Posted here because this is so much better than Viagra ads:

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 apparently inept selfish human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army &Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems..

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it.......... Is up to you.


This might be funny if it weren't so darned true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!


When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge T ax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Ser vice FeeTax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge=2 0Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
And I still have to 'press 1' for English!?

--Charlie Reese

I have to say, his philosophy about why people do things matches mine.

Current Mood: calm

I hate to practice singing when I have a cold. My voice sounds like it's dying, because I'm not breathing right.

Lili Boulanger should shoot me for how I'm massacreing her song. :( The word 'lu-ne' is killing me.

Current Mood: sick

Dancing Dots is a company that makes sheet music accessible for the blind. For print documents, there is software from a company called Duxbury, which functions with a Braille embosser. Duxbury doesn't, as far as I know, work with Brailled sheet music, so the Dancing Dots service is helpful.

If you are deaf, communicate in sign language, and have US tax questions, the IRS has set up a YouTube channel just for you: <IRS Sign Language Videos on YouTube

Current Mood: drained

The Latin course I have decided to take: Latin for Mountain Men

Hopefully, it will work for lictrices, too. :)

Current Mood: pleased

If you are a writer with a visual impairment, you might be interested in entering the National Federation of the Blind Writers' Division 2010 writing contest.

Reflets

Sous l’eau du songe qui s’eleve.
Mon ame a peur, mon ame a peur!
Et la lune luit dans mon Coeur
Plonge dans les sources du reve.

Sous l’ennui morne des roseaux,
Seul les reflets profonds des choses,
Des lys, des palmes, et des roses
Pleurent encore au fond des eaux.

Les fleurs s’effeuillent une a’ une
Sur le reflet du firmament,
Pour descendre, eternellement,
Sous l’eau du songe et dans la lune.

--Lyrics by Maurice Maeterlinck

( The CO of my Star Trek sim is Evil. :) )

I, by the way, write the Bajoran doctor. Good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read this post, or I'd have splattered Dr. Pepper all over my monitor!

As Billye's story opens, our starbase has been destroyed in an explosion, and all of our characters had to evacuate in whatever we wore to bed. The CO and XO of the starbase and the CO and XO of our sister starship were on the starbase or otherwise presumed dead when the explosion occurred. My Bajoran CMO is now in command of the starbase crew and possibly also of the starship crew, unless he can delegate authority to one of their junior officers. He's the highest-ranking officer still around, so he got the job. He'll turn command over to someone else, eventually, but for the moment, I'm having fun and am running with it. :)

I belong to the best Star Trek sim ever! Come join us!

Current Mood: amused

This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever received in email. Pass it on, if you're so inclined.

The Cab Ride


I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
After waiting a few minutes, I walked to the door and knocked...
'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice.
I could hear something being dragged across the floor.


After a long pause, the door opened.
A small woman in her 90's stood before me.
She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it,
like somebody out of a 1940's movie.


By her side was a small nylon suitcase.
The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years.
All the furniture was covered with sheets.


There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters.
In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.


'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.
I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.


She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.


She kept thanking me for my kindness.
'It's nothing', I told her..
'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.

'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked,
'Could you drive through downtown?'


'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..


'Oh, I don't mind,' she said.
'I'm in no hurry.
I'm on my way to a hospice'.


I looked in the rear-view mirror.
Her eyes were glistening.
'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..
'The doctor says I don't have very long.
' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.


'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.


For the next two hours, we drove through the city.
She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.


We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived
when they were newlyweds.
She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once
been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.


Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner
and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.


As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said,
'I'm tired. Let's go now'.


We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
It was a low building, like a small convalescent home,
with a driveway that passed under a portico.


Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up.
They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.


I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.
The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.


'How much do I owe you?'
she asked, reaching into her purse.


'Nothing,'
I said


'You have to make a living,' she answered.


'There are other passengers,' I responded.


Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.
She held onto me tightly.


'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.
'Thank you.'


I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light..
Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..


I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift.
I drove aimlessly lost in thought.
For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.
What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,
or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once,
then driven away?


On a quick review,
I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.


We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.


But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully
wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

You won't get any big surprise
in 10 days if you send this to ten people. But,
you might help make the world a little kinder
and more compassionate by sending.
it on and reminding us that often it is the random acts of
kindness that most benefit all of
us.

Thank you, my
friend...

In which I freak out about mildly cold winter weather, as if it were a blizzard.

This is the forecast for Houston's weather for the next four days.

It will look laughable to anyone living north of Dallas, but to us here in Houston, that's freaking cold!

Global warming, my ass. I've heard talk of possible snow again tomorrow, though that forecast doesn't mention it. If it happens, that would be snow in Houston, twice in one winter.

*wants snow!* I don't care how cold it gets, if it snows. :)

Current Mood: shiver, shiver, shiver

This recipe would make a brilliant candidate for the Why You Are Fat website. Maybe it's already there.

Current Mood: hungry

My friend Donna just got a call from a friend of hers living in Vallejo, California. She said some sea lions which typically gather near Pier 39 near them have left, all but 19, and their pet cats are clumping together. The last time either of these two events happened, there was an earthquake. I mentioned this to Mark, and he said there were tremors in California, this morning.

This could, however, simply be normal tremors cuased by gravity from the Sun and the Moon. We're due to have a blue moon and a partial eclipse on New Year's Eve.

I hope it will not be too severe.

Edit: I just found this article regarding the sea lions. Their reduced numbers in this season might not be so much of a herald of danger, after all. I'll wait and see. I know a lot of tremors have been occurring in Baja, so...maybe an earthquake is imminent, maybe not.

Current Mood: alert

My fantasy RPG character tarran_glennis would want to take woodworking lessons from the author of the article below. It's by Franklyn Gallup and describes how to inlay a quilt design into a wood floor.

How to Create a Quilt Pattern Design in a Wood Floor

The design is beautiful and intricate.

Current Mood: crafty

While exploring Schwab for likely stocks to invest in, I came across a company named Turner Valley Oil and Gas (TVOG). Oil and gas sounded like a possible good investment, so I checked out their Schwab page.

Sheesh! The stock was priced at $0.001. From a look at the day's activity graph, it looked like some fool had bought enough of the stock at $0.0008 to push the price up to $0.001.

I can't even imagine buying a stock that is that close to flat-lining. *shakes head* Some penny stocks do make money, but most are wildly risky investments.

Current Mood: surprised

Oh, my God, this is like goyleandcrabbe singing Christmas carols--they kind of vaguely look like them. *giggles hysterically*

Current Mood: giggly

Corn Casserole
Preparation time: Less than 10 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 can of whole-kernel corn (undrained)
1 can of cream-style corn
½ cup of butter (1 stick), melted
1 8 oz. container of sour cream
1-2 cups of shredded cheese. mild Cheddar or Monterrey Jack are suggested.

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into baking pan. Bake 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Current Mood: hungry

My contribution to the recipe exchange going out around my office. I am now on three iterations of it. O.O You have been warned.

Broccoli-Cheese Ritz Cracker Casserole

Ritz crackers, crushed
2 pkgs. frozen broccoli spears
1-1/2 cups of milk
1-1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
Velveeta cheese
Butter

1. Boil and drain broccoli according to directions.

SAUCE:
1. Combine milk, cornstarch, mustard, salt, and pepper.
2. Cook on low heat until sauce thickens.
3. Add a chunk of Velveeta, and melt it in the sauce.

CASSEROLE:
1. Pour cheese sauce over broccoli. Mix in thoroughly with some crumbled Ritz crackers.
2. Sprinkle crushed Ritz crackers on top of casserole; dot with butter.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Current Mood: hungry

I got up about 4:00am because Narcissa Malfoy from the Beyond the Hallows RPG was writing a journal entry in my head. I decided I wanted to write down what she was saying, because it was beautiful and so her.

My bth_narcissa journal has been deleted. *cries* I hate it when DM's do that, even though the game has died, and I know they want to do housekeeping. I'll never be able to recreate all of her posts. I wish they would have at least warned me, so I could have saved what I wrote for her. :(

Yeah, I know. If this is the worst thing I have to be sad about, I have an awesome life, and I should shut up and be thankful. But I loved this character.

Edit: I revived my BTH Narcissa journal at cg_narcissa. I can't restore the posts or the poetry, except for one poem, but I might be able to cobble together paraphrases of some of what I wrote for her, and she can now have a place to speak in the future.

Musical Humor: Courtesy of sauron_the_dark. This is awesome and hilarious:



TV: Annnnd...Mythbusters will give us a special treat on Monday, December 28:

Current Mood: content and giggling

Beer!: Sipping on some Samuel Adams Winter Lager. Mmmmm....! Dinner was home-made pizza from Mark. :)

Meme: (Nabbed from gypsy_anna's journal.

"If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want -- good or bad. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog, and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you."

Pern: I realized today that Aerden finds "Carol of the Bells" to be Really Irritating when he has a migraine. But then I realized that he's irritated by everything when he has a migraine, so that wasn't as amusing a thing as I'd thought it would be. Ah, well.

Current Mood: cheerful

Birthday:

Happy Birthday, padfoot_uk!

Current Mood: hungry

Incredible.

In other news, Happy Beethoven's Birthday!

Current Mood: indescribable

From my friend Cynthia:

Artichoke Dip

1 can quartered artichokes
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Italian breadcrumbs
Your favorite seasonings (garlic, green onions, cayenne, Tabasco)

Mix 1 can of quartered artichokes with 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add Tabasco, onions, garlic, or cayenne to taste. Place in ceramic baking dish, sprinkle Italian bread crumbs on top, and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until dish begins to bubble and breadcrumbs are browned. Serve with your favorite crackers. Rosemary crackers are yummy with this!

* * *

I'll give the Tabasco and cayenne pepper a miss and throw in some spinach, dill, and maybe some Asiago cheese.

Current Mood: hungry

This Accessible Emergency Information website might be of help.

Win an advance reader copy of Stephanie Burgis' novel, A Most Improper Magick: http://tinyurl.com/yckky2q

It sounds wonderfully Victorian, with a sense of humor, so I'm willing to forgive the 'k' added to 'magic.' (g) I hope I get to read it!

Headline: "DSHS Recalls All Oysters Harvested from San Antonio Bay"

Me: San Antonio has a bay?!

Apparently, the oysters are infected with norovirus, which causes diarrhea and other nastiness.

(To former players in sphogwarts)

SPH: Remember, when Paul and Lilith got married, they did it not only as a wedding, but also as a consecration of themselves to defending the Light?

I never got to write the ritual because time got away from me, and I wanted to coordinate the writing of it with Viv. But I did want to share part of it with you. It's Gandalf's Pledge:

The rule of no realm is mine.
But all worthy things that are in peril
As the world now stands--
Those are my care.

And I, for my part,
Shall not wholly fail in my task
If anything passes through this night
That can still grow fair
Or bear fruit and flower again
In days to come.

Current Mood: content