Henry Waxman is angry. As a matter of fact, he is fit to be tied. He wants answers and he is prepared to use the full weight of the Federal Government to get them. He is going to convene hearings, subpoena emails as well as other records as he sees fit and bring the awesome power of his committee to bear on a group of people he believes are playing fast and loose with the facts and adversely affecting our new President's moment of glory.
He stands before the cameras, eyes focused, brow furrowed and with his lips barely concealing what could only be described as a snarl. His nostrils flare, more than usual, as he informs a hungry group of reporters that he is on the hunt for malfeasance. The group before him, barely able to contain their glee at the prospect of red meat for an insatiable 24 hour news cycle, listen intently as he speaks, occasionally peppering him with questions.
He intones solemnly the details of his upcoming hearing, describing those he will bring before the committee with the familiar terms "robber barons" and "corporate fat cats". His rapt audience can scarcely hide their joy at the news of yet another chance to denigrate big business. The small gaggle of newsies thrust microphones into his face and scribble furiously into well worn notebooks.
The upshot of this impromptu news conference is this: several large corporations have restated their estimated earnings for next year downward to the tune of several billion dollars. Their stated reasoning? The estimated costs of the new health care law will force them to change the benefit packages for their retirees causing many to lose their prescription drug coverage. Henry Waxman sees this announcement as too tidy and coincidental to be anything other than skulduggery and he is determined to get to the bottom of things.
Let me take just a moment to welcome Mr. Waxman to...the bottom of things. Here at the bottom of things, it's very clear and uncluttered. The bottom of things is filled with simple answers, devoid of dark or sinister motives. It's a place where actions have consequences and words mean things.
Let's break things down for Mr. Waxman in a "bottom of things" kind of way. It works like this Henry. When Bush signed the prescription drug bill that you passed, it allowed large corporations to receive a 28% rebate on what they spent on drug coverage for their retirees. You did this so they wouldn't dump all their retirees into a drug plan for Medicare, ultimately bringing that house of cards down before it's time. You also allowed them to claim 100% of what they spent on their drug plan off of their corporate taxes at the end of the year.
Remember that? Remember when you said it was OK for large companies to stay out of your Medicare plan by giving them a little perk to continue covering those hard working folks who spent their entire careers working for the same company and are now entitled to the satisfaction of retirement.
Now, do you remember the health care bill you signed into law last week? That particular law did away with the little perks you gave to those companies and now they are required by law to restate their future earnings by SEC rules. They did so because now they have to pay all the expenses for their drug plan with no rebate from you. Oh, while you were at it, you also stopped allowing them to claim any of what they spent on the aforementioned drug plan.
Is any of this ringing a bell with you? Did you not understand what you were signing last week? Did you stop to read the bill before you signed it? My guess is that you did not and here you stand now, in front of the cameras, spouting the rhetoric of class warfare and pointy your bony finger at big business. Stating in plain language that you have no idea what you just did. Your righteous indignation is outpaced only by your extreme stupidity.
Welcome to the bottom of things Mr. Waxman. Down here, we all learn the hard way that actions have consequences.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Practicing bigotry for fun and profit.
"Sarah Palin's incendiary rhetoric and disturbing imagery have fueled the anger on the right to the point of inciting violence"
Is the above statement true? Is Sarah Palin at the heart of the anger of the tea party movement? Should she voluntarily tone down her rhetoric or should she be silenced?
If you answered yes to the preceding questions then this little note is for you.
During the run up to the new health care bill, Barack Obama uttered the following statement in reference to the chorus of negative voices on the right, "America wasn't founded on a bunch of whining and complaining."
I beg to differ Mr. President. Actually, that is exactly what brought about the revolution. It was the extreme dissatisfaction of the people towards their harsh treatment and subsequent marginalization by the crown that finally drove them to desperate measures. Let us remember that the colonies had no standing army to speak of, no navy, in fact...no military force at all and yet, they were willing to take on the task of challenging the greatest naval fleet on earth at the time. A country with a larger standing army than the colonies had citizens.
There are times when I wonder if our young president has read all of our founding documents. The previous statement proves beyond a doubt that he was certainly not read the Declaration of Independence. Most of that document is a long list of grievances against the crown. I'm fairly certain the king may have used the word "whiners" when he read the incessant requests from the colonies for civility from the crown. The term "whiners" is bestowed by a person with power who has finally tired of all the complaining. In a very real way, it's whining and complaining that allows you to sit on your lofty perch and tell the rest of us to sit down and shut up.
No sir, we will not.
There are eerie parallels between then and now. We now have a ruling class with a loyal following that seeks to silence dissent not with force but with branding and labeling their dissent as racist. One could argue that the racist label acts as a sort of offensive and defensive weapon at the same time. The mere mention of the word causes both sides to scramble for cover, one side in defense and the other to trumpet it's validity. It's a telling fact that only one side uses that label with impunity and very often, with no justification. Liberals see racism everywhere. Lurking in the shadows of polite society, painted on signs, emblazoned on t-shirts - in virtually every corner of the country. Except, as luck would have it, in their own ranks. You see, racism is endemic to Republicans and conservatives only. It's part of their genetic makeup. Liberals view conservatives with disdain and hatred simply for their views and beliefs, not for any substantive reason that can easily be quantified.
Websters defines bigotry this way:
Ladies and gentleman of the jury...I rest my case.
For all you peace loving, tolerant and enlightened Liberals out there, take comfort that you are not racists...but you certainly are bigots of the highest order.
Is the above statement true? Is Sarah Palin at the heart of the anger of the tea party movement? Should she voluntarily tone down her rhetoric or should she be silenced?
If you answered yes to the preceding questions then this little note is for you.
During the run up to the new health care bill, Barack Obama uttered the following statement in reference to the chorus of negative voices on the right, "America wasn't founded on a bunch of whining and complaining."
I beg to differ Mr. President. Actually, that is exactly what brought about the revolution. It was the extreme dissatisfaction of the people towards their harsh treatment and subsequent marginalization by the crown that finally drove them to desperate measures. Let us remember that the colonies had no standing army to speak of, no navy, in fact...no military force at all and yet, they were willing to take on the task of challenging the greatest naval fleet on earth at the time. A country with a larger standing army than the colonies had citizens.
There are times when I wonder if our young president has read all of our founding documents. The previous statement proves beyond a doubt that he was certainly not read the Declaration of Independence. Most of that document is a long list of grievances against the crown. I'm fairly certain the king may have used the word "whiners" when he read the incessant requests from the colonies for civility from the crown. The term "whiners" is bestowed by a person with power who has finally tired of all the complaining. In a very real way, it's whining and complaining that allows you to sit on your lofty perch and tell the rest of us to sit down and shut up.
No sir, we will not.
There are eerie parallels between then and now. We now have a ruling class with a loyal following that seeks to silence dissent not with force but with branding and labeling their dissent as racist. One could argue that the racist label acts as a sort of offensive and defensive weapon at the same time. The mere mention of the word causes both sides to scramble for cover, one side in defense and the other to trumpet it's validity. It's a telling fact that only one side uses that label with impunity and very often, with no justification. Liberals see racism everywhere. Lurking in the shadows of polite society, painted on signs, emblazoned on t-shirts - in virtually every corner of the country. Except, as luck would have it, in their own ranks. You see, racism is endemic to Republicans and conservatives only. It's part of their genetic makeup. Liberals view conservatives with disdain and hatred simply for their views and beliefs, not for any substantive reason that can easily be quantified.
Websters defines bigotry this way:
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices.
The correct use of the term requires the elements of obstinacy, irrationality, and animosity toward those of differing devotion.
(emphasis added)
Ladies and gentleman of the jury...I rest my case.
For all you peace loving, tolerant and enlightened Liberals out there, take comfort that you are not racists...but you certainly are bigots of the highest order.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Get LOST!
Let me preface this little missive by saying that I abhor television. I find it mostly bland and totally lacking in originality. That's not to say that there haven't been a few things on the idiot box that I liked. The list is narrow and most of them are British comedies but I have found some things engaging that I enjoyed thoroughly. The recent glut of "reality shows" however, has proven once again what a vast wasteland TV can be. The moments of actual brilliance are so rare these days as to be the anomaly. About the only thing left that I can count on with any degree of certainty is the History Channel. Being a history buff may expose a bias for that particular channel but I stand by my assertion that it's the only decent channel out of the more than 150 I have access too.
I've often heard friends and family, while talking about some show or another say, "Oh, I LOVE that show!" I personally don't ever feel love for anything on television but I do get close every now and then. Every once in awhile, a new show will pop up that totally intrigues and fascinates me. A precious few that spring to mind are The X-Files and CSI, and no, I don't mean that Miami or New York crap, I mean the original. I was taken with the X-Files for much the same reason I was taken with "The Night Stalker", a creepy show from the late 70's that was all about vampires, werewolves and other things that go bump in the night. CSI took my fancy simply because the heart of the cast, William Peterson, is a terrific actor and the show itself was so unique and so well written that I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Thank goodness for syndication or I'd never have anything to watch.
I will confess at this point that something very close to love for a television show finally happened for me. It's another show that's extremely well written and filled with things that go bump in the night...or the jungle as the case may be. I'm talking about LOST, a show that has completely captivated a great majority of the country. It recently even affected the timing of the State Of The Union Address. The President, not wishing to anger millions of LOST fans, chose another date for his speech. Let it not be said that he doesn't have the occasional moment of clarity in discerning what the American people really want.
I have yet to talk to anyone who has any ambivalence to this show. Those who are fans, are rabid in their support of it and it's well deserved. The show has elements of religion, magic, horror, passion, adventure and most importantly...humor. I have quite a few friends who spend countless hours discussing the mythology of the show, the depth of the characters and even the occasional..."who's sleeping with whom" moments. I confess that I am a true aficionado of the series. I've seen every episode more than once and I reluctantly admit that I've even spent a few hours on the LOST forums trying to discern what things mean. There is so much symbolism laced throughout the show in the form of flashbacks and the like that I sometimes have to get a second opinion of something I've seen on a recent episode. For those of you who really "get" this show, have you played those damn numbers on lotto yet? I have. I was strangely compelled to at one point and I never play the lottery. I tend to consider the lottery to be a tax on stupid people but that's a subject for another time.
With the final season well underway, the show has at times been even more cryptic than usual, if that's even possible. While I am somewhat saddened that this show will soon be all over, at least I'm getting some answers to some questions that needed to answered. There are characters on the show that have been treated as little more than window dressing but were so intriguing that I wanted to see them fleshed out a bit more. The character of Richard is one such person. The writers have made me furious, excited and depressed alternately and with such regularity that I've often yelled at the TV when that final graphic and the ominous sound signal the end of an episode. My fellow travelers will understand the heartfelt, "You can't DO this to me!" when an episode ends.
The announcement that the 6th season would be the last has stirred a hornets nest of anguish amongst the shows many loyal fans. Alas, all good things must come to an end but I still find some satisfaction in that at least television lived up to it's ideal of entertainment for me again. Rare though it may be that it happens for me but I find solace in the knowledge that it can happen again. I'll just have to wait another 4 or 5 years before it does.
Now...for those of you who feel as strongly as I do about this show, here are a few of my own insights on this rare gem of television.
1. They're not in hell or dead. The island is just a little pocket of magic still left in the world.
2. Jacob, while manipulative and secretive, does have a vested interest in the people he chooses.
The way I see it, if he chose you to come to the island, you can't be all bad.
3. Kate is probably the hottest female ever to appear on television. End of story. (Sorry ladies)
4. Hurley is the logical replacement to remain on the island. He wasn't happy being rich
anyway...right?
5. Ben STILL deserves to die. He's a miserable bastard who's visited mayhem and destruction
on so many people, his point of redemption passed years ago. Put him in a bag and drown him
in the ocean. Charlie can go from a drug addled loser to a heroic person and he dies but Ben
the evil one gets to live? I think not.
6. I was personally not sad to see Boone or his whiny sister get whacked. Sorry. Same thing with
Anna Lucia.
7. It's a good thing I didn't own a gun what Ethan kidnapped Claire and hung Charlie. I would
have shot at my TV every time he showed up on the screen.
8. I have to admit being more than a little confused as to how the remaining characters can be
both on the island and back home at the same time. This little paradox has given me fits
trying to figure out. I will entertain any coherent explanation and even some that aren't.
9. Is it just me or is the fact that Sun and Jin haven't found each other yet pissing anyone else
off?
10. So, is Jacob dead or is Hurley becoming the "Jacob whisperer" all of a sudden? This also
confuses me a little.
Ok, that's enough for now. 8 episodes to go and that's an awfully short time to fill in all the gaps and tie up the loose ends. Let's hope the DVD for this season includes lots of behind the scenes and mythology stuff to satisfy even the most die hard fan...like me...and a few of you reading this as well. It's ok to grin right now...you know who you are.
I've often heard friends and family, while talking about some show or another say, "Oh, I LOVE that show!" I personally don't ever feel love for anything on television but I do get close every now and then. Every once in awhile, a new show will pop up that totally intrigues and fascinates me. A precious few that spring to mind are The X-Files and CSI, and no, I don't mean that Miami or New York crap, I mean the original. I was taken with the X-Files for much the same reason I was taken with "The Night Stalker", a creepy show from the late 70's that was all about vampires, werewolves and other things that go bump in the night. CSI took my fancy simply because the heart of the cast, William Peterson, is a terrific actor and the show itself was so unique and so well written that I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Thank goodness for syndication or I'd never have anything to watch.
I will confess at this point that something very close to love for a television show finally happened for me. It's another show that's extremely well written and filled with things that go bump in the night...or the jungle as the case may be. I'm talking about LOST, a show that has completely captivated a great majority of the country. It recently even affected the timing of the State Of The Union Address. The President, not wishing to anger millions of LOST fans, chose another date for his speech. Let it not be said that he doesn't have the occasional moment of clarity in discerning what the American people really want.
I have yet to talk to anyone who has any ambivalence to this show. Those who are fans, are rabid in their support of it and it's well deserved. The show has elements of religion, magic, horror, passion, adventure and most importantly...humor. I have quite a few friends who spend countless hours discussing the mythology of the show, the depth of the characters and even the occasional..."who's sleeping with whom" moments. I confess that I am a true aficionado of the series. I've seen every episode more than once and I reluctantly admit that I've even spent a few hours on the LOST forums trying to discern what things mean. There is so much symbolism laced throughout the show in the form of flashbacks and the like that I sometimes have to get a second opinion of something I've seen on a recent episode. For those of you who really "get" this show, have you played those damn numbers on lotto yet? I have. I was strangely compelled to at one point and I never play the lottery. I tend to consider the lottery to be a tax on stupid people but that's a subject for another time.
With the final season well underway, the show has at times been even more cryptic than usual, if that's even possible. While I am somewhat saddened that this show will soon be all over, at least I'm getting some answers to some questions that needed to answered. There are characters on the show that have been treated as little more than window dressing but were so intriguing that I wanted to see them fleshed out a bit more. The character of Richard is one such person. The writers have made me furious, excited and depressed alternately and with such regularity that I've often yelled at the TV when that final graphic and the ominous sound signal the end of an episode. My fellow travelers will understand the heartfelt, "You can't DO this to me!" when an episode ends.
The announcement that the 6th season would be the last has stirred a hornets nest of anguish amongst the shows many loyal fans. Alas, all good things must come to an end but I still find some satisfaction in that at least television lived up to it's ideal of entertainment for me again. Rare though it may be that it happens for me but I find solace in the knowledge that it can happen again. I'll just have to wait another 4 or 5 years before it does.
Now...for those of you who feel as strongly as I do about this show, here are a few of my own insights on this rare gem of television.
1. They're not in hell or dead. The island is just a little pocket of magic still left in the world.
2. Jacob, while manipulative and secretive, does have a vested interest in the people he chooses.
The way I see it, if he chose you to come to the island, you can't be all bad.
3. Kate is probably the hottest female ever to appear on television. End of story. (Sorry ladies)
4. Hurley is the logical replacement to remain on the island. He wasn't happy being rich
anyway...right?
5. Ben STILL deserves to die. He's a miserable bastard who's visited mayhem and destruction
on so many people, his point of redemption passed years ago. Put him in a bag and drown him
in the ocean. Charlie can go from a drug addled loser to a heroic person and he dies but Ben
the evil one gets to live? I think not.
6. I was personally not sad to see Boone or his whiny sister get whacked. Sorry. Same thing with
Anna Lucia.
7. It's a good thing I didn't own a gun what Ethan kidnapped Claire and hung Charlie. I would
have shot at my TV every time he showed up on the screen.
8. I have to admit being more than a little confused as to how the remaining characters can be
both on the island and back home at the same time. This little paradox has given me fits
trying to figure out. I will entertain any coherent explanation and even some that aren't.
9. Is it just me or is the fact that Sun and Jin haven't found each other yet pissing anyone else
off?
10. So, is Jacob dead or is Hurley becoming the "Jacob whisperer" all of a sudden? This also
confuses me a little.
Ok, that's enough for now. 8 episodes to go and that's an awfully short time to fill in all the gaps and tie up the loose ends. Let's hope the DVD for this season includes lots of behind the scenes and mythology stuff to satisfy even the most die hard fan...like me...and a few of you reading this as well. It's ok to grin right now...you know who you are.
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