Don't You Crave Fresh Meat?

"Isn't being a politician great, fellas?"

It's time to limit terms in Congress across the nation. Congress has single-handedly destroyed our country over the past decade. People always blame the president when the country fails, but the one consistent thing about this country's demise has been Congress.

Out Bush, in Obama. Have things changed?

No.

After Obama, will they change?

No.


Because Congress will still have the same dirty crooks in office because of idiot voters. Voters who make their decisions solely based on seeing a "D" or "R" beside a candidate's name. They don't know anything about the candidates or their track record, they just vote for them. I understand wanting to vote for someone who shares ideas of your own, but does that "D" or "R" guarantee that they do? I mean, how would you know if you didn't bother to find out?

We also have to blame those who choose not to vote. They play a big role in this, too. By not voting, they're basically saying that they're cool with the state of the country. Ironically, they also tend to be the biggest complainers.

So, we all know that this country is going through some things. Some really bad things. Our jobs are being sent overseas, the country is in debt and we're fighting two or three wars overseas that have gone on longer than World Wars I and II combined. Longer than the two World Wars, people!

It will only get better once we get rid of these career politicians. These people in Congress who have crawled into the White House and embedded their claws deep within the walls for a long stay. Strom Thurmond was a Senator from 1954 - 2003. He was 100 years old when he died in January '03. With all due respect to the elderly, do you really think a person who is 100 years old is fit to help run a country? 

Maybe he got re-elected because he ran on the Democratic ticket in 1954? Nah, it can't be that because he became a Republican in 1964. I'm guessing that he just continued to get re-elected because his name looked familiar on the ballot. Robert Byrd was also a virtual lifelong politician for West Virginia. Byrd became the longest-serving member in congressional history with 56 years of service.

"You'll love this job, John!  The benefits rock!"

So, here we are rolling up on another presidential election in 2012. We've spotlighted this upcoming election, but yet ignored the last Congressional election which is actually more important.  Congress has done an excellent job of distancing themselves from Obama. I'm not just talking about Republicans either. Democrats have shied away from supporting Obama as well.

Why? Because they have the mindset of: the best way to keep my job is to say that someone else sucks at doing his job. People with common sense know that the POTUS is basically a figurehead. Congress is the real driving force when it comes to getting things done in this country. But, if every day people knew that, they would direct their anger towards Congress and not the President, right?

And since Obama has a limit of how long he can be president anyway, then why not sacrifice him to get another term for yourself? The pay is great, lobbyists woo you constantly, free travel, TV face time and benefits galore.  Members of Congress become eligible for a pension once they reach the age of 50 (with 20 years of service) or are eligible at any age after completing 25 years of service or after they reach the age of 62.

They also control their own pay raises. You read that correctly!  They have an automatic "cost of living" raise kicks in every year. In 1989, Congress passed an amendment allowing for the automatic raises, unless they specifically voted to reject it. Which Congress did, until 2000, the year the greed became an epidemic.  Why else would someone spend millions to campaign for a job that pays less than $200k a year?

When was the last time you voted on your own raise?

I read some where that as of the end June, Apple, Inc. had more cash and marketable securities than the United States of America. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but the thought of an electronics company being in better financial shape than an entire country is ridiculous!

Then again, with the tax rate on American corporations being so low, maybe it's not so surprising after all...

I want to send my readers over to visit Mooner and Squatlo.  If you want to read some good, quality, political blogging, then check them out and tell them that Q sent you. Be sure to ask Mooner how he feels about Rick Perry! Oh, and also, while you're there, ask Squatlo what his name means for me.

Cold Chicken Tenders

Okay, so last Wednesday, my mom and my Aunt Bernice decide to roll 40 miles west of here to a town called Vicksburg. Some of you may know the name from the Civil War chapter of your history books, but others know it for the casinos.

My mom and aunt get to Ameristar Casino and decide to gamble the night away. Although I'm not a fan of gambling, my mom loves the casino. Sometimes I think she's a $5 bet away from calling 1-(800) DONT-BET, but I guess that she's earned the right to have fun. My mom is almost 69 years old and she's retired more times than Brett Favre after 20+ years with GM. Someone who has worked as long and hard as she has deserves to live out her senior years however she wants.

So, after a night of gambling with my aunt, they decide to visit the buffet and grab a plate before heading back to their hotel room. My mom gets countless coupons that entitle her to "free" stays at the casino and she she cashes in on them now and then. She gets some chicken tenders and a roll and she and my aunt head upstairs for the evening.

The next morning, my mom asks my aunt to warm up the leftover chicken fingers in the microwave. Aunt Bernice takes them out of the refrigerator and proceeds to look for the microwave. She looks on the lower shelf of the cabinet and spies what she thinks she's looking for. "Why is the microwave so low?," she asks my mom.

My mom just shrugs her shoulders not really paying attention. My aunt bends over, places the chicken tenders inside of the black box and closes the door. "How long do you want them heated?," she asked my mom.

"About a minute should be fine," she replied.

Aunt Bernice pressed "1-0-0" to start the microwave and then walked over to finish doing her hair. After about a minute, she wondered why she didn't hear that familiar "ding" that you get when the timer is expired. She noticed some letters flashing on the box, so she walked over, bent over and saw the word "Code" written on the device. She opened the box and felt the chicken tenders. "These things are still cold!," she exclaimed. "I don't think this thing works!"

Now my mom comes over to see what all of the fuss is about. She puts on her glasses and then complains that the microwave is too low on the bottom shelf. A few seconds later, her and my aunt are on the floor on their knees trying to find instructions for the microwave. She places the chicken tenders back into the box, closes the door and hits "1-0-0."

The message on the front once again displays "Code" and my mom and aunt are completely confused. She presses "1-0-0" again and the display then reads "Secure." That's when my mom read a small label on the side of the box. That label said, "Safewell Hotel Safe."

Those chicken tenders are still in there.

SN: By the time I post again, I should have reached the 100,000 mark for page hits! I want to thank everyone who visits the page and I most definitely appreciate followers and commenters!

If you can e-mail to me a screenshot of my page hits reading #100,000, then I will do something very nice for you. I'm unsure of what it will be right now, but it will be nice!

I Think My Wife Is Trying to Kill Me

Ok, not really. But, I did get your attention, huh? My wife watches "ID" or what you may have come to know as the Investigation Discovery channel... constantly. For those who have not had the pleasure of watching this channel, it's basically show-after-show-after-show of people murdering other people. Listen to these show names: "Wicked Attraction," "Who The (Bleep) Did I Marry?," "Nothing Personal," "I (Almost) Got Away With It," and "Deadly Women."

Really, ID? Over the past few months, I've come to notice that every time I go into the bedroom, the TV is on this channel. Most of the time, I'd watch two or three minutes of it and then walk out. After a while, I started paying attention to the nature of these cases: spouses being killed, missing bodies, murder-for-hire, etc. Wait. What?

When I started dating The Mrs., she was really into "Law & Order." In fact, she's the reason I'm all into crime-time TV now with the L&O series and the CSI series (except for CSI: NY which sucks to me). Now it's real-life drama she's watching? Instead of to Maritza Hargitay and Ice-T it's Carla Hughes and Chiman Rai?

These cases are always sad, but also goes to show how unstable people are in the world. It still amazes me, no matter how many news stories I watch, how people are so selfish, insecure or both, that they take a person's life at the drop of a hat. It may be out of jealousy for someone full of rage or just murdering a person because the funeral would be cheaper than the divorce. I watch some of the shows with her and in so many instances the person has a chance to just walk away, but instead, they choose to take a life. "If I can't have you, then no one can."

These shows are twisted, yet interesting. I can see the appeal and how easily someone can get sucked into sitting down a bit to see how a show ends. But, the bedroom TV stays on ID, 24-7.

Memo to The Mrs: I know you're reading this. Don't forget that I've watched 20 years worth of L&O reruns, so don't think that I don't know how to leave behind clues for investigators!

Again, I'm kidding. The Mrs. isn't that type of person to make me wonder "Who The (Bleep) Did I Marry?" But then I thought about it and realized that those victims on the shows probably said the same thing about their spouses. So, I've hired someone to taste my food now. I'm not saying she's plotting against me, but if you go a week and don't notice a blog post from me, then send someone, please?