It's a Mad, Mad World

Bill Clinton has an affair and the Republicans impeach him.
Petraeus has an affair and the Republicans want to run him for president.

Ed Muskie cries and the Republicans run him off.
John Boehner cries and it is a blessed event.

Know why?
Because Boehner cries for the poor rich people.

End of the World

Guys I figured it out.
The world really has ended.

It just hasn't gotten this far north yet.

 Jim S.

Our Proclivity To Violence

                                                             

Long ago a military commander, for another reason, shouted,“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!” But maybe now we ought to look at the bloodshot eyes, at the teary eyes.

Don’t jump to conclusions, I’m a gun owner, always have been. I hunted game as a boy on the farm, and by the way, Dad taught us to eat the game we killed.

Bob Costas will now be even more outspoken for gun control. But in many countries a larger percentage of citizens own guns and there is less percentage of gun violence. It is something more…it is our proclivity towards violence over here. I don’t care if it’s four teens beating a homeless man to death with baseball bats or a hundred other examples.

Sure we need gun control. We need background checks even at gun shows, we need to eliminate automatic weapons (not semi-automatic some mistakenly call automatic). We need to ban assault weapons (Again). We need to ban mega-shell clips and magazines.

But more importantly, we need to change our culture. Some swear up and down that increasingly more violent video games, songs, movies have nothing to do with it. I say you’re wrong. Sure your kid isn’t going to mass murder, but it teaches youth, and some others, that some kind of violence is OK, that it’s the norm.

Nothing we do will cover all extremism, but retraining ourselves sure will help.

Over 842 Served

Back when I was in college about a thousand years ago, there was a hamburger chain. They were so small they only had one arch and I believe the sign over their place said "over 842 Served."

They've grown quite a bit since into a multi-billion dollar company. I still eat their hamburgers from time to time, I like them. Their CEO made $8.8 million last year. In addition to annual bonuses, he gets over an eight million longterm bonus every three years. Living in poverty, I think the only bonus their employees get are the pickles they pick off the floor.

It's not just them, at a combination taco, chicken and pizza chain, the CEO received $29.67 million in compensation last year. Their employees living in poverty, are not just high school kids, they average 30 years old with families to feed.  I know, tell them to get a college degree, with what?

We have a big box store in our town. The CEO of this big box chain made $18.7 million last year.
I've been shopping their stores for decades, gotten to know some good employees lately, Larry, Lavelle, Rick, Sallie, and decided I'd speak up for them.

You say it's not your problem? Well the greatest number of employees on food stamps come from this one big box chain. And you as a taxpayer are paying for this.

I know you say that we shouldn't shop or eat at these places, but that wouldn't get anybody better wages. Let's pressure, let's embarrass these rich companies not to be scrooges. Tell them they don't have to have a heart, just one-hundredth of a heart.