Category Archives: Stupid of the Day

… because you can’t make this stuff up.

Shutdown – “The Art Of The Deal!”

January 21, 2018

To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, “Well, there they go again”. The Federal government is shut down, with each side, as is custom, blaming the other. Not without some merit, but from where I sit, the primary fault lies on the Republican side, for one simple reason:

Failure to govern.

I’ll start with the White House, and simply say “case closed.”

On the Congressional side, The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) act is the proximate excuse for the shutdown. After President Trump announced he’d sign ANY bi-partisan legislation placed in front of him, he reneged, in his famous “shithole countries” meeting. it was Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. And it left legislators on BOTH sides of the aisle seething. Bi-partisanship, indeed.

The House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution through February, which actually addressed several important issues – primary among those a 6-year funding extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). But it didn’t address DACA, which both sides want resolved in much the same way.

Republicans – especially the President – are now shouting that the Democrats shut the government down to support illegal immigration over the military.

Please.

The government has been shut down over a lack of good faith, pure and simple. And there’s an easy way out of this.

Senator Mitch McConnell needs to show that the Republicans can govern.

He needs to remember that Congress is a co-equal branch of Government, and can, when so motivated, do its job with or without the help of the President.

He needs to remember that bi-partisanship works – especially when most of the hard work has already been done.

He needs to govern.

A simple path out of this shutdown is as follows:

Republican and Democratic senators meet, and come to an informal – but sincere – agreement that DACA will be a priority in the next three weeks, using the framework already developed. The framework will be focused on acceptability within the legislative branch, and not the the whims of the Jell-O like President.
Pass the continuing resolution. Reopen the government immediately.
Put together a DACA bill that will garner 70+ votes in the Senate. Something that pulls 40-11 on the Republican side and a majority of Democrats should be doable – again, they’re in violent agreement on the major outlines of the deal – and pass it. (For those worried about slapping a bill together in haste – they managed with tax reform …..)
Call it “The Art of the Deal Act (TADA)“
Send it to the President, with the understanding that a veto WILL be overridden.

For the Republicans, the upside is obvious – showing that they CAN do what they’ve been accused of not being able to do. Actually govern. The risk? They can’t pull it off, and the “Can’t govern” claim sticks.

For the Democrats, they show that they’re willing partners, and not simply obstructionists. And the risk is limited – if a deal can’t be reached by Feb 8th, the threat of another shutdown is available.

This is all avoidable. Both sides in Congress simply need to act in good faith, to implement what they’re basically in agreement on.

The shutdown WILL end. A budget resolution of some sort for the rest of the year WILL pass. The government will re-open. How about we Stamp Out Stupid, drop the posturing and overblown hyperbole, and get it done sooner rather than later, with minimal disruption to the most important business of governing the great land.

On a personal note – Telemarketers.

November 29, 2017

Some things I just don’t understand.

Every day, I get anywhere up to a dozen calls on my cell phone, supposedly from numbers in
my area code (but not in my contacts list), each of them a recorded message inviting me to
take action on either student loan or credit card debt forgiveness.

There are only two unique calls. The numbers they come from differ – they’re being spoofed from
overseas – but it’s one of the same two messages every time. And they always leave a voice mail for me –
because the robo-calls can’t identify the fact that there’s not a real person who answered.

If I answer the call, and ask o be put on the Do Not Call list, I get hung up on – immediately.
If I try to return the call at a later time, it invariably turns out that the number is not in service.

The stupid here is this – I can not for the life of me figure out what the business model here is.

The idea, obviously, is to get me to sign up for some sort of service, which will cost me money and likely not deliver any tangible results. I understand that.

But if I’ve answered the phone, declined the service, and asked not to be called again, what’s the benefit in re-calling?

If I’ve failed to sign up for the service after the 100th, 200th, and 500th call, what is the point in placing the 101st, 201st, 501st, and 1000th calls?

Every chance I get (i.e., when I’m bored or particularly annoyed), I WILL answer these calls, and I will press “4” or whatever digit gets me to a live operator, and do what I can to waste as much of their time as possible. But I’ve found that the more I do that, the more frequent the robo-calls become.

And again, what’s the logic behind THAT? I’ve just answered your call – why would you then go and call me back with the same offer at a higher frequency?

It seems pretty stupid to me. But I’ve yet to figure out a way to stamp this particular stupidity out …

Stupid of the Day 05 Jan 2016: Televangelists NEED Private Jets ….

January 5, 2016

BECAUSE DEMONS FLY COACH!

Demon-Fearing Televangelist Kenneth Copeland

From Bipartisan Report. Apparently, it’s too hard to walk up and down the aisle and chat with God on a commercial flight, as

Other people on the plane look at you funny, and
There are DEMONS on commercial flights.

Go on—read the article. We’ll wait …..

Beyond the sheer absurdity of the claim, I think these guys need a refresher on their bibles. Like this verse:

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:5–8)

Even more—the folks who send these guys money need to brush up on their bibles before opening their wallets any further.

And BTW, I fly coach. I’m easy to spot … I’m the demon in the window seat just behind the wing.

#stampoutstupid

Stupid of the Day 27 Dec 2015—The NRA vs. States’ Rights

December 28, 2015

So the NRA wants us to be up in arms (pun intended) about this:

With the start of the 2016 Virginia legislative session quickly approaching, your NRA is working to address the…

Posted by National Rifle Association on Monday, December 28, 2015

Their premise—they are working to address “the political “activism” and complete disregard for law abiding concealed carry permit holders.” They complain about the Virginia Attorney General’s “Arbitrary” decision to rescind concealed carry reciprocity with 25 states.

The problem is, the decision shows neither disregard for out-of-state permit holders, nor is it arbitrary. Instead, it is simply a move by Virginia to assert its right as a sovereign state to set and enforce its own rules as to who may or may not carry concealed weapons in the state.

Reciprocity is a courtesy extended by one jurisdiction to citizens of another, allowing a license granted in one to be honored across a wide area. But reciprocity is not universal. Some licensing conveys—drivers licenses and marriage licenses are common examples—but others don’t, such as insurance brokers, electricians, plumbers, etc. Reciprocity depends on the rules being essentially the same from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. And this is where concealed carry permits fall short.

Virginia has enacted a set of regulations governing the issuance of concealed carry permits. If you wish to carry a concealed weapon, you need to abide by those regulations. (Note to the NRA: that’s what “law abiding” means …) To be clear, that doesn’t mean you meet Kentucky’s rules, or Idaho’s—you need to show that you meet Virginia’s rules. That’s the whole point of “states’ rights”—which, by the way, is something the NRA likes to use as an argument against Federal gun control initiatives …

The decision to stop honoring some states’ concealed carry permits was far from arbitrary, as the NRA claims. Instead, the Virginia Attorney General’s office reviewed the concealed carry polices of other states and made a determination on a case-by-case basis whether those polices were substantially the same as Virginia’s. Where they were, reciprocity was retained. Those permit carriers were deemed in compliance with Virginia law. Where they were not, reciprocity was denied. That is not abridging the rights of out-of-state concealed carry permit holders; they are, instead, being treated the same way as Virginia residents are. If you want to concealed-carry in Virginia, you need to demonstrate that you meet the conditions set by Virginia. And there is paperwork, for both residents and non-residents, that allows you to do that.

So, the NRA is essentially resorting to scare tactics. (Shocking!) They’re taking a position that is in opposition to a state’s rights to determine its own rules and regulations. It’s another example of their completely stupid position that any gun regulation, no matter how reasonable, is de facto evil and something to be stopped at all costs.

We have to be able to establish reasonable regulations regarding guns in this country, we need to #stampoutstupid.