Lucia was in Cambridge and guess what she sees.
Two men entering a locked home, without any keys.
She rushed to the phone and she called 911
Officer Crowley responded. He was not there for fun.
He saw a man inside just like you or me.
This man, however, would not furnish ID
The situation got ugly and Crowley was tested.
Before he knew it, the man was arrested.
But this man had connections, and hence came the drama.
This man was Professor Gates, friend of Patrick and Obama.
Now Crowley's a racist and can't do his job.
And as this drags on, my head starts to throb.
Will Gates admit fault? I hope and I pray,
That whatever the outcome, this just goes away.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Idiocracy
One metric that has always seemed to define America is that each generation enjoys better living standards than the one before it. We achieve this through improvement, innovation and drive. Lately there has been much doubt raised as to whether this will continue. Global warming, economic collapse and escalating health concerns all seem to threaten our prosperity.
Have we reached an inevitable tipping point? If human nature got us to where we are, does that mean it can also take it down? Are we even capable of moving forward?
There was an old proverb I learned in first grade. Give a man a fish, he eats a for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever. We've been giving away fish like Sea World. Over 40% of Americans pay no federal income tax. And our government has plans to make that number over 50%. At this point we have two serious issues.
The first being that over half the country, and potentially over half of all voters, will have no skin in the game. People who got 100% financing for homes during the housing boom walked away when things began to turn south. If a citizen and a voter is not a taxpayer, why should they care how the taxes are spent? More importantly, if they're not putting any money into the system, why wouldn't they want to make every effort to ensure they receive as many taxpayer benefits as possible?
This leads to the second issue. With the majority of our country effectively shaking down the minority, what's the incentive to work at all? There is a law of diminishing return that our government seems to be ignoring. Yes, there needs to be a certain amount of taxation. At 0% there is no revenue because 0% of anything is $0.00. At 100% there is no revenue because there is no incentive to work when you don't keep a penny. Somewhere between 0 and 100 there is an optimal rate which allows the government to take in as much as possible. Not that I'm advocating for it to be found. Government should exist to do collectively what we must do and cannot do individually. It does not need $4 trillion to do this.
And not to beat a dead horse, but at the rate we're going our children are going to inherit a deficit of tens of trillions of dollars. If this is ever going to be paid down it's going to take a serious reduction in government services and likely a serious raise in tax revenue. We may be able to work 40 hours a week and enjoy about 3 weeks vacation, often someplace tropical. Our children will work 70 hour weeks and if they're lucky perhaps 4 day vacation in their own home.
And speaking of that home, good luck buying one. More and more people living paycheck to paycheck will make mortgages harder to find than a good Woody Harrelson movie.
If that's not enough to make us dwindle into the abyss, think about this. The fast food industry now takes in more revenue than higher education. People too lazy to cook a healthy meal have effectively turned Burger King into their family kitchen. More than 66% of us are overweight and more than half of those are obese. Walk into a McDonalds and you may surprise someone by telling them that their supersized Big Mac extra value meal has about 1200 calories as they take another bite of grease.
This leads me back to the title of this post. Idiocracy. It's a Mike Judge movie and not really worth seeing for entertainment purposes. It's billed as a stoner flick but can also come off as a futuristic documentary. It depicts a world with politicians dumber than nails, completely automated systems that never work right and somehow Like Wilson's character was the smartest person there. Ladies and gentlemen, are we really that far away from this?
Have we reached an inevitable tipping point? If human nature got us to where we are, does that mean it can also take it down? Are we even capable of moving forward?
There was an old proverb I learned in first grade. Give a man a fish, he eats a for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever. We've been giving away fish like Sea World. Over 40% of Americans pay no federal income tax. And our government has plans to make that number over 50%. At this point we have two serious issues.
The first being that over half the country, and potentially over half of all voters, will have no skin in the game. People who got 100% financing for homes during the housing boom walked away when things began to turn south. If a citizen and a voter is not a taxpayer, why should they care how the taxes are spent? More importantly, if they're not putting any money into the system, why wouldn't they want to make every effort to ensure they receive as many taxpayer benefits as possible?
This leads to the second issue. With the majority of our country effectively shaking down the minority, what's the incentive to work at all? There is a law of diminishing return that our government seems to be ignoring. Yes, there needs to be a certain amount of taxation. At 0% there is no revenue because 0% of anything is $0.00. At 100% there is no revenue because there is no incentive to work when you don't keep a penny. Somewhere between 0 and 100 there is an optimal rate which allows the government to take in as much as possible. Not that I'm advocating for it to be found. Government should exist to do collectively what we must do and cannot do individually. It does not need $4 trillion to do this.
And not to beat a dead horse, but at the rate we're going our children are going to inherit a deficit of tens of trillions of dollars. If this is ever going to be paid down it's going to take a serious reduction in government services and likely a serious raise in tax revenue. We may be able to work 40 hours a week and enjoy about 3 weeks vacation, often someplace tropical. Our children will work 70 hour weeks and if they're lucky perhaps 4 day vacation in their own home.
And speaking of that home, good luck buying one. More and more people living paycheck to paycheck will make mortgages harder to find than a good Woody Harrelson movie.
If that's not enough to make us dwindle into the abyss, think about this. The fast food industry now takes in more revenue than higher education. People too lazy to cook a healthy meal have effectively turned Burger King into their family kitchen. More than 66% of us are overweight and more than half of those are obese. Walk into a McDonalds and you may surprise someone by telling them that their supersized Big Mac extra value meal has about 1200 calories as they take another bite of grease.
This leads me back to the title of this post. Idiocracy. It's a Mike Judge movie and not really worth seeing for entertainment purposes. It's billed as a stoner flick but can also come off as a futuristic documentary. It depicts a world with politicians dumber than nails, completely automated systems that never work right and somehow Like Wilson's character was the smartest person there. Ladies and gentlemen, are we really that far away from this?
Monday, May 11, 2009
Strawberrygate
As some of you may know, Sean Kiely claims to have played 18 holes, shooting a 75 and a hole-in-one at Strawberry Valley Golf Course in Abington, Massachusetts on Friday, May 8, 2009. Sean also claims that the hole-in-one was on the first hole, a par 4, making it an albatross (3 under par). Those of you who have played golf with Sean, myself included, have questioned whether or not this was possible. There were no witnesses of the event., other than a groundskeeper, who could not be located to sign the scorecard.
To investigate these claims, I joined Sean at the very same golf course today. Here are the findings:
1. The greenskeeper, whom Sean claims witnessed the hole-in-one, was not present.
2. Sean took three tee shots on the first hole and scored the maximum allowed, an 8.
3. Though only 9 holes were played, Sean reached the maximum on several others.
4. Sean scored a 56 on the nine holes, extrapolated this would give a 112 on 18, 50% higher than the 75 reported for Friday's game.
5. None of the personell on the golf course could confirm or deny his claims.
Summary: Sean did have some impressive shots but lacked the consistency needed to obtain a decent score. Sean claims that playing by himself reduced pressure, allowing for a better game. I've known Sean for several years and have never found him to be dishonest. If he claims a certain score, it is likely that he got it.
To investigate these claims, I joined Sean at the very same golf course today. Here are the findings:
1. The greenskeeper, whom Sean claims witnessed the hole-in-one, was not present.
2. Sean took three tee shots on the first hole and scored the maximum allowed, an 8.
3. Though only 9 holes were played, Sean reached the maximum on several others.
4. Sean scored a 56 on the nine holes, extrapolated this would give a 112 on 18, 50% higher than the 75 reported for Friday's game.
5. None of the personell on the golf course could confirm or deny his claims.
Summary: Sean did have some impressive shots but lacked the consistency needed to obtain a decent score. Sean claims that playing by himself reduced pressure, allowing for a better game. I've known Sean for several years and have never found him to be dishonest. If he claims a certain score, it is likely that he got it.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Black Eye Friday
Being Jewish, I can't honestly say I've ever fully grasped the Christmas spirit. However, growing up in America I have always defined it with several key points:
1. Time off from work/school
2. A temporary change of surroundings. Holiday decorations in public, Christmas songs on the radio. A very Pagan thing overall, but still a nice change of scenery.
3. An uplifting spirit from those around me. People really get into this and begin to radiate. It's usually a positive thing.
This year things are different. It's every man for himself. Eat or be eaten. Don't get me wrong. I support parents that want to provide a happy holiday for their family. But can they loose the tunnel vision? My experience with this holiday may be somewhat limited. However, if someone told me that the meaning of Christmas was to rush down to Wal-Mart at 4am and join a stampede of lowlifes to max out the credit card and dip into the emergency savings so that the kids can get the X-Box and Hannah Montana DVD they whined over it would really make me question who was in control. Does Norman Rockwell have something to do with this? Is it that false hope of the perfect Christmas that drives people to such madness? Whatever it is, it's bullshit.
You want to provide a real Christmas? Teach your kids what's really important in life. To quote the great Suzie Orman, "People first. Then money. Then things." Open up to your kids. Explain that Christmas is important, but so are the other 364 days of the year. Tell them they don't need Abercrombie clothes to enjoy the holiday, but they do need groceries to be bought and rent or mortgage payments to be made to enjoy eating and staying warm. Sure they probably won't understand right away. But it's a lesson they can take into adulthood. Teach them that Christmas is not defined by the latest toy or the trendiest fashion but by the company they're with. Slow down. Appreciate the simpler things that life has to offer.
Yesterday these values seemed to completely go out the window. Instead of an uplifting spirit, we got this: Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death. And this: 2 gunmen kill each other in shootout at Toys R Us in Palm Desert. Some say it's the current decline of the economy which lead to this behavior. In fact it's this behavior that lead to the economic hardships we see today.
Entitlement. I'd say I was sick of hearing this word if it wasn't for the fact that it's still true. "I'll take what I feel is rightfully mine even if someone else has to pay for it." This is the tragic mantra that seems to carry on even into the holiday season. We used to have a logical set if values in this country. Money doesn't grow on trees. You buy things only if you can afford them. And most importantly: You are the number one factor in your success or failure. These important facts of life seem to have been pushed back far enough where they have about as much influence as a locked door yesterday morning.
What happened yesterday in New York and LA were beyond tragic. They were an embarrassment. They are the types of stories I thought could only come from a third world country where marshall law had been imposed. I'd almost be ok with the situation in LA if it wasn't for the fact that it led to two fatherless families. But the Wal-Mart worker trampled to death is just insane. What's next year going to be like? Metal detectors and wristbands to facilitate our holiday shopping? How much babysitting do we need?
One could argue it's the retailers fault for using a false sense of urgency to lure people into mall madness. Except it's not. This isn't the first time violent situations have erupted on black Friday. And it certainly won't be the last. I sincerely hope there's a thorough analysis of Wal-Mart's security tapes and that everyone who walked by that victim until medical help arrived is prosecuted for manslaughter. Perhaps then we can be a little more sensible with regards to our conduct in public. Until then, all I can do is write.
1. Time off from work/school
2. A temporary change of surroundings. Holiday decorations in public, Christmas songs on the radio. A very Pagan thing overall, but still a nice change of scenery.
3. An uplifting spirit from those around me. People really get into this and begin to radiate. It's usually a positive thing.
This year things are different. It's every man for himself. Eat or be eaten. Don't get me wrong. I support parents that want to provide a happy holiday for their family. But can they loose the tunnel vision? My experience with this holiday may be somewhat limited. However, if someone told me that the meaning of Christmas was to rush down to Wal-Mart at 4am and join a stampede of lowlifes to max out the credit card and dip into the emergency savings so that the kids can get the X-Box and Hannah Montana DVD they whined over it would really make me question who was in control. Does Norman Rockwell have something to do with this? Is it that false hope of the perfect Christmas that drives people to such madness? Whatever it is, it's bullshit.
You want to provide a real Christmas? Teach your kids what's really important in life. To quote the great Suzie Orman, "People first. Then money. Then things." Open up to your kids. Explain that Christmas is important, but so are the other 364 days of the year. Tell them they don't need Abercrombie clothes to enjoy the holiday, but they do need groceries to be bought and rent or mortgage payments to be made to enjoy eating and staying warm. Sure they probably won't understand right away. But it's a lesson they can take into adulthood. Teach them that Christmas is not defined by the latest toy or the trendiest fashion but by the company they're with. Slow down. Appreciate the simpler things that life has to offer.
Yesterday these values seemed to completely go out the window. Instead of an uplifting spirit, we got this: Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death. And this: 2 gunmen kill each other in shootout at Toys R Us in Palm Desert. Some say it's the current decline of the economy which lead to this behavior. In fact it's this behavior that lead to the economic hardships we see today.
Entitlement. I'd say I was sick of hearing this word if it wasn't for the fact that it's still true. "I'll take what I feel is rightfully mine even if someone else has to pay for it." This is the tragic mantra that seems to carry on even into the holiday season. We used to have a logical set if values in this country. Money doesn't grow on trees. You buy things only if you can afford them. And most importantly: You are the number one factor in your success or failure. These important facts of life seem to have been pushed back far enough where they have about as much influence as a locked door yesterday morning.
What happened yesterday in New York and LA were beyond tragic. They were an embarrassment. They are the types of stories I thought could only come from a third world country where marshall law had been imposed. I'd almost be ok with the situation in LA if it wasn't for the fact that it led to two fatherless families. But the Wal-Mart worker trampled to death is just insane. What's next year going to be like? Metal detectors and wristbands to facilitate our holiday shopping? How much babysitting do we need?
One could argue it's the retailers fault for using a false sense of urgency to lure people into mall madness. Except it's not. This isn't the first time violent situations have erupted on black Friday. And it certainly won't be the last. I sincerely hope there's a thorough analysis of Wal-Mart's security tapes and that everyone who walked by that victim until medical help arrived is prosecuted for manslaughter. Perhaps then we can be a little more sensible with regards to our conduct in public. Until then, all I can do is write.
Come Fry The Friendly Skies
In the years since 9/11, air travel has changed quite a bit.
When passing through security, we’ve surrendered the following:
Knitting needles
Pocket knives
Box cutters
Liquids (ahh how I miss byob)
Toothpaste
Shaving cream
The shoe bomber pretty much ensured anyone wearing knee high boots will spend no less than ½ hour passing through security. Think flip flops are the way to go? TSA wouldn’t be that ridiculous you say? Hope you don’t mind Purelling your feet outside the gate.
Did you sell a kidney to fly first class? Enjoy your plastic steak knife.
So where do we go from here? Sure we have an obligation to keep our skies safe and ensure our aircraft are not used as weapons of mass destruction. But can someone tell me how a tube of Aquafresh can bring down a 747?
So what’s next? The pin on your belt buckle might poke someone. All belts are to be checked. Paper can be acidic. No more reading. That’s ok, the people I fly with are such fun to talk to. Clothing can be shredded to rope and used to strangle.
Welcome to the air travel of the next decade. There will be no carry-on. You will check all items which will fly in a special cargo plane, sometimes actually arriving at your destination the same time as you! You will be strip searched, pass through a full body x-ray machine and issued special TSA passenger gowns. When entering the jetway, a sedative will be issued, it’s strength depending on the duration of the flight. By the time you’re seated, you’ll be out cold.
Airlines will welcome this. They’ll get to charge all sorts of new fees like drool-wiping and adult-diaper disposal. And the few frills left like stale coffee and preservative loaded muffins can be dropped completely!
Upon arriving at your destination, those who have not regained consciousness will be cattle prodded (for $3 a prod), taken by wheelchair if needed ($35 per half hour) and hit what feels like a casino to see if they’re lucky enough to receive their luggage.
So I tip my hat to you Bin Laden. Although your well coordinated attack was not nearly as destructive as you may have hoped, you’ve achieved the spreading of your insanity into our commercial airlines. Someday I’ll be able to tell my grandkids of the days when you didn’t need to be an “expert” to clear security in less than an hour. And Boy Scout trinkets weren’t elevated to the risk of biological warfare.
When passing through security, we’ve surrendered the following:
Knitting needles
Pocket knives
Box cutters
Liquids (ahh how I miss byob)
Toothpaste
Shaving cream
The shoe bomber pretty much ensured anyone wearing knee high boots will spend no less than ½ hour passing through security. Think flip flops are the way to go? TSA wouldn’t be that ridiculous you say? Hope you don’t mind Purelling your feet outside the gate.
Did you sell a kidney to fly first class? Enjoy your plastic steak knife.
So where do we go from here? Sure we have an obligation to keep our skies safe and ensure our aircraft are not used as weapons of mass destruction. But can someone tell me how a tube of Aquafresh can bring down a 747?
So what’s next? The pin on your belt buckle might poke someone. All belts are to be checked. Paper can be acidic. No more reading. That’s ok, the people I fly with are such fun to talk to. Clothing can be shredded to rope and used to strangle.
Welcome to the air travel of the next decade. There will be no carry-on. You will check all items which will fly in a special cargo plane, sometimes actually arriving at your destination the same time as you! You will be strip searched, pass through a full body x-ray machine and issued special TSA passenger gowns. When entering the jetway, a sedative will be issued, it’s strength depending on the duration of the flight. By the time you’re seated, you’ll be out cold.
Airlines will welcome this. They’ll get to charge all sorts of new fees like drool-wiping and adult-diaper disposal. And the few frills left like stale coffee and preservative loaded muffins can be dropped completely!
Upon arriving at your destination, those who have not regained consciousness will be cattle prodded (for $3 a prod), taken by wheelchair if needed ($35 per half hour) and hit what feels like a casino to see if they’re lucky enough to receive their luggage.
So I tip my hat to you Bin Laden. Although your well coordinated attack was not nearly as destructive as you may have hoped, you’ve achieved the spreading of your insanity into our commercial airlines. Someday I’ll be able to tell my grandkids of the days when you didn’t need to be an “expert” to clear security in less than an hour. And Boy Scout trinkets weren’t elevated to the risk of biological warfare.
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