Gross Stupidity

GROSS STUPIDITY DEFINED

           

I first heard the phrase "Gross stupidity drives me up the wall!" while listening to a call- in radio show. The host was talking about the Patty Hearst kidnapping. A woman called in to tell the host he was wrong about some details. When the host asked the caller how she knew she was correct the lady replied that she had seen the kidnapping on TV. The host told her she hadn't seen the actual act but had seen a recreation. When the lady insisted that she had seen the whole thing on TV the host asked "Do you think anybody would be dumb enough to call up a TV station and tell them they were going to kidnap somebody and tell the TV people where and when?" The lady said," They must have, how else would the TV people know about it? ". At that point the host uttered the phrase that I have since extended to "Gross stupidity and incompetence drive me up the wall".

            The "Gross" part of the statement needs some definition. All of us, no matter how intelligent or careful, have done or said something stupid. We are, after all, just humans. I am sure at one time or another we all have slapped ourselves on the head while saying, "What a stupid thing I have done", you know like smashing a finger in a car door or hitting your thumb with a hammer. These are normal stupid. Perhaps I can better define "Gross Stupidity." with an example:

            I once operated a restaurant in western Pennsylvania. Some of the people in the area had lived there a little too long and as a result had brain damage, no doubt caused by inhaling fumes from coke ovens and steel mills. I make this statement so that you will know, by current legal and politically correct standards; my customers were not responsible for their actions. At any rate, we had decided to replace a damaged sidewalk that led to a side entrance. We had blocked the area under repair with bright yellow wooden horses. Outside the wooden horse barriers we had constructed a barrier using boxes, yellow tape, lights and huge signs with arrows telling people to use the door on the other side of the building. After all these preparations we poured and finished the new sidewalk. About ten minutes later my manager came into my office and said "I want you to come out and see this". A woman was standing in wet concrete up to her ankles, trying to get in the door. She had moved boxes aside, ducked under the yellow tape, moved a wooden horse and walked at least three steps in wet concrete. I walked outside and asked her if she knew that she was standing in wet cement. She asked "Why is the door locked?"  That, people, is an example of gross stupidity. We helped the lady clean up and gave her a free lunch. She seemed normal, just had a bad case of the "grosses"      

             The same definition applies to incompetence. I am incompetent when it comes to insurance. The poor agent can explain something to me and I say something intelligent like "duhhh!". So I am incompetent in some areas; everybody is. To qualify as gross you have to do something special, like, be paid! You all have met them, they are everywhere. They are standing there, being paid to help you and they literally can't find their rear end with both hands. I am not talking about part time help, I am talking about somebody like the boss’s son-in-law who has been in the business for five years and can't direct you to the restroom.

             I am sure you have all had at least one experience that defines "gross". Drop me a line and tell me about it. It may qualify as a "Mind Boggler".

Gasoline $$$$$

THE PRICE OF GASOLINE

            I watched the 5/2011 Senate hearings on gasoline prices/oil company “excessive” profits.

            The following was written in 2008, after Senate hearings following a gasoline gas price spike:

           

            I have opined that nobody should run for public office unless they had run their own small business, or at least demonstrated the ability to understand a Profit and Loss Statement.      

            The senators quizzing the oil company CEO’s are either stupid or think that “profit” is a dirty word.

            At least three CEO’s tried to explain Business 101 to the Senators. The CEO’s patiently explained that profit, expressed as dollars, was rising due to increased demand and sales. They tried to explain that their profit, as a percentage of sales, had dropped from 10% to 4% because of the increased cost of crude oil, commodities and operating expenses. The Senators didn’t understand the math. A CEO patiently explained that for each dollar of their sales they used to make 10 cents in profit but now where down to four cents.  He pointed out that governments were collecting 14 cents for each dollar of gas sales.

            Senator Diane Feinstein accused the CEO’s of playing “The Victim” card. She blasted the CEO’s for making “excessive profits” and not using the profits to help “the people” (redistribute wealth). Evidently the Senator is not happy that governments are collecting three times the amount of the oil company profits. She wants it all. I think it’s called “Nationalization”. How long would take the oil companies to move out of the US if they saw this coming? How would that affect jobs and national debt?

            An hours pay for my first job (1940’s) bought one gallon of gas. Today’s hourly minimum wage will buy two gallons of gas! Gas is being sold below a price corrected for inflation!

            Also, shouldn’t the media report profits of all businesses as a percentage of sales? Otherwise large companies with gigantic sales $’s will be blasted for “excess profits” and small companies who make 50% profits will not be identified. Using percentage value can also be distorted. A company whose profits increase from $1.00 to $2.00 could be chastised for having a 100% increase in profits. Politicians and the media selectively report numbers that punish “bad” companies. Why is profit a dirty word?

            I’ve noticed that the “No Profit” politicians and media demean the gas and oil companies by saying they are receiving “subsides”. To me subsidies are government grants to “preferred” companies to develop government preferred things like “Green Energy” or buy votes. Taking a legal tax deduction for money spent to develop business is an expense deduction, not a subsidy.

            Unfortunately, with the present American educational system, the average person doesn’t have a clue when it comes to economics and business.

            Those who do understand what’s happening are starting to oppose “The redistribution of wealth”.  Our president calls them “Misinformed”

(stupid)!

Who is spending your money?

Washington versus Business

Before the 2008 elections I was visiting my home state of Pennsylvania.

The Pa governor was attempting to obtain $10,000, 0000 (for Penn State Grads, that’s ten million dollars) from the Pa treasury to donate to RINO turned Demo Senator Arlen Specter so the Senator could build a library bearing his name.

The governor, who would be gone after the coming election due to term limits, was acutely aware that the state was bankrupt. In spite of that he wanted the State to donate the ten mil before he left office. When critics complained the governor said they could just raise taxes to fund the project.

The governor’s attitude seems to be common to people who work for government. I have been on the board of directors for two different home or condo owners associations. The board members who had been in government or school systems had the same attitude as the governor; Raise fees! The thought to save or reduce spending was not in their thought process.

If there weren’t enough business people on the board, fees were raised.

Business people understand that to spend more money they had to increase sales. They understand that overhead costs can kill a business. Using the governors desire to “donate” ten million dollars for example, a business man operating at 10% profit would have to generate one hundred million dollars in new sales.

I’ve been saying for years that a politician should not be allowed to run for office unless he/she has run a business and had to rely on making a profit to feed their family.

I would accept an alternate requirement that aspiring politicians be required to take an exam to prove that they understand a Profit/Loss statement.

Law and Disorder

LAW & DISORDER MIND BOGGLERS

            Yes, back by popular demand, it's MIND BOGGLER day. Today's topics deal with legal goofiness and gun control.

            The first topic concerns a federal judge in Savannah Georgia. The judge became concerned about the terrible plight of the prisoners housed in a local jail. I guess the prisoner had to wait in line to use the weight machines and even worse some could not get a good view of the big screen TV. The judge got wind of these inhumane conditions and decided that the jail was overcrowded. The judge ordered the jail warden to release twenty prisoners. This was not the first time that the warden had been ordered to release prisoners. The warden tried, unsuccessfully, to find other facilities to house the twenty prisoners. Finally, the warden went back to the judge and explained that most of the prisoner in his jail were dangerous felons. Releasing any of them, in the warden’s opinion, would place citizens in danger. The judge, according to reports, became outraged, held the warden in contempt, and fined him two hundred dollars a day for every prisoner that had not been released. The fine was to run until the twenty prisoners were released. The warden had no options; he resigned.

            I am sure that you can see the mind boggler. Once upon the time, during the reign of sanity, a jail warden would have been fired if twenty prisoners escaped.  In this demented time the warden was fined for not letting prisoners out! Wouldn't it have been nice if the judge let the bad boys stay in his house!

           

My second topic today is gun control.

            The best and simplest display of the gun control lobby misguided logic was depicted in a cartoon I saw a few years ago. I am sorry that I can't find a copy of the cartoon in order to give proper credit to the cartoonist. The cartoon showed a side view of a jail. The town dignitaries were gathered on the front steps observing a hanging. The scaffold, surrounded by a cheering crowd, supported a rope with a noose, hanging a gun. At the back door of the jail a scruffy criminal was being released. That cartoon clearly identifies the gun control lobby’s ill-advised position; blame the inanimate object for crime, not the criminal.

                        .

             

WAR-POW-MIA

WAR-POW-MIA

If you are able, save for them a place inside of you, and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the place they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always.

Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying, and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.

By----Major Michael O’Donald, Jan 1, 1970,  Dak To,  Vietnam

Major O’Donald, a helicopter pilot, went MIA on 3/24/1970 during a rescue attempt.

His remains were returned in 1995 and identified in 2001.

 From: AllPOWMia.com

A friend, who was O’Donald’s Commanding Officer, pointed me to this Poem after reading my Novel The Last American Hero.

I include the poem in my closing when speaking about my novel, at book signings and appearance.

They first dozen times I could not finish the poem.

If you have lost a family member or friend in a war I’m sure you will understand.

Media and Poltical Crap

Ft Myers News-Press opinion page, March 10, 2012

WOW-Five mailbag letters, a guest opinion and a cartoon all with a pro Obama theme.

I’m an independent who observes politics from the right and left. I watch MSNBC and Fox News, read The News Press and follow many bloggers from the left and right. The News Press published my mailbag letter requesting readers to do the same and base their voting on their own conclusions. A recent Dan Warner editorial made the same point and request.

I’m retired, living on a fixed income. During the last 3 years the huge increase in the cost of food and gasoline has been damaging. The cost of my Part B Medical Care Supplement just increased 30%. The appraised value of my home has decreased but taxes haven’t.  The bailout of GM did not help me. The value of my investments in GM went to zero. I didn’t receive a “bail out” for the loss of my investments.

I’m also aware that the President and his staff are frequently disingenuous. When the President declared that if you bought a hybrid car the fuel savings would pay for the car in three years I was amused. Pay for the increase in cost yes, total cost no.

The Government issues frequent report on the number of people filing for first time unemployment benefits. That number, currently around 300, 000 is followed by the “good news”   that 200, 000 new jobs were created. The Media reports the good news. Most thinking people know we have had a net loss of 100,000 jobs in that period. So, how is that good news and how many of the new jobs were government jobs and how many will produce something that can be sold?

Obama’s present theme that Buffett paid a lower tax rate than his secretary is misleading. Define the difference in rates and disclose the $$ paid by both.

His push for Green power has led to financial disasters like Solindra.

His declaration that the Tea Party people (I’m not a member) are misinformed (stupid) and should “let the politicians do their job” was demeaning. So was the president’s statement that he would go around Congress.

The constant declaration that Republicans are doing nothing is misleading; Congress has passed many Bills that the Democratic Senate has refused to consider.

The “Occupy” people and the Gimme Generation irritate me. I served in the Military, worked full time and attended night school for 8 years to earn a degree, worked hard for 2 major Corporations for 30 years and ran my own business for 20 years. Today some young adults think they are entitled to Freebies.

During past presidential elections I had similar opinions about both Republican and Democratic candidates programs and actions.

During this Primary election season both sides have been pointing fingers and slinging mud. The coming Presidential election cycle will be viscous. When the Republican candidate is established I’m sure we will become advised of his similar “failures”.

George Soros, during a TV interview, stated he doesn’t care who wins. That is scary. Think about that!

Many of the voters will not be influenced by political rhetoric or the media. Unfortunately they may not be watching, listening or thinking and just vote based on party.

This, however, may change,. Even the most detached are affected by the obvious steep increase in food and gasoline prices. An empty wallet is difficult to ignore.

Remember the Clinton theme “It’s the economy, stupid”?

This year the Republican theme should be “It’s the high prices, stupid”.


 

How many zeros in a billion

Received this by e-mail

How many zeros in a billion? This is too true to be funny!

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think
 about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

 A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases:

 A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
 A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
 A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes,at the rate our government
 is spending it.

 While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans ...
 It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division. After hurricane Katrina

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D) asked Congress for
 250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number...
 What does it mean?
 Well... if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, and child)
 you   each get  $516,528.
 Or... if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787

Or... if you are a family of four your family   gets  $2,066,012.
 Hey Washington, D. C.,HELLO! Are all your calculators broken??

Take a look at this list of Taxes!
Accounts Receivable Tax, Building Permit Tax, CDL License Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax     Dog License Tax, Federal Income Tax, Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), Fishing License Tax,
 Food License Tax,  Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax, Gift Tax,  Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax
 Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax) IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)  Liquor Tax,
 Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes,
 Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax (Truckers), Recreational Vehicle Tax, Sales Tax, School Tax,
 State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax,  Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
 Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax,
 Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax.
 STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
 Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago. and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
 We had absolutely no national debt...
We had the largest middle class in the world... and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What happened?
Can you spell 'politicians!'

 I hope this goes around the U S A at least a billion times!!!

Today’s Ponderism:

Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water?
Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE !!!