Showing posts with label Taxpayer money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taxpayer money. Show all posts

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Woman enough!


I am woman enough to be curious about Michelle Obama's clothes, her hair-do and her new international friends. And I am proud enough of America to want the whole world to swoon at Michelle's good looks, her carriage, her smartness and her organic vegetable garden like we all do here.

While it is nice to hear once in a while about banalities, it seems almost like a cult following - almost every site I visit, writes with obsessive fervor about her clothes, Oscar de la Renta's disapproval of her clothes (or designer choice?), the kisses she received from Carla Bruni (more than the kisses received by OTHER first ladies, who only got one kiss, while our Michelle was favored with two, so there!...STOP!

Somehow, it seems extremely flippant and juvenile when the media focuses so much on such trivialities. Like I said, I too, like to hear about clothes, and air kisses, and hairdoes once in a while. I am woman enough for that.

But day in and day out? When we are in the midst of so much crises? When we should be talking about how the Obama administration is trying to circumvent congressional rules for bailout recipients? When we should be demanding that the administration honor the rules instead of flouting them? When we should be asking how is it that the Obama adminstration can pretend that they are more knowledgeable, smarter, more efficient, more rational, more honest, have more integrity (?) and know best what is good for our country and tax payers than the whole country, its people - (who have voiced in no uncertain terms that handouts must be accompanied with straitjackets), and its congressional representatives?

When we should be waking up and demanding that our leaders truly represent us, the taxpayers and the voters rather than big corporations and their interests?

STOP already, about Michelle's clothes. Get serious. Get real. Enough of the superficiality!

Monday, January 26, 2009

It's not welfare as long as it is corporate welfare! :)

...So commented a fellow about Huffington Post's article titled, "Citi Jet Purchase: $50 million, 12-seat plane despite $45 Billion Bailout".

I completely agree. There's a different standard out there when it comes to Corporations and Corporate bigwigs. It doesn't matter if they've been and continue to be irresponsible. Doesn't matter that they've made bad decisions. Doesn't matter that they feel entitled. Doesn't matter that they lived life large and enjoyed all the money in the good times and didn't save up for bad times. Doesn't matter that they ran their companies by over extending their debt...

In America, Corporations can do no wrong and are never punished.

It is the people who carry the brunt.

- Bought a home that was within your means but got taken in by an unscrupulous mortgage lender who saddled you with a fancy mortgage instrument that "balloons"?
Hey! you should have done your homework!

- Been absolutely responsible with your money, but now have lost most, if not all, of your hard-earned 401(k)?
Tough luck, mate! No one could have predicted this!

- Been very careful with your home purchase but the value of your home has fallen so much that you've lost all your savings?
Sorry, old champ! That's life!

- Got laid off because your CEO spent the company money on refurbishing his office and now cannot pay you for the honest day's work you are doing? Lost your health insurance since you don't have a job and now cannot pay for your terminally ill wife's treatment?
- Buddy, this is a capitalist society. Don't expect welfare!

But, if you are a bigwig in a Corporation, just go wailing to Washington with a begging bowl.

"Baawwwwlllllllllll! The economy tanked. No one could have predicted this. We cannot run our business. We didn't foresee this. HELP US! Bail us out so that we can continue to squander the common man's hard earned money. "

And the poor sucker taxpayer will come to your rescue.