This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Hondo

  • Some Still “Get It”

    As you get older you get somewhat hardened by life.  You deal with disappointments, betrayal, the “system”.  You learn that you don’t always get what you think you deserve, and that what is “right and good” isn’t always what happens.

    So as you age you tend to take on a more cynical view of life.  You develop a thicker skin; you learn to deal with disappointment.  You expect bad things in the world around you, and from people in general.

    You have little choice.  The reality is that the world is full of stupid people – and of those who don’t give a damn about doing the right thing.  Reality rubs your nose in those facts.

    Then something happens that reminds you that there are still some left who “get it” – who embody class, respect, and doing the right thing.  That there are still some proverbial “good guys” left.

    Some time ago, I was forwarded two photos.  They speak for themselves.

    The first is a photo taken at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial – the Wall.

    I’ve been there once.  From photos and descriptions, as a young man I thought the design was foolish and inappropriate.

    Damn – was I naive.

    A few years ago, I visited the Wall.  In person, the somber, quiet dignity of that monument hits harder and makes more of an impact than I can describe.  But that’s another story altogether.

    Back on topic:  the first photo shows one panel of the Wall.  Reflected in it are the images of the photographer and two of his friends or family members.  The names are fairly clear, but in the softcopy of the photo I have not all of them are readable.

    At first glance, there’s nothing special going on here.

    Then you notice, at the bottom of the segment, three small 3×5 notecards resting against the black stone of the Wall.  The second photo is a closeup of one of these notecards.

    If the name at the bottom seems familiar – it should.  The card was signed by General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret), former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  The note was written the day he retired.

    Military leaders don’t make it very far without the support and effort of their subordinates.  Some forget that fact along the way, as well as where they came from.

    Looks like General Pace never forgot.

  • Veteran’s Day

    Today is Veteran’s Day.  And it’s a good time to reflect not only on service, but on how we as a nation have honored it.

    Until relatively recently we really didn’t do such a good job of doing that as a nation.  Historically, we did a decent job of remembering and honoring those who died – but not so much those who served and lived.

    Veteran’s Day is actually one of the youngest US holidays.  And it’s purpose was not always what we celebrate today.

    In fact, what we today celebrate as Veteran’s Day on 11 November was not originally even called Veteran’s Day.  It also was not originally a holiday to celebrate the service of all US military veterans.

    In its original incarnation, it was Armistice Day.  Its original purpose was to commemorate the “heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory” in World War I.

    The holiday’s purpose, but not its name, was again changed in 1938 when Congress formally declared Armistice Day a Federal holiday.  Now the purpose of the holiday was “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace”.  The date remained fixed as 11 November.

    The current Veteran’s Day owes its existence to one Raymond Weeks of Birmingham, Alabama.  In 1945, Weeks – a World War II veteran – began a campaign to change the purpose of the holiday then called Armistice Day to a day honoring the service of all US military veterans.  In 1954, Congress did so, and also changed the name of the holiday to “Veteran’s Day”.  The date of 11 November was retained.

    Weeks was honored by President Reagan in 1982 for being the driving force behind the creation of today’s Veteran’s Day.  Reagan honored Weeks via presenting him the Presidential Citizenship Medal – the nation’s second-highest civilian decoration.

    Veteran’s Day is one of the four US Federal holidays with a fixed date – 11 November.  (The other three are New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July, and Christmas.  The other Federal holidays have fixed calendar slots – e.g., Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November – but not fixed dates.)  Veteran’s Day is being observed this year on Monday solely due to the longstanding policy of observing a Federal holiday the preceding day (Friday) when a fixed-date holiday falls on a Saturday and the following day (Monday) when a fixed date holiday falls on a Sunday.

    Best Veteran’s Day wishes to all of TAH’s readers.  And special thanks to all Veterans who have served honorably.

  • Speaking of Depressing Economic News . . .

    . . . it appears that now approximately 22% of the US population is enrolled in Medicaid.  Not Medicare – Medicaid.  That’s the joint Federal-state program for the indigent.

    Yes, you read that right.  More than 1 out of 5 people living in the US are getting their healthcare paid for courtesy of the US taxpayer because they’re considered “indigent”.

    That comes to roughly 70.4 million individuals.  Oh,  and did I mention that the definition of “indigent” for Medicaid purposes gets significantly easier to meet in 2014 – when the earning threshold for qualification goes from poverty level to 133% of poverty level?

    Sadly, that’s not the whole story.  Add Medicare recipients who are not indigent, and I’d guess the total today is over 100 million people who are getting their healthcare paid for courtesy of Uncle Sam as an unearned entitlement.  (In 2010 approximately 27.5 million of the 47+ million Medicare enrollees were above poverty level and thus did not qualify for Medicaid.)

    Why is this bad? Just remember economics in 9 words – TANSTAAFL.  And I don’t think I have to tell you who’s picking up the bill for all of this.

    If you’ve got any doubts, remember the above when the next round of Federal and state tax hikes hits.  Because mark my words – another round of tax hikes is coming.

    And when those tax hikes hit, there’s a good chance it won’t only be psychologically depressing.

  • More PETA Propaganda

    Here’s a copy of the asinine ad that PETA plans to put on billboards near Nevada schools:

    They’ve apparently already placed similar billboard ads near schools in Canada, and plan to do the same near schools in California.

    I hope they ask some kid and he or she tells them, “Because turkey tastes great!”

    Idiots.

  • And In the “ObamaCare” Fallout Department . . .

    . . . well, it looks like it’s already started.  Here they are – job cuts announced or planned to date by businesses specifically due to AHCA mandates.  Numbers are full-time positions to be cut:

    • Welch Allyn – 275 (approx 10% of their workforce)
    • Dana Holding Corp – estimated to be approx $24 million over 6 years, or $4M per year (no firm number given besides the 6 or so in management who’ve gotten the ax so far)
    • Stryker  – 5% of global workforce (aprox 1,170)
    • Boston Scientific – between 1,200 and 1,400 US jobs (investment focus and hiring will shift to China)
    • Medtronic – 1,000
    • Smith & Nephew – 770
    • Abbott Labs – 700
    • Covidien – 595
    • Kinetic Concepts – 427
    • St. Jude Medical – 300
    • Hill Rom – 200

    That’s over 6,700 full-time jobs getting the axe so far – plus however many jobs $24 million in payroll equates to at Dana Holding.  Assuming an average salary of $90k and allowing +1/3 for benefits, that comes to another 200.

    Above and beyond those reductions, many other companies are actively looking for ways to reduce current or future workers’ hours.  Seems as if the AHCA penalty calculation formula doesn’t count part-time workers – so replacing a full-time worker with two part-timers is now really a net plus for the company.  Companies that are looking at doing exactly this (e.g., reducing many workers to 28 hours weekly or less) include the following:

    • Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster/Olive Garden/Longhorn)
    • JANCOA Janitorial Services
    • Kroger

    The reductions identified above are, of course, only the beginning.  So if you’re hoping to find a full-time job some time in the foreseeable future – well, your search likely just got a whole lot harder.

    Each of these reductions will also have a ripple effect due to forced reductions in spending by those who lose jobs or who saw their hours reduced.  The overall net effect will be to reduce business activity overall – leading to more cutbacks and layoffs in other industries affected by that reduced spending.

    And this doesn’t include pending cuts due to sequestration, targeted Federal budget cuts, and the like.

    Yeah, looks  it looks like we’re in for really good times.  Laissez les bon temps rouler!

    (For the perception-challenged, yes – the last two sentences were indeed sarcasm.)

  • Another Sinclair Update

    Provided without comment, other than to say that it appears some of the rumors concerning the conduct leading to the case are true.

  • Everybody Knows, That the World Is Full of Stupid People . . .

    And now we know where at least one of them lives:  Henderson, NV.

    Nevada, like many states, allows early voting.  Seems as if one lady in Henderson – Roxanne Reuben – decided she’d take advantage and vote early.  She did.

    She apparently liked the experience.  In fact, apparently she liked it so much she tried to do it again the same day – at a different early voting location.

    There was just one small problem.   She tried vote both times using her own name.

    Oops.

    I guess she didn’t realize that some systems do near-real-time updates.  And the one used by NV for early voting apparently does that.

    She wasn’t allowed to vote the second time.  And authorities weren’t too amused by her attempt, either.

    Ms. Rubin is now facing felony charges related to her little escapade.  Full details can be found in this article.

    What a dumbass.

    Unfortunately, it appears she’s not the only idiot out there.  At least one other similar incident is under investigation.

  • Remember That Little Incident in Benghazi?

    Yeah, I do too.  And the folks who were on the ground in Benghazi say what’s coming out of DC isn’t exactly matching up with what they saw.

    Specifically, they say that the timeline which has been released by DC of events that night is not accurate.  They say that the CIA Annex was notified considerably earlier than 9:40PM (local) that there was a problem; that it was obvious several hours prior that an attack was possible; that the local guard force panicked and/or fled before the attack; and that the safe room where Ambassador Stevens was killed was not set up properly, lacking ventilation and fire suppression.  In other words:

    Both American and British sources said, at the very least, the security situation on the ground and the lack of proper response were the result of “complete incompetence.”

    But that’s not all:

    Both American and British sources say multiple roadblocks set up by fighters believed to be with Ansar al-Sharia were in place in Benghazi several hours before the 9:40 p.m. timeline and that communications also alluded to “heavily armed troops showing up with artillery.” Fox News was told by both American and British contacts who were in Benghazi that night that the CIA timeline rolled out this past week is only “loosely based on the truth” and “doesn’t quite add up.”

    The same sources also indicate that armed UAVs were indeed readily available in the area.  They also dispute the assertion that other US military assets (FA-18s or AC-130s) were “not available’.

    We now appear to have a couple of contradictory stories.  One is coming from DC; the other is coming from people who were actually there.

    Which story do you think is more likely to be closer to the truth?