Tag: news

Another Look at Palin

by rhealitycheck

I just love this op-ed by Thomas Friedman on Palin’s patriotism. I feel like someone has finally pinpointed some of the little bitty things that she says that just crawl under my skin and stay there irritating it but I just can’t always find the words to express them. Thankfully every once in a while I find a more eloquent political columnist who does just that.

I love that Friendman discusses how Sarah Palin statement “You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives, that’s not patriotic.” is really a contradiction on many levels. And I agree with him wholeheartedly that paying taxes is patriotic. Perhaps I wouldn’t have used that phrasing because I don’t think in jargon but I do believe that taxes are necessary to preserve our standards of living and basic human rights. I would like Sarah Palin to answer how on earth without taxes we would have come up with the $700Billion bail out that is saving our economy. And how without taxes we could afford to send our troops to Iraq? And without taxes just how exactly does she get paid?
I understand taxes may not be the most pleasant thing to think about. And I understand that it stings when it comes out of your paycheck. But I also believe very strongly in the greater good and in social responsibility. And if being socially responsible isn’t patriotic well then I don’t know what is. In fact, I would like to question all those people out there who think taxes should be eliminated completely and ask them how exactly they would like our military to function? Not to mention our government and economy? Because really if we were to eliminate taxes altogether that bailout never would have happened. And while I may not be a fan of the bailout, I can tell you right now that Dubya’s wonderful legacy of taking absolutely no social responsibility has left many millions of Americans in the lurch right now.

So I think I’ll take the taxes and be socially responsible, even if that means I’m not patriotic.

Bush’s Big-Time Bail-out

by rhealitycheck

So just a few days ago my roommate and I were talking about the upcoming bail-out for all those big banks. Now I can’t complain too much because I work at a bank and while I’m IT which makes it a little less tense for us than it is for the real finance folk, it is still a stressful time for all parties here.

[Disclaimer: I am not an economist or in any way shape or form into finance, aside from the bits and pieces I’ve picked up from work. These are simply observations and opinions and I could be way off-base and if so I invite you to respond with your opinion.]

But this whole bailing out the banks. I want to know exactly why this is such a great idea. I mean from my very basic understanding of the market is that when you risk a lot, you stand to lose a lot. So if you are going to invest in something that tanks, well that’s your own blasted loss. So why is it that we now have to “save” all these people. Our beloved fearless leader (or village idiot as I like to call him) is now proposing that we spend about $700 billion in these bail-outs which could increase to $1 trillion. What I’m wondering is where that money is coming from because if I’m correct in my understanding those would be all our tax dollars. All those dollars that couldn’t be used for health-care (God forbid we actually help the poor/middle class in this country), also can’t be used for education (who needs an educated public anyway, you should be able to afford private school and if not well you’re not worth it), oh and let’s not forget social security can’t give too much to those old geezers, they’re gonna kick the bucket soon anyway, let’s just help them along. But we can help those giant investment banks that give their executives millions of dollars in bonuses. We can help those funds for all those people investing serious money in the market. Clearly we need to help the wealthy stay wealthy. Why on earth would we let them actually take a loss? Obviously we shouldn’t just let the market bottom out and then right itself as it should in normal circumstances and let people who took big risks lose their money. What ever happened to accepting the fact that with large risk there can be large losses as well as large gains? I just find it fascinating that we can afford to put this much money to save money for those that already have but it is a really battle to try to get any money invested for regular social services. Just makes me so proud to be an American, clearly trying to get away from the class system was totally overrated.

On a more serious note, it makes me really happy that I can’t afford to save money right now because it is all going to grad school. At least at the end of that I get a degree.

Student Discount for New York Times!

by rhealitycheck

So I meant to post this yesterday but since I have been bleeding money to grad school (I just got my tuition bill last month) I decided I should cancel my subscription to the Times. I mean I love reading the paper on the way to work and when I have time on the weekends I also adore it not to mention my roomies happen to benefit from it too – they like the Sunday Times with the Magazine. I happen to be a fan of the Tuesday Science section and the Thurdsay Styles. I also like the one with the dining guide and the recipes. So anyway when I called to cancel the woman told me that they have amazing student discounts. In fact I am now paying $22.10/month for the paper delivered every day. I am so excited about it, especially since I can now afford it!

Hurricane in Houston

by rhealitycheck

So I haven’t lived in Houston for a long time, a little over 7 years to be more precise and while I still love my home I don’t know that I’ll ever live there again. I’ve never regretted the choice to move away nor have I every truly wished to go back (in a remotely permanent sense)… until I heard about the hurricane. I know this sounds bizarre but it has more to do with the fact that my mother is alone and scared in a boarded up house waiting for this to pass. And I absolutely loathe to see her do it alone. I have never felt bad about making the choice to travel and explore while I am young but I also have never had to seriously worry about my mother. I do feel the occasional pangs of guilt when she complains about her athritis and having trouble with the groceries but she is an amazingly competent woman and I generally have nothing to worry about. The hurricane on the other hand is a huge natural disaster heading straight for my home and what really upsets me is that I cannot even be there just to give her company through the storm. Houston has weathered many storms and I have no doubt this will be just another one. I am fairly confident (and hope I don’t sound overly confident because I’m trying to walk the line between confidence and panic) that nothing will happen and she will be fine and they just won’t have power for a couple of days. But I wish I could have flown down and been there with her. If I weren’t in grad school with finals this Monday and Tuesday, forget flying, I would’ve hauled my butt into my little car and “flown” down there as fast as my dinky car could carry me.

I hope that any others who have family and friends in Houston (or elsewhere in the path of our good friend Ike) are keeping safe and have plenty of water and food to tide them through. From what all the reports tell me it shouldn’t be too bad but let’s face it a few days without power or running water is never any fun. So my very best thoughts and prayers go out to all those in the path of the storm.

France Takes on Anorexia

by rhealitycheck

You know I have always had an affinity for France that I really can’t explain, I have just come to accept that I am a francophile and if I had my way I’d live in a small town on the southern coast of France doing absolutely nothing. But that’s not really the point of this post. Granted I’m a little late keeping up with this news but I am so pleased to write that France has actually passed legislation banning “death messages” to young women who starve themselves to be thin. I find this to be particularly progressive and encouraging because Paris is the seat to so many prominent fashion houses. I just love it, I love that they value the health and well-being of their people enough to do something this progressive. Yay! Click here to read the BBC article on it I’m so excited that they are promoting healthy body image instead of starvation on the hopes that you may become a model. Seriously people, looking like a coat hanger is way over-rated.

Faltering Feminism

by rhealitycheck

Yesterday I read this beautiful article by Susan Faludi, who I know can be extreme at times but this was really worth reading. It is called Second-Place Citizens and is an Op-Ed in the New York Times. I recommend reading it because it actually gives some really good insight into why there are so many women that have gotten so upset over the Democratic primaries. I, for one, am part of those women who feel like our voices are not being heard and who fear for feminism. In fact, today at work two of my coworkers were talking about Hillary’s speech at the DNC last night and I knew that one of them had not heard it and was just speaking with the same vitriol that we’ve been hearing in the media for months now. The best part is when I bring that up they can’t speak because obviously the things they have to say are inappropriate for work. It is so frustrating to continue to live in a misogynistic country and yet have everyone in denial about it. The worst part is that *so* many women today choose to ignore this and therefore men are not held accountable. When will we learn that the battle for equal rights is not over? In fact it’s not even close.
Sadly it is people like those that I work with who make me consider voting for Ralph Nader yet again, there is a man whose values I can stand behind. Who lives up to what he believes in. Who is not a part of the political machine. Despite what Barack Obama touts he has been an extremely successful politician working within the framework of the Democratic party’s politics. If it weren’t for Hillary’s call to vote for Obama, I wouldn’t give this a second thought, my vote would be for Nader. But if she can so gracefully step down and give such a beautiful speech I will consider the Democratic nominee. I am far from blindly accepting because on principle I surely do not approve misogyny or the dog-whistle tactic that Obama used in the primaries but she made a good point about whether I really want another Republican in the White House for another 4 years. It’s a tough call, the future of the country or continued misogyny. More than likely I suppose I will side with continued misogyny but it is severely disappointing to have to make that choice.

Evolution in Education

by rhealitycheck

I have always wondered why it is such a shock to have evolution be required in the public school curriculum. I find that most people I know are thoroughly shocked that in my high school (in Texas) it was unimaginable to not have evolution in the curriculum. I truly believe that not learning about evolution is the equivalent of allowing our country’s youth to be uneducated. I mean the public school system has enough flaws in it already, we don’t need to help detract from anyone’s education any more so than we already do. Imagine my shock when I read this article in the Times. To me it is simply mind-boggling to blindly say that evolution is not real when it has clearly been proven over the course of many decades. In fact it is the only theory we have as of yet for how humans came to exist. The universe has gone through many changes and it is just a little ludicrous to believe that *poof* God created humans overnight and well here we are. Does God explain what happened to the dinosaurs? Or all the other historical creatures that we have fossil records for? I just think we should be a little more practical about the whole thing. God and Evolution can exist in the same world. Also, who said you have to “believe” everything you learn at school. I may learn it but I can disagree with it. But to cut it out of the education system altogether is just unimaginable. After reading the article I am glad that it is now required in the Florida schools. You do not have to agree with everything you learn but you choose ignorance when you choose not to learn at all. And that just makes for a country full of ignoramuses and who really wants that? Certainly not me.

The Influence Of Oprah

by rhealitycheck

Ok so I remember back when Tina Fey did her little sketch on SNL supporting Hillary how everyone just flew at her about her snarky comment about how “Women today feel perfectly free to vote for whoever Oprah tells them to”. (If you want to know where that came from just google Tina Fey Bitch is the New Black). Well, folks here it is from the New York Times, there are economists who have done a study that approximate Obama received a million or so votes because of Oprah’s influence. Check out the Times article if you’re interested. I just think it’s interesting to finally have Oprah’s influence quantified, she is truly remarkable to have that much influence on the country. And while people may argue about how these economists got their evidence, I don’t question the validity of it. Perhaps it is only anecdotal reference but I have far too many friends/acquaintances/colleagues/family members who do take her opinion very seriously to underestimate it’s significance. While I do not read her magazine or watch her show I am well aware that she does hold a significant amount of power to sway public opinion. Far more than any politician I would imagine.