Mar 17, 2009

Modern Absurdities

They are middle-class* people so they deserve to get the bonuses.

And the people who are working there that are middle-class people, are expecting to get this bonus. If they do not get it, maybe they won’t be motivated enough to try to help the company turn around and getting the company to turn around and be more profitable is important for all of us.

Dana Perino, former Bush's press secretary

This is the 21st century but it seems it came way too early for many of our fellow humans. The problem is that several of those backward-looking people are also in position of power and can influence many others. Case in point, the Pope. He says that the scourge of AIDS is bad but condoms are worse! I'm not kidding. On his way to Africa--to enlighten the locals on the benefits of superstition, er, religion--he said, "You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms." So, anything that doesn't solve a problem is not a good idea?! Really? I don't think I have to explain how ridiculous this comment is.




What's with this medieval attitude towards sex? Surely, sex can be irresponsible, but in and by itself is not something bad--we're all here because of sex! I reckon that the church's dislike of sex has to do with the idea of pleasure. Oh, and that the human body is disgusting. Therefore, no sex for pleasure, just for procreation; hence, birth control is bad too. As for condoms--that have proven to be effective in the prevention of many communicable diseases--they are, too, bad!

Most women who get infected by HIV are married; they're infected by their husbands! Condoms you say? Well, not for them, not according to the dogmatic and "infallible" Pope. Here we have a proven method for preventing the spread of AIDS and other venereal diseases, but those who know very little about sex [isn't the Pope celibate?] say that they express God's mind on this issue.

Likewise, the conservatives & their Republican party in the US are against stem cell research. Why? Because the soul can exist in a petri dish--where 2 cells have merged! Yeah, I know, it is absurd. Yet, if we remain engaged in the process we will overcome the objections of those who have fought against Social Security, Medicare, science & education, labor laws, consumer protection, public health care, and electrification. We can't be a modern country with politics & attitudes fit for the Dark Ages. Besides, if we want to maintain our prominence, we have to become more educated, a fairer society, supporting science & technology, and a progressive culture of life.



UPDATE 3/18

Speaking of absurdities.. The conservatives have turned into a party of "no." Nothing new to offer, if anything at all. They hope that their best chance is for Obama and the Congressional Dems to fail or be corrupted by power for the GOP to return to relevancy. That might happen, but let's hope that the country doesn't have a short memory syndrome. The huge mess we're experiencing is the result of Republican policies and conservative ideology. It hasn't been only their incompetence that reduced our country by most meaningful measures!

Less than few weeks into his term, the spokespeople of the conservative base have been practicing Big Brother's revision of history. The economy? It's them liberals that started it all by ..forcing the banks to make bad loans! Awwww. Also, while we were attacked on our own soil under the Republican "watch", it's Obama that makes us less safe. That's what tricky Dickey just said.

Here's a good response by a former Republican senator.



Cheney is a jackass!

PS>Did you hear that Dubya is writing an "authoritarian" biography! "I'm going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there's an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened." He said. Even though I hope the earth opens up and swallows Bush & Co, I'll miss him representing the idiots of this country.

*Middle class is anyone who makes less than $5 million a year! That's what McCain said during the campaign. I know, I'm making $4 mil. a year and I'm roughing it...

Aside from the definition of who's in the "middle class," how can a company give bonuses from the money it doesn't have? The US Treasury gave AIG $180 billion to bail it out. I like what some Dems in Congress are proposing: taxing the bonuses at 100% for any company that has received public money in a bailout.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hadn't heard of this approach: to tax those bonuses at 100%! That's great, but I'm afraid a new law wouldn't apply retroactively. There's got to be another way to get that money back. It's OUR money after all.

Anonymous said...

I think the Paulsons, Geithners, Summers, et al, are the ones who didn't want to place any limits on their former colleagues salaries and bonueses, EVEN IF THE MONEY WOULD COME FROM THE TAXPAYERS!

It'a shame!

Anonymous said...

Some of the progressive blogs are saying that the amendment to limit those bonuses to $100,000 was taken out (mysteriously disappeared in conference committee) when the House & Senate bills reconsiled. Geithner's fingerprints are evident.

Obama's dropped the ball on this one.

Al Franken for president said...

I think the Democrats need to get rid of Robert Gibbs because he's gonna cost us votes in 2010. Gibbs is a lousy press secretary.

George said...

I'd give him a few months. Usually, they don't last the whole term. I agree though that the message and how it's framed is extremely important and Gibbs has a big role to play there.


By the way, Franken has to win Minnesota voters big time before he vies for higher office. I think he'll make a great senator, and his numbers will rise. But he has to be careful not to become another Coleman.

George said...

And, this just in:

Cornyn: GOP Prepared To Fight ‘World War III’ To Keep Franken Out Of The Senate For ‘Years’

Maybe this is a lesson to Dems & Al Gore (2000) who threw in the towel, and wanted the country to move forward....

Same when the Rebups were in charge of Congress.... They passed important legislation by simple majority... they didn't like the minority's filibuster.. But, now, wait, it's a different tune.

Whatever....

George said...

Oh, and the Virginia state assembly (controlled by the GOP) passed a bill restricting embryonic stem cell research.

But, reportedly, most Conservatives run to modern science to improve and prolong their lives.

Black Adder said...

Haha, Jerry Falwell did hang around much longer because his doctors didn't tell him, go home and pray, but used modern medicine.

Did you hear about a French court sentencing an Algerian flight crew to prison because when they ditched their airplane they chose to pray instead of executing emergency procedures resulting in the death of several people.

That USAir pilot who brought his jet down on the Hudson relied on his training and human ability to save crew & passengers... What a fool.