We expect this from big business Republicans (and Bill Clinton) but here are the names of the Democrats who support the loss of US jobs, factories with no environmental regulations and slave labor with no rights. Yes, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken will be able to open restaurants in Central America putting out of business small family owned restaurants but I don't see how that benefits me. The only good that comes from CAFTA is that Fortune 500 companies stock prices have an oppurtunity to edge up a quarter point. It solves no problems in Central America, it only creates more.
Thanks guys! Now the rest of the country can look like Detroit.
The following Democrats are responsible for the loss of your job:
Melissa Bean, Illinois (8th District): 202-225-3711
Jim Cooper, Tennessee (5th District): 202-225-4311
Norm Dicks, Washington (6th District): 202-225-5916
Henry Cuellar, Texas (28th District): 202-225-1640
Ruben Hinojosa, Texas (15th District): (202) 225-2531
William Jefferson, Louisiana (2nd District): (202) 225-6636
Jim Matheson, Utah (2nd District): (202) 225-3011
Gregory Meeks, New York (6th District): (202) 225-3011
Dennis Moore, Kansas (3rd District): (202) 225-2865
Jim Moran, Virginia (8th District): (202) 225-4376
Solomon Ortiz, Texas (27th District): 202-225-7742
Ike Skelton, Missouri (4th District): 202-225-2876
Vic Snyder, Arkansas (2nd District): 202-225-2506
John Tanner, Tennessee (8th District): (202) 225-4714
Edolphus Towns, New York (10th District: (202) 225-5936
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Tell Your Senators to Keep the Estate Tax!
Do you think the US doesn't need 30 billion dollars in tax revenue per year?
Do you think Paris Hilton deserves to be rich more than someone who works 50 hours per week, just because of her last name?
Did you know that the Estate Tax (AKA Death Tax to Republicans) only affects estates worth over 1.5 million dollars?
Did you know that the Estate Tax never exceeds 50% no matter how rich someone is?
Did you know that the Estate Tax only affects approximately 2% percent of the entire population, but this small percentage accounts for over 45% of the wealth in this country?
Did you know that 8 of the 15 richest people in this country inherited all of their wealth, and never worked a day in their life for it?
Did you know that in 1982 the wealthiest 400 individuals in the "Forbes 400" owned $92 billion? By 2000 their wealth increased to over $1.2 trillion.
Did you know that Bill Gates alone has as much wealth as the bottom 40% of all U.S. households? (He is one of the few who actually worked for it)
Did you know that you will never be this rich and that you personally will never have to pay an Estate Tax?
Would you whine and complain if someone handed you a free check worth over $750,000?
Did you know that because of this country's lax trade policies, its defeat of European Communism, its lenient tax laws, and its welfare system which protects rich people from hordes of poor people roaming the streets looking for their next victim, that rich people in this country get richer every year, and are only allowed to do so because they live in this country to begin with?
Don't you think it's about time they show a little gratitude and realize they owe their success to the United States of America and the American workers?
If so, click this link below and tell your Senators to keep the Estate Tax in place!
http://www.usalone.com/estatetax.htm
The repeal has already passed in the House of Representatives!
Do you think Paris Hilton deserves to be rich more than someone who works 50 hours per week, just because of her last name?
Did you know that the Estate Tax (AKA Death Tax to Republicans) only affects estates worth over 1.5 million dollars?
Did you know that the Estate Tax never exceeds 50% no matter how rich someone is?
Did you know that the Estate Tax only affects approximately 2% percent of the entire population, but this small percentage accounts for over 45% of the wealth in this country?
Did you know that 8 of the 15 richest people in this country inherited all of their wealth, and never worked a day in their life for it?
Did you know that in 1982 the wealthiest 400 individuals in the "Forbes 400" owned $92 billion? By 2000 their wealth increased to over $1.2 trillion.
Did you know that Bill Gates alone has as much wealth as the bottom 40% of all U.S. households? (He is one of the few who actually worked for it)
Did you know that you will never be this rich and that you personally will never have to pay an Estate Tax?
Would you whine and complain if someone handed you a free check worth over $750,000?
Did you know that because of this country's lax trade policies, its defeat of European Communism, its lenient tax laws, and its welfare system which protects rich people from hordes of poor people roaming the streets looking for their next victim, that rich people in this country get richer every year, and are only allowed to do so because they live in this country to begin with?
Don't you think it's about time they show a little gratitude and realize they owe their success to the United States of America and the American workers?
If so, click this link below and tell your Senators to keep the Estate Tax in place!
http://www.usalone.com/estatetax.htm
The repeal has already passed in the House of Representatives!
Monday, July 25, 2005
Guns and Alcohol Should be Tax Exempt too!
According to the Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations, on the IRS' website:
"Congress has enacted special tax laws applicable to churches, religious organizations and ministers in recognition of their unique status in American society and of their rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."
If religious organizations get tax exempt status based on their protection under the Constitution then guns and alcohol should be Tax Exempt too. What better way to celebrate our freedoms than getting drunk and shooting each other and then going to church the next day to repent.
Although my father was an IRS agent for over 25 years, Sec. 501c of the IRS tax code was not his specialty and he has no good answer as to why churches don't pay taxes and is as just as baffled as I am. So if anyone can help shed some light on this subject I would like to hear your educated view on the actual laws governing tax exempt organizations under the US tax code.
I always thought churches were tax exempt because most of them were "charitable organizations", or at least claimed to be. However, what I gather from the above statement is that because freedom of religion is protected under the constitution, the government doesn't have the right to interfere with its practice and finances. But, if Alcohol is protected under the 21st amendment, doesn't it stand to reason that it would be unconstitutional to tax alcohol, or guns for that matter since they are both protected under amendments in the Constitution? And while we are at it, Time, Newsweek and other forms media should not be taxed since they are also protected under the same amendment as religion. Unless of course a member of the press refuses to give up their source, then that is clearly not protected (<---sarcasm).
Why does one get special exemptions and the others don't? Are they saying that one amendment is more important than any other amendments? If so, who decided this? If not, why the special treatment for religious organizations and charities but not for other thing protected under the Constitution?
And as most people know, tax exempt religious or charitable organizations cannot condemn or support a candidate for political office. I guess that means Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, The NAACP, Westboro Baptist Church (Rev. Phelps), Ronnie Floyd and all the Southern Baptists and Focus on the Family should all start paying taxes.
"Congress has enacted special tax laws applicable to churches, religious organizations and ministers in recognition of their unique status in American society and of their rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."
If religious organizations get tax exempt status based on their protection under the Constitution then guns and alcohol should be Tax Exempt too. What better way to celebrate our freedoms than getting drunk and shooting each other and then going to church the next day to repent.
Although my father was an IRS agent for over 25 years, Sec. 501c of the IRS tax code was not his specialty and he has no good answer as to why churches don't pay taxes and is as just as baffled as I am. So if anyone can help shed some light on this subject I would like to hear your educated view on the actual laws governing tax exempt organizations under the US tax code.
I always thought churches were tax exempt because most of them were "charitable organizations", or at least claimed to be. However, what I gather from the above statement is that because freedom of religion is protected under the constitution, the government doesn't have the right to interfere with its practice and finances. But, if Alcohol is protected under the 21st amendment, doesn't it stand to reason that it would be unconstitutional to tax alcohol, or guns for that matter since they are both protected under amendments in the Constitution? And while we are at it, Time, Newsweek and other forms media should not be taxed since they are also protected under the same amendment as religion. Unless of course a member of the press refuses to give up their source, then that is clearly not protected (<---sarcasm).
Why does one get special exemptions and the others don't? Are they saying that one amendment is more important than any other amendments? If so, who decided this? If not, why the special treatment for religious organizations and charities but not for other thing protected under the Constitution?
And as most people know, tax exempt religious or charitable organizations cannot condemn or support a candidate for political office. I guess that means Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, The NAACP, Westboro Baptist Church (Rev. Phelps), Ronnie Floyd and all the Southern Baptists and Focus on the Family should all start paying taxes.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Tax Exempt Theme Park?? Florida Still Sucks!
Washington Times article
There is a Biblical theme park in Orlando, FL that recently won a court decision exempting it from paying taxes. The activist Circuit Judge Cynthia MacKinnon decided that "Holy Land Experience" should be tax exempt due to its religious nature.
The thought of religious organizations not paying taxes is disturbing and the thought of a religious theme park in general is even more so. But now, a theme park based on a religious theme somehow gets to avoid the $786,343 property tax bill and all future tax bills, which would be over $1 million per year. Even if the parent company is involved in religious publishing and missionary work how can a theme park sitting on a 12 million dollar piece of property, that charges $29 for admission, be considered a religious entity?
This precedent has given me a few ideas:
1. I am now going to start a religion called Toadism; Toadism is actually a non-denominational, all-inclusive religion which will encourage religious belief in general, not just one specific denomination. I will start a non-profit religious organization based on Toadism which promotes religion through missionary work and religious literature. I will then spin off the following subsidiaries to further all religious education and make them all tax exempt whilst paying myself a 3 million dollar per year salary. Since the parent company should be bringing in 3.1 million dollars per year in revenues I will spend the .1 million left over after my salary on all the religious literature I publish and use the rest to support my religious missionary, me.
2. I will also open a theme park but instead of Christianity, mine will be based on Islamic extremism. This theme park will be called Jihad Island and will include rides which mimics riding in a public bus in Jerusalem as it gets blown up by a suicide bomber, and one where you are a US marine riding around Baghdad in an unarmored Hummer dodging RPG's, small arms fire and IEDs. Since the theme park is religious in nature, I will not have to pay any federal taxes from it's revenues and have enough left over to give myself a nice little raise.
3. The next subsidiary will be a religious-themed condom manufacturer with a picture of Lot on the front talking about how he wished he had condoms back when he had sex with his two daughters. I could also put Biblical scripture on the back from the book of Samuel which explains the homosexual affair between Jonathan and David. Since the proceeds will be used to further the cause of my religion, this should qualify as a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization.
4. I will also start a nail manufacturing company that sells oversized nails for the "big jobs". What better spokesperson than Jesus himself. After all, he knows all about quality nails. The slogan would quote Jesus saying "If they were strong enough for me, they're strong enough for you." Since there is a depiction of a religious figure on my product, that should be enough to keep this one tax exempt as well.
5. Next I would like to make a boxed wine company which would put out products similar to He-Brew which will have a picture of Jesus at a party turning water into wine and Noah getting blasted after the flood waters receded. Of course all profits (after my 3 million dollar salary) will go to support my missionary work and my missionary, which just happens to be me.
Now doesn't a religious based theme park filing for tax exempt status seem just as ridiculous?
IRS explanation of "church"
There is a Biblical theme park in Orlando, FL that recently won a court decision exempting it from paying taxes. The activist Circuit Judge Cynthia MacKinnon decided that "Holy Land Experience" should be tax exempt due to its religious nature.
The thought of religious organizations not paying taxes is disturbing and the thought of a religious theme park in general is even more so. But now, a theme park based on a religious theme somehow gets to avoid the $786,343 property tax bill and all future tax bills, which would be over $1 million per year. Even if the parent company is involved in religious publishing and missionary work how can a theme park sitting on a 12 million dollar piece of property, that charges $29 for admission, be considered a religious entity?
This precedent has given me a few ideas:
1. I am now going to start a religion called Toadism; Toadism is actually a non-denominational, all-inclusive religion which will encourage religious belief in general, not just one specific denomination. I will start a non-profit religious organization based on Toadism which promotes religion through missionary work and religious literature. I will then spin off the following subsidiaries to further all religious education and make them all tax exempt whilst paying myself a 3 million dollar per year salary. Since the parent company should be bringing in 3.1 million dollars per year in revenues I will spend the .1 million left over after my salary on all the religious literature I publish and use the rest to support my religious missionary, me.
2. I will also open a theme park but instead of Christianity, mine will be based on Islamic extremism. This theme park will be called Jihad Island and will include rides which mimics riding in a public bus in Jerusalem as it gets blown up by a suicide bomber, and one where you are a US marine riding around Baghdad in an unarmored Hummer dodging RPG's, small arms fire and IEDs. Since the theme park is religious in nature, I will not have to pay any federal taxes from it's revenues and have enough left over to give myself a nice little raise.
3. The next subsidiary will be a religious-themed condom manufacturer with a picture of Lot on the front talking about how he wished he had condoms back when he had sex with his two daughters. I could also put Biblical scripture on the back from the book of Samuel which explains the homosexual affair between Jonathan and David. Since the proceeds will be used to further the cause of my religion, this should qualify as a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization.
4. I will also start a nail manufacturing company that sells oversized nails for the "big jobs". What better spokesperson than Jesus himself. After all, he knows all about quality nails. The slogan would quote Jesus saying "If they were strong enough for me, they're strong enough for you." Since there is a depiction of a religious figure on my product, that should be enough to keep this one tax exempt as well.
5. Next I would like to make a boxed wine company which would put out products similar to He-Brew which will have a picture of Jesus at a party turning water into wine and Noah getting blasted after the flood waters receded. Of course all profits (after my 3 million dollar salary) will go to support my missionary work and my missionary, which just happens to be me.
Now doesn't a religious based theme park filing for tax exempt status seem just as ridiculous?
IRS explanation of "church"
Friday, July 15, 2005
Time to end Socialism in the United States!
Handouts for the lazy, the criminals, and the backwards must come to an end before we end up with a hammer and sickle on our flag.
So how do we do it, how can we help fight socialism in the US? How do we keep people from getting free handouts for doing nothing and not working? How do we force people to start carrying their own weight? How can we eliminate our budget deficit and eliminate waste in our federal government that rewards and breeds laziness?
We stop giving them free money and make them pay their fair share of taxes!
So where do we start, how do we identify these leaches? The first place I would look would be Washington DC; DC is full of welfare recipients, but what can you expect from a city whose Mayor smoked crack? It’s easy to find these people.They are all over the place in DC. All you have to do is go to any street corner and find a guy wearing a suit and tie who either lobbies for an industry or works for a Fortune 500 corporation; he is the one stealing the bread off of your table and keeping your taxes high. What, you thought I was talking about some fat black lady with 3 kids, didn't you?
Welfare:
That's right, if the US eliminated corporate welfare the government would be able to provide annual tax cuts twice the size as the ones handed out in 2001. In 2002, the US spent 93 Billion dollars to subsidize US business and industry. In the 1940's, corporations paid 33% of all federal taxes, yet by the 1990's they were only paying 15% of all federal taxes meanwhile individuals saw a 60% increase in their tax burden. In other words, not only are they having us make up for the corporate tax decreases, but they are actually handing our cash to the wealthiest people in America. This is the exact definition of income redistribution.
The "Big 3" auto makers received 333 million dollars of our tax money while posting profits of over 13 billion dollars in 1995. You may say that is needed in order to keep people working or to develop new technologies like hybrid vehicles, right? Wrong- since 1979 the "Big 3” have laid off over 350,000 US workers and only put out one Hybrid vehicle between the 3 of them while both Honda and Toyota have opened several US plants, and each put out more than one Hybrid vehicle without the help of the federal government. In approximately the same time period, average CEO pay for Fortune 500 companies has gone from 40 times the amount of the average worker to 411 times the amount of the average worker. In Japan the ratio is more like 20 times that of an average worker. Another big welfare recipient is GE; their CEO earns over 8.5 million dollars per year. Do you really think he would quit if they only paid him 1 million per year and diverted that money towards R&D? Remember Jeff Skilling of Enron, the corrupt subsidized energy company, he earned 84 million dollars in 2000 before committing one of the biggest acts of corporate fraud in history. These companies clearly do not need these welfare checks to survive, they just need to trim the fat and produce a product that works- one that people want.
Farm Subsidies:
The fattest recipient of federal welfare is agriculture. The US budget for the department of agriculture is over 35 billion, 2.5 billion of that is in the form of crop insurance so farmers/farming conglomerates don't have to take any risks in their business and get compensated for any failed crops. Does this mean that the government should start subsidizing bartenders when they have a bad tip night due to a blizzard? Over 20 billion dollars of this budget gets paid out as farming subsidies which mostly go to big corporate, profitable farms, including tobacco growers. Mostly, these are companies such as ADM who grow corn (an unprofitable subsidized crop) which is converted into corn syrup which is one of the main culprits of putting fat on the asses of Americans, contributing to our nations healthcare crisis. In other words, Hoosier Ma and Hoosier Pa who own their own small family farm have no lobbyist to petition on their behalf for these handouts; that’s what Farm Aid was all about. So if you are a small family farmer and are wondering how to survive, grow corn, call Mellencamp, get your own lobbyist.
Logging Subsidies:
And for all the people out there who are being plagued by the mounting surplus of trees in this country, you will be happy to know that logging and timber companies receive over 50 million dollars per year in order to pave our nation's forests. You can't really expect them to provide their own infrastructure when depleting all of our forests can you? This is America. We are Capitalists! The government should not interfere with commerce and business, unless it's giving them money in order for them to cut their costs and make more money. Anything else is socialism! This, by the way, is a drop in the bucket compared to what the mining companies get.
Free cash handouts for people who don't work:
8 out of the 15 richest people in this country had their money handed to them and did not work a day in their life to earn it. So, why is it ok for the Walton family or Paris Hilton to do nothing and get free money handed to them but it's not ok for a shoeless single mom in Tennessee to get money which she didn't work for? Why do poor and middle class Republicans fight for these people? Do you really think Paris Hilton cares about how much tax you pay to the federal government? Do you really think she would fight and lobby for you to keep more of your money? Then why are you so adamant about fighting for her, do you really think she deserves it more than a guy who works 50 hours per week and still can't afford to pay the bills? The Estate Tax (AKA the Death Tax to spinster Republicans) only affects 1.5-2% of the population, so who cares if someone has to pay more than 50% of their 19 billion in taxes to the federal government? The Estate Tax only applies to Estates worth over 1.5 million dollars; I hardly think that anyone will go hungry if they only inherit half of that. Hand me a free check for over $500,000 and see if I bitch about it. If we can't tax dead rich people, who can we tax, the poor living people?
Wealth Redistribution:
Most of the states in the union are on welfare. Chances are, if you are guy in a "red state" who bitches about socialism and crack moms in New York bringing down America, you are a benefactor of this welfare and wealth redistribution from progressive, liberal states who actually make money and can support themselves.
California annually pays out over 25 billion dollars more in taxes than it receives in federal subsidies. My state of Illinois also pays out almost 25 billion dollars more of its tax revenue than it receives in federal subsidies. In contrast, Alabama receives 10 Billion dollars more per year than it pays out in taxes because it is unable to sustain itself with its current tax rates and tax base. Indiana and South Carolina received 4 billion and 5 billion more than they pay out respectively. California's GDP is the same as all former Confederate states combined. So why is it, with all this money, do you hear about California having to live through blackouts and water shortages every year, yet you never hear of these shortages in Mississippi, a state that constantly loses money?
For all of you Libertarian "flat taxers" out there, does this mean that we can make someone in Rural Alabama pay the same sales, fuel and alcohol tax that I pay in Chicago? Apparently I pay 8.75% in sales tax so Mississippi can keep their tax rate at 4%. On top of all this, Mississippi residents get a $12,000 tax exemption for married people when New Jersey residents only get a $2000 dollar exemption. If Mississippi kept $10,000 of that exemption, would they still need New Jersey's money? For every dollar Mississippi pays out in federal taxes it gets $1.84 in return, New Jersey only gets $.57 back for every dollar it sends to Washington, we here in Illinois get $.77 back in subsidies for every dollar we pay in taxes. Welcome to the motherland of the Union of American Socialist Republics, or U.A.S.R.
Final Thoughts:
I understand the concept of helping someone when they are down; I had no problem with the US bailing Chrysler out of their slump in the 80s as they quickly paid back all their loans. But when companies like GM, Ford, etc., do develop hybrid or hydrogen vehicles, and start to make a profit on them, are they going to give these subsidies back? When the price of corn peaks, does ADM plan on giving their subsidy money back, or are we just creating a culture of welfare where these companies can cook their books, find tax loopholes, pay for their CEO's weddings and we, the middle class, flip the bill allowing the rich to get richer, and diverting this money away from people who actually need it?
Sources: CATO Institute, Office for Social Justice, Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, US Census Bureau, Levy Economics Institute, Sierra Club, Retrovsmetro.org, Federation of Tax Administrators
So how do we do it, how can we help fight socialism in the US? How do we keep people from getting free handouts for doing nothing and not working? How do we force people to start carrying their own weight? How can we eliminate our budget deficit and eliminate waste in our federal government that rewards and breeds laziness?
We stop giving them free money and make them pay their fair share of taxes!
So where do we start, how do we identify these leaches? The first place I would look would be Washington DC; DC is full of welfare recipients, but what can you expect from a city whose Mayor smoked crack? It’s easy to find these people.They are all over the place in DC. All you have to do is go to any street corner and find a guy wearing a suit and tie who either lobbies for an industry or works for a Fortune 500 corporation; he is the one stealing the bread off of your table and keeping your taxes high. What, you thought I was talking about some fat black lady with 3 kids, didn't you?
Welfare:
That's right, if the US eliminated corporate welfare the government would be able to provide annual tax cuts twice the size as the ones handed out in 2001. In 2002, the US spent 93 Billion dollars to subsidize US business and industry. In the 1940's, corporations paid 33% of all federal taxes, yet by the 1990's they were only paying 15% of all federal taxes meanwhile individuals saw a 60% increase in their tax burden. In other words, not only are they having us make up for the corporate tax decreases, but they are actually handing our cash to the wealthiest people in America. This is the exact definition of income redistribution.
The "Big 3" auto makers received 333 million dollars of our tax money while posting profits of over 13 billion dollars in 1995. You may say that is needed in order to keep people working or to develop new technologies like hybrid vehicles, right? Wrong- since 1979 the "Big 3” have laid off over 350,000 US workers and only put out one Hybrid vehicle between the 3 of them while both Honda and Toyota have opened several US plants, and each put out more than one Hybrid vehicle without the help of the federal government. In approximately the same time period, average CEO pay for Fortune 500 companies has gone from 40 times the amount of the average worker to 411 times the amount of the average worker. In Japan the ratio is more like 20 times that of an average worker. Another big welfare recipient is GE; their CEO earns over 8.5 million dollars per year. Do you really think he would quit if they only paid him 1 million per year and diverted that money towards R&D? Remember Jeff Skilling of Enron, the corrupt subsidized energy company, he earned 84 million dollars in 2000 before committing one of the biggest acts of corporate fraud in history. These companies clearly do not need these welfare checks to survive, they just need to trim the fat and produce a product that works- one that people want.
Farm Subsidies:
The fattest recipient of federal welfare is agriculture. The US budget for the department of agriculture is over 35 billion, 2.5 billion of that is in the form of crop insurance so farmers/farming conglomerates don't have to take any risks in their business and get compensated for any failed crops. Does this mean that the government should start subsidizing bartenders when they have a bad tip night due to a blizzard? Over 20 billion dollars of this budget gets paid out as farming subsidies which mostly go to big corporate, profitable farms, including tobacco growers. Mostly, these are companies such as ADM who grow corn (an unprofitable subsidized crop) which is converted into corn syrup which is one of the main culprits of putting fat on the asses of Americans, contributing to our nations healthcare crisis. In other words, Hoosier Ma and Hoosier Pa who own their own small family farm have no lobbyist to petition on their behalf for these handouts; that’s what Farm Aid was all about. So if you are a small family farmer and are wondering how to survive, grow corn, call Mellencamp, get your own lobbyist.
Logging Subsidies:
And for all the people out there who are being plagued by the mounting surplus of trees in this country, you will be happy to know that logging and timber companies receive over 50 million dollars per year in order to pave our nation's forests. You can't really expect them to provide their own infrastructure when depleting all of our forests can you? This is America. We are Capitalists! The government should not interfere with commerce and business, unless it's giving them money in order for them to cut their costs and make more money. Anything else is socialism! This, by the way, is a drop in the bucket compared to what the mining companies get.
Free cash handouts for people who don't work:
8 out of the 15 richest people in this country had their money handed to them and did not work a day in their life to earn it. So, why is it ok for the Walton family or Paris Hilton to do nothing and get free money handed to them but it's not ok for a shoeless single mom in Tennessee to get money which she didn't work for? Why do poor and middle class Republicans fight for these people? Do you really think Paris Hilton cares about how much tax you pay to the federal government? Do you really think she would fight and lobby for you to keep more of your money? Then why are you so adamant about fighting for her, do you really think she deserves it more than a guy who works 50 hours per week and still can't afford to pay the bills? The Estate Tax (AKA the Death Tax to spinster Republicans) only affects 1.5-2% of the population, so who cares if someone has to pay more than 50% of their 19 billion in taxes to the federal government? The Estate Tax only applies to Estates worth over 1.5 million dollars; I hardly think that anyone will go hungry if they only inherit half of that. Hand me a free check for over $500,000 and see if I bitch about it. If we can't tax dead rich people, who can we tax, the poor living people?
Wealth Redistribution:
Most of the states in the union are on welfare. Chances are, if you are guy in a "red state" who bitches about socialism and crack moms in New York bringing down America, you are a benefactor of this welfare and wealth redistribution from progressive, liberal states who actually make money and can support themselves.
California annually pays out over 25 billion dollars more in taxes than it receives in federal subsidies. My state of Illinois also pays out almost 25 billion dollars more of its tax revenue than it receives in federal subsidies. In contrast, Alabama receives 10 Billion dollars more per year than it pays out in taxes because it is unable to sustain itself with its current tax rates and tax base. Indiana and South Carolina received 4 billion and 5 billion more than they pay out respectively. California's GDP is the same as all former Confederate states combined. So why is it, with all this money, do you hear about California having to live through blackouts and water shortages every year, yet you never hear of these shortages in Mississippi, a state that constantly loses money?
For all of you Libertarian "flat taxers" out there, does this mean that we can make someone in Rural Alabama pay the same sales, fuel and alcohol tax that I pay in Chicago? Apparently I pay 8.75% in sales tax so Mississippi can keep their tax rate at 4%. On top of all this, Mississippi residents get a $12,000 tax exemption for married people when New Jersey residents only get a $2000 dollar exemption. If Mississippi kept $10,000 of that exemption, would they still need New Jersey's money? For every dollar Mississippi pays out in federal taxes it gets $1.84 in return, New Jersey only gets $.57 back for every dollar it sends to Washington, we here in Illinois get $.77 back in subsidies for every dollar we pay in taxes. Welcome to the motherland of the Union of American Socialist Republics, or U.A.S.R.
Final Thoughts:
I understand the concept of helping someone when they are down; I had no problem with the US bailing Chrysler out of their slump in the 80s as they quickly paid back all their loans. But when companies like GM, Ford, etc., do develop hybrid or hydrogen vehicles, and start to make a profit on them, are they going to give these subsidies back? When the price of corn peaks, does ADM plan on giving their subsidy money back, or are we just creating a culture of welfare where these companies can cook their books, find tax loopholes, pay for their CEO's weddings and we, the middle class, flip the bill allowing the rich to get richer, and diverting this money away from people who actually need it?
Sources: CATO Institute, Office for Social Justice, Forbes, Christian Science Monitor, US Census Bureau, Levy Economics Institute, Sierra Club, Retrovsmetro.org, Federation of Tax Administrators
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
CIA Leak and Karl Rove
"I didn't know her name and didn't leak her name"- Karl Rove
"If Matt Cooper is going to jail to protect a source, it's not Karl he's protecting." -Robert D. Luskin, Karl Roves Attorney
"He was not involved" -Scott McClellan about Rove and the CIA leak
"The President knows that Karl Rove wasn't involved," "It was a ridiculous suggestion," and, "It's not true." - Scott McClellan
"If someone in this administration leaked classified information, they will no longer be a part of this administration, because that's not the way this White House operates, that's not the way this President expects people in his administration to conduct their business." -Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary
So we know this administration lied about WMD, and now we know they have essentially committed treason and lied about this as well; I wonder what else they aren't telling us?
Intelligence Identities Protection Act:
SUBCHAPTER IV--PROTECTION OF CERTAIN NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Sec. 421. Protection of identities of certain United States
undercover intelligence officers, agents, informants, and
sources
(a) Disclosure of information by persons having or having had access to classified information that identifies covert agent
Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified
information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any
information identifying such covert agent to any individual not
authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the
information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the
United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert
agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined
not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both
I like the idea of prison more than the 50,000; he puts more than that in the collection plate at church every Sunday!
"If Matt Cooper is going to jail to protect a source, it's not Karl he's protecting." -Robert D. Luskin, Karl Roves Attorney
"He was not involved" -Scott McClellan about Rove and the CIA leak
"The President knows that Karl Rove wasn't involved," "It was a ridiculous suggestion," and, "It's not true." - Scott McClellan
"If someone in this administration leaked classified information, they will no longer be a part of this administration, because that's not the way this White House operates, that's not the way this President expects people in his administration to conduct their business." -Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary
So we know this administration lied about WMD, and now we know they have essentially committed treason and lied about this as well; I wonder what else they aren't telling us?
Intelligence Identities Protection Act:
SUBCHAPTER IV--PROTECTION OF CERTAIN NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Sec. 421. Protection of identities of certain United States
undercover intelligence officers, agents, informants, and
sources
(a) Disclosure of information by persons having or having had access to classified information that identifies covert agent
Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified
information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any
information identifying such covert agent to any individual not
authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the
information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the
United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert
agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined
not more than $50,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both
I like the idea of prison more than the 50,000; he puts more than that in the collection plate at church every Sunday!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Why the 10 Commandments are an Obsolete Document which Had Nothing to do with the Founding of the US
The Supreme Court recently ruled that displaying the 10 Commandments inside a Kentucky courthouse was unconstitutional. They also ruled that if they are a part of a display, showing other documents of law and government, and that it wasn't religious in nature, that it is ok to display them as a historical example of early law.
I would have to say I agree with their decision for the most part but since when are courthouses museums? Of course it's ridiculous to think that any God Bob could try to force his religion down someone else's throat by displaying his religious dogma in a place that was paid for by my tax dollars. No Christian would let the 5 pillars of Islam to be displayed in their courthouse would they? No, and for good reason, because in doing so it endorses a religion and could alienate the Christian population (wouldn't that be just terrible) and violate the 1st Amendment to our Constitution.
Even though only 3 of the 10 Commandments are referenced in our law books today, people still claim that this document is the basis of our government and that is why they should be displayed in all these public places that I pay for. We can all agree that it is not against the law to disobey your father and mother or covet thy neighbor's wife, or work on the Sabbath. So why is it this document that they deem so important to the development of the United States? Well some say that we were founded as a Christian nation but if you have read my other blogs you would know that is not that case. They also say that since we were founded as a Christian nation that makes the 10 Commandments all that more important and that it pioneered some great moral laws that we still abide by today. Some even say that perjury, thou shall not kill, and don't steal are Christian principles; wrong again. Hammurabis Code of Laws (origin of the 10 Commandments and Hebrew law) which criminalized murder (harm to others), perjury and theft, among many others, predated the 10 Commandments by approximately 300 years; the Babylonians were not Christians. Maybe that's why we invaded Iraq; we just wanted to return to our legal roots.
Solon of ancient Greece is also a noted law giver and his face does appear on the Supreme Court's building along with Moses and Confucius, therefore, not a religious display. So why don't these people in Kentucky and Alabama secretly rush in, in the middle of the night to install images of Solon, Confucius and Hammurabi in their courtrooms? Why don't they go to the Supreme Court fighting to allow images of The Roman Emperor Justinian, Solon and Hammurabi to be displayed in public schools if they are so concerned about the history of law givers and the impact they had on the development of the United States? Is it that they are just stupid and uneducated and don't know who these people are? Is it like when Bush was asked to name his favorite philosopher and he said Jesus because he didn't know any others? Or is it that their displays really are religious in nature and the reason they concentrate on Moses and the 10 Commandments and not Hammurabi's Code of Law or Justinian Law is because they are trying to convert the world over to Christianity?
If you are one of the people who don't agree with the constitution and Supreme Court, exactly which 10 Commandments do you want to put up? Would it be the 1st set of commandments which Moses destroyed, the 2nd set, the ones that were written on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34) or the ones written on Mt. Horeb(Deuteronomy 5)?Although most people do agree that Mt.Horeb and Mt.Sinai were the same place, most Christians believe that Mt. Sinai was in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt where St. Catherine's Monastery sits but the "land of Midian" where Moses lived (Exodus 3) which includes Mt. Horeb is across the Gulf of Aqaba in Saudi Arabia. Yes that is correct, the "all perfect word of God" isn't at all perfect and contradicts itself all over the place, Hammurabi's laws did no such thing. Other contradictions include what the Sabbath was observing; was it the day God rested after making the Earth (Exodus 20:11) or was it to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews out of Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15)? With all these contradictions regarding the origin of the 10 commandments, wouldn't you rather promote other, more concrete examples of law which actually inspired the American Constitution?
The following are examples of why other documents are so much more appropriate to attribute to our laws and government than is the Bible:
Excerpts from Hammurabi's Code of Laws 1750 BC:
"If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death." Does this remind anyone of our US crime of perjury? This is where Moses got the whole false witness against thy neighbor commandment.
"If any one steals the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death." Written apprx. 300 years before "thou shalt not steal".
"If a merchant entrust money to an agent (broker) for some investment, and the broker suffer a loss in the place to which he goes, he shall make good the capital to the merchant." Go Hammurabi, banking laws and everything, makes the 10 Commandments look like a square wheel doesn't it.
"If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned." Incest is illegal even in most "red states".
"If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out." 300 years before eye for an eye.
Excerpts from the Magna Carta, 1297 AD:
"No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned,...or in any other way destroyed...Excerpt by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to none will we deny or delay, right or justice." Sounds a lot like the 5th amendment doesn't it?
"First, We have granted to God, and by this our present Charter have confirmed, for us and our Heirs for ever, That the Church of England shall be free, and shall have her whole rights and liberties inviolable. We have granted also, and given to all the freemen of our realm, for us and our Heirs for ever, these liberties underwritten, to have and to hold to them and their Heirs, of us and our Heirs for ever." Sounds a lot like the Preamble of the Constitution doesn't it?
"It shall not be lawful from henceforth to any to give his Lands to any Religious House, and to take the same Land again to hold of the same House. Nor shall it be lawful to any House of Religion to take the Lands of any, and to lease the same to him of whom he received it. If any from henceforth give his Lands to any Religious House, and thereupon be convict, the Gift shall be utterly void, and the Land shall accrue to the Lord of the Fee." Sounds a lot like separation of church and state doesn't it?
Face it Moses is a Plagiarist! And the 10 Commandments had absolutely nothing to do with the founding of this nation or its laws. There are plenty of other documents that are closer in relation to the Constitution than the 10 Commandments so can we just drop this issue already?
And by the way, all the smoke, "lightening" and "thunder" reported on top of Mt. Sinai during the writing of the 10 Commandments was due to the fact that Moses, who knew the area well, was sitting on top of an active volcano, not because God was hanging out on top of the mountain.
Sorry for the long boring post.
I would have to say I agree with their decision for the most part but since when are courthouses museums? Of course it's ridiculous to think that any God Bob could try to force his religion down someone else's throat by displaying his religious dogma in a place that was paid for by my tax dollars. No Christian would let the 5 pillars of Islam to be displayed in their courthouse would they? No, and for good reason, because in doing so it endorses a religion and could alienate the Christian population (wouldn't that be just terrible) and violate the 1st Amendment to our Constitution.
Even though only 3 of the 10 Commandments are referenced in our law books today, people still claim that this document is the basis of our government and that is why they should be displayed in all these public places that I pay for. We can all agree that it is not against the law to disobey your father and mother or covet thy neighbor's wife, or work on the Sabbath. So why is it this document that they deem so important to the development of the United States? Well some say that we were founded as a Christian nation but if you have read my other blogs you would know that is not that case. They also say that since we were founded as a Christian nation that makes the 10 Commandments all that more important and that it pioneered some great moral laws that we still abide by today. Some even say that perjury, thou shall not kill, and don't steal are Christian principles; wrong again. Hammurabis Code of Laws (origin of the 10 Commandments and Hebrew law) which criminalized murder (harm to others), perjury and theft, among many others, predated the 10 Commandments by approximately 300 years; the Babylonians were not Christians. Maybe that's why we invaded Iraq; we just wanted to return to our legal roots.
Solon of ancient Greece is also a noted law giver and his face does appear on the Supreme Court's building along with Moses and Confucius, therefore, not a religious display. So why don't these people in Kentucky and Alabama secretly rush in, in the middle of the night to install images of Solon, Confucius and Hammurabi in their courtrooms? Why don't they go to the Supreme Court fighting to allow images of The Roman Emperor Justinian, Solon and Hammurabi to be displayed in public schools if they are so concerned about the history of law givers and the impact they had on the development of the United States? Is it that they are just stupid and uneducated and don't know who these people are? Is it like when Bush was asked to name his favorite philosopher and he said Jesus because he didn't know any others? Or is it that their displays really are religious in nature and the reason they concentrate on Moses and the 10 Commandments and not Hammurabi's Code of Law or Justinian Law is because they are trying to convert the world over to Christianity?
If you are one of the people who don't agree with the constitution and Supreme Court, exactly which 10 Commandments do you want to put up? Would it be the 1st set of commandments which Moses destroyed, the 2nd set, the ones that were written on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34) or the ones written on Mt. Horeb(Deuteronomy 5)?Although most people do agree that Mt.Horeb and Mt.Sinai were the same place, most Christians believe that Mt. Sinai was in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt where St. Catherine's Monastery sits but the "land of Midian" where Moses lived (Exodus 3) which includes Mt. Horeb is across the Gulf of Aqaba in Saudi Arabia. Yes that is correct, the "all perfect word of God" isn't at all perfect and contradicts itself all over the place, Hammurabi's laws did no such thing. Other contradictions include what the Sabbath was observing; was it the day God rested after making the Earth (Exodus 20:11) or was it to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews out of Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15)? With all these contradictions regarding the origin of the 10 commandments, wouldn't you rather promote other, more concrete examples of law which actually inspired the American Constitution?
The following are examples of why other documents are so much more appropriate to attribute to our laws and government than is the Bible:
Excerpts from Hammurabi's Code of Laws 1750 BC:
"If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death." Does this remind anyone of our US crime of perjury? This is where Moses got the whole false witness against thy neighbor commandment.
"If any one steals the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen thing from him shall be put to death." Written apprx. 300 years before "thou shalt not steal".
"If a merchant entrust money to an agent (broker) for some investment, and the broker suffer a loss in the place to which he goes, he shall make good the capital to the merchant." Go Hammurabi, banking laws and everything, makes the 10 Commandments look like a square wheel doesn't it.
"If any one be guilty of incest with his mother after his father, both shall be burned." Incest is illegal even in most "red states".
"If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out." 300 years before eye for an eye.
Excerpts from the Magna Carta, 1297 AD:
"No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned,...or in any other way destroyed...Excerpt by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to none will we deny or delay, right or justice." Sounds a lot like the 5th amendment doesn't it?
"First, We have granted to God, and by this our present Charter have confirmed, for us and our Heirs for ever, That the Church of England shall be free, and shall have her whole rights and liberties inviolable. We have granted also, and given to all the freemen of our realm, for us and our Heirs for ever, these liberties underwritten, to have and to hold to them and their Heirs, of us and our Heirs for ever." Sounds a lot like the Preamble of the Constitution doesn't it?
"It shall not be lawful from henceforth to any to give his Lands to any Religious House, and to take the same Land again to hold of the same House. Nor shall it be lawful to any House of Religion to take the Lands of any, and to lease the same to him of whom he received it. If any from henceforth give his Lands to any Religious House, and thereupon be convict, the Gift shall be utterly void, and the Land shall accrue to the Lord of the Fee." Sounds a lot like separation of church and state doesn't it?
Face it Moses is a Plagiarist! And the 10 Commandments had absolutely nothing to do with the founding of this nation or its laws. There are plenty of other documents that are closer in relation to the Constitution than the 10 Commandments so can we just drop this issue already?
And by the way, all the smoke, "lightening" and "thunder" reported on top of Mt. Sinai during the writing of the 10 Commandments was due to the fact that Moses, who knew the area well, was sitting on top of an active volcano, not because God was hanging out on top of the mountain.
Sorry for the long boring post.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Possible News Headlines from the Year 2030
I recently read a chain letter about possible news headlines in the year 2029 if things keep getting more liberal and more socialist. Apparently, these people are unaware that the White House, the House and the Senate are all dominated by conservative Republican Christians and that people are still tying to get creationism taught as science in public schools and that more and more federal money is being diverted to Christian groups for "Faith Based Initiatives". I think they need a reality check.
The following are hypothetical headlines that we may see during the year 2030 if things continue down their current path.
News headlines in the year 2030:
Federal Way, Washington-The last remaining trees in Brazil and Washington State were cut down today. US lumber companies to petition congress for more subsidies as they have no more trees from which to produce lumber.
Atlanta, GA-The new Bible will be released this year to include the Bush legacy and leave out the un-proven, controversial topics such as Jesus helping the poor, clothing the homeless and healing the sick. It will also include the lost Gospel of Eziria which was mysteriously discovered near Provo, UT last year. Eziria is the Gospel which stipulates how much Jesus hated homosexuals and how he preached on the evils of the day after pill, stem cell research and how God once wiped out an entire civilization of socialists because they disobeyed his laws.
Washington DC -Social Security is in trouble again; the Republican Congress has decided they should allow people to take their portion of SS to the horse track with the possibility of increasing their earnings to a ratio of 18:1.
South Bend, IN-The Christian Militia executed the last US science teacher today in Northern Indiana. With his last words he still claimed that the Earth was round and that God didn't create man on the 6th day of Earth's existence. Bob Blowheart of ID Publishing Group was quoted as saying "We can find no evidence that Charles Darwin ever existed or wrote a book about the origin of species and natural selection." "Further more, our scientists have found no evidence supporting evolution in either the New American Version or the King James Bible."
Detroit, MI-The last US factory closed today with cheers and applause from America's top .5% income earners who now own 98% of our nation's wealth and pay 12% of our nations federal taxes. They were quoted as saying "This is a great day for capitalism! The people have spoken and with this closure we should see a .25 point increase in McGeneral Electric-Marts stock price. The lazy, poor criminal element that used to be known as factory workers were bulldozed into a ditch and executed in the name of Jesus, thus taking their socialist causes with them.
Bali, The Disputed Zone-The US invaded Indonesia today upon fears that one of its citizens was firing a gun into the air expressing his discontent with the US. The sun will truly never set on the American Empire. Ayatollah J.W. Bush II was quoted as saying "You are either with us or against us and the cause of freedom."
Richmond, VA-A new report was released today indicating the Senate Inquiry Into Removing Bill Clinton from the History Books revealed that Bill Clinton may have also lied to his father when he was 12 and a half years old. This has long been a debate as congress insisted that the most prosperous time in American history since post WWII was due to Reagan's sharp mind and superior intellect and had nothing to do with Clinton or the anti-capitalistic elimination of the budget deficit under his guidance.
Tupelo, MS-This years death rate for women who seek abortions has declined to 19,742, down 4% from last years numbers. The American Family Association was quoted as saying "The culture of life is clearly prevailing and the decrease in death rates goes to show that fewer women are seeking illegal back alley abortions."
Brussels-The United Union of Europe was accused by America of being socialist due to their low rate of poverty, high employment rate, workers rights and universal health care. Ayatollah Bush was pointing out the parallels between the new European State and the Nazis of Germany. Many Europeans feel Bush was just lashing out due to the weakening dollar and Europe's huge trade surplus.
Shanghai-China has secured the large US owned industrial complex, expelled all American business men and converted these factories into Chinese Military applications to further strengthen their dominance of the lunar landscape. US Businessmen cried foul but were told by Bush that we have no recourse against such a huge industrial giant, and since all of our military weapons were manufactured in China over the last few years, and our forces are spread so thin, we have no capacity to build up our military in response. Mexico and India are keeping a close eye on the Chinese and may also choose to take government ownership of American industrial sites, as they have yet to reap any benefits from the low wage jobs and high levels of pollution generated from these factories. They will also seek to convert these facilities to military production to keep up in the arms/space race with the Chinese.
New York, NY-Toyota announced today that its new SUV will be powered on tap water at a cost under $50,000 per vehicle. Stock prices for GM and Ford plummeted as the two "American" companies have still yet to produce a gas powered hybrid model as all the major Japanese cars are now Hydrogen based. Executives at GM's Cayman Islands headquarters blame this on rising labor costs in Mexico, India and Nigeria and that the US has not provided it with enough tax payer subsidies to fund this type of research. The CEO of GM alone makes $325 million per year in corporate compensations, as their typical worker averages $12 per day.
Prudhoe Bay Alaska- Last weeks oil spill that wiped out 11,000 acres of the former arctic wildlife preserve, was accidentally ignited today when temperatures soared into the low 80s. The combination of combustible oil, dry weather, unfiltered UV rays, high temperatures and careless oil workers were to blame in this years worst oil spill fires. Over population/population of wildlife is no longer an issue for oil companies. Authorities believe the fire was started by a workers cigarette. Bin Laden-Cheney Oil Group is now suing Phillip Morris-Reynolds for making flammable cigarettes and selling them to one of their workers.
Erbil, Kurdistan- The oil rich US territory of Kurdistan is set for its historic vote tomorrow on whether or not to become America's 52nd state.
Jackson, MI- The No Child Left Without a Gun Act passed through congress today and is awaiting the Supreme Leaders signature. Commie gun control activists say that requiring all children over the age of 6 to carry a gun is ridiculous and has no basis in the Constitution and simply will not make us safer. NRA President Ted Nugent had the following to say: "All the research we have done has led us to the conclusion that more guns make us safer; just look at any battlefield where everybody is armed and you will realize how safe a place such as that really is. We have also found that a kidnapper will think twice about abducting a child who is armed."
Simi Valley, CA- Former President Ronald Reagan was resurrected today due to advances in stem cell research. Although stem cell research has been outlawed, the Republican Congress held one of its "emergency sessions" last year to vote on making an exception to "Bring Back the Great Gipper."
Washington DC- The FCC is issuing a 100 million dollar fine against HBO which aired a segment titled "Drugs or Diet... The truth behind the death of Rush Limbaugh", in which a former opponent of Limbaugh used the phrase "God Damnit" during a cable TV interview.
Dade County Florida- Congress to investigate faulty voting machines in Florida, apparently they are still letting black people vote.
Washington DC - The IRS claims its new regulations will no longer enable it to audit anyone who earns more than $100k per year. In order to make up for the lost revenue they will be forced to raise taxes on tips that people in the service industry, now 86% of the US workforce, depend on to survive. "Finally, we will allow the innovators and the people with capital to focus on reinvesting into our economy, instead of having to follow every rule and guideline and answer redundant questions about their finances, let the people who drain our society pay the price", says Stanley Spadowski of Smith Barney Solomon Block and Waterhouse Investments Group, from his 5 million dollar Yacht near Nassau, Bahamas.
New York, NY- Ayatollah Bush signed into law today the CENSORED CENSORED Act which will allow the government to CENSORED CENSORED, and CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED its citizens, and to take away thier right to CENSORED CENSORED. The group of Complacent Americans, formerly the ACLU, said that this Bill will undermine the U.S. CENSORED, and take away CENSORED and CENSORED, plus the CENSORED, that America was founded upon.
Baton Rouge, LA- Special travel rates are making the "Gulf Shores of Baton Rouge" a popular tourist destination. The Baton Rouge Development Board credits the ad campaign: "Where the Mighty Miss and the Gulf of Mex Meet!" for the influx of tourism and beach front construction. "Americans just love their newest beach front" says Marcille Duvell of Port Allen, LA, which has also seen a sharp increase in construction of beach properties.
Little Rock, AR- A death sentence was handed down today for Stan Metcoff who was convicted of burning a US flag late last year. Stan claimed his innocence by saying he was only following the tradition of burning a flag, out of respect, after it touches the ground. Neither that, or the first amendment was enough to save him since the US redefined its definition of treason 25 years ago to include dissent towards the President, displeasure of US policies, political protests and anything deemed anti-American, which includes flag burning.
Long Branch, NJ- Hundreds of residents awoke today to the sounds of bulldozers that were gearing up for their neighborhoods demolition. Most of the residents had time to put on shoes and flee before the wrecking ball went to work. Starbucks-Trump International has decided to construct a new 100 story casino resort in place of the century old historic neighborhood. A Supreme Court decision back in the early part of this century cleared the way for municipalities to forcefully remove any residence or business that was interfering with the cities right to rezone and rebuild any property at the request of a higher bidder. Clearly the rights of the government, people with money and big business are more important than individual property rights guaranteed by the 5th amendment. One resident, Ivan Petronov said it reminded him of the stories his great grandfater told of peasants being tossed off their farm land by the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
Neither Ivan nor his family could be reached later for a follow up interview.
Beverly Hills, CA- Gun pried out of Charlton Heston's cold dead hands.
The following are hypothetical headlines that we may see during the year 2030 if things continue down their current path.
News headlines in the year 2030:
Federal Way, Washington-The last remaining trees in Brazil and Washington State were cut down today. US lumber companies to petition congress for more subsidies as they have no more trees from which to produce lumber.
Atlanta, GA-The new Bible will be released this year to include the Bush legacy and leave out the un-proven, controversial topics such as Jesus helping the poor, clothing the homeless and healing the sick. It will also include the lost Gospel of Eziria which was mysteriously discovered near Provo, UT last year. Eziria is the Gospel which stipulates how much Jesus hated homosexuals and how he preached on the evils of the day after pill, stem cell research and how God once wiped out an entire civilization of socialists because they disobeyed his laws.
Washington DC -Social Security is in trouble again; the Republican Congress has decided they should allow people to take their portion of SS to the horse track with the possibility of increasing their earnings to a ratio of 18:1.
South Bend, IN-The Christian Militia executed the last US science teacher today in Northern Indiana. With his last words he still claimed that the Earth was round and that God didn't create man on the 6th day of Earth's existence. Bob Blowheart of ID Publishing Group was quoted as saying "We can find no evidence that Charles Darwin ever existed or wrote a book about the origin of species and natural selection." "Further more, our scientists have found no evidence supporting evolution in either the New American Version or the King James Bible."
Detroit, MI-The last US factory closed today with cheers and applause from America's top .5% income earners who now own 98% of our nation's wealth and pay 12% of our nations federal taxes. They were quoted as saying "This is a great day for capitalism! The people have spoken and with this closure we should see a .25 point increase in McGeneral Electric-Marts stock price. The lazy, poor criminal element that used to be known as factory workers were bulldozed into a ditch and executed in the name of Jesus, thus taking their socialist causes with them.
Bali, The Disputed Zone-The US invaded Indonesia today upon fears that one of its citizens was firing a gun into the air expressing his discontent with the US. The sun will truly never set on the American Empire. Ayatollah J.W. Bush II was quoted as saying "You are either with us or against us and the cause of freedom."
Richmond, VA-A new report was released today indicating the Senate Inquiry Into Removing Bill Clinton from the History Books revealed that Bill Clinton may have also lied to his father when he was 12 and a half years old. This has long been a debate as congress insisted that the most prosperous time in American history since post WWII was due to Reagan's sharp mind and superior intellect and had nothing to do with Clinton or the anti-capitalistic elimination of the budget deficit under his guidance.
Tupelo, MS-This years death rate for women who seek abortions has declined to 19,742, down 4% from last years numbers. The American Family Association was quoted as saying "The culture of life is clearly prevailing and the decrease in death rates goes to show that fewer women are seeking illegal back alley abortions."
Brussels-The United Union of Europe was accused by America of being socialist due to their low rate of poverty, high employment rate, workers rights and universal health care. Ayatollah Bush was pointing out the parallels between the new European State and the Nazis of Germany. Many Europeans feel Bush was just lashing out due to the weakening dollar and Europe's huge trade surplus.
Shanghai-China has secured the large US owned industrial complex, expelled all American business men and converted these factories into Chinese Military applications to further strengthen their dominance of the lunar landscape. US Businessmen cried foul but were told by Bush that we have no recourse against such a huge industrial giant, and since all of our military weapons were manufactured in China over the last few years, and our forces are spread so thin, we have no capacity to build up our military in response. Mexico and India are keeping a close eye on the Chinese and may also choose to take government ownership of American industrial sites, as they have yet to reap any benefits from the low wage jobs and high levels of pollution generated from these factories. They will also seek to convert these facilities to military production to keep up in the arms/space race with the Chinese.
New York, NY-Toyota announced today that its new SUV will be powered on tap water at a cost under $50,000 per vehicle. Stock prices for GM and Ford plummeted as the two "American" companies have still yet to produce a gas powered hybrid model as all the major Japanese cars are now Hydrogen based. Executives at GM's Cayman Islands headquarters blame this on rising labor costs in Mexico, India and Nigeria and that the US has not provided it with enough tax payer subsidies to fund this type of research. The CEO of GM alone makes $325 million per year in corporate compensations, as their typical worker averages $12 per day.
Prudhoe Bay Alaska- Last weeks oil spill that wiped out 11,000 acres of the former arctic wildlife preserve, was accidentally ignited today when temperatures soared into the low 80s. The combination of combustible oil, dry weather, unfiltered UV rays, high temperatures and careless oil workers were to blame in this years worst oil spill fires. Over population/population of wildlife is no longer an issue for oil companies. Authorities believe the fire was started by a workers cigarette. Bin Laden-Cheney Oil Group is now suing Phillip Morris-Reynolds for making flammable cigarettes and selling them to one of their workers.
Erbil, Kurdistan- The oil rich US territory of Kurdistan is set for its historic vote tomorrow on whether or not to become America's 52nd state.
Jackson, MI- The No Child Left Without a Gun Act passed through congress today and is awaiting the Supreme Leaders signature. Commie gun control activists say that requiring all children over the age of 6 to carry a gun is ridiculous and has no basis in the Constitution and simply will not make us safer. NRA President Ted Nugent had the following to say: "All the research we have done has led us to the conclusion that more guns make us safer; just look at any battlefield where everybody is armed and you will realize how safe a place such as that really is. We have also found that a kidnapper will think twice about abducting a child who is armed."
Simi Valley, CA- Former President Ronald Reagan was resurrected today due to advances in stem cell research. Although stem cell research has been outlawed, the Republican Congress held one of its "emergency sessions" last year to vote on making an exception to "Bring Back the Great Gipper."
Washington DC- The FCC is issuing a 100 million dollar fine against HBO which aired a segment titled "Drugs or Diet... The truth behind the death of Rush Limbaugh", in which a former opponent of Limbaugh used the phrase "God Damnit" during a cable TV interview.
Dade County Florida- Congress to investigate faulty voting machines in Florida, apparently they are still letting black people vote.
Washington DC - The IRS claims its new regulations will no longer enable it to audit anyone who earns more than $100k per year. In order to make up for the lost revenue they will be forced to raise taxes on tips that people in the service industry, now 86% of the US workforce, depend on to survive. "Finally, we will allow the innovators and the people with capital to focus on reinvesting into our economy, instead of having to follow every rule and guideline and answer redundant questions about their finances, let the people who drain our society pay the price", says Stanley Spadowski of Smith Barney Solomon Block and Waterhouse Investments Group, from his 5 million dollar Yacht near Nassau, Bahamas.
New York, NY- Ayatollah Bush signed into law today the CENSORED CENSORED Act which will allow the government to CENSORED CENSORED, and CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED its citizens, and to take away thier right to CENSORED CENSORED. The group of Complacent Americans, formerly the ACLU, said that this Bill will undermine the U.S. CENSORED, and take away CENSORED and CENSORED, plus the CENSORED, that America was founded upon.
Baton Rouge, LA- Special travel rates are making the "Gulf Shores of Baton Rouge" a popular tourist destination. The Baton Rouge Development Board credits the ad campaign: "Where the Mighty Miss and the Gulf of Mex Meet!" for the influx of tourism and beach front construction. "Americans just love their newest beach front" says Marcille Duvell of Port Allen, LA, which has also seen a sharp increase in construction of beach properties.
Little Rock, AR- A death sentence was handed down today for Stan Metcoff who was convicted of burning a US flag late last year. Stan claimed his innocence by saying he was only following the tradition of burning a flag, out of respect, after it touches the ground. Neither that, or the first amendment was enough to save him since the US redefined its definition of treason 25 years ago to include dissent towards the President, displeasure of US policies, political protests and anything deemed anti-American, which includes flag burning.
Long Branch, NJ- Hundreds of residents awoke today to the sounds of bulldozers that were gearing up for their neighborhoods demolition. Most of the residents had time to put on shoes and flee before the wrecking ball went to work. Starbucks-Trump International has decided to construct a new 100 story casino resort in place of the century old historic neighborhood. A Supreme Court decision back in the early part of this century cleared the way for municipalities to forcefully remove any residence or business that was interfering with the cities right to rezone and rebuild any property at the request of a higher bidder. Clearly the rights of the government, people with money and big business are more important than individual property rights guaranteed by the 5th amendment. One resident, Ivan Petronov said it reminded him of the stories his great grandfater told of peasants being tossed off their farm land by the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
Neither Ivan nor his family could be reached later for a follow up interview.
Beverly Hills, CA- Gun pried out of Charlton Heston's cold dead hands.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
How to Not be Poor in the U.S.
The following are easy steps you can take in order to avoid poverty in the US:
1. Get a job- If single moms would just get off their asses, they would only have to work 60 hours per week at minimum wage to bring themselves and their 2 kids above the poverty line. Most should be able to find babysitters that will work 12 hour days at $2 per hour.
2. Be white- If you are not white, you will need to remedy that immediately, you may just have to work a little harder.
3. Don't be a child- Over 40% of the poor in the US are lazy children who won't work. Over 20% of the children in the US are living in poverty and are not doing anything to help themselves. The poverty rate for freeloading children is over 20% higher than any other group, that just goes to show how lazy they truly are.
4. Don't be a woman- Approximately 54% percent of female headed households with children under 6 are poor and therefore lazy. Over 70% of the worlds poor are lethargic females.
5. Move to the suburbs- The lowest occurrences of U.S. poverty is in the suburbs at approximately 9%. Under no circumstances should you live on an Indian Reservation or in Appalachia.
6. If you are going to be poor, don't do it in the United States- All of the worlds top 15 industrialized nations poor have a better standard of living than the poor in the US, that makes them socialist, and therefore evil. Poverty should not be rewarded!
7. Convince congress to make minimum wage increase at the same rate as CEO's pay- By doing this minimum wage would be over $20 per hour.
8. Be born rich- 8 out of the 15 richest people in the country inherited all their wealth. Therefore they are not lazy, and this is not just another form of welfare and they shouldn't be taxed because they deserve that money. After all they are the innovators who create jobs and we wouldn't want to tax someone who might hire low wage people to work for them. We can all agree Paris Hilton deserves all 30 million for being a bimbHO and doing nothing, but someone who works 50 hours a week for minimum wage should pay 20% of their $13k a year in taxes.
9. Be Bill Gates or get hit by his car while he is driving drunk- Bill Gates alone has more wealth than the bottom 40% of US income earners at 43 billion dollars.
10. Don't be a felon- Go back in time and don't do those stupid things that you got convicted of when you were 19 years old. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time...plus the years of job discrimination, shame and later depression that is sure to follow.
11. Go to college- It only cost around $40,000. After paying rent, baby sitters, food and car payments your mother should be able to save an extra $40 a week working minimum wage, as long as gas and utilities are free and you don't need shoes and or clothing. Or you could become 7 feet tall and learn to dunk a basketball.
12. Become a drug lord- This could be fast and easy cash, plus you probably won't have to save for retirement as you will either be dead or in jail.
13. Spend wisely- When you get your first paycheck don't spend it all on bling bling and spinning rims, instead spend it on $6,000 gold-laced shower curtains and a two million dollar birthday party for your wife.
14. Marry someone rich- This typically doesn't work for men as well as it does for women. If you are a white woman, NBA players will typically suffice.
15. Become an Evangelical TV preacher- If that is not possible, screwing old people out of their money in one of those mega-churches in the south should also be a sure fire way to get rich!
16. Get decapitated at McDonalds and then sue them- Or get injured in any other way that would appear to stem from negligence on someone else's part. This works in about any situation where someone has more money than you and you are too stupid to avoid getting disfigured by a cup of coffee.
Sources: US Census Bureau, UNICEF, National Poverty Center, Kidscanmakeadifference.org, Office for Social Justice
1. Get a job- If single moms would just get off their asses, they would only have to work 60 hours per week at minimum wage to bring themselves and their 2 kids above the poverty line. Most should be able to find babysitters that will work 12 hour days at $2 per hour.
2. Be white- If you are not white, you will need to remedy that immediately, you may just have to work a little harder.
3. Don't be a child- Over 40% of the poor in the US are lazy children who won't work. Over 20% of the children in the US are living in poverty and are not doing anything to help themselves. The poverty rate for freeloading children is over 20% higher than any other group, that just goes to show how lazy they truly are.
4. Don't be a woman- Approximately 54% percent of female headed households with children under 6 are poor and therefore lazy. Over 70% of the worlds poor are lethargic females.
5. Move to the suburbs- The lowest occurrences of U.S. poverty is in the suburbs at approximately 9%. Under no circumstances should you live on an Indian Reservation or in Appalachia.
6. If you are going to be poor, don't do it in the United States- All of the worlds top 15 industrialized nations poor have a better standard of living than the poor in the US, that makes them socialist, and therefore evil. Poverty should not be rewarded!
7. Convince congress to make minimum wage increase at the same rate as CEO's pay- By doing this minimum wage would be over $20 per hour.
8. Be born rich- 8 out of the 15 richest people in the country inherited all their wealth. Therefore they are not lazy, and this is not just another form of welfare and they shouldn't be taxed because they deserve that money. After all they are the innovators who create jobs and we wouldn't want to tax someone who might hire low wage people to work for them. We can all agree Paris Hilton deserves all 30 million for being a bimbHO and doing nothing, but someone who works 50 hours a week for minimum wage should pay 20% of their $13k a year in taxes.
9. Be Bill Gates or get hit by his car while he is driving drunk- Bill Gates alone has more wealth than the bottom 40% of US income earners at 43 billion dollars.
10. Don't be a felon- Go back in time and don't do those stupid things that you got convicted of when you were 19 years old. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time...plus the years of job discrimination, shame and later depression that is sure to follow.
11. Go to college- It only cost around $40,000. After paying rent, baby sitters, food and car payments your mother should be able to save an extra $40 a week working minimum wage, as long as gas and utilities are free and you don't need shoes and or clothing. Or you could become 7 feet tall and learn to dunk a basketball.
12. Become a drug lord- This could be fast and easy cash, plus you probably won't have to save for retirement as you will either be dead or in jail.
13. Spend wisely- When you get your first paycheck don't spend it all on bling bling and spinning rims, instead spend it on $6,000 gold-laced shower curtains and a two million dollar birthday party for your wife.
14. Marry someone rich- This typically doesn't work for men as well as it does for women. If you are a white woman, NBA players will typically suffice.
15. Become an Evangelical TV preacher- If that is not possible, screwing old people out of their money in one of those mega-churches in the south should also be a sure fire way to get rich!
16. Get decapitated at McDonalds and then sue them- Or get injured in any other way that would appear to stem from negligence on someone else's part. This works in about any situation where someone has more money than you and you are too stupid to avoid getting disfigured by a cup of coffee.
Sources: US Census Bureau, UNICEF, National Poverty Center, Kidscanmakeadifference.org, Office for Social Justice
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
How to Not Get AIDS
mtvnews 6/14:
U.S. HIV Cases Pass 1 Million Mark For First Time Since '80s
Yes the most avoidable disease in the western world is making a comeback and the number of people living with AIDS is on the rise in the U.S., up 25% from the previous years report, per a December 2003 study. Three quarters of the people in the U.S. with AIDS are men and 25% of the people with AIDS don't even know they have the disease.
The biggest increases of infections were among black men and men who have sex with other men. Yes, even after all the bad jokes and all the church mongers blaming the gay community for AIDS there was a 47% increase in infections for gay men.
In case you are unaware as to how AIDS is contracted I am going to provide you with my plan of how not to get AIDS. I am not saying my plan is 100% effective but it has kept me AIDSless for the past 31 years so I must be doing something right, and I am willing to share this gem of knowledge with the rest of you for the low low price of free.
How not to get AIDS:
Don't have sex, stay home and jerk off to skinamax half porn, or get a blow up doll.
Don't have sex with someone who has AIDS, even with a condom.
Don't have sex with someone who is bleeding out of their ass.
If you must have sex with someone, use a condom.
Don't have sex with people you don't know or just met in a mens room, George Michael included.
If you know of someone who has had sex with an AIDS victim, do not have sex with that person.
If you shun condoms because you "dont like the way the feel", ask yourself how a big dose of AIDS would feel .
If you want to have a good (long) sex life, find a committed partner that you can trust that has had an AIDS test.
Don't tag team some other guy's ass with a bunch of leather dudes you just met at a bar.
Don't have sex with someone who has ever been tag teamed.
Don't believe people when they tell you they don't have AIDS.
Don't frequent glory holes, either side.
Don't blow heroin addicts or crack heads in alleys.
Don't share needles with heroin addicts, more specifically, heroin addicts with AIDS.
Don't have sex with prostitutes, or a junkie prostitute with a bad itch.
If you are African, having sex with a virgin does not cure AIDS, it spreads it.
Dont' become "blood brothers" with someone who has AIDS
Males can also contract AIDS from a woman.
Don't let herpes victims with open sores on their mouth give you a blow job, as these people tend to not be as careful and selective as someone such as me and may also have AIDS, though I will not blow you.
Don't let anyone cum on any open sores, cuts or orifices.
Do not become, or have sex with a porn star, more specifically a gay porn star that has violated my other rules.
If you do any of the above, get an AIDS test every week.
If you are a gay basher, don't make your victims bleed as the flailing blood may stain your Ted Nugent shirt, infect you and later, your fat girlfriend who lives with you in your double-wide.
If you are an NBA player, don't nail every white woman between L.A. and Boston that is trying to get knocked up by someone rich and famous.
If you are a Catholic priest, condoms are evil, fuck little boys who couldn't possibly have AIDS yet.
If you are an altar boy, don't hang out with priests alone.
If you are Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell, don't mock God, he will punish you with AIDS.
If you're Bill Frist, a medical doctor and US Senator, don't let anyone sweat or spit on you.
If you are Tom Delay, rules obviously don't apply to you, feel free to do all the above.
P.S. These tips may also be effective in not getting knocked up when you are 14 years old.
U.S. HIV Cases Pass 1 Million Mark For First Time Since '80s
Yes the most avoidable disease in the western world is making a comeback and the number of people living with AIDS is on the rise in the U.S., up 25% from the previous years report, per a December 2003 study. Three quarters of the people in the U.S. with AIDS are men and 25% of the people with AIDS don't even know they have the disease.
The biggest increases of infections were among black men and men who have sex with other men. Yes, even after all the bad jokes and all the church mongers blaming the gay community for AIDS there was a 47% increase in infections for gay men.
In case you are unaware as to how AIDS is contracted I am going to provide you with my plan of how not to get AIDS. I am not saying my plan is 100% effective but it has kept me AIDSless for the past 31 years so I must be doing something right, and I am willing to share this gem of knowledge with the rest of you for the low low price of free.
How not to get AIDS:
Don't have sex, stay home and jerk off to skinamax half porn, or get a blow up doll.
Don't have sex with someone who has AIDS, even with a condom.
Don't have sex with someone who is bleeding out of their ass.
If you must have sex with someone, use a condom.
Don't have sex with people you don't know or just met in a mens room, George Michael included.
If you know of someone who has had sex with an AIDS victim, do not have sex with that person.
If you shun condoms because you "dont like the way the feel", ask yourself how a big dose of AIDS would feel .
If you want to have a good (long) sex life, find a committed partner that you can trust that has had an AIDS test.
Don't tag team some other guy's ass with a bunch of leather dudes you just met at a bar.
Don't have sex with someone who has ever been tag teamed.
Don't believe people when they tell you they don't have AIDS.
Don't frequent glory holes, either side.
Don't blow heroin addicts or crack heads in alleys.
Don't share needles with heroin addicts, more specifically, heroin addicts with AIDS.
Don't have sex with prostitutes, or a junkie prostitute with a bad itch.
If you are African, having sex with a virgin does not cure AIDS, it spreads it.
Dont' become "blood brothers" with someone who has AIDS
Males can also contract AIDS from a woman.
Don't let herpes victims with open sores on their mouth give you a blow job, as these people tend to not be as careful and selective as someone such as me and may also have AIDS, though I will not blow you.
Don't let anyone cum on any open sores, cuts or orifices.
Do not become, or have sex with a porn star, more specifically a gay porn star that has violated my other rules.
If you do any of the above, get an AIDS test every week.
If you are a gay basher, don't make your victims bleed as the flailing blood may stain your Ted Nugent shirt, infect you and later, your fat girlfriend who lives with you in your double-wide.
If you are an NBA player, don't nail every white woman between L.A. and Boston that is trying to get knocked up by someone rich and famous.
If you are a Catholic priest, condoms are evil, fuck little boys who couldn't possibly have AIDS yet.
If you are an altar boy, don't hang out with priests alone.
If you are Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell, don't mock God, he will punish you with AIDS.
If you're Bill Frist, a medical doctor and US Senator, don't let anyone sweat or spit on you.
If you are Tom Delay, rules obviously don't apply to you, feel free to do all the above.
P.S. These tips may also be effective in not getting knocked up when you are 14 years old.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Top Search Words That Brought People to my Blog
I have Sitemeter which allows me to track visitors to my site and how they found it. Most people are just flipping through blogger, doing a Google search of "toadthoughts" or coming from a link on someone elses page. Sometimes my site will come up in search engines when someone is doing a search on another topic that has nothing to do with my site at all. I have compiled a list of the best search phrases which brought a visitor to my site. All of the following were things people typed into a search engine to find information on the topic in question.
15. Communist Toad - Was it that obvious?
14. Toad Sex - Yes Please!
13. Toad Scripture - I have yet to write an actual Bible yet but...
12. Flesh Eating Toad - You caught me!
11. Religion + Gullible - I don't understand, this is not a subject that is discussed here.
10. Thy Neighbors Ass - I probably don't discuss the asses of thy neighbors enough.
9. I want to find a report on America - You have come to the right place, it's all here.
8. Quran Shitters - If only I still had a Bible, "Bible Shitters" would also be a hit.
7. Kids Peeing - Please don't ever come to this site again, whoever you are. Michael....?
6. I am a Rapist - Then what more do you need to know, unless you are on my sex offenders list
5. Pomeranians Lesbians - Sounds like someone has a confused dog.
4. Peeing babies - What's wrong with you people?
3. Sex with German Sheppards - To each his own but what's this have to do with me?
2. Homosexuality is a sin "Stone your children" - Are they looking for a how to guide?
1. Quran write in body slut woman Picture sex paint - Who needs this type of information and what will they do with it once they get it?
15. Communist Toad - Was it that obvious?
14. Toad Sex - Yes Please!
13. Toad Scripture - I have yet to write an actual Bible yet but...
12. Flesh Eating Toad - You caught me!
11. Religion + Gullible - I don't understand, this is not a subject that is discussed here.
10. Thy Neighbors Ass - I probably don't discuss the asses of thy neighbors enough.
9. I want to find a report on America - You have come to the right place, it's all here.
8. Quran Shitters - If only I still had a Bible, "Bible Shitters" would also be a hit.
7. Kids Peeing - Please don't ever come to this site again, whoever you are. Michael....?
6. I am a Rapist - Then what more do you need to know, unless you are on my sex offenders list
5. Pomeranians Lesbians - Sounds like someone has a confused dog.
4. Peeing babies - What's wrong with you people?
3. Sex with German Sheppards - To each his own but what's this have to do with me?
2. Homosexuality is a sin "Stone your children" - Are they looking for a how to guide?
1. Quran write in body slut woman Picture sex paint - Who needs this type of information and what will they do with it once they get it?
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Un-PATRIOT Act
Bush Says: "The PATRIOT Act Makes America Safer"
Ok, maybe that is true but at what price? Just because it "makes us safer" that doesn't mean we should do it. I can think of a lot of other things that would make us safer but will not and maybe never should happen:
We could ban guns
We could stop traveling in cars
We could start executing all criminals
We could ban Fast Food
We could ban SUVs
We could stop selling alcohol
We could ban cigarettes
We could stop war
We could stop sun bathing
We could ban knives
We could stop swimming in the ocean
We could stop burning candles in our homes
We could ban sky diving
We could ban sex
We could ban red meat
We could ban religion
We could ban violent lyrics
We could ban violent movies
We could ban violent video games
We could ban "dangerous" dogs
We could stop immigration
We could allow the government to search us without warrants
We could allow the government to tap our phones and computers without warrants
We could allow the government to secretely search our homes and offices without notification
We could allow the government to arrest whomever they wanted
We could allow the government to detain people without charges for as long as they wanted
We could allow the government the right to investigate someone without probable cause
We could erase the 1st,2nd,4th,5th and 8th amendments
We could renew the PATRIOT Act but that just wouldn't be American would it?
Why do people bungee jump, sky dive, have sex in public places? It's not the act itself they desire it's the risk that comes with it. What is life without risks? Nothing we do is safe and without risks; Life is full of risks, full of danger and that cannot be eliminated. Just because something makes us safer doesn't mean it's the answer, especially when it comes at such a high price. What is life without liberty? What is America without liberty?
P.S. If you have been living in a cave and are unaware, the PATRIOT Act is up for renewal at the beginning of next year. At that point in time congress can renew, amend or scrap it all together. I realize that the PATRIOT Act has not affected me in any way, and has mostly only caused problems for terrorists and criminals, even though it was designed to just weed out terrorists. I especially don't mind the parts that deal with non-citizens, but I do think it changes the role of the government from watching over the people to watching the people. Plus, it has been abused and there is no way to guarantee that you or I will be immune from this abuse. I don't feel like it should be discarded all together but I don't think it should be renewed either. It's sort of like social security; you don't need to start over with an entirely new car, when all you need to do is get a new clutch and transmission.
Ok, maybe that is true but at what price? Just because it "makes us safer" that doesn't mean we should do it. I can think of a lot of other things that would make us safer but will not and maybe never should happen:
We could ban guns
We could stop traveling in cars
We could start executing all criminals
We could ban Fast Food
We could ban SUVs
We could stop selling alcohol
We could ban cigarettes
We could stop war
We could stop sun bathing
We could ban knives
We could stop swimming in the ocean
We could stop burning candles in our homes
We could ban sky diving
We could ban sex
We could ban red meat
We could ban religion
We could ban violent lyrics
We could ban violent movies
We could ban violent video games
We could ban "dangerous" dogs
We could stop immigration
We could allow the government to search us without warrants
We could allow the government to tap our phones and computers without warrants
We could allow the government to secretely search our homes and offices without notification
We could allow the government to arrest whomever they wanted
We could allow the government to detain people without charges for as long as they wanted
We could allow the government the right to investigate someone without probable cause
We could erase the 1st,2nd,4th,5th and 8th amendments
We could renew the PATRIOT Act but that just wouldn't be American would it?
Why do people bungee jump, sky dive, have sex in public places? It's not the act itself they desire it's the risk that comes with it. What is life without risks? Nothing we do is safe and without risks; Life is full of risks, full of danger and that cannot be eliminated. Just because something makes us safer doesn't mean it's the answer, especially when it comes at such a high price. What is life without liberty? What is America without liberty?
P.S. If you have been living in a cave and are unaware, the PATRIOT Act is up for renewal at the beginning of next year. At that point in time congress can renew, amend or scrap it all together. I realize that the PATRIOT Act has not affected me in any way, and has mostly only caused problems for terrorists and criminals, even though it was designed to just weed out terrorists. I especially don't mind the parts that deal with non-citizens, but I do think it changes the role of the government from watching over the people to watching the people. Plus, it has been abused and there is no way to guarantee that you or I will be immune from this abuse. I don't feel like it should be discarded all together but I don't think it should be renewed either. It's sort of like social security; you don't need to start over with an entirely new car, when all you need to do is get a new clutch and transmission.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
For Those Who Need Evidence of Speciation and Macroevolution
Who do you think looks more human, the above photos, or chimpanzees? Chimpanzees have complete legs, arms, fingers, rectal cavities etc., these babies do not.
In my last post people wanted evidence of macroevolution in the process, they say that no one has ever documented such an event. Well this is about as close as you are going to get without watching a species over thousands of years, and if this type of change can happen with one birth, imagine how many changes could happen with 10 billion births. I tried to explain to these people that an ape didn't just give birth to a human one day, and a fish didn't just crawl out of the water, turn into a lizard, start running while transforming from an ape and then to a naked dude. But that is the manner in which the parents and Sunday school teachers of these people taught them to make evolution seem ridiculous, and yes those examples are ridiculous. However, no one really believes that is how it happened. I kept trying to explain that genetic abnormalities or mutations happen in nature all the time, thus albinos, and downs syndrome. Some of these traits, such as baldness, eye and hair color, physique, high cholesterol etc. are passed down from one generation to the next; if your mother’s father was bald you have a good chance of being bald yourself. For some reason those inherited traits are not hard for the creationists to understand but other traits are and they contend that there is no way after a millions of years (since they don't believe the Earth has even been here that long) that something that had it's roots as one species may end up as something that looks completely different, even though it still shares over 95% of it's DNA with its ancestors.
I do realize that this isn't a good example of an actual new species that could reproduce or even survive at all. So far there is really only two cases that I know of where these babies survived past their first few hours. But let’s just say that these babies were all born with fully functional organs, which is not impossible, and that this was a trait that could be passed down from one generation to the next.
So what would happen if the babies born with sirenomelia as in the photos above, were all abandoned in one place because of this defect, isolated, and were able to reproduce, carrying on this gene that causes sirenomelia? What if they were abandoned by the sea and although they were unable to walk, they were able to swim 5 xs faster than humans and therefore were able to get to all the food sources in the sea before people with legs and therefore were able to benefit from this defect, survive and carry on as a civilization? What if one of these babies was then born with another genetic defect such as gills, or a blow hole and were able to stay underwater for longer periods of time, and therefore were able to get to the oceans food sources 10x faster than their predecessors and therefore survived as the others died and thus only passing on the their genetic mutations of no feet and gills? Wouldn't that be the macroevolution that everybody says doesn't exist? It almost seems like sirenomelia could have been the first phase of that separation of species. And if what I described above happened over a million years, and what originally came from air breathing humans, on land, with feet, became a webbed leg fish eater with gills that could survive in the sea, don't you think the DNA would be a bit different than what it started out as? And if so, wouldn't this count as a new species, even though the first time it appeared it was called a deformed human?
I am not making an argument for fish babies per say, if you do any research on sirenomelia you would come to the conclusion that the above is impossible. But what if they weren't so deformed and what if it was just a group of albinos that got isolated from the rest of civilization and instead of living in the sea or above ground, they were forced to live in caves due to sun exposure. Wouldn't the ones with better eye sight be more prosperous in such an environment, wouldn't they have a higher survival rate therefore, more likely to pass good vision on to their offspring? And over time wouldn't we eventually have a race of powder white cave dwellers with great eye sight but with extreme sun sensitivity?
These are all just hypothetical examples that draw correlations to modern human development. I know you all think I am crazier than a shit house rat but there is a point being made; you just have to find it.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
We Need A Law Making Them Teach Evolution in Church!
My first draft title was "Why it's Stupid to Teach Creationism in Public Schools", but I figured that wouldn't catch as much attention as the one I went with.
So here are the reasons why it is stupid to try to get creationism, or as it is politically known today, un-Intelligent Design taught in public schools:
1. It's wrong, you’re wrong, your argument disproves itself:
If we are too perfect to have just happened by chance, therefore a superior being with a plan must have designed us that way, then who designed this higher, even more perfect designer? If we couldn't have just happened, then neither could the "intelligent being" who made us. The same logic has to apply.
2. There is no proof:
There is about as much fact and science to back this up as there is on the theory of how the ancient Sumerians were descendents of aliens bred with apes. Both have some written account, although the Sumerians text is at least first hand, unlike the Bible. Please show me one credible, accepted scientific article that proves, or offers any evidence for creationism. And I am not talking about just attacking one small part of natural selection; I want proof from your side, not someone discrediting something from my side.
3. I am always right, therefore, I must be right about this too
4. You can always send them to a Christian School or teach them yourself:
They would also teach your kid that the Earth has only been here for 10k years, so you can ignore the fossil records that conclude anatomically modern man didn't exist on this earth since the beginning of time and didn't show up in the fossil records until about 100,000 years ago. They would also skip over the part as to why there are several different races on this planet that are best suited for their geographic environments. Oh, I forgot, one of Noah's son's was black, one was white, one was Asian and the other was Middle Eastern. Oh, and since Native Americans didn't originally come from Asia, one of his son's wives must have been Cherokee.
5. You could move to Saudi Arabia or Iran where the teachers would be stoned if they taught evolution:
Of course, your kids would be subject to all their curriculum such as blowing themselves up, "America the Infidels", "Women are Men's servants", and "If you die for Allah, you get 70 virgins in Heaven." Do you see where I am going with this?
6. You wouldn't want us to force you to teach Evolution in Church would you? There is a time and place for everything; Science belongs in a class room, Mysticism and fantasy belongs in Babylon 5 episodes and Sunday school. Since you can't measure faith, dig up fossils of faith, or put it in a test tube, you can't put it in a science classroom.
A question for all the Intelligent Design people out there: If your "hypothesis" about a higher being than us being responsible for man is true, then exactly how do you propose we teach this in school?
Intelligent Design, a trick phrase creation scientists (a contradiction in terms) used to promote creationism, implies that a higher being, not necessarily God, created the world and man, or maybe just man, which is it? Does that mean, since you want all viewpoints given equal consideration, teachers must teach kids that it is possible that aliens colonized the Earth, spliced DNA and are responsible for creating humans, or that the Greek God's made us, or do we teach them that God created Adam and Eve? Intelligent Design, by definition, implies either. Again, there are ancient written accounts of all of these events, why give more validity to one and not the other? Is it just because one is more popular? Or is it just what you were taught by your parents?
If this solution is not acceptable to you then why don't you just call a spade a spade and stop camouflaging the term "Intelligent Design" and go back to creationism, Christianity, Adam and Steve or what ever you called it before all of this cloaked terminology you are trying to force down impressionable children's throats.
Do you really think we should replace a theory that is 90% complete with a hunch that is 0% complete? The Bible, written by man after the fact, doesn't count as proof.
Didn't we already settle this 80 years ago back in Tennessee?
Ooops, looks like Falcarius just got caught in the act of evolving from a dinosaur to a bird.
Falcarius Evolving
So here are the reasons why it is stupid to try to get creationism, or as it is politically known today, un-Intelligent Design taught in public schools:
1. It's wrong, you’re wrong, your argument disproves itself:
If we are too perfect to have just happened by chance, therefore a superior being with a plan must have designed us that way, then who designed this higher, even more perfect designer? If we couldn't have just happened, then neither could the "intelligent being" who made us. The same logic has to apply.
2. There is no proof:
There is about as much fact and science to back this up as there is on the theory of how the ancient Sumerians were descendents of aliens bred with apes. Both have some written account, although the Sumerians text is at least first hand, unlike the Bible. Please show me one credible, accepted scientific article that proves, or offers any evidence for creationism. And I am not talking about just attacking one small part of natural selection; I want proof from your side, not someone discrediting something from my side.
3. I am always right, therefore, I must be right about this too
4. You can always send them to a Christian School or teach them yourself:
They would also teach your kid that the Earth has only been here for 10k years, so you can ignore the fossil records that conclude anatomically modern man didn't exist on this earth since the beginning of time and didn't show up in the fossil records until about 100,000 years ago. They would also skip over the part as to why there are several different races on this planet that are best suited for their geographic environments. Oh, I forgot, one of Noah's son's was black, one was white, one was Asian and the other was Middle Eastern. Oh, and since Native Americans didn't originally come from Asia, one of his son's wives must have been Cherokee.
5. You could move to Saudi Arabia or Iran where the teachers would be stoned if they taught evolution:
Of course, your kids would be subject to all their curriculum such as blowing themselves up, "America the Infidels", "Women are Men's servants", and "If you die for Allah, you get 70 virgins in Heaven." Do you see where I am going with this?
6. You wouldn't want us to force you to teach Evolution in Church would you? There is a time and place for everything; Science belongs in a class room, Mysticism and fantasy belongs in Babylon 5 episodes and Sunday school. Since you can't measure faith, dig up fossils of faith, or put it in a test tube, you can't put it in a science classroom.
A question for all the Intelligent Design people out there: If your "hypothesis" about a higher being than us being responsible for man is true, then exactly how do you propose we teach this in school?
Intelligent Design, a trick phrase creation scientists (a contradiction in terms) used to promote creationism, implies that a higher being, not necessarily God, created the world and man, or maybe just man, which is it? Does that mean, since you want all viewpoints given equal consideration, teachers must teach kids that it is possible that aliens colonized the Earth, spliced DNA and are responsible for creating humans, or that the Greek God's made us, or do we teach them that God created Adam and Eve? Intelligent Design, by definition, implies either. Again, there are ancient written accounts of all of these events, why give more validity to one and not the other? Is it just because one is more popular? Or is it just what you were taught by your parents?
If this solution is not acceptable to you then why don't you just call a spade a spade and stop camouflaging the term "Intelligent Design" and go back to creationism, Christianity, Adam and Steve or what ever you called it before all of this cloaked terminology you are trying to force down impressionable children's throats.
Do you really think we should replace a theory that is 90% complete with a hunch that is 0% complete? The Bible, written by man after the fact, doesn't count as proof.
Didn't we already settle this 80 years ago back in Tennessee?
Ooops, looks like Falcarius just got caught in the act of evolving from a dinosaur to a bird.
Falcarius Evolving
Sunday, May 22, 2005
How to Avoid Shitty Blogs
If you, as I often do, scroll through blogger land by hitting the next button you will notice that you are inundated with bad blogs. As to not miss anything good, you typically spend at least a couple of minutes trying to find out what that site is about only to find that it's mindless dribble and you have just wasted five minutes of your aging life.
I have come up with a system that will immediately let you know how to avoid such blogs without actually reading any of the posts.
Don't read any blog that has ___"see below"____ in/on it, because it's going to suck ass:
Pictures of naked dudes
The color pink
Blinking / Flashing
Japanamation characters
Pictures of celebrities
Articles about celebrities
A Picture of Eminem
The words "youth group"
The word "teen"
Hearts
Unicorns
More than one scroll down screen
Streaming music from 50 cent
Pictures of Honda Civics with wings
Bitching about how bad America has it
Pop up ads
No next button / blogger bar
A foreign language, but doesn't have artsy looking photos of nude women on beaches
The words Mortgage or Home Equity
Any kind of business promotion
Short hand, example: "I luv 2 rite 4 u"
A "Friend of Israel" banner; No, the biggest recipient of US aid doesn't need your support!
A blogs for Bush banner; the previous applies!
A picture of someone's baby
A picture of something someone has knitted
Any discussion about the "war against Christians / the religious right and the liberal media"
More than four paragraphs per post (Me excluded)
A personal journal; No one cares if you ran out of clean socks!
No place for comments; Because you know you are wrong!
Wolves
A depiction comparing anything to Hitler and the Nazi's
Photos of someone's piercings that they think will freak you out
Pictures of someone's truck or motorcycle
And unless you're a bald eagle, no pictures of eagles standing in front of a flag!
Any shitty list of any kind!
Perfect example of a shitty blog : Shitty Blog
My other shitty lists:
How to be a Republican
Top 25 Ipod Desert Island Songs
Crazy Left Wing Liberal Causes
Classic Sex Offenders
Bomb Throwing Hate Peddlers
Just Sign My Guest Book
I have come up with a system that will immediately let you know how to avoid such blogs without actually reading any of the posts.
Don't read any blog that has ___"see below"____ in/on it, because it's going to suck ass:
Pictures of naked dudes
The color pink
Blinking / Flashing
Japanamation characters
Pictures of celebrities
Articles about celebrities
A Picture of Eminem
The words "youth group"
The word "teen"
Hearts
Unicorns
More than one scroll down screen
Streaming music from 50 cent
Pictures of Honda Civics with wings
Bitching about how bad America has it
Pop up ads
No next button / blogger bar
A foreign language, but doesn't have artsy looking photos of nude women on beaches
The words Mortgage or Home Equity
Any kind of business promotion
Short hand, example: "I luv 2 rite 4 u"
A "Friend of Israel" banner; No, the biggest recipient of US aid doesn't need your support!
A blogs for Bush banner; the previous applies!
A picture of someone's baby
A picture of something someone has knitted
Any discussion about the "war against Christians / the religious right and the liberal media"
More than four paragraphs per post (Me excluded)
A personal journal; No one cares if you ran out of clean socks!
No place for comments; Because you know you are wrong!
Wolves
A depiction comparing anything to Hitler and the Nazi's
Photos of someone's piercings that they think will freak you out
Pictures of someone's truck or motorcycle
And unless you're a bald eagle, no pictures of eagles standing in front of a flag!
Any shitty list of any kind!
Perfect example of a shitty blog : Shitty Blog
My other shitty lists:
How to be a Republican
Top 25 Ipod Desert Island Songs
Crazy Left Wing Liberal Causes
Classic Sex Offenders
Bomb Throwing Hate Peddlers
Just Sign My Guest Book
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