WHY DID IT HAPPEN??????

In the wake of the latest terrorist attempt, more silly-assed regulations are being implemented to thwart these attacks; and by doing so our traveling experience is becoming even more miserable.

Why make the general public suffer these inconveniences? As it is well known that most of these terror attacks are committed by the terror group know as AARP, with their secret training bases in Florida and Arizona; from this day on, let's take every senior citizen that is traveling by air and have them go through secondary searches. As a senior myself, I feel so much safer when I and others in their upper years, are pulled aside and searched.

We continue to pull seniors from the line and subject them to fruitless searches; all for the sake of not offending certain people. Offending the very people who don't seem to have a problem with blowing themselves up along with a plane load of innocent people does seem to smack a little bit of Un-American Activity.

So wonder no more on why these terrorists slip by, just increase your scrutiny of these seniors and the problem will be solved.

AFGHANISTAN

Maybe if the president looked at the war in terms of a football game, he wouldn't have agreed to send an additional thirty thousand troops to Afghanistan. You may ask, how does a war compare to a football game?

The answer is very simple. Take our side which has been on offense for the past eight years. Over sixty thousand strong in man power; with fire power and resources galore; and with leadership that is the finest West Point can produce, we have what it takes.

Now for their defense; I will be generous and give them ten thousand in man power, with minimal fire power, and half arsed leadership.

This would be the same as a full squad of eleven on offense, with the best equipment, training and coaching available; going against a defense equal to two defensive players, wearing leather helmets, and little or no training, much less a coaching staff.

In eight years we haven't been able to score a touchdown, much less a safety or a field goal. With an advantage of eleven to two, plus all the other pluses and still no score; I think the odds are not very favorable for a score...

... even if we increase our offensive team to seventeen and theirs remain at two.

This same game was played upon our own shores as a mighty team from Brittan was defeated by an under manned, under armed and under coached team during the Revolutionary War.

We are great at beating other top-tiered teams, but we get our ass kicked by the sand lot ones.

Let's learn from history; from the Brits, the Russians, the French...oh, and let's not forget a little place called Vietnam ...

YOU JUST CAN'T BEAT A SCRUFFY TEAM FIGHTING FOR AND ON THEIR HOME FIELD!

LETS GET RID OF THE WELFARE QUEENS

Governing bodies whether it be local, county or state are all crying over the deficits they are all facing. The leaders are crying about the shortfalls in the budgets, and thus vital services will have to be cut off. I am always happy to hear that the first cuts proposed are always the unnecessary services such as health and education; then followed by fire and police protection, rather than the essential, ever growing fat of cronyism.


Well I have a great solution for all of these cry babies that will balance the budget and while at the same time cut taxes and thus ensure their reelection. Just stop spending on these lazy, good for nothing WELFARE QUEENS.


No, I am not talking about single mother's with kids, no matter how many kids they have. In spite of what people think of them; they pale in comparison to the real welfare queens that are growing out of control.


Who are these parasites that are gobbling up our taxes at an alarming rate? Simply put, they are family, friends and contributors of the so called inner circle. Made up jobs with astronomic salaries, plus benefits and pensions galore.


We read in our daily paper how this inner circle is double and triple dipping their grubby fingers into the pie; collecting pensions while earning huge salaries at other government jobs created just for them. Eventually they collect higher pensions than what they earned in original salaries. If they run out of job titles to give these queens, they then fall back on the old "consultant fees" that run into hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars; without any oversight.


Then there are those phantom jobs, which are so super secret, that even if someone employed in one these positions, decided to report for work, wouldn't know where to go. And don't forget to count those never ending million dollar studies; the one's that always seem to go to family members, for projects that never seem to get off the ground. Amazing how so many lucrative contracts always seem to find companies that just happen to employ a relative in a highly paid executive position. Of course we all know they are highly qualified.


I am not naive and know this has been going on since the beginning of time; that public officials like to tip the till. But now our officials have taken a page from Wall Street, and no longer have a set limit on their greed, as they find more clever ways to tax us to continue to spend at will.


It's just that now these queens are bringing us to financial destruction; not health and education that they are so are so quick to blame for our financial crisis.

Quit your whining and crying and start acting like adults and do the job you were elected to do. While you are at it look back at all those promises you made during the campaign. You know the ones about lowering taxes and cleaning up government.

Would not that be refreshing?

YOU HAVE TO LOVE THE FTC

I just saw where the Federal Trade Commission, is going after the blogs, to declare freebies and payments, made about products they may have commented on.

So why isn't the FTC, going after our elected officials for all the freebies and payments they are receiving, for the legislation they pass favoring all those special interest groups? At least this way we may begin to understand why you vote the way you do.

And to make it simple for our feeble minded elected officials, all the FTC has to do is make it mandatory for all them to wear NASCAR drivers suits with all those sponsor logos plastered all over them. Would make it easy for all of us.

GET A FRICKING LIFE

Get a large cooler, fill it with fermented, distilled and brewed beverages and place it on your front porch. Then go beat on your neighbors doors and bitch and moan until they and their kids come outside and help you dispose of it. Let the kids play and smell some fresh air, as you dispose of all those beverages.

Get them away from their TV sets and computers, and enjoy the waning days of summer. Your probably wondering why I am going on this rant?

I just got off my wife's face book page. Yes I go on it, hoping one of my kids posted some new pictures of my grand kids. Not to get my wife in trouble I am ranting on my blog instead of face book to the things I read from these hopeless souls.

I don't want to read about your head ache, or that you can't sleep. Nor do I care if life sucks and you don't feel like going to work. We all get head aches, can't sleep and don't like going to work. it's called life so stop bitching and live with it.

I don't care that you took one of the quizzes and found out that your a Yugo instead of a Cadillac or a Lexus. If your dumb enough to take the quiz, live with the results. No I am not going to help you fight mafia wars, nor will I help you with your farm. I along with many farmers down here in Central Illinois, are worried that the soy beans and corn won't dry out before the first frost hits and a years crop will be lost.

It's bad enough that so many people bitch about little petty things. It's even worse that people agree and console them as if they were a two year old, instead of booting them in the ass and telling them to get a life.

I don't care that there are numerous grammatical and punctuation errors, since I have never been mistaken for a Rhodes scholar, I eventually get my point across. All I know is, I am about enjoying life instead of bitching about its little pit falls.

SOME FREE ADVICE TO FREE SPENDERS

If our elected representatives be it local, state and federal started to look at debt from a different perspective may be we wouldn't have these financial disasters they are all crying about.

Stop all of this borrowing and spending like there is no tomorrow, and look at how much you pay out in interest every year on that borrowed money, and it is a staggering amount of money, even by your standards.

See how much more you could hand out to your friends and cronies instead of paying interest to banks, who are more then happy to lend it to you.

I apologize for my stupidity, the bankers are your friends and cronies, and it is another way you have figured out to spend my hard earned money.

I and the many people I know are getting fed up as you use us as your personal piggy bank. We are not stupid and realize a little graft keeps the government machine running smoothly. What used to be a small trickle from the faucet has turned out to be Niagara Falls as no amount of money seems to be enough.

STUPID QUESTION OF THE DAY???????

Why is it when you drive through some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America, your chances of getting robbed, shot or killed are greatly increased; yet the streets, playgrounds, and parks are packed with people and children, enjoying the summertime?


However, as we drive through the safest communities on the face of this earth, people are barricaded inside their homes, in fear of untold bogey men and demons. Even on the nicest days, these neighborhoods look like ghost towns, as no one is seen on the streets. Children are locked away and can not even go outside to enjoy expensive swing sets that dot their back yards without strict adult supervision.

Who are the fools and idiots????

CHILD ABUSE 101

Last night I looked at photos of children playing in a jumping jack at my granddaughters 1st birthday party. They were all smiling and laughing, having the times of their lives. In other words, they were doing what kids are supposed to do, enjoying being kids without adult interference.

In my youth this was common place, as we would go outside and play all day. We learned how to play baseball, football and basketball, and those that were good enough went on to play in high school and college.

We had fun as we played at our own pace and enjoyed every minute of it, no one telling us when and where to play. Younger kids learned the games from older and more experienced ones. Trial and error and the joy of learning to run, catch and throw at a leisurely pace. You didn't mind sitting on the side lines watching, as you knew your time would eventually come as you got older and better.

This joy was taken away by modern day parents, who wanted to take away this natural process that had been going on for ages. The old uniform of shirts and skins was soon replaced by modern major league looking uniforms. Vacant lot fields, with card board bases were replaced with major league looking, manicured fields. A tattered glove, a bat held together with nails and tape and a ball wound up with electrical tape were prized possesions. Now new equipment has to be purchased every year.

Now we have four and five year olds who can't run, throw, catch or field, being yelled at by adults, and the kids have no clue as to why they are yelling. Heaven forbid one of them swings the bat and the ball hits it, or as he stands their, with the glove up, and a miracle occurs as the ball lands in the glove, and stays there. This unlucky kid just kissed away his childhood, as the parents begin to search for special instructors and training camps, for this future major leaguer.

It's not only baseball, as kids spend their most enjoyable years in a car going from one practice or game to another, treated as robots and not kids.

Don't abuse your kids by taking away this precious time when they get to dream and pretend and to play all those silly games. To soon they will be teenagers and they can make these decisions on their own.

I know what your thinking, it's an old fool who is ranting and raving and showing his age and doesn't understand how things are today. Just do me one favor, look at the children's faces as they practice or play. You won't see them laughing or smiling and enjoying themselves. The only time you will see that is when the game is over and they are getting those treats for playing and amusing the adults.

Do yourself and your children a big favor. Go outside and meet your neighbors and talk to them, let the kids meet and play their games and enjoy the laughter that will soon fill the air as the kids run around and do things kids were always meant to do.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

We turn on the three major news networks, which consist of CNN, FOX and MSNBC to get our fill of comedy; and we turn to Comedy Central to get a realistic look at the news. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

It just goes to show how far we have advanced in this country. And we wonder why we are the laughing stock of the world.

STUPID QUESTION OF THE DAY?????

Even tho the ring tone isn't even remotely close to theirs, why do so many idiots check to see if it's their phone that is ringing???? Isn't that why people go to such great lengths to get distinct ring tones, so to know it's their phone that is ringing, and not some one elses?

STUPID QUESTION OF THE DAY?????

Recently I canceled my land line with AT&T after getting into a confrontation over charges on my phone bill. Instead of receiving a final bill, I received a refund check, which meant I was paying for services in advance.

So how can I and countless others receive late charges for services that we have not yet received ?????? Shouldn't we be receiving interest payments instead????

THE BAND IS BACK TOGETHER AGAIN

As the famous proprietor and chef of Fozzie's world re noun restaurante would say 'let's get the band back together again".

Well the band is back together, and ready to hit the road toward Louisville, Kentucky and the Kentucky Derby.

This is our second trip to the Derby, but there have been countless trips to the Breeder's Cup every October.

Each trip is filled with hundreds of memories, but with each one, there is always one that stands out, and is laughed and talked about for years to come. Even tho none of us are spring chickens, we all act like we were twenty-one again.

How can you not have fun when the band includes Gene Gene the dancing machine, Whiteyy AKA The Claw, Fozzie the famous chef and bartender, and yours truly the Grumpy Old Man.

Sometimes we get lucky and win a few dollars, and sometimes we just contribute to the well being of our equine friends. But be sure fun and laughs will be a plenty.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS UPROAR OVER AIG BONUSES

A word of advice for all the people who are out protesting over the bonuses given out to AIG executives. Don't just dip your toes in the pool, jump in all the way, at the deep end.

Doesn't make much sense to just protest the fools who insured these worthless pieces of paper. How about tossing a bit of all this indignation against the idiots that got this financial mess rolling?

I agree, it is wrong to collect a bonus after fouling up. But why all this anger over a small word such as Bonus. Why not direct some of that ire toward two big words such as Excessive Compensation. What about the big bankers, that bundled up all this worthless paper. and spread it around the globe? Amazing how indignant they get when someone dares question them regarding their salary, and how it is structured. The thing I find even more amazing, is how our so called elected officials, back away, not wanting to incur their wrath.

Bonuses probably pale in comparison to excessive compensation, yet we hear nary a word about it. Yes I am speaking about all those bankers, that are receiving billions in TARP money, and are still reaping outlandish salaries. As long as it is called compensation, and not a bonus, it appears that it's OK to steal as much as one can, of the tax payer's money.

So to all of you protesters, take a page out of their play book, and bundle up all these thieves in a neat package, and give them all equal hell.

"THE JUNGLE" BY UPTON SINCLAIR

I had planned to go into a long narrative as to why every American should be made to read this book; but there are not enough words to describe what it meant to me. Maybe after reading it, people would cease identifying 9/11 and Katrina as the greatest disasters that the world has ever had to endure.

As you read these words, you feel the heat, the cold, and the stench these immigrants had to endure. You experience what is was like to work at the speed they had to, just to make a few pennies. Consider if you could have endured for a full day what these people did for years; always being taken advantage of with no one to complain to.

After reading what these immigrants survived, we should be so grateful for what they did for us; and so thankful that we haven't even come close to such bad times. As terrible as 9/11 and Katrina, and whatever is waiting for us due to the economic meltdown, reading this book puts things in perspective.

SO WHY IS IT???????

We have been told on a daily basis to insulate our homes, use energy efficient bulbs, drive fuel efficient cars and many other things to conserve energy and save our planet.

Now that many of us did our best and spent all that money to conserve; why is it we are being punished by the energy companies for our good efforts? After not meeting their profit expectations, these same energy companies are asking for an increase in rates!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT BANKER'S

Why is it that when the CEO's of the Big Three auto makers appeared before Congress, for the first time, it appeared as if Congress was acting the way they were elected to do? They belittled, humiliated and demanded every sort of concession from these three; for a few billions of dollars of cash infusion.

Yet when the Wall street bankers appeared before them. who have received hundreds of billions, and are to receive hundreds of billions more; they were let of the hook by being allowed to give vague and evasive answers. We didn't see the outrage over bonuses, excessive pay, or lavish parties.

Why is it, an industry that benefits Main Street America, by employing thousands,, at reasonable wages is taken to the wood shed by congress? On the other hand, Wall Street which has all ready squandered three hundred billion, is being treated with kid gloves?

Makes one wonder, who they really represent, and worry about.

PLEASEEEE BRING BACK THE GOOD OLD DAYS, OR THE TIME THERE WAS INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH

Boys and girls I know you won't believe me, but in the not too long ago past, there was intelligent life on earth. Go ahead and shake your heads in disbelief; but it is true. For my wife, who likes to contradict everything I say, with her over used statement of "site your source", I have plenty of fodder for this one.

Back in the early 70's when I was a snot nosed rookie policeman, I worked for some of the greatest watch commanders imaginable. There would be a moron or two scattered about, but the majority used their heads for something besides a hat rack.

By the time I had a few hash marks on my sleeve, a new trend emerged. The morons who were once the minority, seemed to be gaining ground as the old guard, with balls the size of watermelons, retired or died off.

Where's your proof you may ask? All you have to do is look at a previous post about a 14 year old police wanna be. If this incident occurred back in the 70's, the watch commander would have booted the lad in the ass, had us call his mother, and after a profanity laced tirade about what a terrible mother she was; would have sent the lad home with her.

The next day, roll call would again be filled with wild profanity, as we found out where the captain thought our intelligence level stood. By the end of the day the incident would have been forgotten. Case closed and filed away with the thousands of other stupid things that would occur on an almost daily basis. Something to laugh about at watch parties that occurred every three months, after a few cocktails.

Fast forward to the year 2009. The 14 year old trick or treater is arrested as a police impersonator, and given the status of an Al Capone. It became a major news story for a week in both Chicago papers as well as the news stations. Now even the Secret Service is being brought in to check this "BREACH OF SECURITY". The police superintendent feels that the department "DODGED A BULLET". Of course then we always have to have that "INTERNAL INVESTIGATION" to lay blame on someone and suspend them. And where would we be if one of the moron's on the city council didn't call for "HEARINGS" on this dastardly act.

With each passing day we see so many non-stories reach epic proportions; and you wonder why I question if there is any intelligent life left?

HE WHO LAUGHS LAST

The younger generation was laughing at their parents and grandparents, when they stuffed their meager savings in mattresses, coffee cans or received a free toaster for depositing their money at a small local bank with low interest rates.

Why do something so stupid, when there were so many financial advisers and large banks that offered double digit returns, if you invested with them? Why work like your parent's did into their sixty's, when those fancy brochures promised that you would be able to retire by the time you reached thirty-five? Your parents and grandparents would only live comfortably on their paltry savings, while you would be cruising around your luxury yacht, skiing and vacationing in exotic locales. You would have as many homes as they had rooms in their modest bungalow, that they had lived in most of their life.

Who is laughing now, as a day doesn't go by, that we don't here of another one of these advisers that had scammed hundreds of thousands of investors out of every penny they had invested. Even if you managed to avoid the con artists, you still saw the bottom drop out of the hundreds of other investment gimmicks dreamed up by all these financial guru's.

So forgive them when they laugh, while they are at their bingo games. They are secure in knowing they can easily withdraw any amount, at any time, from their mattress. You on the other hand can't figure out if you should laugh or cry while holding all those worthless statements, filled with untold promises, in your hand.

FOR WANT OF A BADGE

The times I visited my friend Fozzy at the police district he worked at, I was always tempted to ask all those so called police men and woman if their mothers knew that they were dressed up and playing like the "real police".

According to today's news media, I guess I should have. It appears that a 14 year old police wanna-be, dressed up in a police uniform and walked into a police district, managed to sign out a ticket book, walkie- talkie, etc. and fooled a veteran policeman for five hours while they drove around and answered calls.

I pulled many a young looking officer's chain as I threatened to take them home to their mommies when we worked midnights because it was after curfew. Now it seems they just assign them a car and let them work with no questions asked.

If the lad would have somehow obtained a badge, he could have pulled this off for the next 30 years! The only thing that gave him away was that missing badge.

I know I am going to go to sleep tonight feeling a lot safer.

BRITTNEY LINDSEY PARIS and now OBAMA

I didn't think that I would ever yearn for our print and electronic news media to return to the days when the infamous trio's every high jink was a breaking news event. A serious contender has ensured that the Three Musketeers antics are buried away for a minimum of the next four years.

Your soon to be the President of the United States, wants his Blackberry like some two year old who needs his blankie. If the Secret Service says no to your possessing a BlackBerry, so be it. Stop worrying about some silly electronic gadget and get down to more serious issues.

And you might ask, what got my dander up today? It was a lengthy story about the retrieval by the Secret Service of the president-elects BlackBerry when it hit the airport's tarmac while emerging from his vehicle. Because of this heroic action the instrument suffered no ill effects and continues to perform its functions.

If however, a mysterious demise befell this BlackBerry during the mass hysteria and confusion as it lay unguarded on the tarmac; I would then truly consider the Secret Service an elite law enforcement agency.

In those few seconds they could have eliminated all the arguing over a grown man's toy. More importantly, we could return to another asinine story about the unholy trio.





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BULL SHIT AND HOW EASILY WE SWALLOW IT

It is amazing how easily we are duped into believing all the garbage that flows out of Washington. Very few of us sit back and realize that our chains are being pulled and that all those speeches and promises are only meant for the chosen few and not for the masses at large.

At the beginning of this financial crisis, billions of dollars were thrown in haste toward millionaire CEO's. What we were fed was the danger of allowing credit to dry up. They were right; credit drying up did further hurt the economy - and they let it - using the bailout instead to continue the flow to their outrageous salaries! All those billions were thrown away and nothing changed, except that the rich got richer.

Even more amazing was how these supposed brilliant minds, failed to attach a few strings; not even a portion of the the rigorous reporting and auditing structure required of social agencies who are given only a few thousand dollars. The promise not to waste this money was completely forgotten, and never really in the cards. As for the rest of us, the lip service and promises continue while nothing is done about it, and many people are suffering losses through no fault of their own.

And so it goes with many praising the new stimulus package. Let us hope it is so. Yet it still seems to be only a stimulus package for some; and is it for those that really need it? Makes perfect sense to lay off workers by the thousands now, when you know the new president is promising to give you thousands in tax breaks for hiring new workers once he is sworn in. Is this just another creative way they find to funnel our tax dollars to those who don't need any more?

As someone who has been around for a while let me tell you; in all my years the bullshit and promises made, usually greatly outweigh the truth and promises kept.

LOAN SHARKS

Why is it when loans were made by No Neck Vito, Joe Bananas and Three Fingered Louie no expenses were spared to arrest and prosecute these entrepreneur's? Both local and federal authorities worked hard to abolish these local business men as they were considered the scourge of the community. Legislators worked round the clock to drive them out of business by enacting criminal laws to hasten their demise.

Skip ahead and change all those colorful names to bland ones such as Visa, Master Card and Discovery and suddenly those usurious rates become legal, and the lenders are pillars of our society. Now it is fashionable for our politicians to mingle with these lenders and to pass legislation to increase already out of control percentages and fees, in order to increase those almighty profits. There are many more with other acceptable names such as pay day loans, title loans and let's not forget H&R Block, who keeps dreaming up new ways to shrink people's tax returns.

Today's lenders are able to take an arm and leg in penalties and fees whenever you're late; not like the past when just a lump or two on the head sufficed.

Maybe it's time we brought Vito, Joe and Louie out of retirement. But alas we can't, since they are all either in jail or deceased. I guess that is the penalty you pay when you charge fair and reasonable rates with no excessive fees.