The News Desk

Busy week last week, but I did manage to pop my head up for a bit and take a look around the current events.

In what is yet another reason to avoid living next to a mob boss, one of the last murder cases involving former mob head John Gotti was solved this week. According to the report, Gotti had his neighbor executed and then the crew “disposed” of the body by dissolving it in a vat of acid. That’s right, a vat of acid. According to the reports, the dude who carried out the “dissolution” was Charles Carneglia. According to a witness statement, Carneglia had acid in his basement “by the drum”. The whole thing makes “the Soprano’s” seem tame.

In still another attempt at gaining my public support, President Elect Barack Obama (from the Office of the President Elect) made yet another public plea for a playoff in D-I college football. I have to admit, it’s starting to work on me. If he goes as far as setting up a meeting with key University Presidents to discuss the matter, I’m getting a Prius, slapping an Obama bumper sticker on the back and driving it to the nearest Obama army checkpoint to sign up for duty. Here’s the vid:

Even with only a few days left in the Bush presidency, the center for negative governmental information continues their “operation erode support of Bush” (OESOB) by hitting Americans with more bad news. The barrage of data on unemployment, falling wages, increasing health care, diminished consumer confidence, etc got a new salvo with the following tidbit: 34% of Americans are obese. Everything is now in place for “Operation Restore American’s Self-Image” (ORASI) shortly after inauguration.

The war on keeping one’s own income is starting to materialize with hints about who the Dems are going to tax first. House Democrats are re-visiting a proposal that would raise the Federal cigarette tax from 39 cents to $1, a move that would generate an estimated $53 billion over ten years. That is, until the states and the counties follow suit and a pack of smokes edges up to $10. When it gets to that point, I suggest people just start smoking a five and two ones rolled up. Less nicotine to be sure, but at least you can directly oversee how your money gets squandered plus you still get the physical fix.

Obama is urging Congress to postpone the switch on February 17th to digital television. A $40 voucher program has been in place to help poor Americans purchase the $50 converters that will be needed to receive digital over the air signals on TV’s not connected to cable or satellite. The program was originally capped at $1.34 billion of yours and my tax dollars. At $40 a coupon, that means that 33 1/2 million people can’t afford a $50 converter box according to the government’s calculations. Obama transition team co-chair John Podesta in a letter to Congress called the $1.34 billion already spent “woefully inadequate” and pledged that the matter would be dealt with in the Obama economic stimulus package. Meredith Atwell Baker, head of the NTIA (part of the Commerce Department) is asking for an additional $250 million.

All of this is completely absurd. First of all- is there really anything that important on television? The answer obviously is no. Any critical information would be broadcast on radio as well. The converter boxes can be purchased without a voucher, you just have to fork over all $50. If you can’t save up $50, than you’ve got far greater problems than missing Judge Judy and Oprah for a few weeks. Plus, I have no doubt these boxes are available in pawn shops and on the street for probably $20-$30 if people were really desperate for them. This is just more government mismanagement, being handed off from one administration to the next, and at the expense of you and I.

You’re welcome.