Yesterday I heard a politician on TV tell his constituents, "We're going to have to make some pretty tough choices. He was referring to the choices between funding education, for example, or vaccinations. Or perhaps it was between repairing infrastructure and giving retirees the funds they paid into their own retirement accounts. Maybe even between paying for food for children on welfare or keeping prisons open. You never know what politicians are really thinking when they say things like that.
But you can rest assured they will not make the toughest choice of all: repealing the seven hundred billion dollar tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Those folks who are so unbelievably rich that it is impossible to fathom how much money they have. People who could support hundreds of thousands of millionaires on what they earn each year. That's $700,000,000,000.00. With this money we could solve most if not many of the fiscal problems facing our government today.
But, the presumably bought and paid for politicians ask, how can we do that? Well, first we introduce a bill which states we repeal those tax cuts, then it goes through the house and senate and once it's passed both houses, the president signs it. Simple.
But, what about trickle down economics? These rich folks make the economy grow.
No, they don't. They don't spend their money. That's how they stay rich, And we're talking REALLY rich. For example, when the State of Wisconsin is struggling to keep it's education system afloat, just one of these super-wealthy, tax skipping Americans could afford to hire an entire school's worth of teachers, keep them in their own house and still make money every year. And they can buy solid gold Cadillacs, outrageously overpriced artwork, safaris to hunt endangered animals and six year old Cambodian sex slaves.
Now tell me again, why do we have to make the tough choices between rent and medicine, education and vaccination, gasoline and food? To give these people their tax cuts? So that a very few Americans can keep their seven hundred billion dollars?
Who are our politicians really working for? Obviously not us, not the middle class, not the poor... not the voters. That only leaves one group, the group who are keeping all the tax money they should be paying to the government, their fair share. Hey, we have to do it and we make the tough choices. There comes a point where you have enough money: enough to live, to play, to work, to help others. If $700,000,000,000.00 is what they owe in taxes, it means they have LOTS MORE MONEY than that.
The only tough choice I see is getting our elected officials off the payola and working for the voters again.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
How Cold Was It?
Okay, it's February, I get it. But this is TEXAS for heaven's sakes. During the last big cold spell (last week) when y'all up north were basking in piles of snow and warm temperatures, we were colder down here every day than Chicago and Syracuse NY, Plus we had a windchill that froze your spit before it hit the ground (depending, of course, on your relative height agl). Hey, I'm not exaggerating, The Emily tried it with her friend Cat. Sadly, Cat is a human but she's pretty good as those folks go.
Today we got another cold front come through. It was 24 F when mom went out this morning. She came back at 11:00 to get more clothes on. It had dropped to 18. She drove to her class and it was 16 by the time she got there. When she got out (early because no one in their right mind would come out in that weather) it was 16. By the time she got home it was 12. Now it's 3 and the sun's still up. Jeez... and the wind's supposed to start really blowing tonight. (By the way, right now it's 12 in Chicago and 13 in NY) And they're telling us just 5-8 inches. Of snow. And this is a desert.
Hey, at least we don't live in Australia.
I sat on the windowsill for a while today laughing. The same birdies who tease me in the summer were not happy today. There were birdy butts laying all over the yard because they had been freezing them right off. Heh. My little nemeses are few and far between today, hiding where ever it is that freezing birdies go when they aren't out flaunting their freedoms to captive kitties. Uncle Jim said he saw a crow stuck in the air: too cold to fly, too stuck to fall. I like that idea. Makes them good targets. You just have to chip them out of the sky once you get them. Teach a dog to fetch that, I dare ya.
The Kemper Kitty came down with strep on Sunday. On Monday his mama took him to the doctor and they gave him antibiotics and hydrocodone for his cough. The Emily gave it to him once. For the rest of the night he bounced around the house like pinball on speed. He's not getting it again. He's bored out of his gourd and driving everyone crazy. He's painted a little cardboard house, cleaned up his toys, cleaned up his toys again (he's not at all like his mother) painted valentine boxes and generally wanders around talking and talking. (He takes after his great grand mother there) He has taken mom's mittens and put them on his feet so he can be a monkey (opposable toes). Yesterday mom opened the refrigerator and found a plush snake curled up on the cottage cheese. She said, "Why is there a snake in my refrigerator?" KK said, "Because I want to keep him warm." This week, that makes sense.
I think we should put out some bird food on the window sill. Then if they want to eat they have to get next to me. Hey, maybe it should be sitting on dry ice. Naw, wouldn't want to warm it up for them. The one good thing about these cold temperatures is that we all get to sleep on the bed with mom (and dad and KK). Mom's philosophy about cold weather is "The more, the warmier".
So keep your snakes in the refrigerator and your mittens on your feet. That makes it much easier to pick up the objects dropped by your frostbitten, unresponsive fingers. And feed your cat lots of yummy snacks so he's fat and warm under your covers.
Your Icekitty
Perry
Today we got another cold front come through. It was 24 F when mom went out this morning. She came back at 11:00 to get more clothes on. It had dropped to 18. She drove to her class and it was 16 by the time she got there. When she got out (early because no one in their right mind would come out in that weather) it was 16. By the time she got home it was 12. Now it's 3 and the sun's still up. Jeez... and the wind's supposed to start really blowing tonight. (By the way, right now it's 12 in Chicago and 13 in NY) And they're telling us just 5-8 inches. Of snow. And this is a desert.
Hey, at least we don't live in Australia.
I sat on the windowsill for a while today laughing. The same birdies who tease me in the summer were not happy today. There were birdy butts laying all over the yard because they had been freezing them right off. Heh. My little nemeses are few and far between today, hiding where ever it is that freezing birdies go when they aren't out flaunting their freedoms to captive kitties. Uncle Jim said he saw a crow stuck in the air: too cold to fly, too stuck to fall. I like that idea. Makes them good targets. You just have to chip them out of the sky once you get them. Teach a dog to fetch that, I dare ya.
The Kemper Kitty came down with strep on Sunday. On Monday his mama took him to the doctor and they gave him antibiotics and hydrocodone for his cough. The Emily gave it to him once. For the rest of the night he bounced around the house like pinball on speed. He's not getting it again. He's bored out of his gourd and driving everyone crazy. He's painted a little cardboard house, cleaned up his toys, cleaned up his toys again (he's not at all like his mother) painted valentine boxes and generally wanders around talking and talking. (He takes after his great grand mother there) He has taken mom's mittens and put them on his feet so he can be a monkey (opposable toes). Yesterday mom opened the refrigerator and found a plush snake curled up on the cottage cheese. She said, "Why is there a snake in my refrigerator?" KK said, "Because I want to keep him warm." This week, that makes sense.
I think we should put out some bird food on the window sill. Then if they want to eat they have to get next to me. Hey, maybe it should be sitting on dry ice. Naw, wouldn't want to warm it up for them. The one good thing about these cold temperatures is that we all get to sleep on the bed with mom (and dad and KK). Mom's philosophy about cold weather is "The more, the warmier".
So keep your snakes in the refrigerator and your mittens on your feet. That makes it much easier to pick up the objects dropped by your frostbitten, unresponsive fingers. And feed your cat lots of yummy snacks so he's fat and warm under your covers.
Your Icekitty
Perry
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