Oh, What A World!

Hello My Dear Friends. When did insanity become the norm? Did you hear about the Walmart stores in Louisiana that were overrun and cleaned out by welfare recipients who realized that a computer glitch had left their EBT cards with no limit? Yup. EBT or Electronic Benefit Transfer cards work like debit cards. They're what we replaced food stamps with, so as not to embarrass welfare recipients. Accepting public assistance is apparently embarrassing to those in need but taking advantage of the system is all well and good. So, after a glitch in the EBT system on Saturday left said cards with no limit, hundreds of people flocked to the local Walmart, some filling 8 to 10 grocery carts apiece. Most stores, when they realized the error, stopped accepting EBT cards until the problem was fixed. Not Walmart. Nope. They let people cash out hundreds and hundreds of taxpayer dollar funded transactions. Their food shelves were striped bare. When they announced that the problem had been corrected and the free for all was over, those still in the store simply walked away, leaving their overflowing carts in the aisles for Walmart to deal with. Who will end up footing the bill for this fiasco? That remains to be seen but I'm hoping it's Walmart. It's funny how the Government shutdown will affect Social Security and Veterans benefits but not the federally funded food stamps program. Anyway, a Nebraska high school principal last week cancelled the daily Pledge of Allegiance, citing the Government shutdown. Charming. School officials say they are investigating the "incident". Obamacare enrollment is in it's second week. To date, according to the UK's Daily Mail, 51,000 people have completed the application process. The Congressional Budget Office says 7 million people must buy into the system for it to remain financially stable. At the current pace the actual number of enrollees would be about 1.3 million. A little shy of the goal... One of the reasons for the low response rate could be because the website is a train wreck. That website, by the way, was created by CGI Federal, the US subsidiary of a Canadian company, who was awarded a $400 million dollar no-bid contract. Money well spent if you ask me. Now, I haven't been on the Healthcare.gov website but The Weekly Standard is reporting that a hidden message in the site's disclaimer states "You have no reasonable expectation of privacy regarding any communication or data transiting or stored on this information system."  I don't know about you, but I would think twice before I put my personal information on that site! Finally, have you been wondering where Vice President Joe Biden has been during all of this Shutdown/Debt Ceiling wrangling? Me too. Turns out he's been on vacation! Good for him. Why hang around when everything's closed!
Po

Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends. Well, another Friday has finally arrived. Amidst the chaos in the world today we have made it to the weekend. I don't know about you, but that makes me really happy. Facebook has eliminated the security feature that allows you to hide your profile from people who simply type your name into the search bar. "Thank You, Facebook!", say stalkers everywhere.  A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. Isn't depression is really just anger without enthusiasm? The roll out of Obamacare has been plagued by IT problems and system crashes. Who could have seen that coming? Oh, wait....Me. How long do you think it will take someone to hack that website? How can there be Self-Help Groups? Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavors and dish soap made with real lemons? Does any registered on ChristianMingle.com really think God is choosing their perfect match? I hope that's one of the questions on their personality profile. If quitters never win and winners never quit, who came up with "Quit while you're ahead"? Do you think it's a coincidence that stressed spelled backward is desserts? Enjoy the weekend!
Po

Stop The Insanity!

Hello My Dear Friends! I have tried to stay out of this on going political fiasco but, I have to tell you, my head is about to explode. Allow me to vent for just a moment. This alleged "Government Shutdown" has gone too far. As you know, as part of this alleged shutdown, all national monuments have been closed. You've heard the stories of Veterans turned away from the monuments erected to honor their service including, but not limited to American Veterans attempting to visit the American Cemetery and Memorial in Normandy, France. I mention this because today the White House decided to open the National Mall so illegal immigrants and their supporters could rally against our U.S. policy on immigration. Excuse me? Are you freaking kidding me? While this is going on, we learn that the families of at least four U.S Military members killed in Afghanistan over the weekend, were denied their death benefit, usually paid within 36 hours of death, because of the "shutdown". They were also told that the military would not be transporting them to Dover Air Force Base to view the return of their loved ones to U.S. soil. This is the most disgraceful thing I have EVER heard. Ever. If you want to complain about not getting benefits you didn't earn and don't deserve, our Government is open to you. If you give you life, YOUR LIFE, in service to this Nation, the Government is CLOSED. Mr. President and members of Congress, how do you sleep at night. Shame on you. Shame on you all.
Po

Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends. TGFP! (Thank God For PoKitty). So, the launch of Obamacare was plagued by computer "glitches". Who could have seen that coming? Oh, that's right...  So, the government remains on "shutdown" and many furloughed employees are crying poverty. Really? During yesterday's reporting on the tragic shooting in DC, every reporter that I saw ended their report with "and these officers are not being paid today". Well, I didn't get paid yesterday either. I get paid twice per month. Do these government workers get paid every day? They're going to get their money when the "shutdown" is over. You should probably hold your bitching until you actually miss a paycheck. I realize this is a bad situation but, seriously people, take a breath. The Buffalo Bills make me sad. I never thought I'd see the day when I actually wanted to slap a camel but that day is here. I almost dread Wednesdays now. Thank you Geico. If you choke a smurf, what color does it turn? The Governor was here in Syracuse yesterday. In advance of his visit the city went into ultra clean up mode, clearing debris and chasing the Off-Ramp Entrepreneurs away from the highways for the day. Did you ever think that, if you let the Governor see what the city is actually like, he might give us more money? Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. Why is the Department of the Interior in charge of all things outdoors? Everyone who believes in telekinesis raise my hand. Enjoy the weekend!
Po

OK, Now I'm Annoyed!

Hello My Dear Friends. I have to tell you, sometimes I find you people completely exhausting! Where to begin? Government Shutdown. 14.6 million people work for the federal government, in one form or another. 800,000 civilian workers have been furloughed. What was all over the news yesterday? The shutting down of the "panda-cam" and the closing of the National Parks and Monuments. My life will go on. The Panda-Cam has since been turned back on. How many government workers does it take to monitor a stationary camera? My point is, this is nothing more than political theater. Will some people affected? Of course. 800,000 people are temporarily out of work. That sucks. Millions of other Americans are, and have been, out of work. Nothing temporary about it. That sucks more. Yesterday the U.S. DOT tweeted out that they would not be tweeting during the government shutdown. Seriously? NASA shut down it's website. Why? Did you know that 6400 people work at the Smithsonian? Neither did I. Seems excessive. The Washington Post reported that bars around the capitol were packed. Restaurants and bars are offering discounts to furloughed workers. Obviously, if this drags on for a week or more, it will become a more serious issue. More people will be affected. More offices will close; more services disrupted. Right now, as all of the pundits lay blame for this debacle, I can't help but marvel over the juvenile behavior on all sides. What is up with all of the name calling? The President of the United States referring to members of the Tea Party as "Teabaggers". Really, Mr. President? What kind of example are you setting? You're the leader of the free world. Grow the hell up. It's not just the President, although that is the most glaring. Republicans and Democrats alike are hurling terms like "Economic Terrorists" or "lemmings" or "Sociopaths". These are all terms that elected officials have used to describe their opposition over the last few days. Is it any wonder we're in the mess we're in? It's time for BOTH SIDES to cut the crap. Fund the government. Raise the debt ceiling and get on with the business of your backdoor deals, political payoffs and general debauchary. You know, business as usual.
Po

PoKitty Care

Hello My Dear Friends. Well, tomorrow is the day when the Affordable Care Act, affectionately known as Obamacare, kicks in! The fact that no one really knows what they're supposed to do or how it is going to affect them is irrelevant. Oh, there is a continuing battle in the fantasyland called Capitol Hill but, in the end, that too is irrelevant. Obamacare is the law of the land and, for the most part, it begins tomorrow. Depending on who you talk to, it's either the greatest thing ever or the end of life as we know it. I fall somewhere in the middle. I, not surprisingly, have questions. First, and I think most importantly, Why, if Obamacare is so great, did the President exempt himself, all of his political appointees and everyone in Congress from it? I've said this before and I'll say it again; Congress should NOT be allowed to pass a law and then exempt THEMSELVES from it. It's ridiculous. If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for you too Mr. President. Second, I'd like to know why, if Obamacare is ready to go, has the government delayed the employer mandate and the insurer reporting requirements until 2015? I'm sure it has nothing to do with the midterm elections. Third, if this whole system is predicated on the need for young, healthy Americans to purchase health insurance, what happens when they don't? If the media wasn't so focused on this fabricated government shut down (which is exactly what the politicians hoped they would do) maybe someone could have asked these questions prior to the implementation of this mammoth program. So my dear friends I will look into my crystal ball and tell you what happens next.
First, the websites that provide what little information that is currently available along with the on-line marketplaces with the insurance exchanges, will crash tomorrow. That will take days or weeks to repair. Once they work that out, mass confusion will reign. People will realize that they've been misled on what will be available to them or how much it will really cost them. Next, in about a year or so down the line, the government will realize that all of these young, healthy Americans who they counted on to fund the system, won't be there. The system will be on the edge of implosion when the government will step in to save it, creating the single payer system (socialized medicine) that they've wanted from the beginning. Don't believe me? That's all right. Time will tell. Let me leave you with one final question. If the Affordable Care Act was created to provide affordable health insurance to "millions of Americans who desperately need it", why then did they need to include a law that requires everyone to buy it? If it is all that they say it is, wouldn't people flock to it on their own? Forcing someone to purchase something is not providing a service or filling a need, is it?
Po

Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends. I do love a good nip buzz on Friday! Did you know that the U.S. Veterans Administration handed out over $1.5 million in bonuses while paying out a record BILLION dollars in medical malpractice settlements? Our tax dollars in action! One of those bonuses, by the way went to Michael Moreland, who oversaw the VA hospital where at least 5 Veterans died from a preventable Legionnaires Disease outbreak. Moreland received the Presidential distinguished Rank Award and a $63,000 bonus AFTER the deaths were determined to have been preventable. I wonder how many Veterans you have to kill to get a $100,000 bonus! Why is abbreviation such a long word? Do you think that if they lined up all of the cars in the world end to end, some goober in a BMW would try to pass them? I do. The latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population. If "pro" is the opposite of "con", would "progress" be the opposite of "congress"? When you're driving and looking for an address, do you ever turn down the radio? You know you do. Is there another word for synonym? Why is it that, if a sing says "George Washington slept here" you believe it but, if a sign says "wet paint" you have to touch it? Enjoy the weekend my friends!
Po