You know what really is ironic?
Reagan wanted to make government smaller and more efficient (and W has said things like this too, but has taken little action).
But by cutting budgets and taking other steps to make government smaller and more 'efficient' he actually just made government more inefficient.
See, when Reagan cut budgets and attempted to rid the country of the Department of Education and Energy, all he did was piss off and scare bureaucrats in all agencies. This lowed productivity and outputs of these government agencies - creating a more inefficient government.
That, my firends, is ironic.
The 80s were sort of a waste weren't they? Or are we just going to blame the 70s for that too?
31.5.07
13.5.07
The School Shooting No One Is Talking About
Last week, a student from a high school open fired on a CTA bus killing one student and injuring four other students. Yet outside of Chicago, this hasn't seen much coverage.
I haven't seen anything in the national media on this shooting, nothing in the LA Times, NY Times, on the news, or CNN/MSNBC. Maybe it's because it didn't take place in a school or maybe it's because everyone involved in this tragedy was black. Who knows. But the double standard exists.
Maybe it doesn't sell papers, and that's why this tragedy isn't receiving the same amount of coverage. Or maybe it wasn't 'brutal' enough. Who knows. But it's a sad reflection of America no matter what. Since the shooting didn't take place in a school it's some how not news worthy? Or is there a racial element to this lack of coverage? Either way, it's a pretty sad situation.
I haven't seen anything in the national media on this shooting, nothing in the LA Times, NY Times, on the news, or CNN/MSNBC. Maybe it's because it didn't take place in a school or maybe it's because everyone involved in this tragedy was black. Who knows. But the double standard exists.
Maybe it doesn't sell papers, and that's why this tragedy isn't receiving the same amount of coverage. Or maybe it wasn't 'brutal' enough. Who knows. But it's a sad reflection of America no matter what. Since the shooting didn't take place in a school it's some how not news worthy? Or is there a racial element to this lack of coverage? Either way, it's a pretty sad situation.
10.5.07
For Tony, Because It's Almost Over
Tony Blair is stepping down in the UK in the next month or so... and to be 100% honest, I have no really clear point or opinion that I'd like to set out today. I liked what Eric Hobsbawm had to say about Blair in the Guardian: "The major positive is Northern Ireland. Blair is mainly responsible for what looked like an armistice turning into a lasting peace.
"Except for Iraq, he would have been remembered as a reasonable PM, about the same level as Harold Macmillan. But Iraq wasn't an accident. He stopped being the brilliantly successful intuitive vote-getting politician and developed a missionary conviction for saving the world by armed interventions, most catastrophically with Bush. As Eden is remembered for Suez, Blair will be remembered for Iraq."
In all that I've read today, no one has said anything about Northern Ireland, which Blair played an huge roll in bringing what looks like peace to the island. And it's sort of weird to think about this here in America but Blair will be remember for Iraq, even though it was Bush and Company's idea/failure. Blair went along for the ride, he could have and should have, stood up to Bush. But he didn't. And maybe that is now Tony Blair will be remembered.
Of course Blair is still young, influential, and popular in America. Maybe he and Al Gore team up for some climate change policy pushes. Maybe Blair becomes a Jimmy Carter like figure. Who knows, time will tell. But I'll miss Blair, I don't know why, but I will.
So this is for you Tony, even if you are not a Scouser:
"Except for Iraq, he would have been remembered as a reasonable PM, about the same level as Harold Macmillan. But Iraq wasn't an accident. He stopped being the brilliantly successful intuitive vote-getting politician and developed a missionary conviction for saving the world by armed interventions, most catastrophically with Bush. As Eden is remembered for Suez, Blair will be remembered for Iraq."
In all that I've read today, no one has said anything about Northern Ireland, which Blair played an huge roll in bringing what looks like peace to the island. And it's sort of weird to think about this here in America but Blair will be remember for Iraq, even though it was Bush and Company's idea/failure. Blair went along for the ride, he could have and should have, stood up to Bush. But he didn't. And maybe that is now Tony Blair will be remembered.
Of course Blair is still young, influential, and popular in America. Maybe he and Al Gore team up for some climate change policy pushes. Maybe Blair becomes a Jimmy Carter like figure. Who knows, time will tell. But I'll miss Blair, I don't know why, but I will.
So this is for you Tony, even if you are not a Scouser:
9.5.07
8.5.07
Early May Randomness
So apparently a really big spider made a really big spider web just outside my window. (S)He has caught about 200 gnats in his/her web. It’s quite disgusting. I’m not a huge fan of spiders, but they don’t freak me out like apparently most of the white American population. I do have two major thoughts on spiders:
1) As the Who asked in “Boris the Spider” are spiders as scared of us as we are of them?
2) Spiders should be referred to as ‘she’ because the idea of making something, anything, to capture anything/anyone does not really exist in the male thought process. I find women are much more into ‘capturing’ while men are much more into ‘conquering’. This is why I hated Capture the Flag growing up.
Fiona Apple is mos def underrated.
231 years ago, a few Americans worked their asses off to get rid of the English royalty. They fought a freakin’ war to end the English “repression” of the American colonies. Now, in 2007, we can’t wait to roll out the red carpet and even allow the British monarch to hang out in the White House. It feels so wrong. But then again, this is the same country where Southerns fly the Stars and Bars, but claim to be the most patriotic Americans out there. We’re a country of irony, I have to remind myself of this from time to time. Of course, white irony usually is happenstance and ignorant. And this makes me mad.
I think I finally figured out Pearl Jam and Nirvana (which means I haven’t but I think I have, thanks Mike from Bryn Mawr!): Pearl Jam is grudge, Nirvana is a band from Seattle that wrote more emotionally than the Pixies.
It feels weird to say this, but we were sort of rooting for Sarkozy to win the French Presidential race. Yes, Royal would have been about a trillion times more pleasant over the next six years, and no matter who was elected, it would have given France a much needed boost. But we actually ended up agree with the Economist, Sarkozy is better for France. France today is at a crossroads. They are right to be skeptical of globalization, capitalism, and to a degree the market. But they have responded by taking the wrong approach to certain market failures. The French economy isn’t nearly as bad as some Americans and the Economist itself makes it out to be: 2% growth ain’t bad when you’re already rich. Yet, France is sort of stuck, 12 years of blah to bad government can do that. Sarkozy sounds like he has some good ideas and policies that could turn France around. No, he isn’t Lady Thatcher, but he could be just want France needs. Someone who is willing to take a chance.
Shit, that spider has a second web on the other side of the window with 100 gnats. I’m just going to let nature take its course and wait for my place in the food chain comes up… hopefully some bird will come along and take this spider out. Then that bird will die and fertilize the ground that will sow many soybeans which will be turned into feed for a cow… and then I will drink that cows milk and eat that cows hamstrings. I will enjoy the experience.
1) As the Who asked in “Boris the Spider” are spiders as scared of us as we are of them?
2) Spiders should be referred to as ‘she’ because the idea of making something, anything, to capture anything/anyone does not really exist in the male thought process. I find women are much more into ‘capturing’ while men are much more into ‘conquering’. This is why I hated Capture the Flag growing up.
Fiona Apple is mos def underrated.
231 years ago, a few Americans worked their asses off to get rid of the English royalty. They fought a freakin’ war to end the English “repression” of the American colonies. Now, in 2007, we can’t wait to roll out the red carpet and even allow the British monarch to hang out in the White House. It feels so wrong. But then again, this is the same country where Southerns fly the Stars and Bars, but claim to be the most patriotic Americans out there. We’re a country of irony, I have to remind myself of this from time to time. Of course, white irony usually is happenstance and ignorant. And this makes me mad.
I think I finally figured out Pearl Jam and Nirvana (which means I haven’t but I think I have, thanks Mike from Bryn Mawr!): Pearl Jam is grudge, Nirvana is a band from Seattle that wrote more emotionally than the Pixies.
It feels weird to say this, but we were sort of rooting for Sarkozy to win the French Presidential race. Yes, Royal would have been about a trillion times more pleasant over the next six years, and no matter who was elected, it would have given France a much needed boost. But we actually ended up agree with the Economist, Sarkozy is better for France. France today is at a crossroads. They are right to be skeptical of globalization, capitalism, and to a degree the market. But they have responded by taking the wrong approach to certain market failures. The French economy isn’t nearly as bad as some Americans and the Economist itself makes it out to be: 2% growth ain’t bad when you’re already rich. Yet, France is sort of stuck, 12 years of blah to bad government can do that. Sarkozy sounds like he has some good ideas and policies that could turn France around. No, he isn’t Lady Thatcher, but he could be just want France needs. Someone who is willing to take a chance.
Shit, that spider has a second web on the other side of the window with 100 gnats. I’m just going to let nature take its course and wait for my place in the food chain comes up… hopefully some bird will come along and take this spider out. Then that bird will die and fertilize the ground that will sow many soybeans which will be turned into feed for a cow… and then I will drink that cows milk and eat that cows hamstrings. I will enjoy the experience.
7.5.07
Well, At Least We Now Know What It's Gonna Be like When Jesus Come Back
Roger Clemens, as I'm sure every white male in America now knows, is coming back AGAIN to pitch for the New York Yankees. And he informed everyone during yesterday's Yankee game, taking the mic, and making his announcement from the Owner's Box. I'm sure some where in Hell, Mussolini was feeling proud.
So Ego#1 is back... and this follows closing on the heels of Ego#1A's impassioned defense of his bloody sock, that wasn't bloody and everyone knows/knew it wasn't. Blood doesn't just 'appear' and then stay as is; and ankles don't just 'bleed'.
How much would you pay to see Schilling and Clemens fight to the death? $200 bucks? £150? If nothing else one of them really would go away forever.
I'm no fan of Barry Bonds, but at least he never tried to go away and defend his bullshit on a blog.
Eventually we'll have more, AND BETTER, baseball thoughts. But honestly, the White Sox are taking all the joy out of watching baseball.
So Ego#1 is back... and this follows closing on the heels of Ego#1A's impassioned defense of his bloody sock, that wasn't bloody and everyone knows/knew it wasn't. Blood doesn't just 'appear' and then stay as is; and ankles don't just 'bleed'.
How much would you pay to see Schilling and Clemens fight to the death? $200 bucks? £150? If nothing else one of them really would go away forever.
I'm no fan of Barry Bonds, but at least he never tried to go away and defend his bullshit on a blog.
Eventually we'll have more, AND BETTER, baseball thoughts. But honestly, the White Sox are taking all the joy out of watching baseball.
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