3 Ring Binder

If you -- like me -- were nearly in disbelief over the statements of Maryland legislator Emmett Burns regarding his desperate attempt to shut up a Baltimore Ravens player’s support of gay marriage, I have one question for you: Were you equally outraged to read Mayor Tom Menino’s less-than-subtle threat to wield the power of government against those who spoke ideas which went against his own? Burns:  Menino: Two excellent examples of men who think they own the minds of others. This buffoonery would be laughable except for one thing: the stationery they were written on.

"Ultimately, I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress,"    " And I'd just remind conservative commentators that, for years, what we have heard is, the biggest problem on the bench was judicial activism, or a lack of judicial restraint,  that an unelected group of people would somehow overturn a duly constituted and passed law. "   - President Obama I'm glad to know that the Attorney General of the United States seems to have heard of Marbury v. Madison .  I find it slightly disingenuous that he herein extols the virtues of each branch of government having to uphold the same Constitution when his response was prompted by the Commander in Chief publicly chiding the judicial branch  (above) and when members of the U.S. Legislature scoff at having to determine whether or not their proposed laws fall withi...

We just finished reading The Crucible for school. My daughter was initially confused about the young girls' behavior and their motivations. As we read further, she became outraged at the injustice perpetrated on the accused innocents by the cowardly minister and pompous judges. This is of course only right, but still, her vehemence surprised me. Knowing that the book was written as a metaphor about the injustice of McCarthyism, this line from its author also surprised me: In the countries of the Communist ideology, all resistance of any import is linked to the malign capitalist succubi, and in America any man who is not reactionary in his views is open to the charge of alliance with the Red hell. Arthur Miller, The Crucible , 1952 Mostly it surprised me that sixty years later it seems as if both the malign capitalist succubi and the Red hell now occupy  this one, same country. The questions to me remain: who will next be on trial for practicing witchcraft? And how many wil...

There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You got a job out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: you got to work on the roads the rest of us paid for; you were hired by employers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe at your work place because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your home, and hire someone to protect against this, because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you got a job and worked your way up, or came up with a successful idea? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along. Never forget: you owe the rest of us. The first sentence is hers. Elizabeth Warren, running for the Senate in Massachusetts, didn't add the last sentence, nor did she level her threats at the middle class worker. Rather, she targeted her c...

Or How to Make $5K in Your Jammies.  From the American Jobs Act , SUBTITLE D – PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ON THE BASIS OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S STATUS AS UNEMPLOYED, employers may not explicitly dismiss currently unemployed applicants when hiring a new employee [Section 374 (a)(1) and (b) (1)]. This prohibition is disgusting! An employer should have the right to use whatever criteria he deems necessary in determining the best fit applicant for the position he is offering; he is taking all the risks in engaging that person for employment. But wait! It gets far worse. Explicit language prohibiting the hiring of the unemployed is easy to prove; what's threatening and will by all logic produce a chilling effect on any hiring is the second part of the remedies in that subsection. (2) In any claim alleging a violation of any other subsection of this Act, an individual, or any person acting on behalf of the individual as set forth in Section 375(a) of this Act...

As part of his recent budget reduction plan, President Obama once again seeks to decrease the biotech drug market exclusivity from twelve years, as shoveled in under Obamacare , to seven years . The biotechnology industry argued it needed 12 years of freedom from lower priced competition to recoup research and development costs. Any less, it argued, would retard innovation. The generic industry, as well as many insurers and employers who pay health care bills, said a much shorter period would suffice. So if I read this correctly, the folks who develop new drugs say they need more time as the exclusive owner’s of their products in order to guarantee a return on their significant investment in the lengthy development process. On the other hand, the folks who want their formula to capitalize on their initial investments, the folks who pay for these drugs in service to their clients, and the folks who offer their employees health care plans, say they know better how much time/money is...

Proud to support the Let's Move! initiative championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, the White House blog hosts her recent praise of the Darden Restaurants (like Olive Garden and Red Lobster) in their efforts to comply with her healthy food suggestions.  In November, Darden Restaurants was exempted from provisions of the new healthcare law. Connect the dots. Companies that use the force of government to further their business should be exposed. Government that grants special privileges to further its administration's goals should be voted out. Follow the force and find out what that fishy smell is.

President Obama spoke Monday  regarding the need for car makers to understand that people don't want SUVs and trucks ! They want to save money ! They want fuel efficient vehicles ! Why are those silly car makers bothering to spend money on research and marketing when the president is around to help them suss things out? At one point he actually had the audacity to say, "You have got to understand the market." And just in case the market, which is already far from free, does not respond in the manner the Commander in Chief thinks is appropriate,  here is his administration's plan to help shape that Medium and Heavy Duty Engines and Vehicles market. All 958 pages of it. Grab a pot of coffee and enjoy. It's for your own good, you know. His approach to the market reminds me of something. Now what was that? Oh yes: "Do you believe?" he cried. Tink sat up in bed almost briskly to listen to her fate. She fancied she heard answers in the affirmative, ...

As one of the self-described “mega-rich” in this country, Warren Buffett tries to make a compelling case regarding the inequality of tax laws and “ other blessings” which he complains “are showered upon us by legislators in Washington” in today's New York Times.  “Most wouldn't mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering,” he states of his fellow ultra wealthy brethren.   Where is the controversy here? More importantly, where is the connection?  It's as if Mr. Buffett thinks that our economy can be fixed by throwing more money into the government coffers! Then do it, Mr. Buffett! No one is stopping you or your really swell mega-rich compatriots from giving all of your money away!  This will hardly make a dent in our national debt. But go ahead! Go for it! That's your choice. And your personal choice is not news. The newsworthiness of this piece lies in the fact that people like Mr. Buffett –...

“It’s nice to share a religious experience with my pets,’’ said Lynda Juppe, who lives in Tewksbury. “‘God’ is ‘dog’ spelled backwards. Here, you know you’re with dog people, and you can’t go wrong with dog people.’’ From Paws and Worship , Boston Globe 30 May 2001 Apart from a saucy quip by Sr. Mary Bernadette and the simple comfort that one gains in having a pet, the article reveals a sort of unholy intersection of values which are in stark contrast to mine: first, that one’s life is at the mercy of God, and second, that animals have cognitive powers that equal one’s own (this may very well be the case in a few rare instances, but to assume this of others is just bad manners). If you are not attempting to enslave me, kill my dog, or anyone else in the name of that which you worship, then I really don’t care what you value beyond human life, be it deity or dog. I don’t discount the power of either of these values in the lives of those who adopt them, merely, that there is no logi...

some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them ."  - Twelfth Night , or What You Will , Act II, Scene V. In considering the different lives dogs lead, I immediately thought of this quotation, but quickly rejected it. It’s near sacrilege to apply it to dogs; greatness , as in of character , is a term which should be used only for men. It is merely the conditions under which some dogs show their mettle that was relevant to my connection. Because Shakespeare did not actually specify “men” in this memorable one-liner, I trust you will indulge my use of it here to add to, rather than counter, my point. It is the sheer differentiation between the man-chosen aspects of appearance, temperament, and behavior of purebred dogs that draws me to the dog show – these dogs are born to show their carefully bred characteristics. It is the long-term symbiotic relationship between man and dog that draws me to the species in general – we feed them, they ...

In surfing the dog blogs around the country, I was surprised to find the following: OPPOSE MA: H344 passes house. Bill would end debarking in MA Goes next to Senate Here is the actual bill and, sadly, despite the lack of support from the two major animal welfare groups, the MSPCA, and the Animal Rescue League, as well as strong opposition efforts of the AKC , Mass Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners , and the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association , the bill passed in April of 2010.   So why did it pass? Debarking opponents likened the procedure to slitting your mother’s vocal cords in one article, referred to as cruel and unusual punishment – for a dog?—leaving it barkless in another, and mostly portrayed as a cosmetic fix for people who couldn’t be bothered with behavior modification. While making for good press, it seems as though none of these is reality based, however. Debarking, or devocalization, doesn’t slice vocals cords and the dog is not le...

In an egalitarian effort to level the playing field, statists make claims on any source of wealth imaginable as belonging, at least partially, to the government. These claims are not for themselves, of course, but so that all men may live equally.   This government-sponsored equality under all conditions rather than equal under the law creates legalized theft of private property and an effective denial of free will. While Congress debates extending the Bush tax cuts, some strange commentary is coming out regarding those who do not think that grabbing more private funds to fuel public programs is a good way to get the economy back on track. What sounds the loudest gong in the cacophony is that the government can’t afford the tax cuts . What exactly does that mean? The government does not create wealth; it operates by taking money from those who do.   But why should those who make more money (i.e. create more wealth) have to give a proportionally larger amount of their earn...

If you’re lucky, you’ll get a chance to vote for something today.   In certain cases there is wisdom in voting against something.   Unfortunately in deciding between the lesser of the two weevils, you still end up with a blighter.

While I am delighted to conjure images of Madeline Kahn’s escort selection process in Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part 1 , I am referring to my take on the referendum questions on Tuesday’s Massachusetts ballot. Just for fun, I’ve linked to the state published arguments on both sides, and then added my own summaries of those arguments.   As provided by law, the 150-word arguments are written by proponents and opponents of each question, and reflect their opinions. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts does not endorse these arguments, and does not certify the truth or accuracy of any statement made in these arguments. The names of the individuals and organizations who wrote each argument, and any written comments by others about each argument, are on file in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Secretary of State Galvin wants you to know this just in case you read these arguments and think that a distinguished member of our state bureaucracy may have written them...