On the Contrary

Ah.  A pleasant Sunday morning.   Up at first light, out in the rows listening to morning doves coo while pushing shoots up through the wires.  Then around 8am come in before the sun gets too hot and start your morning with that first taste of fresh brewed coffee, a nice bran muffin, and the Sunday paper.  Then the calm and peace is destroyed by the moronic junk that is in the paper.  All you have to do is read the headlines and your blood pressure goes up and you wonder, WTF:

• Public sector a drag on the economy (Sacramento Bee) – “Layoffs, furloughs, and other pulic sector cutbacks are stalling Sacramento”s economic recovery.”  Let’s see here if we can connect the dots.  The economy is in the dumper because the bottom fell out of the real estate market and demand feed by inflated housing prices and more specifically cash taken out of ballooning equity dried up.  Then you devastate your local governments because we have a whole party who would rather die on the cross (literally) than raise taxes to pay for what we need, and you are surprised that demand for goods and services are further depressed?
• New challenges for coastal developers (Sacramento Bee) – “From Crescent City to San Diego, state and local planning authorities have started telling developers to factor sea-level rise into project designs. ….Developers question overly cautious planning officials for relying on uncertain estimates.  Builders only reluctantly agree to leave open low-lying coastal space that would otherwise generate profits.”  We don’t need no stinkin’ government and over regulation.  But when the money wins and they develop in those areas, they are long gone when shit happens.  And then those fine folks who don’t want no stinkin’ taxes or regulation are screaming for federal help.
• N.J. shows the way on slashing public benefits (Associated Press) – “Experts say the overhaul is not only significant in scope but also marks a pivotal moment as other states look to defuse the ticking time bomb employee benefit obligations have become as a result of the recession government benefits becoming more generous than those in the private sector, and poor planning by politicians.”  First to note is that the allegation that government benefits are more generous than in the private sector is false.  When adjusted for level of education instead of job title, they are slightly less.  Second, the average (not the anecdotal high flying government executive) government pension is around $20,000.  Wow.  Third, the retirement was how they attracted people who could find better jobs in the private sector (in better times), so cut away, but you will get the government you pay for.  Finally see the first bullet.  It is all not so simple is it?  Those rich wine swilling government retirees are just pulling down America, aren’t they?  I knew they had something to do with derivatives and the banking crisis.
• Governor digs in on making the wealthy pay more (Associated Press) – “The battle over the state budget in Minnesota echoes those under way in Washington and in other state capitals as Republicans still energized from gains in 2010 focus on cutting spending and refuse to consider tax increases of any kind.”  Now you know what you are going to hear.  “Why can’t they just compromise”.  The trouble is “they” refers to both parties, and the Democrats have met Republicans more than half way on many issues.  The ‘they” that is the problem are Republicans and until we start holding them accountable for being intransigent, nothing is going to change.  By the way Governor Moonbeam, maybe you should have shown the same courage as we kick the can down the road for an even bigger fall in California next year.
• High court Justice Thomas proud to go solo (Los Angeles Times) – “He avoids  the give-and-take among the justices during oral arguments; he has not asked a question or made a comment in more than five years.”  I love people who are proud to be morons.  Why would you ask a question when you have no doubts.  Not about to let facts get in the way of ideology.  The Supreme Court is now an activist supreme court in the hands or radical conservatives and Clarence Thomas is the poster child for not so bright.  My guess is he never read Socrates who thought wisdom was in knowing what you don’t know and always questioning your assumptions.
• Taking Lead, Iraqis Hope U.S. Special Operations Commandos Stay (NYT) – “Members of Iraq’s well-trained special operations force say that American troops must stay longer to continue training and advising.”  Not to mention to continue to pay all their bills.  The Vietnamese wanted us to stay too.  So do many Afghans.  One has to wonder when they stand on their own.  One has to wonder why we should be paying to prop them up.  One has to wonder…
• Ruptured Pipeline Spills Oil Into Yellowstone River (NYT) – “An ExxonMobil pipeline running under the Yellowstone River in south central Montana ruptured late Friday, spilling crude oil into the river and forcing evacuations.”  Don’t worry.  Trust private enterprise.  Shit won’t happen.  The Gulf oil spill was an aberration.  We don’t need no stinkin’ government.  The profit motive will keep us all safe.
• Rethinking state’s “3 strikes law’ (SF Chronicle) – “They say the law has driven up incarceration costs by billions, contributed to California’s prison crowding and resulted in harsh sentences that do not fit the crime or circumstances.”  No shit Sherlock.  But it is the Republican way to get tough on crime.  There are no extenuating circumstances.  People are free to make their choices and we must hold them responsible.  Right, like it is a level playing field out there and if we just build enough jails we don’t have to deal with the injustice of it all.  What do you mean we can’t afford it?
• Business wins key legal victories (SF Chronicle) – “This is probably the most pro-business term (Supreme Court) than there has been since the 1930s….the Supreme Courts five-member conservative majority issued rulings that insulated corporations from claims by employees, consumers and shareholders.”  While the Republicans raise the bogeyman of big government, the real monster is big corporations and they are winning.  And sadly, they are using big government to empower corporations and take away the rights of the individual.  And we call these folks conservative?

And on and on and on….  Gee, I wonder what they are talking about on the news shows this morning?  Nope, I am not going there.  There is only so much frustration rational person can stand.  They haven’t been making sense up until now, why would I assume they would start?

Believe it or not, it snowed again (but didn’t stick) on Wednesday.  This is another WTF weather event.  I am writing this blog Wednesday evening since I will be out of commission on Thursday, but should be able to add any more WTF moments that might happen in the interim on Friday.  But here are my favorite WTF moments this week:

• John Kyl of Arizona was on the floor of the Senate saying well over 90% of Planned Parenthood funding goes toward abortions.  It is actually 3%.  His office replied that it was not meant to be a factual statement.  Don’t you love the Republicans?  Even on the floor of the Senate one doesn’t have to be truthful if it makes a better argument (See John Stewart Show).  The WTF moment is not that Republicans lie, but that the mainstream press missed it and we have to look to our comedians to report their lies
• House Republicans on Wednesday debated legislation that would make it easier for companies such as Shell to get permission to drill offshore in the Arctic region.  Don’t you just love these guys.  We don’t need no stinking regulation.  What bad could happen?
• On Tuesday the new New York Times columnist transplanted from the financial pages, Joe Nocera wrote a column (Pass the Boone Pickens Bill) about using home produced natural gas as a replacement for foreign produced oi (it is one of the few options beside ethonol).  But undercutting his argument (at least about being cleaner) was an article in the science section (Studies show Natural Gas Could have its Own Problems) of the paper questioning whether when looking at the methane that escapes during the extraction, it appears it is worse on the climate than burning oil.  Suppose either on of them compared notes?
• Analysts who reviewed complex mortgage bonds that ultimately collapsed and ruined the U.S. housing market were threatened with firing if they lost lucrative business, prompting faulty ratings on trillions of dollars worth of junk mortgage bonds, a Senate report said Wednesday.  Yep it was Freddie and Fannie and all those people who took loans they couldn’t afford that ruined our economy.  No, really.  That is what I head two Republicans say about the root cause of the financial crisis.  WTF
• President Obama gave a spirited defense of his deficit plan and attacked the Republican nonsense in Paul Ryan’s plan.  You know, tax cuts for the wealthy paid for by the poor and elderly.  But then he talked about how we are going to work together to come up with a plan.  Now here is a WTF moment if you think the Republicans are going to give one inch on transferring the rest of the wealth from the poor to the wealthy.  What part of Tea Party does he not get?

Late Spring Again - Friday 8 April 2011 - Another WTF Moment

Well it is still cold, there is snow on the ground, and work is at a virtual stop in the vineyard so I thought I would start a new post, WTF Fridays.  This will not replace Vine/Wine Fridays, but in addition to.  There is just so much material….

• People are mad as hell that Congress cannot resolve the budget issue.  “Why can’t they just compromise.”  Well if you are paying attention, compromise means the Democrats cave in after already giving away $33 billion in sorely needed spending and abandon woman’s rights.  What did you expect when you elected the neanderthals from the Tea Party who are not about to compromise?  You want compromise don’t elect people who campaign on being radicals and no compromise.  WTF
• The Beltway media is tripping all over themselves to anoint Paul Ryan and his attack on Medicare as brave.  Of course none of them actually read it or as James Kwak said (The Baseline Scenario). “Gag me.”  The plan is a disaster and the numbers don’t add up.  So, it is brave to show that you will throw out any pile garbage to see if it will stick?  It solves nothing and makes the problem worse and the media is tripping over themselves to kiss Paul Ryan’s ass?  WTF
• To show how stupid the Beltway media is, if the Democrats agree to a $38 billion cut in programs that benefit the working middle class and poor, they think this is compromise.  Actually it is capitulation.  Compromise would have been getting some new revenue from taxing corporations (reducing loop holes) or the wealthy along with some cuts.  The Tea Party is on its way to defining government for all of us.  This small minority is now in charge of the government.  WTF

Note:  The capitulation of the Democratic Party and President Obama was when they folded on the Bush Tax Cuts.  They opened up the door to all that we are now seeing.  Just another WTF moment from the spineless Democrats.

• The Tea Party likes to say that the people spoke in 2010 and they are only carrying out their mandate to gut government.   That is not what the people really said.  They said make it better because Obama has not.  When the economy gets much worse due to all these cuts, it will be the Democrats fault right?  WTF
• Obama and the Democrats are just amazed at the intransigence of the Republicans.  Let’s see, they gave away the farm on every issue they took on, their starting negotiating position was what the Republicans wanted, and the economy did not get better.  Now they are surprised that the Republicans won’t budge.  They created this monster.  WTF
• The media keeps covering Donald Trump’s birther binge.  What should concern you is that this is nothing but entertainment.  Trump is courting know-nothings in a bid to keep his face on People magazine.  He is a cartoon character out of loony tunes.  But with four-fifths of Republicans now doubting the President’s pedigree, this is really an act of terrorism.  How can people be so unbelievably stupid.  WTF
• I guess the most telling thing about our media is that they are now all about entertainment, and in that pursuit are dumbing down America.  Prime example is that when they interview, say Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, or some Tea Party Fruit Loop, they don’t challenge the absolute nonsense and misinfornation that is being put out there.  They treat it as though it is serious discourse.  No wonder Americans are so dumb.  Real stories are coming from media sources that are outside the Beltway and have not been co-opted by their own incest with the politicians they are covering.  WTF
• And for my finale, did you know that if we paid what other industrialized countries pay for health care, which might I add is full coverage for everyone and better results, there would not be a deficit.  But we have to wipe out Medicare and turn everything over to the private sector right?  WTF

When you really look at what the Republicans want to do, and you think it through (a leap of faith assumption for most Americans), it is lunacy, from the birthers, to flow down, to defunding government and transferring wealth to the rich, to expecting things to get better.  You really have to think, WTF.