I am so damn tired of this refrain: “We got to spend more money on education.”
Bullshit…
On a local and national basis, we’re inundated with stories quoting the “authorities” telling us that it’s just a matter of tax dollars between Einstein and an idiot.
Bullshit…here in Glynn County we spend almost $10,000 per year PER PUPIL on “education.”
We’re already raising a high priced generation of dumb asses, and throwing more money at these so called “educators” and the pampered “students” that choose to use up the oxygen and occupy the space in the “classrooms” is, in my considered Redneck opinion, just going to produce a higher cost dumb ass idiot in the end.
Then I have to ruin my day reading this story about some rocket scientist at MIT that actually believes that children will learn more if they each just have access to the internet.
One man in Boston has a plan that he hopes will bridge the world's gaping digital divide - and quickly. The visionary is Nicholas Negroponte, director of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his idea consists of a new kind of laptop computer that will cost just $100 (£57) to buy.
It will also be a little different in design from the sleek machines some of us in the west have learned to love or covet. It will be foldable in different ways, encased in bump-proof rubber and will include a hand-crank to give it power in those corners of the globe where electricity supply is patchy.
The first prototype of the machine should be ready by November and Mr Negroponte - who was one of the first prophets of the internet before most of us understood the word - hopes to put them into production next year.
In fact, he expects to churn out about 15 million of them within one year, shipping most of them at first to children in Brazil, Egypt, Thailand and South Africa.
Describing the unusual design of his sub-laptop yesterday, Mr Negroponte insisted that it would "have to be absolutely indestructible". The mission is to create a tool that children almost anywhere can use and can easily carry between their classrooms and their homes. For that reason, for instance, the AC adaptor cable will double as a shoulder strap.
You see, I have a problem with this whole scenario. Who is going to PAY for the INTERNET ACCESS for all of these hand cranked “organ grinder” PC’s that the Zulu tribal elders will be using to teach their kids microeconomics in sub-Saharan Africa?
Can you say Y-O-U and M-E?
What the “authorities” and “educators” seem to keep forgetting is that while PC’s and the Internet are sleek and glamorous; old, dusty, tried and true paperback books with words like “see Spot run” and “2+2=4” are still the easiest, cheapest ways to educate kids.
After all, it got ME to where I are today…
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Friday, September 30, 2005
Let The Taxpayer Gouging Begin—Part II
So after mentioning FEMA apparently paying millions for hotel rooms in the W Hotel in New Orleans, now I find out that FEMA is spending $3,500 per person per week on cruise ships to house people in Louisiana and Mississippi.
"At first, the government's $236 million deal with three Carnival cruise ships to house thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees appeared to be a smart and effective way to house thousands of Americans displaced by the powerful storm.
But now, the storm is well past, and with Congress busy at hearings to determine what went wrong, investigators are noting that the ships tapped to serve as temporary motels for the displaced are housing many fewer evacuees than FEMA originally planned.
Worse, many of the evacuees are avoiding their new floating quarters, complaining instead that onboard limits them from potential jobs and interacting with family and support groups.
The current government head count shows: 625 are aboard the Ecstasy, with a capacity for 2,544 passengers; 820 are living aboard the Sensation, with room for 2579; and The Holiday, presently docked in Mobile, Alabama has but 342 souls with full capacity of 1,486.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., did some math and noted Wednesday that if the ships were full, with 7,116 evacuees, for six months, the price per evacuee would be $1,275 a week. A seven-day Caribbean cruise could be bought for about $600 a person.
But the math gets worse – for the taxpayer.
With the cruise ships less than a third full, the cost per passenger each week is north of $3500.
It would be cheaper for the government to house evacuees in a suite at the Waldorf."
I can't say that I blame Carnival because I heard that they cancelled over 1,000 reservations to free up the boats for the operation.
I blame the idiot government employees and administrators that bought this deal in the first place.
"At first, the government's $236 million deal with three Carnival cruise ships to house thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees appeared to be a smart and effective way to house thousands of Americans displaced by the powerful storm.
But now, the storm is well past, and with Congress busy at hearings to determine what went wrong, investigators are noting that the ships tapped to serve as temporary motels for the displaced are housing many fewer evacuees than FEMA originally planned.
Worse, many of the evacuees are avoiding their new floating quarters, complaining instead that onboard limits them from potential jobs and interacting with family and support groups.
The current government head count shows: 625 are aboard the Ecstasy, with a capacity for 2,544 passengers; 820 are living aboard the Sensation, with room for 2579; and The Holiday, presently docked in Mobile, Alabama has but 342 souls with full capacity of 1,486.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., did some math and noted Wednesday that if the ships were full, with 7,116 evacuees, for six months, the price per evacuee would be $1,275 a week. A seven-day Caribbean cruise could be bought for about $600 a person.
But the math gets worse – for the taxpayer.
With the cruise ships less than a third full, the cost per passenger each week is north of $3500.
It would be cheaper for the government to house evacuees in a suite at the Waldorf."
I can't say that I blame Carnival because I heard that they cancelled over 1,000 reservations to free up the boats for the operation.
I blame the idiot government employees and administrators that bought this deal in the first place.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
More Nerdy Stuff
A Great Photo Op
Last winter when I was still working at the Casino Theater, a building that overlooks St. Simons Sound, I happened to witness an amazing scene. The sun had just set behind the new Sidney Lanier suspension bridge and the crescent moon was also hanging low in the brilliant blue winter sky as it set a few minutes behind the sun.
The scene was absolutely breathtaking—an award winning photo opportunity, but my Cannon G3 digital camera was resting comfortably in my office at home.
I have kicked myself in the ass for the past ten months about missing that photo that night, but I also have spent the time since figuring out how to predict when the sunset/sunrise moonset/moonrise will closely coincide. The Moon Phase graphic I post here on the Blog is an outgrowth of these efforts.
Several additional viewing opportunities have passed this summer having been obscured by clouds, but I have some good news about next week…
On October 3rd, 4th, and possibly 5th the crescent moon and sun will be back in position. I got this data from The US Naval Observatory website. If you want to do your own predictions for your location, what you do is enter your city/state or your latitude/longitude in the appropriate form and it prints out a twelve-month table of any time period you request. Then you go into the charts and find the dates when the sun and moon are doing what you want to see.
It’s my opinion that you want the sun setting fifteen to thirty minutes before the moon so that the sky has darkened enough to highlight the moon. You might also get to see a phenomena called “Earthshine” that involves light being reflected from the daylight part of the Earth back onto the darkened part of the moon.
The effect can be quite striking.
So any way, all of you folks here on the eastern coast of the US and in an area running up toward North Carolina and Washington DC need to be paying attention this weekend and early next week.
Take your girl out guys (or visa-versa,) buy yourselves a bottle of wine, pick out a good vantage point, and hope that the weather agrees with you and you might see something you’ve never seen before.
I’ll let you know how things go down here. If we wash out this time, I’m going to modify my predictions and try again later this winter.
Wish me luck…
Last winter when I was still working at the Casino Theater, a building that overlooks St. Simons Sound, I happened to witness an amazing scene. The sun had just set behind the new Sidney Lanier suspension bridge and the crescent moon was also hanging low in the brilliant blue winter sky as it set a few minutes behind the sun.
The scene was absolutely breathtaking—an award winning photo opportunity, but my Cannon G3 digital camera was resting comfortably in my office at home.
I have kicked myself in the ass for the past ten months about missing that photo that night, but I also have spent the time since figuring out how to predict when the sunset/sunrise moonset/moonrise will closely coincide. The Moon Phase graphic I post here on the Blog is an outgrowth of these efforts.
Several additional viewing opportunities have passed this summer having been obscured by clouds, but I have some good news about next week…
On October 3rd, 4th, and possibly 5th the crescent moon and sun will be back in position. I got this data from The US Naval Observatory website. If you want to do your own predictions for your location, what you do is enter your city/state or your latitude/longitude in the appropriate form and it prints out a twelve-month table of any time period you request. Then you go into the charts and find the dates when the sun and moon are doing what you want to see.
It’s my opinion that you want the sun setting fifteen to thirty minutes before the moon so that the sky has darkened enough to highlight the moon. You might also get to see a phenomena called “Earthshine” that involves light being reflected from the daylight part of the Earth back onto the darkened part of the moon.
The effect can be quite striking.
So any way, all of you folks here on the eastern coast of the US and in an area running up toward North Carolina and Washington DC need to be paying attention this weekend and early next week.
Take your girl out guys (or visa-versa,) buy yourselves a bottle of wine, pick out a good vantage point, and hope that the weather agrees with you and you might see something you’ve never seen before.
I’ll let you know how things go down here. If we wash out this time, I’m going to modify my predictions and try again later this winter.
Wish me luck…
Bicyclists
Ignorant bliss on wheels...
St. Simons Island is known to be very bicycle friendly. There are dozens of miles of dedicated bike paths running parallel to the busiest roadways and many other miles of bike lanes allowing those whom are inclined to peddle their little hearts out all day long.
For those that arrive here on the island not owning a bike or having left their bike at home, there are dozens of bicycle rental vendors that can, for a modest price, provide you with everything from a standard single speed bike to recumbent racing bikes and even four wheel peddle carts with room for an entire family.
The bad news for motorists is that because of this inherent “bike friendly” climate, many bicyclists adopt either an ignorant or an arrogant attitude toward automobiles.
The cyclists sometimes seem to feel almost invincible.
I have to admit that one of my biggest fears besides encountering some hundred-year-old retired doctor behind the wheel of a new Lincoln Continental is that of running over some moron with a rented bike.
Take my most recent bicyclist encounters that occurred while making a round trip from my home this afternoon. On the way out of our subdivision I encountered two senior citizens on bicycles, obliviously peddling down my lane with their backs to me. I’ve learned to expect the unexpected, and as is usual they ignored my approach from behind and forced me to pass them on the narrow street, on a curve, by moving into the lane of oncoming traffic.
Everyone survived unscathed.
I thought that it was understood that you always walked and rode your bike FACING traffic so that you could see oncoming vehicles? Not on St. Simons, much of the time. I guess that they just hope that I have good insurance.
Having completed my errands, on my return trip I observed several bicyclists traveling parallel to me on the bike path, nearly at the speed limit of the auto traffic. I passed them dozens of yards before reaching the intersection with our residential street. Again, I have learned from previous experience that the bicyclists refuse to stop or yield when crossing side streets that do not have a stop sign or traffic light. As I suspected, one of the riders that I had passed was going to cross the street that I was turning right into ahead of him, and if I had not anticipated his ignorance I would have had him strike me as I turned in front of him. The risk to a motorist in yielding to bicyclists in this manner is that of being struck from behind by another vehicle that doesn’t see you yielding to the bike. It almost happens to me once a week down here.
I realize that pedestrians and bicyclists typically have the right of way, but I wish more people would think more about challenging a 6,000 Suburban.
I personally, don’t like their odds in the event of a collision.
St. Simons Island is known to be very bicycle friendly. There are dozens of miles of dedicated bike paths running parallel to the busiest roadways and many other miles of bike lanes allowing those whom are inclined to peddle their little hearts out all day long.
For those that arrive here on the island not owning a bike or having left their bike at home, there are dozens of bicycle rental vendors that can, for a modest price, provide you with everything from a standard single speed bike to recumbent racing bikes and even four wheel peddle carts with room for an entire family.
The bad news for motorists is that because of this inherent “bike friendly” climate, many bicyclists adopt either an ignorant or an arrogant attitude toward automobiles.
The cyclists sometimes seem to feel almost invincible.
I have to admit that one of my biggest fears besides encountering some hundred-year-old retired doctor behind the wheel of a new Lincoln Continental is that of running over some moron with a rented bike.
Take my most recent bicyclist encounters that occurred while making a round trip from my home this afternoon. On the way out of our subdivision I encountered two senior citizens on bicycles, obliviously peddling down my lane with their backs to me. I’ve learned to expect the unexpected, and as is usual they ignored my approach from behind and forced me to pass them on the narrow street, on a curve, by moving into the lane of oncoming traffic.
Everyone survived unscathed.
I thought that it was understood that you always walked and rode your bike FACING traffic so that you could see oncoming vehicles? Not on St. Simons, much of the time. I guess that they just hope that I have good insurance.
Having completed my errands, on my return trip I observed several bicyclists traveling parallel to me on the bike path, nearly at the speed limit of the auto traffic. I passed them dozens of yards before reaching the intersection with our residential street. Again, I have learned from previous experience that the bicyclists refuse to stop or yield when crossing side streets that do not have a stop sign or traffic light. As I suspected, one of the riders that I had passed was going to cross the street that I was turning right into ahead of him, and if I had not anticipated his ignorance I would have had him strike me as I turned in front of him. The risk to a motorist in yielding to bicyclists in this manner is that of being struck from behind by another vehicle that doesn’t see you yielding to the bike. It almost happens to me once a week down here.
I realize that pedestrians and bicyclists typically have the right of way, but I wish more people would think more about challenging a 6,000 Suburban.
I personally, don’t like their odds in the event of a collision.
I Hurt Myself
Well, it looks like I’m just not ready to eat my own good cooking yet, folks. I’ve been suffering from an old fashioned belly ache overnight and I guess that I have to admit that I overdid it at dinner last night.
I only ate two bowls of gumbo and four pieces of cornbread, but apparently my recovering gastrointestinal tract wasn’t up to the task. Believe me when I say that it made me PAY dearly for the oversight.
The good news is that I feel much better this afternoon, the cable modem is behaving itself, and my laptop is whirling and banging in it’s usual slightly outdated manner (its about 5 years old.)
I’m going to get caught up on the news and my fellow blogs and I’ll probably have something to say of interest later today.
I only ate two bowls of gumbo and four pieces of cornbread, but apparently my recovering gastrointestinal tract wasn’t up to the task. Believe me when I say that it made me PAY dearly for the oversight.
The good news is that I feel much better this afternoon, the cable modem is behaving itself, and my laptop is whirling and banging in it’s usual slightly outdated manner (its about 5 years old.)
I’m going to get caught up on the news and my fellow blogs and I’ll probably have something to say of interest later today.
Technical Difficulties
Besides not feeling well myself this evening, my computer is belching and farting and to top everything else off--our Adelphia cable service went down for several hours. It just came back up, but I'm still not feeling much better so I'm little short on words right now.
Thanks for your patience...
Thanks for your patience...
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Sitting Around Doing Nothing
Your Kids…Your Job…Your Husband/Wife (or Boyfriend/girlfriend)…
Your Church?
Your bowling league?
Your Other (fill in the blank here…work with me___________________________?)
What else do you have to worry about?
Nothing, you say?
Well, while you’re sitting there feeling all warm and fuzzy for our response to the Christmas Tsunami and watching the media lampooning George Bush and cheering about the national response to the southern hurricanes, our elected representatives are busy giving away the entire company store—lock, stock, and barrel.
“Since Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, Congress has approved spending bills and tax cuts worth nearly $71 billion. An additional $5 billion in housing, education and small-business assistance cleared the Senate, even before the Medicaid bill was considered. A united Louisiana congressional delegation is seeking $250 billion more.”
Did you get that?
No?
Read that paragraph again and hold tightly on to your wallet or purse while you see the numbers…
Got it yet?
The “united Louisiana congressional delegation” wants the American taxpayers to give them $250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans.
Two Hundred and Fifty BILLION Dollars???
$250,000,000,000.00???
Who? What? When? Where? Why?
And this is ON TOP of all of the money already DONATED to the effort through charities by normal Americans like you and me.
Just in case you don’t know, Louisiana’s population is about 4.5 million, and the City of New Orleans held nearly 500,000 souls before Katrina hit.
You do the math.
This means we are handing every person in Louisiana $55,555 in this deal. Reducing the formula to covering only New Orleans residents, it represents $500,000 per person in the Big Easy. I want my check...
This is an insane amount of money, and the jackasses and the pachiderms in our Congress should be hunted down and shot if they actually hand out this kind of pork in this process.
More often than not these people either already have private insurance or they were not affected by these recent national disasters in the first place.
And you wonder why I’m asking you why you’re JUST SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING...
Your Church?
Your bowling league?
Your Other (fill in the blank here…work with me___________________________?)
What else do you have to worry about?
Nothing, you say?
Well, while you’re sitting there feeling all warm and fuzzy for our response to the Christmas Tsunami and watching the media lampooning George Bush and cheering about the national response to the southern hurricanes, our elected representatives are busy giving away the entire company store—lock, stock, and barrel.
“Since Hurricane Katrina struck Aug. 29, Congress has approved spending bills and tax cuts worth nearly $71 billion. An additional $5 billion in housing, education and small-business assistance cleared the Senate, even before the Medicaid bill was considered. A united Louisiana congressional delegation is seeking $250 billion more.”
Did you get that?
No?
Read that paragraph again and hold tightly on to your wallet or purse while you see the numbers…
Got it yet?
The “united Louisiana congressional delegation” wants the American taxpayers to give them $250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans.
Two Hundred and Fifty BILLION Dollars???
$250,000,000,000.00???
Who? What? When? Where? Why?
And this is ON TOP of all of the money already DONATED to the effort through charities by normal Americans like you and me.
Just in case you don’t know, Louisiana’s population is about 4.5 million, and the City of New Orleans held nearly 500,000 souls before Katrina hit.
You do the math.
This means we are handing every person in Louisiana $55,555 in this deal. Reducing the formula to covering only New Orleans residents, it represents $500,000 per person in the Big Easy. I want my check...
This is an insane amount of money, and the jackasses and the pachiderms in our Congress should be hunted down and shot if they actually hand out this kind of pork in this process.
More often than not these people either already have private insurance or they were not affected by these recent national disasters in the first place.
And you wonder why I’m asking you why you’re JUST SITTING THERE DOING NOTHING...
You’re Going to Love Me For This Info
Just Send Cash or Certified funds...
I hate customer (non)service phone lines. At some points in my life I might have severely injured you and possibly myself if I found out that you worked in a customer (non) service center or were otherwise involved in customer (non)service
From the very moment that I hear “Para instructiones in Espanole…” through the entire five minutes it usually takes me to realize I’m doomed to getting no answer from a human and the computer terminates my call, I feel my blood pressure rising dangerously into deadly ranges.
As of today, Ladies and Gentlemen, you can fret and worry a little less about customer (non) service because I’ve found this web site that I’d seen bouncing around on the web. I grabbed a link from Caltechgirlsworld blog that gives you a phone number and instructions to get to talk to A REAL LIVE HUMAN, with a minimum of effort, at many major corporations.
Want to complain about your camera phone to Nextel?
Just dial 1-800-639-6111 and then press “0” five times…then rant to your hearts desire.
Is your Dell computer giving you fits?
Dial 1-888-560-8324, then press “0” twice and tell your life story.
I’m going to try it, I hope you get some use out of it too.
I hate customer (non)service phone lines. At some points in my life I might have severely injured you and possibly myself if I found out that you worked in a customer (non) service center or were otherwise involved in customer (non)service
From the very moment that I hear “Para instructiones in Espanole…” through the entire five minutes it usually takes me to realize I’m doomed to getting no answer from a human and the computer terminates my call, I feel my blood pressure rising dangerously into deadly ranges.
As of today, Ladies and Gentlemen, you can fret and worry a little less about customer (non) service because I’ve found this web site that I’d seen bouncing around on the web. I grabbed a link from Caltechgirlsworld blog that gives you a phone number and instructions to get to talk to A REAL LIVE HUMAN, with a minimum of effort, at many major corporations.
Want to complain about your camera phone to Nextel?
Just dial 1-800-639-6111 and then press “0” five times…then rant to your hearts desire.
Is your Dell computer giving you fits?
Dial 1-888-560-8324, then press “0” twice and tell your life story.
I’m going to try it, I hope you get some use out of it too.
Only In New York City...
I thought that you'd find this story amusing:
"It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.
The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.
Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.
The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.
The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule."
OK, I've got some questions here.
First, why have a "no un-accompanied adults" rule and the associated signs in the first place if the NYPD is going to spend time lurking around the parks writing tickets to unsuspecting pedestrians? Is writing tickets the goal, or is protecting kids their purpose?
After all, aren't the members of the NYPD capable of defending kids from perverts? Seems to me the problem would be moot if the cops were looking for perverts and pervert behavior rather than profiling adults without the company of kids.
Next, IF I am a pervert and I kidnap a kid and bring them with me to the park, might the NYPD allow me to ride the teeter toter , sit on the see-saw, and dig cat turds in the sandbox WITHOUT writing me a ticket?
Also, if perverts lurking around in parks and playgrounds are really a problem, is a $1,000 fine and 90 days jail time a strict enough sentence? Can this actually be considered an effective deterrent to prevent true perverts from stalking their potential victims in public parks?
I say that this is a typical government knee-jerk reaction to what is actually a serious concern. Pedophilia is a horrible crime, but you can't by default define every adult found sitting around a park in the presence of kids as a pervert.
As usual, the govenment places the burden of proof on law abiding citizens rather than doing their job and attacking the criminals.
"It's an only in New York story. A woman was given a ticket for sitting on a park bench because she doesn't have children.
The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.
Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.
The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.
The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule."
OK, I've got some questions here.
First, why have a "no un-accompanied adults" rule and the associated signs in the first place if the NYPD is going to spend time lurking around the parks writing tickets to unsuspecting pedestrians? Is writing tickets the goal, or is protecting kids their purpose?
After all, aren't the members of the NYPD capable of defending kids from perverts? Seems to me the problem would be moot if the cops were looking for perverts and pervert behavior rather than profiling adults without the company of kids.
Next, IF I am a pervert and I kidnap a kid and bring them with me to the park, might the NYPD allow me to ride the teeter toter , sit on the see-saw, and dig cat turds in the sandbox WITHOUT writing me a ticket?
Also, if perverts lurking around in parks and playgrounds are really a problem, is a $1,000 fine and 90 days jail time a strict enough sentence? Can this actually be considered an effective deterrent to prevent true perverts from stalking their potential victims in public parks?
I say that this is a typical government knee-jerk reaction to what is actually a serious concern. Pedophilia is a horrible crime, but you can't by default define every adult found sitting around a park in the presence of kids as a pervert.
As usual, the govenment places the burden of proof on law abiding citizens rather than doing their job and attacking the criminals.
Is It, or Isn’t It, My Property?
I’m a huge supporter of private property rights. I’m an even bigger believer in owning what lawyers call “real property.”
You know—REAL ESTATE.
I come from a long line of real estate property owners. Both of my grandfathers started out dirt poor, but before it was all over they ended up owning a good deal of property, much of which our family still owns today. What property we don’t still own has benefited both of these fine gentlemen’s estates and has served to set an example for myself and my siblings, challenging us to be “owners” rather than “renters” in our own life experiences.
In addition to family land, I’ve been a homeowner for the past 20 years. I bought my first house when I was only 25 years old. From that modest investment I have managed to own either a place to live and/or investment property every single day since. Today I rent the place in which I live, but I’m also what is known as a “slumlord”—having a rental duplex and some vacant land in a nearby “fixer-upper” location.
It really bothers me how cavalier the government and the so-called “authorities” have become with regard to people’s right to the unfettered use of their property. For instance, if you have a gun at the wrong place or time, the “authorities” want to confiscate it, even if it is located in your own house. If you forget to shave, wear your old blue jeans, and happen to make the mistake of having a few thousand dollars in cash on your person that the “authorities” think you shouldn’t possess, the “authorities” could decide to call it drug money and as a result you’ll find yourself having to hire a lawyer and go to court to get it back. Good luck…
If all of that’s not bad enough, now the government and the “authorities” seem to think that they know best when it comes to deciding when you should be allowed to reside in or otherwise occupy your own property—the aforementioned “real estate.”
Take the hurricane evacuees, for instance.
Some of these poor slobs—ordinary law abiding citizens—have been forced out of their houses for a month now, and many have no hope of returning to THEIR PROPERTY in the foreseeable future because the “authorities” want to make sure they don’t step on a nail or cut their feet on broken glass in the process.
Meanwhile, the non-law abiding citizens (I call them criminals) are running amok, rummaging through strangers’ property, stealing someone’s grandma’s diamond broach pin and their coin collections. I think that anyone caught looting should be shot dead on sight.
When you wonder why more people don’t evacuate ahead of a hurricane, don’t you think that one of the reasons could be that they won’t leave because they are afraid that the “authorities” won’t let them come back in once the storm has passed?
I do… I say that this is a BIG PROBLEM. I personally worry about this exact issue each and every hurricane season.
Our government has come to think that they are running a kindergarten and, based on the behavior of the idiots in the New Orleans Superdome, I can somewhat see where they are coming from, BUT…the bad thing is that the truly self sufficient citizens out there are forced to take unnecessary chances with their lives in order to protect THEIR PROPERTY.
Legally I can see where they have to close the roads since the government owns them, but today in Louisiana the US Coast Guard set up a “road block” (or is it “boat block”) and stopped people from coming back into areas still flooded. I know that I would be losing my mind by now and want to see what happened to my house if a hurricane had hit where I live.
Suppose that I had a helicopter and wanted to fly past the police roadblocks and OVER the Coast Guard “boat blocks” to my property? Should I expect to be greeted by the FAA, the TSA, the FBI, and the CIA when I land in my back yard? Would the Air Force scramble F-15’s to shoot me down to protect me from my ill advised folly?
I just want to sit on my sofa and let my cat use his own litter box, and I say that the “authorities” should just butt the hell out of my business.
You know—REAL ESTATE.
I come from a long line of real estate property owners. Both of my grandfathers started out dirt poor, but before it was all over they ended up owning a good deal of property, much of which our family still owns today. What property we don’t still own has benefited both of these fine gentlemen’s estates and has served to set an example for myself and my siblings, challenging us to be “owners” rather than “renters” in our own life experiences.
In addition to family land, I’ve been a homeowner for the past 20 years. I bought my first house when I was only 25 years old. From that modest investment I have managed to own either a place to live and/or investment property every single day since. Today I rent the place in which I live, but I’m also what is known as a “slumlord”—having a rental duplex and some vacant land in a nearby “fixer-upper” location.
It really bothers me how cavalier the government and the so-called “authorities” have become with regard to people’s right to the unfettered use of their property. For instance, if you have a gun at the wrong place or time, the “authorities” want to confiscate it, even if it is located in your own house. If you forget to shave, wear your old blue jeans, and happen to make the mistake of having a few thousand dollars in cash on your person that the “authorities” think you shouldn’t possess, the “authorities” could decide to call it drug money and as a result you’ll find yourself having to hire a lawyer and go to court to get it back. Good luck…
If all of that’s not bad enough, now the government and the “authorities” seem to think that they know best when it comes to deciding when you should be allowed to reside in or otherwise occupy your own property—the aforementioned “real estate.”
Take the hurricane evacuees, for instance.
Some of these poor slobs—ordinary law abiding citizens—have been forced out of their houses for a month now, and many have no hope of returning to THEIR PROPERTY in the foreseeable future because the “authorities” want to make sure they don’t step on a nail or cut their feet on broken glass in the process.
Meanwhile, the non-law abiding citizens (I call them criminals) are running amok, rummaging through strangers’ property, stealing someone’s grandma’s diamond broach pin and their coin collections. I think that anyone caught looting should be shot dead on sight.
When you wonder why more people don’t evacuate ahead of a hurricane, don’t you think that one of the reasons could be that they won’t leave because they are afraid that the “authorities” won’t let them come back in once the storm has passed?
I do… I say that this is a BIG PROBLEM. I personally worry about this exact issue each and every hurricane season.
Our government has come to think that they are running a kindergarten and, based on the behavior of the idiots in the New Orleans Superdome, I can somewhat see where they are coming from, BUT…the bad thing is that the truly self sufficient citizens out there are forced to take unnecessary chances with their lives in order to protect THEIR PROPERTY.
Legally I can see where they have to close the roads since the government owns them, but today in Louisiana the US Coast Guard set up a “road block” (or is it “boat block”) and stopped people from coming back into areas still flooded. I know that I would be losing my mind by now and want to see what happened to my house if a hurricane had hit where I live.
Suppose that I had a helicopter and wanted to fly past the police roadblocks and OVER the Coast Guard “boat blocks” to my property? Should I expect to be greeted by the FAA, the TSA, the FBI, and the CIA when I land in my back yard? Would the Air Force scramble F-15’s to shoot me down to protect me from my ill advised folly?
I just want to sit on my sofa and let my cat use his own litter box, and I say that the “authorities” should just butt the hell out of my business.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
I Feel Good....da, da, da, da, da, da, dahhhh
I Knew That I Would Now....
Life's said to be like a rollercoaster, and mine certainly has been recently.
Good day, bad day, OK day, I never know until I get up and eat something (breakfast or lunch) how my insides are going to feel each day. Some days seem to be an improvement, but just when I think that I can stand up and act like I haven't been ill, I seem to have a little setback.
Yesterday was one of those days--I just couldn't quite get up and get moving close to full speed.
I'm trying to get all fired up about cooking again, and I think that a nice batch of Cajun Gumbo may be just the thing to help me along. I've been digging around in the fridge and pantry and I have almost everything I need.
Try this: left over chicken, frozen shrimp, browned andouille sausage, and a nice chocolate brown roux in a pot with onions, colored bell peppers, garlic, and okra.
Did I mention the home made seafood stock?
Call ahead for reservations...
Life's said to be like a rollercoaster, and mine certainly has been recently.
Good day, bad day, OK day, I never know until I get up and eat something (breakfast or lunch) how my insides are going to feel each day. Some days seem to be an improvement, but just when I think that I can stand up and act like I haven't been ill, I seem to have a little setback.
Yesterday was one of those days--I just couldn't quite get up and get moving close to full speed.
I'm trying to get all fired up about cooking again, and I think that a nice batch of Cajun Gumbo may be just the thing to help me along. I've been digging around in the fridge and pantry and I have almost everything I need.
Try this: left over chicken, frozen shrimp, browned andouille sausage, and a nice chocolate brown roux in a pot with onions, colored bell peppers, garlic, and okra.
Did I mention the home made seafood stock?
Call ahead for reservations...
Monday, September 26, 2005
Let The Taxpayer Gouging Begin (Updated)
You already know how I feel about the concept of “Price Gouging.” Picture me twisting my face like a ten year old when I say “price gouging…”
It’s amazing the government can run around screaming about “price gouging” while at the same time allowing themselves to be “price gouged” for no apparent reason.
Look at this posting:
“I tried in vain to obtain a hotel room for an employee downtown so that the employee would not have to sleep on an air mattress every night. It turns out that FEMA has rented the 190 available rooms from the W hotel by paying 300% of "rack rate." Rack rate is the ordinary price for a hotel room without any discounts. This is the standard rate that a hotel will quote you when you ask for a room.
Let's make some assumptions here... I am assuming that rack rate for the W in New Orleans this time of year is at least $200 a night since the convention season has already started. That would put the rooms at $600 a night per room. That comes out to $114,000 per day for 190 rooms at $600 a day each. With costs like this I can see how rebuilding New Orleans will be insanely expensive. I would imagine that the rates should come down some in the not too distant future, but, I am not holding my breath. Assuming a rack rate of $251 and the cost would be $1 million a week for 190 rooms.”
Can you believe this? SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS PER NIGHT?
It is, of course, just a rumor from what has been to date a very impressive blog written from the central business district of New Orleans. Someone should follow up on this story…
I say that they could afford to rent 190 rooms outside the city for $100 per night ($19,000) and charter four fifty-passenger buses for $2000 per day each ($8000) and pocket the $87,000 per day savings ($114,000-$27,000) to spend another day.
I told you that the government would take our money and piss over half of it away on fraud and corruption.
I rest my case, your honor...
UPDATE (11:58 PM 9/26/2005):
This is worse than Sigmond (the blogger and president of DirectNIC) thought. I checked the W Hotel Website and fooled around trying to get a price for two adults in a standard room.
Guess how much they charge?
Try a "rack rate" of $469 plus tax. If FEMA is actually paying three times "rack rate", that means that the rooms are nearly $1500 per night, per room.
Somebody should be renting each FEMA employee their own house for these prices. What a great use of our tax dollars, don't you agree?
It’s amazing the government can run around screaming about “price gouging” while at the same time allowing themselves to be “price gouged” for no apparent reason.
Look at this posting:
“I tried in vain to obtain a hotel room for an employee downtown so that the employee would not have to sleep on an air mattress every night. It turns out that FEMA has rented the 190 available rooms from the W hotel by paying 300% of "rack rate." Rack rate is the ordinary price for a hotel room without any discounts. This is the standard rate that a hotel will quote you when you ask for a room.
Let's make some assumptions here... I am assuming that rack rate for the W in New Orleans this time of year is at least $200 a night since the convention season has already started. That would put the rooms at $600 a night per room. That comes out to $114,000 per day for 190 rooms at $600 a day each. With costs like this I can see how rebuilding New Orleans will be insanely expensive. I would imagine that the rates should come down some in the not too distant future, but, I am not holding my breath. Assuming a rack rate of $251 and the cost would be $1 million a week for 190 rooms.”
Can you believe this? SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS PER NIGHT?
It is, of course, just a rumor from what has been to date a very impressive blog written from the central business district of New Orleans. Someone should follow up on this story…
I say that they could afford to rent 190 rooms outside the city for $100 per night ($19,000) and charter four fifty-passenger buses for $2000 per day each ($8000) and pocket the $87,000 per day savings ($114,000-$27,000) to spend another day.
I told you that the government would take our money and piss over half of it away on fraud and corruption.
I rest my case, your honor...
UPDATE (11:58 PM 9/26/2005):
This is worse than Sigmond (the blogger and president of DirectNIC) thought. I checked the W Hotel Website and fooled around trying to get a price for two adults in a standard room.
Guess how much they charge?
Try a "rack rate" of $469 plus tax. If FEMA is actually paying three times "rack rate", that means that the rooms are nearly $1500 per night, per room.
Somebody should be renting each FEMA employee their own house for these prices. What a great use of our tax dollars, don't you agree?
Back To Reality
I went outside and hung out in my lounge chair for a while tonight. I ended up dozing off while listening to the bugs and frogs singing.
I dreamed the FAA cleared me to fly again.
Then I woke up...
I dreamed the FAA cleared me to fly again.
Then I woke up...
Survival Of The Fittest
I believe that our government, and our society by default, has lost its way when it comes to many issues.
For instance, I believe that you should be able to ride a highly customized $30,000 Harley Davidson motorcycle, without a helmet, naked, wearing flip-flops, at 145 miles per hour.
Of course I wouldn’t want you performing such feats while me or my friends and family were driving down the road to go get a haircut or to buy milk and a newspaper. To prevent unnecessary conflict, the “authorities” should close down the interstate highways between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM on a Friday night once a month and let all of the helmet-less, naked, shoe-less, motorcyclists take turns seeing how fast they can go.
No flashing blue lights, no police, no speeding tickets, no traffic court, the only rule at that time would be that if you didn’t prepay for your own emergency medical staff and equipment, a volunteer team of backhoe operators would scoop up what was left of your headless, skinless, footless, dead carcass and be allowed to unceremoniously bury you and your motorcycle wreckage in the median or ditch at the scene of the crash.
They could have similar events late at night for drunk drivers, 16 year old BMW and Ford Mustang owners, and of course the Japanese “crotch rocket” “rice burner” motorcycle riders would have to have their own night separate from the middle aged Harley snobs.
There are a number of things out there that the government doesn’t regulate, YET, but it’s just a matter of time. For instance, when my father was learning to fly an airplane back in the 1950’s, all you had to do was untie the bird, fire it up, and take off into the wild blue yonder. By the time I was taking flying lessons back in 1991, you had to screw around for an hour doing flight planning and worry about getting run over by 747’s, F-15’s, and twenty other morons in Pipers & Cessnas all circling McCullum Field (RYY) near Atlanta.
Today, if you have enough cash, you can go out and buy a three quarter million dollar 40’ jet boat, fill up its 360 gallon tank, and run due east out of sight off of Ft. Lauderdale, run it out of diesel fuel, bake your brains out in the Atlantic sun, and never be seen again.
The government can’t do one damn thing about that…RIGHT NOW. If I want to do it, I can do it, but I am quite dead if I happen to be too stupid to know how to find a gas dock on one of the islands in the Bahamas.
Just give them a few more years and see how things are—you’ll probably have to have a license and a permit and have to say “Mother may I” or something just to start the engines on a big fast boat.
Having said all that, I point out this poor sucker that decided to go surfing when the government thought that he shouldn’t be in hanging out in the ocean:
“A surfer off the shore of Galveston, Texas, was arrested Friday for not adhering to evacuation orders and surfing the large waves created by an approaching Hurricane Rita, according to a Local 6 News report.
The man, who was not identified, was taken into custody by police after coming out of the surf.
Police said he was apparently not taking Rita seriously, attempting to surf off the shore of Galveston.Mandatory evacuations have been in effect along the Texas and Louisiana coast.”
Why is this some kind of mystery? The guy was there because he was LOOKING FOR BIG WAVES!
I say let the guy surf.
He WANTS to be there, but he should be allowed to suffer the consequences if something doesn't go as he plans. The only rule in my book would be that the "authorities" shouldn't be required to risk their own lives and equipment to go save him when he was told not to get in the water in the first place.
Actually, this gives me another good idea.
I think that the government aught to sponsor surfing competitions every year when big hurricanes come ashore. Sell tickets and popcorn and hotdogs and such. Anyone and everyone would be allowed to catch some REALLY big waves, AFTER they’ve signed a waiver of responsibility for injury and/or death.
The waiver form would look like this:
Name: ________________________
DOB: _________________________
Address:________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Send Remains To (if any remains are found):
______________________________
Your Mother's/wife's/significant other's/ other other's Signature:
______________________________
Your Signature:
_____________________________
But Nooooooo....the "authorities" can't do that, because they want the money.
Why is it that it always ends up being all about the money?
Well...it is...
You see, in the Galveston case, this guy will come out alive, still being an idiot, and the government will probably be $500 richer after he goes to court and pays his fine. Of course the "authorities" will all slap themselves on the back celebrating their success and the citizens of Galveston will most certainly benefit from another fifty hours of mindlessly delivered “community service.” Yet another poor slob dressed in a red jump suit picking up trash by the highway...we should all be so proud!
I say that the government should let the guys like this surf their brains out.
If they live, they live.
If they die, good riddance.
Idiots…
For instance, I believe that you should be able to ride a highly customized $30,000 Harley Davidson motorcycle, without a helmet, naked, wearing flip-flops, at 145 miles per hour.
Of course I wouldn’t want you performing such feats while me or my friends and family were driving down the road to go get a haircut or to buy milk and a newspaper. To prevent unnecessary conflict, the “authorities” should close down the interstate highways between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM on a Friday night once a month and let all of the helmet-less, naked, shoe-less, motorcyclists take turns seeing how fast they can go.
No flashing blue lights, no police, no speeding tickets, no traffic court, the only rule at that time would be that if you didn’t prepay for your own emergency medical staff and equipment, a volunteer team of backhoe operators would scoop up what was left of your headless, skinless, footless, dead carcass and be allowed to unceremoniously bury you and your motorcycle wreckage in the median or ditch at the scene of the crash.
They could have similar events late at night for drunk drivers, 16 year old BMW and Ford Mustang owners, and of course the Japanese “crotch rocket” “rice burner” motorcycle riders would have to have their own night separate from the middle aged Harley snobs.
There are a number of things out there that the government doesn’t regulate, YET, but it’s just a matter of time. For instance, when my father was learning to fly an airplane back in the 1950’s, all you had to do was untie the bird, fire it up, and take off into the wild blue yonder. By the time I was taking flying lessons back in 1991, you had to screw around for an hour doing flight planning and worry about getting run over by 747’s, F-15’s, and twenty other morons in Pipers & Cessnas all circling McCullum Field (RYY) near Atlanta.
Today, if you have enough cash, you can go out and buy a three quarter million dollar 40’ jet boat, fill up its 360 gallon tank, and run due east out of sight off of Ft. Lauderdale, run it out of diesel fuel, bake your brains out in the Atlantic sun, and never be seen again.
The government can’t do one damn thing about that…RIGHT NOW. If I want to do it, I can do it, but I am quite dead if I happen to be too stupid to know how to find a gas dock on one of the islands in the Bahamas.
Just give them a few more years and see how things are—you’ll probably have to have a license and a permit and have to say “Mother may I” or something just to start the engines on a big fast boat.
Having said all that, I point out this poor sucker that decided to go surfing when the government thought that he shouldn’t be in hanging out in the ocean:
“A surfer off the shore of Galveston, Texas, was arrested Friday for not adhering to evacuation orders and surfing the large waves created by an approaching Hurricane Rita, according to a Local 6 News report.
The man, who was not identified, was taken into custody by police after coming out of the surf.
Police said he was apparently not taking Rita seriously, attempting to surf off the shore of Galveston.Mandatory evacuations have been in effect along the Texas and Louisiana coast.”
Why is this some kind of mystery? The guy was there because he was LOOKING FOR BIG WAVES!
I say let the guy surf.
He WANTS to be there, but he should be allowed to suffer the consequences if something doesn't go as he plans. The only rule in my book would be that the "authorities" shouldn't be required to risk their own lives and equipment to go save him when he was told not to get in the water in the first place.
Actually, this gives me another good idea.
I think that the government aught to sponsor surfing competitions every year when big hurricanes come ashore. Sell tickets and popcorn and hotdogs and such. Anyone and everyone would be allowed to catch some REALLY big waves, AFTER they’ve signed a waiver of responsibility for injury and/or death.
The waiver form would look like this:
Name: ________________________
DOB: _________________________
Address:________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Send Remains To (if any remains are found):
______________________________
Your Mother's/wife's/significant other's/ other other's Signature:
______________________________
Your Signature:
_____________________________
But Nooooooo....the "authorities" can't do that, because they want the money.
Why is it that it always ends up being all about the money?
Well...it is...
You see, in the Galveston case, this guy will come out alive, still being an idiot, and the government will probably be $500 richer after he goes to court and pays his fine. Of course the "authorities" will all slap themselves on the back celebrating their success and the citizens of Galveston will most certainly benefit from another fifty hours of mindlessly delivered “community service.” Yet another poor slob dressed in a red jump suit picking up trash by the highway...we should all be so proud!
I say that the government should let the guys like this surf their brains out.
If they live, they live.
If they die, good riddance.
Idiots…
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Weather In a Bottle
I wish that we could have taken today's weather and packaged it neatly for future use. I wish that all my friends and family could have been here to enjoy it with us. The highs were in the mid 80's with low humidity, and the pool water is back to a nice refreshing temperature below luke-warm bath water.
In addition, the tourists are all back at home with their kids in school, so Pat and I had the pool entirely to ourselves for over three hours this afternoon.
We live for days like today, but unfortunately we only get a few dozen of them each year here on SSI.
Maybe I'll feel like writing something later, but it's going to take great deal to get me riled up tonight.
Stay tuned...
In addition, the tourists are all back at home with their kids in school, so Pat and I had the pool entirely to ourselves for over three hours this afternoon.
We live for days like today, but unfortunately we only get a few dozen of them each year here on SSI.
Maybe I'll feel like writing something later, but it's going to take great deal to get me riled up tonight.
Stay tuned...
