Job training program for military spouses in jeopardy - EarthLink - Top News

So, this little article caught my eye this afternoon. It is just one further example of how little the Bush administration actually cares for ordinary citizens. Bush will provide tax cuts for millionaires and corporate cronies, but nothing for those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder. The Democrats should take issues like this and trumpet them from the housetops. The louder the Dems shout and the harder they push now, even if the Administration manages to find a way to save this program, the Dems can claim that it was their work that actually forced Bush et al to keep this program going.

It is about time that Bush and his rich cronies (and all the other rich who benefit from Bush's largess) realize that their wealth comes at a price, and that price is paying a bigger chunk of the bill for maintaining our society. The elevation of greed to a "social good" over the past forty or so years needs to be re-examined and reversed. Personally, I think the marginal tax rate for income over (arbitrary number follows) $500,000 should be 90%. If one doesn't want to pay that level of taxes, then one should charge less for one's goods and/or services so that one doesn't make that much. Then maybe prices would come down and we would all be better off.

How does one Exorcise a computer?

Sometimes I do think that these machines have a consciousness of which we are, at the moment, in the main unaware. To wit, yesterday, I was hustling to get the Carnival out before I went in to work, but, after doing all the necessary tagging of links here in word, the Blogger plug-in suddenly decided that it would not recognize my blog. No matter what I did, it would not connect to Blogger. So, finally in desperation, I copied the word file over to the Blogger space and then went back and cut and pasted all the necessary html tags. As a result, I was late to work, and I ended up with the wrong Carnival number in the title. And my blood pressure went up about 20 points which is definitely not good! In a pique, I deleted the Blogger tool bar while casting aspersions on the ancestry of those who had designed it.

So, today I open up Word for an entirely different task, and there staring me in the eyeballs, is the Blogger toolbar. I blink. Then I click on the Settings button. There is nothing in the Username/password boxes, so I filled them in. And then, because I’m the adventurous sort, I clicked on the “Open Post” button. Well, imagine my surprise when the damn thing worked. What is this? When I have no particular need, it works, but when I really, really need it to perform it balks? I’m sorry…there must be some sort of malevolent consciousness behind this sort of behavior.

I look at this machine with a new set of eyes. Every now and then I mutter warding chants…just in case.  

This post has been generated by the same bloody program that absolutely refused to function yesterday. In the interim, I have done nothing to change it. This is all too bleedin' strange.

Carnival of New Jersey Bloggers #46

Hey, hey, hey…gather ‘round here. Come on up, sonny, don’t be shy. Right in here

we have some truly astonishing wonders for your edification and amazement. So, just step right in and see….

In our first exhibit, The Contrarian shines the spotlight on the “cat people” who live among us ordinary folk. Next we have Rob holding forth on the subject of Thai flavored potato chips. I have to wonder about where the “people” who prefer these to good old-fashioned plain potato chips really come from, don’t you?

Moving right along we present today’s super-hero, the modern American Mom as described by Ms Elizabeth. Next we have a peek at a trip to the supermarket. I must admit that my idea of grocery shopping was formed when I was quite young. I read Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon in which the hero tried to see how fast he could get in and out of a supermarket: the faster the better. That has been my philosophy ever since…But wait, let me direct your attention over here where Sluggo documents his move from the political left to the political right. I told you we had things which might strain your credulity. But now let’s move along—quickly now, time marches on.

Right around the corner here, we have Schadenfreude’s take on one of the problems facing local law enforcement. The thin blue line seems to be getting thinner by the day, eh? And, over here, (move along, son, move along…) the Gigglechick wants to show you the upside of being stalked. In stark contrast to that bit of humor, Sharon brings us another dire threat to our environment which she thinks we need to be aware of. And in a similar sober vein, Fausta brings us a Blogburst on the subject of Guillermo Fariñas. I don’t know about you, but all this is news to me…

And now, let’s take a minute and refresh ourselves with a bit of beauty from Dimitri.

OK, that’s enough refreshing. We have a schedule to keep here. The next group is forming up behind us so we have to move along, move along…

Jim over at Jersey Beat wants us to know about the music scene here in Joisey. Thanks, Jim. Meanwhile Tata is having fun with groundhogs (who, to the best of my knowledge are not the “third white meat”…for what my knowledge is worth…), and Tom is angsting about the current issue of Free Inquiry (it contains some of those Danish cartoon which so angered the Muslim world community) (Aside: Tom, I happen to work for B&N and let me tell you that my store did have 5 copies, our normal order, in on Friday. Free speech is alive and well at B&N.)

Steve…Lambo’s…*sigh* I once drove a Shelby Cobra across the Key Memorial Bridge in Washington D.C. By the time I hit Virginia, I was clocking well over 100mph and was still in third…I think that’s when I became an adrenalin junkie. Speaking of Lambo’s, I guess one doesn’t really want to drive one in Camden, eh, Chanice? And right next door to the hijinx in Camden, we have Newark’s mayoralty race compliments of Lawhawk. Ya gotta love Sharp James. People like him make life more interesting…As do Princesses of Little Italy, right Maureen? And, Lynne, all you have to do to link to a specific post, is click the “permalink” link, right? Anyhow, Lynne seems to have inadvertently eaten a Bambiburger (I had a friend in Maine who loved to feed his unsuspecting guests Bambi burgers. It was great fun…ha, ha…)

Tom (another Tom, not the first Tom) has embraced the teachings of Sun Tzu and wants to share them with the rest of us. Go to it, my friend, I like Sun Tzu, too. Peter wants to go to Andalucia, and, for that, I have to stand up and applaud. (You think somebody who goes by the handle “Zorro” doesn’t have ties, however tenuous to Espana? You bet I do!)

OK, hang in there a little longer, we are now getting to some of the weirder stuff in our exhibit this week. First we have the spectacle of censorship by the very people who should be defending the right to freedom of speech and ideas. NYU should be ashamed as Ronald so aptly points out. Speaking of speech, next door we have talking pigs…maybe the talking pigs should go to NYU…Jane wants to show us that there is some hope for democracy in the Middle East (yeah, right…), and, finally, Jorge wants us to know that there is “Someone in the Republican party who realizes that making something that is illegal, legal, is wrong, and that it is bad policy”

So, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, that’s it for this week’s carnival. Please leave quietly by the exit below. And, after leaving the carnival, please do peruse some of your genial host’s posts. They can be seen by simply scrolling down a little further. Thanks for your time and do come back again next week when the Carnival will be hosted by Confessions of a Jersey Goddess.

PS I originally did this in Word using the Blogger plug-in...and the *&^%%$$$ thing crashed on me. So I had to redo it by hand...it sucked. I hate it when things crash.

PPS And I mistakenly called this Carnival #42 when, in fact, it is #46...but that that point I was pretty much frothing at the mouth so it's lucky I called it anything. And Nordette is not hosting it next week: next week it is being hosted by DynamoBuzz, but do go check out Nordette's Blog and this link which she sent me last night but I seem to have misplaced. *sigh*