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!
26
Let me get this straight. An industry that is as old as damn near the Industrial Revolution is now asking for a bailout. And the CEO’s of General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford came to ask Congress for the money on THREE SEPARATE PRIVATE JETS no less! Does anyone see something wrong with this picture? Because I’m still walking!
I remember a time when “Buying American” essentially meant you were buying an American made car. And Ford and General Motors were the car makers to buy from. Cadillacs, Impalas, Mustangs, and a litany of Ford trucks cruised our highways and byways. Since there was no competition from foreign cars, these car manufacturers had a captive audience. You either bought one of their cars or you walked or used public transportation. And the bigger the car the better!
Slowly but surely, foreign cars began to come onto our shores. With Toyota, Datsun/Nissan, and Honda manufacturing cars that were economical, better made, and not as expensive, the American car began to slip in the minds of the very people Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors needed to keep … Americans! How many people remember when Ford meant “Found on Road Daily?” Or remember the Pinto and the memo that allegedly came from the higher ups at Ford who said that paying out money in lawsuits would be cheaper than fixing an obvious and fatal design flaw? By the mid 80′s, the American people stopped thinking, and rightfully so, that supporting an industry that didn’t care about them or that produced whatever they wanted whether we liked it or not, should end. Why would I pay for a car that is poorly made, guzzles gas, breaks down every other day, and costs more than a better produced foreign car? I wouldn’t and didn’t!
By the time the American manufactures realized we weren’t going to buy “just anything”, it was too late. Our pocketbooks and wallets dictated what kind of a car we would purchase. While owning a Cadillac is still a “status thing” owning a Lexus, built by Toyota no less, succeeded in putting a major dent in the definition of “status.” Most people don’t even know that the Lexus is made by Toyota because the name “Toyota” is not on the car. We see “Lexus” and that is all we need to know. They were given billions of dollars in subsidies, local, state, and federal tax relief, and were able to lobby the government when they wanted or needed something.
In 1989, documentary maker Michael Moore foretold this current auto industry meltdown in his movie “Roger and Me.” In the movie, Moore showed just how cold and callous the deeds of General Motors and his attempts to get an interview with CEO Roger Smith. The loss of more than 30,000 jobs and the ensuing housing crash dealt a death kneel to the city of Flint, Michigan, from which it still hasn’t recovered.
The CEO’s of these companies made obscene amounts of money and stock options and will walk away with millions more in Golden Parachutes. That industries who made BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars over the last 30 years or more are now asking to be bailed out by the government is appalling at best and atrocious at worse. Yet the only people who seem to be suffering are the average American. We are losing our jobs, our houses, and our way of life while these “fat cats” keep getting fatter at our expense. Where is the bailout for all those people taken in by the mortgage industry? Where is the forgiveness of our consumer debt? And the only jobs that are hiring are debt collectors!
But the government has to bail them out. What would happen to the millions and millions of Ford, GM, and Chrysler cars currently on the road? Would you buy a car from a company that is “going out of business?” It looks like the American government has now gotten into the Insurance business, the Mortgage business, Wall Street, the Banking business, and will now get into the Auto business.
Can you say SOCIALISM? I know you can!
But wait a minute. I’m still walking?
24
As you know or may not know, Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage proposition passed 52% to 48%. Media reports state that minorities, both African American and Hispanics voted for the measure in large numbers. The reasons that have been given for this BIGOTED action range from “I don’t think it’s right”, to “It’s a choice”, to the old stand by of COWARDS that it is “God’s will, way, or just against God.” When you ask most of these so-called Christians to tell you EXACTLY where that is stated in the bible, most of them can’t even tell you. And the reason they can’t tell you is because it doesn’t exist! They say “it’s there” which is quite an ARGUMENT or DEFENSE to be a BIGOT.
If you can’t even say where the passage is in the bible that you HIDE BEHIND, then you are a POOR EXCUSE for a HUMAN BEING. That you would be a part of something so evil, hurtful, hateful, spiteful, DISCRIMNATORY, and BIGOTED, after experiencing the same things yourself is unconscionable. That you would deny spousal benefits to people who have been together for 15, 25, or even 30 years later is wrong, PERIOD! Are you aware of the fact that between June of 2008 and November 3, 2008, there were over 18,000 same sex marriages performed in california? And many of those 18,000 marriages came from people who don’t live in california or even America? And that many of those same sex couples brought family and friends with them when they got married? And those same sex couples, friends, and families stayed in hotels, ate at restaurants, and visited our many tourist destinations? That they needed flowers, limos, wedding cakes, wedding clothing, reception halls, and food, just to name a few things that you DUMBASSES just voted away? The Williams Institute at U.C.L.A. predicts gay men and lesbians will spend $684 million on wedding cakes, photographers, tuxedos, hotel rooms and related wedding trappings during the next three years. The institute estimates the State of california will haul in some $64 million in taxes and another $9 million in marriage license fees. For a state that has the third HIGHEST unemployment rate in America, 8.2% as of this writing, how much of that lost money could have provided jobs and services to our badly needed economy? When the economy goes bad, who are the very first people to feel it? African Americans and Latinos!
So instead of people spending that 757 million dollars in california, same sex couples will go to Massachuttes, Rhode Island, or Connecticut to get married. But those states have real winter seasons that might make people think of warmer climates when thinking of getting married. That is where california had an advantage. Our “winters” are nonexistent when compared to those states. We would have had money flowing into our govermental and business coffers year around. So when your water, gas and light, and trash fees get increased, don’t complain. When the libraries and youth recreation centers are closed, don’t say a word. When you get bopped on the head or have your house broken into, just SHUT the FUCK UP! You helped to create this situation? Gee, I didn’t think of that? I thought I was denying “them” their rights!
For all of you CLOWNS who want to say that a civil union is the same thing, I put this to you. Give up your marriage license and go down and get a civil union license. You won’t do that because you KNOW there is a difference!!!
No on Prop 8
And lastly, for you LOSERS who thought you could contribute money to that DISCRIMNATORY proposition in the dark, you were wrong. Below is a list of lists that name businesses and people who gave money to the WRONG SIDE! (Some lists might be duplicates. I wanted you all to have as much information as possible).
californians against Hate
Anti Gay Blacklist
Mormon Church businesses
Anti Gay Black List – xanga
Yeah, being outted is a BITCH, isn’t it!!!!!