Ponderings

I have been thinking about all the hoopla surrounding Occupy Wall Street.  I was thinking about the 1% carpeting the protesters in McDonald's applications.  I have seen postings about how #OWS is just a bunch of whining babies.  And I keep getting more and more offended.

My first thought:  If these people had jobs, good jobs,  would they be out protesting?  Obviously the "Job Creators" are not creating jobs.  If they were creating jobs, the people would not be out protesting.  And not just any jobs, but jobs people can take pride in.

Secondly:  Are McDonald's applications being used because the only jobs that are available are at McDonald's?  If minimum wage jobs are the only thing that economy can produce, then we are really in some trouble.  If our economy can only produce low-pay, no insurance jobs, we are definitely on the downward slide.  When I hear people say, "I work two jobs I hate because I don't want to whine," it saddens me.  Is this all we have to look to?

Thirdly:  If this is what the 1% think we desire, they are sorely mistaken.  We want fulfillment from our jobs just like they want fulfillment from theirs.  I know I would be willing to work at a lower paying job if I could feel that I am DOING something.  Handing overpriced lattes to affluent soccer moms is not my idea of fulfillment.

Fourthly:  If the 1% think we can afford medical insurance on part-time pay, they are WAY out of touch with the world.  Or that we want to work two part-time jobs to make ends meet.  We like to have healthcare just like they want healthcare.  And working part-time for McDonald's isn't going to do it.

Fifthly:  We like to have vacations too.  We are even happy just to have some time at the lake, we don't need to go to Rio or the Riviera.  We are happy to have a tent or a hotel, we don't need a luxury spa resort.  We just want to have a good time at our working class vacation spots with our family and not have to worry that the vacation will push the budget over the edge.  Who can enjoy a vacation when every expense must be fretted over.

Sixthly:  I have ten years of college!  What a waste to be putting that education to work making sure the "upside-down caramel macciato" is exactly 170 degrees.  I can, and have, worked minimum wage jobs, but I would hope that in the greatest country on earth I could find a job that allowed some of the "American Dream."

Showering the #OWS people with McDonald's applications may have seemed like a funny idea to some people, but it just goes to show how out of touch some people are.  People want jobs with dignity and that have worth; give these jobs to people and they will work them.  People would not care that the richest people have their toys if we knew we had the basics and a little extra to make life pleasant.  Yes, I could work at McDonald's, but I would get very tired of it very soon and I would probably end up throwing a McHeart Attack into someones face out of frustration.

Is this all we have to offer as "The Greatest Country?"  If so, how pathetic.

Obama Derangement Syndrome

Bye Bye, Fearless

I am half watching, half doing better things (that would be cruising blogs on-line) while Fearless Leader is giving his (THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!) last press conference. My! Aren't we being defensive!! Also, how many ways can you couch an answer and spin the facts?

Arrrggg....

Prop 8 Backlash

I guess I really haven't said a whole lot about my feelings on Prop 8. Obviously, I am against it. But do I want people to have to quit their jobs over donating to Prop 8? Well, that is a more difficult matter.

I guess if you are going to donate to a controversial cause, you need to realize that people are going to react. I would not want the money that I pay out to be used against me. If I knew that someone was going to use the money that I gave them to restrict my rights, I would find another person or option.

I don't see it as witch hunt. I see it as self preservation.

I am sorry Mr. Raddon quit his job, but when your paycheck is directly connected with the work of gay folks, and you support a prop that has direct negative effects on said gay people, you should not be surprised when those gay people feel betrayed and withdraw their support.

I think those who say they are baffled by the response are being disingenuous.

Our Judy Garland

I found a link to this at Kelly Stern's place. It is really quite good. Take some time and read it. Pass it along to those who need to realize they are not alone and to those who need to know that we are real people with real lives.

Worth 1000 Words

I saw this over at JMG. Thanks for making us second-class citizens.

YEAH!

Well, maybe there is still hope for America! I had hoped to see this day, but I wasn't about to hold my breath. And here it is, we have a person of color as President! I couldn't be happier!

And So Should You!

VOTE!!

Jesus Was A Socialist

Ok, I am going to probably be more than a bit politically incorrect here. So before I go any farther, I would like to apologize. If I offend anyone, deal with it.

I heard an interview on NPR today. In it, a person whom I can only think of as a redneck was complaining about Obama wanting to "spreading the wealth." He was so upset about Obama being a socialist and not wanting to have anything to do with socialists.

Now, what wouldn't surprise me is if this redneck also claimed to be a Christian. T claim to be a Christian and also claim to want to have nothing to do with socialists is sheer stupidity. Excuse me but, uh, JESUS WAS A SOCIALIST! JESUS WANTED TO SPREAD AROUND THE WEALTH!!!

So, how can you be for Jesus and against socialism?

I Am Getting Embarrassed To Be An American

I cannot believe the amount of vitriol that is being spewed during this election. The amount of taunting and name calling by people whom I would guess would consider themselves Christian is disgusting. I understand differences of opinion, but this is getting to the point where it is frightening.

Those Evil Liberals

A Day in the Life of Joe Sixpack

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised. All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer’s medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance—now Joe gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union.

If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn’t think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.

He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers’ Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans.

The house didn’t have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are evil and conservatives are good.

He doesn’t mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoyed throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don’t need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I’m a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

A. N. Onymous

(h/t Bailey's Buddy)

So John, Tell us how you really feel...

(h/t to Joe.My.God)

Zing!

Stolen from Jay at Bailey's Buddy

How Can People Be So Uninformed?

I saw this over at Pam's House Blend. It really made me angry/frightened. Hearing someone just recite back the talking points without even investigating the veracity of these claims. *shakes head*

I go to give blood today and the technician working with me asked me what I do for a living. I told her I have a liberal political talk radio show. Something pretty close to this conversation took place as she was asking me all of the "Have you ever..." questions and taking my vitals.

"Oh, liberal? Isn't that bad? Y'know, like 'bleeding-heart liberal'" she says.

"Uh, no, it actually means someone who believes in the Constitution, the rule of law, fiscal discipline, equality of people, tolerance of differences, and helping our fellow man," I reply.

"Y'know, like 'they wanted to build such-and-such, but the bleeding-heart liberals wouldn't let them', right?"

"I suppose, if you're listening to Rush Limbaugh or watching FOX News."

"Ha ha! Yeah, Rush Limbaugh, you're like against him?"

"Yeah, I'm like Rush Limbaugh, except I tell the truth."

"So who are you for in the election?"

"Barack Obama all the way."

"What do you think of Sarah Palin?"

"I think she is by far the most unqualified person to run for the vice presidency ever. She is a liar and a bully, she is clueless on foreign affairs, and her views on most every issue would be disastrous for everyone, especially women."

"Well she has more experience than Obama!"

"Barack Obama was a state senator from a city with 3 million people for eight years, and a US senator from a state of 13 million for four years. Sarah Palin was a mayor for six years of a small town with less people than Belmont High School in Los Angeles. If the principal of Belmont High is more qualified than Barack Obama, then Sarah Palin can be a heartbeat away from the presidency."

"Well, I think Obama made a big mistake by not picking Hillary Clinton. A lot of women really want to see a woman in the White House."

"Sarah Palin is ideologically the complete opposite of Hillary Clinton. Sarah Palin believes that if your husband rapes your daughter, your daughter should be forced to have the baby. Sarah Palin believes that girls should get no sex education or contraception, abstinence only. Sarah Palin believes that Creationism is true and should be taught in science classes. Sarah Palin believes that polar bears aren't really going extinct and that global warming is a myth, even as the glaciers in her own freakin' state are melting away and polar bears are drowning and turning cannibal! If any woman who supported Hillary votes for Sarah Palin, they are doing so for the most sexist reason possible and they'll deserve the loss of their reproductive rights!"

"Wow! They sure got a good one in you - you really get into this stuff."

"It's only the future of our country and our lives. I guess it's kinda important."

"Well, I heard Obama made a huge mistake in an interview the other day."

"Really. What was it?"

"He was talking and he said, 'from what I learned in my Muslim upbringing... I mean, my Christian upbringing..." That's a huge foo paw!" (It took me a minute to realize she meant "faux pas") "You can't just say you're something and then say you're something else!"

"You mean like John McCain being for his own immigration bill, then being against it, or being against Bush's tax cuts, then being for them, or being a POW who was tortured and opposed torture, but now he supports it, or being against drilling offshore, but now he's for it? Or do you mean Sarah Palin, who was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it, or against earmarks while she was taking them?"

"Yeah, but Obama made a big foo paw! He said he was a Christian!"

"To be honest, I'd prefer if all the candidates would keep their religion to themselves. I don't care what you pray to, how are you going to get me $2 gas and a job?"

"Don't you think Sarah Palin has really changed the race? I see all those things on TV where everybody is real excited about her!"

"Yeah, sure, the GOP base never liked McCain much and now the evangelicals have God-fearin', gay-hatin', abortion-fightin', science-denyin' whackadoodle to cheer for. Seriously, as a woman working in health care, the very worst thing you could do for your rights and your career is to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Obama is not a Muslim; those are vicious smears by the same people who wanted you to hate him for his Christian pastor that he listened to for twenty years! Which is it? You can't hate him for his Christian pastor and for being Muslim at the same time!"

...

"Alright, you're done. Your blood pressure was 140 over 90. That's a little high."

"Hmm. I wonder what could have caused that to happen."

So every time I feel that pang of Hope and longing for Change, I try to remember that there are so many of these people out there. Nobody ever went broke overestimating human stupidity. And then there are those Diebold voting machines.

Please, Obama, don't let me down. Let me trust in you to win this thing.

Get out and vote!! If you don't, the clueless people will be doing all the choosing and we can't afford to have that happen.

John Stewart Smacks It Head On!

Thanks to Pam

An Alternative Idea

Ok, there are so many theories floating around about Sarah Palin and the whole Water Breakgate thing.

But a friend of mine said something that made me think. He said, "It sounds like she was doing everything in her power to miscarry."

OMG!

Was that really her intent? Abortions may be wrong, but gosh, if God wants to call the baby before it is born, well...

The Irony of It

OK, I am not getting pleasure out of peoples' suffering. I do not take pleasure in Gustav descending upon the Gulf coast.

BUT

I find it kind of ironic that Focus on the Family wanted people to pray for a torrent to wash out Obama's acceptance speech and now a deluge is overshadowing the Republican Convention.

We Just Might Get A Woman For President

Not that I would want to wish death or health problems on anyone, but by a strange twist of fate, the Republicans may be responsible for the first woman president.

Heaven forbid Mr. Obama does not get elected, but if he doesn't , then that would mean that Ms Palin would become the first woman VP. And if Mr McCain were to forget where the White House is and wander into traffic on Pennsylvania Ave... Well, thanks to the Republicans, the United States may have their first woman persident.

Kind of boggles the mind, huh?

Then again, maybe that was the plan of the Master Mind "W" all along?

EDIT: Doesn't Gov. Palin look like a Stepford Wife?

A McSame Button I would wear

Thanks Jay!