Random Thoughts of an Opinionated Person

Being ignorant is as American as Nascar.

noreply@blogger.com (chewy219) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:36:00 +0000

The presidential election is drawing near. But how many Americans are informed enough to vote?

The numbers vary, but there is one thing for certain- not many Americans can answer the simplest to common knowledge questions, let alone show you where Louisiana is on a map of the US.

Now I know you say "don't generalize." I'm not saying every American is ignorant to facts. I'm just saying a vast majority are more likely to be able to tell you what happened on the latest episode of "The Hills," rather than what happened on the news.

Seriously, if one more person tells me that voting for the president is stupid because "the electoral college chooses the president," I'm going to high-five them in the face. Did I miss this day of high school?

Searching for "stupid Americans" on Google or Yahoo! gives way to hundreds and hundreds of sad truths about Americans and how the world views us.

My stomach churns as I read poll results. Only 25% of Americans asked can tell you more than one of the five freedoms stated in the First Amendment. That's really sad.
A lot of Americans think that Obama's religious affiliation is Muslim!

Appauling is the fact that more Americans can name all the characters on the Simpson's than can name the current Speaker of the House.

These are the same people that helped elect president George W. Bush twice. The worst president of all time. Now look at our country. Recession? Our ignorance to current world events and lack of general knowledge will be the demise of this great country.

McCain or Obama? The election is less than a week away. I am not saying that I'm not ignorant to some fact. But I can say that I give a damn. Most Americans just don't care that they don't know. I'm going to go out on a whim here and say- Most Americans are not informed enough to vote.

McCain/Palin: Dumb/Dumber

noreply@blogger.com (chewy219) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:49:00 +0000

Having never heard of this Sarah Palin woman, I did some research. I pretty much come to the conclusion that she is the worst possible candidate McCain could have chosen.

Sarah Palin on the issues: Things that bug me about her

1) She is pro-life.
A woman, who doesn't believe a woman should have control of her body. Wow.

2) Supports teaching intelligent design alongside evolution in public schools.
I don't even know where to start with this one. Bottom-line- religion should not be taught in public school. Period.

3) She changed her mind on how she felt about drilling in Alaska.
First you oppose drilling, then you agree? Sounds like a large pile of crap.

4) She doesn't support "explicit sex-ed" classes, only abstinence until marriage.
Maybe that's why her daughter is 17 and pregnant?? She even vetoed a bill giving assistanceto teen mothers that need a place to live.

5) Supporter of Censorship.
She supports taking books out of libraries with questionable content.

6) She has almost no political background.
She doesn't understand foreign policy and bearly understands what the vice president even does.

She really is the worst possible candidate choice ever.
But what I find even more ridiculous is John McCain. The fact that he even chose her as a running mate is highly unnerving.

John McCain on the Issues: Things that bother me about him

1) His economic policy as a whole makes me hate this man.
He supports freezing government spending except for defense, veterans and entitlements. Just what we need, more money spent on the war.

2) He voted no on prohibiting job discrimination based on sex.
He must be high. He probably doesn't agree with women earning the same wage as a man for the same job. Hello, welcome to 2008- women don't just stay home barfoot and pregnant anymore, we're educated now. Neanderthal.

3) Does not support investments in renewable energy.
When your business is oil, why would you vote to potentially decrease your profit? He also thinks that the filthy rich oil companies should get tax cuts, not the average American. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

4) Wants to give everyone a $5,000 tax credit for health care.
The only problem with that is that it's taxed. Good looking out.

5) He's old. I mean really old.
He's 72. He collects social security. Enough said.

It's not bad enough that the American people elected George W. Bush for president twice, now we have these morons knocking on the door of the White House. I feel like neither candidate supports or votes for positive change forward. We need universal health care, better public schools, less government spending, a boost for the middle-class and alternative fuel sources.

Great website I would suggest going there and checking it out.

15-20% tips, too much to ask for?

noreply@blogger.com (chewy219) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:08:00 +0000

I am currently a waitress at an Italian restaurant in Michigan. I only work this "crappy" job because 1) the schedule makes it possible to finish school and 2) the money isn't always bad. As of late though (with the current economic situation) people have been terrible tippers, if they tip at all. I have never received a complaint about my service, but still only receive 10%. What gives?
I just recently read an article posted on Yahoo! about this very subject, what is an appropriate tip? The author of the article stated that 15-20% is what is expected. I agree. The reader replies told a much different story though. I couldn't believe the ignorant people commenting on this article. Most said they don't tip at all because "they shouldn't be expected to pay a waitress' wage." I was honestly stunned. People just don't appreciate the dining experience anymore.
I for one am constantly looking for ways to improve at my job to make YOUR dining experience more enjoyable. I attend wine tastings and I've tried all our food and beers on tap. I can and will give you an HONEST opinion when you ask about the things we offer in the restaurant. I ask the chef questions about the preparation of dishes and also forward your comments on to him (good or bad).
I have a tip for all the people out there that tip poorly or not at all- don't go out at all, because we(waitresses/bartenders) don't think you're worth it either.