Thank you!

I'd like to offer a very heartfelt and humble thank you to all of those that have served and are currently serving in the US military. I do not take your sacrifices and courage for granted. I know that I wouldn't be spewing my nonsense over the blogosphere without your willingness to lay down your life for my freedom and security. It's a shame that so many others are willing to spit in your face like a child and then demand that you protect them, all in the same breath.

I will never forget.

Happy Memorial Day

Would you mind letting go of the reins for once?

I came across yet another article on how the baby boomers are redefining what it means to be retired in today’s culture. OK, I get it – your generation is the most wonderful, socially conscious, positively world changing, best at everything generation that has ever existed. Your generation is also probably one of the most selfish, childish, narcissistic, vain, and elitist as well. I remember being subjected to similar such articles throughout my lifetime when the boomers reached 30, 40, and 50. Just like your children that have already graduated from college and still live at home, you need to kick your “inner child” out of the house and finally grow up as well. Accept the fact that you will get old and die like the rest of us. Your vanity keeps the plastic surgeons, lawyers, entertainment media, pharmaceutical companies (for non life-threatening medication, anyway – Prozac and Viagra anyone?), and day care facilities in business, so I guess you are a necessary evil for the continuation of our economy.

All right, so I used a pretty broad brush to paint a whole generation red, but who cares what a non-boomer thinks anyway? The rest of us are pretty much irrelevant to the boomers in charge of Madison Avenue, Hollywood, most print, television, and electronic media, academia, and pretty much everything else. We must experience our lives through your narcissistic psychedelic glasses. It’s has been and always will be all about you. One thing is obvious though - you won’t go quietly. Lucky us...

Thanks for the cultural plague you left for the rest of us to survive in. Good riddance.

More to follow soon...

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out

I heard something on the radio yesterday that really made sense to me. As evidenced by the Legislative Branch’s inept reaction/proposals to the recent immigration fracas, it was suggested that we do more than “send a message” to Washington this election year and the few years that follow. The ever-corrosive Washington culture seems to have been in overdrive the past few decades. I have never observed such a level of disconnect between Congress and the citizenry they supposedly represent.

We should kick them ALL out – seriously. They no longer hold our interests above their own, if they really did at all. They are only beholden to their financial benefactors.

What is really slick about this mass house cleaning is that it doesn’t matter what political affiliation you are. You can still elect people from your party of choice. You simply vote for a candidate **OTHER** than the incumbent in the primaries. If word gets out about this strategy, the incumbents should get some real competition in the primaries and we should get better choices for a quality replacement.

The problem now is that the average citizen thinks so poorly of Washington, except his or her own representatives. Somehow it’s all of the other legislators that are screwing up the country. Get over it. Your representatives are equally part of the problem.

I’ve had it with all of them.

Patience is a virtue

Step 1: Insert square peg into round hole.
Step 2: After completing Step 1, if product fails to work properly, bang your head against the nearest hard surface.
Step 3: Repeat Step 2 until unconscious.
Step 4: While asleep, the simple and obvious solution will present itself to your pea-sized, moronic brain.

I am a Mac user. I know that you’re probably thinking: Geez, not another sanctimonious Mac-loving blowhard pontificating to the other six people in the world that use Macs. I have been using Windows at work for many years; I am also still a Mac user. Who gives a crap, and why is this relevant? Here’s why:

As a long time Mac user, I was very technologically sheltered from the headaches of the PC paradigm. Nowadays, this distinction has virtually disappeared. Macs have become more complicated and PCs have become more stable. Again, why is this relevant? Over many years using Macs, I formed the belief that technology should just work. When I plugged in a printer, it just worked. When I installed a new application, it didn’t break other applications; it just worked. As a general rule, I was spared the hassles of editing the registry, uninstalling and reinstalling the operating system, drivers, etc. The problem now is that I have applied this same belief to the rest of the gizmos I interact with every day – my PC, TV, stereo, cell phone, weed trimmer, pool cleaner. Bad idea. It seems my theory can’t pass muster in the real world. I have quickly discovered that I have a miniscule patience threshold with things that (in my mind) should just work. Why does everything need to be so complicated that one improperly configured button, control panel, or connector causes the TV to melt or changes my voicemail to Swahili?

What prompted this rant was that I finally got my HDTV setup working again. I purchased a new receiver and a plasma TV this year and reconfigured my whole A/V system to take advantage of their capabilities. Things worked fine until a couple of months ago, when our cable company pushed out a firmware update to all of the cable boxes. For some reason, the cable boxes would quit working whenever HDMI cables were plugged into them. Of course, I had spent a small fortune on new cables and components for my system that now no longer work. Long story short, I had to spend more money on more cables and components, but at least it is working properly – until next time that is...

Nice try...

During the debate (if you can call it that) on the current illegal immigration fiasco, one point of contention is blaming “Big Business” and the “Corporations” for wanting access to a cheap illegal labor force. I don’t buy that argument and here’s why:

Large corporations are very unlikely to hire illegal workers.
Who instinctively comes to mind when “Big Business” or the “Corporations” are mentioned? Almost immediately I thought of Intel, Wal Mart, Cisco, McDonalds, Microsoft, Ford, GM, Chrysler, and Boeing. Of course there are numerous others, but you get the idea. I am part owner of a medium sized business (50+ employees). The amount of legal paperwork, compliance reporting, and audits that we have to deal with is very excessive. I can’t image the amount of state and federal regulations, compliance, filing, and oversight that any large corporation (like any of those listed above) has to deal with. Such large corporations are under a very invasive microscope. Do you really think Intel or Chrysler would take the risk to hire a large amount of (or any) illegal workers?

I suggest that small businesses hire the majority of the illegal workers.
If large companies like Ford aren’t hiring all of these illegals, then who is? How about your local restaurant, farmer, lawn care, construction, or maid service company? I may be so bold as to say that YOU might be personally using the services of these businesses that hire or are owned by illegal immigrants. Sure, it would be awkward and insulting to ask your gardener for proof of citizenship before you hire him. It’s so much easier and self-righteous to blame the “Corporations” for the problem that you may be helping to perpetuate.

So who’s lobbying for the illegal labor?
I don’t remember the name of their lobbying firm off hand – no, wait a minute - only “Big Business” or the “Corporations” have the resources to hire lobbyists to represent their interests. Since I suggest that small companies hire most of these illegal workers, someone must want them here. Which leads me to...

Follow the money.
Who ultimately benefits from cheap, illegal labor? Politicians, race hustlers, unions, the professional grievance industry, socialists, lawyers, the ACLU, - persons and organizations that want to maintain or increase their influence over you. Whenever you hear or read about one who supports the illegal workforce, think to yourself, what’s in it for him or her? I bet the person or group in question would love to have more people to wield dominion over, especially people that are more likely to be less educated and therefore more easily controlled and manipulated. Think about it – rationally.

Please try to let go of your knee-jerk, emotional, visceral hatred for large corporations, because they (not government) are a major positive component of the economy. We all can’t work for the government. Remember that the government doesn’t produce wealth; it can only take wealth away from the private sector.

This is just my opinion, but what do I know?

Happy Mother’s Day

I have been so busy the past few weeks (trip to Mexico, work, life, etc.). As the Evil One noted recently, I too, have had a bunch of topical stuff over-pressurizing my head over the past few weeks. And also like his Evilness, the inspirations that fueled the unwritten rants and raves have been absorbed back into the unconscious like an internal flatulent ball of gas.

Anyway, make sure you call your Mother and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. Mine keeps reminding me of an unpaid invoice for 9 months worth of handling charges whenever I get a little sassy with her. I know I should call her more and make more of an effort to visit (Iowa) but we all know the reality. She will not be around forever, so make sure she knows how much you love her and appreciate all of the things she has done for you.

Love you, Mom!