WORDS THAT ADD A PICTURE TO THE MEANING

We all know the word to defecate, though one might wonder at my using it in the first sentence of this blog.  Our government is full of those who would take from others with no conscience about what happens to others.  A word for that action is defalcate. an intransitive verb meaning to misuse funds; to embezzle.  Metaphorically, those who practice this deception are defecating on the rest of us.

The rhetorically virtuous TeaPartiers, in spirit, with their obsession and commitment to allow their financial backers to keep corporate loopholes and pay fewer personal taxes than the middle class, are showing their contempt for the average citizen.  Hopefully, a time will come when the average citizen (by their vote) will be able to repay the contempt.

Those who write the urban dictionary are far more colorful than most school dictionaries would allow.  Thus, the expression they would use for this behavior might be this.  Why then, has this country been so placid about the Republican behaviors of obstruction and determination to get their way rather than think about the good of all the citizens they are presumably representing?  Even Standard &Poor's has noted the political stalemate and reflects it with their downgrade.  TeaPartiers, as far as I can see, what you are doing is slightly short of treason.  NPR reads the downgrade as a warning to end partisan politics as usual.

DUNKIN DONUTS FRANCHISE NEEDED

This is a picture in Athens of Greek police.  Note they are all slim and physically toned, unlike many our American men in blue.  To me this cries out for the need of a Dunkin Donuts franchise since Pizza Hut has yet to turn them into the abdomen-endowed police physiques that are so familiar to us all.. It would seem that in the US, heft beats out young and toned.much of the time, perhaps due to seniority rights?

THE REPUBLICAN HOUSE HAS PUSHED TOO FAR

Where does the employee decide how long they will be paid for not working and when they can walk off the job before it is done with full benefits?  Apparently only working for the government of the USA.

Since those Representatives and we, the taxpayers, will be losing millions a day because the House has decided to quit before solving the FAA problems at astounding costs daily and loss of jobs for people who clearly need their paychecks to survive, it would only be fir to have those who cause the problem pay for the damages..

My solution is to make the people who are responsible for it, pay for it and correct it.  They can choose to continue their vacations and pay back out of pocket, or they can come back to work and pay only the debt they have already accrued, by deducting 75% of each paycheck until they no longer owe on the debt..  This irresponsible behavior should not be allowed by people who should be setting an example for our youth.  Since the electorate has chosen this group to represent them, perhaps they should understand that they escape responsibility only because our system is one of anonymous votes.  Perhaps they will see their lack of assessing the integrity of their politicians and not vote for them again, but the damage that has already been done must be paid for by the rest of us by possible plane crashes (lack of inspectors) and human costs from job losses.

JUMPING ON THE GLOOM AND DOOM BANDWAGON IS NOT WORKING FOR ME

It is my belief that the forces hiding behind the TeaParty and other anomalies of our times will soon be more visible and less powerful.  Wall st will be exposed next.  George W  Bush began the route to the current party divisiveness.  His administration pitted people against one another anjd worked from fear and hate.  I commend Obama for realizing that we will get nowhere as a country if this doesn't end and I see him working towards that goal. 

Since one change that is being asked are cuts to entitlements, I firmly believe that it should start with the House of Representatives.  They are so secure in salary and peripheral benefits as well as everything they receive when they leave office.  That should become equal to those they serve as the majority of their constituents or which their beloved corporations do to their employees.  Since they are voted in only to relatively brief terms ( a contract of sorts), they should be considered temporary employees with no medical, vacation, or retirement benefits.  After all, that is what they are wishing on John and Jane Q Public.

Next, subsidies should be closely studied and evaluated.  How long have they been going on?  Why were they started in the first place.  Does the reason still exist?  If they are in the wrong business, perhaps they should make a change to another profession as so many others had to do when corporations made them redundant and robots took over their jobs.. 

There will be more brilliant ideas to follow that may never be acted upon because the Legislature decides when to give themselves raises and how to keep their friends happy and wealthy.

PEOPLE HANDLE DEATH OF LOVED ONES SO DIFFERENTLY

Religions still have the marketing hold on wakes and funerals along with funeral parlors where embalming and body preparation usually take place.  For the first time I attended a wake held in a  church.  I was told you had to be pretty high up in the church for that honor.  There were probably several hundred people who filed through for this financially endowed person who undoubtedly gave to the church with largesse.  As I contemplated the purpose of all this, I could only assume it was to make the survivors realize the importance of supporting the church.

Most religions think there is an afterlife...totally man's fantasy.  My guess is that it was a primitive 'carrot on a stick' to make people stay within the behaviors as set out by the church for morality, faith, and spiritual education.  As an Atheist, none of this touches me.  I do not believe in an afterlife, reincarnation, nor being forever damned to Hell. 

Instead, I also believe that the business of burials and taking the best lands for cemeteries is a shameful practice.  Some of our best lands, better used for parks, are taken up as acres of carved rocks and statues for vandals to destroy or mourning relatives or friends visiting to talk to a rock as a substitute for their loved one.

Cremation offerings from one cemetery (otherwise in the category of marketing): "We have a wide variety of urns available to suit your needs. Urns come in many different shapes, sizes, materials, colors and finishes, so please visit our urn showroom to see what we can offer you. For families who wish to share their loved one’s remains among different family members, we can offer miniature keepsakes and urns.
Memorialization options include engraving on urns, an engraved bronze leaf on our Tree of Remembrance in our Columbarium, jewelry pendants that can hold a small portion of a loved one’s remains, and a line of glass jewelry and display pieces that can be made with a small portion of the loved one’s remains."

Since I have but one life, let me live in peace and allow me to run my own life as long as it does not directly interfere with another's.  Do not tell me I MUST have faith in that in which I cannot respect.  Do not tell me I must live by your ignorance.  Do not allow religion to defy the Constitution.  May there truly be a separation of Church and State.

IF MEDICARE HAS DECENT OVERSIGHT NOTHING WILL BE LOST BUT THE CHEATING

When theft, mismanagement, poor oversight, cheating, and other misdeeds by those who should be in control are lessened, we will see that even those cuts that are being made to the programs may not be so bad.  All programs need to be examined carefully, however.  The Pentagon will no longer be able to buy $10,000 toilet seats and cheats in warehouse in Florida should no longer be able to bilk the system of millions of dollars.

Sunday evening the President announced a new deal between party members to deal with the deficit.  That is only a beginning.  All the programs need to be reviewed by people who can quickly spot mismanagement.  Those in charge have been held responsible but may not have had the staff to do adequate overseeing.  For more information in it, click here.

Meanwhile the talking heads are describing every way this can fail.  Do we really need to hear everything about which we have no control?   I know what I keep thinking.  On Wednesday  I can watch TV and find out what happens...stress free...back to my reading and hobbies.  If it is a total disaster, we will all be in it together.

IS GOVERNMENT TOO BIG OR JUST TOO INEFFICIENT?

The magazine REASON ran a great article on why government is too big.  The unfortunate part is that it focused on too few of the variables as much research often does.  To read this article, click here.

In typical Republican form, a 'Unionectomy' was decided as a solution, starting with Gov. Walker in Wisconsin and fanning out through out several other states.

From an article in the Free Enterprise Magazine on 7-25-11 as the fight against unions spreads to the States:  "As unions push the federal government to grant them more power and influence over the economy, the opposite is happening in the states. Many states have worked on legislation to promote job growth, new business formation, and fiscal solvency by reining in both public sector and private sector unions. The U.S. Chamber’s Workforce Freedom Initiative (WFI) has partnered with several state chambers on this effort."

Like most of our collective problems, few are simple.  Freshman Representatives should not think they are qualified to slash budgets of programs about which they cannot be truly  informed as to whether they are will run, necessary to their recipients, and what the fall out would be if they were underfunded.  If legislators were to form a task force with each member taking one program with financial support from the government and do an in-depth study as to its finances, how spent, and what the results of those expenditures have achieved.

Instead, the bunch wants to slash and burn in ignorance.