"It is … [the citizens] choice, and depends upon their conduct, whether they will be respectable and prosperous, or contemptable and miserable as a Nation. This is the time of their political probation; this is the moment when the eyes of the World are turned upon them."
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George Washington, 1783.
Eventually, we passed the tryout period... Speaking of probation, or jail, Tiffany Teen (aka Robyn Bewersdorf) has the eyes of our world on her today. We've got some social engagements today, so it's a short Sunday for us here at SC6. See you soon!
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After recent events in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, it's become obvious to us that NO autocracy or dictatorship is safe.....
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It Hasn't Come to This Yet .... But Even the Snowmen Are Contemplating Harsh Actions.
After a week long break, where we finally saw the grass for the first time in 2 months, it snowed again Sunday night. Not a whole lot - maybe 3-4 inches. Still, we're back to a nice white blanket on everything. We are now ranked as the 3rd worst snowfall in history here, and Number 2 is only an inch or so away...Temps are seasonal again at about 40 degrees, but when you get to this time of year, you look forward to two things: Spring and Sam Adams White Ale. We're about 2 weeks away from both....
Thanks to John (Hetfield) for the pic!
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"I have been happy... in believing that... whatever follies we may be led into as to foreign nations, we shall never give up our Union, the last anchor of our hope, and that alone which is to prevent this heavenly country from becoming an arena of gladiators."
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Thomas Jefferson, 1797.
214 years later, the notion of an experimental representative government may seem odd to us. But then, even after 15 years of independence, things were still shaky. The gladiators may be around anyway, but America certainly Heavenesque - though not as heavenly as Samantha Diane's booty. Love them redheads! Now we wait for Tom and Moye to tell us what body parts match their ex'es... Ahh, time does blur one's memory!
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What You Can and Can't Do In Dealing With Unions, CBA's..
You have to give Gov.'s Walker and Kasich credit. At least they're attacking the root cause of their states budget shortfalls. Mainly, because they're required by law to do so, but at that's more than Washington does. While Congress ignores Social Security , Medicare and the interest on the National Debt, Wisconsin and Ohio - states that are the last strongholds of Union America - are going full bore at them. The problem is, we're not sure everything they're trying to do is legal, or at least right...
Yes, we almost fully agree that unions are a major cause of local and state government being broke now. They've caused entire sections of the country to raise property taxes to unliveable levels. Need an example? The local police department here is taking applications for new cops. The pay? Over $42,000 to start, with a guarantee of $100k plus in five years. That's about a 20% pay raise every year. I'm seriously thinking of taking the exam, except that I may be too old now, and I don't think I'd be a good cop. If you can't beat 'em....
Of course, the worse concern are benefits. Cadillac health benefits, and retirement pensions (does ANYONE get a pension anymore?) that are non-contributory are what are killing taxpayers. On these points, we absolutely agree that cuts - and steep ones at that - are needed to relieve financial pressure on state and local governments. God forbid a state employee should have to contribute to their own retirement....
We don't think there is much debate on these parts, but the issue of denying state employees collective bargaining rights is contraversial - and in our view, wrong. I'm going to get a little flag-wavy here, so deal with it for a moment... While we consider ourselves to be a country that is uncompromising, it's America's ability to compromise is what makes us different, and great. We may not think we have any rights with regards to pay, but we actually do. I deal with new pay plans out of the blue on a semi-annual basis. I am not in a union, I am not under contract, and I technically have no collective bargaining rights. But, when I get a pay plan that sucks, guess what? I go to my boss with a counter offer. I know my pay better than they do, and sometimes, they don't get it, but the ability to negotiate is there.
Unions are more rigid to these rules than I might be. Taking away the right to negotiate a fair wage is Un-American. Does it open the door for unions to exploit wages? Slightly, but these are the desperate last cries of a dinosaur group. Unions have almost no power today. Only 15% of employees today are union - the rest of us wield the power now. They still do have the right to negotiate, but state and local governments have the right to take a jackass union proposal and say 'F**k You' - politely, of course.
It's pretty simple: cut the benefits, laugh at any pay raises, retire the most overpaid and any others that might be wanting to leave, and bring in new people with good, more sensible benefit and retirement plans. It's not an overnight fix - it took 70 years to get to this point. It will take a while to correct it, but it can be done. Still, extreme times do not mean we should strip all rights for people...
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No, Bobby... This Doesn't Mean You Can Eat MORE Pizza
Time for one of THOSE stories again... No, pizza is not a miracle food now, or a superfruit kind of antioxidant. Anything made with dough and cheese rarely is. But, to a lady in Memphis this week, it might as well have been.
I never heard of this, but Domino's Pizza has a promotion called Pizza a Day. I imagine it is some type of discounted high-volume club plan, where every day, you get a pizza from them. We also imagine it's has a five year limit - which is the average time it takes to completely clog your arteries. Still, to an 82 year old woman in Memphis it was a nice deal. The employees of the local Domino's there said she liked her Thin Crust with Pepperoni, and she also liked the daily visitor at the door. Not an uncommon thing for elderly people...
But , where it possibly saved her life was when Monday came around, and the people at Domino's noticed that she never called in her daily order on Sunday. So, on a whim, they visited her house - and they found her incapacitated on the floor. She had a fall on Saturday, and could not call for help. The Domino's driver called 911, and EMT's came and assisted her. She'll be OK, but without that pizza coming every day, who knows... Pizza CAN save a life - at least in the short term.
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Yes, everyone's favorite Hippie Chick from the 80's is back. In fact, Mrs. Paul Simon never went away. People think of Texas native Edie Brickell as a one hit wonder, but she's consistently put out material every few years. Well, she's back again!
'Pill' is about exactly what the title implies - America's fascination with prescription meds for anything and everything. Now, while we frequently tout the merits of our 'Happy Chips' , we agree that America is seriously overmedicated, and it does cost us all in the end - that is our Sopabox Statement for now. As far as the song, it's as peppy as a bottle of Amphetamines, and the video is entertaining too. Hope you enjoy it.....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xdp5L4yW14&feature=related
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Senate Leaves Itself Four Days to Avoid a Shutdown ....
In case you ever thought that Congress has fixed it's f**ked up priorities, let us give you a reminder that very often, things don't change... Always ones to not worry about anything until the absolute last second (ie: Social Security, Medicaid), the Senate - the place where good legislation goes to die - has decided that the March 4 deadline for a government shutdown is not a big deal either.
The House of Representatives has at least addressed the need for budget cuts by passing a $61 billion package. Faced with either accepting that package, which rarely happens, or shutting down the Federal Government, the Senate will still take a week's vacation until February 28th, giving it all of 4 days to make a budget, or close house. No, we didn't think 96 hours is much time to finish a $3.7 Trillion package either...
Now, the first question: is $61 billion too much to cut, not enough, or just right? In our view, it doesn't matter much. As we think was essentially proven with the Economic Stimulus bill, $61 billion is a veritible spit in the ocean of the Federal Budget - less than 1.5%, that would be the equivalent of me cutting $30 a month from my personal budget. What the government is asking to do is like me skipping one night out a month. It ain't much. In comparison to the US Economy, $61 billion is nothing. It always amazes us how they can spend hundreds of billions at the drop of a hat, but cutting a tenth of that amount will ruin the economy and kill people. If done right, none of that will happen...
Will this be done by March 4th? We doubt it, but it may be done not much afterwards. After all, Harry Reid still runs the Senate, and we have the feeling that he will let it shutdown in an attempt to make the Republicans look bad. Like most of what he's done lately, it will backfire a bit. It will only make the Senate look bad, and they will hammer out a compromise of about $45 billion a day or two late... As usual.
Maybe Reid and the Senate Republicans have a tentative deal already worked out, and they're waiting for next week to add drama to the deal. Personally, we have enough drama. We don't want any from DC - we like it quiet there... Our guess is they don't, and they will be a bit surprised if they don't work it out - and the people react harshly. We're sure they'll use BS excuses like they 'need to meet their constituents', but it's kinda like taking midterms right after Spring Break... When you went to Hedonism II. Sometimes vaca's need to be canceled or delayed. This would have been a good time for that, but DC doesn't work that way....
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"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence; true friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks and adversity before it is entitled to the appellation."
- George Washington, 1783.
Avoiding making fast friends is good advice, though we do always try to give the benefit of the doubt... However, being intimate with Erica Campbell is not something we'd need to wait long on. No doubt something grows rapidly when looking at her....
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With Egypt slowing down, and other protests in Yemen , Bahrain and Libya still taking shape, it was a bit of a slow week in political cartoons. But, we managed to find a nugget anyway. With IBM's new 'Watson' supercomputer trying - and failing - to beat some of Jeopardy's best contestants, it showed that as long as computers are made by humans, the human brain will still be more advanced. But, even supercomputers can't fix man-made problems like Social Security....
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Welcome to what might be our harshest and most uncaring post in our 5-plus years and 3000 and then some posts... After hearing about CBS News Chief Foreign correspondent Lara Logan's assault during the 'celebration' in Cairo last Friday, we had one overwhelming thought..... This was no surprise. Not that we're going to say that she at all deserved what happened, but for nearly a decade, we've been convinced that she has a Death Wish. Or at least a dangerously high desire to need to 'prove herself'...
Yeah, she's pretty hot. And sometimes that causes people to overdo everything in their careers to show that they have the job because of their skills, not their ass or cleavage. Logan's list goes long: Afghanistan a couple times, Iraq, Egypt. Wherever bullets are flying, and a good story where it's likely someone will die is, Logan is the first one to volunteer. Reminds me of Matthew Broderick's character in Glory. How many times did he volunteer anyway? That's right: Twice...
It's pretty stupid of someone who is married with two small kids to jump into a mosh pit of a few hundred thousand 'celebrants' that have attacked 140 journalists in the past 2 1/2 weeks. But I forgot - she's bulletproof, and she had a couple security guards. Guess she forgot that she was still in the Middle East, where women are still considered second class citizens - even ones with media credentials. Even celebrations of freedom have the potential to turn violent and ugly. In short, it was incredibly stupid and reckless of her to go out into that insanity and expect that everything would be peachy...
You know, I never went down Oakland Avenue in Flotown after dark, Nor do I stray into Wyandanch at night - or anywhere in Brooklyn anytime. Why? Becuase, I have enough common sense to know where I can go, and where it's not safe. Thinking your invincible because you have a microphone and a camera isn't brave - it's stupid. Very , very stupid. I think she may have finally learned her lesson, but you never know. It's time to stop dodging bullets and landmines, and be normal. Yes, it's very boring - but at least her kids won't wonder what happened to her.....
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Just a quick note to let you know we passed another milestone of sorts this week. Blogger.com has been keeping track of our blog hits since July, and yesterday, we cracked the 100,000 hit barrier.
Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise to find out that 15-20,000 people check out SC6 each and every month. No, we are not the biggest, nor the best blog, but we do pretty damned well here. Of course, without our loyal readers across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia, we would be nothing. So, thank you to our seven actual readers who contribute to the dialogue, the others who find SC6 a guilty pleasure, but don't tell anyone... Thanks also to the porn sites, illegal drug pages and other places that find us a good place to find more readers..
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"Men must be ready, they must pride themselves and be happy to sacrifice their private pleasures, passions and interests, nay, their private friendships and dearest connections, when they stand in competition with the rights of society."
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John Adams, 1776.
Yes, there is a hefty price to be paid for doing the wrong thing - as long as voters can actually tell it's the wrong thing. THAT is the challenge. Another challenge? Getting Linda Friday's phone number...
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Surprisingly to us, Egypt was not the big story last week. I guess it was because it was kinda of a transition week between the first week and this week's conclusion.
A major part of the story was the use of technology and social media's effect on change. This imagining of the French Revolution with Twitter and Facebook interested us a lot. Some of us use Facebook to find old friends - others use it to change their world on more measurable basis'...
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Just in case you thought we lost our hard-edged side, we give you a clip from Disturbed. We saw them once at the Marion Ampitheater (is it still open?) with Korn and Trust Company. The were a pretty tight unit then, and they're still going on...
Sometimes, timing is everything. Singer David Draiman wrote 'Another way to Die' - a song about our use of all of Earth's natural resources, and it's implications. It was 5 months before the BP disaster, and the timing couldn't have been better. Yes, it is a bit overdramatic - it IS a video afterall. But, the message of trying to at least be responsible is a good one. Musically, it's pretty standard Disturbed. Enjoy !
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwELajFteTo
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"One of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle."
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James Otis, The Writs of Assistance, 1761.
There. Now you know who coined the term.. On this Super Bowl Sunday, we hope your Man Cave is fully stocked and woman-free, with the exception of hotties like Erin McKinnon...
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The 'Kid' Of the Four Horsemen Hits the Big 4-0....
Congrats to Earl Capps on his big 40th Birthday Bash yesterday in Goose Creek. The guest list was pretty impressive by any Republican's standard, and it looks like everyone had a great time...
We would have loved to come down and defended our King of Roasting crown, but distance and a severe head cold kinda interferred. We were going to help Moye with his speech, but we forgot until it was too late. We're sure he did fine. If we were there, here's what we might have said...
'Congrats, Earl. It's a pleasure to see you finally in a suit and tie. I gotta ask you - who died today? What, don't they make Hawaiian Print Sport coats? Kramer is proud of you....... Looking at you, why do I keep thinking about Tom Cruise dancing around in his underwear? By the way, Don Johnson is suing you for copyright infringement. My Sharona !!!
Everyone says Earl is stuck in the 80's... I don't want to say it's true, but I heard that Earl thought that Lady Gaga is a baby doll that wets herself, and Jonas Brothers was a cough drop.
It's pretty impressive to see all the significant elected officials and party operatives here. Just one advisement to them - That 'contribution check' you'll be getting later? Don't bother trying to cash it.
Thank You. Congrats again, Earl..
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Will Hines Ward Still Be Smiling at Game's End?
Last year, we told you about Sandy,a dog who went to an amazing 7-0 on Super Bowl picks after getting the Saints correctly. In such a tight game, we decided that whoever the dog was picking would be our choice. Well, we looked high and low, and we couldn't find Sandy's pick. We can only assume Sandy went to Doggie Heaven. Rest in Peace. So, we're going to have to work on improving our 3-5 record so far...
On paper, this could be a great game - which means it will probably be a blowout. We're due for one, but I'm not picking one today. Both teams are just too talented to get their asses kicked. Two of the best defenses in the game, and terrific offenses to boot. The Steelers and Packers are two of the original teams in the league, with tough records in the big game. The Pack are 3-1 and the Steelers are 6-0 in Super Bowls not QB'd by Neil O'Donnell ... So, how do you analyze it? We'll try....
Everyone is predicting a track meet, but the defenses are better than most think. I am scared at just how good Aaron Rodgers will be on the turf at Dallas after seeing him absolutely shred Atlanta. The Steelers are built for grass, and they will run a lot to keep the ball out of the Packers' hands. the Pack's running will be just enough to keep Pittsburgh honest.
The real difference will be in the passing game. The Steelers have a good crop of recievers, with Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders coming on at the right time. Their secondary is good, but can be beat. Troy Polamalu's effectiveness is based on timing, and Aaron Rodgers superquick release is enough to beat him. Charles Woodson will lock down on Hines Ward, so Mike Wallace must be beat Sam Shields of Green Bay. Everyone keeps trying , but Shields has come up huge all postseason.
Ben Roethlisberger might be able to create from the tight coverage, but he is just as apt to make a costly mistake. They need to run to slow the Packers LB's down. On the flipside, as good as Green Bay's rush is, Pittsburgh's is better. That is their key. If James Harrison and Flotown's Lawrence Timmons can disrupt Rodgers' timing, force turnovers, or take him out of the game, they can win.
In the end, Rodgers and those receivers will hit the short routes early, run a little and be patient. There's just too much speed on offense and a tough enough D to handle Big Ben. Packers 27-20.
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Like we said last week, Egypt was sure to be the overwhelming subject this week. A couple were weak, and one came close. but, we always go with topical humor. We're not sure if Hosni Mubarak knows what Groundhog Day is, but he might now...
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"A republic, by which I mean a government in which the scheme of representation takes place, opens a different prospect and promises the cure for which we are seeking."
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James Madison, 1790.
No, there is no cure, but there always is the promise of good government. We're more occupied with Jessica Szohr looking hennalicious..
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No, we don't talk much about things at work anymore. Maybe we've kept our job for this long because of it. In this case, we're not complaining about work - just noting something silly that occured.
In case you didn't know, Germans don't have a very good sense of humor. Ever see a funny German comic? I didn't think so. They are very serious, and one thing they take seriously is Mercedes-Benz. The logo you see above is called The Starmark. The three points stand for MB's superiority on Land, Sea and Air. But, it goes all beyond that, as I found out last week.....
We had these nice floormats in the service entrance, and it had the Starmark on it. We'll, we had a bigwig from Mercedes corporate come through the dealership. He made us remove them immediately. Why? Becuase wiping your feet on the Starmark insults the brand. In fact, MB policy dictates that The Starmark must be at heart-level or above. Serious indeed....
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Don't Be in a Rush To Get That Tax Return In....
Yes, it's tax season again. We can tell because Joe has become invisible, and will be until mid-April. Like most folks who like paycheck to paycheck - and want their tax money back ASAP, we wait for the moment when all the forms coem in, and we fill out our 1040's. This year, getting it done on the 1st of February is irrelevant.. Or the 2nd, or the 3rd, or the 4th.
As part of the recent tax cut package passed by Washington in December (the one that gives me $7 a week more in my paycheck), there was a little know codicile in the agreement that affects your tax return. What is it? Well, no matter when you file your return, the IRS will not start processing them until February 14th. Yes, you'll have to wait until Valentine's Day to get it started. That is the IRS' way of showing their love for you. Or not...
Why are they doing this? Well, we didn't get any official word, but it's usually one reason: money. Well explain. Your tax overpayment dollars are basically an interest free loan to the Federal Government. They in turn take your money and invest it, or use it to pay interest on the national debt. Free used? Maybe you should... So, the longer they can hold onto that money, the more debt they can pay off before paying you back.
If two weeks doesn't sound like much, think again. It's billions. Maybe you'd feel better knowing that you contributed to helping lessen the national debt. That's the glass is half-full view. Then again, if we go back to the normal return schedule in 2012, then we're two weeks short of incoming/outgoing cash flow. Did anyone think of this? Probably not. DC's not a long-term thinking kind of place...
Two weeks will not kill you. Deal with it, and get that nice surprise when you've completely forgotten about it. Yeah, we depend on that money much more than we should, but it is what it is... After all, getting thumbed in the eye by DC should be old hat by now.... Is it Valentine's Day yet?
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Andy Pettitte Retires .... And 2011 Will Not Be the Yanks Year.
We know, we know.... None of you will give us any sympathy here. I don't think any of our readers are Yankees fans, so this will be a good perid for you guys. Baseball is a game of ebbs and flows - things go up, and they coem down. 2009 was a great year for us, mainly because it was just a little bit of a surprise. Last year was a year of overexpectations, and they came up short. 2011 ? Wellllllll........................
Yes, we had plans to dominate 2011. However, all the eggs were two baskets: Cliff Lee, and the assumption that Andy Pettitte was returning. Lee, Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and AJ Burnett would have been strong. Now, it's Sabathia, with Hughes and Burnett overmatched in the number 2 and 3 spots.. Unless the Yanks win a slew of 10-8 games, until they get to the bullpen, it's gonna be a long year...
Forgive, we did not come to bury Andy Pettitte, we came to praise him. Yeah, he was part of the Core Four (we hate monikers), with the exception of his stint in Houston. But, he was 100% Yankee.. More postseason wins than any pitcher EVER.. No matter what season he had that year, or how he was feeling , his head was always screwed on straight on game day.
More importantly, he was a good role model. He didn't hang out at bars all night, banging supermodels and getting wasted. He didn't hawk products to enhance his already healthy income - he made enough. It was more important for him to be at home with the family. No, his annual decision was not like Brett Favre. Pettitte never retired, then change his mind. Him opting for retirement is firm to us...
No, he wasn't perfect. We don't know what his involvement with HGH and Roger Clemens was. We'll see... But, he was dmaned close to it, at least as far as athletes go nowadays. Yeah, the Yankees will be good in 2011 - they'll probably still snatch a wildcard berth. But dominating is a far cry. Then again, maybe Bartolo Colon or Freddy Garcia can step it up. Like we said....
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The White Stripes Call It Quits ...
No, they might not have been the most talented band of all time, but The White Stripes may have been one of the most interesting - and that's a lot of what Rock N Roll is all about. But, with the execption of the Rolling Stones, all bands break up eventually. We really wish The Stones would join them, but.....
For a dozen years on and off, Jack and Meg made some interesting and often touching music. In the days of boy bands and electronica, they took a guitar and a drum set, and made it work. But, Jack has a billion projects, and Meg never was one for he spotlight. It was bound to end. Too bad, but thanks guys...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OjTspCqvk8
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Cly and the Family Stone Can't Seem to Come to Grips With Less Spending...
We always knew Ex-Whipper (we LOVE saying that) Jim Clyburn couldn't find a program in DC that wasn't worth spending at least a few billion dollars on.... Now, we're getting an idea of just HOW much he can't let go of your tax dollars...
Washington has finally started getting back into gear after the Gabby Giffords shooting. With it, the beauty that is MegaVote.com - which tells you how your Congressman or Senator voted on major legislation - has shown us that Jim just hasn't come back to 2011 yet. The man still thinks it's 2009. Even Barack Obama knows that we need to cut spending, so when the House had a bill to reduce non-security spending back to 2008 levels - when we only ran $400 Billion deficits - The Whipper couldn't get around the idea...
Wait, it gets even more pathetic. Clyburn couldn't even vote for eliminating one of the stupidest uses of taxpayer dollars - to pay for Presidential elections and the National Conventions. Yes, since 1976, your money goes to pay for wide-screen TV's and styrofoam tomes of the Parthenon. With the Senate's approval, that will finally be over.
Yet further proof that The Whipper's theory is not that DC is there to follow the will of the people, but it's there to put it's fingers into your wallet every chance it gets. A moron might say that Clyburn is sticking to his core beliefs and values. We all know better. Jim wants your money. He needs your money.... What's he gonna do - cut?
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