What we deserve?

“In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.”

It was either Alexis de Tocqueville or Hunter S. Thompson who penned the preceding phrase, depending on which source you believe. Also could have been William Shakespeare or Thomas Jefferson.

It matters not who said it, I believe the principal to be true.

Note that the quote says “the people” and not just “people.” It’s a collective statement. If you’re the only person with any brains living on an island of idiots, you might not necessarily get the government you deserve. But your society as a whole, does.

I can’t help but wonder how many of you felt I was talking about them specifically in the last paragraph. I won’t ask for a show of hands, though. There was apparently plenty of hand raising last week. But that’s neither here nor there.

It could be said that in this quasi-capitalist society in which we live, the people get the customer service they deserve. After all, what is capitalism but democracy with dollar bills?

Could it be said that the people get the health care they deserve? Really? Could we be so screwed up as a whole that we deserve the broken mess we have?

Cause let’s face it, the health care system is broken from the top down. Or might it be from the bottom up. Really, who is to blame? The system? Or the system?

Yes, I realize I said system twice. The first system was the insurance carriers and the health care providers. The second system referred to us, the users.

Surely there is enough blame to go around. Yes, the insurance industry reeks of greed. I know of no other industry where you pay for something … and then have to pay extra if you actually use it. Anyone who’s been to a hospital lately can attest to the fact that something is amiss there. You’ve got  doctors and nurses answering to lawyers and bean-counters as if that somehow makes sense to anyone … other than the lawyers and bean-counters. It is, however, the “us” part of the equation that concerns me most. For I am not an insurance executive, nor a doctor, nor a bean counter. I am – for better or worse – part of the collective, “the people.”

So in steps government to fix things. The democratically elected government. The one we deserve.

God help us all.

Truly, one of the few things on the planet that I detest more than lawyers is politicians. Maybe it’s because such a large percentage of them are actually just reformed lawyers.

I tend to believe less government is best, and as such abhor government involvement in most aspects of my life. I can only imagine what Thomas Jefferson would have thought of his government running the health care industry. I’ve been to President Jefferson’s grave. I imagine if I revisited it, I could hear him rolling over in it.

After all, it was definitely Jefferson who said, “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned – this is the sum of good government.”

I tend to agree with the Democrats that the health care system is broken. I just don’t tend to agree with their idea on how to fix it.

But mine is a lonely voice, drown out by the collective, getting the government – and the health care – that “the people” deserve.

Bird war gets political!

OMFG! I can’t believe it.

The birds are at it again, this time attempting political assassination of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Now, you may call the “bird strike” mere coincidence, but it was Mayor Bloomberg who ordered the execution of hundreds of Canada Geese following the takedown of flight 1549 back in January.

The mayor, a pilot himself, did not comment.

For more, click here.

Dialog show notes for Sept 1 (and podlink)

Today’s guest was Dave Mongielo, business owner and candidate for supervisor in the Town of Lockport. Dave and I talked about his sign and the difficulty the Town has given him about it. We also talked about Transit North, the IDA and WalMart.

Dave’s website is MyLockport.com. If you want more info about him or other things in the town, check there. If you missed the show, a link to the podcast is below.

Dialog 090109 – Dave Mongielo

Also, if you’re interested in Town politics, you’ll want to know that Donna Pieszala will be on Dialog next Thursday, September 10.

Of course, I’d be happy to have any political candidate in … be they challengers or incumbents.

Hey look! Podcasts …

The show podcasting sort of ebbs and flows. Sometimes I slack a little bit … then I do my best to catch up. Well, last week, I did some catching up. Mind you, I’m not completely caught up (that’s a goal for this week), but I had a couple shows that I thoroughly enjoyed last week and wanted to get them online so they could be enjoyed by anyone who might have missed them.

Dialog 082809 – More Starpoint

Scott continues where the previous day left off, playing a clip of him being chastised by a Starpoint student … and talking with Brad Riter about the issue.

Dialog 082709 – Starpoint

Scott is irritated at the lackluster effort put forth by the education system. Most callers agree. But one young caller thinks Scott is off his rocker.

Dialog 082609 – Ted Kennedy and more

Scott discusses the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy … and other general idiocy.

Dialog 082509 – John D’Onofrio

Johnny D from the US&J sits in.

Dialog 082409 – Confer and more

It’s Monday … so Scott talks Albany issues with Bob Confer.

Dialog 082109 – Trainwreck

This show went awry quickly. Scott regroups and starts over – midway through.

Caution: Stupid at work!

For anyone who wondered whether New York State’s legislative bodies were completely worthless, we got our answer. And it’s a resounding yes. That answer came in the form of a new law banning texting while driving. Now, some of you may think that a ban on texting while driving is a good thing. Personally, I think the ban itself is silly, but that’s not the part that’s stupid. The real stupidity is that the legislature – in their infinite wisdom – decided to make the texting ban a “secondary law.” Basically, you can’t be pulled over for texting while driving. You have to be committing some other violation simultaneously. So … what’s the point? The point is to make points, I believe. This is feel-good legislation at its worst. It’s exactly the type of thing that I did NOT miss while the Senate was on their little sabbatical. Pass a law to appease people, mainly the law enforcement community and the families whose lives have been touched by tragedy concerning texting-while-driving … but make sure there’s no real teeth to it. It’s akin to telling a friend you’ll help them move … and then not showing up to actually help. But never fear … the US Senate is here … kind of. Under the leadership of our very own Chuck Schumer, the is putting together legislation that would require states to pass laws banning text messaging or lose 25 percent of their federal highway funds. There goes the US government again … holding states hostage with a threat to withhold federal funding. They do the same thing with speed limits. This, in fact, has come up on Dialog on a number of occasions. See, the feds can’t impose laws on states. But they can bribe or blackmail states with threats of witholding money. Some states have actually had the fortitude to tell the US Gov’t to pound salt. How very. I’m not sure why, but texting seems to be the new boogie man. First it was marijuana. Then the Communists. Now … texting. Texting accident stories are popping up on the internet like shark attack stories seem to multiply each year. Here’s a clue for you: Texting is NOT the problem. Stupid is the problem. Just as it’s the problem with the NY Assembly and the NY Senate and the US Senate … it’s the problem with the American people. Some people just aren’t bright enough to multi-task. Me? I can text while driving. I do it all the time. Texting with my right hand, smoking with my left hand. Steering with my knee. And changing the radio with whatever is left. Oh, and I speed. Guess what? Never been in an accident. Know why? Cause I’m capable. But the laws are not geared towards capable people. They’re geared to the lowest common denominator. So what we’ve got here … is stupid people creating stupid laws … to keep other stupid people from getting in car crashes. Seriously, I commented on radio today that we should be able to test for certain things – add-ons, if you will – to your drivers’ license. Want a license to text? Put it in the test. If you can text while parallel parking, it’s all good. Want a license to speed? Just be tested for it. Personally, I’d like a license to completely ignore traffic laws. They are – for the most part – arbitrary. And I hate arbitrary laws. Of course, I hate laws, period. I think they’re stupid. But that’s another blog post for another day.

George Maziarz is full of it …

Today’s show dealt with everyone’s favorite State Senator, George Maziarz, who was on WLVL’s news this morning lamenting the fact that Governor David Paterson has decided to appoint a new Lt. Gov. in order to break the senate stalemate.

Maziarz said the action was illegal … and wanted to know why Paterson didn’t do it a year ago.

Maziarz is full of it. Always. He had over a decade in the majority and got what done? Nothing. Just a continued circling of the drain. But some people are just in love with the guy, evidenced by the comments on this facebook post. (you have to be my Facebook friend to see it)

But today’s hypocrisy is something to behold. He’s upset that Paterson has come up with a solution to the state senate deadlock … which Maziarz, himself, is responsible for. He was proud to admit that he was one of the architects of the “coup,” but now wants to blame Paterson for wanting to fix it?

Of course, the best way to get my point of view on this is to listen to the podcast, which you can do by clicking here.

Dialog show notes and podcast link 070809

So Wednesday was the Niagara County Historical Society’s turn on Dialog. They’re on once a month – the second Wednesday. The plan this month was for Melissa Dunlap to bring Barb and Nelson Collie with her to talk about the upcoming events in Olcott. But wires got crossed and with minutes to go before the show started, I said, “let’s wing it.”

So we did.

Melissa mentioned something going on at the History Center talking about “Hobo marks” or some such thing. I’ve always been amused by the word “hobo,” so I took it and ran with it. Why, for example, do we have homeless people here in Western New York when they could be living in Miami? As amused as I am by the word, “hobo,” however, I can’t seem to pronounce it. I accidentally said “homo” at one juncture. Yeah. So not what I meant.

Melissa also brought up “King Harvest” and their song, “Dancing in the Moonlight.” Lots of callers called in with little known facts about the band. Was fun.

Click here for the podcast.

And be sure to tune in tomorrow when I mispronounce “truck.”

Dialog podcast for July 7, 2009

Tuesday I began discussing government misconduct, especially the use of the Buffalo City Seal by Mayor Byron Brown during a non-profit charity event … and the seemingly-coercive methods used to get city hall employees to carry Brown’s water.

Then – as happens often – the show turned on a dime and callers lamented the ruling in the Wilson sexual abuse case. Sorry, can’t … won’t … call it hazing.

Anyway, to listen (and I hope you do) click this here link, yo … and enjoy.

Ha!

Yup. That. Really. Happened.

This was my favorite YTRH of the day.

Read it out loud and try not throwing up in your mouth a little bit.

MICHAEL JACKSON IMMORTALIZED IN BUTTER? YES, IT’S TRUE

We’re not sure if this is in poor taste, but the organizers of the Iowa State Fair plan to carve a life-size sculpture of Michael Jackson out of butter.Organizers say it will act as a tribute to the King of Pop. It will reside next to a butter sculpture of a cow that acts as an annual attraction.

M-J performed twice at the fair in 1971 with The Jackson Five.

(originally reported by the Associated Press)