LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

Black Thursday

– Bumper sticker of the week: Why is it politicians don’t understand that if all our governmental bodies are broke, so are we.

– Quotes of the week: "In the end, anti-black, anti-female, anti-gay, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing, anti-humanism." Shirley Chisholm

"Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media." Norm Chomsky

– Speaking of the media: The Bush administration is now paying political pundits to champion their cause. They gave Armstrong Williams, an ultra-conservative columnist and radio commentator, $240,000 to back the administration’s "No child left behind" fiasco. Williams’ explanation: "They gave me the money for advertising their program." This is a serious breach of ethics for a newsman, commentator, journalist. Public figures making news pronouncements should at least make some kind of attempt to distance themselves from those they comment on. Otherwise, it becomes biased news, which is okay, as long as it is presented that way. For instance, when asked about his obvious disdain for the facts, Rush Limbaugh explains that his "facts" don’t need to match reality because he is an "entertainer," not a newsman. I appreciate that. I don’t use or take anything that he says seriously. I just laugh at it. These other guys and gals need to start doing the same. I don’t think our tax dollars need to be used to help their entertainment careers. They’re all funny enough as it is.

– LaHood for governor: Just what we need, another Bush Butt Kisser.

– Here’s a little known fact: The faster a person talks, and the less sense they make, the more likely it is they’re a politician.

– For every problem there is a bureaucrat somewhere, making good money, whose sole purpose is to make sure we don’t solve it.

– The two greatest mysteries in life: Death, and wondering just how high your power bill will go.

– When we build more prisons than schools, and spend more money on a prisoner than we do a student, you have to wonder exactly what’s going on?

– Predictions for 2005:

Galesburg will stay exactly the same. It will be one of the only things in the universe that does.

Illinois will beat Duke in the final college basketball game of this season.

Something big will happen in the pharmaceutical industry. Hopefully bankruptcy.

Four—seven Republican Senators will find it difficult to support numerous Bush policies.

The Cubs will once again be terrible.

Our unemployment rate in Knox County will officially hit 15%. This will mean it is actually 30%.

Researchers will discover what causes Republicanism.

Thirty year home mortgages will hit 8.5%, 24 month CDs 4.5%, and Bush’s approval rating will hit 35%.

Gas will hit $2.50 per gallon, making the hybrid car industry one of the hottest since the hula-hoop.

– My guess on what Bush’s Social Security plan will look like:

Partial retirement at age 65, full retirement at age 70.

You will be able to invest up to 20% of your Social Security payments in a private retirement

account. His Wall Street buddies have been salivating over this idea since he got in office.

He will want to privatize parts of Medicare.

He will up the cap on Social Security payments just high enough to hurt middle-upper

middle class workers, but avoid upping the cap for his millionaire friends.

There will be no mention of persons with a net worth of millions not being able to collect

Social Security.

The end result will be that we pay more and get less. This is called Bushonomics.

– It’s Crowning The King Day. An awful lot of money is being spent on this years inauguration. (Estimated to be $40 million). There will be unprecedented security to keep U.S. citizens away from the festivities. They don’t want anyone to ruffle the King’s feathers. I wish me and a dozen eggs were there. As it is, I’ll have to settle for not spending any money today. It’s officially "Not One Damn Dime Day." Don’t support Bush’s war on Inauguration Day.