Yada Yada Yada

I've come to the conclusion that political discourse as we know it now is stupid. I'm not just talking about those commonly called Right Wing Nut Jobs, I'm also talking about the habits of the Progressives as well.

They don't like Gov. Cuomo. He's a DINO, he's for the rich, He hates education, etcetera, etcetera! However, they fail to accept that Cuomo is attempting to rebuild a state that lost $93 BILLION in taxable revenue as a direct result of the Wall St. crash of 08 and the number of people and employers who left the state for other places that had less taxes.

So, to combat that exodus he established tax free zones so outside businesses and start ups could get their feet in the water and learn to swim before the tax situation in this state creates an anchor that holds them underwater. Businesses here are still failing. And it's great to say TAX THE RICH" but that isn't really the solution.

TAX THE RICH isn't going to bring new businesses in.

TAX THE RICH isn't going to employ the nearly 600,000 people actively looking for work.

The answer isn't just TAX THE RICH and then spend the money on stupidity. For instance. Onondaga County has asked the State of New York for $900 million to tear down the Grandstand at the State Fair grounds and build an Amphitheater. Meanwhile the city of Syracuse in Onondaga County has some serious issues with their infrastructure. The newly revitalized business district called Armory Square is having water main breaks at the rate of 2 a week. The county won't help them because of the request for the money to build the amphitheater. And they don't have the money to rebuild the water mains themselves.

The prevailing reasoning behind this move is that the State Fair brings in millions of revenue for the county. Somehow they seem to not remember that the State Fair is a once a year deal and that businesses open daily bring in revenue that if allowed to continue will keep the money coming in when the fairgrounds doesn't. That requires the ability on the part of the city to see to in that the businesses actually have what they need as far as sewer and water.

And while this may sound like an excellent idea to many who want to use the fairgrounds more than once a year, they aren't making the decision based on what the outside the fair use actually is. Every October, Super DIRT week is held at the fairground on the Grandstand's race track which they plan to do away with. What the County Exec wants to replace that with is horse shows. And there is already an arena where those are held. Which don't bring in the money DIRT week does, but the reasoning is they could have more of them?

Mind you, this isn't just $900 million of Onondaga's money. It's the state's money that she has no qualms about asking for. A move which will cost the DIRT revenue and eventually the businesses in Syracuse when they move to other places where water and sewer is available. Some of those business owners are already looking for alternate sites, reluctantly, because they want to stay there. DIRT week adds to their revenue too because of the shuttle buses between the fairgrounds and their businesses.

And when the lovely Liberals scream TAX THE RICH how are they defining the word rich? I took a peek at Gov. Cuomo's tax returns. And he pays half his income in taxes.

On the Governors total income of $553,000 he owed the federal government $155,193 he paid $6916 over the income deductions he filed quarterly. For state tax his bill was $41,000. He'll get a refund of $3212. In addition to that he also pays 6.2 Social Security plus the Medicare tax which makes his tax indebtedness equal to half his income.

He's not starving by any means with half of his income left, but how much more can be taken to offset the expenditures our government, both state and federal are making? The reality is WE are in the habit of spending too much money. If We the People keep spending ourselves into debt on a personal level, why is it we expect any different behavior from our politicians? It's not just them, it's US.

Something Too Funny Not To Share

Counting My Internet Blessings

First blessing I can think of is being able to talk to people without choking on the strong scents they apply to their bodies. I opened a gift set I received from someone this past Christmas and used just the shower gel. It came from Bath and Body Works which means someone spent a great deal of money on something that made me choke and shower again using something different. I am doubly grateful I didn't use the lotion and body spray along with the shower gel. I can still taste it. 

The second blessing needs absolutely no explanation. CATS, CATS, CATS. I love looking at them.

The third blessing probably should be that it gives idiots like me a platform to spew my stinky opinions on. How else would people who never will know me in real life manage to decide I'm crazy?

I should qualify that by saying IF they decide I'm crazy. I do tend to think that's fairly obvious but then again, I am just another internet user who might be pretending to be someone I'm not.

Which brings me to the fourth blessing. Succinctly put? On the internet no one knows you're a dog. Or a loser living in his mother's basement. 

The fifth blessing probably should be something like on the internet I can actually be whoever I choose to be. Except that I'd forget who I chose to be yesterday and someone would immediately try to troll me. So, I guess it's best to find the blessing in the fact that I am who I say I am and leave it at that. 

Mindless Brain Dump

I had decided prior to retirement that the first task I'd undertake would be removing a large amount of clutter from my home. Four weeks later it's closer to the door. Is that success? I doubt it.

Everything from the kitchen and living room now resides in the dining room. Two large totes of it have been stacked in a corner to be placed in storage. The resident furball producer has determined it's a fine sleeping place. How does one take the favorite sleeping place away from one's beloved pet? I haven't the heart yet.

One of my numerous excuses for not having all that much accomplished in 4 weeks is that there's so much snow it's not safe for me to carry anything out to the storage shed. I may run out of that excuse soon. I'm hoping. Even have my fingers crossed. I won't mind losing this excuse since it means the snow will go away and warmer weather will arrive. I do still have a few excuses I can replace that one with.

There's always the *my daughter-in-law decluttered her deceased father's apartment by sending me some clutter* excuse. I wouldn't be lying either. Well, not too much, anyway. Her father was a person who believed in stocking up for the winter or something. He had two replacement coffee pots for his maker and close to 400 coffee filters left. Neither of the pots come close to fitting my machine. They're glass, mine is a thermos style pot. The filters work so those I'm keeping but have no idea what to do with the pots. Apparently neither did she which is why I now possess them. Hey! Maybe I can find some poor schnook to gift them to? It's a thought.

It's been warm enough these past couple of days that running the woodstove makes it too warm in here. I'm just using the propane right now. I decided to take the opportunity to clean the darn thing up so it isn't such an eyesore. When it's not hot you see stuff you don't care to see. Like soot all over the glass and something that looks like ashes all over it. So, I blackened my hands washing it. Tonight's fire, because it's going to get colder again, will occur in a sparkling clean stove. All that effort just to get it dirty again. I think I'll go take a nap.

Then I'll go see how much more clutter I can move into the dining room. Maybe I'll do that after lunch, and then I'll take a nap. I don't even need an excuse for that. All this thinking about decluttering is making me sleepy.

The Internet Isn't A Lifestyle

Over the weekend I ran afoul of a Libertarian over my post on the Google ranking change. He appears to be someone who feels that he knows everything and if we don't agree we're drinking the koolaid. He also seems to feel the need to insult when he calls out a person rather than provide facts. Somehow or other we've lost sight of the idea that opinions aren't always facts.

I felt I was holding my own during the exchange and being ever watchful for the dogpiling that usually happens, I was totally flabbergasted when one person chose to defend me. I do hope you're sitting down. The person who stepped up to my defense is the Commander of the Right Wing Hit Squad that has it's stranglehold on that site. I honestly was so shocked I stopped speaking to the Libertarian and let him continue his vituperative attack upon my person.

OMG the Libertarian called me a  "Liberal" like that's a bad thing. He also called me a liar, scum, miserable old hag, etc. Somehow in the minds of the under 40 year old internet residents this is winning an argument. This is calling you out and proving you wrong? How?

I will admit that the Commander wasn't giving a balls to the wall defense of me. After all I am a socialist or maybe that's a communist? I have a hard time keeping up with my labels, so you'll have to excuse me. He did point out that the Libertarian's behavior was uncalled for. Even said that we don't agree on anything but at least we do it nice.

I don't make it my business to school anybody. If I know the facts of a matter I may step up and provide them. I've found that for some people facts bounce off their opinions the same way water runs off a duck's back. No amount of my frustrating myself to try and change their minds is going to work. If someone has chosen ignorance, who am I to bother them?

These days my life revolves around me and what I want to do. We have a warming trend going on this week here in CNY. Snow is beginning to melt. It isn't dark at 5 PM anymore and I can look forward to the sunny days ahead when the robins return and my morning coffee will be accompanied by the songs they and all the other birds will sing.

I'm spending less time on the internet now and that may drop further as Spring advances. The internet can be a good thing when used right. And a not so good thing when used the way I'm seeing it used these day.

I'm Officially Retarded! Errrr, I Mean Retired.

I wasn't supposed to retire until the end of this month or the beginning of March. Unfortunately I overheated my SUV and blew the head gasket. Without transportation to work, and no idea when I will have said transportation, my employer decided to find new people for my cases.

My first Social Security check will arrive in April I think. The letter isn't quite clear on that. It might be March, but I'm pretty sure it will be April since they pay for the month in the month after the month.

Now, since I haven't seen much to impress me online, I think I'll go do some impressive house work since that's about all I have to do at the moment. I'd rather someone find something to impress me, but I suppose into each life some rain must fall. Or, in this case, I should say snow.

It's falling, and piling up and I don't have to drive anywhere in it. I could get real used to this retarded, I mean retired thing.

My Boring Life

I'm going to retire at the end of February at the ripe not so old age of 65 and a half. I was going to wait until full retirement age but discovered I'll only get $41 more than I will if I retire now. The problems I'm having with my soon to be ex-employers make me yearn for this month to pass as quickly as it can.

We've lost 19 employees in the past 7 months. Another agency went out of business and the owner offered her cases and the aides that wanted to go with them to the agency I work for. They were quite happy to be employed even if they did have to take a cut in pay to do so. Then they found out they would also lose their health insurance because our agency decided to limit the hours we work so they don't have to provide insurance.

I wonder how the idiot in the front office decided that 19 people given less money, fewer hours and no health insurance was going to be loyal? They gave me back my $10 per hour. However, instead of the 28 to 30 hours I used to work, I am only being given 18. According to my Social Security Estimate, I can make more money staying home.

My doctor says my job is too physically stressful for the condition of my joints. I'm suffering from frequent repetitive motion injuries because of the difficulty. I actually sprained my wrist just turning a door knob and we will not talk about my aching back.

With all the joint deterioration I'm experiencing, I may not be able to hang onto a client should they slip in the tub or some other place. I can't do transfers without hurting myself. It's time to face the music and do the things I am capable of doing and quit doing too much.

It's like she said, clean my own house, take a walk, maybe join the Y and go swimming or take the pool exercise program. Do Tai Chi at the senior center, maybe some gardening weather permitting. It's not that I can't do anything I want to do, it's that I can't keep doing the heavier things more than once a day. My joints require that I learn to pace myself to minimize the stress and there just isn't any way to do that and work the job I do unless I just don't do the job I'm paid to do. My clients would complain if I tried to do that. No sense of humor there at all.