Since nothing has really struck a nerve or pushed my blood pressure up this week, I thought I'd run through a few things that have sort-of struck a nerve, pissed me off or made me go WTF. So here they are in no particular order.*Tough Girl?*
I am always hearing from the female side of our genetics how strong a woman Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is. So why is it that when Hill fractured her elbow she had to work at home? Couldn't she just put it in a sling? Hill was MIA for nearly a month and a half while Iran went ballistic and North Korea lobbed missiles over Japan and at Hawaii. So how is it that soon-to-be-Justice Sonia Sotomayor, breaks her ankle (considerably harder to move around with) and can still show up to face a daily Inquisition by Congressional Republicans. Hillary a tough girl? I'm taking Sonia in one round.
*Poverty Causes Obesity?*
Thinking logically, one would assume that the poorer you get, the thinner you'd get. If you look at all the countries with the highest poverty levels, you'd also notice them all looking mighty slim. America seems to be an exception to this rule. With unemployment in Michigan now at 15.2% and climbing, we have somehow found a way to make ourselves even fatter as more of us become unemployed. Michigan ranked as 9th highest in obesity according to according to a new report by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Only in America are all the rich people scary thin while the poorest wallow in obesity.
*Michigan Looking for Prisoners?*
Michigan is apparently so desperate for tourism that it is now courting other states' corrections departments. Governor Jennifer Granholm, aka Buffy the Job Killer, has offered to take California's inmates to fill up some of the Michigan prisons scheduled to be closed. I guess since our College Graduates are leaving at a record rate, we have to do something to get our state population back up. As if that wasn't bad enough, recently I've found that we're on the short list to take some of the Gitmo detainees. Isn't this cruel and unusual punishment? They're all going to end up obese and unemployed.
*Can't Seem to Make Up Their Minds*
As the Republican talk show hosts turn up the heat on Obama's Heath Care Reform, one topic keeps coming up contradicting itself. If, as the Talking Heads say, a Government run program would be a monumental disaster, proven by the fact that the Government "Fails at everything it tries, just look at the U.S. Post Office." How is it that those same radio ramblers also say that the Government run program would push all other Health Care Insurers out of business? They can't compete against a monumental failure? By the way, Fed-ex and UPS seem to be holding their own.
*Kwame's Legacy Lives On*
Detroit has finally managed to rid itself of Hip-Hop Mayor Thief-of-the-Century Kwame Kilpatrick. But his legacy lives on. Detroit Public Schools is $360 million in debt and the city itself is in debt for another $300 million. In the mist of all the thievery that has been uncovered in that God-forsaken Hellhole, we've recently discovered a a sweetheart (pun intended) deal Mr. Kilpatrick set up for another of his high-class, low morals beetches. Sheryl Robinson Wood, was hired by Kilpatrick to oversee reforms in the Detroit Police Department to the tune of $180,000 a month. All told, Sheryl managed to fleece the City of Detroit for an astonishing $13 million. The citizens of Detroit are holding their City Council elections tomorrow, we'll see how many of that band of theives hold their jobs.
O.K., that's it for now. Enjoy your day and if you don't live in Michigan, remember to Thank your lucky stars. H.C.
10 comments:
You make me laugh and cringe as only the HC can. Obesity among the poor is caused because unhealthy food (McDonald's, Burger King etc.) is less expensive than healthier options (organic produce for example).
As a student who left Michigan it still baffels me how backwards the state is, especially Detriot. I know that the movie tax incentive has worked and now Ford is getting a boost from Uncle Sam in the form of Cash for Clunkers, but with the tax base leaving in groves how deep can the state cut and what options are available for the future?
Thanks Aviad,
I try my best. I was only being facetious on the obesity thing. I understand that it's actually the fact that bad, unhealthy food in the U.S. is cheaper. I just thought it was funny that we get fatter as we get poorer. I'm sorry to hear that you left Michigan (if all the smart people leave, who are we left with?) however, I can't say that I blame you. I'm hearing very mixed results on the Movie maker tax incentive. Most assessments on it's success are that it costs us more than it brings in. WJR out of Detroit (which leans right) did an audit on it and claimed the average length of a "job" created by the movie industry in Michigan was less than 2 days! I'm actually a fan of the Cash for Clunkers. The money saved by the people is multiplied by the amount they don't have to finance on the cars they buy and it can give a needed boost to our struggling auto manufacturing. How Michigan will ever get out of debt is anyone's guess. (I lean towards increasing tourism)I predict very tough times ahead for the "Shit Mitt" Thanks for your thoughts!
"I'm actually a fan of the Cash for Clunkers. The money saved by the people is multiplied by the amount they don't have to finance on the cars they buy and it can give a needed boost to our struggling auto manufacturing."
I disagree. Let's break down the % of North American content that each of the top 10 vehicles bought under the Cash-For-Clunkers contain (as per the AALA).
#1: Ford Focus - 50% (Final assembled in Mexico)
#2: Honda Civic - 60%
#3: Toyota Corolla - 50%
#4: Toyota Prius - 0%
#5: Ford Escape - 65%
#6: Toyota Camry - 75%
#7: Dodge Caliber - 68%
#8: Hyundai Elantra - 1%
#9: Honda Fit - 0%
#10: Chevey Cobalt - 71%
So, w/ a mere 4 of the top 10 being produced by the big-3 accounting for 47% of the total vehicles purchased under this program, this doesn't appear to be stimulating any auto-industry other than those of Japan & Korea.
-n
What's up HipCon?!
Like you, I'm a fan of the random thought joints. Well done, sir. To address your points:
(1) Hill working at home is a problem to me. What happens when she pushes the RED BUTTON when she actually meant to push the button on the remote control? Besides all of that, you're correct: she can't go around boasting street cred when she's at home nursing her calamities. She tried to prove she was 'bout it, 'bout it during the Democratic primaries - having beers with the fellas of all things. Now she's being a wuss. Sotomayor, on the other hand, is straight hardcore.
(2) I'm sure you knew all along how poor people and overworked people have to rely on quick, inexpensive foods. So I took your commentary as tongue-in-cheek.
(3) I'm very disappointed in the idea of the two Guvs plotting to turn our state into a storage depot for prisoners. For starters, there's the obvious question of how this is going to get paid for. One poor state relying on another poor state is simply bizarre to me.
On top of it all, why aren't people more critical of California's law enforcement apparatus? How many of those who are incarcerated have been subjected to that ridiculous three strikes rule? How many state economies will have to take a hit b/c a few states refuse to part with that clearly negligible system? Granholm and the Guv-ee-nah: a match made in some other place besides Heaven.
(4) The other day I was watching the Daily Show when Bill Kristol made the admission that the government can provide first-class health care to troops. The conversation was mostly about how our troops can and should receive better health care than ordinary citizens...but his argument DID bring to light the idea that government-ran health care is much better. That, along with your observations, provide evidence that these silly Republicans don't have a clue what to think.
(5) Kwame is the thief of all thieves...and that's saying a lot, given the overall nature of politics. But - and boy do I HATE admitting this - it doesn't appear that his actions were necessarily illegal. In fact, much of what he did was well within the standards of politicians; vileness and all. Who HASN'T squandered taxpayer money to take care of their buddies? Who HASN'T had affairs outside of their marriages? I'm an advocate for watching Kwame and ALL of his buddies go down in flames. But I'm also hoping the same level of attention will be turned to Lansing, Washington, etc.
Nice post, dude.
Hey Nic,
A spokesman for GM said that as few as 40,000 of the new cars (out of 250,000) sold were "new" sales that most likely wouldn't have occurred had the CforC not existed. But that's still 40,000. My point was that the middle class itself actually got the most bang for the tax dollars. If you saved $4,500, that's money you don't have to finance for the car. So the "multiplier" that I was referring to was the additional money saved by not having to finance it. Even the "foreign" cars that you point out have an effect on our economy since a lot of them are at least partially built in the U.S.. I would much rather have the market run itself, but, if we're going to "stimulate" I like the CforC because the money shows up in the middle class instead of on Goldman Sach's latest profits (and bonuses).
Hey Dre,
I know, I stole the idea from you. But hey, if your going to steal ideas-steal from someone good. Right?
1)Absolutely, Sonia is tough. So tough they had to try to soften her up.
2)And you'd be right. 2 fer 2
3)I hear California is going to write us a check. Wanna bet it comes back NSF? Jen and Arnie would make a good couple, both are likeable and clueless.
4)Given your statement, how f'ed up are the Dems that they can't make these points effectively to the public? My suggestions for Congress;
a) State that you WILL take whatever insurance comes out of this for yourselves, Hell, they could always afford to buy more.
b) Throw out all the crap in these bills except Catastrophic Coverage, pass that, celebrate, move on to improving it afterward.
c) Paint any Reps (or Blue Dogs) that oppose the bill as villians who don't care if middle class Americans lose everything they worked their whole lives for if they lose their job and coverage and then get sick.
5)Absolutely! We all, like Detroit, have been WAY too tolerant.
@Nic,
As you may have noticed, I've stolen your "Shit Mitt" moniker for Michigan (I still laugh every time I write it). As I told Andre, I only steal from the best. BTW, thanks for helping me the other day, I'm not as good at expressing my appreciation as I should be and I really did appreciated it!
"One poor state relying on another poor state is simply bizarre to me.
On top of it all, why aren't people more critical of California's law enforcement apparatus? How many of those who are incarcerated have been subjected to that ridiculous three strikes rule? How many state economies will have to take a hit b/c a few states refuse to part with that clearly negligible system?"
Interesting points. I was more or less in the "Why-Not?" camp prior to reading this, however these questions are making me re-think my stance.
"My point was that the middle class itself actually got the most bang for the tax dollars. If you saved $4,500, that's money you don't have to finance for the car."
@ the expense of sending how many millions of tax-payer dollars directly overseas? I bet that if somebody bothers to do the math (beside myself, of course...math sucks ;P ) we'll find that there could have been far more cheaper & efficient systems that could've actually proven beneficial to both the industry & economy. A better system would have been to tie the % of the $4500 received to the % of North American content the vehicle being purchased actually contained. I know, that's a bit too logical & reasonable for them politician folk.
"BTW, thanks for helping me the other day..."
Like I told Andy, I was ready to help play even as I can rock some Guitar Hero like mad. And that's kinda like the same thing, right? ;)
-n
Hey Nic,
"A better system would have been to tie the % of the $4500 received to the % of North American content the vehicle being purchased actually contained."
I like it. But as you know, they originally had a "Buy American" component to the bill and some congressmen opposed it as too nationalistic and likely to cause retaliatory trade sanctions against us. But it still would get my vote, it's OUR stimulous money, why shouldn't we be able to restrict it to whatever gets the best effect? Great Idea, Nic.. you ever think of running for Congress?
"Great Idea, Nic.. you ever think of running for Congress?"
Nah, too many tattoos & incriminating photographs.
"But as you know, they originally had a "Buy American" component to the bill and some congressmen opposed it as too nationalistic and likely to cause retaliatory trade sanctions against us."
Because the Japanese complained. Srsly. They even wrote a letter. A bloody letter HC!
Perhaps I've been brain-washed by all the GM/Ford/Union-members in my family over the years, but something about high tariffs on US made cars in Japan while they have free reign (i.e. dumping low cost cars in our market while nearly monopolizing their own) in ours screams something amiss.
But maybe you're right about running for congress. The tattoos & incriminating photos aside, I @ least have balls. ;)
-n
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