to say

We’d like to hire you today

It’s only time before this boy will quit

America was once the land

Of wondrous dreams and futures planned

But now there’s been a pall cast over all

Our leaders only seek a bribe

The unemployed despair; imbibe

This once great country’s heading for a fall

Can things be changed?

And rearranged

The nation’s road is facing quite a fork

No time for stealth

A tax on wealth

Action’s what we need no time for talk.

Republicans always plan a way

For friends of theirs to steal the day

And keep the poor way down; it’s melodrama

But humans we must now unite

Don’t give up now continue the fight

And stay the course & reelect Obama!

Can You See Me Now?

2011-09-30T11:24:00.000-04:00

Optometrists, opticians & ophthalmologists are all seeing red over NY DMV turning a blind eye to vision tests for drivers. Although critics claim drivers need to be able to read the bottom line on the eye chart NYDMV says its bottom line is more important.

Fewer exams at DMV offices mean fewer employees needed.

And it’s no accident that auto repair shops applaud their forward thinking.

By dropping the eye exam requirement for license renewal the DMV is asking drivers to go on honor system. This is quite shortsighted and the DMV must be using rose colored glasses rather than through a glass darkly if they think motorists will see the light and be honorable!

In a related story a stretch of highway in Maine sports the country’s first 75MPH speed limit. Look sharp motorists!

RYON

E IS GOI

NG TO CHEAT

Service Denied - Drop Dead!

2011-09-29T19:13:00.002-04:00

I was recently charged a $100 "Co-Pay" for a doctor visit because my new insurance is through the latest group of fraudulent sub-humans to make billions off the pain and suffering of others - Emblem! (My quoted "Co-Pay" is $50 per visit but the tiny print states that they are allowed to charge me up to FOUR "Co-Pays" per doctor visit so as to pay less themselves.)
When I complained to the customer service people who work for Emblem, AKA leeches, I was informed that without my insurance I would have paid the doctor $1,370!
In other words I should blame the doctor and be thrilled I have Emblem!
Aside from the fact that it was quite unethical for the moron at Emblem to state that it was the doctor's fault that my bill was so high the care I received should have been nowhere near that cost.
When we Americans receive what is quaintly known as an EOB - explanation of benefits - from our insurance companies we should scrutinize the thing.
Doctors request far more than they expect to get since they know insurance companies will pay pennies on the dollar! After all if they were to pay a fair amount they would not be able to make billions in profits every year and pay the board members such high bonuses FOR DOING NOTHING!
It is time to start a movement toward ridding the world of these despicable leeches who get their sick satisfaction and billions of dollars by denying sick people health care in order to line their own pockets.
Doctors and their labs must be enlisted in the movement as well so as to make the death of the unneeded middle men a reality.
If every one if us were to contact our physicians and ask them to make a deal I am certain we would all be better off.
Here's how it would work:
When we see a doctor he charges the insurance company, let's say $1,000 knowing full well that he contracted with them to only take $250 in payment for his services.
If we the people were to tell the doctor that we won't use insurance and offer $300 instead he or she would probably jump at the idea. Of course it might take a little more explanation than I am putting forward here but you must get the idea.
The up-side of this for the medical practice would would be decreased staff time (and unfortunately number of staff members) to track and submit detailed records to the insurance company who will only reject the first draft anyway and cause the doctor to resubmit over and over again and wait months to get paid.
But if we the people make a deal with the Dr. and state that we would pay him the full amount on the spot he would be a fool not to accept!
Similar deals could be made with labs or through the doctor's practice and we the people would pay the doctor's office directly.
Yes we would be paying more than the current "Co-Pay" but think of the yearly savings on the health insurance bills to the insurance company and not ever having to hear them say, "not covered."
My yearly health costs once exceeded $21,000 and I am certainly not the highest paying idiot in the country.
Perhaps I have been lucky but even though I have had several surgeries these past few years I would have thousands of dollars more in my bank account had I made deals with the doctors rather than fork over money to insurance bastards, and that includes hospitalization!
An if you are afraid of being hit with unmanageable hospital bills in case you are laid up for an extended period of time you may assuage your fears by taking out far less costly disaster insurance. These usually come with high deductibles but cost far less in premiums than the leeches like Emblem & Cigna & Blue Cross & Guardian etc. charge.
And many dead people would be alive today if they did not beg some heartless piece of slime bean counter to approve a lifesaving medical procedure only to hear those awful words, not covered.
"Sorry sir but you will now have to die because our CEO has a party planned on the Isle of Crete and cannot afford to pay for your surgery. You should have taken out life insurance! How could you be so heartless? Your family will hate you for eternity!"
How long before the bastards at the life insurance companies start denying claims on dead ones by saying they died needlessly and would have been alive if they had better health care insurance?
In other words they will call every death due to their brethren's denial of service, suicide! They may even split the profits.
I am certain if I told my doctor I would pay him 10% more than an insurance company would allow for services rendered he would consider accepting! I am also certain if all of us did so the doctors would be fools not to accept.
I am also certain if the Republicans would stop their stonewalling and start acting human we in America could have had a public option for health care which would essentially kill the incredibly profitable FOR PROFIT insurance industry!
Doctors may not be saints but at least most of them are human!
The same cannot be said about ANY insurance company or corporation - No matter what morons like Willard Mitt Romney say!

First Do No, WHAT???

2011-09-25T12:18:00.001-04:00

When Senator Ron Paul hinted that he and many if not all of his followers and supporters would do nothing to help a dying human who had no health insurance he elicited a favorable response from many in his camp.

He also elicited a hailstorm of anger from the left and released a huge number of comedic extrapolations; not the least of which came from the fertile minds at SNL where a Ron Paul-like candidate confirmed that he would not stop to save a bunch of cute crying puppies from a burning building.

“Hell no I wouldn’t. Government should not get involved in that type of thing.”

So Ron Paul, who is not only a Senator but a doctor as well has chosen to rewrite the title of one of his oaths changing the “a” to an “i” on the caduceus.

I would like to say that Mr. Paul had some correct thoughts. But as an 'uber' Libertarian he loses sight that he is also, or perhaps was once, a human being.

I understand the feeling of anger at anyone who games the system for personal gain and then calls ON the system for aid if he fails.

Hell we are still going through an economic disaster brought about by just that type of individual! (Actually individuals and corporations etc. but that's for a different rant.)

However when an individual chooses to forgo health insurance he or she may be doing so for reasons other than personal gain.

It's not my job!

What Mr. Paul should have said was, “We should help the person and find out what the problem is and try to get that person back on track, and we should do so to the best of our abilities. But if we find out that the person chose not to pay for insurance so as to save money while being able to afford it then the entire bill must be paid and the person be held responsible for its payment.”

He could have further clarified by saying that if the man could not afford insurance because he was laid off from his job or went through some other catastrophic event we would work it out later, perhaps even with community service for the greater good.

But Mr. Paul chose not to go that route choosing his hard line "me and only me" mantra.

One wonders why a person such as Mr. Paul even wants to be in government since he obviously hates it so and wants it shrunk to the point of non-existence. I guess he's a masochist of sorts.
I hereby state that from now the Senator's supporters must be renamed PAUL BEARERS!

The bottom line is that of all people a doctor should not be leaving a dying man on the side of the road to first go check out his financial statement. Or at least he should not be saying it!

That’s, ‘first do no harm,’ Senator not first checkout his bank account and motives!

If - Updated Version

2011-09-18T19:17:00.005-04:00

If you can trust yourself to never say what you are thinking

Yet assume your audience hears what you want them to hear

If from the truth your very soul is shrinking

Yet from your lips glib lies flow clear

If you can hear truths men are saying of you

And still call them lies though you know they are not

Yet not hate the truth sayers for telling what is true

But smile and call their words a dangerous plot

If you can dream of personal gain

And never let on that’s what you crave

Injecting your own agenda into every refrain

With fingers crossed while at crowds you wave

If you can make a heap of magazines you never read

Yet say you know all from among their stories

And in your heart from their morals be freed

Yet claim the tales as your own past glories

If you can spin a tale of woe

Casting fear and doubt across the land

And with straight face calmly show

Twas by some enemy planned

Then make it seem as only you

With your personal hotline to the lord above

Beyond the danger get us safely through

And deliver coveted peace and love

If you can answer questions without ever speaking

Whilst all around are begging just to see if you can

And from your malodorous lies your soul is reeking

Then yours is hypocrisy and you sir are a Republican!

If anyone who loves Rudyard Kipling is offended by the above I apologize and ask that you consider getting a life :-)