The 'Net, The Body Politic, and Me
I finally got my backwards-compatible PlayStation 3 this week. It only took roughly 15 days to get to me from Newfoundland. Note to self: buying a PS2 AND a PS3 saves time, effort, and probably costs about the same. I also bought a new game for it: Warhawk. Now, I knew it was a game you could play online if you wanted. Problem was, I didn't realize it was unable to play offline. Damn. Luckily, Charter Cable says that playing games online via PS3 doesn't cost me a dime. Too bad Sony doesn't agree with that. I have to pay to subcribe to PlayStation Online. No idea how much it will cost because, frankly, I don't really want to sign up. I've seen the people who play online games a lot, and they are not the kinds of people I want to deal with. So I now have a smart phone and a "next-gen" gaming system without the internet.
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This brought up a very prolonged rant in my head this week, which went thusly: When in the hell did we become junkies for the internet to the point of needing it in our gaming consoles and phones?!?! For Godssake, 2/3 or what is on the net is garbage, why do we need to be constantly plugged into it? Get a LIFE!! If we put half of the energy and creative thought into research and education for major diseases as we do for the latest iPhone or Black Berry app, we might not have AIDS or Swine Flu in a few years time. Oh, but that would mean paying attention. I have ADHD and these major distractions annoy me; that should tell you something. Just give me a phone that looks awesome, makes calls, takes pictures here and there, sends texts messages, and DOESN'T need to be hooked online.
Now, I've had people tell me that the internet on a smart phone is awesome and that owning one without it is the same as buying a hooker just to have polite conversation. For item one, who cares? I barely use the internet for the stupidity most people do. I never Tweet, I don't update facebook every other now, and I don't have myspace. The only reason I got on facebook in the first place was to look at pictures Liz had taken at a party a while ago. And yes, the irony of me posting this online while hating the internet is not lost on me, so :-P.
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Now, onto my favorite rant: American Politics, or Who Can Shout the Loudest In Order to Make a Point. So Scott Brown was elected to the Kennedy seat in a massive upset. All of a sudden, the Dems are fearing for their lives. Huh?! Since when is it time to panic when the score is still 59-41 Democrat? Grow a spine, you twits! Yeah, maybe you can't cram things down the throats of the collective Congress anymore, but so what? Look at it this way: now, if the Repubs continue to just be the Party of 'No' and don't some up with a viable alternative to things, then we'll be right back where we started and they will be to blame. I also love how some people at work were saying, "Yeah, now the Right actually has a voice in the Health Care debate again." Thank God for my well-educated boos, Steve, who eloquently retorted with, "They had a voice before and they chose to do nothing with it but say 'No'." Remember, kids: it's good to say no to drugs, but not to say no to health care reform. Which, is...well, another kind of drugs that you should say Yes to, but that's not the point! ANYWAYMOVINGONNOW!
Oh, and yes, those lovable "Tea Party" members (read: teabaggers). Ahha, they are so cute. They want to make D.C. know they are angry and they don't feel represented. Heh heh heh. Well, there is a reason for that, folks: When you use Glen Beck, a man who comes across as Lenny Bruce with the ability to cry on command, you don't get taken seriously. Now, I'll admit, we could use a third or fourth party in this tired 2-party system. It might even be necessary. But after seeing what these yokels call getting their country back, I have to wonder: was their country ever my country?? I don't recall a time when government didn't tax people. I don't recall when we became Nazi Germany for not allowing you to keep dumping your used car oil into the storm drains. I also don't recall a time when civic engagement meant shouting down someone until they agreed with your position, or stating that we were being overbearing by not allowing you to build homes in areas where it floods, or landslides are a major threat. If that is the America these folks want to "get back", then by all means, let them have it. But on one condition: when the shit hits the fan, don't you DARE demand government help. You make your bed, you sleep in it, and don't blame the government for not keeping your ass out of trouble. If the words you hate to hear the most are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help," then fine, we just won't help. Speaking as a public servant, we can enjoy being spared the extra hassle and headaches trying to help the likes of you, believe me.
Now, on the topic of taxes, I believe I have found a fundamental flaw. The idea that the middle class in America is a household of 5 making less than $50,000/year is bogus. I make almost that much and I'm single, but you sure as hell won't see me shopping for luxury items. Thankfully, this year my tax return is a very healthy $766, thanks mainly to the sales tax on my new Versa. Yet, had I not purchased a new car this past year, I would probably end up owing the government over $600. So tell me, then, dear Congress and Internal Revenue Service, how is there supposed to be any chance of an economic recovery when the folks who have a bit more money to help them get by can't go get their buy on? Expecting successful people in this market to somehow o out and buy a house or make major purchases every year is not only unsustainable, it's just dumb. Give those of us still trying to establish ourselves a bit more of a leg-up, especially when the banks won't lend us a penny without us promising our first born to them.
Whew. Now I feel better. Sort of...
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This brought up a very prolonged rant in my head this week, which went thusly: When in the hell did we become junkies for the internet to the point of needing it in our gaming consoles and phones?!?! For Godssake, 2/3 or what is on the net is garbage, why do we need to be constantly plugged into it? Get a LIFE!! If we put half of the energy and creative thought into research and education for major diseases as we do for the latest iPhone or Black Berry app, we might not have AIDS or Swine Flu in a few years time. Oh, but that would mean paying attention. I have ADHD and these major distractions annoy me; that should tell you something. Just give me a phone that looks awesome, makes calls, takes pictures here and there, sends texts messages, and DOESN'T need to be hooked online.
Now, I've had people tell me that the internet on a smart phone is awesome and that owning one without it is the same as buying a hooker just to have polite conversation. For item one, who cares? I barely use the internet for the stupidity most people do. I never Tweet, I don't update facebook every other now, and I don't have myspace. The only reason I got on facebook in the first place was to look at pictures Liz had taken at a party a while ago. And yes, the irony of me posting this online while hating the internet is not lost on me, so :-P.
----------------------------------------
Now, onto my favorite rant: American Politics, or Who Can Shout the Loudest In Order to Make a Point. So Scott Brown was elected to the Kennedy seat in a massive upset. All of a sudden, the Dems are fearing for their lives. Huh?! Since when is it time to panic when the score is still 59-41 Democrat? Grow a spine, you twits! Yeah, maybe you can't cram things down the throats of the collective Congress anymore, but so what? Look at it this way: now, if the Repubs continue to just be the Party of 'No' and don't some up with a viable alternative to things, then we'll be right back where we started and they will be to blame. I also love how some people at work were saying, "Yeah, now the Right actually has a voice in the Health Care debate again." Thank God for my well-educated boos, Steve, who eloquently retorted with, "They had a voice before and they chose to do nothing with it but say 'No'." Remember, kids: it's good to say no to drugs, but not to say no to health care reform. Which, is...well, another kind of drugs that you should say Yes to, but that's not the point! ANYWAYMOVINGONNOW!
Oh, and yes, those lovable "Tea Party" members (read: teabaggers). Ahha, they are so cute. They want to make D.C. know they are angry and they don't feel represented. Heh heh heh. Well, there is a reason for that, folks: When you use Glen Beck, a man who comes across as Lenny Bruce with the ability to cry on command, you don't get taken seriously. Now, I'll admit, we could use a third or fourth party in this tired 2-party system. It might even be necessary. But after seeing what these yokels call getting their country back, I have to wonder: was their country ever my country?? I don't recall a time when government didn't tax people. I don't recall when we became Nazi Germany for not allowing you to keep dumping your used car oil into the storm drains. I also don't recall a time when civic engagement meant shouting down someone until they agreed with your position, or stating that we were being overbearing by not allowing you to build homes in areas where it floods, or landslides are a major threat. If that is the America these folks want to "get back", then by all means, let them have it. But on one condition: when the shit hits the fan, don't you DARE demand government help. You make your bed, you sleep in it, and don't blame the government for not keeping your ass out of trouble. If the words you hate to hear the most are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help," then fine, we just won't help. Speaking as a public servant, we can enjoy being spared the extra hassle and headaches trying to help the likes of you, believe me.
Now, on the topic of taxes, I believe I have found a fundamental flaw. The idea that the middle class in America is a household of 5 making less than $50,000/year is bogus. I make almost that much and I'm single, but you sure as hell won't see me shopping for luxury items. Thankfully, this year my tax return is a very healthy $766, thanks mainly to the sales tax on my new Versa. Yet, had I not purchased a new car this past year, I would probably end up owing the government over $600. So tell me, then, dear Congress and Internal Revenue Service, how is there supposed to be any chance of an economic recovery when the folks who have a bit more money to help them get by can't go get their buy on? Expecting successful people in this market to somehow o out and buy a house or make major purchases every year is not only unsustainable, it's just dumb. Give those of us still trying to establish ourselves a bit more of a leg-up, especially when the banks won't lend us a penny without us promising our first born to them.
Whew. Now I feel better. Sort of...