tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.comments2023-03-26T01:08:27.768-07:00Last Left Turn Before HootervilleAlicia Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14458700009032102949noreply@blogger.comBlogger2130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-9085382738187935392018-05-17T14:44:27.167-07:002018-05-17T14:44:27.167-07:00Well said. The asymmetry between them and us is s...Well said. The asymmetry between them and us is staggering. Al Saavedrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09519956844031820810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-78054571645697697552011-01-10T19:00:14.894-08:002011-01-10T19:00:14.894-08:00Hello. I'm Tommy Cash.
I hear my life a’flush...Hello. I'm Tommy Cash.<br /><br />I hear my life a’flushin’, it's circlin' 'round the drain,<br />Won’t see another kickback ‘till twenty one ten.<br />I'm stuck at Travis County. The trial keeps draggin' on.<br />But Ronnie keeps on rollin'. My seat is dead and gone.<br /><br />I was the rich folk eatin' in restaurants with four stars,<br />I was knockin’ back old wine and smokin' big cigars.<br />I'm stuck at Travis County. The trial keeps draggin' on.<br />But Ronnie keeps on rollin'. My seat is dead and gone.<br /><br />I got to Travis County, shopped for a friendly judge.<br />But that damned state Supreme Court, they wouldn’t budge.<br />Now my judge is Democratic. He’ll throw me in the hole.<br />And I’ll stay in Travis County because I sold my soul.<br /><br />When I was just a freshman, the Constitution said,<br />Tom, promise to uphold me, stay out of bed<br />With corporate special interests. Then I met Abramoff.<br />Now when I hear that gavel poundin’, I think of that jackoff.<br /><br />Yes, all the time I think of Jack. He’d better tell no fibs.<br />Or I’ll convert a toothbrush to slip between his ribs.<br />I'm stuck at Travis County. The trial keeps draggin' on.<br />But Ronnie keeps on rollin'. My seat is dead and gone.jurassicporkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673461210301442978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-52493297724146700082011-01-10T18:58:01.362-08:002011-01-10T18:58:01.362-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.jurassicporkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673461210301442978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-86867645179798514502010-12-03T22:23:29.573-08:002010-12-03T22:23:29.573-08:00Hey Alicia McBig-Crack. The DeLay conviction is a ...Hey Alicia McBig-Crack. The DeLay conviction is a cautionary tale for Frank, Waters, Rangel and Jefferies, wouldn't you say McBig- Crack??? What's good for the goose is good for the gander, right McBig-Crack?? <br /><br />PS: Rep. John Tierney's felon wife laundered over $7M and she's looking at only 60 days house arrest and a $2500 fine.theohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895125760732634872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-48754585209442879892010-11-28T07:49:38.092-08:002010-11-28T07:49:38.092-08:00Hey, Sis. Remember when Scooter got indicted on 10...Hey, Sis. Remember when Scooter got indicted on 10/30/05? I bought a small bottle of champagne to celebrate.<br /><br />The day before Thanksgiving, when the missus and I heard about DeLay's conviction, we did it again and popped the cork over dessert.<br /><br />Liberal, me? You're damned straight.jurassicporkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673461210301442978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-55096410334401006682010-11-28T07:48:51.072-08:002010-11-28T07:48:51.072-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.jurassicporkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673461210301442978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-76960593775212492292010-11-23T11:23:50.144-08:002010-11-23T11:23:50.144-08:00Attention all you Kindle owners, lend me your ears...Attention all you Kindle owners, lend me your ears: My liberal/progressive rock-n-roll novel, <i>American Zen</i>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Zen-ebook/dp/B004D9FUZ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1290539538&sr=1-3" rel="nofollow">just went up for sale on Amazon Kindle</a> yesterday. So if you own any of the 10 varieties of Kindle, please give my novel some consideration. If you like what you read on my blog, you'll love <i>American Zen</i> and its take on love, life, politics, etc. There's also an option on the right side of my catalog page that enables you to see a 45 page sample and if you don't have Kindle for PC, you can d/l one for free. <br /><br />My sis Alicia not only read it, she was one of my technical advisors, so she can tell ya'll how good it it. TIA.jurassicporkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673461210301442978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-24226988858472114482010-10-29T05:33:02.791-07:002010-10-29T05:33:02.791-07:00If "those guys" are paying less than you...<i>If "those guys" are paying less than you feel you deserve, become one of those guys and pay what you feel your help deserves.</i><br /><br />Yeaaaaaah, I'll just become Microsoft, or Hospital Corporation of America, or Goldman Sachs... Another repetition of the "pull yourselves up by your own bootstraps" argument.<br /><br />Forget the fact that it's almost impossible to do that in patent-protected, corporate-thieving, kill-the-competition America. Most people don't want to be a full-time workdrone. For the majority, work is something we do to get by, not the central focus of our life. And we'd like to be paid decently to do it, including a share of the profits our productivity brings the corpos.<br /><br /><i>Funny thing is, you seem to be one who has made a way for yourself in several industries that have alarming rates of failure and penurious wages.</i><br /><br />Alicia, you're a musician and writer, eh? Doing things that you love, not just toiling for the money. Good onya for taking that path, rather than selling out.<br /><br />I enjoyed my former career as a newspaper reporter, but when unemployment forced me to bail out of my former profession and bootstrap myself as a nurse, I did it for the money. It's been gainful, and even allowed me to immigrate to different countries when my wife and I decided to flee the reign of the Bush Crime Family. But to me, hospital work is like a factory job.<br /><br />I go to work at the sickpeople factory, bust my back to keep my sickpeople machines operating as well as possible, then clock out and go home. No love of labour there, just duty. I wish I was doing something that fulfilled me, but living in Australia taught me that one's job should not be one's life. It's one of the most unAmerican things about the Aussies.<br /><br />Most Yanks will never glom the Aussie concept of "work-life balance." They can't afford to, because in America, if you don't work, you can just go get sick and die. It's a shame you don't live in Oz, or even Canada. You wouldn't be making huge money -- artists are starving everywhere -- but you wouldn't have to worry about sickness and death.<br /><br />That's because other countries care about the lives of their citizens. They'll keep them from dying of curable diseases even if they're not rich. And they do that by redistributing society's wealth through taxes. Anathema to "conservatives" who, as you point out, are like children wailing "I don't want to share my toys!" Many other English-speaking societies are not so stingy. They realize their citizens are all in it together.<br /><br /><a rel="nofollow">Lightnindan</a> is on the verge of getting the bootstrap society he wants. His Blogger profile says he's a truck driver, which already means he has to lick the boots of the people he begs to give him jobs. Remember your own advice when "free enterprizers" engage in wage arbitrage pitting you against Mexican truckers, Lightnin'. Your "freedom" will be slavery. Orwell was right.<br /><br />Good luck in the America that's coming, Alicia. I'm glad I got out. It wasn't worth hanging around to fight for, and there's no point in trying to battle a tsunami of greedystupid anyway.Bukko Boomerangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02424677168216647964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-64971863073005628572010-10-28T14:35:23.496-07:002010-10-28T14:35:23.496-07:00Ok, apparently I lost a post trying to put it onto...Ok, apparently I lost a post trying to put it onto your blog, because when I sent a message asking if you had received it, it posted immediately. Oh well, I'll try again.<br /><br />First, maybe you misunderstood my point. It is a fact that we lower taxes on some things in order to influence people's behavior. Whether or not people change is irrelevant to that fact. For instance, there is currently lower taxation for those who purchase certain vehicles or energy efficient appliances, and there are lower taxes on investment for the same reason. <br /> I never advocated for the elimination of the government's power to tax. You've built somewhat of a straw man on that one, and based on that straw man, have created out of whole cloth, a character for me. (currently an employee for a large corporation that pays pretty darn good after 10 years of success and failure in business on my own; a father of six children who at times has wondered where I'd get the money to put food on the table; a man who has given to those in need when I had it to give and has taken charity when I didn't) I well know the government's role in what I do for a living, and my argument didn't address infrastructure or schools.<br />I stand by my argument, though, that we as a nation have overspent. Not just a few bucktoothed, hillbilly conservatives chugging 'shine in the backwoods of West Virginia, I'm speaking of a large portion of our population and many of our local and state governments along with the feds. The first lesson we, as a country, need to learn is to live on less than what we make. That, then, of course begs the question you posed. When the cost of living rises and wages do not, what happens? The solution I follow sidesteps the false dichotomy you propose. Work more or spend less? I say neither, find a way to earn more in less time. Novel I know, but it has been one of the secrets to the prosperity of our country. Heck, it's been known to increase the prosperity of some hillbillies with a good recipe for 'shine. I'm thinking more of legal means, though.<br />If "those guys" are paying less than you feel you deserve, become one of those guys and pay what you feel your help deserves. If the corporations are breaking laws to make their profits, apparently what is needed is not new regulation but government officials with the stones to prosecute them. Otherwise, if they have found a way to profit, and people who are willing to work for them, I suppose they should enjoy their profits.<br />That said, I think you'll find that some of the best run and most profitable businesses are ones that pay their employees well, and didn't need collective bargaining to make them do it. <br />Still trying to figure out where you found self congratulatory smugness in my reply. My (modest) 401k was not mentioned as an "in your face", but as an indication that when people invest and don't panic, their money will more than likely increase despite hard times.<br /> Funny thing is, you seem to be one who has made a way for yourself in several industries that have alarming rates of failure and penurious wages. You are the perfect example of my argument. If more hours and less spending don't work, make yourself successful in a different way instead of wasting away at a low paying job.<br />I really have enjoyed the dialog. I spottily blog, due to my odd work schedule at: http://middleagedmandness.wordpress.comlightnindanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12849518517657643563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-55619029548099595532010-10-28T13:34:52.549-07:002010-10-28T13:34:52.549-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.lightnindanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12849518517657643563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-73057206602688685412010-10-27T14:57:43.778-07:002010-10-27T14:57:43.778-07:00Interesting in that I just used that phrase just b...Interesting in that I just used that phrase just before I found the link to your writing only I said "It's more like art to please the choir. [and with that phrase I always think of the Matisse Chapel of the Rosary]" in reference to a bumper-sticker I posted over at the beer party. For those that take exception I have noted a trend and I will quote myself again; "What I'm getting lately is the Republican Chuckle. When confronted with a truth of some kind... they just Chuckle. The facts don't go in, because there is no IN for the facts to go into."surfbenethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01728548215772910035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-74033772362198935332010-10-27T14:07:00.904-07:002010-10-27T14:07:00.904-07:00You're right, mauigirl - that's why I '...You're right, mauigirl - that's why I 'preach to the choir', and why I don't bother commenting on right-wing blogs But if a conservative comes around here and wants to take exception with me, I will answer. There may be a progressive reading here who can use the discussion to add to their own argument.Alicia Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14458700009032102949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-51986370861068525222010-10-27T12:57:56.977-07:002010-10-27T12:57:56.977-07:00Excellent post - you make all the points that need...Excellent post - you make all the points that need to be made! Sadly, despite your logic, you probably can't change the mind of a dyed-in-the-wool"conservative" who has been brainwashed.Mauigirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15529827915262851910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-6475680965895957172010-10-27T11:25:11.244-07:002010-10-27T11:25:11.244-07:00Beat me to it, GDunn! My reply is too long for com...Beat me to it, GDunn! My reply is too long for comments, so I'll have to make a new post instead.Alicia Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14458700009032102949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-33269680773661849722010-10-27T09:47:35.748-07:002010-10-27T09:47:35.748-07:00Sorry, lightnindan, you are wrong. It isn't f...Sorry, lightnindan, you are wrong. It isn't fair and you are wrong on so many levels, it is hard to begin. Let's just start with "lowering taxes" promote people to "invest." Wrong. You take the tax base that benefits local, state and the federal government and those who can "invest" (the extremely wealthy who pay little to no taxes to begin with) and they invest in China, in Mexico, in other nations. They do not invest in America.<br /><br />I think the real nonsense here is your "I'm so great" attitude and "everybody should be like me."<br /><br />Unfortunately, I live in America where laws are made to benefit the uber wealthy and corporations (how many corporations actually pay taxes? Many receive refunds from the American people!!!)<br /><br />So, we live in a country where Republicans have created a reverse Robin Hood--starting with Saint Ronald Reagan. Yet, we have apologists, like yourself telling America it's our fault! WTF?!GDunnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03116308180226470370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-146512007346556602010-10-26T15:52:49.907-07:002010-10-26T15:52:49.907-07:00Yes it's fair. You lower taxes to encourage pe...Yes it's fair. You lower taxes to encourage people to engage in certain behavior. If you want people to invest, you lower the taxes on investment. <br />Yes, we're being stolen from by the government. Taxes may have been lower this year for the average working man, but with the huge balloon of spending, it is a matter of time before they will rise again, and to levels unprecedented in this nation. <br />If people would learn the concept of spending less than they earn, they might find that the recessions wouldn't bother them as badly. This post is nonsense. Noone made people buy houses that were beyond their ability to pay. Noone forced them to buy new cars and Longaberger baskets and jet skis and eat out three times a week on credit. Noone forced them to spend more than they make. Yes, we have some issues with Wall Street that should be addressed. There will always be those with money and power who choose to abuse it and should be dealt with. (Those in government are many times a part of this problem) <br />My 401k is where it should have been if the bubble had never burst. I lost a bunch, but waited it out and it's not an issue now. Others more heavily invested in real estate, are probably not back yet, but with patience they will be.<br /> Generally speaking, stop whining about the success others have achieved, and start making your way on your own.lightnindanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12849518517657643563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-8070391597091418082010-10-26T10:05:35.073-07:002010-10-26T10:05:35.073-07:00Agreed. Your rant is one of the reasons the right...Agreed. Your rant is one of the reasons the right promotes the idolization and canonization of St. Ronald Reagan of the Rich. Even many that Reagan's policies destroyed speak highly of his holiness.<br /><br />Many of the same, the ones who lost pensions, houses, their lives, etc. will argue till their out of breath about the great St. Ronnie.<br /><br />I don't want this to sound negative, but to these people reality doesn't matter.GDunnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03116308180226470370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-16304182903981702492010-10-24T14:46:14.156-07:002010-10-24T14:46:14.156-07:00As usual, you speak the truth with power and clari...As usual, you speak the truth with power and clarity!PhysioProfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11046093902090839375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-55308324431058151042010-10-12T11:10:45.075-07:002010-10-12T11:10:45.075-07:00So, as usual, this excuse from the homophobe crowd...<i>So, as usual, this excuse from the homophobe crowd turns out to be complete BS</i><br /><br />That's exactly it, Red. Always.Alicia Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14458700009032102949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-17056620871647350432010-10-12T10:41:00.934-07:002010-10-12T10:41:00.934-07:00You just tweeted this, Alicia, and I just have one...You just tweeted this, Alicia, and I just have one thing to add to the above regarding the "kids need a mom and pop" thing.<br /><br />Homophobes love to trot out studies saying that the mother-and-father model provides the best results for the kids. The thing is, when you actually look at those studies, they are invariably comparing mother-and-father vs. single-parent - there is never a gay couple involved anywhere in the study.<br /><br />Studies which actually compare straight couples raising children against gay couples raising children find no difference - the children grow up to be equally stable and well-adjusted.<br /><br />So, as usual, this excuse from the homophobe crowd turns out to be complete BS.Redwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10532917611648185870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-61961883894573335712010-09-22T11:24:14.563-07:002010-09-22T11:24:14.563-07:00Writing/blogging seems so much like yelling down a...Writing/blogging seems so much like yelling down a well...waiting for the echo. I don't know what I would do for encouragement if I stuck to just my weblogs for companionship and feedback ; though they give me a whale of a platform if I want to expound upon a theme.<br />I've not been on Second Life - my son prefers IMVU - as until 3 weeks ago I had abandoned Windows in disgust over malware. Even then it's a matter of running XP on an older machine that was refurbished.<br />But I have found some companionship in reaction to Oldephartteintraining II at My Opera. Current TV has a lively group too. But the most active and congenial community has been at the Australian Care2 site.<br />Your September 1 post has hit a nerve. People are becoming more aware of the lies underpinning political power.<br />You might 'try the water', even if only to see reaction to your post.<br />It's going on my next list at Oldephartteintraining III at opitslinkfest.blogspot.comopithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01621946866211400380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-34654272453413891012010-09-21T10:39:03.825-07:002010-09-21T10:39:03.825-07:00Not to mention the whole satirical aspect of this ...Not to mention the whole satirical aspect of this article is lost on someone who knows only 3% of illegals do farm work. The remaining 97% take jobs Americans would be more then willing to have at restaurants, hotels,etc..<br /><br />The author of this article is witty but uneducated when it comes to the topic of undocumented immigration.rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01424173949063913651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-16838559950305190202010-09-06T02:30:35.278-07:002010-09-06T02:30:35.278-07:00make that "presidential" candidate.make that "presidential" candidate.Alessandro Machihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316327488702524564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-84237777519285481572010-09-06T02:29:59.188-07:002010-09-06T02:29:59.188-07:00Hillary Clinton was/is the real middle class presi...Hillary Clinton was/is the real middle class president candidate.Alessandro Machihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316327488702524564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9194369.post-471786273688330452010-08-30T16:02:22.295-07:002010-08-30T16:02:22.295-07:00Thanks so much Seraphine! So nice to meet you. You...Thanks so much Seraphine! So nice to meet you. Your comics are very cool! Impressive. I do count myself incredibly fortunate in family love, which makes everything else in life bearable.<br /><br />Look forward to seeing you in SL again!Alicia Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14458700009032102949noreply@blogger.com