Tuesday, February 26, 2008
:
You Think That's Funny?
My father once said to me "The truest words have often been said in jest." When he first quoted that to me, he credited it to Will Rogers, the old west orator who more or less invented the concept of Stand-Up Comedy.
However, being the fanatic for "the facts" as it were, I looked up the quote on Ye Olde Google to make sure. I found the quote to be attributed to everybody from Mark Twain to L. Ron Hubbard. One or two of them stated it as being "an old Scottish Proverb," and I find that when a phrase such as that is so widespread and timeless as to lack an inarguable origin, the "proverb" status is usually the safest bet.
Wherever it came from, it firmly came to mind to me today when I came across this little nugget from those ingenious masters of modern satire, The Onion:
After you get done laughing your ass off, you find yourself slipping into a silent depression, as you come to realize how frighteningly right they may be.
I'll admit it, I like Ralph. We share the same views, have the same goals. What's not to like about the guy? Well, okay...there's plenty. I'll get into that in a moment.
Before that, I want to put to rest the whole "Blame Ralph" bullshit that's been going on since the 2000 election. The Democrats like to say that it was all Ralph's fault that they lost Florida so easily. It's a total lie, and they know it. But they're riding it, because the only other option was to admit that they fucked up by tying Gore down.
If you take a look at the ebb and flow of American Voting habits, you'll see that the shift of power between the conservative/liberal structures has always been based on the inherent and immediate selfishness of the American Public. When we're tired of being raped on a daily basis by the power-crazed fundamental Judeo-Christian psychos, we put Clinton into office. And after 8 years of an economic, educational, and technological renaissance, we suddenly became concerned with menial things like "I'm paying how much in taxes?" and "One nation 'under God,' you heathens."
This is why, when it was Gore's turn to take the helm, his handlers were stupid enough to keep him at bay on the subjects that actually made him a worthy candidate. He was forced to downplay his stance on environmental responsibility, economic accountability, and technological equality. They were afraid that making him sound too liberal would turn away the potential votes of an increasingly "moderate" America.
Unfortunately, Bush's overlords used the same strategy, making the two of them both seem like relatively do-nothing figureheads.
So, of course, when Nader came along standing firm on the ideals that Gore was now shying away from, of course he took the votes. Nader may be a cantankerous trouble-maker, but at least he looked like he would do something other than count paper clips while at the White House.
The fact that the 2000 Election was close enough for the Republican Demon Factory to steal the results into their favor, is solely the responsibility of a) the Democratic Party for not allowing Gore to be himself, and b) the American people for being so selfish as to forget that it was a moderately-liberal president that made life so easy for us to begin with.
Which is why, in the 2000 election, I voted for Nader. Like everyone else, I had been fooled into thinking that Bush was "dumb, but harmless," and that he and Gore "weren't that different." So, I chose to vote for the guy that actually said the things that I was thinking.
Also, there is an evil amount of unfairness when it comes to representation in this country. Washington D.C. is obesely dominated by The Republicans and The Democrats, who represent less and less of the American populace every year. And yet, they have also put into play several regulations and earmarks that prevent any of the other political parties to join in their Reindeer Games.
At the time of the 2000 election, Ralph was running as a Green Party candidate. We all knew he wasn't going to win, but if he could at least rope in 5% of the vote, then the Green Party would've been recognized as a legitimate Political Party, and eligible for Federal Funding, as well as admitted to the debate structure. While I'm not any more of a fan of the Green Party as I am any other party, I wanted to see more than just two colors in my bowl of Froot Loops.
However, this time around, just as in 2004, Ralph is going it on his own. He has no Party affiliation to back him up, and would be doing nothing more than stirring shit up. Which is great, because that is exactly what he is best at.
Ralph will never be president. I don't even think he would be a very good president. While I agree with just about everything he says, he's a little too slash-and-burn with his methodology, and would probably do a little too much damage on the long term. Ralph would be great in Congress, or as a White House Secretary of Something.
I wish him luck, and can't wait to see what kind of humor and excitement he'll bring to the stage this year.
And as for all the fear-mongers that are already accusing him of screwing things up for this year's election, I think Ralph himself put it best:
"If the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form,"
Well, it looks like another one of my dreams has been crushed by the ritualistic Murder/Suicide Pact that is Politics. It happened fast, too. Almost as if they were reading my blog and thought, "Whoa, we better act quick on this one. He almost seems to have hope."
Just as I am about to start a push to get Clinton and Obama to team up on the fight against the Republican Cancer, they go and pull this shit.
In the Daytime Drama that is Politics, this is our main Antagonist: Political Strategists. In the American version of the Game of Thrones, it matters not how honorable of a person you are. If you want to get anything done, anything at all, you must enlist the help and tactics of people who had their souls removed before they got into college.
It has come to this. People who are suppose to be on the same side are fighting each other like enemies, not because they actually want to make any difference in the world, but because they want to be the one's in charge.
This begs the question of "what does this mean?" Does the prospect of the America that Obama promises justify using "any means necessary" to take the seat of power? Or is this simply that one hidden clue I had a hard time finding before that shows that Obama is just as much a scoundrel as the rest of them?
The accusation that the Obama mailers make aren't what bother me. Even though Hilary touts that the mailers make claims that Obama "know aren't true," she is wrong. In the debate they had the other day, they argued about this very subject. And while their was a disagreement over the validity of his claims, it seemed quite clear that he believed what he was saying to be the truth. So, to call Obama a liar on this one, is a bit overreaching. He could very simply be negligently wrong.
However, what bugs me is the idea that the Obama team felt the need to send out mailers touting a subject that is under dispute to be a fact. I could understand throwing down the gloves and manning the harpoons for a battle against an enemy, like an opposing candidate that wants to continue cutting taxes for the rich, slashing school funding, and keeping troops in Iraq for the next 100 years. But to do that against someone who holds the same ideals as you do? Someone who, win or lose, would be an invaluable ally? I don't get the justification.
Once again, the contest for the pilot of the american future does not come down to who'd be best for the job. We will again be forced to choose the one that makes us the least sick.
In the meantime, another good idea has been taken behind the woodshed and shot. After a stunt like this, I don't see much hope for an Obama/Clinton union.
I love debates. In Soap Opera of American Politics, the debates are the Sweeps Week Episodes, always ending with the inevitable "To Be Continued..." to keep me glued to my seat for the next installment.
This is probably also bleed-over from my High School days, where my more cherished memories stem from my time on the Speech and Debate Team, where I first earned my perennial "Dangerous" label.
It's a bit of a shame that, living overseas, I don't have the ability to watch the debates as they happen. But thanks to the fact that we live in a glorious Age of Information, I was able to read a complete transcript of last night's debate between Clinton and Obama.
I did not bother to read any of the News Outlet's "analysis" of the debates, because I was looking to read everything they had to say, rather than just skim through for sound bites to bitch about or blindly praise. I read the whole damn thing.
I'll admit to this, I was tired at the end. They both had a lot to say, and in the end I didn't have the energy to go back and fact check any of their statements about their own voting records or local statistics. So, I'm forced to take it all at face value for now. Perhaps I'll come back to it later, if it becomes important.
First, I'd like to address a couple of issues. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but Hilary Clinton is a woman. Also, it would seem to the casual observer that Barack Obama is black.
There, I said it. It's out in the open now, and everyone can feel free to to shut the holy fuck up about it.
My last post was responded to by my longtime friend/arch-nemesis Crazy Laura, regarding her despise for Hilary. I don't know if she realizes it, but the only reason she doesn't like Hilary (according to what she said to me) is that Hilary is a woman. It's not just that she's a woman, it's that she's the first woman to run for president, which has a lot of people thinking that automatically nails the "Chick Vote" for her. And for some reason, a lot of Chicks think that's exactly how it should be.
Now, while I agree with Laura that Hilary's gender says absolutely nothing about her as a political leader, she takes it the next step by rejecting not just the blind Hilary supporters, but Hilary herself too. Laura is an Old School Punk, which means she reflexively rejects all things mainstream with a broad and violent vengeance. I think that's why she's so happy in her marriage; just to piss the rest of us off.
However, this is a symptom of one of the things that the Liberal Class needs to shake off if they want to make any real progress. While the Conservatives are choosing their candidates based on who will be best at keeping The Aryan Nation in power, the Democrats are actually divided between whether they'd vote for Barry White or Dolly Parton.
(Okay...that was kind of a cold comparison. But for the record, I'd totally vote for Dolly, then apply for an internship.)
This idea that Women should automatically be in support of Hilary and Blacks should automatically be in support of Obama is the single biggest turn-off for both candidates. Frankly, I can't tell if either of them know that. Sure, neither of them seem to be downplaying or highlighting the whole "First ______ President" angle, since they both have that on each other. But at the same time, neither of them miss a beat in mentioning their Senate work in pushing for Women's Rights and benefits for Black Communities.
So, before I go further on in this, I'm just going to say this finally and definitively, as a White Male, I don't give a fuck. I don't care if it's a woman, a black man, a black woman, or a Vampire Lesbian from Dimension X...if you can undo the last seven years of ClusterFuck that's been dropped on us, you've got my vote.
That said, let me talk a bit about the debate. I know that just reading the transcript isn't giving me the same level of entertainment that I usually look for in my Debate Episodes, but at least it let me take them in one word at a time, and take my own time at mulling over what it is they're saying, without having to be distracted by the next question too fast.
And the thing is, I can kind of understand why Democratic voters are boiling their choices down to "Vagina vs. Negro." There are differences between the two of them, but they are negligible. Most of those differences are in minor detail implementations of broader plans that they both agree on, and perhaps even planned together.
In the concern of fairness, I looked into the last Republican debate that was at the end of last month. It seems like McCain has a fair win for their nomination, and I wanted to see what he had to say on this month's hot topics.
I got as far as the first question, a question on the state of American Life in the wake of the Bush Regime. McCain responded with "I think you could argue that Americans overall are better off, because we have had a pretty good prosperous time." And, later in that same statement, he ended with "We need to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, which I voted for twice to do so."
After reading that, I stopped cold. I now take back what I said before about liking th guy at all. He's a fuckhead. A total fuckhead. He is poised and ready to keep The Bush Disaster alive for the next four years. I can't accept that on any level. I still stand by that I appreciate his honesty. But I can now honestly see that he's a retard.
After I was done reading, I paced the floor for an hour or so, having a debate/conversation with myself (something that I've been doing more often, and it's starting to scare my girlfriend). Not to long ago, I was asked by some of my fellow expatriots who I supported in this election cycle. I'll note that they asked very cautiously, knowing that I am a walking can of worms waiting to be opened.
To their relief, I simply responded "I don't know." Because I didn't. I've been a staunch supporter of the "Anybody But Bush" campaign for so long, that I never really gave a lot of thought to who that "anybody" should be, once given the choice.
But, now that I've found myself falling clearly on the side of the Democratic ticket, I've got myself a choice of two people from whom I will choose to be "not unhappy" about being made president.
After careful consideration, I have settled on the Official "Obviously, I Anticipated This..." Presidential Candidate Endorsement:
That's right, this is not just an endorsement, it's a fucking hint. If either Obama or Clinton knew what was good for them, whichever of them that wins the primary should invite the other as a running mate. The two of them together would be the dream team of the "Die In A Fire, You Fucking Repubs" Agenda.
I personally chose Obama at the head of the ticket, because I truly feel that would be the ideal lineup. In the differences between the two of them, however small, I found myself siding with Obama's approach 7 out of 10 times. Not only that, but I actually do believe that Hilary could do her best work wielding the Iron Gavel at the head of the Senate Floor.
Now, make no mistake. I'm sick at the idea that I'm jumping onto the bandwagon. I hate bandwagons. The food is lousy and they never play any music I like. But I've always prided myself on making my own decisions based on my own research and feelings. I don't automatically accept or reject anything based on what the Unwashed Masses think. And, after wading neck deep in this shit for the last two weeks, this is the decision I've made.
So there, you have it. I, the guy who hates everybody, has found somebody he likes. I like the idea of an Obama/Clinton ticket for the '08 election, and if The Powers That Be see fit to put that in the cards, I would pack my bags and fly back to the Home Country to volunteer my time at a campaign headquarters. I really do feel it would be the most beneficial scenario for the country.
So the question is, what can be done to help this idea along? How do we get the concept of an Obama/Clinton Tag Team into the minds of electorate? Even though the race is still close, it still seems to the casual observer that Obama is going to be taking the nomination anyway. So how do we get the message to him that he should invite Hilary to be his running mate when he does. And even then, how do we make sure that she accepts the offer?
I'm open to suggestions, people. How do we worm this idea into the campaign teams? A letter writing campaign? A grassroots draft? Should I just email them that graphic?
Who knew that I would go from "I hope they all die" to "let's get involved" so quickly? Didn't I tell you, this is going to be a compelling year?
I'm glad I didn't start on this too early. There's no way I could've kept track of all of the original primary candidates, and still held my own interest, let alone stayed sane.
Thankfully, we're down to a manageable number of losers that may one day be the top authority in the world's deadliest and most destructive military force. And I'm tickled pink to think we may decide which of them gets to hold the seat of ultimate power based on how good they are at feigning concern over the prospect.
Hilary Clinton - Democrat She's got the history. She's got the brains. Some people even say she's got the balls. I would really like to like her. I really would. I remember when she stood before congress to first argue the case for Universal Health Care. But, the Pharmaceutical and Heath Care Corporations had paid off the decision on that long before she got there. And, rather than continue being an inspiration, she took her minor defeat and curled up into the woodwork with all the First Ladies before her.
Granted, when it comes to strength of character, she got it to spare compared to so many others. But the one thing that sets a great leader apart from merely a great mind, is that self-dedication to never stand down on what you believe in. So the question it arises is this; is she going to give into the pressure on every decision she makes because she doesn't believe in herself, or did she only cave in on UHC, because she doesn't really believe in it?
The one thing that Dubya has had going for him, is that unstoppable bravado that mowed over every last blade of common sense that tried to hold him at bay. This alone is what made him such an effective danger, and so revered by those who supported him. The next President is going to have to have that as well in order to even begin undoing the damage he did.
I like Hilary, and in a way there's a part of me that might actually experience happiness to see her as President. But it's hard to have faith in someone that doesn't appear to have much faith in themselves.
Mike Gravel - Democrat ...Who?
I had thought that the Democratic Primary race was down to two people, Clinton and Obama. But as I looked over the Election Center at CNN.com, I saw there was this Gravel guy still in the running as well.
I don't know anything about him. I've never even heard of him. Christ, I'm not sure The Daily Show has even bothered mentioning him.
All I can say is, I can't imagine he has much of a chance if he couldn't even get ahead of John "I'm So Fucking White" Edwards or Dennis "Check Out My Wife" Kucinich, who have both already left the running.
Maybe it was just a typo on CNN's part.
Mike Huckabee - Republican This guy is scum. I hate him. Not only does he want to make laws against Gay Marriage and Abortion, but he wants them in The Constitution. Not only that, but he is openly stating the plan to shut down the IRS and completely do away with all taxes. I haven't heard that kind of crazy talk since I hung out with Idaho Mormons that thought the United Nations were going to take over the world with unmarked helicopters. Not only should this guy not be President, but he should be stripped of all his assets, forced to work a minimum wage job while supporting five kids (some of whom may not be biologically his), while only being allowed to have sex with women that he isn't physically attracted to. After about five years of that, we'll meet up with him again and ask him "Where is your God now, Huckabee?"
John McCain - Republican I don't know. I just don't know. On one hand I respect the guy's bravery, honesty, and devotion. On the other hand, he reminds me of someone who was in that POW Camp for just a little too long.
And frankly, there was a reason why the Founding Fathers designed the government to have an elected civilian in the highest rank of the military. As the saying goes "Gun's don't kill people. People do." This is true to a degree, and should stay that way. Putting a Military Man in full control of the military is like giving a gun the power to kill people all by itself. And if you ask me, McCain strikes me as the kind of gun that's liable to go off by accident.
Barack Obama - Democrat Boy, did this guy ever come out of nowhere and stir some shit up, or what?
I remember the first time I heard Obama's name. It was while the Democratic convention was taking place in 2004. At the time, I was working a graveyard shift at a hotel, so I had slept through all the actual speeches and showcases. But, when I woke up that evening to get ready for work, the NPR reporters would not shut up about this guy.
Obama this, Obama that. You would've thought he had just got the 2004 nomination right out from under Kerry.
But since that spotlight performance, the dude has not let up. And so far, try as I might, I can't seem to find a reason to not like the guy. He really seems to be far less full of shit than the rest of them. However, the fact that he's been on the active stage for only 4 years is what makes it so hard to gauge him. A shorter track record means less evidence to weigh in on either side.
Not to mention the fact that he's a self proclaimed "man of faith." There's been some back and forth about whether he's Christian or Muslim. I don't give a shit what "faith" he proscribes to. I wouldn't want to give too much power to anybody that still believes in Santa Clause.
Ron Paul - Republican I hate to admit it, but I like this guy. He's fearless and non-withholding about his beliefs, and was the first candidate smart enough to actually use the YouTube Nation for his campaigning.
However, I can't forgive two things. 1) He is dumb enough to actually think that cutting taxes will increase the job market. Only an idiot would think that. While I like his stance on not taxing tips in the service industry, cutting taxes across the board will do nothing for the economy other than weakening the welfare programs that keep the lower classes from rioting. 2) Like his fellow Republicans, he actually thinks that immigration is an issue.
America is a nation founded entirely on immigration. The only reason that immigrant workers are hurting our economy is because they are both easily taken advantage of, and much better workers than us. The best way to solve this is to actually loosen our border policy, making it easier for people to come in legally, so they may also demand minimum wage and benefits. Once they stop being an easy to abuse resource, then maybe they won't be such a threat.
So that is my honest opinion, however self-contradictory and hypocritical, of those vying for power in our great nation (here I use "great" meaning "big," not "cool").
They are colorful characters, and as much as I dislike them all, I also love them for offering me so many hours of free entertainment for the months to come.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
:
Let's Get This Party Started
My original plan was to use this time to get in-depth on the political parties that are running this little show (the producers, if you will). But that plan got changed, and I'll tell you why:
To begin with, I started with the big two. The Democrats and The Republicans, daemon sycophants of such insurmountable proportions, that simply calling them "parasites" would mean elevating fleas to Apocalyptic status. These organizations of Absolute Power would best be described as Succubi and Incubi; seducing us with their sexy promises of "prosperity" and "equality," just before they suck the life out of us and leave us in the gutter, a shell of our former nation.
I was also going to move on to the smaller, less influential parasites (Green, Reform, Libertarian, etc.), but I never got that far, and I'll tell you why:
While I was easily able to get all the info I wanted on the Republican Party through their official website, the Democratic party website has been blocked by the Chinese Firewall. The people of China, while just as fascinated by American politics as anyone else in the world, have absolutely no way of knowing what the Opposing Party has to say. Not a big shocker, really, since today's Mainland China is exactly what America would be like if The Republicans had their way (except we'd all be worshiping Jesus instead of Mao).
Luckily, I am a moderately tech-savvy dork, so I knew I would have no problem getting around it in order to do my research. But I never got that far, and I'll tell you why:
As I read through the public statements of the RNC, I grew increasingly more frustrated. Not just because they're phenomenal fuckheads, but because their "official platforms" are so vague and inconsistent, that I came to realize why it is their 8 Primary Candidates were all so different from each other when they were all suppose to be on the same side. The reason is, the Political Parties represent the rights and values of their members in the same way that PETA represents Animal Rights; They don't. They just want you to think they do so you'll hand your wallet and keys over to them without a fight.
I realized all to quickly that this goes for the rest of them, too. Democrats, Libertarians, Green, Reform, Constitution...all of them, they just want to claw their way to the top of the food chain and they don't care what they have to make you believe in order to do it. The only difference between them is that they each choose a different marketing strategy to do it with in order to catch-as-catch-can the people who didn't buy "the other guys'" story. Boil it all down, and they're all about as different as the Cryps are from the Bloods.
And so, this is why I've decided to not even bother with the whole "party line" crap. It has become quite clear to me that it makes no matter what political party the candidate is a member of, because I don't think the Parties care either so long as the winner claims to be one of theirs.
From here on out, I'm going to call it based on the history, quotes, and basic personality of each player based on their own public persona. Their "affiliations" matter about as much as what clubs they were members of in High School.
So, for the next couple of days I'm going to be combing through the news to get a taste of who these jokers think they are. As of the time I'm writing this, the primaries have brought us down to four potential candidates for President; Clinton, Obama, McCain, and Huckabee. I still have not decided if I want to further delve into this quagmire by also following local-level elections.
I'll also be trying to get a better taste of what is actually going on in America. Granted, I always was an outsider. As a self-proclaimed misanthrope, I never really had much concern for the socio-political concerns of others. Having been out of the country for the last two years means it's just a little bit harder for me to gauge the pulse of the nation. But, like I said before, this is a compelling and enthralling comedy/drama that is unfolding before us, and this season looks to be the most interesting one in years.
Before I get this ball rolling on my own little political arena, I think I should stop and take a moment to explain myself.
You see, I have no intention of being objective or unbiased. If I were a newspaper or TV reporter, that would be a different story. But this is my blog. I am not doing this to be professional and restrained. I am here to piss, moan, and throw tantrums as I see fit. I will be offering my distention free and without shame. If I am compelled, at any point to refer to a candidate as "a fuckhead from mars" that is my prerogative as this is my house. If said candidate should become president someday...well, I'll just have to amend that to "Mr. Fuckhead From Mars, Sir."
But, I think it only fair for me to let you know where I'm coming from before I subject you to my rantings. I'm not here to blindside or offend. I'm just here to offer the alternate point of view, and it just seems to be bad form of me to not lay out the groundwork of where that view is pointed from.
I don't consider myself to be a part of any one political party. Most of that has to do with the fact that whenever I chose to take membership in any of the many parties that choke up our political process, I usually found that they talk a good game...but usually act just as selfish and power-mongering as the others. So, screw them, I'm an independent. I will vote on my candidates and bills on a case-by-case basis.
1. Economy: I will confess, I'm a fan of capitalism. I like the idea of starting my own business, being my own boss in an industry of my own choosing, and letting the public at large decide my fate based solely on the quality of my work.
However, I'm not a fan of Greed. That whole "Greed Is Good" thing never sat well with me. I'm fine with rules on how I conduct my business. If I'm not allowed to pour my poisonous waste into the water or air, I can live with that. Minimum wage? Groovy. No stealing from my customers/clients. I'll resist the urge. No lying about what I'm selling. Why would I? No systematically murdering my competitors in their sleep. Fine, if you insist. No gambling, drugs, or prostitution. I can live with that. There's plenty of other businesses I can get into (or I can move to Nevada).
I'm cool with these rules so long as they apply to everybody. The problem I have with our economy right now is that are separate sets of rules for different companies, based on how big or small they are. When a small company breaks a law, they are fined into non-existence. When a big company breaks the law, they are not punished nearly as hard, under the false guise of not wanting to create a greater impact on the economy that they supposedly hold up.
Some businesses are impossible to get into on the ground floor, because the "licenses" required to operate these business are impossible to get without exorbitantly priced fees, or approval from a committee of sons and nephews of the people that already dominate said industry.
In short, I'm all for free capitalism. I just don't jive to Economic Hegemony or Social Abuse. Taxes should be the same for everyone across the board, and not have a bell curve to them. Minimum wage should apply to all industries, and not be lax for Food & Beverage establishments, just because "they're making it up in tips anyway."
I would like it if people would stop falling for that bullcrap that raising the minimum wage causes cost of living to go up. I've seen with my own two eyes that the cost of living goes up whether the minimum wage does or not. The only reason the price of your latte went up by ten cents a cup, was because the fuckers at Starbucks knew they could get away with it. The extra profit they made on that price hike is several times more than what they lost in the "cost of living" wage increase.
2. Taxes: The role of the government is to establish and maintain the society as a whole. Establish laws and regulations, and enforce them. This requires the full time commitment and many hundreds of thousands of educated, trained, and sometimes armed people. These people need to feed, shelter, clothe, and maintain the sanity of themselves and their family. This requires money. It only makes perfect sense to me that this is paid for equally and evenly by those of us that benefit from the social stability they enforce for us.
Part of a responsible government's job includes things that might not be entirely popular, but necessary for social stability. For example; giving free shit to poor people. Yes, there is a line between "unfortunate" and "lazy." I'll be the first to admit it.
Once upon a time, I was the recipient of Government Cheese. I was given grants, subsidies, waivers, and food stamps based on the fact that I was supporting a wife and two kids on a job that only paid $7 an hour. I got money to feed and cloth my kids and put myself through a limited amount of schooling.
Roll the clock back, and my prematurely born daughter was kept alive for over a month on some very expensive looking machinery, which I did not have to pay for thanks to The Oregon Health Plan.
Further back than that, I attended public school. Further still, for my first few years in school I received a free lunch from the state.
My whole life, millions of dollars have been spent on me by the nation or the state to ensure that I was able to operate within the boundaries of civilized, and not prone to violent or criminal outbursts. I am thankful for this, and a big supporter of it's continued operation.
The problem is, people tend to get pissed when they find out that A) the tax money is going toward something that doesn't directly benefit them, or B) having to pay those taxes means they can't get that Plasma-screen TV for another two months. This is selfish, and detrimental. Cutting back on social benefits causes social unrest. You may think that it may not apply to you, but keep in mind that there are way more of them then there are of you. Marie Antoinette learned first-hand what happens when you refuse to share.
My father once told me why he still holds on to his old "farm" clothes, even though he now spend less and less time getting his own hands dirty. "One of these days, son," he said to me, from inside his gated community, "they're gonna come right over that wall to eat the rich. When they do, I'm going to put on these ratty old clothes and join their side."
I say we educate and feed them, and I expect you to pony up your share of the bill too.
As for those of you who think taxes should be abolished because they aren't mentioned in the constitution; if I remember correctly, the Constitution doesn't really have a direct stance on Murder, either. So, would it be okay for me to kill you for saying that? Technically, that doesn't go against the First Amendment, since I'm not a governing body.
3. Education: I don't know about you, but I'm sick of all the stupid people. Like I said earlier, I feel that the role of a responsible government is to provide a stable society for it's people. One of the necessities towards that is a proper education.
It can be clearly mapped out that any and all cities, towns, counties, states, and even countries that do not have a solidly educated populace, also have an exponentially larger amount of violent crime, domestic violence, health issues, economic instability, and religious zealotry.
I'm not an expert in education, so I never was able to understand the finer points of the National Curriculum or that "No Child Left Behind" junk. What I do know is that smarter people than me have come up with a lot of great ideas that are never used because they cost money. And even with an already established curriculum in place, it can't be met because money is not being sent to the schools that need them.
The results are practically unanimous all over the country. In predominantly white communities, widespread lack of education results in sex with family members as well as involvement in the KKK and/or the NRA. In predominantly black communities, it gives rise to a greater number of Rap artists.
I am also not stupid enough to think these things can be fixed overnight. I know that even if the education system were to suddenly get all the money it could ask for, it would still take upwards of a decade to see any clear results to the effort. I also know that sometimes, those plans will have to change from time to time. We can't expect there to be one magical formula that you can just devise, apply, and *bing* our kids are smart for the next thousand years. One of the things we all need to learn is that it's okay to fail, so long as we never give up trying to do better the next time. For some reason, we stopped teaching that in school.
4. Religion: Religion has no place in a stable government. A government should base it's laws and regulations off study and logic. When laws are created and enforced based on ancient and out-of-date rhetoric, it becomes detrimental to the stability and advancement of the society as a whole. Plus, I'm sick of these Judeo-Christian fuckheads telling me what to think, how to feel, and who to hate. I especially don't want to be told that one or another type of sex is bad just because it makes some pope feel icky.
It becomes especially sticky when you consider the idea of any one religion taking predominance in government that dictates the lives of millions of people, each believing in a completely different, yet equally insane dogma.
I certainly don't buy this crap that people need to have an imaginary, angry deity looking over their shoulder in order to decide right from wrong. I stopped believing in God many years ago, and I still haven't raped or murdered anyone.
Well, those are the big four. There are hundreds of other little issues that I have opinions on, but I've already wasted enough time just on the Big Ones. As for the rest, I'm sure I'll get to them over time, as I discuss other parts of these here elections.
But, more than anything, it's because I really haven't had that much to write about. This little journal of mine was suppose to be my exercise in writing something, anything, at least once a day. So far, it has been a dismal failure as I can barely get more than one post out per week, let alone one per day.
I'm not the kind of guy who just writes for the sake of writing. I was, once upon a time, but I have since become a man with a mission statement. Now I have to have a point to what I'm writing. And I don't mean I require some Divine Inspiration to create my masterpeices. More, I've decided to not bother saying anything unless I have something to say.
I've had plenty of amusing moments take place in my life, but I prefer to tell my amusing anecdotes in person, over coffee, or in some public forum. Here, in the land of the printed word (digital or otherwise), I prefer to make statements, arguments, and points. If you're taking the time to dial in my web address and quietly sit through my words, I will do you the honor of not merely jacking you off. I want you to come away from this with something to think about.
This is why my writing has been more introspective lately. It's not just about me telling the funny story about how Southern Chinese are just as ugly and retarded as Southern Americans (I mean Texas, not Brazil). It's about how the story illustrated a bigger picture for me, or opened my eyes to my own follies.
I've always been more interested in the motives and desires of people than I have been in their actions. This is why it always pisses me off when fictional characters behave out of character. This means that their writer is simply making things happen to emotionally felate me, and never really put any thought into why they're writing this story in the first place. This happens a lot in comic books and TV shows, when the story has been told and is essentially over, but the economic push to continue churning out episodes keep the dead horse well beat.
I will write about my motivations and the motivations of others. I will deconstruct myself, you, and society as a whole because this is what fascinates me. No more silly stories about exploding balloons or sex with Chinese girls unless it directly relates to an illustration about life on the greater whole. I'm done wasting your time. We've grown too much together for me to degrade this with anything less.
Sure, that may mean that there is further time between posts, as has recently happened. But, I hope that now that I've consciously focused myself on this resolve, it will help me to find that inspiration more readily.
First and foremost, I will once again be giving in to the sirensong of American Politics (or, as I like to call it, "Pro-Wrestling for Grown-Ups"). As much as I have said over and over how glad I am to be out of the circus that is The American Electorate, I can't help but keep going back to what has by far been the most consistently entertaining Soap Opera in the history of modern theatrics. And lets face it, this season promises to be a humdinger.
In fact, I've decided to completely embrace it as a new hobby this year. I will, starting this week, begin immersing myself in the political arena. Not just with the presidential shit, but the Senate and Congressional crap as well.
I will be giving OIAT a bit of an Election Year Face-Lift. Don't mistake the upcoming reds, whites, and blues for a sudden sense of patriotism. Good God No. It's of a festive holiday decoration. The same way I might put up an X-Files Theme on October 13 (assuming I ever remembered to notice 10/13 coming).
I don't like America, but I'm a big fan of the show.
