The Foul Tax and Mr. Obama

longdrivetorightfieldiscurving
The original concept was for this post to be about either the fair tax or Barack Obama. The more I think, the more similarities I see between the two.
I can start with Mr. O. With his rock star looks and charisma, and the fact that he is not Hillary, his train seems unstoppable. It would be a symbolic moment if a dark skinned man were elected President, even if he is not the descendent of slaves. Yes, he has always been opposed to the War in Babylon.
Maybe he is just a photogenic front man, without any substance. The same could be said of Ronald Reagan, and America really didn't do too badly under him. Just who is pulling the strings on this puppet with star quality?
My main question with the man is how is he going to deal with the military machine. We now have an agreement with the Iraqi Government. This treaty that isn't a treaty has our troops supporting the Iraqi Government, in exchange for first access to the vast oil riches in Mesopotamia. What is the Junior Senator from Illinois going to do about that?
There is also the matter of this video. Do women really dance out of his mouth?






curvingjustshortofthefoulpole
An Obama Presidency is a great idea, with some serious questions about the implementation. Which brings us to the Fair Tax. (We are awaiting a call from the Umpire whether it is fair or foul, or maybe a sacrifice bunt).
Nobody likes the I.R.S. Calls to do away with it will always find an audience. Maybe the Fair Tax will be enacted, and maybe it will do all that it's supporters claim.
I suspect it is a good idea, with serious questions about the implementation. And no, I have not read the book.

1- I only have so much time to read, and I prefer to read fiction. OK, some of you say the Fair Tax book is fiction.
2- I don't trust the men who wrote it. One of them is a radio whiner who says every day, in effect, Don't believe anything I say unless your own experience goes along with it. The other is a Republican congressman. I suspect that neither of them really believes in the Fair Tax, but know a good gimmick when they see one.
3- I am aware of the power of rhetoric, sophistry, and the clever word processor. (See Mr. Obama above). You can make grand arguments in favor of a lot of things that are not completely true.

I hear a lot about the Fair Tax on the Whiners radio show. It seems like the more I hear, the more I don't like.
Here is an example from today. The concept of the Foul Tax is that a thirty percent sales tax would replace the income tax, and other Federal Taxes. (I know there is more than that, before you start to say, "Read the Book". For today’s illustration, that nutshell is sufficient)
As our example, lets say that we have a book selling for Ten Dollars. The book was written by a bald headed radio whiner, and says rude things about Liberals. Now, on the surface, with the Fair Tax, the book would cost thirteen dollars, that is, the cost of the book plus the thirty percent tax.
Today’s whine was about embedded taxes. According to the whiner, there are embedded taxes in the ten dollars. These are the corporate taxes paid by the publisher, and other taxes that are passed along to the consumer as part of the ten dollar price. I understand this concept, and realize that this is a big reason why many American goods are not competitive in the marketplace.
But then the whiner said something that I simply don't believe. He said that once the embedded taxes were removed, the cost of the book would go down. This cost would go down so far that the book would still sell for ten dollars, even with a thirty percent tax markup.
One, who is to say the publisher would not just keep a bit of those taxes in the form of added profits? Are the embedded taxes enough to lower the price so that a thirty percent markup wouldn't matter?
I am not an economist. Maybe the book has answers to this, and maybe they are not just clever words.
Chanting "Read the Book" only goes so far.

1954 Deferment

Evenifyoudidntask
I recently challenged a prominent radio whiner to come clean on his military record. In the spirit of not being a hypocrite, and with the optimistic thought that someone is interested, I have decided to do the same.
I have what I call a 1954 deferment. I didn't get a lottery number until the winter of 1973, after the Paris accords had been signed. My number was 160 (I think), which a few years earlier might have gotten me a haircut and green uniform.
I think the minimum age to sign up in those days was 17. If I had been gung ho to stop communism , I could have signed up in 1971, and pushed to be shipped to 'Nam.
The thing is, by 1971 the war was essentially over. We were trying something called "Vietnamization", which meant we were bringing the combat troops home. Mr. Kissinger was working day and night to secure an acceptable treaty, which Mr. Nixon called Peace with Honor. A few weeks before the 1972 election, the announcement was made that "Peace is at hand".
What this treaty meant was that we got our P.O.W.s back, and withdrew the last of the combat troops. Whether we got all the P.O.W.s back is a subject of controversy, with rampant speculation that some of them were kept in Asia.
The North Vietnamese troops were not required to withdraw. After a while, with Mr. Nixon distracted by Watergate and the American Public in no mood to help, "Charlie" finished the conquest of South Vietnam.
I graduated from High School in June 1972. This was in between the death of J. Edgar Hoover and the arrest of the Watergate Burglars.
The protests over the war hit a peak during the Moratorium of Autumn 1969. There was a last surge in May 1970,after the incursion into Cambodia.During this time we had the killings at Kent State, and suddenly protest didn't seem like as much fun. That combined with Vietnamization served to quiet the antiwar movement.

So I didn't go. Another fair question would be, what if I had been a few years older? The truth is, I don't know. You really don't know what you would do until you have to. Probably, I would have gone the student deferment route, or something else non confrontational to stay in North America.
In 1965, some people still believed the government when they heard we needed to stop communism . There was a draft then. The spirit of patriotism from World War II was still strong, and when a young man got a draft notice, many assumed it was their duty to help out. An estimated 88% of the fatalities in Vietnam were conscripted troops.
In the early stages of the War I supported it. In the winter of 1966, I attended a rally at Atlanta Stadium called "Affirmation Vietnam". At that time, the war protesters were seen as weirdos. It wasn't for a few more years when people realized the government was lying, and got tired of the bloodshed.
There is a lot of revisionist history about Vietnam, to the point to where I wonder if people are talking about the same conflict. (I think it is safe to assume that most wars in History are this full of confusion and wishful memory.)

Could we have won? IMO, we lost that war the day we entered. I know that by the time I was old enough to participate, it was a lost cause
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
vietnamization-vitalization, virtualization
kissinger- kissing, cosigner.

Reply From BOORTZ

bettertogivethanrecieve
When I got home friday, there was a bulky envelope with no return address. I more or less knew what it was before I opened it.
Inside the envelope were the gift cards, my letter, and a note from "BOORTZ". The note is reproduced above.
This was my reply:

12/7/2007
Dear BOORTZ,
I received my gift cards back in the mail today.
I got a note saying that I need to “ learn something about giving”.
I did. When you offer a gift, it is not always wanted.

The cards I sent have been piling up unused. While I did not go to any effort to buy them, I did package them and send them. I felt that what you were going to do with the troops was worthwhile, and I wanted to help.
While making this donation, I felt obligated to tell the painful truth. Mr. Boortz has made a career of loudly saying provocative things. He can dish it out but He cannot take it.

I think anyone who gives has known to have your gift rejected.
To have it not be good enough, and returned with a snide note.
I have heard reports about wounded troops asked to repay their signing bonus. I have also heard about inadequate care they are receiving. They have given a lot more than I have.
Mr. Boortz has the right to say whatever he pleases. This right was secured for him by the sacrifices of our soldiers. He can beat the drums of war all he wants, and many will cheer him on.
I would just like to know the truth about what happened to him when he was draft age, and we were losing 100 men a week in Vietnam. (An estimated 88% of those fatalities were conscripted soldiers)
That is the painful truth.

Letter to Neal Boortz

theliesmakeyouevenmadder
It is grossout confession time. I listen to Neal Boortz. I have not wrecked the truck yet. The closest I came to that was when Mike Vick said he had found Jesus during his post indictment press conference.
Mrs. Boortz has a project going. She is going to Walter Reed Hospital soon, and is going to be giving gift cards to the wounded vets there. (If you want to send a gift card, here is the address:
Walter Reed Project
c/o Neal Boortz
WSB Radio
1601 W. Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30309)
There were gift cards that I never got around to using, so I decided to send them down to White Columns. And, I wrote a little letter:



The person who reads the mail/Mr. Boortz:

These are some gift cards I have. I don’t like to use them, and giving them to a wounded veteran is a good idea.
I am one of the “Liberals” that you have made lots of money denouncing. I should ask for a cut.
The war in Iraq is a disaster. I think you know this, even if you are paid to say otherwise. I don’t believe the happy talk about “the surge is working, we are winning”. This talk is part of the strategy.

I would like to ask a few favors of Mr. Boortz.
Answer your e mail. All you need to do is send an automated message that your received it, and thanks for listening to the show. Of course, If you want to reply to the substance of the message, that is fine too.
Come clean about your military record. I see no mention on your website biography about exactly why you did not go to ‘Nam. Being an assistant jewelry buyer at Rich’s, and working at RING radio, while rough experiences, are not quite the same. (Of course, If you ate at the Burger Chef in front of WRNG, you are tough. I did phone soliciting in that complex.) Back to the draft…you are a tireless promoter of the current war, and are trying to start more in Iran , Pakistan,and Buford Dam. When it was your turn to fight, you did not. If it was a medical condition that kept you from the draft, you seem to have made a remarkable recovery.Playing hockey, running half marathons, and climbing mountains are not things that disqualify you from active duty.
Be nice to Belinda. She is the best thing about that show.
Repeat as often as possible the disclaimer about not believing what you hear on the show. That is the one part of your show I do believe.
Be glad you are on opposite Laura Ingraham and Glenn Beck. Compared to those two you are downright reasonable.
Visit my blog from time to time. While you get lots of play out of trashing “liberals”, I get my revenge by writing about it. Blogs are talk radio without the busy signal. The address is http://www.chamblee54.blogspot.com/.

All kidding aside, the job your wife is doing for wounded vets is commendable. And my radio has an off button, so it is my fault if I listen.
Cam Mckinnon/chamblee54
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
Belinda-blinder, blind, blend, blender, bellied, belied
grossout- grossest, grout
nam-am, name, Naomi, nab, nag, nah, nap, nat, nay

he told her the time

afacetostopaclock
10:08:26 AM
In one minute and ten seconds, we will have a special time.
This is the time when clock and watch ads are photographed.
The Second and Minute hands make a welcoming gesture at this time. Ad designers decided long ago that this makes people want to purchase their goods.
The reason for the 35 spot for the second hand is a bit more obscure.
Now, the question for this seminar: Are timepiece ads really shot at 10:09:25, or do those ads lie?
thatisthemanitalkedtoatthegasstation


radarisapalindrome
12:58:06 PM
This will have to be fast. This is a holiday week, and hourly folk don't get time and a half. Therefore, there is no reason for me to take a full hour for lunch, and I have been requested to only take a half hour.
I was listening to a radio whiner named Mike Gallagher. He is flamboyantly conservative, with a special emphasis on illegal immigration. He speaks often about his Christian beliefs. (I can't bring myself to use the word faith...it has been ruined by the jesus worshippers)
The station he is on in Atlanta is 920 WGKA. It is owned by Salem Broadcasting, which will not carry Neal Boortz because he is pro choice and supports Gay Marriage. (OK, I am taking Squeals word on this. It could be that his syndicate wants too much money to carry his show).
I first became aware of WGKA two years ago, when they had billboards all over town..."WGKA 920 AM...LIBERALS HATE US". Most Liberals don't even know they exist. I am not sure that Liberals exist.
Now, there is a certain commercial that I hear on the Mike Gallagher show on WGKA 920. It is for a souped up radar detector that claims to block the signals from police radar. They advertise that if you get a speeding ticket while using their device, that they will pay for it.
An actress in the commercial says "I've got a smart man in a fast car. Lets get moving".
This product helps people violate the law. Excessive speed has been shown time and time again to be a major factor in highway deaths.
And this "Conservative Christian" is promoting a product that helps people violate this life saving law.

PDB, Squeal, and Newtie

oldbinladenhadafarmeeiieeiiooandonthisfarm
The effort to follow is a part of a Bin Laden/PDB blogswarm, organized(?) by The Blue Gal.
On this day in 2001, President George "Rookie" Bush was given a report (PDB, or Presidential Daily Briefing) stating that Al Queda was planning an attack on the USA. Whether through negligence, stupidity, or willingness to let others do the dirty work, the report did not prevent 911.
August 6 has another meaning. On this day in 1945, Hiroshima was nuked. There is a synchronicity here. This bombing was the culmination of our role in World War II. Amerika's entry into this struggle was assured by Pearl Harbor, which our leaders may or may not have known about. And 911 is the Pearl Harbor of the modern age, with just as much speculation as to how much our leaders knew. (Or wanted to know).
This morning, that fun lover Newt Gingrich was on the Squeal (Neal Boortz) show. Squeal asked him about a comment he made, where Newt said the War on Terror was a phony war.
Newt began by trashing the fishwrapper, which was responsible for the quote. Then he explained what he said, and to my surprise I agreed with him. He compared out response to Islamic terror to England in the early stages of World War II, before Churchill came in the shake things up.
Now, I think a better phrase for the present war on terror is inappropriate. After all, lots of people have died, lots of money has been spent, our armed forces have been worn thin...this is not a phony war. However, by directing this effort against Iraq, we have not spent wisely. If we are to fight this threat with an invasion... a highly debatable notion...then Iraq is not the proper place to do so.
I compare our fighting terror by invading Iraq to France in the run up to World War II. Mighty France built the Maginot Line, a structure the Germans merely drove around.
After I heard Newtie and Squeal, I was at a stop light by The Big Chicken. I asked G-d, "What do you think of Newt Gingrich?"
The Big Chicken rolled her eyes. The beak opened and shut.
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
blogswarm-lugworm
newtie- new tie, newsier, nestle

Win some Lose some

stumblingalongtheprimrosepathbeforedawn
George W. Bush, like all presidents, gets some things right and some things wrong. When the shortcomings include a self destructive war, it gets most of the attention. However, there have been some bright spots.
The most notable has been a return to obscurity of the First Lady. Laura Bush has looked good on the occasions when she is in public, but has not been heard from that much.
This is a good move. After Nancy Reagan (Just say No!), Barbara Bush (Lose those pearls) and (Bless her heart) Hillary Clinton, it is a blessing to not see Laura Bush every time you turn on the TV.
The National Enquirer does report that Ms.Bush is failing in one important chore... hiding the bottle from W.
Also, neither of the twins has married. A White House wedding would be good for the national morale. We have 17 more months. Maybe something could be arranged.
Hillary was the flack catcher for her hubby. The bile spewed at her by the main stream media was astonishing in its volume and virulence. At least Laura Bush has been spared that.
On the other hand, Mr. Bush has grievously screwed up with the Vice President. The VP is supposed to dedicate public buildings,attend funerals, and prepare to run for president. (Lyndon Johnson took a short cut into the oval office) He is not supposed to run the entire show, as Dick Chaney is clearly doing.
Now, the shortcomings of Mr. Chaney are well documented. What is much less certain is why is this turkey such a big deal. The Vice President is not supposed to be in charge.
There is a story about a president who tired of listening to a chandelier making noise. He had it removed from the white house, and placed in the vice presidents office to keep him awake.
The last shortcoming of W that we will cover today is this business of having "off the record" meetings with conservative radio whiners in the oval office. He had another one yesterday. Our buddy Squeal (Neal Boortz) was in attendance, as was Laura Ingraham and Michael Medved. Mike Gallagher and Sean Hannity were bumped from the A list. Squeal said that W seemed to have a special affection for Laura Ingraham.
Sex scandals in the White House seem to be a Democratic Tradition. This is one more area where the President has not performed/gotten caught. This is a good thing. Maybe Martha Stewart could help out.

Spell check suggestions for this feature:
babora-Barbara
vp- up vapid vapor viper spa spy ape
Boortz- boots, boosts, borty, boot, boor, booty, booth
Medved- meddled, moved, mended, melded, meted ,mudded, edged
Hannity-sanity, vanity, annuity, haney, humanity, handily

oil and talk radio

believehalfofwhatyoureadandnothingyouhear
Is squeal on the take?
Now, there is no proof that Atlanta Based radio whiner Neil Boortz (Squeal) is accepting compensation from Exxon Mobil. And, even if he was, he is not a public official, and can accept bribes from anyone who wants him to make their point of view public. Of course he would deny this, but then, as his website says:
“ Don't believe anything you read on this web page, or, for that matter, anything you hear on The Neal Boortz Show, unless it is consistent with what you already know to be true, or unless you have taken the time to research the matter to prove its accuracy to your satisfaction. This is known as "doing your homework."
Also on the same homepage is this:
STOP THE WHINING ABOUT GAS PRICES! Don't you know how much the politicians are enjoying this?
And this:
Do you actually think that this gasoline price gouging bill is about you and what you pay for gas? Come on, you're not really that out of touch, are you? Political power. It's all about pandering to ignorant voters in order to keep political power.
This was a theme of his show recently, about how the oil companies spend lots of money to bring oil to you, that the prices are not really that bad adjusted for inflation, and how the oil prices are a lot better than if the government was selling it. While all of this may be true on some levels, an opposing side could be argued for all of it.
Does anyone know the word "sophistry"?
To be painfully fair, oil exploration, refining, and distribution is a risky enterprise, requiring vast amounts of capital. Much as we may hate to remember this, the oil companies are entitled to a REASONABLE return on their investment. Being a high profile business that markets a necessity, big oil is a handy target for rabble rousers with an axe to grind.
Getting back to the bribery theme, a certain pattern emerges. While there are no videotapes of cash filled envelopes changing hands, Squeal has certain themes on his show, which are consistent with what ExxonMobil would want for their investment. This includes
1. Defending the high price of gasoline.
2. Poo Pooing global warming, mocking those who are concerned about it, and overall arguing against it.
3- Support of the war in Babylon, and mocking those who say it is about oil.
4- Trashing environmentalists in Florida as retired folk with nothing better to do than stop oil drilling off the coast.
5- Trashing Citgo for being owned by the Venezuelan government. Now, I suppose a bit of research could see if this is true or not, but even if it is true, wouldn't it be to ExxonMobil's advantage to have this bit of information spread about a competitor?
To be fair, the Citgo-Bashing has gone low key recently. Ads from Citgo have appeared on his show. Maybe this is a coincidence.
And so on. While none of this is direct evidence of a quid pro quo, it is a lot of coincidences.
Not that anything is really wrong, or at least illegal about this. A radio announcer is not an elected official, does not directly manufacture public policy, is really nothing more than a pair of moving lips between the commercials (and there are lots and lots and lots of commercials on his show).
The landscape of American journalistic entertainment is littered with announcers who blur the line between editorial content and advertising, to the point that the line ceases to exist.
One of the talking points popular to the radio whiners is the Fairness Doctrine. An ancient bit of government regulation, the FD requires equal time to be given to all points of view on public broadcast stations. It has not been effect for a few years, but the whiners are doing a Chicken Little number about the prospect of its return.
Now, suppose the FD was interpreted to cover bribery from people who wanted their ideas peddled. You would have to accept tips from both sides of a controversy, in equal amounts. Since ExxonMobil has a lot more money than Al Gore, you can see where this would threaten Squeal.

morally centered

moronicallysplinteredonradio
Usually, I write this on word pad, but today I opened this through the start menu and it came up ms word. This is much better than the version I have at home, and I can write this in comic with a 14 pt letters, which is more fun than the arial nonsense I am used to.
Sooo, I get in a few minutes early, and there is a buggy by the back door with a huge run for me to make. While this is putting off the day when I can work inside full time, for now I have a paycheck, the sky is blue, I don’t have a court date or an illness, so maybe I should just enjoy things.
I get on the freeway, and turn on the radio. Now, talk radio is part of the delivery lifestyle. You like to hear the traffic reports, and the whiners are….well, they are. Like RuPaul said, “Black Hair Is”. Of course, you can’t use a relaxer on Rush Limbaugh.
I can see a problem with this version of word. At home I like to record the spell check suggestions for words, which has a poetic feng shui. Like comparing RuPaul to rural, rupee, repel, Raphael, and Repeal….you can’t make that stuff up. Alas, in this version of word, the spell check suggestions only stay up as long as this window is open, and if you switch to another window they go away. I could write them down with a pencil, but that is too much work.
So, back to am radio . Some caller said “ I have never listened to your show, but it is refreshing to hear someone who is so morally centered”. Thinking I was listening to Squeal, my jaw dropped, until I heard Bill Bennett say “thank you”. That was just about as ridiculous.
Later, Mr. Bennet was a guest on Squeal’s show. Holy synchronicity, Batman. Somebody had a book to plug, and someone else had time to fill on his show Can someone say symbiotic?
Now, Mr. Bennett is not a morally centered man. He writes books about “Virtues” and forgets to mention that he has a seven digit gambling problem. He was also the “drug czar” under George H.W.Bush. This later fact was not mentioned by Squeal, who calls himself a libertarian. As “drug czar”, he facilitated the arrest of millions of Americans for marijuana use, while condoning the use of alcohol. He also spread damaging lies under the guise of drug education, presided over the spread of employment based drug testing, and watched helplessly as cocaine/crack use expanded.
“Morally centered”? You Bet!!
Spell check for this feature:
arial--aril, ariel,aria, arian, aerial, axial, trial, arrival, arils, arid, aries, areola, air
sooo- so sough, soon, soot, sa, su, sogo, solo, sob, sod,sol, son, sot, sop, sow, sox, soy,sos
RuPaul- rappel, repeal, repel, ripple, rural
relaxer-relater
bennet- bonnet, ben net. banned