Monday Mishegas May 14 2002

Ina Drew, Chief Investment Officer at JP Morgan Chase, and her 15.5Million salary are out.  The 30 year employee could be getting another $14million as a severance package.  Yes because nothing says pay for performance like getting a $14million bonus following a $2Billion and rising loss.

'I'm fine = I wish I could tell you how I really feel.'  The words of 13 yr old  seventh grader Rachel Ehmke who hanged herself after repeatedly being harassed and tormented by her classmates.  The latest ‘Mean Girls’ episode shows that while right wing social conservatives like Arizona’s Cathi Herrod try to portray bullying as a gay problem, this current bullying is neither gender nor sexual orientation specific.   Today’s social media makes the ordeal of bullying a 24/7 hell that goes beyond the classroom.  Parents, school officials, law enforcement agencies, social services, and healthcare specialists need to snap out this lackadaisical approach.  A 13 yr old girl is dead.  A girl who never kissed a boy, but was unrelentingly labeled a slut.  No, we’re not fine.

If Bill Clinton was the 1st black President, and now Barack Obama is the 1st gay President, I wonder:

·         Would Jon Huntsman be the 1st Chinese President?

·         Would Mitt Romney be the 1st Cyborg President?

·         Would Newt Gingrich be the 1st interstellar President?

·         Would Rick Santorum be the 1st Cardinal in Chief?

·         Would Sarah Palin be the 1st Illiterate President?

Yahoo Chief Executive Scott Thompson stepped down on Sunday, 10 days after being accused him of padding his biography by faking a computer science degree.  I guess he’s ready to start his political career.

Thank you Justice Kennedy.  According to the LA Times, 70% of political ads aired to date in 2012 have been negative compared to just 9.1% in 2008.  Yes Citizens United has certainly made election campaigns better.

93% of immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship correctly answered 6 of 10 questions about American history and government.  In a similar survey, only 65% of native born Americans could get 6 of 10 questions right.  My guess the number for members of Congress would probably be closer to 30%.

And I leave you with this: the Republican Party is indeed the Party of No.  No new ideas, no understanding of global affairs, no willingness to negotiate, no sense of justice, no long term plans, no sense of honor, no concern for the poor, no love for the weak, no affinity for hope.  It’s time America.  It’s time to just say no to the GOP and their exploitation of this nation’s value.

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