Under Pressure 2011

Facebook: Buh, Bye......

I have to admit it. I believed I would stop messing with Facebook after I wrote this. So sue me, I couldn't do it. I still believe this to be one of my better offerings. I'm bound to hit a bulls eye once in awhile, right? So, I wanted to acknowledge that my self-imposed ban was lifted rather quickly. Anyhow, in case you missed it the first time, here it is again.....and I still stand by every word.....more or less. 

I have to admit.....I really, really enjoy Facebook. It's a great tool for expressing yourself and keeping in contact with others. But, I've had two bouts in the past year or so, where I thought I was spending too much time on it and used it as a forum for my dissatisfaction with our government. Thus, I have decided to let it go, until I need to plug this blog, of course. If anyone is interested in keeping contact with me, I have email; freddycaple@gmail.com and there is this blog. I will NOT be checking Facebook every day.  

Before I put Facebook in my rear view mirror very far, I, of course, want to have some fun at its' expense. This will probably take a slap at some of you reading this, because I know damn well it's gonna be a slap at me! Please don't get offended, this isn't specific to anyone. 

Come on, let's just admit that there are some pictures people put on Facebook that just don't belong there. The funniest ones are when people put up pics of themselves half naked. Often these pictures are self taken and that in and of itself should send up a red flag that maybe you like yourself a bit too much. Another weird thing is, a lot of these pictures are taken in a bathroom. Creep-O-Rama! Sure, people you know are going to tell you how great the picture is and how super you look....and maybe you do....but they are getting a good laugh behind your back. How do I know this? I do it. And I'm positive I've been laughed at too. It's OK.....it's just a picture and it's just Facebook. But, don't ever think it's cool. It's not. It's hilarious. On second thought....keep it up! Everyone deserves a laugh. 

Here....some examples for you.....and I pray to Zeus that I don't put up a picture of anyone who owns firearms. Who wants to see this garbage? It's sick and offensive. Downright disgusting! 

Now, that's not to say that I think it's silly or disgusting to post all self taken pictures. There are some that are really tasteful and I'd say, in many respects, downright artistic. I felt obliged to include a few in this blog to offset the pain that I put you through with the above photos!

OK, while I'm stuck on the subject of Facebook pictures, let me get this off my chest.........OK, got it. These pictures of the "pooched" or "kissy" lips have got to be destroyed. I don't know who started this, but this shit needs to end.....NOW!!!!! 

See, look at what you've done. Even kids are doing it. Are you happy? 

Another thing that kills me, is Facebook status updates that involve way too much boring, sappy, or self-righteous information. And this is one I'm really guilty of. We've all done it, but it doesn't make it right! 

Here we go.......

FREDDY: Just got finished with dinner. Had salmon and potatoes.

Really! That's awesome. Tell me more about your dinner. Did you have buttered rolls? Maybe a glass of tea? How would I have gotten through my day without this knowledge?

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FREDDY: Be happy. There is no god. You will be dead someday.

Hey, shut up! What the hell do you know about it anyhow? You smoke a little herb, watch a McKenna video and suddenly you have the answer to all of ills that have befallen the planet? Get over yourself, jack ass! Hey, Tommy Chong, go live with the hippies at Ashbury / Haight.

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ANYONE:  Hey, babe....thinkin' 'bout ya! Luv ya.

Besides the person who you are probably embarrassing into hanging themselves, most of us don't wanna read that shit. Get a fuckin' room already. Why not post "Luv ya babe, that rim job was sublime." Hilarious thing is, I'd bet a dollar to a donut (and I LOVE donuts) that they are probably in the same house with the person and on different computers talking back and forth (how do I know, you ask? never mind) Just yell up the steps and save us the uncomfortable push of the "LIKE" button. If your relationship is so unbalanced that you need to be petted and assured of love from a significant other via a Facebook post, keep a Dr.Phil book by the bed and think long and hard about a pre-nup or keeping an attorney on retainer.

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What about NOT telling us about your awesome vacation? Is it a worthy update? You bet your ass it is, but why do you want to rub our nose in it? I have a couple of friends who go to Florida or the Bahama or some place great like that every year or more. If you selfish people cared about ole' Freddy, he'd be piled up in the back of the mini-van with the kids!

ANYONE:  The sunset is awesome. Having a pina colada. Life is good, here at Club Med!

Yeah.....gotta push "LIKE" on that too....but you know what the rest of us are looking at? Perhaps the dog taking a dump in the backyard. Going over the spelling test our kid got a "D+" on (how do you miss "saw"? it's three friggin' letters). Watching the beautiful smog flow over the city and jets leaving pretty "clouds" behind them. I'm watching the 300 lb neighbor who served as an extra on "Planet of the Apes" on the riding lawnmower with no shirt, and you get to look at bikini clad people all day, while knocking back spiced rum and eating shrimps n' shit. 

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ANYONE: I have the guts to post that I support our troops. If you have guts, you'll post this for one day as your status.

Weeeellllllll......fuck you, bub. Saving any lives with that post? Feeling a little superior and bossy today? I support the troops by paying my taxes and wishing they would be brought back home before one more of them had to die for reasons we are not even sure of anymore. Honestly, those posts and the ones about disease and such are nice and thoughtful. I just thought I'd be an equal opportunity hater.

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ANYONE:  I lost my car keys. I prayed to Jesus to help me find them. The cat puked on the floor and there they were! Thank you, Lord. 

Oh, for Christ's/Allah's/Vishnu's sake......a kid is dying of cancer somewhere and you just took Yahweh's eye off the ball by worrying about your car keys!!! 

All of which brings me to a crashing conclusion. 

Who the hell are some of the people who want to be my friend? Seriously! What the hell? I had requests from people all over the damn country. Never met any of them. Are they so hungry for some sort of validation in their life that they go around collecting internet friends. Shit....I don't want the friends I have*, let alone have to add some bastard in Cheyenne, Wyoming who thought I was interesting because I listed Dick Cheney on a favorites list somewhere on a political site fifteen years ago (and that's something you just can't take back, so be careful). I had something like 80 "friends". I don't even know the names of 80 people. I've seen people with 500+ friends. Wow.....that's gotta be hard to keep up with when sending out the Christmas cards? 

*Just kidding about not wanting the friends I've got thing. I love (or strongly like) you guys. If you were one of the 80 people on my list, it's probably because I felt a bit of kinship to you, you are a family member, we are friends in "real life", or I just happened to share interests with you. 

One person I have as a friend (David A) is a person I've never met, but because of Facebook, I hope I get to hang out with him at some point in my life. That's one of the things I'll miss. That rare connection we get from sharing parts of our lives that are important to us and have it mirrored in another person somewhere else on the planet. 

Well, there's that. Have a great week and be sure to check back regularly if you care to. I'll be here. Sometimes often. Sometimes not so often. 

Oh...and for those that know me, you won't be surprised that in the time it took you to get to this part of the blog post, I've changed my mind and will keep the account in case I really need to contact someone. Plus.....hell, I'm self centered....I need a place to pimp the blog. It's my life. Up yours!  :-)

If this time should be

anything like the other time, 

this time, will be the last time

"This Time"--Waylon Jennings

The GOP: God's Own Party

Obviously, anyone who has read very much of what I write knows that I'm not fond of religion. I don't equate "god", or your idea of "god" with religion. So, when I use the term religion, do not assume I'm talking about "god". Hope that is clear. Nobody has the truth cornered or there would not be thousands of religions, all saying they worship the one and only deity.

Now that I have that disclaimer out of the way, I can get to it. I never intended for this blog to become so political. I did it mostly to air out things that aggravate me and to expand my ability to amuse myself and a few others. Well, since I don't participate in political discussions on any groups, I use my Facebook account and this blog to comment on politics. Look here, I realize that many of you who read me have always thought of me as being fairly conservative. Well, I think I still lean that way on many fiscal issues and even on a few social issues (which I'm more moderate on than subscribing to an ideological point of view). I just dislike what is happening in politics. More now, than ever. And at the heart of my dislike is my disappointment with how the evangelical Christian movement has infiltrated and taken over the Republican party and have also ruined the politics of the Tea Party. And it has never been more apparent than looking at the top three candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

I was really going to take this to the next level and get in depth on the candidates. Instead, I think I'll choose the "pro/con" route. It'll probably depend on your point of view or politics as to what is pro and con, so I'll stick with what I think (and even what I DON'T think, if I can get some humor out of it!). You can go to Wikipedia or whatever to find out serious stuff about the candidates.

Mitt Romney

The reason Romney is not a runaway success as a Republican candidate is because he is a Mormon. To me, being a Mormon is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from being a Scientologist (damn, I hate having to capitalize that). A lot of Christians don't even consider Catholics to be a part of their faith, so you know the Mormons have no shot. As a Mormon, Romney can't partake of anything that is enjoyable. No drugs. No tobacco. No alcohol (unless it's wine you make yourself). No coffee. Romney believes that Jesus came to North America and took a look around, and his pappy wrote some sacred tablets that only Joseph Smith would be able to decipher. Cuckoo..........

 So, what about his religion makes him an attractive or unattractive candidate?

CON: Mormons do not allow women to become priests. A bit exclusionary, ya think?

 

PRO: Jesus is the older brother of Satan. Now that explains a lot! I'd like to see Jesus assert himself....oops, Himself a little better and slap the master of abortions around a little more.

PRO: Mormons love to take on extra wives. (sex)

CON: Mormons love to take on extra wives. (everything else)

PRO: Says he will not have a litmus test for appointees and will not rule out atheists or people of other faiths.

MOST TROUBLING: He was pro choice....now he is pro life. Was for (and implemented it in Massachusetts) social medicine....now he is against it. Says he won't bow to the NRA....now he is a member of the NRA. Was for the bank bailouts.....and then was against the bank bailouts. He says drug use is immoral, but says it's best not to describe water boarding as torture. How's that for some morality?

My bottom line on Romney is that I think he would probably make a decent enough president, based on his success' with the 2002 Olympics, some of his private sector work, and his governorship in Massachusetts. I just don't know if I can trust a guy who has changed all of his problematic positions. If he has to be someone else to get the Republican nomination, what will happen with him when he gets to DC? Is there room for people to change what they believe? Hell yeah. But he has 180'ed on the very things that would NOT put him in a favorable position with the far right. Romney is one of the most disappointing politicians in my opinion. If he had stayed closer to the man he was when he became the governor of Massachusetts, he'd get my vote, despite his crazy assed beliefs.

Rick Perry

Here we are, finally. Everyone knew Perry was going to run, but he waited until he could make a splash and take away the thunder that would be the Iowa straw poll.....which is a total scam. Hell, if I had enough buses and money, I could have won that poll. Perry, like Romney, is smart guy. He handles himself well and comes across as a person who is in control of himself and what he believes. He's done an OK job in Texas and he has to be doing something right....he's been the governor there since W. went to DC. I don't think there is any doubt that this guy would love for America to become a theocracy. If you think it's insane for many middle eastern countries to be Islamic theocracies, then there should be no reason for you to support that happening in America, whether you are a Christian or not. Read up on the following and you'll understand why;  Dominionism: Not As Cool As It Sounds

CON: No embryonic stem cell research. PERIOD. None. So, he does not support one of the leading scientific paths to healing cancer, spinal injuries and a host of other afflictions and ailments. We must protect the sanctity of a cell that is less complex than the brain of a house fly.

PRO: Death penalty for aggravated rape. No, I'm not much for the death penalty, but it's hard for me to hold a position on something like this. I can see how both sides of this issue have valid points. So, I'll go with PRO on this one, although "Thou Shalt Not Kill" sounds kind of final, doesn't it?

CON: Whoops......he vetoed a bill that would have banned executing mentally retarded inmates. Maybe he missed that commandment. :-)

PRO: Medical marijuana legalization should be up to the states.

CON: Supports executing marijuana users. (OK, I made that up.....sorry)

CON: Held a 3 day "Prayer - A - Thon" to end the drought in Texas back in April. The drought continues. Will we have a 3 day prayer event for jobs? Is that a policy? Geez, social security is out of money? Pray for a couple of days. Yeah, makes perfect sense.

PRO: Believes the civil rights movement fulfilled the Declaration of Independence.

CON: Doesn't see any trouble with prayer in public places that are funded with tax payer dollars.

CON: Believes "Intelligent Design" is scientific.

MOST TROUBLING:   How about this quote:  "God has chosen an elite, his new apostles here in America, to rule over the land through great monied business associatio­ns whose sole purpose is to further their divinely ordained agenda: economic, social and political.­"

I simply can't trust that this guy will do the right thing by America and for ALL Americans. He's going to follow a rigid set of standards that are self-imposed as a direct result of his religious beliefs. Electing Perry could be like the proverbial snake. You grab the snake and it bites you. Then you are pissed off that it bit you. Well, it's a snake....that's what it does.

Michelle Bachmann

This should be lots of fun. But, first things first. It seems that she is the type of person who is sincere in her care for her family. She has taken in many foster children and has been very charitable in helping teenagers with eating disorders. Also, while in congress she, at times, was very measured in her comments on how to go about a "troop surge" and whether or not it was needed and how it would effect our ability to get out of Iraq more quickly. Alright......from here on, she kind of comes unglued. It will become obvious to you, that if this woman were of any other religion, her ass wouldn't sniff politics in this country. If nothing else, she is a straight up "reconstructionist" or "dominionist". So, if you prefer personal freedom, which includes freedom from the government being able to implement Christianity as our national religion, then this isn't the girl for you.

PRO: Believes in the strength of families.

CON: So long as those families are the way she describes them.

PRO: Seems to be committed to her marriage.

CON: She is married to a gay guy.....errr....yeah....I'll leave that alone.

CON: Thinks the swine flu break out under Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama are related to them being liberal Democrats....only the outbreak in the 70's began under Gerald Ford's watch.

CON: Wants to do away with the minimum wage to create jobs. We did that once. Pretty sure we called it slavery.

CON: OK, this isn't a "con", it's just a very stupid thing she said....and I could fill this blog up with that shit. "That's why people need to continue to go to the town halls, continue to melt the phone lines of their liberal members of Congress, and let them know, under no certain circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions."

PRO: Talked to Michael Steele the way any white person should talk to a black person. ''Michael Steele! You be da man! You be da man!''    :-)

PRO: Maybe this isn't a "pro", but you have to give it up for the sheer intellectual vacancy she displays. As if somehow considering herself lacking in knowledge is a favorable trait. "I look at the Scripture and I read it and I take it for what it is. I give more credence in the Scripture as being kind of a timeless word of God to mankind, and I take it for what it is. And I don't think I give as much credence to my own mind, because I see myself as being very limited and very flawed, and lacking in knowledge, and wisdom and understanding. So, I just take the Bible for what it is, I guess, and recognize that I am not a scientist, not trained to be a scientist. I'm not a deep thinker on all of this. I wish I was. I wish I was more knowledgeable, but I'm not a scientist."

PRO: She helped start a K-12 school called "New Heights".

CON: She took government money for it and then proceeded to include "The 12 Biblical Principles" into the curriculum.One parent who was opposed to it being added to the curriculum was told that a member of Bachmann's team said that god spoke to them directly and said that they all should be "laying it down" for Christ every day.

PRO: Now, here is a quote I can get along with.  “The Lord says be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.”  

MOST TROUBLING:  "I am convinced in my heart and in my mind that if the United States fails to stand with Israel, that is the end of the United States . . . [W]e have to show that we are inextricably entwined, that as a nation we have been blessed because of our relationship with Israel, and if we reject Israel, then there is a curse that comes into play. And my husband and I are both Christians, and we believe very strongly the verse from Genesis [Genesis 12:3], we believe very strongly that nations also receive blessings as they bless Israel. It is a strong and beautiful principle."

Not that I'm against supporting Israel, but they are a sovereign nation and we should not blindly follow a policy that is based on a book....or series of books that was written thousands of years ago. Hell, we barely pay attention to the US Constitution anymore.

I could go on and on about how delusional and out of touch this woman is. It's OK to believe anything you want, but when you are running for political office and especially if you are wanting to be the leader of the free world, you must be accountable for what you say and do. Bachmann has said that god told her to get a tax law degree (she worked for the IRS at one point), marry her husband, and run for political office. Well, is that supposed to comfort me? Whoever is elected, I'd like them to use their experience and knowledge of the US Constitution and bill of rights when considering issues. If she is the nominee, Barack Obama should thank Jesus....Allah or whoever the hell he prays to! Bachmann is a bad candidate if you love freedom, and equal civil rights for everyone. I have not even started to touch on all the ways that Bachmann is a supporter of theocratic government. I got you started. If you are alarmed, and you should be, do some more research.

I think I'll stop with these three. Rick Santorum would be another easy target, but he has only a slightly better chance to be the GOP nominee than Elvis does and he's been dead for a few decades. Santorum says he's pretty sure that it's "God's will" that he run for president. Newt.....not gonna get it....hope he doesn't get it.....better not get it. Herman Cain? I like his demeanor, but running a pizza parlor doesn't mean you should be president, and I'm not totally convinced his claim about Jesus healing him from cancer so he could become president is true. Ron Paul? A very interesting candidate. I really like his libertarian views. But, he has advocated in the past that it's OK to bring religion (and by religion, I mean Christianity) into the world of tax payer funded government. He also has supported it being OK to keep atheists from running for public office.

Now, here is an interesting dude....Jon Huntsman. Here is a quote from Huntsman he gave to TIME; "I'm a very spiritual person," as opposed to a religious one, he says, "and proud of my Mormon roots." Roots? That makes it sound as if you're not a member anymore. Are you? "That's tough to define," he says. "There are varying degrees. I come from a long line of saloon keepers and proselytizers, and I draw from both sides." Doesn't sound like he is using his religion (or lack of it) in his campaign efforts.

He has worked for Obama as the ambassador to China. He is pro-civil union, he believes we should take better care of our environment, and he has done a great job as Utah's governor by adding jobs and cutting taxes. At one time he had an 80% approval rating in Utah. He has worked for Reagan, the Bushes, and Obama. It's hard to get a candidate who has had that sort of experience working with different styles and different ideology. Did I mention that this guy actually has a sense of humor and loves rock n roll? Here is what he had to say when he was told an event in South Carolina was going to be "black tie"...."That kind of sucks." What does he say about how to deal with difficult situations? "You can be stern and forthright, and that's my management style," he tells me, "but when you lose it totally, that's a sign of weakness." I'm going to link up the TIME article. I think this guy, from my limited knowledge of him, is the one person in the GOP primaries who really deserves attention. If you are a Republican and are having a tough time with Bachmann, Romney, or Perry, perhaps this is a guy you may want to find out about and start talking about him to others. Perhaps?

TIME article on Jon Huntsman

I don't want to give the impression that I don't think it's OK for politicians to talk about their faith. Faith is important to many people and they like to share it. But, we have a Constitution and bill of rights. That comes first when you are sworn to protect those things. We are a nation that is diverse. There has to be room for everyone's beliefs on god and no religious doctrine should hold influence in our government to the detriment of others. I'll be back to a lighter subject later in the week. Tah, Tah!

Drug Testing Welfare Recipients: Part Two

OK, I've been involved in and following four threads on Facebook about the topic of drug testing welfare recipients. It's been a hot topic today and I've enjoyed reading what people have had to say.

I wrote my blog today on my lunch break and was in a hurry to get it done and posted. So, I didn't hit this the way that I probably should have. With a more measured hand. So, I will try to do that with this companion piece to my earlier entry.

First off, I believe each and every one of you should be concerned with what happens with your tax money. That said, if we all had outspoken opinions about how Washington DC handles our money, like we have with this issue, maybe they wouldn't be so quick to waste it. Which makes me wonder, why are we so fast to beat up how the poor (some of the poor) MAY be using our tax money, while we just have a passing interest in our tax money going to fund  poetic cowboy conventions in Nevada, an indoor rain forest in Iowa, exotic pet research, rock n roll education for children, and other projects that are not necessary or perhaps should not be funded with tax payer money?

I believe there is something about us, as a society/culture that makes us want to see the poor suffer a bit. We blame many of those who are on public assistance for their plight. You know...."get a job ya bum"! Well, I may be mistaken, but the official unemployment number is at 9.1% and that's the governments number. Some say it's much higher. Are we to expect the poor to get jobs in this economy, when most of us would have a lot of trouble finding work if we were to lose our current gigs? And, do very many of us know that getting a job can effect welfare in many states? Say you are a welfare mom with two school aged kids. You get maybe $200 or $250 a week for food and other bills. Hey, you find a part time job, making $8 an hour for 15 hours a week. Then you lose about 2/3 of your welfare. Where the hell is the incentive to work? The woman would be worse off, trying to find childcare in the summer and when school wasn't in. We ask them to work, but allow politicians to make laws/rules that actually make working the fast track to being homeless.

Anyhow, this is about the drug thing, right? We should take the time to humanize this. I've heard that the kids won't lose their benefits, just the parents. OK.....so a 4 year old is going to cash a check or take his/her food card to Kroger and shop? Let's stay in the real world. We would be ensuring that kids would get nothing in this case, because their guardian would have control of what the kids get.

Honestly, I wasn't aware that there was some great problem with drugs being bought with welfare benefits. I'm sure it happens.....maybe even a lot. But, with all that is happening in our world, this is how we have to make our stand against the poor use of our tax money? By pinching the poor, at a time when many of us are just a couple of missed paychecks away from filing unemployment and paying our bills (including food and medicine) with credit cards.

What becomes of the family who loses their benefits? First off, if my kids couldn't eat because I smoked pot....I'd quit smoking pot. I think most rational people would do the same. But, the focus should be on the hard drugs. Anyone can quit smoking pot. But, meth and crack are a different story. People don't use those for recreation very often. Those are addiction drugs. Would cutting off an addict and his/her family be wise? Is it ethical? Does it fit in with your values? We will be asking these addicts to clean themselves up, while we talk about how much courage a rich ball player or celebrity has when they go into rehab. Or we hang our heads at the loss of a musician as they succumb to the pressures of stardom and addiction. What about the pressures of being in the projects, with little hope of upward mobility, and being an addict? Is that not glamorous enough to care about? Is an addict just going to be able to stop cold turkey and get it together? Stats say no. Common sense says, they will get their drugs by hook or crook.

As for solutions, I don't know that I (or anyone else) has to have a solution for commenting on an issue. But, I do think it helps to draw out more thought and conversation. With that, I have a couple of thoughts. Not perfect. Maybe not even good. Perhaps not even practical. But how about we test every 6 months and require folks to re-apply for benefits? Constantly updating where they are in job searches, living conditions and such. Why not identify pot users and tell them, the next time, they must be clean or they will be required to take drug education courses and do community clean up services to continue their benefits? Also, the hard drug users can be identified and targeted for help to deal with their addiction. Those people will also have to have an assessment of their living conditions and how they are spending their benefits.

Are those things costly? Yes. Do they require more bureaucracy? Yes. Would this be towards helping human beings and children? Absolutely.

Are we going to drug test all welfare recipients every month? What's that gonna cost? Who is gonna pay for that? Oh....that's right, you and I will be. Every month we are going to test every adult recipient? What kind of strain is that going to cause on clinics in poor neighborhoods, because you are not gonna want these people sitting around in YOUR doctors office with you, right?

Florida is going forward with their program. But perhaps it would be wise to take a look at who may actually benefit from this. Is it you and I? That is debatable, I suppose. Thanks to Misty (friend of a friend on Facebook) for finding this link;

Conflict of Interest?

The governor of Florida and his wife own 62 million dollars in shares of Solantic, a company in which he (Governor Rick Scott) co-founded. Oh....by the way, Solantic........well....hell, I'll let you read this for yourself;

During the election campaign, he had estimated the worth of his Solantic holdings at $62 million. Jacksonville-based Solantic has 32 clinics statewide, including two in Palm Beach County, and plans rapid growth and an eventual initial public offering, according to company documents.

Why does that matter? Because Solantic does drug screenings at about $35 a pop. Wow.....the governor is in support of the legislation to test welfare recipients? I'll be damned. What a helluva coincidence.

Jeff (a discussion participant on Facebook) seems to support this testing in theory, but acknowledges there are better ways to go around it. He along with another fella (Daniel), proposed that a bigger problem that should be dealt with in regards to welfare are those who cheat the system. And, I have to agree with them. Fraudulently receiving benefits should be a major concern to us all. That is stealing and far more criminal (in my mind, if nobody else's) than a drug user getting benefits.

As I wind this down, I want to appeal again to our sense of compassion, love, understanding, and caring for our fellow men, women, and children. We are in dire economic times, whether you, reading this blog, can feel it or not. Hard drugs are bad. They destroy lives. But, those are the drugs of addiction and we can't just throw people to the wolves. Steve Howe was allowed to come back to major league baseball over and over again, as he struggled with cocaine addiction and was labled a hero. Rock stars and Hollywood celebrities (too many to name....just pick someone) shuffle in and out of the Betty Ford clinic, like it was Club Med, and we love to hear their stories of courage. They get a second chance. They are the richest and most affluent among us, but we find more compassion for them than some guy living in inner city USA not knowing how to get his shit together enough to take care of his kids. It's an entirely different subject, but some of these people.....no....MOST of these people are born into poverty. Not everyone has bootstraps. Are we gonna punish people for where they are born? Are we gonna punish children, because their parents can't, won't, or don't know how to "do better"?

Funny, in Florida, they still can't decide what voting machines are best to use to prevent fraud or confusion and it's been 12 years since the Bush/Gore election, but hell.....give 'em a year or so and they can find out how to keep the poor from being helped. Ahhh....the wonder of it all.

Until next time......



Drug Testing Welfare Recipients

So it's come to this, has it? It's not bad enough that the poor are, well.....poor. We have to rub their noses in it and assume that they are all a bunch of junkies. But, let's test 'em all!!!

It does kind of sound good, doesn't it? It kind of feels good too! If my tax money is going to the poor, I don't want them using drugs! 

But, maybe I should stop and critically think. Perhaps I shouldn't just react to this because it FEELS right. There's a novel idea. I think I'll think this through for a minute and see where I stand.

First off, if an adult smokes pot and has a couple of kids, what happens to those kids when the food is cut off? What happens to those kids when the electricity is cut off? Are we prepared to sacrifice children who are already under the boot of society, because their parents like drugs? And I don't want to hear the argument that "they aren't taking care of their kids anyway" because you don't know that. It's like saying making fried chicken illegal would cause black people to starve. It's absurd, and stereotypical. 

Last time I checked with the local drug dealer, he didn't take food stamps. Maybe....probably....some do. So what? What are we supposed to do about that? If everyone on assistance had a "food card" and a photo ID, then there is no argument to be had here either. That money could not be spent on illegal products.....even if very much is now. 

Why do we have studies for EVERYTHING, but there are no hard numbers on how much government assistance is actually used to pay for drugs? If food stamps can be used for drugs, then it can also be used for cigarettes and alcohol. So, why are we not testing for nicotine and alcohol? Is it OK to use those drugs with money that isn't meant for it, but not for pot? 

Let me be clear. If a parent is using crystal meth or crack, they shouldn't have their kids in the first place. We'd be better off testing to see if they could care for or even keep their kids than testing to see if they kept their government aid.

We can't NERF the world. I've  heard a lot of people talk about how great this is, but why do the same people not demand that our politicians spend our tax money better? We are TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS of dollars in debt and we are worried that Joe Blow is spending 60 bucks on a quarter bag? Talk about tunnel vision!!! Ha Ha!!!

Let's call a spade a spade. People (and this may be you) who are worried about this issue and are really concerned about welfare recipients taking drugs are only concerned about the person getting benefits at all. You don't give the first fuck how they eat, live, or take care of their children. You care that they are somehow cheating the system. You don't like that they get to lie around in a concrete block building, already under the thumb of our modern society, do you? You think somehow these people are enjoying the good life? Get in your gawdammed car and drive through the projects and tell me just how great some of these people have it. Face it. YOU DO NOT CARE where their next meal or their kids next meal comes from. It's not your problem, right?

I can already see it. Some of you will be bitching and complaining about stores and houses getting broken into by these same people when they need to find money for their drugs or food for them or their children. What then? Put them in jail? And then, we can pay for their health care and housing at the tune of $40,000 a year. Boy.....we sure showed them, didn't we? And their children can become wards of the state, moving from foster home to foster home (which you don't give a shit about either) and be set up for potential abuse and then released into the "wild" at 18 with no real chance to live a normal life. 

Why not offer help, support, and love to people? This is going to hurt children. If pappy smokes a joint, but his kid goes to bed at night without a growling stomach, I'm OK with that. My money could and does go to worse bull shit. Like bailing out billion dollar banks or automakers. I guess giving billions to billionaires is OK. How about demanding our government not to give tax breaks to corporations that send jobs over seas. Yeah, you'll bitch about that and then run in to a Wal-Mart to grab a 21 gallon jar of pickles for 17 cents.

Perhaps some are too big to fail and others are too small to succeed.I want to ask some of you Christians who are on fire for this legislation a question. Who would Jesus feed? Did Jesus say, "Fuck The Poor"? Did Jesus set conditions, other than faith on your salvation? If we don't care about the poor, who will?

If you support government assistance being taken away from those who use drugs without any other conditions or leniency, there is no other way to say this than, you do not care about your fellow human being. It's all about you. So, up yours. And that comes from the bottom of my heart. A heart that would rather see people being helped in these tough times rather than being shit on by people who are eating all they want, when they want.Search your soul and look at other aspects of your life, our society, and how little opportunity there is for most ANYONE to rise above the level they are now. If you have a soul, and you have a heart, you just might find that compassion and love doesn't really come with conditions.