Todays Villians: Republican Leadership and FIFA

So now the Republicans are against tax reform.  They will scuttle the Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction plan for pure politics.  And this is what I mean when I say I hate the politics of politics.  In the 80’s we had President Reagan and Speaker O’Neill, and irrespective of where you resided on the ideological spectrum, these two men were Americans first and politicians second; shame on you Boehner, Cantor, McConnell, and the rest.  Calling you pieces of crap is an insult to dung.
Just watched the USA-Brazil Womens World Cup Quarterfinal and I remain as convinced as ever that FIFA is the most corrupt and incompetent sports organization in the world.  Secondly, watching a Brazilian player, Erika, writhe on the ground get taken off by stretcher, and then sprint back on the pitch is an embarrassment.  That being said, I sat glued to the TV and screamed when Abby scored the tying goal from the tremendous cross from Rapinoe, when Hope Solo made the one save in PK’s, and when Krieger locked it up. Don’t mess with the US.
Tim Pawlenty is still unsure of being gay is a choice or genetic.  Yep, millions of Americans CHOOSE to be persecuted and harassed, denied basic civil rights, and told they weren’t worthy to fight for their country.  Pawlenty and the Social Conservatives are closer to the radical Muslim imams than other Americans.  Think about that.
In Maryland, kids going to summer camp must have parental permission to allow camp counselors to apply sunscreen to campers out of concern of inappropriate touching.  Simple solution, train TSA employees to be camp counselors and call sun burns and skin cancer a national security issue.  What the hell is happening in this country?
Congratulations to Joey Chestnut for winning the Nathans Hot Dog Eating contest and with it: 19,158 calories, 1,246 grams of fat, 2,170 grams of cholesterol, and 42,408 mg of sodium to go along with the 62 hot dogs.  Yep you won dude.
Just like it was described in Freakonomics, one must be careful about the bad behaviors that incentives can generate.  In Atlanta, 178 teachers and principals have been identified as culprits in widespread cheating over a span of 10 years.  The cheating scandal involved finishing student tests and correcting wrong answers all in an effort to boost standardized test results and preserve salaries and benefits.
As stated in this column as part of the 2011 predictions, four members of Hezbollah have been indicted by a UN criminal tribunal for their part in the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.  The tribunal called for the arrest of these individuals within 30 days and not surprisingly, Hezbollah has said no way.  Let’s see how this Mexican standoff plays out.  Will the UN have the teeth to do something about this?
Kudos to Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn for standing up to Grover Norquist, the head of the Americans for Tax Reform when Coburn pushed to remove all ethanol subsidies.  Norquist called that a tax increase when you eliminate corporate welfare.  Norquist is a real player and he has a lot of clout after getting 235 congressman and 41 senators to sign his no new tax pledge.  The concept of signing such a pledge is foolish especially when considering the King of the Modern Republican party Ronald Reagan pushed 11 tax increases during his time in office.  Freaking boyscouts.



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