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Start the day without caffeine,
Always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
Resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
Eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
Understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
Take criticism and blame without resentment,
Conquer tension without medical help,
Relax without alcohol,
Sleep without the aid of drugs,
UPDATE II: The U.S. government spends $40 billion to $50 billion each year on end-stage kidney disease. Read The New York Times, Asking Kidney Patients to Forgo a Free Lifeline, which highlights one case:"One patient, a 78-year-old woman whose name is being withheld, was not a good candidate for dialysis, her doctors said. She has complications from diabetes, high blood pressure, a heart valve problem and severe coronary artery disease. Her medical problems were so grave that dialysis was likely to lead to a series of medical interventions — hospital stays, drugs and doctor visits — but would not necessarily prolong her life. And her doctors told her that.
But she insisted on dialysis, saying, 'Some life is better than no life.' In the seven months she has been on dialysis, she has been hospitalized four times, including twice for heart surgery.
'I go to dialysis because I want to live,' she said in a telephone interview. 'I want dialysis.'"
UPDATE: Medicare doesn't cover everything. So how much do you need to save? A lot. Read The New York Times, Getting Old Is Expensive.
"This demographic destiny might entail starving every other sector of society -- including national defense, at great cost to America's international standing. It had better not, given what Fogel argues in another essay, this one in the current issue of Foreign Policy. It carries the headline "$123,000,000,000,000." Fogel's subheadline is: "China's estimated economy by the year 2040. Be warned."
He expects that by 2040 China's GDP will be $123 trillion, or three times the entire world's economic output in 2000. He says China's per capita income will be more than double what is forecast for the European Union. China's 40 percent share of global GDP will be almost triple that of the United States' 14 percent.
Fogel finds many reasons for this, including the increased productivity of the 700 million (55 percent) rural Chinese. But he especially stresses "the enormous investment China is making in education."
While China increasingly invests in its future, America increasingly invests in its past: the elderly. China's ascent to global economic hegemony could be slowed or derailed by unforeseen scarcities or social fissures. America's destiny is demographic, and therefore is inexorable and predictable, which makes the nation's fiscal mismanagement, by both parties, especially shocking."
UPDATE: Where is the anger? Read Mother Jones, Wall Street and the Public, which notes:"Years ago I remember a lot of moderate liberals talking about how the Bush era radicalized them. For me, it was the economic collapse of 2008 that did it. The financial industry almost literally came within a hair's breadth of destroying the world, but even so it took only a few short months for them to close ranks with Republicans and the rich to prevent anything serious being done to rein them in. Profits are back up, new regulations are barely more than window dressing, nothing was done to help underwater homeowners, bonuses are as obscene as ever, unemployment remains sky high, and the public has somehow been convinced that this was all their own fault — or perhaps the fault of big government, or big deficits, or something. But the finance industry has escaped almost entirely unscathed. It's mind boggling. If this doesn't change your view of who really runs the world, I don't know what would."
Once a foob, always a foob.
Help WEBY stay on the air!, if you enjoy Dave and Mike in the morning, followed by Neal Boortz and Clark Howard, and the 'spirited discussion and debate' of the live, call-in show, Your Turn, every weekday afternoon
Follow-up to fact-free fantasies: shame on our Resident Pastor-to-the-Dictators, continuing his campaign of fear, anger and hatred by hosting a professional purveyor of hate, rememnber last week it was the faux Florida Sharia law case (perhaps our resident Pastor-to-the-dictators never heard of the religious autonomy principle regarding church faith, doctrine, discipline, and governance);
Local and regional: why did the Sheriff picking a fight with federal judges?, $2.35 million for NCAA Division II football program at UWF, is it worth it?, state Republi-con fiscal conservative hypocrisy, Cont., state worker get the pink slips, the bosses get a $20,000 raise,
National and international: I'm waiting, where's the balanced budget, don't hold you breath because the Republi-CONs Con the Tea Party, there'll be no $100 billion budget cut, and let's admit the obvious, the Republi-CONs are not serious about deficits,
the Middle East mess and the hope for democracy, and a Facebook revolution?, why Libya, and what next, and Obama -- damned when he didn't, and damned when he did -- and why are Republi-CONs undermining U.S. military and foreign policy objectives, after year of incessant moral blackmail regarding Iraq, when the U.S. has the power to do something constructive, and Gaddafi is good reason to try it, he reaffirms my support for an openly debated and conducted assassination policy for rogue dictators,
after the devastation in Japan, you should support better, not just less, government,
57 days til the end of the world, again,
so many lies, so little time to 'refudiate', turns out the New Black Panther voter intimidation case, was complete nonsense from the very beginning, this after the most recent incident of partisan zealotry through highly selective editing of reality, but even Glenn Bonkers doesn't believe it,
union busting, part of the Republi-CON war on the middle class, but who said: "where collective bargaining is forbidden, freedom is lost",
thank God we saved the Banksters, but why?,
budget gamesmanship and tough decisions, and Congressional pension reform hypocrisy,
the Republi-CON Double Dip Recession, not a new ice cream, but it'll make you scream,
after Palin fatigue?, the Republi-con's latest celebrity candidate, he's a birther, it is clear that he hasn't even read the Congressional Research Service that would agree that Obama is a "natural born citizen," (the Congressional Research Service is a part of the Library of Congress, providing professional, objective and non-partisan public policy research to members of Congress and their staffers. The writer of the memorandum is a qualified constitutional attorney who has summarized the historical and legal material with references, showing, by contrast, how shoddy the birther arguments are) (this memorandum explains why even Republi-CON Congressmen/women refuse to join the Birthers), and he hasn't talked to Barbara Nelson, who "specifically remembers his birth" because she spoke with the obstetrician who delivered him shortly after his birth,
so you don't believe in global warming, then explain what happens to 35 gigatons of CO2 each year,
the health care industry bottomline, the reason Republi-con want to repeal the new health care law, the nation’s bloated annual health-care tab would swell by more than $4 billion" after a company raised the price of a medicine from $20 to $1,500 per dose,
and who pushing a health care policy his family stands to profit from immensely, and did you know, the Republi-CONs secretly support Obamacare,
Republi-con education merit pay hypocrisy, it is a fraud,
the benefits of a modern secular legal system, don't read your spouse's email, or record her conversations, you can kill a rat, but not a hamster, is it a crime to have a false persona,
you're so wonderful, not,
and 'The Great Stagnation' and our broken political system;
Fun stuff: why men are just happier people, read the witticisms!, Mission Impossible, Squirrel Edition, and Escapa;
and
Donate to a good cause: help the friends of a former instructor at the Naval EOD school at Eglin Air Force Base, Gunnery Sgt. John Hayes, who was detachment company gunnery sergeant from June 2007 to June 2010 and taught several courses and was recently wounded in Afghanistan.
"Of course, we should be under no illusion that the OPR’s findings will put an end to this false controversy. The most likely outcome is that the conservatives who have spent the last two years flogging this case will now go after OPR head Robin C. Ashton, accusing her of whitewashing the case. Even before the results of the OPR investigation were known, conservatives had already begun smearing her as a political hack.
For today’s conservatives, the absence of evidence of a conspiracy merely serves as more evidence of a conspiracy."
Follow-up to fact-free fantasies: complaints that Obama should go to Japan and the faux Florida Sharia law case (perhaps our resident Pastor-to-the-dictators never heard of the religious autonomy principle regarding church faith, doctrine, discipline, and governance);
Local and regional: why is the Sheriff picking a fight with federal judges?, $2.35 million for NCAA Division II football program at UWF, is it worth it?, school district lawsuit update, does anybody really care?, yet even more state Republi-CON fiscal conservative hypocrisy, after two years, a trial for Florida's former house speaker, will it lays bare a conspiracy to defraud taxpayers, ads on school buses in FL, what next, logos on sheriff's uniforms?, and remember days gone by, watch this 1964 Pensacola tourism film;
National and international: I'm waiting, where's the balanced budget, don't hold you breath because the Republi-CONs Con the Tea Party, there'll be no $100 billion budget cut, and let's admit the obvious, the Republi-CONs are not serious about deficits,
the Social Security trust fund lie,
a Facebook revolution?, did it take an ominous turn last week when Saudi Arabia invaded Bahrain, why Libya, and what next, and Obama -- damned when he didn't, and damned when he did -- and why are Republi-CONs undermining U.S. military and foreign policy objectives, after year of incessant moral blackmail regarding Iraq, when the U.S. has the power to do something constructive, and Gaddafi is good reason to try it, he reaffirms my support for an openly debated and conducted assassination policy for rogue dictators,
after the devastation in Japan, you should support better, not just less, government,
free speech, is it all or nothing?, or should there be limits on hate speech like our very on pastor-in-residence to the dictators, 57 days til the end of the world, again,
union busting, part of the Republi-CON war on the middle class, but who said: "where collective bargaining is forbidden, freedom is lost",
budget gamesmanship and tough decisions, and Congressional pension reform hypocrisy,
the Republi-CON Double Dip Recession, not a new ice cream, but it'll make you scream,
more partisan zealotry through highly selective editing of reality, but even Glenn Bonkers doesn't believe it, so many lies, so little time to 'refudiate', this time it the EPA and milk,
new score in the health care lawsuit: US 3 - VA 1 and FL, and Obama can continue the reform effort , and did you know, the Republi-CONs secretly support Obamacare,
the benefits of a modern secular legal system, don't read your spouse's email, or record her conversations, you can kill a rat, but not a hamster, is it a crime to have a false persona,
you're so wonderful, not,
and 'The Great Stagnation' and our broken political system;
Fun stuff: why men are just happier people, read the witticisms!, Mission Impossible, Squirrel Edition, and Escapa;
and
Donate to a good cause: help the friends of a former instructor at the Naval EOD school at Eglin Air Force Base, Gunnery Sgt. John Hayes, who was detachment company gunnery sergeant from June 2007 to June 2010 and taught several courses and was recently wounded in Afghanistan.
UPDATE II: After being admonished for omissions on his "Constitutionally mandated" ethics disclosure forms, Haridopolos "has put the kibosh on a fellow Republican’s ethics bill — the same bill Haridopolos himself had co-sponsored last year." Read The Miami Herald, Why did Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ office stall ethics legislation?
UPDATE: Now Florida's new Senate president has been admonished for errors on his financial disclosure forms. He "left out key information from 2004 through 2008 in required financial-disclosure forms — such as a $400,000 investment home in Mount Dora and the names of two clients who paid him more than $120,000 over the five years." Rea the Pensacola News Journal, Florida Senate admonishes Haridopolos.
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station toilet because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Wedding Suit rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a five-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
No wonder men are happier.
UPDATE II: According to "MIT professor Jonathan Gruber, the man more responsible for helping Mitt Romney create Romneycare than anyone else . . . without Romneycare’s embrace of the individual mandate — which is now despised by conservatives — Obamacare would never have happened." He also says that "Romney was an aggressive champion of the individual mandate." Read the Washington Post, Former Romney adviser: Without Romneycare, Obamacare would never have happened.
UPDATE: "A few years ago, [the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) was the Republi-con healthcare plan] — but it was called RomneyCare, or the Dole-Chafee bill. Then Democrats adopted their plan, and rather than view that as a victory for the conservative movement, Republicans abandoned it. Now their plan is either nothing at all or some variation of the Affordable Care Act that differs in ways they have trouble explaining." Read the Washington Post, The conservative case for the Affordable Care Act, Part II.
UPDATE: "James O’Keefe’s guerrilla video attack on NPR [had] . . . all the hallmarks of a hit piece. . .
O’Keefe did not merely leave a false impression; he manufactured an elaborate, alluring lie. . .
The result is more than a race to the murky journalistic bottom. It is the triumph of a thoroughly postmodern view of politics: Power means everything. Truth means little. Ethical standards are for the weak and compromised. Influence is gained, not by persuasion, but by deception and ruthlessness.
This escalation is really a descent. "
Read the Washington Post, The NPR video and political dirty tricks.
UPDATE VI: Something else to cut, undeserved combat pay. Read the Washington Post, I didn’t deserve my combat pay.
UPDATE V: Another tough decision after years of irresponsible budget decisions. Read the Washington Post, Tricare target of Pentagon cuts as health care projected to reach $65B.
UPDATE IV: "Public media fear budget may pull plug" Read the Pensacola News Journal, Public broadcast cuts catch static.
UPDATE III: As noted before, "we should discuss some of the difficult decisions that will have to be made to balance the budget, with a case study of WUWF, focusing on the general expenses (I'm trying to get a copy of the station's $1.135 million budget), funding sources, and Public Radio's campaign to prevent cuts to government funding."
Well, I got a copy of WUWF's 2010 Audited Financial Statements. The total WUWF budget is $2 million.
I noticed that "Cash paid to Employees" (page 9) is approximately $730,000. To understand that number, I asked the station manager how many full-time paid employees work at WUWF. Also, what part of that budget item is attributable to his position. His reply:"WUWF radio has 12 full-time employees. Of that, 3 positions are funded by federal or state grants. 7 positions are funded by the university (including mine). The remaining 2 positions are funded by the UWF Foundation. $55,334 of the salary budget is attributable to my position, representing 50% of my compensation. The other 50% is paid from our television operation, which I also oversee. The television operation has 3 positions (in addition to mine), funded partially by the university and partially from earned revenue. It receives no federal or state grants."
We can discuss on the next show.
UPDATE II: "We’re going to be doing a lot of deficit cutting over the next several years. The country’s future greatness will be shaped by whether we cut wisely or stupidly. So we should probably come up with a few sensible principles to guide us as we cut.
The first one, as I tried to argue last week, is: Make Everybody Hurt. The sacrifice should be spread widely and fairly. A second austerity principle is this: Trim from the old to invest in the young. We should adjust pension promises and reduce the amount of money spent on health care during the last months of life so we can preserve programs for those who are growing and learning the most. . .
[Third, n]ever cut without an evaluation process. Before legislators and governors chop a section of the budget, they should make a list of all the relevant programs. They should grade each option and then start paying for them from the top down."
Read The New York Times, The New Normal.
UPDATE: "Governing is not a 'hostile corporate takeover,' Morgan tells Gov." Read the Pensacola News Journal, Sheriff Morgan gets frank with Gov. Scott.
The article includes a link to the letter.
Happy St. Patrick's Day from Maxine
Follow-up to fact-free fantasies: TBD;
Local and regional: our very own Sunshine advocate, and more disclosures about Florida's new Senate president, and after two years, a trial for Florida's former house speaker, will it lays bare a conspiracy to defraud taxpayers, and remember days gone by, watch this 1964 Pensacola tourism film;
National and international: I'm waiting, where's the balanced budget, don't hold you breath because the Republi-CONs Con the Tea Party, there'll be no $100 billion budget cut, but the budget battles continue, is the problem that there are too many old people?,
after the devastation in Japan, you should support better, not just less, government
free speech, is it all or nothing?, or should there be limits on hate speech like our very on pastor-in-residence to the dictators, 64 days til the end of the world, again
union busting, part of the Republi-CON war on the middle class, but who said: “where collective bargaining is forbidden, freedom is lost”
budget gamesmanship and tough decisions, and Congressional pension reform hypocrisy
the Republi-CON Double Dip Recession, not a new ice cream, but it'll make you scream,
and they're off and running, reports are that former speaker of the House Gingrich will become the first major Republican candidate to enter the 2012 Presidential race, and he start the campaign by explaining his patriotic affair(s), but he's number four, how do the others rate,
more partisan zealotry through highly selective editing of reality, but even Glenn Bonkers doesn't believe it, so many lies, so little time to 'refudiate', this time it the EPA and milk
BE AFRAID!, says the terrorist group support, now Republi-con the Congressman
a Facebook revolution?, did it take an ominous turn this week when Saudi Arabia invaded Bahrain, America's addiction to oil, and support of Middle East dictators
new score in the health care lawsuit: US 3 - VA 1 and FL, and Obama can continue the reform effort , and did you know, the Republi-CONs secretly support Obamacare
the benefits of a modern secular legal system, don't read your spouse's email, or record her conversations, you can kill a rat, but not a hamster, is it a crime to have a false persona,
no class like this at my school,
you're so wonderful, not
and 'The Great Stagnation' and our broken political system;
Fun stuff: test your power of observation, quiz for the know-it-all, what Dads do when Moms are not home, read the witticisms!, America's Funniest Grandmother and Mission Impossible, Squirrel Edition, Escapa;
and
Donate to a good cause: help the friends of a former instructor at the Naval EOD school at Eglin Air Force Base, Gunnery Sgt. John Hayes, who was detachment company gunnery sergeant from June 2007 to June 2010 and taught several courses and was recently wounded in Afghanistan.
