Archive for the ‘elitism’ Category
12
I admit it. I’m a NERD and proud of it! I’ve always been a NERD and I fully embrace my NERDINESS. Learning came fairly easy for me so school was never a problem for me. I certainly had classes that gave me trouble, like Calculus. But I never felt the need to cheat. I felt that if I applied myself, I would at least be able to get a “C” and have the basic knowledge of what that subject was about. And while a coupIe of “C’s” did lower my overal GPA, I am pleased at having a 3.2 GPA throughout my high school and college education. Could it have been A LOT higher? YES! Should it have been higher? YES? I guess I was born about 24 years too soon. Because in the state of North Carolina, students can BUY points that can be added to a test and raise the grade. That means a student who might have failed a test can buy enough points to raise that grade to passing. All this is being done to raise money for a cash strapped school district. This takes “buying and education” to an all new level!
The “point policy” for Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro, NC, says that for $20.00, a student can apply 10 points to a test of that students choice. So a “B” can become an “A”, and an “F” can become a “C” or a “D.” I’m at a COMPLETE loss as to what kind of lesson we are teaching these kids. A lesson that says instead of studying, you can just buy ten points and keep them in reserve just in case you need them? That if “mommy and daddy” will “kick in” the student can put the book down and continue surfing Facebook or playing with their WII?
Continue reading “Buying an education” »
27
I have watched with bemused disinterest all of the fussing, arguing, and fighting that has occurred at the Health Care town hall meetings. Because it is under the guise of “health care” that GROWN ADULTS are acting like children and literally getting into fist fights. But the real reason has nothing to do with the medical profession. It has to do with the hate that has come to the service since President Barack Obama was elected.
I find it interesting that most if not all of the people who attend these are WHITE and MIDDLE AGED! The same people who probably already have health care. For them, this is an more about yelling and screaming about “Obama” and less about how to make sure that everyone has access to proper medical care. My brother was recently in the hospital for two weeks and it seemed like almost EVERY DAY he was telling my mother and I about the shoddy treatment he was receiving. Oh did I mention that he is a former PSYCH NURSE and that my mother is a former R.N.? So you can well imagine that with other 50 years worth of knowledge between then, they KNOW EXACTLY what proper care medical care is supposed to look like?
For those people who have more than one brain cell, they should remember that health care is reform is not a new phenomenon. During the Clinton Administration, President Clinton attempted to reform health care along with the aid of his wife, Hillary Clinton. But there was such a backlash against then first lady and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that eventually, it was shelved. Again, the subterfuge was not “health care” , it was to keep a “woman in her place.”
Continue reading “Is we sick?” »
10
Staycation. One of the newest terms to come out of the recession. Staycation. For those of you who don’t know what a staycation is, that is when you have the TIME to go on a vacation, but don’t have the MONEY to pay for it. Like that shit is something. Like anything, when it happens to anyone else, it doesn’t mean anything. But when it happens to white people, it gets legitimized and gets a name. STAYCATION. Ain’t that a BITCH!
I read everyday’s paper. Meaning some days I get busy and don’t read Monday’s paper on Monday. I might read it on Tuesday. But I read everyday’s paper. And I was aware of what that meant. But when my mother heard about it, she laughed so hard that tears came from her eyes!
My mother and I went out to purchase a couch and when we got to the store we found them to be unacceptable. My dog wouldn’t have climbed their furry butts on those raggedy ass couches. So moms said she wanted to go the “water.” We stopped off at the store and bought a couple of drinks and headed to the beach. On the way to Harbor Drive, I saw a sign that said “Staycation.” I said, out loud, “Staycation, Ain’t that a Bitch!” Mom asked me what did it mean. So I explained it to her. I then said that “Black folks have been “staycationing” our entire lives. Now that it happening to white people it got a name!” With those words, mom let out a laugh that I hadn’t heard in a while. And every time I looked at her, she would laugh even louder and harder. It got to the point that I was laughing at her, laughing at me, laughing at her. By the time we parked, moms had tears coming from her eyes.
Continue reading “Staycation. Ain’t this a BITCH!” »
05
I am currently unemployed, like far too many Americans, so I spend lots of time on my computer. Selling things on classified sites, sending out resumes, and canvassing for computer related freelance jobs. I also check the three home pages of the news sites a couple of times a day to “stay informed” about what is going on in the world. Some of the news is enlightening, some of the news is sad, some of the news is scary, and some of the news is damn ridiculous. But the recent story concerning the Dallas Cowboys made me angry. And you might be also.
Let me start by saying this. I was a Cowboys fan going back to the 70′s. I remember watching Roger Staubach, Robert Newhouse, Tony Dorsett, Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, don’t even get me started, Drew Pearson, Ed White, Golden Richards, Calvin Hill, Billy Joe Dupree, you think I’m playin?, Butch Johnson, Harvey Martin, Preston Pearson, Mel Renfro, Randy White, Cliff Harris, and Jethro Pugh. And let’s not forget the architect of the “Boys”, Tom Landry. Some of those names are well known and Hall of Famers. Some of those names are guys you have never heard of unless you were a TRUE Cowboys Fan. And going forward into the 80′s, I watch them also. When Joe Montana hit Jack Clark in the back of the inzone, TRUST ME, it pissed me off to no avail! The 90′s Cowboys did nothing for me until they got “Prime Time”, Deion Sanders. I kinda liked them then. I didn’t want them to win anything but I could at least watch them.
I became a Cowboys fan again when they picked up T.O. YUP, just like “Bette and Tina“, I’m riding with T.O. for life. And I figured that he would be able to get the Cowboys into the playoffs and maybe get them to the Super Bowl. I forgot that Tony “Stat Stuffer” Romo can’t deliver a pizza, much less a team to the finals. And that leads me to the REAL REASON for this post.
Continue reading “You’re kidding right?” »
28
I wrote a post titled “Money can buy anything if you have enough of it” where I talked about the illegal Black Market for organs. I made a reference to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who was reported to have just had a kidney transplant. While I had no knowledge that Mr. Jobs had purchased a kidney, and I still don’t, I speculated that with enough money you can indeed buy one.
I was immediately chastised by people who said that I was one of those “irresponsible bloggers” who make statements with nothing to back them up. They said it was virtually impossible to buy an organ and that even though I had referenced two other “real news articles” that I had watched the movie “Coma” one too many times. For you young heads, the premise of the movie is that relatively healthy people wind up in comas after minor surgeries. A suspicious doctor finds out that the coma patients are being used as organ donors.
This past week, over 44 people were arrested in New Jersey for corruption. This is not news. New Jersey has been corrupt for decades. What is news is that most of the people arrested were either in local or state politics and were well known and respected Rabbis! But it doesn’t end there. The real story is that many of the Rabbis involved in this scandal were involved with Black Market organ sales!
Continue reading “How much is a Kidney Worth?” »
24
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, is said to have had a liver transplant recently. That he needed a liver transplant is not news. He has been very ill for quite some time now. What is news is that he was able to either circumvent the Donor Transplant system by purchasing a liver, or he was selected ahead of people who have been on the list longer and possible died while waiting.
At the recent Apple convention, Jobs was conspicuous with his absence. His keynote addresses have usually been the highlight of the Apple events. And with every mention of his health, whether good or bad, Apple’s stock has dropped or risen accordingly. And a healthy Jobs is a good for Apple’s bottom line!
People are saying that there is no way for Steve to have bought an organ, or cut in front of the line. But with BILLIONS of dollars at his disposal, how can that statement be made with any certainty? The buying and selling of organs is common knowledge in the medical profession. And in countries like India and Egypt, there is a healthy (sorry for the pun) and striving Black Market for organs. With money being the common denominator, and him having “go gobs” of it, that scenario is not as far-fetched as some people might think.
What ethicists, transplant surgeons, and “people in the know” are saying is that with his wealth, Jobs was able to travel to the three hospitals in Tennessee, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, and cut his waiting time for a viable organ.
People have been saying for centuries that money can’t buy you health. But if you have enough of it, looks like it most certainly can. And maybe did!
27
As we all know, we are in a recession. Regardless of what the pundits, Federal Reserve, legislators, or President says, it’s a recession. And nearly every part of the economic pie is getting bitten. And while in the past, it was an “employees market”, it is now the employers market. Meaning employers now have the power and they can ask for the moon and the stars from employees, both current and potential because they know the fear of not having a job is an all too real threat. And now, with more people than ever getting welfare, food stamps, and unemployment, we have the government throwing their weight around. They are now trying to pass laws saying if you are getting a handout from the government, you must pass random drug tests! Craig Blair, a Republican in the West Virginia Legislature, is spearheading a law to require random drug tests of people getting government benefits.
I certainly don’t to allow someone to sit around collecting welfare, food stamps, or unemployment to getting their “party on” using tax dollars. But to say that ONLY those people should be required to pass drug tests is questionable at best, and elitist at worse. If those people collecting welfare, food stamps, and unemployemnt benefits should be tested, what about the people who got “corporate welfare” re-named BAILOUTS! Where are their drug tests? Because they must have been on the “good shit” to have even gotten us into this mess! And what about the officers at A.I.G.? OOPPS. I mean A.I.U. They changed their name! (Like that is going to hide the stench of what they did!) For them to first even consider passing out bonuses, and worse, to ACCEPT THEM, must mean they are on something. Million dollar bonuses to people whose company took welfare from the American taxpayers. Am I missing something here??? So let’s add to the random drug tests, anyone who accepted money in the form of a bailout, loan, or bonus, from the American government!
And while we are at it, since the consensus seems to be that “no one is forcing them to apply for benefits” no one forced you, Mr. Blair, to run for office. And you are getting taxpayer benefits called a SALARY! So why don’t we add mayors, judges, police chiefs, sheriffs, senators, , governors, congressmen and women, and the president, to the list of people who should take random drug tests. Aren’t they getting benefits too!!! Let’s see how fast that idea falls to the way side!
Test all or test none. This picking and choosing of who to test and who not to test is just wrong. Because welfare is welfare regardless of whether it is $700.00 a month check or it’s called a MILLION DOLLAR BONUS or BILLION DOLLAR BAILOUT!!!!!!!