With apologies to Merle Travis & Tennessee Ernie Ford, " Another "year" older & deeper in debt" Yeah Happy Birthday to me. Alotta crap has gone down in the last year. Still numbered amongst the unemployed. Starting to feel like a lyric from Brother Can You Spare a Dime ?

They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead
Why should I be standing in line
Just waiting for bread?

Once I built a railroad, I made it run
Made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Well It's not quite that bad for me...no bread line.
Yet, there are millions of hard working Americans who cannot find employment. We are having to face the reality that we are becoming forgotten by society i.e. Corporate America, government. No average working man might have started this economic mess. (Sure, some may have what is euphemistically termed, lived beyond their means, over extended themselves, whatever you want to call it, it's out there.) Like so many Pavlov's Dogs we have been taught, Job = money= the good life
( American Dream)
Bigger house, better car, buy a boat etc. Hard to be a nation of consumers when you don't consume. Decades of being told to buy & spend. It's good for America & America's economy.
It's tough when through no direct action of your own, it all comes crashing down.
Pure & simple, the cause is a result of corporate greed, (banks, Wall Street etc.) & government irresponsablity.
When the government is so broken & votes are bought & paid for by the very group that they are supposed to police what can you expect?
By getting in bed with these immoral greedy jackholes , the government has given birth to a bastard. And it's an ugly child, filled with resentment, hopelessness and bitter anger.
This country is angry & frustrated by the the lack of government"of the people, by the people, for the people. "Apparently in congress, by the people has become buy the people.
This country is locked & loaded. God help us if some day that gun goes off.
Enough of the moral & political philosophy.
It's my birthday, a time to celebrate the wonders of the world A time to celebrate family & friends. A time for the royal feast to begin. A time for fond memories & embarrassment.

You don't need to be Perry Mason

Well here's another thing stuck in my craw, i.e. it pisses me off.
A 17 times (dating back 30 years) "career offender" convicted felon with charges ranging from forgery, burglary, welfare fraud, repeated sex crimes, failure to register as a sex offender, failure to comply with probation, failure to avoid contact with minors & more, to numerous to jot down here. This creep is a real bag of excrement.
On June 20,2007, this turdbag was sentenced for depositing $35,000 in counterfeit checks into his bank account.
The district judge sentenced the felon to the maximum of 20 yrs due to his literal life of crime. That's 7 times recommended state guidelines for forgery. Alright judge. Book 'em Dano. Why was this space - wasting, breathing - my - air piece of shit out of the Gray Bar Hotel in the first place?

Now this is what pisses me off.
Upon appeal, a 3 judge panel of the Mn Court of Appeals ruled his prison term "unreasonable & excessive. they ordered the case sent back for resentencing.
The felon waived his rights to a Blakely hearing, which is a jury hearing to determine if defendants qualify for enhanced penalties. He rolled the dice & lost.
In my be responsible for your actions world, this guy got what was long overdue.
How dare these pussy judges overturn what was a legal by the book sentence.
In our local paper, it always publishes a photo of someone who is charged or later convicted of committing a crime.
Again, in my responsible world, these judges need to have their pictures published as well. In fact let's start to hold all the judges accountable for their sentencing policies. Example: If a felon is given probation for a crime & then proceeds to commit another crime while on probation, the original sentencing judge must make restitution to the victim. In other words... no probation ever. serve out your time. If a person awaiting trial for a serious crime while out on bail imposed by a lenient judge, commits murder, upon conviction, the original judge must serve a life in prison in the same cell as the murderer. If a repeat convicted felon continues to break the law after release from prison, at the very least, the sentencing should be doubled.
I'm tired of career criminals using the system of lenient judges to continue being career criminals. Hold the judges responsible.
That's my verdict. Courts adjourned.