Your Bleeding Heart. . Will Tell On You
I am having quite the morning with my beloved Los Angeles Times. The paper arrived around 645 (yes, I get up early every day), and after spending my usual 10 minuntes sorting it out and recycling the junk, I discover that I have no Front Page, Metro Section or . .Heaven Forbid. .
SPORTS SECTION!!!!!!!!!!! I dutifully called their automated system to be told that they would deliver a replacement in 90 minutes. 2 hours later I called again and was on hold for 15 minutes, when my crappy phone cut the call off. Another hour. . still no paper. I called and actually got a live person. . who apologized. . and told me he would get me a replacement in. .
(all together now) 90 MINUTES. So, I baked some Cape Cod Oatmeal Cookies from scratch (The house smells like a slice of heaven) and here I wait and blog.
Having no sports section, I had to tackle the editorial section first. Not recommended for anyone with middle of the road to right leanings. The piece that got me going is on page M5 and is written by Jack Miles, who holds the lofty position of "senior advisor to the president of the J.Paul Getty Trust" (and is a freelance writer on religion, culture and politics).
His ax to grind is the fact that he had to serve on jury duty and the case was against "a Latino kid whose offense was selling cigarettes on a street corner without the proper tax stamp on the packages and without a vendor's license." Seems that he is incensed that the government is wasting HIS time and Our tax money on something so petty. He then tries to tie the thing to exhibit A as to why the latest attempt to increase taxes for more cops failed.
Where to start? The last one is the easiest. That tax failed because we are already taxed to the hilt in LA County and another 1/2 cent sales tax is ridiculous.
As to the former, what would the esteemed Mr. Miles have us do? Ignore all of the laws? What is a "kid" doing selling cigarettes in the first place. Haven't we worked to keep them out of the hands of minors? Is he carding people before he sells them?
This is a form of theft. Theft from the government, who and which be us. The high taxes on cigarettes both curtail smoking and go to health programs (this liberal's position here flies in the face of the liberal "Meathead" from All In the Family whose pet project was an increase in the cigarete tax to fund health related programs for children).
Also, might there be more to this? Was this "kid" involved in a third strike? Was there a reason that he didn't cop a plea? I would speculate that his lawyer was hoping to get a bleeding heart like this guy on the jury who would be incensed that the government was actually enforcing the law and would let him walk. Sheesh!
In other matters:
1. I enjoyed Meet The Parents and when I heard there was a sequel I looked foreward to it.
Unfortunately, seeing it means giving money to Babs, so count me out.
2. I finally saw The Passion Of the Christ last night. Not for the faint of heart, but an exceptionally well done and moving piece of filmmaking. Lock yourself in a room by yourself and watch it.
3. Barbar Boxer has a novel coming out. . about fighting right winged zealots. I'm ashamed to admit that I know how to read.
Enjoy your wet So Cal Sunday.
Out.
SPORTS SECTION!!!!!!!!!!! I dutifully called their automated system to be told that they would deliver a replacement in 90 minutes. 2 hours later I called again and was on hold for 15 minutes, when my crappy phone cut the call off. Another hour. . still no paper. I called and actually got a live person. . who apologized. . and told me he would get me a replacement in. .
(all together now) 90 MINUTES. So, I baked some Cape Cod Oatmeal Cookies from scratch (The house smells like a slice of heaven) and here I wait and blog.
Having no sports section, I had to tackle the editorial section first. Not recommended for anyone with middle of the road to right leanings. The piece that got me going is on page M5 and is written by Jack Miles, who holds the lofty position of "senior advisor to the president of the J.Paul Getty Trust" (and is a freelance writer on religion, culture and politics).
His ax to grind is the fact that he had to serve on jury duty and the case was against "a Latino kid whose offense was selling cigarettes on a street corner without the proper tax stamp on the packages and without a vendor's license." Seems that he is incensed that the government is wasting HIS time and Our tax money on something so petty. He then tries to tie the thing to exhibit A as to why the latest attempt to increase taxes for more cops failed.
Where to start? The last one is the easiest. That tax failed because we are already taxed to the hilt in LA County and another 1/2 cent sales tax is ridiculous.
As to the former, what would the esteemed Mr. Miles have us do? Ignore all of the laws? What is a "kid" doing selling cigarettes in the first place. Haven't we worked to keep them out of the hands of minors? Is he carding people before he sells them?
This is a form of theft. Theft from the government, who and which be us. The high taxes on cigarettes both curtail smoking and go to health programs (this liberal's position here flies in the face of the liberal "Meathead" from All In the Family whose pet project was an increase in the cigarete tax to fund health related programs for children).
Also, might there be more to this? Was this "kid" involved in a third strike? Was there a reason that he didn't cop a plea? I would speculate that his lawyer was hoping to get a bleeding heart like this guy on the jury who would be incensed that the government was actually enforcing the law and would let him walk. Sheesh!
In other matters:
1. I enjoyed Meet The Parents and when I heard there was a sequel I looked foreward to it.
Unfortunately, seeing it means giving money to Babs, so count me out.
2. I finally saw The Passion Of the Christ last night. Not for the faint of heart, but an exceptionally well done and moving piece of filmmaking. Lock yourself in a room by yourself and watch it.
3. Barbar Boxer has a novel coming out. . about fighting right winged zealots. I'm ashamed to admit that I know how to read.
Enjoy your wet So Cal Sunday.
Out.
posted by stewdog | 10:34 AM | Permalink
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3 comments
3 Comments:
OK, I'm sorry, but I'm stuck on the "my crappy phone cut the call off" part. Is this a PacBell problem, or are you too cheap to buy a decent phone? If the latter, get yourself a Panasonic KX-TG5200 5.8 GHz cordless phone (Gigarange Supreme). We (other real people, not the Royal We) tried many cordless phones here, and this was the only one that wasn't noisy.
Not "cheap", just a Scottsman.
With a child in private college, I hvae learned to make do when it comes to phones, clothes, etc.
But your comment may be in impetus to move forward.
VA, calling Stewdog cheap is like calling the "Mona Lisa" a masterpiece of art.
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