Mmmmm... BBQ

It seems to me like swine flu is the new bird flu like 30 is the new 20, or so they say. I personally have not gotten the flu and bought, grilled and devoured a rack of baby back ribs at the peak of the swine flu hype. Before that it was anthrax in the mail and biological warfare.

The Center for Disease Control tracks the cases throughout the US and stated that there have been 59 pediatric deaths for the 2008-2009 Influenza season. I totally agree, like that the media blow this whole thing out of proportion. Egypt, who has not had a single case of the virus, ordered a mass execution of all the pigs in the country. Just think about all that potential BBQ.

The hype does work and helps boost the revenues of cleaning supply companies like Clorox or the company that makes Fabuloso. At my job we all got our own tub of clorox wipes and personal bottle of hand sanitizer once people really started getting worried. We were told to wipe down our desks and take extra care when washing our hands.

I'm not losing any sleep over it. But it looks like the surgeon general is. The government had created pandemicflu.gov which gets data from the CDC. The surgeon general issued a public service announcement reminding us not rub our eyes or pick our nose after scratching our ass cracks because it produces a greater chance of catching H1N1 from the Mexican food we eat. Just kidding.

Power

I believe nuclear technology is an important tool that has already changed the life of millions of people around the world by providing a source of energy. Of course it can also be used as a destructive force which can wipe out anything in its way and also have devistating after effects. I don't really understand why our governments expresses so much concern and threatens to go to war with other countries that want to take advantage of this technology when we ourselves have tested it and used the force as a destructive one.

I started noticing this trend with Iran. In 2006 the UN passed sanctions that would prevent Iran from enriching urainium to provide energy or make nuclear bombs. The US to this day still enriches uranium but the process is run by a private corporation called United States Enrichment program.

Now North Korea is developing nuclear technology and wants to test some nuclear missles and we are doing the same thing with them. The US currently has over 5000 active nuclear warheads and over 1000 tests were performed between 1945 and 1992.

I think independent countries should have the right to pursue these interests. I think our government should be aware of these activites but what gives them the right to impose sanctions on that country and possibly declare war just because a foreign country wants to get ahead technologically. It is hippocritical to prohibit someone from manufacturing weapons that we ourselves carry in our arsenal.

Beer On!

I definitely agree that the stimulus money could be put to greater use. We as a country are already in debt as it is and we are lending money to people who will put more people in debt. It sounds too me like we are trying to cover up peoples greed and deceit, take the Madoff scandal for example. I think we need to fight the wars at home first and make peace here before we try to make it abroad.

It's sad to see people go with out the proper necessities for a “normal” life and when I say that I mean being able to support yourself and your loved ones. The “homeless” as we label them do have a voice but I think a lot choose not to use it. There has been some action though, I know Austin has a small news paper run by homeless people.

Now veterans on the other hand, homeless or not, should be treated with the utmost care especially if injured during combat in some form or another. I'm glad there are programs like the GI Bill that offer soldiers a chance to continue their education. Programs like that play a big role in providing opportunities to support one-self after their time with the military is up.

I agree, we are a wasteful society who could combine our resources and change the world but we choose not too. If I have spare change I might give it to a homeless person but I'm keeping my quarters. On a good day I've been know to give one a beer or my left over pancakes.

Stimulating Economy & Mind

All this talk about stimulating the economy. There are other ways for the government and people to make money, like making illegal industries legal. I mainly speak for hemp or marijuana as I do not agree with the federal governments policy to keep it illegal. I believe it can become a multi billion dollar industry literally over night if legislation was passed to legalize it.

It is a fact that tobacco and alcohol, both legal drugs, are responsible for more deaths than marijuana ever was, has, or will be. Hemp can be used to make food, fuel, soap, paint, plastic, concrete, etc...Even the man himself, Thomas Jefferson, said: “Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country”.

The pros definitely out-weigh the cons, which, only seem to come about when the flowers of the marijuana are consumed in some form or fashion. Those cons include but are not limited to: laziness, procrastination, and a case of the munchies.

I say give the economy a boost by making it legal. The many uses of hemp would produce many jobs. It would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It would save many forests and in turn help the environment. And for recreational and medical use just looks at the profits of the alcohol, tobacco, and legal drug industries.

Government Cheesburgers!

An article on www.ibdeditorials.com called “Potholes Ahead on Route To Welfare State” claims that President Obama is coming up against “roadblocks” while trying to execute his welfare plan for the economy. This article was written by conservative Michael Barone, who says that the President is leaning toward an European style welfare state. He gives examples of the taxes that the President wants placed on higher wage earners, a program that will tax coal energy producers, and putting a stop to “secret ballots in unionized elections".

The author gives some examples of road blocks the that will prevent these plans from happening. He says that one senator Kent Conrad Chairman of the senate house committee has decided that the program is not going to happen this year. He states that the cap and trade program would cause residential and commercial energy bills to go up since the companies would be taxed more.

Another example of a barricade for the welfare plan was made by Republican Sen. Arlan Specter who said he would not vote to advance the unions' card check bill. This would “effectively” abolish the secret ballot in unionization. It was also stated that “it would impose mandatory federal arbitration after 120 days of bargaining, so that for the first time federal arbitrators would set wages and working conditions without any guidelines “.

The author speaks of parts of President Obamas program that have not encountered resistance. Such as the higher taxes for higher wage earners and a national health insurance program. The author makes the argument that national health insurance might not work because the business politics in the current health care system do not all have the same standards. He says that a welfare state is easier to set up in European countries because they have more centralized governments and rigid parliamentary systems.

The cap and trade energy program is a good idea I think because it is away to ween or dependence in fossil fuels and will give energy corporations more incentive to produce greener technologies. I think people should have the right to choose what union they want to be a part of. This will give large corporations like Wal-Mart less freedom to rip it's employees off. With all the people in this country being denied health care because they lack insurance a national program is the only way to go. Everybody deserves access to health care. Of course a doctor might have give up their 300 million dollar home and a Ferrari or two.

Shots Backfired!

An interesting editorial was posted in the NY times by an unnamed author. It definitely comes from a democratic point of view and is aimed at making Republicans look neglectful and non-supportive of the people in their states. The author speaks of governors threating to turn away federal aid that will increase access to unemployment benefits in states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and calls it a bad decision.

The author accuses the Republican party of being “more interested in ideological warfare” than actually trying to help the country and backs up this claim by pointing to the “political posturing” from governors like Bobby Jindal of Louisiana who are threatening to reject funds from the stimulus bill. The author also states that recent polls from NY Times/CBS survey show that more people think Republicans and Democrats should be working in a bipartisan way.

The article tells of how stimulus money can be used to extend benefits to a wider range of people who normally would not qualify. It is stated that this change has happened in at least half the states and that the changes were positive. It also says that unemployed workers are worst off in the south because unemployment benefits are harder to qualify for. The author uses data from the National Employment Law Project to back up these claims.

The article also explains that the opposing governors think increasing access to unemployment insurance would raise state taxes. The argument against this is, its too soon to tell, and the benefits go right back into the economy by workers who are paying for rent, food, and other living expenses. The author also says that more unemployment workers would be protected and advance southern states into the 21st century.

In the end the author says this: “Governors like Mr. Jindal should be worrying about how to end this recession while helping constituents feed and house their families — not about finding ways to revive tired election-year arguments about big spending versus small government. “

The most reliable sources used were the NY Times/CBS survey and the data from the NELP. I went to the NELP web site and theres an announcement that says “A NELP spreadsheet showing the unemployment recipient rates by state, average and maximum benefits is also available upon request.”

I find this argument convincing for three reasons. Number one because I lean toward the democratic side and number two I've been granted and rejected unemployment benefits in the great state of Texas at times when I needed it most. Third is because Bobby Jindal is a puppet and his Republican party speech after Obamas address the other night pissed me off. As he was speaking I saw the strings lifting his little hands as he spoke. He probably had a gun to his head the whole time.

It makes me mad that who ever is controlling the republicans tries to use someone who is young and of non white ethnicity to convince people that their way is best. The republican party got what they deserved. And they want to make this guy president? If this is a war of ideology then the shot from the republican party back fired.

From Reuters: "U.S. judges admit to jailing children for money"

In Philidelphia, the city of brotherly love, two judges pleaded guilty to accepting money to give juveniles longer sentences in a youth detention center. Together they both raked in over $2.6 million. Judge Mark Ciavarella has made a formal apology but the other judge has failed to do so.
How the scam worked was: A detention center would receive money from the county government for each kid who made a stay at the juvenile inn. The longer the stay the more money the detention center got. The Judges would then accept payoffs from the detention center to give harsher sentences than were required for misdemeanors. Between 2003- and 2006, 20% to 40% of juveniles that were tried by the two judges, received long sentences for minor offenses such as "being in the company of someone who shoplifted", and small "schoolyard" fights.
The judges tried to hide the extra income but did not succeed. They have been removed from duty by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. See the article here.
This is another example of the abuse of judicial power. I think it's only right to be aware of such bad examples of judgement amongst those who judge us. How heartless and uncaring can a trusted official be? Who's to say that is not happening all over the place in both juvenile and adult detention centers? Prisons are a big business in America.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/12/01/8394995/index.htm

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/2024/1/124/