Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Sadly I find myself at odds with fellow blogster, Sailor,…

posted by Bill Arnett @ 1:00 PM Permalink

…a man of accomplishment, ethics, compassion, good will for all, an excellent writer who captures the essence of a problem he perceives with grace and eloquence and all that other stuff someone says when they disagree with someone.

I refer to the first section of his last post Heartless Heart, where, with a great deal of studied thought in behalf of his fellow man he lamented:
The Department of Transportation furloughed nearly 2,000 employees without pay Monday as the government began to feel the impact of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning's one-man blockage of legislation that would keep a host of federal programs operating.

Bunning's "hold" also affects jobless benefits for thousands of unemployed workers, rural television customers, doctors receiving Medicare payments and others.
[...]
1.2 million unemployed workers, including 14,000 in Kentucky, would lose federal jobless benefits this month if Congress doesn't extend them, and they all said that Bunning is an a$$hole
OK, I made the last sentence of the last paragraph up.

Pardon my outrage when one f**king republican is once again holding our nation hostage. Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY jelly) claimed he was acting on principle, or maybe it was the interest on the principle he gets from 'campaign contributors.'

Bunny is retiring with a pension that we Americans pay for, and he and his family will have government health care for the rest of their lives that we Americans pay for.

Why doesn't he cry Socialism! about that?
Although the reasons for which Sailor has expressed such anguished anguishment anguishing about Bunning, a man of heroic stature because he could once throw a baseball 90 feet pretty well, obviously placing him in the same class of heroic Americans such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Thomas Payne, John Hancock, and all the other great historic figures of America who would undoubtedly been mightily impressed that, although Bunning would have abandoned the musket he would not known how to load, much less fire, and run for the hills faster than an outfielder trying to catch a terrific hit off a bad pitch, almost as bad as the pitches he's been making lately as he fancies himself a legend in his own mind, concerned for the welfare of America (not Americans mind you, just America the country, kinda like Airplane Two). And his service in Vietnam Wow!…uh…he never served there did he? But I'm sure General Washington would have instantly recognized what a valuable man he would have been defending America by throwing rocks at eighty or ninety mph at incoming English warships!

But putting aside the issue of the rabid Bunny who fantasizes running just ahead of a pack of greyhounds, Sailor also expresses great concern for the involuntary furloughs, quoting sources says:
The Department of Transportation furloughed nearly 2,000 employees without pay Monday as the government began to feel the impact of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning's one-man blockage of legislation that would keep a host of federal programs operating.

Bunning's "hold" also affects jobless benefits for thousands of unemployed workers, rural television customers, doctors receiving Medicare payments and others.
Now I ask you, what the hell is the matter with involuntary furloughs? We've had 'em here in California and ain't nothing happened but a few out-of-control- wildfires causing billions in damage, and high winds blowing in water eroding some of the most valuable properties in America right off the beautiful cliffs, where they started at the top and are now at the bottom (Just what the hell you mean when you say my homeowners policy doesn't cover my $50,000,000 mansion falling into the ocean 'cause it's an 'act of god'?)[Now you see why I'm an atheist? So when my mythical fifty million dollar mansion drops off into the ocean it would NOT be attributed to the act of a mythical 'god.' Bill]

But back to furloughs, which I think are great!

Furlough doctor and nurses three days a week, just turn off the lights and go home!
Fire Departments. Who needs 'em? Furlough them at least three days a week, maybe four if there are no conflagrations during the furlough period.
Schools? Furlough them five days a week, excluding weekends and holidays. The dropout rate would barely change at all!
Congress and the senate? Sheee-it, furlough those wastes of flesh nine months a year. Just refuse a furlough for the President so somebody responsible will be running the nation.
Regulatory agencies, DMVs, every type of licensing agency, to include the courts, furlough them all!
Bar associations and all of those judges, 'specially the Supreme Court, could be permanently furloughed and nobody would even miss them!
Law Enforcement and Homeland Security, furlough four days a week.
Ambulances? Furlough any ambulance using over 25mpg.
And that's just a start!

So, Sailor, my friend and colleague, you just have to get over this seeming resistance to the idea of furloughs. Hell, they're like an early holiday for the family!

Think of the fun playing 'third-world banana republic without the bananas'! The thrill of actual starvation! The playing of betting games on who in the family will be the first to get sick, who gets to slaughter the family pet for dinner! Who has the honor of opening a fresh can of dog food for supper! Betting pools on when grandma will finally succumb to her untreated cancers! Guessing games as to the kind and nature of the rashes and fevers running rampant through the neighborhood! Who pulls guard duty when and with what armaments! Shoot first or challenge (Halt Who goes there?)? Fun, fun, fun, 'till the neighbor blows your T-bird skyhigh!

So, again, Sailor, it is with heartfelt apologies that I must disagree with you on your position on furloughs, and maybe you could cut some slack to a nasty, worthless, war-dodging, worm of a man finally discovering his conscience (and consciousness) after leading a life of sin, debauchery, lies, and all the other evils incumbent upon an elected official.

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4 Comments:

At 5:33 PM, Blogger The Sailor said...

I would never disagree with you Bill ... you're armed, you know where I live, and your wife would kill me even if you didn't;-)

 
At 6:48 PM, Blogger Bill Arnett said...

An' don' ju forget it, mon! Or Warrior Woman will show you her lil' frien'!

 
At 7:37 PM, Blogger The Sailor said...

Sheer decency (and fear) prohibits me from commenting on your comment.

In other news: Bill is back!

Astronaut Bill is now confirmed to have splashed down and been recovered from his capsule.

Welcome back to Earth, Bill. I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to clean House (and Senate) while you were gone.

 
At 9:12 PM, Blogger Bill Arnett said...

S'awright - I'm feeling feisty and almost have my feet solidly in clay so I can stand almost steady enough to spit in a cop's eye and say, "Sobriety test! Honest officer, I hardly stuff the touch!"

In truth I no longer drive from the deleterious effects of a left calcaneus I fractured years ago that healed improperly and now prevents me from passing any field sobriety test, 'twixt that and my meds I couldn't walk a straight line to save my life!

And besides, Warrior Woman won't let me drive her new Honda Civic anyway. (No sense sniveling 'bout it when I KNOW I'd lose that [or any other] fight!)

 

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