Tuesday, June 28, 2016

SAR 316180


You only have the inalienable rights your government grants you.
Sham Shamed: The Supremes told the Texas legislature that they weren't fooling anyone with their ridiculous “for the safety of the ladies” anti-abortion law. Now we get to see the Republicans in in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin try to find yet another way to deprive American women of their constitutional rights.
Practical Illusion: Technically the UK's vote to leave the European Union is not legally binding. Either the Prime Minister or the Parliament could chose to ignore the outcome and continue business as usual. But that would take more political guts than are on display in London these days. Anyway, the EU can't unilaterally kick them out, but must await notification under Article 50 of the EU charter. The vote and associated hemming and hawing in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland does not bode well for the stability of the continental EU. Europe is a depressed economy desperately in need of more demand. The problem is made much worse by the constant demand from Brussels and Berlin for smaller government budgets and “structural reform” - which is code-talk for cutting worker wages and pensions and healthcare and selling off the public's properties and services to the highest bidder. The Eurozone and the European Union were two marvelous but unworkable concepts at conception, and they still are.
The Show Must Go On: Seats for Hamilton! staring Hillary Clinton are on sale now. Tickets range fro $2,700 to $100,000, popcorn extra. Sorry, headliner Lin-Manuel Miranda will not be appearing.
Ambulance Chasers: In Texas a county or town can farm out collection of fines to lawyers on a contingency basis, which can and does lead to the lawyers dragging out the process to increase their fee recovery while seeking millions and even billions for such trivia as “illegal dumping” or code violations. It's more or less legal. Most of the things money-grubbing lawyers can think up are legal in Texas.
Try, Try Again: Michigan's pilot program of drug-testing welfare recipients has failed to identify a single positive result, so Governor Snyder is now undertaking a pilot program which enables cops to pull over and administer a road-side drug test to those suspected to be black or poor under the influence of a drug other than good old alcohol.
A Parting Shot:

3 comments:

Gegner said...

While the theory of a 'united europe' is a sound one, economic penury is still an onus to whoever it is inflicted upon. Sort of returns us to the age old question 'At what price peace?'

Greedy monarchs throughout the ages have waged war on the continent in attempts to literally 'plunder' their neighbor's treasuries or resources...not for the common good but for the personal enrichment of whoever had the authority to declare war!

Again, if we don't put a stop to this insanity we risk extinction at our own hands.

And if we fail to reign in the 'greedy few' it's no less than we deserve.

Charles Kingsley Michaelson, III said...

You speak as though falling under the rule of the greedy few were either a new thing or optional, when it is, if you will, the rule.

We are a poorly yclept species.

Gegner said...

True that, it is without pretention that I point out we are neck deep in stupid around here and (after a mad scramble for my trusty Funk & Wagnalls) I'd have to concur, it would be humorous if it weren't so tragic!