Redistribution of Wealth

It's Halloween!

Have you seen this video?



(Description of video in case it's no longer available at some point in the future: In a demonstration of the unfairness of wealth redistribution, a man sets up a "booth" with a hidden camera at a Trunk-or-Treat and attempts to redistribute candy among children.)

Unless the parents were already in on the "prank", I think he's lucky an adult didn't step up and confront him!  (To be fair, he did apparently give all the kids he "pranked" a bunch of candy to make up for the redistribution/frustration...)

The REAL Question...

Federal jury convicts movie theater crawler.

Anthony Johnson's weekends of crawling across movie theater floors, pilfering purses and running up $30,000 bills on other people's credit cards are over for now.
...
Johnson, formerly of Philadelphia, was known on the street as "Hustlin' Tone".  He drove a gold Mercedes and had a taste for dapper designer clothes and high-end sunglasses.
...
[His two female accomplices] described Johnson as slithering "like a snake" across movie theater floors before reaching inside partially opened purses and pilfering the credit cards...
...
"A good weekend was $50,000 to $70,000," McGowan told the jury. "Thirty (thousand) to $40,000 was a bad weekend."

She said Johnson chose primarily Fairfield County theaters showing movies like Eat, Pray, Love; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; and Twilight Eclipse because "there'd be a lot of white women there ...He said these were million-dollar movies."

The real question here is... what in the world were these women doing putting their purses on filthy movie theater floors in the first place?  Ew!   No, there are germs (and apparently, slithering, slimy crooks) down there. You keep it in your lap-- at most in an empty seat right next to you (though I'm too cautious to do even that).  Same thing goes for restaurants.  And I pray for your everlasting soul if you dare put it on a public restroom floor.  If there's no hook on the stall door, you find a way to hang it on the corner of the door or you wear it the whole time.  There is no excuse for anything else.  --No!  I said there's no excuse.

...I think we all learned an important lesson here, today:  Paranoia pays.  ;o)

Such a Nice Guy.

It's nothing new.  We've known for a while that he has a tendency to be, well, a jerk...



Still, last night was a reminder (if any were needed):



So very... Presidential!

Vaguely Creepy Song of the Day*

Music for when you're walking in leather boots through a rain-slick, eerily empty city at night, possibly pursued by an ominous foe, in which case I suggest you pick up the pace... 

"Tick of the Clock", by the Chromatics



*Why "vaguely creepy"?  Well, we are getting close to the end of October...  (There may be more Vaguely Creepy Songs of the Day to come.)

Keeping It All in Perspective

Joe Klein (of Time, according to the article) has stated that the Benghazi attack (and, one presumes, the resultant deaths of four Americans, including an ambassador) "has been like the October mirage-- it really isn't an issue". 

No, but he's right.  The attack and the coordinated attempt to pin it on some inane video-- them's small potatoes compared to the BIG BIRD CONTROVERSY and that shocking-- and quite frankly, stomach-turning-- incident in which Mitt Romney spoke of having (~whisper~) "binders full of women"*. 

Let's keep the focus on the real burning issues of our times!


* Are there really women out there who are truly-- somehow, inconceivably, illogically-- offended by that phrase, taken in context (or, really, out of context)?  I mean seriously, honestly offended, not just making a show of it because it's the best they could come up with on short notice.  Because I'd like to stare at them with a look of mingled disgust and disbelief.  Then point and laugh.  And then walk away with a shrug.  Girl power!  ;o)

Penny Sales Tax

I heard this morning that our county superintendent has said that if we don't renew the "temporary" penny sales tax (B-------n Amendment 2), they'll "have to" close five schools, consolidate four others, fire teachers and other employees, and cut programs.  The five schools they'll "have to" close include both the local R-------n Elementary and the school where I went as a child-- E------r Elementary.  I guess both would be diverted to R-------e, instead.  

That whole situation just makes me mad.  Tell people you'll tax them for three years, then when the three years are up, tell them that-- whoops!-- you apparently don't own a calendar-- didn't plan ahead-- whatever.  The point is, you need more money for the children.  What kind of awful person wouldn't support a measly little penny tax for the sake of the children?  Even if you don't have children or grandchildren in the school system, yourself, don't you have fond memories of your own school days? Where's your school pride?  Do you really want that schoolhouse to sit empty... doomed to eventual decay or demolishment?  They know that many will hear these sob stories and begrudgingly vote in favor of the tax-- just like when a city needs more money and the very first thing at the very top of their "To-Cut" list is... you guessed it, police and firemen.  Oh no!  But we gotta have our police!  It's not safe, otherwise... Gosh, give 'em all the money they need-- whatever they ask for!  ...Whew!  That was a close call!"

It's amazing how the school systems always need more money, yet we also keep hearing that (no matter how much money they get) student performance isn't where it needs to be... It's almost like we've reached a point of diminishing returns or something... Like there's this mysterious point at which more money doesn't really improve the quality of education... Hm.  

It's strange how children of the past managed to get an education in a one-room schoolhouse, often with only one teacher to tend to the needs of students of all ages and abilities.  Alright, I'm not saying that's ideal or that every student would get the best modern education from such a situation... but look how far we've come from those days-- and yet we get too many graduates who can barely write a coherent paragraph.  

Seriously, look at the "School Exhibition" in Little Town on the Prairie.  Those kids parsed sentences and did long division in their heads.  No paper.  No blackboard.  Just sharp-as-a-tack minds and an incredible command of the necessary skills.  How much do you think it cost to educate them, adjusted for inflation, etc.?  How many pennies per every dollar we spend today?

I think most of us can agree that there's waste-- and frills that simply are not required when providing even an excellent education.  And yet we're bad guys if we can look at the quivering, pouty lips and teary eyes of children and dare to say NO.  

*SIGH*

Can It Be True?

This feels familiar... I think I might've heard it (or something like it) before.



So... Can it be true?  Could an adult (without a severe mental handicap) really believe that deer cross the road at specific places because of the presence of deer-crossing signs?

ETA: Well, maybe it is true!

After the First Debate

Before the official Republican nomination of Romney-- before the first debate, I was intent on voting for Anyone But Obama.  I wanted some real "Change"-- and practically anyone who had won the Republican nomination would've been guaranteed my vote. 

After the nomination-- after hearing more about him as a person-- I felt better about the fact that the person getting my vote would be Romney.

After the first debate, I was happy to support Romney.

By last night, I was cheering him on.  I'm feeling fired up on his behalf.

Look, Romney's not perfect, but I am so glad that I no longer feel I am simply voting against Obama, but am voting for someone. 

POLITITCS

I've been (mostly) resisting any urges to post politically themed rants or links, because I assume that most of you who read this fall into one or more of these categories:

1.  You're already familiar with the information, and you likely agree with most of the points I'd try to make.

2.  You may or may not be familiar with the information, but you've already made up your mind and are unlikely to be swayed by anything I can say.

3.  You aren't an American citizen, so you can't vote in our elections, anyway.


...But I have (of course) been following the news and watching the debates, because I think the upcoming election is extremely important. So, even though it's essentially pointless, I may still occasionally spout political opinions (even as I gradually cease "following" people whose own repeated political comments have driven my blood pressure through the roof for the last time)...

I may mention (belatedly) that during the VP debate, Biden's insane grin and (rudely interruptive) laughing reminded me of the Joker long before I heard anyone else say so. ;o)

I may growl about Obama's ill-earned smug self-satisfaction.  ("UGH.  Someone pass me a barf-bag!  I may be about to break my decades(?)-long no-barf streak*...")

I may question who was responsible for selecting Candy Crowley. (I'm sure I could find out, but why bother?  The damage-- if any-- is done, and it was predictable.  I just don't get why the Republicans can't fight a little harder to get a more neutral moderator!)




* I honestly don't remember the last time I "got sick".  (Um, sorry to those of you with weak stomachs...)  I'm pretty sure it was before the teen years...  This long absence of cookie-tossing has been a blessing and a curse.  ;o)  A blessing, because-- well, that should be obvious.  A curse, because it's been so long that I now have a special horror of it and know that my "streak" can only last so long.  All good things must come to an end.  (g)  Weird things, too-- like this post.

(Ought to be a) PSA: Avoid Socialism