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Monday, January 12. 2009
Joe Should Shut Up
Life, they say, is what you make of it. If life is hard it’s because you (me) make it so. Can’t think of anything witty to write that refutes that, but life is what we make of it, it’s just that often enough — especially in times like these — life kicks us squarely in the nuts.
I’m not sure what the equivelent allegory would be for women, but I would guess getting kicked “there” doesn’t feel good to the female gender either — but I’m just guessing. If any of my women friends (or family) can shed some light on this, by all means!
Nothing has happened today, or recently for that matter, that could be categorized as a “kick in the nuts,” but that old cliche popped into my head this morning after listening to some feel-good banter about how we should all be grateful for the gift of another day. Well, okay, I’m down with that too, but life isn’t always pleasant.
Everyday I read something new about jobs lost just since this financial crisis hit and I think of the guts being twisted in knots as the pink-slip recipients try to figure out “where do I go from here.” Even President-Elect Obama is smart enough to be honest about this recession getting worse before it gets better, no matter how quickly and effectively he and Congress get his stimulus package working. This qualifies as a kick in the nuts and it’s a pain that will last a long time for most everyone, and for more than a few, a pain that may never go away.
Before heading off to the J.O.B. Sunday Morning, I perused the usual online news and one item worth noting was an Associated Press story about the states with best unemployment benefits. Sadly, I found out, California doesn’t even place in the top ten and the best state for benefits is Massachusetts. Jeez, that's all the way on the other side of the continent — in freezing cold weather! And them damn Boston Red Sox, Celtics and New England Patriots! Who the Hell would want to live there?
Well, people do and they claim to enjoy it. If you’re a Kennedy, I would imagine, living in New England is all right. Don’t have to get outside and clean the snow off your sidewalks and driveways, and what the heck, they can rent a jet and fly to Miami Beach and hang out in one of their homes in South Beach, or wherever the Hell they keep homes down there.
I'm jealous! The lovely Heather Bauer lives in Florida. I wonder if ... °sigh° ... But it’s hard to imagine the average Joe (or Jo) enjoying life in Massachusetts right about now. It’s effin’ cold! According to the Weather Channel, as of this writing (5:25 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday, January 11) it’s 24°f and with the wind chill, it feels like 17. But, if New Englanders like that, more power to them. As I always say, better you than me.
So, Massachusetts may be the place to be to collect unemployment, but I ain’t moving there. Can’t find the news story about the benefits, so, you’ll just have to take my word for it. In the Bay State one can actually collect nearly $1,000.00 per week! I remember from the article, the Southern states are quite mizerly in comparison. Can’t remember if it was Mississippi or Tennessee, but the top rate for unemployment is barely $200.00 per week — the worst in the nation. California isn’t so bad — it isn’t Massachusetts either! — but you have to make over a grand a week to get the maximum weekly benefit and that just isn’t me any longer.
This is pretty funny! Just read it in another Associated Press story: Joe the Plumber says news reporters should be banned from war zones! Yeah, there you go! Let’s not get any news of how the wars are going!
Joe, Samuel Wurzelbacher in real life, is an “expert” on media bais, dont’cha know, ’cause he got the short shrift from the press after he pushed his way into the presidential campaign to ask President-Elect Obama a loaded question. It was a loaded question because the topic, those making over $250,000.00 per year seeing their taxes going up didn’t apply to him and he lied and said it did. His tack, at the time, was to tell Obama he planned on buying a plumbing business. Well, that wasn’t entirely true and when the press did a little investigation into “Joe the Plumber,” we found out all sorts of little bits of information on the plumber. Like his real name, which isn’t Joe, it’s Samuel.
Joe is all about the truth of course. Just ask him. He says that’s why the Israelis have embraced him; he’s there without an agenda other than ... let’s see, how did he put it? Lifted straight from CTV, the Canadian television network.
“To be honest with ya, I don’t think journalists should be (allowed) anywhere near . . . war," Wurzelbacher told other reporters in the Israeli town of Sderot. “You guys report where our troops are at, what’s happening day-to-day, you make a big deal out of it. I think it’s asinine.
“I like back in World War One and World War Two when you go to the theatre and you’d see your troops on the screen and everyone be really excited and happy for them.”
“Now, everyone’s got an opinion,” he added.
People were excited and happy to see our troops fighting and dying in foreign lands? How does one respond to something so ... ignorant? And god forbid we should know where our troops are doing this fighting and dying. Hell, we shouldn’t even know if they are in a war and let’s not form any opinions — unless the plumber approves of course.
Not to mention, movie theaters didn’t have much in the way of news reels in WWI.
Joe the Plumber ought to go back to Ohio, put on his work belt, actually get licensed as a plumber and do what we hope he’s good at — unplugging clogged toilets.
The Chargers are now done for the season. They got whupped by the Pittsburgh Steelers. This ought to be embarrassing for the Chargers: They had the ball for less than 30 seconds in the third quarter. Fifteen minutes per quarter and they couldn’t put up any defense for nearly an entire quarter?I’m gonna root for the Cardinals. It’s about time they went to the Super Bowl and besides, all the prognosticators are picking the Eagles to be the NFC champs — and after all, defiance is my one outstanding characteristic!
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