Friday, January 11, 2013
WARMONGER SICK. NO NEW POSTS FOR A LITTLE WHILE
If you are wondering where I have been, the Warmonger is sick and too ill to post. Even this small paragraph is quite the chore. But don't fret, I will return with all new stories soon. Meanwhile feel free to look at previous posts and donate to my site so I can buy kleenex, cold medicine and bags of ice to keep my temperature down. Be back soon.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
HOUSE REPUBLICANS FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN UPCOMING ELECTIONS
While it is all but certain that the GOP faces an uphill battle in all future presidential elections, the 2010 rout they established may keep them in power in the House for some time due to gerrymandering. We keep hearing how the Republicans kept the House, thus meaning the American people are behind them on their obstructionist ways. Unfortunately for us, it is not true. In a study just released by the election committee show that 1.4 million people voted for Democrats over Republicans and more than a full percentage point overall. Yet, somehow the House stayed red. The reason being is in 2010, during the latest census, GOP controlled areas altered their districts to favor themselves over anyone voting against them. Lines were redrawn eliminating blue areas for more favorable red leaning ones. This has led to what can only be described as stealing the election from the American people, which is ironic because these losers are still crowing about Obama's birth certificate and his "illegitimate" rule. Pot. Kettle. Black.
The study went on to show that even if Democrats had won by a whopping nine percentage points, they still would have lost. Here's the math from the study:
According to the Jan. 4 final tally by Cook’s David Wasserman after all states certified their votes, Democratic House candidates won 59,645,387 votes in November to the Republicans’ 58,283,036, a difference of 1,362,351. On a percentage basis, Democrats won, 49.15 percent to 48.03 percent.
But the 2012 House results show the redrawing of districts to optimize Republican representation clearly had an impact. Consider three states won by Obama in 2012 where Republicans dominated the redistricting: In Pennsylvania, Democrats won just five of 18 House seats; in Virginia, Democrats won three of 11; and in Ohio, Democrats won four of 16.
Using Wasserman’s tally, Millhiser ranked districts by the Republican margin of victory and calculated that for Democrats to have won the 218 seats needed for a House majority they would have had to have added 6.13 percentage points to their popular-vote victory margin of 1.12 points.
What this means for upcoming elections is that the GOP already holds an unfair advantage in House races for the next decade and as people are really stupid when it comes to voting against their own interests, it will take some doing to break this logjam.
Not that the Republican party doesn't have their own stuff to worry about. The Tea Party, the religious right and corporate interests do not always match up and a schism is already forming because of it. This was most recently seen in two specific votes; Hurricane Sandy aid and the John Boehner re-election vote.
What a lot of people don't realize is that Boehner almost faced a revolt withing his own party but was called off at the last minute for reasons unknown. 25 lawmakers had pledged to vote against the Speaker, but was called off less than thirty minutes to the vote after some got cold feet.
The coup was reportedly led by Justin Amash (R-MI), Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) and Raul R. Labador (R-ID) with Amash the ringleader. But many feared a fight within the party as to who to replace him with, so at least one unnamed congressperson bolted at the last second, giving others reason for pause as well. The whole thing was called off as a result. But the writing is on the wall that even the GOP is facing problems within its own ranks.
The vote against Hurricane Sandy aid was another blow to a reeling party. In a previous article, I listed everyone who voted against the aid, all from non-Northeastern states. Ironically, some of the douchebags who voted against the aid were they themselves on the floor not a week before asking for more money for aid for Katrina which was almost eight years ago. That is some balls there, guys. I don't remember you saying you needed spending cuts to offset costs when your butt was on the line?
As long as this idiocy continues, and it will, the country will be held hostage to an insane minority hellbent and destroying this country. Don't believe me? The GOP is STILL clamoring for cuts to SS and Medicare and every other program that aids poor people, not noticing that those same actions have been taken across Europe with ZERO success. But mention Obamacare and the Republicans froth at the mouth about not being like Europe. So let me get this straight, health care, which works well in other countries you are against but austerity measures which don't work, you are okay with? Unbelievable. And yet people continue to vote for these morons, a fact not helped by democrats suddenly becoming very anti-gun and giving the GOP a huge wedge issue for the next election. People don't want guns banned. They don't want sick people going to jail for medical pot. They don't want homosexuals discriminated against. Yet both sides for one topic or another are hell bent against it. This is not representation of the masses. It is corporate control. And if we get rid of our guns expect a much more fascist regime to rear it's ugly head.
The study went on to show that even if Democrats had won by a whopping nine percentage points, they still would have lost. Here's the math from the study:
According to the Jan. 4 final tally by Cook’s David Wasserman after all states certified their votes, Democratic House candidates won 59,645,387 votes in November to the Republicans’ 58,283,036, a difference of 1,362,351. On a percentage basis, Democrats won, 49.15 percent to 48.03 percent.
But the 2012 House results show the redrawing of districts to optimize Republican representation clearly had an impact. Consider three states won by Obama in 2012 where Republicans dominated the redistricting: In Pennsylvania, Democrats won just five of 18 House seats; in Virginia, Democrats won three of 11; and in Ohio, Democrats won four of 16.
Using Wasserman’s tally, Millhiser ranked districts by the Republican margin of victory and calculated that for Democrats to have won the 218 seats needed for a House majority they would have had to have added 6.13 percentage points to their popular-vote victory margin of 1.12 points.
What this means for upcoming elections is that the GOP already holds an unfair advantage in House races for the next decade and as people are really stupid when it comes to voting against their own interests, it will take some doing to break this logjam.
Not that the Republican party doesn't have their own stuff to worry about. The Tea Party, the religious right and corporate interests do not always match up and a schism is already forming because of it. This was most recently seen in two specific votes; Hurricane Sandy aid and the John Boehner re-election vote.
What a lot of people don't realize is that Boehner almost faced a revolt withing his own party but was called off at the last minute for reasons unknown. 25 lawmakers had pledged to vote against the Speaker, but was called off less than thirty minutes to the vote after some got cold feet.
The coup was reportedly led by Justin Amash (R-MI), Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) and Raul R. Labador (R-ID) with Amash the ringleader. But many feared a fight within the party as to who to replace him with, so at least one unnamed congressperson bolted at the last second, giving others reason for pause as well. The whole thing was called off as a result. But the writing is on the wall that even the GOP is facing problems within its own ranks.
The vote against Hurricane Sandy aid was another blow to a reeling party. In a previous article, I listed everyone who voted against the aid, all from non-Northeastern states. Ironically, some of the douchebags who voted against the aid were they themselves on the floor not a week before asking for more money for aid for Katrina which was almost eight years ago. That is some balls there, guys. I don't remember you saying you needed spending cuts to offset costs when your butt was on the line?
As long as this idiocy continues, and it will, the country will be held hostage to an insane minority hellbent and destroying this country. Don't believe me? The GOP is STILL clamoring for cuts to SS and Medicare and every other program that aids poor people, not noticing that those same actions have been taken across Europe with ZERO success. But mention Obamacare and the Republicans froth at the mouth about not being like Europe. So let me get this straight, health care, which works well in other countries you are against but austerity measures which don't work, you are okay with? Unbelievable. And yet people continue to vote for these morons, a fact not helped by democrats suddenly becoming very anti-gun and giving the GOP a huge wedge issue for the next election. People don't want guns banned. They don't want sick people going to jail for medical pot. They don't want homosexuals discriminated against. Yet both sides for one topic or another are hell bent against it. This is not representation of the masses. It is corporate control. And if we get rid of our guns expect a much more fascist regime to rear it's ugly head.
Monday, January 7, 2013
NEW POSTS ON VIDEO GAME SITE: RANT GAMING
Here's a link to my first story reviewing video games for Rant Gaming:
http://www.rantgaming.com/2013/01/07/007-legends-for-first-person-shooter-and-james-bond-fanatics-only/
Let me know what you think out there.
http://www.rantgaming.com/2013/01/07/007-legends-for-first-person-shooter-and-james-bond-fanatics-only/
Let me know what you think out there.
SIGNS OF TEENS BECOMING THE DUMBEST PEOPLE ON THE PLANET
There has been a plethora of stories that just amaze me as to how stupid some people are. Most are young people, who apparently have the brain power of a dying battery, but some should really know better.
Let's start with some of today's youth. Here is a tip that everyone should follow: If you are going to do something illegal, don't brag about it online. 18 year old Jacob Cox Brown of Ohio found out that tidbit the hard way after writing on Facebook this gem: Drivin drunk … classic ;) but to whoever's vehicle I hit I am sorry. :P. Not sorry enough as the authorities were soon contacted after which dumb ass got arrested. And while he could not be arrested for drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident will, as several of my friends have found out in the past. One friend, who was not drunk at the time, hit a a corner going too fast and wiped out some mailboxes. He left as it was late and was woken up the next morning as police found his licence plate at the scene.
This happens ALL the time as minors post pictures of themselves online with drugs or alcohol. Not smart. What is even dumber is when you do something really horrible, like rape, as two high school players in Ohio just found out. Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, both 16, are accused of raping a drunk and unconscious 16-year-old girl at a party on the night of Aug. 11 while other party goers tweeted and Instagrammed about the attack, including a picture showing the two defendants carrying the girl by her arms and legs. Afterward, police were notified and the town has erupted in horror that those that knew about the attack did noting and were not also charged. According to the local DA, they are looking at all the info they have but further charges are most likely not forthcoming.
The hacker group, Anonymous has gotten involved with many Guy Fawkes masks outside the rallies for the victim. Others have questioned why the coach hasn't benched more players, especially those that put up videos talking rather callously about the attack. The coach has refused to answer any questions regarding the matter. It also hasn't helped that because of the popular nature of the local sports team, a judge and prosecutor both had to step down for conflict of interest reasons. In response to the outcry, the local government released this statement:
"Nothing in Ohio’s criminal statutes makes it a crime for someone to ridicule a rape victim on a video or otherwise say horrible things about another person. Further, nothing in the law allows someone who says repugnant things on Twitter, Facebook or other Internet sites to be criminally charged for such statements. Steubenville Police investigators are caring humans who recoil and are repulsed by many of the things they observe during an investigation."
Basically, it is not against the law to be a dick, no matter how much we wish otherwise. Some have commented that this type of behavior isn't anything new at the school and the football players had an inner circle known as the "rape squad." Whether there is any truth to that is unknown but here is a link from an Anonymous source, KnightSec, that shows the videos and personal info for all involved:
http://planetransgender.blogspot.com/2012/12/anonymous-to-release-all-steubenville.html
Is there more to this story than they are letting on? Maybe. Sports have a way of blinding people to what is really going on as seen most recently at Penn State. What is not in question is that there are way too many dumb, evil people out there thanks to the total breakdown of the nuclear family, brought on by corporations paying us the least amount of money they can.
These are just two stories of dozens that happen every day of some teenager doing something so asinine it boggles the imagination. Our nanny state is allowing way too many morons to reproduce as Darwinism is hampered by safety regulations protecting these fools. Maybe we should get rid of seat belt laws, gun restrictions and other ways to thin the herd from the rampaging stupidity of modern culture. I don't know how many stories I can read like the above and not crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head, and never get out.
Let's start with some of today's youth. Here is a tip that everyone should follow: If you are going to do something illegal, don't brag about it online. 18 year old Jacob Cox Brown of Ohio found out that tidbit the hard way after writing on Facebook this gem: Drivin drunk … classic ;) but to whoever's vehicle I hit I am sorry. :P. Not sorry enough as the authorities were soon contacted after which dumb ass got arrested. And while he could not be arrested for drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident will, as several of my friends have found out in the past. One friend, who was not drunk at the time, hit a a corner going too fast and wiped out some mailboxes. He left as it was late and was woken up the next morning as police found his licence plate at the scene.
This happens ALL the time as minors post pictures of themselves online with drugs or alcohol. Not smart. What is even dumber is when you do something really horrible, like rape, as two high school players in Ohio just found out. Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, both 16, are accused of raping a drunk and unconscious 16-year-old girl at a party on the night of Aug. 11 while other party goers tweeted and Instagrammed about the attack, including a picture showing the two defendants carrying the girl by her arms and legs. Afterward, police were notified and the town has erupted in horror that those that knew about the attack did noting and were not also charged. According to the local DA, they are looking at all the info they have but further charges are most likely not forthcoming.
The hacker group, Anonymous has gotten involved with many Guy Fawkes masks outside the rallies for the victim. Others have questioned why the coach hasn't benched more players, especially those that put up videos talking rather callously about the attack. The coach has refused to answer any questions regarding the matter. It also hasn't helped that because of the popular nature of the local sports team, a judge and prosecutor both had to step down for conflict of interest reasons. In response to the outcry, the local government released this statement:
"Nothing in Ohio’s criminal statutes makes it a crime for someone to ridicule a rape victim on a video or otherwise say horrible things about another person. Further, nothing in the law allows someone who says repugnant things on Twitter, Facebook or other Internet sites to be criminally charged for such statements. Steubenville Police investigators are caring humans who recoil and are repulsed by many of the things they observe during an investigation."
Basically, it is not against the law to be a dick, no matter how much we wish otherwise. Some have commented that this type of behavior isn't anything new at the school and the football players had an inner circle known as the "rape squad." Whether there is any truth to that is unknown but here is a link from an Anonymous source, KnightSec, that shows the videos and personal info for all involved:
http://planetransgender.blogspot.com/2012/12/anonymous-to-release-all-steubenville.html
Is there more to this story than they are letting on? Maybe. Sports have a way of blinding people to what is really going on as seen most recently at Penn State. What is not in question is that there are way too many dumb, evil people out there thanks to the total breakdown of the nuclear family, brought on by corporations paying us the least amount of money they can.
These are just two stories of dozens that happen every day of some teenager doing something so asinine it boggles the imagination. Our nanny state is allowing way too many morons to reproduce as Darwinism is hampered by safety regulations protecting these fools. Maybe we should get rid of seat belt laws, gun restrictions and other ways to thin the herd from the rampaging stupidity of modern culture. I don't know how many stories I can read like the above and not crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head, and never get out.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
DOUCHEBAG OF THE WEEK: THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT
As a long time former resident of the Nutmeg state, I am really surprised it took this long for them to appear on my list. I fled the state knowing I would move to the most rural part of the reddest part of the country before ever returning there again. For reasons to be explained later, you will see I made the right choice. Let's see the runner ups in a light news cycle.
1)Republicans who voted against the bill for Sandy aid- Here they are:
Justin Amash (R-MI)
Andy Barr (R-KY)
Dan Benishek (R-MI)
Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
Mo Brooks (R-AL)
Paul Broun (R-GA)
Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Doug Collins (R-GA)
Mike Conaway (R-TX)
Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Steve Daines (R-MT)
Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
Scott DesJarlais (R-TN)
Sean Duffy (R-WI)
Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
Jimmy Duncan (R-TN)
Stephen Fincher (R-TN)
John Fleming (R-LA)
Bill Flores (R-TX)
Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
Trey Gowdy (R-SC)
Tom Graves (R-GA)
Sam Graves (R-MO)
Andrew Harris (R-MD)
George Holding (R-NC)
Richard Hudson (R-NC)
Tim Huelskamp (R-KS)
Randy Hultgren (R-IL)
Lynn Jenkins (R-KS)
Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
Thomas Massie (R-KY)
Tom McClintock (R-CA)
Mark Meadows (R-NC)
Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
Mick Mulvaney (R-SC)
Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
Steven Palazzo (R-MI)
Steve Pearce (R-NM)
Scott Perry (R-PA)
Tom Petri (R-WI)
Mike Pompeo (R-KS)
Tom Price (R-GA)
Phil Roe (R-TN)
Todd Rokita (R-IN)
Keith Rothfus (R-PA)
Ed Royce (R-CA)
Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Matt Salmon (R-AZ)
David Schweikert (R-AZ)
Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
Marlin Stutzman (R-IN)
Mac Thornberry (R-TX)
Randy Weber (R-TX)
Brad Wenstrup (R-OH)
Roger Williams (R-TX)
Joe Wilson (R-SC)
Rob Woodall (R-GA)
Kevin Yoder (R-KS)
Ted Yoho (R-FL)
Notice what is the same about all of them. They are all Republicans and they are all from places not connected with the disaster. Included in the above is resident douchebag, Paul Ryan, who if anyone tells me what a great guy he is, better run fast and far because someone is getting punched. John Boehner abstained (ass) while Eric Cantor voted yes, mostly as a spike against Boehner I am guessing. All said, considering the fuckwads from places like Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana had the huge balls to vote against this, full well knowing a natural disaster there is only a matter of when, can only be best described as out right lunacy. Anyone on this list voting against this bill needs to be out of Congress stat and any idiot defending this awful, awful precedent should just shoot themselves and be done with it. This kind of grandstanding is destroying people's lives, as I've seen first hand how the Jersey Shore looks right now and it is not pretty. The government and right wing Tea Baggers are holding this country hostage and it has to stop. People's lives are at risk and no one seems to care. A lot of people out there should be ashamed of themselves and. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts, that most of them call themselves "Christian." Pathetic.
2)Global Warming Deniers- I don't care what stat you trot out. I don't care that Alaska is hitting record cold. I don't care about the "Middle Ages temperature inversion". What I do care about is the hard science we are seeing from recognized experts in the field that say the temperatures in Antarctica and Greenland are doubling what they though they would be and that Arctic ice is disappearing at an alarming rate. This is not some gummed up piece of nonsense. It is real and the evidence is overwhelming at this point that we are reaching a tipping point and soon. Our sea levels are rising and I can see that as, where I live, our beaches are eroding at a fantastic rate. Our temperatures are getting warmer as for the last two years, we have seen a hike of 5 degrees per month over the usual here in the Northeast as well as most of the country as well. That is a frightening number, because if that continues like that, the world will be a very different place in as short as twenty years. Don't believe the nonsense coming from those who couldn't read a scientific study if it was written for a child. Most of anti-warming nonsense is bought and paid for by the oil and gas industries. Listen to the people who know what they are doing. Listen to those who are not in it for money or fame but those studying the problem because they want to understand it. Those that are like the above are painting a very bad picture of things to come.
3)Syria- You got to give it Bashir Assad, he is one giant douchebag. Assmunch gave a speech today blaming religious extremists for all the issues he is facing and the trouble is actually being caused by him just defending himself. Please. The funny part is he is not completely off base as Islamics do want to topple his regime but he brought it on himself from his dictatorship where people starved in the street while he lived high on the hog. Quit while you can dude because when you lose, and you will lose, you will die very badly. Aruba is nice this time of year. Take it while you still can.
4)The Flu- Yes it been another great year for the influenza where at least eighteen children have died. At least this one wasn't hyped up as the be all end all of flu, like the bird flu was a few years back. Back then, everyone was asking me if they thought they should worry considering what the press was saying. I told them it was nothing but media hype and I was right in the end. I've studied virology quite a bit over the years, knowing more than I would like about the 1918 flu, AIDS, smallpox and, hemorrhagic fever types. Incidentally the worst virus ever would be airborne Ebola, which does exist, but only found in monkeys so far. The book The Hot Zone is one of the scariest books EVER as in it, the human race came within one chromosome of 90% of all human life dead in one year. And it was a true story. Yikes. Eventually, there will be another flu virus that will kill upwards of 30% of all people infected. Luckily, this one is not it. Maybe next year. Maybe a decade. But it will come.
5)Huge Chavez's possible death- Chavez is hovering near death as I write this, sparking fears over what will happen after he is gone. Various political factions will vie for his seat and could lead to unrest if not handled correctly. Egypt, Tunisia and Libya are good examples of regime change leading to even greater instability. Here's hoping they handle themselves better.
6)Rape in India/Pakistan- Just in the last day, a nine year old girl was gang raped in Pakistan and in India a woman reportedly jumped from a moving train to avoid the same fate. What is wrong with these people? We are some of the sickest people on Earth, and even we don't gang rape nine year olds. This attitude that women are second class citizens in ANY nation has to stop and if we don't start standing up for basic human rights now, then the world might as well end tomorrow because we don't deserve to live.
7)The Journal News- This medium sized paper operating out of New York came up with a brilliant idea to out every gun owner in the region. The negative reaction was unbelievable including having to station armed guards outside the front door and a complaint filed with the police for vaguely threatening emails and letters. This is sure fire way to get some one killed. If crooks can find out who has a gun and who doesn't, who do you think they are going to rob?
8)The state of Connecticut- Yes the brain powers that run one of the most corrupt states in the country decided to introduce a bill into their legislature that will do exactly what the Journal News did and allow anyone to find out who is armed and who isn't. This will of course, have the exact opposite effect where EVERYONE is going to buy a gun, including people who should never be armed. Not everyone is mentally equipped to own a deadly weapon and a direct result of this is going to be more dead people, especially children as irresponsible owners leave their gun just about anywhere. Plus, if someone gets attacked by a criminal who says he used the info you provided to target said individual, you are now liable for all damages as many, many lawyers will point out. This is stupid times infinity and proves the old adage, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Obama released his ideas for new gun laws and I agree with every single one of them. He's not planning on banning guns (sorry Republicans), but wants to do common sense legislature like fixing the gun show loophole and preventing mental patients from getting a weapon. Fienstein's bill on the other hand? Yuck. Here's a letter from a marine about that bill:
I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not believe it is the government's right to know what I own. Nor do I think it prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime. You ma'am have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I may not have one.
I am not your subject. I am the man who keeps you free. I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America.
I am the man who fought for my country. I am the man who learned. I am an American. You will not tell me that I must register my semi-automatic AR-15 because of the actions of some evil man.
I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public.
We, the people, deserve better than you.
Luckily, that bill has no chance of passing however so gun owners relax. So congratulations CT, you are indeed douchebag of the week.
1)Republicans who voted against the bill for Sandy aid- Here they are:
Notice what is the same about all of them. They are all Republicans and they are all from places not connected with the disaster. Included in the above is resident douchebag, Paul Ryan, who if anyone tells me what a great guy he is, better run fast and far because someone is getting punched. John Boehner abstained (ass) while Eric Cantor voted yes, mostly as a spike against Boehner I am guessing. All said, considering the fuckwads from places like Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana had the huge balls to vote against this, full well knowing a natural disaster there is only a matter of when, can only be best described as out right lunacy. Anyone on this list voting against this bill needs to be out of Congress stat and any idiot defending this awful, awful precedent should just shoot themselves and be done with it. This kind of grandstanding is destroying people's lives, as I've seen first hand how the Jersey Shore looks right now and it is not pretty. The government and right wing Tea Baggers are holding this country hostage and it has to stop. People's lives are at risk and no one seems to care. A lot of people out there should be ashamed of themselves and. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts, that most of them call themselves "Christian." Pathetic.
2)Global Warming Deniers- I don't care what stat you trot out. I don't care that Alaska is hitting record cold. I don't care about the "Middle Ages temperature inversion". What I do care about is the hard science we are seeing from recognized experts in the field that say the temperatures in Antarctica and Greenland are doubling what they though they would be and that Arctic ice is disappearing at an alarming rate. This is not some gummed up piece of nonsense. It is real and the evidence is overwhelming at this point that we are reaching a tipping point and soon. Our sea levels are rising and I can see that as, where I live, our beaches are eroding at a fantastic rate. Our temperatures are getting warmer as for the last two years, we have seen a hike of 5 degrees per month over the usual here in the Northeast as well as most of the country as well. That is a frightening number, because if that continues like that, the world will be a very different place in as short as twenty years. Don't believe the nonsense coming from those who couldn't read a scientific study if it was written for a child. Most of anti-warming nonsense is bought and paid for by the oil and gas industries. Listen to the people who know what they are doing. Listen to those who are not in it for money or fame but those studying the problem because they want to understand it. Those that are like the above are painting a very bad picture of things to come.
3)Syria- You got to give it Bashir Assad, he is one giant douchebag. Assmunch gave a speech today blaming religious extremists for all the issues he is facing and the trouble is actually being caused by him just defending himself. Please. The funny part is he is not completely off base as Islamics do want to topple his regime but he brought it on himself from his dictatorship where people starved in the street while he lived high on the hog. Quit while you can dude because when you lose, and you will lose, you will die very badly. Aruba is nice this time of year. Take it while you still can.
4)The Flu- Yes it been another great year for the influenza where at least eighteen children have died. At least this one wasn't hyped up as the be all end all of flu, like the bird flu was a few years back. Back then, everyone was asking me if they thought they should worry considering what the press was saying. I told them it was nothing but media hype and I was right in the end. I've studied virology quite a bit over the years, knowing more than I would like about the 1918 flu, AIDS, smallpox and, hemorrhagic fever types. Incidentally the worst virus ever would be airborne Ebola, which does exist, but only found in monkeys so far. The book The Hot Zone is one of the scariest books EVER as in it, the human race came within one chromosome of 90% of all human life dead in one year. And it was a true story. Yikes. Eventually, there will be another flu virus that will kill upwards of 30% of all people infected. Luckily, this one is not it. Maybe next year. Maybe a decade. But it will come.
5)Huge Chavez's possible death- Chavez is hovering near death as I write this, sparking fears over what will happen after he is gone. Various political factions will vie for his seat and could lead to unrest if not handled correctly. Egypt, Tunisia and Libya are good examples of regime change leading to even greater instability. Here's hoping they handle themselves better.
6)Rape in India/Pakistan- Just in the last day, a nine year old girl was gang raped in Pakistan and in India a woman reportedly jumped from a moving train to avoid the same fate. What is wrong with these people? We are some of the sickest people on Earth, and even we don't gang rape nine year olds. This attitude that women are second class citizens in ANY nation has to stop and if we don't start standing up for basic human rights now, then the world might as well end tomorrow because we don't deserve to live.
7)The Journal News- This medium sized paper operating out of New York came up with a brilliant idea to out every gun owner in the region. The negative reaction was unbelievable including having to station armed guards outside the front door and a complaint filed with the police for vaguely threatening emails and letters. This is sure fire way to get some one killed. If crooks can find out who has a gun and who doesn't, who do you think they are going to rob?
8)The state of Connecticut- Yes the brain powers that run one of the most corrupt states in the country decided to introduce a bill into their legislature that will do exactly what the Journal News did and allow anyone to find out who is armed and who isn't. This will of course, have the exact opposite effect where EVERYONE is going to buy a gun, including people who should never be armed. Not everyone is mentally equipped to own a deadly weapon and a direct result of this is going to be more dead people, especially children as irresponsible owners leave their gun just about anywhere. Plus, if someone gets attacked by a criminal who says he used the info you provided to target said individual, you are now liable for all damages as many, many lawyers will point out. This is stupid times infinity and proves the old adage, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Obama released his ideas for new gun laws and I agree with every single one of them. He's not planning on banning guns (sorry Republicans), but wants to do common sense legislature like fixing the gun show loophole and preventing mental patients from getting a weapon. Fienstein's bill on the other hand? Yuck. Here's a letter from a marine about that bill:
I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not believe it is the government's right to know what I own. Nor do I think it prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime. You ma'am have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I may not have one.
I am not your subject. I am the man who keeps you free. I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America.
I am the man who fought for my country. I am the man who learned. I am an American. You will not tell me that I must register my semi-automatic AR-15 because of the actions of some evil man.
I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public.
We, the people, deserve better than you.
Luckily, that bill has no chance of passing however so gun owners relax. So congratulations CT, you are indeed douchebag of the week.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
WAYS TO FIX THE TAX CODE THAT DON'T RAPE YOU, YOUR KIDS OR GRANDMA.
It is very disheartening to watch both sides of the political aisle fumble carelessly the most basic principles of economics and science. To be fair, the Republicans have been a torch bearer for years in mindless nonsense that bears no resemblance to anything in the real world. Witness the full on melt down of every conservative pundit who was forced to eat crow live as Obama won handily, a fact most of us knew months in advance. It wasn't being psychic or being a wizard that helped, but good old fashioned logic, math and an understanding of demographics and voting tendencies. The right was so far off in their polls due to their insistence that all the polls skewed to Obama when, in reality, the opposite was true. The reason for this is people who take landline phone polls are usually older, white and Republican. As a result, the rights' polls were off at least six points, a fact confirmed by how the vote actually went. And people like Dick Morris and Karl Rove proved their worthlessness, but more importantly, actually believed they were going to win. That is some world class denial from people who are not stupid, albeit in this case, they were.
However, the democrats have fared little better in doing things that could raise capital, improve living standards, and save the country from ruin. They are slaves to the same corporate overlords as the rest of the politicians are and their largely absent bills to fix anything prove it. With the current bill passed by Congress, I found it to be a pretty good start. The rich need to pay more. Period. And for all that talk of job creation, billionaires had a FANTASTIC year in 2012, yet hiring barely budged. Demand makes people hire others and the only way to do that is to start giving the middle class a much needed raise after stagnant wages over the last forty years, or most of my life. People born since 1965 have had almost no chance of getting ahead due to right to work laws, falling wages, outsourcing, and the death of unions. The democrats had done nothing to fix any of that.
So what can we do? Here are some ways that we can increase revenue without breaking anyone's bank, even the ultra rich. First, enact a Wall Street transaction tax of .25%, which let's face it, isn't that high of a tax, but one which will ultimately lead to a $1.8 trillion revenue stream over a ten year period. I don't know about you, but the fucking banks can cough up a little loot considering how much we've bailed out their idiocy over the years. Next, we eliminate corporate tax loopholes and subsidies of oil companies, which corporate America will scream bloody murder over, but considering they are pulling in record profits while firing everyone they can at the same time, it's time for them to start paying their fair share of taxes because right now nothing is too low. This will raise another $1.24 trillion over a ten years. Look at that, two laws, over $3 trillion in revenue.
But wait, there's more. Let's raise rates for those making between $1 million and up to 40-49% tax bracket, raising another $872 billion. If you are making a billion dollars a year, giving away half is not quite the sacrifice you think it is. We can further cut the military budget by $500 billion and still be the most powerful fighting force on the planet. Eliminating projects like the awful F-22 is a good start. It doesn't work, it has never worked, and I am tired of throwing good money after bad.
As I have stated many, many times on this site, getting rid of the salary cap on Social Security will keep it solvent for decades. Even if we raise the cap to $170,000, this will bring in $457 billion to SS coffers and help offset the baby boomers retiring en masse for at least forty years.
Two things in the current plan are good ways to raise money, both which the so called fiscal hawks in the Senate fought tooth and nail against. One, raising the rates for top earners to 39% will now raise around $500 billion. Two, raising the estate tax both raises over $300 billion but also helps protect farmers from outrageous taxes in land appraisals after they die and pass the estate on to their heirs.
Finally, we need to negotiate drug prices with Big Pharma for Medicare like every other country on earth does. That's right, we alone say, rape us Big Pharma, all the while the government stands by and does nothing. Hell, they even encourage it. This will save taxpayers $220 billion. We can close 20% of our military bases which are no longer needed and save another $200 billion. Lastly, we close loopholes in the capital gains taxes and raise another $174 billion.
All together, that is a grand total of $6 trillion dollars saved over the next ten years. Republicans, instead, want to do thing like the chained CPI which would drastically reduce the standard of living for everyone not rich and raise Medicare to 67, putting further strain on a damaged system. These policies would do almost nothing to fix the debt, would create austerity for Greece-like conditions, and give even more money to people who don't need it. Which plan sounds better and why is no one anywhere talking about it?
However, the democrats have fared little better in doing things that could raise capital, improve living standards, and save the country from ruin. They are slaves to the same corporate overlords as the rest of the politicians are and their largely absent bills to fix anything prove it. With the current bill passed by Congress, I found it to be a pretty good start. The rich need to pay more. Period. And for all that talk of job creation, billionaires had a FANTASTIC year in 2012, yet hiring barely budged. Demand makes people hire others and the only way to do that is to start giving the middle class a much needed raise after stagnant wages over the last forty years, or most of my life. People born since 1965 have had almost no chance of getting ahead due to right to work laws, falling wages, outsourcing, and the death of unions. The democrats had done nothing to fix any of that.
So what can we do? Here are some ways that we can increase revenue without breaking anyone's bank, even the ultra rich. First, enact a Wall Street transaction tax of .25%, which let's face it, isn't that high of a tax, but one which will ultimately lead to a $1.8 trillion revenue stream over a ten year period. I don't know about you, but the fucking banks can cough up a little loot considering how much we've bailed out their idiocy over the years. Next, we eliminate corporate tax loopholes and subsidies of oil companies, which corporate America will scream bloody murder over, but considering they are pulling in record profits while firing everyone they can at the same time, it's time for them to start paying their fair share of taxes because right now nothing is too low. This will raise another $1.24 trillion over a ten years. Look at that, two laws, over $3 trillion in revenue.
But wait, there's more. Let's raise rates for those making between $1 million and up to 40-49% tax bracket, raising another $872 billion. If you are making a billion dollars a year, giving away half is not quite the sacrifice you think it is. We can further cut the military budget by $500 billion and still be the most powerful fighting force on the planet. Eliminating projects like the awful F-22 is a good start. It doesn't work, it has never worked, and I am tired of throwing good money after bad.
As I have stated many, many times on this site, getting rid of the salary cap on Social Security will keep it solvent for decades. Even if we raise the cap to $170,000, this will bring in $457 billion to SS coffers and help offset the baby boomers retiring en masse for at least forty years.
Two things in the current plan are good ways to raise money, both which the so called fiscal hawks in the Senate fought tooth and nail against. One, raising the rates for top earners to 39% will now raise around $500 billion. Two, raising the estate tax both raises over $300 billion but also helps protect farmers from outrageous taxes in land appraisals after they die and pass the estate on to their heirs.
Finally, we need to negotiate drug prices with Big Pharma for Medicare like every other country on earth does. That's right, we alone say, rape us Big Pharma, all the while the government stands by and does nothing. Hell, they even encourage it. This will save taxpayers $220 billion. We can close 20% of our military bases which are no longer needed and save another $200 billion. Lastly, we close loopholes in the capital gains taxes and raise another $174 billion.
All together, that is a grand total of $6 trillion dollars saved over the next ten years. Republicans, instead, want to do thing like the chained CPI which would drastically reduce the standard of living for everyone not rich and raise Medicare to 67, putting further strain on a damaged system. These policies would do almost nothing to fix the debt, would create austerity for Greece-like conditions, and give even more money to people who don't need it. Which plan sounds better and why is no one anywhere talking about it?
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
JOHN BOEHNER'S FACES BACKLASH OVER LACK OF HURRICANE SANDY AID BILL
Today was something for political junkies like myself as the GOP squabbled among themselves over the House failing to bring a bill bringing much needed aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy. Speaker of the House, John Boehner, faced his biggest criticism yet under his rule, which may spell disaster for him keeping the gavel past this week when they vote tomorrow for the new leader in the new Congress. Now, chances are still quite good that he will keep his seat of power, but there will be more drama than usual as Eric Cantor is making a play for the position, which after these last few days, may be not quite as cut and dried as it usually is.
The failure of Boehner to bring the Sandy Aid bill to the floor was a punch in the mouth to anyone living in New York or New Jersey, the hardest hit regions. Local politicians like Rep. Peter King (R-NY) was in full on fury mode saying of both Cantor and Boehner, “This was a disgrace. They are inexcusable." King is well known for backing the GOP regularly on many topics but this decision not to provide hurricane aid to people who desperately need it was, in his own words, "a knife in the back." We went on to further say the the GOP is going to have to go above and beyond to get his vote on anything after this. King then went to call all New Yorkers to stop giving money to ANY republican who have ignored this bill, especially those in their own district.
“These Republicans have no problem finding New York when they’re out raising millions of dollars." King said. "They’re in New York all the time filling pockets with money from New Yorkers,” King raged. “I’m saying anyone from New York and New Jersey who contributes one penny to Congressional Republicans is out of their mind."
Wow. That's is a harsh statement and one that may have repercussions down the road, especially in 2014. If people from New York and New jersey follow through, the GOP is looking at a loss of millions of dollars and, almost certainly, the loss of several key seats to the democrats.
Even the Tea Party backed candidates, like Mike Grimm (R-NY), have expressed outrage over the lack of support for aid. He called Boehner and Cantor’s move “a personal betrayal” and went on to say this: “But I think more importantly, when you parse out all the politics, the people of this country that have been devastated are looking at this as a betrayal by the Congress and by the nation, and that is just untenable and unforgivable.”
Outrage was not limited to just representatives from the region either. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) had this to say: “I’m from New Orleans, and we were great beneficiaries of this body coming together after Katrina and Rita to help us in a time of our greatest need. And it’s appalling that this house can’t come together when we have so many Americans in need.”
Many are wondering if this in response to the typically blue state's voting record, noting that aid for Hurricane Katrina, which was surprisingly less costly, was approved of $62.3 billion in less than a month. Hurricane Sandy was near Halloween. Another explanation for the delay was the Speaker's fear of proposing billions in dollars in aid just hours after nearly screwing up the fiscal cliff deal by his insistence on adding spending cuts to the bill, a move that would have killed it and delayed any further action for weeks. Tea baggers, like Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin, were among those screaming about "fiscal responsibility" in NOT giving aid to victims which is ironic because those words never escaped her lips during the Bush administration, which caused all this crap in the first place.
President Obama threw House republicans under the bus, blaming them for the lack of aid and, rightfully so, as they are the people responsible for all of this. Governor Chris Christie and Governor Mario Cuomo issued a joint statement seen here: "This failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented,” and that “The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty."
Christie went on to say that he was assured by Boehner that the vote would go on and then ignored calls from the Governor at least four times last night. Unlike King, Christie praised Eric Cantor, giving rise to the fact that he may attempt to unseat a very unpopular Speaker. Cantor took previous criticism from other Republicans for suggesting that Missouri tornado victims or earthquake victims in Virginia only get aid if democrats agreed to spending cuts to pay for it.
The GOP distrust of FEMA is also still apparent after the Katrina disaster, which is ironic because the main reason FEMA sucked was that W hired a guy with no disaster management training and then bungled all relief aid from the White House as well. FEMA does suck when you have nobody who knows what they are doing. Sandy showed FEMA to be better equipped than the Red Cross because Obama actually has a brain in his head, no matter what you may think of him. It also didn't help that Mitt Romney suggested eliminating FEMA and letting states run the show, which as we can see here, would have had disastrous consequences due to political bickering. People would freeze, starve or boil before anything got accomplished.
The House has scheduled a vote for aid on the 15th, which means another two weeks on a vote and, after red tape and all, people may start seeing checks by next Christmas. Ah democracy in action. This is also why Tea party morons need to get the heave ho. The GOP is right about certain things like fiscal responsibility and gun control. I wish they were right about pretty much anything else.
So Boehner faces a tough re-election scenario, made up by his own idiocy. I had heard rumors that a secret ballot may be used, in true irony, as it is based on the anti-union laws they had just passed. Secret ballots for union membership was passed to prevent retaliation against those that voted no. That same procedure now might be used to vote for the new Speaker as well, which if it occurs, may spell the end of Boehner's rule. If not, Boehner will most likely win again as few want to stick their neck out only to hang themselves. Seventeen votes are all that are needed to stop Boehner from getting a majority vote. Some are clamoring for Allen West (WTF?) as the Speaker does not have to be an elected member of Congress. Of course, that pick will happen when pigs fly, cows learn to talk and I start watching every season of Real Housewives of whatever.
So chances are, tomorrow Boehner will be re-elected, a new Congress will be sworn in and this whole debacle will start all over as the country runs out of money sometime next month. The budget talks will begin anew with political infighting, beltway maneuvering and abject stupidity. 2013 is already starting to look a lot like 2012. Wonderful.
The failure of Boehner to bring the Sandy Aid bill to the floor was a punch in the mouth to anyone living in New York or New Jersey, the hardest hit regions. Local politicians like Rep. Peter King (R-NY) was in full on fury mode saying of both Cantor and Boehner, “This was a disgrace. They are inexcusable." King is well known for backing the GOP regularly on many topics but this decision not to provide hurricane aid to people who desperately need it was, in his own words, "a knife in the back." We went on to further say the the GOP is going to have to go above and beyond to get his vote on anything after this. King then went to call all New Yorkers to stop giving money to ANY republican who have ignored this bill, especially those in their own district.
“These Republicans have no problem finding New York when they’re out raising millions of dollars." King said. "They’re in New York all the time filling pockets with money from New Yorkers,” King raged. “I’m saying anyone from New York and New Jersey who contributes one penny to Congressional Republicans is out of their mind."
Wow. That's is a harsh statement and one that may have repercussions down the road, especially in 2014. If people from New York and New jersey follow through, the GOP is looking at a loss of millions of dollars and, almost certainly, the loss of several key seats to the democrats.
Even the Tea Party backed candidates, like Mike Grimm (R-NY), have expressed outrage over the lack of support for aid. He called Boehner and Cantor’s move “a personal betrayal” and went on to say this: “But I think more importantly, when you parse out all the politics, the people of this country that have been devastated are looking at this as a betrayal by the Congress and by the nation, and that is just untenable and unforgivable.”
Outrage was not limited to just representatives from the region either. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) had this to say: “I’m from New Orleans, and we were great beneficiaries of this body coming together after Katrina and Rita to help us in a time of our greatest need. And it’s appalling that this house can’t come together when we have so many Americans in need.”
Many are wondering if this in response to the typically blue state's voting record, noting that aid for Hurricane Katrina, which was surprisingly less costly, was approved of $62.3 billion in less than a month. Hurricane Sandy was near Halloween. Another explanation for the delay was the Speaker's fear of proposing billions in dollars in aid just hours after nearly screwing up the fiscal cliff deal by his insistence on adding spending cuts to the bill, a move that would have killed it and delayed any further action for weeks. Tea baggers, like Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin, were among those screaming about "fiscal responsibility" in NOT giving aid to victims which is ironic because those words never escaped her lips during the Bush administration, which caused all this crap in the first place.
President Obama threw House republicans under the bus, blaming them for the lack of aid and, rightfully so, as they are the people responsible for all of this. Governor Chris Christie and Governor Mario Cuomo issued a joint statement seen here: "This failure to come to the aid of Americans following a severe and devastating natural disaster is unprecedented,” and that “The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty."
Christie went on to say that he was assured by Boehner that the vote would go on and then ignored calls from the Governor at least four times last night. Unlike King, Christie praised Eric Cantor, giving rise to the fact that he may attempt to unseat a very unpopular Speaker. Cantor took previous criticism from other Republicans for suggesting that Missouri tornado victims or earthquake victims in Virginia only get aid if democrats agreed to spending cuts to pay for it.
The GOP distrust of FEMA is also still apparent after the Katrina disaster, which is ironic because the main reason FEMA sucked was that W hired a guy with no disaster management training and then bungled all relief aid from the White House as well. FEMA does suck when you have nobody who knows what they are doing. Sandy showed FEMA to be better equipped than the Red Cross because Obama actually has a brain in his head, no matter what you may think of him. It also didn't help that Mitt Romney suggested eliminating FEMA and letting states run the show, which as we can see here, would have had disastrous consequences due to political bickering. People would freeze, starve or boil before anything got accomplished.
The House has scheduled a vote for aid on the 15th, which means another two weeks on a vote and, after red tape and all, people may start seeing checks by next Christmas. Ah democracy in action. This is also why Tea party morons need to get the heave ho. The GOP is right about certain things like fiscal responsibility and gun control. I wish they were right about pretty much anything else.
So Boehner faces a tough re-election scenario, made up by his own idiocy. I had heard rumors that a secret ballot may be used, in true irony, as it is based on the anti-union laws they had just passed. Secret ballots for union membership was passed to prevent retaliation against those that voted no. That same procedure now might be used to vote for the new Speaker as well, which if it occurs, may spell the end of Boehner's rule. If not, Boehner will most likely win again as few want to stick their neck out only to hang themselves. Seventeen votes are all that are needed to stop Boehner from getting a majority vote. Some are clamoring for Allen West (WTF?) as the Speaker does not have to be an elected member of Congress. Of course, that pick will happen when pigs fly, cows learn to talk and I start watching every season of Real Housewives of whatever.
So chances are, tomorrow Boehner will be re-elected, a new Congress will be sworn in and this whole debacle will start all over as the country runs out of money sometime next month. The budget talks will begin anew with political infighting, beltway maneuvering and abject stupidity. 2013 is already starting to look a lot like 2012. Wonderful.
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