Archive for bad at life

Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman

Let the shit show begin. It’s trial time.

I hate to be pessimistic but it’s difficult to imagine much of anything positive coming out of this trial. It’s going to be very difficult to find much of anything resembling justice buried under the media circus and frenzy for the limelight by all involved, lawyers and judge included. It’s hard to imagine it’s going to be anything but polarizing, further distancing us from any truly rational bipartisan debate, all sides firming up the stances they’ve already taken or even having them pushed further to an extreme. Gun control, race relations, civil liberties.

But who I’m really feeling for is the family and friends of Trayvon Martin, having to mourn the loss of a son and friend amongst so much spectacle. I also feel for Zimmerman’s family, no one wants their son to be a killer or murderer and I’m sure incidental family members will have their name dragged through the mud as well.

While we’re at it, let’s give a shout out to all the families who’ve wrongfully had the lives of loved ones taken by the hands of vigilantes or over zealous law enforcement, families that have had to mourn while dealing with accusations thrown at the deceased and the numbing fear from when your “protectors” become the ones you need protecting from.

Share

Government as VCs is Bad M’kay

The government is not a business and it shouldn’t be run like one.
Say this about 1000 times until you understand it.

Done? Good

This morning I read Scott Woolley’s post on Slate Tesla Is Worse Than Solyndra that laments the US gov investment didn’t look the like the investments of the venture capitalists and that the US gov should now own a stake in Tesla as a result. While on a very superficial level I could see why one would think so, but if you dig deeper it is a horrible idea for the gov to play VC.

VCs use their connections and influence in an attempt to ensure the success of their investments. Imagine the world of conflicts of interest that would arise were the gov to do the same? Oh we want to give Tesla a chance let’s raise gasoline taxes and offer tax credits for buying an electric car. Let’s make all new fed vehicle purchases Teslas. Let’s legislate a ban on non-electric cars… You see where I’m going with this the gov acting as a VC is rife with problems.

The way the gov approached Tesla is the same way the gov approaches its investment in college education, they back loans that wouldn’t be granted by conventional institutions with knowledge that many will fail and some will succeed, but the overall goal is to have a more educated population. What they did with Tesla and Solyndra is the same, they backed loans on favorable terms in order to achieve a goal that makes the country better as a whole. Having a cutting edge electric car company is good for the US just as having an educated population is good for the US. You’d never suggest that the gov claim an ownership stake in students with the expectation of a cut of future earnings, so why should it be the same for Tesla. The US gov will receive its payback when Tesla creates jobs and pays taxes. If there were any terms the gov should have stipulated it should have been to ensure that Tesla stay in the US for 20 years and isn’t allowed offshore tax shelters or outsourced labor.

Eastern Motors

Where your job is your credit. Fellow C-List DC Blogger DCKatastrophe gifted me my very own car this weekend, she got a bunch of Eastern Motors schwag after mentioning them in her blog. I wonder if this is subliminally related to a not forgotten promise that if I’m ever in the the position where I can easily piss away $30k I’m going to buy her a pink Miata with the vanity plates “SNDYVAG”
Thanks!

Share

Office Doors, Giving Thanks and DIY

I’ve been saying this for years but I probably wasn’t heard over the din of office noise.

A well put article on people who are thanking God after disasters.

Jaded Dan thinks imagine if this ingenuity was applied to less destructive efforts. Technology Dan thinks imagine if these guys had 3D printers.

Some screws, some wood and some Jameson.

Some screws, some wood and some Jameson.

Share

Ditty, Camelopard and Tornado Safety

A nice little ditty by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

When you don’t know the right word you stick with what you know, the Camelopard.

Where you won’t find tornadoes.

A strong case could easily be made that reading these magazines would likely make you less knowledgable.

A strong case could easily be made that reading these magazines would likely make you less knowledgable.

Share

The UnSafeway

You can measure how long someone has lived on Capitol Hill by the amount of animosity they have towards the Safeway, known locally as the UnSafeway. I stopped by this weekend and this pretty much sums up what people have come to expect from this location.

Note the soap dispenser and the paper towel dispenser are in ill repair

Note the soap dispenser and the paper towel dispenser are in ill repair

Note a customer, not me, has taken the liberty of correcting the sign.

A customer, not me, has taken the liberty of correcting the sign. I won’t even begin to point out the misuse of CAPITALIZATION.

Share

Domestic Terrorists

Screen Shot 2013-04-19 at 4.35.06 PM

Fuck you to anyone who sports this bumper sticker. Not only do you tarnish and shame the name of the Marine Corp and the United States in general but there is little that separates your mindset from that of terrorists such as the brothers that bombed the Boston Marathon. Obviously taking someone’s life is sometimes a necessary evil but killing humans is not something you take pleasure in and gloat about. I feel no safer with people like these around but I’m sure that pales in comparison to the feeling of citizens just trying to get by in these ‘exotic places’ that the deranged enjoy killing. Happy Monday.

Share