Sunday, July 22, 2012

Things to Know - 23 July

Signe Wilkinson
1.   Privatization is a the catch phrase for taking a public provided service and turning it into a for-profit business.  States have been interested in this concept on many of the services in provides (schools, prisons, managing parks, etc), because it has the concept of taking employees off the rolls of benefits and pensions, thus saving the state money.   Many state prisons are already into this program, and offer data as to how this system is working.   This article addresses that topic.  As time goes on, and the squeeze for profits takes effect, we'll see how this runs:

2.  The Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department reacts to the Aurora killings.   He's concerned that it will all fade into the back ground, and nothing will happen - because nothing ever happens.   Please watch and listen to him as one who deals with the proliferation of guns in the streets on daily basis:

3.  The tragic situation of a spouse who was honest in dealing with his terminally-wife, and is punished by society for his actions.  He is eventually released, but this story by Steve Lopez is another example of how our community and laws does not handle this issue very well.  Some states have made an brave attempt to be compassionate and understanding, while others just shut it all off.   It does take political leadership to make things right.  Don't expect this from Obama, Romney, the Democrats, or the GOP.  At least there is not an NRA Tank blocking mercy killings - the NRA just likes to sell the stuff that kills, and scare the hell out of you if you are stupid enough to swallow their reasoning.   So, now we have a couple of subjects that need to be constantly discussed in pursuit of better fixes:

4.  Upon research and reading various sources to select for this stuff, I run into some real crap as well as some interesting off the wall stuff not normally found on mainstream sources.  Here is one that reveal that the Church of Jest Christ of Latter Day Saints has an active involvement in the online sale of unregulated weapons, and it is a big operation.   Why would any church, in this case the Mormons, want to be involved?:

5.  As the world turns, the albatross of no tax return information is not helping Romney at all, but the member of the Republican Party, in attendance at the Tampa convention are concerned that the liability is also theirs to bear, and if they should do something about it:

6.  "Trickle down Theory"....is true.  It all drips into off-shore tax havens.  You know, the more I read about Romney's financial affairs, and the system of hiding money - and this happens in all countries - you can better understand how the cheap bastards who have the world's wealth operate.   The system is nothing more than a selfish non-patriotic way of avoiding taxation by which the rest of of little people support the infrastructure at home.  Romney is nothing more than an example of that breed.  The whole lot of them just suck:

7.  Record high temperatures, violent changes in weather, floods, drought and subsequent crop failures....they all go hand in hand with the public reaction to gun massacres.   Nothing happens to try and fix things, because it takes too much work and political capital.  Paul Krugman looks at the blocks by climate change deniers to effectively start the fixes.   What does it take?:

8.  This LA Times article points to some admirable positions Romney took as Governor in Massachusetts when he outlawed assault weapons.  However, since running for higher office, the old etch-a-sketch has modified and altered his pronouncements to curry favor with the NRA tank.   Obama, has been shameless in his support of anything that would appear to resolve the problems - but that is no different than any other elected official's aversion to going against the Tank.  Maybe Romney can be asked to explain his inconsistencies now:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-colorado-shooting-renews-focus-on-romneys-gun-control-stance-20120721,0,4302268.story

--
Juan

"For aught that I could ever read, could ever hear by tale or history, the course of true love never did run smooth." 
       -- William Shakespeare
"Nothing surely is as potent as a law that may not be disobeyed. It has the force of the water drop that hollows the stone. A small dainty task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules." 
       -- Anthony Trollope
"People who reach the top of the tree are only those who haven't got the qualifications to detain them at the bottom." 
       -- Peter Ustinov
"Spare no expense to save money on this one." 
       -- Samuel Goldwyn

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