These are strange times in the United States. And it's pretty safe to say they're not good times. Let me give you a few reasons why they're not good times. Unemployment is hovering around 10%, after nearly reaching 12%. That's a lot of folks living without a job. Any way you look at it that's tough. More often than not those jobless folks have kids. Economic growth is at the lowest level in recent history. (That, and unemployment go hand in hand.) There's an enormous amount of uncertainty amongst Americans. Uncertainty as to how the implementation of the Affordable Care Act will affect their lives. It's becoming evident as time goes by that all the president said about it is not really the way it's going to be. Such as "If you have insurance now and you want to keep it, then you can." That may not be the case. "Insurance is going to be cheaper. It's not. And the program is going to be administered by the IRS. Which happens to be mired in scandal and the lying managers and officials that are being questioned by Congress are all pleading the 5th Amendment. One who is being questioned now who is pleading the 5th, of course, has a personal friend who owns companies that have been awarded a half a billion dollars in contracts with the IRS. And of course he is on record as spearheading the award of these contracts. Strictly against policy, hell, that's against policy anywhere you might work. The NSA has been outed about it's spying on American citizens who haven't been accused or suspected of doing anything wrong. What happened to protection against illegal search and seizure? Hell for that matter, what happened to most of the protections the amendments of the Bill of Rights gives us? Our illustrious president seems to be running the country and ignoring the constitution. Didn't he take an oath to uphold the Constitution? What about lying to the American people? Hell, we've gotten so used to his lying it doesn't seem to be such a big deal anymore. And today in the news we hear that Obama is upset that the American people are upset with the government. No shit Sherlock. Do you think?...
Obamacare is one of many measures that are trying to model life in America after socialist European countries. Under O'care, the government is going to dictate what care you will and will not be getting. They will decide what the doctors can charge for the care. They will dictate what the insurance companies will pay and what coverage they will provide. Laissez-fare and health care have just been separated by a huge incision. Actually, it was more like a big slash from a meat cleaver. Now, keep in mind this bill barely, BARELY, passed Congress. While trying to sell it to the American people, Nancy Pelosi said, "We have to pass this bill so we can see what's in it." This was a U.S. Congresswoman that said this. No joke. When lawsuits from prescient people tried to overturn and repeal it, John Roberts of the Supreme Court, in the swing vote, voted to uphold it. Please remember that Chief Justice Roberts is a conservative jurist. Hmmm. Just what the hell does conservative mean anymore... O'care is causing uncertainty among small and large business in the country to the extent that they are refraining from hiring until it's effects are better understood. Which of course stifles economic growth and keeps unemployment high. Duh, again. The transparency in government that Obama promised when this bill was being rolled out never happened. Not even close.
Entitlements and welfare recipients have grown almost 50% since The O-man took office. I don't really need to tell you where the money to pay for that will come from, now do I?
The revelation by some poor low level NSA analyst that learned the agency was monitoring phone and Internet records for ordinary Americans has been passed off as necessary for protection against terrorism. So, let me get this straight, an insurance salesman in Detroit, an engineer in Houston, a doctor in Hoboken, a lifeguard in San Diego are potential terrorists? According to Barry, that's our story and we're sticking with it.
There's more. Lots more. Fast and Furious starring Eric Holder. Proposing Susan Rice for Secretary of State. Benghazi. They never said they needed additional security. Those good people took a bullet for America. And for your ineptness, Mr. President. May God Bless their families.
Never before in modern history has America been so polarized. Without fail, when facts are presented that put the president in a negative light, someone is accused of being racist. But in case you haven't noticed, who is usually the ones making the accusations of racism? I don't need to answer that for you either, now do I?
So where is America going to be in January 2016? No one really knows, but a lot of people know that it's not going to be a very good place... Pundits and talking heads can babble till they pass out from lack of oxygen for now. But history will tell it like it is. Or should I say, was. History doesn't belong to a political party, and isn't obligated to placate anyone. How do you think history will deal with the Obama presidency...
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Do you like to read the news?
The world is changing. Sure, we all know that. And a lot of that change is good. Maybe even better than just good. We don't have a cure for cancer yet but it's certainly not for a lack of trying. But cancer patients are living longer and with a better quality of life than ever before. Lots of people with lots of terrible diseases are living longer with a better quality of life. Cars last longer and need less maintenance than in the past. There are myriad new 'things' that make our lives more healthy, convenient and fun. Here's a list, they're all not for everbody, but I'll bet there are some on the list that you like. (And spend an awful lot of time with.)
XBox, iPhone, flat-panel LED televisions, Facebook, Galaxy S3/4, Skype, apps for everything that do almost everything, bluetooth earphones for cellphones, 24-hour news that you can get everywhere, on your phone, computer or tablet, 3G/4G phones that are now faster than your computer at home, e-books and e-readers, you can buy and read books without ever going to a bookstore and buying a book, DVR, digital video recording, you can record and watch whatever you like on TV anytime you like, streaming audio and video and to anything in the house, headphones for your cellphone that allow you to listen to music and that also interrupt your music with phone calls and let you talk on the phone without removing them... I could go on and on. Oh, I almost forgot a big one. E-mail. Where the hell would we be without email. Not only can we get email, we can get it instantly 24/7. On our smartphones. You can talk with friends coast-to-coast and learn about the lastest penis enlargement pills, instantly. You gotta love those smartphones.
The phones have gotten smart, but I'm not so sure we are anymore. With all these wonderful conveniences, especially the electronic ones that keep us connected, we can be in touch, informed, accessible, available all the time no matter where we are. Even when we're on the toilet taking care of inevitable chores, we can be 'in-touch'. We can stay on top of what is happening with the Kardashians, the Lohans, the Duck Dynasty's, whatever might float your boat. And all that is great. Wonderful. Amazing. Right?
Maybe. Maybe not. Don't you miss the good old days? If you're under thirty you don't know what the good old days are, so never mind. Put your headphones back on and turn up your ipod. If you're over thirty, think back. There were no cellphones. No Facebook. No email. Were we hampererd back then? Sure didn't feel like it. When you sat out on the porch with a beer or a lemonade and you didn't have an mp3 player, what did you do? You talked with someone you were looking at and enjoyed the company, the conversation. Or you read a book. So it had a cover and paper pages and weighed a pound, what was wrong with that? Or maybe, you watched the sun set and comtemplated or cogitated or daydreamed or maybe, you closed your eyes and fell asleep. But you weren't a slave to a ringtone of any kind. You weren't talking on the phone to whoever called and thus commanded your time for the next several minutes. The phone might ring in the house but you could and often did just ignore it and stay where you were. You figured if it was important they'd call back. And they did. You didn't know who the Kardashians were and didn't care. You could relax. You could control interruptions. Life was simpler, less stressful. I sure miss the good old days.
But the world has changed and that's not the way it is anymore. If you want to relax and de-stress, you have to first want to, then you have to put some effort into it, there's probably several gadgets you'll have to turn off. You may even have to get on a plane and go somewhere and leave all your gadgets at home. But how many of us actually do that? Just what I thought. We get up every day and strap that smartphone to our belt or drop it in our purse and away we go. If we're going on vacation we'll still strap it or drop it. Now e-books are good though. Reading a good novel is as good as it gets. E-readers make that easy to do. As long as they dont accept calls or emails.
XBox, iPhone, flat-panel LED televisions, Facebook, Galaxy S3/4, Skype, apps for everything that do almost everything, bluetooth earphones for cellphones, 24-hour news that you can get everywhere, on your phone, computer or tablet, 3G/4G phones that are now faster than your computer at home, e-books and e-readers, you can buy and read books without ever going to a bookstore and buying a book, DVR, digital video recording, you can record and watch whatever you like on TV anytime you like, streaming audio and video and to anything in the house, headphones for your cellphone that allow you to listen to music and that also interrupt your music with phone calls and let you talk on the phone without removing them... I could go on and on. Oh, I almost forgot a big one. E-mail. Where the hell would we be without email. Not only can we get email, we can get it instantly 24/7. On our smartphones. You can talk with friends coast-to-coast and learn about the lastest penis enlargement pills, instantly. You gotta love those smartphones.
The phones have gotten smart, but I'm not so sure we are anymore. With all these wonderful conveniences, especially the electronic ones that keep us connected, we can be in touch, informed, accessible, available all the time no matter where we are. Even when we're on the toilet taking care of inevitable chores, we can be 'in-touch'. We can stay on top of what is happening with the Kardashians, the Lohans, the Duck Dynasty's, whatever might float your boat. And all that is great. Wonderful. Amazing. Right?
Maybe. Maybe not. Don't you miss the good old days? If you're under thirty you don't know what the good old days are, so never mind. Put your headphones back on and turn up your ipod. If you're over thirty, think back. There were no cellphones. No Facebook. No email. Were we hampererd back then? Sure didn't feel like it. When you sat out on the porch with a beer or a lemonade and you didn't have an mp3 player, what did you do? You talked with someone you were looking at and enjoyed the company, the conversation. Or you read a book. So it had a cover and paper pages and weighed a pound, what was wrong with that? Or maybe, you watched the sun set and comtemplated or cogitated or daydreamed or maybe, you closed your eyes and fell asleep. But you weren't a slave to a ringtone of any kind. You weren't talking on the phone to whoever called and thus commanded your time for the next several minutes. The phone might ring in the house but you could and often did just ignore it and stay where you were. You figured if it was important they'd call back. And they did. You didn't know who the Kardashians were and didn't care. You could relax. You could control interruptions. Life was simpler, less stressful. I sure miss the good old days.
But the world has changed and that's not the way it is anymore. If you want to relax and de-stress, you have to first want to, then you have to put some effort into it, there's probably several gadgets you'll have to turn off. You may even have to get on a plane and go somewhere and leave all your gadgets at home. But how many of us actually do that? Just what I thought. We get up every day and strap that smartphone to our belt or drop it in our purse and away we go. If we're going on vacation we'll still strap it or drop it. Now e-books are good though. Reading a good novel is as good as it gets. E-readers make that easy to do. As long as they dont accept calls or emails.
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