This is how American Politics Should Work

small steps

I do not watch television, and up until a few years ago, I was one of only a few people who found this an acceptable life decision. Now many decide to spend more time putzing about on the web, than passively embibing the useless drivel found on the television. Yet, with the dawn of Hulu and NetFlix, people do not have to watch television to enjoy their favorite shows. I find it all abhorrent, because I got sick of being mind-raped with useless ads, on cable. That very concept is beguiling... Why should one pay for cable and then be subjected to ads, a form of money making usually reserved for free entertainment such as radio. One isn't subjected to ads on pay-to-listen Satellite Radio. The latter observation is beside the point. Even when watching free internet videos one is made to watch commercials intended for television. So it follows that, though I have tried hard to avoid said advertisements, I still see some garbage, and I have made too many sad observations to keep to myself. For example nearly every commercial for general products from laundry detergent to soda, to snacks, to (insert whatever peripheral product you don't think you can live without) has the same gimmicky jingle of general upbeat slightly 21st century progressive ad campaign sounds of a whistling choir, light, skippy acoustic guitar and glockenspiel. It kills me to hear this sound, and like one of Pavlov's dog, I react immediately...usually by by leaving! Because I know I will soon hear an affable female voice tell me that whichever company is peddling their wares has done so in an environmentally friendly fashion. They all have inane phrases, like "organically made" or "naturally good for you" and my favorite "it's the small things that help" (... The environment). Not to sound like a hater of capitalism or a representative of the angst-ridden young adult market, but it's a lie to say that such companies that say they are using "less materials" or "reducing their carbon footprint" are doing so out of some sense of corporate altruism rather than a poorly-concealed attempt to reduce cost.Frankly, I don't care about "saving the environment" because, I as an individual; have not committed any sins against the earth by not recycling, or drinking water from a disposable bottle (the latter of which claim to be made "responsibly" when, in reality, they have so little plastic that one can barely grip the cap and can crush the bottle without attempting to do so). The point is, that I do not dump chemicals into local bodies of water or "pollute" the atmosphere with huge smokestacks. Who likely does that? Companies that produce "recycled non-disposable" water bottles, coffee tumblers, and reuseable bags. In the long run, since the thought of litter bio-degrading at a glacial pace keeps environmentalists awake in the night, the afore mentioned products will eventually be thrown away in the very same place plastic bags are, and they will have done no good. THE END.

Joe Lordi weighs in on Wisconsin teachers

It is clear that the only reasonable inhabitants of Wisconsin on either side of the school teachers' union debate are those within the state house. I will not attempt to rewrite the book of why unions in 21st century America are hurting our economy or work ethic... I will say only that those in favor of the teachers' union rights have stupidly chosen to use children in their scheme to evade paying for what teachers and other public sector employees pay for in other states. Honestly, using young, impressionable youth that will take any excuse to rally behind a cause is a Machiavellian power play. The malleable youth get some time off of school so that they can carry ignorant signs that say "hands off our education"... I'd take that over algebra any day. Maybe more correctly they should say "teachers back in the classroom to do what they get paid to do, so that my education isnt wasted any further". My father was a politician, a county commissioner... A democrat. Strange that I should turn out to be a conservative. I remember when I was only seven or so years old, I participated in a march through the streets of downtown Youngstown to support a half cent sales tax increase. Litte did I know then what I do now... That that is the Democratic party's answer for just about everything- raise taxes. Now, to the money... Many public school teachers in other states already pay for some if not all their benefits. Guess what, those states aren't in the red. Wisconsin is battling a budget crisis and it can either start with making teachers pay for some of what they have been getting free ( which gives them one hell of a head start if this becomes the law of the land), or it can hold massive layoffs, which I am sure those teachers would just adore. By the way, how many of those teachers are closer to death than they are to retirement? You know, every school system has a huge percentage of bitter old hags that live for teaching and nothing else. They refuse a buyout year after expensive year, and chpose not to retire. What do they care if they have to pay a bit for only the next few years. Next, on tp the fact that these people are EDUCATORS! Not martyrs, though they would certainly have you believe so, constanytly whining about the high stress level of what they do as though they were the only Americans to ever work for an honest day's wage, even though they were the ones who chose such a career path. Dear teachers, do you know who else has a stressful job? Police and firefighters qnd paramedics! They literally risk their lives to save ours when we need them to. We are not slashing their benefits nor are we eliminating their right for collectivr bargaining. Also, they cannot strike, and justly so. You have such a right and it means you are not as important as they. Think about that. So, if you keep what your greedy union thugs want to keep benefit wise in a time of national fiscal emergency the likes of which we have only rarely seen, these unfortunate but necessary austerity measures will have to be passed on to employees who matter more. Deal with it.

Welcome New Readers, this blog will have a fascinating dichotomy, Joe and Eric will both be making posts. Both Gentlemen generally agree on international affairs, but sometimes have opposing views on domestic affairs and economics. Maybe there will be some hilarious social commentary or some biting sarcasm. Read on to find out and enjoy. PS if you want to comment, realize that there is purposely a little humor added and we do not want ridiculous links to articles to correct our misquotation of facts. And no lambasting haters please.