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Sean Penn And Rectal Cancer
Posted by John Romano in News and Analysis, Sports and Entertainment on March 12, 2010
Increasingly controversial actor Sean Penn last week called for American journalists who criticize Hugo Chavez to be thrown in jail. This week he was asked a simple question about a remark he made in reference to his critics. He doesn’t answer and shuts down the interview. Mr. Penn told CBS news that he hopes his critics “die screaming of rectal cancer.” Both clips are below:
A Rockin’ Spring Has Sprung
Posted by Rudy Grahn in Music, Opinion on March 12, 2010
Tis’ a busy time for the indie music fan, with the SXSW pilgrimage underway, the Record Store Day exclusives shopping list shaping up, Coachella warm-up shows are popping up across the west, and a release calendar which answers the question of whether or not some of the big debuts of recent years were mere flukes, or if the blogosphere coronations gone-by were indeed warranted. On top of all that, the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame induction shows are just ahead, as are some big reissues for Stones and Who fans.
Yearly Austin Music Fest Underway
If you are looking for a broad overview of bands and sounds from South-By-Southwest, many participating labels have begun posting MP3 samplers or streams from their attending artists. For those less concerned with acquiring free and legal MP3s, grey-market compilations are also sprouting up like weeds. Best stick with the official stuff. If you are looking for collectibles, rarities, and vinyl exclusives, the list of items to be made available at this year’s Record Store Day seems to be growing every day, and includes its fair share of awesome: exclusives and/or first looks from Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco, Peter Gabriel, Bright Eyes, Modest Mouse, Pavement, REM, Velvet Underground, John Lennon, Flaming Lips, and even Negativeland’s favorite band Neu! Read the rest of this entry »
Government To Seize Both Health Care Industry and Student Loan Lending In One Move?
Posted by John Romano in Opinion, Politics on March 12, 2010
The Democrats have decided to go for broke. Rules of decorum and a couple hundred years of tradition do not matter to this bunch. What matters is winning, while at the same time grabbing bigger and bigger chunks of the private sector for government.
Barack Obama
Health care reform is failing. The Democrats no longer care if they need 60 votes for anything. The filibuster is only a valid parliamentarian procedure when Democrats employ it. Make no mistake, they will shove this terrible health care bill on the American people by hook or crook. Remember, more government equals more Democrat power. And Democrats like power, loads of it.
Reconciliation can be used just once a year. The Democrats planned on using it this year to seize the student loan business. Their bill, if passed, would make the Federal Government the de facto sole lender in the student loan business. Since banks are now seen as the Devil’s spawn, the time is right, in their eyes, to seize a chunk of the banks’ business under the guise of helping the “poor” students. The poor is in quotes because every pretense of stealing another industry by the government is predicated on some “poor” group being bullied by private business. Read the rest of this entry »
California Public Pensions To Destroy State If Left Unchecked
Posted by John Romano in Politics on March 11, 2010
The editorial linked below details the reasons California citizens need to get the signatures of 434,000 people by June 14, 2010 in order to qualify Initiative #1435 for the November ballot. Initiative #1435 would simply limit pensions for new state hires to $100,000. Public-employee unions have roundly rejected Initiative #1435 as they consider the public treasury their own.
From the Contra Costa Times.
Perspective: Insurance Company Profits Less Than 1% Of Health Care Costs
Posted by John Romano in Opinion, Politics on March 11, 2010
As Barack Obama, Kathleen Sibelius, and a tribe of angry Democrats prepare a round-the-clock-blame-all-health-care-ills-on-insurance-companies full court press, a little perspective is in order.
Barack Obama lashes out at the insurance indusrty.
In 2007, the United States spent a total of $2.2 trillion on health care. Of that $2.2 trillion, insurance company profits accounted for $13 billion. That amounts to less than 1% of total health care spending.
Real reform would deal with the issue of why health costs are rising. Clearly, from the figure above, it isn’t because of health insurance profits. Insurance rates are a reflection of the underlying costs of what is being insured. I guarantee if I approached Lloyd’s of London and wanted insurance against a Martian invasion the policy would be pretty cheap. Read the rest of this entry »