Saturday, August 4, 2012

Things to Know - 5 July



1.  I, for one, don't particularly see much in getting all twisted up with a wedgie about Chick-fil-A and its unfortunate splash into the politics of food.  Personally, I like a Chicken Biscuit if I'm travelling about, and need a quick something for the maintenance of breakfast.  I even met the old Truett Cathy in his office near the Atlanta Airport.   For whatever reason, mixing politics on the retail sales level is not a wise move.   You notice, that I call it the politics of food, rather than some theme based on religion or church.   What Cathy has now started is a perspective on linking his food with other biblical tales and customs.  This article takes a look from that angle:

2.  Romney apparently has a $100 Million IRA locked in, and lawmakers are wondering how this is possible.   This all goes back as to why we need to see tax returns.  Any time an alleged crook says "it was all legal" or "no laws were broken" is when I figure that the wealthy have been able to write tax code laws that allow them to get away with unconscionable behavior.  Romney knows that if we all knew how much money he has, where it is, and how he got it that the citizenry would be up in arms to change the laws to level the playing field.  I still maintain that it is his tithing to the Mormon Church (or lack of chipping in to required LDS rules) is what he is really afraid of.  Any way, you may not like it, but I am going to keep chipping away on this topic until it is settled.   He's not going to show his returns, so he either gets elected, and I give up, or he loses and it will all go away:

3.  Rachel Maddow produced a great piece on her show last night.  She has the staff and drive to go back into Mitt's history.  You should see and read this.   The curiously evasive and consistently disingenuous honesty of this bloke named Mitt Romney is disgusting:

4.  So Harry slams the ball over the net to Mitt and Mitt employs the Chewbacca defense.   Welcome to hardball tennis between two Mormons.  That's right, and I think that the guy who was a Bain investor turned informant is also a Mormon.   It is a big kerfuffle about one guy hiding stuff, and the other two aren't about to let an LDS un-saint get away with it.  But, I think Harry has it right - when you are running for president, you should be an open book.  Romney is shrouded in secrecy:

5.  In Corporate America, where there is money to be made, Rent Seeking (read Price of Inequality) will figure out a way to keep a good thing going.  The private prison system make BIG money in detaining illegal immigrants, to the tune of $155/day.   You can be sure that they are doing everything (political donations) to make sure that this good thing keeps on going:

6.  Keeping up with some of the other stuff, Thom Hartmann style:

7.  Climate Change/Global Warming - revisited.  It's serious, and getting worse.  Time to do something and quit getting distracted by the naysayers shilling for the Fossil Fuel Energy Lobbyists and that other nutso coookooo Senator from Oklahoma:

8.  Thomas Friedman has a clean little column on the potential revolution with natural gas.   If done right (a big IF), its half the greenhouse gas emission as coal.   The problem is that fracking has to be done correctly, or things are worse.   The other problem, is that while people are fracking for gas and enjoying the benefits, we probably will not do the necessary investment in wind and solar, and we are essentially shooting our feet off:

9.  The GeeOpee criticizes Obama for an effective program in dealing with the young undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country before they were 16 years of age and born after June of 1981.   These kids are in high school or college and are functioning members of our society and military:

9.  You have probably read/heard about the unrest in the city of Anaheim, California.  Much of the problems are related to the change in demographics (increase in Hispanic population) without the needed changes in political representation and power.  Changing from at-large to district voting will better enable the minority community to achieve political parity, and resolve tensions.  Unlike a backward Georgia county from which I moved away, this is a fair and equitable manner of helping to resolve festering problems:

--
Juan

"Advice to writers: Sometimes you just have to stop writing. Even before you begin." 
       -- Stanislaw J. Lec
"It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race." 
       -- Mark Twain
"The big thieves hang the little ones." 
       -- Czech Proverb
"Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger." 
       -- Franklin P. Jones
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
       -- James Michner


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