Bombastic 'Mo

Pro-Tax Nanny State 46th District!

… IN THE HOUSE!

Just got back from my district’s Town Hall meeting.  It was in Meadowbrook Community Center, a place that brings back a lot of memories.  I went to high school directly across the creek, I was run over by a car in their parking lot (I walked past the chair I sat in while the paramedics provided aid and I cracked jokes), and I worked there one summer while in college.  It’s nice to feel that this is my neighborhood.

The town hall was great.   The one issue I was planning to bring up was a Washington State Income Tax.  I figured I’d bring it up, and I’d end up getting attacked by crazy Republicans who thought I was trying to spread their wealth.

So when our representatives started in on raising revenues, I felt like I had a good shot.  And then some older lady stood up and suggested an Income Tax.  Everyone clapped.  Someone else brought it up, people cheered.

Old white ladies (OWLs) stood up over and over again to ask for continued support for public health, public services, school, and all the bleeding heart causes that Evergreen brainwashed me into caring about.  And all of them were ready to step up and spend more to keep these services.

Late in the discussion an abrasive small-business owner stood up and began lecturing the crowd about California’s income tax.  He spoke for about five minutes, staring down the crowd with a real “fuck-you” gaze.  Finally a lady interrupted him and asked “Do you have a question?”

I wasn’t in reporter mode, so I didn’t get an exact quote, but Ken Jacobsen told the Re-Pub that some times people had to foot the bill for services.  (Oh snap!)  Perfect politician Scott White was a bit more tactful when he explained to the gentleman that sales taxes are incredibly inequitable, and that it’s about time for an income tax. And Phyllis was just great.

Regardless, the whole event made me feel pretty good about my district.  Although we are lacking any significant presence from people of color.  Oh Wedgewood.

An hour well spent

The University of Washington’s Masters in Communication held an hour long discussion about the future of Journalism.  I’m about half way through now, but thought it was worth promoting.

If you care enough about journalism.  If not, scroll down and watch Jon Stewart.

Jon Stewart Vs. Jim Cramer: Reality Bytes

Just finished watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’s interview with Jim Cramer from last evening. It was beautiful.  Full show, both edited and unedited available below.

I think we’re at a strange crossroads when it comes to our news media.  As “mainstream” organizations drop left and right, many have been wondering who would be the muckrakers of the future.  Who will reveal corporate or political misdoings?  I kind of doubt it’ll be asshole bloggers like me.

I think part of the reasons the news organizations failed was they didn’t fulfill their obligation to the public.  While I’m long divorced from network television, when I do find time to watch the news, it’s pathetic.   It’s violent, quick, and there’s no analysis.  People jump through hoops and deep fry stimulus bills and repeat the words pork and earmarks until everyone turns off the TV and begins their daily walk to the food bank.  (Unless you’re already homeless, then perhaps you sleep right outside.)

Somehow Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have managed to really stand up for the people.  Their role as comedians gives them room to be truthful, and call out people when they are wrong.  I’m in awe.

I still look fondly upon Colbert’s speech/roast at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner.  At a time when everyone else was ignoring the fact that this country was going down fast, he had the cojones to insult the president and the lame-duck media all in one sitting.  I remember telling my roommates at the time (a bunch of smelly drunks and a ChiMo) that I was sure he’d die in his sleep of a heart attack.

He didn’t.

And here we are, a little over two years later, and we’ve fallen out of the frying pan and into Abu Ghraib.   The deregulation of markets (which began in the Clinton years) has led to a global collapse.  And yet who in the media is really taking a look at how the hell we got here?

Two men, and a depressing woman named Amy Goodman.

Here’s the entire unedited video of the Stewart vs. Kramer, as well as the full show courtesy of Hulu  And for good measure, I threw in Colbert’s speech.

How the Cast of 30 Rock influences US Politics

Short and sweet, and totally off Huffington Post.

Bobby Jindal, potential GOP candidate for the 2012 election gave a long, slow, tedious and patronizing speech to his constituents on the need for less government and no bureaocracies.

I don’t know what’s more salient:  that he talks to his constituents like they are five year olds (”Mommy and Daddy are against big government, because it’s bad!”) or that he’s a spot on ringer for Kenneth Parcell from TV’s 30 Rock.

If Jindal makes it to the finals four years from now, here’s hoping we get some spot on parody from Tina Fey and Jack McBrayer.  After all, wasn’t Palin gonna try again?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Just kick me while I’m down

I came back from Olympia early because I have a “mandatory” WorkSource training opportunity tomorrow.  If I don’t attend, I would not be eligible for benefits.

Which rings of a little irony since I came home today, checked the mail, and found I was denied for benefits anyway.  Fuck me.

I then went ahead and checked my Bank of America bank account to see how close I was to selling my blood on the street (I don’t know how… maybe in popsicle form or something) and saw that Bank of America has started charging me a $6 a month service fee because I no longer have direct deposit.  Since you know, I no longer have a job.

Ironically, I think had the unemployment come through, they offer direct deposit….

If anything could be called class warfare, this has to be it.  Seriously, I’m being charged a fee because they see I no longer have an income?  What a bunch of fucking assholes.  I’m going out tomorrow and closing down my account.

Plus you know, they are a horrible bank.

Craigslist and the Economy

Maybe I should change my URL to Craigslist2.com.

Anyway, when I finally got fed up with the International Men Seeking Men, I started looking elsewhere.  It’s kind of a desperate time we’re living in.

Take this post, from a guy who wants to move back to Greece anywhere he can find work chopping trees.  He just wants to support his family and go where ever there’s tall trees.

“I have never left the country and I wouldnt miss her one bit.”

Exporting Good Old Fashioned American Values

I was trolling through the international craigslist men seeking men sections today (no judging!) and noticed some pretty amazing trends.

A) Anywhere there is Internet, there are gay men looking to hook up over it.

B) This one college student is apparently travelling to London, Thailand, Hong Kong and New Zealand.  Wow I’m jealous.

C) Some people are really freaking creepy.  I’m not sure if it’s ethical to air someone’s sex ad, but this one made me laugh like a helium-filled little girl.  Posted in Mexico’s “Chico Busca Chico” section.

Move to USA and be my Boyfriend - 26 (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)

---

Fecha: 2009-02-20, 1:53AM CST

Hi. My name is Brandon. I am 26 years old and I live in Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States.
I am very attracted to Mexican guys.
I wish to find a Mexican guy that is willing to move to the United States, be my boyfriend and eventually get married in one of the states that allows two men to marry one another.

You must:

be between the ages of 18 and 26
be able to speak english
be able to help me learn spanish
be gay, attracted to men, not women
be willing to become a United States citizen
be willing to obtain work in the United States
be willing to pursue your dreams (ex: school, career)
be willing to eventually marry a man (me)
be faithful (be with me and only me, have a faithful and committed relationship)
be drug and disease free

If you are interested, shoot me an email and lets begin to talk and get to know each other.

Include your first name, age, a picture, tell me about your dreams (career and school, future dreams).

Talk to you soon!!!

Brandon

• Localización: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
• NO se puede contactar al anunciante con servicios o intereses comerciales

Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Alarmist!

First watch the video and freak yourself out:

Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes
Uploaded by sassiere

Before you flush your iPhone down the toilet, here’s the truth:

“In a microwave oven, energy excites the water inside popcorn kernels until it turns into highly pressurized gas, causing the kernels to pop. If mobile phones emitted that much energy, the water in the fingers of people holding them would heat up.”

My best guess is the video is part of some new viral marketing campaign.  Maybe Orville Redenbacher is developing mobile-pop?

This one I know I’m not allowed to laugh at

Klown Heads and the Klown Klux Klan - watch more funny videos

Perhaps the Sequel to 300?

But without all the abs.

The Seattle Times picked up a story from the Associated Press today about one job opening in Tacoma.

807 people showed up.

Cover Letter: Volume 2

In my never-ending search for gainful employment, I stumbled across a job that requested I write an “apology to a fictional game community that was not able to log in to their game for 24 hours due to a server outage”.

As such, I sent them this.  Too subtle?

To all of our fans:

Let me take this opportunity to apologize for the recent downtime of our hit MMORPG, Harry’s Ice Rink Extravaganza: Mice Everywhere.

We here at Company Name know how much our community of casual gamers loves H.I.R.E: M.E. We share in your enthusiasm and are dedicated to providing the best online games at the highest quality of service.

Unfortunately, during a recent patch, two of the H.I.R.E: M.E. servers went down and we were unable to restore them for over 24 hours.

In order to address this problem in the future, Company Name is installing two additional servers to support the growing demand for H.I.R.E: M.E. We hope the additional hardware will prevent any future shortages.

Once again, our apologies go out to all who were frustrated by the delay. Company Name is dedicated to providing the best possible online experience for all users, and we look forward to seeing you online.

Devin Glaser
Community Coordinator
Company Name

Master Cleanse: Day 2…The Finale

While this technically happened yesterday, I was too busy binge eating to out myself online.

I made it through an entire day of the Master Cleanse.  After a day of drinking nothing but spicy lemonade, and a morning of chugging salt water in order to force an unnatural BM, I decided that this was stupid and I’d rather have a cup of coffee and a burrito.

Without my morning coffee and tri-daily meals, I lost all desire to do anything.  I pretty much sat around the house and felt sorry for myself.

Fuck that.  I’m eating.

Let’s Vilify Some More People

Representative Mark Miloscia just introduced a bill that would add an 18.5% sales tax to all adult entertainment items.  The Digest of the Bill reads:

“Dedicates revenue from a tax on the sale and use of adult entertainment materials and services to crime victims’ compensation, with an emphasis towards providing services, support, or therapy to those children who are victims of sexual abuse.

Imposes an additional tax on each retail sale of adult entertainment materials and services equal to eighteen and one-half percent of the selling price.  Requires all revenue collected on sales and use of adult entertainment materials and services to be deposited in the general fund to be used solely for the general assistance unemployable program.”

I’m pro-tax in almost any regard, and I really appreciate that we’re in dire need of new streams of revenue.  But this bill is completely wrong.

I believe in the “sin tax”.  I think raising the taxes on cigarettes makes sense, as they do have a tangible cost to society.   (Full disclosure: I’ve never smoked in my life.)

I can also get behind taxes on alcohol.  Like cigarettes, they have an associated cost to society (DUI’s, disintegrating livers, urine in alleyways) that’s not bundled into the cost of production.  (Full disclosure:  I got so drunk in Portland last weekend I vomited in my pants.)

But this doesn’t pass those same standards.  First off, it’d be very difficult to associate any real, tangible, negative affects of pornography or sex toys on society.  If anything, I think it’d be easier to prove their positive effect.  (One example would be this study that links an increase in access to Internet pornography to a decrease in rape.)

Second, this tax is simply meant to impose a tax on people who generally would be unwilling to speak up for themselves.  Unfortunately we’re still living in the remnants of a very Puritanical society, and many people are rather closeted about their adult entertainment expenditures.  It’s a very dangerous precedent to set to tax people who are either afraid or unable to defend themselves.

And third, the adult entertainment industry isn’t a good revenue source.  With the rise of YouTube-style porn sites, the vast majority of porn is now available for free.  In addition, unless the state gets a LOT better at policing our Internet use, it’s going to be a hard item to itemize.  Especially since the providers (who are mostly out of state already) will simply move further away from Washington.

Seriously folks.  It’s time for a fucking income tax.

Master Cleanse: Day 1, an hour later

So hungry.  This is stupid.  How could I possibly make it ten days?

I’m on my second drink.  Attempting to sip it slowly to ensure it sends the illusion I’m not hungry.  I was never one to fall for illusions….