A Simple Palliative To Assuage the Conscience of Folks Who Wish to Be Good Citizens . . .

There's a certain faction within the Democratic Party (like nearly the whole party), that seem to feel Americans, especially those of means, are undertaxed. They argue that our tax code has become terribly unprogressive, and as everyone knows, the best things in life are progressive.

But, there's a simple method to decrease this regressivity, and increase the progressivity of the current system without altering a single line of tax code.

My simple suggestion is that all good Democrats of means should fire all their tax accountants. Pay all the taxes you owe, pay more than you owe, don't claim a single deduction, don't go searching for a single loophole, don't duck your share of the burden imposed by a caring and progressive government that yearns to provide all things to all people.

Given the amount of free monies they have to throw at a variety of candidates, I would imagine many of these folks could easily afford to pay the full tax rate at their income level without taking any deductions. Send it with a note to the IRS letting them know that the IRS should keep the excess payment and not seek to send a refund check.

Furthermore, as many of these progressive politicians are also campaigning for easing the income cap on Social Security payments, I would humbly suggest that they also voluntarily pay into that wonderful system 15.3% of all their income, with no cap, whether they make $98,000 a year, or $980,000. I realize that's the rate for the self-employed, and it's combined SS (12.4% capped at $97,500) and Medicare (2.9%, currently uncapped), but as both funding retirees and providing health care to all are laudable goals, I think any reasonably progressive person shouldn't flinch at paying the full rate that self employed entrepreneurs are currently expected to pay. Right now the cap is at $97,500, but I think every Senator (and former Senator) running in the Democratic primary who has taken a stand on this issue has pledged to work towards raising that cap (Hillary was a bit cagey with her answer, only Gov. Richardson rejected the idea). Why wait for legislation? Pay that money now.

The truly progressive thing to do would be to cut that check for the full 15.3% and enjoy the heartwarming feeling of knowing that you selflessly contributed to extending the solvency of that program into the latter decades of the 21st century. Couple that with not taking a single deduction with a top tax rate of 35% (on incomes above $336,551 for individuals, or joint filing couples), and these folks can happily cut a check for 50.3% of every dollar they take in. Given the number of wealthy Democrats in this nation, this simple measure by the committed, wealthy progressive would theoretically greatly increase the government's coffers.

There's nothing stopping these folks from leading by example, until they do so, I won't hear a thing they're saying on this issue.

What He Lacks in Coherence, He More Than Makes Up For in Insanity . . .

Ahhh, Steven Weber, how do I love thee, let me count the ways . . .

Here's some highlights of his most recent missive entitled, "Getting It Off My Chest (or Channeling Andy Rooney On Peyote)"

I hate these fucks, with their secret agendas and insatiable thirsts to control all the energy and all the money and all the people. I loathe them for not being able to cope with inadequate genitalia. If I can, you can! Jesus, get over it!

My take-away from that paragraph is that Steven Weber will never be doing a 'full frontal' scene. Personally, I'm relieved, and not at all disappointed.

It's strange to me how it's all come to this. It would be as if the affable owner of a general store where everyone in the neighborhood bought their goods and sundries, this guy who knew you by your first name and patted kids on the head and didn't crap a flat tire if you needed some credit, all of a sudden felt that it was utter anathema to have such a calling and shifted from avuncular to nucular overnight, charging exorbitant fees for bubble gum and isopropyl alcohol and taking it upon himself to torch the competing establishment a block away. And then somehow blame his customers for it.

My take-away from that paragraph is, 'Huhh?!?'. It's really like that? I'd buy myself some land in Costa Rica, stock it with Bond-Villain style concubine/bodyguards and leave Ameruhkkka to the fundanutters if I believed as Steven Weber seems to believe.

And why are all the assholes in charge? Why do they have all the guns and conscripted armies and get to go to summits and fund weapons research? How about developing a music gun? Or a fruit bomb? Drop some fucking fruit bombs on pissed off radicals and get 'em all hopped up on vitamin c and anti-oxidents or whatever the hell and just call it a day? And if the douchebags really want to they can wear crowns or sashes or tiny flag lapel pins if it makes 'em feel like big men.

In the Weberverse, the draft is clearly still on, and aging passive-aggressive comedic character actors have the highest lottery numbers. Uncle Jam wants you Steven Weber, he wants you to Funk With Him.

I realise Weber is low hanging fruit (or given his inadequate genitalia, not so low hanging), but sometimes it's fun to examine just what is coming out of the fevered swamp of 'progressive-land'.

If somehow the Democrats keep hold the legislative and win the executive branch of government in 2008, I can gaurantee I'll have some pointed comments to make about the legislation they're likely to pass, but I can't imagine every spewing this sort of sputtery nonsense, or display a hatred towards the people that elected them.

This is mainly here as a reminder to all those in "fly-over" land, that the folks that surround me in La-La Land and work in the Dream Factory really hate you, deeply, passionately, and would ignore you completely if they didn't want your money so damn bad. If films that only played on the coasts could gross $250M instead of struggling to make $5M then you'd never see a 'crowd-pleasing' blockbuster again. But they'll sneak as much America-hating rhetoric into the margins of those films as they can get away with. Ex-military always have PTSD and are a little too gun crazy. There's always corruption at the top. Hot chicks always work for 'progressive' causes. And it's always about THE OIL.

They can't comprehend why all you 'non-coastals' haven't embraced every 'progressive' position and whim over the past few decades (they've implanted those concepts in every conceivable media, yet you still resist, why?), and they really can't understand how you could find Jeff Foxworthy entertaining (OK, I'm with my La-La brethren on that one, but that doesn't mean I hate y'all).

I'm Well On My Way to Becoming Steven Weber's Biggest Fan!!!

If it's the case -- and hell, we're talking about the Bush administration here! -- then that can only mean the short, exciting life of the United States is almost at an end. Because it is become insane. And its leaders are amoral. And its actions are erratic. And its last days will be spent cringing angrily, clinging to souvenirs of victories past.

From Steven Weber's HuffPo post about Pat Tillman. I couldn't dream of coming up with rhetoric that ridiculous while satirizing insane left-think in a million years. I am in awe of his lack of reality (wait, sorry, he's 'reality based').

I think he's secretly a conservative, and only pretends to be an insane lefty in order to discredit that viewpoint. I can't explain this level of hatred otherwise. In a few short paragraphs his incandescent, unhinged, unreasoning, and immature tantrum about the current administration perfectly distills all that's wrong with 'progressive' America-hating paranoia.

Bravo to you Mr. Weber, you are the Maestro, again, Bravo!, Bravo!!, Bravo!!!

I Know Our City Is Run By Some Pretty Squirrelly People, But This Is Ridiculous

Afraid that a population explosion among squirrels in a city park could pose a public health risk, Santa Monica officials are ready to try a proven method of dealing with the problem: birth control shots.

Plans call for squirrels in Palisades Park to be injected with an immuno-contraceptive vaccine to stunt sexual development. Breeding season runs from February to April, but the inoculations will take place this summer when the squirrels are most active outdoors and easier to trap.

Santa Monica would be only the second city in the state, besides Berkeley, to try the immunization program.

From today's LA Times. Seriously folks, if you can capture the critters for birth control shots, you can kill them just as easily.

Squirrels hereabouts don't just have the potential to carry any old disease, they are potential carriers for the Bubonic Effin Plague for godsakes.

I really don't think a risk of having an outbreak of the Black Death is acceptable because some folks in this city think they have to be more humane in their efforts to control the population of these bushy tailed vermin.

Anyone surprised the only other city to be this stupid in California was Berkeley?

Also, the idea that birth control truly has been a 'proven method' seems doubtful. If it's such a 'proven method' why has the only city to try it been Berkeley? Most likely it's just a method 'proven' to appease the crazier of the craziest lefties within cities that are heavily infested with active lefties. My hunch is that the UC Davis 'study' cited in support of this wasn't done by an expert in the field of pest control, but instead by some animal activist masquerading as a scientist.

This part of the article gets to the heart of why they feel it's necessary to be so stupid

Squirrel overpopulation in Palisades Park has been an issue for the last 20 years. But the debate over what to do with the estimated 1,000 squirrels in the coastal park reached a boiling point in 2005, when the city set out poison-filled traps. Joining with other activists, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals complained to City Hall that the method was painful and illegal.

"Poisons cause immeasurable suffering and prolonged deaths for the animals who ingest them," the group contended.

In February 2006, when cited again, the city tried pumping poison gas into the deep burrows where the squirrels live.

After more public criticism, City Manager P. Lamont Ewell denounced the action, saying, "as a person who loves animals, my goal is to avoid having to reduce the population of squirrels in this manner ever again."

I prefer the approach in Riverside County, it's legal to shoot the squirrels outside of city limits, so long as it's with .22 or less caliber rifle. That's probably not practical here in densely populated Santa Monica, but at least it recognizes that these vermin are just rats with a better press agent. And really, I'd love to see a group like the Riverside Varmint Callers here, but that's also impossible.

Many assume that all of California is as 'blue state' as Santa Monica and Berkeley, but the truth is, there are plenty of folks in the non-coastal counties living the reddest of 'red state' lives right here in the Golden State.

The closing quote from the article says it all, what the journalist doesn't convey is whether the jogger quoted was being derisive or admiring of our city's 'progressive edge'

Resident Mike Sheldon, who was jogging in Palisades Park recently, said he for one was not surprised by the city's action.

"Only in a city like Santa Monica would you expect this kind of behavior," Sheldon said. "Even our squirrels are living on the progressive edge."