I can't believe it's not a democracy!

I am so glad I never voted for this monster:

President Obama will take the "political risk" of formally proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare in his annual budget in an effort to demonstrate his willingness to compromise with Republicans. No risk to Obama, he's in his second and last term. The fucking congressional democrats, on the other hand, had better stop this or the republicans might win when democrats don't show up in 2014.

And I don't care if this is a fucking trial balloon. No democrat should ever allow cuts to social security or medicare to be offered to make a deal. No doubt this is part of Obama's 11th-dimensional chess and we are too stupid to see how brilliant this plan is--that is what his fanbots are saying, I'm guessing. Here's what I think it comes down to: Obama is in the big leagues. After his second term, he will make millions giving speeches and doing "good works"--and I mean real millions, like more than $100 million, and in short order. He will be going to resorts we don't even know exist. Rubbing shoulders with the rich criminal families of Europe, Asia, North and South America, and African despots. He and his wife and kids will never wont for a thing. So why should he care if his social security check is a little smaller? And yes, I don't think he or his circle understand just how important this is to the average joe. Sadly, I don't think they give a shit either. They are taken care of.

I'm sure somoene will get a bullet in the head for this:

Fake concrete-filled walnuts being sold in China . Presumably these fake walnuts aren't being sold to the overseas market. Presumably. That said, what will it take before the Chinese government finally embraces real regulation of its markets? I mean, fake walnuts? It's food, for christ's sake. How many more scandals have to occur before enough people can petition their governments to keep this toxic shit out? Not in the U.S., of course--corporate interests here trump everything. But maybe a refusal to allow this toxic crap in can happen in a country where the government isn't wholly overrun with cheap whores willing to rub their nipples and dance for a penny from the man.

I don't think they will go away, but I wouldn't mind seeing them bloodied:

Wal Mart Disaster Deepens: Shelves Empty as Sales Decline. Even if Walmart went boom--and I don't think it will--that would not be enough to punish the filthy greedy fucking Waltons who, with the scumbag Murdochs, seem driven to destroy this country. If things do get bad, no problem for them, as they probably have money squirreled everywhere and they won't lose a cent. Probably will abandon a bunch of stores and make the communities they destroyed clean up the mess. I recognized years ago that Walmart's emphasis on low prices over anything else was a race to the bottom. Well now the bottom is almost here. I hopw that some communities, post-Walmart, recognize that they need to encourage and nurture smaller, locally owned businesses to provide goods and services to residents. Now is the time, when borrowing is cheap, to start cleaning up those empty storefronts and prepare for what could be a healthy, thriving community. Good riddance to the parasites.

Matt Taibbi making sense again:

How the Hype Became Bigger Than the Presidential Election: Blame the media for making whole generations hate The Process. And I do. Blame the media, that is. In fact, I don't have a tv because I got tired of screaming at the talking heads on tv--that asshole Chris Matthews in particular. Does anyone else remember when Chris Matthews said that Al Gore should concede "for the good of the nation?" Because I hear people mention that he was against the Iraq war, and they note other sensible (or at least not stupid) things he has said as if he is not a complete media whore. But he is. And from what I've read--because I really don't have a tv and rarely watch broadcast images on my computer--Tweety isn't as bad as some of the newer, even more shameless whores spewing on tv. This election only is a horse race because the media won't make money if everyone accepted that Barack Obama, Wall Street enabler, is going to cream Mitt Romney, Wall Street player and known cultist. So starve the beast and turn off the tv. Better yet, cancel cable and kill the beast. Since I got rid of the my tv back in February 2004, I figure that Time Warner lost about $7,200 of my after tax dollars. Just saying.

Paper of record, my ass:

Correspondence and collusion between the New York Times and the CIA. I wouldn't use a copy of the New York Times to wipe my ass. That said, there are only two reasons to even glance at it: (1) Paul Krugman and (2) Maud Newton's contribution to the Sunday magazine.

More of this, please:

In the era of big boxes, a day for the little guy. I have said this before, but I will repeat myself: we must step in and do what the whores who run our government will not--support local stores, insist on having access to American-made products, and refuse to buy Chinese made shit (and shit from other countries with deep pools of exploited labor). Before I buy a thing, I find out if the product is made in the US (or Canada, the EU or another country where labor has some protection and the government regulates industry). If I can't find out on my own, I send the company an e-mail and ask where the product is manufactured. A couple try to be cute and say that their products are proudly designed in the US, but then add that the product is manufactured in China (with oversight, blah, blah, blah). When I get one of those e-mails, I know that I wasn't the first potential customer to ask. Good. I believe that if only 10% of us did this, the U.S. would be a hell of a lot healthier for the 99% of us who are obscenely rich.

Long and short, money spent in local stores will stay local. Money spent in WalMart goes to the filthy Walton heirs who are not spending it in your communtiy (although they may be spending it in mine, because I'm sure all of them have enormous penthouses in Manhattan, among other places). I didn't watch or listen to Obama's state of the union, but I understand that he started making some noise about saving the middle class, jobs, etc. Wow, it only took him 3 1/2 years to figure that out? Wrong. He needs votes so he's dancing for the disillusioned base. Once he wins his re-election--and he will--it will be back to serving his masters on Wall Street. We can't force Obama and his administration to investigate and prosecute the bastards, but we can refuse to fund them and the rest of sociopathic monsters running America's biggest corporation by simply refusing to feed them our money. It's simple: starve the beast. And yes, it feels good.

So, I know I may obsess a bit about not buying Chinese made shit,

but I do it for two reasons: 1). Americans can make stuff (and well made stuff, by the way) , and 2). no one moves production to China because the quality is better.  As for reason number 2, we all know that there is absolutely no government regulation in China and the factory owners are willing to take the risk of getting caught doing something they shouldn't.  How do we know this?  Well, given that the punishment for getting caught is being taken out back and having some government functionary put a bullet in your head, it seems pretty clear that government interference with manufacturing must be virtually nonexistent (because if the risk of getting caught and shot was high, very few people would even try).  And, of course, I'd rather not have products rinsed with the tears of exploited Chinese labor. 

Which leads to my query: Can anyone recommend a set of measuring spoons that are sturdy, accurate, and NOT made in China?  Yeah, I did run into every kitchen store and hardware store I could today and found nothing but Chinese made tat.  I know that life would be easier if I just accepted that some things have no non-Chinese made alternatives, but in the long run I think life for everyone here would be better if we all demanded more American made goods.  That said, I'm willing to purchase European, Canadian, etc. made goods too.  Any country where there is some regulation of industry and protections in place for workers (sad, isn't it, that the US is low on that list).  

Thanks. 

Tiny-dicked asshole needs a reminder that the constitution is much bigger than he ever will be.

Yes, that tiny-dicked multi-billionaire who bought three terms as mayor of this once great city sent in the fucking filthy cops at 1:00 a.m. to remove the heroes of Zucotti Park and steal their stuff.  Fortunately a judge who was formerly a civil-rights lawyer put a stop to that, but now the park is closed (or is it?).  Apparently the protesters things--including a 5,000+ volume library--were hauled off by dumpster to a (n inconvenient) location where they can be reclaimed.  I am blind with rage.

How's this: Boycott Bloomberg?  Never link or clink to Bloomberg News again.  And let's find out what else that fucker owns. And until the protesters are treated correctly?  Boycott New York City.  Let's tell our friends in the states and abroad that they are not safe here because of our rogue mayor and thug police force.  For those of us stuck here, boycott spending as much as possible.  In this holiday season, spend, if at all, in small shops only.  It's not hard in the city. 

Hey, maybe OWS should Occupy Gucci and Hermes?  After all, the rich stole our money, at the very least we should have the opportunity to see what they spend it on.  Of course, the high end stores won't like it if the rich feel like they can't be seen buying their shit in public.  How sad, particularly during this  holiday buying season.

Everytime these assholes do shit like this, they radicalize another pissed off American.  I used to be fairly respectful of the cops--my personal interaction with them was fine.  But now?  I see them as a threat.  Hired thugs for Lord Blankfein and Prince Dimon.  At this point, I hope Cuomo and Bloomberg cut their salaries and pensions because "the state/city can't afford it."  Before I would be outraged, now I will laugh.  Fucking stupid cops should know that if the rich fuckers win, eventually they will take away their pensions entirely. 

Rant over. 

I think this is a movement whose time has come:

Buy It For Life. As I've mentioned before, I left my apartment at Chez Horrible--a crappy apartment located on Barrow Street, one of the best blocks in Manhattan--and I now live in a much better place in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Because my old place was so small--the kitchen was not really usable except to boil water for coffee or, sigh, a bath--I did not have all the kitchen things one needs. Like dishes. I mean I had them, but after a few years I realized that I wasn't using them (I have my big meal at lunch, which I usually ate out), so I gave them to my brother.

Five or ten years later, I have a real kitchen and I have started cooking. I need to cook more regularly, and I have purchased most of what I need to do that. That said, having a set of dishes would help, so I ordered them yesterday. I picked a set that I think I will like for a long time, that are durable, and, no surprise, are made by people who work in a country that generally protects the rights of workers (this time it was France). The women who sold them to me says she bought her set 15 years ago, uses them all the time as her casual dishes, and has never chipped a plate. Sold.

My purchases for the new apartment are almost done, but now that I have dishes, I need a kitchen/dining table. As with the dishes, I am going to spend a bit more and buy something that I will use forever. And then it will be handed down to someone else to enjoy for another lifetime.

If enough of us bought things that lasted longer, I think it would have a real impact on this country. Sure, initially one would probably spend more, but in the long run there would be a hell of a lot less waste and a bit more money in our pockets. Another benefit of buying for life is that often the producers of well-made, long-lasting products are smaller businesses--you can find out exactly who it is who is getting your money. Given how rapacious our evil filthy corporate overlords have become (they always were, but know they don't even hide it), knowing that your money is going to an independent woodworker in West Virginia and not some mega-corporation that oursources production to China is a big deal.

I have come to the conclusion that that the biggest impact I can make as a U.S. citizen is to vote with my wallet. Not a cent to cable companies, not a cent to the main stream newspapers, not a cent to any broadcast anything, not a cent to Walmart or Target, and so on. In a country where the dollar rules, I know that my vote may or may not count but someone cares about every dollar I spend.