Damned If You Do...

It appears that President Obama can't seem to catch a break.

Ultra-liberals say that he's not liberal enough. Ultra-conservatives say that he's too liberal.

Last night's State of the Union address is usually one event where the president lays out his plans for the coming year and beyond. Obama stated that bringing jobs back is job one, that the party's over for Wall Street, and that he's starting to mean business. But the Huffington Post's Arianna Huffington says that the speech was too "paint-by-poll-numbers". Fox News' Kevin McCullough says that the speech- and Obama himself- was too arrogant and defiant.

I thought these folks wanted more definace and attitude from our 44th Chief Executive. This comes to show that this president has gotten a bit sick and tired of trying to please everyone. Sure, he'll continue to work for the American people, but on his own terms, and in his way. And when those jobs start coming back to America, they'll be wanting to fellate him- or prepare volleys of accusations (of too much Affirmative Action and playing favorites, etc.).

Perhaps we would have been better off  electing that fossil John McCain into office- but then you'll hear accusations of creating the third term of George W. Bush. Like the title says...

(C) MMX, by Darren W. Alexander
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What Will Apple Release?

It's that question I ask yearly when Apple does one of its "surprise" events: What will Steve Jobs and Company release this time? You've heard the news about the people from Cupertino releasing a "tablet Mac", one that will revolutionize mobile computing, and- in some cases- be a standard bearer for all others to follow. Reportedly, the screen will be 10-11", have a virtual keyboard, and even be used for gaming (hey, all work and no play makes Darren a dull guy...). I checked on my Facebook page Saturday afternoon and saw that a local BMW dealership had "jumped the gun" on what the tablet will look like. Don't believe me? Click here to: http://www.kunibmw.com/MiscPage_9. I'm not buying this hype, mainly because the person who provided this dealership a picture may not even have the picture right. And as I said on my Facebook page Saturday, Apple may not even release the damn thing. So, I'm going to wait until Steve Jobs hits that stage at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, California, and physically shows us what Apple has created.

I'll be back this afternoon to give you my thoughts on this.

(C)MMX, by Darren W. Alexander
All Rights Reserved.

Why I Voted No On Measures 66 and 67

Today, here in Oregon, we voters are deciding on whether to approve Ballot Measures 66 and 67, which upon passage, will authorize the $733 million (USD) tax increase that the lawmakers in Salem approved last summer. Measure 66 will tax individuals who make $125,000 or more, and couples who make $250,000 or more. Measure 67 raises the corporate minimum tax from the current $10 annually, to $150 annually. Proponents say that this money will go for education, social services, and public safety.

However, I beg to differ.

• We're in a recession, and it's not a good time to raise taxes right now. Not with so many people out of work. Oregon has the second highest unemployment rate (Michigan, at 14.6%  has the highest rate. That number is the December rate )
• Salem has been doing an effective job playing around with taxpayers' money. Did you know that our state police force has been decimated, and that there are less than five cruisers at one given time on Oregon highways. Which means that if someone drives drunk, someone else will become a casualty.
• The middle class- which 66 and 67 purports to help- will suffer in the end, mainly because the costs will trickle down to anyone who doesn't live in the West Hills or (Portland suburb) Lake Oswego.
• State lawmakers gave themselves a pay raise. In the tune of $259 million (USD).

This is why I voted against both measures. Because if the state- and particularly the current governor, Theodore Kulongoski (or as some of us call him, "Tax-and-Gouge Me", or "Governor Colonoscopy")- keeps treating using our money for trips to Vegas and those mini mansions, instead of lowering the unemployment rate, Oregon's going to hell in a handbasket. Besides, I think the talk of schools having to cut the number of days in the school year, and social services being cut is just overstated. There is always a way to keep services afloat, and school years intact. 

Raising taxes is not the way. 

(C) MMX by Darren W. Alexander

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Massachusetts Senate Race Close

The free-for-all that is the US senate seat to replace the late Edward Kennedy's senate seat has already turned into a fiasco.

Democrat Martha Coakley has alleged that ballots were tampered with, and she has asked state attorney general William Galvin to look into the matter. Meanwhile, the race, according to sources- including CNN- is a close one, with Republican Scott Brown holding a lead over Coakley. What's really at stake is the domestic agenda of President Obama, most notably, the health care fight that continues. If Brown wins, the Democrats in the Senate will be one seat short of avoiding any fillibusters. This means that the Democrats will have to step up their game, especially given the fact that many are facing challenges in efforts to get re-elected this year.

(C)MMX, by Darren W. Alexander
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Who's a Blockhead, Rush?

Pat Robertson's comments about Haiti were bad enough. Now comes Rush Limbaugh. You know, that bloated fat fuck who recently had a heart attack, and praised the hospital and health care that he so much hates. Here on MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann", Olbermann rips Robertson for his asinine comments, and Rush for saying that President Obama is using the Haiti disaster for political gain, and- wait for it!- elevating the black-skinned among us:


MiniRtist/MSNBC/YouTube


MSNBC/Hello Walter Sobchak/YouTube

What gets me is what Rush says about Obama's responding to the Detroit terrorist wannabe. Yes, it took three days for the president to respond, and yes, he seemed pretty irritated that he had to respond. What president- Republican or Democrat- wouldn't be? Rush and Pat are just mad that the Haitian people were dealt with a double whammy- poverty was rampant before Tuesday's earthquake claimed an estimated 50,000 or more lives. It's "Shame on President Obama for wanting to show compassion." Bah humbug, Rush and Pat. This shows that you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. Now, say that a Republican president were in office- say, President John McCain. How would he respond? Promptly? Or like his fellow Republican, George W. Bush, who took three days to respond to the devastation that New Orleans suffered under Hurricane Katrina nearly five years ago? I almost think that Rush should have died of that heart attack, but then he'd be a martyr for the conservative movement. Like I said, "you're damned if you do, damned if you don't."

(C)MMX, by Darren W. Alexander.
All Rights Reserved.

Pete Carroll Reportedly Going To Seattle Seahawks

I'm still hyperventilating over the news that the USC Trojans head football coach, Pete Carroll, may have signed a deal to be president and head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. This comes after Jim Mora was fired from the Seahawks, after posting an 5-11 season. Somewhere, my friend David Schreiber- a USC alum- is blowing a gasket (and demanding to St. Peter and the Deity that he come down and smack some sense into Carroll). Yes, he's worked with several NFL teams- including a season of head coaching the New York Jets (He was fired after posting a 6-12 record). He's very tenured at the University of Southern California, with consistently winning seasons.

The story is still developing, so stay tuned.

(C)MMX, by Darren W. Alexander
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