A few days ago the National Geographic Channel’s “Taboo” program featured an adult baby. Stanley Thornton Jr. is 30 years old, dresses like a baby, and sleeps in an adult size crib. His roommate Sandra Dias acts as his mother/aunt/whatever. Okay… weird! It’s a free country. Who cares, right? This guy is getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from taxpayers.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes):
- It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income; and
- It provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
This is simply unbelievable. Taxpayers are literally paying for this guy to act like a baby. Senator Tom Coburn has asked the Inspector General to look into the case to find out what kind of disability the adult baby claims to have. As you can imagine, the baby threw a temper tantrum.
In an email response to The Washington Times, Mr. Thornton threatened to kill himself if his Social Security payments are taken away, and said the television episode showing him doing woodwork oversold his abilities.
“You wanna test how damn serious I am about leaving this world, screw with my check that pays for this apartment and food. Try it. See how serious I am. I don’t care,” the California man said. “I have no problem killing myself. Take away the last thing keeping me here, and see what happens. Next time you see me on the news, it will be me in a body bag.
I am trying to muster some compassion here, but I’m drawing blanks. I don’t think it’s the American taxpayer’s job to let this guy live in fantasy land, though his reaction to losing government assistance is about the same as most Americans. Unfortunately for Stanley Thornton Jr., there aren’t enough adult babies to form a voting bloc.
There’s a lot of talk these days about excessive corporate profits. Usually, “windfall profits” are referenced concerning oil companies. Most of the complaints about oil companies are based on “tribal knowledge.” One example is the myth that oil companies don’t pay enough taxes. The oil and natural gas industry currently enjoys no unique tax credits or deductions. This fact is never reported and the myth continues.
For some reason it’s easy to hate corporations. I blame it on too many shallowly-written cartoons. Almost every evil character is some rich corporate overlord trying to exploit the average man. It’s kind of like Scrooge McDuck vs. Flintheart Glomgold. In Disney’s Duck Tales there are two rich Duck rivals with the names Scrooge and Flintheart. That doesn’t sound very charitable, does it? How did Scrooge McDuck make his money? He made it being “smarter than the smarties, and tougher than the toughies.” No, seriously! Is it any wonder why so many people distrust corporations? For whatever reason government bureaucrats don’t make good cartoons. One of my favorite Stuff White People Like entries is #82 Hating Corporations. Yuppies love Target, but they hate Walmart.
When engaging in a conversation about corporate evils it is important to NEVER, EVER mention Apple Computers, Target or Ikea in the same breath as the companies mentioned earlier. White people prefer to hate corporations that don’t make stuff that they like.
You can add Google to that list as well. Google’s smug motto “don’t be evil” would be an excellent piece of satire except that’s actually their motto. So I guess we’re supposed to take it seriously? Apple, on the other hand, is the king of all branding. Where is the outrage about their products being assembled in China? Also, what about Apple’s profits? Mark J. Perry at Carpe Diem compares Apple’s profits to ExxonMobil.
| Q1 2011 | ExxonMobil | Apple |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $114.0B | $24.7B |
| Earnings Before Tax | $18.94B | $7.96B |
| Income Taxes | $8.0B | $1.9B |
| Net Profit | $10.65B | $5.98B |
| Effective Tax Rate | 42.20% | 24.22% |
| Profit Margin | 9.30% | 24.27% |
| Profit/Employee | $127,392 | $128,470 |
Apple is getting taxed less and making a higher profit margin. How can this be? Where is the outrage? Where are the calls for a windfall profit taxes? President Obama floated the idea of a windfall profit tax on oil companies during the 2008 election. Would companies like Apple be a better target? By any measure these type of farcical taxes are dangerous and counterproductive, but there are those on the left who think it’s a good idea.
Americans should be more concerned with windfall debt. Profits from ExxonMobil and Apple aren’t damaging the nation. Windfall profits are a fake problem.
Newt Gingrich has only been in the presidential race for a few days, but as far as I’m concerned his candidacy is already over. Gingrich decided to appear on Meet the Press this Sunday and take aim at Paul Ryan’s budget, The Path to Prosperity. Gingrich called Ryan’s plan “right-wing social engineering” and “too big a jump” for the American people. The statements are odd because right after the House voted on the budget Gingrich said he would have voted for it. Gingrich even wrote an article titled “From Paul Revere to Paul Ryan” praising the Ryan plan.
What is Gignrich hoping to accomplish by tacking left? It seems like someone as smart as Gingrich would know better that the left will always hate him, regardless of any bones he may send their way. What’s the point?
On Sunday, while Gingrich was trying to win over the left, Joan Walsh at Salon accused the former Speaker of “coded racism” for calling President Obama the “food stamp president.”
But when host David Gregory suggested the term had racial overtones, Gingrich replied “That’s bizarre,” and added, “I have never said anything about President Obama which is racist.” That’s not quite as extreme or silly as Donald Trump declaring “I am the least racist person there is,” but it’s up there. He also told Georgia Republicans Friday that 2012 will be the most momentous election “since 1860,” which happens to be the year we elected the anti-slavery Abraham Lincoln president, and he suggested the U.S. bring back a “voting standard” that requires voters to prove they know American history — which sounds a lot like the “poll tests” outlawed by the Voting Rights Act.
Joan Walsh’s pen, or keyboard, produced nothing when Jesse Jackson compared the current budget debate to the Civil War. That’s because her shallow white guilt doesn’t allow her to call anyone but white people racist. Using Newt Gingrich’s “history test” standard for voting it’s unlikely Walsh would be able to vote if her article is any indication. Gingrich’s idea will never be seriously considered, but it probably should. Ignorant voting is dangerous for the Republic.
Let’s face it: Raising taxes and calling people racist are the only major ideas the left has anymore. A serious candidate for president should realize this and quit trying to appease the unappeasable. The fact that Gingrich thinks he can win over the left by trashing Paul Ryan means that he’s not a serious candidate.
If Camping happens to die of natural causes on Saturday does that count?
I love apocalyptic events. Let’s face it, they’re awesome. Predictions proclaiming the exact date of the end of the world all share one thing in common… They’re always wrong. Obsessing over the end of the world is pointless. Our time on Earth is short, the end of the world will come for me in the next 70 years or so when I die. No one has been able to avoid that fate.
Anyway, Family Radio has news for us all. Judgment Day is coming on May 21, 2011. I’m not sure if judgement begins in Japan and works its way East, but I guess we’ll figure it out on Saturday. Harold Camping wrote a book twenty years ago titled 1994? that predicted judgement day in 1994. Mr. Camping has backed away from that prediction by pointing out the question mark in the title of the book. There’s no question mark this time around. Mr. Camping has put all his chips on the table.
The odd thing is that Camping doesn’t cite any divine revelation. He’s just a student of the Bible. I wonder what Camping’s plan of attack will be on Sunday?
What if May 21 ends and nothing occurs?
The Biblical evidence is too overwhelming and specific to be wrong. Christ’s people can look with great confidence to this date because God promises His “beloved” He will not come upon them as a thief in the night.
God in His mercy has revealed the vital information needed to know the day. Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 will occur because the bible declares it. Anyone whom God has not saved will arrive at that day with no hope for salvation. God warns simply the “door will be shut.”
The evidence is so overwhelming and so specific that no one else has figured this out. Mark Twain once said that ”I’ve seen a heap of trouble in my life, and most of it never came to pass.” I’ve heard a lot about the end of the world, but it never ends on time.
What Harold Camping lacks in web development skills he’s more than made up for with promotion. Family Radio had put up billboards all over the place promoting warning about Judgement Day.
Where’s the proof, you ask? Mr. Camping has an entire page dedicated to specific days.. Apparently, God maintains a strict calendar. The math that is involved would impress even Louis Farrakhan.
Just before the flood Noah was instructed by God that in seven days the flood would begin (Genesis 7:10-16). Using the language of 2 Peter 3:8 that “a day is as a thousand years,” it is like saying through Noah, who was a preacher (2 Peter 2:5): “mankind has seven days or 7,000 years to escape destruction.” Since 2011 A.D. is precisely 7,000 years after Noah preached, God has given mankind a wonderful proof that Judgment Day will occur in the year 2011. (emphasis added)
Yes! That totally makes sense… well, not really. According to Harold Camping overwhelming evidence equals “it is like saying through Noah.” The evidence amounts to a house of cards built on top of the Sears Tower during a blizzard. The logic is so shallow it’s incomprehensible that Mr. Camping could convince anyone that it’s possible. I can’t wait to hear the story on Sunday. My guess is that he’ll use the excuse that he got the math wrong by a few years.
Update: How did I miss this glorious video! Soak in the madness! Taste the craziness!
This really isn’t a shock, but Newt Gingrich is running for president. There are a lot of things that I think are great about Gingrich. He has an excellent understanding of history and he has a lot of great ideas. He’s always been a big idea, think outside of the box type of guy; however, he’s also been thin skinned in the past.
Ultimately Gingrich’s biggest weakness is the fact he doesn’t have executive experience. This wasn’t a barrier to entry for President Obama, but it should have been. Almost everything the President has done has be an unorganized mess. If the country decided to elect another president in 2012 I expect someone with more executive experience will win.
Please Don’t Panic: I’m happy that Homeland Security had gotten rid of the confusing color coded terrorism alert system. It was always a bit of a farce. The new big idea is to send a mass text message to those who are in harm’s way.
A new national alert system is set to begin in New York City that will alert the public to emergencies via cell phones. It’s called the Personal Localized Alert Network or PLAN. Presidential and local emergency messages as well as Amber Alerts would appear on cell phones equipped with special chips and software.
Ah yes, I can see it now. Can you just image the chaos if the government sends a mass text to everyone riding the subway in New York? It would be a huge panic scene. I’m very interested to see how this works. Right now it seems like a good way to start a stampede. Why not just send a mass text to the entire nation that says “FIRE! RUN LIKE HELL!!” This clip below from Seinfeld is how I imagine the system working
Allies? It’s bad enough that Pakistan has nukes and that the nation is full of Islamic fundamentalists. Now they’re thinking about cooperating with the Chinese on the downed helicopter we left after the Osama Bin Laden raid. Apparently the United States’ helicopters are equipped with some kind of anti-detection technology. Obviously China is interested in getting their hands on the technology.
I’m confused as to what the United States policy is on Pakistan. They didn’t help us find Osama Bin Laden after 10 years and we had to invade their nation to take him out without authorization. The U.S. was afraid that someone in the Pakistan government would tip Osama before we got there. It’s been a bad PR week for Pakistan. Handing over this helicopter to the Chinese isn’t going to help things.
RomneyCare/ObamaCare 2012: Mitt Romney is set to give a speech tomorrow on the issue of health care. Romney hasn’t backed down from the health care reform he passed in Massachusetts while he was governor. Going into 2012 this is a huge problem for Romney because RomneyCare looks a lot like ObamaCare. Plus, RomneyCare is having all kind of problems in Massachusetts (shocking).
It doesn’t appear as though Romney is going to back away from his legislative failure. In other words, his candidacy is dead on arrival. President Obama’s most significant legislative achievement is a dismal failure and a dramatic overreach by the federal government. If it’s not overturned by the courts voters are going to going to have it abolished. I’m not sure how Romney can dance around this problem.
Religion of Peace News: Mark Steyn over at The Corner points out the absurdity of the mainstream press when it comes to covering crimes by Islamic extremists.
A 28-year old Yemeni man boards a flight to San Francisco in Chicago, and shortly before landing charges the cockpit while shouting “Allahu Akbar!” Authorities say they “do not yet have a motive.”
By the way, this is from the evil FOX News network. It should be pointed out that when Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was tragically shot a few months ago the press had no problem attaching Sarah Palin to the story. When Jared Lee Loughner started shooting he didn’t yell “you betcha” or “for Palin.” Over the last twenty years the list of attacks that started with “Allahu Akbar!” are too numerous to mention, but the press can’t speculate on a motive unless it’s Sarah Palin.
A popular talking point on the left is the “problem” with corporate welfare. It’s only a problem because the left has corporate-phobia. There’s nothing wrong with keeping a watchful eye on corporations, but many on the left think economic growth is bad for mankind. Many times these tax breaks are necessary because the United States taxes corporations higher than most developed nations. If Democrats are serious about eliminating corporate subsidies then we have to tackle our extreme corporate tax rate.
In 2011, national statutory corporate tax rates among the thirty-four members of the OECD will range from 8.5 percent in Switzerland to 35 percent in the United States. When sub-national taxes are added, the United States has the second-highest statutory combined corporate tax rate – 39.2 percent – after Japan’s rate of 39.5 percent.
Despite having a higher tax rate the United States fails to raise as much revenue from corporate taxes as other nations. Our system of corporate taxation is extremely inefficient. The tax code is a mess, but until the nation elects real leadership this and countless other economic issues will be ignored and exploited.
The biggest casualty during the Obama administration has been the anti-war left. Most of the anti-war left was a fog. It’s like people who play Dungeons and Dragons. They dress up on the weekends, have a good time, and go back to their normal lives. Most of the anti-war left was made up of partisan Democrats who weren’t really upset with war, but angry that there was a Republican in the White House. The wars have continued under new ownership and the hypocrites have gone back to their lives. Yes, they’re still “angry” about Iraq, but their arguments are easy to dismiss.
Noam Chomsky is a true believer in the anti-war dogma. He doesn’t greet the death of Osama Bin Laden as a significant accomplishment. Chomsky just uses it as another excuse to bash President Bush.
We might ask ourselves how we would be reacting if Iraqi commandos landed at George W. Bush’s compound, assassinated him, and dumped his body in the Atlantic. Uncontroversially, his crimes vastly exceed bin Laden’s, and he is not a “suspect” but uncontroversially the “decider” who gave the orders to commit the “supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole” (quoting the Nuremberg Tribunal) for which Nazi criminals were hanged: the hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, destruction of much of the country, the bitter sectarian conflict that has now spread to the rest of the region.
Noam Chomsky is a Institute Professor emeritus in the MIT Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. I guess that means he is the ultimate “decider” of what is considered “uncontroversial.” Meanwhile our current President continues to authorize drone attacks in Pakistan and the policy of holding prisoners indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay. Chomsky cannot be bothered by the present when he’s so obsessed with the past.
President Obama will spend the next few weeks (or months) basking in the glow of his accomplishment. Who can blame him? Who can be surprised? This is the President who couldn’t give a normal convention speech and took his campaign to Germany (that sure didn’t work out). Our President is someone who has no trouble talking about himself.
In the grand scheme of things history will look back at President Obama and judge him based on what he did or didn’t do about the nation’s fiscal problems. Obama’s biggest concern isn’t fixing our financial problems. The sole focus of the the Obama administration is getting elected. The power of the incumbency has never been stronger. At what cost? Obama wanted to be Lincoln. Sadly, he’s more like Pierce, Filmore, and Buchanan.
Nearly five years ago I started the Blogosphere category to focus on crazy people on the internet. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel, or jihadists in a desert, if you prefer. It’s been a revealing journey.
The first Blogosphere entry I wrote featured a blog by Salah Al-Dien that insisted President Bush was worse than Saddam Hussein. Shortly after my post Salah Al-Dien became Terry Scott and a commenter named Liam Occam (who linked to Al-Dien’s blog) called me out for being an “adolescent author who professes that Jesus Christ is the most important thing in the world.” How dare I! What’s this person’s real name? Terry Scott? Liam Occam? Salah Al-Dien? I have no idea, but the person is obviously a coward, anti-Christian, and willing to believe anything as long as there’s some Jew hating involved.
Anyway, long story. Today I was thinking… What does Terry Scott/Al-Dien/Occam think about the death of Osama bin Laden? Apparently, Scott has a lot of issues about killing the scumbag.
No person should have died in 9-1-1, neither American nor foreign born. For disbelievers of the singular role of Al Qaida in 9-1-1 like myself, the blame for those deaths in NY and elsewhere rests on many souls and not just bin Laden and his followers…
And on and on the insanity goes… It wasn’t a terrorist attack. It was an inside job brought to you by a cast of thousands upon thousands of neocons who aren’t talking about pulling off the biggest conspiracy theory all time.
This truther nonsense is everywhere. Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back Rashard Mendenhall is under fire today for tweeting the following:
Mendenhall then went even further and said “We’ll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style.” When he was questioned about his ignorant comments he urged others to “think.” My guess is that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be encouraging Mendenhall to do more “thinking” in the future before he opens is mouth, hopefully on a bench.
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