Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Money Mistake

I loved how Money Magazine screwed up calling West Chester by its old name, Union Township. I find one problem calling this one of the best places to live. What they fail to mention is the problems they are having with such fast growing area. The schools and the government services can't catch up, and since the area is not a municipality, taxes are not easy to raise. This puts more stress on Bulter County, talking away from the rest of county. I would like to see what portion of City of Hamilton residents sale tax payments are used to fund police and other supports for West Chester Township. West Chester needs to incorporate into a city. That will raise taxes and keep people out though, so I guess they may sponge off the rest of the county for a while longer.

Post's Story. What is sad about this is that both papers found out about this story from a wire report.

Kitna 'Outrage' Story Part II

The Enquirer's story on the "Kitna hats" tries to go "deeper," but does it make it more than it appears. Where there only 500 hats sold in total? Who else sold the hats? How many other locals sold the hats? If "hundreds" bought them, is that a story?

Did the fact that a Catholic focused store was making a big deal out of this amount to a story? I know many don't like to bring up the differences between the Christian sects, but at its core is that not part of the story. I don't think Kitna is a Catholic, and wearing a hat like this would not be an expression of faith that I don't think would get much approval from a priest. If it got support after the fact, I still don't think that would be an acceptable tone for most Catholics. Evangelical Christians, which I assumed is Kitna's sect, are more often the in your face type of groups.

I think the story should have mentioned that various sects and that at a minimum indicate that a Catholic group was support Kitna's action.

From the story people need to stop invoking freedom of speech and freedom of religion when ever someone is prevented from doing what they want to do. The first amendment generally only applies to the actions of the government. The NFL can keep religious expression out in any form it wants from its action and its employees. It could keep out a specific religion if it so choose as well. It might loose a tax break if it did that and would loose a bunch of business, but that is about it.

UPDATE: The Post chimes in with an editorial that is all over the map. They say that yes Kitna techinically violated the rules and you can't make exceptions, but that it is no big deal. They however pumped up efforts to sell the hats. Does Scripps get a cut from "Kitna Hat" sales?

Guess Where I Went Yesterday!

Well, I did not do any blogging yesterday, which I am sure was a disappointed to 4 of my readers, but I had a good reason. I was at the beach. Well, not all of the day, but in the afternoon. The Temps were above 70, and the sun was out. I was able to find a small number of shark's teeth. This part of Florida is known for shark's teeth, old one's, that wash up on shore. They are mostly small, but there are millions of them just on the edge of the sand near the water. Collecting shark's teeth are one of the very touristy things to do here. The other is to wear shorts when it is only 60 degrees out.

Sunday, December 21, 2003

Another Hate Filled Christmas Message From Old St. Bronson

Yet another column from Peter Bronson filled with hate. It can't fail can it? Peter Bronson can't let his tired 1950's world go. His myth of what the 1950's were like would be a better description of what he wants. I am amazed. I don't know why he pushes his hate, but I also don't know what kind of a fairytale land he lived in when he grew up.

I spent some time last night talking with my father about his childhood during the 40's and early 50's. You know, the time when all was right in the world, except those horrible "commie pinko bastards." My Republican father told me how his single mother, single from a divorce, never spent a holiday at home in the apartments they live in. They instead traveled to relatives. They never had a fairly tale Christmas with a white picket fence and a father bring home the bacon. My dad did not even get a Christmas card from his father until he was about 45 years old.

Now this is the past that Mr. Bronson wants everyone forced to live in. We are to be required to succumb to his religion, his morals, his cultural traditions at schools and in the Media.

Peter then sings praises to the failure of a clothing retail company. I guess his prayers were "answered" with their drop in sales. I guess he will not mind the people who lose their jobs because of that drop in sales. I guess companies that don't adopt his Christian ways are just doomed to failure. They defiled his "god" therefore they should expect to fail, and the 22 year old working the register at the Kenwood Mall who gets laid off, she is your "sinner" Peter?

Bronson disgusts me. He is so gleeful in his hate for all things non-evangelical Christian it is almost sad. It is not sad because it is so horrid. If one did not know this man was educated, you could just pass if off as ignorance. It is not ignorance, it is just hate. He hates people who don't comply with his religion. What other explanation can there before a column like this 4 days from his religion's holiday about spreading joy to all.

It is so extremely pitiful for him also to praise the fascist organization know as the CCV. I am happy to call myself one of the critics of the CCV. As long as the CCV exists, I will oppose it in my writings. Someone must counter the dogma from Bronson.

Happy Fucking Christmas Peter.

Good Clooney Story, Dirty Politics Ahead

Here is a good story on Nick Clooney campaign for Congress. It was fair and gave voice to his critics and opponents. What was brutal was this quote about Nick's son George from Kevin Murphy, one of Nick's opponents:
"If Mr. Clooney decides to make his son an issue in the campaign, he will have to live with the positions and the statements of his son, who has succumbed to the Hollywood liberalism that is very far removed from Midwest values," Murphy said.
Now, what does this tell me? If Mr. Murphy gets the GOP nomination, then he will make George the issue, not Nick. It will not matter if Nick brings him up or not, just have George stand next to him a single event, which will make the papers, and that is all Murphy needs to try and play upon the mindless hate for "Hollywood." What do extreme Conservatives hate about Hollywood? Two things: gays and their stance on guns. Guns are the issue that drives hard conservative men into fits of rage, and gays are what make them fear their sexuality. I think that is at the core of this veiled threat from Murphy. I think Davis has enough sense not to make it much of an issue, assuming George is just there for a photo op.

This sounds like good old fashioned Kentucky Politics: down and dirty.

Piousness Sells

Well, I hope someone other than a church made a buck on selling "Kitna hats." I hope some will let me know if this was a big talk radio topic in Cincinnati. This issue has Bill Cunningham's name written all over it. Let's hope Cunningham is on vacation.

Saturday, December 20, 2003

Bush's Plan to Not Tax the Wealthy?

Kevin Drum comments on what David Brooks has to say about Bush's up coming State of the Union Speech. In it Brooks claims Bush will unveil his push to "reform" social security, unemployment insurance, and Medicare. Look for a whole new round of "newspeak" terms from Bush. Ownership of one's own "unemployed workers personal re-employment accounts seems to be where insurance is no longer the key element. You will save on your own, and the government and your employer will likely be off the hook for anything, assuming the market does not drop and your actually make enough money to saving anything.

Kevin's final analysis that Bush's intent is just a push to not tax any investment income and not tax corporate income, putting all tax revenue on the shoulders of the worker. That is what Kevin call's class warfare. Funny, I call it the same thing, but by calling it class warfare we will surely be accused of waging class warfare.

Ugh. Reason #5,550 of why I am not a Conservative.