More on Deficits

A quick question:

When in the history of the US have future generations ever had to pay for the debts of the generations past?

That's what I thought. Keep your pants on, Republicans. We're not in as much trouble as you think.

When He Wants to Spend Money, It'll Put Our Country on the Path to Bankruptcy

...but when the guy in charge wants to spend money on one pointless war (estimated costs exceeding $3 billion) and passes tax cuts for the super wealthy that take us from a $300 billion plus* surplus to a $1.3 trillion deficit (and counting) in about four years, nare a Republican could be found to vote against these measures. But when a Democrat-guy in charge wants to fix the economy the previous guy completely destroyed by spending money and wants to fix a devastatingly expensive healthcare system that is part of the reason we are in such a financial abyss, he's going to send us to the poorhouse and ruin the country, says the same Republican Congressmen and talking-heads. This is the bullshit I hate about two-party politics. The guy in my party didn't come up with it, so even if it's an amazing idea, it's wrong and evil and bad and everyone should hate it and not go along with it.

Grow up. This country ended up in a tailspin because of your ass-backwards politics. Open up your mind a bit and cooperate a little.

Well This is Incredibly Disturbing

All of the "enhanced techniques" (torture) was well-documented to determine the breaking points physically and psychologically. Not only that, but the guidelines were extremely direct and precise; written and controlled closely by the White House and the CIA. This will no doubt go down in the history of not only this country, but of the world as perhaps the lowest point in human rights history for the United States. The Bush Administration violated everything the Founding Fathers believed was important to the principles of this country; in some ways, one of the reasons they broke away from England to form the United States of America. It is well-documented that up until the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan*, regardless of how the US's adversaries treated their POWs, the US has ALWAYS systematically treated those captured during combat with humanity (minus the few rogue cases of overzealous ass-bags with no self-control). During the Revolutionary War, Washington demanded that all of the British POWs be treated humanely, despite the fact that the British tortued and executed American POWs. We've been following the Geneva Conventions before there WERE Geneva Conventions. The Bush Administration threw that all away and gave the US a black eye. Actually, it's worse than a black eye. Black eyes go away. This was more like a massive gaping scar that will never look the same. Thanks, d-bags.

*Renditions (sending suspects to third-party countries to be "interrogated") began before the Bush Presidency. Clinton started the program (I think). We were supposed to get signed documents stating that said third-party countries promised they wouldn't torture. But the US rarely asked for them and even if they got them, they didn't care if they were followed. The thing is, Clinton didn't use this program all that much. Bush took minor exceptions to the rule and turned it into a systematic, regular practice. Scary. I also didn't count the countless number of ruthless dictators and sadists whose governments the US helped prop up during the Cold War (see Nicaguan, El Salvadoran, Panamanian, Chilean etc. history texts). We didn't do a whole lot to protect human rights in those instances either.

Of course, this all can be made moot when we consider all of the genocidal and mass murdering atrocities the US failed to intervene in, unless it was in our interest. Which leaves an icky black mark on our credential record in terms of the value we place on human rights. Then again, its not like any other country does much more than we do to fix human rights atrocities around the world. But we are the leader (a much weaker one thanks to the aforementioned Administration). But no President or member of Congress is free from criticism for their inactivity in trying to aid those being slaughtered abroad (Rwanda, Sudan, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, etc.) Some try, but as a nation, we tend to fall short all of the time. It's built into our principles (somewhat) in the sense that we are a capitalist democracy and we are responsible for our own destinies. Except that a decent portion of the rest of the world doesn't function on that system, or even on that level of faith and trust in the system. Most people can't trust the system because every system turns out to be corrupt. We've been experiencing that a lot lately (see Blagojevich, the entire state government of New Jersey and New York, the Bush Administration, former Governors Sanford and Spitzer, former Representative Hastert, etc.). So maybe none of us should be surprised that we got the point we did during the Bush Administration.

I'm surprised.

Karmic Realignment Hits Fox News

Advertisers pull away from Fox News over Glenn Beck's moronic ramblings and other Fox News idiocy. Bout time.

Lieberman Reminds Everyone He's Still a Douche Bag

Pipe down, Gramps. Those of us without healthcare need this. Shut your pie hole, you traitor.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Steal All Your Money, Beat Up Your Grandma and Eat Your Children

No it won't. High Fructose Corn Syrup, in and of itself, is really no worse than sugar. So when the Corn Refiners Association (lobbying trade association) releases cheesy, piss-poor and somewhat misleading ads touting how no one should worry about consuming High Fructose Corn Syrup, they aren't entirely lying to your face. Much like the ad states, in moderation, High Fructose Corn Syrup is okey-dokey, just like sugar.

The misleading part of these ads, or at least the part the Corn Refiners Association isn't upfront about (why would they be? they make money when they're product gets used as ingredients), is that High Fructose Corn Syrup is in FUCKING EVERYTHING. It is in salad dressings, condiments, juices, ready-to-drink teas, sodas, snack crackers, cookies, cakes...the list goes on. High Fructose Corn Syrup is even in Saltines. Fucking Saltines. Why is there any kind of sweetener in a product that doesn't taste like anything? It's unleavened bread for fuck's sake. Unless you actively seek out products that don't have High Fructose Corn Syrup in them to consume, or all you eat and drink are fresh fruit, vegetables and water, it is damn near impossible to NOT consume too much High Fructose Corn Syrup. When almost everything you eat has some kind of Corn Syrup in it, you can't have it in moderation. And thus my problem with these ads.

So go on world, keep cutting High Fructose Corn Syrup out of your diet. Make food producers change their ingredients and get it out of the food and beverages we buy. We need that corn syrup for ethanol, apparently.

10 Reasons to Grow a Beard

Thanks to Andrew for sending this my way.

Fraud and Religion

It boggles the mind that people still fall for this crap. Of course, maybe it shouldn't. If Family Guy can be used as any sort of barometer for the laziness and "quick-fix" mentality of human beings, then this isn't surprising at all. Peter was able to start a Church of the Fonz. Great satire.

Still though, for a bunch of scheister frauds to go around milking money from people already struggling to make ends meet by telling them that the more money they give, the finer they will be treated once they get into Heaven, makes me want to vomit in anger. Then again, if you can be so easily convinced that such things are true, perhaps you deserve to have some family of cons rob you blind while you smile and thank them for all their help saving your soul.

Come to think of it: I have been out of work for 6 months and could use a serious cash infusion into my savings account. Perhaps the First Congregational Church of Awesome McSweed for the Holy Savior is not far from fruition.

Take That!

Skewering Newt and Palin, the new Republican dynamos!

Giving It To You Straight

Obama talks about healthcare. Greg reads.

Healthcare Reform

Some good reads on the healthcare issue and the horribly inaccurate manipulations going on in the debate.

Free Healthcare

I'm going to go out on a limb and say we probably need healthcare reform.

Palin Proving She Really is Just a Common Simpleton...Lazy and Ignorant

Sarah Palin, self-elected voice of the Lazy and Ignorant American Movement (also known as LIAM), has once again shown why she deserves to maintain this post as she continues to argue that the non-existent "death-panels" that were a part of one of the House bills for healthcare reform need to be removed from the bill because making people consult with their physician about possible end-of-life procedures really means that we will willingly and forcefully exterminate the elderly.

Except that the House already removed the VOLUNTARY incentives for primary care physicians to discuss end-of-life procedures with their patients before said patients get to the end-of-life stages. And also, no is is going to kill your grandma because she keeps running up Medicaid's bills. So yeah, no death panels. No extermination of the elderly. Although I think that there should be something in the reform bill about tougher restrictions on elderly driving. I saw an old lady trying to drive up the off-ramp of I-495 in Massachusetts the other day in a futile attempt to get on the highway.

Health Care Waste

An interesting read on where the fat can be trimmed to cut down wasteful spending in the healthcare system in America.

Here is your assignment, Congress. Go nuts.

Good Read

I voted for change. It's only been six months, but it seems to be that we're not on much of a path to shake the tree.

Israeli Apartheid

Sad state of affairs. This has been going on since 1948 and it needs to stop.

Fact-Checking the Health Care Plans

A must-read for every single person of voting age. And even those who don't vote.

How I Know the Stimulus Package Isn't a Total Wash

In one week, the money set aside for "Cash for Clunkers" is gone. So many people turned in their old vehicles with poor gas mileage in exchange for a credit of up to $4500 toward a new car that in one week, we went through the $1 billion set aside for the program. In other words, the government spent $1 billion dollars in one week to get, at the least, 2,222,222 inefficient vehicles, off the road. And that's if every single one of those car owners received the full $4500. So not only were over 2 million new cars purchased, but they were cars far more fuel efficient than the ones being driven.

Sounds like a program that actually worked. In fact, it worked too well. The government, from what I've heard but have no read, has approved another $1 to 2 billion for the program because it worked so well. I hope to take advantage of this program. Dude needs a new set of wheels.