Idiocy Abounds
September 16th, 2006I’m tired but feel like posting something. Here’s a small sample of the idiocy of late:
- Rosie O’Donnell thinks "radical Christianity" is just as dangerous as "radical Islam." Nevermind that six Muslim nations officially carry the death penalty for homosexuals. Even more saddening is the reaction from the crowd. What the crap are you clapping for idiots? I have failed to notice the Christian suicide bombers around the world threatening to kill anyone who does not convert.
- The Pope points out the violent nature of Islam, to which many Muslims get violent about. Could he have been more right?
- Gas prices go up: life is bad. Gas prices go down: life is good. Consumers too idiotic to objectively judge their current happiness: par for the course.
- On the new Survivor contestants are split by race, and some feel the need to "represent" their race. I don’t care what color you are, you don’t represent anyone but yourself. Just shut up with the awareness for miniorities BS and get past the color of your skin. When you say "I’m proud to be a minority" and constantly invoke the color of your skin, eventually you will become the racist, not the people willing to accept you for your qualities as a human being.
- Arnold seems confused lately. First he raises the minimum wage to $8 by 2008. Minimum wage should be outlawed you socialist! Has he never been to the Subway at Florence and Paramount? The people there are way overpaid, thus proving why minimum wage is such a stupid idea (not to mention the economic forces like incentives that people don’t need when they get paid more just for being idiots). Now he’s signed a bill that makes using a cell phone in the car illegal. Why is this stupid you might ask? I think it’s a good idea, but the dumb bill doesn’t go into effect until 2008 (uhh, how about now?), and even then the first offense fine is only $20! It goes up to $50 after that, but who on earth is going to be deterred by a $20 fine? It’s not even worth the police officer’s time to pull someone over for a $20 fine. Some smart moves Arnold.
- Finally, if you haven’t heard, church let John go this last week. If it’s not public knowledge it will be in a couple days. I’m confused by this move, as if the music is the greatest concern church leadership feels needed to be dealt with. There is so much more I’d like to say about this, but I will bite my tongue.
Thank you for letting me vent about all the idiocy going on lately. I’m sure there is more, but that’s all I have for now. So now it’s your turn. Anyone want to get pissed at me for not liking minimum wage, sticking up for a Catholic, calling Arnold a socialist (and making it sound bad, because it is), insulting the intelligence of the average citizen, pointing out that minority status does not make you immune to being a racist, or finally for bashing church leadership?
i’m sad about John. where did that come from, anyway?
the official church position is that they are going a different direction with the music/worship next year and the worship leader position is going to be changed to a part time job (partially for budget reasons). They DID offer that to John, but he didn’t want it.
When I got my first job, minimum wage was $4.35. I don’t have a problem with minimum wage. It might actually influence some people to get on track and go out to get a job instead of sitting on their mom’s couch until they are 50. I’ve been to that Subway and your complaints are more than valid. But if you take away minimum wage, you’re going to have a lot of people who decide a job isn’t worth it and then our problems grow
Valid points.
Sad about John.
Go Dodgers.
Nooooo Kevin….a supporter of minimum wage??
Obviously it’s a bigger topic than a single comment can address, but a couple things about why minimum wage is bad. Minimum wage artificially raises the wage table. Employers will be forced to pay their employees more with no change in skill level or ability to earn a profit. It’s delusional to think raising the minimum wage has no negatives, as if if simply puts more money in the pockets of the poor. So employers find their labor cost increasing with no gain in production, and they are forced to do something about it. What subway might do is simply fire one employee and expect the rest to pick up the slack. The point is that expense has to covered somewhere, and it’s not out of the goodness of the employer’s heart.
The other problem is purely an economic one. Wages should be set by the free market, not by government deciding what a good wage is. It’s also very possible that minimum wage supresses wages. Because of minimum wage people have an artificial wage floor that they don’t have to raise. It’s like collusion on a massive scale. Everyone offers the same low wage and there is no competition for labor. And what is a good wage anyways? Why $8? Why not 10, or 15? It’s silly to think some suits in Sacramento can decide what the lowest wage should be for every labor position.
And finally, if minimum wage were abandoned we would not see employers paying their workers 50 cents an hour because the free market wouldn’t allow it. If Vons is only paying 50 cents and Ralphs is paying $1, everyone would go apply at Ralphs. Then Vons would have to raise it to $2, and so on. There would be COMPETITION in the labor force, something there is very little of now.
Good stuff, keep it rolling everyone. Don’t feel like minimum wage is the only topic up for discussion. Yah, it does suck about John and at least church had the decency to offer him til the end of the year, but of course he doesn’t want a part time job. I’ve also been the victim of church budget cutting, so I’m a little jaded.
Go Dodgers! 1.5!
I think there’s just something cool about a pope who knows his office isn’t a cushy opportunity to win a popularity contest. Sounds like PB-16, as I like to call him (Pope Benedict the XVI), may be learning from PJPII (Pope John Paul the II)–both how to be a leader who engages the world, but also how not to let diplomacy be a cover-all for the truth.
I LOVE the irony of your first two points. I do not love Rosie O’Donnell.
I do not watch Survivor. Ever. But I admit I did consider it for a minute or two.
Things at church will be interesting.
collusion will happen among employers whether there is a minimum wage or not. It might not drop down to levels of fifty cents or a dollar, but the average starting wage at the Subways and such WOULD drop. I agree with your points, but would not be in favor of abolishing the minimum wage unless there was some kind of freeze put in place on current salaries, such that employers can’t drop below what they currently offer. Then in the future, the “minimum” would be determined by competition, but the immediate fallout would not be millions of employees no longer able to pay the same bills with the same job.
In short raising minimum wage is not a solution. A more constructive remark is minimum wage is lame.
Next, the cell phone gibberish. This new law will change nothing, even after July 1, 2008. People will still have accidents because they were using their hands-free device while driving. Chew on that one.
It will be interesting to see how long before someone gets a ticket, because you know that will be in the news. I don’t think that it wont change anything at all, but the change will be very small.
constructive remarks usually include something constructive, but I guess we’re tossing that rule.