November 19, 2008
Rant by Me: They can start with eliminating seat belts and headlights.
If I remember correctly, years ago Ford did an analysis to determine whether or not it would be financially advantageous for them to fix a flaw in the Pinto or take the wrongful death hit when people died. In short, their lawyers determined it would cost them less to pay families who lost loved ones than to fix the problem with the car. Now that’s smart business!
With the same ethics in mind, why don’t they just eliminate the “extras.” Like seat belts, headlights, airbags, doors, windows, steering wheels, etc. Who needs this stuff anyway? This way the big three can cut costs without taking away big bonuses from incompetent leaders who drove the business into the ground in the first place.
The problem is, US automakers make shitty cars with or without the necessities I mentioned they should cut. So, I have a better idea. Let the big three go bankrupt, have the Japanese buy their assets, and let them build the cars of the future. Look, we are so tightly connected with the Japanese economy it would be foolhardy for them to let our economy tank (why do you think the Japanese automakers have been building plants in the US?). In other words, they could hire on those workers who get slashed by US automakers - or let robots do the job - which would allow us to keep those jobs here at home and assure these workers they will still get their retirement benefits.
It is a win-win. Let them fail.
November 18, 2008
Rant by Me: Can We Stand Another Eight Years of Yours Truly?
I posed this question about eight weeks ago, prior to the election. I then went around the office and randomly asked people if they would prefer eight more years of George W. Bush at the helm or a nuclear bomb detonation on one of our major cities?
In most cases people asked if they could choose the city. I restricted it to Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York. Considering I am the only one in the office from the L.A. area it was no surprise to me most selected L.A. as the target city. Once I educated them on the fact our jet stream moves in an easterly direction, some people changed their minds and went with New York.
In any case, only one person said they would opt for another eight years of Bush. And it wasn’t because she necessarily likes him, she just couldn’t bring herself to sacrafice so many people for just one man. What a noble position to take.
So, what do you think? Would you opt for eight more years of Bush or drop a bomb on a major US city?
November 18, 2008
Article from CNN: Tips renew hopes of solving Holloway case
Why do Aruban authorities keep pussy-footing around with this case? I understand they operate under Dutch Law, and certain criteria need to be met before making an arrest. However, media taint aside is it not abundantly obvious Joran Van der Sloot is culpable for her dissapearance? This guy has got it easier than O.J. up to this point and, short of a bloody glove, is just as guilty.
Perhaps this is why Aruban authorities are investigating new reports - details from a new witness - which apparently bring light top the whereabouts of van der Sloot and his father the night/day of the dissapearance.
“A new witness has emerged, authorities say, who can place van der Sloot and his father, Paulus van der Sloot, near a pond on the island at 4 a.m. onthe day Holloway vanished. The witness told authorities he saw a young man, wet from the chest down and wearing only one shoe, running along a road from the pond to a fast-food restaurant. The witness said he saw the young man and an older man driving slowly down the road in a red Jeep about 10 minutes later.”
Um, where exactly was this witness in 2005? Are these witnesses scared to come forward? And if you did not know, Joran van der Sloot has already confessed to getting rid of the body. If you get rid of the body this sort of implies you knew about or were responsible for the death, does’nt it?
Now Aruban authorities are deciding whether or not they will re-arrest van der Sloot before the end of this year. Great work, let’s announce our intentions before we follow through…
“”We are hoping to make a decision by the end of this year or early next year as to whether we will re-arrest [the younger] van der Sloot or not,” Mos told CNN.”
November 17, 2008
I’m not exactly sure of the source, but a friend at work sent this to me via email. I have been away for six weeks, on paternity leave, so I missed it. Either way it is a funny read. If you know the source, post a comment. Without further adieu…
Dear Red States:
If you manage to steal this election too we’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we’re taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren’t aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.
To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss.
We get 85% of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the Christian Coalition’s, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their children’s caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we’re not willing to spend our resources in Bush’s Quagmire.
With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80% of the country’s fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95% of America’s quality wines, 90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, 95% of the corn and soybeans (thanks Iowa!), most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
Additionally, 38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
Finally, we’re taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico
Peace out,
–Blue States
November 12, 2008
Article from CNN: Bush: ‘I regret saying some things I shouldn’t have said’
Never mind the things you did.
1) Lied to the American people about the WMD in Iraq to perpetuate your personal war against Saddam Hussien. And you blamed the intelligence community instead of taking responsibility yourself.
2) Illegally pushed forward the wiretapping program without the authority of congress and outside the laws of this country. Then had the gaul to write it into law and grandfather yourself in. Dispicable.
3) Flat out dropped the ball on the economy. Regradless of who is responsible for deregulating the financial industry, the buck stops with you and you failed miserably.
4) The Bush foreign policy is an egocentric, do it my way or the highway, directive which has proven to grow our enemies at home and abroad. Instead of fighting terrorism the right way, you claim God directed you to fight our enemies, as if we are always right and everyone else is always wrong. In the process you have pushed our allies away.
This list is endless, yet you choose to think some things you said were regretful. And you must believe your words have led to the worst approval rating of any president who ever served this country. You are an idiot.
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