The Uselessness of Twitter

I could sit here and write a little blurb on how useless Twitter is, but my point would be better made by the fact that 90% of you would think, "Oh, yeah. I signed up for that once. Oh well."

The problem is that you signed up for it to stay in touch with your friends, i.e, a basic way to send out a mass text message saying "Meet me here for coffee!" That's all well and good, until it became social marketing instead of social networking. Now, your entire stream can be a single person posting 20 tweets in a row - would you really stand in front of that person listening to all that if you were having a face-to-face conversation?

The best part of it, though, is that when the geeks who created this project started, they never expected it, so they were as well prepared for it as FEMA in NOLA. First, they didn't have enough server space to handle the amount of traffic, now, they completely lack the man power to not just stop spammers, but also to properly update your account to block them.

Yet, there are those who consider it a glorious use of technology. Give me an example of an instance where a company is given that much importance, does a piss poor job, and still receives praise. Bah, Bah, Bah. Moo, Moo, Moo.

Clunkers

I'm a bit sick of hearing people complain about the Cash for Clunkers program. "The government couldn't even run it right!" Really, because I'm pretty sure you all are saying that because it was so successful, it surprised everyone? "What good was it? It didn't help American car companies!" No, the billions of dollars we gave them months ago did that, this was helping auto dealers, and, is it our fault that American car companies took so long to produce more fuel efficient cars?

You do know that is what the program set out to accomplish, don't you? If you had a "clunker" that got 20 mpg, well, that was not a clunker. When fuel efficiency standards go up, people have to catch up - this pushed them along. The program did this, and did something the car companies couldn't do at the time, helped auto dealers.

Of course, you're going to have people who complain about how much this cost. Well, what if it was a tax rebate instead? "That would have been the way to go!" How does that change what it cost the government? If you think you would have been better off with a $4500 tax rebate, then put it away and pay your taxes with it.

Also, take a second to look at the World, not just you neighborhood, and then think about arguing about the merits of this program. America, with it's selfish political parties and the damage they do through media outlets, seems more and more like the little baby of a 233 yr old country it is, doesn't it?

If and Only If

The Deacon had a thought last night that he would wake up today and write a post on how horribly the game of politics is played these days - on how bills are voted on "if and only if they are Democratic" or "if and only if they are Republican" rather than "if and only if" they benefit the country as a whole.

The example the Deacon was going to use of how the game should be played was the Senior Senator from Massachusetts. When people think, Ted Kennedy, they think "liberal." The man would speak his thoughts, and they were liberal, but where were they put into action? He knew, as seemingly no one else these days does, that you state your position, then work on reaching the best outcome with those who disagree. If there is a Democratic plan, Republicans tell you how bad it is. If there is a Republican plan (remember, a few months ago, they existed), Democrats would tell you how bad it is. Never, "well, that's their plan, but maybe we should do this..."

Politics is not "this or that" (the Deacon refuses to use "black or white" in the present situation), but a combination. An example is the nut jobs at health care town halls for and against reform. While the media shows you only these people, the rest of us sit back and hope that the 535 people we have designated to represent us don't fuck us over to serve themselves.

The Deacon never agreed with all of Senator Kennedy's policies, but he interned for him, and has never regretted it. For any label that you could apply to him, the one that always came out on top was "a great man." If you want to disagree with that, and call him a drunk or a murderer, take a moment to think about the span of your life. There is absolutely no doubt that a part of it was made better at some point in time by Edward Kennedy, no doubt at all. Be a better person, and recognize that, if only for a moment.

Morality for Survival

There are a couple of things that brought this post about. The Deacon knows someone who's child needs speech therapy. You'd expect a school to offer that, right? Nope. Well, you'd expect insurance to cover it, as speaking is a life necessity, right? Maybe, but not the type of insurance that you pay for, the type you buy to ensure quality of care, no, only state supported insurance would pay for that. So, what's going to happen to that child? Who knows? We'd rather argue about health care than actually care about things this meaningless, why stop and consider an individual plight when we're fighting for our country, for the survival of Capitalism!

Then, last night's Daily Show, where the woman who came up with "Death Panel" after reading the health care "bill" was on to discuss it. Well, if you believe her, watch it and see if she finds it (hint: she doesn't) leafing through the bill (that doesn't actually exist - why doesn't anyone realize THERE IS NO HEALTH CARE BILL RIGHT NOW!)

Both of these things made me think - fewer people = cheaper. Then that made me think about pro-life people wanting welfare mothers to have multiple babies so that we can pay for them until they are 18, and then probably their kids.

When was there a big push on abortion being immoral? Sometime in the early 1900s? Why does that time period ring a bell? When did the New Deal happen, to help more Americans survive, end of the 1930s, early 1940s? Hmm. Why does that time period stick out as well? Oh, yeah, World Wars. What does a country need when it goes to war? Money? Sure. Resources? Sure. Expendable bodies? Exactly.

So, when you think you have a strong moral code because your country has enforced the idea that newborns should be born, that the weak should survive, remember the underlying reason. Expend-ability.

No one should kill your children or grandparents - and, no one actually wants to. That's completely against our survival.

Health Care, Again

Now, the Deacon thinks health care needs to be reformed for consumers and providers to actually be healthy. How we go about that, well, let's have a discussion. Oh, you lack the intellectual ability to discuss health care? Well, just yell, then. Hell, bring a gun to a discussion. Republicans even think it needs to be reformed, or, say they do, but, well, watch the video that follows and listen to Sen Grassley. Democrats want to reform it, have a majority to pass it, but do everything in their power to try to water reform down to make people happy.

Let's realize one thing about this situation: A majority is trying as hard as it can to cater to a minority - not just the Ds to the Rs, but the Democrats to the few registered Rs left in this country. An aside. The Deacon doesn't mind if you're a Republican, but think about why you are. Did you think, "because of I believe in its ideals?" Please, wake up. The people in power of the Republican party don't have the ideals of the party at heart. Form your own party, and right the direction this ship is taking!

If you watch the rest of this video (seen below, and, at 9:22 in length, I don't expect you to take up that much of your time), you'll see a discussion with the head of the AFL-CIO. That made the Deacon think. What if we do the public option? What if we require union members' families, and union retirees to opt into it? In case you're wondering what would actually happen in that situation, GM would still be GM if we had the balls to do that!

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Conversation on Healthcare Via Facebook

Ok. So what follows is a comment conversation started by the quote below. I haven't changed any part of it. Think it shows why 140 is never enough to get a job done properly?

"Maybe we shouldn't reform health care. I mean, we're not even ranked world-wide in any health category, so why not just give up? We'll just waste billions and billions of dollars on the current system, then start to have our asses handed to us as healthy people from other countries continue to outnumber us."

Josh - Ack! Look to the North! My God! It's..It's the Canadians! Invading! Can't see...blinded by their well-cared for smiles, and the rosy pink of health coloring their cheeks! Even their love of poutine isn't slowing them down!
But seriously, yeah. What are we getting for the billions and billions of dollars we've spent over the years?

Me - And, can someone explain what they think the difference between a mythical "Death Panel" and a private insurance review board is?

Josh - Or the Dialysis Boards that Hospitals used to have that the Government put a stop to. My Grandfather had to pay for hospice care when he decided that more chemo and rads to give him two more months of painful life (at best) was not worth it. His Doctor totally freaked out and tried to badger him into sticking with the treatment. No one would cover his hospice, but he was able to afford it on his own, and passed away quietly and comfortably in the privacy and dignity of his own home, next to his wife of 50 years.
Now they want to give people the chance to have that paid for by Medicare. Big Woop. About time.

Roxie - Josh you have a weird view of Canadians. Dental is not covered in Canada and when its cold season, the ER is packed because the waiting list to see your own PCP is 10 months. Granted my mom had the BEST surgeon do her surgery when she needed it with excellent results.There is good and bad (the good being the large, serious stuff is taken care of re more/well, the bad being routine health care maintenance not so well). Prescriptions also aren't covered in Canada. And my dad, who worked for the Canadian federal GOVERNMENT had private health care (through his job, mind you, with the federal government) on top of the public medical care, which really helped get into seeing your pcp more often and getting more than 3 seconds of time with a doctor.
I LOVE poutine. MMM. Surprised it isn't sin taxed like everything else bad for you up there.

Josh - Well, clearly I was being tongue-in-cheek, Roxanne. But it seems despite its flaws, there aren't massive amounts of Canadian citizens dying in the streets, or being denied access to major health care. Every health care system is flawed to one extent or another, some more than others, but it seems there isn't a major push in any of the "single payer" countries to do away with single payer and go to an American style system where the burden is put onto the backs of the business world.

Josh - Also, something tells me that most Canadians didn't pay $6500 out of pocket costs when their baby son was born. Like I just did. Despite having to pay $1000 a month in insurance because as a small business owner, I can't get squat otherwise. This was apparently my reward for ensuring that my wife got proper pre and neo-natal care during her pregnancy, re More, and delivery. Doctors visits, ultrasounds, proper standard testing, etc. The system as it is now merely encouraged me to "eschew" making sure my baby was born healthy, an action that could have caused him to be much more of a drain on the system later on down the road.

Me - but, why are things packed and people waiting? because they can actually be taken care of?

Brett - Before we jump off the deep end and adopt national healthcare. I would like to hear specifics about the plan. But so far all you are hearing are press junkets and no actual information. All Obama does is wave and smile, never actually says anything of substance.

Roxie - yeah, in fact I am really appreciating having this discussion with people who aren't complete extremists on one side or the other.
you're right - this system is flawed. Why? Because people who don't have health care prefer to spend their extra $100 on an Iphone instead of health insurance ( all of my friends are independent contractors who work in the television industry, my sister and husband included). AND guess what, my sister wanted health care and was denied because she had (HAD) childhood epilepsy.
so just off the bat we need regulation forcing health care companies to accept all applicants at a reasonable cost, and we need to get people to not buy iphones and to buy health insurance instead.
My biggest gripe is that I just don't want to keep signing up for the govt taking my money and then the govt deciding how best to spend it. No. I don't agree that the federal govt knows best how to spend our tax dollars. I worry that so much of it will end up going to "regulators" etc.

Roxie - Josh your story of your son being born is exactly a problem we need to solve. That said, when I was living in Canada making $30,000 a year, my INCOME taxes were slightly over $15000 (there is also 7% fed sales tax and 8% provincial sales tax) so in the long run, we were all paying A LOT for healthcare through our taxes.

Josh - Roxanne, I think my problem is that I've seen too many times (as someone who has worked in medical billing) the greed and life-threatening cupidity of the private insurance companies, and the cost and bureaucratic efficiencies of programs like Medicare. I know. Mindblowing, isn't it, but Medicare puts about 93 cents in beanies for ever dollar taken in.. private insurance spits out about 63 cents for every dollar, because they have to make profit for CEOs and shareholders. I'd rather deal with a Government bureaucrat on health insurance than a private insurance bureaucrat. The former may not care about me personally but is there to serve me, roughly. The latter has orders from up on high that might kill me if it's in their best interest. But I agree..how is the encouragement to stay healthy going to be handled? All carrot, all stick, or both?

Me - You don't hear specifics from Obama because a President (despite what the past 8 yrs told us) doesn't make laws, and, rather than discuss what should or should not be in the bill, or heaven forbid, work together on the bill, isn't it better to distract and focus on the mid-term elections rather than people?

Roxie - And will they allow grievances to be brought against the government if this plan is put in place.?

Josh - Roxanne, I don't mind being taxed more, if I got more for my taxes. It seems for the amount of taxes and money we spend on healthcare in the US (which is far in excess per person than Canada) we should have this problem fixed, or at least in a better state than we do now.
The fact remains that on a per person level, far less money is spent on health care in Canada than in the US, and we have nothing to show for all the extra money.

Josh - That's an excellent question, Roxanne. That's why we don't want to nationalize the entire health care system. But that is not exactly the same as single payer health care. I would prefer a private health care network, and a single payer insurance system run by the Government. If private insurance companies think they can offer services along side that, then let them. Again, 59% of Doctors polled last year supported single payer health care. Even Cato says that the biggest cost of health care after consumption costs is bureaucratic overhead. Medicare is much easier to get money from...I speak from personal experience on this. Even just forcing all the private companies to adhere to one set of forms and protocols would save billions.

Roxie - I swear there are thousands of moderate lefts and rights out there, you just would never know it from the Fox and NBC culture taking over.

Brett - Jeremy, I know he doesn't make policy and laws, but I want someone to come clean with exactly what they want to do about nationalized health care before they vote it in.
We basically have nationalized healthcare in mass and it seems great on the surface, but the hospitals are getting smacked around. Boston Medical center is teetering on going under because of all the freecare they are expected to cover and the state won't. They are in the process of suing the state because of it.

Me - The best is to watch Fox clips from today and from 2006/2007. I believe that might be how you spell hypocrisy now - F-O-X

Josh - My problem with RomneyCare (as a Commonwealth citizen) is that it just said "Okay, everyone HAS to buy insurance. There, problem fixed. My work here is done." Okay, that is an oversimplification of the process, but that's a lot of it seems. I'm almost convinced Romney did what he did in order to make Government health care look bad on purpose. It only made things tougher for small businesses like mine in this state. And yeah, I'm very pleased with how the conversation has been going. And now I'm hungry for more poutine! (Just came back from Montreal this weekend :)

Brett - I hear you, but I just don't trust any of them, they are going to pass a healthcare system that lines their pockets some way.

Me - well, yes, this is the U-S-A! Capitalism or nothing else

Josh - I hear you on that, Brett. My fear is that ObamaCare is just going to line the pockets of the private insurance companies and not really bring real reform. Other folks are afraid it's going to not be business-friendly enough. The one thing people on the left and the right seem to agree on is that they aren't happy with what's being proposed right now (what little has been).
I don't know if there is a way to actually nationalize healthcare in this country. I do believe that all US citizens have a right to healthcare. I think they need to keep it the way it is and state a government run insurance company for anyone that wants it. Hopefully that would keep the private healthcare companies in check. But I think nationalized healthcare is too big a mountain to climb and opens up too many more chances for the regular joe to get screwed.

Josh - Brett, I thought that a strong "Public Option" was an appropriate compromise to Single Payer. But the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Dog Democrats are trying to totally kill that now as well, and without that, where the hell is the reform coming from?
The USPS hasn't put FedEx and UPS out of business. Indeed, more people complain about FedEx service than the Post Office. So why not have a strong Public Option for people who want it? Health insurance costs, forced upon me by the last Governor of my state, are bringing my small, family owned company to the brink of disaster. It's easily my biggest overhead expense, not including payroll.

Brett - Exactly, I feel bad for the small business owners. It's horrible to be forced to buy something that is going to eventually put you out of business. I hate to say it, but maybe if they left the healthcare system alone. I am afraid there might not be an answer.

Josh - Well, getting the costs of health care off the backs of the entire business community, large and small, would be a great step in the right direction, if nothing else *heh*

Brett - Yeah that sounds good but without some business support there will be no way to pay for it. This will be Obama's downfall....

Josh - I'm kind of surprise more big businesses haven't been supporting health care reform to get it off their backs. Some big guys, like the Big 3 Automakers, have gotten sick of having to pay for health insurance for years. It undercuts the global competitiveness. I can tell you Toyota, VW, and Kia don't have these problems in their native country.

John They also don't have the unions that drive up the prices yet they still provide healthcare for their employees. My dad and I have some heated discussion over organized labor. One of the reasons we needed to bail out GM.

Josh - Well, to play the devils advocate, one of the things unions have done is asked for all sorts of health and pension benefits. These are the sorts of things Japan and France and Germany provide as government services funded by taxes, thus freeing up businesses from those costs. So it's not like they don't exist, they've just been shifted off from the back of the biz world there. They also don't spend $600+ billion dollars in military per year either, especially not on wasted "make work" planes and boats the Pentagon is begging NOT to be made.
It's easy to simply demonize organized labor the way some on the Left simply demonize capitalism as a whole. While I agree that some unions have become frighteningly corrupt (look at how Local 25 in Boston drove out the movie industry from MA for a few years). I also still hold to the notion that without the organized movement labor as a whole, we'd still have child labor, seven day work weeks, and lousy work conditions. It's all about balance.

Josh - Okay, to follow up, to be fair, I suspect that at Least some of the European countries may very well spend money on "make work" projects, building things that there isn't a demand for. They may even for this for their own (considerably) smaller militaries.

Superman, or, the Most Inetersting Man in the World

There are plenty of people out there who think of President Obama as some sort of Superman. Well, the Deacon is sorry, but there's at least one person he doesn't quite match up to, yet. Honestly, can you picture O going to N Korea and doing what Bill Clinton did yesterday? No, he'd be too worried about offending someone along the way, but Bill? Let it roll, Bubba!

Sure, there was probably plenty of work done in the background of this event, but what the man did was akin to a "Most Interesting Man in the World" commercial. He didn't just get the reporters pardoned, he came home with them the same day. Of course, would he be Bill Clinton if he didn't pick up 2 girls to bring home with him? Is there anyone else in the entire world who we could expect this from? No.

Jesus, You People are Sheep

When the Deacon calls you sheep, the meaning is two-fold. 1 - There is no doubt America has fallen under a herd mentality, and, even more pathetic than that, it consists of three herds. 2 - The expression, "pulling the wool over the sheep's eyes."

As a diabetic, the health care proposal would most likely benefit the Deacon, but that's not saying I completely agree with it. I understand we don't even rank in the top 5 in any world-wide health category, and that, over a shorter time period than anyone will tell you, a public health care system will be cheaper than Medicare and Medicaid. Is it going to help people? There is absolutely no doubt. Should it be forced on people?

Now, here is the thing. Health care has been discussed since Teddy K's "cradle to grave" speech in the late 70s, so, there's been plenty of warning that this was on it's way, but, it is not too hard to make you all think this is not the case, that it is indeed being shoved down your throats. So, what's the D response to that? Delay the vote until after the recess. Here is where the wool has been pulled over your eyes.

Let me say first, that this health care plan in not fucking evil. Hey, if you think it is, move. Oh, right, every other country has a similar plan already.

A couple days after Harry Reid says the vote will be delayed, the President gives a prime time press conference pushing the issue. What? You don't remember? Of course you don't, the only thing you know about that press conference was that he said the Cambridge police acted "stupidly" (uh, everyone in that situation acted like a complete idiot). At this point, do you know that health care was supposed to be up for a vote? Maybe? Well, Obama is not even qualified to be President based on his birth certificate. Oh, that only distracted you for a few days because, while interesting, you're pretty sure it's false. Now, what was that about health care failing? WHAT!?! THEY WANT TO RAISE MY TAXES!!!!!!!

By the time you and the pundits get over that, the Senate will be in recess. The Rs, in all their intellectually glory, let it be known they were going to try and destroy Obama with this Health Care thing. Uh, way to go with that subtlety. When you are playing against Axelrod, it's already unfair to you, but then, they throw in Begala, Carville, and Rahmbo, and you have absolutely no answer.

So, folks, you do not even remember that Health Care was supposed to be reformed by now, that it is even the top issue being debated, because the wool was pulled over your eyes.

How can we begin to hold our elected officials to a higher standard when, based on our actions, that standard starts off woefully low?

Global Warming

Saw somewhere where a person was saying that the climate bill doesn't cost as much as the "global warming caused drought" in Texas. The Deacon doesn't disagree that there might be a problem we need to work on, but you best prove that droughts nowadays are caused by 'global warming' before saying shit like that. I'm pretty sure no one can prove that what we are experiencing right now is not cyclical.

Hmmm

The Deacon wonders why its obnoxious for this conversation to happen:

"Yeah, just got married." "Oh, you gettin any?"

But not this one:

"Yeah, just got married." "Any kids?" "Not yet." "Working on that?"

A Few Things

1- If you want to be on the Supreme Court, the Deacon could care less if you "felt out of place" at your Ivy League school, boo fucking hoo - because I couldn't afford an Ivy League school, I felt out of place at my state school

2 - If countries like Cuba are upset that one of our alternative fuel focuses is on ethanol - all the corn we grow and use for it should be sent to poor countries, don't you know? - how do they feel about all the corn we grow to simply feed livestock? That's right, we care more about our animals than about the fact that you don't know how to run a country and take care of your people.

3 - Health care for all. Does the price scare you? Do you realize, that price is based on America's health right now? If people have insurance and can go to a doctor when they only have a cough rather than waiting for the pneumonia to kick in, that will cost us much less - whether we fund it or not. To all the politicians and pundits who talk about what this will cost, uh, politicians, we already pay for your health insurance. That's not HIPPA, that's HIPPO.

Finding Ways to Pay for Ideas

The Deacon always find it amusing that when government looks to fund a new idea, its first thought is to raise taxes - on the state and federal level. Of course, raising taxes simply automatically creates the necessary cash flow to fund these ideas, God forbid a legislature ever have to actually think and work on examining what is being spent on different projects, and manipulating what it already has to fit what needs to be done. No, that'll never happen, just tax the people more, then we don't have to work.

It's just a damn shame voters are so lazy. Far too many people hold elected office that have absolutely no businesses doing so, but to energize voters to do something about that, never gonna happen.

Marriage Equality

The Deacon was recently in NY working on getting the Marriage Equality bill passed through the NY State Senate. Thank you to the donkeys that make up that body for leaving that work unfulfilled. No one currently a NY State Senator should be re-elected.

While working on it, the Deacon decided calling it "marriage equality" rather than "gay marriage" better highlights the real issue. In NY, married couples are entitled to 1324 more benefits than same-sex couples or domestic partners by law. Does that seem right to you? If it does, you make the state senate there look functional.

A problem, though, is that too many people are placated by the fact that they can drive to Canada, VT, NH, or MA, get married, come back to NY, and be recognized as a domestic partnership. That's a victory? For whom?

Update

So, after giving some thought on what this blog should be, here is what it will be.

Rarely more than a paragraph or 2 in a post - just a simple thought on a topic. Once in a while, a lecture will most likely emerge.

Deacon Adams wrote letters signed as "amicus populi" I made the name of the blog "Friend of the people" in honor of that. He does the writing in it, so he will be writing in the 3rd person. Why? "I think this" is weaker than "The Deacon thinks this." That simple.

Type I Chapter 1

In August, 1990, I was a 215lb 15 year old who could run fast, and all day long. By January 3, 1991, I was a 150lb 15 year old who thought that water was the greatest thing man ever learned about, drank any liquid all day, and pissed it away every 10 minutes. Three weeks earlier, I had taken a history mid-term, 100 multiple choice questions, 4 short essays, in under 25 mins - all because I was thirsty, and needed to use the bathroom (one of those exams where you had to be in the room until you were done).

My mother decided that I needed to go to a clinic to get checked out after she noticed that you could see my ribs. By the time we got back home from the clinic, they had called three times - my sugar was 486, and said I should get to the hospital right away. In my last 30 mins (the drive to the hospital) of "normalcy," I went out in style: a bag of sour patch kids, and 2 liters of Coke.

January 3, 1991 was a Thursday. I remember this mostly because most of the doctors from the hospital were away, skiing for the weekend. The first doctor came in and asked me who else in my family was a diabetic? "No one." "Oh," he said with a concerned look on his face, "well, do you have any questions?" "Will I be able to play football?" "That's your question?" I nodded enthusiastically. "Hold on." He left, and I never saw him again, but he sent in 2 residents, one from Notre Dame, and the other from Michigan, naturally, because I had asked about football.

"So, who else in your family is a diabetic?" they asked. I gave them the same answer I gave the first guy. "Oh," they said with the same look, "Do you have any questions?" I asked the same question, and they laughed. They spent the rest of their shift with me, talking football, telling me everything would be fine, and asking if I was sure I didn't have a diabetic relative. See, back then there was little evidence that it was anything other than a hereditary disease, so they didn't know what to say.

The next morning, the nurse practitioner assigned to me came to discuss things with me. Same questions, same answers. Told me I could leave the hospital after I met with the doctor, and learned how to give myself a shot, so, Tuesday, at the earliest. Then, she said what has turned out to be the cruelest, most unprofessional thing I have ever heard: "You don't have to worry, there's no reason to believe diabetes will be around in 10 years, so that's about how long you'll have to deal with it, 10 years." And now, 18 years later? Thanks.

The GOP and The War to Come

Ah, "The GOP." I wish it still was the Old Party. I follow Chuck Hagel when he says that the party he signed up for doesn't exist anymore. Now, it's a bunch of freaks, religious right morons, and conservatives - leading it to become the conservative Republican party.

Unfortunately, there's different definitions of "conservative." There's economic conservatism, which the party believes in, then, there's "Conservatism." What that is, well, that's whatever some hysterical freak believes it to be.

I have been talking for awhile about how I used to be a Republican. Now, I'm and Independent - because I have absolutely no desire to belong to the Democratic party - "big tents" are just wrong. Why was I a Republican? Well, there was the 1984 election. Being a child and seeing that dominant sea of red flood the electoral map, the power was just something I wanted to be a part of. I am also loosely related to the late Silvio Conte. That man knew what it was about - people, the voters, and that's it. You don't need pork, you need to take care of your people - it really is that simple.

What the party has become? I really can't decide whether I agree with Newt Gingrich or not, but, back in the early 90s, he was on the right track. Build the party from the lowest local level up - the only way to make sure it was strong, and formidable. You tell that to a Republican now, and the response will be, "uh?" You explain that to Democrats, and you'll get, "why?"

I find it head-shakeningly amusing that Meghan McCain seems to be filling the role of the saviour of the Republican Party - not because she's a 24 year old female, not because the Party has fallen so far that this is the case, but because she is right, and they continue to fight or ignore it. She is right, there is a war coming.

The Party is being ruled by an out-of-date belief system - because the form of "conservatism" that runs it does not believe in evolving (what's the need?). The problem, though, is not that it's out of touch, the problem is that it will not listen to anyone - outside or inside (RINOs) the Party. You have an old man out there continuously attacking the Obama Administration - no, not John McCain, Dick Cheney. I read once that Cheney never ran for President because he realized he wasn't much of a people person. No shit. It's one thing for a wannabe 2012 candidate like Mitt Romney - Mr. Economics, though trying to fool you into thinking he has foreign policy experience - to be out there criticizing the Administration, but the recent former VP? How about some political etiquette? Al Gore could have made the Bush Administration look like an illegitimate farce, but did his duty and shut up. Turn that sneer into a straight line, and stop being a dick.

The thing is, tearing the Party down in order to rebuild it - the only true way to recreate something - may not be possible. Far too many moderate Republicans left the Party in the winter of 2000 - because of the incident in South Carolina. Who is going to bring them back in? Meghan McCain can try, and she is offering them what they need to hear, but who would expect the Religious Right, the Conservatives, to give up power? These people do not understand compromise - as their leader famously said, "You're either with us, or against us."

Would I be willing to help in this war? If I can see a string of thoughts and candidates that stop talking about values, virtues, and morals, and start talking about people, maybe. At this time, however, that seems like it will not happen until too late in 2012, and probably not until 2016.

Some of you may say, "good, they deserve it." Well, ask the people of MA how they like their one party system (and, no "liberals deserve it" comments - reddest state in the Union until 1958).

Religion

Now, the Deacon goes to church about twice a year - Easter and Christmas Eve. May seem strange since the nickname is "Deacon," but he can guarantee that he thinks about God, gods, faith, and meditation more than for just an hour or so on Sunday mornings, and probably more than 90% of church goers.

He had a few problems with the Easter service he attended yesterday. First, and most glaring, was the use of a spoken word video during the service in which a person basically shouted a modern sermon at the congregation while the words flashed on screens. Now, the Deacon understands that religion as a whole is striving to maintain its existence, and tries new ways to generate new members, but, if you are a recognized older religion, you are recognized as such for a reason. Leave it to modern, new-age religions to use multi-media forms to blind their congregations - if new members are attending your church, they are there for a reason, they know what they're in for, and are seeking it.

The sermon itself spoke of the Greek way of romanticising death, and the Hebrew way of thinking of it as a terrible thing. We were told that the Hebrew's were 'RIGHT!" and then, listened as the minister went on to romanticize the crucifixion.

Now, this is nitpicking, and personal preference, but the Deacon was also displeased that the preacher was wearing a microphone. Churches are built with specific acoustics in mind, and attendees go to them to be overwhelmed by a power - if you can't mesmerize a congregation with the strength of your un-aided voice, find a new calling.

I Can Tell.....

I can tell by the outline of the next (maybe not) post in my head that some people aren't going to take kindly to it. Thinking I should write using the 3rd person and Deacon Adams to keep the passion rational - there's no way I'm keeping the passion out of this one, though.

Okay

Okay, I'm working on something with a bit more content, but this is a thought that goes through my mind often. Does anyone realize that AT&T has systematically rebuilt what was once considered a monopoly, without a peep from regulators? Also, see, this is my problem, I could throw a bunch of facts out there, links to them, or, you could learn something and find it for yourself. You're welcome.

Eh, the Evolutution

Obviously, I haven't perfected what I want this blog to be yet. There's the fact that I prefer writing in the 3rd person as Deacon Adams because it allows me to think outside of myself, but there's a mindset that others don't take that type of thing seriously. There's evolving it from a rant/op-ed blog into something with more content, but, as I've said in other posts, links are not only lazy on my part - giving me a break from original thought - but, if you're the type of person who is going to take what I say as The Word and not go and do your own research on the topic, then I don't care what you think of the blog. Sure, links are informative, but I found them and so can you. Life's not easy. It's Hobbsian.

As for what is written about, it will always be eclectic but tends towards politics, and always be about the people. After all, it is Friend of the People (Amicus Populorum) - granted, the real Deacon Adams signed his letters "Amicus Populi," but that's not proper Latin.

Don't Believe the Hype

If anyone tries to tell you that the AIG bonus payments have anything to do with Democrats, do yourself favor and don't believe it. Do the same if you hear someone say the government is going to tax your bonus. These bonuses were paid with your money, you don't want it back?

What Needs To Happen?

So, the first "Uniter" pays little to no attention to what was going on. The new "Uniter" seemingly pays too much attention and props dieing industries up with bailout after bailout - using our money.

Uh, the first bailout happened before 11/04/08, so who is to blame for that? Liberal socialist commies, or Conservatives letting things run amok, spending rather than providing oversight? Both parties talk about reigning in spending, then load a bill with pork projects to make themselves look good back home. So, when you're upset with the amount of money being spent, look to your Congressional leaders as to why it's happening.

Are they paying attention? Do they care? Sure, they'll tell you they are, that they can see and feel it, then go back and do it again. I consider myself a Republican, but I don't fall under the current definition of the party. Some consider me a moderate Democrat - or, what a section of the Democratic party morphed into to survive. I can't stand, though, how much Democrats look to make everyone happy, nor how right Conservatives think they are.

Well, how do we stop it, the constant partisanship, the giddy Dems who hopped on a rock star, and foolishly believe they can do anything, and the conservative radio shows driving paranoia?

Start pushing them out.

I'm not talking about voting in different Ds or different Rs, I'm talking about people outside the parties, pushing them past the bullshit and into office. Too hard to do? Not enough money? Not enough support? Too many roadblocks? If they ran as hard as they whine, we'd already have 3rd party candidates in office, but they are oh so disadvantaged. Forget Bull Moose, we need Roughriders, now.

The Key Phrase

Now, I'll start off by saying I am a fan of Chuck Hagel, and wanted him to run for President.

Last night, Hagel was on the Rachel Maddow show, mainly to talk about U.S./Russian relations.



I had thought that Obama made a mistake by picking HRC as his Secretary of State instead of Hagel, but who seems more important right now? Supposedly, the Administration asked Hagel to be the Ambassador to at least three countries, not taking the hint after the first time, when he said he didn't want to move his family. Think they wanted him out of the country? I'm glad now that Hagel is not SOS because he can say what he wants when he wants without having to serve at the President's pleasure.

Everything Hagel says in the video makes sense, and there's more to his feelings for Cheney than just this clip, but there's one thing he says towards the end which makes you realize why someone tried to send him to Britain, China, or Japan - "I'm a Republican." Now, there are plenty of conservatives who will disagree with that statement, perpetually confusing the fact that a Republican and a Conservative are two different things sharing some things in common, and differing on others. Hagel is a Republican, though, as were Eisenhower and T Roosevelt. Country and people before party - always.

As Hagel goes along over the next three years leading foreign policy think tanks, investment banks, and teaching at universities, it will be interesting to see what the R party does if Obama falters. Will they change direction, embrace Hagel, and have a shot in 2012? Really, do they seem like they have the intellect for that? It's too bad because we need Chuck Hagel far more than we need a Conservative run Republican party.

AIG and $100 million in bonuses

So, reading other posts, you know that I think AIG should have been allowed to fail basically because that would be the nature of its business model - insurance/risk/catastrophe. If that had been allowed, well, AIG would have gone out of business, owed quite a bit of money, and people who are undoubtedly not good at their jobs would have been out of work. That's not how it played out, though. Based on the bailout, AIG now has to "contractually" pay out $100 million in bonuses, mainly to the people who caused this problem.

What are these people being rewarded for? Who the hell wrote up a contract that provided a bonus for failure, for costing not just the company, but the American people billions and billions of dollars? Why are we helping these morons!?! I read something that explained part of this happening based on part of the agreement in AIG's 2008 bailout. So, at some point, someone in the government rewarded the stupidity of rewarding stupidity and failure!

Obviously, there's a problem in this country. Some argue that we are being distracted from the problem by the Administration attacking people like the Oxycontin addict, but, really, isn't it that we are being distracted from taking care of these problems by being directed not to what (or whom) caused them, but rather the worry about how they will be fixed? Focus people, focus! We need to know what and how these problems were caused in order to fix them, not perpetuate the recession/depression by causing hysteria (believe it or not, it's reached that point in places).

The Way Things Are Right Now

I've got a big problem with the media and the people who listen/watch/read what they have to say. The media for the fear they push, the people for shutting down and buying into it. Blinders aren't really going to help us right now.

What brought this post about? Well, you have the speculators in the stock market, trying as hard as they can to bankrupt the country so they can get their way, the media saying, "hey, maybe they're right," and segments of the public believing it all. Then, there was the person I met who applied for a permit to conceal and carry because he thinks it's going to get that bad. In 2009? In the United States of America? I'd say one of the many problems of the past eight years is that the people were allowed to give up faith in their country - being told faith in an Administration or God would do just as well.

Now, conservatives will say that they have faith in the country, the Democrats just don't love "their" country enough to save it. The problem right there isn't a battle between conservatives and Democrats, it's the lack of a Republican voice, but conservatives will battle as hard as they can to make sure there isn't one.

Are people conservative? Sure. Are they conservative in the ways the Founding Fathers and Documents prescribe? Of course not. Did the definition change? No, people did. Believe it or not, that's possible, and happens over time.

So, what's happening? We ignored things that were set in motion years ago, and let them go unchecked until it was too late. We had Chuck Hagel back in 2005 trying to tear Fannie and Freddie apart and rebuild them, and they hired a lobbying firm to stop it! It became so bad, that you could get out of jail with a dollar in your pocket, and own 6 houses by the end of the week. Sure, language can taint validity, but read that last sentence again, and try not to say What the Fuck!

This could have happened to give the appearance of a strong economy, i.e., look at all the houses being sold, and the price!, or, because of some foreign idea to our country, a socialist ideal that everyone deserves a home. First, that has never been an idea in our country, that everyone deserves a home. Second, the only government involvement in this was to sit off to the side and watch. This whole situation was caused by greedy morons. Morons to the point that the only reasonable explanation for them not understanding what was happening is that they received their G.E.Ds, a correspondence course on home lending, and were given a job.

After the collapse of the home lending market, the banks fell. Bailout out the banks? Why!?! Here's how we should determine whether to bailout a bank or not: calculate the FDIC insurance the account holders would receive, and, if that's less than bailing the bank out, let it fall, if it's more than the bank asks for, allow it. There are few guarantees in this country, and a continuously operating business of bank has never, ever been one.

Then, we have the idiots at AIG. Insurance = risk. Catastrophy = $$$$. It was a catastrophy, you're done. That's it.

At this point, we have a government trying new things to try and save our business system from collapse. Please, notice that I didn't say "our country" or "our economy." Along with this, we have people hoping they fail, and people who listen and believe those people. Excuse me, do you realize what the hell you're saying right there?

Go ahead, listen to the talk radio doomsday predictions, listen to the TV news shows telling you how bad investing is right now, read about money being spent, and what it's being spent on. Just know that by doing that, you're not helping. A country, any country, does not run without movement, and what we have right now is a complete lack of movement. We either start moving now, or we watch the greatest nation ever created dissolve into something inferior - all because of inaction, negativism, and an epidemic of idiocy.

This about sums it up....

I know I said I don't like to put links on this blog because it's lazy, but this about sums it up about how the 'real' people who think themselves Republicans feel. Notice, I didn't say "conservatives." Those are two different labels. Granted, this is also only about media.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-09/my-beef-with-ann-coulter/full/

Here, I'd like to talk a little about Rush. I agree that focusing on Rush Limbaugh right now is wrong for the country, but why do people take him seriously to begin with? They do know he was addicted to Oxycontin, forging prescriptions, right? And, did you see the way he was dressed at CPAC? Why, why would you take that seriously? The man doesn't even seem to know what decade it is. I just love fat men with slicked back hair and unbuttoned shirts; there's nothing more intellectual than that.

C'mon with the Earmarks!!!!

Hey, you morons in Congress, does it seem like a time in our history to throw a bunch of earmarks into bills? Can you please, please, just lay off for a year or two? Really, you may think you need to bring in some money to your district, but if it's pork, this time around you are only increasing your chances of strong competition next election.

During a Depression, when you're throwing money away in an earmark, forcing real people deeper into holes, where will your fundraising come from? See the bigger picture, take the pork out, and shut up! Or, start looking for another job.....

Credit Card APRs in the 3rd Depression

So, unemployment claims go up every week, not expected to stop for another month or so. Looking around, it's increasingly obvious that people to have money to do things as usual any more. What do credit card companies do? Raise your APR. Now, to make up for the fact that you probably can never pay more than you minimum payment, they'll just ensure they still make money off of you by generating more interest.

This, of course, is the way of a free market. It may look predatory, but it's business, and, somehow, we all were supposed to factor the current economic situation into our thinking years ago when we signed up for these cards. It is of little wonder why they call it a Depression.

Yes, I am saying we're in a Depression. As soon as the Chinese have to create a stimulus bill, the recession has sunk too far.

AIG Bailout #2

First off, this blog is about opinions, and you will rarely see a link to a story or another web page - that's just not fun. Also, the Deacon doesn't like to use exclamation points, but, sometimes, they get the point across.

Anyway, I can remember understanding that investments were something you did that involved risk (sometimes more than others) to make money - based on the risk - sometime early in high school. I'm guessing that most people who go into this industry do the same. I understood maybe even earlier that insurance is about protecting against risk, and that insurance companies always ran the risk of all of their accounts coming due for one reason or another at any time - which is why they look for as many safe things to insure as possible, to prepare for the possible catastrophe.

Now, I just wrote all that on the basis of common knowledge, not anything learned in a class, or in pursuit of a degree. So, what happened at AIG that their account reps made so many mistakes that they need another $30 billion to fix their problems? If I know better than to make risky investments, why didn't the people with degrees, being paid to do so, know the same?

I'm sorry, but 1 round of bailouts was bad enough. These people practiced in a free market economy, they should have to follow through with it. If it means they go out of business and people are screwed? Well, that's investment, risk, and the free market system, no one was unaware of this when it started, so allow it to end, don't save it! Jesus, please, stop giving our money to people who didn't know what they were doing, but should have!

Something Else About Twitter...

I understand what Twitter was started as, the "What are you up to" question to fill in your update was to let your friends know where you were and what you where doing. Now, though, how many people use it as that? It is time to update the "What are you up to?" Most Twitter posts are in line with Facebook status updates now, and the service should evolve to flow with that.

I'm not anti Twitter, I'm actually starting to like it a bit more, and can't wait to try and build a Tweetup.

Twitter v. Facebook

Awhile back, I looked into Twitter, and couldn't figure out why I would want to use it: if people wanted to see what I was doing, they could see my Facebook page. I got back into Twitter, though, and I'm still debating its merits. Then, I realized it's flaw.

If you make your Facebook status, "Deacon Adams is going to the bar down the street. Who's up for going out?" your friends, the people you want to see that, can either show up, or comment "me" (or now, "like" it) and you would receive an email letting you know this happened. If you do the same thing with Twitter, if a friend replies, that's a text message. Now, I'm making this argument with the thought that everyone has an email capable phone, but, the point is the same - you are charged to follow friends' tweets. Why bother?

Another Twitter problem - why don't they have an application that you can click on a desktop or phone icon, the Twitter update box pops up (not the website), and you enter your update? Makes a bit of sense, uh?

Yard Signs

Now, whether or not yard signs work in political campaigns is debatable, but, the Obama sign that read "I'm a Yard Sign, I can't vote. Go knock doors." is a pathetic argument. Go ahead, knock on a door, be lied to by the person you're talking to. Make some calls, have people look at their caller ID and not answer the phone. Help a 70 year old handicapped couple, a guaranteed vote, show their support with a yard sign, and demonstrate to a community where your candidate is not taken seriously that he/she should be. What makes more sense?

The thing is, all 3 are necessary - signs, door knocking, and calls. You knock all the doors you want, make all the calls you can, but if the people you miss out talking to don't see community support, they don't care. But, your all experts at this now, right? Your first time out, hook onto a rock star, and everything you did was golden? Stay in the game a bit, you're sure to be disappointed if you think that's how it works.

Specifics?

Whenever the President or someone from the Administration speaks nowadays, it seems to be the trendy thing to say that they lack "specifics." First, the specifics have to come from members of Congress, not the White House. It makes no sense to provide something with specifics that would, without a doubt, be wiped clean in a committee. Then, do you really want to listen to a speech full of specifics? These people are talking to the American people, not American experts. Who would listen to a 3 hour speech with specifics on how something would be done? You go and find me something that says more than 30% would want that, then I'll consider arguing for it. Here's the thing, though, if your elected official isn't doing what you want, it's your job to vote him/her out, and how often does that even come close to happening?

3rd Party Candidates

There is little doubt that the two party system has become too confrontational to be effective. Elected officials now think/are told to vote along party lines rather than work for the good of the Country. The injection of people outside of these parties would definitely help. We have the current President who ran on making people believe this is how he would operate, but we'll have to see about that. Now, I believe that once in office, the President represents the people, not his party, and think that Obama would agree, it's whether or not he actually does that determines the direction of the country, i.e., GW represented a wing of his party more than the people, and look where we are now.

So, if we need "3rd party" people to help fix the system, how do we make this happen? In most instances, state election laws make it harder for people outside of the 2 parties to gain ballot access. Candidates and independents constantly complain about how hard this is, that it is unfair, and try to change qualification for ballot access. There's two problems with this. First, if these people tried as hard to get on the ballot as they do complaining about the process, they probably would not have much of a problem qualifying. Second, anytime an individual works outside of the established parties, they automatically put themselves at a disadvantage of not having the built-in party support system. What they need to learn to do is to build this support system through their ballot access programs. Don't go and pay a firm tens of thousands of dollars to collect your signatures, build a volunteer base that will do it for you. "But, I don't have time, the deadline is too close." Well, if you cannot plan ahead well enough to even run for office, why are you qualified to be in office?

The failure of 3rd party, or outside the system candidates has as much to do with their lack of a support base as it does with some of them being perceived as nut jobs. To think that they are incapable of building the necessary support base is absurd. There are plenty of people looking to change the current system, you have to find them, and give them faith in something. You cannot run thinking that all registered party members support what their party is currently doing, there will be disenchanted Dems and Repubs looking to make a difference. There are also plenty of people outside of the 2 parties who would love to be involved.

What these candidates have to learn, though, is that even though they are running outside of the current system, they must address not only the same issues that the system is dealing with, in detail, but also how he/she is the difference needed. To be taken seriously, they cannot run on a single issue, or even two issues, they need to learn to run on the system issues, and properly present their differences. When they can learn to do this, then we can effect the 2 party system, but not before.

GPS Tracking for Road Maintenance

So, I was reading the other day that Deval(ue) Patrick is thinking of putting GPS chips in citizens' vehicles and then charging them for the distance they drive - selling the option by saying it could replace the gas tax. Well, how about the auto excise tax? The money derived from the program would go towards maintenance to repair wear and tear on the roads. Yeah? Unless you can mark every dollar it brings in as going towards public works (you can't because the stagnate mass on Beacon Hill won't let you), why would we believe you? This is a moving property tax.

Beyond the simple issues that this program would raise is also that little problem between MA taxes and residents willing to travel to NH to avoid them. Can you guarantee that these tracking systems won't be used to follow individuals to NH stores, then harass the individuals, store owners, and NH legislature to try and collect the tax avoided? Not only that, you want to pay to set up a program large enough to monitor where cars are driven - ensure that MA residents do not pay when they drive out of state, in other states? How about people who travel south for the winter, do they pay for driving on Southern roads? In what society has that ever been considered fair?

If you want to push this, Governor, just start packing up you office now.

2012

The other day, someone said to me, "Do you think all the intellectuals who support Obama will realize they were wrong if he fails, or just blame it on someone else?" Well, most will take the human way out and blame someone else, but a few might think they were wrong and retreat back into the silent majority.

If things do go badly for Obama, though, what would one do if he/she might run in 2012? Well, maybe become a distinguished professor of foreign policy, a senior advisor at an international investment bank, a senior advisor at an investment bank in the Midwest, and maybe the chairperson of a serious foreign policy think tank. At this point in time, all that seems to fit the bill for what we need, doesn't it?

Party Registration

I was looking at one of my online profiles the other day, and noticed that I had said that I am a registered Democrat, which is strange because I never have been. It made me think, though, which party would the Deacon want to be a part of? The Democrats, who seemingly aim to please as many degenerates as they possibly can, or the Republicans, who seem so far out of touch with the 21st century that they might as well not exist? Neither. The Deacon will vote for the person, not a party - every time.

So, What's the Stimulus Supposed to Do?

It seems the problem with the stimulus is what people expect it to do. Some want jobs and infrastructure. Others want jobs, infrastructure, programs, and help for organizations because they are hurting. The Deacon sees their need, but can't come to terms with the government funding programs and organizations with this money. This country was not built to fund others inadequacies. Social programs to help individuals are one thing, but providing cash to programs and orgs that simply did a horrible job of managing themselves the past few years is another. It is akin to a kick to the balls/baby maker of the American people.

The argument, though, isn't, "who are we going to help?" it is how far we are going to swing away from our economic system. Swinging far once is not an option, these people are meek and will expect it again. We cannot continue feeding programs and organizations cash and giving them spots in annual budgets. Also, there is no doubt that there can be NO PORK in the budgets of the next few years. We have to stop the bleed, not stick a finger on it and pray.

Blogging

The Deacon was looking over his blog, and thinking about the sporadic posts. The Deacon is not much of a blogger because he believes these types of discussions should take place in person, in groups, in coffeehouses or pubs. It seems, in most cases, blog posts are more untruthful to one's true self than actions during conversations. That's probably why people feel more comfortable with them.

Payment Due Dates

Now, the Deacon does not work in the financial industry, but cannot imagine that there is not a software program out there that determines credit card payment due dates. The Deacon also thinks it is plausible to believe that this software knows to bypass Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays. It is surprising that Bank of America doesn't seem to possess this software, maybe, in these harsh banking times, they can't afford it. Bank of America not only will set a due date on a weekend or holiday, but will not allow you to make a payment online on those days - you must make the payment on the business day that precedes your due date. BOA, why the punishment of your valued cardholders, why can't/won't you use the proper software?

The Deacon wonders what happens in those 3 days - if your payment is due on a Monday that is a holiday, you have to make it on the Friday before. The Deacon would not be surprised if interest accumulated twice on that account - the first payment period that occurs until that Monday, and then Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on the 2nd period that begins on Tuesday. Or, maybe, BOA gives you those days interest free? Yeah, right.

Economics of This Country

The Deacon loves the mechanics of how our country works, and always has. A while back, though, he started to say "..but..." after saying that. Why? Unrestrained capitalism could not go unchecked forever, and we'd possibly be destroyed by it. So, the Deacon is a communist? Socialist? No, the Deacon believes in this country wholeheartedly. He believes in the survival of the fittest and the struggle through life that capitalism creates.

What does he mean by "unrestrained capitalism," isn't capitalism a free system, ergo, one without restraint? Sure, but so is anarchy, and, thinking of capitalism in political terms rather than economic, that is what unrestrained capitalism is, anarchy. With no guidelines, regulations, or oversight, there is nothing to stop a capitalistic mind, and, given that all can partake in the capitalist dream, that's not always a good thing. What we get with unrestrained capitalism is what we have seen over the past few months - people buying homes and real estate outside of their means, mortgage companies financing them without a care, and banks praying on both - unrestrained capitalism in all its glory.

So, to fix this, does Congress have to destroy our capitalist system? No. There is no doubt that there has to be some government injection of cash into the economy (infrastructure, please!), that there has to be stricter guidelines, regulations, and oversight, but we don't need to transform our economy, we just need to set up a perimeter around what can be done. Hopefully, the egotistical, out of touch people who hold Congressional office will have the balls to make this happen. The Deacon asks them, "Of what use is re-election if the homeless can't vote and the United States of America no longer exists?"

"Stimulus"

The Deacon wonders if anyone actually understands what the Stimulus is supposed to be. At this point in time, the country needs a cash injection for infrastructure rebuilding and corporation crutches, i.e., we need to establish job growth. When we needed to do this during the Depression (possibly soon be called the 1st Depression?), we built things; after WWII veterans came home and needed work, we built things. Well, those things need to be rebuilt, and we need jobs, so let's go!

So, what is the problem the Deacon has? Well, you have health groups asking to call your Senators so the NIH receives it's $50 billion in the Stimulus package, groups like the Pickens Plan who want you to call your Senators simply because there is funding for wind energy technology within the over $800 billion package, even if you don't agree with the rest of the package. What? Let's burden everyone else for your selfish dreams? Who cares if there's wasteful spending in there! We can get something we want, and that's all that matters! That's the mindset that put us where we are. The Deacon wants you to think for a second. What happened with mortgage lenders? They were getting what they wanted, regardless of outcome, and where did they end up?

Say the Stimulus passes, and all those hundreds of billions of dollars is doled out to groups. Oh, they'd be so happy! In the years to come, what will they say when the budgets are introduced, and there's no money for them because of what happens in the next few weeks? They'll whine and whine and whine, and we'll fall farther.

Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure, and the jobs will follow, the lending will stabilize, and the ship will be righted.

Fluency in Spanish a Necessity?

The Deacon has seen more than a few job postings recently that hinted that one shouldn't apply if Spanish skills were lacking. Really? So, the world has returned to an international language system, and chose Spanish? I understand that this country has no official national language, and refuses to establish one to avoid hurting peoples' feelings. I understand that there are millions of Spanish speaking people in this country that need help. Well, the Deacon believes that we should help them the way any other immigrant has been helped who has come to this country - learn the dominant language, communicate in English!

The Deacon believes that one needs to experience pain in order to deal with it, but to require someone in America to learn Spanish to deal with immigrants rather than have immigrants learn English to properly survive is anti-Founders. It is anti-Founders, and anti any immigrant who entered this country before we changed our boxers to panties.

The State of Coffee Service

The Deacon is wondering how many have ordered a coffee recently, and have either been charged the wrong price, or given the wrong drink? How different is your drink made by different people? Does no one understand consistency anymore? You can go to Starbucks and get a sweetened iced coffee for the same price as an iced coffee. Some baristas understand substituting the sweetener with a different flavor is not different from adding the sweetener, and realize that there is no change in the price. For some reason, however, newer baristas will charge you for that flavor as an extra shot, why?

Now, The Deacon like Starbucks coffee, and would drink it every day if he had the money, and his drink was made right. How difficult can an iced venti Americano be? Well, it's hardly made the same way twice, and rarer still, made the same way it was 2 years ago. When The Deacon first started going to Starbucks, he appreciated the fact that before an employee stepped behind the counter, he/she went through 2 weeks of training. That was obviously working for Starbucks, and, now, with it's problems, it's obvious they don't do it anymore. The Deacon has been in a Starbucks and heard a regional manager say, "What the hell was that?" after hearing a barista take and call an order. That barista still takes and calls the order the same way. C'mon!

And, Dunkin Donuts. Now, The Deacon hasn't liked Dunkin too much since they stopped making the donuts fresh, and, outside of Southeastern NH, doesn't have one he even enjoys going to. The problems with Dunkin Donuts (besides not making the donuts)? Well, some employees don't speak our language, and, in case you're wondering about that, that it English. Also, if one order a "medium iced hazelnut with cream and 1 Sweet & Low," believe it or not, one has a 50%-50% shot of receiving something resembling that order. Why?

In times of economic crisis, the people of America should at least be assured that their $2-$3 is going to get them the coffee they ordered. Sadly, that's not the case. What the hell is wrong with you people that you can't make a consistent cup of coffee?