Say what?

Two days ago, the New York 26th District held a special election to fill a seat in the U S House of Representatives vacated by a republican involved in a scandal. What a surprise. The big surprise was that in a heavy republican district, the Democrat won in an upset. The reason the Dem. won was because the Rep. came out in favor of Wisconsin Republican U S Representative Paul Ryan's

budget plan to among other choice things included the abolishment of Medicare.

Now Ryan is hitting the air waves saying the Democrats used scare tactics to stir up the seniors & the Republicans didn't present the true picture of his budget plan etc. etc.

Locally, the Republican controlled House & Senate are deadlocked with the Democratic Governor over the state budget. The Republicans as usual want to cut social programs, aid to cities, cut corporate tax, raise property taxes, cuts funding for victims of child sex abuse, services for battered women, sexual assault providers, community crime prevention and gang and drug task forces & maintain the status quo for the upper 2% income. (The rich)

The Governor wants to raise the tax rate on the upper income to help balance the budget.

The Republican ain't gonna let it happen. The result is a stalemate, which will cause a special session to be called.

Now the rumor floating around, is that the state will be forced to shut down effective July 1 2011. No government except essential services.( i.e. law enforcement & a very few others)

This will coincide with the 4th of July weekend. Good luck getting to that camp site you reserved when all the state parks are closed. Have fun getting your driver's license renewed. Enjoy getting your unemployment check. Amazing that all the services shutting down will have the most impact on the middle class. What a stunning revelation.

I believe it was either Aristotle, Descartes, Nietzsche or some other philosopher of bygone times who had an interesting take on the ideas being put forth by the Republican politicians.

I quote,"Hey motherfuckers, kiss me where I stink"

Republicans had best beware. From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam. The American Eagle is coming, & is he pissed.

The Killer

During his playing days, Harmon Killebrew was nicknamed the Killer. He got the name because of his ability to kill the old horsehide & his propensity to destroy opposing pitchers, but never was there a more inappropriate name for a gentler man.

Harmon Clayton Killebrew as of this date is dying. He has cancer. On May 13,2011, he checked into a hospice to spend his last days with dignity. From all reports, dignity was the key word in describing how Harmon Killebrew lived his life.

I met him more then 30 years ago at a sport collectors show. I was lined up with others to get the autograph of the local hero. His warmth & kindness was instantly apparent. He would patiently listen to the fans with their reminiscences, smiling & exchanging kind words with them. He respected the baseball fans. I have since passed that autograph onto my grown daughter with the belief that she too will honor the man.

Of all his accomplishments, the single most moment I remember about Harmon Killebrew was something he said in his Hall Of Fame induction speech. "I'll never forget, we used to play a lot of ball out in the front yard and my mother would say, "you're tearing up the grass and digging holes in the front yard?', and my father would say, "we're not raising grass here, we're raising boys."

I find that I have a tear in my eye & the cliched lump in my throat as I think back to the excitement & joy of watching him play. I have that same tear & the same lump in my throat thinking that somewhere, someone is writing a new definition to the words "class act".

Thank you so much Mr. Killebrew.

The other day, as I am wont to do, I was listening to the TV while I was doing other inane keep busy projects. A commercial came on the old tube that caught my interest. It was for a new breakfast cereal... Cheerios Cinnamon Burst.
Well being someone who enjoys his cereal as much as the next fellow. I thought I'd pick up a box on my next trip to the grocery store.
Now for a little background. I've been eating cereal for over sixty years. Nothing like a quick, tasty and nutritious breakfast when the standards of eggs, toast etc. becomes boring. My paternal grandfather taught my sister & me as children to enjoy a bowl of cereal as a bedtime snack. I really like cereal.
So, with some anticipation, I purchased the new taste sensation of Cheerios Cinnamon Burst.
Oh, the horror. Three bites into the first bowl & it was at best,terrible. Not only did I pour out the remaining bowl, I tossed the rest of the box into the trash. Lesson learned.
This cereal was so distasteful, I felt compelled to send an email to General Mills(the manufacturer). That email & the corporate response is entered below....

"Tried Cinnamon Burst Cheerios the other day. Don't quit your day job. That is unless it's developing new cereal. It is god awful. Three bites & the whole package went into the trash.(I recycled the box) Been eating General Mills cereal for over 60 years. Remember Jets & Twinkles? I do. I have purchased Honey Nut Cheerios since day one & they are the best. They (HNC)are probably embarrassed to have to have the Cheerios brand name associated with Cinnamon Burst. Yuk. I also enjoy Wheaties, Kix, Rice Chex, Honey Nut Chex, & Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The only non General Mills brand I buy is Tony Tiger (Frosted Flakes). Well, you can't win them all. For a geezer, I love my General Mills cereal. Try to do better next time. Thank you"

The response:
"Thank you for contacting General Mills regarding your disappointment with Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. We are sorry your experience did not meet the standards we expect from our products.
We maintain stringent standards in all phases of the packaging process, and are committed to creating products of the highest quality. Although our products are very popular, we realize that tastes among individuals vary greatly and it is impossible to please everyone.
The satisfaction of our customers is very important to us, and we hope you will continue to choose our products.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this problem. Your questions and comments are always welcome."
Sincerely,
Norma Stone
Consumer Services

Wading through the very polite & formal corporate speak, I have discovered that my taste buds are askew from their R & R department & apparently everyone else.

After checking out some reviews on the old internet, all of which range from near orgasmic enthusiasm to it's just ok, I find that once again I stand alone.

Now, in the scheme of things, being dissatisfied with a breakfast cereal don't amount to a hill of beans. However, a hill of beans would have been much more tasty then Cheerios Cinnamon Burst.

Hey Lucy I'm home & you got some splainin' to do.

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What the ?

On 1/30/2011, the local newspaper,(St. Paul Pioneer Press) published an editorial titled "For tight times, trim the size of state workforce."

The editorial extols the proposed legislation put forth by Republican State Rep. Keith Downey. The legislation calls for the elimination of 15% of the state workforce over four years. In the editorials own words, "The state of Minnesota employs about 34,000 people (not including those at our colleges), roughly the same number as 10 years ago."

Not exactly expanding the work force to handle the problems arising with the 10 year increase in population & the needs of the taxpayers. Mn population according to 2010 U S Census: 5.3 M.
34,000 employees to provided service to 5.3 M via DOT, DNR, Revenue, Veterans Affairs etc.

The editorial goes on to say "The legislation Downey proposes would give the governor various tools — from attrition and early retirements to wage freezes and layoffs — to trim the size and cost of the state workforce."


I have a partisan concern regarding this solution as my wife is a current state employee. Before you start to piss & moan about that, some facts.

The missus has not had an increase in wages (other then COL) for 7 years. She, amongst others were denied early retirement the last time it was offered as being to essential to the workforce. She will retire on her own volition within 2 years.
She currently oversees a division that brings tens of million of dollars into the state coffers annually.

Again the editorial. "It also would adjust wages in the public sector to match those of similar duties in the private sector, and give bonuses to state employees who find ways to save the state money."

The state has continually under paid their workers vs. the private sector for decades. They constantly lose the young & innovative to the private sector for that very reason.

As to the bonuses proposed for employees for cost saving ideas,
a little flashback story.

I last worked as a state employee 30+ years ago. I came up with an idea on my own to change part of a current system as I saw the waste & hated doing that aspect of my job. There had to be a better way. That idea was projected to save millions & save time processing income tax returns. I believe that change is still in effect today.
My bonus was a hearty thank you letter & a certificate of appreciation from the then Governor. I was so excited that I almost injured myself in my sprint to the waste basket to toss the useless documents.
Do you think anything will change.

The editorial goes on."Downey's proposal would save big money over time, though it would not create a windfall of immediate savings. Some of what he proposes has upfront costs."

If you are trying to help balance the budget, & the bill proposed will offer no immediate savings & will increase current costs, it seems that only one conclusion can be drawn from it.

Union busting.

Conspiracy fun facts:
The Pioneer Press is owned by Denver based Media News Group, nationally known as anti union. The National Labor Relations Board has numerously cited Media News Group for what can at best be described as questionable business practices with unions & their workers.

The state workers union traditionally donates to the Democratic party. It also endorses Democratic candidates. Does it seem at all partisan that this legislation is proposed by a Republican who represents one of the richest districts in the state, or that it is wholeheartedly endorsed by a newspaper owned by an anti union
corporation.

There are ways to help balance the current budget by reducing the number of big money management in the state(some is outsourced, i.e. consultants). Reduce the size of the legislature & temporarily, their wages. Eliminate the Per Diem cost to the legislators. They are only in session 120 days of the year. If you want to use cuts to the state workforce to reduce costs, isn't it only appropriate to ask the same of the legislators?

In keeping with the times, it looks as if the working middle class will continue to shrink in size, & those that temporarily survive will take it up the rectum once more form Corporate America & the government.

Dateline: Your World & Welcome To It

In regards to the Tucson shooting.
Can Chris Matthews, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly just zip it, close their respective pie holes, put a lid on it?
What the hell is wrong with you asswipes?
Whether rightie or leftie, this is not the time to try & score points on this horrendous event.
Look up the definition of decency & have someone explain it to you.
JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!!

JESUS H. CHRIST.
Will someone just nuke the planet now. We have officially lost all sense of humanity.

Hey, Arthur C. Clarke, I got your 2010 right here.

On a purely personal front, 2010 can kiss my big fat wrinkled white ass & good riddance.
The missus almost assumed room temperature (died) following routine surgery to have an ovarian cyst removed. OOPS. I've had elbow surgery to repair an entrapped ulna nerve. Total numbness & partial paralysis in left hand for 4+ months. You gotta love the hoops the insurance companies make you jump through before you can get the obvious taken care of. Recovering nicely now. Thank you Dr. Christina Ward. Forced into taking early retirement via Social Security to keep income coming in. Hence the term income. Nice economy & job market. Buried under 17.3" of snow two days ago with Arctic cold temperature following. Christ, winter is getting harder to abide as the years pile up. Truly a really eventful horseshit year on the medical side of things.

I've become more cynical (didn't think that was possible) & disgusted with mans continued inhumanity to man. Wake up assholes. We're all in this sinking ship of life together.

On the plus side... still have a roof over our heads. The dog is still alive (going on 13+ yrs.) The daughter & her husband are doing relatively well. Reconnected with some childhood (teenage) friends. Although some things are best not remembered. And I wish they wouldn't.
Putting everything into some sort of perspective, not the best of times, but still we survive.
With that in mind & apart from all that humans try to do to make the world uninhabitable, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & peace. Come on God, hit me with your best shot. See you next year.