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Is this for real?

I was reading the New York Times and I came across an article called “Trying to live on 500K in New York City.” After reading it once and then re-reading it twice I’m still not sure whether the author is serious or if it’s satire. For example, take the following quote:

But more than a few of the New York-based financial executives who would have their pay limited are men (and they are almost invariably men) whose identities are entwined with living a certain way in a certain neighborhood west of Third Avenue: a life of private schools, summer houses and charity galas that only a seven-figure income can stretch to cover.

Well, if you have done your job in such a way that you have run not only your company, but the whole economy into the dumpster, then maybe you have to realize that you just have to stop living in luxury with a home in the “right” place, summer houses and kids in private schools. Not to mention stop running to galas.

An accountant quoted in the piece, Martin Cohen shows that after taxes a poor person earning only $500,000 would take home $269,000 per year. And then the article goes on to explain how you need your apartment for $200,000, your summer house for $250,000, your driver for $125,000, your personal trainer for $12,000, your garage at $10,000, etc. ad infinitum. Oh, I forgot, yearly vacations for $16,000, private school for $65,000 and a nanny at almost $50,000.

If this is meant as satire I think it’s not sharp enough. If it’s not, then the revolution is not far away.

Oh, and the article says that a middle class salary in NYC is about $125,000, so getting paid 4 times average middle class is not good enough for the people who after running the economy into the ground probably doesn’t even deserve to be on par with the average working man or woman.

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Finally!

At last, we have a change agent we can believe in. It was a long and painful process, and I believe that Senator Clinton should have stepped out of the race earlier. After North Carolina as far as I’m concerned.

Anyway, the result is in, and now we can all focus on getting Senator Obama elected. That will take unification in the Democratic Party, as well as people pulling together to get some of Hillary Clinton’s campaign debt to Senator Clinton paid off.

 I’m happy with the result.

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Divisiveness is not attractive

We’re involved in a very intense presidential campaign right now, and although I’m not allowed to vote I have long had a favorite, somebody I toot my horn for. That man is a Democrat, and he is the most inspirational I’ve seen in a long time. Yes, you’ve guessed it. Barack Obama.

In the last few weeks we have all seen signs of strong political campaigning from all leading Democrat candidates, and until recently I would say that I also admired Hillary Clinton, because she is a very professional and competent politician. However, the last week has made me change my mind. It’s not that she is no longer professional and competent. It’s more that she is so old school when it comes to campaigning.

We now have a choice between “divide and conquer” and “unite and improve”. You will have to guess which candidate stands for which.

 

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I don’t like Mike

Or to paraphrase David Bowie, “I’m afraid of Republicans,” but most of all I’m afraid of Mike Huckabee. If you care why it’s because he’s so likeable. Or rather, he has such ultra-conservative oponions and still is so likeable. That really scares me.

I remember last time there was a new president and everybody voted for him because he seemed like the kind of guy you’d like to sit down and have a beer with (disregarding the fact that he has some serious drinking problems, and probably would be fine with some pop and pretzels). Huckabee, damnit you’d like him to come to all your parties, that how well he comes across. I think those are fine qualities, but not the ones that we should use to elect the most powerful man in the world.

Mike Huckabee wants to overturn Roe vs. Wade and defends it by saying that he thinks we should disallow abortions because American people value the life of one as if it’s the life of all. I assume that means all the mothers who don’t want the child for whatever reason. It’s also ironic that he supports death penalty, but I guess that is one kind of life that has no value.

I also have a big problem with somebody who wants to even discuss creationism at the same time as evolution, and even worse wants to get students to have to suffer through it. Science is about observing and drawing conclusions. Evolution is therefore supported by science, since we can experience evolution ourselves. Just look at virii during cold and flu season.

Huckabee has also shown himself to be ignorant about things like the National Intelligence Estimate and the current writers’ strike, and he comes off as almost proud of being ignorant. If he wasn’t such a good speaker that would probably have killed his political career long time ago, not to mention his religious one.

There are some positions where I think he’s not that bad, and other areas where I think he might not have thought through the issue in enough detail.

Oh, and for the record, I don’t care whether somebody is a religous believer or not, I think that as long as there are morals and ethics that align with doing the best for the American people, then the president can believe what he or she wants. Actually, the less it’s talked about the better.

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Anyway

I was going through some old paper and found this photo copy that I have been dragging around with me forever simply because every time I read it, it inspires me to try to be a better person. And so I think that I should do something with it. I finally decided to just type it in here, and hopefully somebody else can find it inspiring. Here we go:

Anyway

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful you win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness makes you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have got

Anyway

I hope you find it useful.

Quote of the Day:
To cease smoking is the easiest thing. I ought to know. I’ve done it a thousand times.
–Mark Twain