Voting Fail

I went trotting down to the early voting center today, all excited about voting in the primary.  But when we actually got down to the nitty gritty, I remembered that last year in a moment of disaffection I had registered as an independent.   At least I had done some research so I could cast a semi-informed vote for the board of education.

(See picture in previous post.)

Prophetic Scribblings

Apparently I drew this at the age of 3.  Remarkably it still seems to reflect many of my life experiences, most recently my efforts to get the dentist to accept my Tricare insurance.

Haven't We Done This Before?

"I Want Your Money"

I've been watching documentaries again.  This time it was "I Want Your Money" (2010).  It's on Netflix and YouTube.  Some large chunks are on the free side of YouTube if you don't have time for the whole thing.  Really, you either have to laugh or pull your hair out.

And, of course, no documentary is complete without a sarcastic theme song.  You can find it on iTunes. 

Happy Birthday to Our Little Saint

John Wayne on Liberals

(Transcription)

"I have found that a certain type that calls himself a liberal - and I always thought I was a liberal!  I came up terribly surprised one time when I found that I was a right-wing conservative extremist, when I have listened to everybody's point of view that I ever met and then decide how I should feel.  I mean, but this so-called new liberal group, they never listen to your point of view.  And they make a decision as to what you think, and they're articulate enough and in control of enough of the press to force that image out for the average person.  For some reason, maybe it's these pictures, they have not been able to do that with me.  In spite of what they say, people have not taken sides that I'm a, you know . . . it hasn't affected my career in popularity, let's say.  In spite of the fact that they've tried to make it do it.

"There isn't a hell of a lot that we can do to change human behavior.  We keep making laws to try to change human behavior.  You can't do it.  You can accept it and feel how you would feel in that position.  We are being conned into keynesianism and socialism now, but it isn't going to stop the selfishness of human behavior.  It isn't going to stop the greed.  If you take twenty dollars and give a dollar to every son-of-a-bitch in the room, you come back a year later, one of the bastards will have most of the money.  I mean, it's just human nature, and you're not going to lump it with a lot of laws.

"I think when you make people conscious, as communication gets better and you make people conscious of somebody in trouble, starving or something like that, the average person will help.  But of course, now it gets so many charities, and there's so much professionalism . . .  If you have a charity, you hire some professionals to work up the charity, and by the time you get the money you get four dollars for the recipient and four hundred dollars for the administrators.  I think there are people who try to effect a thinking, to where they know more than some other son-of-a-bitch, and try to put a false impression on what human nature is.  We have proven that we go back to hope at the first opportunity.  Just throw out a little fish, and bam, they're out there ready to grab it.  So we are optimistic.  We have to be optimistic.  What else would there be in life if you lose optimism?"