What Does The Word "Limit" Mean To You?

Our crack Senate yesterday raised the Debt Limit … Again.

As soon as the Debt Limit is created, Congress aggressively takes aim on the newly raised Debt Limit. As long as any proposed spending does not go over the Debt Limit, it is OK to spend the money because it is “authorized” since it does not exceed the Debt Limit.

There are those geniuses up there that see this latest increase of $1,900,000,000,000 and say, “One point nine ain’t much. Heck, that’s not even two”.

At least they ought to change the name of The National Debt Limit. How about some of these ideas? …
• The Temporary Debt Limit.
• The Debt Limit Until We Exceed The Debt Limit Limit.
• The Unlimited Debt Limit.
• The Absolutely We Ain’t Gonna Go Over Limit Unless And Until Such Time As We Spend So Much Money That It Is Necessary To Go Over The Limit Limit.

Until they get a new official name change in place they ought to put a Smiley Face behind the old name. This way we will know that they are just kidding.

What these “statesmen” do not tell you is that this is a $1.9 trillion increase to the new total Debt Limit of $14,300,000,000,000. If Foghorn Leghorn were a member of Senate he would be quick to point out that this is not even $15 trillion. I’m sure glad Foghorn Leghorn is not in the Senate … Or Is He?

Would I kid u?

Unlimited Opportunity & Easy Bill Collection

I just read in my newspaper where one National Football League Team charged $4,250 last year for one of those Deluxe Suite Box Seats to their home games.

This article referenced one particular team but, you can rest assured, that the other teams have a similar Sit In The Super Seats ticket cost structure. This team did not even make the playoffs.

Where the Unlimited Opportunity is that I referenced in my subject line of this Foolishness…Or Is It? entry? Don’t you see it? This is a golden opportunity for the Psychiatrist of America to make a fortune.

People who would pay this much for less than 4 hours of entertainment are ripe to have their heads examined. There ought to be couches set up at all exits of NFL stadiums. There could be signs over the couches to entice fans to lie down for a session...
“Nuts About Football? Let Us Have A Crack At Your Head”.

You are going to think I made this next paragraph up but I didn’t…
I just went to an Internet site for the upcoming Super Bowl. Seats for this (usually not that good a game) game are for sale at this site for from $1,788 in Section 405 Row 27 (corner of the end zone) to $7,415.63 for seating in Section 307A Row 1 which is in a 32 person fully catered private suite with parking and pregame (again in the corner of the end zone).

Back to the subject line of this posting where I pecked out, “Easy Bill Collection”. Psychiatrists never have a problem collecting from their patients. They simply print a notation on the bottom of their invoices …

“Pay Your Bill or I Will Let You Go Crazy”.

Would I kid u?

Outside The Mainstream & Glad To Be Here

I am determined not to know everything. I have come to the conclusion that there are some things that should remain outside my head.

Here is an example … I just read where something called “Lady Gaga” just appeared on Oprah.

I don’t know what a “Lady Gaga” is and I am not going to try and “educate” myself about it or her or whatever. It can’t be that important.

There is one thing that I am having a hard time getting my mind around … Pants That Are Worn Below The Hips. There are a few things about this phenomenon that have all us clear thinkers scratching our collective heads…
• Why do they wear their pants this way?
• Why do the pants not fall down?
• Is walking down the street holding your cell phone to your ear with one hand and holding up your pants with the other hand really that cool?

If their collective pants fell to their collective ankles, would we all say, “Gaga!” (Whatever that is)?

Would I kid u?

Making More Poor People

If you were of a mind to think that we ought to have more poverty stricken people in America, and you had the power to make it happen, here is how you could accomplish your objective … quickly.

You would have to wave your Magic Wand and require that politicians at all levels of governance have their pay plans changed over from the present Goes Up Every Year Without A Vote Plan to a Pay For Performance Plan …. If they do not produce positive results, they get no money!

You would have to have a Magic Wand because you can bet our rulers would never pass such a law.

Would I kid u?

Painting with A Broad Brush Is Easy ... It’s Just Not Very Accurate

Today I read in the newspaper the following quote, “Shameful that it has taken a natural disaster for Americans to finally care about the people of Haiti”.

Why is it that no matter what is done in the past or how much money is spend to address an issue, there are some (too many somes) that will contend that “nothing” has been done up until now. With regard to the above statement by this Broad Brush Artist, the contention is clear that Americans never cared about Haiti until now.

Do you think this Picasso wants to hear the truth? Probably not, but I hope you, my dear reader, does want to see the truth. If so, read on.

U.S. State Department
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
April 5, 2004

U.S. Support for Haiti
These specific initiatives, announced during Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s April 5 visit to Haiti, underscore the U.S. commitment and rapid response to helping Haiti’s security, economic recovery and national reconciliation.

Security: The U.S. plans immediately to deploy a seven-member team to advise the Interim Government on security issues, consisting of:
• One advisor to assist the Minister of Interior with planning, and assist in coordination with the UN, OAS and other donors.
• Two advisors to help the Director General of Police with human rights vetting of police personnel, strategic planning, management, and command and control issues.
• One advisor to help restart operations at the police academy.
• One advisor to assist prison leadership.
• One advisor to work with the courts and administration of justice issues.
• One advisor who will act as a team leader and help coordinate the activities of the advisory team.

Urgent Employment Generation: In addition to an ongoing $52 million economic development and humanitarian assistance program, the U.S. will begin an urgent three-year jobs program, which will provide tens of thousands of jobs to improve municipal infrastructure and create jobs in Port-au-
Prince, Cap Haitian, Gonaives and other locations as needed. The project will rehabilitate schools and public buildings destroyed by rioting and burning; build or rehabilitate roads; and, improve community water supplies.

Democracy and Human Rights: The United States will allocate $9 million for elections and democracy building to support activities of the OAS Special Mission for Strengthening Democracy in Haiti, which is in addition to the special voluntary contribution of $4.9 million recently given to the Special
Mission. Other activities may include:
• Support for government efforts aimed at the full observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• Efforts to professionalize the Haitian National Police through special training and assistance.
• Support to Haiti’s new Truth, Justice and National Reconciliation Commission.

Elections: $500,000 will be provided for public education programs to prepare for elections, conduct public opinion polling and conduct training for political parties to develop candidates.

Technical Advice and Recovery of Assets: The U.S. Treasury Department will send an assessment team in mid-April to determine the technical assistance needed by the Ministry of Finance of the Haitian government. The United States is prepared to assist Haitian authorities in the recovery of assets that may have been illicitly diverted.

Humanitarian Assistance: The U.S. will seek to expand our humanitarian development programs—the largest in Haiti—to ensure that the medical and nutritional needs of Haiti’s most disadvantaged people are met. Since the latest crisis began to unfold in February, the U.S. has responded quickly with an additional $3 million to provide badly needed medical and food supplies.
2004/373
Released on April 5, 2004

It took me about 3 minutes of searching on the Internet to gather the information above. This is only for 2004.

Maybe our Broad Brusher above did not know this because he/she does not have a computer?

Would I kid u?

It Is A Sad Day In National Politics … So What’s New?

Recently I heard on the radio another discussion about the impending demise of the Social Security System. You just said to yourself, “Self, so what’s new?” This time the discussion was different because it used the term “Legislative Year”. 

Once I figured out what was meant by “Legislative Year” I realized that 50% may be good in baseball but, when it comes to national politics, 50% stinks. Please allow me to explain...

The Talking Head told me that a “Legislative Year” was a year in which members of Congress attempt to pass laws and address the Hard Issues. The opposite of a “Legislative Year” was an “Election Year” which is a year in which members of Congress do not do anything to rock the boat because they might not get re-elected.

Do you see the problem? There is a National Election every other year because we have … a Presidential Election Year and two years later we have a Mid-Term Election Year.

In any “Election Year” our elected U.S. Representatives and Senators are averse to taking action on any volatile issues. Social Security is a fine example of a volatile issue. I don’t have to get my calculator to figure out that half the time (every other year) our elected representative are waiting for the next year to even give the impression that they are Statesmen.

What do they do during those “Election Years”? You got it. They spend all their time trying to trick us into thinking that they deserve our vote so they might do what needs to be done … Next Year.

Would I kid u?

The Future Social Wastrel

In modern America parents spend much time and effort at trying not to harm the self-esteem of their children. They are certain that if they, or anyone else whom their children look up to, says the wrong thing at the wrong time, their child’s psyche will be damaged forever. If their fears are well founded, which I doubt, there is at least one occasion when harsh words were overlooked and greatness was reached in the end.

First, the harsh words from a father to The Future Social Wastrel…Make this position indelibly impressed on your mind, that if your conduct and actions is what it has been at schools you have attended where it has been sought vainly to impart to you some education, then my responsibility for you is over. I shall leave you to depend on yourself, giving you merely such assistance as may be necessary to permit of a respectable life. Because I am certain that if you cannot prevent yourself from leading the idle useless unprofitable life you have had during your schooldays and later months, you will become a mere social wastrel, one of hundreds of the public school failures, and you will degenerate into a shabby unhappy and futile existence. If that is so you will have to bear all the blame for such misfortunes yourself. Your own conscience will enable you to recall and enumerate all the efforts that have been made to give you the best of chances to which you were entitled to by your position, and how you have practically neglected them all.

I have slightly modified the father’s word above to not give you a hint as to the identity of the awful child. The tone, harshness and vigorousness of the attack were left intact.

The Future Social Wastrel was ...
Sir Winston Churchill.

Another Thing I Don’t Understand

I read recently where the U.S. Census Bureau has issued new statistics that inform us that in December 2008 Americans sent 110,000,000 Text Messages. This makes me want to ask two questions:
• What the heck is wrong with us that we sent 110,000,000 Text Messages?
• What the heck is the U.S. Census Bureau doing wasting our tax dollars calculating such unnecessary and useless information?

To the Smartfella’s way of thinking the following method of operation should be the Standing Operating Procedure in our U.S. Census Bureau:
• The Big Guy in charge of Census Stuff should have stopped this waste of time and money before the time and money was wasted.
• If that did not happen, he should have directed all his minions to shred all evidence that his Census People had bothered to accumulate such unnecessary and useless information.

Why in the world would the U.S. Census Bureau make us aware of such drivel? By letting us know what they are actually doing with our tax dollars we become very concerned about what they are actually doing with our tax dollars.

Of course, up until now, that was not a concern.

Would I kid u?

What Did I Tell Ya!

This is actually a very short Foolishness…Or Is It? (unless you get into reading the one below that I posted on November 3, 2008).

Here is today’s posting…
Our governing bodies (should that be ruling bodies?) in the Good Ole USofA are out of control. According to ABC News, on January 1, 2010 the folks back home (that’s us) were confronted by 40,000 new laws. My November ’08 posting was right on except it was right off because I woefully understated the problem.

I guessed that each year we are confronted with 1,000 new laws. Now I find out that, if this year is atypical, the total number of new laws created by all our various governing bodies is 40,000 each year.

Just in case you do not read my earlier posting below I am going to give you the bottom line right here on top…
“I am coming around to the point of thinking where the incumbent who can verifiably proclaim in his campaign slogan, "I Did Not Do Anything Since You Sent Me To Congress", is the kind of Do-Nothing that will get my vote in the future.”

Would I kid u again?

-------------------------------------------------------------

There Ought To Be A Federal Law Against Federal Laws
Is it possible to keep track of all the Federal Laws?
November 03, 2008 05:05 PM

When members of our 9% Approval Rating Congress run for re-election they always tout in their "accomplishments" all the laws they proposed, sponsored and/or co-signed. They seem very proud when offering these facts up as undeniable evidence that they are deserving of the Public Trust (whatever that is).

The whole process is a mess…

• Members of Congress spend gobs of money traveling to places like France and China in order to gather facts about legislation they propose upon their return. The problem is their legislation has nothing to do with France or China.
• Once a law is passed, it has to be enforced. This requires more bureaucrats. (Bureaucrats … that can certainly be the subject of another Foolishness, Or Is It?)
• Once a law is passed, it has to be kept track of, recorded and disseminated to the folks back home. How in the hell can they keep track of, record and disseminate to the folks back home 1,000 new laws passed every year?
• If we were lucky, no one would know of and/or bother with the 1,000 new laws, once passed.

I think that we ought to be smart enough, at this point in our storied history, where we could have legislation in place that would require that two laws must be repealed for each new law passed. If this were to come to pass, in a hundred years or so, we ought to be down to a manageable 10,000 laws (give or take a few). That just might be a workable number.

I am coming around to the point of thinking where the incumbent who can verifiably proclaim in his campaign slogan, "I Did Not Do Anything Since You Sent Me To Congress", is the kind of Do-Nothing that will get my vote in the future.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella?