This won’t be the first single, but no matter how long they make me wait, it is still the best music in existence.

Hopefully they have Best Buys in Canada.

Want evidence of the true consequence of the Reagan era philosophy of tax cuts and deregulation. I submit two graphs:

First the National Debt

Notice a trend. A STRONG trend. Cut taxes by claiming the extra money back to tax payers will help create more jobs to cover the lost revenue. Then, when it predictably doesn’t work and drives up the deficit, then yell that we have to “tighten the belt” as a nation. Except they just cut funding for the arts and spend twice as much on helicopters that the military admits it no longer needs. Assholes.

Also notice the original huge spike. That was WWII and New Deal spending. That would be the equivalent of a $10 trillion stimulus today. That’s what it takes to pull out of a huge slump. So $1.5 trillion or so will make a dent, but many estimates put an effective stimulus near $3 trillion. Also, that huge spending after the war wasn’t just tax cuts, it was the interstate highway system, it was college grants. This is known as investment. Those investments create jobs which lower the debt over time. They didn’t gut regulatory oversight so their buddies could buy up the competition and use the extra money to buy that extra house in Malibu. Assholes.

So, debt is one thing. If GNP is increasing then that means everyone has more wealth, right. But wait, I remember reading that one of reasons individuals have become so riddled with debt over the last 30 years is because real wages have been lapped several times by inflation, so the average person is effectively making less money than they would have in the 70’s.

So where is all of this money going:

Thanks assholes.

I came across this song because it was presented as what Fergie’s song “Fergalicious” is a rip-off of. For those who wouldn’t know me, I love the long list of songs that sound like others. For a decent primer with in-page samples, go to this page. The most common offenders tend to be Green Day and Avril Lavigne.

The song is spot on and some lyrics are identical to the Fergie song. But most noticeable was how it had every 80s rap video cliche rolled into 4 minutes. It has

1. “crazy” zooms using newfangled blue screen technology
2. full-screen shot of the word they are saying
3. that dance that is almost the “cabbage patch”
4. tight pants and Air Jordan’s with colorful jackets and gold chains
5. out of place one-shot of a group member dancing
6. the DJ “spinning” in the background
7. the DJ scratch break
8. HORRENDOUS dancing
9. four minutes of smiling

and finally,

10. the end of the video pose.

I don’t think one could be mad at Fergie(read: Will.I.Am) for ripping this song off. Hearing this and thinking there is potential within a 100 miles is a certain kind of talent. The 80s makes me so mad, but when you can get so much of what made it a terrible decade for music put together in one video, even I can appreciate it.

This is a collection of my favorite viral videos. Most viral videos, like Keyboard Cat, I simply don’t get and don’t care to understand why it appeals to people. These videos deserve every bit of hype it may have gotten.

Drinking Out of Cups - Some guys dropped acid, and one of the friends went into a closet and started ranting. So one of them recorded it, then animated him talking. Arguably one of the finest viral videos I’ve ever seen.

David After Dentist - Another gem. David got some teeth pulled and was given some gas to knock him out. His dad shot this video as they were driving home as David was still feeling the effects of the gas.

Christian Bale Takes David Home from the Dentist - A brilliant combo of Christian Bale’s blow up on the Terminator set with David After Dentist. The timing and coherence of the conversation is unbelievable.

I think the most amazing part of this clip isn’t that of all the worst times to commit a fielding error, doing it when your team is up by 1 run…with 2 guys on base..in the bottom of the 9th…with 2 outs is truly a Buckner-level choke. The more amazing part is that Texeria hustled it out from 1st to home when 999 times out of 1000, that ball is easily caught by a major league fielder. If he jogged it out, then he gets to third base at best. Lord knows A-Rod would have started walking into the dugout as the play was going on.

Bubble Meter

This is a blog that details what is going on with the housing crisis. It’s eye-opening, but simple to understand. It was apparently started before the bubble burst as the author saw signs that the housing market was unsustainable.

Neil gives it to Republicans.

Neil Cavuto of FOX NEWS actually stood up for reason and told a member of the Republican party that taking time away from coming up with actual ideas to counter Democratic legislation by putting together a resolution to call on Democrats to rename themselves “The Democrat Socialist Party” is retarded.

The best part of the clip is that you can feel Neil Cavuto rolling his eyes thinking, “Look, we stood behind Iraq, Katrina, Abu Gharib, waterboarding, and ‘Obama might be a secret Muslim’, but even we can’t help you on this one. You crazy fuckers are on your own.”

It is important to note that whether or not you agree with the name being changed, the resolution will do NOTHING. Nothing at all. If the Democrats don’t adopt it, then it is moot. Why would they do such a thing? You don’t go from talk of a “permanent majority” to an appeals court decision on the election of a former SNL cast member away from being on the wrong side of a filibuster proof majority in 6 years without a little effort on your part.

These conservative pundits have made a career out of re-framing the argument so that they can win it. It’s why they mop the floor on TV News networks. So, when you’re right, point out that they are changing the subject and carefully inserting a small, but significant falsehood. This guy, David Waldman, who writes for DailyKos, sticks to his point and does not let the others change the story.

Crooks and Liars has a more in-depth rundown including this:

The successful hijacking of the torture debate by its proponents obscures the underlying facts, as [Waldman] makes abundantly clear:

1. Private contractors were conducting torture
2. It was torture for political gain
3. Pollsters should be asking if Americans support using torture to extract false confessions for political purposes, because that’s what happened

I look forward to seeing more of this guy and hopefully more people start following his lead.
1. Know your point.
2. Anticipate how your opponent will re-frame it to their advantage.
3. Point out how they are changing the debate.
4. Restate your original point
5. Repeat as necessary….

Now you see why so little actual debate happens on these panels on TV.

After a long hiatus, I’m back. Don’t expect this thing to suddenly get interesting.

But to celebrate my return, here is a hilariously inappropriate picture….

What a surprise, Republicans are spearheading a completely symbolic, though politically tough to oppose, legislative measure. Gay Marriage didn’t work, neither did the resolution to “stay the course”, so now it’s flag burning. Yes, our congress, amidst an underfunded Gulf Coast, a Middle East quagmire, and a decaying quality of life for the average Joe are attempting to amend the constitution to prohibit a right upheld by the Supreme Court several times. And apparently they are very close to passing it in the Senate. Thanks to gutless Democrats who can’t stand up to a clearly divisive issue, even though opposing it is in keeping with the First Amendment, this will probably be ratified by enough states for the same reasons it got that far.

Can’t people see through this crap? As the linked article notes, flag-burning is NOT an issue. Over a 200 year span, there have been 45 reported incidents. Putting practicality aside, this amendment would inhibit free speech, the first amendment to do so. The article also notes that flag bikinis may be considered desecration. Stock up girls.

Why are people in this country so afraid of the freedoms they profess to cherish? A flag is a symbol that’s all. It means a lot to some, but to others it holds different meanings. Burning a flag is not necessarily a sign of disrespect. It can symbolize a lot of things. But what makes this so enraging is the simple fact that this is another example of Republicans banning stuff they don’t like, but getting in a tizzy when an atheist tries to stop religion’s slow creep into his or her life. I understand the argument of the will of the majority, but the constitution supports the atheist in this case. This is why Republicans rail on “activist judges”: they want to reshape this country in a way that is antithetical to its principles and judges strike down these moralistic crusades on solid constitutional grounds. If they can only pack the courts with people like them who want to alter the country, than the last check on their stampede is eliminated.

I really hope people see through this garbage and Democrats stand up and do the right thing. But, more importantly, they need to come out and explain why this is a bad thing for the country to combat the predictable Republican narrative (so why do you support the desecration of an important American symbol at such a trying time in our nations history? Oh, and 9/11, 9/11, 9/11). We’ll see what our “representatives” are truly made of.  Unfortunately I have absolutely no faith that they will take a stand.