Tuesday, October 18, 2011

We Are the 99%

No, it's not the Tea Party. It's a bunch of individuals who feel compelled to stand around and do nothing, with the hopes that that will change something. You can't mix them up with the Tea Party folks. They are a grass roots organization that had such an impact in the voting booths to turn over the House of Representatives from the Democrats, and literally divide the Republicans into two camps (those that support the spending cuts, low taxes, and small government view of the Tea Party, and those who like spending our money and regulating us into oblivion.)

The part that is funny to me is the "We Are the 99%" signs. Do these folks even have a clue? I don't think so. Last weekend my wife and I walked past a small group (four people) holding these signs in Oxford, OH (home of Miami University). My wife held her breath because she thought I wasn't going to hold mine. The only thing I said was to be careful that the (very strong) wind we were experiencing didn't turn that sign into a para sail.

But what if I did open my mouth? What would I tell them? Simply that they haven't thought this out too much. Their slogan, by grammar alone, states that they are against the 1%. Apparently the 1% are not qualified to be part of the solution. I guess they are unaware that the 1% provide almost HALF of ALL tax revenue. Are the 99% willing to cover that portion? I'd also tell them that just under HALF of the 99% don't pay ANY income tax at all - heck, they even get refunds. Why should YOU be paying for THEM? Shouldn't your signs say, "We Are the 49%"?

Folks it's not capitalism, and it's not the government. It's progressivism. The marriage of the two has brought about the crisis that we are facing. 
"Oh Mr. Government Official, here is some campaign contributions. Now, help me stave off my competition with a regulation or two." And when those very businesses get in trouble it's "Oh Mr. Business Owner, don't you worry. You are too big to fail. Here is free tax money to bail you out. I don't care how you use it, just take it!" 
If they are going to "occupy" places like Wall St. (those EVIL bankers deserve to suffer our wrath of protest) they need to give EQUAL time to the White House (those EVIL politicians deserve to suffer our wrath of protest too!) If they don't they are clearly showing how uninformed they are.

So, in conclusion I would say that the "We Are the 99%" group needs to get a clue and maybe go back to occupying their parents' basements. Folks, the sixties are over. If you are going to protest at least take a page or two from the Tea Party play book and DO something. Oh, and make sure you clean up after yourselves when you're done. Now THAT would be a definite departure from the sixties!

© Emittravel 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Stuff My Brain Says #22

In recent news, a person has been arrested for “hacking” into celebrities’ cell phone accounts; most notably for obtaining and distributing nude pictures of Scarlett Johansson. Apparently, Ms. Johansson took semi-naked pictures of herself with her cell phone – wrapped in a towel and taking pictures of her exposed backside in a mirror.

Should this person, if found guilty, be punished? Absolutely. Yet, I can’t feel too much remorse for morons who take nude pictures of themselves with a cell phone – for crying out loud! If you really feel the need to take pictures of your posterior, use a camera – and storage – that CAN’T be “hacked”.

When I was a kid, I asked my brother why he was locking the doors to his car while in the driveway. At the time, that was a pretty safe place to leave it unlocked. He said, “To keep the honest people honest.” If you don’t want your privates publicized, use that melon on top of your shoulders once in awhile and think!

On the bright side, Scarlett Johansson, a name I had NEVER heard of until this “scandal”, has received free publicity. And for a celebrity, there is no such thing as BAD publicity. And think of it, Scarlett, you even made it to this blog. Woo hoo!

© Emittravel 2011

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Any Graphic Artists Out There?

I'm not good at visuals. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. I can't draw stick figures (they all come out male). I even have difficulty coming up with pictures to illustrate my blog. So, I'm asking for help.

I have an idea for a political cartoon, but I can't draw it. In one of my poems I mention that if a picture paints a thousand words, it is the poet's job to come up with the thousand words.

What follows is a description of what I have in mind. If you are of the visual bent, and can bring this to light, please contact me at nocturnecsh@gmail.com. I'll post the image to this blog (linking it to Twitter, Facebook, and Google+) - with full credit to you. Thanks!

Imagine the inside hull of a ship. On one bulkhead is a huge hole with a deluge of water flooding the compartment. The water is labeled "Spending" or "Debt". In the center of the frame stand a donkey and an elephant. Both have buckets in their hands and they are scooping the water from one side (their left?) and pouring it out on their other side (their right?). They are NOT throwing the water out, just moving it. One says to the other: "I think we need bigger buckets."

As you can tell from the cartoon, both the Democrats and Republicans are showing themselves inept when it comes to handling basic economics. The Democrats are crying that the wealthy are not paying their "fair share". If only they would our crisis would be over. The Republicans are saying no to any new taxes, but haven't proposed anything remotely serious when it comes to anything productive. Oh, I understand that they want to come up with some $1.6 trillion in cuts - OVER TEN YEARS! Who really gives a flip when they will increase spending by about $8 trillion over the same ten years?

Listen: you can confiscate ALL the resources of EVERYONE in the country and the problem WOULD NOT BE SOLVED. Why? Because these morons in D.C. will simply OUT SPEND the revenue - as they have been doing for YEARS.

That is why the proposed cartoon has both parties working hand in hand as the ship goes under.

So, thanks folks! Have at it. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

© Emittravel 2011